BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

Former Health minister David Parirenyatwa has applied for discharge in a case in which he is accused of criminal abuse of office after allegedly directing NatPharm chairman George Washaya to appoint Newman Madzikwa as managing director.

In his application for discharge at the close of the State case, Parirenyatwa said the State failed to prove a prima facie case against him.

“There is no evidence that he committed the offence of which he may be convicted of. There is a sound basis for ordering the discharge of the accused at the close of the State case for the prosecution where there is no evidence to prove an essential element of the offence,” the submission read.

Parirenyatwa said the evidence led by the State was so manifestly unreliable that no reasonable court could safely and properly convict him.

The former Cabinet minister said he was caught in a blatant bias exhibited by the prosecution of perceived G40 members by the Executive, but there was no evidence to implicate him in the matter.

The State, represented by Brian Vito, is expected to respond to the application before the February 13 ruling by magistrate Elijah Makomo.

Parirenyatwa’s passport was released to allow him to attend to an HIV/AIDS conference in South Korea from February 3-9. The matter was postponed to February 13 for the ruling of the application for discharge.

Allegations against Parirenyatwa are that on June 4, 2018, the former minister ordered Washaya to terminate Flora Nancy Sifeku’s contract as managing director, saying that he required her services at the ministry’s headquarters in Harare.

He also allegedly directed Washaya to appoint Madzikwa as acting managing director with effect from June 1, 2018. The board complied and the two were given six-month contracts with effect from June to November 30, 2018.

The prosecution said the two ended up receiving salaries at the same time and thus prejudicing the company of $30 000.

BY MOSES MATENGA

ZANU PF has claimed that while it has a burning desire to address the economic challenges affecting the country, its hands remain tied by nature.

This came as the ruling party has been accused by the opposition MDC and civic society organisations of being clueless on how to end the economic crisis facing the country.

But the ruling party said it was implementing its 2018 campaign manifesto and now stands guided by its 2019 Goromonzi conference resolutions to turn around the economy.

“What are they (MDC) proposing? What are those alternatives? Why don’t they tell us? They must tell us those alternatives. They are saying they have an alternative, we want to know those alternatives. Let the nation know those alternatives,” Zanu PF spokesperson, Simon Khaya Moyo told NewsDay yesterday.

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa told mourners at the burial of Casper Tsvangirai, younger brother of the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai, in Buhera in 2018 that he had solutions to the economic crisis prevailing in the country, adding that Zanu PF cannot rig the economy.

Last year, the MDC leader said the cause of socio-economic crisis in Zimbabwe was political, pointing to the disputed 2018 elections.

But Khaya Moyo said the ruling party was just a victim of natural disasters.

“We have just had a conference. Resolutions were passed and we have just begun the year and we have to implement our resolutions. Our focus is the economy. You know the theme of the conference speaks to that. We are focusing on Vision 2030 and the focus is on the economy. We want to create jobs, we want more and more production but we are not in charge of the weather,” Khaya-Moyo said.

“The climate, you are aware of erratic rains and naturally we are trying to now divert and look on how best we can concentrate on aspects of irrigation where possible. We are not in charge of climate change, of drought as it were but our focus is very clear, our manifesto is very clear and we are working on implementation.”

There was great anticipation when President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over power from the late former President Robert Mugabe in 2017 amid hope for a better economy.

However, two years on, the country is faced with one of the worst economic crises since independence characterised by shortages of fuel and cash among other issues.

Government has failed to adequately capacitate civil servants including teachers and doctors who are now engaged in a job action.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has secured major investment deals worth over Sh170.8 billion in the ongoing UK-Africa Investment Summit in London.

Daily Nation

On Monday, the country also set history after its first ever green bond, called the “Simba Bond”, was listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The bond is the brainchild of Acorn Holdings Ltd, a residential real estate developer.

The deals include job and investment opportunities in various sectors, among them housing, finance, renewables and entrepreneurship.

“The United Kingdom (UK) has a huge amount to offer ambitious African firms and we have a strong reputation for quality, integrity and reliability,” British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said in a statement.

“Today’s summit showcased to the world the best of Kenyan government, business and entrepreneurship and the partnerships today will help Kenya continue to flourish.

“We believe that a strong, diverse, accountable private sector is key to unlocking Kenya’s economic potential and creating the jobs and opportunities Kenyans tell us they want.”

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Some of the announcements made include a Sh3.9 billion investment in affordable energy-efficient housing that will see the building of 10,000 low-carbon homes for rent and sale.

The deal will also see a Sh21.9 billion investment by British firm Diageo in building environmentally friendly breweries in Kenya and in the wider East Africa region.

“Diageo already invested Sh15.76 billion into East Africa Breweries Limited in Kisumu in 2017,” a statement from the UK Embassy in Nairobi reads.

“This investment is supporting over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs (over half for women); including recruiting 15,000 new farmers taking the total number of farmers employed in their Kenyan supply chain to 45,000.”

The inaugural UK-Africa Investment Summit is aimed at rejuvenating the partnership between the UK and Africa using trade and investment to boost growth and improve the lives of the citizens of the two continents.

HISTORIC SUMMIT

The historic summit brings together at least 20 African heads of state, ambassadors, high commissioners and captains of industry.

“In 2020, the UK is the ultimate one-stop shop for the ambitious, growing international economy … Africa is the future and the UK has a huge and active role to play in that future,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his opening remarks at the conference.

In 2018, Kenya exported 237.5 million pounds (Sh31 billion) worth of goods to the UK, with imports valued at 303.6 million pounds.

The largest taxpaying company in Kenya, Safaricom PLC, also enjoys a large UK investment from Vodacom.

According to State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena, more than 200 British companies operate in Kenya, with over three billion pounds invested in daily operations.

During the visit, President Kenyatta is expected to meet at Buckingham Palace with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate, who will represent the Queen.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

HARARE football giants Caps United have snapped up former FC Platinum goalkeeper Wallace Magalane as they reconstruct the side after a major overhaul that has seen the departure of several key players.

The Green Machine was in a tussle with several other local Premier Soccer League clubs, including Highlanders and Ngezi Platinum for his signature.

Magalane had appeared on course to join South African Premier Soccer League side Chippa United who are now under the guidance of FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza following the expiry of his contract on December 31.

However, the unavailability of a slot for a foreign quota at Chippa meant his options had been limited to the domestic scene.

And Caps, who have been one of the busiest teams on the transfer market ahead of the start of the new season, moved fast to tie him down to their side.

Although no comment could be obtained from Caps, in-formed sources said the deal was sealed last night.

Magalane was one of the heroes of FC Platinum’s 2019 campaign after helping them to win a third straight championship when they beat rivals Caps and Chicken Inn to the finishing line on the last day of the league programme.

With goalkeepers Prosper Chigumba and Chris Mverechena having decided against renewing their contract, Magalane is set to compete with Tonderai Mateyaunga for keeping the goals.

Caps will also not be renewing contracts of several players such as captain Hardlife Zvirekwi, Dominic Mukandi, Carlos Rusere, Lincoln Zvasiya, Valentine Ndaba and Kudzanayi Nyamupfukudza as they seek a fresh start after a disappointing campaign last term which saw them being beaten to the championship by FC Platinum on the last day of the league programme.

They eventually finished in third place.

Those that have been shown the exit door are accused of bringing the name of the club into disrepute after they were alleged to have led a player boycott ahead of their league penultimate game against Ngezi Platinum which they lost 3-2 to seize FC Platinum the initiative.

However, other seniors like Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo, Phineas Bhamusi, Justice Jangano, Valentine Musarurwa, John Zhuwawu and Kelvin Ndebele among others have not been affected.

Caps have also added some new faces who include Harare City duo of Tatenda Tumba and Ishmael Wadi. Enock Karembo and Leeroy Mavhunga formerly with Yadah FC have also joined.

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO

Zimbabwe 358 all-out, Sri Lanka 42/1 (14 overs) – Sri Lanka trail by 316 runs with 9 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
A HEROIC fight back from bowling all-rounder Donald Tiripano with both bat and bowl ensured the opening Test between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka remained evenly poised after an eventful second day at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

After a middle order collapse that saw the dismissal of Zimbabwe’s top-scorer Craig Ervine for 85 runs threatened to undo the hosts’ solid start, the seasoned bowling all-rounder combined with the tail-enders to produce a spirited resistance.

Tiripano was left stranded on 44 but his crucial knock took the hosts’ first innings total to 358 all-out.

He also provided the much needed early breakthrough with the ball, claiming the only wicket in Sri Lanka’s innings from his first delivery of the match.

At stumps, Sri Lanka were 42 for one, trailing the hosts by 316 runs with captain Dimuth Karunaratne unbeaten on 12 runs while Kusal Mendis resumes the third day unbeaten on six runs.

Earlier, Zimbabwe had made steady progress after resuming day two on 189 for two before losing three wickets for 47 runs in the first session as they collapsed from 208 for three to 247 for five following the dismissals of Brendan Taylor (21), skipper Sean Williams (18) and Craig Ervine (85) in quick succession.

Williams was disappointed with the way the middle order folded after a good start by the top order batsmen.

“The middle order actually failed us in this innings, guys got in and got out and that was the difference between getting 450 and 400 which is what I would have loved on this wicket. I asked for discipline and good decisions and that didn’t happen. We are moving in the right direction and showing signs of it which is good to see but again there are soft wickets which keep on falling,” Williams said.

Taylor, who had started the second day on 13 runs, could only manage to add eight runs to his overnight score before he was trapped LBW by seamer Suranga Lakmal in the seventh over of day two.

Left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya picked up his second wicket of the innings three overs before lunch after having Williams caught behind for 18 runs before the set batsman Ervine was clean bowled by Lakmal in the very next over as Zimbabwe reached lunch on 260 for five.

It got worse for Zimbabwe after lunch as they only managed to add six runs before wicketkeeper batsman Regis Chakabva became Embuldeniya’s third victim after being caught at mid-on for eight.

A crucial 41 run partnership between Sikandar Raza and Donald Tiripano took Zimbabwe past the 300 mark.

Raza was, however, stumped on 41 runs by Dickwella off the bowling of Embuldeniya while charging down the wicket.

Embuldeniya completed his five wicket haul in his next over by removing Jarvis for just one run as Sri Lanka threatened to clean up the Zimbabwe tail in quick time.

Tiripano, however, combined with Ainsley Ndlovu and Victor Nyauchi to frustrate the Islanders with an unbeaten 44 which took Zimbabwe beyond the tea interval before they were bowled out for 348 in 148 overs.

Sri Lanka made a steady start with skipper Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando compiling 32 runs for the opening stand inside 11 overs before Tiripano clean bowled the former in the penultimate over of the day to ensure the match remained delicately poised heading into the third day.

BY HENRY MHARA

ZIMBABWE will today know the identity of their opponents for their Fifa World Cup 2022 qualification campaign when Caf conducts the draw for the second round of the continent’s qualifiers taking place at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, this evening.

The draw is slated for 7pm Zimbabwe time.

Zimbabwe qualified for this round after beating Somalia 3-2 on aggregate in the first round of the qualifiers.

The first round consisted of 14 home-and-away ties, featuring the 28 lowest ranked teams in Africa.

Zimbabwe and the other 13 winners of the first round will join the 26 top-seeded African teams with the 40 teams forming ten groups of four (based on the December 2019 edition of the Fifa/Coca-Cola world ranking).

The 10 group winners then advance to third round where they will be paired up for knockout matches, with the five winners securing a berth at Qatar 2022.

In the draw, Zimbabwe are in pot 3, due to their low ranking on the Fifa rankings and with each group consisting of one team from each pot, the Warriors will face one of the continent’s giants who line up in pot 1.

Among them are the five nations that represented Africa at the last Fifa World Cup: Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt and Senegal.

Zimbabwe has the potential to be placed in the same group with neighbours and old foes South Africa who are in pot 2.

The second round of Africa’s qualifiers will kick off in March this year and will conclude in October next year with the third and final round scheduled for the following month.

The World Cup 2022 will be played in Qatar between November 21 and December 18, 2022.

Zimbabwe are currently looking for a substantive coach for the Warriors to take charge of the campaign. The coach is expected to be announced before the end of January, with the selection process almost done.

Zifa has said they prefer an expatriate to take charge of the team.

The full set of pots is as follows:

Pot 1: Algeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Congo DR.

Pot 2: Burkina Faso, South Africa, Guinea, Uganda, Cabo Verde, Gabon, Benin, Zambia, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire.

Pot 3: Madagascar, Mauritania, Libya, Mozambique, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Niger, Central African Republic, Namibia, Guinea-Bissau.

Pot 4: Malawi, Angola, Togo, Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Djibouti.

BY Munyaradzi Madzokere

Zimbabwe car racing sensation Axcil Jefferies is delighted by a positive start to the season after his family cheered him, and his team Toksport WRT, on to a second place finish at the Dubai 24 Hour Race in the United Arab Emirates last week.

It is a great way to start the year for Jefferies’ team who agonisingly missed the podium in the last campaign after suffering a mechanical fault late in the race at the Austin Circuit of The Americas (COTA) 24-Hour Endurance Race in Texas last November.

The 24-year-old driver is looking to build upon the impressive performance going forward.

“I knew coming into 2020 this is the year I have to really be at my best so I trained very hard in the off season and I intend to carry the momentum through the year. The year has kicked off in a very positive way. Firstly, being invited by Toksport to join them again after the race in Austin Texas was nice,” Jefferies told Newsday Sport.

“The Dubai 24-hr always has one of the strongest driver fields, so it was important for me to do well. We all did an amazing job as a team and we finished in position two in the class.

So overall, I am very happy with a podium to kick of the year,” he added.

For Jefferies, the recent performance was made sweeter because of the fact that his parents were part of the iconic Dubai Autodrome crowd.

“It was nice to have my family supporting in Dubai and sharing the podium celebrations with me. With my busy racing schedule unfortunately my family cannot be at all the races, so it’s nice having them around sometimes,” Jefferies said.

“I would never be where I am if it was not for the support and sacrifices my family made for me over the last 20 years. Both my parents and my sister gave their all to see me succeed and I will for ever be grateful. My mum only attends a few races a year and she prefers to watch from home,” he said.

Axcil’s father Suhail has been his manager for the better part of his journey to become the first African driver to race in the competitions. His mother Jolyn has often been in the background while sister Melissa has attended many of his races. The next endurance race assignment for Jefferies is the The Hankook 12H Monza which will kick off the 24H Series Europe season from March 27-28 this year.

“I will be announcing my 2020 calendar in due course and hopefully it should be a busy and successful one. But I would like to thank everyone that has made it all possible and for all the support I get from so many different people around the world,” he said.

BY KENNETH NYANGANI/DARLINGTON MWASHITA

Police yesterday released 12 names of the 17 people who perished in a bus accident that occurred near Odzi along the Harare-Mutare Highway on Saturday evening.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi identified 12 people while two other names are being withheld as their next of kin have not yet been notified.

He said three other victims – two females and one male – were still to be identified and urged members of the public to visit Mutare Provincial Hospital to identify the bodies.

Among the people who died in the accident are General Bande Bus driver Emmanuel Munhuwenyu from Mutare and conductor Milton Mayaveni.

Others are Aaron Jambaya, Shanel Dumbura (an infant aged 5 from Mutare), Cecil Vumbunu (54), Irvene Marware from Mutare, Francis Masonza from Mutare, Jane Chikukwa (Rusape), Tanatswa Foroma (Mutare), Zoey Nyanyiwa (65) (Mutare), Sabie Mukweza (75) Mutare, and Tawana Sigauke (Mutare).

Fourteen people died on the spot while three others died on admission at Mutare Provincial Hospital after a haulage truck which was carrying timber was involved in a head-on collision with a General Bande bus.

Police said preliminary investigations indicated that the bus driver was speeding and the bus burst its left front tyre, leading to the
accident.

Meanwhile, two people died on Sunday evening, while four others were seriously injured when a Mitsubishi Colt they were travelling in veered off the road and crashed into a tree after the driver hit a pedestrian along Luveve Road near Josiah Chinamano Primary School, Emakhandeni in Bulawayo.

Bulawayo Fire Brigade senior divisional officer Linos Phiri confirmed the accident yesterday.

“Six people, who were involved in the car accident, are Bukhosibakhe Mlilo (driver), Sibonginkosi Mpofu (24), Senzo Ndebele (32), Modester Zakariya (26), Sibusiso Nyathi, a male juvenile, Prince Ndebele (13) and the pedestrian was not identified,” Phiri said, adding that the driver, who was trapped in the car, died before the Fire Brigade could rescue him.

Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the accident and urged drivers to exercise caution when driving on wet and slippery roads.

BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE

STUDENTS at Njube High School in Bulawayo yesterday staged a demonstration led by A-Level students over a 478% fees hike.

The school administration reportedly increased fees from $92 to $440 this term.

Students, who were carrying the portrait of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the national flag marched on the streets expressing their disgruntlement over the fees hikes and deteriorating education standards at the school.

Authorities at the school had to call riot police who stopped the protest.

The police rounded up the students, mainly the seniors, who participated in the protest before taking them to a classroom where they were questioned over the demonstration.

When Southern Eye crew visited the school, the students were still being questioned by the police.

One of the students said they were protesting in solidarity with other pupils who could not afford the new fees.

“When the fees were $92 some of the students could not afford them and now the fees have been raised to $440. Another issue is that we buy our own books, so we do not understand why the fees have been hiked,” she said.

“However, this ended up being something that was not planned, it was supposed to be peaceful, but it ended up being a rumpus.”

The students, who were rounded up by the police, were asked to write down their names.

“With the police now taking our records and everything, we do not mind giving out details, but taking our records, who knows what is going to happen next. We are actually worried about the next step,” a student
said.

Students said by carrying the portrait of the President they were sending a direct message to him on behalf of all students in Zimbabwe that they were suffering and their future was being washed down the drain.

The learners were also armed with the notes which contained their complaints to the authorities.

“I was in the classroom writing and a teacher came and said let us go for a march and I did not know where we were going, but I joined the march…SOS — save our souls — this is for every Zimbabwean child, Unicef where are you?” read the note.

“Unicef where are you? We have suffered a lot, all we need is help and may you change things.”

Acting district schools inspector Zenzele Myambo said she was not allowed to speak to the Press and referred all questions to the provincial education director Olicah Kaira.

When contacted for comment, Kaira said she was in a meeting before switching off her mobile phone.

BY PRECIOUS CHIDA

CULTURE music has long been considered flabby among youthful artistes, despite it having placed the country on the world map through artistes such as Stella Chiweshe, who is well known globally for her singing and playing of the mbira dzavadzimu, a traditional instrument of the Shona people of Zimbabwe (a Bantu ethnic group native to southern Africa).

There seems to be a shift in the music industry as artistes of this era retrace their roots, with many of them making music which leaves fans in a trance.

Popular dancehall musician Winky D became immensely spiritual in his previous album Gombwe, the name that has a deep Afrocentric self-titling which shows someone who is steeped in spiritual wisdom, digging into his traditional African social and emotional repertoire to create a discography that makes him the social n’anga.

Killer T’s album Handigumbuke showed his understanding of the religious dynamics in Zimbabwe and delivered songs that connected to the masses who often view dancehall as secular music and also appealing to the mature and traditional audience with Rovai Makuva.

Ashton “Mbeu” Nyahora with his latest album The Mhodzi Diaries also shows a shift in his music with themes that relate to ancestral spirits dominating the product.

Mbeu believes his music is moving towards culture since he now appreciates the importance of tradition.

“The driving force behind my shifting or moving towards singing about our tradition or having our traditional sound dominating their signature, is because it’s been a journey of finding myself and a time comes, as you mature, that you relate to your culture and as you grow older, you begin to appreciate the richness of your indigenous language so much that even on an international collaboration you feel you want to do it with your indigenous traditions,” he said.

Arts promoter Benjamin Nyandoro said musicians had been affected by globalisation, but have become exhausted with it which has made them retrace their footsteps back to their roots.

“Musicians as they become more influential assume a role of setting the way of doing things and they sing about a way of life that speaks to what people can relate to. Globalisation risks one losing own culture and values, but once they have been there, they begin to feel the void,” he said.

He applauded artistes who have adapted to this mantra which he says is helping to preserve cultural norms.

“It is important that young Zimbabweans now lead the conversations of preserving our culture, norms and values. The role of musicians cements the growing trend. You may notice how we now like calling ourselves by totem, how we celebrate giving our kids native names. It’s a great wave and builds a strong foundation of belonging,” he said.

Veteran producer Clive “Mono” Mukundu said there is some kind of cultural awakening that is happening among the youths.

“Remember it used to be very taboo or was seen as backward to be seen holding a mbira instrument, but because of the influence of artistes like the late Oliver Mtukudzi and so much information on social media there are many young artists who are beginning to embrace their culture more,” he said.

“I notice this a lot since I work in the studio. As a result, I interact with artistes a lot and I am noticing this too. This has, therefore, proved that it has become a silent revolution against how religion was used to suppress our culture.”

Several artistes, who however, established themselves from the onset as traditional musicians include Thomas Mapfumo, Mukudzei ‘Jah Prayzah’ Mukombe, Hope Masike, Vee Mpofu and Diana Samkange, among others.