BY OBEY MANAYITI/VENERANDA LANGA

THE late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s daughter Vimbai Tsvangirai-Java, has died.

She died yesterday afternoon after being hospitalised for close to a month at a private hospital in Harare following her involvement in a horrific accident while coming from an MDC caucus meeting in Bulawayo on May 14.

Her husband, Grace Ministries leader Apostle Batsirai Java confirmed the development.

“My wife is gone,” Java said.

Vimbai, who was also Glen View South legislator, is the eldest daughter of the late MDC founding president and one of the Tsvangirais’ offspring who was active in politics.

She was involved in a head-on vehicle collision that claimed two other party members, her campaign manager and organising secretary for her constituency Paul Rukanda, and Tafadzwa
Mundwa, her late mother, Susan’s cousin.

The driver of the Mazda vehicle that was involved in the head-on collision with Vimbai’s car was being driven by one Staff Sergeant Lunga of army ordinances.

Zimbabwe National Army spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Alphios Makotore last month confirmed that the soldier died two weeks later from injuries sustained from the accident.

However, sources told NewsDay’s sister paper, The Standard that the Mazda vehicle had four people in civilian clothes, including the driver, but military uniforms were discovered at the
back of the vehicles during police searches.

Three of the passengers were from the military intelligence department, as shown by the identity documents, while one did not produce the ID, but only said he was a retired soldier.
The soldiers reportedly allowed a Honda Fit that encroached Vimbai’s lane, also driven by a soldier to leave the accident scene before the police arrived.

Vimbai suffered a broken collar bone and had big lacerations on the head, apart from fractured ribs.

She was rushed to Harare, where six specialists attended to her, performing four surgeries by the end of last month, with the husband forking out in excess of US$10 000 and more in RTGS
for her treatment.

There were also reports of an unidentified man caught trying to sneak into the intensive care unit where Tsvangrai-Java was being treated.

The family said the man kept giving different reasons why he wanted to see the MP after first claiming that he was her relative from Botswana, then a friend to the husband, a party
member sent by the women’s assembly to check on her health and finally, a well-wisher who wanted to pray for her.

When the news of her passing-on broke out yesterday afternoon, there was an outpouring of condolences from the MDC family and beyond.
Manase Tsvangirai, brother to the late Prime Minister, who is the family spokesperson, yesterday said they were shocked with the passing on of Vimbai. He said they had hopes that she
would survive the accident after doctors had indicated that she was stable and recovering.

“This is devastating, it’s horrific. Vimbai was a promising politician and she even won an MDC secretary-general position at the just-ended congress and she seemed okay all along,” he
said. “It is only in the early hours of today (Monday) that we were told to pray for her. The next thing we hear was that she had passed on around past 2pm. This is so sad.”

He, however, said it was disheartening that some family members only learnt about the passing on Vimbai through social media.

In a statement, the MDC said it was in shock.

“The MDC has learnt with shock the sad passing on of Hon Vimbai Tsvangirai-Java this afternoon. The eldest daughter of our late icon Dr Morgan Tsvangirai, Hon Java, was the recently
elected women’s assembly secretary-general and a Member of Parliament for Glen View South.”

Manicaland senator Christine Rambanepasi, who is mother-in-law to Vimbai, yesterday fainted in Parliament after receiving a message that she had passed on.

Mourners are gathered at Tsvangirai’s Strathaven house in Harare.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

THE public yesterday expressed mixed views over the proposed Maintenance of Order and Peace Bill (MOPA), with the majority saying lawmakers should remove clause (18), which will allow the Home Affairs minister to request the President to deploy the army to quell protests.

Members said the army should be nowhere near demonstrators as their presence was tantamount to a declaration of war.

The views on MOPA were expressed during a live radio programme by joint sittings of Parliamentary Portfolio Committees on Defence and Home Affairs and the Parliamentary Thematic
Committee on Peace and Security in conjunction with the Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust (Sapst) and Star FM.

The majority of members were also against the use of said live ammunition to disperse crowds during protests because life was sacrosanct.

MOPA seeks to repeal the oppressive Public Order and Security Act (POSA), and chairperson of the Defence committee, Levi Mayihlome, said the MOPA Bill was brought before Parliament because POSA was found to be unconstitutional and needed to be aligned to the Constitution.

Some members of the public that participated in the phone-in public hearing said while demonstrations were a right enshrined in the Constitution, hooliganism must be curbed by police
accompanying demonstrators from destroying people’s properties.

“Demonstrations are a right, but what we have noticed is that whenever the police come to disperse demonstrators, it becomes like a war zone,” one of the participants said.

“Live ammunition should never be used to disperse crowds, and if there is noise during demonstrations, the police must only deal with the hooligans and arrest them, and there is no
need for soldiers to be deployed because people that are demonstrating are not enemies.

People suggested that it would be better for the MOPA Bill to stipulate that police should be equipped and trained to effectively deal with demonstrations, and that only teargas, rubber
bullets or water cannons must be used to disperse crowds if the demonstration becomes nasty.

MOPA has retained some clauses in POSA, for example clause 8(3) of MOPA is the same as clause 26 of POSA which stipulates that conveners of public gatherings must give at least seven
days’ notice to the regulating authority.

However, public gatherings that may be exempt from provisions of MOPA include weddings, funerals, musical shows, and agricultural shows among others.

POSA provisions that have been removed from MOPA include section 27 of POSA on temporary prohibition of public demonstrations after the Constitutional Court ruled that the section was unconstitutional.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

VETERAN Zimbabwe coach Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu has given a brutal and what could turn out to be a controversial assessment of the Zimbabwe Warriors senior team’s performance at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals, saying they lack the spirit to die for their motherland.

The former Highlanders player and coach, who is currently in the Ngezi Platinum technical team set-up, is one of the longest-serving coaches in domestic football, with an uninterrupted career in football spanning 52 years, including 36 as coach.

He has presided over several Premier Soccer League clubs, and has also been part of the national team set-up, where he led the Under-17 side in 1999.

Zulu has been following the performance of the Warriors over the years, including their participation at the Afcon finals, with keen interest.

The Warriors have played in three Afcon finals, but a quarter-final berth has been stubbornly elusive as at one time they bowed out in the first round of the prestigious tournament.
The next edition that will be hosted in Egypt later this month will mark the fourth appearance by Zimbabwe at the finals and they have set themselves a target of at least reaching the
quarterfinal stage.

Zulu, however, said he had not seen any improvement in the way the Warriors apply themselves at these big stages and suggested it would be difficult for them to go beyond the first
round.

The veteran coach insisted the Warriors lacked the intrinsic motivation needed when playing for the national team.

“I have been watching them (the Warriors) over the years and while we are happy that they have qualified for the tournament four times now, they lack a fundamental requirement — the
desire to die for the country,” Zulu opined.

“Some countries go far and even win these tournaments not necessarily because they have talented players, but they are prepared to die for the national team shirt and I haven’t seen
that in these Warriors; that fighting spirit, which was there at Highlanders during our time. This is the reason why we have failed to go beyond the group stages all these years we have
participated at the Afcon finals. Unless we have that spirit in our Warriors, I don’t see them going beyond the first round in Egypt.”

The Warriors have played three matches as part of their preparations for the Afcon finals, which kick off in Egypt on June 21 and won 2-0 against Comoros at the Cosafa tournament in
South Africa. Afterwards, the Warriors crashed out of the tournament at the semi-final stage at the hands of Zambia.
They went on to play the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a high- profile friendly last Saturday and shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw. Although Zulu is less impressed, Warriors coach Sunday
Chidzambga, who holds the record of being the first coach to lead them to Tunisia in 2004, is pleased with his charges’ performance, especially after their brave show against Nigeria.

“You don’t stop a good team like Nigeria from scoring if you are not good yourself. This shows that we are going to the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt with high hopes,” Chidzambga said
in his post-match interview.

Zimbabwe get their campaign under way with a clash against hosts Egypt on June 21 before they face off Uganda on June 26. They will then finish their group matches against the
Democratic Republic of Congo on June 30.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya took a swipe at the club’s senior players for not stepping up to the plate following the team’s lackluster performance against Manica Diamonds on Sunday.

The Harare giants, currently recovering from a stuttering start to the league, failed to build on last weeks’ big win away to champions FC Platinum as they were held to a goalless draw by the top league’s new comers.

Since Ndiraya took over the team ahead of week 5 fixtures, Dynamos have blown hot and cold, with three wins, three draws and a loss.

Dembare has also scored just four goals during the same period, with 21-year-old winger Junior Selemani, scoring two, while Vincent Mbega and Arnold Mawadza also appeared on the score
sheet.

Ndiraya vented his frustration on the senior players following the lethargic Manica Diamonds show.
“We have young players who are very inconsistent and you feel for them. But at the same, I thought the experience that we have in the team is not turning up,” Ndiraya lamented after
the match.

“You want the senior players to push the youngsters, but it’s not the case. It looks like the youngsters are the ones that are pushing the team; the likes of Jarisson Selemani and
Emmanuel Jalayi, just to mention a few.

“I am quite happy about the central defence, they are doing well. But all the other guys were not really there today. Once you have junior players driving the team, it becomes a bit of
a concern. But frankly, our senior players are not turning up,” he said.

In the absence of veteran striker and team captain Edward Sadomba, Godfrey Mukambi, Jimmy Tigere, Mawadza and Ngandu Mangala were the senior players.

However, even Sadomba has failed to score a single goal for the team since the season started.
Little known livewire winger Jarrison Selemani has been a beacon for DeMbare in the quest to wriggle out of the early season doldrums, in addition to former Aces Youth Soccer Academy
player Emmanuel Jalai.

Other youngsters, such as Tawanda Chisi (19) and 18-year-old fullback Tinotenda Muringai, have been impressive in blue and white stripes.

Dynamos face Bulawayo giants Highlanders, whose woes are seemingly worse comparative to those of their Harare rivals as the two meet in a high stakes league encounter at Barbourfields Stadium this weekend.

BY CHARLES LAITON

FORMER Zanu PF youth leader Kudzanai Chipanga says Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga (pictured) should be charged with treason over his utterances on November 13, 2017 where he threatened army intervention to stop former President Robert Mugabe from firing him as the head of the army.

Chipanga made the remarks in his founding affidavit which he filed alongside his application at the High Court, where he is seeking a review of the ruling by Harare magistrate Edwin Marecha dismissing a demand for further particulars, including a statement made by Chiwenga on the eve of the coup that toppled army toppled Mugabe.

The former Makoni West MP is being charged with communicating falsehoods, causing dissatisfaction in the army and undermining public confidence in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF).
The charges emanated from a Press conference he gave at the Zanu PF headquarters where he was responding to Chiwenga’s threats.

Chiwenga was the commander of the defence forces on November 13, 2017 when he issued a written statement criticising Mugabe, a week after the then President had fired Mnangagwa as his deputy.

“The current purging and cleansing process in Zanu PF which so far is targeting mostly members associated with our liberation history is a serious cause for concern for us in the defence forces,” Chiwenga said at a Press conference held at the army’s KG IV (renamed Josiah Magama Tongogara) headquarters in Harare at the time.

“We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in. The current
purging of which is clearly targeting members of the party with a liberation background must stop forthwith.”
Chiwenga said the army could step in to “stop reckless utterances by politicians from the ruling party denigrating the military which is causing alarm and despondency within the rank
and file; that the current purging of which is clearly targeting members of the party with a liberation background must stop forthwith; that the known counter-revolutionary elements who
have fomented the current instability in the party must be exposed and fished out; and as the party goes for the extraordinary congress, members must go with equal opportunity to
exercise their democratic rights.”

He was flanked by the Zimbabwe National Army leadership.
Chipanga held a Press conference the following day responding to Chiwenga’s threats, daring the army and vowed that the youths would die for Mugabe, statements now constituting the
criminal charges against him.

Chipanga was abducted by the military during the coup and assaulted before being forced to apologise live on television.

Chipanga and his co-accused, Innocent Hamandishe and Rodney Dangarembizi, made an application before Marecha seeking an order to compel the State to avail to them a statement by Chiwenga which the State alleges was used by Chipanga to castigate the Vice-President.

However, Marecha is said to have dismissed Chipanga’s application on the basis that what the State had provided him and his colleagues was enough for them to draft their defence.

“For instance, the indictment alleged that I (Chipanga) gave a statement at a Press conference referring to an earlier statement by Commander, Defence Forces, Constantino Guvheya
Chiwenga. The statement by Chiwenga becomes self-evidently important to us. If for instance, the statement by Chiwenga was seditious, which it was, what Chiwenga then said was
criminal,” Chipanga said.

“That aspect would then absolve me of any wrong doing. This is because contrary to what the State alleges. It is in fact Chiwenga who is the complainant in this case. He cannot benefit
from his own wrong-doing. The same argument goes to the rest of the requested particulars. Once provided, they absolve us.
“The particulars then become necessary for our defences. The respondents (State and Marecha) must not be allowed to dictate how we conduct our defences or to decide for us which
information is necessary for our defences.”

In his application, Chipanga said on April, 1 2019, his lawyers wrote a letter to the Prosecutor-General (PG) requesting certain particulars to enable him to prepare for the trial but
the State failed to do so.

He said the investigating officer was called to give evidence and he told the court he was in a position to supply Chipanga with the information he needed but only if he was directed by
the court to do so.
Apparently, the magistrate did not do as such, arguing the requested particulars were not necessary.

BY KENNETH NYANGANI

AN outraged Rusape granny struck a fellow villager with an axe after he accused her of witchcraft.

Manicaland police spokesperson inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa confirmed the incident yesterday.

According to Kakohwa, on June 6 around 4pm, Claris Bakare (66), who is being charged with attempted murder, was at her homestead in Musariri village under Chief Tandi.

The complainant in the matter, Edward Mutambira, who is from the same village, was on his way to see his brother, lan Musendo, and passed through Bakare’s homestead.

Mutambira reportedly shouted at Bakare claiming that she was a witch, accusing her of killing his son sometime in the past.

They started to exchange harsh words and Bakare, out of anger, went into her hut and took an axe, which she used to strike the complainant once on the head.

Bakare’s neighbour, Jesi Mugoneri, went to the scene and found the complainant bleeding profusely.

Mugoneri notified the complainant’s wife, Nyaradzo Maramba, who then took Mutambira to Rusape General Hospital before reporting the matter to local police, leading to Bakare’s
arrest.

guest column Emmanuel Zvada

You have heard it time and time again that most employees do not leave a company, but they leave a boss, especially the bad bosses.

Dealing with a difficult boss is no joke and staying in a toxic work environment everyday of your life is not worth it. Nothing is more destructive in the workplace than difficult bosses because they affect the way the employees behave. It’s actually an undeniable fact that every employee has had a series of bad bosses over their working career.

When you find yourself in a tough situation with your manager, remember that while you cannot control your boss, you can control how you react.

Most bosses are not as bad as some employees think they are. In fact, I would say that there are times when employees think the boss is the problem, when in reality, the boss may be trying to implement good changes while employees are trying to hold onto the status quo because they fear change.

However, there are some instances of really bad bosses. Bosses who cannot be “managed up”. These kind of bosses are described as toxic bosses and they act in a way that is hurtful to the employee or the employee’s career, mostly through manipulation, deceit, or some other abusive behaviour.

Difficult bosses are the most destructive factor in undermining an employee’s success. A bad boss can make a good job unbearable. These kinds of bosses normally exhibit a set of characteristics that make them dangerous to work with, whether it’s creating tension in the office with inappropriate comments and behaviour or their uncomfortable work habits.

If you are faced with an abusive manager, who is potentially damaging both to your health and career, careful manoeuvring may be required.

Most people do not understand that the boss-employee relationship is like any other; it needs to be fed and nurtured.

Many employees think that by just doing their best in the job, or by being a model employee, or by working harder and longer, the boss will recognise and appreciate them. Bad bosses or managers come in many shapes and form, with some being bullies, micro-managers, control freaks, fault finders, belittlers, credit-takers, you name it. But they all have a similar effect of making your worklife a burden.

What makes a bad boss bad?

If you want to manage your bad boss, it is also important to know what makes your boss bad. The reason is that what one person may consider as a bad boss, may not necessarily resonate
with that of a colleague, who might perceive the boss differently.

It is very important to note that many bosses fall into the bad-boss category because they fail to provide clear direction, regular feedback and recognition, which enables their employees to work.

Normally, bad bosses take credit for the successes and all the positive accomplishments of employees. They are also quick to blame employees when something goes wrong in order to cover up for their own mistakes.

What to do about your bad boss?

It is no fun going to work when you have to face the daily reality of working with a superior who is not on your side. If you feel harmed and you have decided it is time to do something
about your bad boss, then you should also take steps to avoid being the target.

Your first step, before soliciting help from your human resources department is to know your boss. Knowing him does not happen in a day, but with time, you have to know what triggers
him, his reaction, among other things, and try to do that which does not make him or her react negatively.

Below are other ways and means of managing a tough boss.

Be slow to anger

Anger is a natural human emotion. Your reaction to stressful situations at work might be to start shouting, or to go hide in a corner and feel sorry for yourself for a while. But at work, these types of behaviour could seriously harm your professional reputation, as well as your productivity. More so, thinking and analysing situations before you speak can help
in reducing anger at work.

To manage anger, maybe from the reaction of your boss, you have to take a few moments to collect your thoughts before saying anything. One way of being slow to anger as a way of
managing a bad boss is to focus instead on things you appreciate about the person or the situation that made you angry.

Identifying triggers of difficult behaviour

The workplace can be a stressful environment and may involve many situations that may trigger strong negative feelings. You should know that your manager’s bad behaviour does not just
come out of nowhere, but, indeed, it must have a trigger which, as an employee, you have to discover.

By identifying the triggers or an underlying difficulty and then removing the trigger or providing support, you will be in a position to handle your boss. Once you know what their
trigger is, you will know when to avoid contact with them.

Practice patience with your boss

Patience is a heavenly virtue and that’s undeniable. There may be problems you may encounter with your boss at work, and if you want to become an effective and efficient employee,
regardless of situations, you must exercise patience.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

MOST of the country’s districts will be food insecure by September due to a poor 2018/19 harvests and “escalating” macroeconomic hardships, a food security report by the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) has revealed.

“Most poor households across the country have below-average incomes from crop and livestock sales as a result of the poor performance of the 2018/19 rainy season and macroeconomic challenges. Limited water availability and access, especially in semi-arid parts of the country, is impacting self-employment activities such as brick-moulding, construction, and gold panning. Increasing macro-economic hardships will continue to affect casual labour, remittances, petty trade, and other livelihood and coping activities, thus decreasing household purchasing power,” reads the report.

“Following the government’s removal of fuel subsidies on May 20, fuel prices increased by nearly 50%. Transport fares rose by up to 100% for some routes as fuel shortages continue. Immediately following the fuel price increases, the currency devalued by 33% on the official interbank market while parallel market exchange rates devalued even further. This triggered
further food and non-food commodity price increases.”

The report noted that the Ministry of Agriculture’s second round crop production estimates indicate the 2018/19 maize production is about 776 600 metric tonnes, 59% of the five-year
average while hectarage was down 9% while production reduced by 20%.

“Maize prices continue to atypically increase in most markets for this time of year due to the poor harvest and deteriorating economic environment. Poor households, most of whom did
not have a harvest and/or exhausted own-produced foods already, will increasingly face difficulties accessing market foods.”

BY BRENNA MATENDERE /SILAS NKALA

DIVISIONS have rocked the MDC Midlands provincial executive over the imposition of members to represent the region in the party’s highest decision-making body, the national executive council.

Members of the provincial executive and structures from across the districts convened at the party’s office in Gweru over the weekend to elect five members to be seconded to the national council.

MDC women’s assembly chairperson, Paurina Mpariwa, oversaw the process.

Instead of holding the planned elections, provincial chairperson Josiah Makombe reportedly pulled a shocker by calling out preconceived names of five party members and asking someone to
second them, after which he declared the process duly concluded.

The five were Gweru Urban MP Brian Dube, proportional representation MP Emma Muzondiwa, immediate past MDC Midlands South chairperson Francisco Masendeke, Beatina Majoni and Cephas Zimuti.

This did not go down well with party members because there were more than five members who had expressed interest in contesting for the national executive posts. These included
Redcliff mayor Clayton Masiyatsva, Mberengwa senior party official Luwelin Sibanda, Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya, MDC chief of staff Sessel Zvidzai, former Senator and Health
minister Henry Madzorera and former Kwekwe central legislator Blessing Chebundo.
Sources close to the developments told Southern Eye that these party officials had campaigned for the posts only to have Makombe, the current mayor of Gweru, pull the rug from under
their feet.

“What happened was totally unfair and undemocratic. We went there for elections, only for names to be imposed on us. It’s a sad chapter for the MDC,” a source said.

Takavafira Zhou, MDC Midlands provincial spokesperson, confirmed the disgruntlement at grassroots level over the selection of national executive representatives, but said the dispute would be resolved amicably.

“There were challenges over names that were left out in spite of submitting applications (to contest the posts). These concerns were brought to the attention of the presiding officers,
who in turn will make a ruling in the best interest of nurturing and protecting our democratic ethos so that our collective responsibility would add value to the party,” he said.

“It is not known where the list of the five people came from, and it was only fair for the elections to be held so that the popular members of the party would be chosen. People in the
party are angry,” another official said.

In a related development, the MDC Bulawayo provincial executive yesterday accused some non-delegates to the provincial council of trying to derail the election of members into the national executive council.

The remarks were made by the party’s provincial spokesperson, Swithern Chirowodza, during the election process.

He, however, dismissed reports that there was violence during the election, remarking the security personnel had screened delegates on entry, with those ineligible blocked from entering
the venue in accordance with the party’s constitution.

“The process was completed peacefully. What happened was that the security helped a lot in separating the delegates from the non-delegates.

“That was in compliance with the party’s constitution, article 6.9.3.2, which specifies who is a member of the provincial council,” Chirowodza said.

“There were some strangers in the provincial council, who wanted to be part of the process when they are not delegates so that when voting is done in their presence, they would start
complaining that the process was flawed and claim that non-delegates were allowed to vote.”

The party’s constitution stipulates that the provincial council should consist of all members of the provincial executive, chairpersons, secretaries, treasurers, organising and
information secretaries of district executive committees, district chairpersons of the women and youth assembles, all ward chairpersons, the executive committee of the women and youths
assemblies.

Chirowodza said Kunashe Muchemwa, Grace Mathe, Bulawayo Central legislator Nicola Watson, Senator Gideon Shoko and Desmond Makaza would represent the province in the national executive
council.

“The process went on well and the elections were done. We are waiting for the names to be confirmed, otherwise everything is above board,” he said.

Chirowodza said those who wanted to disrupt the meeting started singing obscenities about the provincial chairperson, James Sithole and the recently-elected provincial executive.