By Sports Reporter

Herentals . . . . . . . . .0
NGEZI PLATINUM STARS . . . . 0

Ngezi Platinum Stars coach Erol Akbay was left a frustrated man after seeing his team play out a goalless draw against hosts Herentals in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Rufaro Stadium yesterday.

The platinum miners came into the match at the back of a big win over Chicken Inn last week and were hoping to build on that, but they found the hosts a stubborn lot and could not breach their defence.

Despite the match being played at a medium tempo, Akbay still felt that his team could have upped the pace.

He also complained about the playing surface, saying the Rufaro Stadium grass was too high for his players to play their normal passing game.

Both teams created some chances, but it was Ngezi, through Donald Teguru, who probably had the best after the speedy forward found himself free inside the penalty box, but directed his header wide on 25 minutes.

Akbay was not pleased with the number of chances his team created.

“You could see during play that this is not the way Ngezi Platinum play football, we play to create a lot of chances. In the second half, we pressed more to try and go for goal, but it was not to be,” Akbay said in his post-match comments.

“We have a problem with high grass pitches. We want to play football, but we can’t in pitches like that.”

Herentals mentor Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva observed that his team was a bit complacent after their win over Dynamos in the previous match.

“We had a good game, but we failed to convert chances. I think this was a result of the failure to apply basics. We did not do much in terms of attack. In terms of ball possession and application we were better than Ngezi,” he said.

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

Zanu PF has begun preparations for the party’s annual conference to be held in December in Seke, Mashonaland East province.

Speaking during a provincial co-ordinating committee meeting held in Marondera yesterday, party provincial chairperson Joel Biggie Matiza said they have settled for Seke to be the host district as the party sets up committees to prepare for the event.

“By next week, committees will be established as we prepare for the annual conference. We deliberated on the venue, putting into consideration security issues as well as availability of accommodation. We cannot go to a place far away and without enough accommodation for the delegates.

“After deliberations, we have settled for Seke district, closer to Harare. The annual conference will be held at Mandedza High School,” he said.

This will be the second conference to be hosted by Zanu PF with President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the leader.

Zanu PF is famed for splashing huge sums of money during its annual jamborees.

Matiza warned party members to desist from factional politics.

“We do not want to hear rumours of people forming groups outside the party. Let’s desist from factionalism. If we are to implement this devolution process, we need people to unite. Devolution and unity go hand in hand,” he said.

Editorial Comment

THE political and socio-economic crises in Zimbabwe is slowly edging towards the tipping point as espoused by the Registrar-General (RG) Office’s failure to issue passports and standard national ID cards to citizens.

The RG’s Office last week suspended the processing of travelling documents allegedly due to technical glitches although there could be more behind that story.

Indications are that the imploding economic situation in the country, characterised by little and intermittent foreign currency inflows, has seen important services competing for the little available money.

This has seen the RG’s Office failing to produce passports in time — with some people who applied for the $53 standard passport nearly a year ago, still to get their documents — because the office has run out of the special passport paper.

Those who have lost their national identity cards — either the old metal version or the new plastic one — are currently being given the old, handwritten identity document with a black and white picture.

The problem with this piece of paper is that is can be easily forged and there have been cases of people who failed to access money at financial institutions as the identity document cannot be verified as authentic.

Meanwhile, thousands of people have been left stranded with some bound to miss important events outside the country, including medical appointments, because they cannot immediately get their passports.

It is understood that the last batch of normal applicant passports to be released was the one applied for before July 20, 2018.

The material needed for processing passports are normally imported from Israel and without the United States dollar, government appears to be no longer able to import those.

These challenges speak to the government’s failure to implement the necessary economic reforms as well as to the widespread abuse of natural resources such as diamonds, whose income could have been used to fund the country’s budget.

When a country fails to issues its citizens with identity documents, this implies it has hit rock bottom. Unless the necessary political and economic reforms are effected, then the downward spiral is likely to continue with no hope in sight.

It is shocking that a country can literally hold its nationals hostage as they cannot travel because the country is not able to produce passports, while many young people who need to acquire national IDs to be able to write their final high school examinations will also be stuck.

The government must do some serious soul-searching and find ways of doing things the right way as any responsible government would do.

By Phyllis Mbanje

THE crisis at the passport offices is far from over, with Registrar-General Clemence Masango failing to give an estimate timeframe of when the processing of travelling documents will resume following suspension of the services during the week, allegedly due to technical glitches.

Speaking to the NewsDay Weekender yesterday, Masango was at pains to give details on when operations would resume.

“We issued a public statement two days ago indicating that we were facing a system failure, which is being attended to right now,” he said.

The notice read in part: “The Registrar-General’s Department wishes to inform its valued clients and the public in general, that we are currently experiencing
system breakdown, which has affected passport processing and production. Our engineers are, however, working flat out to rectify the problem.”

However, Masango could not be drawn to give further details about the problem or when it would be resolved.

“How can I have knowledge of such?” he said.

This is despite the fact that thousands of people have been left stranded, with some bound to miss important events.

Lately, people were sleeping in the queues since only a few people were being served per day.

The passports office has been dogged by a host of challenges, including shortage of passport paper.

This forced them to downsize their operations, creating a huge backlog.

Early this year, the Registrar-General admitted in Parliament that the demand for emergency passports had increased, thereby putting pressure on the dwindling passport paper. He also cited foreign currency challenges.

At the time, he said they were only printing the $53 passport.

Another issue he raised was that of inadequate personnel. Masango said instead of the 2 540 staff that they needed, they had less than 2 100 officers.

Meanwhile, the usual bustling at Makombe Building was heavily subdued yesterday, with a few people, mostly vendors, milling around.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

A HWANGE Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) forensic audit has exposed suspected acts of sabotage carried out with a view to taking over control of the coal miner by Shepherd Tundiya.

Tundiya last year allegedly attempted to remove Mota Engil from mining coal in Hwange and to fraudulently offer businessman James Goddard the Chaba Coalfields concession which HCCL holds under special grants.

Tendai Muza of Ralph Bomment Greenacre and Reynolds said in the audit that the Mota Engil contract was standing on soft ground in 2018.

“If Mota Engil is removed from the mine, there is a likelihood that the mine can sink deeper or even close,” the forensic audit read.

“Mota Engil is contributing not less than 78% of current year (2018) tonnage, and there is a possibility that the significant drop in the Mota Engil output in the months of September 2018 to November 2018 was a result of preparing to pack and go due to possibilities of termination of contract.”

The audit said Mota Engil was facing pressure from someone acting fraudulently, or scandalously trying to replace the company.

“A person known as Shepherd Tundiya sought to replace Mota Engil in a fraudulent manner,” it reads.

“Tundiya allegedly mendaciously prepared a contract between HCCL and JR Goddard. He acted as an HCCL boss, who previously was the man in charge of HCCL from the President’s Office.”

A synopsis of the fraudulent activities by Tundiya began with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between HCCL (represented by Tundiya) and JR Goddard
Contracting (Pvt) Limited, which was about giving Goddard the Chaba coalfields concession.

In the MoU which Tundiya crafted, he said Goddard had the capacity, equipment, trained staff and technical expertise to undertake drilling, blasting, loading,
hauling and dumping of overburn and coal at HCCL.

The scope of work to be done would includes bush clearing for the pit to be mined, stripping top soil, drilling, blasting, loading, hauling and dumping of
overburn and coal, the maintenance and dust suppression of haul roads relating to the mining works, dozing and management of the overburn waste dumps, lighting
of the mining works, levelling and preparation of benches of drilling and blasting.

In a letter dated September 24, 2018, Goddard then replied Tundiya after a meeting was held at his (Goddard’s) Gweru offices to discuss the Chaba concession.

In the letter, Goddard said the equipment envisaged could produce 40 000 tonnes of coal per month and five teams would be needed to achieve the ultimate
production target of 200 000 tonnes of coal per month.

“We offered to mobilise team one and two within our existing resources at Ngezi Mine, from November 1, 2018, and the establishment charge would be US$1 million
per team,” the letter read.

“For the mobilisation of the subsequent teams three, four and five, an advance payment of $5 430 000 per team would be required to purchase equipment, plus we
would require an estimated charge of $500 000 per team. The advance payment amount would need to be paid to our equipment suppliers in South Africa.”

In another letter from Goddard to Tundiya dated September 7, 2018, the Bulawayo-based businessman then thanked him for the offer to mine 200 000 tonnes of coal
per month at Chaba Mine for HCCL, but said since Mota Engil was still working there, he did not believe they should be disrupted at that time.

Goddard had projected that when his company begins mining at HCCL, they would charge between $20 and $24 per tonne of coal mined.

BY RUTENDO MATANHIKE

A NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation, Plan International Zimbabwe, has launched a campaign dubbed Girls Get Equal, aimed at educating girls to attain leadership roles.

Speaking during the launch at the National Art Gallery in Harare on Thursday, country director Angela Muriithi said the campaign advocated for the creation of a safe platform, including the empowerment of girls and young women.

“Girls Get Equal is about action and we collectively demand for girls’ power. Influencers and decision-makers in this room and the world should create space and opportunities so that girls and young women can be given power to make future decisions affecting their lives,” she said.

“We are demanding for girls and young women to have the freedom to move, lead and to speak up in the face of violence and harassment.”

Muriithi urged the media to avoid stereotype publications and broadcasting as these infringed on girls’ freedoms and opportunities.

“To the media fraternity as well as the world storytellers, refrain from propagated and damaging gender stereotypes during communication,” she said.

First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, who was also in attendance, said the issue of inequality required action that instilled fundamental ideas in girls during their
early stages in life to ensure they grew up with an independent mindset.

“I started engaging the girl child at an early age on issues around emancipation and equality. The whole idea is that if we are able to instil a sense of
equality in the girl child at an early age, they will certainly be able to show power, freedom and indeed take on leadership roles in adulthood, thus creating
an equal society in future,” she said.

“As I do this work with women, I have also come to realise that we run the risk of talking about the same challenges of inequalities between men and women. Some 20, 50 or even 100 years from now, if we do not deal with this issue when children are still young, it will remain like that.”

By Simbarashe Sithole

A 53-YEAR-OLD Muzarabani man has been arraigned before a Bindura magistrate for raping his daughter while wielding an axe.

The man, from Mafendu Village under Chief Kasekete, who cannot be named to protect the victim, appeared before magistrate Maria Musika, who remanded him in custody to May 7.

The State alleges that in September last year, the suspect stormed into his daughter’s bedroom while wielding an axe and raped her.

He threatened to kill the daughter if she revealed the abuse.

The following morning, the victim told her mother about the alleged rape.

The mother quizzed her husband about the sexual abuse, but was also threatened with death if she revealed the alleged crime.

On March 20, the complainant told her brother through a text message about the alleged rape and he advised her to file a report at Goromonzi Police Station, leading to the accused’s arrest.

The victim was medically examined at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, and her medical report was produced in court.
Tariro Janhi represented the State.

BY NKULULEKO SIBANDA/MTHANDAZO NYONI

UGANDAN President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday delivered an uninspiring speech as he officially opened this year’s edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).

Museveni, who arrived in Bulawayo amid high security, officially opened the fair for the second time.

Showgoers and exhibitors who attended the official opening ceremony had high expectations that the Ugandan leader would deliver an inspiring and forward-
looking statement.

However, all hopes vanished as the Ugandan leader opted to dwell on his country’s history and re-igniting the tired sanctions debate on
Zimbabwe.

“I have been here in 1989 to officially open the fair. It is 30 years since I was here and opening the show. So it is not only the 60 years anniversary of the
trade fair, but also 30 years of my presence here,” he said.

Museveni took his audience down memory lane, delving into his relations with the ruling Zanu PF party and with other former liberation movements in southern
Africa.

“I am not a stranger to Zanu PF. I have worked with Zanu PF and the other liberation movements in Africa, that is (the likes of) Frelimo, and the African National Congress (ANC), MPLA, PAC, Zapu, in the 1960s.

“And in 1968, together with a group of students, some of whom were coming from Zimbabwe, we went on a solidarity trip to Mozambique to support Frelimo. I want
to thank the people of Zimbabwe for their struggle. The struggle here was not easy. Africa has been divided in two parts. There are parts in Africa where the
Europeans did not want to stay forever. So they designated those as protectorates. Uganda was a protectorate.

“… that protectorate (status) was not welcome, but that is what they said. There were other countries like Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa, where they said
these are colonies. The Europeans would never leave. Indeed, Ian Smith said the whites would be here for a thousand years. I hope most of you are so old enough
to remember that statement. And from my mathematics, the thousand years have not been achieved and Ian Smith is not here,” Museveni said, much to the chagrin of the guests at the ceremony.

He said there was need for African countries to work together for the development of their nations.

The Ugandan leader condemned the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West, saying they were not justified.

Museveni also blamed African countries for failing to work together.

“… it’s also the fault of Africa because we don’t work together closely. If we are working closely, if somebody puts sanctions on one of us, we also put
sanctions on them. This is what China does. When you put sanctions on China, China will put sanctions on you,” he said.

BY BLESSED MHLANGA

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa

MAIN opposition party MDC will use its upcoming congress to evaluate strategies it has been using to pile pressure on Zanu PF and government over critical electoral law reforms and creation of a platform for political dialogue.

Already, the party has deployed its national executive members to meet party members at district level under a thematic committee on strategies of the party.

MDC has been using demonstrations to try and push for critical reforms to force the Zanu PF-led government to the negotiating table but their efforts have largely been ignored.

Party leader Nelson Chamisa said he has set up seven thematic committees and already, the one on strategy had opened platforms for engagement.

“Do we participate in elections? Is an election the best form to achieve reforms? Calling for reforms, is it a good strategy? Dialogue, is it a good strategy?
We will examine all our strategies going forward and what will be effective,” he said.

The MDC has, however, vowed to force the government into crucial political talks to end the current economic crisis, saying after congress, they would be buoyed and ready to face President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“We can’t be engaging externally before we deal with internal hygiene. At the moment, we are focused on congress, but that does not mean we have removed our eyes from the ball. When we finish our congress and our members have endorsed a strategy road map, then we will come out stronger and geared to offer a new proposition as an alternative government because we are not an opposition,” Chamisa said.

In the face of violent clampdown of demonstrations by State security agents, which killed about 25 people according to human rights groups, the party could be looking at other diplomatic ways to address stand-off between the opposition and
government.

Chamisa is almost certain of clinching the party presidency after clinching 12 nominations out of the 13 provincial congresses already held so far.

The only province left is South Africa, which was expected to finish processes before the national council meets today to bring the nomination process to a close.