BY XOLISANI NCUBE

AN explosive leaked audio recording allegedly of First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa (pictured) has exposed the simmering bad blood between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the military.

This comes hardly two years after the military, led by then Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander Constantino Chiwenga, ousted former President Robert Mugabe and installed Mnangagwa in a military-assisted operation. Chiwenga is now Vice-President, but has not been seen in public for months now as he is reportedly battling ill health.

Repeated efforts to get a comment from the First Lady proved fruitless yesterday as she was not picking up her mobile phone throughout the day.

But Information secretary Ndabaningi Mangwana said from the information he received, the audio seemed to have been manipulated.

“The information I received is that there is a lot of manipulation and simulation of the First Lady’s voice on the audio circulating,” Mangwana said.

Zimbabwe National Army spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Alphios Makotore said he was unaware of the alleged audio, hence he could not comment on its contents.
“I am not aware of the said audio,” Makotore said.

The audio, in which the First Lady ranted at a top military commander, went viral on Monday. The First Lady rails at one Murombo believed to be Colonel Samson Murombo, the commander of 1 Presidential Guard Infantry Battalion situated at Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks (formerly KGVI), whom she accused of “spying” on her. The battalion is responsible for protecting the first citizens’ official residence and guest house.

The audio may have inadvertently laid bare the tensions between Mnangagwa and the rank and file of the military that was the power behind his rise to State House in November 2017.

The audio revealed a skittish, but combative character of the First Lady who used abusive language to attack Murombo.

It is understood that the eight-minute-long audio could have been recorded last month when First Lady Auxillia was in Bulawayo visiting former First Lady Janet
Banana, the wife of the late former President Canaan Banana, as well as veteran nationalist Jane Ngwenya, and Zodwa Dabengwa, the widow of the late Zapu
leader, Dumiso Dabengwa.

However, it is still a mystery how the recording was leaked and who recorded it in the first place.

“You’re spying on me,” Auxillia reportedly accused Murombo, who was not given a chance to respond to the allegations even though he pleaded with her to defend
himself.

Murombo is occasionally heard pleading: “Excuse me Your Excellency,” but the First Lady curtly responded: “Just tell me what you want from me because if I die,
it would be you.”

The unmistaken voice of First Lady Auxillia further accused Murombo of using someone called Manjoro, believed to be a Central Intelligence Organisation
operative and member of her security detail, to spy on her.

“You must waylay me on the road. I’m coming from Bulawayo. If you don’t, straight away I’m coming to your office and you can do what you want with me. You can’t deal with women like this. I’m going to make a story about this. I’m coming to your office to sit there. What threat am I? To who? What threat do I have?” Auxillia ranted.

“You draw your confidence from the fact that you have a gun. I’m coming there and you can shoot me. If you don’t shoot me before I get there, we’ll kill each other in your office.”

The First Lady also claimed that she was aware of a plot to kill Mnangagwa and said those who wanted to do so could go ahead, but leave her alone because she had children to look after.

She went on to describe Murombo as a man with an “ugly face”, who was “trying to get to Mnangagwa through me”.

When Murombo asked if he could be afforded a chance to speak, she yelled back: “Get away! I’m just a mere woman, a grandmother. Go and shoot Mnangagwa, I ask for a pardon. Don’t shoot me because I’ve children. Just shoot Mnangagwa, because I know this is all about him. Just go and shoot him, why do you want to shoot me? What have I done? What threat do I pose to you Murombo? I don’t even know your wife. I don’t discuss politics, I don’t discuss military issues. I’m coming to your office.”

In May, the First Lady stormed the government-owned NatPharm and demanded to see documents showing where they were sending drugs.

She vowed not to leave the NatPharm warehouse “before they provide me with the current distribution list of the medicines they dispatched”.

At NatPharm, she was captured on video quizzing officials about stockpiles of undistributed medical drugs at a time most public hospitals were without drugs.
Earlier, she had also been recorded threatening to confront mobile network operators over tariff hikes at a gathering in Masvingo province.

Political analysts and opposition parties have repeatedly been questioning First Lady Auxillia’s “philanthropic” work, which has reportedly seen her interfering in government business.

But Auxillia hit back then, saying opposition political parties should not remain in election mode and should stop attacking citizens concerned with the well-being of Zimbabweans, including their supporters.

“I have been a health ambassador for quite some time and my role is to help the vulnerable in whatever possible way. When I (paid) a visit to NatPharm, I had asked the Minister of Health (Obadiah Moyo) to accompany me so that I could appreciate their operations. It is unfortunate that he was in a meeting. He sent a representative,” she said.

Moyo said then: “Indeed, we discussed with the First Lady about her familiarisation tour of NatPharm. Because I was engaged elsewhere, I dispatched one of my senior staffers at the ministry to accompany her. In relation to a meeting I had with NatPharm executives, it was a scheduled meeting which was not influenced by the First Lady. She is merely fulfilling her philanthropic work, nothing more nothing less. In any case, she is now our ambassador for health and child care.”

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

STANBIC Bank Limited, a subsidiary of the South African based Standard Bank of South Africa Limited, advanced its employees ZWL$1 000 in allowances to avert a strike last week as the economic situation continues to deteriorate.

This paper understands that last Wednesday, employees from both the Jason Moyo branch in Bulawayo and Nelson Mandela branch in Harare had last week planned to camp in the banking halls in protest over poor salaries.

“We have been advised that they were paid an allowance, which is an advance payment to be deducted from the July payday, just to cushion the staff. Salary
adjustments will be discussed in the next works council,” Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers’ Union (Zibawu) secretary-general Shepherd Ngandu told NewsDay.

Stanbic Bank confirmed that it was working on providing a cushioning allowance to workers, but denied that a strike nearly occurred last week.

“We are aware of the economic situation and its impact on the general population, including our employees. As such, the bank is currently working on sustainable solutions to cushion our employees against the prevailing challenges. During this process, the leadership continues to engage with employees on the
same,” Stanbic, in emailed responses to NewsDay, said.

Standard Bank is present and operates in 18 African countries.

EDITORIAL COMMENT

GOVERNMENT’s continued action of snubbing its workers as it tries to avoid paying what is due to the civil servants is nothing short of folly.

In fact, it reminds us of lyrics of one of reggae music legend Robert “Bob” Nesta Marley’s greatest songs in which he said: “Ya running and ya running, away;
But ya can’t run away from yourself. Ya must have done Somet’in’ wrong (something wrong).”

Despite Finance minister Mthuli Ncube and colleagues always telling us that things are looking good and they have recorded a surplus, the situation on the
ground is telling us a different story; and the civil servants’ shrill cries for help over their useless pay cheques is telling of the dire state of our
economy.

The sooner Ncube and colleagues sober up and see things as they are and give proper advice to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the better it will be for us all
because this business of running away from the truth will only make matters worse for everyone.

That government is determined to shy away from meeting its workers around a table to hear their grievances and curve out a lasting solution is indicative of
something gravely wrong within government.

Mnangagwa has been telling us that he and his administration have solutions to the country’s unending economic problems, and for him and his administration to
then run away from meeting aggrieved public workers only serves to expose that “somet’in’ is wrong”, indeed.

But unfortunately, or fortunately, they can run, but they can’t run for ever; more so because they too are public servants themselves and the problems they are
running away from will sooner than later catch up with them.

The recent 15% or so fuel price hike has already further gnawed into the civil servants’ meagre earnings in a big way, and expected more hikes in electricity
charges are some of the many tell-tale signs that government is fast running out of rope as far as the public workers’ demands are concerned.

All the civil servants are asking for is a fair living wage calculated at the prevailing bank rate. This, in our view, should be easy to fulfil since
government keeps assuring us that everything is under control.

Need we remind government that also waiting on the wings for a fair living wage are the ever restless war veterans who have demanded a 100% increase in their
pensions. Time is definitely not on government’s side because a disgruntled public workforce is the last thing it wishes for at this point in time.

FIDELITY MHLANGA/MISHMA CHAKANYUKA

Cooking oil manufacturer Surface Wilmar says it has cut back production at its Chitungwiza plant to below 15% of its installed capacity as a result of incessant power cuts.

Ordinarily, the company produces 8 000 tonnes of cooking oil per month, but company executives told Industry deputy minister Raj Modi yesterday during a tour of the company’s plant that output had slumped to 1 500 tonnes.

“There is no production. As you went through the factory, did you see workers there? Did you see the factory running? For the last 16 to 17 days, there has
been no production here,” Surface Wilmar executive chairman Narottan Somani said during the tour.

Asked by journalists if the situation would not affect supply to the market, Somani said: “Are you guaranteeing us that there will be power. You want me to
guarantee supply of the products without power? It does not work like that. Let’s not create illusions.”

Somani added that the company requires 8 megawatts per day to power its Chitungwiza plant, adding that powering the factory with a generator would require 100
litres of diesel per hour and would push the prices of products northwards.

Chief executive Sylvester Mangani said it was difficult to convince foreign investors who enquire from him to come and invest in the country at a time they
were also struggling.

“I don’t know how the country can be open for business when we have power cuts,” bemoaned Mangani.

The company, which during normal times produces enough for export, bemoaned the existence of red tape, saying it required at least 17 export licences.

“When we export, we have to go through a process of getting export permits. Each time we export, we have to get an export permit so it’s just a nuisance cost.
So, we have to recruit a person who has to do that. So, for us, its just an extra person who has to chase export permits, which we think is an unnecessary
cost.”

guest column Paidamoyo Muzulu

WHEN it staged the November 2017 coup, the military was very candid in its statement that the grave action was an effort to “restore Robert Mugabe’s legacy”, a heritage that over time had been reversed by flagging economic conditions.

However, in addition to near universal education and health services, land reform, though brought to the fore through a rather disastrous modus operandi in
2000, is the shining beacon in Mugabe’s presidency.
The noble legacy is, however, about to be destroyed.

Mugabe, under pressure from liberation war veterans in 1997, started the fast-track land reform that changed the face of commercial farming, with over 140 000
black farmers getting resettled.

Mugabe’s government went on to constitutionalise that all agricultural land was now owned by the State, making the land acquisitions final and permanent in the
process.

The country paid heavily for land reform when Western governments imposed economic and travel sanctions on the leadership under the guise of promoting human
rights and democracy.

To his credit, Mugabe started the ambitious farm mechanisation programme as a means to capacitate the new farmers and improve production.

It came at a cost, the State was left saddled with a debt of US$1,2 billion which it assumed from the central bank that had birthed it.

The nationalisation of land seems to be coming to an end, if Agriculture minister retired Air-Marshall Perrance Shiri’s comments (Financial Gazette 26/6/2019)
on allowing resettled farmers to sub-lease their land.

“On sub-leasing of farms; if you have a farm and you have proper documentation, that is an offer letter or a 99-year lease, you can go ahead. What we are
interested in as government is to make sure that the land is fully utilised, it is being productive,” Shiri said.

“As to the arrangement on the farm of who exactly is tilling the land, that is not much of our business. Previously, we used to discourage sub-letting of
farms, but with the new dispensation, we have said farming is a business. Let the farmers make business decisions. If they want to till the land with partners,
if they want joint ventures, it is up to them, but we encourage farmers to have whatever agreements they enter into endorsed by the ministry to ensure that the
interests of both parties are adequately protected,” he added.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been touted in the media as pro-capital, but few would have anticipated that he would reverse the land reform programme to
appease capital or take the country back to feudalism, with the resettled farmers as new landlords.

More than ever before, the A2 farmers have all of a sudden become landlords, nay absent landlords who can sweat their land (State-land) for profit through
subletting.

These same farmers have been struggling or deliberately not paying any land unit taxes to the central government and local authorities.

Mnangagwa has, overnight, created feudal lords (land owning class) using State-capital for private gain. Was this Mugabe’s plan from the onset? I doubt.

Mugabe could have been many things, but he genuinely believed that blacks should be proud farmers not absentee landlords who survive on lease fees.

In the past weeks, we have seen and heard Zanu PF youths and Mnangagwa calling out former First Lady Grace Mugabe as having 16 farms.

Mugabe could have grabbed 16 farms, which should be regularised as so many other political honchos.

It is now more important than ever that the farm audit report has to be made public so that we get to know who were the beneficiaries of A2 land programme?

In the same vein, the list of beneficiaries of farm mechanisation should also be tabled in Parliament for scrutiny.

Why should Zimbabweans continue to carry the can for the few politically-connected who benefitted from both A2 farms and farm mechanisation projects?

Is it not time that we should know who is going to be getting money from leasing the farms? Is it not just that they should pay for the developments and farm
mechanisation debts?

It can be argued that Mnangagwa is busy working on creating a bourgeoisie class that survives on drinking the blood of the poor, through taxes and burdening
them with debts and obligations accrued by the greedy capitalists.

Could this be the reason why Mnangagwa has kept insisting that Zimbabwe is open for business and that government will always follow capital?

Without doubt, Mnangagwa has started to dismantle farm nationalisation that Mugabe steered for the benefit of his cronies.

The Mugabe land legacy is simply fading and soon would be totally erased from the body politic.

Probably more than ever before Zimbabweans have to raise their political consciousness and come up with an alternative to the feudal, neoliberal politics of
this regime.

Operation Restore Legacy could after all have been a ruse just as argued in Two Weeks in November, written by Douglas Rogers.

The operation was more about personal glory and empire building by a regime stalking State capital.

BY HENRY MHARA

DYNAMOS returnee Archford Gutu (pictured) has received his International Transfer Clearance (ITC) papers and will be available for selection when DeMbare face off with Caps United in the big Harare derby at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.

The midfielder, who is returning to the club which he left in 2011 for Europe, has been training with the Harare giants since last month, but could not play for them because he had not received his ITC papers.

ITC is required when a player previously registered to a club in another country wants to be registered to an affiliated club in another country.

It’s a clearance letter that an association seeking to register a player will require from the player’s former association.

Gutu was previously playing for Swedish division one side IFK Värnamo.

The player’s manager Calvin Nyazema last night confirmed that he had received all the required documentation which he would submit to Dynamos this morning so that they can start the registration process with the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

“I have all the papers with me, and what is left is for Dynamos to register the player with the PSL. The process had been delayed by the constant power blackouts, but everything is sorted now, and he (Gutu) should be available for selection in the next match,” he said.

The development will excite Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya, who views Gutu as the missing piece in his jigsaw puzzle.

“When he played locally, he was one of the best attacking midfielders around during that time and from what we have seen so far at training, of course, we still need to work on his fitness, but in terms of the creativity that we are looking for in the final third, I think he is one player who can give us that,” the Dynamos mentor said.

“That has been our major weakness, because in the last games, we have done well in terms of the defensive part of the game, but it’s the final third that we are really coming short. So, the coming in of Archford will surely give us more quality in that department, and we hope to be creating more chances and scoring more goals.”

Gutu is one of three players who Dynamos have acquired in the current transfer window.

Other players who have joined are Evans Katema and another returnee Simba Nhivi, who is making his third stint with the club.

Katema and Nhivi featured for the team against Black Rhinos at the weekend, with the former providing an assist on his debut for goalscorer Jarrison Selemani.

The match ended 1-all.

The other good news in the Dynamos camp is that captain Edward Sadomba, who suffered an injury against Rhinos, has fully recovered, and is expected to play
against their biggest rival on the local scene Caps United.

Castle Lager Premier Soccer League week 15 fixtures

Saturday: Chicken Inn v Bulawayo Chiefs (Luveve), Herentals v Hwange (National Sports Stadium), ZPC Kariba v Triangle (Nyamhunga), Yadah v Harare City

(Rufaro), Ngezi Platinum Stars v Black Rhinos (Baobab), FC Platinum v Chapungu (Mandava)

Sunday: Manica Diamonds v Highlanders (Vengere), Dynamos v Caps United (Rufaro), TelOne v Mushowani Stars (Luveve)

BY Staff Reporter

A NEW investor, who has taken up the majority shareholding of David Whitehead Textiles (DWL), says he has access to finance facilities which can resuscitate the ailing company and give it a new lease of life.

Praduman Ganediwal, through his investment vehicle AGRI Value Chain Zimbabwe (AVCZ), recently acquired 51% shareholding for $5,4 million in the company.
DWL has been under judicial management since 2006 and numerous attempts to secure fresh investment, including a government backed bailout package, have been
futile. But Ganediwal is confident that his support will see the company through.

He told a creditors meeting on Monday that he was aware of the challenging operating environment in the country, but saw an opportunity for the textile giant to be revived.

“As an investor, I am not short of opportunities to invest, but I decided to take a bold step and put in money, acquiring majority shareholding in this company. Nobody else has made that bold decision. All there has been is vague interest here and there and yet creditors wait on the sidelines with nothing coming their way,” Ganediwal said.

“I have access to the best technical support that I can get. I have access to funding that will ensure that DWL produces sufficiently; a business model that I will only be able to go forward with once the scheme of arrangement is put in place and all legalities have been taken care of.”

The Chegutu-based firm was one of the largest players in the country’s textile industry, providing an anchor for the cotton value-chain before it fell on hard times.

“I intend to bring to close all the legacy issues,” he said.

“I am willing to do this so that I walk in on a clean slate and work on the developmental agenda.”

“My vision is to ensure that Zimbabweans wear garments made from textiles produced in Zimbabwe.”

Soundtrack Freeman Makopa

AFRO-FUSION vocalist Willis Wataffi first hogged the limelight as part of Afrika Revenge – an exciting young group also made up of Mehluli Moyo – with the release of hits such as Wanga and Anochengeta.

The band, however, did not last long as a unit following Moyo’s departure. Left to himself, Wataffi continued with his music and eventually launched a solo
career under difficult circumstances in 2007.

With Afrika Revenge having won 10 awards within 18 months at the height of their prominence with Wataffi as the songwriter and lead vocalist, setting up a solo
career proved to be a tough call for Moyo as there was little acceptance, which forced the musician to go to Mozambique where he believed the grass to be
greener.

Wataffi and Moyo briefly came together and dropped the gem, Wanga, stoking hopes of an imminent reunion among fans, which, however, never came. The spirit of
Wanga, that classic tune about a young Zimbabwean man with nothing on his name, provided an irresistibly catchy chorus that was about to be reawakened.

However, the reunion did not last, forcing Wataffi to pursue a solo career once more, in the process releasing a single titled Ngaavongwe, which also topped
the charts.

Things are now turning in Wataffi’s favour. He recently disclosed that everyone was doing their own things.

Wataffi said he never left Afrika Revenge, but everyone just started their own brands and projects. He now has five award-winning albums under his belt —
Zhizha (2007) Qaya Roots (2009), Harare EP (2012), Songs of David (2016), Nhema EP (2018) and the latest offering, Uhuru/Independence (2019).

Wataffi’s new album was inspired by the passion to focus on what true independence Africa should imply.

“My previous album, Qaya Roots, does the same. So, let’s fix the spiritual side of the country. The repatriation of all stolen artefacts and our ancestors’
skulls and implements (in European museums) is the beginning of freedom for Zimbabwe,” he said.

In his new album, Wataffi ventured into a collaboration with Mbuya Stella Chiweshe on the song Mashayamombe, an introspection on the need to restore all lost
legacies of Africa and repatriation of the country’s lost heritage, holed up in the museums of Britain. It is a call for the repatriation of the skeletal
remains of some of the country’s ancient spiritual leaders as well as stolen artefacts, including Mashayamombe’s staff and the Zimbabwe bird.

“The troubles of Africa are spiritual and I feel the leaders aren’t taking this seriously. Once there is a proper burial of all these, then we will begin our
transition to total independence. Let’s fix things in the spiritual realm first,” he said passionately.

In the song Humambo, Wataffi talks about ego-centric leadership and explores the irony of having 54 national leaders in Africa, a continent with less than 1,5
billion people. He proposes a political paradigm shift, in which countries can be led by governors, with just one President for the continent as part of
efforts to establish the United States of Africa. This is a concept former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi tried to push, but it found few takers.

In the title track, Wataffi explores the truth about “independent” people that are, however, not “free”. He is disturbed by the irony that Africa is
potentially the richest continent, but does not have full control over its natural resources and wealth. The musician urges the new generation to start taking
responsibility so that their children inherit a debt-free and functional Africa.

In his new, Afro-centric offering, Wataffi calls the people of Africa back to the sourcem adding that away from the roots, there could be no progress.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

Businessman Wicknell Chivayo, who is accused of bribing former Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) chairperson Stanley Kazhanje, yesterday challenged the State to prove that he was favoured to win the multi-million dollar Gwanda solar project.

Chivayo, represented by Advocate Lewis Uriri, appeared before magistrate Trynos Utawashe.

“What specific decision … (was) made by the ZPC board in favour of the accused? When is it alleged that such decision was made? How is it alleged such
decisions were made? And minutes and resolutions of all relevant ZPC board meetings are requested,” Uriri said.

“The State is refusing to furnish us with further particulars. The State must say this is a board resolution that Kazhanje made as the chairman to favour the
accused person. Section 71(b) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that the accused must be informed of the offence he is being charged on before answering
to those charges.”

Uriri added that a confirmation is required that the tender was awarded by the then State Procurement Board and that the tender process was adjudicated upon by
the then State Procurement Board.

Chivayo’s lawyer further told the court that the State is alleging that ZPC cancelled or intended to cancel the contract and if so, he requested copies of all
relevant minutes, resolutions and correspondences.

Kazhanje’s lawyer Advocate Silvester Hashiti also requested the same documents, saying they need them early so as to prepare for the trial.

But for the State, Brian Vito responded that the furnishing of further particulars was not their obligations and the accused must source the documents of their
choice to defend themselves in the trial.

Magistrate Utawashe postponed the matter to July 18 for the ruling.

By Simbarashe Sithole

A 21-YEAR-OLD Mvurwi woman was on Monday slapped with a one-year jail term by a Guruve magistrate for dumping her new-born child a fortnight ago.

Brenda Charles of Suwoguru township, Mvurwi, pleaded guilty before magistrate Shingirai Mutiro, who jailed her for a year.

Prosecutor Carson Kundiona told the court that two weeks ago, Charles wrapped her baby, with the umbilical cord still attached, in a sack and dumped him.

The new-born boy was picked up by a passer-by before being surrendered to the police.

Charles’ mother was not available when the crime was committed, but when she came back last Friday she suspected that her daughter had dumped her new-born child and filed a police report, leading to the convict’s arrest.

In another case, a Guruve woman, Auxillia Dzukamanja was arrested last week for allegedly murdering her new-born child before throwing it down a blair toilet.

One of the residents believes the accused killed the baby due to economic hardships after she failed to locate the baby’s father.

“Dzukamanja killed her baby due to poverty. She failed to locate the father of the child and decided to kill the baby,” the witness, who declined to be named, said.