BY OBEY MANAYITI

CIVIL servants are today expected to stage a demonstration in Harare to protest government’s reluctance to negotiate a salary deal after the planned National Joint Negotiation Council slated for yesterday failed to materialise.

The meeting between Apex Council and the government was initially slated for last week, but was postponed at the behest of government representatives.

It was then pushed to yesterday, but the leaders were left disappointed after government representatives failed to show up.

Angered by the dilly-dallying by their employer, Apex Council members then met on their own and resolved to stage a demonstration against the government.

The police approved the application by the Council to demonstrate today.

“Yes, we are going ahead with our plan of action to hand over a petition to the Minister of Labour as well as Finance,” Apex organising secretary Charles Chinosengwa said.

The letter, which indicated that the Apex Council leadership would address the demonstrators, read: “The Civil Service Apex Council hereby notify your office of a Civil Service Apex Council cost of living demonstration at New Government Complex (Central Avenue) on Tuesday 16 July 2019 at 1000 hours to 1400 hours.

“People shall gather at Public Service Association Livingstone Ave, where they shall march using Second Street (Sam Nujoma) to Samora Machel Avenue, then turn right on Fourth and lastly, go through Central Avenue to New Government Complex, where our demonstration shall end.

“The demonstration will involve members of the civil services led by Apex Council leadership, who will present a petition to Cabinet, Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Finance.”

Since last year, the Apex Council has been pushing government to review workers’ salaries, but with little joy.

This has created tension within the Apex Council, with others pushing for a full-blown industrial action while a few others have been reluctant, claiming it would be hijacked by opposition elements.

The government has made numerous adjustments, including non-monetary incentives which, however, fall short of the civil servants’ expectations.

At one point, the Apex leadership met President Emmerson Mnangagwa seeking his intervention on the cost of living adjustment.

Government recently offered a ZW$97 increment which was rejected by public workers.

In a letter to the National Joint Negotiation Council chairperson yesterday, the Apex Council said they are not interested in salary increment, but they want their earning as of October last year in United States dollars to be converted using the interbank rate.

This will see the least paid civil servant getting ZW$4 750.

“Civil servants are not asking for a salary increment, but rather, a restoration of the value of their earnings, which fell from at least US$475 to a mere US$47 currently,” read the letter, signed by Apex chair Cecilia Alexander and alternate chair Thomas Muzondo.

“In arriving at the figure for a cost of living adjustment, the interbank rate must apply, bench-marked against the pre-October average US$475 salary for the lowest paid civil servant. This will, therefore, mean the lowest paid worker should earn ZW$4 750 to restore the value of their earnings.

“The negotiation process be informed by the resolutions of the meeting between His Excellency and the Apex Council, where the above situation was communicated and acknowledged by all parties, including the Minister of Finance.”

They also claim the current remuneration would push workers to declare incapacitation.

The Apex leadership also expressed concerns over Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s public pronouncements.

“Apex Council is concerned with Minister of Finance’s propensity to make pronouncements that ordinarily should be made by the Public Service minister, which in essence undermines the statutory social dialogue framework.”

BY RUTENDO MATANHIKE

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday called on Finance minister Mthuli Ncube to loosen his purse and prioritise the ailing health services sector, which is facing chronic shortages of drugs and medical equipment.

Speaking at the handover of medical equipment and drugs at National Pharmaceutical Company in Harare, Mnangagwa said government had heeded calls by medical practitioners at public health institutions and purchased required medical equipment and drugs from India to alleviate problems faced by the sector.

“As government, we must give priority to the health sector because it is equally important that our people are healthy. And when you are not well, we should have a health system that should assist our people,” he said.

“I have a Minister of Finance … but I think we should be able to persuade him politically to loosen up so that we give more and more attention to this sector.”

Government has been criticised for not prioritising the health sector which was allocated of $694,5 million (9,3%) in the national budget, a far cry from the target of 15% set in 2001 by members of the African Union during a conference in Abuja, Nigeria.

Mnangagwa said those with chronic ailments like cancer and those in need of dialysis should be able to access medical services free of charge.

“What we have not achieved, which I think is necessary, is that as we go forward we should establish more liberal policies towards giving access to have free health services for children and the elderly,” he said.

The President said people in remote areas should be able to access health services without travelling to urban areas and
should benefit from the donated equipment.

He urged pharmaceutical distributors and government health institutions to ensure drugs are not pilfered, but benefit
patients.

State institutions have been experiencing drug stock-outs attributed to inadequate funding allocated to the health
sector, drug pilferage and leakages in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Mnangagwa said after his meeting with doctors to hear their concerns, he sourced funds and purchased 85% of the medical
equipment they had requested.

Mnangagwa said government had received drugs and medical equipment from the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates
Sheikh Mohammed, who has also promised to fully equip State health institutions.

He said the country also received and disbursed huge consignments of medical drugs donated to Cyclone Idai victims by
other donors, including Tanzanian President John Magufuli.

He applauded the courageous doctors who met him, saying their act of courage was benefiting several hospitals

The consignment of the medical equipment had 36 infant incubators, 50 multiparameter monitors for adults, 30
multiparameter monitors for paeds, 10 operating theatre tables (electric), 10 operating tables (hydraulic), 20 EEG
electroencephalography machines, 10 respiratory aid ventilator, five video endoscopy sets, five video colonoscopy sets,
five video gastrocopy set, 5 ICU ventilators for adults, five ICU ventilators paeds, four X-ray machines and 10
anaesthetic machines.

BY STAFF REPORTER

ZIMBABWE’S year-on-year inflation rate for the month of June 2019 rose sharply by 77,75 percentage points to 175,66% from 97,85% in May 2019, driven by increases in the price of basic goods, the statistics agency reported yesterday.

“The month-on-month food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation rate stood at 55,07% in June 2019, gaining 37,44 percentage points on the May 2019 rate of 17,63%. The month-on-month non-food inflation rate stood at 31,23%, gaining 21,11 percentage points on the May 2019 rate of 10,12%” the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) said.

The month-on-month inflation rate in June 2019 was 39,26%, gaining 26,72 percentage points on the May 2019 rate of 12,54%.

The annual inflation rate has been on the rise since the beginning of the year. It opened the year at 56,9 % in January, before edging to 59,4% the following month.

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has maintained that the inflation rate will stabilise by October.

In 2008, Zimbabwe’s inflation peaked at 500 billion percent, forcing government to abandon the local currency for a basket of currencies anchored by the United States dollar the next year.

Last month, authorities in the southern African economy scrapped use of the multi-currency regime and re-introduced the
Zimdollar, but the market continues to be sceptical about the currency.

The Zimdollar has lost about 40% of its value to now trade at US$1:ZWL$8, 95 since June.

BY STEPHEN CHADENGA

MEMBERS of the Midlands provincial Joint Operations Command (JOC) yesterday toured Gweru city’s major water supplier, Gwenoro Dam, to assess the water supply situation.

The tour, led by Midlands Provincial affairs minister Larry Mavhima, also included top council officials and staff from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority, among others.

Mayor Josiah Makombe confirmed the trip to Gwenoro, saying the JOC wanted to gather first-hand information on the situation at the dam.

“They (JOC) want to assess the situation, and we hope as council that government will assist us with the water situation in the province,” he said.

“As you know, Gwenoro can be decommissioned any time soon. There is, therefore, need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders so that we can come up with a
lasting solution to our water woes.”

Recently, Makombe said Gwenoro was at 18% capacity and indicated that council was concerned that the Midlands capital could face an unprecedented water crisis
if urgent solutions for alternative supplies were not put in place.

The local authority has already put in place stringent water rationing measures.

Gweru Residents Forum director Charles Mazorodze, however, said the city fathers should stop “bickering” about the water situation and employ practical
measures to avert disaster.

“There is need for council to quickly expedite the decision to switch to Amapongokwe in order to save the situation,” he said.

Town clerk Elizabeth Gwatipedza recently said council had approached the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe and that the financial institution had
agreed to release money for 20 boreholes to be drilled as a stop-gap measure.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

THE National University of Science and Technology (Nust) will be hosting a two-day media summit focusing on fake news, particularly on social media, beginning on Thursday.

The Nust department of journalism and media is co-hosting the media summit with the Zimbabwe Centre for Media and Information Literacy (ZCMIL) to be held under the theme New Media and Democracy: Beyond Fake News, Disinformation Misinformation.

This comes at a time when government has hinted on regulating social media.

According to the organisers, the summit, jointly sponsored by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the United States embassy, brings together various stakeholders
from the media, academia, government and civil society organisations.

“The conference provides a unique platform for theorising, dialoguing and engaging on how the growing relevance of new media shapes our socio-economic and
political interactions, and changes the way citizens access and process information,” Divine Dube, the summit co-ordinator, said.

“The convention is part of ZCMIL’s mission of using digital media to champion the ideals of democracy and good governance by promoting free and professional
media through digital journalism trainings as well as facilitating networking and dialogue platforms.”

The media summits are an annual event, Dube said, with the inaugural edition held last year in the city.

“The summit will focus on digital misinformation and disinformation or rather fake news, and how it shapes public perceptions, opinions, behaviours and its
impact on political processes. Information from internet sources is fast becoming a mainstream source of information for millions of Zimbabweans,” Dube said.

“For instance, social media shutdown has been adopted by some African governments, including Zimbabwe. A discourse on fake news, digital disinformation and
misinformation and its impact on democratic processes in Zimbabwe and Africa at large is timely because the continent is part of the global village and
uniquely interwoven in the global political economy agenda.”

By Tatenda Chitagu

MDC deputy chairperson and Zengeza West legislator, Job Sikhala, who is facing a subversion charge, was yesterday freed by Masvingo High Court judge Justice Neville Wamambo on ZW$5 000 bail.

The State did not oppose bail, but called for stringent conditions, among them that Sikhala should not address any political gatherings, over and above a ZW$50 000 bail.

But Justice Wamambo thrashed the submissions by the State, saying even though Sikhala was facing a serious crime, he was presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“I am of the conviction that the bail of ZW$5 000 as suggested on behalf of the applicant will meet the justice of this case. I am also of the considered view that it is not necessary at this stage to put up conditions that he should not address a political rally. To that end, I will grant him bail on the following conditions: ‘That he pays ZW$5 000 bail at clerk of Court Bikita Magistrates’ Court; that he resides at his given address until his matter is finalised, that he reports once a week at St Mary’s Police Station in Chitungwiza; that he surrenders his passport and that he will not interfere with State witnesses until this matter is finalised,” Justice Wamambo said.

The ruling threw hundreds of MDC supporters who had packed the court into wild celebrations that brought Masvingo City to a standstill, as they sang songs in celebration. MDC secretary general Chalton Hwende said the party was happy with the ruling.

“As we said from day one, Sikhala did not commit a crime. The court saw it fit to try him from home as he has many days while incarcerated. We are happy that the judge allowed Sikhala to address rallies and mobilise for the party. We had a rally Sunday at Mucheke Stadium, but he could not do his party duties.

“The State’s proposal for ZW$50 000 was a way to try to stop him from getting his freedom. With the bad state of the economy, where would he get such an amount. We are happy that the court saw that it was just an unrealistic demand,” Hwende said.

Sikhala was arrested last Tuesday in Harare, following utterances he made at a rally ahead of the just ended Bikita by-election, where he allegedly said: “We will overthrow President [Emmerson] Mnangagwa before 2023.”

He was secretly whisked away from Harare to Bikita Magistrates’ Court under heavily armed police escort, where he told the court that he was tortured and ill-treated by being denied food and legal representation for two days. Sikhala also said he was stopped from seeing his family and was blindfolded in transit to Bikita.

His trial will commence on July 24 at Bikita Magistrates’ Court.

BY FARAI MATIASHE

Mining stakeholders have urged government to adopt the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to help promote transparency and curb corruption in the mining industry.

The call comes amid lack of information on dividends paid to local authorities and the government by mining companies.
Speaking at a dialogue on the prospects of adopting and implementing EITI, Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (Zela) director Mutuso Dhliwayo said EITI
will empower citizens with information to enable them to seek accountability from authorities on the use of mining dividends.

“EITI aims to identify, collect and publish key information to strengthen governance of oil, mining and gas sectors by increasing transparency over revenues,”
he said.

“When that information is publicised, residents, for instance in Mutare, can then question the local authority on how they are using funds from these mining
companies.”

Dhliwayo said there was a good grounding in the Constitution to adopt EITI.

“The Constitution talks about transparency and that is the objective of EITI. Section 62 also guarantees access to information while Section 9 of the
Constitution fights corruption and EITI seeks to also fight corruption,” he said.

The Zela director added that EITI had a proven track record of promoting transparency and Zimbabwe would benefit from adopting it.

Speaking at the same event Centre for Natural Resource Governance director Farai Maguwu said mining companies should consult communities before establishing
mining activities in their areas.

“We have cases in Chimanimani where people are about to be removed to pave way for a diamond mining activity. These people have been telling us that they have
not been consulted. Then one wonders how these mining licences are being granted. It shows corruption,” he said.

Maguwu said if mining companies declared what they are paying to the government it would help civil society and the Auditor General to track revenues.

“Government should not fear to adopt EITI because it is already part of the Kimberly Process (which has some similar objectives to EITI). It does not override
the role of government to manage its main resources,” Maguwu said.

Mines minister Winston Chitando said the government was considering adopting EITI.

Chamber of Mines chief executive officer Isaac Kwesu said EITI was a lasting solution to the problems currently facing the mining industry.

“We welcome this initiative. We urge all stakeholders including us to support it. However, we must bear in mind that EITI is a system. It has its own
weaknesses and strengths. It does not address all the issues we want. We can also consider other initiatives,” he said.

EITI is a global standard that ensures transparency and accountability on how a country’s natural resources are governed, ranging from how mining rights are
issued, how the resources are monetised and how they benefit citizens and the economy.

EITI, launched in 2002, started as a campaign by civil society organisations for publication of payments made to government by domestic and multinational
companies.

BY CRAIG MOYO

TWO suspected armed robbers have been arraigned before a Bulawayo court on charges of illegal possession of gold worth US$37 338.

Robson Chatikobo (35) and Brezhnev Maposa (37) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Franklin Mkhwananzi last week and were remanded in custody to July 26.
The court heard that the pair had several pending cases of armed robbery.

The two were apprehended at Highlanders Clubhouse, where they attempted to get a buyer for 889 grammes of gold, valued at US$37 338, without a license.
Prosecutor Nkathozo Dlodlo told the court that on July 10, police officers apprehended the accused at Highlanders Clubhouse, where they were looking for a buyer.

“From Maposa, the detectives recovered 889gr of gold, US$810, R1 000, ZWL$681, while from Chatikobo they recovered US$631, ZWL$142 and two cellphones. The two failed to produce mining documentation for the gold they were carrying,” Dlodlo said.

Dlodlo further told the court that on April 13, Maposa, Witness Hlongwane, and three other unidentified suspects broke into a house in Tshabalala.

He said the five-men gang, which was armed with machetes, knives and pistols, demanded money from the family.

BY CHARLES LAITON

FIVE beneficiaries of the estate of the late national hero, Vitalis Musungwa Gava Zvinavashe’s Trust have petitioned the High Court seeking an order to remove the current Trustees accusing them of failing to distribute dividends to the recipients and also failing to provide accounting details of how the Trust has been administered since January 2017.

The beneficiaries, Thompson, Tapera, Maxwell, Augustine and Desmond Zvinavashe are seeking the removal of Margaret Mutamba and Richard Musungwa Zvinavashe, Shingai Mutumba and Clemency Ruzengwe from administering the Zvinavashe Trust.

In his founding affidavit, Thompson said in the event that the order sought is granted by the court, he together with his co-beneficiaries of the Trust should
be ordered to appoint an interim board of trustees comprising of two professional trustees and three other trustees from the members of the family.

“The application and order sought is based on the following; non-payment of dividends to the beneficiaries in contravention of clause 16 of the Trust Deed.
Current beneficiaries have the right to distributions as set forth in the trust document. It is respectively averred that since January 2017, applicants were
not favoured with their share of Trust dividends,” he said.

“That failure, in my view, directly offends the spirit of the Trust Deed particularly clause 6,3 of the Trust Deed which is sacrosanct. Respondents are not
giving information to the beneficiaries pertaining to all Trust property held in the Trust Deed as communicated in clause 5 of the Trust Deed.”

Thompson also said, alternatively, if their order is not granted in terms of how they have suggested, the court should appoint an interim board of trustees it
deems fit and proper in terms of clause 4 of the Trust Deed.

Thompson further said the court should also order Mutumba and Ruzengwe to deliver all professional reports of the Trust and all records pertaining to their
duties as trustees and all documents in their possession or control to the interim board appointed by the five beneficiaries, who are applicants in the matter,
or by the court.

“Respondents are not keeping proper set of accounts in respect of their transaction and no auditing has been done with regards to the financial dealings of the
Trust. That conduct is contrary to clause 9 of the Trust Deed,” he said.

“Furthermore, respondents are not making information available to the applicants pertaining to the Trust. Applicants, being beneficiaries are entitled to
accounting records. An accounting is a detailed report of all income, expenses and distributions from the Trust. Respondents are required to provide an
accounting annually, and this has not been done and if it were done, the applicants were never made aware of the same.”

Just last month, High Court judge Justice Sylvia Chirawu-Mugomba lamented the absence of an alternative dispute resolution in the same estate where Margaret
and Richard have been at each other’s throat ever since Zvinavashe was interred at the National Heroes Acre.

Justice Chirawu-Mugomba presided over an application in which Margaret approached the court seeking a court order to bar Richard from entering stand number 730
Cowie Road, Tynwald in Harare because he has been disturbing her peace.

According to court papers, Margaret and Richard have been embroiled in bitter fights over Zvinavashe’s estate and at some point the said fights landed Richard
in the dock after he allegedly chased Margaret out of the premises despite her having been granted lifetime usufruct over the Tynwald property by the late army
general.

The current application is pending.

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday said he was barred from seeing incarcerated party deputy national chairperson, Job Sikhala, charging that the situation in the country will now drive people into taking action against the rule of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

BY TATENDA CHITAGU

Sikhala is facing subversion charges and was remanded in custody in Masvingo to July 24 after being dramatically whisked out of Harare where party supporters had gathered at the courts to protest his detention.

Chamisa, who was addressing a rally at a packed 10 000-seater Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo, said he was barred from seeing Sikhala and that police were deployed to make sure that he doesn’t get into the prison.

“I wanted to see my brother Job Sikhala, so I went to Masvingo remand and was told he is at Mutimurefu,
so I drove there and I was told he is at Masvingo Remand, so I went back again. At Masvingo Remand, they barred me from seeing him. It is very unfortunate,” he said.

“The prison guards said they were given instructions to first call their seniors. They then called their superiors and told me ‘we will be fired if we let you in’. I waited for 30 minutes as they called their seniors in Harare.

Maybe their seniors were calling ED. I kept on waiting till they said they do not know what to do.

“Later, riot police and the Dispol came, they said they wanted to check the situation as they feared there maybe commotion. But even though I am the president of the MDC, I am also a lawyer by profession. Again, arrested people still have their rights. So I told them I will no longer bother you, will take other measures,” Chamisa said to thunderous calls for immediate demonstrations.

The MDC leader also called on Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo’s wife, Loyce Matanda-Moyo, who heads the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zaac) to investigate and arrest deputy Defence minister
Victor Matemadanda and Health minister Obadiah Moyo for participating in electoral fraud.

This follows a letter that Matemadanda wrote to the Health minister asking him to provide drugs to health institutions in Lupane ahead of a by-election so that Zanu PF wins.

The letter signed by the Health minister, addressed to Matemadanda and copied to NatPharm managing director Flora Sifeku, permanent secretary Agnes Mahomva and director of pharmacy R Hove was titled: Request for assistance in respect of the Lupane East by-election campaign.

“Your letter of 2 July 2019 requesting for medicines for Lupaka, Gomoza, St Paul, Lake Alice, Lusulu and Lupanda clinics refers. I have instructed the permanent secretary Dr Mahomva to activate Natpharm to supply the clinics mentioned with medicines,” reads the letter signed by Moyo.

Chamisa said: “The problem with our country is corruption, corruption, corruption. I was reading today about Lupane where there is a by-election. Matemadanda writes to the Health minister seeking drugs so that Zanu PF wins and Moyo replies saying he will provide drugs so that (they) win.

“It’s abuse of political public office. Immediately, he must resign and step aside for investigations by Zaac, even though we do not recognise them.

“That level of corruption is serious. Such a minister should immediately step aside for investigation and Zaac must investigate and arrest that person. My brother ED will just be talking about zero tolerance to corruption, but that is one case of corruption. Doesn’t he see that?” Chamisa said.

He said MDC will be embarking on a programme to pile pressure on Mnangagwa.

“We are starting a programme to bring pressure in this country and diplomatic pressure.”

Chamisa told his supporters to mobilise and brace for more demonstrations to pile political pressure on Mnangagwa to resolve the political crisis facing the country following disputed elections held in June last year.
“We are saying be prepared. We plan our things together. The Constitution allows for demonstrations. If I say those not happy to rise up, will you rise up? Will you answer to the call? I want to see those that are ready to respond if we make the call,” Chamisa said.

“Now I have heard that you are ready, we need to do it peacefully in a non-violent, constitutional manner. The day is coming, the time is coming, in the not so distant future, you should give us support. Not so long.

“Zimbabweans have to be free and Zanu PF must go. We do not want those that backtrack, we want you to give us support. We have been quiet for too long as Mnangagwa destroys our livelihoods,” he added.

Chamisa also said he was disturbed by Vice-President Chiwenga’s long absence from public appearance.

“I am really worried about my brother Chiwenga, really worried. Where is he?”

Chamisa also noted: “We have learnt, yes, [that] individuals must go, but the fundamental thing that must go is the system. A system that represents darkness, a system that represents bad governance, a system that celebrates corruption and a system that is responsible for your hunger.” The youthful leader then accused Mnangagwa of reading a book of dictatorship that was previously used by his predecessor Robert Mugabe.