Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A 61-YEAR-OLD man drank a poisonous concoction in an attempt to kill himself because his wife of 37 years was abusing him verbally and accusing him of  cheating.
Matho Ndlovu, who is battling for his life at Plumtree District Hospital, said he mixed rat poison with a plant chemical and drank the mixture with an intention to end his life.

He was admitted at hospital last week where he is still hospitalised after his condition worsened on                  Thursday.
He said his wife was always tormenting him, constantly insulting him in full view of their   neighbours.

“My wife works in South Africa and she fell ill three months ago. I failed to go and see her because my passport had expired and that was when things worsened.
“I tried explaining this to her but she would not understand. She started accusing me of neglecting her and seeing other women.”

He said as a result, things between them were not going well with his wife turning their five children against him.
“There is a lot of tension between us to the extent that we’ve been sleeping in separate rooms for a long time now.

“She told me that I was the one who bewitched her in a bid to get rid of her and replace her with another woman.
“She went on to tell this to my children who turned against me after believing that I was ill-treating their mother.”

Ndlovu said he got fed up of the verbal abuse from his wife and children and decided to kill himself.
“I woke up one morning around 4AM and drank the concoction. I then proceeded to where my wife was sleeping and I told her that I was about to die.

“She then forced me to go to the hospital and threatened to alert the police if I refused.
“At the time I was experiencing stomach pains and I was vomiting but I did not want to seek medical help, I just wanted to die,” said Ndlovu.
His wife, Similo Sibanda, described her husband’s act of attempted suicide as foolishness.

She said she dragged her husband to the clinic after he had taken the concoction.
Sibanda said there was tension between them after her husband did not bother to make any efforts to visit her when she was hospitalised for two months in South Africa.

She said during her hospitalisation she had been operated on and was unable to do things for herself for some time.
“During that time complete strangers and distant relatives were there for me and my husband was nowhere to be found.

“I don’t even buy his story about failing to come because of the passport because if he really wanted to see me he would have made an effort,” said Sibanda

Ndlovu’s brother — Grey Ndlovu who is also Chief Madlambuzi’s secretary, said his brother used chemicals which were left under his care by community members to try and commit suicide.

“There is a garden project which we are operating in our village. Matho is the treasurer of the project and his duties involve keeping plant chemicals.
“These are the chemicals which he used to try and kill himself,” said Grey.

Chief Madlambuzi said he would engage the couple once Ndlovu was discharged from hospital in a bid to resolve their dispute since the matter was under his district.

Harare Bureau
Parliament last Thursday approved a motion moved by Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Deputy Minister Fortune Chasi to invite President Mugabe to officially open the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament following its pending expiry next week. Deputy Minister Chasi said while the previous constitution provided that the President officially open parliament, it was prudent to maintain that convention despite it not being provided for in the current constitution.
This, said Deputy Minister Chasi, would enable the President to provide parliament with a legislative agenda.

The motion allows the Speaker of the National Assembly, Cde Jacob Mudenda, and Senate president Cde Edna Madzongwe to invite the President to officially open parliament on a convenient date.

Deputy Minister Chasi said inviting the Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to officially open parliament did not in any way breach the new constitution.

He was responding to comments made by Southerton MP Gift Chimanikire who wanted to know if the government was seeking to amend the constitution.
Deputy Minister Chasi said section 146 of the new Constitution provided that each House of Parliament could determine the time and duration of its sittings, other than their first sittings.

Both Houses can also determine when to break for recess but not more than 180 days.

Cde Gumbo

Harare Bureau—
Zanu-PF is investigating reports that some of its legislators and senior officials are holding secret meetings with United States Embassy officials and briefing them on classified internal discussions related to the party’s succession politics. US Embassy second secretary in charge of parliamentary section, Eric Little, who attends most parliamentary sessions open to the public in the House, is reportedly getting briefings from several Zanu-PF and MDC-T legislators under the cover of the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Programmes.

Little is believed to be a Central Intelligence Agency operative.
At least 12 Zanu-PF parliamentarians have been fingered with some of their constituencies last week benefiting from a $90,000 grant the US embassy disbursed under the programme “to enhance community projects”.

The projects are being spearheaded by non-governmental organisations but the legislators are said to be heavily involved in them.
MDC-T legislators reportedly in the equation include Mabvuku Tafara MP James Maridadi and Willas Madzimure with the pair being accused of meeting Little separately.

Their deliberations centred on possible replacements for MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai who, according to sources, no longer figures in the United States’ plans.
Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity, Cde Rugare Gumbo, yesterday said the party “cannot ignore such reports.”

“As they say no investigation, no right to speak, but as a party we cannot ignore such reports,” he said.
“We’re going to carry out investigations and make the necessary pronouncements. We’ve only heard about that in the media and we’ve to establish what is happening. It may be innocent funding or it might be something else so we cannot relax on the matter.”

Cde Gumbo, however, said it was surprising that officials were not bringing the matter to the party opting for the media.
“We do not want to be subjective or preempt the issue but those who are being quoted should bring the matter to the party otherwise it might be people who have got their own agendas,” he said.

MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora, said the party policy did not allow legislators to engage secretly with any embassy officials.
“We do not have information that they met and in any case we do not have the purpose of the meeting but the party policy does not allow that,” he said.

Zanu-PF legislators, now known as the “dirty dozen”, invited for the handover of the $90,000 grant included Cdes Paul Mavhima (Gokwe Sengwa), Walter Kanhanga (Guruve North), Adam Chimwamurombe (Chipinge West), Chriswell Mutematsaka (Guruve South), MP Cde Batsirayi Pemhenayi (Mutare North), Enock Porusingazi (Chipinge West), Tapiwanashe Matangaidze (Shurugwi South), Temba Mliswa (Hurungwe West), Kindness Paradza (Makonde) David Butau (Mbire), Simbaneuta Mudarikwa (Uzumba) and another one from Masvingo province.

Those who attended the signing ceremony —officiated by US ambassador to Zimbabwe, Bruce Wharton — are Cdes Kanhanga, Chimwamurombe and Mutematsaka and the trio has denied the accusations saying the event had nothing to do with politics.

The other nine did not attend.
Little has in recent months met some legislators at Parliament Buildings in Harare and various hotels for updates on what is happening behind the scenes in Zanu-PF ahead of its December 2014 elective National Congress.

This is despite the frosty relations that exist between Harare and Washington.
No comment could be obtained from the US embassy.

An Air Zimbabwe Boeing 737 jet

Patrick Chitumba Senior Reporter—
PASSENGERS aboard an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 737 plane from Harare to Bulawayo had a mid-air scare yesterday morning after the plane developed a mechanical fault minutes after takeoff. This is the second time in two months that the plane has been forced to fly back to Harare because of technical faults following another incident on August 6.

Maggie Masanga, one of the passengers on board the Boeing 737, said on Twitter: “Scary s***. I should be in Bulawayo now, but back in Harare. Technical fault in mid-air.”

No official comment was forthcoming from Air Zimbabwe yesterday, but passengers said the landing gear could not retract after takeoff.
“The scariest bit was the crew trying to manually retract the landing gear right under my seat,” Masanga said.

The pilot was forced to turn around some minutes after taking off from Harare International Airport and landed safely without incident.
The passengers, who had boarded the plane at 7:15AM, were delayed by about three hours at Harare International Airport before they were transferred to an MA60 plane.

They eventually left at 10AM and landed at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo (JMN) International Airport at around 10:45AM.
Harare-bound passengers who were at JMN only boarded the MA60 at 11AM and arrived in Harare at 11:45AM.

On August 6, about 60 Air Zimbabwe passengers had a mid-air scare after one of the engines on the B737 flight UM331 they were flying in from Harare to Bulawayo developed a mechanical fault, minutes after takeoff.

The pilot was forced to turn around 20 minutes after takeoff from Harare International Airport and landed safely.
No one was injured.

Despite the incidents, Air Zimbabwe’s safetyrecord remains intact as the national airline has not been involved in any major accident since independence in 1980.

Oliver Kazunga Senior Reporter—
Prominent Bulawayo economic commentator Dr Eric Bloch has died. He was 75. A chartered accountant by profession, Dr Bloch died on Saturday evening at his house in Kumalo. Family spokesperson and son to Dr Bloch, Mark, said his father had been ill for some time. “Since my mother passed away a couple of years ago, his health has slowly been going down. In December last year he was very ill and he collapsed.

“From that time he never fully recovered and had pneumonia and chest pains; he became thin and frail and lost almost 30 kilogrammes of his weight,” said Mark in an interview yesterday. Dr Bloch’s wife, Baileh, succumbed to heart attack in July 2011.

“About two-and-a-half weeks ago, he was involved in a car accident. He was now finding it hard to stand or walk and the pain was really getting bad.
“In the last few days, he started getting chest infections again and his kidney was weakening. He was in coma most of the time. Yesterday morning, he was a little bit better . . . and at lunch time, he went into coma again and yesterday evening he passed away just before 7.30PM.”

Dr Bloch was born on April 2, 1939 in Johannesburg, South Africa and migrated to Bulawayo with his parents when he was a child.
Mark said his father was an accountant who later became an economic consultant.

“I’ve been speaking to people who have been coming to the house and I think he made a big change to people’s lives. He was trying to advise people not only with businesses but also with education and training and trying to encourage youngsters to try and move the economy forward.

“I think he has been an incredibly generous man . . . he has left a very good legacy that if everyone works together, they might well be able to make a difference. There were times he was very frustrated that certain things in trying to improve Zimbabwe were beyond his control but, I do hope that people will remember what he tried to do to improve Zimbabwe. All he wanted was for Zimbabwe to be strong again.”

Mark who is a medical doctor based in Scotland said some people asked him why he was not taking his father to Scotland for treatment.
“Quite a few people asked me when my dad was so ill if I should take him to the hospital where I work in Scotland. And honestly, I think the care he was getting here was even better than we could have given him over there because there is so much empathy and kindness here.

“People worked so hard to make sure dad stays comfortable, which is more than he would have got anywhere in the UK.
“I think all the teams and nursing teams from the hospice in particular have been so magnificent, so good and so kind. I can’t begin to tell them how appreciative we are as a family.”

Association for Business in Zimbabwe (ABUZ) chief executive officer Dr Lucky Mlilo told Chronicle yesterday that Dr Bloch was the association’s subcommittee chairman for Finance and Economic Development. “We’ve learnt of Dr Bloch’s death with a heavy heart. He has been unwell for some time.

Dr Mlilo spoke highly of the late Dr Bloch describing him as someone who was “very” professional in his conduct.
“When it came to professionalism, Dr Bloch was someone who was very professional. For example, he was someone who would always return phone calls, if he missed your call. At personal level, he was my role model, some of my qualities; I actually borrowed them from him. Dr Bloch was a person who had no colour and had people at heart. He was someone I would ask for advice anytime and I would go to his home at anytime.”

In a separate interview, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce former president Obert Sibanda said it was sad that Dr Bloch had passed on.
“It’s very sad that we received the news of the passing on of Dr Bloch. I have worked with him for quite some time and at the time when I was the ZNCC president; he was one of my advisors. He was very candid, hard working and was someone I would rely on when it comes to advice,” he said, adding that Dr Bloch was patriotic and loved his country.

Dr Bloch is survived by four children, Raphi, Mark, Barry, Ruth and 10 grandchildren. All are based outside the country. A funeral service will be held at the Jewish Cemetery, Donovan Street in North End, Bulawayo on Wednesday at 10am.

The house in New Luveve, Bulawayo, over which Lucas Nyathi was allegedly killed

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter—
A 53-year-old domestic worker allegedly strangled her  octogenarian employer-cum-husband with her bare hands as she could no longer bear his deteriorating health after suffering a stroke. Florence Mazhanga from Mahatshula suburb was employed by the Nyathi family as a live out maid and eventually fell in love with Lucas Nyathi, 80, after his wife died in 2009.

But when her lover fell sick, Mazhanga would assault him with sticks for messing himself until she allegedly killed the man in May this year so she could inherit his house.

Mazhanga appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Sibongile Msipa facing murder charges on Friday and was remanded in custody to October 2 after the state opposed bail.

The state led by Dennmore Kasenza alleges that sometime in 2011 Nyathi’s daughter Christine, based in South Africa, approached Mazhanga and asked her if she could move in and stay with Nyathi as a maid.

During the same year, Nyathi and Mazhanga fell in love and started co-habiting as husband and wife.
In June 2011, Nyathi suffered a stroke which left the left side of his body completely paralysed. Nyathi was unable to do anything for himself often messing himself leaving Mazhanga with no option but to clean and bathe him.

She would sometimes thrash Nyathi using sticks for messing himself and neighbours would occasionally come to his rescue after hearing his cries. Nyathi’s health deteriorated to an extent that Mazhanga was now sleeping in another bedroom.

After being overburdened by Nyathi’s ill health, Mazhanga allegedly hatched a plan to kill him and inherit his New Luveve house since she was the only surviving spouse.

On May 8 this year, Mazhanga entered Nyathi’s bedroom and allegedly strangled him using her hands. She then locked all the doors and the gate and went away. She returned home on the same day at around 7PM and unlocked the gate and the kitchen door to get access to the house. Mazhanga then raised alarm to the neighbours to the effect that Nyathi had passed away. A report was made to the police who came and attended the scene. The attending police officer observed that Nyathi had some bruises and a swollen neck.

There was no indication of a break-in at the house as everything was in order and Mazhanga was the only one who had access to Nyathi. On May 13 a postmortem was conducted on Nyathi’s remains and a pathologist discovered that there were bruises and a thumb impression on the right side of the late’s neck, bruises on the left side of the neck and a broken trachea.

The pathologist concluded that Nyathi’s death was caused by strangulation, homicide and asphyxia. It was not revealed in court papers when Mazhanga was arrested or why she had not been brought to court earlier.

Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
THE government is reviewing tertiary institutions’ curriculum to ensure that they offer degree and diploma programmes that are relevant to the country’s economic and industrial requirements. In an interview on the sidelines of a graduation ceremony at Gweru Polytechnic on Friday, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister, Dr Godfrey Gandawa said tertiary institutions, especially universities, are offering degree programmes and producing graduates that are not relevant to the requirements of the economy and industry.

Dr Gandawa said the ministry was in the process of engaging industry to find out the quality and nature of degree programmes that are relevant to the economy.
“We have been producing skills and graduates that are a mismatch with what the industry requires. The ministry is gathering information from industry on what kind of graduates or programmes they require and through that we review our curriculum.

“We realised we have graduates from universities with distinctions but when they are released to industry they still need to be retrained on certain aspects. We want universities to focus more on the practical part so that there won’t be a mismatch of the theory and the practical aspect of degree programmes,” he said.

Dr Gandawa said the ministry had the mandate to fulfil and implement the call made by President Mugabe to introduce more programmes in the field of science and technology.
He said some universities have diverted from their mandate and core values as they are offering degree programmes that they were not tasked to offer. Dr Gandawa said these universities have been instructed to focus on their specific areas as well as producing quality graduates relevant to industry.

He said the ministry was in the process of setting up Gwanda State University that would specialise in mining and engineering.
“It is our mandate as the ministry. The President made the call that we need to focus more on science and technology. The call was made out of the realisation that some of our universities have shifted from their actual mandate due to economic challenges.

“For instance, the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) should be producing more graduates in science and technology but you realise they had shifted to commercial courses. We have universities that have the mandate for commercials, for instance, Midlands State University (MSU) has a mandate to train commercial and business courses. They should focus on that,” he said.

“Chinhoyi University of Technology, Nust and all other universities must focus on their mandate. In Gwanda we are going to set up a university that is going to deal specifically with mining and engineering courses. We have started to implement the call by President Mugabe and we must deliver.”

President Mugabe called on tertiary institutions to produce more qualified graduates particularly in the field of science and technology.
Addressing chiefs at their annual conference held in Gweru recently, the President said there was a need for the reorientation of universities and other tertiary institutions so that they produce more graduates in the field of mathematics, science and technology, particularly engineering.

He said sciences were becoming more relevant to industry in the wake of the value addition concept as enshrined in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset) blueprint.

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
A POLICE officer arrived home at midnight waving a pair of woman’s panties and told his soldier wife: “I’ve just had unprotected sex with a hooker.” Onwell Mtetwa, 36, who is stationed at Bulawayo Central Police Station, was given a thorough hiding by his wife, Martha Mtetwa, 26, and escaped through a window at their Fairbridge home. Enraged Martha, who pursued her husband outside, allegedly hit him with a brick on his back as he fled.

So furious was Martha that she smashed the windscreen of the couple’s car and dented the doors of another vehicle after her husband sought refuge in it.
Martha, who is stationed at Induna Barracks, also attempted to stab her husband and told him the fight would only end after one of them was dead, a court heard yesterday.
Martha appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Nyasha Kuture facing physical abuse charges. She pleaded guilty.

In her statement to the court, Martha pleaded extreme provocation by her husband after a furious confrontation on September 14.
“My husband openly told me that he had had unprotected sex with a prostitute and he came home carrying her panties in one of his pockets. I became very angry and chased him away,” she said.

Onwell said: “I had a misunderstanding with my wife and she wanted to assault me with a pot and I avoided that. I dragged her to the bedroom but she ran back to the kitchen. I didn’t know what she was up to so I decided to jump out of the house through the bedroom window.”

He said his furious wife followed using the dining room door and he was forced to jump into a vehicle and lock the doors.
“She hit both the driver’s door and the front passenger door with a brick and both dented doors. I slept in the car and at around 6AM, I went back home and she told me that one of us was going to die that day.

“She took a kitchen knife and tried to stab me in the stomach but I got hold of her hand and managed to take away the knife.”
But in court yesterday, Onwell told the magistrate he wished to withdraw his complaint against his wife.

“My wife has apologised and has agreed to fix the windscreen. I’ve forgiven her and would like to withdraw the matter,” he said.
Magistrate Kuture granted his wish.

Patrick Chitumba Senior Reporter
ABOUT 500 illegal gold panners at Inyathi fought running battles with the police over the weekend over a gold mining claim in Motapa area. Scores of panners are believed to have been injured in the skirmishes which saw dozens being arrested amid indications that a plain clothes police officer was also injured. The panners alleged the police are running a pirate gold mining syndicate at the claim by allowing a few illegal miners to work for a fee.
Villagers told Chronicle that calm has returned to the area following the police operation.

A Chronicle news crew visited the area yesterday around 2PM and saw anti-riot policemen with guns rounding up some suspected gold panners.
The gold mining claim is believed to be registered under Pro-Hub Mining Syndicate.

It is understood that the gold rush had attracted people from as far as Nkayi, Gweru, Kwekwe, Shurugwi and Bulawayo.
Solomon Mutawa from Masvingo said he lost $350 and a cellphone during the fracas with the police.

Mutawa who was also injured in the stampede showed the news crew his swollen leg.
“The police came on Sunday and today (yesterday) and had running battles with the gold panners. So intense was the clash that the police used teargas but still failed to chase away all the miners,” he said.

“They then called in reinforcements and that’s when the riot police came and several were arrested while others ran away,” he said.
Another illegal gold panner claimed that one plain clothes officer was injured in the clash.

He said the police were operating a small mine in which a few panners who pay their way in were allowed to dig.
“What is making us angry is that the police are allowing some to dig while chasing us away. If you come here tomorrow you will see that. They are now running this place like the mafia in that you pay them and you are allowed to pan,” he said.

A neighbourhood watch committee member from the area, Howard Tokuda, said the police had managed to bring peace to the area.
“The police also confiscated cooking pots, metal detectors, shovels and other items belonging to the illegal gold panners after the clash on Sunday. But at night we see fires as they always come back to dig and leave early in the morning before the police come back,” he said.

Yesterday, Chronicle news crew witnessed about a dozen panners being bundled into two open trucks under heavy police guard.
As the two vehicles drove off along the Motapa-Bulawayo road, about three suspects jumped off from one of the vehicles and fled into a thicket.

The police officers then threw clothes and a satchel belonging to the escaped suspects, out of the vehicle. The vehicles proceeded to Siganda police station.
Back at the claim, it looked deserted with no sight of panners or police officers.
Massive land degradation characterised by uprooted trees, pits, small fires, and empty bottles and cans littered the site.

Some panners had even dug trenches and deep pits along the road that goes to Isabella gold mine.
A thriving community complete with a makeshift tuck shop-cum- bottle store had been established around the claim.
The women who used to run an illegal restaurant and provided washing services for the illegal gold panners were nowhere to be seen.

Matabeleland North provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Siphiwe Makonese referred Chronicle to the police headquarters in Harare for comment.

Nduduzo Tshuma Senior Political Reporter
WAR veterans in Matabeleland North met in Lupane on Saturday and endorsed President Mugabe as the party’s sole candidate for the Zanu-PF elective congress in December. The former liberation fighters also threw their weight behind First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe to take over the reigns of the Women’s League. Matabeleland North provincial war veterans chairperson Cde Jonathan Nkanyezi yesterday said they endorsed President Mugabe as they felt no one could replace him.
“We spoke about a number of issues including the presidency. We feel that President Mugabe is the only person fit to lead the party and country. We can’t trust these other politicians that we have voted for but are not doing anything for the people,” said Cde Nkanyezi.

“There is no replacement for President Mugabe. We also support that the First Lady leads the Women’s League. President Mugabe is our patron and by default the First Lady is also our patron as well.”

Cde Nkanyezi said the war veterans would also air their grievances to Dr Grace Mugabe who would then relay them to President.
“We are her children so when we go to her with our grievances, she will be able to take them to the President quickly. No one has taken our grievances seriously. The President is a good leader. The First Lady being his wife, by extension, has all the good traits that our leader has,” he said.

Cde Nkanyezi said the war veterans also raised concern over the removal of some of their colleagues from land allocated by the government.
“The President granted 20 percent of allocated land to war veterans but some corrupt land officials have been removing some of our colleagues from their land.
“When someone travels to the city, they would upon return realise that their land has been taken,” he said.

“We want that to be reversed and war veterans given back their land.”
Cde Nkanyezi said the war veterans did not discuss the issue of the vice presidency and the national chairpersonship.
“We did not touch on that issue because we have noticed that the big guns are battling for the post. We will talk about it later but we hope that one day we will be able to bring them together and reach a consensus. We are the ones campaigning for them so we will try and bring them together so that they have an understanding,” he said.

The Zanu-PF elective congress is scheduled to be held in Harare in December.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Production and Labour who is also Minister of Energy and Power Development, Cde Dzikamai Mavhaire hands over a generator to best farmer in Mangwe District, Mkhulunyelwa Nkomo and his wife Sizalobuhle during an Agricultural Productivity Promotion field day on Saturday, while politburo member, Cde Richard Ndlovu (left, foreground) and Chief Wasi look on

Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
THIEVING government officials are forcing the country to import major goods and services as they misappropriate resources to enrich themselves, a senior official has said. Zanu-PF Secretary for Production and Labour, Cde Dzikamai Mavhaire told farmers and government officials at an Agricultural Productivity Promotion field day held at Mkhulunyelwa Nkomo’s homestead in Mangwe District on Saturday, that graft was the major ailment derailing the economy.
He said with transparency, the country would produce more than enough for its needs.

“We have a number of thieves in the country and the major culprits are government officials who are also not carrying out their duties and some of them are not being transparent,” said Cde Mavhaire.

He said there was lack of progress in restocking the national herd as police were clearing cattle which were not branded, contrary to laid down procedure, thereby abetting rustlers.
Cde Mavhaire said local authorities were making a lot of money through selling stray cattle while doing little towards improving the growth of the national herd.

“If this situation is reversed then this syndrome of being dependant on imports will end,” said Cde Mavhaire, who is also the Minister of Energy and Power Development.
“There are a lot of resources in each district and government officials should ensure that these are properly administered. There is livestock in Mangwe but most of the cattle are lost to private buyers.

“Yet as government we would be expecting local authorities to organise cattle sales where they can be guaranteed a certain percentage from each beast that is sold which will in turn benefit government. If this is not done then it means only a few unscrupulous individuals will be benefiting from our resources,” said Mavhaire.
He said the country would realise huge profits if community members were educated on how to manage their resources.

“The government is paying its workers salaries every month so that they work. Those relevant departments should ensure that the people receive the knowledge they can use to fully utilise their resources.

“The education which community members need is that which can help them double or even increase the resources they have and in the process realise profits for themselves. If people realise profits then it means that government will benefit as well,” he said.

Cde Mavhaire said government departments had a task to make significant contributions in reviving the economy, through ensuring that resources in all districts were properly channelled.

Cde Mavhaire said some government departments were stalling efforts by government to develop the nation by sleeping on duty.
He said the nation had the potential to produce a surplus of its own goods of high quality.
In reference to livestock farming Mavhaire pointed out that most parts of the country had poor breeds.

“Mangwe District remains tops in livestock production but there is still room for improvement because you can even do better. It is disturbing that most of the cattle in this country are poor breeds.

“Matabeleland South and North Provinces have a total of 1,3 million cattle collectively while Masvingo Province has one million. This might seem like a huge number but the livestock is in a poor state in Masvingo. A beast in Matabeleland Provinces is worth three in Masvingo,” he said.

Mavhaire said government was focusing on building the national herd which was a critical move in developing the economy.
Some government department workers from Mangwe District who attended the meeting pointed out that their greatest challenges were poor responses from community members, resource constraints and poor staff complements which hindered them from covering the whole district.

Elton Ngwenya

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
A 38-YEAR-OLD man allegedly sodomised four street kids after promising to accommodate and take them away from the streets. Elton Ngwenya allegedly forced the four boys to have anal sex with him and threatened to harm them if they reported the abuse. Ngwenya appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Sibongile Msipa yesterday facing aggravated indecent assault charges and was remanded in custody to October 6.

One of Ngwenya’s alleged victims, now living with a guardian, lifted the lid on the abuse during a chance encounter with the alleged paedophile in the city centre. While out shopping, he pointed Ngwenya out to his guardian, who in turn called in the police.

In his statement, the 10-year-old from Mzilikazi suburb, said Ngwenya had taken the boys from Chicken Inn before leading them to his home at 8 Lyndhurst House on 8th Avenue and Samuel Parirenyatwa Street.

“Ngwenya started sodomising the four of us and threatened to assault us if we revealed the matter to anyone. This continued for days,” he said.
Dennmore Kasenza, for the State, said sometime this year Ngwenya took the boy with his three friends from the Chicken Inn fast food outlet on Robert Mugabe Way and 9th Avenue where they were staying as street kids and went with them to his flat in the city centre.

He offered the boys accommodation and during their stay, Ngwenya started having anal sexual intercourse with the boys.
Ngwenya would threaten to assault them if they told anyone.
The 10-year-old lad’s fortunes changed when he was adopted.

Simbaneuta Mudarikwa

Harare Bureau—
LEGISLATORS implicated in secret meetings with United States embassy officials, briefing them on classified internal discussions related to the party’s succession and receiving finances for their work, have denied any links with the embassy. This comes as the US embassy yesterday said it has a long standing assistance programme, the Ambassador’s Special Self Help, which provides small grants of up to $20,000 to assist small-scale community development projects at the village level.

Karen Kelly, the Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Harare yesterday said no Zimbabwean MP had received any funding through the programme.
At least 12 lawmakers have been implicated in the scandal, being accused of briefing US embassy’s second secretary in charge of parliamentary section Eric Little about developments in the party.

Little attends most parliamentary sessions open to the public in the House and is believed to be a Central Intelligence Agency operative.
The embassy reportedly invited Cdes Paul Mavhima (Gokwe Sengwa), Walter Kanhanga (Guruve North), Adam Chimwamurombe (Chipinge West), Chriswell Mutematsaka (Guruve South), Batsirayi Pemhanayi (Mutare North), Enock Porusingazi (Chipinge West), Tapiwanashe Matangaidze (Shurugwi South), Temba Mliswa (Hurungwe West), Kindness Paradza (Makonde), David Butau (Mbire), Simbaneuta Mudarikwa (Uzumba) and another from Masvingo province.

Those who attended the signing ceremony were Cdes Kanhanga, Chimwamurombe and Mutematsaka.
Cde Paradza yesterday said he was never invited to the event.
“I have never been given money by the Americans and have never received any invitation,” he said.

“The only invitation I got from the Americans was when they invited me for their Independence Day celebrations in July and I did not attend because of other commitments. The story is malicious and just a smear campaign bent on tarnishing my image.”

Cde Mudarikwa said: “Continue writing what you want. What do you want from me?”
Cde Butau said he would not speak on the matter.
“I do not have anything to say on that issue,” he said.

The US embassy said the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Programme was a long-standing assistance programme that existed in Zimbabwe since 1980.
“We would like to correct the impression generated by your newspaper’s article that appeared on Friday, September 19, which alleged that local legislators aligned to Zanu-PF were recipients of the US Ambassador’s Self Help Fund,” said Kelley.

“This assertion is in error; no Zimbabwean MPs have received any funding through this programme. The programme has provided small grants of up to $20,000 to assist small-scale community development projects improve the basic economic or social conditions at the village level.

“It is distinct from larger-scale assistance provided by the US government. Specifically, these funds are meant to support small, short-term, community-driven activities that are designed to bring about a tangible and immediate improvement in peoples’ lives.”

Cde Kanhanga said he was invited to witness the signing ceremony on the basis that the NGO operating in Mashonaland Central where his constituency is located, the Farmer’s Association of Community Self-Help Investment Groups, was receiving a $15,000 grant.

“Everyone is entitled to his opinion,” he said. “That’s madness, that is b******t.”
Cde Mutematsaka said reports that they were working with the US government for regime change were unfounded.
“These are unfounded allegations being peddled by people without correct information,” he said.
Cde Porusingazi said although he was invited he did not attend the signing ceremony.

“My constituency had no link with the community projects the Americans are funding,” he said.
“The other reason I did not want to go to the embassy was because I wanted to be sure about the intention and purpose linked to the invitation since these people had no activity in my constituency.”

Cde Chimwamurombe confirmed attending the meeting.
“Two groups in my constituency received the money,” he said.
“Tongogara group through Christian Care received $24,000 and they are going to buy sewing machines, sponsor HIV and Aids programmes and food security programmes.

“Musabayana village also received $13,000 and they are buying grinding mills where they will charge R5 per bucket and they want to start a community garden where they will be drying some vegetables for sale.”

Said Cde Mavhima: “I did not go there because my priority is on government business. Why would I go when I have more pressing government business?
“Whoever is saying that is desperate to tarnish other people’s names and I would want to urge such people to do a proper homework before they start making such unfounded, baseless and malicious allegations.”

Cde Matangaidze said; “Yes, I was invited. I did not attend because I did not know the organisation which had applied for the grant. I only read about it when it was published in the H-Metro.”

Daniel Nemukuyu Harare Bureau—
MURDER suspects could avoid the death penalty in Zimbabwe by skipping the border into South Africa, which now says it will only extradite suspects if capital punishment is taken off the table. The National Prosecuting Authority has raised the fears following South Africa’s refusal to extradite Joshua Dube, who allegedly committed armed robbery and rape before fleeing to that country where he was arrested in 2009.

South Africa does not recognise the death penalty in its statutes and the differences with Zimbabwean laws has created a dilemma for the NPA which has since approached the Constitutional Court seeking an undertaking that no death penalty would be imposed on such fugitives if extradited.

Chief Law Officer Chris Mutangadura said in an affidavit he filed at the court that in the absence of an undertaking from the government to spare the suspects from death if extradited, prosecutions will be unlikely with South Africa unwilling to extradite.

Dube is still in a South African prison where authorities are now threatening to set him free on the basis that Zimbabwe is not making the required undertaking that he would not be hanged.

The NPA’s assurances that it would not pursue the death penalty against Dube if he was extradited were rejected by South Africa on the basis that it was not binding on the courts of Zimbabwe.

President Mugabe has since refused to make such an undertaking on the basis of public policy.
But in a test case that is likely to determine how several other related extraditions will be dealt with, the NPA on September 11 this year filed a constitutional application seeking an order compelling the courts in Zimbabwe to impose a non-capital punishment on Dube in the event that he is extradited and eventually convicted.

The NPA wants the undertakings to cover every extradition of murder suspects from countries that do not provide for the death penalty.
Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku is yet to rule if the constitutional application by the NPA should be heard on an urgent chamber basis.

On December 10, 2009, the government formally requested for the extradition of Dube, but South Africa has refused to budge.
Mutangadura urged the Constitutional Court to rule in the state’s favour to manage the crisis that faces the state with regards to the case.

He said there were several other pending extradition requests between Zimbabwe and South Africa and that the court had to make a ruling that helps bring individuals who commit heinous crimes to justice.

“The fundamental issue is that if this Honourable Court does not intervene, there is a real risk or possibility that all murder suspects who have found hibernation in South Africa will not be extradited to Zimbabwe to face justice,” he said in the affidavit.

“I am responsible for instituting international requests for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters as well as extradition requests. My knowledge of such issues honestly shows that we have a big insurmountable hurdle to pass if we are to achieve our constitutional mandate to undertake criminal prosecutions on behalf of the State.

“Zimbabwe and South Africa are in close proximity to each other hence real risk of heinous criminals finding safe haven in South Africa as soon as they commit offences, among which murder is one of the most common offences…”

The Zimbabwean Constitution provides for the death penalty for male murder convicts aged between 23 and 69, while women are exempted from the punishment.
Capital punishment does not exist in the laws of South Africa and the same law also holds that no fugitive shall be extradited to a country where death penalty can be imposed unless there is an undertaking that the suspect will not be executed if found guilty.

Paul Haisosvi

Plaxcedes Hove Court Reporter—
A POLICE officer based at Tshabalala Police Station yesterday appeared in court facing three counts of raping his THREE teenage nieces.  Paul Haisosvi, 55, lived with the girls aged 11, 14 and 17, Western Commonage provincial magistrate Willard Maphios Moyo heard. Haisosvi, represented by lawyer Costa Dube, pleaded not guilty to all three counts. He was granted $100 bail and remanded to October 3 pending his trial.

Prosecuting, Kingstone Mkanganwi said Haisosvi raped his nieces between 2012 and March 2014.
“Haisosvi stayed with his nieces who are children to his wife’s siblings. He had sexual intercourse with all of them without their consent,” he said.

The court heard that on different dates unknown to the state at ZRP Tshabalala Police Station, Haisosvi had sexual intercourse with his nieces.
The 14-year-old was allegedly raped in a car which was parked outside his house whilst others were asleep. He would sneak into the other two girls’ blankets and rape them, the court heard.

Haisosvi said the children were fabricating the stories. “These are spirits that are following me. Whoever is doing this is very good at his work. I didn’t sleep with any of these girls but I helped them, sheltered them and gave them food and this is how they thank me,” he protested.

“We stayed in a one-roomed house and how could I possibly rape them. I slept with my wife whilst they slept on the floor. How could I leave my wife on the bed and rape them on the floor in the same room?”

The magistrate granted him bail on condition that he does not interfere with state witnesses.
“You’re not to tamper with any evidence or interfere with the state witnesses. You must report at ZRP Tshabalala every fortnight on Fridays and you should not leave the country before the case is resolved.”

Jessica Chibaya, a neighbour, shows the septic tank in which Mlilo tried to drown himself

Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent—
A 36-YEAR-OLD man driven to the edge of despair by his wife’s infidelity attempted to commit suicide three times in two days – but failed in all three attempts. Convinced he has breathed his last, Nqobile Mlilo, a manager at Spar Butchery in Plumtree, updated his WhatsApp status on his mobile to read: “Dead.” First, he drank dip chemical but survived the ordeal after neighbours rushed him to Plumtree District Hospital last Saturday.

He sneaked out of the hospital in the middle of the night and attempted suicide for the second time by slicing his throat and stomach with a knife on Sunday morning. When that did not kill him quick enough, he jumped into a septic tank in the hope of drowning – but was was rescued by residents of Garikai suburb.

Mlilo found himself back at Plumtree District Hospital. Last night, he was battling for life at the United Bulawayo Hospitals’ Intensive Care Unit after being transferred from Plumtree.
Mlilo’s cousin, Patience Sibanda, said: “We’ve not managed to talk to him as he can’t speak. He’s not eating or drinking water… he has to be drip fed.”
She said she last spoke to Mlilo on Friday and he was complaining about having serious problems with his wife.

“I was chatting with my Nqobile on Friday and he kept going on about how his wife was disappointing him. He told me to look after his two children while he went away, but I really didn’t get the sense of what he was saying. He had also changed his status on WhatsApp to ‘dead’ and this all seemed strange to me,” she told Chronicle.

“He also told me that he was in trouble, but he didn’t say exactly what was bothering him. I called him on Saturday in a bid to better understand his issues, but his phone was unreachable and later I got news that he had tried to kill himself.”

Patience said Mlilo was now living separately from his wife. He claimed the woman was unfaithful and before their separation, Mlilo had caught her on several occasions with different men on their matrimonial bed.

She said her cousin ordered his wife to leave, but she kept returning to their house and damaging property in protest over the decision.
Garikai resident, Jessica Chibaya, who helped pull Mlilo from the septic tank said he broke into her house while she was sleeping and stole a knife, which he then used to cut himself.
“I found Mlilo in a septic tank which is outside my home early in the morning. He was lying inside and he was bleeding profusely from the throat and stomach. He had a deep cut on the throat and he had ripped his stomach open with a knife and his intestines were protruding,” she said.

“In his hand, he was still holding a small knife and I quickly identified it as mine. My house is still under construction and the kitchen is not complete, anyone can access it because there is no door or roofing but I only store kitchen utensils in there.”

She said Mlilo was rushed to the hospital for the second time by a neighbour.
A Plumtree District Hospital official said Mlilo escaped, during his first admission, through an opening in the fence as the gate was always guarded.
He said they had Mlilo on an intravenous drip but he removed it and disappeared.

The official said they referred Mlilo to the United Bulawayo Hospitals because of the severity of his condition.

Timothy Makohliso Midlands Reporter
A MBERENGWA man who allegedly raped his niece four years ago and fled to South Africa while on bail was arrested recently after he returned home to visit. Trycose Moyo, 35, of Somerai Village under Chief Chingoma in Mberengwa, appeared yesterday before regional magistrate, Morgan Nemadire, facing a rape charge. He was remanded in custody to Friday next week for continuation of trial.

Moyo is said to have initially appeared before the courts sometime in 2010 and was granted bail. He then fled to South Africa.
For the state, Emmanuel Mathose said on 13 June in 2010 at around 8PM, Moyo was left with the complainant who was seven years old then. The court heard that Moyo pretended to be thirsty and sent the girl to the kitchen hut to fetch water for him.

Mathose said while the girl was in the kitchen, Moyo followed her and raped her once behind the kitchen door.
He said Moyo covered the girl’s mouth with his hand when he was raping her to stop her from screaming.

The court heard that while Moyo was still in the act, the girl’s mother arrived unexpectedly and caught him red-handed.
The complainant’s mother then reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of Moyo.

Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
ZANU-PF Politburo member Cde Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has warned against premature announcements of candidates by any party members before the Politburo calls for nominations.  This comes at a time when jostling for the vice-presidency post has intensified in Zanu PF. Cde Ndlovu said this on Sunday during a provincial coordinating committee meeting while delivering a report on directives from the party’s National Disciplinary Committee and the National Coordinating Committee.

“Members can hold private consultations but they are not allowed to organise illegal meetings and campaigns disguised as celebrations which are not sanctioned by the province,” he said in a statement issued after the meeting.

Cde Ndlovu also warned against factionalism and vote buying in the party and encouraged provincial chairpersons to take disciplinary measures against those found wanting.
He encouraged prospective university students in Bulawayo to apply for vacancies at all national universities and colleges in the country.

“I want to encourage students to apply for vacancies at institutions such as Zimbabwe School of Mines, which is inviting applicants. I have recommended a number of Bulawayo students for the Presidential Scholarship and I have encouraged students who will be accepted at the National University of Science and Technology, Midlands State University, University of Zimbabwe and Science Education in Bindura University to report back after admission,” said Cde Ndlovu.

He congratulated Dr Lazarus Dokora, who is also his deputy in the Politburo’s education department, Dr Joice Mujuru, Dr Grace Mugabe and the UZ Vice Chancellor Levi Nyagura for their latest educational achievements. Dr Mugabe and Dr Mujuru graduated with Doctor of Philosophy degrees recently.

Prosper Ndlovu Chronicle Reporter
TWO female teachers and a colleague from Matabeleland North schools were killed in a road accident that left four other people, including a four-year-old baby, seriously injured in Lupane last Thursday. Two died on the spot while one died on admission to St Luke’s Mission Hospital where all the injured were rushed to following the accident suspected to have been caused by a tyre burst.

A witness said the teachers were on board a Nissan Liberty vehicle, registration number ABN 2320, on their way to Bulawayo where they intended to withdraw their pay the following day when tragedy struck at around 2.30PM.

“The vehicle was going to Bulawayo with seven passengers on board. Upon reaching the160km peg, it burst its rear tyre resulting in the driver losing control,” said the witness who requested anonymity. It (vehicle) veered off the road and overturned, rolled three times before landing on its roof, killing two people on the spot. The third person died on admission to St Luke’s.”

It is suspected the tyre burst was induced by high temperatures.
All the injured have since been discharged, except for the four-year-old baby who has since been transferred to Mpilo Central Hospital and is said to be in a critical condition.
Matabeleland North provincial education director Boithatelo Mnguni confirmed receiving a report on the accident.

“We’re very sorry over this accident. We had just done our staffing and this is going to disturb learning in the affected schools at a time we’re preparing for examinations,” she said.
“Replacing teachers at this time of the year is a problem. It’s not nice at all.”

Mnguni said officials from her office were yesterday expected to visit the hospitalised baby.
Those who died in the accident have been identified as Chiedza Matron Masocha, 42, a teacher from Mupambe Secondary in Binga, Brenda Mudzonga (age not given) a teacher from Lupote Secondary in Hwange and Sithokozile Moyo, 23, wife to a teacher at Fatima High and mother to the injured four-year-old baby.

The injured were identified as Butholezwe Dube, 29, the acting headmaster of Gwayi Secondary, Praise Ndlovu, 37, a teacher at Sitshongo satellite primary in Lupane, Qinisile Tshabalala and Shamiso Wunde, 32, both teachers from Tshongogwe Primary.

The driver Mbonisi Nsima, 25, of Lobengula West in Bulawayo, was also injured.
Mnguni said the three women who lost their lives were buried at their rural homes at the weekend – Masotsha in Chiweshe, Machonga in Silobela and Moyo at St Luke’s area, Lupane.The Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu described the accident as “unfortunate”.

“It’s a sad development to have teachers losing lives in the course of duty. They were on their way to collect salaries. This is an issue the government should look at to see how access to services can be improved for teachers,” he said.

Matabeleland North provincial police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese could not comment on the accident.

Cde Andrew Langa

Bongani Ndlovu Chronicle Correspondent
CO-OPERATION in the area of culture between China and Africa is beneficial to African countries in terms of technical expertise, research capacities and the adoption of more scientific methodologies in preservation of culture, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Andrew Langa said yesterday. Officially opening the China –Africa Cultural Heritage Preservation Forum in Beijing, Cde Langa said Africa had a lot to learn from China and the forum would provide that opportunity and set the ground for broader mutually beneficial co-operation.
The forum, focusing on African culture, brought together 19 African countries.

Cde Langa was welcomed by Chinese deputy Minister of Culture Ding Wei.
“As the officials from Africa interact with your knowledgeable and practical officials, Comrade Minister, it is my hope and trust that their learning caps will be on. They will take up the best practice that has enabled China to pass a pivotal cultural legislation in record time as well as list 38 elements on the UNESCO lists in the shortest possible time since 2003,” he said.

Cde Langa urged his African colleagues to take advantage of the opportunity and build on their cultural preservation knowledge base.
“We as leaders of Ministries of Culture in your countries depend on you for expert guidance so we can enact progressive and sustainable policies on culture and heritage for the continent at large and the diverse countries in particular,” he said.

Cde Langa commended his counterpart deputy Minister Ding for organising the forum and seminars saying they would equip African cultural ministries to make an impact on the preservation of their tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Minister Ding said China was proud to have 30 items listed on the UNESCO intangible list acknowledging that China and Africa are the largest civilisations in the world.
Cde Langa is accompanied by the deputy director of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe Nicholas Moyo.