EVERYDAY NEWS FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE
Established 2010
$25 Thursday April 9 2020
WFP seeks
US$130m
aid for
hungry
Zimbos
Page 2
COVID-19: Govt
bungling exposed
... as death
toll rises to 3
BY MOSES MATENGA/GARIKAI
MAFIRAKUREVA
G
OVERNMENT has been
accused of bungling
and not conducting
enough tests to combat
the spread of the coro-
navirus, which has killed three
people in Zimbabwe, with doc-
tors demanding an audit of
circumstances that led to the
death of a 79-year-old Bula-
wayo man on Saturday.
The third person, a 50-year-
old man, who had been report-
ed as the ninth patient, died
yesterday at Wilkins Hospital,
in Harare.
In a statement, the Health
ministry said the man started
exhibiting mild symptoms 11
days after his return from the
United Kingdom.
On April 2, he was diagnosed
 TO PAGE 2
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COVID-19
stalls
Southern
Eye
WeUtonga
theatre
project
Page 12
‘Zanu PF
hijacks
Wold Bank
funds’
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
OPPOSITION MDC mayors have
come out guns blazing accusing
the ruling Zanu PF party of work-
ing to hijack a social welfare pro-
Pic: Shepherd Tozvireva
gramme funded by the World Bank
running into millions of United
States dollars to cushion informal
traders during the 21-day national
lockdown period by registering its
members as vendors so that they
could benefit from the scheme.
President Emmerson Mnangag-
wa’s lockdown order became ef-
fective on Monday last week, but
unlike in other countries, govern-
ment did not provide social grants
to cushion informal traders against
loss of business and income.
The World Bank then chipped
in, offering US$10 per day for each
registered vendor and asked coun-
cils across the country to submit
lists of registered vendors in their
areas of jurisdiction to receive the
money.
Most cities and towns are led by
MDC mayors.
Mutare and Masvingo councils
supplied lists of 3 298 and 1 400, re-
spectively, while Harare, Bulawayo,
Gweru and Kwekwe, among other
major cities and towns, are yet to
submit their lists.
The mayors claimed that Zanu
Vendors from Epworth walk back home from Mbare, Harare, as currently there is no public transport to the dormitory town. Health authorities PF started to roll out a parallel
mandatorily ordered all commuter omnibuses to park and only those that struck a deal with Zupco are operating, but only carrying essential registration programme picking
services personnel during the 21-day nationwide lockdown.  TO PAGE 2
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2 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020
Local News
UK injects US$43,6m towards Zim COVID-19 fight
By Phyllis Mbanje
T
he United Kingdom gov-
ernment through the De-
partment for Internation-
al Development (DFID) is
working to rapidly reorgan-
ise and scale-up aid programmes on
the COVID-19 response in Zimbabwe
by supporting partners with £35,4
million (US$43,6 million).
‘Zanu PF hijacks Wold Bank funds’
l FROM PAGE 1
names from its cell registers to ensure
its members benefit from the fund.
Mutare mayor Blessing Tandi con-
firmed that the World Bank ap-
proached his council for a list of regis-
tered vendors, and that Zanu PF had hi-
jacked the programme and forwarded
lists of its members to the Public Ser-
vice, Labour and Social Welfare minis-
try.
“I received a report from the council
that the World Bank wanted to cushion
informal traders in Mutare during this
21-day lockdown and they requested
to use our database for informal trad-
ers to compile the list of beneficiaries.
We then compiled a list of 3 298 infor-
mal traders in our database,” Tandi said.
“We were then surprised when our
fellow comrades from Zanu PF start-
ed compiling a list of their members in
the wards through their chairpersons,
saying they wanted to forward it to the
Ministry of Social Welfare to be given
that money reserved for informal trad-
ers.
“They have been going around re-
questing their members’ NetOne mo-
bile phone numbers saying the min-
istry wanted to deposit the money for
their benefit. Right now I am coming
from the district development co-ordi-
nator’s office and he is also compiling
his list.”
Mutare council spokesperson Spren
Mutiwi added: “They (World Bank)
wanted the list of all informal traders
and we gave them what we have on
our database. We have not yet agreed
on how much they will assist the trad-
ers, but from the initial figures, it was
US$10 per day for 19 days.”
In Gweru, although Gweru City
Council spokesperson Vimbai Ching-
waramusee denied having been ap-
proached by the World Bank, Gweru
Urban legislator Brian Dube (MDC Al-
liance) said he was aware of the cush-
ion money channelled through gov-
ernment by the World Bank.
He said he was worried that it was
now being distributed in a partisan
manner.
“Same is happening here and I tried
to get details from the Ministry of
Women’s Affairs on the compilation of
the list, but it seems there is mystery
and corruption like always,” Dube said.
“I think those making donations to
Zimbabwe must safeguard by involv-
ing MPs and councillors in the area to
mitigate Zanu PF looting of donations.”
Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Asso-
ciation director Michael Ndiweni con-
firmed that the World Bank had been
working with the Bulawayo City Coun-
cil (BCC) in an effort to cushion the in-
formal sector from the effects of COV-
ID-19 setbacks.
“Yes, the World Bank is working with
BCC and we have already sent our
membership databases through them
so that they can access this cushioning
allowance under the bank’s COVID-19
lockdown programme,” Ndiweni said.
He said they had a meeting with of-
ficials from the Women Affairs ministry
which called for the inclusion of trad-
ers’ association representatives in the
working committee in charge of that
process to identify beneficiaries.
In Gokwe, the ruling Zanu PF com-
piled its own list through the Youth
ministry and other lists were submit-
ted to the Women Affairs ministry by
MDC councillor Machinda Mutembed-
zi, who is also a vendor.
The funds will go towards provi-
sion of medical supplies, infection
prevention and control, broadcast
messaging, child support, psycho-
social support for front-line work-
ers, water, sanitation and hygiene fa-
cilities as well as humanitarian aid to
help mitigate the crisis on the poor-
est and most vulnerable across the
country.
Head of DFID Zimbabwe, Cate Tur-
“We have sent our list of vendors to
the ministry after being asked by the
ministry official, Taruvinga, who is in
my ward. We hope to receive the cush-
ion allowances since we are all not op-
erating and at home due to this lock-
down. We hope there will be credible
selection to benefit all vulnerable ven-
dors at this time,” Mutembedzi said.
City of Harare spokesperson Michael
Chideme said they had provided the
World Bank with the information they
were requesting.
“Yes, World Bank has approached
us and they have requested the lists
of informal traders in our council data-
base and we furnished them with that,”
Chideme said.
However, NewsDay is informed there
were efforts by Zanu PF youths to have
its members, controlling most vending
stalls, mainly at the popular Muped-
zanhamo flea market, but not part of
the council’s database to be included
on the beneficiaries’ list.
Masvingo acting town clerk Ed-
ward Mukaratirwa said they were ap-
proached through the Social Welfare
Department and had registered 1 400
traders.
“Yes, we have been approached
through Social Welfare. Criteria are that
they must be registered with council
and trading at designated locations,”
Mukaratirwa said, disputing claims that
Zanu PF had hijacked the project.
Labour ministry permanent secre-
tary Simon Masanga said his ministry
was working with the Wold Bank on
many projects.
Women’s Affairs, Community, Small
and Medium Enterprises Development
minister Sithembiso Nyoni urged all in-
formal traders to register for the pro-
gramme which she said was initiated
by Mnangagwa.
“To ensure that the money reach-
es the actual beneficiaries, my minis-
try has asked all the informal traders to
register through our provincial offices
using their own associations, because
each vending sector has associations,
so they have to use these associations
for the registration process,” Nyoni told
the national broadcaster yesterday,
saying some unscrupulous individuals
were angling to hijack the programme.
But Zanu PF information director
Tafadzwa Mugwadi denied his party
was hijacking the programme.
He, instead, accused civic group, #Ta-
jamuka of registering MDC supporters
for the World Bank funds.
“Accusing Zanu PF of hijacking
World Bank programmes is not only
mischievous, but misplaced complete-
ly,” Mugwadi said.
“The party has never dared politi-
cise nor interfere with government or
global support programmes meant for
all Zimbabweans. What we know for a
fact is that the MDCs and their surro-
gates in civil society have been politi-
cising donor support through councils
in towns where only those affiliated to
them have been benefiting.”
Last week, National Vendors’ Union
of Zimbabwe chair Stern Zvorwadza
said his organisation was going to pay
its members cushioning allowanc-
es, but refused to disclose the source
of the money. He said his organisa-
tion was registering vendors to benefit
from the fund.
— Additional reporting by Praisemore
Sithole, Tatenda Chitangu and Brenna
Matendere
l feedback@newsday.co.zw
ton, said: “We are working with our
partners to rapidly reorganise and
scale-up our UK Aid programmes to
support the COVID-19 response in
Zimbabwe and urge others to as well.
“Our priority is to reach the most
vulnerable communities and those
most in need and to also reduce the
risk and impact of COVID19.”
Through its humanitarian pro-
WFP seeks US$130m aid for hungry Zimbos
BY PRECIOUS CHIDA
THE United Nations World Food Pro-
gramme (WFP) has requested for
US$130 million to sustain through Au-
gust an emergency operation to pre-
vent millions of the country’s most vul-
nerable people plunging deeper into
hunger.
Zimbabwe is already in a severe cli-
mate and recession-induced hunger cri-
sis while COVID-19 is also taking a heavy
toll on the economy.
“With most Zimbabweans already
struggling to put food on the table, the
COVID-19 pandemic risks even wider
and deeper desperation. We must all do
our utmost to prevent this tragedy turn-
ing into a catastrophe,” said Eddie Rowe,
WFP’s country director.
He added that the organisation had
been failing to assist as many people as
No movement of people, vehicles during Easter: Police
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has
warned people and motorists against
moving out of their residence during
this Easter holiday, saying no movement
of people or vehicles will be allowed
on the country’s roads except those ex-
COVID-19: Govt bungling exposed
l FROM PAGE 1
of COVID-19 with an underlying condi-
tion and was admitted into Wilkins on
April 7 after his condition deteriorated,
leading to his death yesterday.
Reacting to the circumstances lead-
ing to the second coronavirus death af-
ter the victim was exposed in March, the
doctors said government was not work-
ing towards mass testing to combat the
fast-spreading virus.
There are fears Zimbabwe could be
in worse situation than that being ac-
knowledged by authorities.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors
for Human Rights (ZADHR) has demand-
ed an audit on circumstances leading to
the man’s death and also want Health
minister Obadiah Moyo to explain what
he meant when he said the country was
ready to deal with the virus when the sit-
uation on the ground was proving to be
contrary.
“It took five days (from April 2 to April
7) to get the result of COVID-19, a peri-
od which is rather too long,” the doctors
said in a statement.
“The absence of diagnostic facilities
of COVID-19 brings to question the state
of preparedness of centres outside Hara-
re. What is the government doing to im-
prove the turnaround time for tests?” the
doctors quizzed.
The doctors demanded answers on
whether the institution that treated the
man earlier was an infectious disease
hospital or a COVID-19 designated facil-
ity, adding many health workers could
have been exposed as they lacked per-
sonal protective equipment.
They also questioned why the now-
deceased was not forced into self-isola-
tion, tested and managed as a suspect-
ed case immediately.
The Bulawayo man, according to the
Health and Child Care ministry, initial-
ly presented to his doctor on March 23
with a history of a cough, sore throat
and fever and was put on oral antibiot-
gramme, the UK is currently support-
ing 570 000 beneficiaries throughout
Zimbabwe and has vowed to contin-
ue to provide emergency humanitar-
ian aid and cash transfers to the poor-
est and most vulnerable communities
in the country.
All UK Aid money in Zimbabwe is
channelled through trusted partners
like UNICEF, World Health Organisa-
they would in the past since last year.
“WFP is planning to assist 4,1 million
people in April, but insufficient funding
has prevented us from achieving the
same monthly target since the turn of
the year,” Rowe said.
WFP is, therefore, pre-positioning
three months of food and cash assis-
tance, rolling out new risk-control meas-
ures at distributions for the COVID-19.
The United Nations agent recent-
ly welcomed a contribution of US$1,5
million from Russia to assist more than
100 000 people in Hwange, Nkayi and
Zvishavane districts, who are among
the worst affected by severe drought
and food insecurity in the country.
A recent nationwide assessment, In-
tegrated Food Security Phase Classifi-
cation shows that the number of acute-
ly food insecure Zimbabweans has ris-
en to 4,3 million, from 3,8 million at the
empted.
In a statement yesterday, police
spokesperson Assistant Commissioner
Paul Nyathi said people must observe
the lockdown rules pronounced by Pres-
ident Emmerson Mnangagwa to curb
the spread of COVID-19.
“The police are urging all Zimbabwe-
ic treatment.
When he did not improve, he present-
ed himself to a local hospital on April
2 and was admitted after presenting,
at that time, with a cough, difficulty in
breathing, sore throat and a fever.
The patient died while awaiting re-
sults and government only announced
his death on Tuesday.
Opposition MDC leader Nelson
Chamisa described the ongoing 21-day
national lockdown without mass testing
for the virus an inadequate measure to
slow down the COVID-19 epidemic.
“A lockdown without testing is not
helpful,” Chamisa told NewsDay yester-
day. “The purpose of a lockdown is to
contain the spread of the disease and
break the chain of transmission, but in
our situation, it is just like forcing people
into a prison. We really need a different
approach and it is a wake-up call. The os-
trich is notorious for burying its head in
the sand.”
Former Health minister Henry Mad-
zorera said it was worrying that not
enough people were being tested and
accused government of bungling the
process.
“That is what we have been saying,
that we are not testing enough,” Mad-
zorera said.
“Right now, we have very few sus-
pects, we must test all of them. Govern-
ment should aim at testing at least 200
people a day and that will cover every-
one because we don’t know the preva-
lence now of the infection.”
He said Zimbabwe was sitting on a
time bomb by not embarking on mas-
sive testing, presenting an opportunity
for the virus to spread.
“We hear this one ended up being
buried without adequate monitoring
as people did not know what had killed
him. Imagine all the mourners who were
there, nobody knew. It was probably not
a supervised burial, so that is our cry to
say let them test more,” he said.
tion (WHO), United Nations Devel-
opment Programme and World Food
Programme.
So far, the UK has pledged £544
million to support vaccine and treat-
ments research, protecting fragile
economies and helping organisations
like the WHO and UNICEF to slow the
spread of the disease.
l feedback@newsday.co.zw
end of last year.
Rowe said the WFP assistance in re-
cent months had helped ease hunger
in six of nine districts classified late last
year as suffering “emergency” food inse-
curity, allowing them to be downgrad-
ed to the less severe “crisis” level.
However, 56 of the country’s 60 dis-
tricts are now categorised as experienc-
ing “crisis” hunger.
WFP supports communities afflict-
ed by “crisis” and “emergency” food in-
security.
In March, it reached 3,7 million of the
most vulnerable Zimbabweans.
The total number of food insecure
people stands at 7,7 million, more than
half the population.
Rowe said the US$130 million being
urgently sought by WFP was part of a
total food assistance requirement of
US$472 million through to December.
ans to observe Easter holiday while at
home with a view of containing the
spread of COVID-19 virus,” he said.
“No movement of vehicles or people
will be allowed on the country’s roads,
except those with exemptions. Those
with exemptions should also act respon-
sibly and avoid abusing the privilege.”
“If they don’t have test kits let them
say so and as a nation, we put our heads
together and see what we can do to get
more tests. Contact tracing is not hap-
pening at all. They tell us lies that they
have tested 30 people and all, but what
do you do when you test them?”
ZADHR secretary Norman Matara said
the development confirmed what the
doctors had always been saying.
“The ministry cannot continue using
the criteria of people who would have
travelled or who have come from a risky
country, symptoms or contacts. Those
things don’t work now,” Matara said,
adding there was need for mass testing.
Meanwhile, there was panic at Chired-
zi General Hospital yesterday as nurses
refused to handle the body of a 30-year-
old Mkwasine Estates woman suspected
to have succumbed to COVID-19.
The woman reportedly arrived at the
health institution with respiratory prob-
lems.
Chiredzi district medical officer Bri-
an Dhlandlara confirmed the panic, but
said no tests had been done to conclude
it was coronavirus.
“Yes, I can confirm there is so much
panic at the hospital, but it has not been
confirmed that it’s COVID-19. The tests
have not been done,” he said.
“It can only be confirmed when sam-
ples are taken, tests done, and then the
official position will be given. At the mo-
ment, it’s just speculation. These days, if
people see anyone coughing, they con-
clude it’s coronavirus.”
Chiredzi district development co-or-
dinator Lovemore Chisema, who is the
chairperson of the local COVID-19 task-
force, said: “It is true, and it is happening.
Get more details from the DMO. Whatev-
er he is saying is what’s on the ground.
“We, however, requested that sam-
ples be collected for testing so that we
are clear of what we will be dealing with.
Until then, we will treat this case with ex-
treme care.”
 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020 3
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4 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020
Local / World News
‘Honour essential service providers’
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
Z
IMBABWEAN healthcare and essen-
tial service workers risking their lives
to offer services amid the COVID-19
outbreak deserve presidential med-
als of recognition and other benefits,
a human rights group has said.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Hu-
man Rights on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against
the government to push it to provide person-
al protective equipment for doctors, nurses and
other healthcare professionals.
Last month, nurses downed tools protesting
lack of personal protective equipment.
In Zimbabwe, the coronavirus outbreak has
exposed the collapse of the country’s health de-
livery system while the government also faces
charges of poor preparedness to deal with the
global health crisis.
The Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights
(MIHR) said it was in this light that healthcare
workers deserved medals of recognition, edu-
cational, welfare and support schemes for their
EcoCash US dollar FCA gives citizens
remittance cash boost during lockdown
The coronavirus pandemic and
the subsequent restrictions on
movement have made life fairly
difficult for many Zimbabweans
who depend on cash remittance
support for their survival.
While social distancing is the
most effective weapon to com-
bat the spread of COVID-19 for
now, being able to receive re-
mittances is imperative. And so
citizens will be looking to strike
the right balance between stay-
ing healthy and being able to
survive.
The EcoCash FCA (foreign cur-
rency account) addresses this
challenge. I reduces the need for
physical interaction, eliminate
any chances of breaching social
distancing rules and significantly
cut the chances of contracting
the coronavirus.
Take this scenario for exam-
ple: While sitting in your lounge
watching TV, you realise that you
are running out of ZESA elec-
tricity tokens (units). You send
a short WhatsApp text to your
relative in the Diaspora who
makes a quick transfer – using
EcoCash Remit or Cassava Remit
– to your EcoCash FCA wallet
which, by the way, was created
and added to your EcoCash wal-
families, among other benefits, for risking their
lives.
“Realising that their continued service is a na-
tional duty that cannot be monetised enough,
our call is to simply appreciate their services,
show them gratitude and motivate them even
further,” MIHR said in a statement yesterday.
MIHR is a non-profit human rights watchdog
which advocates for the protection, promotion
and fulfilment of the rights of vulnerable indi-
viduals, communities and societies within Zim-
babwe, particularly in Matabeleland.
“Our suggested measures to government,
therefore, include: Presidential medals of rec-
ognition to all health sector workers who were
deployed in the COVID-19 quarantine and refer-
ral centres; a presidential education and welfare
support scheme for all the children and spous-
es of the nurses and doctors who are in COV-
ID-19 health centres who might lose their lives
in the process of offering essential services in
those areas.”
The MIHR argued such interventions could
also be extended to private sector employees
let automatically.
And so, without leaving your
sofa, you immediately make
your ZESA payment.
This scenario can be repeated
with every other transaction,
merchant payment or bill pay-
ment. Right from the safety of
your own home you can pay
your bills, settle any obligations
you have, and even send part of
the foreign currency remittance
to another relative of yours
elsewhere in the country, who
is also under the lockdown. You
can also buy them airtime and
you can make direct online pur-
chases and payments.
And that is not all, the Eco-
cash FCA allows customers to
seamlessly move funds from
their bank FCA account to their
EcoCash FCA accounts. One’s
money is safe not only from CO-
VID-19 infection as it is in line
with social distancing, but is is
also safe from criminals and the
loss to which physical cash is
susceptible to.
The EcoCash FCA wallet does
not only support social distanc-
ing. It is also very convenient.
And with the government
having recently allowed the
use of foreign currency for local
who have continued to provide essential servic-
es during the lockdown, with incentives such as
tax breaks to their employers to save jobs.
“We recognise that our fellow citizens in the
essential services have volunteered to render
essential services to the nation during this crit-
ical period without expecting any incentive in
return. We further appreciate that their service
is out of passion and dedication to serving hu-
man life and fulfilling human rights and free-
doms,” MIHR said.
“The above recommendations are a reali-
sation that while we have rights (even during
such emergencies) we also as nationals have a
responsibility to appreciate those sacrificing to
enhance our rights.
“We appreciate that the State has limited re-
sources currently, but it is our genuine feeling
that these suggested measures will go a long
in encouraging and appreciating our essential
services workers and some of the measures pro-
posed do not need any resources to be imple-
mented, they can be implemented within the
spectrum of available resources.”
transactions, there is little need
for customers to convert their
remittances into cash first be-
fore transacting or making local
payments. All their payments
can be made directly from the
EcoCash FCA.
However, in instances where
customers wish to convert their
foreign currency to make pay-
ments in the local currency, or
to send money to a friend via
EcoCash, they can easily do so
from their EcoCash FCA via the
EcoCash bureau de change,
which also appears on their Eco-
Cash menu.
It is a fact that with or with-
out social distancing, people still
need to buy food, buy drugs,
pay rentals, and pay for utilities,
among other expenses.
It is also a fact that the more
they move around to try and
make all these transactions, the
more they are breaching the
principles of social distancing
and the more they are exposing
themselves to the possibility of
contracting the disease, at least
until a cure is found.
The EcoCash FCA is therefore
a highly commendable and safe
channel for transacting in these
trying times.
Ramaphosa suspends minister
over lockdown lunch violation
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspend-
ed one of his top ministers for two months, including one
unpaid, after she was photographed having lunch with a
friend in violation of a national lockdown to contain the
coronavirus.
Communications and Digital Technologies minister
Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams was summoned to explain her-
self on Tuesday after Mduduzi Manana, a former deputy
minister, posted a picture of the pair dining together with
his family on social media. South Africans have been or-
dered to stay home for three weeks, with few exceptions
such as buying food or medicine.
“Members of the National Executive carry a special re-
sponsibility in setting an example to South Africans, who
are having to make great sacrifices,” Ramaphosa said in a
statement. “None of us should undermine our national ef-
fort to save lives.”
— Bloomberg
UN responds to Malawi’s mob killings
LILONGWE — United Nations resident co-ordinator for
Malawi, Maria Jose Torres, has strongly condemned the
growing mob attacks against people on suspicion that
they are “bloodsuckers”, a criminal practice that has now
left 10 dead since March.
Torres made the condemnation in a statement Tuesday,
describing the attacks that are taking place across Malawi
as “alarming” and she has since called for “urgent action”.
Local media has reported a dozen separate mob attacks
in about 10 districts across the country where 10 people
were brutally killed on unfounded suspicion that they
were “bloodsuckers”.
Police officers and health workers are among those
who have suffered the attacks which also left buildings
and vehicles destroyed. Torres said dangerous myths and
misinformation are feeding these attacks, which, accord-
ing to her, constitute serious breaches of Malawian crimi-
nal law and human rights standards.
— Xinhua
African Americans having higher rates
of US COVID-19 infections: Trump
WASHINGTON — United States President Donald Trump
said Tuesday evidence shows that African Americans have
higher rates of COVID-19 infection in the US.
Trump said his administration is actively engaging on
the increased impacts on the African American communi-
ty, and doing everything to address this challenge.
“It’s been disproportional,” Trump told a White House
Press briefing, adding he is very concerned about the ter-
rible numbers of infected African Americans.
Higher rates of pre-existing conditions, such as diabe-
tes, hypertension, obesity and asthma, within black and
minority communities may contribute to the phenome-
non, as well as their higher use of public transportation,
said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Al-
lergy and Infectious Diseases.
— Xinhua
UN suspends peacekeeper
deployments until June 30
UNITED NATIONS — UN secretary-general Antonio Gu-
terres has suspended until June 30 the rotation and de-
ployments of uniformed personnel, including individual
officers and already-formed, police and military peace-
keeping units, because of the novel coronavirus, his
spokesman Stephane Dujarric, said on Tuesday.
“Our priorities are to ensure the COVID-19-free status of
incoming uniformed personnel and mitigate the risk that
UN peacekeepers could be a contagion vector and simul-
taneously maintain our operational capabilities,” Dujarric
said. “A few, limited exceptions may be considered to con-
tinue to deliver on the mandate, but only in extenuating cir-
cumstances on the basis of strict conditions to prevent the
spread of the virus.”
The decision was sent to all countries contributing troops
and police and to all relevant peace operations. — Xinhua
African nations urged to increase
efforts on poverty relief
LUSAKA — African countries should focus on programs
that seek to lift the masses out of poverty and bring about
sustained growth because that is what matters for the
continent, experts have said.
The experts who spoke in separate interviews with Xin-
hua also implored leaders on the continent to encourage
conversations that are beneficial to the continent. “We
cannot afford to waste time engaging in discussions that
offer little or nothing in terms of promoting economic
growth,” said Godfrey Musonda, an international develop-
ment specialist. Musonda who once served as a diplomat,
further stressed the need to invest resources into creating
conducive environments for economic growth, which ac-
cording to him, is what really matters for Africa. — Xinhua
 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020 5
Local News

Residents raise COVID-19 fear as Buyanga engages Zacc

over Mnangagwa’s son
Chitungwiza markets reopen BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

Businessman Frank Buyanga

By Moses Mugugunyeki Tuesday. The order to reopen all market places. Sadiqi has approached the Zimbabwe

R
ESIDENTS of Chi-
tungwiza have tak-
en a swipe at the lo-
cal authority for re-
opening farm pro-
duce markets without any
mechanism in place to combat
the spread of COVID-19.
On Tuesday, Chitungwiza
Municipality announced that
it was reopening farm produce
markets in the populous town.
"Good day dear residents.
Please note that council will be
opening the following markets
- Seke South Jambanja, Unit
D, Unit J and Unit L, St Mary's
Chigovanyika, Zengeza,
Zengeza 2, Seke North Makoni
Green Market and Unit F dur-
ing the lockdown,” read the
statement."
“Provisionally the times
shall be from 8am to 3pm.”
The reopening of the mar-
kets, which are the mainstay
for many people in Chitung-
wiza and surrounding rural ar-
eas, follows a directive by Pres-
ident Emmerson Mnangagwa
to have the markets reopened
during the lockdown.
This saw markets such as
Mbare and Machipisa in Ha-
rare returning to business on
the markets and have financial
services institutions open for
diaspora remittances resulted
in the flooding of the Harare
central business district yes-
terday.
A visit by NewsDay to mar-
kets in Chitungwiza showed
that there were no mechanisms
in place to observe social dis-
tancing — one of the key rec-
ommendations to slow down
the spread of COVID-19.
“We are happy to be back in
business, but at the moment
business is low because the
message has not been received
by many people,” said a vendor
at Chigovanyika market.
"We have not been told about
these regulations and social
distancing. We don't have wa-
ter, how can we put those rec-
ommendations into practice.”
NewsDay also visited
Zengeza 2 and Seke South (Jam-
banja) markets where there
was a hive of activity. Police
officers who were supposed to
be enforcing social distancing
were not in sight.
However, Chitungwiza town
clerk Tonderai Kasu insist-
ed that the council had put in
place adequate measures to
curb the spread of COVID-19 in
“We have our municipal po-
lice and ZRP officers to enforce
social distancing in the market
places,” Kasu said.
“We are also making sure
that there is provision of wa-
ter in all these places.”
Chitungwiza Residents
Trust (Chitrest) leader Alice
Kuvheya said it was disheart-
ening to note that council had
reopened the markets without
putting in place measures to
combat the spread of the coro-
navirus.
“Actually, we cannot say Chi-
tungwiza is part of the nation-
al lockdown, it was business
as usual as markets have re-
mained operational without
observing the COVID-19 rec-
ommendations,” Kuvheya said.
“There is no water and the
council has done nothing that
warrants the opening of mar-
kets. We have asked them to
provide water, even through
bowsers, but they are failing.”
Kuvheya said while she wel-
comed the opening of markets,
there was need for council to
ensure people’s safety.
Chitrest recently won a court
case that ordered the munici-
pality to provide water to its
citizens during the lockdown.
Human Rights Commission (ZHRC)
and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption
Commission (Zacc) complaining
over alleged interference in his di-
vorce wrangle from President Emm-
erson Mnangagwa’s son, Collins.
In the letter to ZHRC dated April 2,
Buyanga said he had unearthed un-
derhand dealings involving Mnan-
gagwa’s son, Collins, State secu-
rity agent Delish Nguwaya and a
High Court judge dating back to 2019
when he lost his court case against
estranged girlfriend Chantelle
Muteswa.
Buyanga said on March 11 this
year, Muteswa unlawfully sought the
company of a messenger of court
and went to his son’s school to take
custody of the child in defiance of Frank Buyanga
an earlier court ruling that gave him
custody of the child. Buyanga said he might not be the
“While she was in hiding with the only citizen being prejudiced but for
child denying him his right to educa- the people to have confidence in the
tion for over two weeks, I filed a po- Judiciary, justice must be delivered
lice report for contempt of court and independently and fairly in line
kidnaping at Highlands Police Sta- with the Constitution, not political
tion and Harare Central Police Sta- expediency.
tion respectively, but was not given He said the dispute between him
an investigating officer,” he said. and Muteswa was a family matter
“It then came to my attention that which did not require the interven-
Collins’ influence had resulted in the tion of a third party and even the
police not investigating my matters. President’s family.
I have several witnesses who at this Asked about the letter, Zacc
stage are not able to come forth in spokesperson John Makamure said:
fear of personal lives,” he wrote. “I will check after lockdown.”

Data tariffs must fall: Misa ozonetek AFRICA

BY PRECIOUS CHIDA
PRESSSTATEMENT
Media lobby group, Media In- SodiumHypochlorite(NaOCI)whichismanufacturedby
stitute for Southern Africa OzonetekAfricaisarecommendedproductforthesterilization
(Misa) Zimbabwe said govern-
ment should revise downwards ofwaterandeffectiveagainstviruses,bacteriaandfungiwhich
internet tariffs being charged includestheCovid-19.WHO:CMP-24EDIT2(13/7/4).Duetothe
by local mobile network oper- desiretoprotectourpeopleOzonetekAfrica,hasincreasedits
ators as high cost on data was productioncapacitytomeetthegrowthindemandfortested
andrecommendedsanitizer(0.5%freeChlorine).
infringing on citizens’ right to
access information about the
spread of COVID-19.
BENEFITS
FF
Misa said the expensive inter- %O

net services continued to be a
privilege for the rich while leav-
ing out the vulnerable and mar-
ginalised citizens who also need
information about the deadly
disease.
“Citizens need to keep them-
selves infor med of the devel-
opments and measures that
are being taken by the Zimba-
bwean gover nment and other
key stakeholders to contain
and curb the spread of the cor-
onavirus in the country,” Misa
said in a statement yesterday.
“The majority of the citi-
zens of Zimbabwe have a right
to also access the government’s
daily Twitter updates on devel-
opments pertaining to COV-
ID-19 in Zimbabwe and the en-
tire world.”
The African Declaration on
Internet Rights implores gov-
ernments to uphold human and
people’s rights through an in-
ternet environment that best
meets the continent’s social and
economic development needs.
Misa added: “In that regard,
the nation’s health and well-being and citizens’
right to access health facilities and relevant in-
formation to that effect is a fundamental hu-
man right moreso in the wake of the coronavi-
rus outbreak.”
“Affordable, reasonable fees will allow for
increased access to the internet and enable
the majority of citizens to access, share and
spread information on COVID-19 which will
go a long way in assisting the government‘s
Antimicrobialagentseffectiveagainst FREE
oodcourt&
differentcoronaviruses:(Sodium Office,house,f zation
churchessterili
(T.Csapply)
Hypoclorite0.05%-0.5%HCoV-229E&
SARS-CoV)
Affordable
Alcoholfree
Canbesprayedagainstwalls,floors,workstationsetc
Environmentallyfriendly
Hazardfree(people,animalsandfire)
ManufacturedinZimbabwe
Sanitizeshands
Sterilizedrinkingwater(5mlper50litresofwater)
(HumanCoronavirus229E&Severeacuterespiratorysyndrome
coronavirus)
HOWITWORKS
ByaddingHypochloritetowater,hypochlorousacid
(HOCI)isformed:
NaOCI+H2OHOCI+NaOH
hypochlorousacidandOxygenisthesolution
efforts to curb the spread of the virus in the
country.” CurrentlyatOzonetekweareacceptingapplicationsfrom
The media lobby group urged the govern- willingdistributersoftheproduct.Toapplysendtousa
ment to come up with data frameworks that en- proposalwiththenameofcompany/associationor
able ease and affordable internet access.
organisationtoprojects@ozonetek.co.zworsendawhatsappto
While access to social media might be a way
of disseminating information to all individu- OZONETEKAFRICA
7Woodlane|Borrowdale|Harare
als, it has also caused the spread of false in-
formation which has become rapid during this
outbreak, thereby causing panic among most projects@ozonetek.co.zw+263787557221
communities.
 Southern

Eye
Thursday April 9 2020 RELEVANT, CREDIBLE NEWS

2 Zimra officers Chiredzi cops descend on lockdown defiers

remanded to June BY GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA and decreed a 21-day lockdown ban- ban was eventually lifted. Now the is- social distancing. If anyone is caught
BY GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA ning unnecessary movements and sue is registered beerhalls must sell drinking beer at the beerhall or at any
CHIREDZI residents, who took advan- gatherings in a bid to curb the spread beer between 9am and 3pm. Sale of of the places besides his or her place
TWO Chiredzi-based Zimbabwe Reve- tage of the lift of the ban on sale of al- of coronavirus. the commodity outside these time- of residence, he would be breaking
nue Authority (Zimra), revenue collec- cohol and gathered at drinking spots Zimbabwe now has 11 confirmed frames is prohibited. People must buy the law.
tion officers, accused of extorting cli- defying the 21-day nation lockdown, cases and two deaths. beer and immediately leave the prem- “The security guys will heavily de-
ents of over $80 000, were last week re- were yesterday bashed by police offic- Chiredzi district development co- ises because we expect them to be scend on those that decide to breach
manded to June 27. ers for the offence. ordinator and COVID-19 taskforce home,” he said. the law. All people, except those that
The courts have temporarily sus- Chiredzi is one of the towns that chairperson, Lovemore Chisema said “Those selling beer must adhere to are providing essential services must
pended proceedings in the wake of have not been observing the lock- conformity to lockdown measures the minimum hygiene requirements stay home and remain safe. Let us all
COVID-19, and only attend to seri- down order since Monday last week. would arrest the spread of the disease. and lockdown principles. For exam- be careful. We understand and know
ous cases. Talent Rupangwana (29), of President Emmerson Mnangagwa “You would remember that selling ple, there must be a handwashing fa- people’s challenges, but we are in a far
Chiredzi, and Kudakwashe Museva (32), declared COVID-19 a national disaster of beer was initially barred, but the cility, sanitisation and observance of more dangerous situation.”
of Triangle appeared before Chired-
zi magistrate Geraldine Mutsoto, fac-
ing charges of criminal abuse of office Pic: Darlington Mwashita
as defined in Section 174 of the Crimi-
nal Law (Codification and Reform) Act
Chapter 9:23 and extortion as defined
in Section 134 (1) of the Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform) Act Chapter
9:23
The State initially opposed bail after
indicating Rupangwana and Museva
were a flight risk because they were fac-
ing a serious crime with overwhelming
evidence that could lead to conviction.
The magistrate, however, granted
them $500 bail each and ordered them
to reside at their given addresses, to sur-
render their passports, report to CID
Chiredzi every Friday, and not to inter-
fere with witnesses until the finalisation
of the matter, as part of their bail condi-
tions.
According to prosecutor Noel Muran-
da, Rupangwana and Museva hatched
a plan to extort Zimra clients. They reg-
istered a company called New Wox In-
vestments, in which they were both di-
rectors and opened a business bank ac-
count with a local bank. It is alleged that
on September 6, 2019 the two called
Jen Gift Investments director Makore
Chishanga and told him he owed Zimra
$500 000 in value added tax (VAT). They Soldiers and police jointly enforcing the lockdown order in Emakhandeni suburb, Bulawayo yesterday
threatened to close his company unless

Residents sue Hwange Colliery, Zinwa over water

he paid $50 000 into a New Wox Invest-
ments account. The accused continued
to exert pressure on Chishanga until he
deposited $20 000 on September 26,
2019. They two continued to pester the BY SILAS NKALA ter Obadiah Moyo, Mthuli Ncube (Fi- wika are getting water from commu- consistent water supply would avert

complainant and on October 21, 2019,
he deposited $10 000 into the same ac-
count.
Chishanga became suspicious and
reported the matter to Masvingo Zim-
ra manager Brighton Rombe and an in-
ternal investigation was carried out and
the matter was later reported to the po-
lice. Using the same modus operandi, it
is alleged that on September 26, 2019,
they approached Bonjisi Maronga and
told him that his company Fore Grip In-
vestments was not paying VAT. Maron-
ga referred them to Patrick Sithole his
part time accountant. The two alleged-
ly demanded $55 000 to regularise the
debt and register him for the Zimra VAT.
The following day, Maronga deposit-
ed $45 000 into New Wox Investments
account. Maronga then followed up on
the VAT number through his account-
ant, but nothing materialised.
He reported the matter to the police
and the two were arrested.
H
WANGE town could
turn into a epicentre of
COVID-19 if persistent
water problems are not
immediately addressed,
Greater Hwange Residents Trust
(TGHRT) has said in its urgent High
Court application seeking to com-
pel Hwange Colliery Company Ltd
(HCCL), Zimbabwe National Water
Authority (Zinwa), government min-
istries and the Hwange Local Board
(HLB) to ensure consistent supplies.
The trustees said residents who
were not tested for COVID-19 were
forced to converge at water points,
risking possible infection and trans-
mission.
Represented by Godfrey Nyoni,
TGHRT filed an urgent chamber ap-
plication at the Bulawayo High Court
on April 4 seeking an interdict com-
pelling HCCL, Zinwa, Health minis-
nance), Perrance Shiri (Lands), July
Moyo (Local Government) and the
HLB to consistently provide potable
water to residents without fail.
In his founding affidavit, Fidelis
Chima, the founding member, co-or-
dinator and trustee of TGHRT submit-
ted that HCCL and Zinwa supply wa-
ter to different parts of the town. Zin-
wa supplies Baobab, Chibondo, Em-
pumalanga, Zimbabwe Prisons and
Correctional Services, Zimbabwe Re-
public Police and Zimbabwe Nation-
al Army barracks and industrial sites,
Chima stated.
HCCL supplies Hwange township,
Lwendulu, Madumabisa, Lusumbami,
Ngumija and Makwika.
“Makwika, Lusumbami, Lwendu-
lu and Cindirella are only getting
water for two hours in the morning.
Ngumija has no potable water at all.
Residents in areas such as Lwendu-
lu, Cindirella, Madumabisa, and Mak-
nity toilets and public bathrooms,” he
submitted.
“Water is key in the fight against
COVID-19. People are expected to
maintain high levels of hygiene and
this cannot be achieved without wa-
ter and this is the dilemma that some
residents face.
“Currently as I stated, some plac-
es have water in the morning only
while others have two hours of run-
ning and potable water per day. That
will by all standards make Hwange
an unsafe place to live in. People will
not wash their hands regularly as
they will be saving water for other
uses such as flushing toilets, drinking,
cooking and washing.”
Chima said in the absence of po-
table water, Hwange would become
the epicentre of COVID-19 in Zimba-
bwe, should there be one person in-
fected since residents were not test-
ed to ascertain their status. He said
disaster.
“Ministers cited herein in their ca-
pacities must be ordered to ensure
that the affected residents have safe
and potable water per such stand-
ards as are acceptable to the Minis-
ter of Health. The Minister of Finance
ought to be ordered to avail ade-
quate money to first and second re-
spondents (Colliery and Zinwa) for
purposes of ensuring the water in-
frastructure is maintained and refur-
bished to ensure smooth supply of
water to residents,” Chima said.
He said another solution would
be to give the responsibility of wa-
ter provision to the HLB and the Local
Government minister should be com-
pelled to do so. Chima also submit-
ted that the Lands minister should
ensure that water sources such as
dams are made available to improve
supplies. Respondents are yet to re-
spond to the application.

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange
INDICES VALUE
All Share 459,88
Industrial 1,523.52
Top 10 379,93
Minings 751,02
BUSINESS IN BRIEF
‘Lockdown to hit
livelihoods hard’
BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA
ZIMBABWE’S nationwide lockdown will likely hit hard
livelihoods and markets for both rural and urban house-
holds, a leading provider of information and analysis on
food insecurity has said.
The 21-day nationwide lockdown, which started last
Monday, came as a measure to arrest the spread of the vir-
ulent coronavirus, with the country so far having recorded
11 confirmed positive cases and two deaths.
“This lockdown restricts the normal movement of peo-
ple, goods, and services, including a ban on some pub-
lic transportation and closure of borders to non-essential
travel. However, the restrictions exempt critical producers
and services, including humanitarian assistance distribu-
tions,” the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS-
NET) said in its latest update.
“These measures, aimed at limiting the spread of the vi-
rus, are likely to have direct and indirect impacts on liveli-
hoods and markets for both rural and urban households,
specifically in southern areas where poor households rely
heavily on remittances and informal imports from South
Africa.”
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s
detailed 2019 Article IV Consultation on Zimbabwe re-
leased last week, COVID-19 is expected to adversely im-
pact the country’s economic outlook.
IMF said this would require additional health-related
spending and international humanitarian assistance as
millions of people already exposed.
“COVID-19 will make it even harder to balance the pol-
icies needed to restore macro-economic stability with
those to address urgent social needs. Zimbabwe is experi-
encing economic and humanitarian crises,” IMF said.
“Macro-economic stability remains a challenge: the
economy contracted sharply in 2019, amplified by climate
shocks that have crippled agriculture and electricity gen-
eration; the newly introduced ZWL [Zimbabwe dollar] has
lost most of its value; inflation is very high; and interna-
tional reserves are very low.”
The macro-economic instability stems from the contin-
ued devaluation of the Zimdollar that has brought hyper-
inflation back into the economy.
“In March, ZimStat [Zimbabwe National Statistics Agen-
cy] reported annual inflation for February at slightly over
540 percent; however, some independent sources report
annual inflation above 1 000%. The local currency deval-
ued significantly in March as the official interbank rate fell
by almost 30% and the parallel market rates nearly dou-
bled compared to February,” FEWSNET said.
“This drove significant increases in the prices of basic
goods and services. In late March, the government an-
nounced that the United States dollar is now permissible
for local transactions. The government also suspended
the managed float exchange rate and pegged the official
exchange rate at US$1:$25. The immediate and medium-
term market and food security impacts are still being as-
sessed, as the markets adjust to this new structure.”
Demand for staple cereals remains high while access is
limited for many poor households given high prices and
low income.
Already, there is a critical maize grain shortage with
prices across markets being over 10 times the recent five-
year average.
However, following the central bank redollarising the
economy last week, by allowing the use of the US dollar
alongside the Zimdollar, this is expected to stabilise the
failing currency.
CHANGE (%)
-0,10%
0,09%
0,31%
-8,09%
COVID-19: RTG expects 6% fall in revenue
BY FIDELITY MHLANGA
T
HE Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-list-
ed Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG)
says closure of its hotels this month
to contain the spread of coronavirus
will reduce its annual revenue gener-
ation by at least 6%.
In its financial statement for the full year end-
ed December 2019, the company said the board
would, however, quantify the total impact of the
coronavirus pandemic on its wholesome opera-
tions.
During the year under review, the group real-
ised inflation-adjusted revenues of $45,6 million
after it grew by 62% from $279,8 million in 2018.
Historical growth was 539% from $34,3 million
to $219,4 million.
“The group in response temporarily closed
down all of its hotels during the lockdown pe-
riod. The closure will have a significant impact
on the group’s month of April 2020 revenues,
which traditionally accounts for 6% of total an-
nual revenues. The group is yet to quantify the
total impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its
operations. The board is optimistic that the busi-
ness will significantly recover once the pandem-
ic is under control,” RTG chairman Arthur Manase
said.
AVOID THE RISK OF COVID-19 VIRUS
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) hereby advises its
valued clients to stay safe and cautious by reducing physical 12. incometaxscoreturn@zimra.co.zw
visits to ZIMRA offices during this period of the COVID-19
virus outbreak. As a mitigating measure against the spread
of COVID-19 virus, clients are encouraged to access, utilise
the available ZIMRA e-service facilities on (www.efiling.
zimra.co.zw) and reduce the risks associated with travelling
or handling manual tax submissions. With ZIMRA e-service
platform you can do the following:
1. Online registration in order to obtain a ZIMRA Business
Partner Number (BP)
2. Online Submission of Tax Returns (currently Income Tax,
PAYE, Value Added Tax, and Capital Gains Tax)
3. Online application for Tax Clearances (ITF263)
4. Online verification and validation of existing Tax Clearances
(ITF263)
5. Viewing of Taxpayers’ Accounts Status and Balances
6. Online updating of information (submission of REV2 Form)
In exceptional cases where:
a) Submission of Tax Returns has failed to go through ZIMRA 31. maronderareturn@zimra.co.zw
e-services platform
b) Submission relating to ITF12B (QPDs), ITF16, or Withholding
Taxes [REV5 Forms]
Clients are advised to scan and email completed copies of the through their respective banks. For ZIMRA bank details, please
failed tax return/form, ITF12B (QPDs), ITF16, or Withholding visit the ZIMRA website www.zimra.co.zw. Please note all
Taxes [REV5 Forms] using the applicable/relevant email emails must be less than 10MB those with emails larger than
address selected from the list below:
1. vatlcoreturn@zimra.co.zw
2. payelcoreturn@zimra.co.zw
3. whtlcoreturn@zimra.co.zw
4. incometaxlcoreturn@zimra.co.zw
5. vatmcoreturn@zimra.co.zw
6. payemcoreturn@zimra.co.zw
7. whtmcoreturn@zimra.co.zw
8. incometaxmcoreturn@zimra.co.zw
9. vatscoreturn@zimra.co.zw
10. payescoreturn@zimra.co.zw
NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020 7
Currencies
CURRENCY VALUE CHANGE NET CHANGE
EUR-USD 1,0914 0,0121 +1,12%
USD-JPY 109,0400 -0,1800 -0,16%
GBP-USD 1,2359 0,0128 +1,05%
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Zimbabwe is today on day 11 of the 21-day below 61% recorded in 2018 due to the closure
lockdown pronounced by authorities to stem of Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel between January
the spread of the virus. and February 2019 and Rainbow Towers Hotel
The government has also announced a num- from mid-December 2019 for refurbishments.
ber of measures to protect its citizens, which in- The closures led to a loss of 12 100 rooms (4%
clude banning entertainment centres, pubs, occupancy). On a like-for-like basis, occupancy
gathering of more than 50 people for a period closed at 51% above the national average occu-
of up to 60 days. pancies of 41% reported by the Zimbabwe Tour-
The group invested $42 million (approximate- ism Authority (ZTA Q3 2019 report).
ly US$6,2 million) into hotel refurbishment dur- Listed companies are now using IAS 29 “Fi-
ing the first quarter of 2019, which saw the Bula- nancial reporting in hyperinflationary econo-
wayo Rainbow Hotel being temporarily closed in mies” from financial year end on or after July 1,
an exercise which involved the upgrade of bath- 2019 after the Public Accountants and Auditors
rooms, full replacement of the hot and cold wa- Board recommended that the environment in
ter reticulation system, replacement of exterior the country was ripe to use the standard.
windows, upgrade of soft furnishings in rooms The promulgation of the new standard neces-
and the replacement of guest elevators. sitated by a shift in use of currency from multi-
“At the Rainbow Towers Hotel, the company currency to the inflation-prone Zimbabwe dollar
has undertaken a rebuilding exercise involving in July last year sought to bring fairness when re-
the gutting down and reconstruction of the en- porting on two different periods.
tire guest rooms and bathrooms for 187 rooms. Inflation-adjusted profit-after-tax for the year
It is pleasing to note that the Rainbow Towers re- closed at $237 million from $40,8 million record-
furbishment exercise was completed within two ed prior year. Historical growth was $52 million
months, which is a very short period given the from $5 million.
nature of the work. Going forward, the group On legacy matters, the group finally recov-
will continue with the refurbishment exercise ered US$1,9 million owed by Capital Bank (then
to complete the process of making all the hotels Renaissance Merchant Bank). The recovery was
world leading,” Manase said. in the form of 3,6% of the issued shares in First
The group’s occupancy closed at 47%, 23% Mutual Holdings Limited.
11. whtscoreturn@zimra.co.zw Customs and Excise Measures to Ensure Business Continuity In e. The use of electronic payments to be encouraged for
Light Of the Corona Virus Pandemic payment of duty and other charges or fees.
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15. hwangereturn@zimra.co.zw gagwa, on the Corona Virus National Status and measures to facility is a web-based application where visitors can apply
16. gwandareturn@zimra.co.zw contain its spread, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority is putting for the Temporary Import Permit for foreign registered motor
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18. masvingoreturn@zimra.co.zw and valued clients. through Google Play Store and the ZIMRA website (www.
19. mutarereturn@zimra.co.zw zimra.co.zw). No applications will be accepted over the counter
20. gwerureturn@zimra.co.zw a. All stations to maintain skeleton staff, with only critical and no manual TIP’s will be issued.
21. chiredzireturn@zimra.co.zw areas to be manned to limit human interface. g. All face-to-face meetings with clients are suspended, and
22. zvishavanereturn@zimra.co.zw b. Data Processing Centers (DPC’s) – the use of electronic means of communication is encouraged.
23. chipingereturn@zimra.co.zw i.All DPC staff will not interact with any member of the
24. rusapereturn@zimra.co.zw public, all interaction to be limited to electronic means
25. kwekwereturn@zimra.co.zw ii.Queries and Amendment Staff to only interact with clients My Taxes, My Duties: Building my Zimbabwe!!
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28. kurimamcoreturn@zimra.co.zw of a bill of entry: Disclaimer
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8 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020
EVERYDAY NEWS FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE
STAY AT HOME
Paltry cushion
fee, an insult
to the needy OPINION
RESIDENTS FUME OVER LOCKDOWN BRUTALITY
P
RESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has
guest We are captains of our fate
availed $200 each for one million needy individuals to
cushion them from social shocks emanating from the
column
lockdown meant to combat the spread of COVID-19. While
the gesture is noble, it is the amount — translating to a pal-
try US$5 — that is a mockery given that some of these indi-
viduals were making much more than that per day but still
struggling to make ends meet before the lockdown.
This, however, is not surprising given the paltry figure
government had always put into social welfare coffers. The
country barely has any social safety nets to talk about, or a
security fund that could have come in handy at a time like
this when it now has to rely more on donations to bankroll
the fight against COVID-19.
Millions of Zimbabweans, who are mainly self-employed in
the informal sector, have been thrown off balance following
the presidential decree for a lockdown, although they still
need to fulfil “statutory” obligations such as funding meals
and housing as they are still expected to pay their rentals
as usual despite the lockdown and closure of normal busi-
Serlom Branttie
ness. Government has already indicated it would not inter-
T
fere with private contracts relating to rentals. But it must be HE biggest conspira-
noted that besides getting money for food, the same people cy against the growth
and dominance of Af-
are still required to pay their rent.
rica and Africans is not
This is a key obligation that should also have been consid- the work of Bill Gates,
ered. Even if a family of four gets $800 or US$20, that is still Monsanto, 5G, the coronavirus or
way below what they would need to pay for rentals, which imperialists or colonialists. It is
are ranging between US$20 and US$50 a room. not United States President Don-
ald Trump.
This makes government’s offer a mockery, especially in It is not China, it is not British
view of the social safety measures that other countries in Prime Minister Boris Johnson or
Africa and abroad have put in place to cushion their citizens. Queen Elizabeth. It is not a right-
Well-governed countries have proved to have greater capac- wing or a leftwing conspiracy, nei-
ity to implement such programmes, something that is a far- ther is it a grand plan of Israel or
even the Middle East.
cry from Zimbabwe which has been run down through cor- Africa’s biggest problem is its
ruption, nepotism and general bad governance. leadership.
Ironically, government also indicated that homeless peo- No world leader or richest man
ple in Harare were now being housed in different facilities in the world will suffer through
that include Jamaica Inn, Mt Hampden and Beatrice Centre vaccines or killing many of his
own people or use electromagnet-
when all along they have been left to their own wiles as gov- ic waves to kill us. And let me tell
ernment was unmoved by their plight. you why:
Going forward, it is critical for the government to relook In 2018 alone, about 230 000
its social welfare programmes and see how best they can be brand new Toyota Land Cruiser 80
improved for effectiveness. (2018 models) were sold in Africa.
Let’s assume that private sector
and non-governmental organisa-
tions bought 50% of those ( a very
conservative estimate), then it
means the other half was bought
by African governments.
This means that at a very gener-
ous base price of $60 000, $690 mil-
lion was spent in sub-Saharan Af-
rica alone for governmental bod-
ies and officials to buy just Toyota
Land Cruisers.
The WHO global health ex-
penditure database puts gener-
al government expenditure for
health for sub-Saharan Africa at
US$361 777 million for 2017.
If we even made the figure $362
million, it means that we aver-
agely spent 52% of what we were
willing to spend on Land Cruisers
than on health of our own citizens.
This is just cost of acquisition,
not maintenance.
In 2016, Africa accounted for
1,1% (US$22,3 billion) of global in-
Editorial & Opinion
vestments in research and devel-
opment (R&D).
Globally, pharmaceutical com-
panies are among the top investors
in R&D in the health science sec-
tor, but this is not the case in Af-
rica.
Africa has 15% of the world's
population and 25% of the world's
disease burden, but only 1% of the
world's research and development
budget is spent in the whole of Af-
rica. Even that, it comes from ex-
ternal resources. Africa, a con-
tinent of about a billion people,
holds only 0,1% of the world's pat-
ents.
Only 198 researchers per million
people. Yet even then, remember
that our R&D expenditure is most-
ly sourced from abroad.
If you think I’m lying, the two
main centres for coronavirus test-
ing are funded by Germany and
Japan.
Illicit financial losses from cor-
ruption and embezzlement alone
amount to some $50 billion annu-
ally. Guess where it goes to? The
West!
When you are flying abroad,
who usually sits in business class
and sleeps and wines and dines
in the finest hotels in Europe and
America? Is it the African immi-
grant hustler or the politician and
his cronies?
Who do you see when you go to
the Palms in Dubai or Abu Dhabi?
Or in Monaco or on the Champs
D'Elysses?
How many politicians don’t own
$1 million houses in various es-
tates sprinkled across different
continents?
In such a situation, do you
think that all someone cares about
is to try and destroy us with a vi-
rus? We have already systematical-
ly weakened our systems.
We have very little industrial ca-
pacity, we have sold whatever is
remaining in Africa to Chinese,
we only contribute to 2% of the
world’s manufacturing.
Our leaders pride themselves in
dashing us bicycles, T-shirts and
bags of imported rice.
Do you think anyone worth
their time needs to employ sophis-
ticated methods which will endan-
ger their own people to destroy us
when we are doing such a nice job
of it ourselves?
For every day that we live, our
compromised healthcare systems
and the egos of our leaders are go-
ing to sink us further.
We have no capacity to pro-
duce anything that will help us.
We don’t even have the research
laboratories to provide us with re-
search against the virus.
Yet we have an 89% (Ghana) and
over 80% (Christian SSA coun-
tries) where “men of God” are
opinion leaders spewing all sorts
of controversies because we have
been wired to believe in miracles
more than science.
Sub-Saharan Africa contributes
averagely only 0,05% of the world’s
mathematics PhD holders. Wanna
juxtapose that with PhD holders in
say theology? Be my guest!
Hey wait, Ghana still plans to
source from churches $100 million
to build a cathedral with a Bible
Museum, hoping that it will be a
tourist attraction.
But nobody remembers the last
time it bothered to refurbish its
museum of science and technol-
ogy, which has at its entrance a
steam tractor from the early 20th
century and an old Gatlin Gun.
We keep crying about drug test-
ing on poor Africans, but how
many virologists do we have, and
how many virus institutes do we
have to deal with the over 25% dis-
ease burdens that we have?
Or have our spiritual leaders in
the shrines, mosques and church-
es suddenly become disease spread
experts?
What is the ratio of doctors to a
patient, or nurses to a patient, or
medical laboratories to patients in
sub-Saharan Africa?
At this stage, we don’t need Bill
Gates to wipe us off the earth. We
are doing so alone with our incom-
petence.
We have not even begun finger-
ing the Chinese who are forcing
governments to mortgage their
mines and in Ghana our rivers for
alluvial gold and bauxite reserves
for roads that will last all of 10
years.
If you think coronavirus, digi-
tal medical records, vaccine trials
and 5G networks are designed to
destroy Africans for the monopo-
ly of some old computer scientist
living in Oregon or Washington in
the US to benefit, then you proba-
bly should save us all and succumb
to the virus as you don’t belong in
the 21st century anyway.
I know it’s harsh, but that’s
the truth. There is no conspiracy
against us. We are the captains of
our own fate.
 Serlom Branttie is a technology
entrepreneur and strategy director of
mPedigree, a tech company that pio-
neered the use of text messages to de-
tect counterfeit medicines and prod-
ucts. He is also the vice-president of
IMANI Africa, a policy and governance
think tank and an Aspen fellow. He
writes in his personal capacity.
Opinion NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020 9

Daily View
Lockdown or knockdown: Urban
Social media is inducing livelihoods under siege
fear about COVID-19 guest
I guest column
N physics, there is some- Everything is “OMG! The sky
thing called the “observer is falling!” until Chicken Little
effect”. The observer effect is eventually turned into chicken
is the theory that the mere nuggets. The Chicken Little syn-

column
observation of a phenome-
non inevitably changes that phe-
drome will have further snowball-
ing effect with imaginations run-
Munyaradzi Ziburawa
nomenon. ning wild. & Gaylord Munemo
I am arguing against the panic It is not the time to score cheap
that is being induced by the social mileage. It’s time to unite and URBAN livelihoods in Zimbabwe efforts to curb the spread of COVI-
media over the COVID-19 (most- fight the pandemic. It’s time to have always been complex, if not 19, simply reflect a knockdown on
ly known as coronavirus) due the put hatred aside and to not dis- precarious, given the deteriorat- livelihoods. The affected vendors
observer effect. A lot of people parage efforts being made to con- ing economic fortunes of the nation have threatened to sue govern-
are citing an Armageddon. Over- tain the epidemic. Positive cri- over the past two decades. The puni- ment for the losses, and they are
observation changes the phenom- tique and solution matrices are tive macro-economic environment to an extent justified. The thought-
enon to overreaction. Overreac- most required at the moment. has been the key driver of food in- less destruction of food supplies in
tion can easily make a bad situa- My view is that this epidemic is security in both rural and urban ar- a food insecure country is not only
tion worse. novel and no-one has a solution to eas. Cash limitations in the formal ironic but even more of a hypo-
That does not mean I think it is conquering it ,yet I think quaran- markets have negatively affected critical stance, given the failure
a hoax or something that should tine is the best solution at the mo- poor households given the fact that by the same force to observe so-
not be taken seriously. It is se- ment. Resources though should non-cash transactions in the infor- cial distancing guidelines in their
rous, our lack of understanding be directed to the right future in- mal and parts of the formal sectors operations. The ZRP continues to
of its origins and how to defeat it terventions. attract high premiums of up to 50% pack their officers like sardines in
makes it so.
Of course there are two enti-
ties trying to re-write the history
Brian Sedze Central government, councils
and the private sector should be
allowed to participate in their
above cash prices.
Limited employment opportuni-
ties in the formal sector have seen
its creaking vehicls, betraying the
ill-thought nature of some of our
COVID-19 interventions. Perhaps
of this pandemic — the Chinese own spheres. I do think it’s a cor- the majority of urban households re- such acts of omission are under-
government and the American In my opinion, the great cor- rect view that private entities lying on informal activities such as standable in a sudden onset disas-
media. Both may be lying. They onavirus panic is creating shal- can’t play a part. Even for a com- vending and petty trade for survival. ter. What is unforgivable though is
share a common cause, of win- low, carlous people with objec- mon cold or headache. not eve- Access to food for most urban house- to ignore the reality of the decima-
ning on a strategic platform post tives other than helping to ensure ryone is treated in private hospi- holds had been reduced to a function tion of livelihoods. We have an ob-
this pandemic. the nation follows the rules of en- tals. It will be another argument of the daily street battles with mu- ligation to do no harm.
But I am also aware of the pen- gagement. for another day to change the pre- nicipal police in the midst of some It is imperative to note that
chant of the forces opposed to Businesswoman Nomathemba sent universal access to medical informal activity of some sort. COVID-19 mitigation measures
President Emmerson Dambud- Primrose Ndebele correctly ob- aid and private facilities. The resilience of any livelihood have largely affected the poorest
zo Mnangagwa to abide by Rahm served that “Maybe before you Some social media pundits is tested in the face of unforeseen members of society. While, chain
Emmanuel's rule that no good cri- post your consipracy theories, don't know or care how much this shocks or stress; such shocks could stores have been allowed to oper-
sis should go to waste and the me- you should post your “O-Level” kind of negative reaction hurts either be natural or man-made. The ate, there has been a virtual shut-
dia's corollary, “if you don’t have results. Because we are wonder- the Zimbabwean people. It has management of COVID-19 is lay- down on business of the poor. Big
a crisis when you need one, cre- ing how you went from “O-Lev- become as routine they think no ing bare the precarious nature of corporates, including those who
ate one". el into your doctorate in virolo- more of it than you and I do when most urban livelihoods. ZIMVAC sell alcohol and other unhealthy
I also know that a response to a gy and your degree in 5G telecom- we draw a breath. (2019) notes that 'most households substances, have been allowed to
thing can be perceived as insuffi- munications”. I mentioned the observer effect in Zimbabwe were ill-equipped to operate as “essential” to the econ-
cient if those criticising that re- It is wiser for people stick to for a reason - the outcome of this deal with most livelihood and eco- omy, yet markets that provide es-
sponse create a mental image subject matters one has some rea- infection, epidemic or pandemic nomic shocks such as loss of income sential and affordable food and
of that thing that is a thousand sonable level of competence. — whatever it will eventually be and price changes. COVID-19 and vegetables to the majority poor
times worse than it really is. Each People are worrying from called — changed the moment the the lockdown have exacerbated the have been shut down without mer-
and every response becomes le- “news” peddled by doomsayers. threat was recognized and it con- vulnerability of most urban house- cy.
thargic and will never be good A lot are ingesting this apparent tinues to change daily as we learn holds. The majority languishing in
enough. scare- mongering “hook, line and more about the virus. A significant fraction of urbanites prison for violating the lockdown
In this unfortunate COVID-19 sinker”. It is wiser to listen to sci- It is true that our medical in- in Zimbabwe have an involuntary are poor urban men and women
pandemic, unity of purpose is the entific reports from credible med- stitutions and medical people hand-to-mouth consumption pat- who have been forced out in the
best way forward. ical journals and follow the edicts are not the best in the world and tern. There are limited social safe- streets to fend for their families
Both government-run institu- of government and local authori- but every day, they gain ground ty nets available to act as a buffer in in the absence of any social safe-
tions and the local government- ties. It is even better to plead with on protecting the public against sudden disruptions such as the lock- ty nets from the government or
run medical facilities are in a God. a full-blown pandemic like the down. One of the social safety nets any other duty bearers. The World
parlous state with significant re- All sorts of prescriptions to Spanish Flu of 1918.This pan- available for urbanites is the engag- Health Organization has warned
source challenges. Medical per- beat the virus or to avoid it are be- demic is a wake-up call for Zimba- ing in the group savings and lending against locking down populations
sonnel of both sides are desirous ing peddled left, r ight and centre. bwe and Africa to build their own clubs. Most informal traders prac- without attendant social nets to
of a better standard of living. It is dangerous to assume these medical institutions in time. tise this on a daily or weekly basis. cushion the vulnerable popula-
We all know who is responsi- remedies are some sort of vac- We have had two deaths now Such initiatives have equally been tions.
ble for government hospitals and cines. It may be tragic to assume and in that context, we can’t be disrupted by the lockdown. For the Government has launched a
also council hospitals. It is pru- healing will come from these considered a hotspot. The coun- majority of households, the lock- one-billion-dollar humanitari-
dent in the circumstances to de- pseudo-science alternative medi- try reacted in time on this lock- down translates to a total economic an appeal in the context of COV-
sist from the blame game. cines. Death may visit those who down. I add, this lockdown is a knockdown. ID-19 and one hopes that proactive
Well before March 21, 2020, we do not take professional advice. global response both in strong While the necessity of the lock- measures in terms of social safe-
were already being bombarded In this pandemic I believe in and weak economies. If we de- down in the face of the threat of the ty nets will be considered to sup-
by social media experts to the ef- three things - God, science and cide to criticise, let that critique global pandemic cannot be debated, port the majority of urban house-
fect that the virus was already love. Trust in God, not some char- be factual and proffer solutions. I it is imperative that the reality of holds who may never recover from
wreaking a havoc in Zimbabwe latants who purport that God del- doubt think it’s a time to push “I the disruption of livelihoods be ac- the 21-day disruption. Rental re-
even before any confirmed case. egated his power to them. We knew it” or “I told you so” narra- knowledged for immediate redress. prieves can be considered as well
That level of self-hate was like must listen to science on health tives. In fact, with hindsight, the lockdown as support with school fees. Using
we couldn’t wait anymore to be and hygiene. Science is wisdom Overreaction can easily make should have taken a deeper under- a household economy approach,
affected. and a way to explain God’s king- a bad situation worse. Reasona- standing of urban livelihoods and the government has to come up
No matter who much we hate, dom. Love you neighbours, socie- ble fear combined with bad log- tried to take certain realities into with a requisite rescue package
panic “observations” just make ty and family by physically stay- ic equals crippling unease - and consideration. that protects most urban house-
the crisis worse and bad individ- ing away from them. Love them crippling unease leads to bad de- The populous India with over one holds post the 21-day lockdown pe-
ual decisions to be made. enough to help those in need from billion people and a significant in- riod. Without such support, the
Each and every time we are your shelves, farms, bank, pocket formal sector simply reorganised its cure could have even dire out-
bombarded by “news” of the ep- and so forth. Brian Sedze is strategy consultant informal markets by incorporating comes than the disease itself.
idemic having reached uncharted A lot of people have been disa- and president of Free Enterprise Ini- social distancing principles in vege-
territory in terms of illness and greeing with everything the gov- tiative. Free Enterprise Initiative is an table markets.
death, the number of places, the ernment has been doing. They of- advocacy in less government, free en- Images which recently went viral  Munyaradzi Ziburawa a devel-
people affected and those who un- ten say we have a President who terprise, fiscal and public policy. He of the Zimbabwe Republic Police de- opment practitioner while Gaylord
fortunately passed on is shocking is not doing enough to combat the can be contacted on brian.sedze@ stroying vegetables, tomatoes and Munemo is an emergency response
in many people’s minds. spread of the virus. gmail.com fruits in Sakubva, Mutare as part of specialist

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10 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020
There’s need to
professionalise ZRP
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police
(ZRP), long known for its alleged
corrupt tendencies and heavy-
handedness in quelling civil dis-
sent, hit a new low on Friday af-
ter news and video footage of its
members burning a truckload of
farm produce in Mutare made
rounds on news platforms.
The unprecedented move by
the force comes amid a series of al-
leged violent and degrading acts
by the force meted against ordi-
nary Zimbabweans as it enforces
the current lockdown order effect-
ed by President Emmerson Mnan-
gagwa.
However, the irony of it is that
the seemingly high appetite for
violence and disproportionate
use of force exhibited by the ZRP
comes even though Zimbabwe-
ans are generally non-violent and
peace-loving people who, in most
cases, often have legitimate com-
plaints or issues that need to be
addressed.
The resultant criticism and dis-
gust for the police’s conduct by
the generality of Zimbabweans
is, therefore, in this regard, rea-
sonable and justified, prompt-
ing thought that, perhaps as a na-
tion, it is high time we transition
from a police force to a police ser-
vice which has a mandate of pro-
tecting citizens and not harming
them.
Peace and security are a public
good and society as a whole will
benefit from an increase in secu-
rity. It is thus the mandate of the
police (or one of its mandates
rather) to guarantee peace and or-
der in society and whatever pro-
cedures they employ are presum-
ably aimed at achieving this end.
Be that as it may, violence general-
ly begets violence and resentment
breeds animosity.
To that end, the ZRP’s thought-
less exercise of force and brutal-
ity as a way of quelling dissent
(generally non-violent in our case)
breeds fertile ground for resent-
ment and is, therefore, not an ef-
fective strategy for achieving
peace and order in the long term.
On the contrary, such conduct
by the ZRP actually represents a
decisive impediment to peace,
stability, the rule of law and hu-
man rights in its broad sense.
It is, therefore, crucial that non-
violence should be embedded
as a feature in the inherent op-
erations of the ZRP. And with al-
ready a significant escalation in
human rights violations in the last
24 months, mostly perpetrated by
the security forces on Zanu PF op-
ponents, it is in the best interest of
Mnangagwa to consider, as a mat-
ter of urgency, reforming the ZRP
(and the security sector in its en-
tirety) to transform it into a well-
functioning, non-partisan and ef-
fective police/security service. The
police should inspire confidence
to all peace-loving and law-abid-
ing Zimbabweans by conducting
themselves in a professional, non-
violent and non-partisan manner
and by exhibiting a high level of
moral character in their dealing
with the public.
Nkosilathi Lesley Ngwenya
Africa could lose 20 million jobs due to pandemic
IT makes sad reading that about 20
million jobs are at risk in Africa as the
continent’s economies are project-
ed to shrink this year due to the im-
pact of the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, Africa accounts for just a
fraction of total cases of the disease,
which has infected more than one
million people worldwide.
But African economies are already
facing an impending global eco-
nomic downturn, plummeting oil
and commodity prices and an im-
ploding tourism sector.
Before the onset of the pandem-
ic, continent-wide gross domes-
tic product (GDP) growth had been
projected by the African Develop-
ment Bank to reach 3,4% this year.
However, in both scenarios mod-
elled by the African Union study,
Khupe, your elected term expired in 2019
I
Dear Dr Khupe,
JOIN you in celebrating the Su-
preme Court endorsement of
the High Court judgment that
ruled that the appointment of
Nelson Chamisa as MDC-T act-
ing president shortly after the death
of the MDC founding leader, Morgan
Richard Tsvangirai, was unconstitu-
tional, and that you are the rightful
acting president of the MDC-T.
I have been listening to argu-
ments by legal minds who are say-
ing this judgment is enforceable and
those who are saying it is not en-
forceable, and accept that both ar-
guments are strong and should not
be taken lightly. However, using the
intelligence of a professional infor-
mation analyst, I now concur with
those who are saying this is just an
academic judgment which is meant
to be used for future such circum-
stances as in this case the judgment
is coming after the horse has already
bolted.
One major hurdle for those say-
ing the judgment is enforceable is
that the constitution that has been
used to make the judgment clearly
stipulates that the president elected
at the extra-ordinary congress shall
serve a term of office equivalent to
the remaining term of the last elect-
ed president. Can you, therefore,
Khupe stop for a while and remind
yourself how many years were re-
maining for Tsvangirai to complete
his term as MDC-T president after
the 2014 congress. Has that time
frame not lapsed?
The court judgment here may
have been meant to test the rea-
soning of people who do not un-
derstand mathematics, those who,
like President Emmerson Mnangag-
wa will say 10+4 is equal to 40. 2014
plus five years is equal to 2019, so Ts-
vangirai’s term would have expired
in 2019, simple mathematics.
Clever politicians should be look-
ing into the future rather than wast-
ing time on judgments that are not
enforceable. Khupe, have a serious
think about this during the remain-
ing period of the shutdown. Thank
God coronavirus gave the oppor-
tunity for you to think carefully and
plan the next move — and you ac-
knowledged that in your speech in
The Editor welcomes brief letters on topical issues.
Write on e-mail to: letters@newsday.co.zw
Talking Point
GDP will now shrink.
Under what the AU researchers
deemed their realistic scenario, Afri-
ca’s economy will shrink 0,8%, while
the pessimistic scenario said there
would be a 1,1% dip.
Up to 15% for foreign direct in-
vestment could disappear. The im-
pact on employment will be dra-
matic.
African governments could lose
up to 20% to 30% of their fiscal rev-
enue, estimated at US$500 billion in
2019.
Exports and imports are project-
ed to drop at least 35% from 2019
levels, incurring a loss in the value
of trade of around US$270 billion.
This at a time when the fight against
the virus’ spread will lead to an in-
crease in public spending of at least
Thokozani Khupe
response to the judgment. I thank
God too that He gave you the wis-
dom not to rush things, unlike Doug-
las Mwonzora who couldn’t waste
any time to call Morgen Komichi the
chairman of the MDC-T in violation
of the very Supreme Court ruling
which said the party should revert
to its 2014 structures, and the MDC-
T chairman at that point in 2014 was
Lovemore Moyo.
Mwonzora has clearly violated the
Supreme Court ruling, and Khupe, if
you are a follower of the rule of law
as you have made the world believe,
you should fire him for endorsing an
“illegitimately appointed” chairman
who was elevated to the chair dur-
ing Chamisa’s time as acting presi-
dent. You should also fire Komichi
for usurping the powers of the MDC-
T 2014 chairman, and went on to re-
instate employees and officials who
he claims were fired by the party,
some of them who may have been
fired during his reign as “chair”.
If you think the Supreme Court rul-
ing is enforceable, after firing Mwon-
zora and Komichi, call in Moyo and
ask him if he finds it making sense to
call an extra-ordinary congress to re-
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US$130 billion.
Africa’s oil producers, which have
seen the value of their crude exports
plunge in past weeks, will be among
the worst hit.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest oil
producers Nigeria and Angola alone
could lose US$65 billion in income.
African oil exporters are expected to
see their budget deficits double this
year while their economies shrink
3% on average. African tourist des-
tinations will also suffer.
Africa has in recent years been
among the fastest growing regions
in the world for tourism. But with
borders now closed to prevent the
disease’s spread and entire airlines
grounded, the sector has been al-
most entirely shut down.
Gwizhikiti
place Tsvangirai for the period from
now to 2019 when Tsvagirai’s term
ended, and if Moyo finds it making
sense, then proceed to call for the
extra-ordinary congress, but giv-
en the reality that Tsvangirai’s term
has already expired, you may have
to call for a national council meeting
composed of members who were in
council as elected at the 2014 con-
gress, and national council will make
the decision on the way forward.
Otherwise if you proceed to un-
constitutionally call for an extra-or-
dinary congress to elect someone
whose term has long expired, you
will be demonstrating the same dic-
tatorial tendencies that you have ac-
cused others of.
I have said several times before
that the best way would have been
for you to talk to Chamisa about
these things, even well before the
congress you held in Bulawayo in
2018. I continued to say if talking
fails, you and Chamisa should kiss
each other goodbye amicably, and
all the advice fell on deaf ears.
I reiterate that in my view, the Su-
preme Court judgment is an aca-
demic judgment that is only meant
to be referred to in similar cases
should they arise in future, but for
now, you cannot shut the stable
door as the horse has already bolted.
Things have happened that can-
not be reversed. Tsvangirai’s term
expired in 2019 and the Supreme
Court judgment clearly says the
leader elected should be in office
until 2019. Good luck Khupe.
Kennedy Kaitano
Letters & SMS
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letters
SMS to 0778 140 916
Forty words maximum
IN response to Residents fume over
lockdown brutality, MBADA says: The
Zimbabwe Republic Police and Zim-
babwe National Army should rein in
rogue security agents on the ground.
Why would they harass people who
are in their yards? A lockdown does
not mean people should be indoors.
It only means people should restrict
themselves to their yards. The Zim-
babwe Human Rights Commission
(ZHRC) should institute investiga-
tions into what happened in Karoi,
Chitungwiza, Kuwadzana and oth-
er areas where violations were com-
mitted. The only letdown is that the
ZHRC commissioners are political ap-
pointees.
IN response to Needy people to get
$200 lockdown cushion, MBUDAYA
says: Our government is surely a joke.
What will that money buy, suppose
it gets to communities? The govern-
ment should raise that figure. Well,
besides the money being paltry, will
it even reach the needy people? Zanu
PF has a long history of hijacking gov-
ernment programmes, and so what
guarantee do we have that the cush-
ioning allowances will reach intended
beneficiaries? The regime has created
systems that only benefit its people.
We are all Zimbabweans and we all
deserve to benefit from State-funded
social security nets.
IN response to MDC youths threaten
bloodbath over party HQ, SARIRAM-
BI says: Zanu PF’s hand is slowly start-
ing to show up. I believe the fight for
power and property in the opposition
MDC is a sideshow being controlled
by Zanu PF so that people concen-
trate on the MDC politics and forget
about the virulent coronavirus which
is ravaging all countries in the world.
Instead of enforcing laws that ensure
the spread of coronavirus is arrest-
ed, the Zanu PF government is busy
opening green markets and all other
sectors of the economy at a time we
are recording new deaths in the coun-
try. It’s possible that a huge number
of cases has gone unreported in the
country and tracing of contact cases
is done but not at the rate it should
be. President Emmerson Mnangag-
wa must show seriousness when it
comes to real and serious issues fac-
ing the country.
IN response to Zimta bemoans teach-
ers’ predicament, MAZVANYA says: So
the Zimbabwe School Examinations
Council wants teachers to travel to
their nearest centre to administer reg-
istration processes for the June exam-
inations as a matter of urgency and
disregard President Emmerson Mnan-
gagwa’s 21-day national lockdown or-
der. Do those at Zimsec know what
the world is dealing with in the fight
against coronavirus? What silliness!
Voluntary Media
Council
of Zimbabwe
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truthful, accurate, fair and balanced
news reporting. If we do not meet
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 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020 11
Feature

Lockdown negatively impacts women, girls as primary caregivers

BY Alfred Towo ernment made a huge assumption that homes human health during this COVID-19 outbreak. During this confinement, it is no doubt mem-

T
are safe. Consequently, the people most affected by bers of a household will be competing for limit-
HE COVID-19 pandemic represents a glob- While the lockdown is a necessary evil to cur- this are women who are responsible for the ed basic resources within the home, gender in-
al challenge that affects our lives and our tail the spread of COVID-19, the effectiveness of general welfare of the family. equality may mean women and girls have less
work. Zimbabwe is under a total lock- the lockdown is in doubt considering the state It is reported that women on average visit the access during this lockdown period.
down for a period of 21 days as a precau- of public service delivery in most parts of the boreholes three times a day to fetch water in ur- Basic supplies are in short supply and the
tionary measure to fight and flatten the country where the majority of citizens, for in- ban areas where hordes of people are trying to panic-buying that ensued from the pronounce-
#COVID-19 curve. stance, rely on communal boreholes and the access the precious liquid from boreholes and ment exposed a lot of inadequacies in basic ser-
Though government maintains that the country concern is around the need for social distanc- other unprotected water sources. vice provision for communities.
is ready to deal with the virus, last week doctors and ing. In most cases, without adequate water and Women, especially from the less-privileged
nurses at public hospitals went on strike over the Combating the spread of COVID-19 requires sanitation, these settings themselves may be a societies, are bearing the brunt as they might
lack of protective equipment. that households have adequate water, sanita- locus for the spread of the disease. not be able to access sexual and reproductive
Recognising that the lockdown is necessary to tion, hygiene, healthcare, waste management, Women globally do almost 2,5 times as much health conveniences.
slow down the spread of COVID-19 as the country and hygienic conditions. unpaid care and domestic work as compared to Menstrual poverty is a reality, because like all
races against time, however, it will be hard for many. Zimbabwe has been bedeviled by water chal- men, and they are more likely than men to face basic commodities, the price of sanitary wear
There are many glaring insights on addressing lenges due to the collapse of service delivery in additional care-giving responsibilities during during the lockdown has skyrocketed.
the disproportionate gendered impacts on women both urban municipalities and rural councils. this lockdown period. Access to sexual and reproductive health and
and girls, identifying gaps for corrective action and The government has not taken adequate In African societies, the lockdown can be mis- rights is a significant public health issue that re-
drawing on examples of the government’s noncha- measures to ensure that water is available to taken for an excuse to subject women to an un- quires high attention, especially the provision
lant responses to date. all. Worth noting is the recently won City of Ha- bearable burden of unpaid care work. of free sanitary pads for women and girls to re-
Apart from the ill-equipped health facilities, cit- rare vs Residents Association court case where Already organisations like ActionAid and Ox- store their dignity.
ies like Harare have no running water. Acute water the High Court ordered urgent water provision fam are calling on the governments to recog-
shortages sometimes last for months — even years in Harare. nise, redistribute and reduce the disproportion-
— and have made regular handwashing nearly im- The provision of safe water, sanitation, and ate responsibility for unpaid care work within Alfred Towo is a digital programming expert in the develop-
possible. hygienic conditions are essential to protecting households, society, employers and the State. ment field. He writes in his own capacity.
As a result, marginalised communities and vul-
nerable groups such as women and girls will bear a
differentiated and disproportionate burden due to
this global coronavirus outbreak.
In the poor residential areas, residents crowd
around communal wells, heightening fears that the
virus will be spread by close contact, leaving many
women and girls at risk. Social distancing remains
an elusive goal.
The March 2019 Cyclone Idai experiences high-
lighted the disproportionate impacts of emergency
health crisis on women and girls. ZIMBABWE
According to the United Nations Population Fund
COVID-19 report titled A Gender Lens: Protecting Sex-
ual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and Promot-
ing Gender Equality, disease outbreaks affect wom- COVID-19 NATIONAL DISASTER FUND
en and men differently, and pandemics make ex-
isting inequalities for women and girls and dis-
crimination of other marginalised groups such as
persons with disabilities and those in extreme pov-
erty, worse.
Quarantines and lockdowns interrupt daily lives,
increasing risks to physical and mental health, re-
duced access to sexual and reproductive health ser-
vices for women and girls.
With schools closed, girls face increased risks of
child marriage, teenage pregnancy, gender-based
violence and sexual exploitation and the loss of vi-
tal sexual and reproductive health services as re-
sources are diverted elsewhere.
This then calls on government to treat the Zimba-
bwean situation with the uniqueness it deserves so
as not to leave no one behind. Government actions
need to be targeted at different needs of citizens.
There is need for the advancement of transform-
ative, women-led COVID-19 emergency prepared-
ness, response and prevention public information
campaigns relating to the current and anticipated
impacts of the pandemic for women and girls.
The lockdown intervention will have varying de-
grees of inconvenience, discomfort and conse-
quences for citizens especially in a highly informal-
ised economy like Zimbabwe where one’s ability to
earn is determined by their presence in specific lo-
cations.
The informal sector has become the lifeblood of
the economy as it is now the biggest employer and
arguably the engine of the nation’s productive ca-
pacity.
For most Zimbabweans who are already wallow-
ing in poverty, this pandemic has come at a worse
time because being forced to stay indoors for that
long will bring about further depression.
With high unemployment levels in Africa, most
women and girls form the bulk of the informal sec-
tor labour force. The huge population of women
and girls in Zimbabwe and Africa present a paradox
of big numbers and big challenges during the COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
During this 21-day lockdown period, people are
being asked to stay home and be safe, but one
thing that has been forgotten is that not all homes
are safe for women. Home is where one should feel
safe and secure.
For many women and girls, home is a place of vi-
olence and increased intra-family tensions. Confine-
ment to the home increases tensions that can pro-
mote the breakdown of an already weakened family
structure and bring serious risks of violence.
During this time, however, no information re-
garding gender-based violence reporting mecha-
nisms and support services for victims of gender-
based violence has been outlined in the COVID-19
response initiatives by the COVID-19 response task-
force to protect women and girls at risk.
It is clear that the government’s commitment to
safeguarding and sustaining the lives of vulnerable
citizens is non-existent and questionable. The gov-
 EVERYDAY NEWS FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE
Life&Style
COVID-19 stalls
WeUtonga
theatre project
BY FREEMAN MAKOPA
U
NITED KINGDOM-
BASED contempo-
rary musician Edith
“WeUtonga” Kati-
ji yesterday said she
could not wait for the COVID-19
outbreak to end so she could roll
out her theatre production.
The former Amakhosi Thea-
tre School student told NewsDay
Life & Style that she had man-
aged to clinch a role in a new
show titled Waiting for the Ship
to Sail.
“I was part of a production
with a theatre house here and
the show was cut short due to the
pandemic. It is a theatre musical
and I am part of the music team
as well as having a cameo role,”
she said.
“I had studio recordings lined
up, a tour to the United States,
a theatre production that was
cut off and eve-
thing is at a
standstill.
The record-
ings can
be man-
aged
as we
have
set up
home
stu-
dios to
proceed with the re-
cordings, but everything
else will have to be reconsid-
ered, if at all, in this year.”
WeUtonga said she was
currently on a masters’ in
music development pro-
gramme with SOAS Universi-
ty of London.
“My Zimbabwean music
has been greatly appreciat-
ed in the short time that I
have been here and this has
seen me being invited to col-
laborate and play mbira, ho-
sho, bass guitar and for my
voice,” she said.
The contemporary musi-
cian said she was looking
forward to doing more col-
laborations should the COV-
ID-19 pandemic subside.
The Mukaranga hitmaker
said her music journey was a
NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020 12
Vocal Ex holds music concert
BY SHARON SIBINDI
THE City of Kings and Queens’ most
celebrated gospel choir, Vocal Ex, is set
to hold a music concert dubbed Joy of
life will be back to normal then. If not,
we will follow guidelines and all health
measures put in place and merely
postpone if need be. Our well-being
and that of our fans and the entire na-
my Salvation at the Amphitheatre in tion is of great importance,” he said.
Bulawayo on May 25. Mdlaziba said it was their tradition
The music concert, targeting more to hold their first concert of the year in
than 3 000 people, will see Snowy, Mai May and their aim was to glorify God.
Mwamuka and The Few also “It’s always our aim to
taking to the stage. do it with much skill
“All our con- and yes in the
certs have al- form of spec-
ways been tacular en-
full hous- tertain-
es, and ment,
we are but
hum- it’s all
bled unto
and the
glo-
ry
grate- of
ful God
that who
Bula- is the
tough one considering that she whether male or female. But the wayo foun-
won her first award af- women have to put in an extra has al- dation
ter being in the 50 on top of the 100% in order to ways been of eve-
industry make the cut, be recognised, and great to us,” rything,” he
for 18 be appreciated (but) I feel the said group director said.
years. consistency paid off.” Thembelani Mdlaziba. “The theme: Joy of
“The However, the musician said “It’s always our desire to my Salvation as highlighted
local in- Waiting for the Ship to Sail was keep that relationship going. On that when we first made it public is that,
dustry is not the first production she fea- note, we do believe people will come having received Jesus as your per-
a tough tured in as she had done a lot of in their numbers.” sonal saviour is the most important
road for them back home. Mdlaziba said the concert was thing.”
anyone “This is not my first thea- planned and announced before the Mdlaziba said although they
venturing tre production as I have been in outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic would stage two concerts in Bula-
into many productions back home and they were hoping things would wayo during the year, they would
it, written by the likes of Stephen have normalised by then. also reach other parts of the country
Chifunyise, Raisedon Baya, “According to what is on the ground, and beyond.
Wonder Guchu, Lew-
is Ndlovu, Styx and
Zimbos did well at Amazing Voices
Cont Mhlanga. I
am an award-
winning ac-
tress having
won a NAMA BY LIFE & STYLE REPORTER South Africa.
in 2012 for Old Mutual Limited is a pan-African in-
outstanding THE country’s representatives at the vestment, savings, insurance, and bank-
actress,” she Amazing Voices Africa competition in ing group. Established in 1845 in South
ry- said. South Africa, Family Voices, put up a ster- Africa, it has more than 11 million cus-
“The 2018 ling performance that saw them clinch- tomers and more than R1 trillion funds
BAA award is my ing fourth position in a tough tussle. under management (as at 31 December
first music award The competion was, however, won 2019).
after seven or more by Kenya’s RnB outfit, Wanavokali. The competition is designed to dis-
nominations.” The winners pocketed US$100 000 in cover unsigned singing talent from
She urged artistes the competition’s first season after se- across the African continent — Ghana,
to have many income curing the highest number of public Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa —
streams to shield them- votes. and across three genres — gospel, pop
selves in times of natu- Live studio events, howev- and R&B.
ral disasters such as the er, were not held follow- Key sponsor Old
COVID-19. ing the global out- Mutual chief mar-
“It is imperative for break of COV- keting offic-
artistes to have many in- ID-19, while er Vuyo Lee
come streams to be able the show’s congratu-
to sustain themselves episodes lated the
during times such as leading to winners
these. I am a the finals for their
consultant for were pre- “well-de-
a number recorded served
of or- within the win” and
gani- pre-confine- expressed
sations ment time. gratitude to
and “We are be- all the con-
that puts yond excited and testants.
food on the table,” she grateful. Now Afri- “We are excit-
said. ca gets to see Kenya as ed about their future. It
“This is why I chose a musical force. This competition has been fantastic supporting
music development be- has affirmed our limitless potential, and people who genuinely aspire to become
cause it takes my musi- helped us to lift our country’s flag high. their exceptional best. We can’t wait to
cal experience into the of- We are so excited and happy about the make Season Two even bigger and bet-
fices and spaces where I opportunities that are coming. The sky is ter,” he said. The Old Mutual Amazing
don’t just sing but use mu- now the limit!” Wanavokali group leader, Voices show began in January this year
sic as a way of developing Ythera Ghege. after the auditions began in September
societies. I am here on a The other two groups in the final last year. Contestants benefited from the
Canon Collins Trust schol- round were Simply Six, a gospel group guidance and mentorship of the show’s
arship and I am grateful.” and Afrikariz, a pop group, both from music director, Zwai Bala.
 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020 13
Life & Style

Gospel artiste drops album visuals

BY CHELSEA MUSAFARE

T
OP gospel artiste
Takesure Zamar Ncu-
be’s brother, Wise-
man, has released a
visual off his debut
album titled Know Christ Know
Peace, No Christ No Peace, News-
Day Life & Style has learnt.
The video, which was upload-
ed two days ago on YouTube, fea-
Vinolia “V-Mash” Mashego tures worshipper Pianos Painos

Former ‘Jam Alley’ presenter

Jaravaza and is already mak-
ing waves on social media plat-
forms.

Vinolia ‘V-Mash’ Mashego dies

JOHANNESBURG — Former Jam Al-
ley presenter and actress Vinolia Mashe-
go (56), popularly known as V-Mash, has
died, her younger sister confirmed early
this week.
It is believed that Mashego died at her
home in Mamelodi, Pretoria.
“It’s true. We got the news this morning.
We are still shocked and we don’t know
what happened to her,” her younger sister
Prelley Seale said.
The presenter’s colleague and actor
Zola Hashatsi also confirmed the news on
Instagram.
“It is with great sadness and tears in my
eyes and a broken heart to announce the
passing of Vinolia Mashego aka V-Mash.
She passed peacefully in her sleep on Fri-
day April 3, 2020.”
Hashatsi also shared funeral details, say-
ing that late presenter would be buried to-
morrow in a service reserved for family.
A big star in the late 90s/early 2000s,
Mashego was making a comeback as a
presenter on Moja Love’s Bheka Sikubam-
bile.
She was also an actress and featured in
productions such a Generations and most
recently Giyani: Land Of Blood.
— TshisaLIVE
“The video talks about Jesus
Christ being the truth, the way
and the life. He is the only way
mankind has been given by God
that we may be forgiven of our
iniquities. He is the only means
to eternal life, there is no other
way and no other truth to eter-
nal life,” Ncube said.
The gospel musician, who has
collaborated with a number of
artistes, said his eight-track al-
bum was inspired by the Word
of God.
“The Word of God, which is
the bread of life, motivates my
music. Each time I hear the true
gospel centred on Christ and
Him alone, the Holy Spirit in me
sings songs, praising and tes-
tifying about Jesus Christ,” he

MultiChoice launches online masterclasses said.

Ncube said he had collabo-
rated with artistes that include
BY LIFE & STYLE REPORTER eration of African storytellers. Emmanuel Ncube, Lloyd Munu-
The series also complements recorded wa, Tafadzwa Mangore and Wiseman Ncube
THE MultiChoice Talent Factory has masterclasses that address industry con- JRM Praise.
launched a series of online masterclasses cerns, such as accessibility, opportunity, The album, produced by Jesu Munenyasha, Jesus The bo Nemagumo, Ineropa, Know
on its portal, offering exclusive access to and quality in local productions. Chisale Productions, has the Way, Thank You Lord, Nema- Christ Know Peace, Kare Kare
practical skills workshops led by film and The MTF portal was launched in March tracks You Are My Joy, Ishe vanga Takaponeswa, Mavam- and Nemavanga Reprise.
television experts. 2019 as the third touch point of Multi-
MultiChoice Zimbabwe spokesperson Choice Africa’s ground-breaking MTF in-
Liz Dziva (pictured) said the online mas- itiative, providing a pan-African film and
terclasses began on March 30, offering television digital marketplace for infor-
a boost to filmmakers during this lock- mation sharing in all related areas for Af-
down period in the wake of the COV- rica’s creative industry.
ID-19 outbreak. The MTF portal offers open, cost-free
“First up in the offering is Produce Like access to film creatives across Africa, who
a ‘Pro’, a 20-module masterclass on pro- can showcase their talent, access op-
duction from pre to post,” she said. portunities, stay up to date with indus-
“Anyone who missed out on the live try news and expand their industry net-
MTF masterclasses in Zimbabwe in Feb- works.
ruary will be able to catch up with these The current total of 25 000 registered
modules, recorded to watch from home profiles is expected to grow with the
or, indeed, anywhere. The Produce Like a launch of the online masterclasses.
‘Pro’ series fills an industry need for easier The portal is complemented by the
access to training material, tutorials and three MTF academies providing ongo-
related templates.” ing training to students from across Af-
The masterclasses are available to the rica, including the Lusaka academy that
25 000 registered users with a profile on hosts learners from southern Africa, in-
the MTF portal and newcomers are en- cluding Zimbabwe, and live MTF master-
couraged to register as soon as they wish classes hosted in various countries from
to gain access to this free online facil- time to time.
ity for professionals. The MTF portal is supported by var-
“The recorded ious MultiChoice Africa part-
masterclass- ners, including Dolby, the
es have been New York Film Academy,
filmed and Avid through JASCO
packaged Broadcast Solutions,
by MTF Nihilent and other in- CONTACT MOBILE NO. EMAIL
students ternational and lo-
from the cal industry organi-
MTF acad- sations.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
emies in La- Interested crea- Progress Kamonere 0773 236 213 pkamonere@masholdings.co.zw
gos, Nairobi tives can join the so-
and Lusaka, cial media conversa- Blessing Chirara 0772 992 848 bchirara@masholdings.co.zw
supported by tion and are encour-
leading industry aged to say which mod-
experts in- ule or masterclass FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
cluding was the most valu-
Danny Nsingo 0772 935 659 dnsingo@masholdings.co.zw
Tunde able or interesting,
Kelani, or can submit a
Chris- content wish- PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT
tian Epps list for future Naomi Heyes nheyes@masholdings.co.zw
masterclass-
0776 005 068
and Ste-
ve Gukas,” es.
Dziva said. FINANCE
Produce Tangisai Maramba 0782 435 011 tmaramba@masholdings.co.zw
Like a “Pro”
aims to break
Shaleen Mhuruyengwe 0774 557 332 smhuruyengwe@masholdings.co.zw
down barri-
ers to access-
ing industry in-
formation, helping
ensure that knowl-
edge and experi- We care about your wellness and that of our employees, therefore we urge all our stakeholders to embrace these measures
ence is passed on in order for us to continue to provide service to you and to respond to inquiries you may have.
to the next gen-
14 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020

EVERYDAY NEWS FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE

PUZZLES
Spot the difference
Find five differences in this picture of members of the ZRP jointly working with the
Harare municipal police to enforce the 21-day lockdown order along Robert Mugabe
Road in Harare yesterday. Check for the answers in tomorrow’s NewsDay.

Crossword with Jemina 1 000 Wednesday

Sudoku
April 8
1 2 3 4 5 6 Across
1 Fables (7)
Down
1 Found out (4) Answers Answers
7 4 Resorts (4) 2 Snatch (6)
8 Japanese flower arranging (7) 3 Floats (6)
8 9 Repulse (6) 5 Chatter (7) SIMPLE 999 Medium
10 Lured (7) 6 Burn (7)
9 11 Tosses (6) 7 Appeared (6)
ACROSS: : 3 Deadened, 6 Rip-
14 Cling (6) er, 7 Attitude, 9 Speck, 10 Enduring,
12 Blushes (7)
10 11 Dopes, 14 Udder, 17 Restrain, 19
16 News (7) 13 Marvel (6) Idles, 20 Strident, 21 Extra, 22 Deject-
17 Pair (6) 14 rise (6)
11 12 13 ed.
19 Come before (7) 15 Builds (6)
20 Snug (4) 16 Subject (5) DOWN: 1 Prised, 2 Upkeep, 3 Drakes,
14 15 21 Fine-tunes (7) 18 Friends (4) 4 Acted, 5 Entered, 8 Dense, 12 Overt,
13 Entwine, 14 United, 15 Delete, 16
16
Rascal, 18 Agent.
17 18

19 Hard

20 21

SUDOKU
The aim of Sudoku is to enter a number from 1 through to 9 in each cell of a grid, most frequently a 9x9 grid made up
of 3x3 sub-grids. Each row, column and region must contain only one instance of each number.
Medium
Sudoku Puzzle - Hard Hard
Sudoku Puzzle - Hard
sudoku-puzzles.net

www.sudoku-puzzles.net
www.sudoku-puzzles.net

More Puzzles:
More Puzzles: www.sudoku-puzzles.net
 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020 15

Sport
Rajput unsure
do have big houses and bungalows where
such facilities are available.”
“I am not sure where and where the
next series our team would play as the
programmes for all countries have be-

of Zim’s next
come uncertain. We were supposed to
play against Afghanistan in May/June
and were scheduled to tour Australia in
July but let us see when cricket resumes

series
internationally.”
The world is stagnant due to coronavi-
rus crisis.
Every sporting events are cancelled
and when these events will happen, it is

Z
IMBABWE national team coach Lal-
chand Rajput has prepared a special
programme and workout schedules for
Zimbabwe players.
The 58-year-old former right-handed
batsman has been Zimbabwe’s head coach since
last two years and is in India now.
home during current corona crisis.”
Rajput did admit that space constraints
was a problem to some players.
“Yes, that’s a problem and all players
can’t move out of their houses and at-
tend gym outside. But yes, some players
completely uncertain.
Cricketers all over the world are pass-
ing their free time at home and maintain-
ing their fitness according to a specific
routine.
— Sport24

Rolling the e-paper

e-paper!
Speaking exclusively, he said, “I have sent a mes-
sage to the Zimbabwe trainer to give them a specif-
ic prognosis so that the players can do that from

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Man United to exploit the

coronavirus mayhem
MANCHESTER — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident Man-
chester United can “exploit” the mayhem caused by coro-
navirus to secure their summer transfer targets.
The United manager believes some clubs need to of- Subscribe now!
fload players after taking a financial hit during the crisis
and it could work in their favour.
The Old Trafford club has been linked with the likes of
Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham ahead
of what is almost certainly going to be a delayed transfer Duration NewsDay Zimbabwe The Standard Total Cost
window.
And speaking to Sky Sports, Solskjaer said: “Football is Month (s) Independent
going to get back to normality at one point and it’s very
important we’re ready when that happens. Promo Post-Promo Promo Post-Promo Promo Post-Promo Promo Post-Promo
“We want to be the best at everything, and of course
now is a chance to spend more time, you discuss players, 1 $15 $130 $12 $48 $10 $40 $37 $118
discuss plans, we’ve evaluated what we need, of course
with the coaching staff we've looked at games, evaluated
games, discussing on video calls like this. 2 $22 $245 $22 $90 $18 $75 $62 $410
“Then, the market, who knows how the market is go-
ing to react to this? Who knows which clubs need to sell
players? 3 $36 $280 $33 $115 $27 $105 $96 $500
“There might be just a situation there where you can ex- NB: Promotion ends on 22 April 2020
ploit, and I know that we at Man United, we are one of the
biggest, and financially well off. How to Register:
“I’m sure we are capable, when we get back to normali-
ty, that we can do the business that we want to.”
1. Pay for your preferred subscription period using our
Solskjaer confirmed that United are still working hard
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He said on a Sky podcast with ex-United defender Gary Violet: 0773 207 437
Neville and Geoff Shreeves: “We spend a lot of time dis-
cussing these things anyway. Of course there will be text Loreen: 0737 185 178 / 0773 253 517
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“But the biggest difference for most of us is that when Hatred : 0772 287 524 / 0719 228 752
you’re a footballer you don’t really get to spend much time
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“That’s been a big plus, if you’re allowed to say that any-
thing has been a big plus in this situation.
“But, yes, we do planning, we are discussing what we
have to do, what we can do, and I have to say the club has
been very good so far.”
Solskjaer’s United were on an 11-match unbeaten run
in all competitions when coronavirus caused the suspen-
sion of competitions across the world. — dailymail
Sport
16 NewsDay | Thursday April 9 2020
Nadolo doubts FCP,
Bosso’s pedigree
BY HENRY MHARA
D
YNAMOS star sign-
ing King Nadolo has
predicted a very com-
petitive soccer season
ahead, but champions
FC Platinum, Chicken Inn and his
former team Highlanders do not
feature in his list of title favour-
ites.
Nadolo, who moved from rele-
gated TelOne to the Harare giants
in what was arguably the biggest
move in the last player transfer
window, has gone against public
opinion leaving out the trio from
the teams that he thinks have the
pedigree to win the title in the up-
coming season, which has been
delayed due to the fight against
COVID-19.
Instead, he picked his new side
Dynamos, their city rivals Caps
United and Ngezi Platinum Stars
as the teams to watch in the up-
coming season.
Asked by NewsDay Sport to
pick the teams that he believe
will fight for the league ti-
tle, Nadolo said: “Dyna-
mos, Caps United and
Ngezi Platinum Stars.
Those (teams) are look-
ing good.”
The three are some
of the teams who
were very busy in
the transfer mar-
ket.
Dynamos
signed a to-
tal of 30 play-
ers to beef up
their squad
with Nadolo,
Jeansmith
Mutudza
and Part-
son Jaure
headlining
the list of
the new re-
cruits.
Jaure,
named captain by the club on re-
joining, was last month involved
in a car accident and is unlikely
to feature for the club next season.
“It’s a very good squad that I be-
lieve in,” Nadolo said about the
Dynamos new squad.
“It has got all the qualities to
win any match against any team,
so yes it’s capable of winning
things.”
Man United to exploit the
EVERYDAY NEWS FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE
coronavirus mayhem ISSN 2079-9896
“We want to be the best at everything,
and of course now is a chance to spend
more time, you discuss players, discuss
plans, we’ve evaluated what we need,
of course with the coaching staff we’ve
looked at games, evaluated games, dis- 9 772079 989005 01
www.newsday.co.zw cussing on video calls like this.”
Page 15
Ngezi Platinum Stars were, with the likes of Ian Nyoni hard can be key to the team,” Na- wish a speedy recovery to my cap-
as usual, also very active in the strengthening the already strong- dolo said. tain,” he added.
transfer market, bringing in 12 looking team. However, a lot will be expected Nadolo, who revealed that Caps
new names including 2012 Soccer Nadolo had trained with his from Nadolo himself by the Dyna- United and a host of other clubs
Star of the Year Denver Mukam- new team for a few weeks in pre- mos faithful after arriving at the showed interest in signing him,
ba and Devon season before their training was club with a huge reputation. but he opted for Dynamos, will
Chafa. halted by the coronavirus out- The forward joined TelOne have to wait a little bit before he
Caps break. from South Africa in the second can make his debut for the for-
United, But in that short time that he half of the season, and took the mer champions after the start of
who was with the squad, there were league by storm. the season was suspended indefi-
came quite a few individuals in the He scored an incredible 11 nitely because of the coronavirus
ago- team that caught his eye and league goals in the second half outbreak which has infected more
nis- which he believes will be very of the season, three shy of the than one million and killed over
ingly key on the team’s success in league’s top goalscorer. 80 000 people globally.
close the upcoming season. However, his goals could not All local league clubs who were
to win- “I was impressed by a lot of help TelOne to survive relegation, winding up their pre-season prep-
ning guys, but let me just mention but were enough to see Nadolo arations ahead of the new sea-
the Juan (Mutudza) and Barnabas voted as one of the best 11 players son which had been scheduled to
league (Mushunje). I think they are do- of the season. kick off at the end of March were
last year, ing well and if they con- He also wished Jaure a quick forced to break.
made a tinue to recovery after the defender un- Just like all the other local
wholesale work derwent a surgery last month fol- clubs, Dynamos gave its players
change to lowing a car crash. He sustained individual programmes to follow
their head injuries and is expected to to keep themselves fit during the
squad miss next season. 21-day national lockdown period
“It’s going to affect us be- ordered by President Emmerson
cause he is a leader and his Mnangangwa to arrest the spread
experience would have of coronavirus.
given us that extra ad- The virus has infected 11 people
vantage on the pitch,” locally with two deaths.
Nadolo said on the pos- “My message to the Dynamos
sible absence of Jaure fans and Zimbabweans at large is
from the squad. to stay at home and be safe. We all
“I want to have things to do and have life to
live . . . to go out, work
and enjoy, but for
now let’s stay
at home and
be safe,”
Nadolo
said.
King Nadolo