BY HENRY MHARA

ZIFA yesterday said they expect to have appointed new Warriors coach by the end of next week to replace Sunday Chidzambga who left the job in July last year.

Since then, Joey Antipas (pictured) has been the interim coach, taking charge of the team’s assignments including the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers, but his contract expired at the end of last month.
A number of coaches from all over the world have applied for the vacant job, and a source yesterday revealed that the list had been trimmed to just four.

Of the four candidates, the source said three are foreigners while Antipas is still in the running.
The local football governing body yesterday announced that its executive board will meet next week to finalise on the most suitable candidate for the job.

“The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) wishes to advise the nation that the appointment of the senior men’s national team coach is work in progress and will be concluded soon. As the football mother body, we are fully conscious of the upcoming Warriors fixtures and the executive committee will meet on Wednesday next week to conclude the matter,” Zifa said in a statement.

“Zifa is aware of the anxiety among all our stakeholders but would like to assure everyone that the appointment will be done as soon as possible. Zifa is prepared for all national team commitments and all hands are on deck to ensure all national team assignments this year will run smoothly. Zifa would like to assure all stakeholders that all challenges currently disrupting normalcy at the mother body are being resolved. When all is settled, football in Zimbabwe is in its best moment to flourish.”

The Warriors have a very busy schedule this year, with the African Nations Championships (Chan) finals, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and 2022 World Cup qualifiers all set to begin in the next few months.

Zimbabwe have back to back Afcon Group H qualifying matches against Algeria from March 23 to 31 before travelling to Botswana on June 9. They will complete their group campaign with a home match against Zambia on September 8.
Warriors currently occupy second position on the group standings, and will need to at least beat Botswana and Zambia to be assured of qualifying to the Afcon finals, to be staged in Cameroon next year.

Later that year, the Warriors will also be involved in the 2022 Qatar World Cup second round qualifiers which begin in October.

Zimbabwe are in Group G which also comprises giant Ghana, neighbours and old rival South Africa and Ethiopia.
The winner of the group will advance to the third and final round to join nine winners from the other groups.
The ten second round group winners play home-and-away matches over two legs with the five winners qualifying for the World Cup set for Qatar in 2022.

But before that, there is the little matter of the Chan tournament, exclusively featuring players from the respective national championships.

This tournament kicks off on April 4 in Cameroon and Zimbabwe will be making their fifth appearance at the tourney.
Meanwhile, the Young Mighty Warriors’ Under-17 Women World Cup qualifier against Botswana on Sunday at Barbourfields is free of charge.

The Young Mighty Warriors are trailing 5-0 from the first leg that was played in Gaborone two weeks ago.
“We appeal to all football fans in and around the host city to come in their numbers to support our national team. The match is free of charge so please let’s give the girl child the necessary support,” Zifa said.

CONTROVERSIAL comedienne and motivational speaker Felistas “Mai Titi” Murata has torched a social media storm claiming that most women who have drawn their swords against her over her “Ben 10” boyfriend, Zizoe Pamyk, were jealous.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

The storm erupted after the socialite had posted intimate photographs and videos of herself with Zizoe (real name Blessed Zingwe), which went viral in December last year.

Mai Titi on Wednesday fired a salvo at her “haters” accusing them of being jealous of her relationship amid reports that the couple was set to tie the knot this year.

She said it was important for women to be properly groomed to attract the men they wanted.

“Most ladies attack me over Zoe… they are just jealous because they have been beaten to a man by an older woman and yet they don’t have even a spiritual husband. Now listen, you need to be (well-groomed) to attract the attention of men,” she said in Shona.

Mai Titi, who is on record saying she has failed to resist Zizoe’s love, said women must level up their game and stop hating her.

“You need style and pattern in this game for your to win the man you want. Just be well-groomed. There is no need to hate me simply because I have outmanoeuvred you on a man. Things will change for you if you take care of yourself… You don’t bed a man immediately because he has dated you. How will you get his respect? You can’t bed a man within 24 hours before you even get to know the name of the cat at his home,” she said.

In May 2018, Mai Titi broke down while live on her Facebook page, Mai T’s Diaries, accusing her former husband of infecting her with HIV and neglecting their child.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
THE two vehicles that former State House principal director Douglas Tapfuma allegedly fraudulently imported for personal use were in actual fact registered under the Office of the President and Cabinet, a Harare court heard yesterday .

Under cross-examination from Tapfuma’s lawyer Brighton Pabwe, Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Ray Ndhlukula admitted that the vehicles were not registered in the accused’s name but the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC).

Pabwe asked Ndhlukula if he knew the location of some of the vehicles which were purchased by the accused, but he said he did not know.

The lawyer said some of the vehicles were being used as ambulances in Kwekwe and the accused was not directly benefiting from them.

Pabwe suggested that Ndhlukula did not like Tapfuma’s appointment as the State House principal director because he considered him too junior for the post.

He asked Ndhlukula to comment on why he did not induct Tapfuma for the job of principal director as prescribed for his duty, but he did not respond.

Ndhlukula told the court that the OPC policy was that they do not import ex-Japanese vehicles for use by government departments. Then Pabwe asked him why he did not advise Tapfuma when he brought his request form to which he said he trusted the accused’s request was in order.

Ndhlukula was asked if he had seen some of the vehicles on the asset register of the OPC but said he did not verify that.

Allegations are that in April 2018, Tapfuma facilitated the clearance of his two personal vehicles using report order forms meant for government vehicles.

Tapfuma allegedly applied for duty exemption for the vehicles at Zimra, which was granted.
The trial continues next week.

THE Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) says it is planning to publish a handbook profiling the over 50 listed companies on the main bourse to encourage more investment on the platform.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

Since the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar (ZWL) in June 2019, trading on the main bourse has become highly volatile as many companies have had to reposition their balance books, resulting in billion dollar losses.

“The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange Limited (ZSE) will be publishing the 2019 ZSE handbook that will profile all the ZSE-listed companies, ZSE participants, capital market players and also have summary market statistics for the year 2019. The publication is expected to be published by 16 April 2020,” ZSE said in a statement.

“The handbook will be distributed to the business fraternity, local and foreign investors and it will be A5 in size. The handbook gives market players, stockbrokers and issuers the opportunity to communicate their product/service offerings to the market, allowing you to speak directly to potential or current local and foreign investors.”

Considering that the Zimbabwe dollar continues to devalue, the main bourse has sought to stop the bleeding through several measures to bolster trading on the ZSE.

These include a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreement to operationalise the Zimbabwe Emerging Enterprise Market, establish a receivables financing platform as well as make changes to the listing requirements.
The ZSE has also signed an MoU with the Botswana Stock Exchange to provide the two exchanges with a framework for cooperation in the areas of product and market development and the promotion of cross listings, among other objectives.

This comes as, in real value terms, the total market capitalisation of the ZSE is worth US$1,8 billion, a massive drop from the US$20 billion valuation at the end of 2018.

Imara Asset Management (Zimbabwe) Limited chief executive John Legat in an investment note , dated January 16, 2020, he said the devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar was making the capital markets unattractive.

“The effects of the decline in the value of the ZWL upon Zimbabwe’s banking, insurance and pensions sectors have been devastating in real USD terms,” Legat said.

“In short, the local capital markets will find it hard to fund any meaningful investments as we start the next decade, implying that only foreign capital has that ability. Sadly foreign investors are no longer much interested in Zimbabwe although they continue to keep a close eye on events should the investment climate change.”
He added most of the prescribed assets on the market are debt orientated and denominated in ZWL.

“In the event of the demise in the ZWL at any point, these assets would cease to exist — and become valueless – as occurred in 2009,” Legat said.

BY VANESSA GONYE

ZIMBABWE’S health system is suffering from a digital deficiency as the country is yet to advance its e-health strategy, Healthcare minister Obadiah Moyo has said.

He was speaking at a media briefing with digital experts from the United Arab Emirates and Estonia at the recently renamed Harare Central Hospital now known as Sally Mugabe Central Hospital on Wednesday.

The three countries are set to enter into a triangular digitalisation project that will see the overhauling of Zimbabwe’s health system with a pilot project set to be done at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital over the next six months.
Moyo said the development came at an opportune time as the first port of call of the project was yet to be computerised.

“We are very grateful that the team from UAE has come together with some technical partners from Estonia and they are talking of digitalising to make it a fully digitalised hospital. There is a consignment of computers which came the last time we received equipment from the UAE. We want to thank you for bringing in some ICT sanity to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital,” he said.

Moyo said the development was linked to the existing e-health system that had a project currently running in Mashonaland East province.

UAE director of development co-operation department, Rashed Al Hemeiri said they have always supported the country’s health sector with emphasis on digitalisation which has led to their engagement with Estonia, a leading player in e-governance.

“This is a triangular partnership of the three countries. It’s not the machine that will run itself, we have to consider the human element, the staff at the hospitals. They will get the proper education on how to embrace the new system,” he said.

Estonian director for development cooperation and humanitarian aid in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kadi Metsandi, pledged his country’s commitment to the project.

“The two countries are very committed to this project, we met in November in the UAE and we are here in January to work on the ground. We wanted to come in December but were derailed by the holidays,” she said.

DYNAMOS goalkeeper Simbarashe Chinani and young striker Nigel Katawa were last night expected to leave for Russia where they are set to undergo trials with an unnamed second division club.

BY TERRY MADYAUTA/HENRY MHARA

Chinani’s contract with Dynamos ended on December 31 last year, but the Harare giants were hoping to renew the deal.

Katawa still has a year left on his contract with the former champions. Both footballers played a critical role in stabilising DeMbare in the last campaign where they started badly, but finished ninth on the log standings.
Sources told NewsDay Sport that the two were part of four local players who left yesterday for the European country.

“They should be in South Africa right now en-route to Russia,” said a source around midday yesterday.

“Chinani is a free agent after his contract with Dynamos lapsed at the end of the year, and he wants to try his luck in Europe. He has been invited to Russia for trials, but if he fails, he wants to return to Dynamos. He has said he would not play for any other local team besides Dynamos. Katawa still has a running contract with Dynamos but got the club’s blessing to travel for trials,” added the source.

No official comment could be obtained from Dynamos officials yesterday, but a member of the executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that they had held talks with Chinani before he left.

“He has assured us that if the move fails to materialise, he will return to the club. As for Katawa, we have allowed him to go. It’s a big chance for him and we can’t deny the young man such an opportunity,” the executive member said.

But it appears Dynamos are already planning for life without the two, in particular Chinani after they recently signed goalkeeper Tymon Mvula from Hwange who will battle for the number one spot with Munyaradzi Diya.

The future for third choice goalkeeper Stephen Chimusoro is uncertain, with reports suggesting that the club management is prepared to let him go and replace him with a player from their juniors.

Dynamos have been very busy in the transfer window, and on Wednesday confirmed the arrival of midfielder Barnabas Mushunje from Ngezi Platinum Stars.

Yesterday, they announced that they had signed Tino Chiunye and Sylvester Appiah who are joining from ZPC Kariba.
Their arrival means DeMbare have signed 11 players so far. Other new signings are Partson Jaure, Jeansmith Mutudza, Byron Madzokere, Tanaka Chidhobha, Lennox Mutsetse, Nkosi Mhlanga and David Temwanjira.

Reports yesterday also suggested that they were closing in on tearaway winger Phineas Bamusi from rivals Caps United. If they successfully sign him, it could be the biggest transfer coup of the current window.

Other reports had also suggested that former striker Christian Ntouba was on his way back to the club, but an executive, who spoke to this publication, dismissed the rumour.

Dynamos have officially released three players so far — Evans Katema who has moved to Zambia, Edward Sadomba who retired at the end of the season and Cameroonian Junior Nkahan.

Meanwhile, Marvelous Chigumira, who played for TelOne last season and unheralded Munashe Kusaira, are the other players on the Russian trip for trials.

Chigumira was one of the outstanding players at TelOne last season, and was named the most consistent player at the club.

His contract with the Gweru side expired at the end of the year, and he is being tracked by a number of clubs including Chicken Inn and Ngezi Platinum Stars.

Kusaira was unattached after his intended move to the United States of America hit a snag, and will hope to make a move to Europe.

FORMER Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko yesterday filed an application for the postponement of his corruption trial to allow him to directly approach the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) for recourse after his application for referral to that court was dismissed.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

Mphoko’s lawyer Zibusiso Ncube asked Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya to postpone the trial which was expected to resume yesterday. Ncube said they wanted to approach the apex court and were only delayed to file that application because of the record that had not been transcribed.

He said they were waiting for the transcription of the rulings of four applications that Mphoko filed, which the magistrate dismissed.

“Your worship, we are seeking for the matter to be postponed to January 31st. I have been to the clerk of court and they told me that the transcribed record has not yet been finished and the ruling for the last application has also not been commissioned by you your worship,” Ncube said.

“We want to use the three rulings for the purpose of approaching the ConCourt and we are also seeking an interdict of the trial pending the finalisation of the matter at ConCourt. The application we are making is not one way but ConCourt does not entertain applications without a transcribed record.”

Mujaya dismissed Mphoko’s application for postponement and ordered him to submit his defence outline.

But Ncube said he had not yet prepared the defence outline as they were waiting for the ConCourt to determine whether Mphoko could stand trial for the case.

Ncube asked for a postponement to allow his colleague Advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara, who was attending another matter at the High Court, to arrive.

Zhuwarara managed to seek postponement on the promise that he would file Mphoko’s defence outline by the end of the day today to allow for the trial to resume on January 30.

The State summoned police officers Batsirai Mazowe and Alfred Guvakuva to testify on January 30.
Mphoko faces charges of unprocedurally causing the release of two Zinara executives from police custody when he was Acting President on July 14, 2016.

Prosecutor-General (PG) Kumbirai Hodzi has approached the High Court seeking an order to seize a residential stand and vehicles belonging to a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) official who allegedly failed to explain how she bought the property.

BY CHARLES LAITON

Through his subordinate Tapiwa Kasema, Hodzi filed the application against Desberia Mutara, who was employed as a revenue officer at the Beitbridge Border Post.

Mutara reportedly failed to explain the source of her wealth during a lifestyle audit conducted by Zimra last year.

“I carefully read a case file compiled by Zimra in which the first respondent (Desberia Mutara) was investigated in an exercise rooted in Zimra’s anti-corruption policy, which seeks to ensure that its employees’ lifestyles must correspond as far as possible with the legitimate incomes they are entitled to,” Kasema said in his affidavit.

“This policy commences at the inception of the employment contract entered into between Zimra and its employees, the terms of which include asset declaration and regular lifestyle audits to ensure that whatever is acquired by Zimra’s employee does reflect transparency and legitimate source.”

According to Kasema, Mutara was employed by Zimra as a revenue trainee before she became a revenue specialist.
During the course of her employment, she cumulatively earned $57 936 between October 2014 and February last
year.

However, she later stated on her Zimra asset declaration of 2018 that she acquired a residential stand in Mainway Meadows, Waterfalls, Harare, valued at $16 000, a Toyota Rav 4 worth $10 000 and two Toyota Corollas valued at $8 000 each, which raised lot of questions than answers.

According to Kasema, the total value of Mutara’s property was $117 000 against her cumulative salary of $57 936.

“I concluded that Desberia Mutara’s wealth is ill-gotten and the sources of the funds are proceeds of crime liable to forfeiture,” Kasema said.

“The first respondent is an employee of Zimra who earned the above negligible salary incapable of being the source of her wealth. There are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the first respondent is or has been involved in serious crime (whether in Zimbabwe or elsewhere), or a person connected with the first respondent is or has been, so involved.

“Her being subjected to corruption such as bribery and smuggling of imports at Beitbridge Border Post where she was employed makes it more probable that her source of wealth was illicit enrichment”.
The matter is pending.

ZANU PF and MDC Alliance councillors in Masvingo recently clashed over the renaming of city streets in honour of living and departed Zanu PF luminaries, with the former walking out of a special council meeting in protest over the call to honour the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

BY TATENDA CHITAGU

In a letter dated January 14, Local Government minister July Moyo ordered the renaming of five streets in honour of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, late heroes Edison Zvobgo, Shuvai Mahofa, Simon Muzenda and Sheba Tavarwisa, giving a January 21 deadline.

But at a special council meeting held on Monday evening, MDC Alliance councillors, sources said, refused to comply with Moyo’s directive saying they had previously resolved that one of the streets be named after Tsvangirai.
This, sources added, did not go down well with their Zanu PF counterparts who walked out of the meeting as they did not want Tsvangirai to be honoured.

One of the Zanu PF councillors who walked out of the meeting, Sengerai Manyanga (ward 10), confirmed the incident.

“MDC councillors said they did not want Hofmeyer Street to be renamed Simon Muzenda Street, but it was their own thing, not a Cabinet decision. I argued that Tsvangirai is from Buhera so a street at Murambinda Growth Point in Buhera should be renamed in his honour, not here in Masvingo where Muzenda hailed from. We were two Zanu PF councillors against six MDC councillors, so we distanced ourselves from that meeting and walked out after the mayor decided to divide the house,” Manyanga said.

Called for comment, Masvingo mayor Collin Maboke said he was surprised by his Zanu PF counterparts’ reaction as they had previously agreed to honour Tsvangirai.

“We did not have problems with the minister’s directive, but on one of the streets, Hofmeyer, we had already made a resolution and wrote to the ministry that the same road be named after Tsvangirai. The minister has not yet responded. The problem came when we debated the issue and our Zanu PF counterparts walked out. But we went ahead and said the other Zanu PF hero (Simon Muzenda) can as well have another street named in his honour,” he said.

Maboke said he did not know if Moyo had seen their request to rename Hofmeyer Street in honour of Tsvangirai.

“We are not sure if he had seen our correspondence or not. Maybe there was some bureaucratic bungling and the letter is in his office, but he has not yet read it, we will see how he will respond,” Maboke said.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

NGEZI Platinum have won over veteran midfielder Devon Chafa who has been at the centre of a transfer battle with rivals FC Platinum after he reportedly agreed terms with the Mhondoro-based side.

Chafa has been on the books of the Zvishavane side FC Platinum and was one of the heroes of their 2019 campaign who helped them to win their third straight league title.

His contract, however, ran out on December 31 and FC Platinum had reportedly tabled an offer for a contract extension, but reports suggest he didn’t take the offer choosing instead to cross to rivals Ngezi Platinum.
Although no official comment could be obtained from Ngezi Platinum, informed sources said the deal was as good as done and what was only left was for the two parties to put pen to paper.

Chafa becomes one of Ngezi Platinum’s biggest signings this season after they swooped on former Dynamos and Chapungu forward Denver Mukamba while highly-rated striker Junior Zindoga has also joined them after a spell with South African Premiership side, Maritzburg United.

Chafa — a battle-hardened midfielder — brings vast experience to the Mhondoro-based side which has been one of the busiest teams in the transfer market ahead of the start of the new campaign.

He is expected to complement Mukamba, whose career blossomed at Air Force side Chapungu last term, scoring crucial goals although the team was relegated at the end of the campaign.

That scenario forced him to follow his former coach at Chapungu Rodwell Dhlakama who is now calling the shots at the Mhondoro-based side after they parted ways with Dutch man Erol Akbay.

With former St Georges College striker Zindoga also having joined, Ngezi Platinum could turn out to be the team to beat this season as they are reported to be still wanting to bring more new faces to strengthen the side.

Ngezi Platinum had a decent performance last season under Dhlakama after finishing in fourth position and nearly lifting the Chibuku Super Cup, the richest knockout tournament in the country, only to be beaten to the trophy in controversial circumstances by Highlanders following a 1-0 defeat in the final.