Nyemudzai Kakore, Harare Bureau
President Mugabe has declared a state of disaster the horrific bus accident that killed 43 passengers and injured 33 others along the Harare-Chirundu highway on Wednesday night.

The declaration was announced by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Cde Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday.
President Mugabe is in New York where he is attending the inaugural High-Level UN Conference on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.

“Subsection (1) of Section 27 of the Civil Protection Act (Chapter 10:06) provides that if any time it appears to the President that any disaster is of such a nature and extent that extraordinary measures are necessary to assist and protect the persons affected or likely to be affected by the disaster in any area of the country, the President may, in such a manner as he considers fit, declare that, with effect from a date specified by him, a state of disaster exists within an area or areas specified by him in the declaration,” said Minister Kasukuwere.

He said the King Lion bus accident was indeed tragic.

“This accident is indeed tragic and my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved. Arrangements are in place to assist the beareaved with mortuary services and burial support from both Government and the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe,” said Minister Kasukuwere.

The driver of the King Lion bus who died on the spot reportedly lost control of the vehicle at the 257km peg near Nyamakate shops at around 10PM on Wednesday. Survivors of the horriffic crash accused the driver of excessive speed.

The bus was on enroute to Zambia.

Minister Kasukuwere wished the injured a quick recovery.

He also urged the nation to pray for those affected by the disaster.

Another crossborder bus was involved in accident in April this year.

The Proliner bus on its way to South Africa killed 31 people at Nyamatikiti River near Chaka business centre in Chirumanzu, Midlands Province, after it was sideswiped by a haulage truck.

They were burnt beyond recognition.

More than 80 percent of the accidents have been attributed to human error. Following Wednesday night’s accident, Zimbabweans have called on Government to stop night driving for long distance buses.

Private Lounge

Bruce Ndlovu
One year ago a mysterious light started piercing Bulawayo’s night skies. Out of nowhere, it seemed the City of Kings had an artificial light that was competing with the moon itself, high and mighty as it is, in the heavens.

Its appearance was greeted with an equal mixture of praise and suspicion. Some wondered, perhaps influenced by Hollywood movie stories about alien invasions, where it came from and whether it was a force of good or evil.

Others took it at face value, appreciating the brilliance of the light that shone from the city centre to some of Bulawayo’s most far flung western suburbs. From Cowdray Park to Burnside, they wondered about the purpose and significance of this night time intruder.

Those in the know however, would have told you that the light signified the birth of Private Lounge. Instead of a star leading a few wise men to the birth of a messiah, the light above signalled the arrival of a joint that promised to change Bulawayo’s night life which had become a little too mundane and boring.

Many had heard tales of how Private Lounge in Harare, its sister joint, had shaken up the night scene in Harare. They heard tales of how ladies on stage, not the DJs on the decks, were the centre of attention of a joint that offered the best adult entertainment in the country.

“Private Lounge in Bulawayo will run on the same lines as its sister club in Harare. It’s a strip club. But besides the strip tease, it has everything else that a top notch club in the United States or South Africa has. We’ll provide quality service and adult entertainment.

“This is strictly an adult playground where we don’t want kids or moralistic people that are easily offended by this kind of entertainment,” said Private Lounge’s manager Thelma Zuva when the club opened.

With such stories in mind, whether fact or fiction, many wondered whether the Bulawayo version of the joint would live up to the billing of its version in the capital.

A few weeks after it opened in June, the verdict was in. Private Lounge in Bulawayo was as good, if not better, than its storied version in the country’s capital city.

The dancers, baring the right amount of skin and equipped with some of the most seductive dances, were alluring. Complementing them were the joint’s wheel spinners, who always seemed to know the right joint to throw in order to turn even the most sedate or boring night on its head.

Within a few weeks, the club was the talk of the town  and revellers like moths, were flocking to the light. The streak did not last a few weeks but even months after the joint opened its doors to Bulawayo, many are still flocking to see the source of famed light and the raunchy delights that reside underneath it.

Now a year later, Private Lounge is at a point where it can celebrate its existence. It has been a year since that light scaled on top of Bulawayo’s skies and there is indeed much to celebrate.

Memories and friends have been made. Casual acquaintances, which sometimes last a single night, have been struck. Through it all, however, there is one thing that cannot be denied; Bulawayo’s night scene will never the same again.

It is with all this that the joint will seek to rewind the clock this Saturday and take it back to where it all began. Tonight, to celebrate its incredible journey over the past year, the original staff of waiters, hosts and DJs will once again come together to give the people a reminder of what Private Lounge has come to mean to the Bulawayo night scene over the past year.

Socialites, celebrities and policy makers have all made the descent down Cecil Hotel’s steps to the underground joint. However, while acknowledging the role that such prominent figures played in making Private Lounge the most hip and happening joint in an already exciting Bulawayo night scene, one can lose sight of the people that actually made it what it is.

The centre of every party every night at Private Lounge are the dancers that strut their stuff, enticing revellers to bring more people, and their wallets, for another night of fun the following night.

Bulawayo, like any cosmopolitan city, changes a lot through a year and the same is also true of the dancers that have entertained and enthralled revellers over the past year. Many have come and gone as the club, in its bid to stay relevant, has brought new and exciting dancers to entertain its patrons.

Popular culture has also changed, with the songs and outfits that were popular last year replaced by a new year’s fashion. Just for one more night, however, as a gesture of acknowledgment of a great year, the joint has brought back the dancers that opened the joint’s doors last year.

The music which provided the soundtrack to what the ladies exhibited on stage will also be brought back tonight.
It is with this in mind that the joint is asking for those that were there when Private Lounge first opened its doors to come back and grace the joint.

Nightlife anywhere in the world is dependent on revellers and The Lounge would not be what it is if it was not embraced with open and welcoming arms by Bulawayo residents.

For one more night, the popular joint will try to remind its revellers what made it a hit in Bulawayo’s competitive night scene.

Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede yesterday stresses a point during a death registration workshop at a Bulawayo hotel. Sitting besides him is the Bulawayo Provincial Registrar Mrs Jane Peters.

Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
COMPANIES and individuals are losing millions of dollars due to fraud involving fake identification documents, the Registrar General Mr Tobaiwa Mudede has said.

Addressing officials from Government departments, insurers and lawyers at a death registration workshop in Bulawayo yesterday, Mr Mudede said authorities should check the authenticity of registration documents before processing benefits for members of the public to avoid fraudulent cases that are on the increase.

He said there was an increase in people who present fake identification documents to claim from deceased estates, process international visas, claim compensation from insurance companies, get employment or defraud companies and individuals.

He said it was important for authorities to check with his office before processing anything as some people were producing counterfeit documents.

“From 2004 we have gone biometric and our documents have a lot of security features of international standards. While we are doing this, there are those who want to live on fraud.

“They produce counterfeits which are similar to our documents. They go to the authorities and produce these counterfeits. The authorities don’t have machines to verify. They look at the documents which look genuine and process benefits on the basis of what they have been given,” said Mr Mudede.

The most important thing, Mr Mudede said, is for these people to verify with the Registrar General’s department.

“We’re advising authorities to check with us for verification to avoid fraudulent cases of people who want to benefit from where they are not supposed to benefit. People are falling prey to such fraudulent cases.

“The security features on our documents are checked on our machines and we can tell you whether a document in question is genuine or not,” said Mr Mudede.

He said it was unfortunate that some authorities were accepting burial orders to process benefits for relatives of deceased people yet these are just temporary documents to facilitate burials.

“Some people are abusing burial orders and this is wrong because they are temporary documents that are only used before the person is buried.

“Once the person is buried they can no longer be used. It’s the death certificate that is used to process benefits,” said Mr Mudede.

He said fraudulent death certificates were affecting the distribution of estates of deceased people, pension benefits, insurance claims and medical aid services.

Mr Mudede said Zimbabweans were also using fake documents to secure employment outside the country and to extend stays by people on vacation in foreign countries.

He said undertakers were also using fake documents to smuggle bodies into the country.

The Registrar-General urged members of the public to take advantage of their efficient system to obtain national identity cards.

“This is an important document. We have decentralised the system to 10 provinces, 72 districts and we have established 206 sub offices. People with no identity documents should visit our offices.

“We have nearly 58 offices at hospitals where these identity cards are being issued. For those who have lost their documents our system is efficient, it shows all the required information and it’s an easy process to replace the documents,” said Mr Mudede.

My department has also put a satellite system which has been appreciated by the African Union (AU).

“We are a force to reckon in Africa and even some developed countries have marvelled our system,’ said Mr Mudede.

He said his department had designed a new passport which is world compliant which we will soon be launched.

“My department has a factory that manufactures and prints this passport. The new passport has a chip on the cover page which shows, when scanned on the computer, all the information about the passport holder,”  said Mr Mudede.

He, however, said the old passport will remain in use until they expire. — @pamelashumba1

Freeman Razemba, Harare Bureau
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has proposed the setting up of a fund to assist road accident victims and their families, as it emerged that an accident occurs every 15 minutes and five people are killed daily on the country’s roads.

The proposal has already been submitted to Cabinet for consideration.

The initiative, to be known as the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, comes at a time when at least 1 700 people die in road traffic accidents in Zimbabwe annually, while 30 000 are injured.

The establishment of the fund is in line with the United Nations Decade of Road Safety action plan.

Speaking at a consultative meeting in Harare recently, Transport and Infrastructural Development deputy minister Engineer Michel Madanha said Zimbabwe was one of the few Sadc countries yet to establish such a fund.

“On this day, I have invited men and women from both the private and public sectors for the purposes of seeking their views, ideas and wise counsel on the need and modalities of establishing this fund of which Zimbabwe is one of the few Sadc countries that do not have it operational,” he said.

The workshop came a few hours after 44 people were killed while several others were injured when a bus they were travelling on veered off the road and hit a tree on Wednesday evening, along the Harare-Chirundu Highway.

Eng Madanha said it was important to consult widely before introducing the accident fund.

“It is within the confinements of our national Constitution and the general principles of good democratic governance that the Government and its agencies consult the people before setting up such institutions,” he said.

“So, please be informed from the onset that your suggestions, criticisms and wise counsel are most welcome in this forum and will be taken on board as we move on what Government views as a noble cause.”

Eng Madanha said statistics showed that a road accident occurs in Zimbabwe every 15 minutes and that five people are killed daily.

“On average we have about 1 700 fatalities and over 30 000 people injured every year,” he said. “These statistics, though frightening, must always be remembered so that we come up with a viable and sustainable fund which takes into consideration our country’s economic realities.”

Eng Madanha said Government noted with concern challenges that arise in the post-crash phase.

These include delays in securing rescue ambulance services and challenges related to getting the injured admitted to hospital.

Eng Madanha said it should be appreciated that emergency medical service organisations needed to recover costs for them to remain operational.

“However, a lot of people involved in accidents may not have medical insurance. It is therefore possible that there may be hesitation by the emergency rescue service providers and medical fraternity to respond to accidents as fast as they should due to the issue of payment for the services.

“There is need to receive medical attention as quickly as possible. If there is anything life-threatening, it must be dealt with during the first one hour. As Government, we believe that if a mechanism which removes any sense of hesitation from the medical fraternity to respond to accidents is put in place, we would save more lives,” he said.

Eng Madanha said assuming that the national response to the proposed fund was positive, they would then begin drafting a legal framework.

It is Government’s intention to operationalise the fund by next year.

Staff from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe have since attended regional conferences on the subject to learn from the experiences of their regional counterparts.

Representatives of road accident funds from Botswana and South Africa were invited to share their experiences with Zimbabwe at the consultative meeting.

Ahmad Ahmad

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
RECENTLY elected Caf president Ahmad Ahmad has warned referees against breach of the ethics and said any referee found on the wrong side of the law will be shown a straight red card other than a mere warning.

The tough talking continental football boss said the sanctions will also fall heavily on those charged with monitoring the referees’ performances as the new leadership seeks to clean the game of bad apples.

Speaking during the Caf Elite referees course that ended in Botswana early this week, Ahmad said efforts were also underway to have the confederation taking care of referees’ fees for Caf matches instead of the present scenario where the host association pays the bill.

“My presence among you today is an opportunity to formulate a verbal warning to all the referees and those in charge of their monitoring. I tend not to make use of the yellow card by forgetting it voluntarily in the dressing room. Any ethics breach, once proven, will be sanctioned with a direct red card, without prejudice to additional sanctions.

“I invite those in charge of evaluation and monitoring referees to follow this path. We are confident in the fact that we have appointed the right persons for the job. I would like to remind them that corporate solidarity in mistakes is detrimental to African football. Your silence or the absence of sanctions will make you accomplices. We will not hesitate to take our responsibilities, if you fail to take yours.  A new era is opening for African football. Together we must work to materialise it. Transparency occupies a central place in it as I never ceased to recall it long before my election.  The conduct of the referees, on and off the pitch, and the decisions they make must remain faultless. This will be their decisive contribution to the realization of the programme on which I was elected,” said Ahmad.

He also hailed those selected for the course saying they were now part of the elite class of referees in the world.

“The Fifa badge, which you now have the honour to put on your jersey, is an invitation to do more and better. You will now be flag bearers of the African continent the world over. This is an opportunity for me to express my gratitude and that of the Caf executive committee for your decisive contribution to the development of football in Africa.

“I want to encourage you and thank you for all the efforts you make every day to be better. I urge you to continue in this direction and recommend to the Referees Committee to give priority to one thing in selection which is merit. If the best ones are those selected and designated, logically the performances are due to improve and mistakes reduced.   I can assure you that we will spare no means to accompany you in this quest for excellence. A brainstorming is going on about the possibility of having your allowances, during Caf matches, paid directly by the confederation and not the host federation. Nothing has been finalised but we try to have as much people as possible involved in that brainstorming to come out with the best option.

“Our aim is to put the referees in the best possible conditions, because we know how hard and crucial their mission is,” said the Caf president whose campaign manager during the run up to the elections was Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa.

Ahmad noted that referees’ decisions, often taken with a very short period of reflection, have an impact and consequences that can sometimes go beyond the sphere of football.
— @skhumoyo2000.

Erol Akbay

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter    
“DON’T fight, play football”, this is the message that Highlanders coach Erol Akbay has for the Warriors ahead of tomorrow’s Group G 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Liberia at the National Sports Stadium.

The Dutch expatriate warned Warriors against taking a physical approach to the game and believes that Zimbabwe can overpower the Lone Stars if they “play good football” that they are accustomed to.

Zimbabwe are in Group G alongside Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Brazzaville, who play their opener today. This means that by the time the Warriors take to the field tomorrow they will be knowing their target and will be hoping for a perfect start.

Akbay said: “What I know is that physically the Liberians are strong. Having watched Zimbabwe’s Afcon 2017 games, I think they play good football and have a good chance of winning on Sunday. They can win the game if they don’t go for a fight. What I mean is that they mustn’t be physical because if they do so the Liberians are much more physical and they will be playing right into their hands.

“Most of the Zimbabwean players are small guys and if you are going to play football against the big guys, you have to make sure that you play your own good football and stick to your game plan. If the Zimbabweans play good football, I think the Warriors have a good chance against Liberia.”

The Warriors will bank on history to win this game having comfortably beaten Liberia 3-0 the last time the two sides met in a 2010 Afcon qualifier played at the National Sports Stadium.

Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Khama Billiat who misses tomorrow’s tie because of an injury, Willard Katsande who captained Warriors at the 2017 Afcon finals and Ovidy Karuru scored Zimbabwe’s goals then.

The Warriors then went to force a 1-1 draw in Monrovia in the return match, with Musona scoring his first national team goal.

Going into tomorrow’s encounter, only eight players from the Warriors squad training for tomorrow’s game were in Gabon for the 2017 Afcon finals.

Supersport United’s left back Onismor Bhasera, Chicken Inn’s defender Teenage Hadebe, Golden Arrows duo of Kuda Mahachi and Danny Phiri, Netherlands based Marvelous Nakamba, striking trio of Orlando Pirates’ Tendai Ndoro, Evans Rusike who turns out for Maritzburg United and Belgium base Knowledge Musona are the only players in the squad who were at the Gabon 2017 Afcon.

The goalkeepers fighting to be in the starting line-up are Highlanders’ Ariel Sibanda, reigning PSL Goalkeeper of the Year Petros Mhari and Polokwane City’s George Chigova.

Coach Norman Mapeza recalled into the national team fold Ngezi Platinum Stars defenders Patson Jaure and Qadr Amin, Dynamos’ Lincolyn Zvasiya and Erick Chipeta of Ajax Cape Town.

Forgotten midfielders Karuru and Thabani Kamusoko who turns out for Tanzania’s giants Young Africans as well as Caps United pair of Devon Chafa and Ronald Chitiyo are also part of the line up.

Highlanders’ striker Prince Dube is competing for a place in the final 18 against Ndoro, Musona and Rusike.

Warriors’ squad

Goalkeepers: Ariel Sibanda (Highlanders), Petros Mhari (FC Platinum), George Chigova (Polokwane)

Defenders: Dennis Dauda (Caps United), Partson Jaure, Qadr Amin (Ngezi Platinum), Onesimo Bhasera (Supersport United), Teenage Hadebe (Chicken Inn), Jameson Mukombwe (Black Rhinos), Erick Chipeta (Ajax Cape Town), Sydney Linyama (Black Rhinos), Lincolyn Zvasiya (Dynamos)

Midfielders: Thabani Kamusoko (Young Africans), Devon Chafa (Caps United), Simon Shoko (FC Platinum), Kudakwashe Mahachi ( Golden Arrows) Khama Billiat (Mamelodi Sundowns) Marvelous Nakamba (Vittese), Danny Phiri (Golden Arrows), Liberty Chakoroma (Ngezi Platinum), Ovidy Karuru (AmaZulu), Ronald Chitiyo (Caps United)

Strikers: Tendai Ndoro (Orlando Pirates), Evans Rusike (Maritzburg United), Knowledge Musona ( KV Oostende), Prince Dube (Highlanders)

Group G fixtures
Today: DRC v Congo (Stade des Martrys)
Tomorrow: Zimbabwe v Liberia (National Sports Stadium)
March 23, 2018: Congo v Zimbabwe, Liberia v DRC
September 5, 2018: DRC v Zimbabwe, Congo v Liberia
September 9, 2018: Zimbabwe v DRC, Liberia v Congo
October 12, 2018: Congo v DRC, Liberia v Zimbabwe
November 9, 2018: Zimbabwe v Congo, DRC v Liberia.
— @ZililoR

The Government will increase the number of household beneficiaries that will receive farming inputs under the Presidential Input Support Scheme to 1,8 million in the 2017/18 farming season. A total of 800 000 households benefited under the same scheme last farming season.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Development Cde Patrick Chinamasa told stakeholders that attended a Command Agriculture coordination workshop in Harare on Wednesday that Government was committed to supporting agriculture in a big way in the 2017/18 season hence its decision to increase households benefiting from the inputs support by one million.

He said Government will also extend by another year the support it is giving to cotton farmers. He said the private sector was already supporting wheat production and Government will complement this by also supporting wheat, soya beans and livestock production under Command Agriculture. Minister Chinamasa said Government spent $30  million on the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme and $42 million to support cotton production.

The private sector supported agriculture to the tune of $264 million last season. Zimbabwe demonstrated that it has the capacity to fund its own programmes to boost agricultural production as demonstrated by the success of the Command Agriculture which was bankrolled wholly by local institutions.

We want to commend Government for announcing early its decision to increase the beneficiaries of its inputs support scheme to enable farmers to also prepare early. The major challenge encountered last year by farmers under Command Agriculture was late disbursement of inputs. There was also shortage of some inputs such as Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer. It is our fervent hope that the Government, farmers, the private sectors and other stakeholders learnt from last season’s shortcomings.

Last season’s experience should therefore assist all stakeholders to improve this coming season. Government on its part should start working on logistics to distribute inputs to farmers to avoid later deliveries which were experienced last season. There should be adequate transport to move the inputs on time to points close to the farmers to avoid what happened last year when farmers were in some cases forced to drive to Harare to get inputs.

The issue of senior Government officials and politicians abusing their positions to jump queues at distributions points should be addressed. Government, we want to believe, has plugged loopholes that resulted in some pseudo farmers receiving inputs which they later sold on the black market.

Following last season’s bumper harvest, the private sector has no reason to doubt the commitment and capacity of our farmers so we expect the support from the private to increase this coming season. Zimbabwe’s economy is agro-based so farmers produce most of the industry’s raw materials. The private sector by supporting farming as it did last season is infact boosting the production of raw materials for its industries. The country harvested enough grain this year to meet its consumption and therefore next season’s thrust should be to produce surplus for export.

Farmers with the support of Government and the private sector, should once again shame the prophets of doom by proving that they have the capacity to fully utilised the land allocated to them under the land reform programme.

Mr Johannes Tomana

Daniel Nemukuyu, Harare Bureau
Suspended Prosecutor-General, Mr Johannes Tomana, was yesterday fired for misconduct and incompetence after a tribunal set by President Mugabe to probe him recommended  his dismissal.

Permanent Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Virginia Mabhiza announced in a General Notice 292 of 2017 published in the Government Gazette yesterday that President Mugabe had acted on the tribunal’s recommendations.

The decision by President Mugabe came after a disciplinary tribunal chaired by Retired High Court judge, Justice Moses Chinhengo, found Mr Tomana unsuitable to continue holding the esteemed office. Other members of the tribunal were University of Zimbabwe law lecturer Mr Emmanuel Magade and lawyer Ms Melania Matshiya.

Mr Tomana was last year suspended to allow the tribunal to hear and determine a litany of allegations against him, chief among them being a flagrant defiance of legitimate court orders.

The tribunal found him guilty before recommending his removal from office.

“It is hereby notified that His Excellency, the President has received the report of the tribunal appointed under Section 187(3) as read with Section 259(7) of the Constitution to inquire into the question of removing the Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana from office for incompetence and misconduct,” said Mrs Mabhiza in the Government Gazette.

“In that report, the tribunal has advised His Excellency the President that the Prosecutor-General ought to be removed from office for incompetence and misconduct,” she said.

“Accordingly, in terms of Section 187(8) of the Constitution, the Prosecutor General is removed from office with effect from the date of publication of this notice (yesterday).”

The tribunal completed hearing evidence on February 8 this year.

Mr Tomana faced a slew of allegations ranging from criminal abuse of office to gross incompetence.

At least 23 witnesses testified before the tribunal.

Among the witnesses who testified before the tribunal were Deputy Prosecutor-General Mrs Florence Ziyambi, senior prosecutors in the Prosecutor-General’s Office and others who have left Government service for private practice.

The tribunal sought to inquire into Mr Tomana’s conduct with respect to court orders issued by the High Court and Supreme Court in cases pitting Mr Francis Maramwidze versus Commissioner-General of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and another; Telecel Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd versus Attorney-General; and Professor Charles Muchemwa Nherera versus Jayesh Shah.

In the Maramwidze case, Mr Tomana was accused of refusing or failing to issue him with a certificate for private prosecution as ordered by the High Court on May 14, 2014 in a rape case involving incarcerated former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe official and former legislator Munyaradzi Kereke.

The tribunal also sought to establish whether or not Mr Tomana was in contempt of court and in violation of the oath of office and the Constitution by refusing or failing to obey the court orders.

Mr Tomana has since been indicted for criminal trial at the High Court where he faces a number of criminal abuse of office charges.

He now awaits trial.

Recently, Mr Tomana had his household property attached over failure to pay legal costs that accrued in several court cases in which he unsuccessfully sued the Judicial Service Commission in efforts to block the setting up of the tribunal to determine his suitability or otherwise to continue in the office of the Prosecutor General.

Mr Tomana’s predecessor Mr Sobusa Gula-Ndebele was also removed from the then Attorney-General’s office following recommendations of a tribunal.

President Mugabe in May 2008 fired Mr Gula-Ndebele after a tribunal found him guilty of failing to properly discharge his duties.

A tow truck recovers the wreckage of a King Lion bus that veered off the road and hit a tree on Wednesday night, killing 43 people in Nyamakate, Hurungwe. — (Picture by Walter Nyamukondiwa)

Herald Reporters

PRESIDENT Mugabe expressed shock and sadness at the tragic loss of lives in the horror bus crash that claimed 43 lives and injured 33 others along the Harare-Chirundu Highway on Wednesday night. In a statement issued in New York where he is attending the inaugural High-Level UN Conference on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14, President Mugabe wished the injured a speedy recovery.

“It is with great shock and sadness that I learned this morning about the tragic bus accident last night along the Harare-Chirundu highway that has claimed about 43 lives and injured many others. The senseless loss of so many innocent lives in circumstances that could otherwise have been avoidable is heart-rending and most regrettable,” President Mugabe said.

“The nation mourns with the families of the deceased and extends its prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured in this bus disaster.

“On behalf of Government and the people of Zimbabwe, my family and indeed on my own behalf, I wish to extend my sincere condolences to the affected families on the loss of their beloved ones.

‘‘May they derive comfort from the knowledge that the entire nation bereaves with them during this, their darkest hour of grief. May the dear souls of those lost in this terrible tragedy rest in eternal peace,” President Mugabe said.

Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said Government was working on arrangements to declare state of disaster.

The driver of the King Lion bus — who died on the spot — lost control of the vehicle at the 257km peg, near Nyamakate shops at around 10pm on Wednesday on the way to Zambia.

The bus veered off the road before ramming into a big tree several metres away in the bush, killing 42 people on the spot.

This comes after another accident in April this year involving a Proliner bus killed 21 people, some burnt beyond recognition, when it was sideswiped by a haulage truck at Nyamatikiti River near Chaka Business Centre in Chirumanzu.

Addressing the National Assembly in Harare yesterday, Acting President Mnangagwa said a team led by a Government minister and senior Government officials had been deployed to the scene of the accident to have a full appreciation of the situation.

“With a heavy heart, I confirm the death of about 43 people. We have dispatched Government ministers to assess the situation and we are preparing how Government can assist upon declaring the accident a national disaster by the President,” said Acting President Mnangagwa.

He was responding to enquiries from Kuwadzana East legislator Mr Nelson Chamisa (MDC-T) on what Government was doing about the accident.

In statement last night, the Acting President said Government was saddened by the sudden loss of 43 lives.

“I learnt with deep grief of the tragic loss of 43 lives in a road traffic accident involving a Lusaka-bound bus which occurred after Karoi.

“That such a huge loss of precious lives comes soon after a spate of similar traffic accidents along our roads enjoins all stakeholders, principally public transport operators and other road users, to introspect on their scheduling decisions, and conduct and behaviours while in transit. Whatever limitations there might be on our infrastructure, specifically on the state of our roads, clearly these limitations by themselves need not preordain a tragic fate on innocent and trusting commuters,” Cde Mnangagwa said.

“There is a lot which owners and users of vehicles, as well as those mandated to enforce traffic laws, can do to avert such tragic disasters whose result is needless loss of lives, physical injury and incapacitation. Time and time again the police have discouraged road users, especially public transport operators, from embarking on night travel as well as chasing after profits without due regard to the safety of their patrons,” he said.

He said Government would be forced to protect the travelling public by imposing strict schedules and discipline on the roads.

“The first principle in business must surely be to uphold the sanctify of life. On behalf of His Excellency the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde R.G Mugabe, who is away on an international fixture, may I express Government sympathies to families which have lost their beloved ones,” he said.

“In so doing, may I also wish speedy recovery to all those hurt in this latest incident. Government will soon announce appropriate measures meant to bring some relief and assistance to affected families in their hour of deep grief and bereavement.”

Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said 19 of the accident victims had been identified and called on people who had relatives on board the ill-fated bus to come and identify the bodies.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to confirm a fatal road traffic accident involving a King Lion bus which was travelling from Harare to Lusaka, Zambia, which occurred along Harare-Chirundu at the 257km peg near Nyamakate shops, Karoi.

“On approaching the 257km peg, the driver failed to negotiate a curve and the bus veered off the road and rammed into a big tree, killing the driver on the spot together with 42 other passengers,” she said.

“Due to the impact of the crash, some of the passengers’ seats were dislodged and thrown to the front of the bus. Thirty passengers were injured, five seriously and have since been transferred to Harare for further management. Twenty-five are receiving treatment at Chinhoyi and Karoi hospitals in a stable condition.”

The bodies of the deceased were taken to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.

“The ZRP is investigating the traffic accident and more details will be availed in due course,” Snr Asst Comm Charamba said.

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Cde Saviour Kasukuwere said Government would assist the bereaved families.

“Government will certainly, after his Excellency (President Mugabe) gives his authorization, proceed to declare a state of disaster,” said Cde Kasukuwere.

“This will entail mobilization of resources from Government to assist in the repatriation of those who have lost their lives to the various areas and also ensure that those in hospital are looked after and treated.”

He described the accident as a tragedy, coming hard on the heels of another accident in Masvingo, which claimed the lives of 30 passengers.

Government, he said, was taking measures to reduce road carnage, including dualisation of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Highway.

Government said transport operators had chipped in with comprehensive insurance to cover burial and medical expenses.

Cde Kasukuwere said discussions led by President Mugabe in Cancun, Mexico, identified road accidents as a major cause of death globally.

He said drivers should exercise caution on the roads to avoid such tragedies while calling on transport operators to put in place measures to monitor their drivers.

More than 80 percent of the accidents have been attributed to human error.

Norman Mapeza

Robson Sharuko, Harare Bureau
WARRIORS’ interim coach Norman Mapeza says he didn’t have a fallout with Walter Magaya on Sunday night and is deeply hurt that his team’s flying start to their 2019 Afcon campaign has been relegated by the negativity of a rift between him and the football-mad prophet.

Social media has been buzzing that Mapeza and Magaya fell out, in spectacular fashion, on Sunday night.

But the coach, who had a lengthy chat with the prophet yesterday, told our Harare Bureau he was deeply troubled by suggestions of a major rift between the two.

Mapeza’s statement came on the eve of an announcement by Zifa of the identity of the two other caretaker coaches, today, who will take charge of the Warriors’ 2017 Chan assignments and the 2017 Cosafa qualifiers.

Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa said the Warriors will be led by different coaches in the Chan and Cosafa battles.

There has been pressure on Mapeza by his employers, FC Platinum, to concentrate on the Zvishavane miners as they attempt to win the league championship for the first time in their history and Zifa felt loading him with Chan and Cosafa assignments would be too much for him.

Magaya converted part of his new plush hotel complex in Harare’s Waterfalls area, the exclusive VVIP wing, into a camping site for the Warriors, who stayed there for two weeks preparing for their battle against the Lone Star, provided his Yadah Stadium for the team’s training sessions and also provided the food consumed during that camp while also taking care of all the team’s laundry requirements.

But no sooner had the Warriors completed a 3-0 victory over the West Africans, in a game which new skipper Knowledge Musona scored a hattrick, did reports emerge that there had been a spectacular fallout between Mapeza and Magaya and this had filtered into the Warriors’ squad, not only dampening the celebrations among the players, but also dividing their triumphant camp.

Mapeza is reported to have stormed out of the Warriors’ team bus, in protest over the move by his players, technical staff and some Zifa leaders to travel to a Sunday evening church service that was being conducted by Magaya, at his Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries church in Harare, to thank the prophet for the part he played in the victory over Liberia.

Chiyangwa led the Warriors’ delegation to that church service where he thanked Magaya and the PHD partners for coming to their aid by providing the team with a conducive camping site, and training ground, ahead of the battle against Liberia.

Mapeza, speaking from his base in Zvishavane, claimed there was a deliberate mission by “those who probably didn’t want us to win the game against Liberia to divert the attention of the nation from the positive result we posted, in a pressure game, to negative issues that did not have a basis,’’ as part of a wider conspiracy against his team.

“I can tell you that I am very disturbed by all these things that I have been hearing that I had a fallout with Prophet Magaya on Sunday because nothing can be further from the truth,’’ said Mapeza.

“I called the team manager (Wellington Mpandare) earlier today (yesterday) and, on his phone, I managed to talk to the prophet to tell him that it was wrong for people to try and divide us for their selfish reasons when we had built, in the past two weeks, a very strong relationship.

“I told him that during our time in camp I really bonded with him very well and that is why I accepted that he should even come to our training sessions and I could discuss with him issues relating to our preparations.

“I told him that we owe him a lot for all that he did in giving us a good camping base where we were able to prepare for the game against Liberia without any distractions.

“When we won that game, it appears, some people who didn’t want us to win then found something very negative because they didn’t want the positive story.

“You can tell from all the emotions that I showed on Sunday that I was someone who was under a lot of pressure because I knew that this was a very important game and I also told the prophet that, by giving us a base to camp, he became part of us and if we hadn’t won the criticism would not spare him.

“I don’t even have my voice right now, because of all the screaming I did in that game just to ensure the boys win the game so that we could take away all that pressure and also prove wrong those who didn’t want us to win and I am glad the team won but I am also disappointed that their victory is now being overshadowed by all this negative talk.’’

Mapeza, who was set to reunite with his FC Platinum players yesterday for a training session ahead of a league match tomorrow, said he couldn’t understand how he would agree to spend two weeks at Magaya’s complex and, after winning the game against Liberia, suddenly turn against the prophet.

“It also has to be made clear that no one in camp was forced to attend church, not me and not my players, because we all come from different religious backgrounds and, by the way, Qadr Amini is a Moslem and everyone respects that and those who went to church chose to do that,’’ said Mapeza.

“After our game I had my programme because, people tend to forget, I am employed by FC Platinum and I had to make the arrangements to come here as quickly as possible.

“It’s sad that we are discussing all these negative things right now, which have no basis, when we should be talking about all the positive things that happened on Sunday and celebrate such a big victory.’’

Magaya confirmed speaking to Mapeza yesterday and said his decision to give the Warriors $1 000 each as winning bonuses would stand and he has never forced anyone to come to his church.

“It’s a choice for someone to be part of us at the church and, as I said, my aim is not to cause any havoc but to help my country, nothing more and nothing less, and I just do all this for my nation because I am passionate about seeing us doing well in various sectors, including football,’’ he said.

“I was humbled by the people, including the Zifa president, who came to thank us for helping the team and I also salute the coach for the win, he has done well and we are all one family as Zimbabweans, which is what matters to me.’’

Donald Trump

Washington — Officials in Maryland and the US capital Washington will sue President Donald Trump for accepting payments and benefits from foreign governments through his business empire, news reports said on Sunday night.The suit unveiled yesterday centres on the so-called emoluments clause, which bans US officials from taking gifts or other benefits from foreign governments.

An NGO that centres on ethics issues filed a similar suit in January. But this is the first one presented by government entities.

The announced lawsuit adds to Trump’s woes as he grapples with congressional and a special prosecutor’s probes into his campaign’s alleged ties with Russia, which US intelligence agencies say meddled aggressively in the 2016 election to held Trump win.

Since taking power in January, Trump has turned day-to-day control over his real estate empire and other assets to his adult sons, but not sold them off as many in America said he should to avoid conflicts of interest.

The lawsuit was yesterday by the attorneys general of Maryland and Washington in the US District Court for the District of Maryland, the Washington Post reported.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said the case is about Trump’s failure to separate his personal interests from his presidential duties.

Frosh told the Post that the emoluments clause mandates that “the president put the country first and not his own personal interest first”.

A key case in the dispute is a hotel that Trump opened last year by leasing a large, stately building that used to be a central post office, just down the road from the White House.

Aside from the issue of the foreign payments ban, Maryland and Washington complain that the presence of a Trump hotel hurts competing hotels in their jurisdictions.

The Post cited examples of foreign government showing preference for that hotel over others, at what neighbouring Maryland and Washington say is their expense.

It said the embassy of Kuwait had planned to hold an event at a Four Seasons hotel, but eventually moved it to the Trump property, which is called the Trump International Hotel.

Meanwhile, a Republican senator is taking Trump to task for not clearing up a burning question: whether he has tape recordings of his conversations with his then-FBI director James Comey.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine says Trump had a chance to settle the matter when he held a news conference on Friday at the White House, but he  didn’t.

Her opinion: “He should give a straight yes or no to the answer — to the question of whether or not the tapes exist.”

She says the president should voluntarily hand them over to the Senate Intelligence Committee and the special counsel.

Collins told CNN’s State of the Union that she didn’t “think a subpoena should be necessary”. She said he didn’t “understand why the president just doesn’t clear this matter up once and for all”. — AFP

Agriculture Deputy Minister (livestock ) Cde Paddy Zhanda inspects tomatoes produced at Lingfield Farm owned by Mr and Mrs Karimazondo yesterday

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
The Government plans to increase the importation of semen for artificial insemination as a strategy to increase the dairy herd and ensure improved milk output, a senior official has said.

The dairy sector targets to increase national milk production from an average of 45 million litres to over 60 million litres a year.

In an interview on the sidelines of the dairy revitalisation programme tour in Gweru yesterday, Agriculture and Mechanisation and Irrigation development Deputy Minister responsible for livestock, Paddy Zhanda, said the Government was targeting a milk production rise of between 97 million and 100 million litres per annum by 2020.

As such, he said, “sexed semen” had a greater chance of giving farmers more heifers and increasing the national herd. Artificial insemination refers to a deliberate process of putting sperm or semen into a female’s uterus or cervix for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vivo fertilisation by means other than sexual intercourse. The model is common in the livestock sector.

Zimbabwe requires at least 120 million litres of milk annually, meaning the milk that is being produced at the present moment is less than half of the national requirement.

“We have already made a decision now to accelerate the importation of sexed semen and make it available to every dairy farmer who wants to use sexed semen. The beauty of that is that it quickly gives us the number of heifers that we want and obviously it means we are going to be quick in increasing milk production and to meet our target. If we had not visited these farmers we would be in the dark,” said Zhanda.

He said the Government’s dairy revitalisation programme was already yielding positive results for the country.

“We want to embark on the second stage of revitalisation of dairy heifers. In the Midlands farmers have quadrupled their volume of milk compared to 2014. That is the objective of the programme because we want dairy farmers to continue to grow  as this is a sector that has registered growth. We were on 45 million litres of milk per year but now we are at 60 million litres per year.

“Our objective is to produce 100 million litres by 2020 as a country. So basically we should be quick on the mark and improve as a sector. I am excited about dairy farmers in Midlands as well as those in Manicaland. We are now going back to the drawing board to see how best we can assist the farmers,” said the Deputy Minister.

@pchitumba1

Ekusileni Medical Centre

THE re-opening of Ekusileni Medical Centre — a private specialist hospital in Bulawayo built in honour of Father Zimbabwe Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo — could soon be a reality after a committee tasked with overseeing its operationalisation flighted a tender to find a private investor by next month.

The hospital, which was built by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) in 2001, has never been operational since its inception after equipment it acquired for millions of dollars was found to be obsolete.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care last year constituted a committee chaired by Matabeleland North provincial medical director Dr Nyasha Masuka which was tasked to identify a partner and last week, it flighted a tender for interested private players to run the hospital as a specialist medical centre. “We placed an advert on Sunday last week for interested investors to come forward. We’re waiting for responses and once we reach the deadline after 30 days, we’ll start the process of selecting the suitable investor. The selection process should take less than a month.

“Anybody, even local doctors who are interested are free to apply as long they have adequate experience and the capacity to run the hospital in terms of the required funds and resources,” said Dr Masuka.

He said they agreed as a committee that Ekusileni will be a national specialist hospital to avoid duplication of services with existing hospitals in Bulawayo.

“We want Ekusileni to be a centre of excellence. This is what we’re emphasising to our potential investors. We already have general hospitals and we don’t want duplication of services.

“Once the investor has been identified we’ll sign a Memorandum of Understanding to guide us in terms of operations at the hospital,” said Dr Masuka.

He said the committee was already discussing with NSSA to make sure that the hospital is ready for occupation when an investor is identified.

“There’s also some work that needs to be finished off at the hospital. The occupancy of the hospital will depend on how soon this work is completed.

“The work includes finishing off the kitchen, theatre and the incinerator for waste management. The hospital also doesn’t have a mortuary. The occupancy of the hospital will depend on how soon these areas are attended to,” said Dr Masuka.

This is certainly great news for the people of Bulawayo who have endured a decade of inertia and frustrations as the hospital failed to re-open. The envisaged re-opening of the facility will also boost access to quality medical services in the city which has of late witnessed the re-opening of another top class medical centre — the Mpilo Cancer Unit.

Subsequent to its opening in April — officials there also revealed that they had scored a first by rolling out nuclear medicine, the first institution to do so in Zimbabwe, and this will result in advanced diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart, lung, kidney diseases among others.

According to experts, nuclear medicine has the potential for early detection of diseases. One of the main advantages of nuclear medicine imaging is that in most cases the whole body is analysed allowing advanced treatment options for patients suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer, by way of radiation or chemotherapy.

It is also more detailed and accurate and as such nuclear medicine makes complex medical procedures simpler and safer for patients. With the arrival of quality control equipment needed to roll out nuclear medicine, the whole cancer unit at Mpilo is expected to be operational in due course bringing relief to cancer patients who previously had to go out of the country for treatment.

In a space of a few months, Bulawayo could soon have two world class medical facilities and this can only be good for the city. In the same vein, we hail the giant strides being made by Government in seeking to provide quality health care to Zimbabweans particularly in the field of specialist health services.

The proposed re-opening of Ekusileni will not only lessen the burden on patients suffering from ailments such as cancer and other terminal diseases but could result in Bulawayo benefiting from medical tourism. If properly capacitated and managed, the facility could attract patients from the Sadc region and beyond, boosting foreign earnings. It will also create employment and stem the brain drain in the medical field.

Dr Nkomo’s vision was for the establishment of a world class facility capable of competing with the best hospitals anywhere on the planet and we hope the committee will stay true to his wishes.

Business Reporter
TREASURY disbursed $142 million towards capital and other development projects in the first three months of 2017 as Government continues to buttress economic goals under Zim-Asset.

According to the latest Treasury bulletin, the positive developments in agriculture and mining are extending stimulus to the rest of other sectors of the economy, providing overall positive growth prospects for 2017.

It noted that progress since presentation of the 2017 budget last December shows significant signs of economic improvements, with overall growth now projected at 3.7 percent in 2017, up from the original projection of 1.7 percent.

The review in growth projection is on account of better performance in agriculture following a good rainfall season and timeous financial support to the sector through combined efforts from Government, private players and development partners.

“Disbursements of $142 million were made towards capital and other development projects,” said Treasury.

The breakdown includes among others: $15 million for projects in the transport sector, $16.9 million for water and sanitation projects, $2.3 million for e-governance flagship projects and national data centre equipment installation, $2.3 million institutional housing projects, health and education projects as well as agriculture, Government vehicles, strategic grain reserves, shareholding in international organisations, to mention a few, which chewed more than $100 million.

During the period, employment costs constituted 67 percent of the $1.1 billion total expenditure, while interest obligations amounting to $41 million were paid in the first three months. The country’s exports grew by 16 percent to reach $723.8 million in the first quarter of 2017, compared to $625.2 million realised in the corresponding period in 2016. Major exports included tobacco at $203 million, gold ($182) million, ferro-chrome ($84 million) and nickel ($85 million). South Africa remained the biggest trading partner, with exports worth $561 million being recorded while Mozambique was the second at $87 million worth of exports.

Imports stood at $1.34 billion compared to $1.30 billion recorded in the corresponding period in 2016, representing a three percent increase. Major imports included fuels and grains. Fuel (diesel and petrol) imports stood at $293 million, down from $340 million imported in the corresponding period in 2016. Maize imports amounted to $119 million, whilst crude soya oil was $24 million.

The trade deficit for the first quarter narrowed to $614 million in 2017 compared to $675 million during the same period. The improvement in the trade gap is attributed to improved exports performance in 2017 although imports remain unsustainably high.

Experts say the trend requires further efforts on stimulating exports production, beneficiation and other competitiveness measures. On the financial services sector, Treasury reported that annual broad money, as measured by total deposits, increased by 20 percent, from $4.90 billion in March 2016 to $5.88 billion in March 2017. The increase has largely been attributed to an increase in demand and savings deposits of 27.9 percent.

Meanwhile, domestic credit increased by 17.5 percent to $7.92 billion in March 2017 from $5.88 billion in 2016 as Government continued to dominate the market. Consequently, net claims to central Government increased by 40.2 percent to $4.034 billion in March 2017 as credit to the private sector decreased by 0.3 percent from $3.5 billion in March 2016 to $3.49 billion in March 2017.

During the first quarter, the country received $180 million in Diaspora remittances through formal channels compared to $ 193 million in the corresponding period in 2016.

“The decline in diaspora remittances is partly attributed to the sluggish performance of the global economy as well as errors and omissions arising from conduct of remittances through informal channels,” said Treasury, adding that overall remittances are projected to reach $1.2 billion this year.

Government is confident that the macro-economic and fiscal developments in the first quarter point to improved growth in 2017.

“In addition, partial recovery in international mineral prices as well as viability gains from Government supportive interventions, through royalty reviews, are providing growth impetus to the mining sector,” said Treasury.

Mrs Thembelani Nkomo

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THREE families from Bulawayo are claiming the body of a teenage girl who was allegedly murdered before being dumped in Iminyela suburb.

The teen’s body was heavily decomposed, rendering positive identification virtually impossible.

One of the families yesterday said DNA testing would be undertaken to ascertain the family the woman came from.

DNA testing is conducted at the National University of Science and Technology’s Applied Genetic Testing Centre.

Initially, four families were claiming the teen but one of them withdrew after locating their lost child in South Africa.

Of the three families, a family from Mabutweni suburb is convinced that the murdered teen could be their child.

Mr Thulani Nkomo

Mr Thulani Nkomo yesterday told The Chronicle he is convinced that the body he saw at the United Bulawayo Hospitals mortuary is that of his 17-year-old daughter Nokwazi who is also known as Kelly.

“I’m 100 percent sure that it’s my daughter. She had a mark on her left leg, that’s how I managed to identify her. But we were told that two more families are also claiming the body. So we have to go for DNA testing for positive identification of the body. Facially, the body is unrecognisable” said Mr Nkomo.

“The police advised us to conduct the DNA testing as other families are said to be missing children of her age as well. To begin with, there were four families including ours that were missing their teenage children but another one withdrew their case after locating their child in South Africa.”

Mr Nkomo said they had paid for the DNA profiling in the hope of concluding the difficult and anxious period.

His wife, Thembelani, said she had already submitted her blood samples to the DNA lab for profiling.

“On Friday I left my blood samples at the DNA lab for matching where we were charged $200 for the tissue matching. We managed to pay the money today and we are expecting the results before the end of the week,” she said.

Thembelani said her daughter was last seen on May 19 and it had become common for her to spend days without coming home.

She said Nokwazi had become a problem child who would spend nights out only coming home when she felt like it.

“We tried our best to counsel her so she could realise the life she had chosen was not good for her. Her father works in Botswana and we once sat her down trying to talk her against wandering off without anyone knowing her whereabouts,” said Thembelani.

“When we quizzed her about her whereabouts she would just say she was spending time with her friends who stay in Magwegwe suburb but we didn’t know those friends.”

She said as news broke that a young woman had been found dead they had to check if it was not their daughter.

The other two families could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Nust’s AGTC chairperson Mr Zephaniah Dhlamini confirmed that they were assisting in the identification process.

“We just received the samples today. Police are saying there is one family which has matching things. But we had encouraged the police to bring all the families anyway. But what seemed to be the greatest constraint was the financial aspect. But we encouraged them to bring all the samples forward. As for the money we will see at a later date,” said Mr Dhlamini.

Last week, the police called on members of the public to assist them in the identification of the dumped teenager’s body.

@nqotshili

President Jacob Zuma

Johannesburg — President Jacob Zuma has filed a conditional counter-application against the Democratic Alliance’s case to force him to establish a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of state capture, despite his pending review application against the remedial actions recommended by the Public Protector.

Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela recommended that Zuma appoint, within 30 days, a commission of inquiry headed by a judge selected by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.

Madonsela also added that Mogoeng should provide Zuma with only one name. Madonsela investigated allegations of undue influence by the Gupta family on the executive and state-owned entities, and had implicated several people, including Zuma and former Eskom boss Brian Molefe.

However, Zuma is challenging the remedial action, arguing that it overrides the president’s constitutional powers to appoint a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, as well as the judge who would head it.

The DA approached the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to declare that Zuma had failed to comply with the Public Protector’s remedial action.

The Presidency said in a statement that Zuma has filed an answering affidavit to oppose the DA’s application.

The DA argued that the review proceedings do not suspend the implementation of the remedial action and that Zuma should have, instead, obtained a court order staying the enforcement of the remedial action.

However, Zuma disagrees.

“The legal advice obtained by the president is to the effect that he is in law not entitled to just comply with a report of the Public Protector if there are reasons to doubt its correctness. To do so will amount to a mechanical response; this is irreconcilable with the logic and rights exercisable by a person adversely affected by such a determination,” presidential spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said.

The main dispute between the DA and Zuma was whether the review application launched by the president has the effect of staying the remedial action by the Public Protector, Ngqulunga said.

He said the president was further advised that the implementation of the remedial action in the current form would render the review application academic in its entirety.

“The matter is set down for hearing on September 12 and 13 2017. The issue for judicial determination is whether or not such a remedial action is stayed by a review application.

“The president has been advised to bring a conditional application so that the real dispute in the review application receives the full attention of the court and further delays are avoided,” Ngqulunga said.

Zuma maintains that the legal challenge to the implementation of the remedial action is not made “mala fide”.

He is asking that, should the court find that the implementation of the remedial action can only be stayed by a court order, he should be given time to obtain the order. “It is for this reason that the president thought it apposite to bring a conditional counter-application,” Ngqulunga said.— Sapa

Martin Sibanda

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
JUST when Bulawayo musicians had gathered enough courage to take on the daunting 5 000 seater Amphitheatre, the city fathers have reportedly banned shows at the venue citing noise.

Traditionally, the Bulawayo Amphitheatre was used mostly by Harare artistes when they stage shows.

Bulawayo musicians have rarely used it but last month, Martin Sibanda and Ndolwane Super Sounds took on the Amphitheatre alongside Madlela Skhobokhobo, Zinja ziyamluma and Clement Magwaza during his album launch.

With better marketing, the show could have attracted a full house.

The move was viewed as a positive one as local artistes are on a drive to get their music to the people and use venues in the city that their Harare counterparts fill up.

However, it’s these Harare musicians like Winky D, Jah Prayzah and Alick Macheso that the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says are the noisiest when they perform.

Winky D’s manager Jonathan Banda said he has not received any formal communication to that effect.

“It’s something (banning of artistes) I’ve seen flying all over the internet. I’ve however, not received any formal communication from anyone. So I can’t say anything about the issue,” said Banda.

Ndolwane Super Sounds’ manager Thandazani Nyoni said the BCC should reconsider the ban.

“We were looking forward to Bulawayo artistes especially those who do Rhumba music to use the venue a lot until our fans get used to it. This was after seeing that people came to watch us during the album launch. Since it has been banned, it’s a huge blow for us because our shows can’t be done in the afternoon until 10PM,” said Nyoni.

He said the Bulawayo Amphitheatre was their only hope as council bars them from performing in high density halls.

“The BCC doesn’t want us to use the Amphitheatre now and they don’t want us to hold live shows at council halls in the high density areas. They say live shows leave lasting damages at the venues. However, the only alternative is the Large City Hall which costs $4 000. We were now relying on the Amphitheatre which costs $65 per hour which was cheaper,” said Nyoni.

While the complaints from promoters and musicians are valid to some extent, but why is it that our shows in Zimbabwe have to go on until 3AM or sometimes up until 7AM? For people residing in residential areas surrounding the Centenary Park such as Suburbs, Paddonhurst, North End and Romney Park, the noise from shows at the Amphitheatre is unbearable.

With the noise at such unprecedented levels why then should shows go on until the wee hours of the following morning? This is not the first time that residents from that area have complained of noise as Dendera supremo Sulumani Chimbetu had to change venue at the 11th hour for a show in 2013.

He was slated to perform at the Khumalo Hockey Stadium, but due to complaints from residents in the posh Suburbs area near the stadium, Sulu moved it.

Bulawayo Residents’ Association chairperson Winos Dube said the ban could turn the Bulawayo Amphitheatre into a white elephant.

“As a residents association we haven’t received any complaints from residents about the noise at the Bulawayo Amphitheatre. I’m actually shocked that the city council has taken such drastic action as this might turn the Amphitheatre into a white elephant,” said Dube.

He said there should be dialogue between the BCC and residents to find a lasting solution.

“The shows that happen at the venue don’t happen every day. They happen once in a while and this should be something that can help council and residents come up with a lasting solution with regards to the ban,” said Dube.

FC Platinum supporters invade the pitch after police fire teargas on Highlanders fans at Mandava Stadium on May 28

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS have been acquitted of charges of causing the abandonment of their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against FC Platinum at Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane on May 28.

The match was brought to an abrupt end after police recklessly fired tear gas at fans deep into the referee’s optional time causing the abandonment of the match, with the two teams tied at 1-1.

All hell broke loose after the home side equalised from a penalty converted by goalkeeper Petros Mhari, provoking some Bosso fans to throw plastic bottles onto the pitch and forcing second assistant referee Evans Chabataberi to abandon the touch line for the centre circle.

In the ensuing melee, police fired volleys of tear smoke into the crowd triggering a stampede as Bosso fans headed for the exit. In a ruling released yesterday, the PSL disciplinary tribunal found Bosso fans guilty of throwing missiles and slapped the Bulawayo giants with a $2 000 fine. Bosso will, however, heave a huge sigh of relief as they will not lose points since the verdict states that the 1-1 score line stands.

“The disciplinary committee found Highlanders FC not guilty of causing the abandonment of the match. However, Highlanders were found guilty of throwing missiles on the pitch and fined the sum of $2 000, $500 of which has been suspended for the rest of the season on condition the club is not convicted of any offence involving throwing of missiles. The fine of $1 500 together with the costs of the hearing shall be paid by the 31st of July 2017. Further, the disciplinary committee ruled that the score line of the match shall stand at 1-1,” reads the PSL verdict.

The judgment comes a week after Highlanders were slapped with a $4 000 fine after being found guilty of causing the abandonment of a league match against archrivals Dynamos at Barbourfields Stadium on May 14.

The PSL disciplinary committee went on to award Dynamos the match on a 3-0 score line and ordered Bosso to pay the $4 000 as well as costs of the hearing by July 31, 2017. Highlanders were found guilty of offences which include pitch invasion, missile throwing and violent conduct by their fans during the epic encounter.

Bosso have indicated that they will appeal against the Dynamos judgment.

Following yesterday’s ruling, Highlanders and FC Platinum each went two places up the ladder, with the platinum miners now sitting in fifth place, while Bosso are now sixth. Both teams are tied on 21 points.

Highlanders’ chief executive officer Nhlanhla Dube said his club will comment on the FC Platinum judgment after “consultations”.

“We have received the judgment and we’re studying it. We will give a fair response after consultations,” Dube said.

He also took the opportunity to condemn hooliganism and encouraged Highlanders’ followers to practice self-restraint.

“Once again, we appeal to our fans not to invade the pitch or throw any missiles. Doing so only incapacitates us when we try to defend ourselves,” Dube said.

Cde Davis Marapira

From George Maponga in Masvingo
THE Grain Marketing Board has secured $200 million to buy grain from local farmers amid revelations that imports have been banned after permits were last issued in February.

The country is expected to save $500 million through cutting grain imports.

GMB is paying the highest price for maize, sorghum and millet in the Sadc region at $390 per tonne and there were fears that unscrupulous businesspeople would import grain for resale to GMB.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Davis Marapira yesterday said GMB has $200 million in its coffers to purchase maize from local farmers.

He defended the high maize price of $390 per tonne offered by GMB amid fears that cheap maize from other countries in the region that are expecting a bumper harvest such as South Africa would be smuggled into Zimbabwe for re-sale to the GMB.

‘’The US$200 million war chest that GMB has to buy maize from our local farmers came from Treasury and private sources and we hope the purchasing of maize to intensify from mid-July (next month) when the maize moisture content would have gone down to acceptable levels.

‘’GMB will buy maize from local farmers from the funds they have and more money will be available to purchase locally produced maize because the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe will in turn purchase at least 800 000 tonnes of maize from GMB this year,’’ he said.

‘’Government stopped issuing Grain Import permits about four months ago and no maize imports are allowed at our borders and the only way that maize can be brought into the country will be through smuggling but we now have advanced modern scanning equipment at our points of entry that will detect that.

‘’The only way maize may be brought into the country is if officials manning our ports of entry are bribed to allow the maize through but that is something that we do not have control over otherwise Government has banned grain imports into the country.’’

He said Zimbabwe was offering local farmers a higher price for a tonne of maize and small grains as a way of incentivising them to produce more considering that Zimbabwe has been a net food importer over the past few years.

‘’The $390 per tonne of grain is very sustainable and was arrived at out of the need to incentivise our farmers to produce more grain so that we become self-reliant in food production. We also factored in the high cost of producing grain in this country compared to other countries and saw it fit to give our farmers a higher price to cushion and make their operations profitable,’’ Deputy Minister Marapira said.

He also revealed that the Grain Millers Association had availed $8 million to repair GMB silos countrywide to enhance storage capacity.

He said although maize purchases from local farmers by GMB had already started, the exercise was expected to intensify by mid-next month with the country expected to have stocked 500 000 tonnes in strategic grain reserves, by September.

‘’At the moment GMB has 180 000 tonnes of maize in the Strategic Grain Reserves and out of that maize, about 56 000 tonnes is new maize delivered by farmers from their produce in the just-ended farming season.

‘’We expect maize deliveries to GMB to intensify from mid-next month and by September we expect to have enough maize in the Strategic Grain Reserves. Maize purchases by GMB are still low because the grain still has high moisture content,’’ Deputy Minister Marapira said.

Zimbabwe, he said, will this year save about $500 million by not importing grain as the country recorded a bumper harvest in the just-ended farming season.

He credited the Command Agriculture programme and Presidential Inputs Support Scheme for stimulating grain production saying Government would continue to support local farmers to engender food security in the country.

Government introduced the Command Agriculture Scheme that saw farmers getting agricultural support on credit with the state recouping its assistance after harvest.

President Mugabe assigned Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to oversee the Scheme which has been a resounding success and for the first time in years, Zimbabwe is expecting to realise over 2 million tonnes of maize this year compared to about 1 million tonnes achieved last year.

Besides goods rains, Zimbabwe’s aggregate maize output for the 2016/17 agricultural season is also bouyed by the $192 million Command Agriculture Scheme which saw Government assisting thousands of farmers with inputs as part of efforts to ensure the country becomes a net food exporter.

Vice President Mnangagwa

Zvamaida Murwira, Harare Bureau
VICE President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said the Constitutional Amendment Bill (Number One) was a Government-initiated process and not a self-serving endeavour.

He said Constitutional Amendment Bill will be executed in a balanced manner and regardless of political persuasion.

VP Mnangagwa said as the Minister responsible for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs he had the mandate to make such proposals according to people’s wishes.

He said this in the National Assembly responding to allegations from some MDC-T lawmakers Mr Innocent Gonese (Mutare Central) and Mr Prince Sibanda (Binga North) that the Bill was motivated by personal benefit during second reading stage.

“It is my firm belief and conviction that those who entertain such notions are not only mischievous and self-destructive to say the least, but dangerous, not only to our constitutional democracy, but to themselves. It must be clear to them that I, as the Minister to whom the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs portfolio was assigned, have the unfettered mandate to propose amendments according to the people’s wishes, the law, and procedures available for the peace, order and good governance of the motherland,” said VP Mnangagwa.

He said the Constitution did not prescribe timeframe or limits within which proposals for amendments could be tabled before Parliament after its adoption in 2013.

VP Mnangagwa was responding to claims from MDC-MPs that it was too early to move for amendments barely four years after adoption of the Constitution.

He said the only direction given by the Constitution regarded the procedure that must be followed when amending the Constitution, which included referendum in respect of declaration of rights and requirement of two thirds majority of membership of both the National Assembly and Senate.

“This is what we refer to as entrenchments. These entrenchments also apply to provisions relating to the amendment of term limits provisions and Section 328 itself as prescribed by Section 328 (7) and (9), respectively. Section 328 (9) restricts the amendment of Section 328 itself in case someone wants to amend the amendment clause first before attempting to amend other provisions,” said VP Mnangagwa.

He gave an example of South Africa which he said amended its Constitution barely seven months after its adoption in August 1997 by the then inaugural president, Mr Nelson Mandela.

“In fact, if the Constitution is to endure, it must be able to respond to changing needs and circumstances. Some amendments are made for the public interest; or to adjust the constitution to the environment within which the political system operates, including economics, technology, international relations, demographics and values,” he said.

VP Mnangagwa said the Bill was not partisan.

Regarding media reports that the Bill did not get support from some Cabinet members, VP Mnangagwa said disagreements were part of the country’s deep seated democratic principles.

He said what was important was that Cabinet had a collective responsibility and the views of the majority took precedence and those in the minority would be bound by the decision of majority lest one should resign.

“The fact that we have not seen any resignation arising from the successful endorsement of this Bill by Cabinet is eloquent testimony that the Bill has full backing of Government and the final arbiters, the people, through their elected representatives who will have the final say on the Bill,” said VP Mnangagwa.

Meanwhile, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill was read for the second time.

Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko steered the Bill.

After moving the Bill, VP Mphoko was ruled out of order by Acting Speaker of the National Assembly Cde Reuben Marumahoko after he sought to introduce a different subject before he adjourned the motion on the Bill.

This was after VP Mphoko had asked for “a favour” to talk about a different issue — corruption.

VP Mphoko wanted to talk about corruption but was ruled out of order.