Zimbabwe, two dead people and Rwanda’s Commonwealth

...Accusations could scuttle Zim's rejoining bid

Review & Mail Reporters

Zimbabwe’s detractors are reportedly working in cahoots with local opposition parties and civil
society organisations to scuttle Zimbabwe’s chances of being re-admitted into the Commonwealth
using the unfortunate murder of Moreblessing Ali and the death in Zimbabwe of Rwanda fugitive,
Protais Mpiranya.

Ali, a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activist, was allegedly kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend,
Pius Jamba a member of ZANU PF on May 24 in Chitungwiza, in a purely personal matter following
a failed love affair.

However, the West, working with the opposition CCC attempted to politicise the purely criminal
matter by insinuating that the murder was politically motivated and accusing the ruling ZANU PF
of having a hand in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Ali.

Ironically, this is also happening just 10 days before the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting scheduled for Kigali, Rwanda on June 22, where Zimbabwe will be seeking re-admission.

This gives every reason for the government of Zimbabwe to believe that it is meant to scuttle its
re-admission bid on the guise of human rights abuses.

While police are yet to conclude their investigations to determine the motive of the murder, those
in the opposition and civil society have already concluded that it was politically motivated despite
evidence of a love relationship between Ali and Jamba.

Mpiranya, a fugitive wanted in connection with the 1994 Rwanda genocide, died in Harare some
years ago and was buried at a local cemetery under a pseudonym where it was discovered by UN
investigators working in conjunction with the Zimbabwe government last month.

Although Mpiranya was buried in 2006, the discovery of his body came after Zimbabwe had asked
Rwanda for help in its attempt to re-join the Commonwealth.

This was viewed by the Zimbabwean government as a ploy by the United Kingdom and its allies in
the West to spoil relations between the countries so that Zimbabwe did not get the support it
sought from Rwanda on allegations of harbouring Mpiranya.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Fredrick Shava, however, pointed out that Zimbabwe would never
harbour any fugitives, noting that it had instead, cooperated with the UN investigators resulting in
the discovery of Mpiranya’s body.

Interestingly, several other incidents of abductions, killings and abuse of opposition political party
activists have occurred shortly before important international events, raising a lot of questions
about the timing and motives.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Nick Mangwana said the fact that the
suspects in the Ali murder case were known ZANU PF supporters did not meant that it was
politically motivated.
“If in a private dispute someone is murdered by a person that supports, say Dynamos FC, it’s not a
Dynamos murder. If one is robbed by say, a Catholic devotee, it’s not a robbery by the Catholic
Church,” he posted on his micro-blogging site Twitter.

The ruling ZANU PF party said the murder of Ali, whose decomposing body was discovered in a well
in Nyatsime at the weekend was purely a criminal matter.

In a statement, ZANU PF Director for Information and Publicity Tafadzwa Mugwadi, said the death
was being politicised by the CCC and others in a bid to tarnish the image of the country ahead of the
CHOGM meeting scheduled for Rwanda on June 10, where Zimbabwe will be seeking re-admission to
the Commonwealth.

Ali was allegedly abducted from a bottle store in Chitungwiza by her ex-boyfriend Pius Jamba on May
24 and her mutilated body was discovered at a homestead in Manyame on June 11.

The body was retrieved from a well at the homestead of a known Chitungwiza ZANU PF member,
Simbarashe Chisango, who is believed to be related to Jamba, also a known ZANU PF member.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), however, issued a statement saying Ali was a victim of a love
crime and her disappearance had nothing to do with politics.

The CCC, however, insisted that the murder of Ali, whose body was reportedly cut into two and her
intestines stashed in a plastic bag, was politically motivated and accused the police of attempting to
protect the suspects.

But Mugwadi questioned why the incident was happening at a time Rwanda was scheduled to host
the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting.

He said these were attempts by the opposition political parties to tarnish ZANU PF and government,
saying they were choreographed to destabilise Zimbabwe’s foreign policy.

“In 10 days’ time, the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be
underway in Kigali-Rwanda. Through the engagement and re-engagement agenda, Zimbabwe has
expressed interest to be admitted into the Commonwealth of Nations.

“The prospects for that have increased significantly under the Second Republic than they were
before. More countries have warmed up to that. But if that were to happen, the MDC-CCC factions
and their regime change agenda will be exposed and fizzle away from the face of our politics.” He
said.

He said such incidents involving the abductions and harassment of opposition political party activists
always happened ahead of “international conferences, summits, or events of diplomatic significance
to Zimbabwe”

“ The idea is to try to embarrass leadership ahead of such summits or provoke international
discussions about Zimbabwe badly, justify renewal of illegal sanctions on our nation and presenting
the opposition groups as victims of the state,” said Mugwadi.

Mugwadi said the opposition was twisting facts on the matter in an effort to arm-twist the United
Kingdom to deny Zimbabwe re-admission into the Commonwealth.

Munyaradzi Kashambe, the ZANU PF Member of Parliament for Seke weighed in, saying the CCC
wanted to use Ali’s death to gain cheap political mileage.
“This was a domestic issue and that must be corrected and we would like to warn the CCC members
to take heed of President Mnangagwa’s call that we want peaceful and free elections in Zimbabwe
not this violent election they are engaging in.

“We know of their dirty tricks, we know of their political grandstanding and we know of their
handlers who fund them and this is the news they want to hear,” he said.

“We as ZANU PF are saying no, Moreblessing’s case was not a political murder, this was a family
dispute- a promiscuous dispute,” he said.

But CCC spokesperson, Fadzai Mahere said there was no politicisation of the murder, noting the
opposition party was simply demanding justice for its slain member.

“This is a Constitutional imperative. Section 219 mandates the police to investigate crime, serve and
protect citizens and act in an impartial manner,” she said.

Mahere scoffed at suggestions that Ali was in fact, a ZANU PF member, saying the ruling party should
just desist from harassing CCC members and Ali’s family at the funeral.

“This is patently false. She is a CCC member and that very claim is undue attempt to politicise the
matter,” she said.

Political analyst, Munjodzi Mutandiri said Zimbabweans should put human life ahead of their
political differences, saying the responses by those in government, particularly the police; and ZANU
PF leadership were a disgrace and display of catastrophic leadership failure.

“Moreblessing's story is an indictment of the poverty of policing and regard for human life by those
with power in our country. The shameful statement from the police instead of investigating the
matter (potentially saving Moblessing's life) is clearly an indicator of a police force that has been
captured by political elites,” he said.

Mutandiri said as the country entered the election campaign season, it was important that the
perpetrators of this heinous act face the full might of the law, adding all the facts in the matter,
particularly the people involved, pointed to a case of political violence.

“It is now the duty of the police to speed investigations and unearth the motive. In the absence of a
thorough investigation and arrest of the perpetrators, a reminder of the 2008 dark days and the
impunity that followed is inevitable. In Zimbabwe if the case is not political the police are swift to
act. It is critical that human rights Defenders and opposition political parties (especially CCC as she
was a member of the party) demand of their government justice for Moreblessing,” he said.

Another political analyst, Gift Gwindingwe, said the issue should be looked at from two fronts.

“To say Moreblessing Ali's death is politically instigated might be misleading public opinion of deaths
that are a result of misunderstandings between or amongst individuals. People quarrel and if the
quarrel degenerates into a physical fight then a saddening tragedy like Ali's demise might occur. We
do not condone that. So in a case where a misunderstanding arose in public view and an altercation
was witnessed, I think it's improper to bring in political differences. That's going too far with politics.
Actually, stooping unnecessarily low. Violence is condemned in totality though,” he said.

He noted that falsehoods were spreading like veld fire on political arenas more than they were
spread on social media platforms.
“Authenticity of one's political orientation, especially in cases where individuals like Moreblessing Ali
went with their stories, is difficult to ascertain. Why, if all things are equal, should political leadership
claim members, especially in tragic circumstances like these? For how long should a political
organization's mileage be enhanced by others' suffering? “He said.

He said politicians should leave the bereaved family to come to terms with the tragic demise of their
beloved one, adding that outsiders should not cry more than the bereaved.

In a statement titled “Reclaiming the sanctity of life – ZCC Pastoral letter on the murder of
Moreblessing Ali’, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) expressed concern that the nation had
seen an increase in cases of murder and loss of lives of Zimbabweans in cold blood in the first half of
this year.

It said although not all the murders were politically motivated, the church was worried that there
were so many murders just some few months before a potentially violent 2023 election
environment.

“The church calls upon the government, political parties, and community leaders at all levels of
society to desist from instigating violence in their public or private utterances but rather to promote
peace and tolerance among their constituencies,” it said.

The ZCC pleaded with the Zimbabwe Republic Police to handle cases of human disappearances,
distress calls and cases of violent conflict with a sense of urgency and in ways that did not
compromise the dignity of victims.

“The church also calls upon the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission and other peace-
building organizations to upscale their work across different sectors of society towards the
establishment of a new culture of non-violence,”

It said all state and non-state institutions and citizens should work towards a renewed sense of the
dignity of all persons, adding there should be a new national commitment that no one should spill
the blood of a fellow Zimbabwean.

“The church is calling on the nation to reclaim the sanctity of all human lives,” it said.

The ZCC admitted that the church had been indifferent and lukewarm in its approach in addressing
the history of shedding of blood in Zimbabwe, noting that by failing to express its moral outrage
regarding loss of lives, the church had passively condoned this sin by omission and contributed to
the blunting of the national conscience.

Western countries can’t legislate Africa: ED

Albert Chavhunduka

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has castigated the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa
Act, which is set to be passed in the USA Congress, saying it is an attempt by Western countries to
legislate Africa.

The United States intends to pass a law to counter Russia in Africa by tracking its military operations,
investments, oligarchs and suspected illicit financial flows.

The move follows the realisation that more than half of African countries have chosen to be neutral
on United Nations resolutions on Russia's military operation in Ukraine, which America views as a
threat to its influence on the continent.
The Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act gives the US Congress power to investigate
African countries aligned to Russia, amid fears by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change that
Russia seeks to renew ties it had with Africa during its Soviet Union era.

But President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe and Africa as a continent must stand tall and guard
against West encroachment as it was a threat to true multilateralism and sovereignty of the global
South in the face of a disintegrating world order.

President Mnangagwa was writing in his weekly column titled, “None but ourselves” published in the
state media on Sunday.

He accused Western states, including the US, of being selfish and using coercive legislative
diplomacy to impose their interests on the African continent through the Countering Malign Russian
Activities in Africa Act.

“Through this Act, United States of America coercively seeks to legislate for a whole continent, in
line with its own whims and interests. The illegal Act flattens a whole continent to reduce it to a
mere appendage of America,” he said.

“In the eyes of USA, our nations are not independent and have no right to relate to other nations of
the world as they see fit or in pursuit of their national interests. To imagine that the United States
government, through its legislature, plans another Platt Amendment for a whole continent of Africa
simply beggars belief.

“In all this, there is a clear attempt to threaten and objectify Africa, the only continent with
abundant resources and still sworn to multilateralism under the recent Africa Continental Free Trade
Area (AfCFTA). Given America’s iniquitous ZDERA, Zimbabwe is best qualified to warn the world
against this insidious encroachment on national and continental sovereignties by powerful States
seeking to overreach under flimsy guises,” he said.

President Mnangagwa further bemoaned the shrinking multilateralism and lack of collective
approach and cooperation in tackling the ongoing global challenges which include climate change,
the Covid-19 pandemic, ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe as well as global supply chain
disruptions.

“Even as we caucused in Davos, it was clear to us from Africa that some in our midst had come to sell
their war and to foist their viewpoint on the rest of us, rather than to engage in the spirit of greater
peace and multilateral approach to challenges facing our planet,” said Mnangagwa.

“Zimbabwe has to locate itself and survive within this torrid global environment as it daily unravels.
The environment is not about or likely to change. We have to adjust to this new normal of wars,
militarization, global pandemics, climate change and a broken international system.

“These overbearing global adversities are increasingly obtruding into our local circumstances. It
requires skillful navigation so we do not ram into dangerous global ecosystem of intricate,
interlocking icebergs.”

For President Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe must emulate India and China and craft own locally
compatible responses to its national issues and burden of developing the country.

“One nation we can turn to for salutary lessons is India. There is a lot we have done already which
makes Indian experience kindred. We both face similar global challenges, we both value agriculture,
our two nations are modernising our infrastructures, both nations have high literacy levels on which
to develop higher tertiary skills.

“Above all, Zimbabwe enjoys very good relations with India which has been supporting us in a
number of areas, principally that of energy. It also is part of a region we have always related in our
long history.”

Cell day marks start of campaign for ZANU PF

Chris Mahove

The Cell Day organised by the ruling party could be a strategy to shut out opposition Citizens
Coalition for Change (CCC) party led by Nelson Chamisa ahead of the watershed 2023 harmonised
elections.

In the past few months, the CCC embarked on a rural campaign and appeared to be making
inroads in the ruling party’s strongholds as its leader, Nelson Chamisa appeared to be pulling
larger than expected crowds.

The party, buoyed by its performance in the March by-elections, launched a rural mobilisation
campaign dubbed Mugwazo where party leaders traversed rural Zimbabwe meeting ordinary
citizens and encouraging them to register to vote.

The opposition party, which transformed from the MDC-A, has since visited areas like Gokwe,
Mutoko, Uzumba and Murehwa among others and indicated it was targeting every district in the
country.

On the other hand, the ruling ZANU PF has seen a marginal decrease in the number of its voters,
and the Cell Day, launched this year and expected to be an annual event, is seen as a step by the
revolutionary party to regroup and restrategise.

“This is about ZANU PF trying to reorganize itself against a background in which it has lost appeal
owing to the prevailing harsh economic environment largely blamed on corruption and rent
seeking. It is also at a time when the opposition is trying to make inroads into rural communities,”
said political commentator, Earnest Mudzengi.

Mudzengi said the ZANU PF Cell Day called for the opposition to go deeper with their rural
outreach, making themselves more appealing in terms of policy proposals that address everyday
needs of everyday people if they were to wrestle the rural vote from ZANU PF.

But with the strategy being used by the ruling party, the opposition would have to work extra hard
as ZANU PF used the Cell Day to ensure its members at cell level were registered to vote.

The ruling party is also now using its cell structures to mobilise new members and has plans to
increase the number of its cells, which will most likely saturate rural areas with ZANU PF
members.

The cell meetings also looked at the issue of identity cards and the party would assist its members
attain registration cards and register to vote.

The National Cell Day meetings explained to party members the role of the cell structure as a key
organ of the party. Other exercises included cell structure verification exercise, inspection of the
cell register and confirmation of cell members who were registered in the national voters roll.
The party is said to have recorded a membership of over 3, 2 million members in its restructuring
exercise in 78 000 structures across the country as of February this year.

Chevrons not hungry for victory- Rajput

Tawanda Munthali

Chevrons head coach, Lalchand Rajput has expressed disappointment with his players, saying they
were not hungry for victory.

This follows the Zimbabwe national senior men's cricket team’s humiliating whitewash suffered at
the hands of Afghanistan in the Dafabet 3 One Dayers series.

"That hunger is still not there, I come from India and we are hungry to win every game. We hate
losing to be honest. The players have to be a little hungrier. If you hate losing, automatically you
start winning," said the former Afghanistan head coach.

The Chevrons displayed horror shows during the series, failing to collect vital points for the ICC Super
League.

The whitewash leaves Zimbabwe languishing in 12th position in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup
Super League standings with 35 points in 15 games, a point above bottom placed Netherlands, who
have played the same number of games.

The visitors reached 100 points after they secured 30 points with the whitewash, and moved up the
ladder to second position above powerhouses England, India and Australia.

The defeat means Zimbabwe lost further ground on getting direct qualification to the 2023 Cricket
World Cup in India. The top eight teams in the Super League gain direct qualification to the World
Cup whilst the other nations will have to square off in qualifiers for the two remaining spots.

Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Cricket Supporters Union, Vivian Banhire said the team that played
against Afghanistan was the weakest Zimbabwean side that he had ever seen in the last 15 years,
adding the fans would ask for answers from the coach, the board and the players.

"The team that is playing against Afghanistan is the weakest team. The players playing do not have
the fight, they do not have anything in them. They do not deserve to be playing for Zimbabwe. As
the fans we are not going to watch that, we are going to ask for answers from the board, technical
team and the players if they're ready to play international cricket," said Banhire.

Banhire added that the fans were always eager to rally behind the team and urged the boys to
improve on their performances.

"We do not want to be humiliated, please pick up your selves, pull up your socks as fans we are
ready to support you," he added.

After the Afghanistan tour, Zimbabwe are set to host the T20 qualifiers in Bulawayo with the top two
teams getting tickets for the T20 World Cup in Australia later in the year.

From judicial management to corporate rescue: a paradigm shift

Rueben Mukavhi

In a previous instalment, we mentioned that in the old law, when a company was in financial
distress, it would be placed under judicial management. The new Insolvency Act [Chapter 6:07]
abolished judicial management and replaced it with what is called corporate rescue proceedings. In
this instalment, we highlight some of the major differences between the two processes.

The basis for judicial management was that by reason of mismanagement or other the company was
unable to pay its debts or being prevented from becoming successful. The problem with this was
that managers would not be too keen to apply for judicial management because that would amount
to them admitting mismanaging the company. The company would thus continue to be flogged
when it was dying, until too late. On the other hand, the basis for corporate rescue is simply that the
company is in financial distress. The reason for the distress is not relevant. This is expected to make
it less of a self-indictment on the part of managers to seek help quickly.

The intended outcome of judicial management was to enable the company to pay its debts and to
make it successful. This was a long shot. It meant that judicial management would not end until all
the creditors were paid, and until the company was a going concern once again. The intended
outcome of corporate rescue is rescuing the company from liquidation. This could be achieved by
simply agreeing a compromise with creditors and restructuring the balance sheet of the company. It
can therefore be done within a short period of time.

Judicial management was always by order of court. A company could not place itself under judicial
management; it just had to go to court. This made the process expensive and intimidating. With
corporate rescue, there is provision for both voluntary corporate rescue and corporate rescue
through order of court. A company can just adopt a resolution to commence corporate rescue,
without the need to go to court. This is less expensive and less intimidating.

Judicial management was indefinite. This made it a kind of blank cheque for judicial managers who
could keep the company under supervision for as long as they wished. Corporate rescue has a 3
month- rule, whereby corporate rescue proceedings must be completed within three months. This
puts practitioners on the spot to do the assignment and leave. This is good for business.

Judicial managers were empowered to manage the company in such manner as they considered
most economic and most likely to promote the interests of the members and creditors of the
company. They were only required to produce a report, which they would present to meetings of
creditors and members, without getting any input from those affected persons. The creditors and
members had very little say. They would only contribute if the judicial manager asked them to pass
some resolution. The corporate rescue practitioner, on the other hand, is required to design a plan
of rescue for the company, which plan shall be subject to approval by the creditors and members of
the company. This requirement has given a voice to the creditors and members in the management
of their company. If they are not happy with a proposed rescue plan, they can just reject it or require
the practitioner to amend it.

Though this exposition is not exhaustive of the differences between the two judicial processes, it
makes it clear that the concept of corporate rescue marks a paradigm shift from the old law. It is
geared more towards saving companies from collapse for the benefit of all stakeholders than just
protecting the interests of creditors.

Get in touch on rmukavhi@gmail.com

Mvuma steel plant components arrive in Durban

Chris Mahove
Components for the Dinson Iron and Steel Company Mvuma steel plant have arrived in the port city
of Durban in South Africa.

In a tweet at the weekend, DISCO said; “Dinson Iron & Steel Company Zimbabwe (Disco)

“Humongous...Components for Mvuma steel plant blast furnace have arrived at Durban Port, South
Africa. They will arrive in Zim at the end of June. What a spectacle it will be, as we build Africa's
largest steel plant!”

A company spokesperson confirmed the shipment, saying the components were part of the
consignments of specialised equipment imported from China.

“In total we are going to have US$100 million worth of equipment coming from China; and up to
1000 truckloads. Some fabrications are being done locally by local engineers,” he said.

Once completed the Mvuma still plant will be Africa’s largest steel plant producing approximately 2
million tonnes of steel per annum and employing more than 5000 people. It is three times the size of
ZISCOSTEEL in Redcliff, which used to be the biggest in the continent.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) constructed a 27-kilometre temporary power line
to supply electricity at the plant production company site which will provide the necessary electricity
for the operations.

A permanent 97-kilometre high-voltage power line from Sherwood to Kwekwe is currently under
construction.

Africa’s largest steel plant benefits

The Mvuma Steel Plants will be split into two locations, one in Midlands for iron ore smelting and
the other in Chikomba, Mashonaland East, for the majority of the mining and beneficiation.

Dinson Iron and Steel Company has also been granted exclusive rights to build a new town between
Mvuma, Chivhu, and Chirumanzu districts around its new facility.

A dedicated railway line is also set to be established, connecting the US$1 billion stainless steel plant
to a new port in Mozambique, which is expected to help transport large quantities of exports on
time.

Investors are being sought to assist with the rehabilitation and upgrading of the existing rail
networks.

The railway project is also projected to boost bulk railway traffic between Mozambique and
Zimbabwe and open more opportunities for mining and manufacturing, as well as help the tourism
sector and unlock numerous downstream job opportunities.

Communities in the midlands province are set to benefit immensely from the project, which is also
expected to contribute to the country’s goals of achieving a US$12 billion mining economy by 2030.

Daggers out for ZIMTA

Chris Mahove

The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) is under fire from fellow-trade unions after it
announced plans to compensate its members whose May salaries were docked by the Public Service
Commission (PSC) for absenting themselves at the start of the second term citing incapacitation.
A memo to all members shared on WhatsApp groups stated; “Dear Colleagues- Can you please
submit names per station of our members who have docked May salaries as your association wants
to pay them back. Please may you please take this as a matter of urgency. Submit names to
Beatrice,”

ZIMTA, however, got widespread condemnation from fellow trade unionists, who accused the
teachers’ association of selling out the workers’ struggle by legitimising unlawful deductions by the
employer.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) President, Takavifira Zhou, said ZIMTA had taken
the decision because they knew their members did not suffer the deductions, adding it was “an issue
of grandstanding and useless rhetoric”.

He said it was unfortunate that ZIMTA was legitimising unlawful deductions by the employer, adding
the association could have been offered the money by the government for political expediency.

“The best way forward is to challenge the unlawful deductions because natural justice dictates that
the principle of audi alteram partem is fundamental before a decision is taken against anyone.
Therefore if the employer in its wisdom or lack of it, thought it has a case against the employees,
due process was supposed to have been done, which is investigation, preference of charges, inviting
each employee for a hearing, carrying out the hearing then determination with reasons for the
decision. This is our borne of contention against the government for now,” he said.

Zhou said the teachers’ argument was that failure to provide service for those days was as a result of
action caused by the employer not to pay living wages, rendering performance of duties impossible.

“Each case must be heard individually than coming up with a rule of the thumb/blanket
judgment/one- size-fit- all approach. Incapacitation is real and it's foolhardy for the employer to
pretend otherwise. Furthermore, this issue of applying no work, no pay principle must balance with
the principle of no pay, no work because employees cannot be said to be having a salary if they
cannot survive. It doesn't make sense at all, it is clearly illogical,” he said.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) Secretary General, Obert Masaraure said
ZIMTA was introducing some strange culture of trade unionism as ordinarily unions were expected
to be pushing for reforms of the labour terrain to avoid the recurrence of the docking of salaries.

“Workers face multiple challenges as they confront brutal systems. The focus should never be to try
and find comfort in the status quo but to push for radical transformation. We would have expected
unions to fund concerted litigation and advocacy to put an end to such practices,” he said.

Masaraure said government should be compelled to pay all the money they docked through
litigation and advocacy, questioning where ZIMTA was getting the money to compensate its
members.

Other trade unionists affiliated to the ZCTU, the erstwhile ZIMTA mother body, took to social media
to echo similar sentiments, suggesting that they were being clandestinely bank-rolled by
government.

“They have been working with government to try and destroy other militant unions. So government
will simply pay them and then make its yellow union ZIMTA appear better than others. On this one
they must be working with Mthuli Ncube, Mangudya etc.,” wrote one unionist
Another wrote; “Above all where is ZIMTA getting that money to refund all the teachers whose
salaries were docked for participating in an incapacitation strike? With the huge number of affected
teachers, including those who were not paid for the census exercises, which is far too much for
ZIMTA to pay its members and others who will be lured by such nonsense,” said another trade
unionist.

They said ZIMTA was desperate to win back some of its members who had defected to other teacher
trade unions such as ARTUZ and PTUZ.

“They want their membership to increase so that if a strike is called it becomes ineffective because
few will follow the call. The same happened at the ZCTU congress where some affiliates had their
arrears cleared so they could attend congress,” wrote another.

ZIMTA Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Ndlovu did not respond to questions sent to him, this after he
had indicated that a call made to him was inaudible.

Some disgruntled members last year were pushing for the retirement of Ndlovu and accused him of
amending the association’s constitution raising the retirement age from 60 years to 65 years.

A section of the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) disgruntled membership is pushing the
retirement of Sifiso Ndlovu amid concerns that he has amended the retirement age by adding five
more years.

During the same year, hordes of teachers reportedly withdrew from the association after learning
that he was earning in excess of US10 000 per month as salary.

ZIMTA is the biggest teachers' union with more than 40 000 members.

Teachers’ unions have been demanding the restoration of their pre-October 2018 salaries that were
pegged at USD$540 saying salaries in local currency were being eroded by inflation and rising prices
of basic commodities and services, which were now pegged in USD.

Workers renew calls for dollarisation

Chris Mahove

The recent hikes of service fees by most government departments, pegged in USD, have triggered
fresh calls for dollarisation amid concerns workers’ salaries in local currency would not match them.

The workers also noted the galloping prices of basic commodities such as bread, cooking oil, fuel and
transport fares, which they said had gone out of reach of ordinary Zimbabweans.

“Recently, the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council, most government departments and public
hospitals which are used by the poor have hiked their fees pegging them in USD. The moves are a
direct confirmation that the nation has dollarized but salaries remained pegged in RTGS. The
government and employers must wake up to the reality of dollarization and pay workers living
wages in a stable currency,” ZCTU Acting Secretary General, Runesu Dzimiri said in a statement.

Dzimiri said while everything else was going up and denominated in USD, workers’ salaries remained
stagnant.

“In recent months, the cost of living has risen to unprecedented levels and we demand that the
government take a bold step to correct the situation and cushion the consumer,” he said.
He said workers bore the disproportionate brunt as wage increases had lagged inflation, with
majority being relegated into the working poor.

“The inflationary tax has eroded workers’ wages. The only stability that can be administered to stop
the bleeding is to fully dollarize the economy. It is in this vein, that the ZCTU is calling for the urgent
convening of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) whose sole agenda would be to discuss the
issues of rising prices and the erosion of workers’ salaries,” he said.

Dzimiri said because of chronic high inflation, economic agents had lost confidence in the
Zimbabwean dollar as it no longer effectively fulfilled the major functions of money.

He warned that the current situation had become unsustainable and could be a catalyst for civil
unrest.

“The economic instability is also known to contribute to mental health challenges at the workplace
and this will have serious negative repercussion on both production at the workplace and the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP),”.

The government is however, adamant that it would not fully dollarize the economy and is
encouraging the use of the local currency.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube has on several occasions insisted that
Government was still pursuing de-dollarisation, saying dollarisation was a bad idea.

Ncube argued that the improved industrial capacity utilisation was a result of the presence of the
domestic market.

He insisted the use of the Zimbabwe dollar had made the country’s economy competitive.

"It has made our economy competitive; we cannot use the US dollar as a sole currency. That will be a
very bad idea indeed."

Covid-19 stifles SMEs

Albert Chavhunduka

Development finance institutions are reeling from the after effects of the Covid-19 pandemic which
they say affected their services and hampered access to banking facilities for many of their clients
leading to the worst underperforming loans.

Covid-19 affected many economies globally and disrupted livelihoods for millions of people
especially those dependent on the informal economy.

Addressing stakeholders recently during the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises monitoring
workshop, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation (SMEDCO) Risk and Compliance
manager Bigboy Mazhandu said the Covid-19 pandemic negatively impacted his institution as well as
their clients.

Mazhandu further expressed concern over the failure by SMEs to repay back loans which were
extended to them adding that some small businesses were forced to shut down as a result.
“Due to Covid-19 and the restrictions, monitoring these SMEs also became a challenge even those
who were in the retail sector, we couldn’t monitor them because of these restrictions, which
resulted in a high underperforming loan,” said Mazhandu.

“This affected their cash flows and as a result they could not pay back their loans. It also affected
their continuity, some even folded and that’s a challenge we faced as an institution.

“In terms of the interventions that we came up with as an institution, we had to come up with a
programme for refinancing those who had failed to make it during the Covid-19 period, either
refinance or reschedule so that the loan tenure is extended.”

Mazhandu further said SMEDCO lost a lot of revenue from its infrastructure rentals and the
lockdown made it difficult for non-essential services which in turn affected the whole chain supply.

“Most SMEs were not classified as an essential service sector, so in terms of their revenues
dwindled, shortening hours and some were not even allowed to operate during the lockdown,” he
said.

“We also provide infrastructure, where SMEs are supposed to pay rentals but because of Covid-19,
SMEs were not operating which means they were not paying rentals. It also affected us as an
institution because at some point SMEDCO was not regarded as an essential services provider, we
were closed which affected the whole supply chain.”

Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank Head of Retail Clara Mukosera weighed in and said that as
financial institutions, they lost most of the money they had disbursed before the Covid-19 pandemic
since it was not invested but used for other purposes.

“You’d find that most of the money that we would have disbursed just before the Covid-19 outbreak
found its way to the table, as many women were just fighting to put food on the table because they
could not produce,” said Mukosera.

“At one point, we disbursed some loans but because of lockdown our women could not procure raw
materials required in line with the different lines of businesses they operate. As a result, the
challenges during the Covid-19 period were for both our microbusinesses and SMEs as well as for
the institution itself to be able to balance sustenance.”

She added that as a bank, they could not provide any service to their clients mostly women which
became a challenge due to poor loan disbursements because of Covid-19.

“Even when small markets availed themselves, you’d find out that the pricing strategy itself would
be mostly to get rid of rotting produce, which meant that the loan itself could not be repaid because
of the pricing that they ended having to work with,” she said.

“As a result of these real challenges, it obviously meant that we were not going to get the money
back and empower them in line with our initial strategy. They ended up with a lot of wastage where
stockpiles of perishable items so automatically that a person would not be able to pay back the loan
and these are real challenges that we were walking the journey together with our customers.”

Community Eye

with
Ngwindi Ngwindingwindi

'Sangomas' storm Harare Central Business District

Presumably, it is cries of economic hardships in the country or some unique opportunity that has
springed up and propelled citizens to become more enterprising so as to start unusual business
ventures in some least expected places around the country. Or perhaps citizens misunderstood the
presidential mantra of 'Zimbabwe is open for business'.

We have witnessed over the years a surge in religious organisations and medical facilities in different
parts of the country; all probably due to high demand for health and soul reparations. Herbalists and
pseudo-herbalists have also decided they cannot be outdone, since they also offer or claim to offer
virtually similar services.

A stroll in the streets of the country's largest city, Harare, will give a sore tickle to the eye with sights
of queer packaging displayed on pavements all over the city. These are herb vendors at work, and in
some cases you find them practicing sangoma acts on the streets (kushopera).

What therefore demands understanding is whether the city has devised this as a traditional herbs
exhibition tactic, or perhaps they have realised that citizens are in dire need of alternative health
remedies, since pharmaceutical drugs are beyond the reach of many in the country. There have been
operations to rid the city of undesignated vending and illegal activities; but herbal vending seems to
be sprawling and spreading like veld fires, and is allowed to be like that; operating freely even on the
doorstep of the City's Cleveland House just behind the main Town House.

There are therefore questions which can be asked pertaining this kind of vending activity:

Where are they sourcing the herbs from?

How authentic are the herbs which are allowed to be sold openly on the streets?

Are the vendors licensed to dispense those herbs, and who regulates their operations?

Who approves authenticity of the herbs; that is to verify if they are not harmful for human
consumption?

To answer some of these questions I would suggest that the issue be looked into and probably
devise some measures in terms of regulation and rearrangement of the order. I know for sure that
the city authorities and government institutions are aware of these activities, but I implore them to
take action and bring some sanity in the state of affairs of this city which appears to be on autopilot.

I may have no authority in my assumptions, but deeper instinct tells me that some of these are
dangerous drugs which come in the form of herbs or are just a disguise for peddling illicit drugs. Our
society has since been ravaged by abuse of dangerous substances which I strongly believe are being
dispensed to the public in different forms; these street herbalists cannot be an exception. We have
many people who are suffering as a result of consuming substances whose sources are largely
spurious.

The authorities need to intervene as we risk losing a lot of people out of desperation to boost sexual
prowess. Hardships may cause low sexual drive leading people to source for stimulations; hardships
may cause one to dry up random tree bucks and leaves and sell to unsuspecting public as a vhuka-
vhuka herb. We therefore have two parties who are in desperate situations and are trying to boost
sex appetite and income respectively. My independent small survey revealed to me that the largest
chunk of clientele for these pseudo-herbalists are male citizens who seek sexual boosters, much
more than those who seek herbs for cancers and other diseases. Citizens must be protected against
some of these heinous acts.

Why are we having these herbalists on our streets? I would like to believe that the authorities will
somehow respond to this question or questions in their own ways at some point. I am one among
thousands of citizens who have noticed and have been eager to know why we have this going on like
that. This is our city together, all of us; I know for sure ZINATHA, the Medicines Control Authority
body, the city health department and all relevant organizations have seen the chaos I have
highlighted in this piece of writing. It is therefore incumbent upon responsible departments to justify
or correct what I personally perceive to be a menace in our society.

To fellow citizens, I advise that we be careful on the things that we consume out of desperation or
addiction. Some of these herbs are being sold by unscrupulous people whose aim is not for your
good but for easy dollars into their purses. Let us all be cautious of our health because the
consequences of taking some of these fictitious substances may ruin our lives beyond restoration.
So, it is our responsibility to guard ourselves from being destroyed by uncouth practices in our midst.

SUICIDE

GAMUCHIRAI CHINAMASA

FAMILY COUNSELLOR

Hopefully the heading got your attention. Suicide is a word that scares the life out of me and should
out of you too. When I am scrolling on social media and come across the word SUICIDE my heart
begins to palpitate. For those that need more clarity, Suicide means ending your own life. It is
sometimes a way for people to escape pain or suffering. When someone ends their own life, we say
that they "died by suicide." A "suicide attempt" means that someone tried to end their life, but did
not die.

Thinking about suicide is scary. You may have strong feelings that are hard to deal with. You may feel
like things will never be better, but you are not alone. Many people think about suicide. Thinking
about suicide does not mean that you will do it. It does not mean that you are "going crazy."
Thinking about suicide is often a sign that you want to escape.

There are ways to feel better. Remember, you are not alone. You can start by talking to someone
else. You can talk to a family member or friend you trust. You can also call a crisis line. If you have a
doctor or counsellor, tell them how you feel. They can teach you skills to deal with thoughts of
suicide. No one can say that they will never have thoughts of suicide. You can do two big things to
help prevent suicide. The first is to build connections with other people. The second is to find help
for mental health problems. Feeling connected to others is a big part of protecting yourself from
suicide.

I don’t think desperately seeking to end seemingly unendurable pain qualifies as either pleasure,
own interests or benefits. I also don’t think that wanting to end your life and surviving that pain
makes you a bad influence or a bad person either. I don’t think it’s fair that a survivor of suicide
should be seen as crazy, unstable or not a good person to be around or not capable of going on with
life and becoming a parent, partner or boss. I personally think a survivor is one of the strongest
people and can overcome almost anything because they fought so hard after a bad season to come
back on top and continue with life as it is. A suicide survivor is not weird or unstable person
especially if they are seeking help and taking it seriously, it takes a very STRONG and smart person to
know when to seek help and how, it shows someone that wants to live but needs help to do so.

Once you see one entertain that idea of suicide it’s a very deep cry for help that should not go
unnoticed. Thinking about suicide is scary. You may have strong feelings that are hard to deal with.
You may feel like things will never be better. Many people, trust me think about suicide, when going
through heartbreak, rejection or financial loss they do think it would be better to die, at the time it
will just be a thought which they don’t realize how strong it is, some even jokingly say, “better to be
dead than feel this way,” not realizing the power in those words

Mental health problems are a big part of suicide. You can help protect yourself by finding help for
mental health problems early. There are many common signs of mental health problems:

 Feeling like nothing makes you happy anymore.

 Feeling very sad or hopeless for many weeks.

 Feeling like you cannot cope with things that happen in your life.

 Feeling very stressed or scared for many weeks.

 Noticing strange thoughts or noticing strange things that do not go away. Some people hear
voices or see things.

 Sleeping less or more than usual.

 Eating less or more than usual.

 Drinking more alcohol or using more drugs than usual.

 Taking a lot of time off work or school.

 Avoiding family and friends.

 Feeling "run down" or sick often.

Talk to your doctor if you notice these signs. Your doctor can see what may be causing the problems.
Some people talk openly about thoughts of suicide, but many people keep their feelings a secret. In
Zimbabwe the culture here is to either gossip, laugh at or ignore a suicidal person’s cry for help.
Most people will stake screen shots before they call for help or to check up on that person.

The thing about depression or suicide, it can happen to anyone, even the strongest amongst us, you
don’t see it coming till it is already there so instead of thinking you are above it I advise you always
keep yourself in good spirits, vent when you need to, cry when you want to, pray always and
advocate for mental health because it could be you or your friend next, you don’t choose it, it
chooses you!

There are ALWAYS warning signs to show that someone needs help, you just need to know them and
actually care to realize them. You often see many warning signs happening at the same time. Such
as:

 The person talks about wanting to kill themselves.

  The person uses more drugs or alcohol than usual.

 The person says they have no reason to live.

 The person seems very scared or worried.

 The person says that they feel like there is no way out of a situation.

 The person cannot see hope for the future.

 The person does not want to spend time with others.

 The person has a hard time controlling their anger.

 The person does things that may be dangerous and does not think about what might
happen.

 The person’s mood changes in a big way.

 The person actually tells you how they would end their life and when.

 The person is always crying, low and out, easily brought to tears or triggered

 The person has given up on the things they used to love to do.

LET’S FIGHT AGAINST THE STIGMA!!

Mthuli should be kept in check: Analysts

Albert Chavhunduka

Economic analysts have warned that lack of transparency and poor management of public coffers
will continue to weigh down on taxpayers and the country’s economy.

The analysts were responding to government’s over expenditure between the years 2019 and
2020, wherein the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development overspent by more than
ZWL100 million.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube recently appealed to the National
Assembly condonation for the unauthorised expenditure amounting to ZW$6.8 billion for 2019
and ZW$100.7 billion for the year 2020 through the Financial Adjustment Bill 2022.

The revelations have, however, been seen by analysts to be exposing that government has been
on a spending spree of unparalleled extent despite the multiple claims of budget surplus by the
Finance Minister.

Speaking to Review & Mail, economic analyst Vince Musewe urged government to respect the
rules of parliament and be transparent in the manner national finances were being utilised saying
if this was left unchecked, it would set a bad precedence for the country’s economy.

“There is nothing new here, this has happened before where government disrespects
parliamentary rules with regard to the budget. In fact, our parliament is very weak in challenging
this practice,” said Musewe.
“They protest but ultimately go with the flow as if nothing has happened. Precedent has already
been set and sadly there is no transparency when it comes to expenditures incurred outside the
approved budget.

“The loud and clear message is that the Ministry of Finance does what it wants then seeks post
approvals as a matter of procedure only and not as a matter of principle and transparency.”

Another analyst, Prosper Chitambara expressed concern over government’s over expenditure
which he said needed to be corrected as a matter of urgency.

“What the minister should be doing is to come up with supplementary budgets and at least over
expenditures approved by parliament in the right way. So I think it’s not right and something
needs to be corrected. Last time, the minister was even saying there is no need for a
supplementary budget, so in the future it’s important for him to not seek for condonation after
they have already overspent,” he said.

Professor Gift Mugano weighed in and called for the immediate resignation of the Finance
Minister who he accused of acting like a “monopoly” and making his own decisions without
parliament’s approval.

“He became a monopoly and centre of power to make decisions without parliament’s support
and permission; without even the permission of the President for that matter. Mthuli Ncube
should be brought before parliament to answer to the people of Zimbabwe. Who gave him the
authority to spend outside the means, provision and approved budget signed by the President?,”
said Professor Mugano.

“In fact, he should be fired by the President for doing this and he lied under oath about making
surpluses and he came before parliament and presented budgets and said he doesn’t want a
supplementary budget but he had to go and make his own decisions.

“It has been an argument for the past four years which we had and these are now the chickens
coming home to roost now. This is the reality on the ground, we have seen people in extreme
poverty and this is all happening because of inflation.”

Government moves to promote traditional grains

Chris Mahove

Government is embarking on a food systems transformation programme that will see production
of traditional grains encouraged among the farming population, especially the youth.

This was revealed by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development,
Anxious Masuka at the weekend.

Minister Masuka was speaking at the 2021 National Irrigation Prize Giving Ceremony at Rupike
Irrigation Scheme in Masvingo.

He said government is currently reviving irrigation schemes as part of t its deliberate and broader
thrust to climate-proof agriculture to assure household and national food security, eliminate grain
imports, promote and diversify exports, create employment, enhance value addition and
beneficiation, and accelerate the improvement of rural livelihoods.

Government, he said, would ensure complementary efforts focus on conservation agriculture

through the sustainable intensification of production through Pfvmvudza/Intwasa which, which he
said would be refined this year so that crops grown and livestock raised in an agro-ecological region
were determined by requirements of the agro-ecological region, and not by what a farmer wanted.

“Equally, government support will be refined to reflect this principle. Attendant, to this effort is the
need for a food systems transformation so that traditional grains can find favour among our
population, and especially the youth. In the large holder sector, government is accelerating irrigation
rehabilitation and development through dam construction and infrastructure development,” he said.

Masuka said it was under this context that 450 irrigation schemes were being transformed through
overhauling the governance systems so that they were run as viable businesses, and assure their
sustainability.

“This is why ARDA is now the designated business manager for these schemes. This is the new ARDA
– transformed to deliver rural development. I am informed that already 287 of the 450 irrigation
schemes have been transitioned to ARDA management and that many of these have become viable
businesses again,” he said.

He said the revived Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), Agricultural and Rural Development
Authority (ARDA), and others, were ready to work with all farmers, noting that the AFC would
provide loans for farmers who run irrigation schemes as businesses while ARDA would deploy
scheme business managers to assist the farmers.

He said AFC, AMA, ARDA, ZINWA, GMB and TIMB had been transformed and rebranded to reposition
them as key institutions that rendered the much needed support for rural development, adding that
communities should undertake exchange visits to get an understanding of why this new business
model was being advocated.

Minister Masuku said the vision of a prosperous and empowered upper middle income society by
2030 was anchored on a vibrant and robust agricultural sector.

“Rural agricultural development must cause rural industrialisation. Rural industrialisation should lead
to rural development. That rural development must accelerate the attainment of Vision 2030,” he
said.

There are increasing calls from government and civil society for the production of small grains, such
as sorghum, millet, and rapoko instead of maize production in order to enhance food security
against the background of climate change in Zimbabwe.

The irrigation schemes competition was introduced to motivate farmers, and to capacitate them for
improved production, productivity and profitability.

Minister Masuka, however, called for the reformation of the competition to include parameters such
as progress towards Vision 2030 by measuring the upliftment of communities, improvement in
incomes and social status, food security and other relevant matrices.

He said the winning scheme must be that using the new model of the Vision 2030 Accelerator Model
to better align with the President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Vision, adding that the judging panel
must also be widened to reflect this thrust.