BY DARLINGTON MWASHITA

A MAN from Njube in Bulawayo has been arrested on charges of stealing a bus parked in Thorngrove after it was involved in an accident four years earlier.

The bus, which had Botswana registration, belonged to a Zimbabwean living in the neighbouring country.

Bongani Dube (41) was not asked to plead to theft charges when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Lizwe Jamela on Thursday and was remanded out of custody to February 7.

The complainant is Kaiser Dhliwayo Saungweme (68).

The bus was involved in a road accident along the Bulawayo-Gweru Highway sometime in 2015.

Saungweme took the bus to a garage in Thorngrove suburb for safe keeping as it was foreign registered.

It is alleged that between December 2015 and March 2019, Dube approached Jobert Maplanka who had custody of the bus and misrepresented to him that he bought the bus from Saungweme.

He also claimed he had already finalised sale transactions with Saungweme despite the fact the he (Saungweme) was in Botswana.

He went on to show Maplanka telephone calls made to Saungweme as a way of convincing him that the transaction had been finalised.

It is alleged that through the misrepresentation, Dube took the bus which was without a gearbox and stripped it of parts and components.

He also sold the shell to scrap metal dealers.

The total value of the stolen property was approximately US$31 400 and nothing was recovered.

The matter was reported to the police, leading to Dube’s arrest.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has authorised the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) to collect railage charges in foreign currency for exported goods.

NRZ submitted an appeal to RBZ last year seeking permission to be allowed to charge all exporters in foreign currency.

The central bank agreed.

“Please kindly note that in terms of the current exchange control administrative arrangements, where a transporter has shipped goods under the cost, insurance and freight (CIF) basis; the respective transport or railage portion may be received by the transporter in foreign currency,” reads part of the statement signed by NRZ board chairman Martin Dinha, quoting an RBZ letter.

The central bank also asked NRZ to submit a specific application through its authorised dealers to have the necessary exchange control administrative structure for the arrangement operationalised.

NRZ said charging exporting customers in foreign currency was a welcome and progressive development for it.

“With this approval NRZ can now approach its various exporting customers to inform and familiarise them with this new development,” it said.

NRZ said while it has traditionally been collecting foreign currency from customers who are into export business, the foreign currency generated from this source had not been enough to meet needs for repairing its rolling stock and infrastructure.

“The intervention by the central bank is critical for NRZ considering that foreign currency has been essential in funding the organisation in hiring wagons and locomotives from the region to address resource and capacity gaps, hire interchange, as well as procuring spares and accessories for wagons, locomotives and infrastructure maintenance,” the statement reads.

“And at this juncture, the need for foreign currency for the organisation has become huge and urgent especially to hire locomotives and wagons for the movement of imported grains, to alleviate drought induced shortfalls, among communities in Zimbabwe.”

by BRENNA MATENDERE

HOME affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe has promised to deal with corruption in the Registrar-General’s department.

Speaking after touring the Midlands provincial registry and immigration offices on Thursday, Kazembe said officers at passport offices were demanding as much as US$20 to issue people with documentation that would have been produced already.

“Corruption kills our economy and I am warning those who could be involved that the long arm or the law will catch up with you. I am receiving a lot of complaints, a lot of allegations that some people receive messages to say your passport is ready, come and collect,” he said.

“But they say when we go to the passport offices they say the passport is not yet ready. It’s a way of asking for money and then you are told if you can give me US$20, I can facilitate for you to get the passport yet it is there already.”

Officials at passport offices located at Makombe building in Harare have in the past been fingered as being behind the wave of corruption in which they fleece desperate citizens wishing to get travel documents.

At district and provincial offices of the RG’s department, similar complaints have also been recorded.

Kazembe said the reports could not be false.

“There is no smoke where there is no fire. People are accusing us of being corrupt and obviously there is an element of truth in that. I am kindly asking us to be responsible citizens of this country,” he said.

“I am appealing to Zimbabweans, I am appealing to our citizens, if you witness corruption please report it because if you don’t you have taken part. I know we are already doing something about it, we are investigating these alleged cases of corruption. But we are appealing to those who have the information to come forward and assist us so that we can arrest this problem.”

Kazembe was accompanied by his deputy Mike Madiro, Midlands provincial affairs minister, Larry Mavima, and officials from the Registrar General’s Offices.

BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI

THE ongoing legal saga involving Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga and his estranged wife, Marry Mubaiwa, has lifted the lid on the lifestyle of the country’s rich and powerful who live in the lap of luxury.

Court documents on both the messy divorce case between the estranged couple and that in which Mubaiwa is facing allegations of attempted murder, externalisation of foreign currency and fraud provide an insight into how the country’s second most powerful couple lived easy and in comfort while the majority of citizens wallow in poverty and unrelenting economic hardship.

A string of mansions

In addition to the Borrowdale mansion ta the centre of the divorce case, Chiwenga said Mubaiwa purchased two properties in South Africa while he was hospitalised in that country.

“The respondent had been in hospital for four months, while applicant stayed in South Africa in a house she purchased in Waterkloof Estate. For all intents and purposes, she had moved to South Africa. The house had been furnished and she bought four (4) cars which are still in place. She also purchased another house opposite the one she was staying in,” he said.

When Mubaiwa first appeared in court, however, it emerged during cross-examination that the Vice-President was fighting for part of the properties in South Africa, which the State deemed proceeds of crime.

A fleet of vehicles

In her court papers, Mubaiwa is demanding access to six vehicles — Toyota Lexus, Mercedes-Benz S400, silver Mercedes-Benz E350, black Mercedes-Benz E350, Range Rover Autobiography and another Mercedes-Benz — which she claimed she had been using during the subsistence of their marriage.

Chiwenga, in his opposing affidavit, gave a breakdown of the ownership of the said vehicles which he said Mubaiwa had no claim to, except the Range Rover Autobiography.

“The cars she claims are not hers. Some are State cars, some are respondent’s. She only benefited in using them because of her position then which no longer exists. If any is registered in her name, it can be availed,” he said.

“Again and furthermore I note that he ancillary relief sought is for vehicles and clothes which vehicles do not belong to her but to the State. The certificate of urgency does not state how she acquired and came to own six (6) vehicles belonging to the State, some of which were my package from the army when I left to enter political office.”

According to the Vice-President, the Toyota Lexus belonged to the Command Agriculture programme, the Mercedes-Benz S400 was purchased from the Defence ministry, the silver Mercedes-Benz E350 was given by Sakunda Holdings boss Kuda Tagwirei as an escort for the children and the black Mercedes-Benz E350 also belonged to the Defence ministry, but was given for Chiwenga’s personal use.

Chiwenga argues that it does not make sense for his former wife to demand the said cars as she has her own fleet of personal cars besides the Range Rover. He cites a BMW 7-Series, a red Chevrolet and a Toyota Hilux.

Abuse of State apparatus?

One key thing that has made the divorce saga a fascinating tale is the use of State apparatus in a domestic dispute.

Mubaiwa described Chiwenga’s conduct in that regard as “cowboy antics”.

“I did receive reports to the effect that the respondent, in an act of brazen abuse of the law, was using the army to secure premises and to make off with goods and effects belonging to the two of us. I genuinely thought that given his status, the respondent would not adopt cowboy antics in seeking to achieve whatever remedies he wants,” she said.

She further indicated that soldiers were also used to bar her from accessing her business premises at Orchid Gardens and accused her former husband of seeking to operate above the law by virtue of his political status.

“That the respondent is the Vice-President does not mean that he is immune from the law, or that he is entitled to act as he pleases,” she said.

Mubaiwa noted that since Chiwenga’s return from China where he had gone for treatment, she was not aware of where he had been residing, but only got see him in a brief meeting during which Major-General Anselem Sanyatwe informed her that Chiwenga wanted to end the marriage “and threatened that he would use the full arsenal available to him to deal with me”.

The conflation between the personal and military was so extensive to the point that Chiwenga sent Sanyatwe “to give her a US$100 bill which she declined to accept” because “it is unlawful in Zimbabwe to transact in United States dollars” and proper customary protocol had not been observed.

High maintenance

It is, however, the demands that Mubaiwa is making in the event that the marriage is annulled that perhaps provide a most scintillating view of the life of luxury that she had become used to as the country’s self-styled “Second Lady”.

Mubaiwa is demanding an equivalent of US$2 500 for each child, payment of their entire school fees and all university costs should they proceed to tertiary level.

The other demands are for one international holiday per year at a five-star facility and the equivalence of US$25 000 spending money, one fully-expensed regional holiday and US$15 000 spending money, one fully-paid local holiday per annum and not less than 25 000 per person and an equivalent of US$40 000 a month for her own personal maintenance per month as well as internationally-recognised medical aid cover until her death.

Chiwenga accused his former wife of wanderlust, saying she spent long time away from home.

“Applicant even before this period would spend long times away from home leaving the children to the devices of the maids and myself. She would travel for days to South Africa,” he said.

Voodoo and the occult

Although some of the country’s rich and powerful have been associated with the use of voodoo and dabbling in the occult, it appeared this did not spare the Vice-President’s household.

In his court papers, Chiwenga said when he took the children on holiday, he discovered that they could have been traumatised by the occultic practices they witnessed their mother dabbling in.

“I took them on holiday abroad and initially they had signs of trauma as they explained the black magic rituals they were subjected to by the applicant. The various tools of trade for the witch doctors which were unexpectedly left behind by applicant after her arrest told a horror story,” he said.

“My clothes in some instances were heaped together and sprayed by applicant with some unknown substances. I had to take the children away to cleanse memories of the horrors they experienced.”

Chiwenga said as proved by a medical affidavit filed alongside the other court papers, a doctor had established that Mubaiwa required psychiatric care and hinted she could have been affected by her alleged abuse of illegal substances.

“The doctor concluded that she (Mubaiwa) should be under the care of a physician, a surgeon and psychiatrist. It is indicated she has flashbacks, suffers from lack of sleep and has difficulties in breathing, symptoms of illicit drug abuse,” he said.

He further noted that some of the claims made by Mubaiwa in her court papers could be indicative of the said mental instability.

“This is an insult to the person of the Acting President. I have done nothing to warrant such adverse comments. I off course do not get surprised since the applicant requires some mental adjustments or perhaps rehab,” she said.

In response, Mubaiwa said the drug addiction claims were false and only meant to prevent her from getting custody of her children.

“Defendant denies that she is a drug addict and pleads that the children were under her exclusive care for long periods of time without any adverse consequences on them and it is denied that the children’s best interests would be served by custody being awarded to a sickly absentee parent who is more in hospital than out,” she said.

Perhaps the clearest indication of how things had turned sour in the marriage is encapsulated in Chiwenga’s sentiments that marrying Mubaiwa “was the worst mistake I made”.

“This was due to the cunning behaviour she employed to secure a place in my life. She needed moulding but I later found out you could not teach old dogs new tricks,” he said.

BY TAPIWA ZIVIRA

A SHORT queue has formed outside a supermarket in Sunningdale, a supposedly middle-class suburb in Harare.

Behind the supermarket, a truck is offloading bags of mealie-meal, a commodity that recently became part of the long list of products that are in short supply in troubled Zimbabwe.

Maize meal supplies dwindled last month following government’s reinstatement of a subsidy on the staple product and the situation has been made worse by the drought the country is experiencing.

While the country has had a command agriculture programme that was expected to boost grain reserves, the scheme has been marred by reports of looting, corruption and mismanagement orchestrated by its very own proponents.

In the end, Zimbabwe, formerly self-sufficient, has become the beggar in a region that is experiencing considerable growth.

With the late former President Robert Mugabe having been fingered as the reason behind the country’s woes, it appears the not-so-new administration led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa (pictured) since 2017 has not done any better and, if at all, there has been nothing but promises of Canaan as the economic, political, human rights and social services situation continue to deteriorate.

So, as 2020 begins, it appears Zimbabwe’s problems are not limited to maize meal shortages.

Shortages of fuel, water and electricity have persisted despite earlier government promises that stability would ensue.

Worse still, the country’s currency problems continue and with the black market being reportedly driven and fuelled by top government officials, inflation has peaked to 521% and continues to rise.

Companies continue to shut down, and only this week, it was reported that one of the oldest wholesale chain, Bhadella, was shutting its doors, in what proves the “open for business” slogan by government is nothing, but a joke.

The effects of the country’s crisis have also manifested in the education sector, and government’s response to schools and colleges intending to increase fees in accordance with inflation have been predictable and not helpful.

By tightly-regulating fees and barring increases, government has left schools with no capacity to meet their obligations, leaving some schools having to beg for donations from parents.

Universities have deferred the February intake in what reminds many of the 2007/8 crisis.

Teachers and medical practitioners are discontented and like all other civil servants, their salaries have been eroded by inflation to about US$50 a month.

With the economic crisis eating into the population’s incomes, and as cash shortages persist, machete-wielding gangs have become the latest result of the country’s bedlam.

With reports of people being maimed in mining areas and robbers resorting to the use of machetes, government continues to make high sounding proclamations that the police are dealing with the menace.

However, because of their reported strong links to some government officials, MaShurugwi, who are behind the machete wars, may not go down easily.

Far from the city, villagers in many parts of Zimbabwe are starving, and in areas like Mwenezi, hundreds of cattle have so far died due to drought.

For a government that has made lofty promises but has fallen far short in fulfilment, the situation that Zimbabwe is in these early days of 2020 proves how difficult the year is likely to be.

This week, the United Nations (UN) reported that Zimbabwe’s economic outlook was gloomy.

According to the UN, the country’s economy shrank by 5,5% in 2019 and was expected to further shrink by 2,5% this year.

The UN attributed the shrink largely to foreign currency shortages, increased public debt, and uncontrolled inflation.

However, now known for false promises over the past few years, the Zimbabwe government has predicted a 3% growth in 2020 and this is despite renowned economists having said the contraction could be by more than 10%.

With this huge mountain of problems, the people of Zimbabwe can only brace for a turbulent 2020 considering that government appears to have no solution and has continued to go for priorities that prove how uncaring it is to the plight of Zimbabweans.

BY CHARLES LAITON

HIGH Court judge Justice Phildah Muzofa has ordered Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi to respond, within seven days of receiving the court’s order, to Intratek Zimbabwe director Wicknell Chivayo’s request to have his South African lawyer granted an exemption certificate.

The businessman, whose acquittal on a US$5,6 million fraud charge has been challenged by the Prosecutor General (PG) Kumbirai Hodzi, approached the High Court seeking an order to compel Ziyambi to respond to his request for an exemption certificate to enable Advocate Zacharius Joubert SC, to represent him in the appeal set for February 10.

Chivayo’s application came after the Registrar of the Supreme Court indicated to his lawyers, Musunga and Associates that the PG’s appeal had been set down for hearing.

However, Chivayo, who was previously represented by Advocate Adrian de Bourbon said, his lawyer of choice, Advocate Joubert SC, had not yet been granted authority to appear before the Zimbabwean judges.

Chivayo said his efforts to secure a lawyer of choice, however, had been hampered by Ministry of Justice permanent secretary Virginia Mabhiza, who on behalf of Ziyambi, denied his (Chivayo) application “on the basis that South Africa is not a reciprocating country as such advocates from that country could not be allowed to participate in Zimbabwe”.

But, after deliberating on the matter Justice Muzofa ruled in Chivayo’s favour.

“The first respondent (Minister of Justice) be and is hereby directed to make a decision on applicant’s (Chivayo) application dated September 6, 2019 within seven days of notification of this order. Leave be and is hereby granted to the applicant’s legal practitioners to effect service of this provisional order upon the respondents or their legal practitioners,” the judge said.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

MY recent trip to Lome, the capital of the West African country, Togo, was memorable for my encounter with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, in the bog.

The smell of the fresh waters from the South Atlantic Ocean and the serene surroundings of dancing palm trees were nothing short of breath taking.

I made sure to take in everything I was seeing during my stay at the Sarakawa Hotel where I would be lodged for four nights from January 16 to 20.

I had gone to Togo for the landmark two-day summit on counterfeit drugs set for January 17 and 18, which saw seven western African nations sign an agreement to combat the sale of fake medicines in their respective countries. These were Niger, Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Uganda, Congo-Brazzaville, and the host nation of Togo.

So big was the initiative that Museveni, President Macky Sall (Senegal) and Faure Gnassingbé (Togo) were in attendance.

Such high level presidential presence attracts tight security. So much such that a radius of about a kilometre around the hotel where the summit was taking place was cordoned off. Inside the hotel, it was no different as it was bustling with security.

Arriving for the signing of the agreement, I had to disembark from the bus I was on and get another some few hundred metres away from the hotel. From there, we stopped at the gate of the hotel and walked the rest of the way through vigorous security checks.

Following these checks, we entered the hotel were the ushers and security quickly showed us into the main conference room where we sat and waited for the arrival of the heads of State. It was only after an hour that they arrived and the summit officially kicked off.

Some time into the summit, a few minutes after Gnassingbé gave his opening remarks, I left the conference room to use ablution facilities. The gentlemen’s rest room was about 20 metres away. Upon entering it, I headed for one of the urinals to relieve myself.

But, moments later, three burly security agents burst into the facility, quickly checked all the cubicles before one of them rushed back outside and later returned with more security aides accompanying President Museveni.

At that point, while I was watching all the drama unfold with fascination, a towering, dark figure with the build of a wrestler tore off from the group and walked briskly towards me.

The security agent told me to leave, pee or no pee. His terrifying appearance brooked no nonsense.

I could not protest although I was not done with my business yet. So, I quickly complied, zipped my trousers and rushed out of the facility. On my way out, I noticed Museveni entering one of the cubicles, seemingly pressed as well, while the rest of the security team remained outside, alert and ready.

The ushers directed me to another facility up a flight of stairs to finish off my business.
As soon as I sat down, Museveni zoomed by heading back to the high table. In my mind I thought “so this is what power feels like”, no wonder he has a tight grip on it.

BY HENRY MHARA

OLYMPIQUE Lyonnais coach Rudi Garcia is excited that his club managed to gazump other European teams to secure the signature of Warriors star striker Tino Kadewere who he believes has a long bright future ahead of him.

The 24-year-old Kadewere was yesterday expected to have his medical at the Ligue 1 side before completing a €15 million switch from Ligue 2 team Le Havre on a four-and-half-year contract.

The huge fee that the French giants agreed to pay for Kadewere is the biggest transfer fee ever paid for a Zimbabwean footballer.

Kadewere will remain at Le Havre on loan until the end of this campaign, and will only join his new paymasters at the start of the next season.

Garcia yesterday spoke about the new arrivals at Olympique Lyonnais, popularly known as Lyon at the club’s press conference ahead of their match against Toulouse tomorrow.

He heaped praise on Kadewere and Karl Toko-Ekambi who joined on loan from Spanish side Villarreal.

Asked about Kadewere, Garcia said, “He should commit to the club in the next few hours. He is a good player with great potential. He must continue like this at Le Havre. Kadewere, this is the future. I insisted that we take an attacking player. We didn’t need two. It’s a wise decision to leave him (at Le Havre) until the end of the season.”

Le Havre reportedly insisted on taking the player back on loan for the remainder of the season during the transfer negotiations because they are fighting for promotion to Ligue 1 and they fear that losing their star striker would disrupt their season target.

Kadewere becomes the fourth Zimbabwean who has joined a team playing in one of the top European leagues.

Others include Marvelous Nakamba who plays for English Premiership side Aston Villa, Marshal Munetsi who turns out for Stade Reims in the French Ligue 1 and Warriors striker Knowledge Musona, who just joined Belgian league side CAS Eupen on loan from Anderlecht.

This development is good news for Warriors fans who want to see more Zimbabweans playing at a higher level in world football.

Kadewere is hot property in France at the moment after his impressive goal-scoring record this season for Le Havre, where he has netted an impressive 18 goals in 20 games as well as providing four assists to lead the goal-scoring chats in Ligue 2.

Opposition defenders in the Ligue 2 fear him, with AC Ajaccio defender Jérémy Choplin recently likening the former Harare City forward to Arsenal superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Reports suggest that top European teams were jostling for Kadewere, including EPL teams Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Southampton.

Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt and Turkish giants Galatasaray and Besiktas, as well as Spanish league side Real Valladolid are some of the major clubs that also reportedly inquired about Kadewere.

It is Lyon though who managed to outbid their rivals after reportedly tabling a salary offer of US$43 000 a week.

BY HENRY MHARA

COSAFA’S duplicity in banning Zifa from attending the regional football governing body’s annual general meeting (AGM) set for today has been exposed, revealing its dishonesty and vindictiveness.

Investigations by NewsDay Sport have revealed that while Zifa is indebted to Cosafa, the two bodies reached an agreement on December 31, 2019 that Fifa would pay the Zimbabwe football mother body’s debt by the end of this month.

But Cosafa attempted to ban Zifa from attending the AGM when the mother body said it would move a motion to remove Philip Chiyangwa as the head of the regional football body alleging corruption and fraud.

A defiant Zifa delegation led by its president Felton Kamambo left the country yesterday afternoon for South Africa where they intend to gate-crash into the meeting.

The AGM, which gathers all 14 member associations from the region gets underway this morning at the Southern Sun OR Tambo Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Information gathered by this publication show that on December 18, 2019, Cosafa wrote to Zifa demanding a balance payment of US$18 250 from a US$25 000 loan that was advanced to them two years ago, failure of which Zimbabwe would be barred from attending today’s meeting.

“We refer to the debt of US$18 250 which has been owing to Cosafa since 2018 and has been reflected in regular statements of account sent to the association.

“Despite ongoing correspondence and phone calls from Cosafa to the association in an attempt to recover this amount and to ensure that the association is in good standing, the amount remains unpaid.

“We are, therefore, requested to demand, as we hereby do, payment of US$18 250 in full, by deadline 30th December 2019 failing which we shall have no alternative but to invoke Article 27.6 of the Cosafa statutes.”

Zifa responded to Cosafa, informing them that they had asked Fifa to settle the debt on their behalf since they were having problems in transferring the money from Zimbabwe due to local monetary laws.

“We are in receipt of your demand letter on a loan you extended to Zifa at the behest of the then Zifa president and Cosafa president Chiyangwa.

“While it is a fact that this is an inherited bill, the association remain committed to clear (sic) it at the most opportune time.

“Previous joint efforts to have the money from Zimbabwe failed to yield any joy after the local Reserve Bank refused to sanction the payment and such was communicated to your office.

“You will, however, note [that] we have through our Cosafa prize money paid off part of the US$25 000 loan hence the reason the bill now stands at US$18 250.

“This letter seeks to inform your office that we have now requested for Fifa to deduct from our grant pencilled for January 2020 the amount due to you of US$18 250 and pay the same directly to Cosafa so that this matter is settled. We hope this request will meet your favourable consideration.”

In the letter, Zifa said they were worried about Cosafa’s tone, which already inferred that they were plotting punitive measures, which includes membership suspension.

Zifa argued they previously owed Cosafa R800 000 but were never threatened with suspension as the money would be deducted from prize monies each time Zimbabwe qualified for such money.

“It is [a] common secret that we are not in good books with the current Cosafa president (Chiyangwa) and we begin to wonder if the suggested punitive measures and deadlines are really divorced from our issues with Chiyangwa.

“This is so, especially when one considers that the loan was taken when Chiyangwa was Zifa president but no undue pressure was exerted on his administration to repay before he left office.

“One wonders whether the threat to suspend, if we do not settle by 31 December 2019, is not linked to the upcoming Cosafa AGM, where Zifa has requested that the Cosafa president’s interferences with our football be included in the agenda. We sincerely hope this is not another of the Cosafa president’s attempts to take away our voice.”

On the same day, Zifa wrote to Fifa requesting them to deduct the money from a grant that the local association receives annually.

Fifa, through its senior development manager Africa and Caribbean Region Subdivision member associations Solomon Mudege on December 31, 2019 responded: “We have taken note of Zifa’s request for Fifa to pay US$18 250 to Cosafa. This funds transfer would be deducted from Zifa’s operational costs funding.

“In Cosafa’s letter to Zifa, a deadline of 30 December 2019 is indicated. However, I assume that both Zifa and Cosafa will wait for Fifa’s response before any further action is taken.”
On January 9, Fifa confirmed that they would pay