guest column Pearl Matibe

The Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) is anxious for international respectability. As a country in a post-election environment, with rich resources and at the centre of southern Africa, Zimbabwe finds herself with an opportunity to reform

Yet, despite its excellent international goodwill 18 months ago and geopolitical value, the country has yet to establish modern legislation to keep citizens safe and increase meaningful ties with countries where security benefits could be enjoyed.

The Maintenance of Peace and Order (MOPA) Bill — legislation with multiple and far-reaching implications — would still grant the security sector sweeping powers in the name of upholding peace and stability.

On May 23, top-ranking United States law enforcement officials speaking from Washington DC, including Heather Merritt, deputy assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), talked about security gaps that hamper progress in some African countries that the US wishes to increase bilateral ties with.

INL counters international crime, illegal drugs and instability, and does this by helping countries deliver justice through strengthening their police, court systems and prosecutors.

Through diplomatic engagement and on based on foreign assistance programmes, INL encourages reform, promotes effective governance, helps improve the rule of law and develops
accountable institutions — only one important elements of INL’s overall US relations with Africa.

Excluding Zimbabwe

Merritt explained that many weak and fragile States still lack the ability to address criminal threats, adding:“We recognise that crime increasingly knows no boundaries and that
unfortunately, drugs that are transiting Mombasa, including Johannesburg, Harare, Kinshasa and Luanda are not only a threat to the people of your countries, they are also a threat to the security and stability of the US.”

Over and above tough policing, Zimbabwe’s military plays a consequential role in civilian affairs. Without improved bilateral relations with a country such as the US, no commitments
to aid the Zimbabwe Defence Forces can be entered.

On May 29, speaking from Stuttgart, the US Africa Command (Africom) deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement, ambassador Alexander M Laskaris, assured that Africom aims
“to be a good partner, to be the best possible partner at a military-to-military level”.

He confirmed that Africom defines success as helping the US-African partners build militaries that “when civilians are in danger, they run towards their military, not away from it.”
And to do that, you need militaries that are capable. You need militaries that are clearly subordinate to elected civilian authority.”

Africom has had beneficial ties with Angola, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Somalia and many others, except for Zimbabwe.

What’s problematic?
Zimbabwe’s civilian population runs away from its military. The State is afraid of protesters, and protesters fear the State. Meanwhile, the country is suffering a burgeoning
internal drug crisis, illicit financial flows, poaching and wildlife trafficking to illicit markets on the continent and Asia is ripe for smugglers that Zimbabwe’s under-resourced
law enforcing authorities battle to defeat.

When President Emmerson Mnangagwa served under former President Robert Mugabe’s government, their administration had a formidable grip on autocratic laws aimed at eliminating
criticism about governance, sharp social and economic decline.

Economic, security and political spaces are closing in parts of Africa, including Zimbabwe, but that can change; improving the economy, closing security gaps and strengthening weak government institutions would go a long way to solving corruption, crime and human rights issues.

The country faces no external threat, yet it is reportedly stock-piling arms to subdue picketers. For a country with mass poverty, mass cash crisis, mass arrests, mass detentions, it
has no demonstrable efforts to fight a mass illegal drug crisis, mass crime, mass corruption, and mass poaching and wildlife trafficking. That’s not to make any mention of the spike in
armed robberies and break-ins facing a police force without vehicles or resources.

Security gaps exist that put the brakes on progress. Is the country under martial law and is the regime in charge in need of survival? Its future direction needs interrogating.

“Obviously, the military-to-military relations between the US and Zimbabwe are derivative of the political relations,” Laskaris has clarified. He said: “As a military and Department
of Defence, we’re subordinate to our civilian leadership and so our relations with our Zimbabwean military counterparts really are on hold, pending political discussions of the

nature of the future of the bilateral relationship.”

Confirming in terms of budget, he said the US Department of Defence are a minority: “The largest single line item in the US budget in Africa is humanitarian assistance.

The second is public health assistance and the third is our contribution to international peacekeeping.” Two of these are very active and intense in Zimbabwe.
Elsewhere in Africa

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Tshisekedi’s “government issued a comprehensive plan to reform its national police. And to support this important goal, INL is working
to improve and expand Congolese civilian law enforcement capabilities and to professionalise police procedures and organisations,” confirmed Merritt.

In Kenya, since the governments of the US and Kenya have re-affirmed the importance of their bilateral relationship under the security and democracy pillar, INL has been committed to
“support two of Kenya’s priorities – building a modern and professional police service and increasing the fight against corruption.” INL is providing this through technical and
operational assistance to the internal affairs unit of the National Police Service, the independent policing oversight authority and the National Police Service Commission and other
programming.

Having INL as a partner, through improved ties with the US, would mean a government receiving help to develop the justice sector’s capacity, deliver citizen security and maintain the rule of law; elements needed to prevent and address non-State criminal threats.

At any rate, a government with unfettered authority to restrict civic movement, a police force enforcing laws through broad powers to muzzle demonstrations, and a military that silences
dissent with live bullets are all distinct indicators of an undeclared state of siege — martial rule.

There remains an urgent concern that the Mnangagwa government is saturated by the issue of security. Yet, the more the government pursues security, they’d have you suppose that the more
individual freedoms they claim to secure are subverted.

It’s crucial to interrogate the complex dynamics between order, peace, security, and freedom in Zimbabwe; who gets what, where, when and how when security authorities formulate policies for criminal, economic and political orders in negation of growing international ties that could benefit security within the country.

How then can it be said that emergency powers have not been derived from undeclared martial rule in a government-led process that has progressively militarised social and political
associations — from recent arrests, it could be said that the country is in a constant state of emergency.

If only the US-Zimbabwe relations were improved. Instead, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces have been camped out in rural areas such as Mt Darwin and Rushinga and haven’t moved back to the
barracks.

Nationally, the country’s leaders need to re-think their security priorities and get the justice system working well.
Meaningful security reform

On the bright side, repealing the long overdue Public Order and Security Act (POSA) is underway and since June 3, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and
Security Services were conducting, jointly with the thematic committee on Peace and Security, public hearings.

The Maintenance of Peace and Order Bill gazetted, and expected to be swiftly pushed through Parliament, is just the same as being an undeclared martial rule.

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

THE Zanu PF youth league in Mashonaland East says it is planning to roll out a number of rallies across the province to drum up support for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s economic policies as well as preaching the gospel of ‘patience’ to youths who are currently irked by the current harsh economic conditions.

Speaking during a recent rally held at Mafudzi, Seke Constituency, provincial youth league boss Kelvin Mutsvairo said the youths should be aware that the current price hikes were not made by government but by saboteurs.

“As the youths, we are behind President Mnangagwa and we are aware of all the machinations by saboteurs who are currently behind the price hikes of basic commodities,” Mutsvairo said.

“From the interactions we have had with the youths, we are happy that they are now aware of all government efforts to deal with the current crisis. We have embarked on a tour of each
constituency, meeting the youths, identifying projects suitable for their areas for their benefit as we move on.”

Zanu PF has since met youths in Marondera and Beatrice districts with more gatherings being lined up. The next rally is being expected in Maramba-Pfungwe where the revolutionary
party commands a huge following.

Speaking at the same rally, Zanu PF Mashonaland East provincial chairperson Joel Biggie Matiza said government has no hand in the current price hikes and said his boss Mnangagwa will
get to the bottom of the crisis.
“Government is not behind all these price hikes. I want to assure you that President Mnangagwa is working on it and soon will descend heavily on those causing untold suffering of the
people.

“There are people who are sabotaging the economy and it will soon come to an end. We are passing through a tough phase and things will normalise. Your leadership is aware of the price
hikes and all that. The government is putting up all measure to ensure that things get back to normal,” Matiza said.

Matiza, who doubles as Transport minister also said government is in the process of securing more buses for rural routes as well as establishing people’s shops that will be selling
groceries at low prices as part of measures to cushion the citizens against the high cost of living.

The country is currently experiencing an economic meltdown characterised by 100% price hikes for basic commodities with a number of Zanu PF supporters mainly in the rural areas feeling the pinch.

Others who attended the rally include Maramba-Pfungwe legislator Tichaona Karumazondo, Zanu PF MP (proportional representative) Tatenda Mavetera and provincial youth league political commissar Lincoln Matare, among others.

Zanu PF youths recently toured Mashonaland Central preaching the same gospel.

BY XOLISANI NCUBE

SMALL-SCALE miners have struck a deal with a local financial institution, Metbank and Glow Petroleum to supply them fuel at their convenience.

The deal which was struck by the Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation (ZMF), will see registered small-scale miners being given preferential treatment at Glow Petroleum as Metbank has undertaken to settle their demand in advance.

“We have seen a number of small-scale miners spending time looking for fuel instead of being productive. This arrangement will see the bank providing funds so that fuel is available to
small-scale miners and they spend less on the queue and more time mining,” ZMF president Henrietta Rushwaya said.

This is not the first time that ZMF has partnered with Metbank to assist small- scale miners as last year, the association sourced a facility from the bank to capacitate artisanal
miners.

The financial services institution also acts as the financial adviser to ZMF.

The entrepreneurial development deal has helped to expand output by artisanal and small-scale gold and chrome miners.

In 2017, artisanal gold producers contributed 13 tonnes out of the national gold output of 25 tonnes.

“This agreement is a significant milestone on our on-going collaboration between ZMF and Metbank. We have come a long way,” Rushwaya said.
“Now this is the right time to strengthen our co-operation meant to develop, grow and empower the artisanal and small-scale miner.”

The bank has had similar working relationships with several other organisations, among them the Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe, Oil Expressers’ Association of Zimbabwe, Bakers’
Association of Zimbabwe as well as Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce.

guest column Learnmore Zuze

AN economy cannot be managed through propaganda. Back in high school, the term “propaganda”used to tickle us as students of history.

The famed Oxford Dictionary defines propaganda as information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.

The dissemination of propaganda from political parties, media and essentially the government in this country, is scaling dizzy heights. The truth has become some kind of scarce
commodity; in Zimbabwe, one has to dig through many tomes in order to appreciate the truth of a simple matter.

It might be a simple story or just the quest to unfold reality regarding the shortages of fuel. There is just an avalanche of propaganda; propaganda so overwhelming that one would wonder if they are living in the country being reported on.

Perhaps, of all the propaganda being spewed by the governing party, the propaganda that continues to be churned out on the state of the economy is simply amazing. They may neither be
economists nor fundis, but Zimbabweans are very much alive to the fact of sugar-coated falsehoods.

It would appear former President Robert Mugabe’s era awakened Zimbabweans to the reality of propaganda; Zimbabweans can tell between what is true and falsehoods. At a time when the economy was crumbling at an alarming rate, with shop shelves empty and inflation hitting four-digit levels, just a minute of listening to the propaganda-laden bulletin at the ZBC in 2008 would leave one wondering if Zimbabwe was in a crisis at all.

A similar script is playing out under the “new dispensation”. I suppose it is much better to be truthful about the topsy-turvy state of the economy and make concerted efforts at rebuilding rather than act stoically when the house is burning. The Mugabe era was marked by stoic behaviour, which fundamentally denied a self-evident crisis.

I conceive that it is dishonest and unacceptable hypocrisy for a person in the position of a minister managing the energy portfolio to “confidently” and with a straight face tell the nation that they did not understand the reason for winding fuel queues.

A minister cannot try to shift blame in such a manner; the buck stops with him. From the responsible minister, the matter comes to the media, The Herald in particular, which has led the bid to make the citizenry believe that all is well. More often than not, one ends up appearing inane – or is it frivolous – by denying what is plain to the eye. Honestly, one is at a loss to realise that some of the leading titles in State media are meant for Zimbabweans, the very people who live with the horrors of skyrocketing prices.

Headings like Fuel crisis now under control, and More Zupco buses unveiled are an insult to the Zimbabwean who has to endure hours on end for the few Zupco buses whose administration is marred by chaos. It is even more nauseating to businesses that have to lose a lot of productive hours while queuing for fuel. Why can’t the media be truthful? We are all Zimbabweans and live with the truth daily.

Now, for a long time, the nation has had to put up with the sickening propaganda that the surrogate currency, the bond note, was equal in value to the United States dollar. However, as
I have asserted before, propaganda has its limits; there are some things that propaganda cannot do. The day of reckoning will come.

With the passage of time, it became increasingly apparent that grown-up men were fooling themselves and the nation at large, effectively realising that the bond notes did not have the same value as the US dollar. In fact, for all the things that propaganda can do, there is one thing that quite exposes it than any other. A government may propagate a political or economic belief, having control of the necessary effective media tools, but very little, if anything, can be done about the exchange rate. It is, to the discerning eye, the grand indicator of an ill-performing economy or thriving economy.

One simply needs to take a glance at the exchange rate of the bond note to appreciate the trouble that this country is in. The exchange rate is the best indicator against bad
governance. As things stand, the US dollar is estimated at close to 1:9 (one US dollar equals RTGS $9) What is worse is that the US dollar, for the ordinary citizen, is only obtainable from the street. The economy is certainly experiencing its worst ever period since 2008. This is a fact that must be admitted if the country has to embark on a recovery path.

Another source of propaganda that Zimbabweans are now really sick of pertains to the incessant mega deals, particularly from the East. Since the days of Mugabe, Zimbabweans have heard of mega deals being signed; deals supposedly meant to “boost the economy and create thousands of jobs”. What matters to the impoverished Zimbabwean is food on the table.

You can only talk to a hungry man in terms of bread and butter issues. This is advice sorely needed by the Zimbabwean government. The propaganda being conveyed daily through its media channels doesn’t do any good for, indeed, an economy cannot be managed through propaganda.

BY DEMETRIA MANYONGA

SUMMERTIME Gangster hitmaker Tatenda “Dash the Rap Killer” Gumbo yesterday said his music career was like the biblical Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Canaan.

The rapper told NewsDay Life & Style that music was his life, adding he was still to reach the promised land.

“Music is my life. My journey is just like that of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan. They encountered a lot of trials and tribulations, but in the end, they got to the land of milk,
so also is my music journey. I can’t really say I have reached the promised land, but I can see the eves of Canaan,” he said.

“I see a lot of positive energy from everyone directly involved with my music. But trust me, since we started, it has never been rosy. I am still fighting my way up, and all eyes are on the goals.”

Dash said he was set to release a single titled Ndiri Mucheek, produced by Coco Beats, tonight.

He said the track was inspired by real life situations. Dash also expressed delight with his music career, saying his fans had now come to appreciate the music on his EP, which was
released in February.

“I released the song to celebrate everything that has been happening in my life and mostly my career. This is a celebration for me and my people. I have made it possible that people
listen to my music daily and the radio stations have also been putting us on the wave,” he said.

Dash is known for his tracks which include Chitubu featuring Dexter Baysiq and Sweet Corner.

By Veneranda Langa/Vanessa Gonye

HEALTH minister Obadiah Moyo yesterday told Parliament that there were enough anti-retroviral drugs in the country stocked at Natpharm to last until the first quarter of 2020.

He was appearing before Senator Morgan Femai’s Parliamentary Thematic Committee on HIV/Aids together with Health secretary Agnes Mahomva to speak on policy measures in place to ensure funds are allocated towards procurement of ARVs.

He said second line ARV treatment drugs will last up to the end of the year to cater for the 1,1 million patients on ARV therapy in the country while there were enough medicine for the
first line treatment till the first quarter of 2020.

Moyo, however, said that the country was heavily depended on the Global Fund for ARV procurement support and the United States support through Pepfar.

He was responding to Senator Lillian Timveous who questioned why there were stocks at Natpharm but poor distribution to clinics.

Moyo said the Global Fund takes care of 710 000 patients, Pepfar 193 000 patients and the National Aids Council 113 000 patients while the 5% gap of uncovered patients pertained to
about 53 000 people.

“We have received $72,3 million from the Global Fund, $23,6 million from government and $25,2 million from Pepfar for ARVs for 2019 and the shortfall is $6,6 million,” he said.

National Aids Council acting chief executive officer Raymond Yekeye said the last cheque of foreign currency they received through the Aids levy was $64 000.
Yesterday, the Thematic Committee on HIV /AIDS said it will follow up on the state of affairs at health institutions regarding drug availability following reports of a massive shortage
of second line ARVs.

During a fact-finding tour of Natpharm by the committee yesterday, acting Committee Chairperson, Morgan Komichi said their main focus was to check on availability of ARV drugs and the
general state of affairs at the drug procurement agency.

Komichi said the fact-finding brought to the surface the fact that Natpharm is dependent on donor supplies for its stock, a trait that exposes the country’s health sector should the
donors retreat.

This follows news of an impending disaster of drug shortages around the country, putting to risk people affected by HIV/AIDS.

Recent reports claim that Mashonaland West province is facing a critical shortage of second line anti-retroviral drugs and antibiotics.

Natpham managing director, Florah Sifeku said they have given off seven months’ supply of HIV/AIDS first line drugs, which are mainly from the donor community while second and third
line drugs are available in limited supply.
Meanwhile, NatPharm says at least US$ 80 million is needed to save the country from the drug shortages it is currently experiencing.

Sifeku told Parliament during the tour that they were mainly relying on supplies from development partners as government was unable to clear the US$ 80 million tender submitted last
year.

She pleaded with Parliament to push for their allocation of foreign currency so they could avoid casualties that are likely to come with shortage of supplies at her organisation.

BY CHARLES LAITON

Two civil society leaders, who are facing charges of trying to subvert President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, were yesterday released on ZWL$1 000 bail each after the Prosecutor-General’s (PG) Office consented to their freedom bid.

The director of Female Prisoners Support Trust (FPST), Beauty Rita Nyampinga, and director of Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE), Stabile Dewa, were granted bail by High Court judge Justice Amy Tsanga, albeit under stringent bail conditions.

The two are also charged with inciting public violence.

As part of their bail conditions, the duo was ordered to report to the police every day, to reside at their given addresses, surrender their travel document
and not to interfere with State witnesses.

The two women had been behind bars following their arrest by police on May 28, 2019 upon their arrival at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport from
Maldives.

Their accomplices, George Makoni, Tatenda Mombeyarara, Gamuchirai Mukura, Frank Nyasha Mpahlo and Farirai Gumbonzvanda, last Friday appeared before Justice
Tawanda Chitapi and were released on ZWL$1 000 bail each, also coupled with stringent conditions.

In his judgment, Justice Chitapi said the programme that led to the incarceration of the five activists had nothing to do with subversion, but rather, the
State had tried to make its own case out of it, adding it had failed to place anything before the court to show that the workshop had something to do with subversion.

Between the Lines Beniah Munengwa

Title: White Man Walking

Author: John Eppel

Publisher: Mwanaka Media and Publishing (2018)

ISBN: 978-0-7974-9548-7

To be a person who lived on the other side of the fence always leaves one with a problem of binaries. One such man is John Eppel, a writer who finds himself in a category which fits many, the likes of David Coltart and Doris Lessing, who, however, find themselves belonging to neither side of the “racial” fence.

Just like Coltart, Eppel at one time found himself fighting on the side of the white man’s forces. Afterwards, we locate these two figures attempting to shed off those shackles of racist and imperialist terms to being the eye that explores and cautions both good and bad in either racial grouping.

In them, we find a quest of belonging and an attempt to fit in, into African humanity with every inch of their bone and not be seen as savages, as reverse racism now puts it.

The content of Eppel’s writing is that of a man who is in touch with the problems of either civilisation. He is a writer, who in an interview with Ambrose Musiyiwa, claimed to have
been strongly influenced by Charles Dickens’ focus on the marginalised people and he, himself, too has been marginalised, having had much of his manuscripts rejected by Zimbabwean
publishing houses.

One of the works that relate to his claim of being overtly African is his latest offering, White Man Walking. The name White Man Walking is, however, not new, having been used by American writer, Ward Brehm, for the book, White Man Walking: An American Businessman’s Spiritual Adventure in Africa.

In the new offering, Eppel explores the nuances of colonial and post-colonial existence in Zimbabwe. Some major recurring thematic concerns dealt with are the closeness to violence that
the government is, when dealing with anyone who seems to go against it.

One notable feature is that all stories were written while former President Robert Mugabe was still in power. The story, Democracy at Work and at Play, underscores the deep-rootedness
of Mugabeism, especially in rural communities. While the constitution-making process was supposed to be puritanical, the lack of accommodation of divergent thought and the underscored
vision of trying to convert the Constitution into another version of craft that extends Mugabe’s time in office takes charge.

Eppel, in an independent interview, highlighted: “My main concern in my prose is to ridicule greed, cruelty, self-righteousness and related vices like racism, sexism, jingoism, and
homophobia.”
With regard to his revelation, much of his stories pick up the strands that influence the way in which Zimbabwean governance and leadership unfolded.

He explains why he prefers to use satire in his writing saying: “I am under no illusion that my satires will make the slightest bit of difference, but nobody, not even those who are
ashamed of nothing, likes to be laughed at.”

Chiefly among Eppel’s subjects of satire is the greed associated with the politician or his wife. Symbolising it was the recurrent question, “Where’s my tub of Kentucky fries?”

In the short story, The Award Ceremony, instead of mourning the dead after a tragedy, the minister’s obese wife finds herself only caring about her Kentucky fries.

On a deeper look, the way the politician’s wife causes the suffering of innocent civilians and without feeling a sense of shame is synonymous with the bad girl tag associated with the
then First Lady, Grace Mugabe.

In the era of Mugabeism, the probability that anybody would be working for the Central Intelligence Organisation was very high. Such is the case of Mr Abednego Dolobenj, a school teacher in the story, Profile of a School Teacher.

The outstanding story for me is NGO Games, primarily because it explores the template formulae in which non-governmental organisations go through in their day-to- day running. Blended
with deep-set humour, Eppel portrays NGOs as organisations that thrive mainly on report writing and generation and less of any helpful initiatives.

This story falls under the same category as the author and poet’s thoughts, that “international organisations will not help a white artist, no matter how poor,” he is.

While the overall picture may portray Eppel’s satire as overtly pointed to the system heads, one cannot ignore that some of it is pointed at the general public, who foolishly assume
that they can unearth the roots of the system single-handedly. The end result, as shown in the stories, The Weight Loser and Sewage Pipe, where characters attempt to demonstrate against
the system and end up molested by people on the lower end of the system.

Eppel’s book stands as an independent project that is outstanding and refreshing on a different level, thanks to the meticulous input of the publisher. Thus in spite of a few errors, it
is a book that I can proudly add onto my library.

BY SIBONGINKOSI MAPHOSA/ SHARON SIBINDI

THERE was drama in Bulawayo central business district last week when police engaged in a high speed chase with robbers, who had broken into a car and stolen a purse.

Several motorists joined in the chase until the cornered robbers were forced to abandon their unregistered Honda Fit and fled in another vehicle, but police apprehended some of the accomplices.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed receiving a report of the incident.

“A lady had parked a vehicle. On return, she saw a person standing next to her car and was holding purse which she identified as hers.

“She screamed, drawing the attention of the public. The person got into a red Honda Fit which had no number plates,” Ncube said.

He said the car had been used in similar cases of robbery, which the police were investigating.

The incident occurred after Thobekile Sithole parked her Toyota Hillux twin-cab along 12th Avenue and corner Robert Mugabe Way and entered a shop.

“While I was in the shop, one of the criminals broke into my car and when I came out of the shop after 10 minutes, I saw the car door open and he was still inside searching,” Sithole
said.

“I had left my car locked using central locking system, which they managed to bypass. When I saw him, I shouted and the man came out of the car carrying my purse, which contained my
driver’s licence, bank cards, US$20 and ZWL$15.”

She said when she screamed for help, the man ran into a red Honda fit that was parked nearby and sped off.

Southern Eye was close to the scene and witnessed the incident.

Sithole’s screams attracted people nearby and three cars, a BMW, a white Honda Fit and grey VW Golf GTI pursued the criminals in Hollywood movie style.

The thieves sped out of town and into Makokoba high-density, where they were forced to abandon their getaway car after its left rear tyre burst.
They dumped the car in Makokoba and jumped into another car without number plates and sped off.

The getaway Honda Fit was later found at a house in Mzilikazi high-density suburb and was positively identified by Sithole as the one used by the suspects.

A search conducted of the car resulted in the recovery of tools suspected to be used in criminal activities and illegal drugs.

A woman at the house, who identified herself as Sichelelesile Ndlovu, said the Honda Fit belonged to one Darlington “Toni” Nyaruviri, of no known address as he sometimes resides in
Cowdray Park or Makokoba.

As the police interviewed Ndlovu in the presence of Southern Eye, a motorist, Lovemore Munetsi Masimba, arrived driving a white Honda Fit without number plates and claimed to be looking
for Sichelesile.

He told the police that he knew Toni, but was not sure where he was.

The police officers then arrested Masimba, who is currently in custody and helping them with investigations. The other suspects are still at large.

EDITORIAL

THE warning issued by the Civil Society and Church Joint Forum (CSCJF) last Friday that the country was teetering on a precipice and might descend into chaos if the deteriorating economic situation in the country was not arrested urgently should not be taken lightly.

This is not the first such warning, and there is, therefore, need for government to take such warnings seriously and quickly institute inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders, including the MDC, to find common solutions and restore the country to stability.

The manner in which the cost of living has been spiralling out of control on the back of the loss of value in the local Real Time Gross Settlement currency can precipitate chaos.

The opposition has already warned of street protests, which are likely to be resisted by the government, even if it means using brute force as has happened before in January when protests over fuel price hikes resulted in loss of lives, destruction of property and massive arrests, but without providing a lasting solution to the crisis bedevilling the country.

We concur with the churches and civic organisations calling for dialogue, which can help ensure that the country does not take a turn for the worst. It is now time for the politicians in this country to set their pride and arrogance aside so that they can work together because the situation on the ground has become untenable.

People are suffering as prices of goods and services are skyrocketing. Money is losing value and people are increasingly disillusioned. This cannot be allowed to continue.

If the necessary intervention does not come, we will slowly reach breaking point and the results may be dire. What is clear is that the dialogue launched by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last month with losing presidential candidates in last year’s elections is unlikely to yield any positive results because MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, who commanded nearly half of the total votes in the polls, snubbed the dialogue on the basis that it lacked a neutral mediator.

There is need to canvass consensus and ensure that real, genuine dialogue among those that represent the voters is held as a matter of urgency, otherwise the downward spiral will continue. As long as the political dialogue is not handled in the manner it should, then the economy will continue to tailspin.