A HARARE magistrate yesterday sentenced MDC activist Paddington Japajapa to three years in jail after convicting him of inciting the public to commit political violence when he accused the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) of rigging the 2018 harmonised elections in favour of Zanu PF.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

Provincial magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro suspended one year of the sentence, meaning Japajapa will serve an effective two years.

He was denying the allegations, saying the State must prove that he was the one who published the alleged video.
Japajapa also challenged the State to prove through YouTube that it was not an edited video meant to tarnish him.
But Muchuchuti-Guwuriro found him guilty, saying it was not disputed that he was at the crime scene when the alleged offence was committed.

Japajapa, who is out of custody on ZW$100 bail, has been awaiting his sentencing which has been postponed on several occasions.

The court heard that on July 31 2018, Japajapa held a Press conference at a time election results were being announced by Zec and threatened to call for chaos, claiming the elections had been rigged.

Japajapa uttered the words: “If people come to rallies it means they appreciate the candidate, you cannot follow a candidate whom you cannot vote for. Zec must do the right thing by announcing the proper results. Failure to do this, as leader of a civic organisation I am going to call for chaos in the country…”

The court further heard that following the alleged incitement by Japajapa, MDC upporters violently stormed the city’s central business district in protest, leading to the destruction of property whose value is yet to be ascertained.

THE Renewable Energy Association of Zimbabwe (REAZ) has called on government to subsidise renewable fuels to curb the rampant deforestation and land degradation that is driving climate change.

BY SHINGIRAI VAMBE

A majority of citizens have turned to firewood as a cheap source of energy following the 18-hour-long load-shedding regime introduced by Zesa in the face of power generation challenges due to low water levels in Lake Kariba.

Speaking at a Climate Change validation workshop in Harare, REAZ boss Isaiah Nyakusendwa said government should prioritise investment and subsidies in renewable energies particularly at a time when people have resorted into cutting down trees for domestic consumption, processing charcoal, tobacco curing and brick moulding.

“I think government should look into these drivers and prioritise on subsidising such things like LP gas or introduce efficient cooking stoves, while putting in place policies that will save both the affected land and forests,” Nyakusendwa said.

He said duties on all solar equipment should be scraped to encourage use of alternative energy sources.

“Government has removed duty on the solar panels yes, but the rest of the material is being charged duty, and as a government these are the things they should be looking at, since we now have home based solar gadgets which are also being charged duty,” Nyakusendwa said.

The workshop was held in collaboration with government, the United Nations Development Programme and the Russian government.

The government has offered civil servants a 50% cushioning allowance for the month of July and salary increments of ZW$116 from August to December, but representatives of the workers rejected the proposal and immediately declared incapacitation.

BY FARAI MATIASHE

The offer was made during a meeting of the National Joint Negotiating Council on Tuesday attended by representatives of government and the Apex Council.

“The government offered 50% of our total earnings as a cushion allowance for July only. From August to December civil servants will then get ZW$180 million translating to ZW$116 per individual. Through the mandate given by the membership, Apex Council rejected the offer as it could not even attempt to address the basic needs of the civil servants to necessitate duty execution,” Apex organising secretary Charles Chinosengwa said.

Chinosengwa said civil servants were now incapacitated as their salaries have been eroded following the recent scrapping of the multi-currency regime.

“The government team, therefore, pleaded to Apex Council leadership to give them a chance to go and consult with their principals,” he said.

“In this regard, civil servants under Apex Council have duly declared incapacitation.”

The National Joint Negotiating Council meeting came a few hours after the Apex Council presented a petition to government where they were demanding civil servants salaries to be restored to at least the equivalent of US$475 using the interbank rate.

At the prevailing rate, the civil servants said they should be paid around ZW$4 750.

THE case of former Police Deputy Commissioner-General Innocent Matibiri being dragged to court for failing to pay back a US$189 000 debt is not only very intriguing, but it is also infuriating in a big way.

NewsDay Comment

In the matter, it is stated that in May 2013, Tian Ze Tobacco contracted Matibiri to grow some tobacco for them during the 2014-15 agricultural season. Tian Ze tells us that: “The contract was a novation of previous similar contracts between the plaintiff (Tian Ze Tobacco) and the defendant (Innocent Matibiri), with an aggregate value of US$189 083,82 made up of inputs and cash advanced to the defendant during the 2014/2015 and previous tobacco farming seasons.”

But for some reasons, probably to be made known during the course of the trial, Matibiri defaulted paying back the loan given to him by Tian Ze. While we are yet to understand why the former police boss failed to pay back the money, we see in this case the crux of why this country has dismally performed as far as agriculture is concerned.

Here was a whole police boss involving himself in farming and we then wonder how he was managing to juggle the two: The intense demands of farming and the equally arduous police work? In our view, the two can only be possible if one is able to work 24/7, which is impossible. But here was a man who thought he could be a jack of all trades. In the end, we are sure it affected both his chosen trades. He failed to farm the tobacco as he had promised and we can wildly guess that his in-tray at Police General Headquarters was always overflowing.

The saddest and most exasperating issue about all this is that Matibiri was not the only one, but many hundreds other bigwigs with unfettered access to money let the nation down by accessing millions of dollars as well as inputs and machinery which they never put to any meaningful use, which has led to Zimbabwe turning from a bread basket nation to a basket case.

This year alone, nearly half the nation is hungry and our main export crop, tobacco, is an embarrassment, thanks to people who have been masquerading as farmers. It is now increasingly becoming apparent why our agriculture has been such a dismal failure.

We shudder when we wonder whether the country has learnt anything from our poor showing in the past. Last week, Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri told us that those with land are now allowed to lease it. This move only tells us one thing: Much of the country’s arable land is idling in the hands of people who haven’t got the slightest idea what they are supposed to do with it. It is also apparent that Shiri and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is not keen to repossess that land and give it to those who are able to productively utilise it, which is very sad, indeed, to say the least.

Last week, I agonised on what to write about. I had travelled and had a bit of work to do, but still thought I could get my column in.

In the end, I did not write anything because I failed to find the inspiration, among other things.

The question that lingered at the back of my mind was: Why do we even bother, as it seems they do not care?

I thought of Mildred Chiri, the Auditor-General, who, for years has shone the light on government corruption, but her job seems to be a thankless one.

She has no teeth to bite and despite all her hard work, there seems to be little, if any reward for her toil.
In 2017, we all hissed and seethed in anger when a report from Chiri’s office told us that the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) could not locate land it had bought.

In the end, a row between NSSA and Zanu PF legislator, Philip Chiyangwa, ensued on the missing land, but before long and without as much of a resolution, we moved on to the next scandal. This one became a distant and fading memory.

We also read that some parastatals, those parasites that bleed the country’s coffers dry, had not been audited in eight years, meaning there is little accountability being done with public funds.

But because there is little remedial action, Chiri and her reports are swatted away as pesky inconveniences that will soon be forgotten, at least for 12 months.

On the other hand, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government came in on a promise to arrest corruption and jail criminals around Robert Mugabe, the ousted former President.

Instead of the big bang arrests that the country was promised and expected, we have been underwhelmed by token trials, which almost collapse before they have even begun.

Mnangagwa had the opportunity to deal with corruption by giving the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission some teeth, but he has squandered it by appointing High Court Judge Loice Matanda-Moyo as the head of the body.
The albatross around the neck of Matanda-Moyo is that she is the wife of the man who announced the coup that paved way for Mnangagwa’s presidency.

Anyone can argue what they want; say Matanda-Moyo is a capable person in her own right and that she is qualified for the job, but any reasonable person can hit back and say this reeks of nepotism and is a reward for her husband’s exploits in being brave enough to announce the 2017 coup on television.

Mnangagwa could have selected a retired judge or an eminent lawyer for the semblance of independence, but he chose someone who was bound to draw the most controversy.

If Matanda-Moyo is brilliant and as good as a fuming Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda wants everyone to believe, then there will be more opportunities for her; this was the wrong one at the wrong time and will not help either the judge or Mnangagwa’s reputation.

The Zanu PF youth league has also issued a list of people that it says need to be investigated for corruption.
Fine and dandy, but it is difficult to shake the feeling that this is part of a factional battle, as there are reports of divisions within the party.

Hopefully, these allegations are investigated and those that are found on the wrong side of the law are prosecuted, but I am not holding my breath.

Even the person with the shortest of memory remembers the “Queen Bee” saga that captured the imagination of the entire country, as we were promised exposés that would shake the country to the core. Instead, the drama died down without as much of a whimper. This country is not short of efforts to expose corruption, but the sad reality is nothing is being done to stem graft and again, I raise the question on why we bother.

Despondency and apathy have made permanent homes in the minds of many that see the government as either unwilling or unable to combat corruption.

Instead, we have heard the most incredulous excuses from bureaucrats on why there is corruption, with former Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa blaming sanctions for graft.

But anyone who is old enough knows that corruption predates sanctions by more than two decades.

An urge to give up slowly creeps in because there seems to be no reward to stop corruption.

Frothing at the mouth and making all sorts of noise about corruption and government’s lack of accountability seems to be nothing, but a fool’s errand.

Quitting or being apathetic sometimes seems to be the most logical thing to do, as those in power can simply do as they please, with little repercussions.

Also, as a nation, it seems we have become inured to corruption; it seems we have come to accept that those in power will find a way to steal from the nation’s coffers.

Instead of being angry and confronting the authors of our misery, we make excuses for them and as a result corruption thrives.

We have become emasculated bystanders, with little or no hope while those in positions do as they please with little or no accountability.

Trying to hold this lot to account seems to be a pointless endeavour. It is a thankless task, but somebody has go to do it and maybe one day those that have lacked common decency to steal from public funds and their enablers will be brought to account.

Chiri has shone the light in some of the darkest corners, but her work is incomplete without the support of Zimbabweans, civil society and journalists.

It is not enough to be just wowed by exposures, but we all have a duty to do something. To appropriate a hymnal by Carl P Daw, we have got to keep going “till no one hurts or steals or lies, and no more blood is spilled”.

 Nqaba Matshazi is AMH head of digital. He writes this in his personal capacity. Feedback nmatshazi@alphamedia.co.zw Twitter: @nqabamatshazi

FORMER Zimbabwe international cricketer Edward Rainsford yesterday rejected his appointment in the suspended Zimbabwe Cricket board announced last month saying his nomination and subsequent appointment was done is his absence and without his prior knowledge.

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO

ZC last month announced Rainsford was among the five new faces on the 13-member board elected during its disputed Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Victoria Falls which also saw Tavengwa Mukuhlani being re-elected as board chairman for another term.

ZC went ahead with the AGM despite a directive from the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) to suspend the processes, pending investigations over alleged electoral irregularities and allegations of misappropriation of funds.

The decision by the ZC leadership to go ahead with the polls resulted in SRC suspending the board along with acting managing director Givemore Makoni and replacing it with an interim administration led by former ZC chairman and chief executive Dave Ellman-Brown.

Rainsford, through his lawyers Samukange Hungwe Attorneys, yesterday dealt the suspended board another blow by exposing some of the irregularities surrounding the controversial AGM saying he never received any formal notification of his nomination.

“Our client advises us that the Annual General Meeting held on the 14th of June 2019 he was nominated as a board member/ director in terms of section 35 (4) of the Zimbabwe Cricket constitution. While the nomination was done in his absences, our client has not received any formal notification of his nomination and consequently has not accepted such nomination,” Rainsford’s attorneys said.

“Our instructions are that, Mr Edward Rainsford respectfully declines the nomination/possible appointment into the Zimbabwe Cricket structures as he is preoccupied with other cricket related commitments at the moment. In the circumstances, kindly note of our client’s wishes in relation to the aforementioned issue. We believe this should formalise our client’ position and should you wish to obtain any clarification please contact the writer. Our client wishes the best for Zimbabwe Cricket and fully supports the game and its development in the country,” reads the letter.

Rainsford’s decision to distance himself from the suspended board comes at a time the International Cricket Council (ICC) board is set to meet in London today to discuss the recent developments at the local cricket governing body.

After the meeting the ICC is expected to make a determination weather the action by the SRC does not amount to government interference in cricket affairs which is prohibited in terms of their
constitution.

THE medium-to-long-term prospects of the mining industry remains bright, with output for most minerals expected to record growth, Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (CoMZ) president Elizabeth Nerwande has said.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

“While the performance of the mining sector during the first half of 2019 was not encouraging, with the majority of key minerals having recorded output declines compared to previous year, we are upbeat that the mining industry will recover and achieve the desired targets as government and the private sector work together to address the key challenges affecting the mining industry…,” she said at the women in mining conference held under the Mine Entra banner in Bulawayo yesterday.

Nerwande said in 2019, the industry was targeting to produce 40 000 kilograms of gold, 15 000kg of platinum, 18 000 tonnes of nickel, 3,4 million tonnes of coal, 3,3 million carats of diamond, 1,8 million tonnes of chrome and 80 000 tonnes of lithium.

“These require men and women to set perceived and real differences aside; to say what is that we can do to realise them. The medium-to-long-term prospects of the mining industry remains bright, with output for most minerals expected to record phenomenal growth. Government continues to address the structural distortions and cost of doing business in Zimbabwe,” she said.

The sector contributes in excess of 15% to nominal GDP, more than 65% to national exports, around 12% to fiscal revenue and attracts more than 50% of foreign direct investment as well as create more than 45 000 formal jobs and in excess of one million workers in the artisanal and small-scale operators.

Mining is expected to anchor Zimbabwe’s transformation to middle income economy by 2030.

She said the growth prospects provide opportunities for women to participate in the entire mining value chain.
“The challenge for women and the sector, in particular, is how we can contribute to this growth. The mission is daunting as it requires a quantum leap in a period of less than 10 years,” she said.

“To be realised, the national vision must carry and incorporate all with something to contribute. Among women, we have capable engineers, accountants, geologists, metallurgists, miners and entrepreneurs. If we join hands with our male folks, Zimbabwe will surely emerge stronger,” she said.

In a speech read on her behalf, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development minister, Sithembiso Nyoni (pictured), said the mining sector in Zimbabwe was gender insensitive.
“This conference is important because women in the mining sector in Zimbabwe still face major challenges such as lack of investment capital and knowledge on available opportunities. The mining sector in Zimbabwe has generally been regarded with mystification as a sector for the white, rich and powerful,” Nyoni said.

“This is because mining is associated with high capital investments, big machinery and underground activities. For women, the situation is made worse by occupational segregation and lack of access to capital, even for the most basic tools.”

She called for concerted efforts towards creating a conducive environment that would encourage more women to venture into mining.

VICE-PRESIDENT Kembo Mohadi yesterday revealed that government has given a directive that magistrates should not summon traditional leaders to courts over decisions made at traditional courts.

BY STEPHEN CHADENGA

Speaking at a meeting with chiefs from the Midlands province in Gweru, Mohadi said he had met President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the two leaders agreed that magistrates should stop overturning decisions made at traditional courts.

“We have had chiefs complaining that they are being dragged to the Magistrates’ Courts after they have made their decisions at traditional courts,” Mohadi said.

“I met with Chief (Fortune) Charumbira (president of the Chiefs Council) over the issue and after that I discussed the matter with President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa and there is now a directive that it should never happen again. You are being looked down upon (by being summoned to the Magistrates’ Courts) and we don’t want that.”

Mohadi said it was disrespectful for traditional leaders to be summoned to the Magistrates’ Courts because judgments by chiefs made at traditional courts were their “decisions made at their own courts” which should not be questioned.

Speaking in 2014 at an annual chiefs’ conference, Chief Charumbira made a scathing attack on magistrates accusing them of interfering with traditional courts.

During that time Charumbira said after chiefs had presided over cases at traditional courts accused persons had a tendency of appealing at the Magistrates’ Courts “overturning our sentences”.
In 2016 the late Chief Chirumanzu, born Gerald Mudzengi was dragged to court by village headman, Sifile Chiradza, who demanded his beasts arguing that he had been wrongly convicted of incest at the traditional court.

Although a Mvuma magistrate at that time rescinded the chief’s judgment and ruled that Chief Chirumanzu should pay the equivalent of two beasts he had attached from Chiradza, the traditional leader died early this year with Chiradza still fighting in the courts to recover his cattle.

At the same meeting, Mohadi reiterated that the thorny Gukurahundi issue should be discussed freely and openly by people to find a lasting solution.

“We cannot run away from it (Gukurahundi)as leaders, but should resolve the matter,” he said.
He said Chiefs were critical in conflict resolution adding that for the country to develop there should be peace.

A CHIMANIMANI woman escaped death by a whisker after she was allegedly axed by her former husband when she sought refuge at his house during the Cyclone Idai disaster, a Chipinge court heard yesterday.

BY RICHARD MUPONDE

This came to light when the former hubby, Pilato Mandimandi of Ngangu township in Chimanimani appeared before Chipinge magistrate, Joshua Nembaware.

He pleaded not guilty to violating the Domestic Violence Act and was remanded out of custody to Monday for continuation of trial.

Cyclone Idai hit Manicaland in mid March and Ngangu township was the hardest hit with the whole location, police station and a prison washed away except for as few houses.

Prosecutor, Sesekedzai Mayera told the court that the complainant, Patience Tiengani and her two children she sired with Mandimandi were some of the victims of the floods.

Their house was completely destroyed in the landslides induced flooding leaving them with nowhere to go.

They were part of the people rescued and taken to Cyclone Idai victims’ camps where they lived until April 1.

On the day of the Cyclone Idai-induced floods, Tiengani and her two children decided to go and seek refuge at her former husband’s house which had survived the disaster.

They arrived at around 7pm and knocked at his door seeking refuge.

However, Mandimandi denied her entrance into the house, but she insisted that she should be given a place to put up with the children since her house was destroyed by the Cyclone.

A misunderstanding arose between the pair which later degenerated into a scuffle.

He then started assaulting his ex-wife with fists and booted feet all over the body chasing her away from his home together with his children.

He later picked up an axe and struck her once on the shoulder. She was saved by neighbours and a report was made to the police, leading to his arrest.

BUDDING ensemble, Power of Praise choir, has roped in veteran gospel musician, Mechanic Manyeruke, in their debut single titled Najesu Zvinoita.

BY PRECIOUS CHIDA

The song, which was done in an Afro Jazz Feel, will be released beginning of next week.

Founder of the group, Kudakwashe Chirisa told NewsDay Life & Style yesterday that they agreed to collaborate with Manyeruke as they were inspired and wanted to learn more from him.

“We have chosen to work with Manyeruke on the basis of wanting to get advise. We also appreciate him as one of the gospel pioneers in Zimbabwe. He is a humble and a very cheerful musician. Above all, I enjoy his music and because the genre we used is quite familiar with his music taste, we knew we could blend with him,” he said.

Chirisa said the song encourages people to be patient and wait until God fulfils their wishes.

“The song talks about a delay as not being a denial. It gives reference to Sarah having a child at old age,” he said.

Chirisa said they aimed to work more this year on singles, adding they would next year be working on an album set for live DVD recording.

Although the group was found in 2016, Chirisa said there had been no recordings as they were yet to learn how to run music business.

“We have been watching from behind how others do their music. Precisely, we have been trying to bring the band together and have a vibrant and highly motivated crew. As you may know, God’s time is the best. So, God has allowed us now to begin our journey. At some point, lack of finances has been the main challenge,” he said.
Power of Praise Choir is an up and coming inter denominational Christian group that has brought different people from across churches with the aim to create a gospel ensemble.