BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

BULAWAYO-BASED Forex Trading School Africa has embarked on a nationwide campaign targeting to train for free 70 000 people in online forex trading to inculcate a culture of online forex trading.

The organisation’s chief trading officer Kuda Manzanga told NewsDay Business on Monday that Zimbabwe was losing out by not incubating online forex trading.

”We are targeting to train about 70 000 people throughout the country in online forex trading. After we have done the major cities, we will go into smaller towns, but we want to make it a national campaign. So first phase of it is Bulawayo, Mutare and Harare with workshops in Gweru, Kwekwe in the last two weeks of the campaign,” Manzanga said.

”Then next year we will start going to smaller towns. We are financing this exercise. Traders have come together and said let’s make this national.”

Manzanga, who is also Foreign Currency Trading Association of Zimbabwe chairman, encouraged young people across the country to enter the lucrative industry.

”The opportunities exist on an individual level. First of all, you can trade from home. So if you make a profit, you earn forex because your profits are in forex. Now for the nation, if a 100 people in Bulawayo are making US$1 profit a week, how much is coming into Zimbabwe because you would want to spend this money here as a trader? That’s US$100 000. Very soon you can start competing with the Western Union remittances coming in if everyone is trading from home,” he said.

Online currency trading is the world’s largest market generating over $7 trillion a day, while in London alone, over $2,7 trillion is exchanged through the virtual platform. If embraced and supported, Zimbabwe stands a chance of becoming a regional financial centre in Africa, he said.

Through these trainings, Manzanga said they want to empower people so that they start trading on their own without going through third parties who end up conning them.

”What we would like government to do is to encourage the youth to attend these free workshops. They are free. Another support will be in the form of Special Economic Zones, where, for instance, 100 or a 1000 people that are promising can be housed in a building and start trading,” Manzanga said.

”We have got a lot of industries (buildings) that are huge but lying idle, put desks there, internet connection and people start trading. Then government can begin to help us at each stage.

”But there is nothing that can happen in any country without the government incubating and supporting it. It can’t.”

Analysts have urged the authorities in Zimbabwe to provide the necessary legislative support for this nascent economic sector.

BY RUVIMBO MUCHENJE

SASAI, the latest application developed by Econet’s Cassava Fintech International (CFI), has a remittance feature which has attracted crowds to their exhibition stand AfricaTech in Cape Town, a company official has revealed.

Speaking from the Sasai stand yesterday, group chief executive Darlington Mandivenga said the remittance feature stood out for so many users and potential partners that visited the Sasai stand.

“The response by both consumer and business-to-business clients and prospects has been amazing. We have been inundated by serious partners and potential merchants from across the continent. But I can tell you that the interest in remittances has really stood out,” he said.

The App, which has so far been downloaded in over 155 countries opens doors for Econet to explore the international market.

There are millions of Africans that work or live in the diaspora, who send home millions of dollars per year.

The World Bank Group reported that remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa grew by 10% in 2018 to $46 billion.

Sasai offers the service for free as part of its launch package.

“As part of Sasai’s ongoing launch offer, customers could in fact remit funds home for free, to all participating corridors,” he said.

Mandivenga said even when the promotion ends, Sasai will be cheaper to use for remittances.

Sasai offers services in various languages to cater for clients and potential clients in different countries.

Current participating corridors include Nigeria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India and Pakistan.

The three-day conference, which ends today, was attended by 15 000 people and featured about 400 exhibitors from across the globe.

Meanwhile, EcoCash has announced a temporary shutdown of its service due to a system upgrade between 9pm on Saturday (November 16) and 9pm on Sunday (November 17) 2019.

BY NUNURAI JENA

THE trial of former Zanu PF legislator Francis Ndambakuwa (52) and six others on charges of attempting to kill two MDC members ahead of the infamous June 2008 presidential election run-off, failed to kick off at Karoi Magistrates Court after his lawyer Felix Antonio requested for more time to peruse State papers.

Ndambakuwa, who initially appeared unrepresented last month, roped in Antonio in a case he was shielded from prosecution for 10 years.

Karoi regional magistrate Godfrey Mavenge set December 5 as the trial date.

It is the State case that sometime in June 2008, Ndambakuwa, Peter Banda, Joel and Cherai Zvikonyaswa, Nickson Dzimiri, Onisimo Bandera, Rungano Pangiwa and Chamasi Mhande went to Shungu and Peterson Kwenda’s house armed with firearms and shot at the two.

The complainants were seriously injured and Peterson’s leg had to be amputated following the shooting.

Ndambakuwa is also facing a malicious damage to property charge after setting Kwenda’s house on fire on the fateful night.

The late former President Robert Mugabe was the sole candidate in the bloody June 2008 run-off after the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who marginally won the first round withdrew from the race due to alleged State-sponsored violence.

BY SHARON SIBINDI

Rozinah Moyo-Chigumbura (40), from Bulawayo, is appealing for financial assistance to enable her to undergo bone marrow transplant in India.

Moyo-Chigumbura (pictured) was diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis in November 2018, a disorder caused by deposits of an abnormal protein (amyloid) in the heart tissue.
These deposits make it hard for the heart to work properly.

Moyo-Chigumbura, a Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) employee, is currently on chemotherapy, which she says is expensive.

“I am supposed to undergo a treatment at Workhardt Hospital in Mumbai, India, and the quotation is US$18 800,” she told Southern Eye.

“The procedure was scheduled for September, but due to lack of funds, this has not been possible and thus the procedure has been rescheduled for January 2020.”

One of her workmates at ZETDC, who is now running a fundraising initiative under the “Walk the Talk of Hope, Love & Care” campaign, Tinei Ruzengwe, said Moyo-Chigumbura’s life has never been the same ever since she was diagnosed with the disease.

“It really touched and broke my heart seeing my friend struggling to walk, eat and talk, spending a fortune on medication and not being able to run around for her family during these difficult times. So with the encouragement and support from my husband, I decided to initiate the ‘Walk the Talk of Hope, Love & Care’ campaign for Rozinah Rejoice Chigumbura,” Ruzengwe said.

She said well-wishers can contact her on +263 772475892 or +263 713351625 and her bank details are Stanbic Bank, Joshua Nkomo Branch Code 3302, forex account 9140002173556 while the local currency account is 9140002173572

Her EcoCash number is 0772 407 512.

BY STAFF REPORTER

ZIMBABWE Tourism Authority (ZTA) acting chief executive, Givemore Chidzidzi has said the country remained an attractive tourist destination, which the travel world cannot do without.

Speaking at the recently ended World Travel Market (WTM) in London, Chidzidzi said the interest on Zimbabwe was high across the globe when they package Africa in general and southern Africa in particular.

“At WTM you have got buyers coming from Asia, the Americas, the Pacific, Australia, Europe and the UK has a home ground advantage, thus most of the enquiries will be coming from operators and wholesalers from within the UK. What is evident is that Zimbabwe remains a very much sought-after destination, especially following the awards that we have been receiving in the past year or two, where Zimbabwe has been billed to be a must-visit destination, one of the top 10 must-visit destinations by the likes of Lonely Planet, National Geographic, the Telegraph and so on,” he said.

“We are seeing positive responses towards that. We have been getting enquiries for conferences, group tours or the FITs, what are normally referred to as free independent travellers for those doing inclusive tours.”

He said prospects for the growth of the tourism sector were looking up.

“We have enquiries coming from all facets of tourism and obviously the interest from people who are doing social media, a lot of bloggers, a lot of photojournalists wanting to come to Zimbabwe and even the big media houses wanting to showcase Zimbabwe is amazing. I can say we seem to have turned around the bend,” Chidzidzi said.

Chidzidzi said Zimbabwe started exhibiting at WTM and ITB just after independence.

“Since 1981, we have been coming to WTM religiously and we have seen the show grow. They are celebrating the 40th anniversary this year and that is a milestone,” he said.

More than 13 institutions from Zimbabwe participated at the WTM, including Environment Tourism and Hospitality Industry ministry, the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the ZTA with the rest coming from the private sector.

by MOSES MATENGA

PRESIDENT will today address predominantly MDC councillors in Bulawayo amid divisions in the opposition party over the Zimbabwean leader’s legitimacy.T Emmerson Mnangagwa

Ironically, MDC Members of Parliament have refused to recognise Mnangagwa and have on several occasions walked out on him in Parliament.

Mnangagwa is the guest of honour at today’s Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe’s Local Government Investment Conference and will be accompanied by several ministers all from Zanu PF.

MDC shadow deputy minister for local government, Clifford Hlatshwayo said Mnangagwa remained an illegitimate leader and his address to MDC councils will not change anything.

“It is public knowledge that Mr Mnangagwa and Zanu PF rigged the people’s vote. We are consistent as a people and as MDC that Mr Mnangagwa has a disputed legitimacy and nothing will change that position. He remains illegitimate,” Hlatshwayo said.

“The challenges that local authorities are facing is due to Mnangagwa’s failure. The problems are beyond local authorities, it is the central government that has failed to manage the macro-economic fundamentals.”

He blamed Mnangagwa’s administration for interfering in operations of local authorities.

“Councils will come back with nothing. Zanu PF is blank in as far as providing the leadership is concerned. It is driven by will to power against will to transform. The problem in Zimbabwe is a leadership crisis,” said the MDC official.

Last week, the MDC national executive noted that Zanu PF interference in local government issues had rendered elected councillors ineffective.

“The executive noted the challenges faced by MDC-led councils and bemoaned the fact that most of these councils are MDC-led but are not MDC-controlled. Zanu PF has centralised most of the key operations of local authorities, such as procurement,” said the party in a statement.

“The party noted that Zanu PF has usurped key operations of councils in a manner that has curtailed the autonomy and the full independence of local authorities, in the process grossly interfering with service delivery. The party resolved to continue supporting the local authorities that it runs to ensure that they deliver affordable services to the people.”

However, officials, who spoke to NewsDay, said they would attend the conference, arguing local government issues must not be politicised.

“People must not politicise local authorities or bring political issues on service delivery. If you fight Mnangagwa, service delivery will suffer because his government will simply block us from getting borrowing powers, our budgets will not be approved and the people ultimately will suffer,” the official said.

MDC councillors have been co-operating well with the Mnangagwa’s administration and last week, the Zanu PF leader was welcomed at the Morton Jaffray Waterworks near Norton by Harare mayor, Herbert Gomba and party secretary for elections Jacob Mafume who is also chairperson of the council human resources committee.

BY HENRY MHARA

ENGLAND-BASED Warriors star Marvellous Nakamba is in town, and has declared himself ready to “serve the country” as Zimbabwe begins its quest for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final in Cameroon, with a clash against Botswana at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow.

The Group H match will kick-off at 6pm, and the cheapest ticket is selling for $20.

Nakamba, who plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League, jetted into the country on Tuesday evening, and trained with the squad, which included Khama Billiat, yesterday as they geared for the match which Zimbabwe simply has to win.

The group also has Zambia, who the Warriors play on Tuesday, and African champions Algeria, who they will face next year.

Top two teams from the group will qualify for the finals, and beating Botswana, regarded as the weakest team in the group, will enhance Zimbabwe’s chances of making their fifth appearance at the Afcon finals.

Nakamba has risen to be the team’s poster boy and his arrival in camp will certainly boost morale in the squad, while also giving massive confidence to the fans.

Only skipper Knowledge Musona did not train with the squad yesterday.

The Belgium-based striker was expected in the country last night.

He will train with the squad today ahead of the crucial match tomorrow.

Nakamba, who played just one match for the Warriors at the Afcon finals in Egypt early this year before an injury forced him out of the whole tournament, looked in high spirits yesterday.

Speaking to the media after the training, he said: “I’m ready to serve the country. I think it’s time for us to focus on the upcoming qualifying games, two very important games for us. We are training hard and hopeful for a positive result.”

Warriors coach Joey Antipas had called 24 players for camp, but two have pulled out.

France-based star striker Tinotenda Kadewere is injured, while England-born Macauley Bonne, who plays for Charlton Athletic in the English championship and was set to begin his international career for Zimbabwe after acquiring a local passport last week, excused himself on medical grounds.

However, morale remains high in camp, according to Nakamba.

“Everyone is training hard and giving everything. We are pushing each other and we are trying our best to give everything for Friday,” he said.

“It’s the national team and I think the coaches also try to select a good team because I think they are many players that want to represent the country. So us who are here have to try to work hard and represent the country well.”

The 24-year-old has had a blistering start to his career at Aston Villa, a club he joined at the beginning of the season, starting eight of their 12 matches this season, and winning man-of-the-match accolades a couple of times.

His stock has skyrocketed in just a few months he has been in England.

But that has not distracted him from the work at hand. He wants to do better for Zimbabwe.

“I think each and every game is very important and for me, I try to give my all in each game every time and try to improve. But as of now, what is more important is the nation and we are playing at home. So we have to give everything with the support that we always get at home, we just have to give everything for the fans,” he said.

Asked how he has been settling at Villa, Nakamba responded: “Yeah, like I said, there is room for improvement. It’s my first season, I am trying to give my all. I am training well and trying to adjust to the new league and a new environment.

“But this is football, I have been somewhere before and I managed to adjust. I think I am now a little bit more mature. Now I can handle pressure, I have played some important games in my career. So I am trying to give my best week in week out.

“The fans are very friendly, very welcoming and have been amazing even when walking on the streets. They are really supportive even if you lose.”

He will be hoping to put smiles on the faces of millions of Zimbabwean fans who will be following the match tomorrow.

The team will have their final training session at the match venue today before the big match tomorrow.

There are no injury worries for Antipas.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

INDEPENDENT election watchdog, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) has urged electoral stakeholders to support voter education campaigns in the face of an increasing trend of voter apathy in by-elections.

Zesn cited by-elections held on Saturday in Tsholotsho South ward 16 and 20 and in Hwedza that showed a marked decrease in the number of people that cast their vote in the polls compared to the 2018 harmonised elections. Zanu PF won the by-elections. A Zesn analysis of the by-elections shows that Hwedza registered 62% of the votes (947) cast against 86,01% (1 322) in the 2018 polls. In Tsholotsho’s ward 16, there was a drop from 79% of the votes (1 117) registered in 2018 against 55% (777) on Saturday.

In Tsholotsho’s ward 20, there was a 60% (441 votes cast) voter turnout. Zanu PF won the seat uncontested in 2018.

“The turnout in the by-elections is indicative of apathy that has become characteristic of by-elections in Zimbabwe. Nevertheless Zesn commends the political contestants, their parties and supporters for engaging in peaceful campaigns during the by-election,” Zesn said in its report.

“Based on its observations, Zesn proffers the following recommendations: Civil society organisations should continue supporting civic and voter education initiatives, emphasising the importance of voting in by-elections and the correct identification documents that are required on polling day. Political parties should do more to encourage the participation of women as electoral candidates.”

According to Section 67 of the Constitution, “every Zimbabwean has the right to vote”, but Zesn notes that there is a low uptake particularly among the youth in exercising this constitutional right. This is more prevalent in by-elections.

Zesn argues that voter apathy dilutes the value of democracy, noting that the trend has been ongoing from as far back as the 1980s as noted in its report on the July 31, 2013 harmonised elections.

BY PRECIOUS CHIDA

THE sixth edition of the Harare International Literature Festival (Litfest) is set to run from November 27 to 30 at Theatre in the Park in Harare under the theme Nature and Words — Only One World.

Founded by renowned poet and author Chirikure Chirikure, the literature fete seeks to explore the environment and earth through creative writing.

Litfest spokesperson Kudzanai Thondlana told NewsDay Life & Style yesterday that the focus this year was to provide a deepened understanding and appreciation of the interconnectedness of literature and the future of the world.

“In current times when nature is becoming increasingly volatile and unpredictable, it is imperative to recognise how words in their many forms are shaping our everyday lives and the history of the earth,” he said.

“Literature facilitates the chronicling of existing complex relationships between man and nature. From the scientific to the creative perspectives we can build factual and emotional narratives which should question human behaviour and, how it fits within the narrative of the planet’s continued existence.”

Thondlana said the festival — which will have participants from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland — will celebrate literature and creative arts, provide a platform for local academics and creatives to connect with their counterparts from around the world.

Participants this year include Jonathan Dransfield from the UK, Nkateko Masinga from South Africa, Thuthukani Ndhlovu, Word Smash Poetry team from Zambia, Ignatius Mabasa, Ethel Kabwato, Albert Nyathi, Kizito Muchemwa and Salachi Naidoo.

The fiesta will host activities including book launches, discussions, workshops, a poetry slam and performances with local musicians including Derek Mpofu, Chengeto Brown, Victor Kunonga, with Mbeu providing music.

Chirikure jointly runs the festival with Robson Isaac Shoes Lambada, Elizabeth Muchemwa, Rudo Chakanyuka and Robert Mutsindiri.

BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI

ALPHA Media Holdings chairman Trevor Ncube has described author Doris Mufara’s debut publication — Dare: A Diary to My Grandchildren — as a treasure trove for children in which the author distilled her life experiences for the benefit of future generations.

Speaking at the book’s launch where he was the guest of honour last Saturday, Ncube said Mufara took a bold step in documenting experiences that exposed her vulnerability.

“I imagine that Doris first started writing in her journal, writing down her experiences and events after reflecting on them and then she recorded them in her book for the next generation,” he said.

“As she writes Dare, Doris sounds vulnerable, and thank you Doris for being vulnerable and sharing all the different experiences — difficult, painful and challenging,” he said.

Ncube said it was imperative for people to reflect on the wisdom that God has deposited in the world.

“There is a book in each of us. Let’s start with an admission of the journey we have travelled. Dare is, indeed, a treasure trove for our children,” he said.

Speaking at the same event, Mufara said the growing number of children living on the streets showed that there would be adults without the capacity to make a meaningful contribution to the country’s development in future.

She said statistics have shown that of the over two million orphans in the country, several thousands lived on the streets.

“The implications are that we, as a nation, are raising a generation of future adults without the emotional, mental, economic and cultural capacity to make a meaningful contribution towards building Zimbabwe,” she said.

The author highlighted that the book was written as a message of hope to the fatherless and the rejected to address the issues of identity.

The highlight of the launch was the panel discussion involving Mike Kalongonda of Zambuko House.

Adoptive parents Rita Sansole and Simba Pfupajena centred on the subject of homelessness and how ordinary people can provide a home for vulnerable children.

Yotamu and Sineti January from Oracles of God Church were also guest speakers at the launch.