SUCCESS LIFE: Jonah Nyoni

WE live in a globe that is uncertain, fast, culturally diverse and volatile. As a result, that seeks competitive, capable and versatile corporate leaders to guide the ship and stay afloat. The late leadership guru, Warren Bennis (1989: 112-113) in his book Why Leaders Can’t Lead said: “The fact is that there are so many predicaments, too many grievances, too many ironies, polarities, dichotomies, dualities, ambivalences, paradoxes, contradictions, confusions, complexities, and messes…”. This requires intuitive leadership. As a leader, to find yourself on the forefront of change and success, there are things that you should embrace. This applies to both corporate leaders and entrepreneurs.

Be more

As business grows in global markets, we have seen the emergence of unlikely leaders. In the past, they might have been called psychopaths, but now they lead in their own right even if they have not been designated. You talk of Mark Zuckerberg of the Facebook, Bill Gates of the Microsoft and Richard Branson of the Virgin Airlines. They don’t stand as ordinary managers, but news making leaders. Again, Warren Bennis (1989: 45) in his book, On Becoming a Leader, gave significant juxtapositions between leadership and management.

“The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager is a copy; the leader is original. The manager maintains; the leader develops. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his eyes always on the bottom line; the leader has his eyes on the horizon. The manager initiates; the leader originates. The manager accepts the status quo, the leader challenges it. The manager does things right; the leaders does the right thing”

Stay competitive

Being pro-active is one characteristic that keeps the leader upbeat and leading the game. The leader evades being irrelevant by growing himself, especially through learning, listening, looking and linking. As a leader, you should bring remedies to new plights! Be innovative and creative to keep yourself competitive! Arie de Geus said, “The ability to learn faster than your competitors, maybe the sustainable competitive advantage.”

Eye the next bounce of the ball

The information and technology industry will prove to us that what was useful yesterday, could wake up obsolete today. As leaders, we should be amenable to change and have an eye for change. To every traditional leader, the frank truth is that change is inevitable. An all-time classic quote by Eric Hoffer (1898-1983) says, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists”.

Results speak

Your results as a leader can never lie. Results don’t come coincidentally but by an action. To start off a great destiny, plan your work, and then work your plan. To every effect there is a cause, whether good or bad. The most failures or problems we see today are in most cases caused by a human phenomenon that is what we normally call a “leadership crisis”. For me, that’s the worst disease that could ever infect any company, church or country.

Embrace integrative complexity

The law of integrative complexity says that an individual (despite the background and the circumstantial surroundings), that “integrates” and “uses” the greatest amount of information in any field soon rises to the top of that field. According to Brian Tracy in his book 21 Success Secrets Of Self-Made Millionaires, when you read for an hour every day, it translates to a book a week. One book a week translates to 50 plus books a year.

Fifty books a year adds up to 500 books in 10 years. This makes you gain a competitive edge over all others who are living by. As a leader you become a pro in any field of your choice. Most people hardly finish reading just a single book in a year.

Embrace learning agility

The times are turbulent, treacherous, tough, trying and taunting to those who don’t want to adopt and adapt. The leader has to be willing to quickly adopt new tools, techniques that are relevant in solving complex problems, in confronting new hurdles and facing new challenges of our times. The leader has to constantly and continually be developing, growing and using emerging tools.

Cashman (2013) in the Forbes says that “learning agility is a key to unlocking our adaptation proficiency. It is “knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do.”

Research shows that learning agility is a reliable indicator of leadership potential because learning agile people “excel at absorbing information from their experiences and then extrapolating from those to navigate unfamiliar situations.” Learning agility is a complex set of skills that allows us to learn something in one situation and apply it in a completely different situation. It is about gathering patterns from one context and then using those patterns in a completely new context. In short, learning agility is the ability to learn, adapt, and apply ourselves in constantly morphing conditions.”

Tim Casasola, (2016) in an article The Most Important Trait Leaders Need For the 21st Century, says that to have the learning agility, you are:

“Innovative: You aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. Performing: You stay calm in the face of difficulty. Reflective: You take time to reflect on your experiences. Risking: You intentionally put yourself in challenging situations. Open-minded: You resist the temptation to be defensive and listen.”

Read seasons

Every leader should learn trends in seasons. Some corporates thought business would always be a boom for them, but forgetting that new season are coming; seasons that will change the consumption taste of the consumers. Great leaders don’t only wear jerseys in winter and stay indoors, but they see an opportunity to go skating and snowboarding and receive their rewards thereby. Producing a product whose season has passed is not only bad, but it’s a shear waste of resources and time. In seasons of harsh and hard times leaders derive lessons. In every obstruction, they choose to see and instruction. In times of plenty, they stock-up for the dry times ahead. They are enormously ready to embrace any situation with a positive attitude.

Pass on that baton

A transformed leader is not afraid to be succeeded. Leadership success is possible when we appreciate that the word “success” is inseparable from the word “successor”. Read that again! A leadership and management guru, Peter Drucker said, “There is no success without a successor”. But why are some leaders afraid to surrender the reigns to the other people? They think they are irreplaceable. They also suffer from insecurity, ego, and they think they are the only ones able to do it best. Allow others to lead in your place and that happens when you have empowered others. Empowerment does not end with passing skills and mindsets.

Parting Point: Linda Proctor in her Earn it & Enjoy It says: “Look around. The world is definitely changing, and it will never be the same again. Power is slipping away, disappearing from some circles, and reappearing in others.
Countries, companies and individuals who have held the power in the past are quickly losing it, if in fact they have not already watched it melt in their hands. Their often smug, sometimes selfish, domineering, complacent attitude has cost them dearly. They are confused and this confusion is frequently fuelled by their own ignorance.
When that happens it ultimately leads to anger or resentment – sometimes both. This negative energy is then quite frequently misdirected, possibly at their loved ones, which then causes an entire new set of problems.”

Jonah Nyoni is an author, success coach and certified leadership/business trainer. He is the author of Inspiration for Success and Success Within Reach.

Guest Column: Paidamoyo Muzulu

CHIPINGE is some small district in the south east of Zimbabwe, on the edge of the Mozambican border, well known not for its scenic environment, cooler temperatures or the tropical rainforests of Mt Selinda, but made infamous by the practice of dark arts.

Sekuru Chinengozi and Sekuru Ndunge have become household names across Zimbabwe, and for some unexplained reasons among Zimbabwe’s political elites.

Stories of swanky, sport utility vehicles treading the dirty, red clay soil of Chipinge are common.

What they seek from the men and women of dark arts remains a secret. Speculation, however, is abound that many travel there to seek fortune or power to lead the country at some point.

Zimbabweans for the second time in less than five months have had a small window to peep into the lives of the rich, powerful and famous politicians’ beliefs in the dark arts. Stories that send blood-chilling sensations, stuff for horror movies.

Only this week, Zimbabweans were introduced to the cults within one of the most powerful couples post-Robert Mugabe era — the Chiwengas (Constantino and Marry) via their ongoing acrimonious divorce at the High Court.

The retired army general has accused his wife of nine years of practicing witchcraft, performing rituals that he claimed have left their three minor children traumatised. Marry denies the allegations.

In his previous life, it was Chiwenga who faced the same allegations from his estranged wife, Joycelyn. There was accusation that the general then kept a coffin in his house and dabbled in black magic.

The public was denied the riveting divorce proceedings when the powerful general applied for a gag order against the media.

It looks certain that after all the dust has settled, the divorce may once again be held in camera, but for now, the circus continues.

Zimbabweans are still wondering about the late Mugabe’s instruction to his wife, Grace, that she was not supposed to leave his coffin unattended until his mortal remains were interred.

Some concluded that Mugabe was sadistic and enjoyed seeing other peole grieve, but his nephew let the cat out of the bag when he told the media — they were afraid some senior politicians would perform juju rituals on the Stateman’s corpse.

Grace stayed with the coffin for three solid weeks as the burial site was debated between the family and government.

The family, in a clear signal of their anger against the November 2017 military coup and subsequent ridiculing statements from the Lacoste faction — insinuating Mugabe was a sellout, snubbed the national shrine for a private family burial at his rural home in Zvimba.

It is an open secret that there is a general who does not officially stay with a wife and does not sleep on a bed.
Despite all his fortune and power, he still rolls on the floor each night because of suspected rituals.

A few years ago, a whole Cabinet, with more than five holders of doctorates, was duped by one Rotina Mavhunga, a traditional healer, who claimed she had found pure diesel oozing out of Maninga Hills in Chinhoyi.

The who-is-who in the security cluster went there, including current Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, to appease the spirits. Not one thought about the scientific creation of carbon-based fuels.

Mugabe in his last five years in power even accused then VP Joice Mujuru of witchcraft by consulting traditional leaders to find out if she was going to succeed the ailing leader. The episode caused her to lose her job, and resulted in declining political fortunes.

There is speculation surrounding ghosts at National Heroes Acre and some rituals performed in the dead of the night far from the prying eyes of the citizens.

Many families still do rituals at the graves of their loved ones and seek guidance from the dead.

Another case of suspected juju is the mysterious “black dog” that was responsible for the death of several Zanu PF leaders after Independence in 1980.

Some leaders became so afraid such that they would not drive their own vehicles.

However, after all is said and done, it can be argued that most political leaders in Zimbabwe are spiritual — believe in traditional healers or prophets.

While visits to traditional healers have been done in the dead of the night or mostly incognito, the fact remains, they believe in dark arts.

It surprises many that even though politics is scientific, our political leaders are spiritual. They believe in the bizarre and supernatural.

They consult traditional healers and prophets more often than they would read a book on development or governance.

Everything to them is spiritual. No wonder celebrity prophets and traditional healers have become obscenely rich.

For now divorces in Zimbabwe have given us a rare glimpse of the hair-raising rituals the political leaders engage in, the cultic practices and how they use their spiritualism to rise in their political careers.

Karl Marx could have been right when he wrote: “Religion is the opium of the masses.”

This has received new backing from scholars like Yuval Noah Harari, who in his book Homo Deus argues how spiritualism and myths are important in human lives.

However, he argues science is turning humans into man-god and scientists are close to defeating death and become immortal.

For now, with Sekuru Chinengozi and Sekuru Ndunge having joined their ancestors in the world yonder, Chipinge may have lost its lustre as the hunting ground for politicians, but that they are still consulting traditional healers is a fact.

Paidamoyo Muzulu is a journalist and writes here in his personal capacity.

Editorial Comment

IN our Friday edition of NewsDay, we carried a story where Zanu PF was reported to be shortlisting graduate teachers to undergo some form of compulsory political orientation at the Herbert Chitepo Ideological School as a pre-condition for joining the public service.

Although there is nothing wrong in moulding citizens that are sold out to the cause of their nation through the concept of patriotism, it becomes worrisome when the ruling party takes a leading role in a programme that is supposed to be led by government.

This Zanu PF-State conflation has been outed as the chief cause of the deep-seated polarisation that has rocked our country since independence, and needs to be nipped in the bud if we are to truly become one nation.

After the National Youth Programme failed to attract significant buy-in from the youth, it is quite unfortunate that Zanu PF thinks its desire to “orient” teachers through the Chitepo Ideological School before deployment is going to work. Patriotism can never be a Zanu PF project. It should be a national project that transcends narrow and parochial party interests.

The fact that the “orientation school” is housed at the Zanu PF headquarters, and that the party is particularly targeting graduate teachers who are members of the party and are set to undergo a “basic orientation course” debunks the notion that it is a national programme.

It is our hope, however, that this programme will not be used to ensure that only Zanu PF-linked graduate teachers will be able to secure employment on the basis of their political connection.

Opportunities for teaching should be availed to all qualified teachers regardless of their political affiliation.
The fact that the party will submit these names to the Public Service Commission raises a stink.

This can be deemed as interfering with the teaching profession, and could be an attempt to punish teachers aligned to the opposition as government has often accused the educators of colluding with the opposition and influencing students in that regard. These are practices that should be condemned to the dustbin of history.

The Zanu PF government should instead be seized with issues to do with improving teachers’ salaries and working conditions, rather than seeking to “orient” or “re-orient” grown-up graduates desperate for jobs.

Sean Williams

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO

ZIMBABWE cricket has not been at its best both on and off the field since the national team’s failure to qualify for last year’s ICC World Cup in England and the suspension by the ICC over alleged government interference in the administration of the sport.

The country’s senior national team and their Under-19 counterparts will, however, try to put all those forlorn experiences behind them when Zimbabwe’s hectic international cricket schedule sets into motion today.

Zimbabwe’s Under-19 cricket team gets their ICC Under-19 World Cup underway in South Africa today, 24 hours before a new look Chevrons side seeks a fresh start when they take on Sri Lanka in the first of the two-match Test series at Harare Sports Club tomorrow.

Having last featured at Test level during a tour of Bangladesh in November 2018 which ended deadlocked at one-all, Zimbabwe will be aiming for a positive return to the longer format of the game during the Test series against a strong Sri Lankan side.

The series against the sixth-ranked Indian Ocean Islanders will signal a new beginning for the Chevrons, who last week included five uncapped players in their 15-man squad as they begin life without their former captain Hamilton Masakadza and opener Solomon Mire, who both retired from international cricket last year.

All eyes will also be on the new Test captain Sean Williams as the talented all-rounder seeks to strike a good balance of individually leading the team from the front while also being the on-field tactician.

The elegant left-hander’s job, however, will not be any easier after strike bowler Tendai Chatara was ruled out of the Sri Lanka series having sustained a bicep injury, while former vice-captain PJ Moor was omitted from the squad.

Williams, though, can take comfort in the knowledge that his other key players — attack-leader Kyle Jarvis and batsman Brendan Taylor — have performed well domestically, while the trio of Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza and Regis Chakabva will also provide the much-needed experience.

While the focus tomorrow will be on the Chevrons as they seek a new beginning, the future of Zimbabwean cricket will be on show when the national Under-19 side takes on Bangladesh in their opening Group C match at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, South Africa, today.

After beating South Africa and New Zealand while challenging India in the recent Quadrangular tournament‚ the Prosper Utseya-coached Under-19 team will be quietly confident of reaching the Super League (quarter-finals) stage of the competition.

In the group phase, Zimbabwe will play against Scotland and Pakistan, respectively, on January 22 and 25 after the campaign opener against Bangladesh.

After the group matches, the top two teams of each group will qualify for the Super League, while the bottom two teams will have to play in Plate stage (quarter-finals).

The winners of Super League (quarter-finals) will advance to the semi-finals, while the winners of the Plate (quarter-finals) will qualify for the Plate semifinals.

At the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, Zimbabwe finished 11th out of 16 teams, having taken 10th spot at the 2016 tournament staged in Bangladesh.

Conrad Rautenbach

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

TWO-TIME African Rally champion Conrad Rautenbach shone like a beacon at the just-ended 2020 Dakar Rally, where he narrowly missed a place on the podium after finishing fourth overall, while compatriot Graeme Sharp became the first Zimbabwean to finish the competition on a bike.

Zimbabwe had two representatives at the event, which was being held in Saudi Arabia for the first time.

Dakar Rally, which is the biggest off-road endurance event in the world, roared into life on January 5 and came to a conclusion yesterday.

Rautenbach, who finished an impressive ninth in his debut appearance at the competition, resultantly being voted Rookie of the Year in 2017, was gunning for the championship this time around.

But the 35-year-old Zimbabwean, alongside Portuguese co-driver Pedro Bianchi Prata in their PH-Sport buggy, could only settle for fourth place out of 41 drivers in the SSV category.

The Zimbabwean, who has competed at the World Rally Championships, was 1 hour 12 minutes behind class winner American Casey Currie at the end of the gruelling 12 stages, covering almost 7 900km.

Russian Sergei Kariakin and Francisco Lopez Contardo, from Chile, completed the podium, finishing second and third, respectively.

Toyota sponsored Rautenbach at the Dakar rally.

Sharp also achieved his dream of becoming the first local bike rider to finish the tough rally after he finished overall 74th in debut appearance.

The 33-year-old, who was riding for Bas Dakar KTM Racing team, immediately took to Facebook to celebrate his milestone.

“Guys, we made it! I didn’t think this day would come, but it’s here and I feel very honoured and privileged — what an amazing feeling! Back in #Zimbabwe, I think we are going through our own Dakar and it’s pretty tough — but the wheels keep turning and we will get to the end. So grateful for this opportunity and thank you everyone who helped me on #mydakarsafari!” he wrote.

The Dakar Rally bike section registered 147 entrants this year and Sharp did not have the best of starts after finishing the first stage in position 115.

But the rally bike racer gradually improved during the course of the event producing his best ride in Stage 4, where he finished 69th, while he achieved position 83th in the final stage yesterday.

American Ricky Brabec won the bike class, while Chilean Pablo Quintanilla was second and defending champion Australian Toby Price settled for third.

Knowledge Musona was unveiled by AS Eupen yesterday

BY HENRY MHARA

WARRIORS striker Knowledge Musona says he is ready to fight and resuscitate his faltering career, and his loan move to AS Eupen yesterday will provide an ideal opportunity for that.

The Belgian league side announced the capture of the forward on loan from Anderlecht until the end of the season.
If he impresses, the deal will be made permanent.

“I got to know the club and the team in the training camp in Doha and this week‚ and during the training in Eupen and I got a very good impression‚” Musona was quoted as saying on the club’s official website.

Eupen decided to give Musona a chance after his impressive showing during trials at the club last week in Doha, where the team played friendly matches against Dutch sides Ajax Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven.

“I feel good here and hope to have some time in Eupen and to be able to support my teammates. The friendlies against Ajax Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven were a good start. I am a striker who can be used in many ways. Both in the middle and on both sides. I play where the coach uses me, and I may play against Charleroi, because I’m fit,” Musona said.

He also took to social media to announce his arrival to Eupen.

“Thanks to @kas_eupen for giving me this chance. I will fight every minute on & off the pitch for this beautiful team until the end of season. Glory to God,” Musona tweeted.

Eupen coach Beñat San José expressed joy at having Musona in his squad.

“Knowledge Musona has integrated very well into the team. He is a player who offers us additional opportunities in attack. He can score goals himself, but can also serve his teammates with good templates,” San José said.

Musona is joining Eupen with his Anderlecht teammate Emmanuel Sowah, who has made a permanent switch.

The Warriors captain will be expected to feature for AS Eupen when they start the new year this evening, with a home game against Charleroi.

He will be looking to restart his career, which had stalled since he joined Anderlecht on a four-year contract in May 2018.

Musona has made just eight appearances for the former champions in the first half of last season, starting in three and scoring once.

He was loaned out to fellow league side Lokeren for the remainder of the season and made six appearances, scoring once.

Tino Kadewere

BY HENRY MHARA

WARRIORS hotshot Tino Kadewere has been equated to Arsenal superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang by opposition defenders in the French Ligue 2, who predict a glorious future for one of the most sought-after player in the world currently.

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.

Reports suggest that top European teams are jostling for the striker, with French Ligue 1 side Lyon said to be leading the race for his signature.

His expected move has dominated the headlines across France since the player transfer window opened at the start of the year.

Opposition defenders in the Ligue 2 fear him, and they are not surprised by the publicity and interest that Kadewere is attracting at the moment.

They believe that he is so good he is on the same level with Arsenal striker Aubameyang.

“He has qualities in all areas. Interesting size, fast, powerful, good head, technically skilful and decisive,” AC Ajaccio defender Jérémy Choplin said.

“Can he adapt quickly to the next level? I think so. He knows how to participate in the game in addition to going fast and scoring goals. He is like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, pure class and speed.”

Choplin is not the only defender who has been impressed by Kadewere, as Castelroussin Yannick Mbone, who plays for Châteauroux, is also drooling about the striker.

“Players like that, who are constantly on the move, force you to read the game, to constantly anticipate. You will have a difficult evening marking him,” Mbone said.

Aubameyang is one of the best strikers in the world, who is currently second on the goal scoring list in the English Premier League (EPL) behind Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy.

Kadewere will relish playing in the EPL, widely regarded as the best league in the world.

EPL teams including Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Norwich, Bournemouth and Southampton are all rumoured to be interested in his services.

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

But it is French giants Lyon who are said to be leading the race for his signature and have already made formal contact with Le Havre.

Reports suggest that Lyon tabled a £7 million offer earlier this week, which was rebuffed, with Le Havre thought to be holding out for £15 million for their star.

Kadewere, who has a running contract with Le Havre until 2022, has said he would want to move in the current window, with the EPL being his preferred destination.

“Like everyone, well, I think England is the most beautiful destination for a footballer today. But I’m not saying no to France. The idea is simply to join a top European club,” he said.

Le Havre president Vincent Volpe is also reportedly keen on selling his most prized asset to England, where he is assured of huge profits.

Le Havre have a rich history of producing world-class players, having developed the likes of Paul Pogba, Dmitri Payet and Lassana Diarra, and Kadewere is tipped to become the next player to play at the highest level.

Lee McHoney

BY FREEMAN MAKOPA

AWARD-WINNING Afro-fusion songbird Linda Nyauchi, popularly known as Lee McHoney in musical circles, has hogged the limelight through her tracks Uthando and Omthandayo and at one time worked with notable local musicians such as Jah Prayzah as a backing vocalist on the song Chipo from the album Kutonga Kwaro.

In a wide-ranging interview with NewsDay Weekender Life & Style yesterday, McHoney said she had been a victim of unwelcome sexual advances in the industry.

“Well, I have been a victim of advances, but I have never fallen for it. It’s annoying when people get your hopes high saying that they want to help sponsor your career, but with a hidden agenda,” she said.

McHoney believes such behaviour has affected many female artistes in their bid to achieve their dreams in the music industry.

Music journey

The songbird discovered her gift when she was still seven and has, over the years, drawn inspiration from the late Chiwoniso Maraire.

She, however, indicated that she was slowly gravitating towards acting.

“Now, I am really shifting into acting, but more like expanding into it. Music will always be my first love, but I’m willing to explore other areas of art to exercise my artistic nature. My music has been received better than I expected, being an artiste from Matabeleland, it’s hard to break national barriers,” she said.

McHoney also hinted on releasing new projects this year.

“I did not drop any new projects at the end of 2019, but 2020 looks bright and I’m ready to hit the studio again and I’m looking forward to working on notable projects,” she said.

Fame

McHoney is considered one of the fastest rising artistes from Bulawayo, although she felt she was yet to reach celebrity status.

“I worked hard to achieve my goals and released an album titled Sana last year. I feel that’s when people started paying attention. I’m not sure if I have reached celebrity status yet, but I’m working towards it,” she said.

Darkest moments

“My darkest moment in life was when I lost my mother in 2015 to cancer. It was so heart-breaking. I had never gone through anything like that in my life and I was scared,” she said.

“I like hanging out at the park, watching nature. My favourite food would be pizza,” she said.

“If I wasn’t a musician, I’d probably be a full-time actress or a TV presenter. Art has always been part of me, even though I am a qualified computer engineer, the field never worked for me,” she said.

BY SILAS NKALA

FORMER Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko’s daughter, Siduduzile, has rapped the government for allegedly disrespecting and failing to honour her father despite his contribution to Zimbabwe before and after independence.

Siduduzile’s remarks came after Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, recently disputed Mphoko’s claim of more than US$300 000 in benefits and monthly pension pay-outs.

She said Mphoko, as a former Zipra commander, former ambassador and ex-VP deserved better treatment from President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.

“I just read an article by Misheck Sibanda about my father’s pension and besides the fact that they want to deny him what is rightfully his, in the article, he addresses my dad as Mr Mphoko,” Siduduzile wrote on her Facebook page.

“I have been asking myself why the disrespect, then I realised that addressing him as former VP Mphoko opens a can of worms because the title is stamped within the Constitution, making him entitled to his benefits. So, let’s act like he wasn’t a VP and let’s not address him as one so that we can take what is rightfully his.”

She added: “How can someone who has dedicated more than half his life to serving his country be told he is not worthy. He was appointed by a legitimate Head of State, the late (former President) Robert Mugabe (unless you don’t recognise him either) and it is also documented on every official assignment he participated in locally and internationally that he was representing his country as the VP.

“Whether you like it or not, he is former VP Mphoko. Stop disrespecting and sideling our leaders based on tribe.
His contribution to his country is as valuable as any other Zimbabwean’s. Show that you have some respect for a former leader.”

The Public Service Commission is insisting Mphoko will only be paid his pension in local currency and should not expect any other benefits.

The former VP has approached the High Court for an order to declare the withholding of his pension by government as illegal and unconstitutional.

Sibanda said it was illegal for Mphoko to claim his money in United States dollars.

Mphoko joined the civil service in October 1981 before his appointment as VP in December 2014, a position he held until he was removed from office when Mugabe was ousted in a coup in November 2017.

BY PATRICIA SIBANDA

A BULAWAYO couple has appeared in court charged with theft and money-laundering involving $500 000. They allegedly committed the offence through their EcoCash agent line which they hired out to a business operator in the city.

Fredrick Topia (40) and his wife Nyarai Magaya (32) denied the charge when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Lizwe Jamela on Thursday.

They were remanded out of custody to January 31.

The court was told that on an unknown date last year, Topia and Magaya registered a company, Fredloui (Pvt) Limited, for which they are co-directors and acquired an EcoCash agent line registered under the name Fredloui Investments (Pvt) Ltd.

In October 2019, the couple allegedly enlisted the services of one Peter Grassmore Mare, who is still at large, to look for a person who would use the agent line.

Mare went on to hire out the line to Moses Matsveru, although it was registered in the couple’s company name.

On November 29, 2019, Matsveru received a payment of $500 000 into his bank account. He then instructed his bank to transfer the money to the EcoCash agent line.

On the same date, Topia and Magaya blocked and replaced the EcoCash agent line, thus effectively denying Matsveru access to his money.

The court heard that the couple later met Mare in the central business district and transferred the money from the agent line in question to two EcoCash agent lines.

Topia and Magaya then went on to convert the $500 000 to US$20 210, which they later allegedly shared with Mare.

When Matsveru discovered the scam, he reported the matter to the police, leading to the couple’s arrest.