NewsHawks 15 January 2021-min

Price

US$1

WHAT’S INSIDE Friday 15 January 2021 BUSINESS SPORT

NEWS oItinopnsecucsrhrataohcnrkrcte-weattehperilnmpasyers Mtawarira
shows interest
Police rake in Story on Page 17 in WWE
millions from appearance
Covid-19 fines
Story on Page 36
Story on Page 5

Mnangagwa’s
regime lives in
mortal fear of
mass uprising

…crackdown on activists to
prevent a Sarajevo moment

ALSO INSIDE Covid-19 reality hits home Treasury raises red flag over Redan fuel coupons

Page 2 News NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Mnangagwa’s regime lives in

mortal fear of a mass uprising

OWEN GAGARE …crackdown on activists to prevent a Sarajevo moment things”.
Police say they arrested Chin’ono,
THE arrest of award-winning Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono (left) with Senior MDC Alliance leaders Job Sikhala and Fadzayi Mahere were yesterday
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell denied bail. Sikhala and Mahere for circulating
Chin’ono and two MDC Alliance falsehoods prejudicial to the state
leaders Job Sikhala and Fadzayi Ma- This came at a time when he had a (Zanu PF) faction aligned to Some of the departments in- through a video in which it was
here is part of the security forces’ on- helped expose corruption involving Vice-President (Constantino) Chi- volved were police CID Law and claimed a police officer had struck
going strategy to crush the July 31 a US$60 million Covid-19 procure- wenga to remove Mnangagwa,” a se- Order, CIO, military intelligence and killed a baby with a baton.
Movement and pre-empt any possi- ment and supplies deal linked to curity source said. “As you are aware, and a shadowy structure which com-
ble “Sarajevo moment” which may Mnangagwa’s family and cronies. the matter was discussed at the Zanu bines all the above — The Ferrets. Security sources say the three were
trigger an uprising against President PF politburo meeting just before the arrested amid fears that they want-
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s govern- Opposition leader Jacob 31 July protests.” “Before July 31, we gathered all ed to use the baby outrage to fuel
ment, well-placed security sources Ngarivhume was also arrested. the necessary information, analysed public anger. The uprising in Tuni-
told The NewsHawks. Two days before the mass action it and concluded that this demon- sia fuelled by corruption, poverty,
While sources said at the time — on 29 July — Mnangagwa con- stration is not about corruption and and political repression, forcing out
The sources said the country’s se- the Mnangagwa family was upset by fronted his internal political rivals all those issues raised — it was about President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in
curity apparatus — which compris- Chin’ono’s corruption-busting so- with the help of CIO director-gen- removing the government,” a source January 2011 — while triggering a
es the police, army and intelligence cial media activities, it later emerged eral Isaac Moyo at a Zanu PF polit- said. wave of similar protests throughout
services — has concluded that al- that his arrest was more political buro meeting at party headquarters. the Middle East and North Africa
though the main opposition MDC than that. “So we launched a counter-at- — was sparked by vendor Moham-
Alliance has been neutralised, there Falling short of implicating Chi- tack: deployed many cars in Hara- med Bouazizi’s self-immolation. He
are still significant political security Mahere was arrested on 31 July wenga, the CIO report presented in re, Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru and set fire to himself outside a munici-
dangers. 2020 with other activists, including the meeting by Zanu PF secretary Masvingo, as well as other towns to pal office in the town of Sidi Bouzid
award-winning author and film- for security Lovemore Matuke led to clamp down on the activists.” in central Tunisia.
“Through various structures, maker Tsitsi Dangarembga. the suspension of Cleveria Chizema
police, army and intelligence ser- and Tendai Savanhu who were ac- Violent repression is part of “Mnangagwa and his security ad-
vices, we always assess the political Sikhala went underground with cused of being part of the planned Mnangagwa’s political survival strat- visers fear such a Sarajevo moment
and security situation in the coun- a group of other activists that secu- anti-governments protests. It then egy, together with legitimation and in Zimbabwe,” a source said.
try, and make important decisions. rity forces were hunting for. Police said Chiwenga was not involved, co-optation initiatives, as well as
There were security meetings and released a list of the activists. yet indicating that there were people propaganda. Although Sikhala was The winds of the Arab Spring blew
exchanges before Chin’ono, Sikhala acting in his name. later detained, the protests were pre- as far down as Zimbabwe. Activists
and Mahere’s arrests,” a top security The list also included 14 per- ceded by a fierce crackdown which were inspired by the uprising and
source said. ceived militants, including MDC In that meeting, former Zanu PF led to arrests, abductions and forced held meetings to strategise to fight
Alliance activists Makomborero national commissar Engelbert Ru- some activists underground. Mugabe. Many were arrested. Itai
“Since the 2018 elections, we Haruziviishe, Godfrey Kurauone, geje — a Chiwenga ally — urged Dzamara, a journalist-turned-activ-
have done many meetings and re- Ostallos Siziba, Denford Ngadziore, Mnangagwa not to listen to “maku- Sikhala is seen as a threat due to ist, staged one-man demonstrations
ports on the security situation. This Allan Moyo, Obey Sithole, Stephen wa” — rumours, as he moved to de- his bravery and influence, sourc- against the late former president
allows us to identify threats, chal- Chuma and Tajamuka/Sesijikile fend the party’s co-deputy leader. He es say. He has also been outspoken Robert Mugabe. He was arrested
lenges, vulnerabilities and risks in leader Promise Mkwananzi. reminded Mnangagwa that it was against Mnangagwa. Sikhala said many times. After jointly addressing
our political and security environ- Chiwenga and other military cad- on 31 July that the heavy security a massive MDC-T rally at Zimba-
ment. Profiles and analyses of oppo- National Patriotic Front official res like him who put him to power presence showed a state afraid of its bwe Grounds in Highfield, Harare,
sition political parties, civil society Jimmy Kunaka, Zimbabwe Con- through the November 2017 coup. citizens. with the late founding party leader
organisations and individuals are gress of Trade Unions president Morgan Tsvangirai, Dzamara was
constantly updated and this tells us Peter Mutasa, Amalgamated Rural Senior Zanu PF leaders loyal to “Protracted demonstrations will abducted into enforced disappear-
who is a threat to the state and gov- Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe pres- Mnangagwa insist the Chiwenga be the way forward,” he said. ance in 2015 — never to be seen
ernment and who is not, and why. ident Obert Masaraure and secre- faction was part of the July 31 Move- again.
We have many files on a number of tary-general Robson Chere, and ment. “It’s common knowledge they A security source said: “We don’t
political actors who are closely mon- Godfrey Tsenengamu, leader of a were involved,” a politburo member take lightly such statements. They Like in Dzamara’s case, the abduc-
itored. pressure group, the Front for Eco- said this week. In the run-up to the are classified as a security threat. tion of journalism student Tawanda
nomic Emancipation in Zimbabwe. mass stayaway, government activat- We know what happened in Tunisia Muchehiwa — nephew to journalist
“Some of the characters are the ed the state security apparatus to and other countries. So when you Mduduzi Mathuthu whose home
ones who have been arrested. There Mnangagwa and his allies are spearhead a fierce crackdown on see Sikhala repeatedly arrested, it’s was raided and three people arrested
are many others on our radar. These convinced these groups constitute a opposition and civil society activists. because of such things. Chin’ono is — on 31 July grabbed headlines.
people are mainly classified as the threat. seen in the same light. It has noth-
July 31 Movement, members of a ing to do with that video or other Muchehiwa was abducted by state
loose coalition of activist groups that “These groups and individuals security agents and brutally tortured
want to overthrow the government. are seen as acting in alliance with for three days. The operation in-
Security is aware of their activities.” volved police and Ferrets.

Chin’ono and Sikhala were arrest- He was only released through a
ed last Friday. Mahere was arrested habeas corpus court order.
this week.
Muchehiwa subsequently left the
Commenting on the latest crack- country for security reasons.
down, ex-Zanu PF strategist Jona-
than Moyo, a former minister and “The arrest of Chin’ono, Sikhala
MP, said yesterday: “The (Central and Mahere has nothing to do with
Intelligence Organisation) CIO’s that video saga in reality, it’s a polit-
counter-intelligence not only or- ical move to deal with the July 31
chestrated the arrests of Mahere, Movement which keeps raising its
Sikhala and Chin’ono, but also led ugly head,” a security source said.
the arresting teams. As such, the
arrests have nothing to do with law Securocrats supporting Mnan-
and order. It’s about political in- gagwa — who spent many years of
trigue and Zanu PF factionalism. his political career under Mugabe in
Re: 31 July 2020!” security portfolios, intelligence and
defence — are motivated by differ-
Chin’ono was initially arrest- ent factors: fear of losing power and
ed before the 31 July protests that trappings of office, fear of prosecu-
further exposed the Mnangagwa re- tion for human rights abuses and
gime’s fears and ruthless streak. He corruption, and a belief that Zanu
initially spent 45 days in jail. He was PF is the custodian of the liberation
arrested again and again. struggle. Beyond arresting its op-
ponents, Mnangagwa’s regime, like
The filmmaking journalist was Mugabe’s before it, accuses them of
first picked up by police at his Ha- promoting a violent regime change
rare home on 20 July 2020 and agenda at the behest of foreign in-
charged with “incitement to partici- terests.
pate in public violence”.
“This is the real issue behind
Chin’ono, Sikhala and Mahere’s ar-
rests,” a security source said.

NewsHawks News Page 3

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Zanu PF bombshell that didn’t explode

ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule (second from left) with Patrick Chinamasa, Obert Mpofu and Simbarashe Mumbengegwi of Zanu PF

NYASHA CHINGONO tional attacks, Ramaphosa ploughed other words their hosts got the mes- ideological depth and exquisite rhe- on Zanu PF critics and the opposi-
ahead and the following month sent sage, but Zanu PF emerged saying it torical skills. tion.
WHEN Zanu PF Director of In- an ANC delegation led by party sec- was agreed that there is no crisis in
formation Tafadzwa Mugwadi — a retary-seneral Elias Sekgobelo “Ace” the country. Sources say while Mugwadi has The NewsHawks has established
militant motormouth and reckless Magashule to engage Zanu PF on Chinamasa’s backing as they act on that the “bombshell” which Zanu
political hack — a few days ago said the situation in Zimbabwe. As a result, clashing information behalf of Mnangagwa, other senior PF is referring to is a claim that some
he was going to seek permission and interpretation of the meeting party officials loyal to Vice-President ANC officials who visited Harare last
from the ruling party authorities to The meeting was held on 9-10 subsequently followed. Constantino Chiwenga are opposed September to discuss the local crisis
drop a “bombshell” against South September 2020 at Zanu PF head- to the approach of attacking Rama- had reportedly told their hosts the
Africa’s governing ANC and SABC quarters in Harare. It became clear the parties were phosa and the ANC. situation here was not as urgent as
unless they reined in veteran journal- now locked in a cold political war, the need to oust Ramaphosa.
ist Sophie Mokoena on her reportage The ANC delegation also includ- undeclared as it was. The Chiwenga faction says it is
on Zimbabwe, we seemed poised for ed Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Tony bad Mugabeist politics that must A senior Zanu PF official told The
a massive and blockbuster political Yengeni, Lindiwe Zulu, Dakota Three months down the line, stop forthwith. NewsHawks that a leading ANC del-
scandal. Lekgwete, Enoch Godongwana and Mugwadi, in a bid to blackmail the egation member had spoken tp them
Nomvula Mokonyane. ANC and silence Mokoena, threat- Ex-Zapu officials, now senior about the urgency of removing Ra-
It was like Zanu PF was holding ened to drop a “bombshell” against Zanu PF leaders, are also infuriated maphosa before addressing the Zim-
all the aces. It had a “nuclear option” It was also complimented by them. by Mugwadi’s rantings against ANC, babwe crisis.
against the ANC as political tensions Mphakama Mbete and embassy their ally during the struggle.
rise between the two uneasy bedfel- staff. Zanu PF was represented by But until now, journalists have “A senior ANC delegation mem-
lows in the midst of an undeclared party secretary for administration been left wondering whether “These boys are reckless, we know ber told us that for him and others
Cold War. Obert Mpofu —­­ Magashule’s coun- Mugwadi had a political blockbuster who is sending, but it must stop. We removing Ramaphosa is more urgent
terpart — Patrick Chinamasa, Sim- or a blockbluster. can’t run a party like. We will talk to than addressing the Zimbabwe situa-
Soon after the 31 July 2020 mass barashe Mumbengegwi, July Moyo the President,” one official said. tion,” the Zanu PF official said.
stayaway, which was preceded by a and Sibusiso Moyo. Mugwadi also So far his blockbuster has not yet
sweeping repressive crackdown on attended. materialised and it seems it might Sources say ex-Zapu officials like Zanu PF officials say the ANC
civil society and political activists, well deteriorate into a blockbluster - Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, delegation was deeply divided along
as well as lawyers and journalists, Central Intelligence Organisation empty political bluster. Moyo and even Mpofu are opposed factional lines and some of them
among other dissenters, South Afri- Director-General Isaac Moyo was to Mugwadi’s approach. said on the sidelines that their main
can President Cyril Ramaphosa ap- also there. Zanu PF spokesman Simon Kha- agenda is removing Ramaphosa, not
pointed two special envoys to visit ya Moyo yesterday said he was not “Zapu guys don’t like it, but they dealing with Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe to try to pull the country The delegations discussed soft is- aware of what Mugwadi was talking know that he has been sent. Chi-
out of its downward political and sues first like the liberation struggle, about it. namasa is behind it, they claim the Since coming to power through
economic spiral, following criticism historical ties and solidarity, mutu- President supports them,” a source the ANC Nasrec Conference in
that Pretoria was neglecting the al support, socio-economic issues, “I don’t know what he is talking said. 2017 with a slim majority of 51.90%
growing crisis on its doorstep. sanctions, self-introspection, renew- about, but in any case we don’t ad- to his rival Nkosazana Dlamini-Zu-
al of values, honesty, openness and dress our issues through the media or Moyo has said Mugwadi’s utter- ma’s 48.10%, Ramaphosa has been
Ramaphosa appointed former accountability, and people’s aspira- social media,” Moyo said. ances on the ANC’s visit to Zim- battling to stem a rising factional
minister in ex-president Thabo tions. babwe do not reflect the party’s po- tide publicly fronted by Magashule,
Mbeki’s cabinet Sydney Mufamadi “We have laid down procedures sition. He said Zanu PF and ANC a key Jacob Zuma ally.
and former speaker of parliament They also confronted the political of interaction with our sister parties enjoy fraternal relations, hence
Baleka Mbete - sister to South Afri- and security situation in Zimbabwe. and these must be strictly adhered Mugwadi would be subjected to dis- Zanu PF sources say the scandal
ca’s outgoing ambassador to Harare to.” ciplinary proceedings. that followed the ANC delegation
Mphakama Mbete - to fly to Harare They further tackled the crack- flying to Harare using a South Afri-
to meet President Emmerson Mnan- down that was going on, the eco- Reckless utterances Mugwadi When Chinamasa and Mugwadi can National Defence Force air force
gagwa. nomic crisis and the contagion of the against Ramaphosa and the ANC, as fiercely attacked Ramaphosa and the jet was leaked by the senior Luthu-
situation and impact on South Afri- well as on other issues, including on ANC last year, bringing up all sorts li House official due to divisions
But right from the beginning they ca — showing that they were dealing Mokoena, have divided senior ruling of things, including Jacob Zuma’s among them.
were on a collison course: Rama- with a tragic crisis of leadership — officials, a top Zanu PF official told Inkandla Scandal and the Marikana
phosa expected his envoys not just which Nelson Mandela once referred The NewsHawks. killings, in which the South African The Zanu official said the ANC
to meet Mnangagwa, but also op- to in a withering attack on the late President was implicated but later member had said they badly needed
position and civil society leaders to former president Robert Mugabe - The official said Mugwadi is act- cleared, Mpofu came out to clean Zimbabwean support to isolate Ra-
understand what was happening in and governance failures spilling over ing under the direction of party up the mess. South African Finance maphosa in the region, while they
Zimbabwe. from Zimbabwe into South Africa. hawks like Chinamasa. minister Tito Mboweni this week oust him at home.
joined the fray.
By contrast, Mnangagwa said the Differences soon emerged during Chinamasa, who has been acting However, Ramaphosa has already
envoys were coming to see him and the meeting, especially on the is- party spokesperson for a long time in “I wish the President could just al- called Mugwadi’s bluff and dared
nobody else. That inevitably led to sue of Zimbabwean immigrants to the absence of Moyo, and his “young low me nyana to tackle that turncoat him to drop the bombshell.
clashes between Pretoria and Harare South Africa triggered by Zimba- turks”, including Mugwadi, are at- @Tafadzwa Mugwadi,” Mboweni
which exploded into a public spate bwe’s economic collapse. tacking their opponents in Mnan- said on Twitter. Efforts to get comment from Ma-
in August last year. gagwa’s name. gashule the whole week failed.
Serious exchanges ensued during Mboweni described Mugwadi as a
Undaunted by Mnangagwa’s hos- the meeting. The hardline wing is loyal to “turncoat”. Mugwadi defected from ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe
tility and unfazed by Zanu PF sensa- Mnangagwa; manifesting and reviv- the MDC-T led by Morgan Tsvan- did not answer calls and reply to
In the end, gulf between the par- ing Mugabe’s political approach. girai as a student leader and joined messages.
ties was yawning: the ANC said it Zanu PF, accusing the opposition of
was an open and honest engagement Even if Mnangagwa ousted Mug- being ideologically bankrupt. Zulu said earlier tonight she was
on issues affecting Zimbabwe - in abe through a military coup in 2017, attending a community meeting and
he has remained a true protégé in He has been rabid in his attacks could not speak.
policy, actions and deeds, although
without his master’s intelligence,

Page 4 News NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Mozambique pleads for Zim military
action against advancing terrorists

OWEN GAGARE

PRESSURE is mounting on Pres- Jihadists in Cabo Delgado
ident Emmerson Mnangagwa to
deploy the Zimbabwean army into Mozambican Defence minister Jamie Neto terrorism in Cabo Delgado,” Ar- ternally displaces persons seeking
conflict-wrecked neighbouring naldo Chefo, the chief police com- refuge from the violence.
Mozambique as part of a regional The source said the rebels’ 1 Jan- Zimbabwe as the current, incom- mander in Niassa, told reporters on
security force to stymie an intensi- uary attack on Quitunda village, ing and outgoing chair respectively. Tuesday. “Being neighbors to that The United Nations says most of
fying advance by Islamic militants, just outside the gas project’s pre- province, we have to be constant- the displace people have been set-
a Jihadist group with ties to the cinct, forcing the company to halt The troika met in Gaborone last ly vigilant so that terrorists do not tling in southern districts of Cabo
self-styled Islamic State, fighting some of its operations, has put the November and again in Maputo penetrate our province.” Delgado as well as in Niassa and
to seize the gas-rich northern prov- Sadc troika under renewed pressure last month as part of the urgent Nampula, a province that lies to
ince of Cabo Delgado. to meet urgently to discuss inter- consultations. The growing insurgency has the south.
vention and sending in troops to been raging in Cabo Delgado for
Security sources told The News- Mozambique. The ongoing violence Cabo Del- over three years. Last week, heavy clashes broke
Hawks this week that Mozambican gado could spread to neighbour- out between government troops
President Felipe Nyusi last week As a result, Sadc is under esca- ing provinces, officials and experts Neto has said Mozambique has and militants in the village of
urgently dispatched his Defence lating pressure to send in troops, warn. no military capacity to contain it Monjane near the coastal town
minister Jamie Neto to Harare to the security source told The New- alone. of Palma, destroying at least 40
meet Mnangagwa on the need to sHawks. In the province of Niassa, west homes and causing a new wave of
urgently send the military to battle of Cabo Delgado, officials are ex- Rhodesian and Zimbabwe Na- displacement.
the insurrectionists. The Sadc troika of the organ on pressing fear over a possible spill- tional Army retired Colonel Lio-
politics, defence and security in- over of the armed conflict unfold- nel Dyck has been holding forte in This week, Cabo Delgado police
Zimbabwe’s Foreign minister cludes, Botswana, South Africa and ing next door. the gas-rich region for sometime, confirmed a new attack carried out
Sibusiso Moyo tonight confirmed fighting as a security consultant. by the insurgents in the Quitunda
Neto’s visit to Harare last week. “We are very concerned about village near a major gas project.
Since the first attack in 2017 by
“The Mozambican Defence a militant group known locally as The growing violence in Cabo
minister was here as part of region- al-Shabab, more than 2 000 peo- Delgado has forced the French
al, Sadc, consultations on the situa- ple have been killed and over 500 energy firm Total to remove about
tion in his country,” Moyo told The 000 others have been forced to 500 of its 3 000 employees.
NewsHawks. flee their homes, according to the
United Nations. The US has offered to assist the
Asked if Mnangagwa was going Mozambican government in com-
to soon and urgently deploy the Militants linked to al-Shabab, bating the insurgency in the north.
army into Mozambique, Moyo which is considered the Mozam-
said: “Whatever help or action is bique affiliate of the Islamic State “What we need to do is make
going to be taken, it will be in the terror group, have reportedly car- sure that we in the United States
context of Sadc and regional coop- ried out more than 600 attacks are making available to our Mo-
eration”. since the beginning of their insur- zambican partners every capability
gency. that we have to help them degrade
This comes as Nyusi visited Tan- and ultimately defeat that terrorist
zania on Monday to discuss the The jihadists have taken con- threat,” Nathan Sales, the US coor-
Islamist insurgency in Cabo Del- trol of territory in Cabo Delgado, dinator for counterterrorism, said
gado, home to Mozambique’s huge including a strategic port, and in December following a visit to
multi-billion liquefied natural gas burned dozens of villages across the Mozambique.
investments. resource-rich province.
Sadc leaders, including Mnan-
The two-day visit at the invita- Bordering Cabo Delgado to the gagwa, are expected to meet any-
tion of Tanzania’s President John west, Niassa province is currently time now to decide when to deploy
Magufuli came days after a senior home to tens of thousands of in- troops.
official from the United States
Department of Defense met Mo-
zambique government officials in
Maputo to offer support to count-
er the insurgents. Nyusi and Magu-
fuli “should address as their main
theme of work, the combination of
efforts to effectively face the phe-
nomenon of terrorism which has
affected both countries, with an
impact on the region,” the Mozam-
bican presidency said in a state-
ment.

Nyusi was accompanied by
other officials, including the com-
mander general of the police, Ber-
nardino Rafael, and the head of the
northern operational theatre, Ma-
jor-General Eugenio Mussa.

Meanwhile, Anthony Tata, per-
forming the duties of the US un-
der-secretary of defence for policy,
flew into Maputo on 8 January for
a meeting with Neto, and Interior
Minister Amade Miquidade.

The flurry of security meetings
and fast moving developments
come after intensified attacks by
the militants on new year which
forced French energy giant Total to
suspend work at its US$20bn gas
project in Cabo Delgado.

NewsHawks News Page 5

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Chiwenga denies Covid-19 uncontrollable

VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Constantino Chiwenga pandemic is tamed.  the Corona Virus, there was not go-
Chiwenga, who is also Health min- “However, let me warn my fellow ing to be any need for imposition of
ister, has claimed the governmnent a National Lockdown.
is not overwhelmed by the rising countrymen that current statistics
Covid-19 infections and public is indicating a marginal increase “I am aware that lockdown mea-
health facilities have adequate ca- in new cases. The total Confirmed sures do hurt the socio-economic
pacity despite a soaring death rate Cases continued to mount. The pre- livelihoods, freedoms, rights and
and an outcry over a shortage of vailing situation is posing a grave liberties of individuals. Neverthe-
beds. threat to public health as denoted less, they may be necessary if some
by a summary of figures contained of our citizens display nonchalant
Chiwenga said the reports of bed in the table: Our citizens should not behavior. Honestly, would you re-
shortages were just social media alle- slacken. We should continue to ob- quire Security Forces to persuade
gations being peddled by “pen-mer- serve guidelines of wearing masks, you to conform to some of these ba-
cenaries”. observing social distance and sani- sic guidelines? We are not interested
tization.” in arresting our people, therefore I
His assertions run contrary to cit- urge you to reawaken internal dis-
izens have been taking their desper- “It is unfortunate that some of cipline.”
ate pleas for hospital beds to social our people continued to defy lock-
media, after failing to secure beds, down measures, as we might have Despite Zimbabwe testing be-
particularly for intensive care unit noticed in Mbare, where some er- tween around 2 000 to 3 000 people
support. rand (errant) youths decided, in a day, and the bulk of tests are being
their own wisdom or lack of it, to conducted by private laboratories,
“In light of widely circulating re- organize a musical showcase. If all Chiwenga said the government had
ports alleging that there is a serious our people maintained a positive at- a testing capacity of 6 000 people
deficit of hospital beds, let me point titude towards measures to combat per day. –STAFF WRITER.
out that these were ‘embellished
social media allegations by some
pen-mercenaries.’ However, if the
need arises in future, my Ministry
may consider options of increas-
ing facilities currently designated
for COVID 19 or designate more
hospitals to take in patients. In a
worst case scenario, that has so far
not manifested, all hospitals in the
country may be directed to take in
citizens affected by COVID 19,”
Chiwenga said in a statement.

He however said some adminis-
trative issues that had affected the
smooth admission of patients had
been resolved.

“Among them was, Government’s
extension of COVID 19 Allowances
to incentivize our Health care work-
ers, frontline workers, civil servants
and vulnerable members of our soci-
ety, and provision of PPEs (personal
protective equipment).”

Zimbabwe on Thursday report-
ed 47 deaths, the highest single-day
toll since the outbreak of the virus
in March last year. Cumulatively,
the number of deaths stood at 636
while infections are at 25 368.

“In my capacity as your Minister
of Health and Child Care, I want
to take this opportunity to urge
our beloved citizens not to panic
and that they should rely on official
information. I am also aware that
some of our citizens are anxious to
get vaccinated. The Government is
following the development and dis-
semination of COVID 19 vaccines
by other states, with keen interest.”

He said Zimbabwe was still as-
sessing the safety of the vaccines
before they can start rolling out the
vaccines.

“As soon as all technical and ad-
ministrative obligations are met,
Zimbabweans can expect to be vac-
cinated. The vaccination is going to
be voluntary. Let me underscore that
my Ministry is doing everything
possible to ensure that our citizens
are safe from possible side effects of
some COVID 19 vaccines, current-
ly on the shelf,” Chiwenga said.

He also said there might not be
need a to extend the 30-day national
lockdown if the progression of the

Page 6 News NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Shocking fees for Covid-19 patients

BRIDGET MANANAVIRE ty of about 30 intensive care unit pay any price. tion, according to a memorandum Health Point in Harare demands
(ICU) beds. Doctors are charging US$1 000, dated 1 July. a US$2 500 deposit for five-day
PRIVATE hospitals admitting hospitalisation in the general ward.
Covid-19 patients in Zimbabwe The few private hospitals, in- before other charges are factored “Kindly be advised that all It also requires an extra US$1 000
are making a killing, charging an cluding Arundel, St Anne’s, Health in. Covid-19 patients are required to for a physician. The hospital, lo-
average of US$3 500 for admis- Point and Mater Dei in Bulawayo, pay USD deposits, US$60 for ca- cated in Mount Pleasant suburb,
sion, at a time bed capacity is low are charging between US$2 000 Mater Dei Hospital, which was sualty, US$3 000 for general ward requires a deposit of US$5 000 for
at government facilities.   and US$5 000, depending on the the first facility to exclusively offer and US$5 000 for ICU hospitalisa- five-day ICU admission and an ex-
support needed. Covid-19 hospitalisation to private tion,” the memorandum, signed by tra US$1 000 for an anaesthetist.
This week, the country reported patients last year, dropped a bomb- the hospital’s credit analyst Obidi-
a record 38 deaths in 24 hours, the As desperation grows for ICU shell with its US$5 000 deposit ence Ncube, read. Other hospitals and doctors are
highest one-day toll since the first care, which in most cases requires for ICU hospitalisation in a leaked now offering house calls for asymp-
outbreak in March last year. ventilator support, the few Zim- memorandum. Harare private hospitals have tomatic and moderately symptom-
babweans who can afford the as- followed suit, charging fees which atic patients as well as patients with
According to the Zimbabwe tronomical fees have been posting The hospital, founded in the are far beyond the reach of most underlying conditions who need
Doctors for Human Rights, Hara- on social media pages hunting for 1950s by Franciscan Catholic Zimbabweans, who earn less than close monitoring.
re’s public hospitals have a capaci- beds, saying they were prepared to nuns, demanded a US$3 000 de- US$100 per month.
posit for general ward hospitalisa-

ZIMBABWE is experiencing Medical oxygen shortage hits Zim tions as the City cannot honour
a shortage of medical oxygen, payments to service providers in-
which is critical in saving the “There has been a sudden duce and we supply according to support to critical patients. cluding fuel and water treatment
lives of Covid-19 patients, as the double upsurge in the demand the requests. So far, we have not “We were told that there is a chemical suppliers”.
country’s death rate surges. for oxygen in the country which failed to deliver on any requests.
has created an artificial shortage And we have not run out. We are shortage of oxygen and our sup- The chief engineer in the min-
This comes at a time the and backlogs due to the current in discussion with the ministry ply is not consistent. Moreover, istry of Health, Frank Chiku, ex-
Health ministry has floated a situation,” Unigas said in a re- of Health and always updating most of the tanks are out of ox- plained to The NewsHawks what
tender, which closes on 18 Jan- sponse to questions by this pub- them on the supply,” Mutengwa ygen and we were told that city the recently floated tended was
uary, for the supply of oxygen to lication. said. council is failing to them refilled intended for.
public health facilities. because the council’s accounts
“This has necessitated our “There has been a slight in- were garnished. “The tender is about us want-
Deaths have risen from 369 on team to work round the clock crease in the demand, but we ing to expand our oxygen supply
31 December to 551 on 12 Jan- to meet the demand. We have are still assessing the numbers, “We also have a number that in our hospitals. It is on infra-
uary while the recovery rate has also upscaled our production but I can say our supply have in- have oxygen, but they are not structure, for piped oxygen and
fallen to 57.3% from as high as and hopefully if we don’t suffer creased from about 50 tonnes per working because the gauges are bulk storage. It is foward think-
high as 95% during the first wave power-cuts, we hope to contin- month to about 60 to 70 tonnes a not working. People are dying ing on our part, particularly for
of the coronavirus. ue manufacturing the product month.” because we cannot give them our district hospitals and it is not
seamlessly.” that support,” a source said. just in relation to Covid,” said
Zimbabweans are now buying Sources at one of the main Chiku.
oxygen concentrators at a premi- Boc Gases acting MD Lloyd Covid-19 centres, Wilkins In- The Zimbabwe Revenue Au-
um with a five-litre concentrator Mutengwa said there is contin- fectious Diseases Hospital run thority (Zimra) garnished the However, he denied the short-
costing about US$2 000 while a uous communication between by Harare City Council, told The council’s bank accounts at the age of medical oxygen.
10-litre concentrator is going for the producer and the ministry of NewsHawks the oxygen shortage end of December 2020 in a bid
around US$3 700. Health to ensure constant supply is a contributory factor to the to recover RTGS$115 million in “At the moment we do not
of oxygen as per requirement. increasing death rate as the hos- tax arrears. In a statement, coun- have oxygen shortages, we are
Oxygen producers Unigas told pitals is failing to provide oxygen cil said the move is “adversely getting it whenever we need it.
The NewsHawks that there has “What we only do is to pro- affecting Council’s daily opera-
been an upsurge in oxygen de- “On Wilkins Hospital, the cyl-
mand in the country, which “has inders are for back-up, but we
created an artificial shortage”. have not recieved a report to that
effect right now,” Chiku added.

NewsHawks News Page 7

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Police rake in millions from Covid fines

LIZWE SEBATA “Meanwhile, police have in- Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga peat offenders. Also, they and their
tensified the enforcement of the patrons will be contravening the
THE Zimbabwe Republic Police is Covid-19 lockdown regulations. ing shebeens and their patrons. is no social distancing, sanitisation Covid-19 regulations and the cur-
raking thousands of dollars in fines On 11, January 2021, a total of 2 Shebeens are popular in Bula- of hands and wearing of masks by few put in place by government,”
every day from Covid-19 lockdown 374 people were arrested through- patrons. Ncube added.
violators amid revelations that as out the country bringing the total wayo but health experts describe
many as 2 000 people are being ar- cumulative arrests to 322 214 since them as Covid-19 hotspots as there “A lot of shebeen operators are re- Under the Liquor Act, it is an of-
rested on some days. the start of the Covid-19 regulations fence to sell beer without a licence.
in March 2020,” statistics provided
The government recently an- by the ZRP read in part. Meanwhile, acting Mpilo Hos-
nounced a 30-day lockdown with a pital chief executive officer Solwayo
6pm to 6am curfew and closure of Under the new lockdown mea- Ngwenya appealed for communi-
non-essential businesses in an effort sures, bars, bottle stores and restau- ty behavioural change in the fight
to curb a surge in Covid-19 infec- rants are closed, church services are against Covid-19 as he warned
tions. Zimbabwe has recorded more banned, funeral gatherings limited that supplies of personal protective
than 20 000 confirmed cases with to 30 people while inter-city and equipment at the institution are fast
the death toll surpassing 500. inter-provincial travel has been lim- depleting.
ited to those classified as essential
Experts worry the increase in services. In Bulawayo, the closure of “We will soon run out of PPE’s
Covid-19 confirmed cases could bars and bottle stores has however and the community behaviour is
soon overwhelm state-run hospitals, birthed thriving underground beer very critical, it may impact on our
with health professionals complain- markets with licensed liquor stores running as a hospital,” Ngwenya
ing that supplies of personal protec- cited as the main suppliers. said.
tive equipment are inadequate.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Reports show that 206 health
Statistics provided by the ZRP Inspector Abednico Ncube warned personnel at Mpilo Hospital have
show that as many as 2 000 people offenders (underground beer mar- tested positive for Covid-19 since
are being arrested daily for violating kets) faced arrest and prosecution March, 2020.
lockdown regulations, generating with no option of paying a fine.
amounts upwards of ZW$1 million In a statement, Communi-
in fines per day. “There is no option of paying a ty Working Group on Health
fine. You will have to appear in court (CWGH) director Itai Rusike not-
The fines for lockdown viola- and they will determine whether ed: “This (depletion of PPEs) would
tions range between ZW$300 and you pay a fine, get imprisoned or cripple the health delivery system’s
ZW$500 and in most instances po- both,” Ncube warned those operat- ability to continue caring for the
lice demand cash from offenders. sick and putting and an end to the
pandemic.”

NYASHA CHINGONO Covid-19 hospitals overwhelmed Other Covid-19 referral centres
like Wilkins Hospital are struggling
MAJOR Covid-19 referral centres are huge challenge for the institution, a an impending crisis, amid growing HealthPoint in Belgravia, Harare to get enough personnel to deal with
overwhelmed by the growing number major referral centre, raising concerns Covid-19 fatalities. stitution, nurses say they are putting the surge in patients.
of patients seeking treatment, amid of a possible spike in cases among their lives on the line by working un-
concerns of lack of capacity to deal frontline workers. Doctors have raised alarm that the der dire conditions. Although the hospital has capacity
with the surge that the country has already fragile healthcare system is to house more patients, the authori-
been witnessing since the Christmas Sources at Parirenyatwa say the overwhelmed by the ongoing surge, “We are not a designated Covid-19 ties say the institution lacks trained
holidays. hospital has the capacity of 400 ad- which triggered a strict 30-day lock- centre per say but we are coping with personnel.
mission beds but it is also strained. down. the patients that we have. Once a
Lack of admission beds for health personnel catches Covid, we The number of Covid-19 patients
Covid-19 patients has become a The hospital has only two intensive While the authorities at Sally isolate them,” the acting clinical di- has grown from an average of five late
headache for the authorities who are care unit (ICU) beds for Covid-19 Mugabe Hospital in Harare say the rector, Hopewell Mungani, said. last year to 20, with five of them need-
reportedly turning away some pa- and they are taken. Covid-19 situation is under control, ing oxygen, authorities say.
tients. doctors say there was an admissions Mungani says the hospital is
Private hospitals are also fully bed crisis and fears of a surge in cases supposed to be treating only a few “What we are seeing is a surge in
One of the country’s largest refer- booked as relatives of ill patients bat- among frontline staff. Covid-19 patients, but health workers cases from between four and five
ral hospitals, Parirenyatwa, which has tle to find admission beds. say most space has been taken up by last year. We have more now. We do
a designated Covid-19 centre, this The hospital has several frontline coronavirus-related ailments. not have the capacity to house more
week admitted that the hospital was Some have taken to social media in workers in quarantine after contract- patients here because of the lack of
overwhelmed with patients seeking search of admission beds. ing Covid-19 in the line of duty, com- Another Covid-19 referral hospital trained medical personnel,” an official
treatment, further putting a strain on promising efforts to contain the surge in Harare, St Anne’s, is fully booked, told The NewsHawks this week.
the facility’s limited resources. The hospital does not have suffi- in cases. according to sources.
cient ICU facilities, ventilators and Zimbabwe Association of Doctors
“While it is fact that the second personal protective equipment for Last week, midwives and oth- Doctors say Harare has only 30 for Human Rights (ZADHR) presi-
wave has resulted in the hospital han- frontline workers, officials said. er nurses at Sally Mugabe Hospital ICU beds, grossly inadequate to cope dent Norman Matara said the situa-
dling more Covid-19 cases than be- downed stethoscopes in protest after with the surging demand. tion at the country’s referral hospitals
fore because of the second wave, Pari- Furthermore, the precarious situa- a colleague and matron at the insti- was dire, calling for urgent attention
renyatwa Group of Hospitals is doing tion of critical patients has also been tution succumbed to Covid-19 on Affluent patients are having to part to save lives.
everything possible to cope with the worsened by the lack of oxygen, a Thursday. with large sums of money for admis-
overwhelming numbers of Covid-19 critical component for those exhibit- sion, with one private clinic charging Matara raised alarm on the lack of
patients who are presenting to the ing breathing problems. The govern- While the hospital management US$2 500 for a bed, shutting out admission beds for critical patients
hospital,” hospital management ad- ment this week flighted a tender for downplayed the lack of PPE at the in- poor patients, most of whom can seeking intensive care, saying the gov-
mitted. oxygen supplies as it moves to combat barely afford a decent meal daily. ernment was silent on how to deal
with the situation.
A visit by The NewsHawks to Pari-
renyatwa’s red zone, which houses “We have a very limited bed capac-
most Covid-19 patients, showed the ity for people suffering from severe
high volume of patients amid reports Covid. As you know, there has been
that admission beds are full. an outcry of people seeking admission
beds for their relatives who are ill. But
The coronavirus surge has also put as you know, the ministry was silent
a strain on the depleted stocks of per- on how they are going to deal with
sonal protective equipment (PPE). that issue.

“It is quite apparent that the sec- “There was no mention on how
ond wave has brought about a num- they are going to deal with bed ca-
ber of challenges with it like higher pacity to make sure that people have
demand for PPE, equipment and access to intensive care facilities,”
staff,” the hospital said. Matare told The NewsHawks.

The testing tents outside the red At Chitungwiza General Hospital,
zone are inundated with patients Covid-19 patients are being turned
seeking Covid-19 lab tests. away as the institution lacks capacity
to deal with disease, further putting a
Hospital staff at emergency wards strain on the already limping health
were seen wearing makeshift PPE sector.
to protect themselves from the virus
while only a few were wearing the Sources say several frontline work-
requisite protecting clothing. ers at Chitungwiza Hospital are in
quarantine after contracting Covid-19
This week, the hospital admitted amid fears the health facility could be-
that the lack of PPE had become a come a Covid-19 epicentre.

Page 8 News NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

VACANCY NOTICE:

COMMISSIONER GENERAL

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) was established on 1 September 2001 by the Revenue Authority Act (Chapter 23:11).
The functions of the Authority are to act as an agent of the State in assessing, collecting and enforcing the payment of all revenues;
advising the Minister of Finance and Economic Development on matters relating to the raising and collection of revenues; trade fa-
cilitation and to perform any other functions that may be conferred or imposed on the Authority in terms of the Revenue Authority
Act or any other enactment.

The ZIMRA Board invites qualified and experienced Zimbabwean citizens to fill the position of Commissioner General.

Reporting Structure

The position reports to the ZIMRA Board of Directors.

Key Responsibilities

The Commissioner General shall be responsible for the following;

Provide strategic, proactive and effective leadership for the authority’s operations.
Supervising and managing the Authority’s staff, activities, funds and property.
Advising the Government of Zimbabwe on fiscal policy matters, laws and regulations including amendments.
Overseeing the interpretation and implementation of Zimbabwe’s policies relating to taxation and customs duties.
Building and leading a modern and efficient revenue administration that ensures all taxes and duties due to the Government
of Zimbabwe are collected.
Broadening the revenue base and automation of ZIMRA business processes.
Put mechanisms in place to reduce revenue leakages.
Analyzing performance trends, setting operational targets and reviewing revenue collection strategies.
Preparing strategic and development plans for the Authority.
Providing policy analysis and advice in revenue collection and trade facilitation.
Establishing, developing and maintaining strategic relationships, knowledge sharing, partnerships and collaboration between
ZIMRA and multi-lateral organizations such as AfDB, ATAF, IMF, WCO, World Bank and WTO, and with regional organizations
such as SADC, COMESA, ESAMI and bi-lateral relations with major trading partners.
Performing such other functions as may be assigned by the Board.

Job Specifications

Applicant must have demonstrable leadership capabilities to lead a large, complex diversified institution.
The applicant is required to have a comprehensive knowledge of Zimbabwe’s tax and customs systems and familiarity with the
revenue laws, regulations, treaties and protocols administered by the Authority.
Excellent planning and organizing skills required in managing assigned projects to accomplish work objectives in compliance
with procedural, administrative and technical requirements prescribed by the various laws and regulations administered by
ZIMRA.
Provides the Authority with effective leadership anchored on high ethical standards.
Good interpersonal skills.
Good communication and engagement skills.
Excellent stakeholder engagement and management skills.
Ability to lead large scale change management projects.

Qualifications:

Degree in Economics, Accounts, Business Studies, Fiscal Studies, Banking, Finance, Auditing or equivalent.
A Masters’ degree or equivalent postgraduate commercial qualification in areas such as Taxation, Business Administration,
Economics, Information Technology, Accounting, Fiscal Studies or Law.

Related Experience:

A minimum of ten (10) years’ experience in Tax and/or Customs.
At least 5 years’ experience at the executive management level.
Experience in organizational management or other aspects of public administration would be an added advantage.
Regional or internal exposure will be an added advantage.

Interested candidates should submit applications, accompanied by a detailed Curriculum Vitae and
certified copies of academic and professional qualifications, by 27 January 2021. All applications
should be emailed to [email protected] indicating your E-mail Subject Reference as

Commissioner General Position and addressed to:

The Board Vice-Chairperson
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority

6th Floor ZB Centre
Corner First Street / Kwame Nkrumah Avenue

P. O. Box 4360
HARARE

NewsHawks News Page 9

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

BERNARD MPOFU Covid-19 reality hits home

THE brutal reality of a rising A Nyaradzo Funeral services hearse leaves parlour with a covid -19 victim’s body for burial recently.
Covid-19 death toll hit home when
a picture of many hearses queuing October averaged 90%, this week services had increased over the past more than one product. tember 2020.
outside a life assurance company in dropped to 57%. few weeks due to rising Covid-19 According to the latest Insur- The marginal decrease in the
Harare went viral on social media. deaths.
“In order to curtail the spread ance and Pension Commission GPW, according to the insurance
Before this, many assumed that of the Covid-19 pandemic, a body “It may appear that we have a (Ipec) report for funeral assurance sector regulator, was partly attrib-
the pandemic was no longer a big will now be buried in the town or surge in request for services on the companies, only three out of eight utable to the inability of premium
threat due to low fatalities. During city where the death would have face of it but we are still compil- funeral assurers reported capital income to keep up with exchange
the same week the picture went occurred. This decision would en- ing actual industry reports for us to positions that were compliant with rate-induced inflation, which char-
viral, Zimbabwe had recorded its sure that the spread of Covid-19 have actual results,” Chikanda said. the regulatory minimum capital acterised the economy for much of
highest daily tally of 34 deaths. is contained,” the authorities an- requirement of ZW$62.5 million the first and second quarters of the
nounced on Monday as Zimbabwe As Zimbabwe battles the pan- as prescribed in Statutory Instru- year.
Later that day, The NewsHawks continues to register double-dig- demic that has killed more than ment 59 of associate or subsidiary
visited one of the funeral parlours it fatalities due to the respiratory 500 people to date, experts say the companies both in the country and “The Commission continues
along Herbert Chitepo Avenue in ailment. They later explained that rising death toll could pile pressure abroad. to underscore the need for funer-
Harare. Body retrieval ambulances corpses could be transported, as on under-capitalised funeral assur- al assurers to re-align their busi-
would move in and out at quick long as they were placed in sealed ers. The sector’s inflation-adjusted ness models so as to adapt to the
intervals while hearses also left the coffins. gross premium written (GPW) realities unfolding in the business
premises in quick succession. Already, Zafa has pleaded with decreased by 15.02% from environment. This should be the
Zimbabwe Association of Fu- the sector’s regulator for a review ZW$21.13 million for the nine industry’s top priority if players
An insider said the Chitepo neral Assurers (Zafa) president Sol- of the minimum capital require- months ended 30 September 2019 are to reverse the current decline in
branch had become the busiest in omon Chikanda said demand for ment which it said was higher than to ZW$17.96 million as at 30 Sep- real GPW,” Ipec said.
recent weeks and some employees that of fellow insurers who trade in
from other branches were now be-
ing redeployed to this parlour to
manage the rising death toll.

A few days after a picture of
the hearses was widely shared,
Nyaradzo Group dismissed as fake
news widespread reports that it
was hiring drivers due to the over-
whelming deaths.

“The General Public is advised
to be wary of fake Driver recruit-
ment advertisements circulating
on social media from unscrupu-
lous persons trying to deceive job
seekers. We also implore members
of the public to beware of any in-
dividuals who may request for pay-
ment in order to facilitate employ-
ment opportunities with Nyaradzo
Group,” the company responded to
the fake news.

While many are beginning to
question the official tally, the police
and Health ministry announced
new protocols for the burial of
Covid-19 bodies. The government
imposed restrictions regarding the
transportation of Covid-related
corpses. The protocols to be ob-
served during burial include seek-
ing police approval for body trans-
portation straight from a funeral
parlour or hospital mortuary to
the burial site and a ban on body
viewing.

This all but confirmed that the
pandemic had reached emergency
levels in the country. Official sta-
tistics also indicated that the re-
covery rate of the disease, which in

MORRIS BISHI Govt slashes food aid by 50% grammes,” said Chisema.
Zaka rural district councillor
THE government has slashed the for Ward 19 Peter Imbayarwo said
number of people who receive food his ward is suffering from a serious
aid from public coffers, leaving through the Social Welfare Depart- which are still having problems so tilizers and seeds to various depots” food crisis after aid beneficiaries
thousands of poverty-stricken fami- ment, was reduced by between 50% that they can be rectified” said Ma- said Mutenha. were reduced from 490 families to
lies at the risk of starvation. and 60%, leaving a large number of sanga. 200. He said the reduction is cre-
people without anything to eat. Chiredzi district development ating commotion every month as
The move comes at a time in- GMB general manager Rock- coordinator Lovemore Chisema people tussle to be the first to grab
comes have dwindled due to the Impeccable sources within the ie Mutenha told The NewsHawks said the government through the maize bags.
impact of the Covid-19 lockdown, government said the reduction of that the state-run company does department of Social Welfare re-
first announced by the authorities aid is due to a failure by the cash- not allocate food aid but only duced the number of food aid ben- The development coordinator
in March last year. strapped state to raise funds to im- transports grain to various depots eficiaries from 26 700 families to for Mberengwa district, Ndeya
port enough grain. The sources said across the country and distribution 10 660 in 18 wards of Chiredzi dis- Nyede, said his district was left
However, the permanent secre- the reduction in aid beneficiaries to beneficiaries is done by the de- trict which he said is leaving a large with a huge gap after the reduction
tary in the ministry of Public Ser- was implemented in most parts of partment of Social Welfare. He said number without assistance. of beneficiriaries of governemnt aid
vice Labour and Social Welfare, the country. the only challenge they are facing is from 19 000 to 9 000 families. He
Simon Masanga, played down the competition for the same transport “Sometime late last year govern- also said hunger is worse in Mber-
crisis, saying the government is “Government is continuing with which is also used to ferry fertilizer ment reduced the quantity of food engwa since another programme
continuing to feed 735 000 house- its programme to feed 735 000 and seed. aid to Chiredzi and only 10 660 under the World Food Programme
holds countrywide. households countrywide. There was families are being catered for by (WFP) ended earlier last year, leav-
no reduction on part of govern- “We don’t allocate maize to ben- Social Welfare from 26 700 who ing many food-insecure families
He attributed the delay in food ment, especially during this peak eficiaries, maybe it is Social Wel- used to benefit. Mwenezi Develop- hopelessly hungry.
distribution to logistical challenges period when thousands are vulner- fare which is failing to distribute ment Training Centre (MDTC) a
being faced by the Grain Market- able. There was a time when GMB from our depots to beneficiaries. non-governmental organisation, is In December last year, the WFP
ing Board (GMB) in transporting faced logistical challenges in trans- We work with statistics which supporting 120 000 beneficiaries appealed for an additional US$204
the maize, which is abundantly in porting maize from depot to depot they give us, so I don’t know how which translates to 24 000 families. million in emergency aid to sup-
stock. but we have enough maize to feed we are involved if there is a short- Other partners like Plan Interna- port more than four million of the
all food insecure families. We have age. Our only problem these days tional and Nutrition Action Zim most food-insecure Zimbabweans
An investigation carried by The since addressed the challenge and is transport since we use the same are offering aid in Chiredzi urban at risk of starvation over the first six
NewsHawks in Masvingo and parts you can help us in identifying areas contracted transporters to ferry fer- through cash disbursement pro- months of 2021.
of the Midlands provinces showed
that food aid, which is channelled

Page 10 News NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Battle-lines drawn over Gweru new tariffs Csotvriikde-1s 9
Masvingo
STEPHEN CHADENGA
prisons
GWERU residents have blasted they have already begun the process our next move would be for the “We did consult all our residents
council for formulating a ZW$3.2 of lobbying for the review of the downward review of this budget.” and stakeholders. Check (the bud- MORRIS BISHI
billion budget which will see tariffs approved budget. gets) of Harare, Bulawayo, Mu-
going up by more than 60% with- He said as a long-term measure tare and Kwekwe. Gweru residents FIVE prisoners tested positive for
out factoring in stakeholders’ input. Chikore said the new tariffs are council should introduce an ite- should appreciate that our budget is Covid-19 in Masvingo province ear-
likely to be implemented at a time mised billing system and urgently very reasonable.” lier this week, sparking fears of wide-
The government last week ap- most people were reeling from the do away with estimated bills. spread infection.
proved the city’s ZW$3.2 billion Covid-19 lockdown effects. Some of the key tariff increases
2021 budget but residents said the But Gweru mayor Josiah Ma- include burial fees which will see The development came a few
local authority ignored stakehold- “Lockdowns which now seem to kombe said his council followed all adult residents forking out US$21 days after 15 correctional officers
ers’ inputs made during last year’s be the new normal disrupts mean- the necessary processes to consult or ZW$1 993 for burial during the and their 15 dependents tested pos-
consultative meetings. ingful economic activity and neg- residents on the budget. week at council cemeteries. itive to the coronavirus at Chiredzi
atively impacts on people’s sources Prison last Friday.
Gweru Residents and Ratepayers of income most of whom are in the He said the local authority in- Rentals at council-owned two-
Association (GRRA) director Cor- informal sector,” he said. creased the budget with a very rea- roomed houses in Mkoba will go up It also comes at a time Masvingo
nelia Selipiwe described the city’s sonable percentage which residents from ZW$600 to about ZW$1 100 province is experiencing a leap in
2021 budget as “elitist” and failing “This is an anti-people budget should “appreciate.” while the occupation certificate fee the number of Covid-19 cases with
to “speak to the concerns of the ma- which largely ignores the voices of for home-seekers was raised from Chiredzi being one of the virus`s hot
jority poor residents.” stakeholders who attended the bud- “I think all the processes of bud- ZW$5 000 to ZW$8 050. The spots in the province.
get consultative meetings. Those get formulation were done and all beacon relocation fee went up to
Selipiwe said he foresaw a series who attended the meetings rejected those with objections were given ZW$14 490 from ZW$9 000. According to the Health ministry,
of protests from ratepayers after council’s proposed tariff hikes hence time to lodge their objections,” he on Tuesday Masvingo recorded 69
council’s failure to take into account said. new cases, taking the total number
their concerns. of positive cases to 1 409. The prov-
ince also recorded two deaths on the
“During the budget consulta- day, bringing the taking the fatalities
tions, what residents wanted was a to 31 since March last year.Of the
reduction of the proposed budget five prisoners who tested positive,
by at least 50%,” Selipiwe told The four are at Chiredzi Prison and one
NewsHawks. is at Masvingo Prison.

“You should take note that the Masvingo provincial Covid-19
economy of Gweru is largely a ven- Taskforce spokesperson Rodgers Iri-
dor economy and now that they are mayi confirmed the development in
in lockdown they face serious chal- an interview with The NewsHawks.
lenges in raising money. So, any in- He said the prisoners are among
crement effected on tariffs on bills those who were randomly tested un-
means people won’t afford.” der an ongoing programme.

The GRRA boss said by moving He said the prisoners have since
to have the budget approved said been isolated from other inmates to
ratepayers would not be able to pay, prevent more infections.
creating grounds for potential clash-
es with council. “I can confirm that there are four
prisoners at Chiredzi Prison who
“People would not be able to pay tested positive to Covid-19 earlier
and once they don’t pay council this week. Another prisoner who is
would want to disconnect water and also positive is at Masvingo Prison.
also take them to court,” he said. The process to test more prisoners is
ongoing in order to ascertain their
“Once councils take that route, status and the confirmed cases were
people will protest. What I therefore isolated within the prison to avoid
foresee as the biggest challenge in more infections.
2021 are a lot of demonstrations.”
“Fifteen correctional officers at
Gweru United Progressive Resi- Chiredzi Prison and their 15 fami-
dents and Ratepayers Development ly members also tested positive last
Association Trust executive director week, raising fears that there might
David Chikore weighed in, saying be more positive cases at the prison,”
said Irimayi.
Gweru vendors defy relocation from Covid-19 hotspot
A senior Zimbabwe Prisons and
STEPHEN CHADENGA new site where no coronavirus reg- pandemic which has so far seen the totally different issue for those who Correctional Services (ZPCS) of-
ulations like social distancing, wear- country recording more than 20 000 have no alternative means of living.” ficial in Masvingo told The New-
FOR 34-year-old Constance ing of masks and sanitising were cases and 500 deaths. sHawks that as a result of the out-
Mariko, who resides in Ascot Ex- observed. Makombe however said it was break of the virus in prisons ZPCS
tension suburb in Gweru, vegetable “Do we have a choice as informal disheartening to see vendors con- is now fumigating all prisons on a
vending has been her major source Those who stay in nearby suburbs traders?” a vendor quipped to The tinuing to defy Covid-19 regula- weekly basis. He also said it is dif-
of income for the past decade. also complained that the place had NewsHawks on condition of ano- tions, especially those returning to ficult to accommodate all officers
no ablution facilities and vendors nymity. Mtapa illegal market. in prison camps, hence a number
A mother of three minor children, were relieving themselves in the of them stay elsewhere, making it
Mariko used to trade her produce at open, exposing the public to diseas- “We are aware of Covid-19 but He said council had managed to difficult to control the movement of
the now-closed Kombayi market. es. At that time, Gweru mayor Josiah one has to choose between bringing relocate vendors to a more appropri- people into the camps.
The market was shut last year by the Makombe said the vendors would food to children or staying at home ate vending place in Mtapa and said
city council to pave way for renova- not chased away from the site “on and starve. We are caught in a tricky the lockdown was affecting everyone He said new suspects are being
tions after the government directed humanitarian grounds” although he situation and one we do not have hence the traders needed to observe remanded in custody on a daily ba-
all local authorities to demolish and indicated plans to relocate them. much choice over.” regulations to prevent the spread of sis, raising the risk of contracting the
refurbish old vending sites. the pandemic in the city. virus to already serving inmates.
In the past fortnight, the local Another fresh farm produce sup-
After Kombayi market had been authority moved the vendors to a plier from Lower Gweru who has “Covid-19 pandemic is still prev- As Covid-19 cases rise in the
locked, vendors immediately created yet-to-completed new vending site since returned to the illegal spot said alent and everyone should play their country, there are major risks to the
an illegal fresh farm produce in Mta- opposite Mtapa Police Station. they had found ways to “deal with part to prevent it from spreading,” country`s prisons and detention
pa suburb. Mariko, alongside hun- law enforcement agents” who usual- he said. centres. These facilities are often
dreds of other vendors, were soon But when the government recent- ly raid them. overcrowded and have no running
found at the new vending site which ly announced a 30-day lockdown, “Vendors might think that the water in cells for prisoners to com-
council however later condemned the vendors, like other informal and “If you are caught, you have to illegal market where they have start- ply with recommended hygiene
as unhygienic and a hotspot for the formal businesses, were ordered to pay (bribe),”he said. ed returning to is convenient but I practices to prevent the spread of
spread of Covid-19 in the Midlands cease operations. tell you that place is a health time the coronavirus. In March last year
capital. “Without support mechanisms bomb.” the government acknowledged that
Only this week the traders started from government during this lock- Zimbabwean prisons with a recom-
Traders from Gweru and sur- streaming back to their initial illegal down, people will take all the risks In the past few days, the Mid- mended capacity of 17 000 had a
rounding areas soon congested the vending site, raising health concerns, to survive. It’s easy for people to lands province and Gweru in partic- population of 22 000 prisoners
particularly during the Covid-19 speak on the dangers of the pan- ular has been recording an increase
demic in their comfort zones and a in coronavirus cases and deaths.

NewsHawks News Page 11

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

BRIDGET MANANAVIRE Beitbridge reels from new social decay

A RISE in teenage pregnancies, gangs are usually armed and dan- along the Limpopo, so are rape ey is also causing a rise in com- to condoms, contraceptives, and
commercial sex work and armed gerous. cases and abuse of women. Lack mercial sex work. Parents must information.”
gangs has been recorded in some of monitoring and proper up- inculcate the working culture in
Beitbridge communities owing Jabulani Makhado, the Beit- bringing by parents is the main their children.” The PME report by Zimbabwe
to rampant irregular cross-bor- bridge Progress Residents and cause of teenage pregnancies and and the IOM identified both reg-
der movements between Zimba- Ratepayers Association deputy child marriages. Young girls are Pastors Fraternal chairperson ular and irregular cross-border
bwe and South Africa. secretary for information and being brainwashed into love and Busisa Moyo said young people movements between Zimbabwe
publicity, said they were worried intimacy, then the marriages will are lured into making easy mon- and South Africa for employ-
There are more than 20 unof- about robberies and rape cases as become some form of damage ey. ment, trade, and commerce,
ficial crossing points along the well as the abuse of women along control,” Makhado said. seeking health services, family
Limpopo River where undocu- the Limpopo. “Teenage pregnancies are reunion or for illicit activities,
mented migrants cross, accord- “Exposure to ill-gotten mon- caused by peer pressure, and which include trafficking in per-
ing to residents and official data. “Robberies are a daily scene most support groups have been sons, smuggling of goods and
suspended because of lockdown other illicit activities.
Community representatives regulations. Also, church gath-
have raised concern over the erings where these girls normal- Asylum seekers mainly tran-
impact of illicit and informal ac- ly get teaching, encouragement, sit through Zimbabwe or stay to
tivities on the social and moral those platforms are no longer ac- make their asylum application,
fibre within certain communi- tive, so the rise in those cases are according the population mobili-
ties, as young children and adults exacerbated by lockdown, hence ty mapping report.
are now abandoning school and the effects are unavoidable. On
chasing lucrative opportunities this, platforms like Zoom meet- “According to various submis-
being generated from the unoffi- ings can be used, but they need sions and site observations, the
cial points of entry. support for data,” Moyo said. unofficial points of entry have
been in existence for decades and
At Shashe Clinic in Ward 8, a According to the participatory have created an informal econo-
total of 38 teenage pregnancies mapping exercise (PME) report, my for some of the locals in Be-
were recorded in that last quarter the presence of commercial sex itbridge. This informal economy
of 2020, compared to the previ- workers was also reported and consists of smugglers, service
ous quarter (June to Sept 2020) observed in various congregation providers providing food, ac-
in which 22 teen pregnancies areas, within or close to unoffi- commodation, and transport, fa-
were reported, according to a cial points of entry. cilitating the passage of smuggled
population mobility mapping re- goods, contraband, and irregular
port by the International Organ- “The PME assessment team migrants,” the report reads.
isation for Migration (IOM) and was informed that some of the
the government of Zimbabwe. commercial sex workers at con- “The activities around the
gregation areas include some unofficial points of entry and
Furthermore, criminal activ- who would have migrated from nearby congregation areas has
ities have compromised the se- the Beitbridge urban and some brought several societal chal-
curity of residents as smuggling from other districts. Médecins lenges among communities.
Sans Frontières (MSF) is provid- Some of the communities’ mem-
ing mobile clinic services which bers live in insecurity, as some of
include provision of condoms, the gangs that operate through
contraceptives, and safe-sex ed- the unofficial points of entry
ucation in some of unofficial are dangerous and armed. The
points of entry and congregation convoys of smugglers and con-
areas. However, there is still a traband handlers move in high
gap for sexual and reproductive speed in communities, thereby
health services, as in some areas endangering the lives of many.”
access to condoms, contracep-
tives and information was not In 2019, eight passengers were
readily available,” the mobility killed in a case where a high-
mapping report reads. speed truck with 20 passengers
from informal points was in-
“An increase of teenage preg- volved in an accident.
nancies and early marriages
in the time of Covid-19 in the Makhado told The News-
communities closer to infor- Hawks that the porous borders
mal points of entry were also provide fertile ground for smug-
reported. This was attributed to gling and other criminal syndi-
schools’ closure and lack of sexu- cates in Beitbridge, resulting in
al reproductive health services in an increased crime rate.
the communities such as access
“Those who are supposed to
protect the border are enrich-
ing themselves through fuelling
smuggling along the Limpopo
River. You will realise that smug-
gling involves a lot of money that
attracts hardcore criminals into
Beitbridge.

“This has the potential of mak-
ing the victims explore all means
of protecting themselves includ-
ing acquisition of illegal firearms
and other dangerous equipment
for defence,” he said.

“Government needs to deal
with renumeration of its employ-
ees and security personnel that
work so that they are not suscep-
tible to corruption and so that
they deal with smuggling and
irregular movement thorough-
ly. Access to travel documents
should also be made easy so that
people will not use the unofficial
entry points.”

Page 12 News NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

BERNARD MPOFU Treasury raises red flag for comment, Guvamatanga said:
over Redan coupons “I have been on leave but let me
TREASURY has directed govern- check if an official response has
ment departments to stop redeem- Treasury is of the view that most Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are holding large volume based fuel been received from Redan.”
ing fuel coupons from Redan after coupons which are being forced to redeem by one of the fuel suppliers for half the stated quantity for Direct Fuel Import coupons.
it emerged that the fuel retailer Following the outbreak of the
was supplying half the face value supplier should provide the details supplier.” number of non-Puma service sta- Covid-19 pandemic, government
of Direct Fuel Import coupons. on the quantity redeemed, includ- Redan coupons and cards are tions countrywide. further eased regulations in the
ing the unredeemed coupons to fuel sector.
Last year, a number of pe- facilitate engagements with the redeemed at any of the over 90 Efforts to get a comment from
troleum marketers announced Puma service stations and at a Redan were in vain. Contacted A new statutory instrument
that they would slash by half the which allowed consumers to use
amount of prepaid fuel that was free funds to purchase goods and
paid for in local currency follow- commodities in foreign currency
ing the depreciation of the Zim- resulted in improved fuel supplies.
babwean dollar against major cur-
rencies. A change in the pricing formu-
la of the commodity eliminated
“It has come to Treasury’s atten- the arbitrage opportunities. In
tion that most Government’s Min- May this year, the Reserve Bank
istries, Departments and Agencies of Zimbabwe announced that it
(MDAs) are holding large volume has removed the subsidy on fuel
based fuel coupons which are be- and, in one fell swoop, the long
ing forced to redeem by one of the queues that many had become ac-
fuel suppliers for half the stated customed to disappeared.
quantity for Direct Fuel Import
coupons,” wrote Finance secretary “The Reserve Bank of Zimba-
George Guvamatanga in a letter bwe is pleased to advise the pub-
addressed to senior government lic that with effect from 21 May
officials. 2019, the procurement of fuel
by the Oil Marketing Companies
“Treasury is of the view that (OMCs) shall be done through
this practice by the said supplier the interbank foreign exchange
is unfair and is short changing market,” the central bank said in
MDAs, who all things being equal a statement.
should receive the full value stat-
ed on volume based coupons. In “There shall be only one foreign
this regard, Treasury together with exchange rate to be used in the
the Ministry of Energy and Power market for the importation of all
Development are currently seized goods and services.
with engagements with the said
supplier regarding redemption of “This means that the 1:1 ex-
fuel coupons by MDAs for full change rate that was being used
value. by OMCs for the procurement of
fuel will be discontinued with im-
“Therefore, MDAs are being mediate effect.
directed to stop redeeming cou-
pons and those who had already The new position is necessary
redeemed some coupons with this to promote the efficient use of
foreign exchange and to minimize
and guard against incidences of ar-
bitrage within the economy.”

Chinhoyi party turns into a nightmare

NHAU MANGIRAZI a telephone interview how many to the deadly virus. real and amongst us. May God be ‘‘could not allow our students to
education officers had died due to We only received the news when with us in these trying times.’’ be part of large groupings. We are
A PARTY to celebrate the pro- Covid-19, Mhumha said he was doing this as a security measure on
motion of Gabriel Mhumha as unaware. Nyaradzo Funeral Services deliv- However, just as Kufa’s death students’ health welfare after we
substantive provincial education ered the body today (Saturday). was haunting the education sector had confirmation of infections at
director on 23 December last year ‘‘I am sorry I don’t have any Now that this has been declared a and civil servants in Hurungwe, a Chinhoyi High School.”
in Chinhoyi has turned out to be a information and figures as am be- Covid-19 death, we are subject to former deputy provincial educa-
“grave mistake” after some officials reaved. I lost my wife on 5 Janu- World Health Organisation and tion director, Muchineripi Ndew- However, the tables have turned
succumbed to Covid-19 barely ary this year so am not aware of government guidelines when such ere, died on Saturday in Magunje for the top education officers with
three weeks after the event. any officers who passed on due to deaths occur. a day after Kufa’s death. Ndewere teachers calling for testing and
Covid-19. I am off duty.’’ had retired but attended Mhum- fumigation of provincial offices,
Hurungwe district education No gatherings and the body ha’s celebration party. Zimbabwe Examinations Council
remedial officer Tendai Kufa died He would neither confirm nor shall no longer be transported to (Zimsec) and Hurungwe district
on 8 January 2021. He was among deny that his wife had succumbed Bashungwe as had been planned. Another senior teacher at a pri- education offices.
those who attended the party in to Covid-19. Kufa’s family posted The burial shall be in Karoi. For vate school near Chinhoyi also
the provincial capital at Sinoia on social media confirming that and on behalf of the Kufa fami- died a few days later and was A teacher who declined to be
Primary School. his death was Covid-19-related. ly and Seventh Day Adventist among the party delegates. named said: ‘‘Officials who at-
The family said he had underly- church family, we wish to apolo- tended the party went to their
Kufa’s death was officially con- ing conditions as he was suffering gise to you all. Please take all the Ironically, education provin- offices and operated normally.
firmed as Covid-19-related, forc- from hypertension and diabetes. necessary precautions for Covid is cial offices postponed indefinitely This is denial stage that must stop
ing his family to abort a previously The message was a big blow to the Hurungwe’s Samanyanga Cultur- in the Ministry of Primary and
planned rural burial. family that had prepared to bury al village stakeholders meeting at Secondary Education in Mash-
him at his rural home of Bashun- Batanai Primary School due to onaland West regional offices in
Kufa was a psychologist at gwe in Hurungwe. Covid-19 infections spike locally Chinhoyi and Hurungwe district
Hurungwe district education of- and internationally last Novem- offices in Magunje.
fices at Magunje growth point, 35 The message read: “The death ber.
kilometres west of Karoi town. of our beloved Elder, Mr. Ten- The offices must be fumigated
dai Kufa has been certified to The meeting was set be held thoroughly, all officers manning
Several education officers rep- be Covid induced. We sincerely at Gandavaroyi Falls, one of the must be tested for Covid-19. We
resenting the province’s seven apologise as authorities delayed in district cultural tourism attrac- appeal to non-government organ-
districts, namely Hurungwe, Ma- giving us the results. We therefore tions. Mhumha confirmed that isations to donate adequate sani-
konde, Kariba, Zvimba, Kadoma apologise to those who had gath- they cancelled the meeting follow- tizers, personal protection equip-
and Sanyati, attended the party. ered for the funeral innocently ing infection of Chinhoyi High ment and help education officers
and we pray you were not exposed School pupils. affected after the party.’’
As fate had it, Mhumha lost his
wife soon after the party. Asked in He said this was done as they

NewsHawks News Page 13

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Second lockdown deals tourism sucker punch

NOKUTHABA DLAMINI said even though the or- Tourism and hospitality industry has been hit badly by the effects of Covid-19 al months without sell-
ganisation has not com- ing their curios and that
THE government’s de- piled statistics of the de- complicates the situation
cision to allow the tour- cline in business, the drop even more because most
ism sector to remain has been felt across the of them are dependent
open during the ongoing country. on marketing and selling
Covid-19 lockdown has these curios to interna-
not yielded positive results “Tourism is dependent tional tourists.”
as most of the leisure facil- on the travel of people and
ities have not been receiv- with inter-city travel cur- Mukwasi pleaded for
ing clients since the begin- rently restricted and land humanitarian assistance
ning of the year, players in borders closed, we are not for tourism employers as
the industry have revealed. doing anything at the mo- 94% of them have been
ment,” Mukwasi said. negatively affected by the
Employers Association pandemic since March last
of Tourism and Safari Op- “In Victoria Falls, just year.
erations (EASTO) pres- like other tourist sites, we
ident Clement Mukwasi have had very low inci- According to findings of
dences, about one or two a recent study by We Are
Victoria Falls, a local hos-
clients, once in a while fly- pitality industry initiative,
ing in from other cities like the lockdown has affected
Shining Light in the Dark Corners Harare so our leisure tour- 94% of the people em-
ism is currently at its knees ployed in the sector.
2021 Intakes & but we continue to open in
Back To School case we might have a few It says 49% of workers
who might be able to come in tourism were forced to
The NewsHawks will be publishing a joint 2021 through. “Mukwasi said. work reduced hours and to
Intake and Back To School supplement on the 29th Hotels Association of take pay cuts as a result of
of January 2021. It will be a credible relevant Zimbabwe Matabeleland the lockdown that was im-
educational supplement. North chapter chairperson posed in March this year.
This supplement is meant to be a denitive guide for Anald Musonza said al-
those enrolling, stationery suppliers, students and though the government’s At least 18% of the
those in the industry covering different options on how decision to allow tourist workforce was sent on un-
to better your educational experience. destinations to remain paid leave.
We invite all esteemed partners to participate in this open is a welcome devel-
supplement as you stand a chance to increase sales, opment, the market has “This an ongoing issue
brand loyalty, create awareness and visibility during not responded positively. and we are in desperate
the period as you advertise your offerings. Musonza, like Muk- need of a bailout, “ Muk-
Minimum editorial is welcome and will be forwarded to wasi, blamed the ban on wasi said.
the editor for consideration. NOT all editorial sent will inter-city travel as very few
be guaranteed to be published. people can afford flying to “Hopes had actually
Deadline for bookings destinations like Victoria grown during the festive
Tuesday 26 January 2021 Falls. season because the num-
To place your adverts feel free to contact “This Covid pandemic is ber of local tourists was
Charmaine on 0735 666 122 or email not just a health challenge up by approximately 42%,
[email protected] but has posed many eco- but then after that time
nomic challenges as busi- the second wave and the
nesses support livelihoods lockdown completely took
and the tourism and hos- away the hopes,” he said.
pitality industry has been
hit badly by the effects of “This has sent quite a lot
this pandemic,” he said. of shivers in the industry
“Our occupancies and we are going to con-
post festive season have tinue with reduction of
dropped significantly as number of people who can
the travel restrictions make remain on the pedal.”
it difficult for holidaymak-
ers to make decisions to “Most people at the
come to far off places like moment are actually no
Victoria Falls.” longer on the payroll and
Trymore Ndolo, chair- what we hope for is that
person of Sinathankawu there shall be some recov-
Curio Market in Victoria ery funds which are not
Falls, said effects are also only going to look at as-
being felt by curio ven- set capitalisation but the
dors in the resort city who welfare of employees as
said they have spent sever- well because this is a very
al months without selling difficult and extraordi-
any artefacts and curios. nary times we are living in
“The festive season did where we continue to lose
not help us and, with lock- high-value employees and
down, the business has de- there isn’t much that we
clined even more,” Ndolo can do to maintain them
said. in the workplace.
The NewsHawks @NewsHawksLife www.newshawks.com [email protected]
“We have no cashflows
“The situation is so dire at all as companies had
that many of our mem- not reserved some mon-
bers have gone for sever- ies at the beginning of the
pandemic, so the truth is
that there is no employer
who still have the capaci-
ty to continue paying all
the workers when the ac-
counts are empty.”

Page 14 News NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Women's University in Africa

Addressing Gender Disparities and Fostering Equity In University Education

Call for Applications
Bursar Post

The Women's University in Africa (WUA) is a private institution that was established in 2002 and granted a Charter by the Government of
Zimbabwe in 2004.

The Council of WUA invites applications for the position of Bursar. The Bursar is the Accountant of the University in terms of the WUA
Charter [Chapter 25:08]. The Bursar will report to the Pro Vice Chancellor Finance, Operations, Business Development and Planning.

1.0 PERSON SPECIFICATION 3.0 REMUNERATION AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

The ideal candidate should: The University offers:
(a) be an accountant in good standing, registered as a Public 3.1 Highly attractive and competitive remuneration package in

Accountant with the Public Accountants and Auditors Board accordance with the University Terms and Conditions of
(PAAB), and a holder of a valid Practicing Certificate for a Service.
period of not less than ten years. 3.2 Medical Aid, and Pension benefits.
(b) hold an Accounting Degree, a professional qualification in 3.3 A five (5) year performance-related renewable contract.
accounting such as CIS, ACCA, CIMA, and an MBA from a
reputable University. The full details of the conditions of service will be disclosed to the
(c) be an accomplished Higher Education administrator with at shortlisted candidates.
least 10 years working experience at the level of Deputy
Bursar; with a track record of sound financial management, Candidates who do not have the stipulated requirements need not
cash flow planning, budgeting and budgetary control. apply.
(d) have proven management capacity, including knowledge of
accounting procedures and practices as guided by the 4.0 EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
International Accounting Standards (IAS) and International Interested and qualified persons should submit six (6) sets of
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). the application consisting of the application letter, certified
(e) be computer literate, with a heavy flair of MS Excel. educational and professional certificates, Curriculum Vitae,
(f) have solid time management competencies with an ability to contact telephone numbers and names and contact details of at
prioritize work. least three (3) referees. All envelopes should clearly indicate
(g) be in possession of a Tax Practicing Certificate, as an added the post being applied for.
advantage
(h) have proven work experience as a University Bursar as an Applications should be received not later than 29 January 2021
added advantage. and be addressed to:
(I) have taught Finance courses at University level as an added
advantage. Postal Address
The Registrar
2.0 RESPONSIBILITIES Women's University in Africa
P.O. Box GD 32, Greendale, Harare, Zimbabwe
The Bursar shall:
(a) develop and execute an integrated Finance and Operations Or Hand Deliver to

strategy in an inclusive manner. The Registrar Women's University in Africa
(b) renew the Finance and Operations strategy consistent with 549 Arcturus Road, Manresa Park
Greendale, Harare, Zimbabwe
ethical internal and external environmental demands.
(c) lead responsibility centre budgeting across the University. WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA
(d) exercise professional superintendence over all the
@ WUAZIM
accounting staff of the University.
(e) be responsible for the preparation of the accounts of the For any enquiries please contact the University Registrar on
the following telephone numbers, +263-242-459601,
University in accordance with the University Charter and 08611376897
professional standards.
(f) receive, on behalf of the University Council, grants, Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
subventions, revenues, gifts payable/donated to the
University and his/her receipt shall be a sufficient discharge
for the same.
(g) be responsible for the safe custody and proper disposition of
all University funds and assets.
(h) maintain proper and adequate records of income and
expenditure, assets and liabilities.
(i) provide integrated Finance and Operations reports as
stipulated.
(j) not honour verbal directives for release or disposition of
the University assets.
(K) release funds to facilitate smooth execution of University
operations and account for such release.

Tery proof

NewsHawks Editorial & Opinion Page 15

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021 CARTOON

Social media must
serve democracy

IN seperate events across the world this week, ranging from Ugandan elections ring a bell in Zim
Uganda’s blood-dimmed election to the humiliation of
arguably the worst president in US history and a renewed DRAMA is continuing in Uganda A wave of democratisation has been risked their lives to call for elections, let
crackdown on dissenters by the repressive Zimbabwean as veteran dictator Yoweri Museveni sweeping across the developing world alone free and fair ones, and polls have
government, there is a common thread running through: remains locked in mortal political com- from the 1980s onwards, but mostly been held in all but 11 countries since
social media. bat with his main rival opposition lead- after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 2000.
er Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popu- 1989.
Digital communication platforms play a significant role larly known as Bobi Wine. Of course and clearly, there is a lot
in modern politics. However, despite the momentous more to democracy than elections —
Even though early election returns transformation that this so-called but elections are among its most fun-
More than 18 million Ugandans went to the polls yes- showed Museveni had 1 536 205 votes ‘Third Wave’ has brought to formal damental requirements, and they have
terday to vote for a president from 11 candidates in one of (65.02%), while Wine garnered 647 political structures in regions ranging become almost universal.
the most noteworthy African elections in recent memory. 146 votes (27.39%) from 8 310 polling from Africa to Asia to Latin America,
stations, the opposition leader said he only a limited number of countries Elections hold tremendous promise
Ordinarily, there would be nothing special about a rou- was winning. have succeeded in establishing consol- to deepen the quality of democratic
tine national election on the continent. idated and functioning democratic dis- governance and accountability, but
Tonight the electoral commission pensations. their gains are always under threat in
What makes this particular one stand out is the fasci- said that with 6.8 million ballots Africa.
nating symbolism of a clash between a dying polity (as counted, or 37% of registered voters, Instead, many of these new regimes
represented by the longtime ruler Yoweri Museveni) and a Museveni had won 4.05 million votes, have become stuck in political quag- This is why elections should com-
nascent political class (as championed by main opposition or 62.2 percent, while Wine had 1.99 mires and transitions, combining a rhe- mand attention and priority to reform
leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine). million (30.6%). torical embrace of democracy and its and change. The year 2021 in Africa
symbolisms, with authoritarian models. - which is a sign of progress, although
In the countdown to election day, global social media The electoral commission said this that is not enough - is poised to be a
begemoth Facebook shut down pro-Museveni accounts. just after 9 pm tonight. This has led to what political scien- busy political season for the African
Facebook said it took down a network in Uganda linked tists call hybrid regimes and the chal- continent with more than 13 countries
to the country’s ministry of information for using fake and “We secured a comfortable victory,” heading to the polls to elect new lead-
duplicate accounts to post ahead of the election. Bobi Wine told reporters in Kampa- Hawk Eye ers. Various countries will hold presi-
la, the capital. “I am very confident dential and parliamentary elections, as
The Ugandan strongman promptly retaliated by ordering that we defeated the dictator by far.” Dumisani well as local government polls.
internet service providers in the country to block all social Muleya
media platforms and messaging apps until further notice. The drama is set to continue for Even though long-standing au-
the next couple of days, with fears of lenges of democratic consolidation. tocrats win disputed elections after
The Uganda Communications Commission, which in renewed violence growing by the day. Because a broad consensus and po- stealing the votes and people’s, more
terms of the law must conduct itself impartially, became recently, blocking social media and the
a willing tool for the violation of citizens’ constitutional The elections were marred by fear, litical will to uphold democracy as the internet to thwart their opponents,
rights. violence and intimidation, as well as only game in town is lacking, these hy- democracy is evolving across the con-
brutality by security forces amid kill- brid regimes tend to be unstable, un- tinent.
“Uganda Communications Commission hereby directs ings. predictable, or both.
you to immediately suspend any access and use, direct or Yet what happened in Uganda
otherwise, of all social media platforms and online messag- But the election has been defined In the process, they became repres- during the elections - chaos, violence
ing applications over your network until further notice,” by the rise of Wine, a 38-year-old sive and brutal, as well as fragile. and claims of fraud and rigging - rings
read a letter from the commission’s executive director to musician who has faced arrest, obstruc- a bell in Zimbabwe. While elections are
internet providers. tion and gunfire on the campaign trail. Today, a majority of countries are being routinely held in countries like
generally and loosely classified “elector- Uganda and Zimbabwe, it is high time
Ugandans complained that they were unable to access Wine’s popularity brings to the fore al democracies”, even though in reality standards are upped to avoid just going
WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms. generational and class fissures, and the they are merely authoritarian states. through the bloody cycles and motions
shortcomings of an economic model of electoral fraud, violence and con-
It became clear that Museveni viewed social media as that has brought growth but few jobs. Even the Middle East, a region that comitant poor autocratic leadership.
his enemy. Interestingly, opposition leader Kyagulanyi had long seemed immune to democracy, is
openly expressed joy at notching up a milestone one mil- However, countries like Uganda, in the midst of momentous change. Things have got to change. At least
lion followers on Twitter. once ruled by other dictators such as the young generation is slowly, but
Milton Obote and Idi Amin, have It even caught the Arab Spring bug. surely joining the fray as Wine and his
For the Ugandan opposition, the decision to resort to come a long way. In country after country, people have social base have shown.
social media was a tactical one, partly necessitated by Mu-
seveni’s vicious crackdown on dissent. Indeed, many countries around the Zimbabwe needs to extricate itself
world, Africa in particular. from the scourge of disputed elections
Security forces have killed more than 50 opposition sup- and associated paralysis for two decades
porters. Even the candidates are shot at, barricaded by po- An astonishing political transforma- now.
lice and soldiers at every turn and beaten up mercilessly in tion has taken place around the world
the full glare of Press cameras. and Africa over the past three decades
with regards to elections and democra-
Brutalised by Museveni’s antidiluvian politics which has cy.
reduced political contestation to a life-and-death affair,
opposition supporters have taken to social media in huge
numbers. That way, Kyagulanyi has energised his base, mo-
bilised around the national grievance and struck a chord
with Africa’s second-youngest population, where just 2%
of citizens are above 65. This has given Museveni, in power
since 1986, sleepless nights.

As our own experience in Zimbabwe has shown, social
media is every dictator’s nightmare. Long gone are the days
when undemocratic governments enjoyed free reign to ped-
dle propaganda unchallenged.

These days, citizens will question every official version of
reality. Nobody has a monopoly on information gathering
and dissemination anymore.

But as various events worldwide have reminded us, the
regulation of social media, whether by powerful technolo-
gy companies or bloodthirsty tyrants, should be tempered
with caution; the moral arc of digital media must bend to-
wards free expression and democracy.

Reaffirming the fundamental importance The NewsHawks is published on different EDITORIAL STAFF: Marketing Officer: Voluntary Media
of freedom of expression and media free- content platforms by the NewsHawks Digital Managing Editor: Dumisani Muleya Charmaine Phiri Council of Zimbabwe
dom as the cornerstone of democracy and Media which is owned by Centre for Public Assistant Editor: Brezh Malaba Cell: +263 735666122
as a means of upholding human rights Interest Journalism News Editor: Owen Gagare [email protected] The NewsHawks newspaper subscribes to the Code
and liberties in the constitution; our mis- No. 100 Nelson Mandela Avenue Digital Editor: Bernard Mpofu [email protected] of Conduct that promotes truthful, accurate, fair and
sion is to hold power in its various forms Beverly Court, 6th floor Reporters:
and manifestations to account by expos- Harare, Zimbabwe Bridget Mananavire, Nyasha Chingono, Enoch Muchinjo Subscriptions & Distribution: balanced news reporting. If we do not meet these
ing abuse of power and office, betrayals +263 735666122 standards, register your complaint with the Voluntary
of public trust and corruption to ensure Trustees/Directors: Email: [email protected] Media Council of Zimbabwe at No.: 34, Colenbrander
good governance and accountability in Beatrice Mtetwa, Raphael Khumalo, Rd, Milton Park, Harare. Telephone: 024-2778096 or
the public interest. Professor Wallace Chuma, Teldah Mawarire,
Doug Coltart 024-2778006,
24Hr Complaints Line: 0772 125 659
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
WhatsApp: 0772 125 658, Twitter: @vmcz
Website: www.vmcz.co.zw, Facebook: vmcz Zimbabwe

Page 16 New Perspective NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

AfCFTA risks government is ignoring

Brett
Chulu

THE Africa Continental Free The new Kazungula Bridge linking Botswana, Namibia and Zambia over the Zambezi River will pivot transit traffic away from Zimbabwe to Botswana.
Trade Area (AfCFTA) came into
operation on 1 January. over our national development Africa is Nigeria, specifically in Zambia over the Zambezi River This writer has argued in this
strategy. We cannot paint a pic- terms of fertiliser and cement. will pivot transit traffic away column that Pfumvudza should
There are four areas our ture that we do not know that we Dangote’s new fertiliser factory from Zimbabwe to Botswana. be viewed as a mindset rather
government seems to not to be do not know. is going into operation in March than a technique.
addressing. 2020. It is as if Dangote designed Fourth, since Africa’s current
Second, AfCFTA , in the the launch of his monster project trade is overwhelmingly dom- We need to quickly transition
In fact, these areas should immediate, presents a serious to coincide with the birth of the inated by agricultural produce, from looking at Pfumvudza
have been addressed in the threat to the NDS 1 and in the AfCFTA. Dangote Fertiliser will Zimbabwe stands very little descriptively to a conceptual
National Development Strategy long-term the attainment of be Africa’s largest fertiliser man- chance of competing in that frame. That mindset shift will
One (NDS 1)(2021-2025) that Vision 2030. South Africa, with ufacturer. Zimbabwe’s fertiliser space as several countries farm position Zimbabwe to benefit
began on the same day as the the continent’s most advanced value-chain strategy outlined more efficiently. This is the rea- from AfCFTA; agro-food ex-
AfCFTA. Zimbabwe ratified the and competitive manufacturing in NDS 1 does not factor in the son this writer has been advocat- ports that adhere to sustainable
AfCFTA — we even successfully sector, is poised to benefit in a Dangote reality. Dangote enter- ing for our agriculture strategy agricultural practices will receive
lobbied for a phased reduction skewed manner. prises ruthlessly deploy econo- to go beyond food self-suffi- certification from a relevant
of tariffs. mies of scale to achieve compet- ciency goals but to aim towards AfCFTA body.
With tariffs present, South Af- itiveness. Dangote is ready--we achieving leaps in productivity
The AfCFTA did not catch rica accounts for 30% of Africa’s are still planning to start — if to ensure we produce surpluses The plea by this writer to use
us by surprise — we co-creat- intra-continental exports. South we drop tariffs, we open up the that can compete in the export the seed of Pfumvudza (pun not
ed it--its implications for our Africa is Zimbabwe’s single country to ruthless competitors market. If we do not address the intended) to develop it further
national development should largest trading partner, account- such as Dangote. agriculture productivity impera- in the context of circular agri-
have been obvious. It is actually ing for about 60% of Zimbabwe’s tive, AfCFTA will open the way culture is even more urgent than
unbelievable that the NDS 1 has trade. Our phased linear tariff The story of Dangote Cement for cheaper agriculture imports before.
no mention whatsoever of the reduction commitment will in Zambia is instructive. the to flood Zimbabwe. The barriers
AfCFTA. stifle our own re-industrialisa- entry of Dangote Cement in to agricultural productivity such Many, with limited insight,
tion agenda as more competitive Zambia caused cement prices to as insecure land tenure, if not have derided Pfumvudza and see
Here are the four swords goods and services will flood fall. Dangote Cement from its removed expeditiously, will birth it as the staple of poor farm-
hanging over us as a result of the Zimbabwe before our own man- Zambian manufacturing plant an existential crisis for Zimba- ers — we know that the former
AfCFTA. ufacturing industry recovers. will likely find its way into Zim- bwe as AfCFTA unleashes the white commercial farmers who
babwe aided by existing good forces of liberalisation. pioneered Pfumvudza did up to
First, we have a strategy risk. With Zimbabwe still facing a transport infrastructure links 3 500 hectares using the tech-
The government does not seem drought of foreign investment between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Still in connection with niques.
to be not fully aware of the and other capital flows due to agriculture, AfCFTA is advo-
changing economic environ- the huge debt overhang owed the Third, if Zimbabwe decides cating for sustainable agricul- If as a nation we do not get
ment. Both the 2021 National World Bank, the African De- to delay implementing the tariff tural development. AfCFTA has our strategy ducks in a row, the
Budget and the NDS 1 are velopment Bank , the European reduction commitments as per explicitly alerted African nations AfCFTA we co-created with
completely silent on the trade Investment Bank and the Paris AfCFTA, the country will lose that the issue of sanitary and other African nations will turn
liberalisation commitments we Club, the country will not get out on its strategic investment phyto-sanitary standards will into a Frankenstein monster that
made as per the AfCFTA. We ex- enough money to modernise our to facilitate movement of goods be a key issue. Recently, this will devour us.
pected a clear statement on how secondary industry and replace from the South African seaports writer highlighted the global
as a country we were planning inefficient machinery. and its manufacturing hubs to shift towards circular agriculture Brett is a management con-
to meet our yearly commitments countries to the north of Zim- or closed loop agriculture; the sultant and a classic grounded
to reduce tariffs. Our secondary industry will babwe. AfCFTA’s sustainable agriculture theory researcher who has pub-
be outcompeted, not only by imperative is addressed by circu- lished research in an academic
This strategic “miss” does not South Africa but also by other The new Kazungula Bridge lar agriculture. peer reviewed international
seem to be a deliberate geopo- countries. linking Botswana, Namibia and journal. He can be contacted
litical or geo-economic game through email: brettchulucon-
plan to bide time to see if the A major threat outside South [email protected]
continental heavyweights such
as South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt,
Morocco and Angola blink first.

Whichever way one looks at
it, it is completely inexcusable
for Treasury to at least make a
statement on its assessment of
the likely impact of AfCFTA
on the NDS 1 in terms of both
opportunities and down risks.

We cannot act as if we are
in denial, more so given that
we had a hand in creating the
AfCFTA monster we seem to
be ignoring when it looms large

Business

MATTERSNewsHawks

MARKETS CURRENCIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE COMMODITIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE
EUR/USD
USD/JPY 1.225 -0.001 -0.098 *NAT GAS 2.681 +0.045 +1.71
GBP/USD
USD/CAD 103.51 +0.41 +0.4 *SILVER 26 -0.181 -0.69
AUD/USD
1.352 -0.007 -0.486 *COPPER 3.626 +0.025 +0.68

1.275 +0.003 +0.24 *GOLD 1,884.7 -5.7 -0.302

0.759 -0.003 -0.394 *OIL 48.29 -0.07 -0.14

Ipec threatens to
crack whip
on short-term
insurance players

BERNARD MPOFU sanctions to enforce compliance,” “The Commission is, however, 2020 to ZW$287.76 million as at Ipec commissioner Grace Muradzikwa
Ipec warned. concerned by the high level of the 30 September 2020. nominated returns for the period
ZIMBABWE’S insurance sector premium debtors as this negative- under review. The Gross Premium
regulator has threatened to crack “Fire and motor insurance busi- ly impact on insurers` capacity “Only one out of the eighteen written by these players amounted
the whip on short-term insurance ness classes contributed 65.64% of to meet policyholders` claims as (18) short-term insurers was com- to US$33.81 million.
players which failed to file returns the total Gross Premium Written they fall due. In this regard, in- pliant with the minimum pre-
in foreign currency business. in foreign currency by the insur- surers are urged to strengthen scribed asset ratio of 10% as at “In terms of foreign curren-
ance players during the period their underwriting tools to reduce 30 September 2020. Short-term cy denominated business, only
The weakening of the Zimba- under review.” credit risk.” insurers are urged to commit to five (5) out of the thirty-two (32)
bwe dollar against major curren- their prescribed asset compliance brokers completed returns in line
cies saw some insurance com- Total assets for short-term in- The report further shows that roadmaps,” the report reads. with Circular 15 of 2020. The pre-
panies seeking approval to take surers, according to the insurance investments in prescribed as- mium income generated by the
premiums in hard currency in or- regulator, increased by 21.63% in sets increased by 180.78% from Turning to reinsurers, the re- entities amounted to US$6.78
der to hedge against inflation. nominal terms from ZW$5.56 bil- ZW$102.49 million as at 30 June port showed that five short-term million with total commission of
lion reported as at 30 June 2020 to reinsurers submitted forex-de- US$1.07 million,” Ipec said.
According to the latest Insur- ZW$6.76 billion as at 30 Septem-
ance and Pension Commission ber 2020.
(Ipec) quarterly non-life insur-
ance firms (also known as short- “The increase in assets is main-
term insurers) report for the nine ly attributable to property revalu-
months ending September 2020, ations, cash and cash equivalents
only three short-term insurance and premium debtors which col-
players submitted forex-denomi- lectively accounted for 61.06% of
nated returns for the period end- the total assets. Premium debtors
ing 30 September 2020. slightly decreased by 1.82% from
ZW$1.54 billion as at 30 June 2020
“The rest of the industry players to ZW$1.52 billion as at 30 Sep-
did not respond to the Commis- tember 2020,” the report shows.
sion`s repeated call for the filling
of returns relating to foreign cur- “The slight decrease is reflec-
rency denominated business in tive of the price and exchange rate
terms of Circular 15 of 2020. The stability witnessed during the last
Commission will, accordingly, three months following the intro-
institute appropriate regulatory duction of the Dutch Auction for-
eign exchange system.

Road to economic recovery will be long

RONALD MUCHENJE household consumption. cases during the first four days of cine returning us back to normality rivals. For Zimbabwe, I hear there
The weakened domestic demand the year, which are equal to cases re- at earliest possible time.” is promotion of local tourism but
DESPITE the likelihood of a de- corded during the first five months that still won’t work due to low dis-
cent rebound in productive sectors will also affect capacity utilisation as of last year from the outbreak of the The country is now seen record- posable incomes worsened by lock-
including agriculture, Zimbabwe is well as production while the lower virus; and if the cases maintain this ing sluggish growth in every sector, down restrictions. So, I believe we
seen failing to return to pre-pan- expected future income is also likely average trend, we can surpass the with negative growth in the tourism will have a negative growth in this
demic levels until early 2023 with to affect other areas such as invest- whole 13 867 cases of 2020 before sector. sector without giving percentages.
increased unemployment, weak ment. the end of January. So, if left unad- Overally we are going to witness
domestic demand and Covid-19 dressed, it may result in realloca- Another independent economic sluggish growth in most sectors
effects curtailing the recovery pace. Government has decreed a 30- tion of budget expenditure towards analyst, Joe Chirowodza, said like and high retrenchment levels,” Chi-
day Covid-19 lockdown on the Covid-19 management or increase last year the tourism sector is going rowodza said.
The government projected an back of rising infection but has been of expenditure financed by borrow- to be the hardest hit by the pandem-
ambitious 7.4% economic growth castigated for failing to spell out a ing,” he said ic, reversing the gains of the lifting “Companies have been managing
rate for 2021. However, last week concrete plan on vaccine procure- of lockdown restrictions in the past. to work with a minimum number
the World Bank issued a 2.9% ment. “The challenge with our case is of people. They will now realise the
growth forecast for the country. there seems to be no concrete roll- This is expected to significantly work can still be done without some
An economic analyst, Clemence out plan of the Covid-19 vaccine reduce the foreign currency receipts other people. Increase in number
Economic analysts say the infor- Machadu, told The NewsHawks and there was no mention of allo- for the country as sector tradition- of retrenchments will actually spill
mal sector, which constitutes the that the Covid-19 pandemic is like- cation of funds for vaccine procure- ally contributes over 10% of the into the informal sector due to re-
largest piece of the economic pie, is ly to affect the socio-economic spec- ment in the 2021 national budget, country’s gross domestic product. striction of movement as the em-
going to be highly affected by lock- trum more than it did last year, if which brings uncertainty on inocu- ployers realise they cannot cope
downs which, in turn, erodhous- no concrete and decisive measures lation and the prospects of the vac- “Tourist arrivals will continue with keeping the people anymore.”
ing power and resultantly reduces are taken. to be low across the country. In
most countries, there are border
“We recorded nearly 2 000 new restrictions in terms of foreign ar-

Page 18 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Liquidate your export earnings: RBZ chief

DUMISANI NYONI eign currency and they can use it this is excluding the local US RBZ Governor John Mangudya cy),” he said.
themselves. The auction is there dollars. This is the real US dollar, Ideally, Mangudya said, if ev-
CENTRAL bank governor John to supplement the foreign cur- both in cash and in their nostro US$60 million is enough to cover
Mangudya has implored local rency requirements in the mar- positions in foreign banks.” US$4 million but they still come eryone plays ball in this country,
companies holding foreign cur- ket. If you look at it right now, to the auction, say for US$2 mil- the auction should be so lower
rency in their nostro accounts to we have got US$1.2 billion in The RBZ chief said the entities lion. than it is now “because those
utilise it to meet their offshore the nostros of the banks and this have enough foreign currency at people are all earning foreign
obligations and ease the pressure money belongs to their custom- their disposal but they were not “They get that US$2 million. currency.”
on the forex exchange auction ers, not the banks. utilising it. If you put more days, it means
system. they can get US$8 million yet “If you look at the (deposits)
“That US$1.2 billion is avail- “So if a company needs, say they have got their money. What in this country, you are looking
Mangudya told The News- able for use by the owners of that US$4 million per month, if they we want is to encourage the com- at about 54% of the total deposits
Hawks that local entities had a money as I speak right now and have got US$60 million in their panies themselves to also utilise in Zimbabwe in foreign curren-
total of US$1.2 billion in their nostro accounts it means that what they are holding so that cy and 46% in local currency. So
nostro accounts but they were they don’t hold (foreign curren- it means that we have got suffi-
not utilising the cash, preferring cient US dollars to sustain (our
acquiring forex from the auction needs),” Mangudya said.
system.
“The US$1,2 billion is just
“We are very happy with the sitting in the nostro accounts. It
auction system. The policy mea- used to be US$1,1 billion, now
sures that we have been pursuing it’s at US$1,2 billion. So it’s go-
over the past seven months now ing up. Money should circulate
are very useful. We are going to in the economy to make things
continue with it and also we are work. This country should be
refining the rules of the auction great.”
system,” he said.
In a bid to refine the auction
In a bid to ease forex shortages system, the RBZ monetary pol-
in the economy and curtail run- icy committee (MPC) last week
away inflation as well as maraud- resolved to remove the compul-
ing parallel markets, the Reserve sory requirement to liquidate all
Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) last unutilised export proceeds after
year introduced the forex auc- 60 days, with immediate effect.
tion system. On average, about
US$30 million is being allocated It also resolved to increase the
per week to different companies export surrender requirement
across all sectors of the economy. from 30% to 40% on all export
receipts as well as maintaining
Asked whether the central the liquidation requirement for
bank had plans to conduct an domestic foreign exchange sales
auction twice a week, Mangudya at 20% net of sales tax, with au-
said: “For now, given the size of thorised dealers required to re-
our economy, I don’t believe that mit funds to the bank in the cur-
we need to have two auction sys- rency of receipt.
tems a week. It will just increase
our administration costs for no The committee resolved to en-
apparent reason. The largest enti- sure that the allotment of foreign
ties in this country that need for- currency on the foreign exchange
eign currency, the likes of Delta auction and Interbank market
among others, now have enough continues to be guided by the pri-
foreign currency for themselves ority list which places productive
from the sale of their produce, imports (raw materials, consum-
most of them to their customers. ables and capital goods) ahead of
foreign exchange requirements
“They have got their own for- for services, education and port-
folio investment.

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 19

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Simbisa plans to roll out more eateries

DUMISANI NYONI company managed to open about country. slightly because of Covid-19,” he tially 50 that we would have wanted
21 outlets at an estimated cost of “Covid-19 will definitely affect said. to open this year.”
ZIMBABWE’S biggest fast-food US$2.3 million.
chain, Simbisa Brands Limited, is us. That’s why we have set a target “Covid-19 has seen us slowing Meares said the decision by the
targeting to open 25 new outlets Meares said the Covid-19 pan- of only 25. If it wasn’t for Covid-19, down in our aggressive opening of government to put the country
throughout the country this year, at demic affected their grand plan we will be targeting at least 40 to 50 shops. So because of Covid-19 we under lockdown would assist the
an estimated cost of US$5 million, of opening more shops across the outlets. So we have cut our target have come down to 25 from the ini- country in the middle to long term.
managing director Warren Meares
has said. “Right now we are on lockdown
but it’s for the better. I mean we
Meares told The Newshawks in an need to make sure that we control
interview that initially the compa- this pandemic and to make sure that
ny had targeted to open 40 to 50 curve comes down. Once that is
outlets across the country but, due done, I think we’re gonna see really
to Covid-19, they had revised their big things happening in this coun-
target to only 25. try. The decisions that have been
taken by the government in the last
“This year we want to grow big- few months, I think are really gon-
ger than last year. We are commit- na see the country move forward,”
ted to continue investing in the Simbisa boss said.
country. So, this year we intend
even to open more stores than what Simbisa operated as a business
we did last year. We are optimistic unit of Zimbabwe’s largest company
and we know that Zimbabwe is on by revenue, Innscor Africa, before it
the brink of a turnaround,” Meares was unbundled and listed separately
said. on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange
in 2015.
“We are planning to open about
25 outlets throughout the country. The company controls fast-food
If we open 25 shops, we will be cre- brands such as Chicken Inn, Pizza
ating about 750 jobs throughout Inn, Creamy Inn, Baker’s Inn, Fish
the country,” he said. Inn, Galito’s Africa, Nando’s, Steers
and Vida E Caffe and delivery ser-
Some of the areas they are tar- vice, Dial-a-Delivery.
geting to open shops in include
Hwange, Redcliff and small towns. Besides Zimbabwe, it also has
operations across sub-Saharan Afri-
“So, we are going to push our ca, with a total of 145 counters in
footprint right across the length and Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, Mauritius,
breadth of Zimbabwe,” he said. Namibia, Swaziland, Malawi and
the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Between 2019 and 2020, the

Passing into Glory of our dear Vice Chancellor Professor Munashe Furusa

Africa University lost its greatest
steward and champion on the
morning of the 13th of January 2021.
Deeply saddened by this loss, we
call upon the Africa University
community of staff, students,
alumni and partners to surrender
unto the Lord our prayers for his
wife Zanele , their children and their
extended family in this their most trying time. We pray
that their grief is tempered by the hand of the Almighty
and as we mourn together, let us remember the love that
our beloved Vice Chancellor held for others, the vision he
inspired in all of us and the dreams that he had for Africa.
Let us now continue his legacy as we celebrate his life in
the knowledge that he rests with our Lord in heaven.

For I am already being poured out as a drink Rest in Peace our mentor,
offering, and the time of my departure has come. I our brother, our father, our leader.

have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith.

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me

but also to all who have loved his appearing.

2 Timothy 4: 6-8

Africa University is Zimbabwe's first private, Pan- African university established in 1992 . With one of the most diverse campuses in Africa, over 31 African nations have been represented among our
student body. Paving the way for the future of higher education on the continent, we are leaders in innovation, business enterprise development and leadership.
Visit our website: www.africau.edu

Page 20 Executive Chat NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Complacency can wipe us out: Mahomva warns

ZIMBABWE is experiencing a
major upsurge in Covid-19 in-
fections and deaths, which has
sparked fears of an unmanage-
able public health emergency.
The government has, like other
administrations globally, re-
introduced stricter lockdown
measures in an attempt to stop
the spread of the coronavirus.
But with a crumbling econo-
my, many have found it hard to
stay indoors as required by the
lockdown and have defied the
regulations as they prioritise
livelihoods, heightening the risk
of infection. In light of these
worrying developments, our
correspondent Moses Ngwere
(MN) interviewed the national
co-ordinator of the Covid-19 re-
sponse in the President’s Office,
Dr Agnes Mahomva (AM), who
says the current lockdown can
only work if everyone adheres to
the rules, which has so far proven
elusive. Below are excerpts of the
interview:

MN: Firstly, we have seen
Covid-19 cases spiralling expo-
nentially since the turn of the
year after relative calm. What
would you say went wrong along
the way since the country ap-
peared to be
managing it well initially?

AM: Cases spiralling after we were to 3 000 per day. AM: The national figures pub- donations from organisations such Agnes Mahomva
on our way to controlling the ep- Work, of course, continues to keep lished every day are a high-level as the Jack Ma Foundation and it opment and, if so, in which spe-
idemic was mostly brought about improving on this. Antigen tests summary aggregated from submit- has all been used up. cific areas has it been detected?
by complacency. Individuals and have also now been adopted for ted provincial data.
communities at large simply symptomatic cases. You need to remember that most AM: The new variant in SA is a big
stopped adhering to critical pre- MN: You have previously indi- Every province does have clear of the donated PPE is not reusable. concern to Zimbabwe. It is very
ventive measure such as wearing cated that Zimbabwe was partic- fugues that indicate where the hot MN: This ongoing lockdown possible that it is also here in Zim-
of face masks and avoiding gath- ipating in vaccine development spots are. These are used locally to is affecting the business sector. babwe. Our scientists are therefore
erings. alongside three countries. How inform and implement Have you been on contact with analysing our samples for an an-
MN: Do you think this stricter far has that process gone and MN: Are you impressed with how captains of industry to hear their swer.
lockdown will achieve the de- when are were likely to see the the health sector is responding to plight?
sired results from your analysis initial vaccine rollout? the pandemic at this level? AM: Indeed, this new lockdown In the meantime, it is important
of the situation? AM: On vaccines, the country is AM: Covid-19 remains a public has affected business. Captains of to note that management of the
AM: The stricter lockdown can keenly following the World Health health emergency. The ministry of industry are very concerned and various variants is the same, that is:
work if individuals and communi- Organisation and GAVI-led vac- Health and Child Care therefore discussions are taking place to curb its spread by prevention (So-
ties adhere to it. cine initiatives. The country is plays a key technical lead in its strengthen our collaboration cial distancing, avoiding crowds,
MN: If the country does not working on a national vaccine response. through the taskforce sub-com- masking up, etc).
achieve the goals, what would be framework and strategy. MN: There have been reports of mittee that represents industry, for MN: Some countries like South
plan B? MN: The numbers and informa- public health workers striking example, and through other direct Africa, the United Kingdom and
AM: If we do not achieve our goals, tion being dished out daily do over shortages of personal pro- communications with specific others have already classified
plan B is to revisit and identify the not really indicate which par- tective equipment (PPE), yet we groups. Zimbabwe as the newest regional
challenge (the why and how), then ticular areas are hotspots. For have seen numerous donations of and global epicentre of the pan-
put in place measures specific to instance, we simply see Hara- the same from all over the world, Lots more work and collabo- demic. Is this a true reflection of
the why, how and where. re topping the daily inspection notably the Jack Ma Foundation ration is needed as we battle to the situation on the ground?
MN: There has been very limited rates but we do not know which and local businesses. How do balance health and the economy.
testing in public health institu- specific locations are high-risk you account for this paradox? If there is no health, there is no AM: Yes, some countries have clas-
tions. What is being done to im- zones, which is key information. AM: Indeed, health care workers economy to talk about. sified Zimbabwe as an epicentre.
prove the situation, given that Please tell us which specific sub- have complained about PPE. In- MN: There is a new deadlier It is however not clear what cri-
testing at private laboratories is urbs, say in Harare and Bula- deed, the nation has received PPE coronavirus variant from South teria they used since many other
very expensive? wayo, are high-risk zones. Africa which is feared to already countries globally and regionally
AM: Testing has been limited from be in Zimbabwe. are doing worse than Zimbabwe as
day one, but has improved greatly. evidenced by what the WHO and
During the first wave, we were Would you confirm this devel- other global trackers publish on a
conducting on average 400 to 1 daily basis.
000 PCR (lab) tests per day.

Now that number has gone up

NewsHawks STOCK TAKING Page 21

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Price Sheet

Thursday, 14 January 2021 A MEMBER OF FINSEC & THE ZIMBABWE STOCK EXCHANGE

Company Sector Bloomberg Previous Last VWAP (cents) Total Total Price Price YTD Market
Ticker Price Traded Traded Change Change (%) Cap
(cents) Traded Volume Value ($) (cents) ($m)
(%)
2400.00 Price 5,000
133.15 5,215,600
AFDIS Consumer Goods AFDIS: ZH 437.00 2200.00 2200.00 110,000.00 -200.00 -8.33 -8.33 2,580.73
African Sun Consumer Services ASUN: ZH 119.96 125.00 107.56 350,100 5,609,870.00 -25.59 -19.22 -36.73 926.92
ART ARTD: ZH 753.13 4,200 1,224,562.00 -87.23 -19.96 -26.72
Ariston Industrials ARISTON: ZH 358.00 349.75 349.77 0.04 0.03 -10.45 1,528.42
Axia Consumer Services 55000.00 120.00 120.00 16,300 5,040.00 1.10 0.15 -17.66 1,952.87
BNC AXIA: ZH 8500.00 755.00 754.23 7,000 122,940.00 -17.17 -4.80 -10.31 4,109.76
BAT Consumer Goods BIND: ZH 600.82 340.00 340.83 -98.40 -0.18 -0.18 4,259.89
CAFCA Basic Materials BAT: ZH 6900.00 55000.00 54901.60 12,500 23,858.00 -5.45 11,328.13
Cassava CAFCA: ZH 1300.00 8500.00 - 6,862,700.00 - - -6.78
CBZ Consumer Goods CSZL: ZH 35.39 - 605.95 5.13 0.85 -13.32 742.48
Dairibord Industrials CBZ: ZH 2496.93 600.00 7407.72 42,300 - 507.72 7.36 -0.76 15,697.60
Dawn DZL: ZH 849.30 7500.00 1300.00 1,310,100 256,316.00 -40.09 50,908.20
Delta Technology DAWN: ZH 92.40 1300.00 97,048,600.00 - - 7.68 4,654.01
Econet Banking DLTA: ZH 1449.78 4,200 - - -15.32
Edgars ECO: ZH 190.00 - 35.39 - 54,600.00 -47.06 -1.88 -23.00 869.59
FBC Consumer Goods 104.83 2445.00 2449.87 - -49.08 -5.78 -3.43 31,467.63
Fidelity Real Estate EDGR: ZH 970.26 845.00 800.22 1,383,100 - - -0.37 20,730.31
First Capital FBC: ZH 400.00 3,074,400 33,884,120.00 - - -4.55
FML Consumer Goods FIDL: ZH 24.20 - 92.40 24,601,840.00 - - -14.28 302.14
FMP Telecommunications FCA: ZH 15.00 - 1449.78 - 0.17 0.16 23.46 9,741.80
GBH Consumer Services 8500.00 - 190.00 - - -70.24 -7.24 0.83
Getbucks FMHL: ZH 3355.72 105.00 105.00 - - - - 20.00 206.95
Hippo Banking FMP: ZH 1100.00 900.00 900.02 61,400 - - -0.00 -5.56 2,264.56
Innscor Financial Services GBH: ZH 90.00 - 400.00 1,500,400 64,470.00 - - -6.57 6,211.43
Lafarge 1115.00 - 13,503,900.00 - - 14.58 4,952.63
Mash Banking GBFS: ZH 24.20 24.20 5,000 - 103.99 3.10 -2.12
Masimba Financial Services HIPO: ZH 7.40 - 15.00 - 1,210.00 - - -0.45 129.85
Medtech 2032.57 8500.00 200,200 - 1.03 1.14 -6.33 174.47
Meikles Real Estate INN: ZH 260.21 8500.00 3459.71 27,600 17,017,000.00 - - 9.07 16,406.75
Nampak Industrials LACZ: ZH 7210.00 3505.00 1100.00 - 954,880.00 - - 19.61 19,539.63
NatFoods MASH: ZH 91.03 1,760,200 - 367.43 18.08 19.97 880.00
NTS Financial Services MSHL: ZH 27.45 - 1115.00 600 1,602,364.00 12.79 4.92 1,692.32
NMBZ Consumer Goods MMDZ: ZH 404.00 94.00 7.40 8,900 6,690.00 - - - 2,694.44
OK Zim MEIK: ZH 800.00 1115.00 2400.00 1,600 658.60 - - 2.71 224.94
Padenga Industrials NPKZ: ZH 1651.49 7.40 273.00 500 38,400.00 6.91 1.71 -11.11 6,063.51
Proplastics Industrials NTFD: ZH 865.19 2400.00 7210.00 - 1,365.00 - - -19.81 2,062.92
RTG Real Estate 191.75 273.00 27.45 - - 33.67 2.04 0.41 4,931.65
RioZim Industrials NTS: ZH 1325.00 410.91 14,300 - -0.70 -0.08 69.69
SeedCo Healthcare NMB: ZH 2310.00 - - 58,760.00 - - - 1,660.78
Simbisa Industrials OKZ: ZH 1000.00 - 434,100 - 16.67 1.26 -10.27 9,974.50
Star Africa Industrials PHL: ZH 25.00 405.00 61,700 7,315,270.00 - - 0.43 9,126.72
Truworths Consumer Goods PROL: ZH 39.74 400 533,389.00 0.09 0.01 -16.78 2,177.96
TSL Industrials RTG: ZH 1500.00 - 800.00 18,000 767.00 -4.24 -16.96 -23.11 4,785.11
Turnall RIOZ: ZH 74.01 1650.00 1685.16 600 241,500.00 0.26 0.65 35.59 1,637.23
Unifreight Banking SEED: ZH 22.30 860.00 864.49 10,900 13,860.00 -100.00 -6.67 -18.84 5,671.70
Willdale Consumer Services SIM: ZH 27.00 191.75 191.75 403,900 109,010.00 -2.01 -2.72 -22.58 5,622.35
ZB SACL: ZH 3500.00 1350.00 1341.67 279,400 83,858.00 - - 19.89 978.85
Zeco Consumer Goods TRUW: ZH 2310.00 2310.00 250,600 111,760.00 - - -15.63 153.63
Zimpapers Industrials TSL: ZH 0.02 1010.00 1000.09 400 3,508,400.00 181.02 5.17 53.38 4,999.43
Zimplow TURN: ZH 98.00 - 288.00 - - 354.99
ZHL Consumer Services UNIF: ZH 500.00 22.00 20.76 160,300 - - - - 23.74
Basic Materials WILD: ZH 304.27 40.00 40.00 770,600 43,281.00 - - - 480.06
TOTAL ZBFH: ZH - 28,365,920.00 -24.27 -7.98 - 6,448.80
Consumer Goods ZECO: ZH 1400.00 1400.00 19,300 - -10.68
Consumer Goods ZIMP: ZH 72.00 72.00 900 18,914.00 0.09
Consumer Goods ZIMPLOW: ZH - 22.30 1,700 4,500.00 564.48
Consumer Services ZHL: ZH 27.00 27.00 17,418,300 4,760.00 1,191.90
Consumer Goods 243,409,620.60 4,293.35
3700.00 3681.02 1,148,029 290,451.90
Industrials - 0.02
Industrials 98.00
Industrials 98.00
500.00 500.00
Banking 280.00 280.00
Industrials
Consumer Services
Industrials
Financial Services

ETFs OMTT.zw 100.00 100.00 100.00 1,148,029.00 - - -0.22 80.00

Old Mutual ZSE Top 10 ETF

VFEX Open (US cents) Close (US cents) Change (%) YTD (%) Mkt Cap (US$m) Top 5 Risers Price Change % YTD %
SCIL 18.00 0.00 43.40 Meikles 2400.00c +367.43c +18.08 +9.07
18.00 - CBZ 7407.72c +507.72c +7.36 -13.32
FINSEC Open (cents) YTD (%) Mkt Cap ($m) ZB 3681.02c +181.02c +5.17 +53.38
OMZIL 2700.00 Close (cents) Change (%) 1.89 2,241.32 Nampak +4.92 +19.61
2700.00 - Innscor 273.00c +12.79c +3.10 -6.57
Index 3459.71c +103.99c
ZSE All Share Top 5 Fallers YTD %
Top 10 Close Change (%) Open YTD % ART Price Change % -26.72
Top 15 2,467.15 +0.66 2,451.05 -6.17 African Sun 349.77c -87.23c -19.96 -36.73
Small Cap 1,530.01 +1.62 1,505.66 -7.52 Star Africa 107.56c -25.59c -19.22 -23.11
Medium Cap 1,813.60 +1.55 1,785.92 -6.90 AFDIS -4.24c -16.96 -8.33
-0.35 11,004.84 -7.66 ZHL 20.76c -8.33 -10.68
10,966.49 -1.17 5,443.67 -3.31 2200.00c -200.00c -7.98
5,379.89 -24.27c
280.00c

SALES & TRADING: Davide Muchengi: [email protected] | Lungani Nyamazana: [email protected] | Tatenda Jasi: [email protected]

RESEARCH: Batanai Matsika: [email protected] | Precious Chagwedera: [email protected] | Tafara Mtutu: [email protected]

Tel: (+263) 08677008101-2 | Email: [email protected] | Address: 1st Floor, Block D, Smatsatsa Office Park, Borrowdale, Harare

MORGAN & COMPANY has issued this document for distribution to its clients. It may not be reproduced or further distributed in whole or in part for any purpose. This document is not and should not be
construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe to any investment. MORGAN & COMPANY has based this document on information obtained from sources it believes

to be reliable but which it has not independently verified; MORGAN & COMPANY makes no guarantee, representation or warranty and accepts no responsibility or liability as to the accuracy or
completeness of its content.

Page 22 Feature NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

‘Colonialism
had never really
ended’: my life
in the shadow of
Cecil Rhodes
THERE was no single moment crowned with a full set of crenella-
when I began to sense the long tions, that dominates the grounds. Simukai Chigudu at a protest in Oxford in June last year. Photograph: Binta Zahra Diop
shadow that Cecil John Rhodes has It was as if I had entered one of
cast over my life, or over the uni- the last redoubts of Britain’s global other boys in their red blazers I quickly learned to live in fear of basic health services. Meanwhile,
versity where I am a professor, or imperium. filing into the Beit Hall. The hall the prefects, senior boys entrusted white people in Rhodesia enjoyed
over the ways of seeing the world was named after an Anglo-Ger- with meting out punishments for the highest per capita number of
shared by so many of us still living Saints, as I would learn to call man gold and diamond magnate even the most minor transgres- private swimming pools anywhere
in the ruins of the British empire. it, is among the oldest and most who employed Rhodes when the sions. A careless misstep could in the world.
But, looking back, it is clear that prestigious schools in Zimbabwe. latter first arrived in southern result in manual labour – a routine
long before I arrived at Oxford It was founded in 1896, just five Africa. As I glanced upward to an punishment where we had to dig Radicalised by the condition
as a student, long before I helped years after the British South Africa interior balcony, I noticed a series fields and carry bricks for hours of Black people, my father fought
found the university’s Rhodes Company colonised the inland of polished mahogany panels with in the heat of an unforgiving sun. against the Rhodesian government
Must Fall movement, long before region of southern Africa north of gold lettering bearing the names of Even worse was the threat of being in the liberation war that began in
I even left Zimbabwe as a teen- the Limpopo river. The colonists Old Georgians who had won the sent to the headmaster for “cuts”. the early 60s. During the con-
ager, this man and everything he dubbed the area Rhodesia, in Rhodes scholarship, which sends I imagined the headmaster’s cane flict, my uncles and an aunt were
embodied had shaped the worlds honour of the company’s found- about 100 international graduates whipping across my tender but- incarcerated by the Rhodesian
through which I moved. er, Cecil Rhodes. Backed by the to study at Oxford every year. I tocks, raising a fine welt of swollen state, my father was nearly killed
British army, Rhodes’s colonising could see that most of the names tissue. No, thank you. on the battlegrounds bordering
I could start this story in 1867, forces dispossessed millions of Af- belonged to white students. Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and
when a boy named Erasmus Jacobs ricans of their land and created an Saints’s rituals of dominance and my grandfather was lynched by
found a diamond the size of an apartheid state that endured for 90 During the assembly, new sadism were only some of the ways Rhodesian security officers.
acorn on the banks of the Or- years. Saints was established in the pupils were informed that we had that it taught its boys to accept
ange river in what is now South mould of the University of Oxford a two-week grace period in which the logic of colonialism. Wasn’t it Following independence, my
Africa, sparking the diamond and public schools like Eton to to master the college’s peculiar only natural that older students father joined Zimbabwe’s civil ser-
rush in which Rhodes first made prepare young white Rhodesians to traditions and hierarchies. We ought to wield power over younger vice, and he and my mother began
his fortune. Or I could start it a carry on the country’s political and would then be tested on school ones, or that those who excelled at a suburban life that was modest
century later, when my grandfather economic regime. For nearly a cen- history and expected to follow sports or schoolwork be granted in means but not in aspiration for
was murdered by security forces tury it was devoted to educating local custom to a T. Over the privileges, like the ability to tread their son. St George’s appealed
in the British colony of Rhodesia. the scions of the country’s wealthy grace period, I anxiously crammed on certain college lawns, that were to them, as it did to many Black
Or I could start it today, when the white settlers. the college mottoes, the names denied to lesser children? Wasn’t families like ours, because of the
infamous statue of Rhodes that of all the prefects and captains of it right that those who stepped cultural and social foothold it
peers down on to Oxford’s high Beginning in 1963, the college sports, the history of the founding out of line be forced to labour, or provided. Boys from Saints regu-
street may finally be on the verge had also accepted a handful of boys fathers and the first six pupils to even whipped? These were perfect larly went on to study at Oxford,
of being taken down. from the country’s small Black attend the college, the numbers of lessons for a world in which one or play on Zimbabwe’s celebrated
upper class, and after a 15-year Old Georgians who had died in race thought itself worthy of vio- national cricket team. But within
But for me, it starts most liberation war that won Zimbabwe the first and second world wars. lently subjugating another. After the cloistered world of the college,
directly in January 1999, when I its independence in 1980, the At Saints, this was the past that independence, Saints’s ways were the war of independence my
was 12 years old. That was when school began admitting select sons seemed to matter most. embraced by a Black middle class father fought seemed to be only
my parents first drove me from our of the country’s new Black middle that had imbibed colonial culture half-complete.
home on the outskirts of the city classes, like me. When I passed the Discipline was important, too. and internalised that culture’s sense
through the imposing black gates exacting admissions exam – four of superiority. Formal segregation in Zimba-
of St George’s College, Harare. papers, in maths and English, no- bwe had ended nearly two decades
Dressed in a red blazer, red-and- toriously difficult to complete – I For my parents, the decision to earlier, but even in 1999 the col-
white striped tie, khaki shirt and felt, in my juvenile way, that I had send me to this former imperial lege signalled its prestige through
shorts, grey knee-high socks and earned my place in the world. But training ground was a fraught its racial makeup. We had a white
a cartoonishly floppy red hat, I when I arrived, in January 1999, I one. My mother was a women’s headmaster and a white rector. The
looked like an English schoolboy was suddenly adrift in a Zimbabwe rights advocate, born in 1957 to a teachers with the strongest reputa-
on safari. As our car climbed unlike any I had known before. large working-class family in what tions for excellence were white. We
towards the college, I peered up was then the British Protectorate also had a high percentage of white
in awe at the granite castle tower, At 7.25am on my first day, the of Uganda. My father, born six students, about half of the student
school bell rang, and I joined the years earlier, grew up under the body in a country where white
full weight of racial segregation in people made up less than 1% of
The Cecil Rhodes statue on the facade of Oriel College in Oxford. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA Rhodesia, where 250,000 white the population.
people, barely 3% of the popula-
tion, had usurped more than half Without quite realising it, this
of the country’s agricultural land was a racial logic I readily accept-
and owned almost all of its com- ed. In his memoir of growing up
merce and industry. Black people white in Africa, the Zimbabwean
were denied the franchise, their writer Peter Godwin recalls meet-
movements were controlled by a ing a handful of Black students
punitive internal passport system, at Saints in the 60s: “They didn’t
and they died at heinous rates from want to discuss African things.
chronic malnutrition, high infant They wanted to be like whites.
mortality and limited access to They spoke English without much
of an African accent.” I suppose I
was much the same. I barely spoke

NewsHawks Feature Page 23

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Shona, the language my father was A protest calling for the removal of the Rhodes statue at Oriel College in Oxford in 2016. Photograph: David Hartley/Rex/Shutterstock
raised speaking, but had a fluent
command of English. I resented paid for the conquest of Rhodesia soon introduced its own distor- were soon imposed on the country simplistic in blaming them entirely
white racism but aspired to the with the profits he had extracted tions into the crisis, portraying the and Mugabe was condemned by on Mugabe. One even suggested
cultural capital of whiteness. from Black labourers in his South occupations as a racially motivated western governments, the media that recolonising Zimbabwe might
African gold and diamond mines. attack against white people, and and NGOs for human rights end its woes. To a large extent,
It was obvious, though, how After seizing land from Africans, not as a violent political uprising violations. My comprehension of they were parroting the British and
conservative white Zimbabweans – Rhodes’s British South Africa rooted in the complex history of “the crisis” was rudimentary, but I international media, which por-
“Rhodies”, Black people call them Company forced them to toil on colonialism. At home, my father saw its effects in my daily life. Even trayed Mugabe as an icon of evil
– saw me, whether I wore Saints’s it as indentured labourers. As one praised Mugabe and lambasted in the wealthy bubble of Saints, fixated on murdering white people.
red blazer or not. “Chigudu,” one early biographer put it, Rhodes western powers as hypocrites who textbooks and chemistry sets were Even Hello! magazine devoted a
white classmate said to me, “what’s “used blacks ruthlessly … giving preached democracy but practised suddenly in short supply. Inflation five-page special on Zimbabwe
the difference between a nigger them wages that made them little imperialism. He had no patience and therefore school fees spi- to covering the death of a white
and a bucket of shit?” I looked better than slaves”. This was the for the opposition party, whose ralled out of control, forcing staff farmer. Little to nothing was said,
at him blankly. “The bucket,” he basis for the apartheid regime that members he saw as stooges serving and students to leave the college in the media or elsewhere, of
chortled. existed in Rhodesia until political the interests of white capitalists in droves. The headmaster was Zimbabwe’s colonial legacy, or of
independence. in Zimbabwe and Britain. I later arrested after accusing Mugabe, in the suffering of Black people under
Early on, I committed myself came to see the land seizures as racist terms, of rigging that year’s Mugabe’s regime.
to the art of survival at Saints: It was true that Rhodes was a acts of political and economic election.
mine was a two-pronged strategy racist and imperialist who built grievance that answered directly to At the same time, it was dawn-
of conforming to expectations and a society based on racism and Zimbabwe’s colonial history, and Though my parents believed ing on me how little I myself knew
never questioning authority. I kept exploitation. But Mugabe used this to feel that, in many ways, Mugabe in redressing the colonial theft about my own country. I began
a low profile throughout my first history to deny the corruption of and my father were right: real of African land, like many other to read more about Zimbabwe’s
year, maintaining a steady, medi- his own regime. He made white emancipation from that history Black parents of their class, they history, and was startled by what I
ocre performance in all aspects of farmers the scapegoats for the could not be accomplished if white recognised that their children found. In particular, I had known
school life. My mother worried I country’s economic problems and people still owned more than their would have better educational nothing about the Gukurahundi
might cede whatever talents I had tarred the opposition as un-Afri- share of the land. opportunities outside Zimbabwe. massacres perpetrated by the state
to this strategy, and urged me to be can. He argued that the values his So in 2003, I joined a wave of following the war of liberation. In
more ambitious. I took heed and, political rivals stood for were a cov- At the time, though, I accepted young Zimbabweans emigrating the worst case, as many as 20,000
around the time I turned 14, I er for neoliberal policies that, like their arguments in part because for education abroad. My mother civilians from the Ndebele people
started to apply myself seriously in colonialism before them, would I connected the aims of the land travelled with me to England and were murdered by the Zimbabwe-
my studies. I refused to be defeated only serve to exploit Zimbabwe on struggle with my distaste for the deposited me at Stonyhurst Col- an army over a period of five years
by Thomas Hardy’s dense prose, behalf of the west. Real national- racist Rhodies I was surrounded by lege, a 400-year-old Jesuit board- in the mid-80s. It was a double
I agonised over the difference ism, Mugabe said, was about fin- at Saints. But then Mugabe took ing school in rural Lancashire on shock: not only at the size of the
between ionic and covalent bonds, ishing the anti-colonial liberation aim at schools. He argued Saints which much of Saints’s architecture atrocity, but at the scope of the
I memorised Latin noun declen- struggle by taking back the land. and its ilk represented a refusal of and pedagogy had been based. She ignorance I had been encouraged
sions. I began to excel academical- former colonisers to fully acquiesce cried all the way down the school’s into at home and at school.
ly, and found the success intoxicat- In 2000, bolstered by Mugabe’s to African leadership (again, not near mile-long driveway.
ing. But as I grew in enthusiasm rhetoric, Black war veterans began entirely wrong). His Ministry of Having once been proud of my
for Saints, I failed to notice anoth- occupying commercial farmland Education attempted to imple- It wasn’t until arriving in En- success at Saints, I was suddenly
er way that colonialism was still owned by white people. The oc- ment a state-controlled curricu- gland that I began to appreciate ashamed at how sheltered and
operating at the college: we were cupations spread widely across the lum that would teach Mugabe’s that colonialism had furnished privileged my life had been. Mo-
learning almost nothing about the country. They were sponsored by version of history. I panicked. I not only Zimbabwe but Britain, tivated by an uneasy combination
troubled country that lay beyond the ruling party, while partisan mi- was supportive of decolonisation too, with fiercely held national of guilt, idealism and a longing
those black gates. litias carried out evictions on the if it ended with farms, but schools mythologies. In both countries, for home, I resolved to become a
ground. In less than five years, the were another matter. I worried that colonialism had left behind ideas doctor and go back to Zimbabwe
Ignorance of history serves number of white farmers actually I would be forced to sit local exams and institutions that stood in the to help heal the nation. After
many ends. Sometimes it papers farming the land dwindled from that lacked the credibility to earn way of a more honest reckoning finishing at Stonyhurst I took up
over the crimes of the present by about 4,500 to under 500, while me university admission overseas. with the past. a place at Newcastle University to
attributing too much power to the as many as 200,000 Black farm The thought of going to university study medicine. I was one of very
past. Perhaps more often, it covers workers lost their jobs, and often in Africa had not even occurred At Stonyhurst, I felt like I had few Black faces in the medical
up past crimes in order to legiti- with them their homes. About to me. stepped out of Saints’s panto- school, and the only one from
mise the way society is arranged 10 white farmers were killed by mime version of English boarding continental Africa. Racism was
in the present. As a teenager, I militias, while the number of black The educational reforms I dread- schools and into the real thing. no less common than it had been
saw these dynamics play out in farm workers killed by the same ed had not come to pass in private But I was taken aback by the view at Saints, but it took a variety of
the former colony of Rhodesia. I militias was just under 200, with schools by the time I completed of Zimbabwe I soon encountered. forms. Sometimes it was direct: I
would later discover how much many thousands more suffering my O-levels in 2002, but Zim- If Mugabe liked to claim that was called a “golliwog” by patients
more potent they were in Britain, violent assaults. babwe was facing economic and colonialism was the cause of all while on clinical rotation and told
the metropole. political meltdown. Sanctions the country’s problems, many of to “fuck off back to Africa” on
The foreign and white media my new classmates were equally
By the turn of the millennium,
outside the walled-off kingdom
of Saints, Zimbabwe’s colonial
legacy was unfolding in dramatic
and violent ways. Although formal
segregation had ended in 1980, the
world that apartheid built had nev-
er fully ceased. By the beginning
of my second year, the country was
descending into what would soon
be called “the crisis”.

Throughout the 90s, the gov-
ernment of Robert Mugabe, who
had been in power since indepen-
dence, had lost popular support.
Corruption, economic austerity,
the country’s involvement in a war
in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, and a failure to fully
address the fundamental problem
of who owned Zimbabwe’s land
– white settlers or Black Africans
– all threatened Mugabe’s power.
A new political party arose that
claimed to stand against Mugabe
and for the values of democracy
and civil rights.

Mugabe responded by blaming
all of Zimbabwe’s problems on
its history of colonialism. And no
figure was more foundational to
that history than Cecil Rhodes.
In 1877, Rhodes called for the
British, “the finest race in the
world”, to rehabilitate “the most
despicable of human beings”
by bringing them under British
dominion. Two decades later, he

Page 24 Feature NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

nights out in Newcastle city centre. copper-clad dome perches an The late former president Robert Mugabe
More often, it was subtle and pa- enormous soapstone carving that
tronising: white students touched I recognised immediately – the every Friday morning in a sterile which heralded the “Scramble for become a leader in a fight to re-
my hair without my consent or Zimbabwe bird. seminar room where Prof Jocelyn Africa” – but instead of Europe- make Oxford, too.
expressed incredulity at the elo- Alexander guided my classmates an powers claiming and trading
quence of my spoken English. One The sculpture is a copy of one and me through a discussion about different parts of the continent, We called our work decoloni-
even called me “the whitest Black of a half dozen or so 11th-century how colonial states – most dramat- it’s mostly white scholars staking sation. There were several dozen
man I know”. bird carvings stolen in the late ically, settler states like Rhodesia out their territory and asserting of us – Black and brown students
19th century from the ancient city – employed corporal and capital expertise over ethnicity in Kenya, who were born in Britain or its
The more my white friends known as Great Zimbabwe, in punishment, mass incarceration democracy in Ghana or refugees former colonies, African American
made it clear that I didn’t fit their the country’s south-eastern hills. and labour detention on a large in Uganda. After I stayed on at students who saw links between
notions of what it meant to be Rhodes believed the sculptures scale as a means of creating social Oxford to pursue a doctorate, I decolonial politics and anti-racism
Black or African, the more I, too, too sophisticated to have been order in Africa and shoring up began attending African studies work in the US, and a number of
questioned the authenticity of my fashioned by an African culture, white political domination. conferences throughout the UK, white students. Our goal was to
Blackness. At the same time, in and attributed them instead to only to find mostly white scholars slay the racist ideologies that still
Zimbabwe, people like me were a Mediterranean civilisation. In Of course, white domination talking to predominantly white held sway in various disciplines,
cast as sellouts who preferred their time, I came to see the carving and colonialism wasn’t just some- audiences. to bring more Black people into
former coloniser to the mother- atop Rhodes house as the negative thing that happened in or to the academia at every level, and to end
land. I felt as if I was losing my image of what would soon become colonies. The more time I spent in In other words, I was surround- the glorification of the men who
grip on who I was. For a while I a much more famous statue: a Oxford, the more I realised how ed in Oxford not by the ghosts of had dedicated their lives to advanc-
sustained myself with my fantasy larger-than-life likeness of Rhodes colonialism had remade the entire colonialism, but by its living dead. ing the colonial project. The scale
of returning home to treat the sick. that peers down on to Oxford’s material and intellectual world As at Saints, colonialism at Ox- of these ambitions was core to our
But, as Zimbabwe’s crisis grew High Street from a niche high of the British empire, especially ford had never really ended, and politics. We were not interested in
larger and larger, my clinical train- up Oriel college’s facade, above a its most elite university. Oxford couldn’t. It wasn’t a period that had half measures or compromises with
ing felt inadequate. Back home, Latin inscription thanking him for is strewn with tributes to men of passed, but a historical mass that institutional racism. We knew it
inflation was out of control. On a his munificence. If the statue of empire who have scholarships, por- bent everything around its gravity. would be an uphill battle. As one
visit in 2008, I bought an ice- Rhodes portrayed him as a great traits, busts, engravings, statues, li- As I had in Newcastle, I began to of my friends cautioned me, “You
cream sundae in a Harare suburb benefactor, the Zimbabwe bird braries and even buildings dedicat- question the strange place I occu- know what they say about Oxford,
for 38 billion Zimbabwe dollars. stood for the wealth extraction ed to their memory. Christopher pied in this contorted world. Every Simukai? ‘Change is good. But no
Public services, including health- and human exploitation on which Codrington, a slave plantation day, I left Africa more completely, change is better.’”
care and sanitation, had largely Rhodes’s fortune was built, as owner, bequeathed £1.2m in to- while becoming more intimately
disintegrated. Major shortages of well as for the racist ideology that day’s money to All Souls College to involved with the colonial project To draw attention to the fight,
basic commodities – such as fuel, helped him justify his colonial erect one of the university’s most that the university represented. we decided to focus on a single
cooking oil, bread and water – programme. magnificent libraries (which, until In a sense, I was complicit in that object, the statue of Rhodes on
compounded the effects of political last year, bore his name). George project – but I was also alienated Oriel college’s facade, borrowing
turmoil and violence. Cholera was Colonialism continued to shape Curzon, the viceroy of India who and angered by it. I was at a loss the name of the student movement
competing for lives with one of the Oxford in less concrete ways, presided over the Indian famine of about how to navigate the ambigu- in South Africa: Rhodes Must
highest HIV rates in the world. too. I wasn’t there long before I 1899-1900 in which about 4 mil- ities of my position. Fall. I had originally opposed this
learned that the dim view of Africa lion people died, is memorialised tactic, worrying that focusing on
By the time I qualified as a doc- and Africans held by Rhodes had at his alma mater, Balliol. Augustus Then, on 9 March 2015, a the statue would obscure our larger
tor in 2010, I regularly spent my been shared by many of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers, a 19th-century colonial student at the University of Cape mission. But my friend and fellow
quiet night shifts in the hospital most esteemed historians. Hugh officer, founded Oxford’s archaeo- Town hurled a bucket of human organiser Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh
reading books about Zimbabwe Trevor-Roper, who for a quarter logical museum, which long dou- shit at a statue of Cecil Rhodes. eventually convinced me that the
and Africa. Most of the ones I century held Oxford’s most pres- bled up as a storage facility for loot Suddenly, everything that I and fight over the statue would be an
could find in local bookshops were tigious history chair, infamously stolen during the British empire. many of my fellow Black students important litmus test, revealing
accounts by western journalists and pronounced in the 60s that there had been feeling about Oxford just how committed – or resistant
memoirists who decried aspects of was no African history, “only the From the start, the quest for came into sharp focus. A move- – the university and its various
colonialism but thought African history of Europeans in Africa. The knowledge of Africa was motivat- ment to redress the colonial legacy members were to ending racism in
politics was ineluctably despot- rest is darkness.” Before Europe- ed by the aim of conquest. Even of neglecting and denigrating all its forms.
ic. In light of what Mugabe had ans brought history to Africa and today, African studies has an air Black students was afoot in South
done to Zimbabwe, many of these places like it, Trevor-Roper went of the 1884 Berlin Conference, Africa. Before I knew it, I would The first action of Rhodes Must
authors argued, maybe colonialism on, there was merely “the unedify- Fall in Oxford was to protest a
wasn’t that bad. ing gyrations of barbarous tribes in
picturesque but irrelevant corners
Not everything they said about of the globe”. This was only a
colonialism or Mugabe or Africa touch crasser than what a Fellow at
was entirely wrong, but little of it Balliol College said to me at a din-
struck me as entirely right either. ner in my second year at Oxford:
In a sense, I was shedding the “African politics? What a mess.
world and the worldview I had How could you possibly fix that?”
been inducted into at Saints, but
I wasn’t quite sure what I should Among the handful of Oxford
replace it with. Once again, I felt scholars who actually studied Af-
at sea. I decided to commit myself rica, however, most had a nuanced
to studying African history and understanding of the continent
politics, in the hopes not neces- and shared my disgust at Rhodes.
sarily of helping my country, but William Beinart, who was then the
simply of better understanding it. Rhodes Professor of race rela-
After three years of practising med- tions, quipped that his title was
icine, I left the NHS and took up an embarrassment, like having the
a scholarship at the University of position “Goebbles Professorship
Oxford, where I once again found of Communication”. But although
myself directly in the shadow of my professors at the African Stud-
Cecil Rhodes. ies Centre were rigorous scholars,
I couldn’t help but notice that
When I arrived at Oxford in the they were all white. This is true
autumn of 2013, I was surprised throughout academia: there aren’t
to discover the ghosts of Zimba- a massive number of Black people
bwe’s colonial past all around me. in the UK – only about 3.3% of
None haunted the place more than the population – but there are
Rhodes, who had been a student far fewer Black academic faculty
at Oriel college in the 1870s, (about 2%) and about 140 Black
and later gave £100,000 – about professors in the whole country.
£12m in today’s money – to the
university through a number of My studies and my family’s
gifts and bequests. Most striking of history as colonial subjects came
these to me was Rhodes House in together most painfully in a
central Oxford, a gathering place seminar on the history of political
for recipients of the scholarship. imprisonment and punishment in
(To my great unease, the Rhodes Africa. My father had told me little
scholars I met often referred to about his incarceration in a Rho-
themselves with the same term desian prison during the liberation
Black Zimbabweans refer to racist war, except to say that the condi-
white people – “Rhodies”.) Rhodes tions were “inhuman” and that the
House is a grand building in the prison guards caned his buttocks
style of a Cotswold manor, with so badly that they streamed with
one conspicuously incongruous blood and he couldn’t sit for
feature: on top of the building’s weeks. Now, in Oxford, I spent

NewsHawks Feature Page 25

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

debate at the Oxford Union Society it stands. (Mugabe was using a ever been on the sharp end of wish to remove both the Cecil
on the legacy of colonialism in May similar strategy when he tried to anti-Black racism, it is not difficult John Rhodes statue and a plaque
2015. We wanted to press the point rewrite Zimbabwean history.) If to identify with the suffering of commemorating him. To imple-
that colonialism was not a thing of anyone was trying to erase the past other Black people under all kinds ment this, the college launched
the past. When we arrived at the – specifically the history of subju- of racist regimes. an independent Commission of
debate, we discovered to our aston- gation and suffering on which his Inquiry tasked with considering
ishment that the Union had inadver- fortune was built – it was Rhodes. Ten days after Floyd’s death, the Rhodes legacy and wider
tently beaten us to the punch: the bar I had to wonder why many emi- the heads of all the Oxford col- concerns about inclusivity, access
was advertising a cocktail called the nent white commentators were so leges – every single one of them and experiences of Black and other
“Colonial Comeback” with a flyer de- attached to him. white – wrote an open letter in the minority ethnic students at the col-
picting Black hands in manacles. Rac- Guardian claiming that they stood lege. A formal decision to remove
ist attitudes were obviously alive and The ultimate point was never in solidarity with Black students the statue is expected later this
well. We posted photos of the flyer to weigh the soul of Rhodes, and and affirming their commitment to year. Meanwhile, All Souls College
to social media, and they soon went find out whether he was “really” a equal dignity and respect. I imme- removed the slaver Christopher
viral, prompting national outrage. racist. It was to try to uproot the diately thought of Gary Younge’s Codrington’s name from its iconic
racism in the soul of the institu- piercing observation that white library, and University College
A few months later, in Novem- tions built in his image. It was people periodically “discover” appointed the first Black head
ber, Rhodes Must Fall organised a apparent that many of our critics, racism “the same way that teenag- of a college in university history,
300-person strong protest outside even some of those who knew ers discover sex: urgently, earnestly, Valerie Amos. Progress is slow, and
Oriel college. Ten times that number something about colonial history, voraciously and carelessly, with never inevitable, but it can visit
had signed a petition demanding that couldn’t appreciate how Rhodes great self-indulgence but precious even Oxford.
the statue of Rhodes be taken down and the colonial project had inti- little self-awareness.”
and housed in a museum. Protesters mately shaped lives like mine. They I am often asked how I feel
condemned the statue as “an open couldn’t fathom the ways in which It had been four years since about being an associate professor
glorification of the racist and bloody colonialism had never really ended. Rhodes Must Fall had seemingly at Oxford, specialising in African
project of British colonialism”, and dissipated. politics. Do I see any contradiction
people chanted in call-and-response, As a collective, we thought we in working for the institution that
“Rhodes Must Fall! Take it Down!”. were making progress on our aims There had been a few small I am agitating to change? Who is
when Oriel College pledged to changes at the university – Hugh the target audience of my writing –
I tracked the protest from Harare, launch a six-month listening exer- Trevor-Roper’s name was stripped privileged, often white students, or
where I was researching my PhD, cise to gather evidence and opin- from a room in the history faculty my fellow Africans? The answers to
gathering harrowing testimonies from ions to help decide on the future – and at least one more substantive such questions are long. However,
human rights activists, politicians and of the statue. But, a mere six weeks reversal: the Pitt Rivers Museum there’s a fallacy in thinking that
the urban poor about how they had later, in late January 2016, the col- began repatriating some of its Africa is where I am needed most.
suffered during the country’s 2008 lege reneged on this pledge, stating stolen works. (Dan Hicks, one Yes, I remain committed to writing
cholera outbreak, in which 100,000 that it would not remove the statue of the museum’s curators, has about the combustible politics of
bfcitocrpsaabsca4g“unrhythhroIsnon,ieenoapki0oseeucoovttkcdtntmoeitl0aiehpenlefno-eocddlemr0emnelitrsgorrbnSeteemheoiaiiwepgltomarcccoawiononei.oaianoaai-nwneetovesdalul“cfhtnptereArpIowdstesReatarrutbcll,dfAhaoanteaoarobirhsmwtcernmifnenGitbidlcifrtmvhiafhtbdaioieaiceeraekaceerer.labrepnclnaeadh,ttlc,aCtawbl”nthmt.eaeeltMf’icieaseranoadh-IksBsebfiorslcauomturetwaaamrownfihrhnvghiecnosaliattceeaitonatneriacddntorlteb-ianedhiibghedittcrunselmssiiheeieott,sgtn.aaoaadh,lihillsrnoinlwMfstwsotcetuararttieemnvacewyeatnoeyenurrrressi.bfrfteeiidtatgtdtuuaeohsnIshhaelaitnculnrelersaaolbttirdnydtnsihead.ote’ty,snr-woidiihocssehiiuiircnmnnrnetoxoufeniioaescssggciusW,rsiJptansttoii,vhuaenootgeRgwalirealniecetrretdnhrifsrhseyiarnyaut-tesecooicdol?oosiaaenbdmalftoftodeyfrtrsUlhienmiRryRetIeepclcrlecsonsesseieahahhrr2hkecatplleuialMpoioi0iiiaesoltopnakoncsytrrdd1ures,ofeueugdgerteh6riesuoesosse.ilsnsme,aivlt,tdcrrunIipnesdfeIstcot,hFarosdr.entiofgtnobtaaiodrraoNhtsoalnltsmeaypisllpaonelnegtn.iep“aesasoepegaovoIwpgOdelet,felontuetadtanrohsasnoruexncin,anntatdstistfcuesudtcdthoghosoe.usenaert”d.eaetbtbramuwratrheldpeWctaalseeasrnreaeipttdsltiiedr-seeltlshttyhcer,--eee” of the imperialist on the grounds since written that Rhodes Must the country of my birth, and I
that there was “overwhelming” Fall “shattered the complacency” hope the true promises of libera-
support to keep it. It was later at the institution.) But the main tion will be fully realised one day.
revealed Oriel stood to lose £100m aims of our work had not been far But Oxford, Britain, and the west
in donor gifts were it to take down advanced, and the statue of Rhodes must be decolonised, too.
the statue. I was crushed, and for still stood.
a long time it seemed like Rhodes Essential to this is advancing a
Must Fall had failed. I had remained in Oxford, com- richer, more complex view of the
pleting my doctorate before being imperial past and its bearing on
Four years later, in May 2020, appointed to the faculty as an the present. Zimbabwe is not Brit-
I sat alone in my flat in Oxford associate professor of African poli- ain’s troubled former colony – it
watching the video of the brutal tics. As one of the few people from is its mirror. As the great Nigerian
torture and murder of George the first wave of Rhodes Must Fall novelist Chinua Achebe humbly
Floyd at the knee of police officer who was still at the university, I put it: “I would suggest from my
Derek Chauvin. After my shock was asked to speak at an antiracism privileged position in African and
came anguish and rage. For days protest on 9 June. I stood before western culture some advantages
on end, I consumed the news and a crowd of thousands gathered the West might derive from Africa
commentary on the killing, until on Oxford’s high street outside once it rid its mind of old preju-
my mind was foggy and my body Oriel College, beneath the Rhodes dices and began to look at Africa
ached. I can’t tell you if I thought statue. As soon as I took the not through a haze of distortions
about my father’s father, who was microphone, the words “Rhodes and cheap mystification but quite
murdered by the Rhodesian state Must Fall!” came out of my mouth simply as a continent of people –
before I was born, but I know that, with a guttural force that I couldn’t not angels but not rudimentary
like many Black people, I experi- contain. The crowd responded souls either.”
enced Floyd’s death as an intimate with thundering applause.
and personal trauma. If you have –The Guardian
On 17 June, Oriel College’s
governing body expressed its

Page 26 Feature NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

NYASHA CHINGONO Living under twin perils
of Covid-19, hunger
A TRUCK full of riot police
screeches to a halt at Harare’s Children queue to get porridge in the morning from Kuchengetana Trust in Chitungwiza recently
Kuwadzana 4 Shopping Centre
as vendors defying the Covid-19 her small business succumbed to the treated for acute malnutrition after Now a regular at Murozoki’s With a wife and three children
lockdown disperse in haste. effects of Covid-19. she failed to provide sufficient food kitchen, Hakutangwi is grateful to to feed, Arufandika had to resort to
for her. have decent supper daily. selling scrap metal but the US$5 he
Dozens disappear into nearby “I come here every day to get makes a week is not enough to cater
homes as the police retreat into porridge for my baby and supper “I used to run a small tuckshop “Most families in our area sleep for the family’s daily needs.
other areas. in the evening. I have no option but when we got into long periods on empty bellies, they all come here
but to come here, life is very tough under lockdown, business crumbled for survival,” she said. “God bless this lady for allowing
This has become a daily sight out there,” Hakutangwi told The as I had to take care of the baby’s us to come here. I wonder how most
in the high-density suburbs since NewsHawks. health bills. Things just fell apart; Another resident, James Arufan- of us would survive under such
Vice-President Constantino Chi- I now have to start over. The scary dika (40), a firewood vendor, is also harsh economic conditions. I had
wenga announced a strict lockdown The 32-year-old recounts how moment was when my child was in the queue for free supper. to register my family here because
to combat rising infections on 2 she had to shoulder the burden of hospitalised due to malnutrition, we I knew things would be tougher
January. providing food for her baby after her hardly had enough to eat at home,” His business has taken a knock during this lockdown,” Arufandika
father was jailed two years ago. Hakutangwi said. due to the constant availability of said.
With defiance continuing across electricity under lockdown, hence
the country, the government is in a Last year, baby Tadiwa was he cannot eke out a living. Murozoki gained public sym-
catch-22 as it is faced with growing pathy when she began feeding her
daily Covid-19 cases amid spiking neighbours from her little home
deaths. kitchen.

“It is not our choice to defy gov- Now serving nearly 2 000 people
ernment orders, but we don’t have daily for over 200 days, through
any option. It’s either you watch food gifts from well-wishers,
your family starve or risk contract- her kitchen has brought hope to
ing Covid and have something to Chitungwiza during a harsh lock-
eat,” local resident Sandra Mairos down.
(34) said.
According to the World Food
“Government should have also Programme (WFP), nearly eight
given informal traders limited op- million Zimbabweans would require
erating hours like everyone else. We food aid by March 2021, at the peak
do not enjoy running away from of the lean season.
police, but we have no choice.”
With the lockdown in place,
The poor are full of misgivings more are expected to suffer hunger
over a hard lockdown as their liveli- as most economic activities that
hoods are on the streets. sustain many families have been
put on hold due to rising cases of
The government announced a Covid-19.
strict 30-day lockdown to combat
the spread of Covid-19, banning While government last year
all forms of informal trade, thereby promised a Covid-19 relief package
plunging many families into desper- for struggling families, the money is
ation and hunger, especially those yet to reach their homes as Zimba-
living through buying and selling. bweans continue to struggle under
Covid-19.
While thousands continue to
defy the government lockdown,
playing cat-and-mouse with the
police, many others have chosen to
stay at home.

Staying at home spells hunger
according to Garvin Mapanzure
(29), who sells fish for a living.

“My job requires me to go
around selling my fish, but the
police are everywhere. If they catch
you, then all your day’s work would
have gone to waste. Since the
lockdown started, I had to part with
US$50 at several occasions to avoid
prison. But I do not have a choice,
my young family must survive,”
Mapanzure said.

Mapanzure, a qualified mo-
tor mechanic, had to resort to
fish hawking after failing to find
employment. He said while the
lockdown is necessary, it means
“go home and starve” for the poor
Zimbabwean.

“We are faced with two enemies
here, hunger and Covid. We cannot
seem to deal with one and ignore
the other. The truth is people are
struggling and there is no one to
come to our rescue,” the 29-year-old
said.

IT is 3pm on a drizzling Monday
and Gladys Hakutangwi (32) is
waiting in a long queue for supper
in Chitungwiza, about 20 kilome-
tres from Harare’s central business
district.

With a baby strapped on her
back and a plate in hand, Haku-
tangwi braves the afternoon drizzle
to get their evening meal at Saman-
tha Murozoki’s kitchen. For more
than 200 days, Murozoki has been
feeding thousands of less privileged
families in a neighborhood reeling
from the effects of Covid-19, where
a majority cannot eke out a living.

Hakutangwi is among the resi-
dents feeding from this kitchen after

NewsHawks Feature Page 27

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

GUGULETHU Moyo, the new Human rights lawyer appointed new
executive director of Tucson’s Jew- Jewish History Museum director
ish History Museum/Holocaust
History Center, comes to the job Gugulethu Moyo, executive director of the Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History police in Zimbabwe — Moyo is landed somewhere that they all can
with a unique set of qualifications, Center in Tucson (Photo courtesy Moyo) herself a survivor of genocide. thrive.”
encompassing both her career as an
international human rights lawyer Museum building, then known as dren’s Services to provide technical “One of my earliest childhood Moyo is, as far as anyone knows,
and her personal Jewish journey. the Stone Avenue Temple, which guidance. memories is of fleeing home in the first Jew of Color to lead an
is the oldest synagogue building in 1983 and 1984 when I was 6 American Jewish museum.
In November, the museum’s Arizona. After he died in Novem- Another major project, now that years old and going into hiding
board of directors unanimously ber 2019, his memorial service was Arizona has a mandate for teaching during the Gukurahundi atroci- That is both gratifying and
approved her appointment as exec- held at the museum. the Holocaust and other genocides, ties in which some 20,000 people somewhat surprising, Moyo says,
utive director to succeed Sol Davis. Moving forward is helping to create Holocaust ed- from my ethnic group — Ndebele “considering that Jews around the
Moyo had been operations director Now, due to the coronavirus pan- ucation materials, using the mu- — were murdered,” she says. The world come from all sorts of plac-
at the JHM since July 2019. demic, Moyo says, “we are in a sit- seum’s archive of testimonies from massacres, which stemmed from es” and a variety of ethnic back-
uation where everything is chang- survivors who have lived in South- rivalry between political parties, grounds. “We are a Diaspora.”
“Gugu has the most remarkable ing.” Instead of exhibits and events ern Arizona. are classified as a genocide by the
biography I have ever seen in an happening inside museum build- International Association of Geno- Surveys have shown that one
applicant for a position” where he ings, “we are having to leave the Long term, she says, “the core cide Scholars. in seven, or perhaps fewer, Jewish
was involved in the review process, walls and find people and fulfill the work is to continue with the mis- Americans identify as a person of
says Barry Kirschner, president of mission of the museum” through sion of the museum, which is to “I grew up understanding that color, she says.
the museum’s board and himself an virtual programs. It is a time “of tell the story of Jewish experience people in power can decide they
attorney. great opportunity and innovation, in this particular region and also to want to wipe out a group of peo- Nevertheless, Moyo says, her
but at the same time there’s a great place our history alongside the his- ple who are government opponents appointment is “a great milestone,
Davis highly recommended deal of uncertainty about what can tory of others, to make connections or people from a different ethnic especially when racial justice in this
Moyo for the position, Kirschner be done.” between the things we have experi- group — whatever the cause of the country is the civil rights issue of
says, explaining that Davis “has a enced as Jews, with the experience hatred is, they can eliminate the our time.”
vision for how Gugu’s unique biog- Moving some programs online of others in our wider community,” other group,” she says.
raphy and background can launch has helped the JHM reach a wider including displacement, migration, At the museum, “I am particu-
the JHM into even more deserved audience, Moyo says. For example, and assimilation. Moyo saw becoming a lawyer larly interested in perhaps compli-
acclaim as approaching the best of people working from home may as a way to work for democrat- cating the story that we tell about
what a small community museum be able to drop in for the muse- In non-COVID times, the ma- ic change in Zimbabwe. “Sadly, Jewish identity,” she says, noting
in the 21st century can offer.” um’s Friday morning gallery chats, jority of people who come to the things haven’t improved,” she says. that no two Jewish families have
or they can watch to recordings of museum are not Jewish — they are Moyo also was inspired by her fa- the same story of how they ended
Moyo also had the support of them later. schoolchildren on class trips. The ther, Muna Ndulo, now a professor up in Southern Arizona.
the entire JHM staff, Kirschner museum teaches not only about at Cornell Law School, who is an
says, noting that while the muse- The museum also is working to- the dangers of anti-Semitism and internationally recognized scholar In the Jewish museum field, or
um’s executive committee and a ward moving some of its exhibit other forms of racism, but also on post-conflict constitution-mak- even among other mainstream
search committee had considered content online, which is a much about discrimination on the basis ing and served as a legal advisor to Jewish organizations, she adds, the
interviewing other candidates, af- bigger project. of gender, sexual orientation, or United Nations missions in South JHM board is unusually diverse
ter the 16-member JHM board ability, Moyo says, and “what our Africa at the end of apartheid, in in terms of ethnicity, gender, and
interviewed her, “there was a unan- While online programming is role as individuals is in protecting Kosovo, East Timor, Afghanistan, sexual orientation. “We’re trying to
imous vote to hire Gugu without a boon for some, for others, par- human rights.” and other places. show through practice that differ-
continuing a search for other ap- ticularly seniors who don’t have Jewish journey ence is something to be welcomed
plicants.” computers or high bandwidth The Holocaust History Cen- Although Jewish tradition discour- and celebrated.”
connections, it is less accessible, ter also will continue to highlight ages asking if someone is a Jew by
Moyo, 45, grew up in Zim- Moyo notes. For some who sim- contemporary human rights issues choice, it is a mantle Moyo wears The museum doesn’t just teach
babwe and earned a bachelor of ply lack skills, she says, the muse- around the world, particularly proudly. anti-racism, it lives it, she says.
law degree from the University of um is working with other Jewish those that look like genocide, such “We embody what we are trying to
Zimbabwe Harare in 1996. After organizations such as the Jewish as the situation of the Uighurs, a “The tradition of not asking is a achieve in the world.”
serving as executive assistant to the Federation of Southern Arizona, mostly Muslim ethnic minority, in comfortable one and a good one,”
CEO at Zimbabwe’s mining indus- the Tucson Jewish Community China. she says, but at the same time, not Melissa Martens Yaverbaum, ex-
try pension fund, Moyo earned an- Center, and Jewish Family & Chil- telling stories about people who ecutive director of the Council of
other bachelor of law degree from Along with standing up for hu- become converts, and why, can American Jewish Museums, says
University of Oxford in the Unit- man rights as a lawyer — including mean missing an opportunity to “Gugulethu is a thought leader in
ed Kingdom. She was in-house having been arrested and beaten by educate about the wide range of the dialog surrounding American
counsel at Zimbabwe’s only inde- Jewish experiences. Jewish museums. She contributes
pendent newspaper, coordinating new, thoughtful directions for mu-
a team of lawyers challenging the “At this point, when we’re all seums seeking societal change, and
government’s campaign to censor talking about inclusivity, those will help us find our way as we aim
and shut down independent me- stories should be told,” she says, to heal communities in these chal-
dia, before becoming a program adding that what is uncomfortable lenging times.”
lawyer and media relations advisor is when people ask “because they
for the International Bar Associa- think you are not Jewish, because Moyo also draws inspiration
tion in London. Five years later she they make assumptions about what from stories on her husband’s side
launched Media Defence, the first a Jewish person looks like.” of the family. His father was a civil
legal aid organization dedicated to rights activist, arrested and beaten
defending media freedom world- Rabbi Shira Stutman, senior in Mississippi in 1964. Her hus-
wide. rabbi of the Sixth & I synagogue band’s grandfather, Walter Pola-
in Washington, D.C., where Moyo check — their 6-year-old daugh-
“At a time when Jewish muse- and her husband, Joshua Pola- ter’s great-grandfather, she notes
ums are beginning to think more check, lived from 2011-2013, calls — was a physician serving in the
globally and expansively about her “a deeply connected Jew, a cre- U.S. Army in World War II.
their work, Gugu brings worldly ative and brilliant thinker, and an
experiences and sensibilities that I eternal learner. She has an expan- After the end of the war in Eu-
know will continue to propel the sive heart and a curious mind. rope, he was sent to Nuremberg,
JHM into a leading position with- where he treated the Nazi leader-
in the field,” Davis says. “Her long “I have so many stories to tell, ship on trial for war crimes. “This is
record of struggling to advance hu- of traveling to Israel together, history we talk about in our family
man rights around the world will studying Torah, or just laughing often and reflect on, and also what
serve the JHM well as it deepens over one thing or another,” Stut- must have been a really complicat-
its work in this area. I am thrilled man says. “But one of my favorite ed experience to be a Jewish Amer-
to see Gugu assume this position Gugu stories is of the year she de- ican soldier” at that time and place,
and look forward to seeing where cided to take the Sixth & I Adult with many of his own extended
the museum goes under her lead- B’nai Mitzvah course. Midway family wiped out in the Holocaust.
ership.” through the year she and her hus-
band moved to New Delhi, where The family, until recently, in-
It was the museum’s focus on an- he had been sent by the Foreign cluded several Holocaust survivors,
ti-discrimination work — teaching Service. But she was so committed she says. “There are a lot of very
people about anti-Semitism and to taking the class that she would personal reasons why this work
other forms of hatred — that first get up at 4:30 a.m. to Skype in! matters.
intrigued her, Moyo says, adding We still miss her and Joshua here
that the idea of working in a Jew- in D.C., but are so happy they’ve “A lot of the work human rights
ish community organization “was lawyers do, and human rights de-
the most attractive element.” As an fenders do, would not be necessary,
added bonus, her appointment as I think, if people were educated
director of operations in July 2019 about rights, and about tolerance,
thrilled her father-in-law, John Po- and difference.”
lacheck, a longtime volunteer who
had also been involved in the ef- — Arizona Jewish Post
forts to restore the Jewish History

Page 28 Opinion NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Taona B. Mwonzora, Khupe: Two there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Denhere sides of the same coin Political.

A MID-TWENTEETH-CEN- Thokozani Khupe (left) and Douglas Mwonzora competitors, especially hybrid
TURY novelist, Nelson Algren, competitive authoritarian regimes
once said: “Never trust a group that takeaways and tell-tale signs that and hold the ruling party to account, ordered the holding of this sham- like the Zanu PF government, do
claims to work for God, country the MDC-T congress has the DNA both for its omissions and commis- bolic and amateurish MDC-T con- not provide political and parliamen-
and liberty, as any or all three are of Zanu PF vested interests. This sions in executing its governmental gress was premised on the Leninist tary favours to their competitors out
unlikely to be well represented”. is demonstrated by the conspicu- duties. Hence, in some situations dictum: “The best way to control the of Father Christmas-like benevo-
ous and unprecedented showering debates in parliaments can descend opposition is to lead it ourselves”. lence.
To this sagacity, I might give a of state freebies and goodies to the into volatile and nasty verbal and Therefore, Mwonzora is the latest
Zimbabwean twist and say: “Never MDC-T which are usually the ex- physical confrontations. Zanu PF Trojan horse in authoritar- Therefore, Mwonzora just like
trust a group that claims to work for clusive privilege of Zanu PF. ian consolidation and power reten- his predecessor Khupe, will be per-
constitutionalism, rule of law and Countries like Taiwan, Ukraine, tion shenanigans. petuating the politics of puppetry
tolerance, as any or all three are un- For instance, Zupco buses were Kenya, and the Democratic Repub- by appeasing the Zanu PF govern-
likely to be well represented”. provided to the MDC-T to ferry lic of Congo have recorded moments It was William Faulkner who once ment. There will not be an ideolog-
their delegates to the venue. This when parliament has been turned remarked: “The past is never dead, it ical realignment of this politics of
Accordingly, the Judicially Modi- was coupled with the availing of the into a boxing ring. Additionally, in is not even past”. Therefore, there is puppetry under Mwonzora. Instead,
fied MDC-T held its much-delayed Harare International Conference South Africa, the radical left-wing nothing new under the sun in terms there is going to be ideological re-
and long-overdue extra-burial con- Centre to the MDC-T as a plush opposition EFF with its brand of of the political chicanery obtaining inforcement of Khupeism under
gress on 27 December 2020. It was venue for the elective congress. The disruptive participatory democracy in the corrosive Zimbabwean polity. Mwonzora. Therefore, it is not by
euphemised and christened as an ex- unprecedented lavishing of an “op- has turned the South African parlia- accident, but by design, that there is
traordinary congress. Nonetheless, position” outfit with state-funded ment into a volatile theatre of dem- Thus the political, parliamentary deafening silence from the MDC-T,
it was, to all intents and purposes, trinkets by Zanu PF is obscene. ocratic accountability. and constitutional chicanery of cre- and lack of dissenting voices from
a political elegiac process in which Even Morgan Tsvangirai, at the time ating a pliant, obedient and bogus MDC-T after the latest round of
the four putschist praetorian guards he was prime minister in the Gov- Such is the nature of adversarial opposition by the Zanu PF govern- extrajudicial and extra-legal persecu-
of pseudo-constitutionalism obitu- ernment of National Unity, did not parliamentary democracy. However, ment was in fact perfected in the tion and unlawful arrests and deten-
arised and eulogised their dead po- benefit from such Zanu PF generos- Mwonzora has come out with an crypto-fascist right-wing political tion of pro-democratic activists such
litical lives in the hearts and minds ity. Even Fatger Zimbabwe himself, unconventional milk toast concept laboratories of both racist Rhode- as Hopewell Chin’ono, Job Sikhala,
of the opposition ecosystem. Joshua Nkomo, was never accord- christened as rational disputation sia under Ian Smith and apartheid Jacob Mafume and Fadzayi Mahere.
ed such red-carpet treatment by a which he defines as his political South Africa under Pik Botha and
Suffice it to say, the indurate malevolent Zanu PF government. manual for engaging with a hybrid FW De Klerk. This script is one written for the
“extraordinary congress” of the Needless to say, for the past two and competitive authoritarian Zanu MDC-T by their puppet master,
MDC-T was a cocktail of disor- years the MDC-T under Thokozani PF government. Accordingly, the Inkatha Free- Zanu PF. That is, they must “see
ganisation tantamount to primary Khupe has had an incestuous rela- dom Party of Mangosuthu Buthelezi no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil”,
school playground tomfoolery. It tionship with Zanu PF. Nevertheless, “rational disputa- constituted the shock troops and at- when the Zanu PF government is
descended into a dog-eat-dog frat- tion” is, in reality, quintessentially tack dogs of the National Party that abusing state institutions and inno-
ricidal bedlam of four warring par- Thus Khupe was an ever-obedi- designed to mollycoddle and ap- deployed them to terrorise and de- cent citizens. Thus, the MDC-T will
ties. The mobocracy which plagued ent Trojan horse of Zanu PF. She pease the crypto-fascist Zanu PF stabilise the ANC during apartheid be a vital cog in sanitising the excess-
the so-called extraordinary congress had performed the role of opposi- government. It will undeservedly struggle. Similarly, the modus ope- es of the regime and providing the
played out in real-time in the full tion to the main opposition MDC give the Zanu PF government an randi of the Mwonzora-led MDC-T facade of a properly functioning par-
glare of the public. Alliance exceedingly well. Khupe easy and smooth ride in the Na- will be more or less the same. liamentary democracy to the outside
and MDC-T were the leading in- tional Assembly without vigorously world. Thus rational disputation
Thus, it became apparent to both struments in Mnangagwa’s Polad or- checking and counter-balancing it. In the build up to the 2023 elec- will be the oil that will be lubricat-
concerned and neutral observers chestra. Opposition political parties tions, the MDC-T’s role will be to ing Zanu PF’s de facto one-party
that all four presidential contestants in both mature liberal democracies Thus “rational disputation” is po- act as an agent saboteur for Zanu state. Furthermore, Mwonzora will
were nothing but just power-hun- and fledgling illiberal democracies litical euphemism for politics of elite PF. Under Mwonzora, the wily fox likely take a front row seat at the Po-
gry political rejects. Their touting are by their very nature adversar- co-option, elite pacting and Zanu of political chicanery, the MDC-T lad gathering of political rejects and
of constitutionalism was a facade to ial to the governing parties. They PF-driven elite opposition. Addi- will be more ruthless both covert losers. There is greater likelihood
mask their opportunism and insatia- are instinctively primed to adopt a tionally, “rational disputation” is a and overt in destabilising the MDC that once the Covid-19 pandemic
ble power-hungry proclivities. very uncompromising oppositional self-serving vehicle for incorporation Alliance and derailing the democrat- is under control, we will be seeing
stance to the ruling parties. into the state-subsidised gravy train ic process on behalf of Zanu PF. Mwonzora and his team under the
However, in the smouldering of elite patronage. instructions of Zanu PF embarking
wreckage of the crash disaster of Thus they aggressively critique It is common knowledge that in on a charm offensive in the capitals
the mobocracy that engulfed the The raison d`etre of the contro- the unforgiving couldron of winner- of the Global North. They will be
Rainbow Towers on 27 December versial Supreme Court ruling that eats-all competitive electoral politics pleading for the lifting of the re-
2020, there was a schadenfreude gime of targeted sanctions imposed
moment when Douglas Mwonzora on Harare by Washington DC. This
emerged as the new sheriff in town assignment will be a mission impos-
for the MDC-T through becoming sible for the regime acolytes as they
the controversial winner of the race will hit a brick wall because Wash-
to become president of the MDC-T. ington provided a clear roadmap for
the removal of sanctions, which is
Therefore, this opinion piece simply constitutional and institu-
aims to unpack the likely ideological tional reforms.
trajectory or lack thereof of MDC-T
under the stewardship of Mwonzora. In the end, Mwonzora’s contro-
I argue and expose that, just as un- versial elevation as the head of the
der Thokozani Khupe, the MDC-T MDC-T is just a question of old
under Mwonzora will not enjoy any wine in new wine skins. Therefore,
ideological realignment. Instead, there will be an unbroken cycle of
there is going to be ideological re- politics of puppetry from Khupe to
inforcement of a business-as-usual Mwonzora.
approach to the politics of puppetry.
That is, under Mwonzora there
Whilst the other three losing is going to be another episode of
presidential contestants were count- puppetry on steroids. His so-called
ing their costs and licking their “rational disputation” philosophy is
wounds, the official Twitter account both ideologically and institution-
of President Emmerson Mnangagwa ally bankrupt insofar as radical and
as well as his New Year’s address was progressive oppositional politics is
punctuated with profuse congratu- concerned.
latory messages to the controversial
winner, Mwonzora. As such, the MDC-T will con-
tinue to be cannon fodder in the
Through this endorsement, the authoritarian and power consolida-
public concluded that the puppet tion brinkmanship of the Zanu PF
master was satisfied and happy with government.
his latest recruit. In a nutshell, the
MDC-T “extraordinary congress” The corrosive incestuous relation-
provided a puppetry buffet of the ship between Zanu PF and MDC-T
four political charlatans and pup- will continue but with devastating
pets, allowing the puppet master collateral damages on the democrat-
Mnangagwa to pick and choose. He ic and constitutional infrastructure
was indeed spoilt for choice. of Zimbabwe.

However, there are significant Denhere is a human rights and
international development lawyer.
He has scholarly interest in social
justice, distributive justice and
globalisation issues.

NewsHawks Opinion Page 29

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

America’s loss of credibility on world
stage emboldens autocratic leaders

NGONI MUZOFA secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, amounted to propaganda for the Donald Trump with domestic turmoil, the mice
AS the world is transfixed with the accused VOA of “demeaning Amer- outgoing administration if there Mnangagwa could not contain will play.
intrigue and civil war engulfing ica” and he urged the broadcaster were no reporter questions. his delight, saying on his Twitter
American politics, the repercussions to tell how the United States “is the handle the insurrection disqualifies Strident government critics like
of the Trump administration’s wil- greatest nation in the history of the Coupled with the storming of the Washington from lecturing other journalist Hopewell Chin’ono along
ful surrender of its global leadership world and the greatest nation that US Capitol by Trump loyalists last countries on democracy. with opposition officials Job Sikha-
role will linger beyond its short- civilisation has ever known.” week, this descent into authoritar- It has emboldened the regime to la, Jacob Mafume and Fadzai Ma-
lived tenure. ianism has strengthened the hands terrorise and arrest dissenters know- here have been in and out of prison
As if to illustrate how servile he of demagogues around the world. ing that while the cat is occupied on farcical charges essentially meant
From the onset in January 2017, was to Pompeo, VOA director Rob- to wear them down and silence dis-
the Trump administration gained ert Reilly ordered the reassignment It is no wonder that American senting voices.
infamy for its full-frontal attacks on of reporter Patsy Widakuswara af- diplomats recently drafted two ca-
facts. The embrace of fact-free nar- ter she sought to ask questions of bles condemning Trump’s incite- Continental and regional bodies
ratives in the Trump era was epito- the outgoing secretary of State this ment of the deadly assault on the like the African Union and Sadc
mised by the audacious whopper by week, as reported by the Washing- Capitol. The career foreign and civil have largely watched idly as demo-
then White House press secretary ton Post. service officers expressed concern cratic gains have been eroded with
Sean Spicer that his boss’ inaugura- that the deadly siege would under- strongmen like Mnangagwa, Ugan-
tion had “the largest audience ever Pompeo, who had ironically spo- mine US credibility to promote and da’s Yoweri Museveni and Tanzania’s
… both in person and around the ken about “American exceptional- defend democratic values abroad. John Magufuli riding roughshod
globe”. ism” and criticised oppressive re- over any squeak of opposition to
gimes in China, Iran and elsewhere And undermine American clout their tyrannical rule.
Overwhelming evidence to the during his speech, ignored Wida- it certainly has.
contrary did not deter Donald kuswara’s questions about his initial Sadly, opposition activists and
Trump’s mandarins from spewing refusal to acknowledge Joe Biden’s Russia and China took the op- journalists have had to rely on
fib after fib, which Trump’s senior triumph over Trump in the 3 No- portunity to assert the primacy of American and other Western em-
adviser, Kellyanne Conway, de- vember presidential election. their authoritarian governance sys- bassies for robust condemnation of
scribed as “alternative facts”. tems and to underscore the weak- rights abuses as the “African solu-
Pompeo had asserted on 10 No- ness in Western democracy. tions for African problems” mantra
Trump’s legacy of an adversarial vember , 2020 that there would be has largely fallen flat.
approach towards the media that a “second Trump administration” Chinese media and commenta-
were not deferential to him and la- despite Biden’s election victory, al- tors likened the siege to the pro-de- In an ideal world, Africans should
belling such as “fake news” has exac- though he has since acknowledged mocracy Hong Kong riots, which have put in place institutions to put
erbated the dire plight of journalists defeat. Western countries have backed in a check on governance infractions
around the world, who are at the principle. in the continent but on current
mercy of emboldened autocrats. According to Reuters, some form we are actually regressing on
VOA staff members had opposed Autocrats like Zimbabwe’s Em- that front.
This is not to say the pre-Trump Pompeo’s speech, through a whis- merson Mnangagwa have been
United States was a paragon of tle-blower complaint, saying it rubbing their hands gleefully at the Coups are back in vogue and
virtue or to lump all the country’s impunity from censure the chaos in sham elections are the order of the
shortcomings on the 45th presi- Washington affords them. day from Cape to Cairo, while con-
dent. stitutions are being amended to ex-
tend presidential terms.
Evidently, the caustic racial and
class divisions as well as glaring Even if they have laced their
hypocrisies with regards to respect pro-democracy initiatives with a
for human rights were there before neo-imperial agenda, the interven-
Trump and will outlive him. tion of the United States and oth-
er Western countries has served as
Even if the vision of America as a check on wanton human rights
a “shining city on a hill” and an ex- abuses.
ample to the rest of the world has al-
ways been sullied by racial injustices Left to their devices, the Mnan-
and rampant imperialism, there can gagwas of this world will take their
be no denying that the ideals of the cue from countries like Russia where
nation’s founding fathers — such opposition leaders are poisoned or
as freedom of the press as stated in shot dead with impunity.
the US constitution’s First Amend-
ment — have served as a guidepost Ngoni Muzofa is a Cana-
around the world. da-based Zimbabwean journalist.

That is why the norm-breaking US president elect Joe Biden
Trump administration has had an
insidious effect on press freedom in
the United States in particular and
the world in general.

From banning journalists at
White House press briefings to
Trump praising a congressman for
beating up a journalist, the past four
years marked a new low.

Last year, the Trump adminis-
tration was accused of installing a
new chief at the country’s interna-
tional broadcaster Voice of America
(VOA) with the goal of turning it
into a fully-ledged propaganda out-
let for the government.

The Trump White House has
publicly criticised VOA for not
trumpeting the administration’s line
and for its coverage of Covid-19 in
China.

Just this past week, outgoing

Page 30 Analysis NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Lockdowns,
not sustainable
in the long run

DUMISANI NYONI Development Institute of Zimba- reserved for the raw materials but, banned to help create more local Finance minister Mthuli Ncube
bwe said: “It’s (lockdown) going if the raw materials don’t move jobs, he said.
ZIMBABWE’S economic growth to slow economic growth for this from South Africa because of the ing they revive operations and
will slow down this year due to year. Already, the World Bank is lockdown, it affects us. Chitambara said there was a maintain jobs following the out-
Covid-19 lockdown restrictions projecting (a growth of ) 2,9% but need for the country to put re- break of the Covid-19 pandemic,
imposed by the government in its my own projection is that this year “We are approaching it as it sources in the health sector. President Emmerson Mnangagwa
bid to control the spread of the the economy I think will recover comes but we don’t have full infor- on 1 May 2020 announced an
deadly pandemic, economic ana- slightly, probably by between 1% mation at the moment of the im- “Now we are talking of a vac- ZW$18 billion stimulus package.
lysts say. and 2%. pact because we are still assessing.” cine, I think we also need to start
financing some vaccines for the However, in its paper that spells
Finance minister Mthuli Ncu- “The recovery is going to be South African President Cyr- front-liners immediately before out companies’ expectations for
be projected economic growth of very much subdued and much il Ramaphosa on 11 January an- winter. I think we need to move the 2021 national budget, the
7.4% this year, but economic an- lower rather than the official pro- nounced the extension of adjust- with speed and be very robust. CZI said companies indicated that
alysts this week said the growth jections from the government,” he ed level 3 lockdown, closing land It really requires resources to be no funds were accessed under the
was unlikely to be achieved due to said. borders until 15 February to re- able to finance that kind of in- rescue package.
lockdown restrictions. duce overcrowding and curb the vestment, rolling out vaccination
Zimbabwe’s economy is highly spread of Covid-19. These include and also even increasing social Lockdown imposition came
The government recently informal but the lockdown has the six busiest border posts, which protection financing because a lot at a time the country is battling
imposed the second national halted all informal economic ac- are Beitbridge, Lebombo, Maseru of people are affected, loss of in- high inflation rate, power outages,
lockdown following a surge in tivities a move likely to increase Bridge, Oshoek, Ficksburg and come and jobs. Our ultimate goal among other bottlenecks.
Covid-19 cases, with only essen- poverty levels which, in turn, Kopfontein. is about how you finance your re-
tial services, such as hospitals, could result in an increase in so- sponse and also the political will Zimbabwe’s year-on-year infla-
pharmacies and supermarkets, re- cial ills like crime. As a solution going forward, and commitment,” he said. tion rate dropped to 401.66% in
maining operational for the next economists said, the government November, from 471% the previ-
30 days. If the lockdown is extended, has a few options as the conditions A Bulawayo-based economist ous month, according to data re-
Ncube may be forced to allocate set by neighbouring countries said the government should pro- leased by the Zimbabwe National
The essential services are al- additional funds to the social sec- were beyond Zimbabwe’s control. vide incentives for the informal Statistics Agency (ZimStat) last
lowed to operate for only seven tor rather than the productive sec- sector to formalise as that would month.
hours a day. tor. “Border restrictions might in- limit the impact of the lock-
clude compulsory vaccinations, down-based Covid-19 manage- This means prices, as measured
The government first imposed According to Ncube, Zimba- and these might take some months ment strategy on the economy. by the all-items consumer price
a nationwide lockdown in March bwe’s economic growth this year to reach Zimbabwean travellers index (CPI), increased by an aver-
last year to contain the spread of is expected to be driven by con- and vehicle drivers. Government “On the other hand, the current age of 401.66% between Novem-
Covid-19, but had eased most of sumption, which is expected to should accelerate its planning to lockdown is also a blessing in dis- ber last year and November 2020.
those measures amid fears of fur- contribute 2.6% and investment generate better investment condi- guise to the manufacturing sector
ther economic malaise. Covid-19 at 5.8%. tions so that self-sufficiency takes as most of their products will en- On the other hand, the cost of
aside, the Zimbabwean econo- over from dependence on imports ter the market with limited com- living for a family of six increased
my was already hamstrung by a The recovery in consumption is for all food products, clothing and petition due to the closures of the by 5.66% to ZW$22 976 in No-
plethora of problems among them mainly anchored on expected sta- footwear,” Robertson said. borders. Consumers will be forced vember, underpinned by a ram-
currency volatility, foreign curren- bilisation of inflation through on- to buy local goods,” the economist paging parallel market exchange
cy shortage, policy inconsistency, going policy interventions which He said cheap imports, espe- said. rate, according to the Consum-
low credit and obsolete industri- should aid restoration of purchas- cially second-hand clothing, were er Council of Zimbabwe. The
al equipment, among other chal- ing power of consumers. preventing the recovery of local In a bid to assist all productive ZW$22 976 is way above average
lenges. Covid-19 cases doubled factories. These imports should be sectors of the economy by ensur- incomes in Zimbabwe, where the
in two months from 8 374 at the Public investment is also ex- least-paid civil servant earns about
start of November, to 22 297 as at pected to contribute 5.1% to ZW$14 000 per month.
11 January 2021. GDP growth.

Veteran economist John Rob- From the production side, all
ertson said if the lockdown re- sectors of the economy are ex-
strictions remain in place for some pected to register positive growth
months, the economy was likely in 2021, with the agriculture and
to slow down and one of the more mining sectors expected to record
serious impacts will be on earn- the highest growth rates of about
ings in both the formal and infor- 11% each, and tourism (6.8%)
mal sectors. and electricity (10%) among the
major sectors.
“Lower earnings will cause re-
duced consumption and smaller Confederation of Zimbabwe
turnover volumes for retail com- Industries (CZI) vice-president
panies. The volumes carried by Joseph Gunda said industry was
road transport could be affected likely to be further crippled if
and congestion at border posts South Africa, the country’s largest
could mean delays in receiving trading partner, closes its borders.
as well as sending traded goods,”
Robertson said. “Right now it’s actually very
difficult to tell because the cases
“Any hopes that tourism might are going up and the tendency is
improve are unlikely to be real- that we don’t know where it’s hit-
ised, so foreign earnings could be ting. It could be hitting industry
affected. Economic growth might or our workers. We are yet to as-
be prevented altogether if the re- sess the impact but wherever it’s
strictions remain in place for more hitting it’s affecting the economy,”
than a few months. Zimbabwe Gunda said.
could experience a GDP decline
of 2% if the country cannot get “The importation of raw ma-
back to work by about April.” terial from South Africa, if South
Africa locks down again like they
Economist Prosper Chitamba- are trying to tighten, it could also
ra of the Labour and Economic affect us. We may have the foreign
currency from the auction floors

NewsHawks Obituary Page 31

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021 Judicial Managements:
• Zimglass (Pvt) Ltd
Winsley Evans Militala obituary • Marondera Foundry Man-
ufacturers (Pvt) Ltd
WINSTON MILITALA Winsley Evans • Mcdowell’s International
Militala (Pvt) Ltd
WINSLEY Evans Militala was • QV Pharmacies (Pvt) Ltd
brought into the world on the • Tetrad Investment Bank
9th of November 1963 and was On the Administration of
promoted to heaven on the Deceased Estates he handled
10th of January 2021. over a thousand files.
He is survived by his wife
He was born in Chinhoyi to Petronela, children Winston,
Shylet and the late Nika Phiri Nigel, Tanatswa and Mark;
Militala. A young and energet- grandchild Ava. He had re-
ic Winsley grew up in Banket cently lost his second born
where he had fond childhood Tawanda Keith.
memories with his siblings.
Winsley was born and raised
in the Catholic faith and was a
member of the Our Lady of the
Wayside Catholic Parish.

Intelligent and success driv-
en Winsley attended Kuwadza-
na Primary school in Banket
creating a trail of childhood
friends. He proceeded to Vis-
itation Makumbi High School
where he met his future wife
Tendai Petronela Mujati.

He then graduated from
University of Pretoria (UP) in
Insolvency Law and Practice,
a member of the Association
of Insolvency Practitioners of
Southern Africa (AIPSA) and
the Council of Estate Adminis-
trators (CEA), Zimbabwe.

Winsley Militala had over 25
years’ experience in the insol-
vency, liquidations and forensic

investigations field. He
kicked off his career at the Mas-
ter’s Office for over 12-years,
then spent 3-years at Harare
Board of Executors (now Na-
tional Board of Executors) and
10 years with Pricewaterhouse-
Coopers. At Pwc, Winsley was
the Head of the Corporate
Business Recoveries under
which liquidations fall under
and was responsible for all liq-
uidation matters in Zimbabwe
and Malawi.

Finally, he opened his own
venture named Petwin Execu-
tors and Trust, in 2009.
On the Liquidations front he
handled over a hundred com-
panies but to list just a few;
• Limpopo Minerals Resources
formerly River Ranch Mine
• Anglo American Medical Aid
Society
• First National Building Soci-
ety
• Hathanay Investments t/a
Matetsi Water Lodges
• Lees Inn Hotel (Pvt) Ltd.
• Hibern Trading (Pvt) Ltd (t/a
Mitchell & Mitchell Fresh Ex-
ports

Porsche just got angrier Being a Fashion Model

&Life Style

STYLE TRAVEL BOOKS ARTS MOTORING

Page 32 Issue 13, 15 jan 2021

We need to create content for global
market, says film producer Monalisa

RENOWNED filmmaker Monal- how it will be received and if it will
isa Chisango nee Mupambawashe, be successful or not. In our indus-
who is based in South Africa, has try, it is known you are as good as
made a name for herself through her your last job. Secondly, sourcing
riveting screen productions. One funding for productions is always
of her most popular productions is a challenge.
the reality shows Our Perfect Wed- JM: What advice would you give
ding Zimbabwe which kept DStv to aspiring producers?
viewing audiences glued to their
small screens. Her upcoming must- MC: Results happen overtime, not
watch show is Real Housewives of overnight, so work hard and stay
Durban. She has been involved in consistent.
various aspects of the arts, culture
and entertainment industry for the JM: Besides being a producer
past 16 years. To date, Monalisa what else do you do?
has worked in radio, television and
film as writer, production coordi- MC: I recently started directing
nator, production manager, line – mainly corporate content. I love
producer, director and producer. music and I manage two promi-
Monalisa is an award-winning pro- nent musicians, Phelo Bala (South
ducer and runs her own company Africa) and Frenzyoffixial (Nige-
called Monzyice Creations. She ria). I’m also a brand ambassador
is a dynamic, hardworking and for Tora Naturals & My T Chai.
highly motivated individual. The I also facilitate and teach people
38-year-old mother is married to how to create vision boards. I’m
former Zimbabwe national team also involved in a couple of charity
footballer Robson Chisango, who initiatives.
now plays for Hellenics in South
Africa. Outside of producing re- JM: Would you like to work
ality shows, she is managing two with Zimbabwean producers and
musicians, one South African and which are some of the local pro-
a Nigerian artist. Monalisa (MC) ductions you have worked on?
speaks to The NewsHawks’ Jona-
than Mbiriyamveka (JM) on how The Voice SA with Stacy Norman MC: Yes, I would love to contin-
the Zimbabwean film industry can ue working with them and over
be revived. Read on. to export our culture to the rest of the years I have maintained my
JM: How many years have you the world. We need to acknowl- connection with the Zimbabwean
been living in South Africa? edge that the film industry has a industry. I series produced Our
MC: I relocated to South Africa in potential to bring revenue to the Perfect Wedding Zimbabwe. I also
2008. economy. Back in the days, we had consult for Authentic Voices Film
JM: You have produced exciting foreign films, commercials being Fund and this foundation supports
shows on television. Do you fo- filmed in Zimbabwe, as it was a the development and growth of the
cus only on reality shows? preferred filming destination. Be- Zimbabwean film industry.
sides the exposure that the coun-
try received, jobs were created and JM: We understand you have an
skills were exchanged. upcoming show, The Real House-
wives of Durban, would you like
MC: When I started out in the JM: Television has changed over to share what this is all about?
industry, I worked on short films, the years. What should be done
documentaries and feature films. for the local drama from the On Set - The Voice Nigera with 2 Face MC: After bringing you two suc-
Therefore, when I moved to SA, I days of Mukadota or Paraffin to cessful seasons in Johannesburg,
started working on reality shows evolve? The Real Housewives franchise
and since then have never looked MC: Firstly, we need to tell our will now have the extravagant lives,
back. However, with our creative stories and be unapologetic about high fashion and successful busi-
collection, Monzyice Creations, we it. As content creators whenever ness empires of Ethekwini’s queens
do curate different content. we come up with productions, we on display when the popular real-
JM: The Zimbabwean television should ask ourselves what values, ity show,  The Real Housewives of
industry is not as big as South culture are we exporting? We also Durban  hits the small screens for
Africa’s. What needs to be done need to spend more time to devel- its first season in January.
to give that impetus to grow the op scripts. Unfortunately, our au-
industry? dience is no longer forgiving, they The Real Housewives of Durban
MC: A couple of things need to have so many platforms to access is set to keep viewers glued to their
happen but I will just mention a content, so we need to ensure that screens as these beautiful ladies
few: We need to create content and our local dramas stand out. open their doors to share their dai-
package our content for the glob- JM: What is the major challenge ly lives of conspicuous consump-
al market. Tell our Zimbabwean of being a producer? tion and splendour, fashion acces-
stories – for a long time we have MC: Like any artist when you put sories and expensive toys in their
looked at the West and imported your work out there you worry driveway. The premiere of The Real
their culture. It is now time for us Housewives of Durban on 1Magic,
DStv channel 103, on 29 January
2021 at 19:00pm. I am the series
producer of the show.

NewsHawks People & Places Page 33

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

The enchanting ecology of Mana Pools

A WORLD Heritage Site, core area
of the Middle-Zambezi Biosphere
Reserve, important birdlife zone,
Mana Pools is one of the wildest of
Zimbabwe’s national parks, situated
in the extreme north of the country.

Mana Pools National Park, which
fronts onto the Zambezi River, is a
Unesco World Heritage Site--a sta-
tus it shares with its downstream
neighbouring safari areas in Sapi
and Chewore. This magnificent and
extensive wildlife and wilderness
complex is widely recognised as one
of the finest in Africa.

Magnificent landscapes
The park has special significance for
photographic tourism. It extends
for a distance from the Zambezi es-
carpment mountains, through the
flat floor of the Zambezi Valley to
the river itself, its focal point being
the system of alluvial river terrac-
es, up to 3.5km wide, which flank
the Zambezi River along the park’s
50km river frontage. This narrow
and fertile strip of land supports
mature woodlands of magnificent
“winter-thorn” or “apple-ring” aca-
cia, mahogany, ebony and fig trees.

In the dry season, the shady
glades beneath these huge trees,
are filled with huge concentrations
of African wildlife - herds of impa-
la, eland, elephant, zebra, buffalo,
waterbuck and kudu - a plentiful
supply of prey for the lion, leopard,
wild dog, hyaena and other preda-
tors and scavengers that inhabit this
unique and wonderful place.

The Zambezi River at Mana
Pools is a wide, meandering vista,
dotted with islands and the shapes
of elephants, buffalo and other
wildlife wading in the shallows in
search of food. From the Zimba-
bwean side of the river, the high
escarpment mountains of Zambia
form a spectacular and dramatic
backdrop to this idyllic river scene.

Pools, pans and springs ter-based fowl are common, scarlet are unfenced and visitors should be Nature-based activities only from the land. During the
The park takes its name from the carmine bee-eaters visit in the dry aware that wildlife wanders freely In line with the high quality of the safari season (April - October), no
pools that still lie in the abandoned months to nest in colonies in the through. wilderness experience offered in motor-boats are permitted on the
river channels that run through the river banks, and rare treats include this park, activities in Mana Pools Mana Pools river frontage because
terraces. the elusive Pels Fishing Owl and It is one of the few national parks are exclusively nature-based: day- of noise, pollution and wave action
the African Skimmer, which nests where visitors are allowed to walk at long or extended canoe trips down disturbing the wilderness qualities
Mana is said to mean “four”, re- on sandbanks mid-river. their own risk. the Zambezi River, walking, hik- of the park.  
ferring to the largest of these pools A wilderness experience ing, game viewing, bird watching
which hold water all year. Away Mana Pools prides itself on offer- While this is welcomed by savvy and, at night, studying the stars in Boats are permitted only during
from the Zambezi, where pools dry ing visitors a great wilderness ex- enthusiasts with plenty of bush ex- an incredibly clear sky. the rainy season (November -
up during the dry season, wildlife perience. Accommodation areas perience, it is advisable for visitors March), but access is not easy by
concentrates around a few inland to be accompanied by an armed Limited fishing is allowed, but road at this time of year.  
pans and some springs at the foot and knowledgeable professional
of the Zambezi escarpment moun- guide or a National Parks ranger. Near Chitake Spring in the south
tains. of the park, remains of dinosaur
skeletons have recently been found
The lions lie in wait, knowing embedded in deep layers of rock
that thirsty prey have no option but exposed in the eroded bank of a
to drink here, and visitors to places nearby river.
like Chitake Spring are likely to be
rewarded with incredible sightings These are being investigated by
of these predators in action. specialists. - WildZambezi.com
Bird species
Mana is also a very special place
for birds: fish eagles and many spe-
cies of stork, heron and other wa-

Property
NewsHawks

Page 34 PROPERTY INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE GARDENING Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

The home of prime property: [email protected]

Property buoys pension
sector in turbulent 2020

MERLIN GARWE shows that increases in values in tember 2020 from ZW$3.42 billion However, the commission urged valuations, cash and cash equiva-
THE property industry continued investment properties contributed as at 30 September 2019. The asset the players to ensure their property lents and premium debtors which
to be the key driver for the insur- to the growth of the asset base fol- class now constitutes 50.30% of investments are not encumbered collectively accounted for 61.06%
ance and pension industry in the lowed by investment in equities. the industry total assets, up from so that they are admissible in as- of the total assets.
third quarter of 2020 with the in- 36.16% share of total assets as at sessing the capital levels as asset
creases in asset base being attribut- For the pensions industry, the 30 September 2019. The increase classes such as equities, cash and Market watchers have in the past
ed to the sector across the board. asset base increased in nominal in investment property is mainly money market investments were said this came as a vote of confi-
terms by 1 043.39% while it grew driven by the need to preserve val- held in very small proportions rel- dence to the real estate investments
Given the unstable economic by 14.59% in real terms. ue for pension scheme members ative to the overall asset portfolio. sector among other investment
environment, the property sector given the prevailing inflationary boutiques.
has been used as a hedge against The increase in the asset base environment,” read the report. Fixed properties and equities
inflation, although at some point it was mainly driven by an increase constituted 74.38% of the total However, there has been some
has also felt the heat due to curren- in the values of investment prop- The property portfolio also con- assets for life assurers during the notable new stock investments in
cy changes. erties and quoted equities which tinued to be the largest component period while in the short-term commercial property by the indus-
accounted for 77.99% of the indus- of assets held by funeral assurers, segment the increase in assets (by try members with the growth being
The Insurance and Pensions try’s assets. with a share of 85.53% of the asset 21.63% in nominal terms) was attributed to the periodic fair val-
Commission third-quarter report portfolio. mainly attributed to property re- ue adjustments performed by the
“Investment property increased property investment companies.
to ZW$54.35 billion as at 30 Sep-

NewsHawks Sport Page 34

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Immigrants’ indelible footprints on Zim football

DUMISANI MULEYA Football legend John Phiri (left) and former team-mate Norman Mapeza al, although between the rival-
ry is very close.
SAUTI Phiri was a young national career, says. sports manager. “Without tional Sports Stadium, which bwe, John says throughout his
miner when he arrived at the “My father though, July, hesitation, he immediately became a fortress. football career and lifetime he By contrast, John himself
height of labour migration drafted me into the first team never encountered any form never got to play at a major
within the region from his was a very good player. He of Rio Tinto, a Kadoma club, The “Dream Team” was of discrimination on grounds international football tourna-
homeland of Zambia to work was my biggest influence. I where I teamed up with such star-studded: Grobbelaar; of his foreign roots. ment for Zimbabwe.
in Vumbachikwe, a mining grew up watching him play great players as Ephert Lungu, Mercedes Sibanda, Melu-
outpost in Gwanda, the pro- football. He used to score a Joseph Zulu, Robert Godoka, si Nkiwane, Paul Gundani, “No, never,” he says. “That What if John had been
vincial capital of Matabele- lot of goals. I wanted to be a Wonder Phiri, David Mwan- Francis Shonhayi, Ephraim never happened. We were all born in Zambia? Would he
land South in present-day striker like him, but I guess I za, Raphael Phiri, Phenias Chawanda, Willard Khum- Zimbabweans. If there was have become a bigger and bet-
Zimbabwe. didn’t have the skills to play in Muchaviriri, Barnabas Li- alo, Rahman Gumbo, Ben- any discrimination, maybe it ter player?
that position.” kombola. It was a very good jamin Nkonjera, Henry was the innocent kind of ban-
Zimbabwe, then Southern team. A lot of the players were McKop, Adam Ndlovu, Peter ter, like being called ‘Phiri the “You cannot choose where
Rhodesia, was the economic July was at one time a team- sons of immigration workers Ndlovu, Vitalis Takawira and Malawian is going to win it you were born,” he says. “I
hub of the Federation of Rho- mate of Morrison Sifelani, from Malawi and Zambia. Agent Sawu, among others. for us today’. A lot of people feel proud to have been born
desia and Nyasaland between one of the founder members We used to beat some of the And of course John. actually thought I’m of Mala- Zimbabwean, representing
1953 and 1963. The federa- of Dynamos FC, Zimbabwe’s biggest teams in the country: wian origin.” my country. Zimbabwe and
tion included the self-govern- most successful football club, Dynamos, Highlanders and A number of the players are football made me who I am.
ing British territory Southern whose history is dominated by Caps United.” now late, including Sibanda, Generally, even if Zimba- If it wasn’t because of football,
Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and descendants of immigrants. Shonhayi, Khumalo, Nkon- bwe has millions of descen- you wouldn’t be talking to me
two British protectorates From Rio Tinto, John jera and Adam Ndlovu. dants of immigrants as citi- right now.”
Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) In terms of work ambition joined State House Torna- zens in different spheres of life
and Nyasaland (Malawi). and adventure, July was a does, which was headed by At least a third of the team — sport, music, business, pol- Sport runs in the Phiri
chip off the old block - he was the country’s then president, were descendants of immi- itics and professionals; in fact family. John’s oldest son, July,
So when Phiri crossed the like his father Sauti. He also the late Canaan Banana. Tor- grants. That included John. everywhere — people hardly named after his grandfather,
border from Zambia into worked in the mines, but was nadoes later became Darryn Often that has been the case talk about it. was a talented rugby player at
Zimbabwe in the 1950s — adventurous. So he left years T, where John blossomed with the national team, itself Allan Wilson School in Ha-
as part of a welcome wave of later to settle in Kadoma, a under the tutelage of Polish a reflection of the clubs. Like in any other society, rare.
labour immigration in search mining town 140 km south coach Wieslaw Grabowski the issue of course may crop
of greener pastures — in a west of Harare, where his first — a legend in Zimbabwean “That was the best time of up once in a while here and Joel, the youngest, is still a
life-changing journey, all he son John was born at Cam & football. my national team career,” says there, especially through student at Prince Edward in
wanted was to toil under- Motor Mine. John’s football John. “We beat some of the stereotypes, but it is not a the capital, where he plays
ground and transform his life, career took off there. John earned his first Zim- best teams in Africa: Egypt, big issue within mainstream football.
possibly to return home with babwe cap in 1981, a year Cameroon, Togo, Guinea. We communities, except perhaps
a fortune one day to spend “My grandparents stayed just after independence, in a put Zimbabwean football on within politics when votes are John has been to Zambia
the last years of his life rem- behind in Vumbachikwe, match against Malawi. the map. In those days, when at stake and it was convenient. on football trips. Growing up,
iniscing about his adventures whilst my dad came to Kado- you mentioned Zimbabwe, Even then it is done and spo- his grandfather rarely spoke
down Southern Rhodesia. ma, where I was born,” says For 15 years thereafter, he the first thing that came to ken about in hushed tones. about his homeland to his
Phiri, a top defender in his amassed nearly a century of mind was Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwean family.
Sauti was not gifted in prime. caps, with his best memories the late former president. But Zambia, the land of Phiri’s
sport. That did not however being under the maverick Re- then when we got into the forefathers, has achieved more “My grandfather never said
stop him from trying his hand “At Cam & Motors, I was inhard Fabisch, the late Ger- picture, and when the name success in football than Zim- much about his Zambian
at football, the federation’s spotted by the legendary man coach who guided Zim- Zimbabwe was mentioned, babwe. The Zambians were roots, or any intention to go
most popular sport which coach John Rugg, who was babwe through an unbeaten it was Robert Mugabe and African champions in 2012. back or take his children and
came to be defined by immi- Zimbabwe’s coach for both 13-match streak. the football team that peo- Before that they were in the grandchildren there. Maybe
grants across Zimbabwe for the national Under-23 side ple around the world men- finals in 1994. There have wanga waine zvikwereti(-
decades to come. and the senior national team. Fabisch’s team beat the big- tioned.” always performed better than maybe he left debts there),”
At that time Rugg worked for gest African sides at the Na- Zimbabwe at the internation- chuckles John. “I’ve been to
His son, christened July Cam & Motor as the mine’s Born and bred in Zimba- Zambian with football, but
Sauti Phiri, was the first per- maybe one day I would like
son in the family to make a to go deeper into the country
breakthrough and a name for and try to retrace my roots.”
himself in sport. July, who
was born in Gwanda, became There are so many great
a striker who played multira- Zimbabwean players with
cial football for Rhodesia Se- foreign roots. Some of them
lect in the mid-60s. include Alec Masanjala, Pe-
ter Nyama, Moses Chunga,
John Phiri — Sauti’s grand- Shacky Tauro, Joel Shambo,
son and July’s son — was to Brenna Msiska, Mwanza,
later make it big and become Zulu, Lungu, Chawanda,
one of the most decorated Sawu, Nkonjera and Benjani
Zimbabwean footballers of Mwaruwari, among others.
all time; only second to the
great Peter Ndlovu in terms Even Khumalo — whose
of international caps for the father’s surname was Mash-
country. inkila — was from Zambia.
The mother was local.
Ndlovu is widely acclaimed
as the greatest Zimbabwean Of course, John’s name
player of all time. Of course, will always crop up in this es-
football fans never entirely teemed list.
agree on such debates —
whether it is about Ronaldo In fact, it is impossible to
and Messi, or Pele and Ma- tell the history and story of
radona, for instance. Hence, Zimbabwean football without
some always bring up Moses descendants of immigrants
Chunga or George Shaya’s who had settled in mining
names. For some it is Bruce towns and old townships in
Grobbelaar. main cities much earlier than
locals, hence exposure and
But no one doubts John their massive contribution to
was a great player. the beautiful game.

“My grandfather came Such is the story of football
from a village called Mupauke in Zimbabwe, which millions
in central Zambia, he was not can also relate to in their own
a sporty person, but I was very personal life histories, reflect-
close to him because I was his ing the country as a melting
oldest grandson,” John, who pot of diverse and plural
played nearly 100 times for ethnicities — a tapestry of
Zimbabwe in a 15-year inter- identities — with locals and
those with roots from across
the region interwoven into a
multicultural society with all
its benefits and flaws.

Page 36 Sport NewsHawks

Issue 13, 15 Jan 2021

Beast shows interest in WWE appearance

FORMER Springbok prop and Tendai Mtawarira
2019 World Cup-winner Tendai
Mtawarira has shown interest in
making an appearance on World
Wrestling Entertainment.

Zimbabwean-born Mtawarira
was talking in a 16-minute Ins-
tagram Live chat to Ghana-born
superstar Kofi Kingston, who was
one of a few African stars to com-
pete in the WWE.

During the talk, the two chat-
ted about their individual jour-
neys as they both had to leave
their countries at a young age to
achieve success in their respec-
tive sports. The pair also chatted
about the WWE and Mtawarira
revealed his love for the industry,
having been a WWE fan since he
was young, looking up to the likes
of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
and Hulk Hogan.

Kingston said that many of
his fellow WWE superstars had
started playing rugby before they
made the move to wrestling and
asked if Mtawarira would be in-
terested in stepping into the ring
as his body type and moniker
would make him perfect for the
industry.

“To actually get the opportuni-
ty to come to the WWE, even on
a once-off appearance, I would be
so excited,” Mtawarira respond-
ed.

“I think it’s one of the most
incredible television shows out
there and I think a lot of African
kids watch WWE. You practise all
your super slams with your broth-
ers and sisters, so to actually have
an opportunity to come to the
WWE, I would relish that.”

Mtawarira added: “Let’s see
what happens man, maybe you
can open some doors.”

Kingston added that he would
do everything in his power to get
Mtawarira into the ring.

– Agencies

Times of truly unprecedented desperation

IN a stunt that left a rather far too long to get nice sto- good piece, part of a special endeavour and, above all, a of reaction, and request, that tic football was lost in Zim-
unflattering impression in ries, yet all the time he had series of stories on immigra- special relationship between awaited me. babwe last year without a
our newsroom, one of Zim- not benefited from it at all. tion in southern Africa over an individual and their coun- ball being kicked, throwing a
babwe’s greatest footballers the past century or so. try despite the circumstanc- At a personal level, why great number of players and
of all time demanded pay- If this well-known footbal- As part of the series, jour- es of origin as well as other this was such a disheartening coaches into hardships due
ment from me in exchange ler from times gone by ever nalists on this pub- experience is due to the fact to massive income loss. To
for an interview a couple of comes back to his senses, lication produced many of these people, foot-
months back. which is probably beyond captivating and that in our occasional en- ball is their only source of
him I am afraid, I would like well-researched fea- HawkZone counters over the years, livelihood.
Guessing it was an attempt to hear what kind of finan- tures on how some the greetings and warmth
at humour by this ex-star, I cial benefits he had reason- prominent Zimba- expressed by both had This brand new year has
promptly let out a hearty ably expected from granting bweans of foreign Enock never revealed any hint also started on a depressing
chuckle in reaction to what I interviews to journalists, or if ancestry have distin- of resentment, disrespect note, when we all desperately
made out to be a pure joke. it has happened before. guished themselves Muchinjo or distrust. hoped for a return to nor-
in every walk of life malcy.
How wrong I was, for this We do not have a policy of in this country: busi- Is the grip of despair
gentleman, in fact, meant ev- paying for interviews at this ness, politics, arts, sports, types of prejudices. about the country’s fu- Zimbabwe is back to full
ery word he had just said to publication, like most me- and many other areas. It was in this respect that ture, which has now been nationwide lockdown as cas-
me in that phone conversa- dia outlets, so sadly we were While we delved into the this footballing hero was made worse by Covid-19, es of Covid-19 surge, and
tion last November. forced to drop the story and intricacies of immigration – nominated as the natural responsible for the unthink- mortality rates keep increas-
then scramble for an alterna- often a touchy subject due to choice to be featured on the able levels of desperation that ing.
How much was I offering tive at the last minute. social blights like discrimina- sports side of the series and, can creep into the minds of
to pay? He kept insisting, tion and xenophobia – the as I briefed him on our spe- even some of our supposed It might be a while until
frantically wanting to hear My biggest disappoint- main theme was celebrating cial project over the phone, role models in pursuit of players return to the field
figures. ment in this whole scenario success, excellence, human I never anticipated the kind some much-needed extra and fans fill the stands again.
was that the story I had been cash? How more desperate will the
His argument, in justify- assigned to cover was, to all It could well be the case. situation become? I shudder
ing himself, was that we re- intents and purposes, a feel- An entire season of domes- to think.
porters had “used” him for

Sports Beast shows
interest in
Thursday 1 October 2020 WWE – Page 33

Times of truly
unprecedented
desperation

– Page 33

Friday 8 January 2021 @NewsHawksLive TheNewsHawks www.thenewshawks.com new

Cameroon deploys troops asNEWS SPO
$60 Covid
tariff for Zim
WHAT’S INSIDE CULTURE laun

Community
radio

visitors & regulations Prem
separatists threaten tourneytourists
Story on Page 3 Leag
under review
Story o
Story on Page 8

Chamisa reach
out to Khupe

Unofficial president calls for emergency

Zimbabwe players fine-tune in Harare last week ahead of the Cameroon trip.

IN CAMEROON, one week ahead football fans in the mood for the “The people of the South West re- 20 000-capacity Limbe Stadium prevention measures, Cameroon
of the African Nations Soccer competition. gion are passionate about the game hosted the Female African Football will strictly apply recommendations
Championship starting tomorrow, Thirty-one-year-old Telesphore of football,” Mulungo said. “With Cup of Nations. He says in 2017 from the Confederation of African
officials have deployed troops to Ndoumbe says he supports Cam- the facilities, the infrastructures we and 2018, Cameroon’s national Football and admit into each stadi-
protect players from across Africa as eroon and is looking for the team’s have today in our region, we are soccer team played against Gabon um only 25% of capacity. He says
separatists vow to stop the games in supporters T-shirt to buy. proud. It is not only the football in and Gambia in Limbe. He says the the number of spectators will be
restive English-speaking regions. “Football is a unifying factor in the field of play, but it has economic successful hosting of such interna- increased to 50% of each stadium’s
Cameroon and the world at large, multiplier effects to the community tional matches is indication that the capacity starting with the quarter fi-
The government is assuring foot- so I am expecting that during this and the host towns.” security and safety of football fans nals level. He says besides keeping a
ball fans from across Africa that the period, hatred, anger will subside,” But separatists have warned on from across Africa and beyond will distance of at least 1.5 metres, every
games will be safe and that measures Ndoumbe said. “And I think that social media that countries taking be assured despite separatist threats. spectator will be required to wear a
have also been taken to stop the will be the beginning of a new life part in the championship should Bilai added there are still some face mask.
spread of Covid-19. that we are going to experience.” not go to the South West region. pockets of resistance from separatists Cameroon will play in Group A
Ndoumbe said he would be The separatists, in messages on fighting to create an English-speak- with Mali, Burkina Faso and Zim-
Zimbabwe is one of the partic- watching the matches in stadiums Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, ing state in French-majority Camer- babwe, while Group B comprises
ipating teams, with the Warriors in Yaoundé and the games in other say the English-speaking regions are oon. He said the military and police Libya, Democratic Republic of
having flown out to Cameroon on towns on TV. crisis-prone and the safety of the have been deployed to deal with Congo, Congo and Niger. Group
Tuesday. Chan matches will be played in teams cannot be assured there. separatists who fail to surrender. C has Morocco, Rwanda, Uganda
Yaoundé, the coastal city Doua- Bernard Okalia Bilai, governor of Cameroon’s sports minister, Nar- and Togo, while Group D has Zam-
The official song of the African la, and the English-speaking the English-speaking South West re- cisse Mouele Kombi, says the cen- bia, Guinea, Namibia and Tanzania.
Nations Championship (Chan), south-western town of Limbe. gion, says measures have been taken tral African country has also tak- The African Nations Champi-
by Cameroonian singer Jane Mary ideTnhtomofasthNe dCivaemMeruolounngAFoLo, oSptObreasl-lINSotofIfDiecniEaslusraentdFhpienlasaayfneertcsyefrooMfmsioAncfcirseitrcyafaawnnsdi,peeCsnoovmuidet-a1$s9u3.re.2s tBoilsltioopntdheepsporesaidtoorfs fufornnosmdhispeaecxhclunZsaivtiimeolny'’ssfelraaettsupereescsttilvpaelanyndears-controv
Ihims, plays in markets and popu- Federation (FECAFOOT) in the beyond. He spoke via a messaging He says the African Nations tional champions.
lar spots in Cameroon’s capital city, English-speaking South West region app from Buea, capital of the South Championship will be one of the Chan will serve as a warm-up for
Yaoundé, ahead of the official kick- where Limbe is located, says people West region. world’s first major sporting events Cameroon ahead of the 2022 Africa
off of the tournament on January are anxiously waiting for the tour- He says when the separatist cri- since the advent of Covid-19. He Cup of Nations the central African
16, pitting the host country and nament to begin. sis started in November 2016, the says in order to respect Covid-19 state will be hosting. – Agencies
Zimbabwe.

The local organising committee
of Chan asked the song We Are All
Champions to be played to keep

ALSO INSIDE Times of unprecedented desperation Beast shows interest in Wrestling appearance