BY LIFE & STYLE REPORTER

AFTER a series of conversations and lively studio sessions, the Dreams of a Better Zimbabwe riddim on a reggae/dancehall tip that features some of the country’s top voices was recently released on the Song Zimbabwe’s YouTube channel.

In a statement, Song Africa said through the Dreams of a Better Zimbabwe riddim, whose themes centre on hope, love and resilience, they seek to uplift music enthusiasts especially Zimbabweans and encourage them to hold onto their hope and deep love for the country.

“Artists and creatives play a critical role in society. They can inspire citizens and communities to dream and work together for the Zimbabwe we want. Throughout history when societies have been stuck in the dark ages, it has been artists who have been able to break the impasse and lead the way to enlightenment,” read the statement.

“We hope that we will see a better Zimbabwe where generations will thrive and be proud of their country, the intense love so many of us have for this beloved Zimbabwe and the resilience to remain standing and not succumb to anything that wants to eat away at our hope and love.”

Song Africa saluted the artistes who featured on the riddim among them dancehall sensation Guspy Warrior, Amara Brown (pictured), Ras Caleb and Ishan, describing them as amazing musicians who expressed what is in their hearts in an electrifying and passionate way.

“The reggae and dancehall genre, which has such a wide base among our people in Zimbabwe, has historically been associated with messages which are conscious, uplifting and inspiring.”

Some of the songs on the Dreams of a Better Zimbabwe riddim are Stand Tall Zimbabwe that features a group of powerful voices on the music scene who include Ras Caleb, Ishan, Amp, and Dhadza D.

The other track, Rise Like Eagles, features a wonderful mix of gifted artistes such as Guspy Warrior, Ammara Brown, Ninja Lipsy and Amp, Nutty O, while the Easy on the Ears instrumental was produced by DJ Tamuka and Amp, Rodney Beatz.

BY FIDELITY MHLANGA

THE United Nations(UN) has painted a bleak picture of Zimbabwe’s economic outlook saying the economy shrank 5,5% last year and is envisaged to contract by another 2,5% in 2020.
The UN’s annual report, the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2020, forecasts a modest acceleration in global growth, reaching 2,5% in 2020 and 2,7% in 2021.

“The economy of Zimbabwe is experiencing a severe crisis amid foreign currency shortages, elevated public debt and uncontrolled inflation. In a number of countries, however — particularly those with severe macroeconomic imbalances — inflation is elevated In Zimbabwe, economic and financial conditions have deteriorated substantially, prompting the return of hyperinflation,” reads the UN report.

Authorities in Zimbabwe are, however, anticipating a 3% economic growth in 2020.

According to the global body there is also an elevated risk that difficult economic conditions in some countries in southern Africa could become more entrenched, leading to prolonged recessions in Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

The UN said political conflicts, social instability and security concerns are major downside risks across the continent and can affect the short-term outlook in many countries in the region
The 236-page report, produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the UN’s five regional economic commissions, chronicles that public debt levels exceed 100% of gross domestic product in countries such as Cape Verde, the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Mozambique and Sudan. It also revealed that some economies with lower debt ratios, including Zimbabwe, face increasing repayment burdens.

Economist Persistence Gwanyanya said a contraction of 5,5% last year could be conservative as the economy underwent serious challenges in the past year.

“I am not so sure how the UN arrived at its projections, but I am pretty confident the economy contracted in 2019. I actually think the 5,5% economic contraction is on the conservative side as the government, which is normally unrealistically conservative is even estimating a decline of 6,5% in 2019.”

“Government’s initial projection of 3% reflects the effects of unforeseen eventualities namely the devastating effects of drought and Cyclone ldai. Importantly, the estimated contraction reflects the impact of monetary reforms, which I am now convinced our policymakers did not anticipate. The mere fact that we did a supplementary budget of $10,5 billion in July 2019, which was even higher than the initial budget of US$8,2 billion bears testimony to my assertion of lack of deeper understanding of the true nature of our country’s economic challenges and, importantly, the effects of monetary reforms,” Gwanyanya said.

He added that a contraction of 2,5% was overambitious due to the fact that the economy is still wallowing in great distress.

“We still see the projected 2,5% as overambitious in light of the number of downside risks to growth this year. The 2019/20 agriculture season is not promising to be good due to late and erratic rains as well as poor preparedness on behalf of farmers who were previously supported by Command Agriculture programme, which was transformed into Smart Agriculture at a time prices of agricultural inputs shot up due to the effects of monetary reforms.

“All these mean greater need for the country to import food to support the vulnerable groups of the population at a time the strategic grain reserve of the country is depleting. The increasing trend towards dedollarisation is going to take a heavy toll on revenue performance due to a sharp decrease in the 2% intermediated money transfer tax. Also worrying is the political impasse which will certainly weigh down on economic performance,” said Gwanyanya.

Economist John Robertson pointed out that a prediction of a more than 10% contraction would be realistic because nothing has changed to transform the country’s economic fortunes.

“Projections of more than 10% are realistic for 2020 because of power, water, fuel shortages that have not changed. Investor confidence is till at its lowest. Government has not done much to improve investor confidence. We need to work very hard to overcome the handicap of not keeping promises. If promises are not kept, investors lose confidence. We are in for a difficult year. Government should fulfil its promises on improving the ease of doing business,” Robertson said.

United Kingdom-domiciled global business intelligence entity, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), early this month projected the economy to shrink by 13% this year.

Zimbabwe featured among the worst performers, coming second to Venezuela whose economy is envisaged to contract by 20,5% according to the EIU report released early this month.

BY SHARON SIBINDI

BROOKLYN Films International 2020 director Tinashe Gijima said his current production, Scars/Amanxeba, whose third episode shooting started yesterday is a feminist project.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style yesterday, Gijima said part of the feature film’s episodes seek to unpack some of the causes of the girl children dropping out of school and also amplify on the importance of culture.

“Scars is a Zimbabwean feature film set in an old village where there is no electricity or any type of public services. This is a youthful creative project which shall unpack the facts and myths of our Zimbabwean society,” he said.

“The film’s richness roots from the empowerment of women, the importance of the education of a girl child, gender equality and a lesson to men to stop gender-based violence. It also highlights the impact of culture, HIV and Aids yesterday and today.”

Gijima said Scars/Amanxeba, written and co-produced by John Mabuyane of Kingbubble and Nothando Vuyiso Moyo unpacks the inner voice and unveils the untold.

“I was born in a primitive society in which women had no voice or rather less or no education at all, their rights not recognised, suppressed by the demands of a typical patriarchal society. A society that pigeonhole women into stereotyped roles,” he said.

“It is in such a society where we find principles, morals and values remaining stagnant and core roots of the challenge a girl child faces today. In this rigid setting we find culture being the four pillars of the community. It becomes a catalyst to the rampant spread of HIV, the disease that cripples the society giving birth to certain myths surrounding the cause of many deaths in the village.”

He said the film dates back to an era that questioned the impact of culture on HIV and Aids and young women and how its branches have stretched to date.

“Will one woman’s story marked with hope and stoicism be able to change people’s hearts?

Domestic violence, child marriages, teenage pregnancies become a serious concern in this village and young girls drop out of school as a result and arranged marriages become the order of the day,” he said.

“How do we curb these effects and close the tap to the new generation? Scars leaves one in a state of self-introspection. Change must begin with the community. This is a film that will be seen for decades as it holds part of our social and cultural history.”

Some of the cast of the film shot in Umguza, include Donna from SkyzMetro FM who is the lead actress, Charmaine Mudau of Urban Culxure, award-winning model and ambassador of Mr Zimbabwe BenChest.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

TELECEL Zimbabwe says its operations have been affected mainly by limited funding for a long period of time, in the face of challenging economic conditions in the country.
In a statement, Telecel said though it faced some challenges, it was not on the brink of collapse and continues to offer quality service to its customers.

“Like all other local organisations, Telecel Zimbabwe’s operations have been affected by a host of factors, both macro and micro economic, but attributed mainly to limited funding for the company over a long period of time, in the face of challenging economic conditions in Zimbabwe.

“Specifically, rapid depreciation of the local currency and the levels of tariffs increases approved, which continue to lag behind inflation, have affected the ability to meet the foreign currency-denominated obligations, especially spares for equipment and service level agreements and support,” the company said.

Government is the major shareholder after acquiring from Amsterdam-based VimpelCom (now Veon) 60% shareholding in the third largest telecom company and is in the process of buying the remaining 40%.

The remaining shareholding is controlled by James Makamba through Kestrel Corporation, the Indigenous Business Women Organisation through Jane Mutasa’s Selporn Investments, Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation, Affirmative Action Group, War Veterans’ Association and Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union
The mobile operator has, however, been the subject of a share ownership battle over the years. In October last year, the High Court ruled in favour of once-exiled Makamba in a long drawn-out Telecel Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd share ownership battle with a war veterans’ organisation, Magamba eChimurenga Housing Trust.

Workers at the mobile network operator last wee raised a red flag over the state of affairs at the company, saying it faces imminent collapse unless government urgently intervenes to rescue the entity.

In order to mitigate these challenges, Telecel said it had been on a very aggressive import substitution and local skills transfer drive.

It also decried power outages which have resulted in the company’s operating costs ballooning due to the use of alternative power, particularly diesel, and has in turn affected base station availability in many parts of the country.

The company is, however, in advanced discussions with the power authorities and officials in the Ministry of Energy to ensure a dedicated power line to its switching centres.

In addition, the company is investing in alternative power solutions such as Tesla solar batteries for its base stations.

Telecel said it continues to engage all the relevant authorities to ensure that the tariffs are adjusted in line with the cost movement of other basic operational costs.

“The Telecel board and shareholders are aware of the ongoing challenges. Plans are underway to address the issue of recapitalisation and in this regard, a five-year strategic plan has already been formulated and adopted,” the statement reads.

“The finalisation of all outstanding financial statements is on course and this will open avenues for new funding from financial institutions.”

BY HENRY MHARA

WARRIORS striker Tino Kadewere has reportedly snubbed what could have been a lucrative move to the English Premier League (EPL) – widely regarded as the best league in the world – after weekend reports suggested that he has decided to stay in France with a move to Olympique Lyonnais imminent.

The 24-year-old former Harare City striker is hot property across Europe 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.

Reports suggest that top European teams are jostling for the striker, 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 have also reportedly inquired about Kadewere.

Warriors fans, most of them popular with the EPL, were hoping that Kadewere would follow his compatriot Marvellous Nakamba to England by joining one of the sides who had shown interest in him.

Nakamba plays for Aston Villa.

However, the fans will be disappointed to learn that the lanky Highfield-born marksman has decided to remain in France, where he has reportedly agreed personal terms with Olympique Lyonnais, popularly known as Lyon.

Local daily Paris-Normandie reported at the weekend that what is only left is for Lyon and Kadewere’s club Le Havre to agree terms.

The French Ligue 1 side has reportedly tabled €15 million after their initial €10m offer was rebuffed last week.

The new offer, according to the media outlet, would be difficult for the French Ligue 2 side to turn down.

The media outlet reported that the deal could be announced as soon as today.

“At the beginning of this week, there would be a huge transfer that is expected to happen in Le Havre. On Monday (yesterday), or perhaps Tuesday (today), Le Havre and Lyonnais leaders will meet around a table in order to finalise the conditions for the transfer of Tino Kadewere. Even more serious, it will also involve sealing an agreement concerning the immediate departure to OL (Lyon) for the current top scorer in Ligue 2,” reported the outlet.

The newspaper reported that Lyon wanted the player as soon as he signs the contract, while Le Havre want a deal which will allow them to take their star back on loan for the remainder of the season.

Le Havre are fighting for promotion to the Ligue 1 and they fear that losing their star striker would disrupt their season target.

“Kadewere seems to have his mind turned already towards Lyon although he remains grateful to Le Havre. Le Havre have high hopes of a return to Ligue 1 next spring, even going through the play-off route. Without its main striker though, it would be difficult for them. Without his goals, Le Havre would indeed be down on the log standings at the moment, perhaps not even in contention for league promotion,” the report read.

Le Havre are currently sixth on the log standings, just one rung from a promotion play-off position.

“Letting go of the Zimbabwean international would undoubtedly weaken the team, and this could potentially ruin relations between the club management and the coach who has often relied on his precious centre forward and intends to keep him until the end of the season. The supporters will also be naturally unhappy with the decision because they fear the club will not be able to find a suitable replacement.”

Lyon are desperate to sign strikers after injuries to their superstar forward Mephis Depay while striker Moussa Dembele is rumoured to be on his way to the EPL. They have reportedly agreed terms with striker Toko Ekambi, currently with Spanish league side Villarreal and want to wrap up Kadewere’s deal as soon as possible.

The giants, with seven league titles in France, are in the knockout stages of the Champions League where they will face Christiano Ronaldo’s Juventus.

BY TINOTENDA SAMUKANGE

It is early morning on Saturday as dark clouds threatened light showers, and possibly a heavy downpour. Dressed in dirty and torn garments, Charlton Chirenje and his three brothers head for the streets for their daily hustle.

They are in the business of collecting empty plastic bottles and disposed leftovers from dumping sites in some of Harare’s suburbs. They use some of the garbage to brew an illegal traditional distilled beverage called kachasu, which they sell in their neighbourhood of Dzivarasekwa and other surrounding suburbs to imbibers who can no longer afford formally-brewed brands.

Kachasu is an illegal traditional beverage common in Zambia, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi where it is consumed mainly in rural parts and poor urban suburbs.

It is normally brewed from maize, though finger millet and various fruits like banana peels can also be used. The process involves adding brewers’ yeast together with the carbohydrate sources such as maize husks to warm water and heating the mixture for a few minutes and then distilling it after it has fully fermented.

Chirenje told NewsDay that they dress like vagrants or insane people to attract public empathy for food or clothes and also to disguise their identity from family and friends as they go about their daily business.

As he scouts for empty plastic bottles something unusual happens, he finds a sealed black plastic bag.

It turns out to be a disposed 2kg chicken that was putrid, probably thrown away because of the incessant power cuts that have become a daily routine in Zimbabwe.

The quartet wastes no time to set the fire at the centre of the dumping site in Kuwadzana Extension. They appeared well-equipped with their cooking utensils — a pot, a bottle of water and salt ready to make their main meal of the day.

When conducting their daily hustle, the Chirenjes cannot afford a meal or anything decent to put in their stomachs. So throughout the day, they have to make do with whatever discarded leftovers they may come across in either bins or dumping sites as long as its palatable.

“If we get selective of what to eat, it means we have to spend the whole day without eating anything as food has become very expensive. We are trying to make ends meet so that we can at least feed our families,” Charlton said.

The World Food Programme on New Year’s eve said it plans to feed at least four million of Zimbabwe’s estimated eight million hungry people this year, but said the international community has not raised the money yet.

“We wake up around 3am, every Saturday because we know council normally collects refuse on this day so most households put their bins outside the gates and it is this time that we move around searching for empty plastic bottles and leftovers. So far we have covered parts of Kuwadzana and probably by midday we might be heading towards Whitehouse and Whitecliff areas” Charlton said.

With the prevailing harsh economic situation and high unemployment rate most youths, men, women and children are left with no option, but to engage in the informal sector for survival no matter how dangerous or hazardous it may be.

The quartet seemed unconcerned that they were consuming contaminated food that could have long-term effects on their health, but rather believe that God was on their side and would continue to protect them as long as they are still alive.

“We have survived similar hard times before, God is for the poor and he will not leave us to starve. You don’t know what our friends are eating, some are eating dogs as we speak. We are so lucky we picked a chicken. It just needs proper boiling so that we kill all the germs.”

“I have a wife and five children. My eldest son is 22 years old, he works as a car park guard in Dzivarasekwa Extension earning about $20 per day. My wife also collects bottles with us, but today we left her as she is the one running the brewery and sales while we are moving in search of more bottles” Charlton added.

The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Network System, or Fewsnet in December said scorched Zimbabwe looks set to continue being barked into 2020 in the wake of another devastating drought. And if that happens it will leave the poverty-stricken Zimbabweans scratching for food until at least March 2021, and with about 90% adults outside formal work, most people face poverty.

“We have to keep moving and searching for more bottles despite the threatening rains. This year doesn’t look good in every aspect. We couldn’t afford maize seed, but we tried mapfunde (sorghum) hopefully by the beginning of February we can also gamble with sweet potatoes” Charlton said.

The elder Chirenje brother added: “We brew about 60 litres of kachasu per day and sell an average of 20 litres per day. A pint of kachasu is 500ml. We sell it for $10 each, that means we get about $400 in cash per day. We then convert that money into EcoCash at a premium of 30% and we get about $520.

“Since we stay at the same compound, we cook in one pot and we share everything we eat. But on better days, we can convert our cash into EcoCash so that each person can get at least $130 as pocket money for their personal use” he said.

To people who have lost hope in government, Charlton and his brothers seem neither bothered nor affected by the current political tussle.

According to Fewsnet’s November report, “the persisting poor macro-economic environment continues to impact livelihoods and remains a key driver of the near-record levels of rural and urban food insecurity. The high parallel market exchange rates for foreign currency still largely influence the pricing of most goods and services”.

BY EVERSON MUSHAVA

CHURCHES have vowed to pressure President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to come up with strict measures to ensure that all millers who get grain under the government maize subsidy programme sell mealie-meal at subsidised prices.

Speaking to NewsDay after the national executive meeting of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Churches Council (Zacc), a grouping of indigenous churches, held in Harare on Thursday last week, patron of the grouping Jimayi Muduvuri said the churches had resolved to push Mnangagwa to ensure that subsidised commodities remain affordable.

The call comes at a time maize meal is in short supply and mostly found on the black market.

“This year, as churches, through our branch of consumer power, we will work tirelessly to make sure that government acts to ensure that the prices of commodities from companies that are supported by government remain low,” Muduvuri said.

“Right now, mealie-meal is in short supply and can only be found on the black market highly priced yet some millers are getting subsidised maize. This should come to an end.”

Last month, the government scrapped maize subsidies, but reintroduced them after a public outcry over high prices. To control the prices, government introduced a roller meal subsidy programme that required millers to be registered with the Industry and Commerce ministry.

However, the Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ), a voluntary business organisation representing the interests of millers, raised the red flag after 60 of its members were denied registration, claiming the registration process was clandestinely done to favour big companies, leaving small-scale millers in the cold.

This, GMAZ said, was creating an artificial shortage of the staple food. Muduvuri said the wave of price hikes, especially on the staple food was synonymous with exposing the population to a new wave of economic sanctions.

“We are crying against the Western-imposed sanctions on the country, but the prices by profiteering businesses in Zimbabwe are a form of sanctions on the population,” he said.

Akon is set to build his own city, which is going to be known as Akon City. Reports are that this city will be powered by cryptocurrency.

At first, there were so many doubts concerning this issue but the African superstar confirmed this himself on his Twitter account. In the tweet, he talked about how agreements between him and the country of Senegal had actually been finalised. This means that Akon City is coming to life as he started on real money online casinos. In the Twitter post, he went on to say that he was looking forward to hosting people there in the future.

Back in 2018, CNN reported that Akon’s Akon City was going to be built on a piece of land that was 2,000 acres big. The CNN article also noted that the piece of land was going to come from Macky Sall, who is the president of Senegal, as a gift.

Back then, it was reported that Akon City was going to be just five minutes away from the country’s international airport. However, at the moment, it is still to be confirmed if the piece of land that Akon was gifted is the confirmed site for the star’s city.

Akon City to be Cryptocurrency Powered

It came as a surprise to a lot of people that the city was going to be powered by cryptocurrency only. Another huge surprise was the fact that it wasn’t any of the known cryptocurrencies that is going to be used in Akon City. Instead, Akoin is the cryptocurrency that will be used there. If you are wondering what this is, let us explain. Akoin is Akon’s own cryptocurrency. In 2018, it was reported that all transactions in Akon City are going to be done using Akoin. So far, it’s really hard to gauge what Akon’s cryptocurrency is worth as there hasn’t been any paper work yet.

At the moment, it seems all we can do is play our favourite best payout casino online games and see how things pan out.

OPPOSITION MDC leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday said his planned party rally scheduled for tomorrow at Mbare’s Stodart Hall would go ahead after being verbally cleared by the police.

BY EVERSON MUSHAVA/MOSES MATENGA

The rally was initially scheduled for Wednesday last week at Mai Musodzi Hall, but police declined to clear the event, claiming it had the potential of disrupting the opening of schools’ first term on Tuesday January 14.

The party yesterday said it was mobilising its members to attend the event in their thousands.

Chamisa wants to use the occasion to spell out the MDC’s course of action for 2020 after most of their previous programmes were blocked by State security agencies.

“The address is on at 10am in Mbare, Stodart Hall,” Chamisa said in an interview with NewsDay.

“The address will be speaking to a programme of action for the nation: The big questions the nation is facing. It’s an agenda-setting address.”

MDC Harare provincial chairperson Wellington Chikombo confirmed that they had received verbal police clearance for the rally, which comes a few days after the law enforcement agents raided the opposition party’s headquarters claiming they were looking for machetes and other subversive materials.

“The police have cleared our presidential Sona (State of the nation address) to be addressed by none other than the people’s president,” he said.

MDC national organising secretary Amos Chibaya confirmed that police had verbally given them the greenlight and he was set to get the clearance letter today.

Chamisa rubbished government claims that he wanted to use the event to incite mass uprisings.

“They say we want to incite violence. If we want to incite violence, can we do that by an address? The biggest dilemma we have is an opposition that is in government and a government that is in opposition. Zanu PF has an opposing mentality, always opposing people’s freedom because it does not have the mandate of the people,” he said .

The youthful opposition leader has refused to recognise President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s leadership, accusing him of rigging the 2018 elections.

Several meetings by the opposition leader have, of late, been quashed by police and sometimes the army stepping in to violently disperse crowds.

When last week the police raided the Morgan Tsvangirai House searching for subversive materials, they accused the opposition of sponsoring a reign of terror through machete-wielding artisanal miners, popularly known as MaShurugwi, who are currently raiding mining communities across the country.

But Chamisa yesterday insinuated that “these are acts of command violence were directed from the top,” and challenged Mnangagwa to stop the gangsters before they become a national security threat.

“What is bizarre is that Mnangagwa has taken a very outrageous disposition, hear nothing, see nothing, say nothing and do nothing while the mabhemba menace continues,” Chamisa said.

“The machete or mabhemba movement is a real threat to national security and economic stability. The country’s economic recovery, without a good image of our country, will be difficult.”

He said the police raid on his party headquarters proved that Mnangagwa’s government has mastered the Selous Scout strategy of labelling, blaming and condemning to justify a crackdown on innocent people.

“Cowards are always afraid and violent. The guilty are afraid and when you confiscate your neighbour’s goat, you hardly sleep well. You know no peace. The slightest of sounds, you think that you are under siege. Even the sound of a neighbour coming to help becomes intimidating,” he said.

“They are now uncomfortable because they know what they did. How can you look for machetes at the party offices? We don’t have any mines. They are actually using tactics that even (Ian) Smith did not use on them,” Chamisa added.
But Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi denied claims that government was reluctant to rein in the marauding machete gangs.

“There is no silence. Police have arrested in excess of a thousand of them and more are being hunted down,” Mutodi said.

“All those who have committed crimes in mining areas are being brought to book and so far, a good number has been jailed. President Mnangagwa has clearly called for peace in the mining sector, accepting that the artisanal miners are important for our gold production, but also insisting that they should conduct their business under the ambit of the law.”