RAINBOW Tourism Group (RTG) says its revenue grew by 131% to US$25,6 million in the first five months of 2019 from US$11,1 million over the same period last year, spurred by an increase in foreign currency business across all the company’s hotels.

BY MISHMA CHAKANYUKA

In a trading update at the company’s annual general meeting, RTG chief executive Tendai Madzivanyika said foreign currency revenues grew by 15% from US$3,7 million in 2018 to US$4,2 million in the period under review.

“Occupancies for the period under review declined to 46% compared to 55% recorded over the same period in 2018. The closure of Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel for two-and-a-half months due to refurbishments weighed down the company’s occupancies during this time. On a like-for-like basis, which takes account of the closure for two-and-a-half months of the Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel, the occupancy for the period closed at 54%,” said Madzivanyika.

The company invested US$1,8 million in the Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel refurbishment during the period under review.
The hotelier aims to finish the refurbishment of the remaining 54 guest rooms at Kadoma Hotel & Conference Centre by December 31 last year. It is also is focusing on improving its flagship Rainbow Towers Hotel and Conference Centre, targeting to complete 180 guest rooms by 2020.

Madzivanyika said New Ambassador Hotel would temporarily close for two months in December to make way for further refurbishments.

“The operating environment remains under stress due to continued foreign currency shortages, rising inflation, fuel shortages and erratic electricity supply. However, we remain optimistic that the business will continue to perform well, driven by the company’s foreign currency earning capacity,” he said.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

ZIMBABWE is now ranked as one of the worst countries in terms of the protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous, ethnic, tribal, linguistic and religious minorities, according to the Minority Rights Group (MRG) International People Under Threat World report.

The People Under Threat (PUT) is the MRG annual international barometer of countries’ performance in promoting and protecting the rights of indigenous, ethnic, tribal, linguistic and religious minorities.

According to the report, Zimbabwe is now ranked number 24 from the 25 recorded in 2018 in world rankings where minority groups such as the white Zimbabweans
and Ndebeles face rights violations.

Currently, the worst performing country is Syria, followed by Somalia , South Sudan , Afghanistan, Iraq , the DRC , Sudan, Yemen , Pakistan, Central African

Republic, Libya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Myanmar, in that order.

The PUT measures 10 indicators, which are; self-determination conflicts, major armed conflicts, prior genocide/politicise conflicts, flight of refugees and
internally displaced people, legacy of vengeance – group grievance, rise of factional elites, voice and accountability, political stability, rule of law and
the organisation for economic co-operation and development country risk classification.

In the 2019 rankings, Zimbabwe dropped points in terms of factionalised elites, voice and accountability, political stability and rule of law.

In an analysis of the report, the Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) called on authorities to promote tolerance in the country.

“The MIHR calls on the government of Zimbabwe to respect the rights of indigenous, ethnic, tribal, linguistic and religious minorities and specifically to
promote accountability, rule of law and political tolerance in the country,” MIHR said.

“Principally, the government of Zimbabwe should thrive for the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to
National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

According to data analysis by MRG, abuse of social media is adding directly to the threats faced by some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. “Social
media platforms now occupy a central role in stigmatising target groups, legitimising violence…Deliberate misinformation, including false allegations and
dehumanisation of targeted groups, has been an enduring feature of conflict over the ages,” the report read in part.

BY VANESSA GONYE

SCHOOLS in Chivi are reeling under the effects of the Tugwi-Mukosi Dam expansion, which saw at least 1 500 families being relocated to pave way for the project.

A number of schools are grappling with an influx of students, resulting from displacements, with some having to enrol as many as 1 500 pupils.

Madzivire Primary School head Martin Gwengo said his school was affected by the relocation of families as it registered more than 1 500 students from the normal 450 at the height of the project, putting pressure on the institution’s facilities.

“We have a problem with infrastructure as we are unable to cater for all the 1 500 students. In some classes, we have had to use tree shades as classrooms.
However, the local MP, Killer Zivhu, has donated some material to construct a classroom block as well as a computer block to avert the crisis,” he said.

Gwengo said despite the assistance, a lot still needed to be done to enable the school to offer quality education and match the requirements of the new curriculum.

“The school, with the assistance of our MP and the community, has managed to construct and electrify a computer laboratory. We do not have computers at the moment although plans are underway to engage some donors so that it becomes easier to manage our lot,” he said.

Several schools in the area are also said to be facing similar problems, with their enrolments way above the schools’ means.

Tawanda Ndlovu, the headmaster at Mutoti Primary School, said some displaced villagers had registered their children at the few available schools in Chivi, with his school currently unable to match the sudden influx of pupils.

“We have 18 teachers and around 867 pupils, and the expansion of infrastructure has begun, with the construction of two classroom blocks currently underway.

The school does not have electricity, therefore, teaching information communication technology skills is a challenge,” he said.

Zivhu said he considered the issue of schools’ overpopulation as very urgent, thus the his preoccupation with the assistance..

“The plight of the schools is very serious. The enrolments are overwhelming and we have started the construction of classroom blocks so as to avert the crisis.

So far, 44 classroom blocks have been constructed around the constituency out of an annual target of 58 and an overall of 120 blocks during my tenure,” he said.

Tugwi-Mukosi is the largest inland dam in Zimbabwe, with a 90-metre dam wall and a back throw of over 35 kilometres. When full to capacity, the dam can hold more than 1,8 billion cubic litres of water.

(CNN)

Botswana’s High Court has overturned a colonial-era law criminalizing consensual same-sex relations in a landmark victory for Africa’s LGBTQ movements.

The court in the southern African country unanimously ruled on Tuesday that the legislation was discriminatory, unconstitutional and against the public interest.

“A democratic society is one that embraces tolerance, diversity and open-mindedness,” Justice Michael Leburu said, noting that discriminatory law not only serves as a detriment to LGBTQ people, but holds back all of society.

“Societal inclusion is central to ending poverty and fostering shared prosperity,” he said.

The ruling comes just a month after Kenya’s high court upheld its laws criminalizing homosexuality.
Under section 164 of Botswana’s Penal Code, “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature,” was an offense that carried a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment. Section 167 made “acts of gross indecency” — whether in public or private — a punishable offense, with up to two years in prison.

The case was brought to court in March by Letsweletse Motshidiemang, a 21-year-old student at the University of Botswana, who argued that society had changed and that homosexuality was more widely accepted, local media reported.
The packed court erupted in cheers of joy upon hearing the verdict.

Neela Ghoshal, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, told CNN that the ruling sets a “powerful precedent on the continent by recognizing that the criminalization of same sex conduct violates privacy rights and is blatantly discriminatory.”

“The High Court is right in declaring that sodomy laws belong in a museum or the archives, not in modern life,” she said.

Anna Mmolai-Chalmers, coordinator of Legabibo, a prominent LGBTQ rights group in the country, said that the verdict would have a tangible impact on LGBTQ individuals’ daily life, saying that it would help with access to health and legal services.

“Before we were struggling. People have been hiding,” Mmolai-Chalmers told CNN.

“This judgement can make a massive change for our lives. This is what excites me the most. The judgement means so much… The court has upheld our dignity, our privacy, and our liberty… It means freedom,” she added.

Human rights lawyer Keikantse Phele called the judgement “a welcome development,” adding that there is still “lots of work that needs to be done in terms of access to all services, spaces and development.”

While homophobic attitudes continue to prevail in parts of the country, Botswana’s LGBTQ activists and supporters have marked some victories for the movement in recent years.

The 2010 Employment Act made it illegal for employers to terminate contracts on the basis of sexual orientation, in 2014 the High Court ruled that the government had to allow Legabibo to register as an organization, and two landmark rulings in October and December 2017 laid the foundation for trans people to more easily change their official gender on identity documents.

Following a brutal attack on a transgender woman last November, Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi signaled his support for LGBTI people, saying “there are many people in same sex relationships in this country who have been violated and have also suffered in silence for fear of being discriminated. (…) Just like other citizens, they deserve to have their rights protected.”

Out of 54 African countries, at least 31 of them have enacted laws making it illegal to have gay sex, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).

In parts of Nigeria and Somalia, and in Sudan, it is punishable by death; in Mauritania the death penalty is a possible punishment. In Tanzania, being convicted of having same-sex relations can result in life sentences.

In January, Angola’s parliament adopted a new penal code, for the first time since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975, which paved the way for lawmakers to remove the provision characterizing same-sex relationships as “vices against nature.”

Mozambique removed anti-gay laws in 2015, while São Tomé and Cape Verde have also abolished laws criminalizing gay relationships.

In 2018, an appeals court in Mombasa ruled that forced anal exams on people who are suspected of same-sex activity are unconstitutional, following the arrest and forced anal exams of two men in 2015. The decision reversed a 2016 court ruling. Later that year, a Kenyan court temporarily lifted a ban on the controversial film “Rafiki,” which told the story of a romantic lesbian relationship.

However, attempts to further criminalize homosexuality have been taken in countries including Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi, Liberia, and Nigeria over the last five years, according to an Amnesty International report. In some African countries, conservative leaders continue to spread harmful and false rhetoric, in which they “openly and falsely accuse LGBTI individuals of spreading HIV/AIDS and of ‘converting’ children to homosexuality,” according to the report.

Angola has decriminalized same-sex relationships, rights group says

Across the globe, a staggering 70 UN member states — almost half of which are in Africa — still criminalize same-sex relations between two consenting adults, according to ILGA’s 2019 state sponsored homophobia report.

In 26 of those countries, the penalty varies from 10 years in prison to life.

CNN’s Stephanie Busari and David McKenzie contributed to this report.

BY BBC

Facebook has said it will not remove a manipulated video of its chief Mark Zuckerberg from Instagram, in which he appears to credit a secretive organisation for his success.

The clip is a “deepfake”, made by AI software that uses photos of a person to create a video of them in action.

Facebook had previously been criticised for not removing a doctored clip of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The latest decision coincided with the announcement of 500 new jobs in London.

The social network has said many of the posts will be involved in building machine-learning based software of its own to automatically detect and remove malicious content posted to its platforms.

In addition, they will build tools to help human workers review potentially harmful material.

The company said it would bring its tally to more than 3,000 jobs in the capital by the end of 2019.

The deepfake video of Mark Zuckerberg was created for an art installation on display in Sheffield called Spectre. It is designed to draw attention to how people can be monitored and manipulated via social media in light of the Cambridge Analytica affair – among other scandals.

It features a computer-generated image of the chief executive’s face merged with footage of his body sourced from a video presentation given in 2017 at an office in Facebook’s Silicon Valley headquarters. An actor provided the audio recording it is synched to.

The 16-second clip – which plays on a loop – was uploaded to Instagram on Saturday.

However, it only gained prominence after Motherboard reported on its existence on Tuesday.

“The result is fairly realistic – if you leave the video muted,” commented the news site.

“The voice superimposed on the video is clearly not Zuckerberg, but someone attempting an impression.”

The Instagram post has now been viewed more than 25,000 times. Copies have also been shared via Facebook itself.

“We will treat this content the same way we treat all misinformation on Instagram,” said a spokesman for the app’s parent company Facebook.

“If third-party fact-checkers mark it as false, we will filter it from Instagram’s recommendation surfaces like Explore and hashtag pages.”

The artists involved said they “welcomed” Facebook’s decision but still questioned the company’s ethics.

“We feel that by using art to engage and critically explore this kind of technology, we are attempting to interrogate the power of these new forms of computational propaganda and as a result would not like to see our artwork censored by Facebook,” they told the BBC.

“We would however welcome meaningful regulation and oversight of the digital influence industry.”

Political row

Had Facebook opted to block the post, it could have faced accusations of hypocrisy after refusing to remove a manipulated clip of Ms Pelosi three weeks ago.

That video was not a deepfake, but had been slowed down in parts to make the Democratic leader’s speech appear garbled.

The tech firm said at the time that information posted to its site did not need to be “true”. But it said it would limit how often the video appeared in members’ news feeds, and provide a link to fact-checking sites.

Ms Pelosi subsequently criticised the firm saying: “Right now they are putting up something they know is false.”

“I can take it … But [Facebook is] lying to the public.”

The Washington Post has since reported that Mr Zuckerberg tried to personally contact Ms Pelosi to discuss the matter, but she had not responded.

BY BBC

Police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters in Hong Kong where anger at a new extradition bill has spilled over into violence.

Protesters blocked key roads around government buildings and threw bricks and projectiles at police.

The government is still backing the bill, which would allow extradition to mainland China and it is expected to pass its final vote on 20 June.

But the Legislative Council (LegCo) has now delayed its second reading.

LegCo said in a statement that Wednesday’s scheduled meeting was cancelled and it was unclear when the second reading would take place.

Twenty-two people have been injured so far in clashes but none are said to be critical.

How have the protests unfolded?

Protests had been largely peaceful as thousands of people took to the streets and attempted to block access to government buildings ahead of the scheduled debate of the bill.

But on Wednesday the demonstrations escalated, with tear gas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds being fired by police as activists tried to storm government buildings.

Police formed a barricade with plastic shields and waved a banner saying “Warning, tear gas” in an attempt to keep protesters away.

But protesters seemed undeterred, throwing traffic cones and other random objects they can get their hands on.

China has expressed “firm support” for the extradition bill. But a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman has described reports that security forces from the mainland could be sent to Hong Kong as “fake news”.

Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing that such reports were “rumours to fool people so as to create panic”.

The BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse is inside the LegCo building. He reports one officer was injured and was carried away. The doors have been padlocked.

Ambulances are now making their way towards the protest site, according to the Reuters news agency.

Police Commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung described the clashes as “rioting”, punishable by 10 years in prison, according to the South China Morning Post. He said police had “no choice” but to use weapons to stop protesters from barging defence lines.

“We condemn such irresponsible behaviour. There’s no need to hurt innocent people to express your opinions,” he said.

But one young protester, decked in a black mask and gloves, told news agency AFP that they would not leave until “they scrap the law”.

Critics of the bill of amendments to the extradition laws cite the alleged use of torture, arbitrary detentions and forced confessions in the Chinese judicial system.

The government has promised legally binding human rights safeguards and other measures it says should alleviate concerns.

Nevertheless, this has led to the largest rallies the territory has seen since it was handed back to China by the British in 1997.

Police said they are also investigating death threats made against Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, over the bill.

In a tearful interview with the TVB station, Ms Lam dismissed accusations levelled against her by the protesters that she had “sold out” Hong Kong.

“I have grown up here with all the Hong Kong people,” she said. “My love for this place has led me to make many personal sacrifices.”

‘Test of wills’

By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC News, Hong Kong

On Harcourt Road in central Hong Kong, thousands of protesters cheered as volunteers ran forward with goggles and umbrellas – protection against police pepper spray.

Almost all are young and wearing face masks. This is not a sanctioned protest and they fear retaliation or even prosecution.

For now at least the protesters appear to have succeeded. But this is a test of wills. So far the police have stood back allowing the shutdown of much of central Hong Kong.

But if the protests continue and the government remains determined to pass the extradition bill, many here have told me they fear things could turn ugly.

line
Who is involved?

A wide range of groups have spoken out against extradition to China in recent days including schools, lawyers and businesses, with hundreds of petitions also in circulation.

More than 100 businesses have said they will shut to allow their staff to protest for freedom, and nearly 4,000 teachers said they would strike.

Powerful business lobbies say they fear the plans will damage Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a base of operations.

On Sunday, organisers say, more than a million people took to the streets demanding the government abandon the amendments, though police estimated turnout was 240,000 at its peak.

What are the proposed changes?

They allow for extradition requests from authorities in mainland China, Taiwan and Macau for suspects accused of criminal wrongdoing such as murder and rape. The requests would then be decided on a case-by-case basis.

The move came after a 19-year-old Hong Kong man allegedly murdered his 20-year-old pregnant girlfriend while they were holidaying in Taiwan together in February last year.

The man fled to Hong Kong and could not be extradited to Taiwan because the two do not have an extradition treaty.

Hong Kong officials have said courts in the territory will have the final say over whether to grant extradition requests, and suspects accused of political and religious crimes will not be extradited.

The government has sought to reassure the public with some concessions, including promising to only hand over fugitives for offences carrying a maximum sentence of at least seven years.

Hong Kong has entered into extradition agreements with 20 countries, including the UK and the US.

Have there been other protests recently?

In 2014, the Beijing government ruled that voters in Hong Kong would only be able to choose their chief executive in 2017 from a list of pre-approved candidates.

Tens of thousands of activists took to the streets demanding change for 79 days. The protests became known as the Umbrella movement after people used umbrellas to shield themselves from pepper spray fired by police to disperse the crowds.

Despite being mostly peaceful, the protests failed to achieve any concessions.

A number of the protest organisers have since been given jail terms on public nuisance charges.

What is Hong Kong’s relationship with China?

Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 until sovereignty was returned to China in 1997.

Central to the handover was the agreement of the Basic Law, a mini-constitution that gives Hong Kong broad autonomy and sets out certain rights.

Under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong has kept its judicial independence, its own legislature, its economic system and the Hong Kong dollar.

Its residents were also granted protection of certain human rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech and assembly.

Beijing retains control of foreign and defence affairs, and visas or permits are required for travel between Hong Kong and the mainland.

However, the Basic Law expires in 2047 and what happens to Hong Kong’s autonomy after that is unclear.

By XOLISANI NCUBE

Cabinet has doubled the producer price of maize from ZWL$726 to ZWL$1 400 per tonne to cushion farmers in line with the current interbank rate of ZWL$5,5 to the US$. This came as the local currency continues to lose value against the United States dollar both on the interbank and parallel market.

Addressing a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare yesterday, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the new producer price is equivalent to US$242 per tonne.

“In this case, therefore, the maize producer floor price is thus reviewed upward from the current RTGS$726 to RTGS$1 400 per metric tonne based on the interbank market rate of US$1:ZWL$5,5. The review of the maize producer price does not translate into an upward adjustment in the retail price of mealie-meal since GMB (Grain Marketing Board) sells the maize to millers at a government subsidised price,” she said.

Acting Agriculture minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said GMB had settled dues to all farmers who delivered their maize last season and funds were now available to pay for fresh deliveries.

Cabinet also approved a proposal from Mines minister Winston Chitando to establish gold centres to be operational by October 1, 2019.

According to Chitando, the gold centres would be for buying gold at various sites with Fidelity Printers and Refineries providing initial capital to these centres.

Mutsvangwa also announced that Cabinet also approved a proposal by Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo to establish a foreign service training institute.
The institute will train professional foreign service corps capable of articulating and executing Zimbabwe’s foreign policy.

Cabinet also approved the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy, which seeks to promote beneficiation and value addition.

“The policy aims to attain the following, a manufacturing sector annual growth rate of at least 2% per annum, a 30% contribution to the annual gross domestic savings and a manufacturing value addition of 16% per year,” Mutsvangwa said.

The current contribution of the manufacturing sector to gross domestic product stands as 10%, according to Industry minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu.