BY VENERANDA LANGA

HARARE residents yesterday dismissed the Maintenance of Peace and Order Bill (MOPA), describing it as repressive and an attempt to protect government and law enforcement agents who are being given more powers in the proposed law.

They said this during public hearings on MOPA, which were jointly hosted by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice and the Parliamentary Thematic Committee on Peace and Security at the Harare City Sports Centre.

Manicaland senator Douglas Mwonzora (MDC Alliance) told participants that the Bill, which was brought before Parliament by Home Affairs minister Cain Mathema, sought to make provisions regarding public peace, security and order, as well as to replace the Public Order and Security Act (POSA).

A member of the public, Bernard Ncube, said MOPA was worse than POSA.

“This law has nothing to do with protecting citizens at all and in most clauses, it is aimed at protecting the leaders against disgruntled citizens,” he said.

“It fails to take into account that if people protest, it is because something is wrong pertaining to their rights. If possible, the whole Bill must be returned to the Home Affairs minister – and we are not saying amend it, we are saying we do not want the whole Bill because why should we continue applying to be allowed to demonstrate, which is enshrined in the constitution?”

Zimbabwe Centre for Equal Opportunities president Paddington Japajapa said the Bill should actually ban police heavy-handedness during demonstrations and prescribe the use of minimum force to disperse rowdy crowds.

“The Bill should not allow the army near any demonstrations. Only the police must be deployed because the army is trained to kill and for war. The army should be sent only when we are dealing with dissidents or armed gangs and not demonstrations,” Japajapa said.

“You should train, equip and empower the police, and you can purchase millions of water canisters or teargas, but we are saying no to the provision that the President can deploy the army on demonstrators.”

Macdonald Moyo, a researcher with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said clause 13 of MOPA, which permits the use of firearms, would cause more people to be killed during demonstrations.

He said police had other means of dispersing people in the event of a violent protest.

A public interest lawyer, Veronica Zano, was concerned about the classification of a public meeting in the Bill, which stipulates that it is a gathering of 15 or more people, who must apply to the police for permission to hold a public meeting.

BY RICHARD MUPONDE

SILIKWE Clinic in the Matshetsheni area of Gwanda has been closed after goblins reportedly sexually assaulted nurses and other female support staff, forcing them to flee the health institution last week.

Happenings at the clinic, which is under Chief Mbiko Masuku, have been blamed on suspected goblins linked to a local businessman.

The issue has forced the traditional leader to summon his subjects to a meeting today (Saturday) so that a solution is found.

Reports from Matshetsheni suggest that the suspected goblins strike during the night after the nurses have retired to bed, giving them sleepless nights.

After the nurses fled, the clinic was shut down, leaving villagers stranded.

Chief Masuku confirmed the problem and promised to give a comprehensive statement next week.

“Phone me on Monday. I would have done something and will comment fully,” he said.

Gwanda district administrator Judge Dube said he only saw the issue on social media platforms and directed questions to the chief and Ministry of Health officials.

“I have only read about this on WhatsApp. I do not have the details. I think the district nursing officer can give you a true picture or the chief,” Dube said.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the clinic closed last week.

“The nurses complained about their sexual torment, which they said happened for a week. The matter was brought to the local leadership’s attention after the nurses had fled.”

BY JAMES MUONWA

POLICE in Kadoma yesterday arrested NewsDay correspondent Nunurai Jena for allegedly shooting pictures at a roadblock.

Jena said the police officers confiscated his phone, which he was using to take the images, before hauling him to Rimuka Police Station.

He identified the arresting officers as one Mukumba and Assistant Inspector Samboka.

Jena was in the city to cover the Kadoma ward 2 by-election as well as the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services public hearings.

The roadblock where Jena was arrested is situated in ward 2, where there is a by-election to choose a new councillor today .

The seat fell vacant following MDC-Alliance councillor Michael Gore’s imprisonment four months ago for inciting public violence during the January violent protests against fuel price
hikes.

Jena said the police initially indicated they would prefer charging him for “disorderly conduct”.

“At first, the police officers said they were going to charge me for disorderly conduct. While I was in detention, I sent distress calls to all relevant media partners so that they could facilitate my release from the unlawful arrest,” he said

“However, after spending three hours being held at Rimuka Police Station, I was finally released without charge.”

Jena, an accredited journalist with the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), is a Mashonaland West-based correspondent for NewsDay and The Standard, both publications under the Alpha Media Holdings stable.

BY Ruvimbo Muchenje

ZESA’S audit and risk management committee chairperson, Tichaona Timire, has said the ongoing power cuts are a threat to investment in the country and bemoaned the shortage of foreign currency, which he said is hampering efforts to procure critical equipment to keep the country powered.

Addressing a Zesa risk management competition awards ceremony in Harare yesterday, Timire said electricity, being the key driver of economic growth should be consistently available to attract investors.

“Sustained energy provision is key in economic growth as investors want to invest in an economy where there is adequate and reliable energy. This is because electricity is the one that drives all economic activities of a nation,” he said.

Speaking at the same event, Energy and Power Development deputy minister Magna Mudyiwa echoed similar sentiments, saying power cuts were a major threat to economic growth.

“It is no secret that electricity is a critical economic enabler,” she said

Mudyiwa also said the ongoing load-shedding compromise government’s “Zimbabwe is open for business” drive.

“It threatens to derail our attainment of vision 2030 of an upper-middle income economy. Furthermore, where there is no adequate power, the mantra ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ is made hollow,” she said.

Mudyiwa urged Zimbabweans at large to desist from vandalising Zesa property, adding that last year alone, the power utility lost property worth US$4 million to vandalism.

EDITORIAL

THE alleged abduction and torture of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe leader, Obert Masaraure, by suspected State security agents on Wednesday, is a glaring indictment on the government and a demonstration of how it is not keen on departing from its old political culture established by former President Robert Mugabe.

Quite clearly, the so-called “Second Republic” has failed to live up to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s hype regarding a new political culture, proving the government’s unwillingness to re-join the family of nations by upholding democratic tenets such as respect for human rights and allowing workers their right to demonstrate.

The government should simply sort out its political mess if it ever wants to deliver the economic salvation the majority of citizens are desperate for. Abducting, threatening or arresting outspoken people is not going to help its cause, both at home and abroad. It is really strange, but not surprising, that such horrendous acts on Masaraure would be carried out right at a time the government is engaging the European Union (EU) to try and curry favour with the powerful bloc after many years in the cold.

Since coming to power in November 2017, the Harare administration has wasted many opportunities it could have used to clean up its act and ensure it is fully embraced by the community of nations. Rather, it has continued to act like a rogue regime, dashing any hopes of real re-engagement. Several people have been killed by security forces under Mnangagwa’s two-year-old administration.

Ironically, the just-ended three-day nationwide strike by rural teachers over low salaries and high cost of living was constitutional after a 14-day notice had been served to the State, which is probably why the powers-that-be resorted to unorthodox means to clip the teachers’ wings through abductions and torture.

Persecuting poorly-paid teachers, or any other worker for that matter, is not going to help the government’s cause, but will simply show its unwillingness to change despite all the rhetoric, most of which has proven to be just that – rhetoric. It’s time for the government to do some serious soul searching and do the right thing for the benefit of ordinary Zimbabweans, most of who are now regretting ever being part of the march that endorsed the military coup that ushered Mnangagwa to the helm in November 2017.

Opinion Ashley Thaba

I LOVE when people ask me questions about life and wonder what the Bible says about it. It gives me a reason to seek God and study my Bible. As I will be writing these weekly motivational columns, I encourage you to feel free to write to me. I am not saying I have all the answers, but I do serve a God who has all the answers and promises “we have not, because we ask not”.

So, let’s search the scriptures together and see if God is giving us answers to the common questions many of us are asking. This week, I want to tackle a question I get asked often: “Is it wrong to be a mega rich pastor?”

The answer is not as simple as yes or no.

I would like to answer this as objectively as possible, so let’s first define who the pastor is from a biblical perspective.

In the Bible, a pastor is an elder in the church. As such, there are clear guidelines laid out as to what type of character he should have. This list, outlined mainly in 1 Timothy 3:1-7
and Titus 1:6-9, is a practical guide to help church members choose as their leader a man worthy of that position.

Among others, these qualities include not being quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain, hospitable, self-controlled, disciplined, able to teach, not lovers of money, faithful to their wife, and to have a good reputation with outsiders.

Let’s define what the pastor is supposed to do. In a column like this, I will need to summarise. In summary, a pastor is to prepare God’s people for works of service (Ephesians 4:12),
to lead them to a knowledge of the truth, and to encourage them to stay faithful to the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15) and to walk in the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22).

The word, “pastor”, comes from the Latin word which means shepherd. When the word began to be used, it described a church leader treating his people like a shepherd would treat his
flock – leading them to a place where they would be well fed and safe. Following this analogy, according to the Bible, the only way to be “well fed” is found in John 6:35, which states: “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’.”

The only way to be safe is to surrender to God’s sovereign protection over us. Literally, thousands of verses promise us refuge and shelter in God, so I won’t attempt to list them all.
Instead, I will choose one. Psalms 46:1 tells us: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

We can deduce, therefore, that the main goal of a pastor is to lead people to Jesus, for in worshipping and focusing on Him, all the needs of those in his congregation will be met.
Furthermore, it can also be deduced that if a man is leading people to worship him, then that would be wrong. And it wouldn’t be the first time.

1 Timothy 6:3-5 is derived from a letter, where the Apostle Paul is writing to a pastor named Timothy, who is dealing with other area pastors. This is what Paul tells him: “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4] they are conceited and understand nothing… and who think that godliness
is a means to financial gain.”

Coming back to the original question: Is it wrong to be a mega rich pastor? To answer that, we would need to examine how he is becoming wealthy. The Bible teaches over and over that we
are to trust God with our financial needs and simply seek Him first, trusting Him to be our provider. Therefore, it is neither the absence nor the presence of wealth that is the
problem. It is the pursuit of money and the willingness to manipulate people to accumulate it. It is greed, selfishness and the desire to store up treasures on earth instead of in
heaven as scripture advises that becomes the sin.

It is amassing great wealth through exploiting those who are far less privileged that you are called to “shepherd” and take care of that is bad.
We see that the pastors of the Bible gave sacrificially to take care of their “flocks” in Acts 4:32-35, 1 Corinthians 9:13-18, Hebrews 13:16, Acts 20:33-35 to name a few references.

1 Corinthians 9:11 assures us that a pastor who sows spiritual seed is able to reap a material harvest, so there is nothing wrong with a pastor earning an income. The problem becomes
when he earns that income by dishonest and self-centred practices.

I would encourage you to study the scriptures and observe the character of the men/women of God who you are allowing to “shepherd” you. Do they possess the biblical characteristics laid
out above? Are they leading you to put your focus on Christ or themselves? That is not a question I can answer. Only you can and you would be wise to do so, lest you be led astray and
find yourself swindled out of your hard-earned money.

If you would like to hear more of my thoughts on this topic, I did a TV interview, where I was asked many questions on this topic in depth. Go to YouTube and search for Ashley Thaba.
Look for the interview done by Dichi, or some of you might know him better by the character he plays, Seretse, on the TV soapie, Muvhango!

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

AFRO-POP songbird Thamsanqa “Tamy” Moyo (pictured) said she seeks to keep exploring and breaking new grounds in everything she does in her music career.

Tamy made the remarks in an interview with NewsDay Weekender Life & Style on the sidelines of her self-styled The Tamy Experience, a personalised show she organised, which also featured Ammara Brown and Gemma Griffiths.

The show was held on Thursday night at The Venue in Avondale, Harare.

Tamy proved her artistic prowess and pull factor as she managed to “fill” the venue at a time several music concerts — including some by big artistes — have failed to attract large
crowds due to the punishing economic situation.

“I just want more excellence and brilliance in everything that I choose to do, keep exploring, keep breaking boundaries and breaking new ground,” she said.

“I want to thank everybody who came to support me today. I really appreciate it. I did not expect this outcome, but it is more than a brilliant outcome, with this many people.”
The 21-year-old songbird said it was really demanding to prepare for the concert.

“It was very tense as it took a lot of time and effort to get here, a lot of sleepless nights as we had all-night rehearsals just coming to this point and I am grateful to my band as we have been together for three years.

Speaking on her white and gold concert outfit, Tamy said she wanted something that would allow her flexibility while on the stage, due to her repertoire of dance routines.

“My outfit was done by House of Stone. I wanted something fierce and very frail so I would be able to express how my body will be moving. I also wanted to look like fire, the gold and the white fire,” she said.

Tamy promised her fans more music and shows.

Ammara and Gemma warmed up the stage with unheralded songstress Spiwe Ndebele accorded the opportunity to rub shoulders with the stars.

Ndebele was the lucky teenager chosen from a social media contest on Tamy’s social media pages, where she requested contestants to forward a 45-60 seconds video on either Instagram or
Facebook hashtag #thetamyexperience.

Tamy, an accomplished guitarist in her own right, has been on the cruise since storming the local music industry and has rubbed shoulders with seasoned artistes, both locally and
internationally.

She has released songs that have won her many fans across the country, setting the bar high for many fellow female musicians.

BY MISHMA CHAKANYUKA

POSTAL and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) director-general Gift Machengete has said telecoms operators should take consumers’ grievances seriously so that they improve on service delivery.

Speaking at the launch of the 2018 Consumer Satisfaction Survey Report, Machengete said Potraz would advance and safeguard the interests of consumers through various initiatives.

“This is why we are prepared to go for broke in order to ensure that the interests of consumers are advanced and safely guarded through various initiatives that include ensuring universal access to services at affordable prices and at the highest quality, both in terms of service delivery and customer experience; empowering consumers through education and awareness campaigns as well as conducting consumer satisfaction surveys,” he said.

In the 2018 survey, usage of fixed telephone services declined as only 2% of household consumers claimed to be using fixed telephone services compared to 3,1% recorded in the 2015 survey.

Usage, however, remained high among corporate consumers to the level of 53%, though that was a decline from the 74% usage reported in 2015.

Courier services usage on the market declined significantly, as 2% of household consumers were using the services compared to 2,4% recorded in the 2015 survey. Usage of mobile telephone services declined to 93% among household consumers from 99% recorded in the 2015 survey.

In the survey, usage of mobile telephone services declined significantly among corporate consumers to 53%, compared to 74% reported in 2015.

Usage of internet and data services on the market grew significantly, as 34% of household consumers were using internet and data services in 2018, compared to the 29% recorded in the 2015 survey.

Internet and data services usage remained very high among corporate consumers at 86%, compared to 83% reported in 2015.

Mobile network operators (MNOs) were largely used for data by household consumers: Econet (72%) and NetOne (15%).

Corporate consumers were skewed to internet service providers and internet access providers TelOne (35%), Liquid Telecom (15%) and ZOL (9%).

“All MNOs should always monitor critical network parameters, such as network quality, network availability and voice quality. MNOs should invest in technological innovation to bring more convenience through self-help mechanisms,” the survey noted.

As for internet and data services consumers recommended the need for education around usage of internet, especially among household consumers.