BY Richard Muponde

FOUR police officers have been arrested on charges of robbing a Harare man of US$12 000 at gun- point.

The complainant, Albert Mubaiwa was allegedly robbed at his Waterfalls home after the four police and two civilian accomplices, who are still at large, pounced on him on January 23 under the pretext that he was under arrest for illegal possession of Command Agriculture fertiliser.

Constables Milton Murairwa, Chinoda Chinoda, Tichafara Gundani, Dennis Ngirandi all of ZRP Mbare and their accomplices reportedly drove to Mubaiwa’s home using a Mercedes Benz with Botswana registration plates and an unregistered Toyota Wish.

After the robbery, Mubaiwa reported the matter at Waterfalls Police Station under RRB 4288780.

A leaked internal police memo said the six jumped over the precast wall into the complainant’s yard and found Tatenda Magodo and Tafadzwa Mutandwa, who rushed to the main bedroom and locked the door and they called Mubaiwa who rushed home.

“On his arrival, he was approached by the accused persons at the gate. One of the civilians who is only known as Mabhanang’ana drew a CZ pistol at Mubaiwa and informed him that he was going to shoot him if he does something suspicious,” reads the memo.

“Mabhanang’ana introduced himself as a Central Intelligence Organisation member and the other civilian as a military intelligence department member. The four cops were also introduced as CIOs, but all did not produce their identification cards.”

The memo said the six then accused Mubaiwa of illegally possessing a large quantity of Command Agriculture fertiliser.

“He (Mubaiwa) advised them that he had all the relevant papers for the consignment, but they forced him to open the door to where the fertiliser was stored. When they saw the fertiliser they told him that they were not going to consider his papers, but should pay them US$30 000,” the memo read.

“He (Mubaiwa) handed over US$4 500 which was in his (glove compartment) and also phoned his friend, Edmore Chipuriro who gave him US$8 000 and he handed over US$7 500 to Mabhanang’ana and they went away, leaving Mubaiwa and Chipuriro at his vehicle.”

The six drove off in their two getaway vehicles.

Mubaiwa conducted his private investigations and found out that the Mercedes Benz used as a getaway car belonged to Murairwa.

He reportedly later met Mabhanang’ana who told him that he would gather his team and refund him, but only refunded US$50.

Four of the suspects were arrested on Wednesday, but Mabhanang’na and his other co-accused are still at large.

BY EVERSON MUSHAVA

TEACHERS have described the recent decision by the Apex Council to accept a paltry 140% salary hike from government that will result in the least paid government worker getting paid $2 400, as “a great betrayal”.

The educators’ unions, most of whom have distanced themselves from the Apex Council, are clamouring for a US$500 interbank-rated salary for the least-paid civil servant.

But the Apex Council yesterday defended its decision to accept the salary hike, saying it was under pressure from its impoverished membership to accept anything that could alleviate their situation while negotiations for interbank-rated salaries continued.

The Apex Council, the umbrella body of all civil servant worker unions, on Monday accepted a 140% salary hike at a National Joint Negotiating Council meeting in Victoria Falls that ran parallel to an all stakeholders workshop.

In defending the move to accept 140% salary hike, Apex Council spokesperson David Dzatsunga said they accepted the offer as a temporary measure to alleviate the suffering of members while negotiations continue. He said the decision was made in consultation with the Apex Council membership.

“This was so because the Apex Council had pressure from its membership facing real poverty and desperation,” Dzatsunga said. “The agreement that was reached is, therefore, a short-term stop-gap measure while we continue to negotiate for interbank rated salaries which is the only panacea to the restoration of the lost value of wages. Let it be known that Apex Council negotiators are mere instruments of their membership who are the real decision makers.”

But Takavafira Zhou, president of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, whose union pulled out of the Apex Council last year, said the 140% did not address the teachers’ dispute of “right and interest emanating from the unilateral and banditry reduction of teachers’ salaries from an average of US$500 to US$35 by government.”

“Fundamentally, the panacea to our current quagmire is not a salary increase or cushion, but restoration of our purchasing power parity. The 140% does not restore our purchasing power parity,” Zhou said.

“It falls far short of teachers’ minimum expectations and such half-hearted and fire-fighting measures would not capacitate teachers and let alone bring normalcy and meaningful learning and teaching to schools.”

He added: “It is indicative of the great betrayal by the Apex Council for selfish reasons. It confirms our long held view that Apex Council is a moribund body, a group of traitors engaged in fire-fighting and romance on behalf of government.”

He said it would remain a mystery how teachers earning about $2 500 will be able to send their children to boarding schools now charging between $7 000 and $15 000 per term.

Teachers declared incapacitation towards the end of last year to pressure government to hike their salaries which had been reduced to an equivalent of about US$30. Government, however, insisted it does not have money and refused to pay its workers the US$ bank-rated salaries, creating a potential showdown until the Apex Council accepted a 140% pay offer to avert a crippling strike.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

BANKER and lawyer Tawanda Nyambirai has reportedly lost a head of 144 cattle worth $1,3 million after his farm guard fed them on stockfeed laced with a toxic herbicide.

The suspect, Paradzai Kamwaza (18) who was employed at Nyambirai’s Marvel Farm Livestock, yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa who remanded him to today for his bail ruling.

According to the court papers, the farm had 544 cattle of various breeds and it is the State’s case that between December 29 and January, Kamwaza and his accomplice Timothy Katsekete, who is still at large, connived to kill the cattle at the farm by poisoning them.

It is alleged that they mixed the stockfeed with a deadly herbicide, resulting in the death of 144 cattle. These were 47 of mixed breed, 21 heifers mixed breed, 46 Brahman heifers, 21 cows mixed breed and nine steers valued at $1 365 000.

The State alleges that on January 28, Kamwaza was found with a container full of Paraquat herbicide by one of the farm managers, Joshua Nyambirai, and was handed over to the police.

Police interrogaged him, but the accused failed to give a satisfactory explanation. After his arrest, he implicated his accomplice.

Samples of carcasses were taken to a government veterinary surgeon and it was discovered that the cattle had been poisoned.

According to the State, 421 other cattle that were exposed to the poison are reportedly in a dire state.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

FORMER Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko yesterday dumped his lawyer just before commencement of his trial at the Harare Magistrates Courts, forcing postponement of the matter to February 13.

Mphoko, who was previously being represented by advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara, told magistrate Hosea Mujaya that he had now hired advocate Thembi Magwaliba to represent him in the criminal abuse of office trial.

The former Vice-President, who was yesterday represented by Zibusiso Ncube, asked for the postponement of the trial saying Magwaliba needed time to prepare his defence.

But the State opposed the application, saying further delays were inconveniencing witnesses who have been coming to court religiously since the matter was referred to the court for trial.

Mujaya initially suggested that the matter be postponed to February 1 which is a Saturday, but Mphoko’s lawyer protested saying his client could not attend court on a day he is supposed to be in church. Mphoko is a member of the Seventh day Adventist Church.

“We cannot compromise on the issue of Sabbath. Our conditions are that we do not work on Sabbath and on this one we believe in a higher authority,” Ncube said.

Mujaya proposed Sunday, February 2 to have the trial, but again the suggestion faced another challenge.

The magistrate then postponed the matter to February 13, ordering Mphoko’s lawyer to file the defence outline three days before the trial date.

BY BLESSED MHLANGA

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has come out guns blazing against Sadc, saying the regional bloc had failed to impartially address the legitimacy and governance issues which have pushed over four million Zimbabweans into economic refugees in other countries.

Speaking during a radio interview in South Africa yesterday, Chamisa said he had expressed the opposition party’s unhappiness to the Sadc leadership.

“We are not satisfied with the way Sadc has treated the Zimbabwean matter and we have raised it with them,” Chamisa said.

“We recently held meetings with Sadc. Our issues are well known. We are not happy with their view particularly in defining the crisis in Zimbabwe. I am glad that they understand the position. The position is we have a governance crisis. They think the crisis is an economic one.”

He said the problem with Sadc was made bigger because President Emmerson Mnangagwa chaired the critical Organ of Politics and Security, thereby compromising efforts to settle the Zimbabwean crisis.

“The problem within Sadc is one of the key organs is chaired by Zimbabwe. So it then becomes a bit of a problem to have that matter dealt with or sorted even in the context of AU,” Chamisa said.

“But we will continue to encourage (South African) President (Cyril) Ramaphosa (pictured) at the ANC and country level to make the necessary steps to help us Zimbabweans to find solutions.”

The MDC leader is currently in South Africa to engage the ruling African National Congress and other civic organisations to help push Mnangagwa into dialogue with his party that could result in major electoral and political reforms ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He said the army and the civilians should have a peace pact.

“We have always said as part of the dialoguing process we need to have some kind of a civilian-military peace pact, where we agree on the parameters because now it’s a big issue. That’s why I have called on the military to be part of the discussion in Zimbabwe,” Chamisa said.

Sadc has backed Mnangagwa’s government and has refused to put Zimbabwe on the agenda saying there is no crisis in the country.

The regional bloc’s executive secretary Stergomena Tax, has led Sadc in lobbying the West to unconditionally lift sanctions against Zimbabwe saying they were affecting ordinary people.

But the West has insisted on political and economic reforms from the Mnangagwa regime.

BY CHARLES LAITON

HIGH Court judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda yesterday expressed anger over the manner Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga’s lawyers, have been advising their client in the on-going divorce matter which is before the courts.

Justice Kwenda made the remarks while presiding over a matter in which Prosecutor-General (PG) Kumbirai Hodzi’s office approached the High Court with a bail variation application, seeking to compel Chiwenga’s estranged wife, Marry to surrender her second passport and to provide an alternative place of residence.

This was after Marry had been denied access to her matrimonial Borrowdale Brooke home by
soldiers deployed by the Vice-President.

But, as the matter was being heard, State representative Sharon Fero, who was being assisted by Albert Masamha, submitted to the court that Chiwenga’s lawyer Wilson Manase had confirmed that Marry’s second passport was at the VP’s office.

Marry’s lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, chipped in and told the court that in fact, Manase had “attempted to hand over the passport to her client (Marry) through the back door despite the fact that he (Manase)
had been protesting that his client (the VP) did not have it”.

Justice Kwenda then interjected saying he was frustrated by the manner Chiwenga’s lawyer was advising his client, adding his conduct was not consistent with a seasoned lawyer.

“His (Manase) conduct is not consistent with that of a seasoned legal practitioner. He detained this court well knowing the position of the passport… he is an officer of the court and is supposed to assist and give guidance to the court,” Justice Kwenda said.

“My complaint is about the lawyer failing to advice the client properly. It is not about the complainant (Chiwenga).”

On January 29, Manase also wrote to Mtetwa denying any knowledge of Marry’s second passport, which denial the court said was regrettable.

Part of the letter from Manase and Manase’s law firm addressed to Mtetwa read: “Please be advised that our client is not a party to the pleadings before the bail court and any attempts to draw us into the mud fight are taken with great exception. With respect, this attempt to self-create a set of facts to justify your intended course of action is futile in the circumstances. Surely your client is the custodian of all her passports. The same way she surrendered one of the passports is the same way she must surrender the remaining passport she has always been in custody of her documents…”

After submissions from both the State and Marry’s lawyer, the parties agreed that Marry will be temporarily staying at her mother’s address in Glen Lorne and judgment in the bail variation matter will be delivered on Tuesday next week.

BY RICHARD MUPONDE/EVERSON MUSHAVA

UNITED States senators have proposed to add more Zimbabweans on the sanctions list, a move likely to pile misery on embattled President Emmerson Mnangagwa (pictured)’s government desperate to re-engage with the West to shore up its free-falling economy.

Just when Zimbabwe had roped in the whole of Sadc and the African Union to amplify its calls for the removal of sanctions imposed in 2001, the US has upped the ante by insisting on further tightening the restrictive measures until Zimbabwe makes the necessary political reforms and stop human rights abuses.

Senators Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chris Coons, a member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, on Wednesday wrote to Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting that the US Department of the Treasury update the list of sanctioned people in Zimbabwe.

“While the United States has been the top provider of humanitarian and development aid to meet the needs of Zimbabwe’s people, the government of Zimbabwe has implemented a misinformation campaign blaming the country’s woes on targeted sanctions programmes implemented by the United States,” the senators said in the letter dated January 29.

“It is important that the United States communicates to the people of Zimbabwe that our sanctions programmes are aimed at deterring
human rights abuses, public corruption, the undermining of democratic processes or institutions, and political repression in Zimbabwe. They are not aimed at the Zimbabwean people.”

Mnangagwa’s government, like his predecessor the late Robert Mugabe, have blamed the US on the country’s economic crisis through its sanctions imposed under the Zimbabwe Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) of 2001.

Zidera came as a response to Mugabe’s chaotic and violent land reform programme of 2000 and a series of violent elections marred by gross human rights abuses.

Mugabe, blaming the sanctions for the economic meltdown, in May 2016 addressed a one-million-man march against the sanctions.

His successor, Mnangagwa, last year on October 25 addressed a Sadc solidarity march against the embargoes, blaming the sanctions for the deteriorating economic situation.

Apart from roping in Sadc and the whole of Africa, Mnangagwa has hired three public relations consultants, two of them American and another one from London to try to spruce up the administration’s image and bring back Zimbabwe into the community of nations after years of international isolation.

But State-sanctioned human rights abuses back home have militated against his global charm offensive.

US ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols has been challenging Mnangagwa administration’s narrative that sanctions were hurting the economy. He said corruption and bad governance, not sanctions, were the reason the country’s economy was spectacularly collapsing.

Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo recently censured the US envoy, but the superpower has insisted on reforms for the sanctions to be lifted.

On Monday, US ambassador to Botswana, Craig Cloud, met Sadc executive secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax and claimed he clarified that the sanctions on Zimbabwe were imposed because of the anti-democratic practices by the country and human rights abuses.

The fresh calls by the US senators are likely to see the superpower update the sanctions list to include more Zanu PF bigwigs, a worrying development for Mnangagwa who has been desperate to engage with the West in order to get lines of credit to resuscitate the collapsing economy, which has become the biggest threat to his two-year rule.

The senators said they were irked by the government of Zimbabwe’s misinformation to the world that problems devilling the country were as a result of sanctions imposed by the US and not because of abuse of human rights, corruption and bad governance.

They said while the targeted sanctions have been in place, the US has continued to invest in humanitarian and development aid for Zimbabwe, channelling more than $2 billion over the last 10 years.

“Given the developments in Zimbabwe over the last two years, we urge you to consider enhancing the tools at your disposal, including the use of targeted sanctions, to incentivise changes in behaviour by the government of Zimbabwe,” the senators added.

“An update to the list of the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list should incorporate a balance of new designations with appropriate removals.”

Joyful Praise Choir

SNEAK PEEK: CHELSEA USAFARE

EXCITING praise and worship music outfit, Joyfull Praise Choir (JPC) which recently rose to fame with their hit song Ngoro Yeminana was recently nominated for an African award at the Maranatha Africa Continental Awards. Band spokesperson Rudo Tania Madhindi said the move was motivated by their endeavour to be effective preachers through music. NewsDay (ND) Life & Style reporter Chelsea Musafare caught up with Madhindi (RM), who gave insights into the choir among other issues.

ND: What inspired you to set up this choir?

RM: This is a vision given by God to (group founder) Gamaliel Blessing Madhindi. He is a person with music at heart. He is passionate about it and he breathes and eats music. He has been seeing most gifted people around, mostly in Gweru and he realised that these people have been failing to exhibit the talent they have because they do not have a platform to showcase it. He then decided to start an association that would help people bring out their gifts, be it dancing, comedy, singing, writing songs or playing instruments.

ND: Mass choirs have become a popular concept in Zimbabwe. What distinguishes yours from other choirs?

RM: We are proud of our sound as it is unique from any other choir that has ever existed. Our sound gives us a definition as we reveal a joyful character, tone and feeling. Secondly, we can fuse two genres in one song, for example Ngoro Yeminana; it was a reggae song and we put in a fusion of dancehall. Ehekaka is a version of jazz and traditional, we can do rhumba and fix it with kanindo. We can do any kind of genre in our songs and there is no other choir which does that, hence it is different.

ND: What do you intend to achieve as a choir?

RM: We hope to build legacies and unlock destinies. In JPC we have solo artistes, people that we are grooming and branding so we are aiming to build them and expand them from the circles of being in a choir. It is an association that trains musicians how to handle themselves as solo artistes. Some people even come not to join the choir but to get information and tutorials as solo artistes. As a Zimbabwean group, we want to put our country on the international map as gospel musicians. We want to impact people globally, make people know that there are Zimbabwean musicians that are good and convey the message of Christ through gospel music. We aim to bring souls to Christ through gospel music.

ND: You have been nominated for the Best Live Ministration award at the Maranatha Africa Continental Awards. How do you feel about this nomination? What does it mean to you?

RM: This came as a surprise. It was an overwhelming experience because we did not think we would be recognised at that level yet. It is something that is telling us that God is taking us somewhere. He is doing beyond our expectations. This is also pushing us to do more.

ND: How does one qualify to be a member? What are the processes they go through?

RM: We recruit through auditions and one’s ability and availability qualifies them to the choir.

ND: Do you offer additional refresher courses or training for members already in the group, or their individual talents are sufficient?

RM: There is additional training for all members. We do not only have musicians in the association, but all artistes who possess different gifts. Therefore, there is personal development that we do, musical, vocal, how you speak to your audience as an MC, how to tackle and present an amazing comedy show etc.

ND: You have featured other top gospel artistes including Takesure Zamar Ncube. How has this helped to add value to your brand?

RM: Value has been added by the collaborations we have done which includes variety in genres, different feel of play, relationships and good connections too.

ND: Ngoro Yeminana seems to be your most popular track. Do you feel the same? What inspired it?

RM: The hit song Ngoro Yeminana was inspired by the love for Zig Zag band that our executive president had. When the lyrics were written for the song to be recorded, it was all for the fact that we want to bring the old people who have listened to the band. The fusion of reggae and dancehall was then used as bait to get the youth. So we hit two birds with one stone.

ND: There have been reports in some big mass choirs that sometimes members have to offer the leader certain favours to get slots to sing. Have you encountered such problems? How have you dealt with them?

RM: In JPC, your ability gets you to the top. You can be new today but surpass the one who has been in the group since 2014. The only favour one can give to our executive president is being committed to the group music and your gift. That being said, there has never been anything outside of ability that has taken members to the level of lead singing.

ND: You were voted the Best Newcomer at last year’s PERMICAN awards, how did you feel about the win?

RM: Winning PERMICAN was one surprising gift we got from God. Those were the first awards we got and we scooped four of them by the grace of God. We believe it opened doors for more.

ND: One of the distinguishing features of the group is its army fatigue, what inspired that choice?

RM: We are soldiers in the army of God, hence the army green uniform. However it is not our complete identity. We vary in uniforms due to the theme we have and the feel of the songs we have. We wear the unique and unusual.

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa and his opposition counterpart MDC leader Nelson Chamisa have gone on parallel diplomatic offensive campaigns in pursuit of their diametrically opposed positions regarding the resolution to the Zimbabwean crisis.

BY MOSES MATENGA

Chamisa is in South Africa, where he is also seeking to capitalise on the neighbouring country’s taking over of the African Union chairmanship to push for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s intervention and mediation to end the Zimbabwean conundrum.

Mnangagwa will, meanwhile, be sending his emissaries under the Political Actors
Dialogue (Polad) platform to several countries in and out of Africa with a “clear briefing” from Foreign Affairs ministry on what to sell.

“The role (of government) is facilitating international engagements that Polad members will have across our borders. When they go out, they need (Ministry of) Foreign Affairs briefings so that they know the playground wherever they are going,” Foreign Affairs deputy minister David Musabayana said yesterday.
Polad has been dismissed by Chamisa’s MDC as “Mnangagwa’s runners” and their venture into the global arena is being viewed as bidding for the Zanu PF leader.

The dialogue platform, comprising the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe, the National Constitutional Assembly led by Lovemore Moyo and other obscure political parties, has since met officials from the United States embassy in Harare as part of their diplomatic offensive.

On his part, Chamisa yesterday said there was fresh evidence on how the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) allegedly flouted the law and procedures in their conduct during and after the July 31, 2018 elections, adding that Sadc together with the African Union must urgently intervene to resolve the political contestations arising from that disputed poll.

“2023 is out of the question. We will not be able to have 2023 until we resolve modern day questions. Today’s questions are so pertinent to be resolved. So what we need to do is to resolve the unresolved 2018 elections so that we pave way for any future elections. Otherwise we will have the recycling of same old problems,” Chamisa told SABC Digital News.

“We now have new evidence, fresh evidence after the Constitutional Court determination of the dispute between ourselves and Mr Mnangagwa. Particularly the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) report that was put in Parliament, where the commission is indicating that they flouted the law and procedures of holding elections in announcing the results.

“That evidence has to be at the doorstep of Sadc, the AU and, of course, South African President Ramaphosa, to show and validate that these elections in Zimbabwe were rigged and stolen and what we need to do going forward, in the context of Sadc and Zimbabwe, is to make sure that we have comprehensive reforms and we have free and fair elections so that we do not have a repeat of 2018 in 2023.

“Otherwise we will continue to have Zimbabwe on the table of Sadc, on the table of South Africa if not at the doorstep as a nuisance, which is not what we desire.”
Chamisa said it was sad that he last met Mnangagwa before the 2018 elections.

“We have not met since the days of Parliament. It is now two years, which is quite sad because under normal circumstances, people who compete in an election are supposed to have a conversation, post an election to find a way forward for the country. This is one of my saddest moments, I am very disappointed,” he said.

“That is why we thought that (former South African) President (Thabo) Mbeki, when he came (last month), he would facilitate for a conversation. As you know in Africa, whenever there is a negotiation, there has to be a negotiator because that is our nature as a people for us to be able to deal with the disharmony: The misunderstanding between ourselves and Mr Mnangagwa, it will be useful to have a credible negotiator and we think the avenue and platform created by President Mbeki will go a long way in creating this kind of conversation.”

Chamisa said Mbeki should be returning to Zimbabwe anytime to try and unlock the deadlock on dialogue between the two leaders.
“The situation is even more urgent now than ever before because the situation now in the country is really taking a nose-dive and things are really going down in many ways. As I speak, people’s salaries are being eroded, people do not have electricity, the situation has gone out of hand. Unemployment hitting almost 98%,” he said.

Chamisa said the MDC was being treated like a banned organisation, with their programmes being prohibited and the police ransacking and searching the party offices for weapons of banditry and insurgence.

“So you can’t blame the victim for your own misfortunes. We are victims of dictatorship, victims of a failed State and arrested development in the country,” he said.

In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, the MDC leader said: “A crisis in Zimbabwe will set ablaze the entire Sadc. There can’t be a successful South Africa with a failing Zimbabwe. There can’t be a successful South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana with a sick Zimbabwe.

“Fixing Zimbabwe is fixing the continent. There should be a sense of urgency because the crisis has gone out of hand.

“We are not asking Sadc, the AU and South Africa to support the MDC, but to stand in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe in their hour of need. Zimbabwe is a ticking time bomb and there is need to deal with the situation before it deals with us. There should be solidarity with the people, not Zanu PF or MDC. We must give peace a chance.”