BY FORTUNE MBELE

Caps United’s title chase could hit turbulent waters with four key players in danger of getting banned following allegations of assaulting referee Happy Mabhena in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) match against Chicken Inn on October 23.

Forwards Dominic Chungwa, John Zhuwawu and Roland Chitiyo, as well as defender Carlos Rusere, have been summoned to a hearing on Wednesday to answer allegations of assaulting the referee as well as Chicken Inn officials.

If found guilty, they could face long bans and miss out on the team’s title run in, with five matches left before the end of the season. Caps currently sit at the top of the PSL log table with a two-point cushion over second-placed FC Platinum, while Chicken Inn could reduce the deficit to a couple of points if they win against Triangle today.

The quartet have been charged for violating order 31.1.2.9 of the PSL rules and regulations which state that it is an offence on the part of the player who: “Assaults, threatens, intimidates, coerces, interferes, misleads or insults a match official, player, official of the league, public, press or media, or any other person, before, during or after the match.”

Caps players walked off the pitch after Chicken Inn was awarded a penalty by Mabhena in the second half and only returned after the intervention of their coaches. After the match, some of the players allegedly manhandled the referee and are said to have assaulted PSL security personnel and Chicken Inn officials, destroying property in the dressing rooms.

Last year, Liberty Chakoroma, formerly with Ngezi Platinum Stars, was found guilty of assaulting assistant referee Edgar Rumeki at Baobab Stadium on September 22 in a Chibuku Super Cup first round match against Herentals.

Ngezi Platinum Stars lost the game and Chakoroma was subsequently banned for three matches and missed out on a chance to be selected among the Castle Lager Soccer Stars of the Year.

He was also made to pay a fine.

Caps’ title tilt is already stuttering, with the team failing to win in their last three matches, including the one against Chicken Inn.

The Green Machine lost to TelOne and were held by relegation-threatened Herentals in the other two matches.

This saw their lead sliced from five to two points by FC Platinum.

For the October 23 skirmishes, the club has also been summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee on the same day for breaching Order 31.1.23 which states it is an offence if: “It’s officials, players, servants or duly authorised (express implied) representatives assault, threaten, intimidate, coerce, interfere, mislead or insult a match official, player, official of the League, public, press or media, or any other person, before, during or after any match” and Order 31.2.11 which border on failure by the club to protect match officials against acts of violence.

Chicken Inn won the game 1-0 through a penalty scored by Passmore Bernard.

Meanwhile, TelOne has been found guilty of instigating violence during their league match against Herentals on August 10 at Ascot Stadium and they have been fined $15 000 of which $2 500 was suspended for the rest of the season on condition they do not commit a similar offence.

Their fitness trainer, Bazel Sanyanga was found guilty and fined $9 500 for violent conduct during the match.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Hwange have also been fined $10 000 for the poor state of the pitch at the Colliery when they played Chicken Inn on July 14.

Chicken Inn lost that match 2-1.

by RICHARD MUPONDE

A CHIPINGE village head was left counting losses after his homestead was torched by his subject who accused the traditional leader of bewitching him and harbouring intentions to evict him from the village.

This came to light during the appearance of Joseph Kuwayani (43) of Mutowe Village under Chief Musikavanhu before Chipinge magistrate, Joshua Nembaware, facing charges of malicious damage to property.

He was convicted on his own plea of guilty.

In mitigation, Kuwayani said he was remorseful for his actions as he committed the offence in anger after the village head had threatened to bewitch him.

“I am sorry for my actions Your Worship. I was angry after the village head threatened to bewitch me and also evict me from my homestead. I am asking for your lenience when passing sentence,’ said Kuwayani.

He was sentenced to 20 months in prison of which five months were conditionally suspended for five years. A further five months was suspended on condition he restitutes the complainant $5 000 on or before February 28 in 2020.

Prosecutor Shamiso Ncube told the court that on October 13, this year, Kuwayani was drinking at Daisyhill Business Centre in Chipinge.

He then gathered that the village head, Edgar Garwi (72), was planning to chase him away from the village.

The news did not amuse him.

He left the business centre and passed through another villager, Gift Ngirandi’s homestead where he asked for a box of matches. He was given the match box without divulging his intentions.

Kuwayani then proceeded to Garwi’s homestead where he set alight one of the thatched huts.

He went and hid behind another hut before setting it on fire too.

He escaped from the homestead, but was positively identified by one of the villagers who had reacted to the inferno. Property worth $5 000 was destroyed.

A police report was made, leading to his arrest.

By DARLINGTON MWASHITA/PATRICIA SIBANDA/PRAISEMORE SITHOLE

POLICE in partnership with Save the Children is working towards connecting its database with the Interpol to track paedophiles and other child abusers and molesters to combat cases of child online abuse.

This emerged during a Cyber Security indaba held in Bulawayo on Thursday, where it was revealed that cases of child online abuse such as sexual grooming and cyber-bullying, among others, were on the rise.

The conference was held under the theme Cyber Security: Our shared responsibility.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) acting Staff Officer Superintendent Francis Mutema said police have made efforts towards tackling cases of online child abuse.

Mutema cited a partnership with Save the Children to connect to theInterpol’s International Child Exploitation database to assist in tracking child abusers.

“This database will allow Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) to upload images and videos, obtain information on identified victims and sexual offenders thus be able to identify and safeguard more children and apprehend more offenders, more importantly prevent further distribution of child sexual exploitation material and deal more effectively with travelling child sex offenders,” Mutema said.

“The ZRP has made significant strides and efforts in response to online child abuse. Our efforts encompass both proactive and reactive initiatives. These include conducting awareness campaigns in schools and communities targeting both women and children.”

Meanwhile, Information and Communication Technologies, Postal and Courier Services deputy minister Jerifan Muswere and Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe director-general Gift Kallisto Machengete also warned online businesses and online users against cyber-attacks.

“Going forward, my ministry will co-ordinate and spearhead the cyber security aspects such as promulgating and enforcing the cyber laws, with the relevant government security bodies.

“Emerging technologies have to be used taking into consideration security fundamentals to ensure that all information remains secure in all respects. So, it is necessary to be aware of it and anticipate, predict, and prepare against cyber-attacks,” Muswere said.

Machengete added: “As we are grappling with serious cyber security issues in the form of cyber-attacks, data and privacy breaches, and the proliferation of hate speech and fake news situation is yet to get worse as more emerging technologies are adopted in the country.

“My message is that we must never lose sight of the benefits of Information and Communications Technology Services (ICTs) present as they are a tool for economic development and we have recognised that the development of ICT infrastructure is vital to our growth and development.”

A CHIPINGE granny escaped death by a whisker after she was stabbed three times on the head by her mentally-challenged son.

By Richard Muponde

This was revealed yesterday when Daniel Muchongoyo (34) of Maronga village under Chief Musikavanhu appeared before Chipinge magistrate Joshua Nembaware facing physical assault charge.

Muchongoyo exhibited signs of mental disorder in court, prompting the magistrate to remand him in custody to November 20 to allow for his mental examination by two doctors in terms of the Mental Health Act (MHA).

“What’s wrong with your behaviour? Are you normal? I think you need to be examined by two doctors in prison to ascertain your mental status. You are remanded in custody and ordered to be examined by two doctors in terms of the MHA,” Nembaware said.

Prosecutor Shamiso Ncube told the court that on November 3, the complainant, Agnes Muchongoyo (60), who is Daniel’s mother, was at her homestead preparing breakfast for her family.

After eating, Daniel threw away the plates, to the chagrin of his mother.

She inquired from him why he had thrown the plates away and Daniel became angry and moved away from her.

He went on to arm himself with a knife which he took to his room.

She followed him to inquire why he had armed himself with such a dangerous weapon.

He allegedly became aggressive and charged towards her. He went on to stab her thrice on the head. The mother fell to the ground, screaming for help and neighbours rushed to her rescue.

She sustained a deep cut on the head and was rushed to Chipinge District Hospital where a police report was made, leading to Daniel’s arrest.

The knife was recovered and will be produced in court as an exhibit.

Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) executive secretary Kenneth Mtata has challenged churches to fight gender injustice and to work hand-in-hand with the police and civic society organisations to ensure that those who commit gender-based violence (GBV) are brought to book.

BY FARAI MATIASHE

Speaking at the launch of the Speakout campaign by churches at the Catholic Cathedral in Harare yesterday, Mtata said it was possible that society can unite to suppress justice and it is the duty of the church to put in place counter measures.

“The only way in which the church can stop GBV is through ensuring that we don’t have impunity for those who commit such crimes. In other words, the church will need to work with various systems of justice so that they are independent enough to pass judgments on those who commit different crimes,” he said.

“I know a recent story where I come from where a teacher raped a student and the teacher was advised by some people to go and talk with the parents of the child and the parents agreed with the teacher that he could pay a small amount of money. The police were informed and they said it would not be considered a crime. So, it is very possible that the whole society can connive and suppress justice. Where can people run to?”

Mtata said the church must be a place where people find justice after they cannot find it anywhere and that can only happen when the leadership, women and young people in the church are not only speaking out but are also demonstrating their commitment to gender justice.

He said the church needed to be constantly speaking against GBV.

“If we are going to arrest the issue of violence in our families we will need to start to speak the message of peace. We will need to preach peace. Those who have assessed those who unleash violence on others have discovered that they tend to be more organised than those who are preaching peace. We are saying as churches, if any members of society are violated, we are all violated,” Mtata said.

Speaking at the same event, Johanne Masowe yeChishanu, Chishawasha member Charity Kangoro said men, including church leaders, should not misinterpret the Bible to justify their abuse of women.
“To all women out there, I am pleading with you to speak out. Whenever you get abused go and report. We have mechanisms in place like Musasa Project or even to go to the police. Don’t’ allow men to abuse you,” she said.

ZHOCD consists of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, Zimbabwe Council of Churches and Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe.
According to the latest Zimbabwe health demographic survey, more than one in three married women aged 15-49 experience spousal violence.

One in three girls is married off before she turns 18, often to an older man and the underlying causes range from poverty to patriarchy.

OPPOSITION MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has chided President Emmerson Mnangagwa for putting the country into a de facto state of emergency and his reliance on the police to stifle dissenting voices against his “failed leadership.”

By Everson Mushava

Chamisa made the remarks yesterday after the police on Wednesday blocked civil servants from marching and presenting petitions to the ministries of Labour and Finance over poor salaries.
“It is no longer an MDC issue; it is a people’s issue, a national survival issue,” Chamisa said.
“The country is now threatened by those in authority. We are in de facto state of emergency; a de facto police State. Everyone has become a criminal. We cannot have the police everyday fighting with the people on the street.”

On Wednesday, police blocked a handful of government workers from marching to government offices with a petition demanding better salaries, reneging on an earlier pledge to allow the demonstration to go ahead.

The protest was largely seen by many observers as an acid test for Mnangagwa’s willingness to tolerate dissent after banning protests by the MDC and worker unions.

Huge police deployments have stopped the opposition party from protesting against the deteriorating economic situation in the country, apart from using law enforcement agents to outlaw the protest.

In August, police banned MDC rallies that were supposed to spread to all cities across the country over the deteriorating economic situation in the country.

The police also banned yet another MDC protest planned for October 24, a day before the Mnangagwa’s Sadc solidarity anti-sanctions march and also blocked another one by the vendors last month after trying in vain to block another one by the doctors in September. Several protests by labour unions were also blocked by the police since August.

In January this year, police together with the military launched a violent crackdown against fuel protests called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and social movements, resulting in the death of at least 17 people at the hands of security agents.

Police have also on several occasions blocked teachers from protesting against poor working conditions and last week locked down the Harare CBD to prevent vendors from demonstrating against the death of their colleague in remand prison days after he was brutally assaulted by police officers.

“Mnangagwa’s days are numbered. Terror and tyranny are not sustainable instruments of leadership. The two are perishable instruments of power. He should simply give people the right to express themselves,” Chamisa said.

“Relying on violence is a sign of weak leadership. This only shows that his days are numbered. One cannot unleash violence on the people who work for him.

“Why should he look at civil servants as evil serpents? Why block their march, why fire doctors, is it because they are treated outside the country? Why punish doctors, look at the investment in training them? Why do you fire what you have in short supply? How does that work, victimising people demanding decent wages.”

Government this week fired 77 doctors who had been on strike for over 60 days demanding salaries indexed on the US dollar interbank rate. The decision by government not to resolve its impasse with the doctors has been widely criticised for destroying the country’s public health sector.
But Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi denied that the civil servants were denied the right to march.

“No one was blocked from marching. The civil servants marched but police blocked the offices of the Labour minister and that of the Finance minister as a precautionary measure as well as to guarantee the security of the ministers,” Mutodi said, this despite that the marchers were restricted to only a 100 metre radius at the Public Service Association House.

“Chamisa is trying to capitalise on demonstrations as he hopes to attain power through the back door. That will not happen. We are a democratic country and we follow the Constitution. Government is aware of the plight of its workers and will be addressing the concerns they have raised including an upward adjustment of their salaries.”

But Chamisa said Mnangagwa was hypocritical for blocking others from protesting at a time he allowed his own protests to go ahead.

“The irony is you prohibit Zimbabweans to demonstrate when they want to do so in their large numbers but you allow yourself to demonstrate when people don’t want to join you, like what you did at the anti-sanctions march,” Chamisa said.

“People boycotted because they don’t believe in your leadership. In leadership, when you don’t have followers, you are just walking. The anti-sanctions march showed that the President was just walking.”

The opposition leader said government can’t tell its workers that it was broke and unable to hike their salaries when Mnangagwa spent millions hiring a private luxury jet, receive treatment in foreign lands and children of his top administration study abroad.

The youthful leader said corruption in public institutions was the biggest vice denying diligent workers living wages.

Heavy police presence, Chamisa said, will not deter his party from taking “available legal remedies to enforce restoration of rule of law.”

“We believe in peace. We still have the Constitution as our instrument and it is the duty of the people to create new circumstances within the confines of the law. The new circumstances are decided by the people of Zimbabwe and the power is in our hands,” Chamisa said, without elaborating.

He, however, admitted that dialogue was important, but said consensus was indispensable. “Dialogue is important but it is generational consensus that is important. When people fought the liberation struggle, there was generational consensus. The liberation struggle succeeded because there was consensus. Now, we need a democratisation and transformation consensus. Dialogue can only be predicated on consensus, when there is a uniform definition of the problem as well as the solution,” Chamisa said.

He said Zimbabwe’s problems were mainly political.

“Our politics must be fixed in order to fix the economy. Solve the political problems first and the economy will follow. Good politics breeds good economics,” he said.

PRESIDENT of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande says Zimbabwe has struggled to deal with its problems and that sanctions were not solely to blame.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA

This comes as the Zimbabwe government has ramped up efforts to get the United States to remove its targeted sanctions on 144 individuals and companies which the former has blamed for the country’s deteriorating economic state.

Of those 144 targeted on sanctions 141 are listed in the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act passed by the United States government. The other three — namely Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Tanzanian Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, his wife Chido Machona and State Security minister, Owen Ncube — were only added to the sanctions list this year.

“I happen to know the country as well as an outsider can, but I do know the country. Zimbabwe has struggled to address its issues and it is not really blaming just one thing but it’s one factor which it wishes was taken off the table to allow it to make more progress,” Muhammad-Bande told NewsDay in an exclusive interview at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

“The President of Zimbabwe (Emmerson Mnangagwa) has been here himself and in the AU (African Union) Zimbabwe is playing a very important role. What we need to do is to encourage that openness and address the problems of the economy.”

Since the removal of the late former President, Robert Mugabe, through a military-backed coup that installed incumbent, Mnangagwa, in November 2017, both the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe has continued to deteriorate.

While the political situation has deteriorated due to the disputed July 2018 elections, the failing economic state of Zimbabwe has mostly been blamed on the United States targeted sanctions by the Mnangagwa-led administration.

Government has over the last few months secured Sadc support in calling for the removal of the sanctions and declared October 25 anti-sanctions day in a bid to pressure the United States to remove the targeted sanctions.

This resulted in a statement by the United States ambassador, Brian Nichols, explaining that it was rather documented cases of corruption to blame for Zimbabwe’s failing growth and not targeted sanctions.

However, the move caused Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister Sibusiso Moyo to issue a statement threatening to expel Nichols.

“Mugabe played his role in the country and made his mistakes but even at the very last and till this day there is a conversation,” Muhammad-Bande said.

“I think you have to get out of this idealistic notion that there are some countries that have it all right or one country that has it all wrong. The economic crisis has been deep and you know the movement of people.”

Born in a family of seven, to a mother who suffered from the debilitating leprosy disease, life has never been easy for Tunica Svikiri.

BY VANESSA GONYE

Daughter to 100-year-old Gogo Jessy Braundi, Tunica led a life full of misery.

While other children had the privilege of being born in “normal” families, living in homes with parents, relatives and the like, this was not so for Gogo Jessy’s two surviving children — the other five died in their infancy — because they had to move from one home to the other, a result of their mother’s “isolation” at the leprosy centre.

They longed for a “proper” family and managed to have a feel of what that meant when they were taken to a home at All Souls Mission in Mutoko where they got to experience the other side of life.

According to Tunica, the priests at the centre did their best to make sure they saw the brighter side of life.

“Our childhood was painful, we were limited to staying either at the centre with our mother or at a home. We longed to visit relatives or go for holidays like any other child, unfortunately, that was not to be as we were taken as outcasts. The sky was always grey for us, we didn’t even know how to smile as it was one hurting experience after the other,” recalled Tunica.
Back then, leprosy was believed to be highly contagious due to the absence of a proper remedy and as such, those affected by it and those around them were treated with caution, isolated and made to feel less human.

In the 1940s, a period when the disease was endemic, Mutemwa was home to around 1 000 patients. But towards the end of that decade, a cure was found — the drug dapsone — and the disease began to be contained.

However, misconceptions about the disease still linger today, haunting many former lepers staying at the centre and around the world.

The isolation they have had to endure for decades, some into old age, has affected them in a big way.

This is worsened by their dull surroundings, that include walls with chirping paint. No renovations have been done for years until recently when the Astra Paints’ corporate service responsibility (CSR) arm got those smiles back, by giving the centre a fresh coat of paint.

Speaking at the handover event of the refurbished units, Astra Paints marketing assistant, Joyline Zindaga said: “For our CSR activity for the year, we donated paint and painted the buildings at Mutemwa, where we merged the handover with the monthly clean-up campaign. The place was last painted in the 1980s and we saw the need for a facelift and also to bring smiles to their faces.

“Many people forego the need to assist and we decided to bridge the gap and painted the clinic, chapel, hall, patients’ shelters and the administration block. Of the three projects, this is the biggest project we have done so far for the needy.”

The people of Mutemwa have, however, always been enthusiastic and eager to do something for themselves.

Some of the residents spend their time gardening, doing some repairs and a lot of things that “normal” people may fail to do, and outsmarting them since most of them have no fingers and toes.
Despite Gogo Tinashe Tembo having only thumbs and no fingers, she has remained full of high spirits throughout her stay at Mutemwa.

She is blind, but does not let that stop her from living a normal life.

“I really appreciate what you have done for us (painting walls), but next time when you come remember me and bring some sweets and biscuits as well,” she jokingly said.

The story of Mutemwa Leprosy Centre and its occupants has been told many a time, but in all conversations with the former lepers, one person stands out and remains their liberator and the change they yearned for, since knowing the dreadful reality of living with the disease.

John Randall Bradburne, was a friend, a father and a companion to the “condemned” lepers, giving them his all, till death separated him from them.

They all speak highly of him, and describe him as their true friend, one who was able to demystify the stigma that surrounded the disease.

Sekuru Bhaureni Mapuranga, who came to the centre in 1957 as a young boy, suffering from leprosy said Bradburne taught him to love and to forgive.

He had a bad experience having been affected by the disease at a tender age and at a time stigmatisation of lepers was at its peak.

“John did not despise lepers; he would do anything for us and never wanted us to go hungry. He sacrificed his all for us,” Mapuranga fondly recalls.

Mutemwa and its stories will remain a marvel for years to come as it is testimony of true love and sacrifice, the two forces that brought a change to the lives of those affected by leprosy.