BY JAMES MUONWA

Police are hunting for a suspect who murdered a 25-year-old Kadoma woman in cold blood.

Mashonaland West provincial police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara identified the deceased as Bridget Envarator Karonga of Katumba Street, Rimuka.

Police said on April 24, at around 11pm, Karonga was spotted at Rumwe Shopping Centre in the company of an unidentified man, who was wearing a green T-shirt and khaki pair of trousers.

The two then reportedly went to Karonga’s house for a night of intimacy. They were also seen by fellow tenant, Rutherford Gambinya entering the house.

Police said, when Gambinya went to the toilet later that evening, he observed a trail of blood along the passage, stretching from the house’s main door, leading to Karonga’s room.

Gambinya then alerted neighbours who then tried to break the door, but failed and reported the matter to the police.

A police reaction team attended the scene and forced-open the door only to find Karonga lying dead in a pool of blood.

Her body, which was riddled with stab wounds on the chest, was then conveyed to Kadoma Hospital mortuary for a postmortem. A blood-stained kitchen knife was recovered at the crime scene.

By Farai Matiashe

Former Grain Marketing Board (GMB) workers are at loggerheads with the lawyer who represented them after they were sacked on three months’ notice in 2015 following the landmark Supreme Court ruling.

The workers are accusing lawyer Munyaradzi Gwisai of professional misconduct after he reportedly hid court papers of a ruling that favoured them in a case against the parastatal in July 2016.

Documents in possession of NewsDay showed that the GMB sacked Stephen Machaya and 476 others, who were working in various depots, among them Mutoko, Mt Darwin and Guruve.

The former employees had sought the legal services of Gwisai of Munyaradzi Gwisai and Partners Legal Practitioners to recover outstanding salaries, pension, housing, funeral and medical aid contributions.

One of the former GMB employees, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, accused Gwisai of partnering with the parastatal’s lawyers to hide the court papers from them.

“After the Zuva judgment, we were given three months’ notices. We then challenged the dismissal and we won, but I believe Gwisai and GMB lawyers hid the judgment from us,” he said.

The former employee said it was after 16 months when both lawyers came up with the memorandum of agreement for mutual separation.

“We are demanding that GMB must pay us from November 2015 up to March 31, 2017. We cannot be prejudiced because lawyers went to bed with GMB in order to run away from our favourable July 2016 ruling. The dismissal was declared unlawful,” he said.

“Up to now, GMB has not paid us even what was agreed on in the agreement for mutual separation. We did not even get a cent.”

Papers from the labour officer showed that GMB was ordered to pay the claimants a minimum retrenchment package of one month’s salary for every two years worked as compensation for loss of employment.

The payment was supposed to be effected in six months.

But when six months passed without any action from GMB, it is alleged that Gwisai did not follow up on the matter despite having been paid by his clients.

Another former employee told NewsDay that he was suspecting GMB wanted to make them suffer because they had demonstrated against the parastatal’s board of directors and senior managers.

But Gwisai told NewsDay that he represented the former employees well and insisted they were paid in terms of the agreement for mutual separation.

“The employer paid these employees in terms of the agreement. We did a great job for them. We managed to push the employer to pay them. The ruling you are talking about is actually a draft ruling, which is issued by the Labour Officer in terms of section 93 subsection 5 of Labour Act. It is supposed to be confirmed by the Labour Court,” he said.

“Within a month, we had reminded the legal officer to do the application, so they cannot say we did not follow up. After the mutual separation agreement, we could not follow the matter to the Labour Court because they had already been paid.”

Gwisai said they could not update on the development of the case to each and every claimant because they were many, but could only talk and issue documents to their representatives.

“The (claimants) were over 400. We gave (updates on the case to) their representatives, they were the ones who were coming to court. If their representatives did not give them (the information), it is not my problem,” he said.

Gwisai said the employees had not be paid from November 2015 to March 2016 the day an agreement for mutual separation was signed because the Labour Act had ruled that the sacking of employees with a three months’ notice was lawful, if the employees were paid.

“The Labour Amendment Act (No 5) of 2015 was confirmed by the Constitutional Court on March 28, 2018 in a case of Greatermans Stores and Anor v/s Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare,” he said.

GMB human resources manager Aquinata Makuvise requested questions to be sent to the public relations department, but these had not been responded to at the time of going to print last night.

By Garikai Mafirakureva

ZIMBABWE’S second largest national park, Gonarezhou, has embarked on a rural electrification programme which has seen Phahlela Clinic in remote Malipati in Chiredzi being electrified at a cost of US$220 000.

“The park partnered with NetOne, one of the country’s largest mobile service providers in this project. We are, however, going to electrify a number of other premises until we reach Malipati shopping centre, which is about 25 kilometres from Phahlela,” Gonarezhou Conservation Partneship’s senior manager Eviaous Mpofu said.

“This is one of our corporate social responsibilities and our continued endeavour to take on communities around the park. The park will constantly engage with the Tshangani community.”
A nurse who spoke to Southern Eye, on condition of anonymity, said the clinic serves over 300 locals per month.

“This clinic carters for areas like Masukwe, Masiya, Mutombo and others. We are happy that we are going to get electricity because initially, we were using candles and solar lanterns before a certain donor installed solar panels, but it was not enough because it only managed to light up the post natal ward and the drug room,” the nurse said.

“The electrification will make life easy for us, especially in our labour room, which carries three people at a time. We had no running water at this clinic, so after installation of electricity, we will be able to pump water into our tank. Electricity will also light up our treatment room.”

One of the villagers who frequents the facility, Irene Chauke, said as women who are assisted to give birth at the clinic, they were happy with the gesture because they can now be attended to at any time of day.

“I would like to thank all those who made this project a success because we are now going to access treatment any time of day, especially those who are still giving birth,” she said.
Gonarezhou Conservation Partnership is a joint venture between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the Frankfurt Zoological Society.

This photobook chronicles the vital role of Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in Zimbabwe by providing an overview of the constitutional obligations in promoting inclusive gender
parity in all spheres of women’s lives.
The Photobook does not only highlight progress, challenges and implementation gaps but also provides a roadmap to strategies to effectively implement international commitments on gender equality and to scale up and accelerate action in the integrated areas of climate change, social and economic entrepreneurial investment.

It emphasizes the move from only understanding the normative legislative frameworks and commitment to analyzing and evidencing tangible action by government in several key areas aimed at promoting novel forms of collaborative actions, partnerships and engagement by new and diverse stakeholders in ways that deepen bipartisan cooperation and consciousness.

As such, the photobook represents an embodiment of women’s capacity and capability to act as defenders and advocates for women’s rights through amplifying women’s voices as agents of transformative developmental change and ensuring the domestication of international legislative frameworks for the achievement of gender justice and women’s emancipation in Zimbabwe.

Highlighting the centrality of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus in galvanizing women’s solidarity through strengthening women’s networks and mobilization, the photobook has achieved its central objectives of advancing women’s strategic and practical needs through sensitization and claiming their spaces in leadership decision-making at all levels of societal enterprise.

The photobook makes a strong statement in making the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus a watershed platform representing a rich review and assessment tool of how Zimbabwe as a sovereign state is committed to addressing the question of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The strength of this book as a gendered process and strategic mechanism lies in how it has been able to identify success stories, lessons learned and gaps that remain to be filled in political and national development policies for the benefit of both women, men and youth and for the Caucus to serve as the Parliamentary hub for promoting and catalyzing tangible, multi-stakeholder partnerships for implementing inclusive gender equality and empowerment legislations.

Thus, through this captivating pictorial visual narrative, the photobook asserts the vital role of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus as a useful policy forum that connects the global development agenda to national development policy efforts in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment and the establishment of specific mechanisms and institutional arrangements to promote the empowerment of women, with appropriate funding, which should be considered essential to bring about sustainable solutions to gender equality and empowerment issues as mandated by the Zimbabwean Constitution. A must read for every passionate nationalistic Zimbabwean.

Professor Pamela Machakanja, (Phd),
Dean – College of Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance
Africa University, Zimbabwe

It wasn’t that long ago that the ability to trade shares online and through mobile phones seemed like a scary prospect to individual investors.

But thanks to a raft of technological improvements and the rise of online share trading platforms worldwide, it’s now easier than ever for ordinary Zimbabweans from all walks of life to buy and sell shares online through the C-TRADE platform. The market has become more accessible, but that doesn’t mean investors should not take precautionary measures when trading. Read on to find out how you can stay safe when trading shares online.

C-TRADE operates in a market which is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe. This means that all the activity on C-TRADE is in line with the regulatory requirements of the capital markets hence providing for investor protection. Trading using the C-TRADE platforms is very secure. The process requires authorisation through PINs only known by the account holder thereby ensuring security of shares and funds. 

For further protection investors are encouraged to set a strong password and to change it regularly and avoid recycling the same password. Constantly check if personal information such as telephone number, email address and login password is the correct information that you provided. Should an account holder wish to change any details they have to request for a Change of details form which they fill, scan and return with a certified copy of their national identity card or valid passport.

Use trusted and secured computer or mobile device for online trading. It is advisable not to use public computers, or unknown and insecure network connection to access the C-TRADE online account. An investor should not share personal account information or let other people use their computer or mobile device used to access to the C-TRADE account. Avoid downloading and installing any unknown software used to access your online account. Always log out of the website or system after finishing your trades.

Moreso, investors should not disclose the login identity and password of their online account to any person or respond to any unverified request. Intermediaries do not normally contact customers for personal information by email and do not ask customers to disclose the account password. If in doubt, investors should contact the C-TRADE helpdesk for further enquiry.

Avoid storing passwords in computers, mobile phones or placed in plain sight, and avoid using a single password for all your accounts e.g. email account or banking account. Avoid logging on your online account when there are unusual pop-up screen or window, or abnormal slow computer response, and when unexpected steps or information are required.

As transparency is critical in maintaining the public’s trust in the capital markets, C-TRADE fulfills this function through enabling investors to keep track of their portfolio transactions as the summary trading information is displayed on a real time basis where investors can view various key market indicators such as the prevailing bid and offer prices, value and volume traded. it enhances the ability of investors to make informed investment decisions by giving them information faster in electronic format, as databases can be searched and financial information be analysed more readily.

In conclusion the continued growth of technology presents even greater opportunities for expansion and innovation in capital markets especially as investors become more connected and more comfortable with communication technologies the effects will be felt throughout the capital markets.

BY BBC

A woman was shot dead and dozens injured in the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Wednesday, in clashes between opposition supporters and pro-government forces.

Tear gas and water cannon were fired by the military amid rival demonstrations.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó called for those responsible for the death of a 27-year-old woman to be found.

Meanwhile, Mr Guaidó called for a series of strikes to force President Nicolás Maduro to relinquish power.

He urged public employees to act on Thursday, saying the stoppages would lead to a general strike.

Mr Guaidó in January declared himself Venezuela’s interim leader, and he has been recognised by more than 50 countries including the US, UK and most Latin America nations.

But Mr Maduro – who is backed by Russia, China and the leaders of Venezuela’s military – has refused to cede power.

The president dismissed suggestions he had been ready to flee the country and accused the US of directing an attempted coup. Those involved would be punished, he said.

How did the violence unfold?

On Wednesday, both pro- and anti-government supporters held demonstrations in Caracas that were initially peaceful.

There were reports of gunfire in the city, and a local NGO, the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, said a 27-year-old woman had been shot dead during a rally in the opposition stronghold of Altamira.

At least 46 people were injured in clashes between opposition supporters and the security forces.

Mr Guaidó had earlier posted a video showing him with a number of men in military uniform. He said he had the support of “brave soldiers” in Caracas.

He urged Venezuelans to join them in the streets, and appeared alongside another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who had been under house arrest after being found guilty of inciting violence during protests in 2014.

Spain’s government later said that Mr López and his family had sought safety in their embassy, but said the opposition figure has not claimed political asylum.

Supporters on both sides gathered around the city throughout Tuesday, and there were clashes between Mr Guaidó’s supporters and armed military vehicles.

How significant is Guaidó’s call for strikes?

In a series of tweets (in Spanish), Mr Guaidó said the final phase of “Operation Liberty” had begun and it was the turn of public workers to join in.

He urged protesters to stay on the streets until Mr Maduro’s government would be finally forced to resign.

Mr Guaidó has been courting the public sector for weeks – but winning their support will be difficult, the BBC’s Americas editor Candace Piette says.

For years, state employees have been told that if they did not turn up at government rallies they would lose their jobs.

So if the opposition leader does win them over, it will be a huge victory against President Maduro, our editor says.

What international reaction has there been?

Tensions are rising between the US and Russia over the crisis.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US may take military action to resolve the crisis, and accused Russia and Cuba of destabilising the country through their support for Mr Maduro.

The US also reiterated its support for Mr Guaidó.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Mr Pompeo that America’s influence over Venezuela was destructive and a violation of international law.

UN Secretary General António Guterres has appealed for both sides in Venezuela to avoid violence, while the EU has called for “utmost restraint to avoid the loss of lives and an escalation in tensions”.

Governments who still back Mr Maduro – including Bolivia and Cuba – condemned Mr Guaidó’s efforts as an attempted coup.

The Mexican government expressed “concern about a possible increase in violence” while Colombian President Ivan Duque urged the Venezuelan military to stand “on the right side of history” against Mr Maduro.

An emergency meeting of the Lima Group of Latin American countries has been scheduled for Friday.

BY CNN

Bangkok, Thailand Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun has wed his royal consort, Gen. Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya, and declared her queen just days before his coronation.

A royal statement released Wednesday said the 66-year-old monarch “has decided to promote Gen. Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya, his royal consort, to become Queen Suthida and she will hold royal title and status as part of the royal family.”

The statement added that the king “performed a royal wedding ceremony with Gen. Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya in accordance to law and royal traditions in a full and righteous manner.”

The pair officially married May 1 at the Ampornsathan Throne Hall in Bangkok’s Dusit Palace. The King’s younger sister, Princess Sirindhorn, and Chairman to Privy Council, Gen. Prem Tinsulanonda, signed the marriage document as witnesses.

Junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha also attended the ceremony.

Vajiralongkorn assumed the throne following the death of his father in 2016, becoming King Rama X. He is the 10th member of the Chakri dynasty, which has ruled Thailand since Rama I took the throne in 1782.

His coronation takes place on Saturday, with celebrations expected to last until the following Monday.

It is the fourth marriage for Vajiralongkorn, who has two daughters and five sons, only one of whom is officially recognized as a prince.

Queen Suthida has been a feature of the royal household for years. In 2016 Vajiralongkorn promoted her to the rank of general — and a year later made her deputy commander of the King’s Royal Guard Command.

As an important member of the royal family, she is protected by Thailand’s lese majeste laws.
Thai Crown Prince takes throne as King Rama X (2016) 01:32

What’s lese majeste?

The crime of lese majeste — insulting the royal family — is enforced by monarchies around the globe. But few are stricter than Thailand, where the law makes it illegal to defame, insult or threaten the King, queen, heir-apparent or regent.

Because of these restrictions, the media — including CNN — can only report certain details about senior members of the royal family.

Those found guilty of lese majeste can be jailed for up to 15 years for each count, with some sentences stretching to 60 years.

Despite its long pedigree, there is no clear legal definition of what exactly constitutes lese majeste, and complaints can be filed by anyone, from officials to members of the public.

Cases have spiked in recent years, with reports that the military junta used the law to silence dissent.

BY CNN
New Delhi, India — What is expected to be India’s strongest landfalling tropical cyclone in nearly five years is barreling towards 100 million people on the east coast, causing officials to begin emergency evacuations.

On Thursday, Tropical Cyclone Fani had winds of 190 kmph (118 mph) with gusts of 201 kmph (124 mph), making it equivalent in intensity to a Category 3 major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
It is expected to hit Odisha state on Friday afternoon.

As Fani was classified as an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” in India, the country’s Coast Guard and Navy deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations. Army and Air Force units have also been put on standby in Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh states.

Some 900 cyclone shelters have been set up across Odisha to house evacuees and school is canceled across the state on Thursday and Friday. Teams are going door to door to warn people.

“They are being told what to take with them if they leave and the precautions they need to take if they stay,” said Ameya Patnaik, assistant commandant for the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Odisha.

Evacuations have also begun neighboring Andhra Pradesh, while those in West Begal have been told to be ready to leave, officials told CNN. Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea due to the extreme conditions.

Fani, which is still about 270 kilometers (170 miles) off of the coast off India, strengthened rapidly on Monday and Tuesday, becoming the strongest storm to move through the Bay of Bengal this early in the year since Tropical Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Nargis went on to strike Myanmar with winds over 200 kph (124 mph), bringing a devastating storm surge and flooding rainfall that resulted in more than 100,000 deaths in the country.

Impacts

Fani is expected to bring large storm surges and significant wind damage near the landfall location. Inland flooding will also be a major threat.

Portions of eastern India and Bangladesh can expect 150 to 300 mm (6 to 12 inches) of rain with locally higher amounts regardless of the intensity.

As Fani approaches India it will be moving nearly parallel to the coast. A slight move to the east or west would have a significant impact on the timing of landfall as well as the intensity. A more easterly track means that landfall would be farther north in India, perhaps even into Bangladesh.

If that happens, the storm would likely be a category or two weaker as it moves over cooler waters.

Cyclone season

Fani is the first tropical cyclone of the year in the northern Indian Ocean.

The season doesn’t have a defined start and end like the Atlantic basin season, but it does have two main periods of activity: late April to early June, and October to November.

These two periods are prior to, and immediately following, India’s southwest monsoon season. The southwest monsoon season lasts from June through September and provides India with the vast majority of its annual rainfall.

Tropical cyclone activity during the monsoon season is extremely rare because the monsoon is characterized by high wind shear, which makes it difficult for tropical storms to form.

BY ALJAZEERA

Ugandan police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at scores of demonstrators who took to the streets to protest the arrest of pop star-turned-opposition MP Bobi Wine.

Crowds of people held rallies in several suburbs of the capital, Kampala, on Tuesday, a day after the latest arrest of the politician, according to an AFP reporter.

“There are clashes between the police and youths who threw stones at the advancing police, a number of people have been injured and we took some to Mulago hospital,” Kampala Red Cross Manager, Praise Turyebwa told AFP news agency.

In a statement, Ugandan police said there was a minor incident “where undisciplined youths tried to demonstrate” but that the situation had been brought under control.

Local television stations showed images of fires being lit in the middle of major roads, causing traffic jams around the Ugandan capital.

Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was arrested on Monday, barely two days after briefly being placed under house arrest after being detained on his way to a concert at his nightclub.

One of his lawyers told AFP he had been remanded to prison until May 2, over an allegedly illegal protest in 2018.

Amnesty International on Tuesday called for his immediate release.

“The Ugandan authorities must immediately free Bobi Wine and stop misusing the law in a shameless attempt to silence him for criticising the government,” said Amnesty’s regional director Seif Magango.

“It is not a crime for Bobi Wine to hold a concert or organise a protest; it is a right enshrined in Ugandan and international law.”

The singer, who entered parliament in 2017 and has emerged as a leading critic of President Yoweri Museveni, has struck a chord with young Ugandans with his songs about social justice.

Authorities have repeatedly blocked him from performing publicly.

The rapper made international headlines after an arrest last year and alleged torture by Ugandan security forces in detention. The government denies the accusations.

One of his songs contains the lyric “freedom fighters become dictators,” while others hint that Museveni has stayed in power too long.

Museveni, 74, has ruled Uganda since seizing power at the head of a rebel army in 1986. He intends to stand for re-election to a sixth term in office in 2021.