BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

VILLAGERS in Lupane, Matabeleland North, are walking several kilometres to access water as most boreholes in the area have dried up in the face of the devastating drought that has decimated wildlife and livestock.

The El Nino-induced drought has left millions facing hunger in the country, while dams and other water sources have dried up due to searing temperatures.

Kusile Rural District Council chief executive officer Christopher Chuma told Southern Eye that the situation was now so dire that in Matabeleland North, 405 boreholes have dried up.
Chuma said the functional boreholes also face constant breakdowns.

“Boreholes are drying up in the area. About 405 of the boreholes have dried up, while those with water face constant breakdowns,” Chuma said.

“People are resorting to streams and other unsafe water sources which they share with livestock. In Gomoza and Nzalikhwa, the situation is really bad, and, unfortunately, we have tried to drill boreholes there, but (they yielded nothing). People are now forced to travel over 20 kilometres in search of water.”

Over 500 cattle have died in Matabeleland South alone, while the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has also reported deaths of over 200 elephants due to thirst.
However, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) yesterday warned of widespread thunderstorms beginning today.

“Widespread thunderstorms are expected in all provinces of the country. Localised heavy downpours cannot be ruled out especially in Matabeleland South, Masvingo and South of Manicaland,” the MSD said in a statement.

“In case of severe thunderstorms, do not seek shelter under a tree or in isolated sheds as these are prone to lightning strikes. Gusty winds may pose danger and blow off insecure roofs and classroom blocks and homes.”

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa says he will go ahead with his public address today but changed the venue to the party headquarters after police blocked the planned Africa Unity Square meeting.

BY BLESSED MHLANGA / MOSES MATENGA

A potentially explosive stage has been set for the central business district after police banned the gathering at the Africa Unity Square fearing the programme could be hijacked and turn violent.

Chamisa wants to present his Hope of the Nation Address, a play on the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last month, with thousands of opposition supporters and diplomats expected to attend together.

This has raised fears of a potential clash between Chamisa, his supporters and the police, who have maintained a heavy presence in Harare ahead of the address.

Chamisa told NewsDay that his address was about bringing hope to a distressed nation and would see him deliver a special message to the people of Zimbabwe.

“We are talking about what needs to be done. We have invited diplomats for the event and police has been advised. They were given notice,” he said.

Last night, MDC spokesperson Daniel Molokele said the address would go ahead in the CBD and urged people to turn in their thousands.

“The president would like to confirm that we will be definitely having our long-awaited Hope of the Nation Address. All concerned citizens of Zimbabwe are duly invited to attend,” he said.

The MDC has accused the police of working as an extension of Zanu PF by blocking party gatherings in and out of Harare.

If it goes ahead, Chamisa’s address comes at a time there is increasing pressure for dialogue between the him and Mnangagwa.

Chamisa has called for mediation from the regional bloc, the African Union and Sadc as a way to end the current crisis Zimbabwe was faced with.

On his part, Mnangagwa has insisted on local mediation from the church and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

Last year, Mnangagwa set up the Political Actors Dialogue platform, where he called all opposition political parties to a discussion.

Chamisa has snubbed the platform, saying dialogue must be premised on conditions he has set.

OPPOSITION MDC deputy secretary for international relations, Douglas Mwonzora, has been accused of consulting for the army during the military coup that led to the ouster of the late former President Robert Mugabe in November 2017.

BY MOSES MATENGA

The former MDC secretary-general was accused of having confided in National Patriotic Front spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire that he (Mwonzora), together with Zanu PF secretary for legal affairs Paul Mangwana, spent time at the army headquarters doing consultancy work for Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, then Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces on the legality of the coup.

But Mwonzora came out guns blazing, accusing the G40 faction of wanting to cause divisions within the MDC.

Mawarire told NewsDay yesterday that he mentioned Mwonzora in the context of the fact that the former MDC secretary-general and Mangwana were not qualified to argue on the legality of the coup because they were consulting on behalf of the army.

“I made the statement in August and I made it in the context that Mangwana cannot argue for the legality of the coup because he and Mwonzora were hired for that purpose. Chiwenga hired them because they are the people who did the Constitution. That is why the duo was called to look at the Constitution closely and he is the one who told me while we were in South Africa,” he said.

“He even said they were given army escort for the two days they were doing the consultancy work.”

Mwonzora and Mangwana, however, denied the allegations.

“When the two of us met, we talked on the impeachment procedure in terms of the parliamentary process, how we were to co-ordinate ourselves,” Mangwana said.

“We were doing the political process while the army was doing its own process.”

On his part, Mwonzora accused the G40, a grouping of former Zanu PF stalwarts who had coalesced around former First Lady Grace Mugabe, of wanting to divide the opposition and create a separate powerful opposition force from their camp.

“The lie by the G40 kingpin is meant to prepare for something evil. They want to create discontent within the opposition so that they weaken it before they either re-join Zanu PF or put their own candidate to lead the opposition,” Mwonzora said

“It is an open secret that the MDC supported Mugabe’s removal. It is a historical fact that the MDC helped organise that historic March in November 2017. Our Members of Parliament actually played a leading role in Mugabe’s impeachment proceedings,” Mwonzora said.

Parliament yesterday heard that soldiers and police officers’ morale had hit rock bottom due to a shortage of food and uniforms, with a meagre 39 cents being spent on each soldier’s daily diet, causing some to faint during parades due to hunger.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

Defence and War Veterans secretary Mark Grey Marongwe made the disclosure when he appeared before the Levi Mayihlome-led Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs.

Speaking on behalf of the police, Senior Assistant Commissioner Wonder Tembo also revealed that the paltry budgetary allocations for the Zimbabwe Republic Police had resulted in the country’s cops wearing fading uniforms, thus dampening their spirits.

The Defence ministry was allocated $1,43 billion after submitting bids for $24,8 billion in the 2020 budget to support the Zimbabwe National Army, the Air Force, war veterans and general administration expenses.

“Feeding and kitting of our army was achieved, although not at the intended levels and this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Marongwe said. “At one time, the calculations we made in relation to feeding figures showed that it had deteriorated to a mere $0,39 cents to feed one soldier during the middle of 2019.”

Marongwe disclosed that due to poor dietary conditions, it was evident whenever they sent officers on attachment to other countries that they returned showing signs of having gained weight and being well-fed, in contrast to local conditions.

“Our Defence Forces participated in the Russian military games and despite the challenges they face, they were rated among the best. They were out there for nearly a month and their commander said when he went to see his troops he could not recognise them because they were now fat compared to their own country,” Marongwe said.

He said conditions at army barracks were bad for the young recruits due to inadequate funding, resulting in some training without the required clothing.

“The ZDF abroad was last paid their allowances in February and we have a situation where some who finished their courses were unable to return home because they borrowed money from their counterparts from other countries and without paying it back, they cannot come back home,” he said.

Marongwe said of the 51 items that each soldier is supposed to get in the ZDF, they were only getting nine items due to budgetary constraints.

Army chief of staff and administration Major-General Paul Chima added: “When you have one uniform and you wash it, it is either you wait for it to dry or you put it on wet. We need adequate supplies. If you want to check on that they are under nourished you can easily observe that in the training camps.

“Because of inadequate feeding troops on parade collapse, not because they are ill, but because of inadequate feeding. When a training programme is designed, it means a soldier must have so many calories per day, but if it is not, it means you are weakening the soldier.”

Chima also disclosed that at times, soldiers have to skip breakfast, but have lunch with beans and the same diet for dinner when their required diet must include eggs, bacon and sausages, rice and other foods which soldiers elsewhere get.

On artillery, he said Zimbabwe’s soldiers were still using the AK-47 assault rifles, which was commonly used during the war of liberation, when internationally, army artillery has changed due to changing technologies.

Air Vice-Marshall Jacob Nzvede also painted the same sorry picture of shortages of accommodation, and artillery for pilots as well as lack of equipment.

Said Mayihlome: “Morale is low and if possible, the Finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, should be asked to appear before this committee because without security this country is doomed.”

Tembo, who represented the police, also painted a gloomy picture on the state of affairs at police camps while addressing the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security.

He disclosed that some police officers stationed at border posts were last paid travel and subsistence allowances in 2005, a situation which could fuel corruption at the country’s porous borders.

The ZRP had placed a bid for $29 billion in the 2020 national budget, but was only allocated $2,2 billion.

“If you look at the uniforms of the police officers, you will notice that they are supposed to be grey shirts, but they are now turning greyish white because we end up giving police officers only one shirt,” Tembo said.

“There is need for adequate funding to buy uniforms for the 50 000 police officers, their bedding and linen as well as their rations,” he said.

He said the police need new ICT technology as they were operating in an ever-changing environment and are expected to operate using new gadgets like their counterparts in the region.

“On public relations and adverts, as an organisation, we deal with the public and we want to reach our public through agricultural shows and the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. As an organisation, we also buy newspapers for assistant commissioners and above so that they understand what is going on in the country and we request for funding for newspapers so that we hear all news from various newspapers.”

On stationery and equipment, he said some police stations, especially those in the rural areas, were using archaic typewriters or taking statements on pieces of paper.

“We have three hospitals that take care of our police officers and dependants. There is need for new equipment and medicines and everything that ensures that hospitals operate. On accommodation, some of our police officers end up lodging with criminals and it is not good. We last gave T and S (travel and subsistence) to police at border posts in 2005 and we are inviting corruption,” he said.

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government and opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa have warmed up to South Africa’s calls for an inclusive approach in solving the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

BY BLESSED MHLANGA/BRENNA MATENDERE

In a rare tough message coming from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government, International Relations and Co-operation minister Naledi Pandor said Zimbabwe had a political and economic crisis caused by the antipathy between its political leaders.

“While we support the call for an end to economic sanctions, the political dynamics that we observe are inexplicably linked to the economic solutions and that the politics and the economic as well as the social need to be confronted simultaneously,” she said on Monday.

Pandor said Zimbabwe had no capacity to solve the economic crisis, which has driven her citizens to flood South Africa in search for greener pastures, without solving the underlying political problems.

“We are not going to achieve economic resolution without resolving the political, intractable hostility and lack of amity of social conjoining and finding a national solution. This coming together of a range of aspects that need attention can only be led from Zimbabwe,” she said.
Chamisa said the South African government’s statement was a breakthrough to MDC’s diplomatic offensive.

“For months now, we have been asking our African brothers and sisters to look into the man-made governance crisis in Zimbabwe and help us restore the dignity of citizens. We are heartened by Minister Pandor’s correct diagnosis of the major problem in Zimbabwe as toxic politics,” he said.

“We, in the MDC, stand ready to welcome South Africa and Sadc’s mediation in Zimbabwe to end the suffering that has gone on for far too long, and give our people hope. In the face of provocation and persecution, our commitment to a sustainable, peaceful outcome has not shrunk.”

The MDC leader said in the interim, there was need to ensure Zimbabwe got help to fund the collapsing health delivery system, which has left many dead as doctors continue a job action now reaching 80 days.
“Dr Pandor has called for ‘practical solutions’. I wish to plead with SA, in the interim, to help set up a donor fund for our people from which we can pay our doctors a decent wage. There is a silent genocide in hospitals which cannot wait for politicians to find each other,” Chamisa said.

Information secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana said Mnangagwa government’s message was in sync with what the South African minister was saying and the issues she raised were already being addressed.

“In short, she said that we are too polarised in this country and as we fight sanctions and work on economic solutions for our country, we need to find each other. President Mnangagwa reached out to all political entities in this country to come together and dialogue as far back as May 2018.

He has never deviated from that message, that’s why we have Polad (Political Actors Dialogue) . So the Pandor message dovetails with the President’s message,” he said.

Zimbabwe faces a political crisis emanating from a contested 2018 presidential election result, which the MDC maintains was doctored, creating a rift between the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition.

Needing regional support to extricate itself from a dire economic crisis, Zimbabwe finds itself in a Catch 22 situation after South Africa said it would only help if there was consensus between Mnangagwa and all political players and stakeholders.

“We would be greatly assisted in playing a positive role if we knew there was a shared notion in Zimbabwe of what must be done,” Pandor said.

“This is an extremely important point for us because while, indeed as the South African government, we work very closely with the government of Zimbabwe, it would be difficult for us to be seen as playing a role only with the government, given the large nature of the problem that confronts our country.

“We need to be provided with a path that indicates that as we enter to provide support, all the parties, all groups and all stakeholders in Zimbabwe are at one with that assistance that support must be.”

Meanwhile, churches have assured the nation that the much-anticipated talks between Mnangagwa and Chamisa will take place despite the haggling by the two leaders over pre-dialogue conditions.

Speaking to NewsDay in Gweru yesterday on the sidelines of a peace conference attended by traditional leaders from the Midlands, Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) secretary-general Kenneth Mtata reiterated that the deepening economic crisis made the dialogue between Mnangagwa and Chamisa inevitable.

“Even our neighbours in South Africa now share the same sentiments. We had a top official in the South African government speaking about the need for dialogue in Zimbabwe. We may have exaggerated the speed at which the processes leading to the dialogue could take, but as churches, we believe the talks are going to happen. We are continuing to engage the leaders,” Mtata said.

The ZCC secretary-general also revealed that in the recent past, the church has been holding meetings with traditional leaders in a move he described as part of processes to deepen the idea of “national dialogue”.

Addressing the traditional leaders, National Peace and Reconciliation Commission chairperson Retired Justice Selo Nare implored them to work for sustainable peace in the country.

“There is no nation that has been prosperous in the absence of peace. Our commission’s mandate is to ensure that there is peace in the country. We also have issues that have not been resolved such as Gukurahundi,” he said.

Jose Mourinho has been appointed Tottenham manager after the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday.

BBC

Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho has signed a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season.

“The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me,” said the 56-year-old Portuguese. “Working with these players is what has attracted me.”

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said: “In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football.”

Tottenham reached the Champions League final last season under Pochettino, but lost 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid.

The Argentine, who was appointed in May 2014, did not win a trophy in his time in charge of the north London club, with Spurs’ last silverware being the League Cup in 2008.

Levy added: “He [Mourinho] has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician.

“He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.”

Mourinho still has a home in London and won three Premier League titles – in 2005, 2006 and 2015 – as well as one FA Cup in two spells at Chelsea.

Having taken over at Manchester United in May 2016, he won the Europa League and Carabao Cup with them in 2017.

Mourinho was sacked by the Old Trafford club in December 2018, with the club 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool at the time, and had not managed another side before joining Spurs.

He has also previously managed Portuguese side Porto, where he won the Champions League in 2004.

At Italian club Inter Milan, Mourinho won a league, cup and Champions League treble in 2010 and was named Fifa’s world coach of the year, while he led Spanish team Real Madrid to the La Liga title in 2012.

He takes over a Spurs side that are without a win in their past five games and have slipped to 14th in the Premier League, 20 points behind leaders Liverpool after just 12 matches.

The Portuguese’s first match in charge is a trip to West Ham United on Saturday (12:30 GMT kick-off).

Mourinho has turned down a number of managerial opportunities, including in China, Spain and Portugal, since leaving Old Trafford.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

CAPS United face one of their biggest tests in their bid to win the championship this season when they clash with old foes Dynamos in a potentially explosive Castle Lager Premier Soccer League tie at the National Sports Stadium this weekend.

With Caps leading the log table with two points ahead of Chicken Inn and FC Platinum, the Harare derby presents a big test of their championship credentials.

The Green Machine surrendered a two-goal lead on Sunday to allow Yadah to force a share of the spoils – a result that saw them extending their lead at the top by two points.
That should provide motivation to Darlington Dodo and his charges as they meet the Glamour Boys.

With only three rounds of matches left before the end of the campaign, Caps are aware that a defeat at the hands of Dynamos would be a major reversal in their title bid while a victory will give them a burst of new energy.

Apart from Dynamos, Caps will also have to deal with Ngezi Platinum before rounding off the campaign with a home clash against defending champions FC Platinum.

But it is Dynamos, who may pose the biggest hurdle in their battle for the championship. And with the Glamour Boys also battling for a respective finish after another disappointing campaign, there will also be a lot of other sub plots.

In the reverse fixture, the two teams could not be separated after the match ended all-square at 1-1. The weekend match will be more significant to Caps, who if they win it, will give them confidence going into the final two matches. It will be a bold statement of intent.

Besides the need to win the championship, there is always the desire to settle the burning issue of supremacy between the two rivals. There is the issue of pride at stake and Dynamos, who also drew their previous match against army side Black Rhinos, will be eager to bounce back and collect maximum points.

Fixtures

Saturday: Bulawayo Chiefs v Chicken Inn (Luveve), Harare City v Yadah (Rufaro),
Sunday: Black Rhinos v Ngezi (Rufaro), Caps v Dynamos (NSS), Mushowani v TelOne (Trojan Mine), Hwange v Herentals (Colliery), Triangle v ZPC Kariba (Gibbo), Highlanders v Manica (BF), Chapungu v FC Platinum (Ascot)

NewsDay

Mentoring of new talent in the arts and entertainment field is an essential ingredient in the process of bringing new performers into show business, and many newcomers have benefited from the advice, guidance and kindness given to them by professionals already in the field.

One such mentor is Selmor Mtukudzi (pictured), regarded nationally as entertainment royalty and a star whose light continues to burn brightly.Selmor has been exceptionally helpful as we build up the new Old Mutual Amazing Voices talent search initiative, designed to platform a whole new generation of singers, so her role in working with the aspiring competitors has been enormously beneficial.

Old Mutual Amazing Voices is a talent search exercise that is well underway and will be broadcast on DStv in 2020, designed to offer a platform for singing groups in three genres: gospel, RnB and Afro-pop.

The search for competitors brought hundreds of aspirants to the auditions in Harare and Bulawayo in October, and Selmor played a key role in the selection process, using her own experience to give guidance and advice and to channel the selected competitors into their places.

The Old Mutual Amazing Voices programme involves only four African countries: Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana and Kenya.Selmor is a daughter to the late music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi — the man regarded as Zimbabwe’s most important musical figure to date — and is a singer-songwriter and performer who regards her role as wife and mother of three as equally useful in guiding young Zimbabweans into careers in show business.

“My experience as a country selector for the MTF academy was both wonderful and nerve-wrecking,” she said. “It was wonderful to hear all the amazing voices that came through for the auditions, but it was also nerve-wrecking having that big responsibility of finding the right groups that could bring the prize money of US$100 000 home to Zimbabwe.”

She said it had been surprising in a positive way to see more groups coming through in the Bulawayo auditions than in Harare, as she expected the capital city to yield more people, but this proved to be part of the fun or the whole exercise.

Selmor was delighted that Zimbabwe was given such a major opportunity through the Amazing Voices competition to platform new talent and give a major chance to aspiring performers to make a name for themselves.

“DStv has such a huge reach across the whole of Africa, with great viewership, so I believe as Zimbabweans we should always grab this kind of opportunity and utilise it,” she said.
“This helps in showing off not only the talent that we have here in Zimbabwe to the rest of Africa, but also the kind of good people we are and the amazing destination we are as a country.”

Selmor is at present working on her sixth album, scheduled for release on January 31.“I was able to get the great producer Steve Dyer to work on it and I’m humbled by the anticipation that it has already created as a lot of my father’s fans, and my own, have said they are waiting eagerly for it, and to see what I have been doing for it,” she said.

She sees herself as a role model for female musicians and wants them “to look at me and see they can believe in themselves and that they, too, can achieve their dreams if they work hard and never give up”.Being chosen as a selector for the old Mutual Amazing Voices talent programme was exciting and humbling for Selmor.“I want all Zimbabweans to watch the show and support our competitors,” she said. “We want Zimbabweans to bring the money home!”Old Mutual Amazing Voices will launch on Zambezi Magic, Mzansi Wethu, Mzansi Magic and Africa Magic in early 2020.

BY CHARLES LAITON

Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe and his Justice counterpart, Ziyambi Ziyambi have been taken to the High Court by a Chitungwiza man who is seeking $420 000 compensation for the death of his son who succumbed to injuries inflicted by a mob and police officers.

According to court papers, the deceased Witness Mashereni was severely attacked by members of the public in February this year.The papers further say members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) arrested him without notifying him of the charges and he died the following month after being released from Harare Central Remand Prison on medical grounds.

The deceased’s father, Christopher Mashereni also accuses the police officers of having “negligently, wilfully and/or maliciously” retained Witness’ decomposing body in their custody for three weeks without a post-mortem analysis having been conducted.

In his founding affidavit, Mashereni cited police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, Kazembe, Ziyambi, officer-in-charge Makoni Police Station, Commissioner-General of Prisons and Correctional Services, Paradzai Zimondi and officer-in-charge Harare Central Remand Prison as respondents.

“The facts giving rise to the claim are that on or about February 14, 2019, the plaintiff (Mashereni)’s 44-year-old son Witness Mashereni was assaulted by a mob in Chitungwiza that accused him of loitering in the late hours. He was taken to Makoni Police Station where he was arrested and detained for trespassing. While in police custody, he was further assaulted all over his body by police officers,” Christopher said.

Mashereni further said his family was not informed of Witness’ arrest and detention and that when he went to make enquires on numerous occasions at Makoni Police Station, police officers denied any knowledge of his whereabouts.

Mashereni also said as if that was not enough, his son was remanded in custody at Harare Central Prison and the prison officials also neglected to provide him with medical attention.

“Witness Mashereni was remanded in custody at Harare Remand Prison by Chitungwiza Magistrates Court on February 16, 2019. On his court appearance and on two subsequent court appearances on March 4 and 5, 2019, the magistrate directed that he be assessed by two medical practitioners. However, the prison services neglected to provide him with medical attention on these occasions as directed.”

Mashereni further said his son was finally assessed by a medical practitioner on March 14, 2019 and was recommended for admission into Chikurubi Psychiatric Unit, adding the prison service “negligently failed to assess and treat” his son for pneumonia, chest infection and soft tissue injuries.