NewsHawks 18 February 2022

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WHAT’S INSIDE Friday 18 February 2022 TBrUaSdIeNdEeSfSicit SDPisOtrReTssing
projected misfortunes
NCEhWamSisa to widen of Tarisai
support base in year 2022 Musakanda
under spotlight
this Sunday Story on Page 17 Story on Page 42

Story on Page 6

Zanu PF
rams on
brickwall
in Zambia

ALSO INSIDE Besieged farmers plan class action

Page 2 News NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Zanu PF's delegation meets Zambia's ruling UPND partu leaders this week.

OWEN GAGARE Panicky Zanu PF sends envoys
to meet with Hichilema’s party
RATTLED by the rise of Zimbabwe’s especially on social media. second president since independence in inauguration, but soon after arriving olators for what they truly are - oppres-
main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s Kalimbwe, who describes Zanu PF as 1964, although his rule was characterised from Lusaka he told party supporters sors. They have blood  on their hands,”
Citizens' Coalition for Change (CC) and by a failed democratic transition. in Mutare that what had happened in he tweeted. Asked what issues were dis-
its close relations with Zambian President “Lungu’s oppressive friends” and has re- Zambia would never happen in Zimba- cussed, UPND spokesperson Cornelius
Hakainde Hichilema’s ruling United Par- fused to be intimidated and silenced, has In 2002, Levy Mwanawasa became bwe – showing his real attitude towards Mweetwa declined to comment, saying
ty for National Development (UPND), a been aggressive in painting Zimbabwe’s the third president of Zambia. He served UPND. he was not part of the meeting and had
Zanu PF delegation led by Secretary for ruling party as an authoritarian organisa- as president from January 2002 until his not been briefed about its outcome.
Administration Obert Mpofu this week tion whose repressive rule has destroyed death in August 2008.  During that pe- Hichilema also invited opposition of-
visited Lusaka to manage – and hopefully Zimbabwe. He views Zanu PF leaders as riod, Zambia’s relations with Zimbabwe ficials in the region, including Chamisa. UPND national chairperson Ste-
improve - frosty diplomatic ties. “dictators”. sunk to an all-time low amid clashes be- CCC deputy president Tendai Biti and phen Katuka, who attended the meeting,
tween Mugabe and Mwanwasa mainly at opposition official Gladys Hlatywayo was not available to comment.
Informed sources on both sides of the Anxious and eager to fix the situation Sadc meetings at the height of the Zim- who is the CCC secretary for interna-
Zambezi River said this week part of the before it deteriorates to unmanageable babwe crisis which had become a region- tional relations, also attended the event.  Following the meeting, Mpofu re-
agenda of the meeting included formal mutual hostilities, Mnangagwa sent a al problem. Relations improved when leased a statement hailing the UPND,
party-to-party introductions; developing delegation led by Mpofu, which includ- Michael Sata became fifth president of Chamisa and Hichilema have main- which he said has never sold out, in an
a fraternal relationship between the two ed the party’s secretary for foreign affairs Zambia from 2011 to 2014. A social tained close relations and contact, but apparent swipe at CCC, formerly the
parties which never existed; opening new Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and secretary democrat, he led the Patriotic Front, a the meeting in South Africa on 26 Jan- MDC Alliance, while trying to curry fa-
lines of communication for engagement; for finance Patrick Chinamasa, to do major political party in Zambia, with uary during the launch of a book writ- vour with the Zambian ruling party in a
tackling local, regional and international some troubleshooting. Mnangagwa, who close ties to Zanu PF. Lungu ruled after ten by Dr Greg Mills, entitled Expensive bid to drive a wedge between the two.
issues of mutual interest and managing grew up in Zambia and is to all intents Sata from 2015 to 2021 when Hichilema Poverty, Why Aid Fails And How It Can
the relationship between UPND and and purposes a Zambian, has been trying came in last August. Work, worried Zanu PF. “We fully respect the UPND for being
CCC – in fact isolating Zimbabwe’s to manage icy relations with Hichilema, a purely home-grown opposition whose
main rebranded opposition. even going to the extent of claiming they As reported by The NewsHawks last The book launch was also attended by agenda is more internally influenced than
are related. He further said he grew up week, Mnangagwa is worried sick and some businesspeople, including mem- it is externally enforced,” Mpofu said.
The sources said Zanu PF was more with Hichilema’s wife in Mumbwa, west scared stiff of a major geo-political and bers of the Oppenheimer family, raising
concerned about sovereignty and of Lusaka, and they both speak Tonga in electoral shift in the country, following fears back in Harare, that a potential “First and foremost, UPND’s rise to
non-interference in internal affairs, the a desperate bid at appeasement. Hichilema’s victory which has spurred funding arrangement could have been power was a result of a democratic elec-
traditional refugee for the party to avoid opposition parties in the  region, hence organised behind the scenes. toral process. The UPND has no record
scrutiny and criticism by neighbours, as Zanu PF fears Hichilema will become the visit by Zanu PF officials. of inviting external measures to destabi-
well as isolating CCC, while UPND was part of a network in the region which Zanu PF is worried by Kalimbwe’s lise Zambia’s economy. The UPND is
worried about democracy and good gov- may aggressively support change and The Mnangagwa administration is hostile engagement, which reflected the not famed for instigating external mea-
ernance issues. fund the opposition, including the CCC. closely monitoring Chamisa and Hich- UPND’s attitude towards it and pushed sures which paralysed the health sector
ilema’s relations and manoeuvres, espe- in Lusaka to isolate the vocal youth lead- to  generate a public outcry for regime
“There were many issues which arose Already panic over of a possible Rai- cially following the local opposition lead- er. Kalimbwe confirmed to The News- change in Zambia.
during the meeting that Zanu PF sought. la Odinga victory over William Ruto in er’s meetings with the Zambian President Hawks that Zanu PF complained about
However, for Zanu PF the bottomline Kenya are heightening anxiety in Harare. twice inside five months; first in Lusaka him. “The UPND’s rise was never influ-
was sovereignty and non-interference in during his inauguration on 24 August enced by external pressure which com-
internal affairs – a Mugabeist philosophy Zanu PF has no relations to talk 2021 and recently in South Africa on 26 “Some people (the Zanu PF dele- promised the rights of the ordinary men,
and mindset that still lingers on, while about with UPND. Hichilema’s land- January during a book launch. gation) came to Zambia to discuss my women and children in Zambia. There-
also isolating the CCC in. the process,” slide against the Patriotic Front and its tweets and have me isolated. Now their fore, we respect the UPND’s legitimacy
a source said. leader Edgar Lungu, Mnangagwa’s as- Zanu PF is worried Hichilema, who supporters are issuing death threats,” he and integrity to govern and we will be
sociate, last August created problematic until last year was an opposition politi- told The NewsHawks. committed to support it whenever need
“For the UPND, it was the issues that diplomatic relations between Harare cian, could facilitate funding for Chami- continues to arise at any moment.
Hichilema campaigned on that mattered and Lusaka, more specifically Zanu PF sa ahead of next year’s general elections, However, Kalimbwe has remained
the most: Democracy, good governance, and the UPND. Zanu PF relatively had and is desperate to improve relations with unfazed and continues to fire brickbats at “Zanu PF and UPND also identified
anti-corruption and economic reform, better relations Unip during the late na- the Zambian president and his party. Zanu PF. Before the meeting, Kalimbwe various areas of mutual interest 
as well human right and change. That tionalist founding Zambian leader Ken- had tweeted: “Lungu's regional  oppres-
is why in the end, there was no meet- neth Kaunda’s time, but had difficulties Hichilema defeated Mnangagwa’s ally sive friends of many years (Zanu PF) are especially with regards to the need for
ing of minds. Both parties hold mutual with Frederick Chiluba’s Movement Lungu in the presidential elections after in town, hoping to create new friend- the effective implementation of democ-
contempt for each other, hence worlds for Multi-Party Democracy. Although securing a landslide victory last August. ships.” racy and good governance values for sus-
apart.” Kaunda was an ally of Zapu leader Josh- He outpolled Lungu by about a million tainable nation-building goals in Zambia
ua Nkomo rather than Robert Mugabe votes, securing 59.02% of the vote com- On Wednesday, the day the meeting and Zimbabwe. We have agreed to also
As reported by The NewsHawks, Pres- and his Zanu, after independence toler- pared to Lungu’s 38.71%.  was held, he called on regional leaders to normalise an increased frequency of
ident Emmerson Mnangagwa and Zanu ance between the two developed. abandon silent diplomacy and confront high-level meetings between our parties.
PF are worried Hichilema, who cam- Ahead of the Zambian polls Mnan- dictators, in an apparent reference to We also agreed not to interfere in each
paigned on the ticket of democracy, good Chiluba led the struggle to end Kaun- gagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba Zanu PF, which reflects the UPND’s at- other’s internal affairs.”
governance, anti-corruption and reform da’s one-party rule. In 1991, Chiluba, naively labelled opposition leaders in the titude towards Zimbabwe’s ruling party.
– values and issues the authoritarian rul- who died in 2011, won the country’s first region, including Hichilema, sell-outs. In defiant support for CCC after
ing party in Harare resent – would keep multi-party elections to become Zambia’s “The politics of silent diplomacy is Zanu PF visit to Lusaka, Kalimbwe said:
them at bay and support Nelson Chami- Mnangagwa attended Hichilema’s not doing our region and continent any “We are wearing the same colour (yel-
sa’s CCC. Persistent attacks on Zanu PF good. We must call out human rights vi- low) on Sunday!!!”
by UPND and subsequent hostile en-
gagements both ways by its youth leader
Joseph Kalimbwe and Zimbabwe’s ruling
party activists have intensified tensions,

NewsHawks News Page 3

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

ZEC exposed over vote-rigging
chicanery ahead of by-elections

NYASHA CHINGONO Zimbabwe Electoral Commission acting chief executive Jane Pamhidzirai Chigidji. the date of issue.
“The commission will not
IN a scandal which fuels fears have been raised in the social 2:13] was not observed. There of the CEO. The commission
elections are usually rigged in media concerning an alleged is no written record of the re- views the matter seriously and take responsibility for any doc-
Zimbabwe and which further 2022 voters roll that is being quest made by the stakeholder urges all stakeholders to adopt uments issued clandestinely,
damages the image of the al- analysed by a certain con- concerned to the chief elec- a professional approach when under unclear circumstances
ready discredited Zimbabwe sultant of a stakeholder, the tions officer as is the normal dealing with it. and without following proper
Electoral Commission (Zec), commission ought to give a re- procedure. procedure. Those who require
the elections body, run by sym- sponse to let the public know “While the voters roll is a copies of the voters roll are
pathisers of the ruling Zanu of the truth and other admin- “There is no record or in- public document, there is an requested to direct their writ-
PF and state security agents, istrative processes being un- formation confirming that the administrative procedure to ten requests to the CEO and
has suspended its officers for dertaken regarding the issue,” CEO sanctioned the issuance follow for control purpos- their requests are formally ac-
handing over the voters’ roll to she said. of that alleged voters roll. In es once a request is made in knowledged and are advised to
the main opposition Citizens fact what has been established terms of Section 21(3) of the approach the relevant depart-
Coalition for Change (CCC). “The commission wishes to is that the alleged voters roll Electoral Act. It is also import- ment which in turn will inform
dissociate itself with the copy was issued on a verbal request ant to note that the voters roll them of the date of collection.
The voters’ roll was request- of the alleged voters roll that to an officer in the department is a fluid document which un- The question that arises when
ed for by CCC deputy secre- was allegedly issued to the concerned without the approv- dergoes constant changes save procedure is usurped is ‘what
tary for elections Ellen Shiri stakeholder concerned for the al or knowledge of the chief in cases where it is closed for motivated the usurpation in
who complied with all formal reason that it was not proce- elections officer. The request election purposes. the first instance?’.
procedures and then used for durally issued and for the re- document upon which it was
analysis by advocacy group cord, it has reason to believe issued does not bear any signa- “Each day there are new reg- “Stakeholders are therefore
Pachedu which unearthed ir- that there was connivance be- ture from any ZEC official. istrants, transfers, deaths and advised to follow due process
regularities on voters registra- tween certain members of its corrections that are added on in making requests to avoid
tion and polling stations. staff and a representative of “As a result of that incident, or effected in the voters roll disappointment. In as much
the stakeholder to issue a tem- the commission has suspend- and that is the reason why the the voters’ roll is a public doc-
The irregularities includ- pered copy so as to suit that ed some officials involved in law provides for a reasonable ument, the legislature was not
ed new polling stations and stakeholder’s narrative. the production of the voters period within which the com- blind to the fact that it con-
changing of some of them rolls while investigations are mission should provide same tains people’s confidential in-
without the knowledge of vot- “Preliminary investigations being carried to establish the to a person who has request- formation which is security
ers. have indicated that the prop- circumstances under which ed it. That period is meant to related. It is unlawful for any
er procedure followed once a the alleged 2020 voters roll allow the voters roll to be up- stakeholder to without prior
This came as Zec defended person requests for the voters was issued without following dated so that all information written consent of the com-
the use of the state security roll in terms of section 21(3) proper procedure and without therein is accurate and reflects mission to make use of infor-
agency, Central Intelligence of the Electoral Act [Chapter the authority or knowledge the correct state of affairs as of mation therein for any purpose
Organisation (CIO), in ac- unconnected with an election.
creditation of election observ- The publication of voters sen-
ers and voter registration, say- sitive information in social and
ing the law allows it to do so. other media circles as was hap-
pening is an offence punish-
Over the years, there have able by law. The commission
been reports that CIO and the will publish its own voters’ roll
army run Zimbabwe’s elec- analysis in due course for pub-
tions on behalf of Zanu PF, lic information.”
right from voters’ education,
registration, campaigning, ac- CCC spokesperson Fadzayi
creditation, voting and count- Mahere challenged Zec’s
ing of the ballots. claims that the voters’ roll was
obtained unprocedurally, say-
Former minister and MP ing it was lying to cover up the
Jonathan Moyo, who is also a rigging scandal.
professor of politics now liv-
ing in self-exile, exposed in his “It’s a matter of regret that
elections monograph Excelgate Zec is casting aspersions on
- How Zimbabwe's 2018 Presi- our deputy secretary for elec-
dential Election was Stolen the tions Ellen Shiri who complied
way the last polls were rigged with all formal procedures to
and the role of the CIO and access the voters’ roll used by
the military. He named some Pachedu,” she said.
security agents involved.
“Here is the proof we ob-
Moyo recently said President tained it procedurally (she at-
Emmerson Mnangagwa has as- tached proof on social media).
sembled a crack security team They must apologise for lying.”
to hunt him down and other
exiled former Zanu PF leaders Pachedu said: “Zec tried to
who fled after the November disown the voters’ roll that
2017 coup that brought him we got from them in a vain
to power. attempt to cover up their
criminal and unconstitution-
After the voters’ roll scam, al conduct. Sadly for Zec our
Zec acting chief executive Jane findings are well-substantiated
Pamhidzirai Chigidji said the by screenshots from the BVR
electoral body had swiftly sus- (biometric voter registration)
pended officials who released site to prove we got the most
the register “unprocedurally”. current roll.”

“Now that various issues

Page 4 News NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

A STORM has erupted over the Storm over CIO dabbling
embattled Zimbabwe Electoral in by-elections processes
Commission (Zec)’s position that
it has a legal right to work with Above The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission headquarters in Harare.
the state security agency, Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO), parent conduct of elections”. viduals that worked in its political er to alter the results in favour of ly by the district elections officers
and other public institutions in Moyo said in the interest of captivity and command to ensure Mnangagwa, but the impregnable where they were captured and col-
running elections, including the 26 rigging. American-made gadget’s software lated on a results collation template
March by-elections. transparency, Zec must publish the and hardware resisted until it was at the National Collation Centre.”
instructions it gave to the CIO on To ensure the spectacular elec- damaged. With military and intel-
Zec acting chief executive Jane accreditation of election observers tion rigging process, Zec turned ligence determination, the system By law the results should have
Pamhidzirai Chigidji said yesterday and on voter registration. the National Command Centre decided that the server be hidden been collated at the 210 constit-
the electoral body has a right to in Harare, a verification and an- and its existence officially denied. uency centres of the country and
work with CIO in terms of 239 (j) In his book, Excelgate - How nouncement of results structure, entered into V23B forms before
of the constitution which allows it Zimbabwe's 2018 Presidential into a “giant polling station” where An excel spreadsheet was then they are forwarded to 10 provincial
to “give instructions to persons in Election was Stolen, explains the a combination of soldiers and CIO brought in as an alternative that command centres where they were
the employment of the state or of role of the CIO and the military in details “in excess of 20” went on would allow the grand rigging plot. to be further collated into V23C
a local authority for the purpose of the polls. He named some security “punching in what was identified For this to work, the “command el- forms.
ensuring efficient, free, fair, prop- agents involved in stealing the elec- as V11 data into an excel spread- ement” of the system had to deploy
er and transparent conduct of any tion. sheet for close to two days” in a military and intelligence activity The invention of a different
election or referendum.” brazen violation of electoral laws of with the gravitas of “by all means route and destination for the pres-
Moyo says after taking over the the country. necessary” to execute the rescue idential result alone, leaving the
The involvement of the CIO control of the state and its insti- mission. parliamentary results to follow the
and the army has always been a tutions, the Zimbabwe Defence Moyo, who argues Mnangag- legal route, was a violation of Sec-
problem for Zimbabwean elections Forces, in some cases in collabora- wa actually lost the election to the Spectacularly and illegally a “dif- tion 38 of the Electoral Act that
which are always hotly disputed tion with the CIO, in a bid to pro- then leader of the MDC Alliance ferent route and different destina- legislates harmonised presidential
over rigging allegations. tect and consolidate the gains of Nelson Chamisa, now Citizens tion” for the presidential election and parliamentary elections.   Sec-
the coup, brazenly commandeered Coalition of Change (CCC) leader, results from all the polling stations tion 37 Chapter 4 of the Elector-
“The other allegation has to do the machinery of Zec, particularly says the Zimbabwean constitution in the country were quickly in- al Act and Section 110 Chapter 3
with the use of CIO for accredita- its computer network server, cor- was violated, while the country was vented. The V11s, polling station of the same Act were also violated
tion or voter registration. The com- rupted its internal system as well as robbed of its clear political choice return forms, and the V23s, ward with criminal intent and impunity.
mission has also taken note of the logistics and illegally changed the and democracy negated as military centre return forms for the pres-
allegation on social media that it is route and destination for the colla- rule was consolidated and fortified. idential election, which must be Zimbabwe’s usually violent and
using CIO for purposes of accred- tion, compilation and transmission Further, he says as soon after it collated and verified at constituen- blood-soaked elections have al-
itating observers for the forthcom- of the result of the 2018 presiden- emerged Mnangagwa had lost the cy centres, were illegally taken to ways been disputed since 1980,
ing by-election and voter registra- tial election for purposes of rigging poll as shown in the correct results the Zec National Command Cen- but mainly after 2000 with the
tion exercise currently underway,” the election in favour of Emmer- on the Zec server that was mirrored tre in Harare. emergence of the main opposi-
she said. son Mnangagwa, whom it had im- in servers of the CIO and the army, tion MDC, whose mantle has now
posed as President of Zimbabwe on a Plan B had to be urgently set Either by “accident or welcome been inherited by Chamisa’s CCC,
“It is further alleged that this 24 November 2017. afoot to subvert the people’s will. mischief by vigilant staffers” Zec although MDC-T leader Doug-
conduct is unconstitutional and documents this electoral fraud in las Mwonzora, accused of being
unlawful presumably in terms of Moyo fleshes out the anatomy First Zec technical experts that its own published elections report: a Zanu PF lackey, is still holding
Section 239 of the constitution. of electoral fraud and shenanigans are seconded from the army and “The results were taken to the Na- onto the party’s empty shell.
The commission wishes to advise of the Joint Operations Command CIO tried to break into the serv- tional Command Centre physical-
all its stakeholders to seek clarifi- using state institutions and indi- – STAFF WRITER.
cation on issues that they are not
clear about to avoid publishing
falsehoods which may mislead the
electorate. The correct position
of the law is that section 239 (j)
of the constitution of Zimbabwe
gives the commission broad powers
to instruct any person in the em-
ployment of the state or any local
authority for the purpose of ensur-
ing efficient, free, fair, proper and
transparent conduct of any election
or referendum.

“So in essence, it would only
be unlawful if an employee of the
state would engage in commission
duties without being instructed
by it. What is important is for the
commission to remain in charge
through giving instructions to any
employee of the state and not for
it to be instructed. The constitu-
tion does not discriminate against
any particular ministry or depart-
ment. All people who are recruited
by the commission work under its
instruction and the commission
guards its independence jealously.
There is therefore nothing amiss
(with working with CIO) as the
constitution allows the commis-
sion to give any instruction to any
person under the employment of
the state.”

Former minister and MP Jona-
than Moyo, who has written exten-
sively on the involvement of state
security agents, including CIO in
the rigging of elections, said it was
ironic for Zec to hire a “secretive
entity by design” to ensure “effi-
cient, free, fair, proper and trans-

NewsHawks News Page 5

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Army tightens screws
on troops over crime

NYASHA CHINGONO of 1 Commando Barracks, were shot dead by former detective
Joseph Nemaisa in a movie-style shootout in Harare's Chad-
SECURITY has been heightened in army bar- combe suburb.
racks across the country in the wake of a spate
of robberies involving soldiers as the military In January, two soldiers were sentenced to 40 years in pris-
descends on “rogue” elements, amid reports on for engaging in several robberies. 
that the assets of those implicated in robber-
ies are being forfeited,  The NewsHawks can “The Zimbabwe National Army does not condone cases of
report.  indiscipline and misconduct and will continue to pass deter-
rent sentences on any would be offenders,” the army said in
In most cases, vehicles of military personnel a statement. 
and civilians leaving cantonments are being
thoroughly searched for weapons as the army The army also urged members of the public to report any
battles to stop robberies. unbecoming behaviour by soldiers. 

Those leaving barracks with bags are also be- Contacted for comment, army spokesperson Colonel Al-
ing subjected to a stop-and-search as the army phios Makotore said: ”I do not answer on the phone. The
remains on high alert.  statement that we released is final. Use that.”

Although  searches have been standard pro- PGIrCaCphAiScsOpowered by
cedure in army barracks, the recent spate of
robberies by soldiers has resulted in intense se- OUR SERVICES
curity in cantonments.  
CORPORATE WEAR
“This has always been standard procedure in CUSTOM MADE T-SHIRTS
the army but with time there was laxity. Now
those tasked with security are more vigilant as CUSTOMIZED GIFTS
the military strives to improve discipline in its CORPORATE BRANDING
ranks and also account for rogue elements,” a
source told The NewsHawks.  SIGNAGE

Intensified searches come at a time the ar- Cnr J.Moyo & Rezende Contact
my’s intelligence department is seized with the Equity House
tracing of assets belonging to soldiers implicat- Suite 306 +263-77-777-5662
ed in robberies.  Harare +263-78-972-7627

This includes tracing and seizure of assets
registered in names of children and wives of
the rogue soldiers, suspected to have been
ill-gotten. 

One of the robbers implicated in the Hat-
field robbery, Lameck Kabara, from the Zim-
babwe National Defence College, who were
arrested in December, has also lost a car, house,
and other properties, according to insiders. 

“Lameck’s properties were repossessed. After
the arrest, the military went after him so that
he could get military discipline. He, like other
suspects, was also questioned on the robberies
and accomplices and as you know the military
interrogation is tough if not brutal,” said a se-
curity official.

Kabara lost properties that include assets
in South Africa, a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, an
Isuzu single cab truck and a house in Harare’s
Zimre Park surburb. 

Kabara and Christopher Charuma, who
is with the Air Force of Zimbabwe based at
Manyame Air Base, were arrested over the 24
December robbery and the murder of Elvis
Chijaka. A third suspect, Perseverence Chiho-
ta, a civilian, was also arrested.

They had got away with US$40 000.
Police revealed Chijaka was shot dead after
interrupting a robbery following a call from his
sister who was inside the house. The two men
wearing balaclavas and firing an AK47 rifle also
wounded Brian Chijaka, who was admitted to
Sally Mugabe Central Hospital.
The robbers drove off in a white Mer-
cedes-Benz C200 Kompressor after ransacking
the house and stealing US$40 000.
Investigators recovered 25 spent cartridges
from an AK47 rifle. They used a service rifle to
commit the offence.
Of late, there has been an upsurge in robber-
ies involving members of the security forces,
particularly the military and police.
In December, three suspected robbers iden-
tified as Brian Koga Tendere (38) of Chikupo
Village in Murewa, Charles Chirara (30) of
Ushewokunze, Harare, and Tariro Gora (21)

Page 6 News NewsHawks

NYASHA CHINGONO Issue 68, 18 February 2022

IT is election season yet again and the Nelson Chamisa support base
euphoria is palpable.  under spotlight this Sunday

It has taken Zimbabwe less than Citizens' Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa. Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said:
four years after the 2018 election for “It will be timely from an optics point
election fever to grip the country once Chamisa’s Sunday rally is expected to If the young leader can repeat the since the disputed 2018 election, with of view. Mnangagwa’s rally was more
more, this time triggered by the 26 draw a large turnout.  feat on Sunday, it would be game-on the party failing to mobilise during the about him and less about the by-elec-
March by-elections.  come 26 March.  protracted Covid-induced lockdowns, tions. But Chamisa’s rally could be
CCC enjoys considerable support while Zanu PF was allowed to cam- an amazing spectacle, far outshining
By-elections have traditionally been in Harare, which has been the party’s It will be a test of character and paign.  Mnangagwa and burying Mwonzora.
a subdued, low-profile affair. base since 2000.  Chamisa’s ability to mobilise support-
ers in such a short space of time.  The ball is now in Chamisa’s court “I hope he will make it very clear
But this by-election is unique.  Chamisa will be looking to flex his to pull a bumper crowd and prove why that they have been forced to change
The main political parties are going muscle and show off massive support Having failed to meet structures in he garnered more that two million the name, but the movement remains
all out to prove their popularity with in Harare.  Masvingo when Zanu PF members votes in 2018.  the same.” 
the electorate.  pelted his vehicle late last year, Chami-
Last Saturday, President Emmerson The 44-year-old opposition leader's sa would relish an opportunity to ad- However, the success of the Sunday Chamisa’s decision to hold his own
Mnangagwa was in Epworth, a poor last major rally in Harare was at Free- dress supporters under the new CCC rally, either to match or surpass Zanu campaign rally a week after Mnangag-
township, for the launch of Zanu PF’s dom Square (also known as Robert banner.  PF’s feat, will depend on the party’s wa drew thousands in Epworth has
by-election campaign.  Mugabe Square) where he drew thou- ability to mobilise its support base.  sent shockwaves throughout Zanu PF
The rally that drew thousands of sands on the eve of the 2018 election.  The opposition has faced headwinds amid reports of a plot to thwart the
supporters bused from across the city gathering.  This also comes after the
was the talk of the town, with Zanu party’s vice-president Tendai Biti was
PF supporters predicting runaway vic- briefly detained on Monday for hold-
tory in Harare, a traditional opposi- ing a meet-and-greet with his constit-
tion stronghold.  uency in Greendale suburb. 
At the rally, several MDC-Alliance
defectors were paraded to sing the Biti was released without charge,
praises of Mnangagwa. Party members but CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Ma-
were serenaded with lively Zimdance- here said the state was in panic mode
hall performances.  and had also detained national organ-
Zanu PF scored big on optics.  ising secretary Amos Chibaya in Gwe-
The rally proved that Zanu PF is ru for convening a parade. 
a force in mobilising its support base
for its functions. In any case, optics re- This has stoked fears of the likeli-
main a major factor in politics.  hood of another spate of arrests ahead
Whether the supporters were bused of the by-elections. 
or not, Zanu PF triggered a reaction
from its arch-rival, the Citizens' Coali- This comes after tge leaking of a pri-
tion for Change (CCC).  vate WhatsApp conversation between
While Mnangagwa was enjoying unidentified Zanu PF supporters plot-
a pleasant afternoon in Epworth, ting to scuttle the Sunday rally. 
MDC-T president Douglas Mwonzo-
ra was enduring a nightmarish election "Part of the plan is to book the ven-
campaign launch at the Zimbabwe ue ahead of CCC and thwart the rally
Grounds in Highfield. if they have not booked. We can sim-
The event delivered a sucker punch ply go and make our booking ahead of
to Mwonzora who has expended more them (CCC).  Can we send someone
energy on fighting the opposition to check if a booking has already been
than challenging Zanu PF's bad gov- done? If not, then we can book for our
ernance. own meeting to counter them. But
While claiming that he had 5 000 it is tricky to have our own meeting
people at the venue, the reality was there because we have our big shots, so
that the numbers were grossly inflated protocol has to be followed. Our par-
with many estimating 500 could have ty respects protocol. Let us get a green
been closer to the truth. light from the bosses first. I believe Mr
Mwonzora would have seen that his (Godfrey) Gomwe is in this group so
MDC-Alliance stands no chance in let us hear what he has to say,” part of
the upcoming elections. the conversation says. 
Now with Mwonzora’s head hope-
lessly buried in the proverbial sand, With the opposition facing obsta-
it is time for Chamisa to prove why cles in the run up to the by-elections,
CCC is the main opposition in Zim- Sunday’s rally is a defining moment
babwe. Ironically, holding his rally at for the rejuvenated CCC.
the same venue where Mwonzora’s
campaign monumentally flopped,

DESIRE CHIWASHIRA Mwonzora forks out stead that 5 000 people attended.
$2m for flopped rally Mwonzora’s party is contesting
LESS than 500 people attended A quotation for the 20 buses were adequate buses. The officials
MDC-T faction leader Douglas signed by T Makuku and seen by this Douglas Mwonzora. said the party had hoped that its ral- the polls under the MDC-Alliance
Mwonzora’s 26 March by-elections publication shows that on 11 Febru- Harare because I am currently at the ly would be attended by thousands banner after controversially snatch-
campaign launch at Zororo Grounds ary, Mwonzora was charged ZW$75 farm, but I can confirm that my bus- hence they hired buses. ing the name from its former lead-
in Highfield, Harare, last Saturday, 000 per Hino bus by Mak Trans Lo- es were hired,” Makuku said. er Nelson Chamisa who now leads
but this was by no means due to a gistics that trades as  Makuku Bus “As it is, the party paid for nothing the Citizens' Coalition for Change
lack of effort on his part. Services, to transport MDC sup- MDC-T officials said other trans- because there were no people to fer- (CCC).
porters “from constituencies around porters were engaged to ensure there ry. The idea had been to make a huge
After all, there was a lot at Harare to Zimbabwe Grounds”. statement of intent given that we The majority of by-elections were
stake. Mwonzora was keen on show- have been accused of working with occasioned by the recall of some
ing that he is a popular opposition In addition, MDC-T sources told Zanu PF and having no supporters MPs and councillors countrywide
figure who will be a force to reck- The NewsHawks that Mwonzora had so the buses were supposed to trans- by Mwonzora on allegations of hob-
on with not only in next month's also spent close to ZW$500 000 in port people from all over Harare nobbing with his erstwhile colleague,
by-elections but also during next hiring a public address system and province to the rally. Chamisa, while a few others were a
year’s harmonised elections. on other logistics in a bid to make “a result of the death of office holders.
huge statement of intent”. “It was a huge disappointment
The dismal turnout, however, because we could not reclaim the At that rally, most of the people
highlighted that Mwonzora, his The owner of the buses, Tsikirirai money back since the transporter were clad in red T-shirts emblazoned
MDC-T party and so-called alliance Makuku, confirmed providing trans- had availed the buses and purchased with Morgan Tsvangirai’s portrait
partners, do not command the pop- port for the opposition but said, in fuel,” a national standing committee while only a few donned Mwonzora’s
ularity they claim. the end, he provided less than 20 member said. white branded T-shirts.
buses because some are contracted to
It has emerged that Mwonzora Zupco. In a statement at the weekend, the The high-quality PA system
pulled out all the stops in his quest to party denied that its rally had flopped churned out Paul Madzore’s songs
attract a bumper crowd at the rally, “Let me check with my people in in spectacular fashion, claiming in- at the rally. Madzore is a member of
including hiring buses to transport Chamisa’s CCC.
party supporters, sympathisers and
anyone who cared to attend. The lo- At its peak, under Tsvangirai and
gistics cost ZW$1.5 million. later Chamisa’s leadership, the MDC
attracted tens of thousands of sup-
But the buses found a few takers. porters at its rallies, especially in Ha-
Mwonzora hired 20 buses in total, rare and other urban centres which
each at a cost of ZW$75 000. have, since its formation in 1999,
been its bastion of support.

NewsHawks News Page 7

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Mnangagwa 'second republic' as
scandal-ridden as Mugabe regime

DUMISANI NYONI and it remains a non-starter again in if other minerals are added to the President Emmerson Mnangagwa. afforded a chance to publicly scruti-
the Second Republic. During Pres- mix?” it said. deals as well as the flow of mining nise the executive budgets and offer
THERE is no difference between the ident Mugabe’s days, about US$15 revenues.  amendments in an objective manner. 
administration of former president billion of diamond revenues were “For instance, the 2019 OAG (Of-
Robert Mugabe and that of his suc- looted,” the report says.  fice of the Auditor-General) reported “Ironically, the Sentry Report has The system under both Mugabe
cessor Emmerson Mnangagwa when that over 300 000 carats of diamond shown that the Mnangagwa adminis- and Mnangagwa administrations
it comes to public procurement as the “If properly used through the bud- were not properly accounted for by tration through its corrupt and pow- hqvw operated is a 100% whipping
two republics are marred by procure- get, this amount would have trans- ZMDC (Zimbabwe Mining Devel- erful syndicate led by Kuda Tagwirei system in which members of a party
ment scandals, prejudicing Treasury formed a crumbling economy and opment Corporation).” is creating a mining empire in Zim- vote according to their party’s given
of billions of dollars per annum, a uplifted millions, especially rural babwe through shadow shell games positions rather than according to
new report shows.  folks, out of abject poverty.” The report says the mining sector is like their Kuvimba Mining House,” their ideology, conscience or the will
losing billions annually through illicit it says. of their constituents.
The report, compiled by the Zim- “The situation has worsened under financial flows. It says the sector falls
babwe Coalition on Debt and Devel- President Mnangagwa, as his govern- short of transparency with respect to Zimcodd’s analysis also established For effective fiscal transparency,
opment (Zimcodd), is titled "Do the ment publicly admitted that it is los- the awarding of mining contracts, that since Zimbabwe has been under supreme audit Institutions like the
More Things Change, the More They ing about US$100 million per month mining claims and rights, the con- the administration of the Zanu PF Auditor-General's Office must be af-
Remain the Same? through gold smuggling alone. What clusion of private mining investment government with more seats in Parlia- forded maximum statutory indepen-
ment, the Parliament has rarely been dence from the executive as well as
Budget Transparency Comparative unlimited access to relevant informa-
Analysis: First Versus the Second Re- tion, adequate resources to fulfil their
public in Zimbabwe". It found that audit functions and publicly report
both regimes constantly recorded on the use of taxpayers’ money. 
procurement scandals like controver-
sial tenderpreneurship deals. However, the analysis found that
audit reports were not submitted to
“For instance, during the Mugabe Parliament on time and regularly by
administration we witnessed the Wil- both regimes. 
lowgate motor scandal, GMB scan-
dal, and Ghost Workers scandal while Nevertheless, despite grey areas in
for the Mnangagwa administration both regimes, the reports noted that
(the scandals) include the US$3.5 bil- Mnangagwa's regime has never dis-
lion Command Agriculture, Lande- missed the Auditor-General just to
la-Zupco saga and the US$60 million derail transparency and accountabil-
Covid-19 Drax scandal, to mention ity of public finance like what was
just a few,” the report reads in part. done by the late Mugabe who dis-
missed Mildred Chiri in 2017 before
The report notes that another key she was reinstalled by Mnangagwa in
area is poor accounting for revenues the same year.
and expenditures in natural resources
like Zimbabwe’s vast mineral endow- The analysis also found a slight im-
ment.  The country boasts of large provement in debt transparency un-
reserves of minerals in high demand der the current administration. It said
globally, such as lithium, nickel, gold, the sitting government is publishing
diamond and the Platinum Group annual debt bulletins and, for the
Metals (PGMs) which comprise first time, the 2021 National Budget
platinum, palladium, and rhodium, was accompanied by a public debt
among others.  statement. 

Zimcodd said the analysis was “Whilst this is a welcome de-
of the view that fully showing pub- velopment, the borrowing process
lic extractive sector revenues in the continues to be mired in secrecy
budget documents would contribute due to collateralised borrowing (re-
immensely to transparency, public source-backed loans),” it said.
participation, and monitoring. One
should expect to see mineral revenues The analysis concluded that the
like royalties, fees and concessions as budget process, particularly the re-
well as government receipts of com- lease of budget-related documents,
pany mineral revenue payments. has slightly improved under the cur-
rent regime, but most of the previous
“Nevertheless, this was not the case administration’s fiscal transparency
during the Mugabe administration, struggles continue to linger in the
new administration.

Page 8 News NewsHawks

MOSES MATENGA Besieged farmers to Issue 68, 18 February 2022
launch class action
A NUMBER of prominent indig- High Court judge Justice Esther
enous farmers whose land has been judges who may end up then holding The action will also seek to pres- Tractor in a Zimbabwean farm. Muremba had dismissed Moyo’s ap-
targeted for takeover by President different views that will be conflict- ent the case of indigenous farmers sakwa, on appeal, overturned a High plication, prompting his appeal to the
Emmerson Mnangagwa's administra- ing with colleagues so that will bring affected even during the days of the Court ruling dismissing Moyo’s Supreme Court.
tion in what they say is an illegal and uncertainty to law on all those other late former president Robert Mugabe urgent application for an interdict
unconstitutional move are plotting a issues.” where those holding different views against the Lands minister and an oc- Muremba said Moyo’s wife Be-
class action lawsuit to block the wide- with him where punished by having cupant who had occupied a section of atrice, who filed the founding affida-
ly condemned land grab. Constitutional law expert Profes- land taken away from them. the farm since October 2020. vit, had no legal standing in the mat-
sor Lovemore Madhuku said: “It is ter because the offer letter was issued
The NewsHawks has established where one person can go to court rep- The class action plot comes as the “Until a final decision relating to to the husband.
that consultations have been taking resenting a particular group of people Supreme Court on Monday blocked the rights of the parties can be made
place in the last few days between who are not necessarily named in the the government from recycling peo- by this court under case number HC Several indigenous landown-
part of the targeted prominent farm- same category or same situation. ple on a Mazowe farm owned by ex- 290/20, or the return date of this ap- ers whose land has been targeted
ers and some of the country’s biggest iled former minister Jonathan Moyo plication, whichever happens sooner, by the government include Fred-
legal brains over the class action. “It's like you want to represent a and his wife Beatrice while a case the state of occupation by applicants erick Mutanda, Nicholas Vingirai,
group of children and you cannot over its seizure is still going on in the in respect of the remainder of Pat- Tawanda Nyambirai, Sam Ruturi,
The government has been persist- name all of them but you will be courts. terson Farm in Mazowe shall not be Afaras Gwaradzimba, Francis Zimu-
ing with its acquisition of land from alone and say what I am doing is not interfered with by the respondents, to, Wonder Matsaira, Chris Tande,
black farmers who bought farms and for myself but everyone in that partic- Justices George Chiweshe, its employees or assigns,” the interim Phineas Hwata, Nyasha Makuvise,
put them into full productive capac- ular situation.” Chinembiri Bhunu and Joseph Mu- order read in part. Onias Gumbo, Max Chisvo, Tendai
ity. Kandawasvika, Chris Goromonzi and
Siphosami Malunga who is in part-
Individual farmers who spoke to nership with Zephaniah Dhlamini
The NewsHawks confirmed the de- and Charles Moyo. The locals are be-
velopment this week, saying the class ing forced to relinquish land for com-
action was now in motion and the pensation and join the US$3.5 bil-
lawsuit will soon be processed, add- lion facility extended to white former
ing that some of the farmers will not commercial farmers, most of whom
want their names mentioned the class were displaced during the violent
action for fear of a backlash. land reform programme since 2000.
Under Statutory Instrument 62 of
“We are considering a class-action 2020, the government is empow-
and this will include some of the ered to take over farms from indige-
farmers to be affected and some who nous farmers and pay compensation.
were affected before,” a source close Farmers are however doubtful of the
to the matter said this week. government’s capacity to compensate
them for compulsorily acquired land.
It could not be immediately estab-
lished which lawyers the farmers will The government recently wrote to
be working with, but it emerged a some of the indigenous farmers open-
strong team of lawyers will put to- ing negotiations amid doubt that they
gether the papers to sue the govern- have the money required to compen-
ment on the matter. Lawyers said the sate them after proper evaluation.
class action suit makes better logic
than individual cases. “They have written to make an offer
on some of the properties. They have
“It’s like where we have a com- made an offer to buy land, but I am
munity with a same grievance, for not convinced they have the money. I
instance in this case where the gov- need to be convinced before I say yes.
ernment would want to compulsorily I need to be convinced whether they
acquire their land, whether ancestral have the money and there is also the
or bought, they can go by way of a issue of valuation. We are not happy
class action instead of suing individ- with the valuation they have,” one of
ually,” prominent lawyer Tonderai the farmers said last week.
Bhatasara said.
“The government has no money
“The result will now not only be and needs money to spend on more
limited to an individual but the rem- pressing issues rather than to spend
edy will be for all the other interested money on someone who doesn’t want
parties. It also saves costs and avoids it. They should just give me my farm
the possibility of conflicting judge- back and use the money for other
ments because if they sue individually things. Why offer money when they
their matter may be heard by different need it for more pressing issues?”

TAKE WHY YOU SHOULD
RESPONSIBILITY STAY 3 FEET AWAY

PREVENT FROM PEOPLE
THE SPREAD
OF COVID-19

Ÿ You can’t immediately identify who has the
virus..

Ÿ To reduce the spread of the virus if you are
already infected.

Ÿ To avoid droplets from an infected person

when they sneeze or cough.

NewsHawks News Page 9

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

MOSES MATENGA Judge berated for interlocutory application.
‘incompetent order’ “In any case, the first respondent
IN an unprecedented move, Supreme
Court judges have berated High was a respondent in the application ceedings before Chitapi were then High Court Justice Tawanda Chitapi. in the interlocutory application
Court Justice Tawanda Chitapi for for leave to appeal, ended up with a conducted. Firstly, the judge noted in and seek relief from the court unless could only have sought the dismiss-
alleged incompetence and passing judgement in his favour in the appli- his judgement that Advocate  Mag- and until his or her legal practitioners al or striking off, of that applica-
an irregular default judgement in a cation he filed in terms of rule 449 waliba, counsel for the applicant, (re- have renounced agency,” Gwaunza tion. For their part, the two counsel
long-standing land without the matter being heard and spondent in casu) had requested that said. representing the applicant and the
determined on merits,” she said. the matter be stood down because he fifth  respondent in casu  could only
ownership dispute involving Bar- was otherwise engaged with a case be- “Seemingly disregarding these have been in default in relation to the
iadie Investments (Private) Limited On other “patent but minor irreg- fore the Supreme Court. considerations, the judge a quo pro- interlocutory application for leave to
and a Harare lawyer. ularities” in Chitapi’s order, Gwaun- ceeded to strongly berate counsel for appeal that, with their consent, had
za said, the judgement in question “This information was conveyed the appellant and the fifth respon- been set down for hearing on the day
Deputy Chief Justice Gwaunza, in added to the concern by the Supreme to the court by the first respondent. dent for so disrespecting the court as in question. However, the order that
a 16 February 2022 ruling with Jus- Court. While noting this fact, the judge did to be in default of appearance on a was then granted leaves no doubt
tices Antonia Guvava and Chinem- not indicate what his reaction to the date that all parties had agreed to. Of that the court a quo took the legally
biri Bhunu on the matter between “Apart from citing the parties as request was. Instead, he mentioned the request from the first respondent’s incompetent view that the circum-
Bariadie Investments (Private) Limit- cited in the main application, the fol- that following the established default counsel to stand the matter down, stances that had called for the default
ed and Puwayi Chiutsi (first respon- lowing anomalous notation is evident judgement of the two other counsels nothing was said. The judge instead order effectively striking down the re-
dent), Tendai Mashamhanda (second on the first page of the judgement. in the matter, the 'applicant' before saw nothing irregular in allowing a spondent’s defense in the main appli-
respondent), the Registrar of Deeds The anomaly in question arises from him, that is the first respondent in hitherto represented litigant to ad- cation and granting the relief sought
(third respondent), the Sheriff of the the fact that all three counsel cited casu, applied for judgement in de- dress a court as a self-actor and apply by the applicant therein.”
High Court (fourth respondent) and (Thembinkosi Magwaliba for the ap- fault of appearance of the second and for default judgement against appel-
Elliot Rodgers (fifth respondent), plicant, T Mapuranga, for the 2nd third respondents. lant and the fifth respondent. The Gwaunza lashed Chitapi again,
castigated Chitapi and effectively set respondent, D Kwenda for the 3rd fact that the litigant in question was saying: “It is astonishing and, in the
aside his December 2019 default or- respondent) were not present at the “In the absence of his legal repre- a senior legal practitioner who clearly court’s view, patently irregular that
der that was granted “without anyone hearing of the application, a circum- sentation, there is no indication that sought to use his knowledge of court the judge a quo disregarded the real-
seeking it.” stance that the learned Judge himself his counsel of choice had renounced procedures to snatch a judgement did ity of what was property before the
mentioned and roundly condemned agency. Quite to the contrary, since not deter the court,” the judgement court on the date in question, that
Bariadie Investments (Private) insofar as it is related to counsel for the latter had requested for the stand- further stated. is the application for leave to appeal,
Limited appealed to the Supreme the second and third respondents in ing down of the matter until he was and proceeded to determine the sub-
Court against  Chitapi’s September that matter. able to present himself. It is a matter “It is further not clear from the stantive issue between the parties.
2021 judgement that dismissed with of procedure that legally represent- judgement whether or not the de-
costs an application to have a deed of “What caused serious concern, ed litigant does not casually address fault judgement sought by the first The judge’s extreme disapproval of
transfer for the Mt Pleasant property however, was the manner the pro- respondent related to the main or the the perceived conduct of the senior
which was purchased by Masham- counsel representing the appellant
handa cancelled. and fifth respondent in casu for fail-
ing to appear on the date of hearing
Mathonsi had dismissed Chiut- could not be an excuse for flouting
si’s applications for the order to set the law both in substance and in
aside the confirmation of the sale of terms of procedure. For quite clearly,
the house in pursuance of a court the court a quo ruled on a matter that
judgement granted on 4 November was not yet before it.”
2014 in favour of Rodgers follow-
ing a wrangle over US$70 000 trust Gwaunza said apart from citing
money. on the first page of the default judge-
ment the parties as they were cited in
Chiutsi had also sought an applica- the main application, evidently, the
tion for declaratur brought by Rodg- court a quo conflated the two appli-
ers against the Sheriff (as the first cations in other respects.
respondent) while Rodgers, Registrar
of Deeds and Bariadie Investments “The learned judge seems to have
(Pvt) Ltd were the second, third and taken the view that the default by the
fourth respondents respectively.   counsel concerned, in respect of the
interlocutory application, also consti-
All the applications were dismissed tuted default by them in relation to
by Justice Mathonsi.  the main application which  in the
judge’s words was 'vehemently op-
The company in 2017 bought posed' by respondents therein. After
the Mt Pleasant property follow- clearly stating that what was to be
ing a High Court ruling by Justice determined in the main application
Mathonsi, but the previous owner, was the veracity of the applicant’s
Chiutsi, allegedly fraudulently resold averment as to whether Mathonsi’s
the property. judgement was granted in error and
whether there was merit in the appli-
However, the Supreme Court can- cation, the judge then stated as fol-
celled Justice Chitapi’s order, but not lows…'the application has however,
before blasting him over several irreg- ended up determined on the basis
ularities. of default judgement because of how
the parties and particularly counsel
“This is because the matter be- for the second and fifth respondent
fore Mathonsi was a consolidation conducted themselves'.”
of two applications, 0one by the
first respondent and the other by the “The conduct of the second and
fifth  respondent in casu. The latter third respondents referred to, was
application sought a declaratur to their failure to attend court for hear-
the effect that once the Sheriff has ing of the application for leave to
issued a determination in terms of appeal set down for July 20, 2021. It
the High Court rules, he was obliged was not, as the Judge suggests, for the
to pass transfer in terms of rule 361. hearing of the main application.”
Mathonsi specifically dismissed both
applications,” Gwaunza’s ruling read “Another indication of improper
in part. conflation of the two applications is
the default order granted by the court
“Chitapi’s default order in on the basis that the counsel con-
HH477/21, by wholesomely and cerned were in ‘willful default’ and
quite improperly setting aside the therefore that the default judgement
judgement of Mathonsi, also set aside was deserved. The court reached back-
his order in the application filed by wards to the relief sought by the first
the fifth respondent. In the main ap- respondent in the main application
plication before Chitapi, the first re- and granted it without amendment.
spondent could not have sought the The legal fate of the application for
setting aside of an order that, in its leave to appeal to the Supreme Court
effect, was actually in his favour.” remains in limbo. The court was en-
joined to, but did not make a deter-
Deputy Chief Justice Gwaunza mination one way or the other in the
said Justice Chitapi ended up with his face of the default by those who were
“default order” after the counsel did
not show up on the day of the ruling.

“Thus the first respondent, who

Page 10 News NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

domini litis in the interlocutory ap- “Equally damning is the fact that favour of second respondent, to be any case, have validated the sale and ments, in particular that of Mathon-
plication before it. in setting aside Mathonsi’s judge- cancelled. transfer of the disputed property by si, as though they were irrelevant to
ment, the court a quo did not differ- the first respondent to the second re- the just determination of the dispute
“One may note in this respect that entiate between the order pertaining “The deeds under which land in spondent." before it.
even where all parties to a matter to the first respondent’s case and that question or any real right therefore
properly set down absent themselves pertaining to the fifth respondent’s was held prior to the registration of According to the court papers, “There is merit in this submission.
from the hearing, the court would case. the cancelled deed of transfer be and the matter began sometime in 2012 Mathonsi’s judgement was clear on
still be required to make an applica- are hereby revived,” the Supreme when Rogers, the fifth respondent the point that the first respondent
tion order. In the circumstances of “The latter order could only have Court ordered. in the matter, obtained judgement could not dispose of the property
this case, it is that type of order which been properly overturned at the in- under HC 3331/14 against Chiut- whose sale the court had confirmed,”
would have defined the process to be stance of the losing party, therein, The Supreme Court also ordered si, who is first respondent, after the Gwaunza’s judgement read in part.
followed in the eventual setting down that is the fifth respondent. The Judge that the land in question be trans- latter had failed to pay the balance
of the main application properly and therefore granted a default order that ferred into the applicant’s name. of US$116 000 after he sold, on in- “Mathonsi’s order was extant at the
on notice to all concerned parties. had not been sought by anyone.” struction, Rogers’ piece of land in Mt time that the first respondent, in bla-
Leaving undetermined matters that In overturning the Chitapi ruling, Pleasant. tant violation thereof, sold the prop-
are on the court roll would clearly “The irregularity of such action Gwaunza expressed disquiet. erty to the second respondent. As a
not be in the interests of efficient case needs no emphasis. It is worth men- Consequently, the court ordered senior legal practitioner, he could
management nor finality in litiga- tioning in this respect that a judge is “The matter, however, does not the sale in the execution of Chiutsi’s not have failed to appreciate the fact
tion.” required to address his or her mind to end there. This is because of a wor- property known as the remainder of that anything done in violation of an
every order that he or she makes, even rying development in that dispute subdivision C of Lot 6 of Lots 190, extant order of the court is, by that
“As it is, the respondents in the in circumstances where such order is that was brought to the court’s atten- 191, 192, 193, 194 and 195 High- token, invalid at law.”
main application who presumably granted in default of appearance by a tion on the very day this appeal was lands Estate of Welmoed.
filed full pleadings in that respect and party to the proceedings.” heard,” the Supreme Court ruling “That first respondent fully ap-
were looking to argue the matter on read out by Gwaunza read in part. It emerged that in 2017, Bariadie preciated the fact that he could not
the merits whether or not their ap- The Supreme Court then vacated Investments (Private) Limited partic- validly sell the property in the face
plication for leave to appeal against Chitapi’s order, saying: “Accordingly, “Counsel for the first respondent ipated in the Sherriff’s sale by public of Mathonsi’s order demonstrated by
some points in limine was granted, both proceedings in the matter and (Chiutsi) produced a judgement (HH auction of Chiutsi’s property and was his spirited efforts through the two
woke up to a situation where judge- the resultant default order granted by 477/21) granted in default by Chitapi declared the highest bidder after of- applications filed with this court, to
ment had been granted against them the court in HH 477/21 stand to be J, the same judge whose judgement is fering to pay US$270 000. secure an interdict against transfer of
in the substantive dispute between vacated.” the subject of this appeal. The judge- the property to the appellant.
the parties. ment was handed down a day before However, Chiutsi later lodged ob-
According to the disposition, the hearing of this appeal. Counsel jection to the confirmation of the sale “With one High Court and two
“A compounding factor in the du- Chiutsi fraudulently sold property for both the appellant and the fifth by the Sheriff of the High Court but Supreme Court orders endorsing the
bious procedure adopted by the Judge that had already been sold to the ap- respondent expressed some disquiet his objection was dismissed. injunction against him to dispose of
a quo is the fact that the default order pellant through a confirmed Sheriff’s at this turn of events and expressed the property in question, it is mind
in question was granted on the basis sale by public auction and proceeded the view, shared by the court, that the Chiutsi however, appealed Justice boggling that the first respondent, a
of what could only have been a fur- to perjure himself and thereby facili- default judgement in question should Mathonsi’s judgement but was dis- lawyer of many years’ standing, pro-
ther futile attempt by the first respon- tated transfer of the property into the not deter hearing of the appeal before missed on the basis that his conduct ceeded to act in such open defiance
dent to frustrate execution against his second respondent’s name. the court,” the judgement further before the courts was dishonourable of the law and judicial process. The
property. It doesn’t escape notice that read. and also in view of his "unworthy appellant and the fifth respondent
the ‘mistake’ allegedly related to the “The confirmation by the Sheriff manner by misappropriating trust cannot be faulted for describing such
non-consideration by Mathonsi of of the sale by auction remains extant “The dispositive part of the judge- funds” and that “he had employed ev- conduct as being fraudulent and con-
certain evidence that only came to despite the incompetent default order ment in question purported to set ery trick in the book to avoid paying temptuous.”
light after the hearing of the matter granted in HH477/21. aside the judgement of Mathonsi J his debt” to Rogers.
to which the judgement related.” which endorsed the confirmation of “The court a quo accordingly erred
“The default judgement by Chitapi the sale of the contested property by Undaunted, Chiutsi appealed the in treating the previous judgements
“Literally, with the stroke of a pen, has failed to withstand review scruti- the Sheriff, to the appellant. In light judgement and also tried without of the High Court and this court,
the court a quo set aside the judge- ny as outlined and must be set aside. of the pignus judiciale  created by the success to file an urgent chamber ap- whose effects was to bar the first re-
ment of equal jurisdiction through Consequently, Mathonsi’s judgement attachment of the property in ques- plication for an interdict against the spondent from selling the property to
the agency, a default judgement HH604/18 remains extant.” tion, which attachment (and subse- transfer of the property pending the the second respondent, as having no
granted in a matter not before it.” quent sale of the property) remained outcome of the appeal that he had effect on the case that was before it.
The Supreme Court ordered that extant, the setting aside of Mathon- filed. According to Gwaunza, Chi- The contrary was clearly the case.”
deed of transfer, number 708/19, si’s judgement per se would not, in tapi erred in treating previous judge-
issued by the third respondent in

Water shortages loom in Bulawayo

LIZWE SEBATHA relevant ministries. supply dams, namely Insiza, Mayfair, Bulawayo City. liquid, resulting in a killer diarrhoea
In appealing to Mnangagwa, the Inyankuni and Mtshabezi can last the outbreak.
BULAWAYO residents face  another city 14 months. “Criterion should receive more
round of water shortages despite the BPRA cited section 77 (a) of the con- than 110 ML/Day of raw water and “Available pumping capacities at
recent rains as city fathers have pro- stitution that implores the state to “The above table showed that produce an average of 100 ML/Day Ncema water works had a capacity
posed a three-day water shedding re- take reasonable legislative and other Mzingwane Dam was projected to for the city reservoir levels to be stable to pump a maximum of 40 ML/Day
gime because one of the supply dams measures within the limits of avaula- be decommissioned if no significant and ensure continuous water supply. to 45 ML/day out of the expected 80
faces decommissioning. ble resources to achieve the progres- rainfall occurred that would result ML/day clear water due to 60% of
sive realisation of the right to potable in inflows to the dam. The decom- “In the event that the decommis- the filters not working and to be ad-
Latest city council statistics indi- water. missioning would result in reduced sioning occurs, the department pro- dressed through the tender for the re-
cate that Umzingwane Dam is just available abstraction by 35 megalitres posed the adoption of 72-hour shed- habilitation of these,” the report adds.
9% full and will be decommissioned The government responded by per day thus affecting total available ding programme when Mzingwane is
soon. This means residents will rely hiring some consultants to probe the raw water for delivery to Criterion actually decommissioned. The pro- Residents are pinning their hopes
on Insiza, Inyankuni, Upper Ncema, water crisis. The consultants blamed (council water works),” reads in part a posed 72-hour (programme) would on the completion of the Matabele-
Lower Ncema and Mtshabezi dams. the council for lacking technical council water supplies and engineer- be reviewed with time.” land Zambezi Water Project – an
know-how and capacity to pump ing services committee report. ambitious project mooted in 1912 to
Indications are that Mtshabezi will water, insisting that the remaining In 2020, desperate residents re- ferry an estimated 160 000 megalitres
be decommissioned in April, Insiza sorted to vandalising the city’s water of water through a pipeline to Bula-
in June, Upper Ncema in July and pipe system to access the precious wayo daily from Gwayi-Shangani
Inyankuni in September while Lower Dam.
Ncema faces the same fate in a few
months' time. Government has said the dam con-
struction is expected to be completed
Bulawayo’s supply dams, which are in December 2022. The Zimbabwe
all located in the drought-prone Ma- National Water Authority and Chi-
tabeleland South province, quickly nese contractor China International
dry up due to very low rainfall pat- Water and Electric Corporation are
terns there, resulting in stringent wa- involved in the construction of the
ter rationing regimes. dam.

In 2020, a killer diarrhoea out- Bulawayo commentator Effie Ncu-
break blamed on water shortages hit be said: “The only way to defeat water
the city. At the time, the local au- shortages in Bulawayo is to invest in
thority had decommissioned Umz- water supply at a city level, and at a
ingwane, Upper Ncema and Lower national level. We need bigger, better
Ncema. dams.”

As the water crisis worsened, resi- Another commentator, Mbuso
dents through the Bulawayo Progres- Fuzwayo, added: “The city should
sive Residents Association (BPRA) properly plan in terms of water sup-
appealed to President Emmerson ply in relation to the growth of the
Mnangagwa to declare the city a wa- city. We need more in terms of res-
ter shortage area after being frustrated ervoirs for water, water harvesting
with the lack of urgency shown by the measures.”

NewsHawks News Page 11

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

'Keep army out of Mnangagwa
ascendancy legitimacy battle'

MOSES MATENGA bring nothing new or novel to the entity in litigation.” Sybeth Musengezi. collective could therefore claim  lo-
proceedings under cover of case num- He said Nguni’s organisation does dent's affairs,” Musengezi said. cus standi  in this case. Every citizen
THE Zanu PF youth activist chal- ber HC 5687/21,” he added. of this country could therefore claim
lenging President Emmerson Mnan- not exhibit “a legal or substantial in- He said under normal circum- such standing, and thus render litiga-
gagwa’s ascendancy  to power in the Musengezi accused Fongo and terest in the affairs of a commons law stances Zanu PF is represented in the tion in this matter seamless. 1st and
ruling party and his legitimacy says Nguni of only being “busy bodies” in universitas”, adding that Fongo, as matter by its secretary for Legal Af- 2nd Applicants have shown no more
the military should have nothing to the matter seeking relevance unneces- an organisation governed by its own fairs (Paul Mangwana) in litigation. legitimate legal interest in this matter
do with his challenge over internal sarily, adding they had no locus stan- deed of trust does not show why it anymore than their commitment as
Zanu PF dynamics, as he asks the di to challenge his case. should concern itself and be affected “The joinder sought by the 1st and busy bodies,” Musengezi added.
High Court to dismiss an application by legal suits against Zanu PF. 2nd Applicants herein would render
by a local non-government organisa- Musengezi cited irregularities that every ordinary member of the 2nd “Aside from political anger, the 1st
tion and its leader. sought to disqualify and invalidate With respect to Nguni’s depo- Respondent eligible to join in, in and 2nd Applicants have no leg to
Fongo and Nguni’s application. sitions acting in personal capacity, these proceedings and thus rendering stand on in relation to matters arising
In his opposing affidavit challeng- Musengezi said the Fongo leader was litigation in relation thereto seam- from HC 5687/21.”
ing the application by the Federation “With respect to the founding af- a member of Zanu PF and part of the less,” he said.
of Non-Governmental Organisations fidavit of Nguni acting for and on ruling party’s political collective and “In applications of this nature,
(Fongo) Trust (first applicant) and its behalf of 1st Applicant, the depo- therefore the interests and rights of “Wherefore, on the basis that 1st one does not seek to join proceed-
founder Goodson Nguni (second ap- nent purports to act on behalf of the every member should be sufficiently and 2nd applicants have no  locus ings simply to express their political
plicant), Zanu PF youth activist Sy- 1st Applicant, a trust. A trust acts protected and accommodated in the standi  or no legal or substantial in- opinions or to opine on the political
beth Musengezi, who is challenging through all its trustees and may not party’s opposing affidavit to his chal- terest in the proceedings undercover intentions of the Applicant in HC
the constitutionality of Mnangagwa’s delegate its collectivity to a single lenge. of case number HC 5687/21, 1st and 5687/21. That is neither here nor
November 2017 rise to power in the trustee such as has happened here,” 2nd Applicants' present application there. 2nd Applicant's political opin-
High Court, said the attempt to bring Musengezi said in his affidavit. “2nd Applicant herein purports to should be dismissed on the prelimi- ions do not conduce to the effectual
in the army in justifying the current speak authoritatively on the affairs of nary argument aforelaid, with costs and complete determination of mat-
President’s grab of power was incon- “The 1st Applicant is therefore not the 2nd Respondent but does not ex- on attorney and client scale, payable ters in HC 5687/21. Instead, 1st and
sequential to the matter before the properly before the court in that the hibit the source of his authority to so jointly and severally by the 1st or 2nd 2nd Respondents' flirtation in HC
courts. trust (18 Applicant) has been brought act (litigate) and speak for, or on be- Applicant, one paying, the other to be 5687/21 is a side show that should
to court by a person ill-constituted half of or in relation to 2nd Respon- absolved.” be dismissed with punitive costs,” he
Musengezi is represented by his and unauthorised to represent such added.
lawyers Ncube Attorneys. “Every member of such private
Musengezi also accused Nguni of
Nguni, a former Zimbabwe An- threatening him and his legal team
ti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) to drop the challenge against Mnan-
commissioner, in January filed a join- gagwa.
der at the High Court in a case in
Musengezi is challenging Mnangag- “The most distasteful thing that
wa’s legitimacy and described Mnan- the 2nd Applicant herein has done
gagwa’s rise to power as legal, insisting is to issue express threats against my
Musengezi was bogus. person and legal practitioners rep-
resenting me in proceedings under
In his application, Nguni argued cover of case number HC 5687/21. I
that several issues played up in Mnan- should state that the 2nd Applicant's
gagwa’s rise to power, including the depositions herein lack legal decency
involvement of the Zimbabwe De- and serve to show the irrelevance of
fence Forces (ZDF), court orders and the 1st and 2nd Applicant's potential
Parliamentary processes that validated contribution in the litigation they
Operation Restore Legacy and pro- seek to join,” he said.
cesses leading to Mnangagwa’s rise.
“I am not aware of any law en-
But Musengezi hit back in his op- forcement agent who has sought me
posing affidavit, saying:  “Whether out, intending to arrest me for any of-
the country's security forces had a fence. 2nd Applicant who seems to be
right to do what the 1st and 2nd Ap- in the know, may probably know the
plicants say they did, is not an issue silhouetted personalities that tail me
to detain any court here. The con- day in and day out ever since I filed
testations are about the alleged con- HC 5687/21. Aside from assassina-
stitutional transgressions of the 2nd tion of my personality, this paragraph
Respondent (Zanu PF) as a private does not enrich the 2nd Applicant's
collective in relation to its associative present application but opens him to
document, such that national affairs evidence of character. In the forego-
and institutions are not in issue in ing regard, the 2nd Applicant should
HC 5687/21.” know that it is in the international
domain that the person of the 2nd
“The application in HC 5687/21 Applicant is a fugitive from South Af-
does not set out to resolve whether rican courts, having absconded there-
the transfer of state power after the from, to avoid fraud and corruption
said military intervention was legal charges,  that were pending against
or illegal. 1st and 2nd Applicants the 2nd Applicant at the South East-
are bringing irrelevancies into HC ern Cape Local Division of the High
5687/21 in that they seek to intro- Court of South Africa, (case number
duce national affairs in the affairs of 2529/99).”
the 2nd Respondent. All the more the
reason why the 1st and 2nd Appli- Musengezi is seeking the applica-
cants' application for joinder should tion for joinder be dismissed and set
be dismissed, because such applica- aside. Zanu PF is cited as second re-
tion seeks to detain the court on irrel- spondent while Mnangagwa is cited
evancies,” Musengezi said. as the third respondent.

“This is the manifestation of 1st Zanu PF secretary for adminis-
and 2nd Applicants' politics and is tration Obert Mpofu, secretary for
irrelevant to issues for determination finance Patrick Chinamasa, former
in HC 5687/21. Competent offices vice-president Phelekezela Mphoko
within the 2nd Respondent's organi- and former secretary for administra-
sation have dealt with all issues herein tion Ignatius Chombo are cited as
raised by the 1st and 2nd Applicants, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh re-
such that the 1st and 2nd Applicants spondents respectively.  

Page 12 News NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

MOSES MATENGA  From arch-enemy to not looking into that.
BLESSING Chebundo became ‘bootlicker-in-chief ’ “A human being is bound to
“marked for death” in Kwekwe, his
house razed down and forced into … Blessing Chebundo roped into change and you cannot pin any-
hiding for days as Zanu PF hounds Mnangagwa campaign squad one down for what he or a party
bayed for his blood. did in the past. In real life, you
but before the results were an- strongman in the district and also Blessing Chebundo. do not look at who did what to
His sin was daring to challenge nounced he fled his home. Mnan- in the province. Mugabe stood and me and I think God has a reason.
Emmerson Mnangagwa for the gagwa’s hounds were searching for said he was happy with the crowd Mnangagwa and has offered to be Are the people who are there these
Kwekwe Central constituency seat him. It took Chebundo some time that thronged the stadium and in- his “disciple”. days still doing what they used to
in 2000. to come out in public and, when he quired if they were forced or not do then? We are not God, and we
did so, it was only after Mnangag- and thousands walked out in pro- This was also despite his state- can’t judge people in the past but
He thumped the then Midlands wa’s hardline backers had grudg- test and this was a day the people ment during the 2018 harmonised we judge what they are doing cur-
hardman before repeating the feat ingly accepted that their political of Kwekwe showed him they did elections that Mnangagwa would rently.
in 2005. godfather had lost. Mugabe then not want him even if he had used be beaten hands down “Kwekwe
rescued Mnangagwa by appointing violence against them. It was Che- style” as he was part of an old guard “People may see what happened
Dozens of people were injured, him speaker of Parliament. bundo who was the face of all that which had destroyed the country. in the past and the blame being
others killed at the hands of the and, with the scars he had suffered, apportioned to the President, but
Zanu PF militia then known as “There was a bloodbath in Kwe- it is now shocking to hear him “I am simply telling Zimbabwe- remember the buck did not stop
the Taliban after a terror group in kwe and people died. Chebundo speak like this.” ans that Mnangagwa has been part with him then. Now he is there,
Afghanistan following a decision survived several attempts on his and parcel of the old order since look at the decisions he is mak-
by Chebundo, then a staunch and life, his family and friends suffered He was responding to Chebun- 1980, and after 38 years of him be- ing, look at the way he is handling
daring trade unionist, to challenge at the hands of Mnangagwa. We do’s unrelenting praise-singing of ing in government, it is high time things and accepting back people,
the then Justice minister who was are surprised with his decision to his former nemesis in Epworth that we should put someone young being magnanimous and so on.”
regarded in Zanu PF circles as the join Zanu PF, particularly joining during a Zanu PF rally where he who can bring hope for Zimba-
Midlands provincial godfather. hands with his tormentor, Mnan- showered Mnangagwa with praises bweans,” he said back then. He spoke ill of the new Citizens'
gagwa,” Chebundo’s former ally while blasting his former allies in Coalition for Change, saying the
Mnangagwa at the time was seen who is now with Nelson Chami- the opposition as lacking wisdom. Chebundo told The NewsHawks party and its leader Nelson Chami-
as a potential successor to the late sa’s Citizens' Coalition for Change this week that he has forgiven his sa lacked the maturity and wisdom
former president Robert Mugabe (CCC) said. Despite the violence unleashed tormentors. to take the country forward.
and was leading a faction battling on him and many MDC support-
another led by the late decorated “I remember when thousands ers at the height of bloody political “What you have to do if you are “They said we sold out when we
military commander Solomon were violently forced to a rally ad- violence in Kwekwe that coincided a politician or any other person is left the opposition, but we are vin-
Mujuru in the internecine Zanu dressed by (the late former Presi- with the chaotic land reform pro- not to continuously look at the dicated now because we now see
PF factional wars. dent Robert) Mugabe in Mbizo gramme, Chebundo, much to the negative,” Chebundo said. what has happened to the MDC, it
Stadium in 2000 when Mnangag- chagrin of those he struggled with is now non-existent. We have seen
Defeat at the hands of the lit- wa wanted to pose to the party as a back then, now chooses to praise “We have set out to benefit the they have abandoned the Tsvan-
tle-known Chebundo would ex- institution and the country so if girai party and the original MDC
pose his lack of popularity in a you say since 'I was once punched beliefs where we stood for the peo-
province which was supposed to by so and so I cannot therefore ple, for the workers and for prin-
be his citadel. Therefore, every work with them', that is not pro- ciple. Caps United (football club)
threat, real or perceived, had to gressive. The past is past and we are cannot just wake up to say we are
be stopped at all costs and by any no longer Caps United but we are
means necessary. Manchester United and the coach,
in this case Chamisa, saying he has
Violence and intimidation were only himself remaining in the par-
the chosen methods ahead of the ty,” he said.
2000 polls.
“Now they have abandoned the
In reports by Amnesty Inter- workers’ struggle, the colours and
national, the United Nations and all, yet he comes to say vote for
several human rights organisations, me because I am popular. You are
Chebundo’s name featured promi- taking the people for granted. They
nently among politicians whose are not taking people seriously.
lives were at risk during the era.
“I refused to have my name
Amnesty International was par- abused by the opposition. I am not
ticularly concerned by reports of beating my own drum, but I pre-
soldiers beating civilians in sub- vailed in the past political contes-
urbs of Harare and Kwekwe be- tations. The name was now being
cause they live in areas where peo- used to say he once did this so he
ple voted for the opposition. can do that and all. I refused all
that and chose to stand with the
Death threats were reportedly revolutionary party. What guaran-
made by high-ranking ruling party tee do we have as a country that
officials against Chebundo and at this one who is failing to run CCC
some point Bulawayo South MDC can govern a country?”
MP David Coltart and others were
also threatened. Chebundo’s name was used ex-
tensively ahead of the 2018 har-
Over 30 MDC members were monised elections with calls for
reportedly killed, according to re- Chamisa to “Kwekwe him” in ref-
ports, including in Kwekwe where erence to the 2000 and 2005 de-
MDC ward chairperson Mutyanda feats that resulted in Mnangagwa
Mandishona was beaten to death. abandoning the seat.

In the period leading to the The Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe ru-
election, Chebundo was severely ral constituency was then specifi-
intimidated and his house total- cally created to rescue Mnangagwa.
ly destroyed by fire. Similarly, his
campaign manager, Abraham Mt- During the rally, Mnangagwa
shena, had his family beaten up insisted it will be a tall order to
and his house set alight. have the opposition rule this coun-
try.
One of his sons suffered burns
and had to be hospitalised. All “Go and tell these opposition
these cases have been reported to men that if one starts walking from
the police but, as Amnesty Inter- here to China, he will reach there
national has noted, no action was before the opposition reaches State
taken. House,” Mnangagwa told thou-
sands of his party supporters, most
Many of Chebundo’s then sup- of them bused from across the
porters still have scars from the country to Harare for the gather-
2000 election. ing that kick-started the Zanu PF
campaign ahead of by-elections set
Despite the terror campaign, he for 26 March.
prevailed over his then nemesis.

Chebundo garnered 15 338
votes against Mnangagwa’s 8 352,

NewsHawks News Page 13
Businessman Mutumwa Mawere.
Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Red flag over Zimbabwe
private property rights

MOSES MATENGA  ere property and whether he had met his side with that property anymore. The matter he dis-
of the bargain, Gwaradzimba told The News- cussed with SMM management and I am sure
EXILED businessman Mutumwa Mawere says Hawks that he had spoken to Mawere on the he knows what the position is,” he added.
his persistent fight to recover rentals from his matter and challenged him to come clean.
Mt Pleasant home that was rented out without “I just believe that such a minor issue in this
his consent for over 17 years has opened a can “I spoke to him when he raised that issue whole complex of issues can’t have me deal with
of worms over Zimbabwe’s lack of respect for with me. I asked him to engage the SMM man- things that are so clear. He must tell the public
property rights that may scare away investors.  agement if there were disputes arising. I told why he told SMM to deal with his house. He
him when I was appointed, the situation was must tell the public that.”
Mawere, who has engaged the Zimbabwe like that, when he was there, the situation was
Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) to probe like that and the house was under SMM man- Legal experts, however, said the Mawere saga,
how his Mt Pleasant house has been occupied agement so this can’t change because I have been given the confirmation of irregularities exposed
by paying tenants for close to two decades, said appointed,” Gwaradzimba said.  by Gwaradzimba in his WhatsApp conversation
he was not happy with lack of progress on the with the businessman, is emblematic of how
matter he reported exactly a year ago. “The situation that he left there is still obtain- Zimbabwe is not respecting the rule of law and
ing and why did he put his house under SMM property rights, a concern that has deterred in-
He said besides “stealing” his company, management? I don’t have information to do vestors.
Shabanie Mashaba Mines (SMM), which has
been put under state curatorship since 2004,
rentals have been collected from his Mt Pleas-
ant property, a situation he described as crim-
inal.  The government, through the then Jus-
tice minister Patrick Chinamasa, appointed an
administrator Arafas Gwaradzimba, who was
described by Mawere as deceptive in the man-
ner he has dealt with the Mt Pleasant house.
The businessman told The NewsHawks yester-
day that SMM management has “intimidated”
Zacc, alleging higher offices were in the know
and perpetrating the injustice. 

“They (SMM) have already intimidated Zacc
and say they were given power by the higher of-
fices to hijack my house and collect money as if
I am dead,” Mawere said.

The businessman said the “seizure” of his pri-
vate property and collection of rentals without
his knowledge was clear evidence of how the
Zimbabwean government has no respect for
private property rights, a situation he said was
worrying.

“You see how deceptive Gwaradzimba is? He
said all the money they collected for 17 years is
dead but he has promised in my conversation
with him that he will work things out,” he said.

Gwaradzimba had earlier accused Mawere of
not coming clean on the house issue, arguing it
was the businessman himself who had put the
house under SMM management and wonder-
ing why he was raising a red flag over something
he did.

Mawere said when the authorities took over
his SMM, which was put under reconstruction,
they should have removed his personal property
from the “old” company they had taken over.

“A company under reconstruction is no lon-
ger a company. No minister takes over a com-
pany and gives it to an administrator. He is a
product of a weapon created by human beings
to intimidate a powerless persons,” Mawere
fumed.

“Before SMM was invaded, I was in control
and could do anything with that enterprise, but
after taking it over in an unlawful manner, my
personal property was supposed to be just that,
my own property. It’s like (the late former Pres-
ident Robert) Mugabe waking up to say I want
to chair cabinet when in actual fact when he
died he had been kicked out by these people.”

“They needed authority from me on my pri-
vate property. You don’t take money from some-
body for 17 years and claim to be a saint. Who
agreed a new deal after they took my company?
The law doesn’t allow that to happen, so who
gave that authority? It is theft. Would you want
to have a country where some urinate on you
and tell you it's raining?” Mawere fumed. 

But Gwaradzimba said: “I do not speak on
those issues in public and I will not do that be-
cause I have got work to do as I was assigned.
You can’t have a situation you are always going
public on the job you are doing as if you are
updating on the number of sweets you sell a day.
It is not the best way of doing my job as a pro-
fessional person.” 

But pressed further on the Mt Pleasant Maw-

Page 14 News NewsHawks

2018 election Issue 68, 18 February 2022
promises still
unfulfilled:
Zanu PF rolls
out new ones
MOSES MATENGA headquarters.
But the Zimbabwe Congress Doctors and nurses have been complaining over deteriorating health system in the country under Zanu PF Government.
IN the run up to the 2018 general
election, Zanu PF promised more of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secre- Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Taka- ry and Secondary Education above “The only panacea to the current
than two million jobs, free primary tary-general Japhet Moyo told The vafira Zhou said: “The promises 22% of the total budget, we are still challenges facing teachers include
and secondary education, a work- NewsHawks this week that there was stretch from the November 2017 allocating as little as 12.7%,” Zhou restoration of US$540 salary, gov-
ing health delivery system, but four nothing to show the number of jobs coup when we reached another lev- added. ernment engagement with all teach-
years down the line the ruling party that have been created and accused el with the targeting of the so-called er unions, intrinsic motivation of
has not only failed to deliver but is the government of hiding informa- criminals around the then president, “Teachers' salaries were unilater- teachers and prioritisation of health
also shouting new promises for the tion. RG Mugabe. We were promised bet- ally reduced after the 2018 elections and safety of teachers, pupils and an-
2023 polls. ter salaries and conditions of service. in October from US$540 to the cillary staff. As long as the govern-
“Our labour information services After the coup, we were assured of a current ZW$19 000 (US$80). The ment does not listen to professional
Observers said judging by the are a bit poor, actually very poor. It better honeymoon after the elections promised robust collective bargain- advice proffered by teacher unions,
glaring poverty, massive unemploy- has been very difficult for a number in terms of salaries and conditions of ing chamber never materialised and there will be no respite in the educa-
ment, collapsed healthcare system, of practitioners. You go to econo- service.” we are still engaging in collective tion system. The time to capacitate
poor public transport system and mists, they tell you that this is one of begging under Statutory Instrument teachers is now.”
the anger among underpaid civil ser- the difficult periods and it's difficult “The array of promises includ- 141 of 1997. Rather than promoting
vants, it was clear the Zanu PF gov- for planning if that information is ed better salaries and conditions of social dialogue that enhances indus- The government on Wednesday
ernment has failed to live up to its not made available,” Moyo said. service, robust collective bargaining trial harmony and productivity, the gave notice through the Public Ser-
promises. under section 65 of the constitu- new dispensation has specialised in vice Commission (PSC) that all
“We have people who are sup- tion. They also included improved command-and-control antics.” teachers who have declared incapac-
Zanu PF  launched its 2018 elec- posed to be doing this for us as a budgetary allocation to education itation should consider themselves
tion campaign manifesto under the country so that even if you are an against Mugabe's neo-liberal policy “No schools have been built and fired.
theme “Unite, Fight Corruption, investor, you can plan properly af- of reducing costs, building of more there is no free education. School
Develop, Re-Engage, Create Jobs”. ter accessing that information. Over than 3 000 schools and recruitment fees has continued to escalate to lev- But while it has become glaring
the years, the debate is: Is it deliber- of more teachers to ease the issue of els beyond that have made education that the Zanu PF regime has failed
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition di- ate that in Zimbabwe we are in the bloated classes.” unaffordable and inaccessible to the to deliver, Mnangagwa and his allies
rector Blessing Vava said the period dark?” majority of parents and particularly insist he has achieved 80% of his
between 2018 and now has exposed Zhou said the government's teachers. promises, arguing their manifesto
the Zanu PF regime which is desper- “The information is just not there promises also included provision of for 2023 elections will speak to the
ate to portray itself as a new dispen- and, as a result, you find politicians resources, improved medical care, There has been no meaningful needs of the country’s citizens.
sation. An objective comparison of going out to say we have created so improved training in colleges and in recruitment of teachers, with the
the party’s promises with its achieve- many jobs but don’t seem to provide service training, among other things, current deficit of teachers as high as The government has claimed it has
ments only points to failure. evidence. People then wonder if the and all that has not been done. more than 55 000.” addressed the public transport crisis
jobs they claim to have created are but urbanites continue to struggle
“Zanu PF is a party of promises actually real jobs,” he said. “The educational paradise we were “Under the new dispensation daily. Mnangagwa has handed over
that they will never fulfill. If any- promised had turned out to be a diet there has been a deliberate attempt hundreds of Zupco buses which ur-
thing, if they were to deliver on their “We can lie to each other and say of starvation and bullets to the head. to discriminate against teachers in banites say are not being seen plying
manifestos since 1980 Zimbabwe they have created jobs when they There has been no prioritisation of comparison with other government any routes.
could have been one of the most de- have not because that information is investment in public education but workers who received better perks
veloped countries in the world,” Vava not there.” retention of political power. Against from the government in June 2020 The government has also rolled
told The NewsHawks this week. the Dakar framework where African under what they called the Presiden- a massive road rehabilitation pro-
Over 95% of Zimbabweans are countries agreed on budgetary al- tial prerogative. Teachers have there- gramme that has seen attention be-
“They promised two million jobs, operating in the informal market as location for the ministry of Prima- fore been treated in a discriminatory ing given to roads across the country
free education, an improved and the job market has since dwindled. and servitude manner,” he said. that are currently in bad shape.
efficient health delivery system and
many other promises they made Mnangagwa’s administration
which have somehow remained promised to pamper teachers and
empty,” he added. doctors together with the rest of civ-
il servants but, since then, the state
In November 2017, upon his re- has been fighting the restive workers,
turn from temporary exile in South even using violence and threats.
Africa and immediately following
the removal of the late former pres- Teachers said they were promised
ident Robert Mugabe via a military a lot soon after the November 2017
coup, Mnangagwa declared job cre- military coup but, instead of the
ation as his main focus while ad- government addressing their plight,
dressing party supporters at Zanu PF they have been subjected to more
misery and attack.

Progressive Teachers' Union of

THE opposition National Partriotic NPF gives up Kwekwe seat tion of former State Security minister
Front (NPF) which was linked to for- Owen Ncube’s nephew Energy Ncube
mer president Robert Mugabe and his In Kwekwe, some former party ests of Zimbabweans at heart. Take it to the party. and Zanu PF’s losing parliamentary
backers has all but collapsed and will members have rejoined Zanu PF while from us who have once been in Zanu And for some of us who have been candidate Kandros Mugabe. 
not be fighting to reclaim the Kwekwe others have gone underground. PF and decided to leave the party. It is
Central seat in the 26 March by-elec- cold out there," Nyathi said at a cam- outside we know how it is like. So be Mapurazi is going to square it off
tion. Matambanadzo’s former secretary paign launch for Zanu PF’s Kwekwe warned, don't make a mistake of leav- with Citizens' Coalition for Change
Angela Nyathi and director in his of- Central parliamentary aspirant John ing the party.” candidate Judith Tobaiwa and the
NPF, through the late Masango fice Aggrity Dube have pledged alle- Mapurazi last week.  MDC-Alliance’s Mbekezeli Ndlovu. 
Matambanadzo who died in 2020, giance to Zanu PF. Nyathi said they Despite his limited education
won the Kwekwe Central seat in the they did so "after realising we were Nyathi was also full of praise for which saw him drop out of formal NPF was formed by Mugabe’s loy-
2018 general election. It was the only lost. And that it's cold outside Zanu Zanu PF. education at elementary level, Matam- alists after the November 2017 mili-
seat won by the party. PF. " banadzo, who referred to himself as a tary coup.
"We beg for your forgiveness be- "Grade Two dropout", won the hearts
Party insiders revealed the party "We have decided to retrace our cause we were lost. We have been Zanu of many in Kwekwe. The party denounced the coup
was now a shell as it had no structures footsteps back to Zanu PF after we re- PF members and at some point we left and contested the presidential elec-
hence the failure to contest in next alised we were lost. the party for some reasons during that His death has created a vacancy tion with retired Brigadier Ambrose
month's by-elections. NPF spokesper- time," Nyathi said. in  Kwekwe Central where Zanu PF Mutinhiri being its presidential can-
son Jealous Mawarire did not respond Zanu PF is the only revolutionary has fielded former deputy mayor John didate, despite two factions emerging.
to questions on the by-elections and party; the only party with the inter- "We had to retrace our steps back Mapurazi following the disqualifica-
the future of the party, but insiders say NPF has not held programmes for
it had hit a dead end. a long time which insiders say is an in-
dication of the party’s demise.

— STAFF WRITER.

NewsHawks News Page 15

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

NIGERIAN billionaire business- My Zim platinum deal above
man Benedict Peters, who has board: Nigerian billionaire
business interests across Africa,
including in Zimbabwe and be- meeting with Mnangagwa there this is “completely false” as Peters Nigerian billionaire Benedict Peters. considering he is an accountant by
yond, says his conglomerate’s in 2003 impossible. has never dealt with him. Mlot- profession.”
involvement in local mining is shwa, Mhlanga added, has never ciated with the mine set up is also
above board. Prior to this, Mhlanga had pre- acted on behalf of Bravura at all. totally unfounded; he is clearly a Mhlanga added: “The article,
viously explained to the media busy man who has a lot of work in many respects is a poor, mislead-
Peters says the platinum trans- Bravura’s roadmap on the Zimba- “The allegation that Minister of to do and can’t be expected to play ing and unfortunate assemblage of
action in Zimbabwe was done bwean project. Mines (Winston Chitando) is asso- the role of planning mine manag- distortions designed to unfounded-
with the “highest level of transpar- er, geologist or engineer, especially ly malign if not defame Mr Peters
ency and accountability through a “From where we are now, we will needlessly. There were assertions
robust business process devoid of go to resource definition, after that that are so false that they can only
political patronage contrary to re- we will go to resource modelling, be construed as being intentionally
cent media reports”. after mine development and then malicious. At Bravura, we cannot
mine construction,” he said in an understand the motivation for these
In an article, titled Mnangag- interview with journalists at the patently untrue assertions, which
wa’s oligarchs: The heirs of Ce- mine three years ago. “Those are could have been easily checked or
cil Rhodes, which The NewsHawks all things that should happen in the verified had the journalists sought
also carried, South Africa’s pub- next 18 months.” comment from the right people
lication Daily Maverick recently before writing. We also wish The
alleged Peters had used his close Peters is an African billionaire NewsHawks had checked with us
relationship with President Em- who founded the Aiteo, Nigeria's first before picking the article by the
merson Mnangagwa to aid di- largest indigenous oil producing Daily Maverick of South Africa.”
versification of his global invest- firm. He has substantial business
ments from oil into Zimbabwe’s interests not only in Nigeria, but "For the avoidance of doubt, we
mining industry. While making a also across the energy and ex- are wholly committed to and sup-
series of assertions, the article sug- tractive industry in various coun- port media freedom, but it is im-
gests Peters’ initial efforts to enter tries, including the Democratic portant for journalists to first get
the Zimbabwean mining industry Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cote their facts right and establish the
with a US$2 billion investment in d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Switzerland. truth before going to press. This is
platinum and gold when the late critical to journalism so as to ensure
former president Robert Mugabe He has an estimated net worth facts, truth and credibility in their
was still in power were frustrated of over US$3 billion and is ranked stories are unimpeachable.”
by bureaucracy and red-tape, but by Ventures Africa as the 17th
his fortunes changed after Mnan- richest person in Africa; the 7th While Zimbabwe has the
gagwa came to power in 2017 richest in Nigeria. world’s second-largest platinum
with his “open for business” man- group metal reserves, investor
tra. On the claim that Zimbabwean interest and confidence has been
lawyer Gerald Mlotshwa, Mnan- impeded by adverse aspects of
Bravura Zimbabwe, Peters’ lo- gagwa’s son-in-law, is helping him the economic and macro-eco-
cal mining vehicle, is exploring in their business, Mhlanga said nomic environment, unpredict-
for platinum through acquisition able changes to mining laws and
of a  concession that previously currency volatility. Despite the
belonged to South African com- current difficult economic en-
pany Amari. Following the story, vironment and volatile policy
Peters’ Bravura Zimbabwe offi- framework, Peters says he has put
cials contacted The NewsHawks to faith and hope in Zimbabwe and
highlight not only what they said is committed to be part of recov-
were significant factual inaccura- ery process going forward.
cies, but also the “unfortunate dis-
tortions” in the story. – STAFF WRITER.

Bravura’s country director Li- Bravura Zimbabwe country director Lionel Mhlanga being interviewed.
onel Mhlanga said: “We know
you did not originate the article,
but it contains some material fac-
tual errors that should be corrected.
For instance, it claims that Presi-
dent Mnangagwa’s relations with
Mr Peters date back to 2003 when
Mnangagwa made an official visit
to Ghana as Speaker of Zimbabwe’s
Parliament. This is totally incor-
rect.”

Mhlanga said Peters never met
Mugabe or anyone in his gov-
ernment then. He said his first
engagement with Zimbabwe was
as recent as in 2018 following
Bravura's acquisition of the Am-
ari concession in which the group
committed US$1 billion to devel-
op the project.

Mhlanga further said the trans-
action was successful because
Bravura demonstrated not only
“technical capacity exemplified by
its activities in mining elsewhere
in the continent”, but “a com-
pelling commitment” to ensure
the new project takes off and suc-
ceeds.

He said Peters had neither op-
erated in nor had been to Ghana
before 2015, making his alleged

Page 16 Editorial & Opinion NewsHawks

CARTOON Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Tragic reality
of education

apartheid

IN Zimbabwe today, a system of education apartheid has taken root, Police brutality must now stop
with devastating consequences for equality, social justice and democ-
racy. VIDEO footage obtained by journalists the aftermath of the George Floyd murder respect its own constitution, laws, rights of
and quickly shared on social media show- by police in the United States, but their own citizens, due process and the rule of law.
Children from privileged families have a higher likelihood of mak- ing Zimbabwean police savagely assaulting record is equally horrific. That’s why people
ing it to college than their counterparts from poor backgrounds. civic and opposition activists arrested for charged Zanu PF with hypocrisy at the time Studies show that abuse of police pow-
allegedly disrupting traffic in Harare while and told them to first end police brutality er and functions impacts negatively on the
Even when children from disadvantaged communities make it to on a rally mobilisation drive brought back at home before rushing to talk about other law enforcement agents’ image. This also
university, they face serious financial difficulties. images and memories of police brutality countries. affects police-community relations, includ-
reminiscent of the Robert Mugabe and Ian ing withdrawal of public support, loss of
At a time when Finance minister Mthuli Ncube continues deny- Smith eras. The post-colonial state under the late respect, and fear of the police.
ing the brutal realities of a troubled economy, students from poor former president Mugabe and now his suc-
families are either deferring studies or dropping out altogether — The violence and brutality happened at a cessor Emmerson Mnangagwa inherited Brutal and indiscriminate use of exces-
and in alarming numbers. Education, even at state colleges, is now a time President Emmerson Mnangagwa was and largely maintained the colonial coercive sive force by police leads to injuries, loss of
preserve of the rich. attending the sixth European Union-Afri- lives and trauma on innocent citizens. Civil
can Union summit  in Brussels. The meet- Hawk Eye suits, which also emanate from the abuse
A few days ago, Chinhoyi State University was demanding up to ing was co-chaired by the President of the of police powers and functions, are costly
US$495 per semester and emphasising that the fees must be paid European Council Charles Michel and the Dumisani to the taxpayer and damage the image of
"now, now!!" There was no mention of Zimdollar fees. President of Senegal Macky Sall, also AU Muleya the organisation.
chairman.
For a state college, this is shocking. Civil servants, for instance, state security apparatus, including some Public funds must not be used to pay for
earn less than US$100 a month, meaning the government's own While Mnangagwa was away, main op- repressive laws which were kept for years damages incurred by rogue police officers
workers cannot afford college fees. position Citizens' Coalition for Change before being repackaged and unleashed on who behave like colonial Rhodesian law
(CCC) co-deputy leader Tendai Biti was citizens. enforcement agents.
State-owned institutions of higher education are not designed to seized by police at Letombo Spar in Harare,
be run like money-spinning ventures; they are creations of statute while on a by-elections campaign trail. The The short video footage showed police Though the police service charter and
and must at all times be guided by the public policy imperative of by-elections are due on 26 March. Days lat- officers viciously lashing out and thrashing the institutional framework command put
serving as many students as possible at the lowest cost possible. Once er, yesterday, police arrested CCC activists political activists arrested for mobilising some measures to curb incidences of abuse
they start prioritising the profit motive, they lose their bearings and and subjected them to inhumane attacks. for a CCC rally at Zimbabwe Grounds in of power, the strictures seem to be inade-
become yet another blood-sucking vampire of capitalist exploitation. Highfield, Harare, on Sunday. quate.
Zimbabwe has a long history of police vi-
In a society that uses learning as the proverbial great equaliser, olence and brutality dating back to colonial Police are doing all they can to throw For police to address these repressive and
families can climb their way out of generational poverty by ensuring times. The coming of independence in 1980 spanners in the works for the CCC. Even damaging excesses, it needs to ensure further
that children get a competitive college education. But in Zimbabwe did not change anything much. If anything, the clearance letter for the rally which police training, professionalism, legal reforms, in-
access to higher education has become a privilege of the rich. This is it worsened the situation in some respects. issued had obstructive conditions, which dependent monitoring and deal decisively
already an unequal society. The education apartheid is simply widen- never apply to the ruling Zanu PF. with abuse of power and duty by its officers.
ing the yawning gap between rich and poor. The police have for years been brutalis-
ing fellow citizens, while the government This leads to another problem: selective A critical evaluation of the impact of
There is no credit economy in this country, so parents, guardians played dumb and turned a blind to that. application of the law. police abuse of power, together with mili-
and students really have nowhere to secure loans for college fees. Citizens have been beaten up, tortured and tary killings on 2 August 2018, shows that
died in police cells. In as much as we have Tied with brutality, selective application their actions were partly responsible for
Nobody should be surprised that desperate students are resorting been talking of “black lives matter” in recent of law and impunity, that makes Zimba- shipwrecking Mnangagwa’s coup project —
to crime and prostitution. These are the realities of a harsh economy months, the Zimbabwe government should bwe an authoritarian state which does not its legitimacy, mantras like “Zimbabwe is
and an uncaring government. also realise that Zimbabweans’ lives matter Open for Business” and claims of a new dis-
too, even if they are all mainly black. pensation, which is not different from that
It gets worse for historically marginalised communities, such as of Mugabe and has parallels with Ian Smith’s
those in Matabeleland North and South, where the government's Zanu PF and its government was vocal rule in terms of brutality.
public investment in education has been disproportionately inade- during the “black lives matter” protests in
quate for decades. While at it, police should also clampdown
on rampant corruption within its ranks.
The political philosopher Nancy Fraser postulates that justice can
be viewed in two separate but interrelated ways: distributive justice
and the justice of recognition. By distributive justice, she is referring
to the equitable allocation of resources. Marginalised communities
are deliberately denied their fair share of resources, in this case the
central government is not building enough classrooms and under-
mines the teaching of certain subjects — particularly the sciences —
or makes no effort to deploy teachers who have the craft literacy and
craft competence to deliver transformative education.

Recognitional justice refers to a fair, objective and equitable ac-
ceptance of the different identities of groups within this society. It
takes into account the values, interests and cultures of a local com-
munity. We have witnessed worrying situations in certain parts of
the country when teachers who are not proficient in local languages
are foisted upon communities and expected to teach young children.

The government's refusal or failure (or both) to provide equitable
educational opportunities to children in every community under-
mines the parity of participation.

Education is no longer representative of the country’s wider pop-
ulation; it is now a preserve of the privileged elites.

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

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Business

MATTERSNewsHawks

MARKETS CURRENCIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE COMMODITIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE

EUR/USD 1.168 +0.001 +0.05 *OIL 62.61 -0.89 -1.402

USD/JPY 109.75 +0.03 +0.03 *GOLD 1,785.3 +2.2 +0.123

GBP/USD 1.362 -0.002 -0.154 *SILVER 23.14 -0.09 -0.39

USD/CAD 1.29 +0.007 +0.55 *PLATINUM 975.5 +4.3 +0.44

AUD/USD 0.713 -0.001 -0.098 *COPPER 4.087 +0.046 +1.14

Trade deficit projected
to widen in year 2022

RONALD MUCHENJE Zimbabwe's main mineral export, gold, to fall by 4.5%. progresses and economic conditions begin to
normalise further.
ZIMBABWE’S trade deficit is seen widening in ports by 3.5% with deficits on the services and to be constrained by the continued weakness of
2022 to 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) primary income accounts widening in 2022.  the tourism sector, tourist arrivals are expected “The total number of visitors will be barely
as imports continue to outstrip exports while the Although service sector earnings are expected to rise by 68.6% in 2022, as the vaccine rollout half the level seen in 2019, and we do not ex-
current account surplus could narrow further, to pect total tourism arrivals to return to 2019 lev-
1.5%. els until 2024. Meanwhile, profit remittances by
mining companies will rise, reflecting continued
An international research firm, Fitch Solu- growth in mining output and – we expect – few-
tions, in its Africa Monitor report said demand er restrictions on retention of profits, thus keep-
for consumer and capital imports will remain ing the primary income account in deficit,” said
solid as inflation slows, thus supporting spend- Fitch.
ing power, and construction activity rises as the
government invests in infrastructure. “The secondary income account will remain
in substantial surplus given large aid inflows and
“We expect the current account surplus to solid remittances. Although we expect growth
narrow further, to 1.5%, in 2022. We expect in remittances to moderate in 2022 – as glob-
the trade deficit to widen to 2.4% of GDP as al economic activity slows, and as the lifting
imports continue to outstrip exports. Our Oil of lockdown measures enables members of the
and Gas team expects the average price of Brent diaspora, notably in South Africa, to return to
to rise to US$72.0/bbl in 2022, while a ban on the use of unofficial channels (including drivers
grain imports introduced in 2021 because of a of and passengers on buses and trucks) to send
substantial maize harvest is likely to be lifted, money home – they will remain substantial, and
since Zimbabwe does not tend to experience we expect the secondary income surplus to rise
consecutive above-average harvests,” said Fitch. by 2.4% in 2022.”

“Demand for consumer and capital imports According to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,
will remain solid as inflation slows further (we current transfers from the diaspora and non-gov-
forecast annual average inflation of 42.5%), thus ernmental organisations totalled US$1.7 billion
supporting spending power, and construction in January-September 2021, 45.0% up on the
activity rises as the government invests in infra- year-earlier period.
structure (our Infrastructure team expects the
construction industry to expand by 2.8%).” As the current account surplus is seen return-
ing to deficit from 2024, this is expected to lead
Zimbabwe's main mineral export, gold, is also to potential financing challenges given limited
seen falling by 4.5% to US$1 700.0/oz (thou- inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) and
sand ounces) in 2022, while the price of coal will low levels of foreign reserves. 
decline by 9.1% and that of platinum is expected
to stay flat, although this will be partially offset According to the United Nations Conference
by substantial price increases for lithium.  on Trade and Development, FDI inflows fell to
US$194 million in 2020, from US$280 million
Fitch expects imports to rise by 5.4% and ex- in 2019.

Promising business season for depository firm

THE year 2022 began on a high note for the “The activity in CDC CSD account open- still hold shares in physical form. ment that compels investors to hold securities
Chengetedzai Depository Company (CDC), ing increased by 79.88% in January 2022 For the greater part of 2022, the ratio hov- in electronic form, but the ideal arrangement is
with its securities depository (CSD) platform compared to the previous month. CDC CSD that they be held in that format.
registering a 79.88% jump in the new accounts opened 608 new accounts compared to 338 ered around 54% with low appetite for demate-
(608) in January 2022 compared to 338 in De- accounts opened in December 2021. This is ex- rialisation relating to long-term strategic share- “During the month under review, a total of
cember 2021. pected to increase as new listings on ZSE (Zim- holdings by investors, who either have comfort 2 974 deposits were processed by CDC CSD
babwe Stock Exchange) continue to choose in having their physical scrip or are discouraged compared to 2 878 in December 2021. This
As a result, the cumulative number of ac- CDC CSD as their CSD. Tanganda Tea Com- by the huge costs of managing the portfolios. brought the cumulative number of deposits
counts opened on the platform during the peri- pany is the latest issuer to be added to the CDC since going live to 96 922. The dematerialisa-
od was 38 552 as local investors accounted for CSD as they relisted on the Stock Exchange,” Dematerialisation is the process of convert- tion statistics for the top 25 counters are shown
96.40% of all accounts opened on the CDC CDC said. ing physical share certificates into electronic on the graph below: The average dematerialisa-
CSD during the period. balances, and only dematerialised shares can be tion penetration ratio (demat ratio) across all
The ZSE equities market capitalisation in- traded. counters was at 55.44% as at 31 January 2022.”
In January, 9 240 trades were processed, val- creased by 12% during the period, closing at
ued at ZW$7 780 billion. ZW$1.475 trillion while the total turnover for Dealing in demat format is beneficial to in- At the moment, the investor type that holds
trades closed the month at ZW$4.149 billion. vestors, brokers and companies alike as it reduc- the largest value on CDC CSD are corporate
A trading update this week showed that mar- es the investors’ risk of holding shares in phys- and pension fund accounts with 28.55% and
ket value statistics for securities registered on Meanwhile, the company is set to embark on ical format while reducing the risk of delayed 27.43% respectively while individuals with
the CDC CSD accounted for 53.07% of total a campaign to increase the demat ratio in 2022 settlement, and enhancing profit through the 43.99% of accounts on the CDC CSD hold
market capitalisation for dematerialised shares, for individual and institutional investors that increased participation of brokers. However, 2.89% by value in comparison. — STAFF WRITER.
and their total value was ZW$782 846 billion. in Zimbabwe there is no legislation at the mo-

Page 18 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

FDI inflows decline Issue 68, 18 February 2022

BERNARD MPOFU ZSE outshines
regional stock
CURRENCY instability and low investor con- terised by a depreciating local currency and a for- World Bank Headquarters.
fidence saw Zimbabwe raking in nearly US$150 eign currency auction allotment backlog hinder "We have witnessed an uptick in corporate markets
million in foreign direct investment (FDI) last FDI from recovering. This is coupled by Zimba- transactions and equity financing as companies
year, 23% lower than the previous year’s figure, at bwe’s placement on the AML grey list of countries, expand via mergers and acquisitions as well as or- DUMISANI NYONI
a time inflows into the region were on an upward legacy sanctions and well-known political dynam- ganically.
trend, a local brokerage firm has said. ics. Government has made some efforts on specific “Of note was the announcement of the poten- THE Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) has once
political reforms and measures to compensate dis- tial acquisition of a 31.22% stake in First Mutu- again outperformed regional stock markets in
Layers of bureaucratic procedures and an un- posed former commercial farmers. Nevertheless, it al Life by CBZ Holdings in 2021. In 2020, we real terms, with returns of 123%, followed by the
predictable socio-political environment, among is clear that the country will have to take an inward witnessed the acquisition of acquisition of Dawn Zambian stock exchange, up 97% year-on-year,
other factors, have seen Zimbabwe ranked at the approach and focus on the current recovery in pri- by African Sun, ZHL acquiring a control block new data shows. According to the Inter Horizon
tail-end of the World Bank Ease of Doing Business vate sector confidence reflected in local investment in Fidelity Life Assurance (FLA) and Sotic Inter- Securities (IH)’s equity strategy research, the ZSE
index. and transaction activity. Whilst this is a key driver national completing their takeover of BNC,” the last year outperformed regional stock markets in
to stimulate the economy, we still believe addition- report further reads. real terms, with returns of 123%, using the real
Official figures show that despite world trade al capital injection from foreigners is needed to ac- On the other hand, government spending in effective rate.
suffering severe headwinds in 2021 due to the celerate this process.” real terms on infrastructure development went
Covid-19 pandemic, FDI flows to Africa grew by down in 2021, compared to 2020. “African stock markets closed the year on a pos-
147% in 2021. Despite a down drift in FDI, IH said capital in- "We believe this is attributable to Treasury’s on- itive note reflecting optimism about a global re-
jection from local investors has gained momentum going goal to reduce budget deficit through cut- bound from the pandemic and increased demand
The continent raked in US$97 billion in 2021 in the past few years. ting on spending." for commodities,” the report reads in part.
versus US$39 billion recorded in the prior year.
The surge in the continent’s FDI was supported “Quantitative easing by central banks that low-
by sub-Saharan Africa's FDI which increased from ered interest rates, made equities attractive, while
US$29 billion in 2020 to US$88 billion in 2021, liquidity from stimulus packages found its way to
a 200% uptick. stock markets.”

The share swap transaction between South Af- The report shows that market capitalisation
rica’s multi-national Naspers and its Dutch-listed closed 123% up in real terms, from US$2.7 billion
investment unit Prosus, valued at US$46 billion, in December 2020 to close 2021 at US$6.1bn. 
accounted for about 52% of total FDI received in
Africa in 2021. Greenfield investment activity in The All-Share Index was up 311% for the year,
SSA fell 10% to an estimated US$394 billion. against annual inflation of 60.74%. Interestingly,
the Small Caps Index was up 3.280% compared to
“Moving onto Zimbabwe, FDI is estimated to the ZSE Top 10 at 307% up year-on-year.
come in at circa US$150 million in 2021 com-
pared to US$194 million in 2020. Unfortunately, IH said increased activity from retail investors
this decline in FDI inflows started in 2019, before through ZSE Direct and C-Trade may explain the
the Covid-19 pandemic. The rapid policy changes movement in small caps.
implemented in 2019 resulted in Zimbabwe los-
ing investor confidence, which it had gained in “Overall activity on the market was driven by
2018, after the election of a new government,”  IH a combination of inflation hedging and value in-
Securities said in its latest Equity Research note for vesting given real growth in the underlying com-
February. panies,” it said.

“Exacerbating the low FDI inflows trend in The ZSE opened the year with 56 counters and
Zimbabwe was the Covid-19 pandemic which closed with 54 after the delisting of Dawn, Paden-
also affected investment flows globally. We expect ga and BNC while MedTech B joined the bourse.
aggregate FDI inflows to Zimbabwe to remain low
in 2022. However, based on 2021 observations, By the end of 2021, CBZ had been displaced
we expect foreign investments towards the mining by Econet as the largest company on the ZSE by
industry to increase. market cap. 

“The uncertain business environment charac- “Of concern is the continued suspension on
PPC and Old Mutual. A reminder of the level of
policy risk that exists on the market,” IH said.

The Old Mutual Top 10 Exchange-Traded
Fund (ETF) closed its first year of trading at a
price of ZW$4.40, representing a price movement
of 340%. The Morgan and Co Multi-Sector ETF
joined the bourse in January 2022.

RONALD MUCHENJE Central Bank expected to port more fuel and then sell in local currency
reduce excessive liquidity given that the fuel market has largely dollarised.
THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is expected to The organisation however said top fuel import-
reduce excessive liquidity on the market should by collecting most domestic taxes in the domes- Fuel price increases also had a domino effect. ers, who also play a bigger role in the fuel retail
the authorities keenly follow this year's tight tic currency,” Zimcodd said. “The government is also dumping its curren- market, will find incentives to channel the prod-
monetary targeting framework, but fear has cy as shown by increased taxes in forex. RBZ ucts to the parallel market to earn riskless profits
been raised in view of the fact that most people Zimcodd added that the measures put for- statistics show that nearly 60% of banking sec- since the Zimbabwe dollar is overvalued on the
do not bank their money. ward by the central bank are informed by ex- tor deposits are local currency hence disputing auction market.
isting economic trends, and on paper can de- the fact that the economy is near dollarisation.
The apex bank last week released its Mone- liver currency and price stability. However, the The bank however ignores the fact that the gen- “Fuel price increases have also had a domino
tary Policy Statement centred on controlling market has been moving away from the Zim- eral public, informal traders, as well as some for- effect, triggering price increases in basic goods
either the interest rate or money supply to in- dollar and re-dollarising fast. Most supermar- mal companies, are banking their forex earnings and services. Therefore, increasing fuel sold
fluence macro-economic variables like inflation, kets are now offering huge discounts for forex under their pillows,” Zimcodd said. in local currency will provide relief to average
consumption, liquidity and economic growth, transactions while maintaining Zimdollar prices Zimcodd welcomed the move by the RBZ to citizens who are earning in the fragile Zimdol-
among other measures. benchmarked on the parallel market rate.  increase forex to designated fuel dealers to im- lar. The revival of the local currency fuel mar-
ket will also create demand for local currency,
The country has deep-seated macro-econom- hence supporting its value. However, this policy
ic challenges and of late has been rocked by cur- stance may have insignificant impact on curren-
rency instability fuelled by disparities between cy stability as it will likely create an avenue for
the parallel market rate and the official forex corruption and arbitrage in the fuel market,”
auction rate. Unattended inflationary pressures Zimcodd said. 
have also triggered a severe cost of living crisis
in Zimbabwe. The RBZ also maintained a statutory (re-
quired) reserves requirement ratio at 10% for
In its analysis, a civil society organisation, call deposits and 2.5% for savings deposits.
the Zimbabwe Coalition for Debt and Devel-
opment (Zimcodd) said while solid monetary Statutory reserve requirements are money
policy is crucial in economic management, the balances that banking institutions are required
nation should return to the Zimbabwe dollar if to maintain in their Statutory Reserve Accounts
and only if all prerequisites such as industrial (SRA) equivalent to a certain proportion of
production and prudent market-driven policies their eligible liabilities (EL), this proportion be-
are fully instituted. ing the SRA rate.

“If RBZ religiously follows, it will be able to Zimcodd said keeping a high reserve ratio
reduce excessive liquidity (money supply) in the of 10% on demand/call deposits reduces free
economy. The exchange rate system should be funds available to banks for speculative lending,
revamped to discover the true value of the local which can destabilise the local currency. How-
currency thus dampening depreciation pres- ever, if these reserves are not earning interest,
sures. Also, larger bank notes are now long over- they become a cost to banks, thus crippling
due to increase public transaction convenience. money creation in the economy. 
The fiscal side should also support the monetary
front by ensuring that they spend within bud- “Just as a high central bank policy rate,
gets and promote the use of the local currency high statutory reserves may trigger a liquidity
crunch,” Zimcodd added.

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 19

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

CBZ unveils new digital products

ALEX MHANDU

AS part of its continuous digital in- while using social networking plat- cash account while on social media.  CBZ Bank also launched CBZPay, most of the popular retail outlets in-
novations, CBZ Bank has unveiled forms. According to the bank, CBZ “In an endeavour to maintain its which allows customers to pay by clusive of OK, Bon Marche, Chicken
several new products with the re- SmartKey, a digital keyboard that, simply scanning QR codes. In terms Inn, Bakers Inn, Pizza Inn, Nando's,
vamping of its mobile banking ap- once installed and activated, will be competitive edge over other social of security, the bank highlighted that Creamy Inn, and Steers, among oth-
plication – CBZ Touch – to enhance embedded on one's mobile device, banking initiatives, CBZ Smartkey is transactions done through CBZPay ers.
customer efficiency. will be available on the Google Play zero rated and also does not limit cus- are equally as secure as card-based
and Apple App stores.  tomers to a specific social networking transactions as the client retains con- As part of efforts to grow digital
The revamped CBZ Touch will site, such as WhatsApp or Facebook.  trol throughout the transaction.  banking, the bank anticipates intro-
now provide an all-inclusive virtual Users can log in to CBZ Touch and ducing more digital innovations to
banking experience with enhanced do various transactions that include “The new look and feel of the mo- To access CBZPay, clients are re- the market.
security, encompassing all of its dig- personal airtime top-up, transmit bile app reflects the bank’s focus on quired to link their bank accounts
ital banking services under one roof, airtime to another mobile, transfer delivering solutions for clients that to Visa through CBZ Touch Mobile This also comes as the world over is
for its customers.  money to another CBZ Bank ac- are timely, relevant and accessible, App or through the USSD (*230#). moving towards digitalisation which
count, or transfer money to a Smart- however they choose to bank,” said Already, CBZPay is now accepted at was accelerated by the outbreak of the
“CBZ Touch app now with a sleek the bank. Covid-19 pandemic.
modern design provides a more seam-
less and streamlined experience for its
clients that makes it even easier to
navigate all of its robust mobile bank-
ing features with enhancements that
include security log-in upgrade, that
now requires a 6-digit the M-Pin, in-
stead of the 4-digit M-Pin, biomet-
ric function, which is an additional
authentication feature, allows use of
face identification and fingerprint to
log in. 

“Clients will save time by not hav-
ing to approach the bank for reversals,
thanks to the new IMT Tax Exemp-
tion function, which allows them to
choose either exemption from IMT
for those in the exempt bracket. 

“As these changes come into effect,
clients will be prompted to update or
upgrade the current app on the user’s
first log in,” said the bank in a state-
ment.

The new features of the revamped
CBZ Touch include CBZ Pay, a
product that allows customers to ini-
tiate and process transactions using
their mobile phones. 

This is in addition to SmartKey, a
feature that allows users to transact

Edgars in aggressive Meikles feels the Covid-19
branch expansion pandemic impact turmoil
Diversified group Meikles says its hotel di- by the government. However, the restric-
APPAREL retailer Edgars Zimbabwe has they love.”  vision recorded 17% growth in occupancy tions were tightened after the emergence of
embarked on an aggressive drive to grow its Dzimba said to augment the customer's during the last quarter ending December the Omicron variant at the end of November
branch network as the group seeks to boost despite government measures to contain the 2021. 
its revenues after the government eased shopping experience, the store also has spread of Covid-19.
Covid-19 measures. a thriving  WhatsApp shopping platform Commenting on its retail chain, Mekles
complementing the e-commerce site  that Zimbabwe’s tourism was one of the sectors said : “The changes to lockdown measures had
According to the company, the outbreak has served the brand well during  the last hardest hit by the pandemic when global trav- minimal disruptions to the supermarket seg-
of the pandemic curtailed foot traffic into 12 months. el was restricted due to the outbreak of the ment, but led to cancellations of regional and
stores as well as the bottomline. disease. international festive season bookings for the
The Edgars Chain is a division of Edgars hospitality segment.”
On Friday, Edgards relocated its Borrow- Stores Limited and has 26 branches nation- Several companies have been forced to
dale branch to a bigger and more accom- wide, with the most recent new location embark on several cost-cutting measures in On the inflation front, there was a reversal
modating location at Sam Levy Village. being Avondale in Harare.  Edgars Stores response to low business activity which was of the sustained disinflation trend witnessed
This, the company said, is in line with the Limited has been in operating in Zimba- triggered by Covid-19. during the first half of the year, the company
retail giant’s strategy of opening new stores. bwe for more than 75 years. The group is said. 
constituted of two retail chains, Edgars and “Despite the Omicron variant-induced can-
“The new location has quadrupled the Jet, as well as a manufacturing arm, Carou- cellations of regional and international book- “The quarter was characterised by elevated
trading space from its previous trading sel and ClubPlus microfinance.  ings, there was a sustained growth in both inflation driven primarily by the depreciation
location and the branch is set to open its room occupancy and revenue at the hospital- of the exchange rate. The rising inflation led to
doors on Saturday  12 February 2022," In its trading update for the 13 weeks ity segment during the quarter under review,” escalations in operating costs, putting pressure
Rumbi Dzimba, the company’s spokesper- ending October, Edgars said during the pe- Meikles said in its latest trading update .  on profit margins,” further reads the trading
son, said in a statement.  riod under review the company opened Jet update.
Mutoko and Jet Hwange. “Room occupancy for the quarter was 17.55
“With some key retailers being housed at percentage points above the same period of “Economic growth is projected in year
the shopping centre, the location is strate- Tjeludo Ndlovu, the group CEO, said the previous financial year. The occupancy for 2022 and the group is optimistic about its
gic as the area has high traffic. This move Edgars would continue to grow its branch the nine-month period closed at 17.41%, up prospects during the last quarter of its finan-
is set to bring convenience to the custom- network. 4.66 percentage points from room occupancy cial year. Revenue growth has remained at the
ers as there is parking right in front of the at 30 September 2021. The average room rate same level achieved during the last quarter at
store. “The business is alive to opportunities and revenue per available room for the quarter the supermarket segment. The group is focus-
presented to expand both our brick-and- grew by 63% and 398% respectively in Unit- sing on cost management to mitigate the ad-
“Aiming to expand our  local presence mortar and online footprint and develop a ed States dollar terms, albeit coming from low verse impact of rising inflation to profit mar-
through brick-and-mortar stores, the Ed- resilient business model that will withstand bases.” gins. In addition, all the group’s segments are
gars chain will continue to explore addi- the impact of future shocks and disrup- implementing various measures to reduce the
tional  store locations to ensure our cus- tions,” she said in a trading update. The quarter under review, the company fur- adverse impact of Covid-19 to operations.”
tomers have easy accessibility to the brands ther said, commenced with increased business
— STAFF WRITER. activity after the easing of lockdown measures — STAFF WRITER.

Page 20 ComSptaoncikesT&akMinagrkets NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Price Sheet A MEMBER OF FINSEC & THE ZIMBABWE STOCK EXCHANGE

Friday, 18 February 2022

Company Sector Bloomberg Previous Last VWAP (cents) Total Total Price Price YTD Market
Ticker Price Traded Traded Traded Change Change (%) Cap
AFDIS (cents) 14372.97 Volume Value ($) (cents) ($m)
African Sun Price 850.00 (%)
ART 13834.89 1150.00 3,700
Ariston Consumer Goods AFDIS: ZH 811.74 - 339.17 1,600 531,800 538.08 3.89 14.98 17,174.91
Axia 1080.88 - 7000.00 13,600 38.26 4.71 32.35 12,103.42
BAT Consumer Services ASUN: ZH 350.70 - 200 2,300 69.12 6.39 10.05
CAFCA 6996.43 - 296485.00 3,900 13,228 -11.53 -3.29 -8.88 5,025.24
Cassava Industrials ARTD: ZH - 17000.00 21,000 3.57 0.05 132.95 5,519.64
CBZ 296485.00 - 7994.85 300 - -7.38 38,650.52
CFI Consumer Services ARISTON: ZH 17000.00 - 9298.03 - - - - 61,175.28
Dairibord 7972.61 - 10200.00 - - - - 1,484.97
Delta Consumer Goods AXIA: ZH 9060.00 9300.00 3500.00 1,551,000 22.24 0.28 96.66 207,112.76
Econet 10200.00 - 23571.26 19,400 827,525 238.03 2.63 23.70 48,597.22
Edgars Consumer Goods BAT: ZH 3436.11 3500.00 13997.87 8,900 - - - 9.01 10,816.17
FBC 23142.59 23200.00 - 157,500 63.89 1.86 12,530.03
Fidelity Industrials CAFCA: ZH 13367.51 14000.00 546.47 4,500 428.67 1.85 - 307,410.63
First Capital - 3103.33 216,549,200 630.36 4.72 45.03 362,625.58
FML Technology CSZL: ZH 520.00 - 1100.00 918,700 380,602,200 26.47 5.09 64.68 3,302.03
FMP 3103.33 - 381.78 2,719,000 - - 25.63 20,852.82
GBH Banking CBZ: ZH 1100.00 386.00 2100.00 9,290 - - -8.33 1,198.16
Getbucks 377.18 - 737.00 1,700 - 4.60 1.22 -30.32 8,245.74
Hippo Industrials CFI:ZH 2220.00 - 156.32 - - -120.00 -5.41 10.53 14,493.00
Innscor 736.00 - 500.00 - 1.00 0.14 5.00 9,125.22
Lafarge Consumer Goods DZL: ZH 159.29 - 33000.00 116,824 -2.97 -1.86 -5.51
Mash 500.00 33000.00 26751.14 30,600 105,000 - - -31.89 838.80
Masimba Consumer Goods DLTA: ZH 33000.00 26750.00 8205.00 5,000 - - -16.67 5,815.59
Medtech 26644.23 - 325.15 100 737 106.91 0.40 17.86 63,696.79
Medtech Class B Telecommunications ECO: ZH 8205.00 - 5000.00 200,091 - - 64.73 152,448.45
Meikles 325.66 - 2300.00 128,000 -0.51 -0.16 2.56 6,564.00
Nampak Consumer Services EDGR: ZH 5000.00 - 3200.00 - - - - 0.21 6,044.78
NatFoods 2300.00 - 14100.00 40,194,000 - - -9.09 12,082.69
NTS Banking FBC: ZH 3200.00 - 1250.00 121,800 132,979,900 - - -34.29
NMBZ 14100.00 - 179950.50 497,100 - - 28.00 276.00
OK Zim Financial Services FIDL: ZH 1250.00 - 672.00 - - - 12.71 42.94
Proplastics 169801.80 - 1201.19 - 1,626 10148.70 5.98 12.04
RTG Banking FCA: ZH 672.00 1200.00 3500.00 500 - - 30.91 35,623.10
RioZim 1215.00 3500.00 2750.00 - -13.81 -1.14 6.67 9,445.60
SeedCo Financial Services FMHL: ZH 3503.60 - 745.18 - - -3.60 -0.10 49.16
Simbisa 2750.00 - 5000.00 - - - - 27.52 123,086.34
Star Africa Real Estate FMP: ZH 747.50 - 19430.00 - - -2.32 -0.31 -5.17 1,706.02
Tanganda 5000.00 - 17490.68 - 81,172,500 - - -4.46 4,854.87
Truworths Industrials GBH: ZH 21000.00 17500.00 176.93 6,493,800 18,175,000 -1570.00 -7.48 25.00
TSL 17118.83 - 7617.31 10,100 - 371.85 2.17 84.06 45,005.95
Turnall Financial Services GBFS: ZH 159.75 - 200.00 - 135,735 17.18 10.75 94.34 6,928.23
Unifreight 7617.31 - 8000.00 11,300 500,500 - - 52.71
Willdale Consumer Goods HIPO: ZH 220.00 - 518.61 14,300 - -20.00 -9.09 13.59 18,595.93
ZB 8000.00 - 2405.00 - 12,668 - - 6,101.47
Zeco Industrials INN: ZH 518.61 - 303.83 1,700 - - - -
Zimpapers 2405.00 300.00 6500.00 - 97,150 - - 14.01 48,031.47
Zimplow Industrials LACZ: ZH 321.11 - 500 2,711,055 -17.28 -5.38 26.45 98,329.94
ZHL 6513.01 - 2.00 15,500 92,006 -13.01 -0.20 -19.74
TOTAL Real Estate MASH: ZH 300.00 302.57 52,000 - - - -1.82 8,342.40
2.00 - 2200.00 - 91,000 -0.49 -0.16 -15.58 19,886.10
Industrials MSHL: ZH 303.06 365.00 365.87 45,500 - 40.38 1.87 316.67
2159.62 - - -8.10 -2.17 3.98 768.14
Financial Services MMDZ: ZH 373.97 - - -6.78 28,568.20
- 27,041 -2.71
Financial Services MMDZB: ZH 8,900 6,500 2,556.96
100 - 2,560.71
Industrials MEIK: ZH - 40,545 5,402.10
13,400 59,400 11,387.39
Industrials NPKZ: ZH 2,700 330,014
90,200 877,327,934 9.27
Consumer Goods NTFD: ZH 11,225,000 1,742.80
7,580.77
Industrials NTS: ZH 6,652.32
1,888,419.45
Banking NMB: ZH

Consumer Services OKZ: ZH

Industrials PROL: ZH

Consumer Services RTG: ZH

Basic Materials RIOZ: ZH

Consumer Goods SEED: ZH

Consumer Goods SIM: ZH

Consumer Goods SACL: ZH

Consumer Goods TANG: ZH

Consumer Services TRUW: ZH

Consumer Goods TSL: ZH

Industrials TURN: ZH

Industrials UNIF: ZH

Industrials WILD: ZH

Banking ZBFH: ZH

Industrials ZECO: ZH

Consumer Services ZIMP: ZH

Industrials ZIMPLOW: ZH

Financial Services ZHL: ZH

ETFs MCMS.zw 1392.00 1400.00 1400.47 1,030 14,425 8.47 0.61 40.05 1,763.58
Morgan&Co Multi-Sector ETF OMTT.zw 830.16 850.00 859.14 6,344 54,504 28.98 3.49 95.22 687.31
Old Mutual ZSE Top 10 ETF
12,451.76
FINSEC Financial Services OMZIL 14000.00 15000.00 15000.00 7,284 1,092,600 1000.00 0.07 50.00
Old Mutual Zimbabwe US$m
57.27
VFEX (US cents) Mining BIND:VX 4.50 - 4.50 - -- - -18.18 8.06
BNC Mining CMCL:VX 1300.00 - 1300.00 - -- --
Caledonia Consumer Goods - - -- -- 113.73
Padenga Consumer Goods PHL:VX 21.00 - 21.00 - -- - 1.60 108.71
SeedCo International SCIL:VX 28.50 28.50
YTD %
Index Close Change (%) Open YTD % Top 5 Risers Price Change % +52.71
ZSE All Share 15,228.52 +1.42 15,015.76 +40.71 Star Africa 176.93c +17.18c +10.75 +10.05
Top 10 10,211.38 +2.10 10,001.75 +49.92 ART +69.12c +6.39 +30.91
Top 15 11,231.87 +1.57 11,058.30 +49.17 NatFoods 1150.00c +5.98 +25.63
Small Cap -0.89 394,029.83 -3.04 Edgars 179950.50c +10148.70c +5.09 +64.68
Medium Cap 390,522.26 -0.65 24,379.68 +18.69 Econet +26.47c +4.72
24,222.31 546.47c YTD %
13997.87c +630.36c --

Top 5 Fallers Price Change % +84.06
Truworths 200.00c -20.00c -9.09 +5.00
SeedCo -7.48 -1.82
FML 19430.00c -1570.00c -5.41 -8.88
Willdale 2100.00c -120.00c -5.38
Ariston 303.83c -17.28c -3.29
339.17c -11.53c

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: 14165 Sauer Road, Gunhill, 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.

Property
NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022 PROPERTY INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE GARDENING Page 21

The home of prime property: [email protected]

Star Africa ramps up warehouse facility

ALEX MHANDU uct lines as management continues to pursue Additionally, the anticipated economic at Goldstar Sugars and the strength of the de-
high levels of operating efficiencies, health growth is also seen as a boost to the property mand for all the group’s products which re-
SUGAR processor Star Africa Corporation and safety standards as well as maximisation business as tenants’ ability to meet their rent- mained high during the period under review. 
Limited says the rehabilitation of a raw sug- of shareholder value. al obligations is seen improving on the back
ar warehouse at its Goldstar Sugars Harare of improved disposable incomes.  The improved turnover is also a recovery
(GSSH) premises is expected to be complet- Meanwhile, the performance of the group’s from the prior year’s depressed  performance
ed by the end of next month. property business remained muted during “The unit’s growth was stalled by the ad- which had been caused by a three-week shut-
the half-year period due to the adverse im- verse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic which down in operations between July and August
The raw sugar warehouse was razed down pacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.  have reduced tenants’ ability to generate in- 2020 because of a Covid-19 incident that
by fire last year, which was a major drawback come and meet their rental obligations.  had occurred at the Harare refinery. 
for the group. Figures from the group show that revenues
from the property business unit remained “As the economy recovers from the Earnings before interest, tax, depreci-
In a performance update for the half year largely stagnant with ZW$12.57 million re- Covid-19 and hyperinflation-induced slump ation, and amortisation (EBITDA) also
to 30 September 2021, Star Africa revealed corded as compared to the ZW$12.41 mil- in the second half of the year, occupancy lev- grew by 20% to ZW$579.68 million from
that, once completed, the structure will be lion in the prior year's corresponding period. els and revenues are expected to grow mark- ZW$482.10 million in the prior year's com-
able to house 15 000 tonnes of raw sug- However, it is not all doom and gloom for edly,” said the group. parative period.
ar which will assist in supporting efforts to the business unit as management anticipates
increase productivity through stable inlet of improvements in the second half of the fi- Overall, the group’s turnover for the period “The improved financial performance is a
the primary raw material into production. nancial year and beyond, driven by increased rose 38% to ZW$3.92 billion compared to direct outcome of the capital investment and
This comes as the group expects sustained economic activity following the relaxation of ZW$2.84 billion achieved during the same equipment maintenance plan which has re-
improvement in throughput in all the prod- Covid-19 restrictions.  period in the prior year. The growth was sulted in the increased plant throughput in
largely buoyed by the enhanced throughput the period under review,” said the group.

Page 22 News Analysis NewsHawks

NYASHA CHINGONO Issue 68, 18 February 2022

THE opposition Citizens' Coalition The new opposition party must
for Change (CCC) should step up not take anything for granted
its voter mobilisation and not take called. However, the succession issues
popularity for granted if it fancies its Citizens' Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa. should also be considered in the fu-
chances of retaining urban seats in ture,” political analyst, Ibbo Mandaza
the 26 March by-elections, analysts noise in the National Assembly. Cru- ance to effect Constitutional Amend- This is after party stalwart Murisi said.  
have said.  cially, however, the by-elections will ments number 1 and 2 which enabled Zwizwai was confirmed as the can-
be used a barometer of popular sup- President Emmerson Mnangagwa to didate for Harare Central. Zwizwai, Continued imposition of bigwigs
CCC’s stranglehold on the urban port ahead of next year’s harmonised consolidate power while allowing accused of being a career politician, on the electorate could affect election
voter population will be tested at a elections. him to extend the tenure of his key has been in Parliament for the past 22 outcomes. 
time Zanu PF is keen to make in- ally Chief Justice Luke Malaba who years. 
roads into opposition territory. The Although the seats will not be had reached retirement age.  Coupled with reports of double
party’s massive rally in Epworth last enough to influence policy change, Notwithstanding Zwizwai’s right candidates in Bulawayo, the party
Saturday could be an indicator that the presence of CCC in Parliament is While the party is under pressure to retain his seat after he was recalled should in future guard against such
Zanu PF should not be underesti- expected to enhance debate and stop to step up its campaign in urban ar- from Parliament, the party should practices. 
mated. the collusion between the ruling par- eas, party leadership should not ig- heed the calls for fresh faces in the
ty and the opposition. nore several calls to give the younger legislature.  Political analyst Stephen Chan cast
Riding on populist policies as ex- generation a shot at running for Par- doubt on CCC’s ability to organise a
emplified by Zanu PF leader Pres- Zanu PF last year colluded with the liament.  “There was little or no choice than formidable nationwide campaign to
ident Emmerson Mnangagwa who Douglas Mwonzora-led MDC-Alli- to call upon those who had been re- win the by-elections.
promised title deeds to Epworth
homeowners, the ruling party has “It is unlikely Chamisa and the
gone for broke in a bid to end the op- CCC can organise themselves suffi-
position’s stranglehold on the urban ciently for a fully successful nation-
voter.  wide campaign in time for the March
by-elections. The results of those
CCC, formerly MDC-Alliance, a by-elections should, however, give
party that has enjoyed urban support some indication of chances for all
since 2000, should not be oblivious parties in 2023,” Chan said. 
to Zanu PF’s ability to mobilise using
populist policies.  He added that the by-elections will
be a litmus test for CCC’s political
Despite winning the lion’s share of power against a faction-riddlen Zanu
parliamentary seats since 2000, the PF which has a penchant for regroup-
opposition’s ability to ensure service ing towards a major plebiscite. 
delivery in local councils has been
hamstrung by the central govern- Chan also warned CCC of poten-
ment's meddling, rendering it dys- tial splits if the party does not follow
functional. The poor economy has due process of appointing leaders. 
also contributed but in many cases
opposition councillors have been im- “Sunday rally is also timely to clear
plicated in corruption. out the confusion that has reigned
that this is a new start and all the
Zanu PF has been using local au- structures had been dissolved. I hope
thorities’ failure to deliver as an in- he makes things clear,” Mandaza said,
dication that the opposition cannot adding that Chamisa also has the op-
perform.   portunity to clear the air on the way
forward for the party. 
Nevertheless, CCC will be riding
on Zanu PF failure to deliver on elec- “I hope he makes it very clear that
tion promises and its failure to solve the party was forced to change the
the plethora of problems bedeviling name, but the movement remains the
the country. High-level corruption same. Chamisa should intentionally
and primitive accumulation of wealth set up structures to prepare for elec-
has also worsened over the years, tions and ensure that the party is well
alienating the party from urban vot- grounded.” 
ers. 
Ahead of the 26 March by-elec-
While retaining urban seats of tions, Chamisa also needs tackle
legislators recalled in 2020 by for- the infiltration of the party by state
mer MDC-Alliance secretary-general agents and concerns over the return
Douglas Mwonzora looks easy on pa- of former MDC-T vice-president
per, Zanu PF will not go down with- Thokozani Khupe. 
out a fight. 
Her return has rattled CCC since
There are reports of people being a photo of her with party vice-pres-
clandestinely added to the voters' ident Welshman Ncube and former
roll overnight, while others are be- MDC-T organising secretary Abed-
ing moved from one polling station nego Bhebhe went viral. 
or ward to another by the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission, raising fears Notwithstanding the assault on
of rigging in some constituencies. the party by the state and its proxies,
CCC remains with a chance of re-
The opposition party goes into taining its parliamentary seats -- but
the by-elections rejuvenated by the only if the opposition party does not
rebranding, having been buffeted by slacken.
serious political headwinds before the
name change. 

CCC’s main goal will be to grab
considerable seats to make enough

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NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 23

Issue 68, 18 February 2022 The context of the question was a political question
Chilonga land case which should be left to the other
This article was compiled by the arms of the government to deter-
Masvingo Centre for Research Ad- Staff from the Masvingo Centre for Research Advocacy and Development (MACRAD Trust) consult with members of the mine. In simpler terms, the court
vocacy and Development Trust, an Chilonga community in Chiredzi. said the Chilonga case could not
independent community-based civ- be determined by the law and the
il society institution committed to Act have a violent and obnoxious ruled that the fact that the Shan- vested in him as the state Presi- courts but rather by politics. 
the development of socio- economic origin. They pointed out that gani people inhabited the land in dent to ensure orderly develop-
rights and agrarian systems. sections 4 and 6(1)(b) of the Act question way before colonisation ment of communal land.  At paragraph 14 of the cyclo-
THE High Court of Zimbabwe violate their right to life, right to does not exclude it from the defi- styled judgment, the court said:
sitting in Harare on 5 January human dignity, right to equal pro- nition of communal land in terms Insofar as the setting "Sometimes politics has to speak
2022 dismissed an application to tection of the law and their right of the Communal Land Act. In aside of land is concerned, the first, and only then may the law
have provisions of sections 4 and to culture and language. They also simpler terms, the court conclud- respondents had argued that no take over".  The issue before the
6 (1)(b) Communal Land Act, argued that the proposed action ed that the land in question is part significant portion of the land oc- court was not whether or not the
Chapter 20:04, declared uncon- to move them from their ancestral of communal land.  curs without proper planning and Chilonga community should be
stitutional.  land violates their right to prop- consultation with communal lead- displaced or evicted. The outcome
erty.  The judge observed that whilst ers and the local authorities and however has a bearing on the ul-
The case had been taken to the Act has racist origins, at In- that had been done in the Chilon- timate decision to be taken by
court by three members of the The court accepted that the dependence and up to the pres- ga case. The applicants were argu- the government. Had the court
Hlengwe Xangani community, an Communal Land Act and partic- ent day, the government retained ing otherwise. They alleged that allowed the application, the pro-
ethnic group in Zimbabwe com- ularly the vesting of title of land the concept of vesting communal no proper consultations had been posed irrigation project was argu-
monly known as the Chilonga in any person other than the oc- lands in the state President.  done. The court concluded that ably going to be suspended in the
community. The case was report- cupiers themselves has its origins whether or not consultation was long run. Now that the sections
ed as "Livison Chikutu and 2 Ors on the pathological hatred of the Justice Joseph Mafusire, who done was a question of fact and which permitted the President to
v Minister of Lands and Ors HH aboriginal races by the colonial presided over the case, accepted not a constitutional determina- set aside the land in question has
02/22".  powers. The court however held the respondents' argument that tion. The case before the court was been found not to be ultra vires
that there is nothing unconstitu- the land is not vested in the Pres- a constitutional case. the constitution, at law there is
Between February and March tional by vesting communal land ident in his personal capacity. The High Court invoked the nothing that bars the government
2021, the government issued a in the President as envisaged in For the respondents, the Attor- political question doctrine. The from implementing the project. 
series of statutory instruments, section 4 of the Act. The court ney-General argued that the land judge pointed out that the land
the main object of which was to is vested by virtue of the powers In its response to the applica-
set aside a tract of communal land tion, the government said no one
for the purpose of establishing an is to be displaced as the identified
irrigation scheme in Chiredzi dis- land is largely uninhabited. That
trict.  a section of the community will
be moved is an undeniable fact.
The land in question has been The government, through the At-
inhabited by the Hlengwe Xan- torney-General, says those who
gani (Chilonga) community since might be affected will be relocated
way before 1890. The impact of and "adequately compensated". 
the statutory instruments is that
some sections of the Chilonga There are little or no prospects
community might be affected to of success in appealing the High
the extent that they face eviction Court decision. Hope is now
to pave way for the proposed irri- pinned on the compensation un-
gation project.  dertakings. It was argued that the
Chilonga irrigation scheme will
The said statutory instruments be an extension of the Tugwi-Mu-
were made in terms of the Com- kosi project. 
munal Land Act. Section 4 of the
law vests all communal land in the It is a fact that people who were
President. Section 6 of the same relocated from Tugwi-Mukosi to
Act empowers the President to Chingwizi were not adequately
make additions or subtractions compensated. It is therefore rec-
from any communal land.  ommended and proposed that the
government adequately compen-
On behalf of the Chilonga sate the affected people first before
community, the applicants alleged relocation to avoid a repeat of the
that the land in question is not Chingwizi disaster. 
part of communal land envisaged
in the Communal Land Act. They *About the writer: Masvingo
base the argument on the fact Centre for Research Advocacy
that their ancestors were not set- and Development Trust is an
tled through colonialism and that independent community-based
their land was not artificially cre- civil society institution commit-
ated and carved out by the Tribal ted to the development of socio-
Trust Land Act The crux of the economic rights and agrarian
argument is that the land cannot systems that enhance equitable
be set aside in terms of the Com- land rights and sustainable land
munal Land Act.  use throughout Zimbabwe. 

The applicants further agued
that sections 4 and 6(1)(b) Land

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Page 24 The Big Debate NewsHawks

Taona B. Issue 68, 18 February 2022
Denhere
War on memory: Destruction 
of the Bhalagwe monuments
THE post-colonial, political and so-
cio-cultural landscape, as well as the A Gukurahundi memorial plaque that was put up at Bhalagwe in Kezi by the group Ibhetshu LikaZulu has been stolen and destroyed several times.
trajectory of Zimbabwe, have been
punctuated by a plethora of emotive timately, preventing genocide involves which led to a modus vivendi between memorials can act as a vital springboard ory production provides the global
and traumatic state-sanctioned gross all of society. It is crucial that we all join the erstwhile political rivals that birthed to inclusive nation-building. Through commons of the Midlands and Mata-
violations of human rights and other hands to defend the principles of equal- a fragile elite political pact known as constructing memorials, a nation will beleland provinces the fora and the op-
horrific abuses.  ity and human dignity and to repair the Unity Accord, the Zanu PF govern- be recognising its painful and tragic portunity to have their historical nar-
the fissures and polarisation that are so ment has demonstrated through acts of past in an effort to learn from those ratives and grievances to be recognised. 
The most significant and high- prevalent in our societies today." commission and omission that it lacks mistakes such that the future genera-
ly traumatising episode of egregious the political will and interest to estab- tions will not repeat those mistakes.  However, since 1987 successive
state-sponsored abuses of human rights This is the message Zimbabweans lish a transitional justice mechanism Zanu PF governments have shown
occurred on a paramilitarised industri- need to heed and do so urgently, saying for the Gukurahundi victims. Thus memorials become an educa- no genuine and serious inclination to
al-scale genocidal and ethnocidal terror “never again”. tive and informative theatre where re- address the long-festering untreated
against civilians in the Midlands and Bhalagwe was the ground zero or the membering the past is essential to not traumatic wound of Gukurahundi
Matabeleland provinces between 1982 The UN has a day for remembrance Auschwitz of unprecedented genocid- repeat past mistakes and pitfalls. They genocide. Suffice it to say that the cur-
and 1987. The regions were socio-po- for genocide, the International Day of al extrajudicial killings. Thus, it was a can become forums of “never again” rent Zanu PF government led by Pres-
litical and cultural base of Joshua Nko- Commemoration and Dignity of the killing and burial site and a crime scene preventative education mechanisms for ident Emmerson Mnangagwa contains
mo’s former liberation movement PF Victims of the Crime of Genocide and that has huge domestic and interna- the present generations and the future Gukurahundi perpetrators and denial-
Zapu, which together with Zanu PF of the Prevention of this Crime, as well tional consequences to its perpetrators.  generations.  ists who through their acts of commis-
had fought the liberation struggle.  as the 1948 Convention on the Preven- sion and omissions continue to deny
tion and Punishment of the Crime of This automatically places Bhalagwe Crucially, memorials provide a heal- and try to downplay the magnitude of
Conservative estimates say 20 000 Genocide, the first human rights treaty at the epicentre of any serious discourse ing mechanism for both the victims the genocidal atrocities unparalleled in
innocent and defenceless civilians were adopted by the General Assembly.  on the production of the memory of and the survivors, which is essential for the country and region.
ruthlessly terrorised and butchered by a both the victims and the survivors of an inclusive and tolerant imagined na-
North Korean-trained ethno-national- The convention signifies the inter- Gukurahundi as well as for posterity. tion state. Healing site memorials can This explains why the Bhalagwe me-
ist paramilitary crack team which was national community’s commitment provide an emotional, psychological morials continue to be desecrated and
known as the 5th Brigade in genocidal to “never again” and provides the first Therefore, in terms of a non-trial and spiritual solace and catharsis for the pulverised each time they are erected.
massacres known as Gukurahundi. international legal definition of “geno- based transitional justice mechanism, victims and the survivors.  Within a two-year period three succes-
cide,” widely adopted at national and there is a concept known as the produc- sive Bhalagwe Gukurahundi memori-
It was a project of the late former international levels. It also establishes tion of memory. This is where memo- Consequently, a historical and emo- als have been desecrated and destroyed
president Robert Mugabe and his lieu- a duty for state parties to prevent and rial iconographs and architectures are tive site such as Bhalagwe would defi- each time they are installed. 
tenants such as his successor President punish the crime of genocide. constructed and installed to mark and nitely provide a spiritual and emotional
Emmerson Mnangagwa. commemorate incidences of large-scale oasis for the victims of Gukurahundi to The last one, which happened on 4
That is why the destruction of atrocities, violence and genocide.  have therapeutic healing to their psy- January 2022, had a degree of military
Some of the perpetrators are still Gukurahundi memorial symbols is a chological and emotional scars. Thus, it precision to it as it involved the use of
alive and in power, which explains why serious issue. It should actually be made Consequently, memorials can act can become a transformative shrine for explosive materials that pulverised it to
the pursuit of truth, compensation, a crime. and serve as a vital component of tran- remembrance, healing and education. pieces. It is tragic and disheartening to
justice and healing have been difficult. Performance of injustice sitional justice through provision of That is a place for the victims to reflect the victims of Gukurahundi that even
Even memorialisation or remembrance Prima facie, the state-sanctioned atroc- symbolic justice to the victims and the and soul search, while reckoning with in their mass graves at Bhalagwe they
— commemoration of the grisly atroc- ities of Gukurahundi satisfies the legal survivors. the past. continue to suffer from militarised vio-
ities — has been also difficult. threshold of war crimes, crimes against Elephant in the room lence 40 years after the massacres were
humanity and the crime of genocide. Efforts by the Ibhetshu LikaZulu The International Coalition of Sites of perpetrated.  More worrying was the
No other place in Zimbabwe and Suffice it to say that this demands both pressure group in erecting Gukurahun- Conscience holds that, like other dem- fact that the Zanu PF government did
affected areas aptly captures the pinna- prosecutory and non-prosecutory tran- di Memorial at Bhalagwe is a very act of ocratic institutions, memorials should not even condemn all the previous acts
cle of the callous genocidal apocalyptic sitional justice mechanisms. That is championing from bottom-up symbol- be judged against standards of inde- of criminality and barbarism perpetrat-
brutality and terror of Gukurahundi both trial-based and non-trial-based ic justice for the victims and survivors pendence from political caprice, trans- ed against Bhalagwe memorials, espe-
than Bhalagwe in Kezi, Matabeleland transitional justice mechanisms.  of the massacres. As such the, memorial parency, participation of marginalised cially on the last one which involves
South province.  becomes an artefact where the victims populations and civil society, inclusiv- explosive materials.  This shows that
However, since the end of Gukura- can view it as a means to an end in their ity and inter-ethnic engagement.  Mnangagwa and his government are
Bhalagwe was quintessentially a de- hundi in 1987, which resulted in the long-term pursuit for transformative not sincere about resolving the issue.
tention centre which was transformed signing of an agreement between the and redistributive justice. Therefore, democratisation of mem-
into a blood-soaked torture and killing then opposition PF Zapu and Zanu PF, ... To Page 25
chamber. Naturally, Bhalagwe – Zim- Moreover, it has been proved in oth-
babwe’s own Buchenwald – becomes er post-genocide historical settings that
the epicentre for any genuine and
meaningful historicisation and me-
morialisation of the pain, terror and
trauma of the victims and survivors of
Gukurahundi genocide.

This opinion-editorial article was
necessitated by the recent and repeated
destruction and removal of the three
Bhalagwe Gukurahundi memorial
plaques over the last two years. 

Author Milan Kundera once said
“the struggle of man against power is
the struggle against it''. Memorials are
an effective means for symbolic justice
for the victims and survivors and that
is why the destruction of the memori-
als is not just a mere low-level case of
vandalism, but rather a deliberate and
well-concerted effort, probably with
the blessing of the state, to structurally
erase, invisibilise and deface the victims
and survivors’ historicity of the Guku-
rahundi genocide.

Gukurahundi was about the killing
of a people’s identity, culture and mem-
ories as much as it was about killing in-
dividuals in communities or a society.
That is why historicisation and memo-
rialisation of the atrocity is important.
It is part of the pursuit of the truth, jus-
tice and healing.

That is why it needs a collective and
inclusive effort to prevent genocide and
similar human rights abuses.

United Nations secretary-general
Antonio Guterres put it this way: “Ul-

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 25

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

TAKAVAFIRA ZHOU The education in effect that any teacher who would not
Zim at crossroads have reported for work or given work
AS much as the government unilat- to pupils by the 22 February would be
erally opened schools on 7 February have resultantly fallen from grace to ing antics, cognisant of government di.  deemed to have resigned. What is wor-
2022, there has not been any learning grass. The government has not in- unwillingness to address their plight, Even the praise singers in the Apex risome is that instead of engaging all
in schools since then. Teachers had vested in quality public education, teachers have declared their incapaci- teacher unions over the impasse and
correctly informed the authorities that allocating as little as 13% of the total tation to government.  Council who were called to endorse for cross-pollination of ideas as op-
schools were not ready for a successful budget to the ministry of Primary and and legitimise a unilateral government posed to self-pollination, government
opening. The government took teach- Secondary Education against an Af- More than 135 000 teachers out of offer of an assumed salary increase has invested in command-and-control
ers for granted  and enunciated that rican agreement at Dakar to allocate 142 000 gave heed to incapacitation and non- monetary incentives which tactics that have no traction in the ed-
schools should open. over 22% to education. It is also not call bringing the education system to fell far short of teachers' minimum ucation sector. Any attempt to resolve
eager to engage patriotic Zimbabwean a standstill. Some schools have since expectations, could not entice teach- teachers' incapacitation through rigid
There are five fundamentals that teachers and restore their purchasing 7 February been totally closed as both ers back to their stations. That offer and commandist strategies devoid of
can guarantee the successful opening power parity pegged at US$540. It is the administration and teachers have is largely a conversion of ZW$12 000 educational taxonomy would be futile.
of schools anywhere and at any time: also a fact that teachers are tired of at- failed to travel to their workstations, of a teacher's salary into US$100 and Any attempt to resolve the impasse in
tacks and false accusations by so few while in many schools pupils have an increase of 20% on the remainder. the education sector must try to estab-
Foremost, the ability of teachers to for doing so much with so little.  accessed school premises, but with With the lowest-paid teacher getting lish a balance sheet between the cost of
report for work. At any rate teachers teachers conspicuous by their absence. ZW$19 000, that offer is paltry and living and school fees on one hand and
are the most important element in the Henceforth, the only remedy to the Even the 7 000 that is turning up is impossible to capacitate and pacify the teachers' salary on the other. 
education system; suffering of teachers is the restoration not teaching. teachers. 
of the purchasing power parity of their An equation without restoration of
Secondly, the ability of parents to salaries (US$540) as well as a myriad The government is responding  to Using a 2002 precedent in which the purchasing power parity of teach-
pay fees so that pupils can turn up for of education sector-specific allowances teachers' incapacitation by threats, the then education permanent secre- ers' salaries has limited longevity and
learning. agreed upon over the past five years, saying “no work, no pay” and teachers tary Thomson Tsodzo suspended 629 applicability in the 21st century infla-
but that have fallen short where it have continued with their pay demand Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimba- tion-ridden Zimbabwean economy.
Thirdly, meaningful engagement matters most, that is implementation.  slogan “no US$540, no work”.  bwe-affiliated teachers for engaging on What also worries teachers is that as
between government/Public Service strike, and the courts declared the sus- much as those in power claim that
Commission and teacher unions in Teachers have a right to claim The minister of Primary and Sec- pension illegal, teachers have managed the economy of Zimbabwe has im-
order to foster industrial harmony and US$540 as this salary was culled with- ondary Education Dr Evelyn Ndlovu to approach the court which has also proved tremendously under the new
productivity in schools out engaging them or their represen- had by day four of the incapacitation declared that the minister of Primary dispensation as compared to the for-
tatives and was therefore callous and a struggle moved to another level, viz, and Secondary Education's suspen- mer Mugabe regime, the benefits of
Fourthly, intrinsic motivation of monument of unfair labour practice. unlawful blanket suspension of 90% sions are null and void. that claimed improvement have not
teachers so as to entrench meaningful Having exhausted all possible means of the teachers on incapacitation ac- filtered to teachers.
learning and teaching in schools. to restore the US$540, tired of gov- tion. This illegal suspension failed to The Public Service Commission
ernment prevarication and firefight- emasculate teachers as they continued has now moved to another level by Zimbabwean teachers are patriotic,
Lastly is the prioritisation of health on the incapacitation modus operan- giving teachers an ultimatum to the but have suffered enough under the
and safety of teachers, learners and an- vagaries of starvation. We must reject
cillary staff in schools in order to com- in toto a system of education that
bat the Covid-19 pandemic. There is produces rulers over own children by
virtually very little the government virtue of our inability to afford fees at
has done, and the conglomeration of many schools in Zimbabwe. We are
teachers, pupils and ancillary staff in citizens too and our children have a
schools without any testing is danger- right to best education in Zimbabwe. 
ous.
Our clarion call is for education-
Sadly, without interrogating the in- al hygiene through restoration of
herent fundamentals, government has our status, dignity and lustre so that
gone to the factory setting, fixated as we play a pivotal role for sustainable
it is on command and control tactics development of the nation. Any na-
and opening schools on 7 February.  tion that does not respect its teachers
is doomed. Teachers are managers of
The ministry of Primary and Sec- a nation's best asset, viz, pupils and
ondary Education has gone into over- must be capacitated in order to en-
drive in the wrong direction. The real- trench quality public education that is
ity of unpreparedness is a public secret critical in nurturing skills and foster-
for anyone concerned with the truth. ing sustainable development of com-
It is clear that both the government munities and the nation at large. 
and ministry officials are insensitive
to the suffering and slavery of teachers The government therefore has two
and other civil servants, and have lost choices: Either to stand idle by and
touch with reality in schools.  watch the ongoing crumbling of the
educational system worsen, with dire
To expect a teacher who earns consequences for the youth and future
ZW$19 000 to pay school fees for of the country, or intervene by engag-
his/her child at ZW$19 000 in some ing teachers to find a lasting solution
boarding schools where fees have been to the current crisis.
approved by the government is ludi-
crous hallucination of the worst order.  *About the writer: Dr Takavafira
M Zhou is president of the Progres-
That Zimbabwe has some of the sive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe.
best teachers in the region, continent
and globally is not in doubt. Yet its
teachers are the worst paid.  

That is why teachers in Zimbabwe
have tested positive to poverty, and

Destruction of the Bhalagwe monuments

... From Page 24 Cambodia and Rwanda provide successful in those countries largely suffering the consequences.  destroying Gukurahundi memorial
Any serious and concerned govern- some of the historical success stories of because the genocidal regimes were But in the end a solution has to be structures and plaques are waging a
ment would have carried out an exten- symbolic justice through construction toppled. There is irrefutable evidence war on memory are denialists and in-
sive investigation in order to find who and production of memorials. For in- showing that successive Zanu PF gov- found to avoid bequeathing future flictors of pain on the victims and sur-
is using these explosive materials to stance, Cambodia has the infamous ernments have had neither the politi- generations the cumbersome burden vivors of the atrocities. They are just as
attack the memory of victims of atroc- Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal cal will nor the plan to provide and in- of dealing with the genocidal atroci- good as perpetrators themselves.
ities, inflicting further insult and pain.  Crimes and the Choeung Ek Centre stitute far-reaching transformative and ties, their impact and implications.
Due to the fact that these explosive for Genocide Crimes. These are the redistributive justice for the victims of Conclusion Attacks on memorial sites and com-
materials can be used for other nefari- places used for memorialising, docu- Gukurahundi. The destruction and desecration of memorative inscriptions destroy the
ous purposes such as damaging public menting and capturing the genocid- Bhalagwe Gukurahundi memorial site platform for remedial and preventive
buildings or for terrorist activities, the al terror and repression of  Pol Pot’s This also explains why the Mata- is a war and insult on the memory of mechanisms for addressing the his-
issue should have been treated as crit- Khmer Rouge regime that killed  mil- beleland Collective and the National the victims and survivors. It does more torical genocidal terror, trauma and
ical and urgent. Also conspicuous by lions of Cambodians.  Peace and Reconciliation Commis- harm to Zanu PF than anyone else.   pain of Gukurahundi, while inflicting
their absence in expressing dissent and sion, for instance, have not embraced more agony on the victims.
condemnation of the destruction and Rwanda is christened the “land the memorialisation initiatives of Ib- It is an insult to the intelligence
desecration of Bhalagwe memorials is of a thousand memorials” due to ad hetshu Likazulu. It is safe to say that of the victims and a way of inflicting That is why it should be stopped to
the National Peace and Reconciliation plethora of genocide memorials that genuine and far-reaching reparative, further pain on them. The move de- allow memorialisation and commem-
Commission and continues to mushroom across its geo- restorative, retributive and redistrib- nies victims monumentalisation and oration of Gukurahundi as part of the
Matabeleland Collective, among graphical landscape. Nonetheless the utive justice for the victims and sur- memorialisation of their painful expe- pursuit for truth, justice and healing
other civil society organisations. This main Memorial Centre is at Gisozi vivors of the Gukurahundi genocide riences and the symbolic justice that to ensure therapeutic recovery, closure
raises serious questions about the in- and the Murambi Technical School can only be possible in a post-Zanu comes with it in the process. and peace for the sake of nation-build-
tegrity and sincerity of these organisa- Memorial in Butare. The reason I have PF political dispensation.  ing, harmony and progress in Zimba-
tions when it comes to addressing the included the impeccable historical Simultaneously, it exposes the lack bwe.
historical and inter-generational injus- examples of Cambodia and Rwan- It is not practical and possible for of political will and insincerity of
tices of Gukurahundi. da is to demonstrate that the painful Gukurahundi perpetrators themselves Mnangagwa’s government in address- *About the writer: Taona Bless-
process of production of memory was to ensure truth, justice and healing ing this issue.  ing Denhere is a human rights and
without incriminating themselves and international development lawyer
Those involved in attacking and based in the United Kingdom.

Page 26 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Plight of the Zimbabwean teacher

Alex T. Amalgamated Rural Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure. acea to their long-term problems. They
Magaisa are in this desperate situation because of
Kutama before enrolling as a teacher in Over time, the status of the teacher have to pay full taxes on the importa- deep-seated structural problems that are
ON Wednesday, I received a message on various parts of the country. The same has diminished significantly as wages tion of motor vehicles is like promising anchored in an economic architecture
social media from a colleague. “When profession would later take him to Gha- have been eroded. Nowadays, teachers women a free beard trim”. They laugh at that favours the political elites and their
will Magaisa write something about the na, where he found love. Zanu’s found- are treated with contempt. They are how the government is mocking teach- associates. Indeed, to isolate teachers
plight of teachers in Zimbabwe?” read ing leader Ndabaningi Sithole also mocked because their earnings are piti- ers by promising something unattain- from the complex matrix that includes
the message. trained as a teacher before he joined the ful. The situation of retired teachers is able. It’s promising a tax break on some- other disempowered groups is to make a
clergy. The iconic Herbert Chitepo also worse. Like other retired civil servants, thing that a teacher cannot even afford. grave error. Teachers, nurses, police offi-
The colleague was relaying a message began his career as a teacher. Even Abel they are given peanuts in state pensions. cers, soldiers, and other civil servants are
from a teacher who described himself Muzorewa started as a teacher. One Even those who spent decades making A day after the offer, the govern- all part of a system that systematically
as “a teacher who is wallowing in abject might say that the teaching profession private savings have ended up with very ment issued another notice, suspend- favours the elites and impoverishes the
poverty”.   was the seedbed of the struggle for inde- little thanks to a racket of insurance ing without pay for three months all rest.
pendence. It was from its ranks that the companies pleading with the effects of teachers who have “absented themselves
It was a sobering moment. It re- intellectuals of the struggle were born.   hyperinflation. The result is that once from duty since the official opening of The system plays divide and rule,
minded me of our collective shame over a respectable profession that permitted schools”. Apart from the fact that this making one part of the public sector
how we have habituated to the sorry A teaching family was able to send families to live decent lives, teachers are knee-jerk reaction will further paralyze feel like it is better placed than the oth-
situation in the public education sector. their children to some of the best-per- now living the life of hunter-gatherers, an already stricken public education ers. Hence, the regime pays soldiers and
The poverty that afflicts members of forming schools that Zimbabwe’s from hand to mouth. system, the minister’s action is illegal. police officers first, then nurses with
the teaching profession has been nor- education system could offer. Some She has no authority to suspend civil the teachers coming last. When nurses
malised. When they go on strike, some of Zimbabwe’s best schools are run This week, when schools were due to servants who are employed by the Pub- strike, teachers carry on. When teach-
people might even think the teachers by missionaries. They charge fees for open after a lengthy pandemic-induced lic Service Commission, and she can- ers strike, nurses carry on. Soldiers and
are the problem, not the victims of a re- boarding facilities. A lot of students at closure, teachers went on strike de- not suspend employees in such general police officers are not legally allowed
pressive and thoughtless system. those schools were from teaching fami- manding better wages. It’s a sign of how terms, let alone through a press state- to strike. Without networks of solidar-
lies. They valued education and wanted bad things have become under the reign ment. But this is typical of an intolerant ity, these divided sectors will always be
Like many Zimbabweans, I owe my the best for their children. Many prod- of Emmerson Mnangagwa that teachers regime whose only language is that of victims of division and rule by those in
station in life to the tireless efforts of ucts of this investment are flourishing are benchmarking their demands on threats and coercion. power. Their power lies in active net-
teachers many of whom went well be- in various parts of the world. Back then what they were earning when Robert works of solidarity.
yond the call of duty to see to our suc- teachers earned enough to send all their Mugabe was in power. Mugabe ruled That the concerns raised by teachers
cess. I was raised in a family of teachers. kids to such schools while still living a the country with an iron fist. He was in are legitimate and deserving of serious If they understood their power, they
The wages that my parents earned were decent life. charge when the country experienced attention is lost on the regime. It be- would not let their employer run rings
enough to afford us a decent lifestyle. hyperinflation in 2007-08. Yet when haves like a man who is armed with a around them as it does. The regime can
They were able to send us and many As regular wage earners, teachers the country dollarized, a teacher was hammer and sees every problem as a fire nurses or teachers when they go on
other kids to decent schools. had access to credit facilities at shops, earning an average of US$540 a month. nail. For such a character, the only solu- strike on different occasions, but it will
banks, and building societies. Teaching Now a teacher earns just a fraction of tion is to apply the force of the hammer drive itself into a cul-de-sac if it applies
Some of the most influential people was a truly middle-class profession that that. Inflation and chaotic currency to the nail. As Obert Masaraure, presi- the same repressive methods if all civil
in my life were the men and women enabled members of the profession to policies have left the teacher earning a dent of the Amalgamated Rural Teach- servants acted in unison. It is good to
who took me through the paces at all become homeowners in decent residen- pittance. ers' Union of Zimbabwe said, “Teach- see statements of solidarity with teach-
levels of school education. I remember tial areas. This is because they earned ers have been reduced to paupers, they ers from nurses and the Zimbabwe
how Mr Bvumbe at Avondale Junior enough and could save sufficiently to In response to the strike, the govern- are living in poverty. Teachers can’t even Congress of Trade Unions. It can be
School in the mid-late 1980s shaped afford a mortgage to buy a home. In ment proposed a 20% wage increase, afford to pay school fees in the schools the beginning of a powerful wave that
my development in very unfamiliar the rural areas, where schools provided payment of part of the wages in US where they ordinarily teach.” The absur- will draw the government to treat civil
territory during those formative years. accommodation, families were able to dollars, and a set of subsidies on the dity of this situation where teachers can- servants with greater respect than it is
Mr Mushangwe, my history teacher at build their rural homes, creating in- importation of vehicles and a housing not even afford to pay for the education doing. If the sectors remain disaggregat-
Assisi High School, remains a lifelong surance for the post-retirement phase scheme. These proposals have been met that they are delivering is staggering. ed and their efforts are sector-based and
brother and friend. Mr Chiurayi, our of their lives. A teacher could afford to with mockery by teachers and observ- piecemeal, the regime will continue to
headmaster, was a towering figure who buy a decent vehicle which in rural areas ers. Always ready with a light-hearted However, although teachers appear have a field day.
kept us focused. Such was his authority, served multiple purposes for the com- take on the government’s lame efforts, helpless, they are not without power.
his mere presence was enough to com- munity. Nowadays, many cannot afford Zimbabweans have responded by say- The problem is that they might not More significantly, however, teach-
mand the attention of ants. the fare for public transport. ing “Promising teachers that they won’t realize the power they hold. Striking is ers and other civil servants must accept
one thing but it is by no means the pan- that their problems are systematic and
Mai Chakanyuka was there when I will not be resolved by industrial action
graduated from writing on the floor to alone. Their problems are a symptom
earn a place in Group 1 at Kwenda Pri- of governance weaknesses that pervade
mary School. There was Mai Madzivan- Zimbabwe. There can never be a few
yika’s guiding hand in those formative islands of sound governance for teach-
years. These were mother figures that ers, nurses, or soldiers, while the rest of
showed me the way in those early years. society is a sea of bad governance. Zim-
I could write a long list to fill the pages. babwe’s is a system that needs a systemic
Suffice to say that each of them played overhaul. Indeed, the same forces that
an important role in shaping my life. I drove the ZCTU to spearhead the for-
am sure everyone reading this has a sto- mation of the original MDC in 1999 to
ry or two to tell in honour of teachers drive political change have not subsid-
that contributed to their development. ed. The MDC may have been hijacked
Yet members of this profession that has by a few reactionary elements who have
done so much for so many have been driven it to the ground, but the Citi-
reduced to penurious lives. zens' Coalition for Change (CCC) rep-
resents a vehicle that has the potential
Back then, teachers were revered to regain momentum and rejuvenate
figures in the community. They com- the struggle.
manded respect. Back in the colonial
period, when opportunities were few Teachers are the ones that interact
and far between, graduating as a teacher with young people in the education sys-
was one of the great achievements for tem. They are the ones that shape the
Africans. A mother whose son became consciousness of students in their for-
a teacher was no longer called by his mative stages. Promoting civic engage-
son’s first name. Instead, fellow villagers ment and voter registration are some of
called her Mai Teacher, mother of the the things that they ought to promote
teacher. And the teacher’s homestead in their spaces.
was referred to as kwaTeacher, his maize
field was “munda waTeacher” and his And most significantly, teachers are
cows were “mombe dzaTeacher”. It was key participants in the election process.
no ordinary status. Young men and They are usually employed as election
women graduating at O Level applied officials, manning operations at polling
to teacher training colleges. It was a pro- stations. For their services, they get an
fession to aspire to. allowance. Unfortunately, some of them
do not look at the bigger picture, that
Many of the men and women who after that moment, they will return to
went on to lead the struggle for inde- their ordinary lives as teachers on mea-
pendence started as teachers. Perhaps gre wages, treated with contempt by the
the most well-known of them was Rob- regime. By acts of commission or omis-
ert Mugabe, taught by the Jesuits at sions, some of them become enablers of
their repression.

But teachers who occupy these roles
could use their role as gatekeepers of the
election process, ensuring that there is
fairness, and that evidence of irregulari-

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 27

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

ties is identified and collected, especially Her case is a true definition of the adage ed. It also did not make sense why Floor-crossing in Zimbabwe the law to automatically terminate an
in the rural areas. Zanu PF has had 42 that what goes around comes around. MPs who had been elected under the A final point that needs addressing is MP’s parliamentary tenure. An MP can
years to improve the condition of teach- MDC-Alliance ticket could be removed the issue of floor-crossing and whether cease to be a member of the party that
ers. Independence was supposed to be But while Khupe has unclean hands, from parliament by any party other joining another political party leads to sponsored him and still retain his seat if
the dawn of a new and brighter era. But her case nevertheless provides yet an- than the MDC-Alliance.  the automatic loss of a seat when an MP the party does not take positive steps to
a teacher is now worse off than he or other illustration that the recall provi- was elected as a member of another par- recall him. There must be an additional
she was in 1980, a serious indictment sion in its current formulation is not fit The legal technicality which was ex- ty. This question might seem odd con- action by the political party to write a
of the post-independence government. for purpose. It is not surprising that the ploited was that the recall provision is sidering all that has happened in recent notice to Parliament declaring that the
The government has failed teachers, and recall provision is being used as a polit- not based on the identity of the party years with MPs being recalled because MP has ceased to be its member.
in doing so it has failed the public edu- ical weapon to settle personal disputes under which one was elected but the they have allegedly ceased to be mem-
cation system. between politicians. It was originally party in which he or she was a member bers of their sponsoring political parties. The implication of this is that unless
introduced as a weapon of retaliation. at the time of the election. It was this But as I argue in this part, readers may the political party has sent a written
A big problem is brewing via the Back in the late 1980S, the maverick that made it possible for the MDC-T be surprised that there is no automatic notice to Parliament, an MP is free to
divided education system in Zimba- politician, Edgar Tekere had fallen out to claim the right to recall the MPs who prohibition of floor-crossing under our cross the floor. Some might think this
bwe. There has always been a division of favour with Mugabe and Zanu PF. had otherwise been elected under the law. is a far-fetched scenario and perhaps an
between the private and public educa- But Zanu PF leaders discovered that banner of the MDC-Alliance. academic argument, but it is not. When
tion systems in Zimbabwe, but this gap they could not expel him from par- Automatic prohibition is where an Thokozani Khupe and Douglas Mwn-
is widening. The pre-existing division liament after they had fired him from One of the defining features of the MP who was elected as a member of one zora began to recall MDC-Alliance
was generally blurred by the fact that their party. The parliamentary system recall provision is that it is party-centric party loses their seat simply by crossing MPs, they did not recall everyone. Sev-
the public education system functioned that Zimbabwe had was built on the and ignores the rights and interests of the floor and joining another political eral MPs who remained in parliament
relatively well and produced a good set Westminster system in Britain, where the voters. The voters have no say in the party. In such a case, there would be openly declared their allegiances to the
of results, especially in the church-run floor-crossing is permitted. question of recalling the MP. This pro- no need for anyone to do anything to MDC-Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa.
schools. However, the pandemic ex- motes party dictatorship at the expense cause an MP to lose their seat. Their act
posed the great weakness in the public The recall provision was introduced of the voters. A recall has at least two of crossing the floor alone would mean Some of them, like Daniel Molokele
education system. While students in to plug this “loophole” allowing a po- other consequences: first by-elections a loss of their seat by operation of law. and Job Sikhala, held senior roles in
the private education sector had more litical party that the MP was a member must be called to fill the constituency Chamisa’s party. These people had tech-
access to online learning resources, it of at the election to recall him or her if vacancies and second, in the case of PR There is only one circumstance in nically crossed the floor from Mwonzo-
was different for those in public schools. he or she ceased to be a member of the MPs, the party simply nominates re- which this is possible: this is when a ra’s party, but they did not cease to be
Those in rural areas suffered the most as party. It did not help Zanu PF against placement MPs. person who was elected as an inde- MPs on that account. Mwonzora had to
schools were closed for long periods im- Tekere because the new provision could pendent MP joins a political party[1]. (and in some cases still must) write to
pacting pupils’ learning experiences. not be used retrospectively. But it has The problem with by-elections is that I have previously written that this may Parliament. That’s why Molokele only
been a menace in the hands of political it adds another cost to taxpayers. This be called the “Jonathan Moyo clause” ceased to be an MP when Mwonzora
Another divide that has emerged is parties since then. Both Zanu PF and might not be a problem in the case of because it was essentially a response to eventually sent in his notice to Parlia-
between students writing examinations the MDC parties have used it extensive- one constituency, but where MPs are what had happened in 2008 when Pro- ment last week. If crossing the floor was
under the local and foreign examina- ly against individuals who were regard- recalled en masse as has happened in fessor Moyo was elected as an indepen- a reason for the automatic loss of a seat,
tion boards. While students who wrote ed as having deviated from the party recent years, it is an unnecessary cost dent candidate before re-joining Zanu he would have lost his seat long before
under foreign examination boards cele- line. In all cases, none of the parties has to place on taxpayers’ shoulders. This is PF. The MDC-T felt aggrieved by this then.
brated the release of their results, those ever consulted the voters before exercis- especially pertinent in a country that is because it believed it had had a gentle-
under the local board were still writing ing the power of recall. already struggling economically, where man’s agreement with Professor Moyo This matters because there are still
exams for 2021. These effects of these scarce resources could be deployed to under which it did not field a candidate several sitting MPs and councillors
divisions may not be apparent in the The MDC used it in 2002 when it more productive areas. in his constituency during the 2008 who swear allegiance to the CCC, not
immediate term, but they will certain- recalled Munyaradzi Gwisai. The MDC general elections. to Mwonzora’s party. They have not
ly manifest in the long-term impact also used it in 2014 when it recalled The replacement of PR MPs might lost their seats because they supposedly
with the widening gap between the Tendai Biti and others after they formed be cheaper, but it also has serious costs What this clause means is that if joined another political party. They are
two categories. This is a recipe for more PDP. It was also used by the MDC on democracy. The case of Khupe and Temba Mliswa who was elected as an perfectly entitled to retain their seats
inequality that creates conditions of against Thokozani Khupe in 2018. her allies is a good example of this. Kh- independent in Norton constituen- and to claim allegiance to the CCC
instability. And now, as teachers in the Zanu PF has also used the recall provi- upe competed against the MDC Alli- cy decides to join a political party, he until Mwonzora recalls them. If Mwon-
public education sector go on strike and sion. It used it in 2014 when it recalled ance in the 2018 election and lost. In would automatically lose his seat by op- zora wants to recall them he will have
the system is paralysed, the situation in MPs that were aligned to former Vice 2020, she took a seat in parliament as eration of law. This of course does not to take positive steps to do so. Mwon-
the private education sector proceeds as President Joice Mujuru’s so-called Gam- a PR MP under the MDC-T, taking stop an independent MP from support- zora will hesitate to recall them in large
normal. But this normal is artificial and atox faction. The likes of Didymus Mu- the seat of an MP whose party had de- ing a political party. That’s why, even as numbers because he wants to retain the
unsustainable. tasa, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, and Temba feated her. This is because she was now he states his support for Zanu PF, he façade that he has numbers in parlia-
Mliswa were recalled from parliament deemed to be the acting president of the cannot formally re-join it without los- ment. But since the law does not auto-
One of the systemic weaknesses is in that episode. It was also used to recall MDC-T. ing his seat. matically prohibit floor-crossing these
that those in charge of the public educa- members of the G40 faction following MPs and councillors must be open and
tion system have no incentive to make it the coup in November 2017. Many of the problems around the re- The clause that is often used to claim clear that they have crossed the floor
better since they do not use it. Political call provision could be minimised if its that floor-crossing is prohibited is sec- and they now represent the CCC.
elites use the private education system. It only drew more public attention use by a political party was qualified by tion 129(1)(k) of the Constitution. It
when it was deployed first by Khupe the need for citizens’ approval. In other states that “The seat of a Member of And if Mwonzora does not like it,
They are not directly affected by the and later by Mwonzora to recall MPs words, there must be a mechanism by Parliament becomes vacant … (k) if he will have to axe them and carry the
problems they are causing in the public after the controversial Supreme Court which citizens who voted for the MP the Member has ceased to belong to the costs of doing so. You should never re-
education system. If they had a vested judgment in March 2020. But it had have a role to play in approving or dis- political party of which he or she was duce the opponent’s costs of making
interest in the public education system, long been used as a political weapon. approving of the recall. The law could a member when elected to Parliament bad political decisions. Mwonzora is the
they would pay more attention to the The use by Khupe and Mwonzora cap- set a minimum threshold of eligible and the political party concerned, by one who wants to recall these MPs and
problems and invest more resources tured more attention because of the ap- voters in a constituency or province that written notice to the Speaker or the councillors and he must bear the politi-
to resolve them. They can afford to be parent absurdity. In the case of Khupe, must be satisfied before the recall pro- President of the Senate, as the case may cal costs of doing so.
nonchalant because they do not suffer it did not make sense to voters how a vision is triggered. If voters agree with be, has declared that the Member has
the consequences of their decisions.   person who had lost an election could the party, the MP will be recalled, but ceased to belong to it”. What this means *About the writer: Dr Alex Magaisa
The irony of the Khupe recall now exercise power to recall MPs who if they disagree, there will be no recall. is that ceasing to belong to a political is a law lecturer at Kent University in
After news of Thokozani Khupe’s lat- had been elected under her rival’s ticket.  This would be a more democratic meth- party is not, on its own, a reason for Britain and former adviser to the late
est recall from Parliament last week, od, but it would also reduce the incen- Zimbabwean prime minister Morgan
she now has the dubious distinction of whereby MPs who had been elect- tive to abuse the recall provision. Tsvangirai.
being the most recalled MP in Zimba-
bwe’s parliamentary history. She was
recalled in 2018 after Nelson Chamisa
took over the leadership of the party.
She has been recalled again by Douglas
Mwonzora, making her the only person
to have been recalled twice in two con-
secutive parliaments.

Unsurprisingly, Khupe is unhappy
about the latest recall. But one cannot
avoid noticing that there is more than
a huge amount of irony to her com-
plaints. Khupe complains that she has
been targeted because she is a woman.
She claims to have written a letter to the
UN Secretary-General protesting her
alleged mistreatment. But Khupe’s gen-
der discrimination claim is a long shot.
She forgets that she got into parliament
after a fellow woman had been unjustly
recalled.

Her claim to the seat was also dubi-
ous because she had competed as a pres-
idential candidate in the 2018 general
elections and lost dismally to the party
whose seat she was now occupying. The
fact of the matter was the legitimacy of
her position in parliament was always
weak because of the way the vacancy
was created and her occupation of it.

Page 28 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Addressing Zimbabwe’s inflation: The role
of the digitalisation of financial transactions

Professor
Mthuli Ncube

WHEN I was sworn in as Zimba- number of active mobile subscrip- especially in such a hyperinflation- that enable digital financial transac- Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
bwe’s minister of Finance and Eco- tions increased from 3.3 million in ary environment. tions has somewhat increased access
nomic Development in September 2016 to 7.67 million as of 31 March to the financial sector. up demand for internet services. In
2018, our economy was character- 2020. In addition, the number Second, it dramatically added essence, the process created other
ised by sustained fiscal imbalances, of point-of-sale (POS) devices in to increased financial inclusion for Third, to some extent, this fi- economic opportunities through
financial sector vulnerabilities, and Zimbabwe has grown dramatically marginalised citizens, particularly nancial digitisation process also the creation of new and innovative
cash shortages. from 16 363 in December 2015 to rural folks. Because informal busi- contributed to transformation and businesses, generating employment
121 413 in 2019 — driven mainly nesses or start-ups struggle to access increased uptake of information opportunities in the process.
Since 2013, the government had by government efforts to promote funding from normal banking ser- and communications technologies
been incurring budget deficits as electronic payments and introduce vices, the flourishing of products in the country, including ramping The major challenge in rolling
high as 12.9% in 2017, up from POS devices to micro, small, and out the digital financial system was
1.3% of goods domestic product medium enterprises (MSMEs). limited coverage of network, es-
in 2013. As a result, I immediately pecially in rural areas where there
introduced a set of economic and Notably, this shift towards digital is no electricity, this then requires
structural reforms to stabilise the transactions reduced the demand costly diesel-powered generators for
economy. for hard cash, which had been the network boosters. Furthermore, the
norm during the hyper-inflationary country being under sanctions, has
Indeed, through a combination era. limited options for external financ-
of fiscal consolidation and widen- Lessons and challenges ing; therefore, ICT companies were
ing of the tax base, we were able to The introduction of digital finan- finding it difficult to undertake the
turn these perpetual deficits into cial transactions in Zimbabwe has necessary investment to expand
surpluses during the periods 2019 brought numerous transformation- network coverage to meet demand.
and 2020, setting the stage for sta- al benefits: First, it saved the coun-
bility. try from the burden of continuous —Brookings Institution.
money printing to meet demand,
More specifically, after years of *About the writer: Professor
hyperinflation, the country official- Mthuli Ncube is Zimbabwe’s Fi-
ly dropped the Zimbabwe dollar in nance and Economic Develop-
2015 and introduced a temporary ment minister.
multi-currency platform, which
ended up bringing confusion into
the system. In 2019, we introduced
a new Zimbabwe dollar as the do-
mestic currency alongside a foreign
exchange foreign currency auction
system in 2020 to improve trans-
parency in the foreign currency
market and facilitate the discovery
of a market-based exchange rate.

Consequently, prices of goods
and services have stabilised, with
annual inflation dropping from a
peak of 761% in August 2020 to
50% in August 2021 and is expect-
ed to close the year within the range
of 45% to 55%. While the system
has secured relative price stability,
we will continue to monitor the sys-
tem to ensure it achieves the twin
objectives of supporting domestic
currency and eliminating arbitrage
opportunities.
Digitalisation of financial trans-
actions in Zimbabwe
Alongside these reforms, Zimbabwe
had already been looking to adopt
and promote a number of digital
payment systems, which included
the Real-Time Gross Settlement
(RTGS), Electronic Funds Transfer
(EFT), mobile money, and elec-
tronic cards (both local and inter-
national), among others.

Indeed, in recent years, the
growth in digital transactions in
Zimbabwe has been astronomi-
cal: The number of mobile money
agents increased significantly from
38 745 in December 2015 to 59
218 at the end of 2019, while the

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 29

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

How adaptive DDRR could help address
violent extremism in Cabo Delgado area

GWINYAI ALBERT DZINESA ties and people affected by the conflict, estimated seven percent were women, multi-stakeholder institutional frame- not recognised as a complex process,
actively engage in a structured process to the MAC. As of October 2021, just work, that helps build national own- influenced by varied factors for dif-
MOZAMBIQUE'S gas-rich northern to sustain peace and resolve conflicts over half of the identified former Re- ership and increases self-sustainability ferent ex-combatants according to
Cabo Delgado province has suffered by employing an iterative process of namo fighters had been demobilised. — though some  analysts  have been their diverse settings. The demobil-
violent extremism perpetrated by learning and adaptation.” Some of the ex-fighters were integrat- critical of the initially dominant role ised fighters were each subjected to
the Ahlu-Sunna Wa-Jama’a (ASWJ) ed into senior levels of the national of the Swiss-led peace process support. a uniform two-component reintegra-
armed group since 2017. There are An adaptive peacebuilding ap- security forces. The outstanding com- tion support program: (1) a reinser-
several drivers of this violence — in proach to the DDRR of former ASWJ batants remained at a DDR camp in Given Cabo Delgado’s dynamic, tion package of an estimated value of
particular, high unemployment, pov- members would engage all stakehold- central Mozambique. complex, and unpredictable violent US$1 000, consisting of tools, cloth-
erty, and exclusion. In some cases, lo- ers in a whole-of-society consultative extremist environment, strong local ing, seeds, and other items for person-
cal communities have been uprooted process to collaboratively develop a The ongoing collective Renamo ownership would be a critical cor- al use and (2) severance payments to-
from their land and lost their liveli- common understanding of the struc- DDR effort is distinct from adaptive nerstone of potential DDRR. Sig- taling US$1 000 for a year regardless
hoods to make way for the gas indus- tural drivers of violent extremism, and DDRR, which requires the rehabili- nificantly, the adaptive peacebuilding of age, gender, and status. An adap-
try and export-oriented agriculture. to develop and adapt home-grown tative disengagement and deradicali- approach does not privilege externally tive DDRR process in Cabo Delgado
DDRR programmes together. sation of individuals who have fallen imposed international programs over should be sensitive to the heterogene-
The drivers do not exist in a vacu- prey to radical ideologies. DDRR endogenous processes, which  cre- ity of the former ASWJ combatants
um and are steeped in a set of under- Crucially, the whole-of-society ap- thus better caters to the challenges ates meaningful opportunities  for all likely to be engaged in such a process.
lying conditions — including lagging proach could promote the comple- posed by highly ideological 21st-cen- stakeholders, and especially for local
structural reforms — all of which help mentary women, peace and security tury  insurgencies, particularly those societies and communities, to co-own Fourth, the Maputo Accord ne-
to create the conditions needed for and youth, peace and security agen- connected to al-Qaeda or the Islamic and co-manage the process. glected to link DDR with transi-
socio-economic grievances to fester, das. The participation of women and State. tional justice and reconciliation. For
presenting ASWJ fertile ground for youth in adaptive DDRR of ASWJ International partners’ struc- example, the name of the 2019 pact
recruitment. This has led to an enor- members can contribute to efforts to DDRR is also meant to be im- tured engagement with Mozambi- — Maputo Accord for Peace and Rec-
mous humanitarian crisis. ASWJ has address the socioeconomic exclusion plemented in more complex envi- can DDRR stakeholders in iterative onciliation — implies the necessity of
committed killings, beheadings, mu- driving tensions and violent extrem- ronments, where a multitude of ac- processes of learning and adaptation reconciliation between the signatory
tilation, torture, and mass abductions, ism in the province. It would develop tors are engaged, and a peace deal is could help strike a balance between parties and the population, which
among other atrocities, with the insur- local capacities for sustainable peace non-existent and perhaps unfeasible. external support and local self-organ- bore the brunt of the armed conflict.
gency causing over 3 000 deaths and by empowering women and youth to This burdens would-be DDRR and isation. However, in practice, the  “Mozam-
displacing more than 740 000 people play a leading role in peacebuilding. It countering violent extremism and bican Solution” of a blanket amnesty
since 2017. would also help to ensure that DDRR counterterrorism (PVE/CT) prac- Second, Renamo’s DDR narrow- for atrocities by both sides, without
programmes are not only context-spe- titioners with legal and operational ly focused on the combatants in line substantive reconciliation and restor-
On 15 July 2021, the Southern cific but also gender- and age-respon- challenges, including when, how, and with the military provisions of the ative justice initiatives, perpetuated
African Development Community sive to differential needs, experiences, with whom to engage. Without a Maputo Accord and did not consid- the deep-seated fear, trauma, and ha-
(Sadc) deployed its mission in Mo- and statuses of individual women, peace process where all or most of the er the needs and capacities of their tred of the victims and witnesses of
zambique (Samim) to support efforts men, and juveniles. combatants have at least rhetorically dependents. Nor did it consider the human rights violations toward for-
to combat terrorism and violent ex- agreed to demobilise, DDRR instead families and communities that were mer combatants. Against this back-
tremism, in part to prevent the risk of Significantly, Mozambique is al- aims to whittle away at these groups affected by the armed conflict, and drop, an adaptive DDRR approach
regional contagion. A January 2022 ready the site of ongoing Disarma- and their potential recruits by derad- who were expected to absorb the bulk in Cabo Delgado can capitalise on the
Sadc Extraordinary Summit of heads ment, Demobilisation, and Rein- icalising individuals and reintegrating of ex-Renamo fighters. Significantly, a complementarities between DDRR,
of state and government reviewed the tegration (DDR) of Mozambican them into society. The intricacy of the whole-of-society approach to DDRR transitional justice, and reconciliation
mission, and commended the progress National Resistance (Renamo) com- Cabo Delgado context thus presents in Cabo Delgado could learn from processes to help reconstitute trust
made since its deployment — includ- batants as part of the 2019 Maputo an opportunity to use the adaptive these shortcomings and proactively between former combatants and com-
ing restoring security to some districts Accord for Peace and Reconciliation approach of DDRR, creating more engage the affected individuals, fam- munities.
of Cabo Delgado, which has allowed between the government and Rena- inclusive, people-oriented PVE/CT ilies, and communities in a process
some 15 000 internally displaced peo- mo, which provides for the complete programming at the community level. aimed at preventing recidivism, mit- Fifth, another lesson from the Re-
ple to return home. DDR of Renamo’s armed wing as part Lessons from Renamo DRR igating further radicalisation, and namo experience is that DDR must
of efforts to sustain peace in the coun- Despite their differences, six crucial strengthening overall community re- not be time-specific and rigid, and
However, the security situation try. A Military Affairs Commission lessons learned from the Renamo silience to violent extremism. the process should allow for enough
in the province remains volatile and (MAC) composed of government process can serve as instructive inputs flexibility to innovatively find solu-
many hostages and ASWJ combatants and Renamo representatives manag- for future PVE/CT-related DDRR of Third, the "R" (reintegration) un- tions to context-specific problems. In
are unaccounted for. es the process, with a concomitant ASWJ combatants. der the Renamo process was still seen the Cabo Delgado context, adaptive
Memorandum of Understanding on as a component of DDR rather than a DDRR should invest in a proactive
Considering Cabo Delgado’s com- Military Affairs. Renamo submitted a First, DDR benefits from a broad set of socio-economic process- monitoring and feedback capacity
plex and unstable conflict environ- list of 5,221 combatants, of whom an es in which the ex-fighters are central that can generate the information the
ment, one aspect that needs to be actors. Significantly, reintegration was stakeholders need to continuously in-
addressed is the  Disarmament, De- novate and resolve new emerging set-
mobilisation, Rehabilitation, and Re- backs and challenges.
integration (DDRR)  of those ASWJ
combatants that choose to return to Sixth, political and economic in-
civilian life.  Disarmament and demo- clusion is required to address the
bilisation could contribute to security structural inequalities underlying
and stability by removing weapons mobilisation, demobilisation, and
from the hands of ASWJ combatants reintegration of RENAMO, and
and detaching combatants from para- ASWJ, combatants into civilian life.
military structures. Rehabilitation Significantly, the government has an-
(including disengagement and derad- nounced an inclusive socioeconomic
icalisation) and reintegration should development plan for Cabo Delga-
ideally result in the rehabilitated for- do which is aimed at addressing the
mer ASWJ members or associates re- push and pull factors behind violent
turning to normal civilian life. extremism in the region. In March
2020, the government created an
This article aims to advise local Integrated Northern Development
and regional policymakers on a po- Agency, which helped formulate the
tential DDRR programme in Cabo multisectoral 2021-24 Reconstruc-
Delgado. Thus far, the government of tion Plan for Cabo Delgado. Multilat-
Mozambique and its regional partners eral partners should support the plan’s
have focused their efforts on offensive implementation in a non-intrusive
operations, with PVE/CT resources manner to avoid disrupting the local
dedicated primarily to the Sadc and self-organisation processes needed to
Rwandan missions. Although the sit- sustainably prevent and counter vio-
uation remains highly volatile, such a lent extremism.
program could be introduced to ei-
ther help to stabilise the province or — Global Observatory.
to shore up any stabilisation gains in *About the writer: Gwinyayi Al-
the future. bert Dzinesa is an independent re-
Opportunities for Adaptive DDRR search and policy consultant. He is
The complexity of the Cabo Delgado author of, among several strategic
context will require an adaptive ap- books,  Disarmament, Demobilisa-
proach to DDRR. Cedric de Coning tion and Reintegration in Southern
has defined the adaptive peacebuild- Africa:  Swords into Ploughshares? 
ing concept as “a process where peace- published by Palgrave Macmillan.
builders, together with the communi-

Page 30 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Making the future of African Stem female

ADEFUNKE EKINE/ AYOTOLA AREMU technologies and girls were
made to do more house
WITHOUT a huge investment classrooms on online platforms. Indeed, research shows that already lagging behind in chores during this time.
in science, technology, engineer- The impact on Stem education a role model approach can this field or not represent- Providing digital devices
ing, and mathematics (Stem) ed- has been colossal given the loss of encourage and help young ed at all. As girls progress for every girl child should
ucation, Africa will not achieve the requisite hands-on activities girls and women to excel in through the school system, be a top  priority for gov-
the goals the African Union has in such subjects. This is because science. their numbers in Stem ernments in the wake of
laid out in her 2063 agenda. In- for girls, the traditional mode of • Create learning resources classes fall. In other words, Covid-19  and in case of
deed, given the complexity facing learning — without authentic that portray the girl child in the Stem pipeline for girls future, similar epidemics.
the developing world, economic learning experiences demystify- Stem, among others. Cur- is leaky, so efforts should • Better equip teachers. Afri-
growth, and improvements in the ing Stem concepts — has neither rently, most textbooks be  placed on the forma- can policymakers must pri-
standard of living there will con- been effective nor motivating. present a biased curricu- tive years where habits and oritize building the capac-
tinue to rely on innovations and More girls and women into lum with content  show- traits are formed early so ity of teachers and Stem
technological breakthroughs. Stem! How? casing more male scien- that girls can have a solid teachers in particular. They
Research has already identified tists, and only showing foundation in Stem. need to be intentionally
Moreover, such revolutions can specific strategies and tools for girls in non-Stem careers • Ensure equal access to ba- equipped with  strategies
only happen for Africa if there boosting girl child involvement such as secretaries or only sic education.  Girls can that encourage collabora-
is active participation in Stem at in Stem. Such policies include: as nurses in the medical only learn when they are tion  rather than competi-
all levels of education — espe- field. More  demonstrated in school. However,  no tion, peer teaching, hands-
cially for girls. Despite the fact • Use role models. Girls be- representation of women country in Africa has on activities, mentoring by
that women comprise half the tween the ages of 8 and in Stem-related careers  al- achieved gender parity  in role models — whether
population, they are grossly un- 16 learn better in a  col- lows and encourages girls both primary and second- online or in person. More
der-represented in Stem careers. laborative and non-com- to envision themselves in ary schools. Moreover, specifically, teachers need
In sub-Saharan Africa, between petitive way. They can be such roles. not only should girls have to be trained in  using
a mere 18 to 31% of science re- inspired by connecting • Encourage interest in Stem access to basic education, tools like learning pack-
searchers are women, compared with female role models early in education.  Early they must be able to access ages, simulations, games,
to 49% in southeast Europe and in Stem careers who can intervention is key to clos- digital literacy — mean- and storytelling to more
in the Caribbean; 44% in Cen- serve as both mentors and ing the gender gap in Stem ing the government must effectively engage learners.
tral Asia and Latin America; and examples of success stories. as boys are encouraged bridge the digital divide These curriculum resourc-
37% in the Arab states. In Nige- Girls in 8th and 9th grade very early to pursue careers early in their education, es, including textbooks,
ria specifically, women represent who are discovering their in Stem while girls are not. during primary school. should come with content
between 17 and 20% of science career interests and are at This problem is not unique Moreover, the pandem- that showcase females in
researchers. Notably, at the pri- the very beginning of their to Africa. In addition, ic further magnified the various fields.
mary school-level, girls perform career paths are influenced most current strategies digital divide that already • Support a shift in  class-
as well as or even better than boys by role models who served for increasing Stem par- existed. In fact, it actually room dynamics.  Finally,
globally according to the reports as catalysts for young girls. ticipation focus on higher enhanced stereotypes as Stem education reforms
of PISA and TIMSS on mathe- education when girls are more boys had access to should include a shift  in
matics and science performance; classroom dynamics  so
however, between only 3 and 7% that teachers can be  gen-
of girls who attend higher edu- der responsive  and gen-
cation actually study Stem-relat- der sensitive. At the mo-
ed courses when they get there. ment,  teachers are too
More specifically, 3% of girls in often prone to encourage
higher education are enrolled in boys more than girls in
ICT, compared to 8% of boys. science classes  and assign
Similarly,  7% of girls enroll in less-taxing roles to girls
engineering and construction that are more domestic in
courses  compared with 22% of nature, thus encouraging
boys who enrolled for the same gender stereotypes.
fields of study.
Why is female participation in Conclusion
Stem important? Innovative young thinkers and
Getting girls and women into entrepreneurs emerging from
Stem is not only a matter of hu- Africa are not only changing the
man rights but  also makes eco- continent, but the world — but
nomic sense. Adopting diversity not nearly enough of them are
and gender inclusion in  Stem is women. Given the increased de-
critical for increasing creativity, mand for Stem knowledge in a
innovation, gender-sensitive per- post-Covid world and education
spective for products, and pro- losses caused by the pandemic,
ductivity, considering that wom- support for girls in Stem educa-
en make up half of the world’s tion has never been more press-
population. ing.  Indeed,  the demographic
makeup of girls and women in
Unfortunately, the Covid-19 Africa must be intentionally har-
pandemic has not only hindered nessed to position  Africa  as the
overall Stem education, but technology hub for the future.
particularly exacerbated the al-
ready-wide gender gap in those —Foresight Africa.
subjects. The switch to digital *About the writers: Adefun-
platforms hindered learning for ke Ekine is associate professor
those without access to such tools of Childhood Education at Tai
given the region’s digital divide. Solarin University of Education
Teachers also struggled with the in Nigeria.
use of technology for online les- Ayatola Aremu is professor of
son delivery, and they often end educational technology at the
up just replicating their physical University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 31

Issue 68, 18 February 2022 Fighting a contagion: The
return of military coups
ODILILE AYODELE
What is happening in West Africa and the Sahel should sound a clear warn-
AS reports of coups surface ing to the African Union (AU) and individual African countries alike: until
across the Sahel and West Afri- we strengthen our institutions and hold poor leadership to account, we will
ca, the term “coup contagion” constantly create vacuums for strongmen and other actors to fill.
has also resurfaced in the lexicon
of political unrest on the conti- ing in the sub-region? It is too al interlocking gears including democratic reversals does not ad- democratic changes of govern-
nent. Many Western outlets have early to claim that a contagion frustrations with corruption and dress the frustrations that many ment do not improve the lives
quickly adopted the term to de- is sweeping across the region. the high cost of living, set in ordinary citizens do not fully of ordinary citizens. Instead, we
scribe recent events. More accurately, as phrased by motion by increasing autocracy enjoy the fruits of democracy. are left with weakened states, in-
the deputy editor of World Pol- and social media. The revolution What is happening in West Afri- creasing insecurity and further
Even the Economic Com- itics Review,  Chris Ogunmod- was indeed televised. ca and the Sahel should sound a impoverished citizens.
munity of West African States ede: clear warning to the AU and in-
(Ecowas) chairperson and presi- However, in the aftermath of dividual African countries alike: We are not dealing with a
dent of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Ad- “It remains to be seen what the Arab Spring it became clear until we strengthen our institu- contagion but rather a raging
do,  described the resurgence of ramifications the attack might that many analysts did not un- tions and hold poor leadership fire that threatens to engulf the
coups in the region as a “cancer”. have on the politics of yet an- derstand what was really hap- to account, we will constantly entire continent.
other West African country with pening in the Middle East and create vacuums for strongmen
Yet the true cancer, that the a history of military coups and North Africa. Despite changes and other actors to fill. An African proverb shared
AU and Ecowas avoid speaking political instability. But evident- of government, economic and with me by a colleague serves as
about, is the failure to deliver ly, this week’s events underscore political instability still exists in The first step in changing the a warning to us all: “We suffo-
the gains of democracy across the weakness of domestic and re- many parts of the region and the current course of events is reviv- cate from the smoke of the fire
the continent and strengthen gional institutions that are rap- risk of another Arab Spring still ing the poorly capacitated Af- we start.”
governance institutions, which idly collapsing under the strain looms. rican Peer Review Mechanism
in turn has created a legitimacy of immense popular expecta- and pushing states on its recom- *About the writer: Dr Odili-
deficit. tions and insufficient legitima- The key lesson we can glean mendations. If there is to be any le Ayodele is a senior researcher
cy.” from the Arab Spring and recent hope of changing the trajectory at the Institute for Pan-African
Ecowas has suspend- events in West Africa and the Sa- of the continent and its sub-re- Thought and Conversation as
ed Mali, Burkina Faso and Guin- The Arab Spring just more hel, is that we should shy away gions, we need to hold our lead- well as research associate with
ea  from the bloc, as well as in- than a decade ago showed us that from grand theorising and pay ers to account and save our re- the Department of Politics and
stituted sanctions as a result of uprisings and military takeovers attention to the weak social con- gional governance institutions. International Relations at the
the coups in the past 18 months. aren’t always clear cut. What we tract between citizens and the University of Johannesburg in
However, Ecowas and the AU witnessed was a result of sever- state. Academic concern over History has shown us that un- South Africa.
have done little to deal with
statespersons who try to overstay
their legislated terms or even the
endemic corruption that has
rendered many state institutions
moribund.

The concern appears to be
about the military strongmen
who depose governments, but
not the failure of governments
that have helped these strongmen
garner support. Writing about
the Burkina Faso coup,  Maggie
Dwyer highlights that the coun-
try’s high rate of coups is rooted
in extremely poor morale among
the ranks. The Burkinabe forc-
es have had to grapple with the
parallel challenges of  growing
Islamist militancy and a deepen-
ing  humanitarian crisis  engulf-
ing the county.

Although military strongmen
have taken advantage of these
governance failures to depose
democratic governments, can we
truly say that any of these gov-
ernments are truly democratic,
or are they just clothed with the
trappings of democracy? For in-
stance,  Guinea-Bissau  survived
an attempted coup attempt on
1 February 2022, after appar-
ent stability in a recent history
punctuated by military-led gov-
ernment overthrows. It can hard-
ly be described as a democracy
that works for all its citizens.
Corruption and instability have
impaired the proper governance
of the state. In 2020,  Freedom
House warned about the erosion
of democratic governance across
the sub-region.

As visceral as the imagery of
disease is, the contagion the-
sis does not speak to events
that have precipitated the latest
round of coups. Moreover, out-
side of the images of what ap-
pears to be popular support for
the coups across the region, do
we really know what is happen-

Page 32 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

VERA SONGWE Strategies for financing Issue 68, 18 February 2022
Africa’s health sector
NEVER before in the last half cen- its kind on the continent, provides
tury has Africa’s healthcare landscape Avenues Hospital in Harare. no-fault lump-sum compensation in
seen so many changes and attracted full and final settlement of any claims
so much interest. the crisis, the G-20 provided three In early 2021, the G-20 further ap- pooling SDRs from countries like to individuals who have suffered a
phased options for additional liquid- proved the issuance of Special Draw- Egypt, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. It “serious adverse event” resulting in
In fact, Africa’s healthcare sector ity: Debt service suspension, special ing Rights (SDRs) — which had been provided early resources for the Af- permanent impairment or death as-
will be worth an estimated  US$259 drawing rights, and an innovative called for by African finance ministers rican Export-Import Bank (Afrexim- sociated with a Covid-19 vaccine
billion by 2030. While these trends financing approach to vaccine acqui- early in the pandemic — to the mag- bank) to set up a facility for vaccine procured or distributed under the
reveal a lucrative opportunity for the sition. Multilateral financial institu- nitude of US$650 billion, of which procurement. Under the leadership of AVAT Framework within any of the
private sector, if not well-regulated, tions also increased disbursement of Africa received about 5% (worth African Union Special Envoy Strive participating member states.
Africa’s healthcare system could end new credits to countries to support around US$33.6 billion). These ad- Masiwiya, and in collaboration with
up keeping more Africans below the additional health spending. ditional resources increased liquidity the African CDC led by Dr John The development of these inno-
poverty line. Thus, African countries to countries to respond to both the Nkengasong and Uneca, AVAT has vative mechanisms means Africa can
have an opportunity to build on the The G-20 — building on a propos- health and the economic crises. been able to procure over  40% of now go to the market to procure its
health financing success of 2021 to al from the African finance ministers Africa’s Covid-19 vaccine  needs (in- own health commodities, empower-
strengthen the resilience of this sector and the Economic Commission for Relying on African institutions to cluding a 70 million Moderna pur- ing Africa to move from importing
and Africa’s people. Africa (Uneca) — adopted the Afri- finance and fight the pandemic has chase from the US). With the support over 90% of its health needs to pro-
can proposal for a debt service sus- served Africa well throughout the cri- of a US$500 million donation from ducing equipment and pharmaceuti-
Out-of-pocket (OOP) health pension initiative (DSSI) as the first sis. As such, Africa has put in place a the Mastercard Foundation, the costs cals on the continent. This dynamic
spending in Africa remains excessive- liquidity injection for low-income number of new institutions and inno- of vaccines under the AVAT mecha- has already begun with countries like
ly high compared to other continents countries. The DSSI allowed coun- vative financing approaches to fund nism are on par with those procured South Africa, Senegal, and Algeria in-
— just one weakness in Africa’s health tries to suspend debt payment obli- vaccine acquisition. via Covax. Indeed, in 2022, a major creasing capacity and Rwanda,
systems that the Covid-19 pandem- gations to creditors in 2020 and 2021 focus for leaders must be to adminis-
ic has exposed. Indeed, despite the so that the governments could use the The first such institution is the ter procured vaccines: As of the end Kenya, Nigeria, and Morocco set-
havoc the virus has wreaked, it has financial resources to respond to the African Medical Supplies Platform of 2021, less than 10% of Africa is ting up new capacity for health sector
also provided the continent with global health crisis. These newly avail- (AMSP), whose strength lies in its fully vaccinated. commodity manufacturing.
opportunities to reshape its health able resources were used to purchase ability to pool demand for medical
infrastructure as well as its supply sys- personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies in a transparent manner — Afreximbank also developed the With the Covid-19 pandemic, the
tems, urging a shift from donor and and also support local production of thereby commanding lower market AVAT No-Fault Compensation Pro- need for closer collaboration between
externally manufactured products PPE, which helped stand up some prices. Another important innovation gramme for Participating Member health and finance ministers became
to continental production systems part of the economy. was the creation of the  African Vac- States. This programme, the first of even more important. Indeed, inclu-
leveraging opportunities created by cines Acquisition Trust (AVAT)  by sive, efficient, and effective health
the African Continental Free Trade care financing needs both working
Agreement. together. There is now a call to create
a Global Health and Finance Board
Covid-19 has created not only a to address fundamental problems
health crisis, but an economic con- of global governance for health, some
traction never experienced before of which were so clearly exposed by
with such speed. In addition, the the (mis)management of the pan-
Covid-induced increase in unem- demic.
ployment is causing private sector
spending on health to decrease at Africa is ahead of the game on this
the same time Covid-19 is adding to effort: Under the leadership of the
the cost of healthcare — in a region African Union heads of state, Africa
where private health expenditure al- CDC, and Uneca, relevant ministers
ready exceeds 50% of total health ex- have held bi-monthly coordination
penditure in over 15 countries. The meetings to align resources and deliv-
immediate challenge for many gov- ery. This new mechanism could also
ernments is how to supply affordable be used post-pandemic to build and
and reliable healthcare in a fiscally structure financing for more afford-
constrained environment. able and improved health care on the
continent.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic,
a number of suggestions for increas- The World Bank, the Mastercard
ing public support for the health Foundation, Unicef, Gavi and oth-
sector had been proposed, primarily ers are already working through this
through domestic resource mobili- mechanism to help address the big-
sation. However, in the face of eco- gest health challenge for Africa in
nomic contraction, increasing gov- 2022: vaccinations.
ernment revenue in the short term is
no longer feasible. —Brookings Institution.

The immediate focus of interna- *About the writer: Vera Songwe
tional financial institutions, there- is a non-resident senior fellow on
fore, has been to support African global economy and development
economies to raise additional conces- at the Africa Growth Initiative and
sional resources. Over the course of is also under secretary-general and
executive secretary of the United
Nations Economic Commission for
Africa.

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 33

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

AU-EU summit: What stands in
the way of a deeper relationship

FRANK MATTHEIS and exemplifies the institutionalised
continuities of colonial practices be-
THE triennial high-level summits tween European actors and complicit
between the European Union (EU) African leaders.
and the African Union (AU) are of-
ten criticised as being photo oppor- Similar to previous summits, both
tunities without substance. Never- sides seek to put a good face on
theless, even photo opportunities are things and address disputes that can
important. They show that European be addressed by throwing money at
leaders are willing to receive their Af- them.
rican counterparts on par with full
honours. One such dispute is the EU’s han-
This is important given the increas- dling of the pandemic, which dashed
ing competition with other summits, any existing hopes of genuine part-
such as China-Africa and Russia-Af- nership with Africa and cement-
rica. It is also important given the ed patterns of disparity. European
colonial legacy of a number of EU countries have treated  vaccination
countries and a host of African coun- in Africa  as a matter of unilateral
tries. and nonbinding charity rather than
Nothing underscores the con- a common good. And the European
tinued patterns of colonial power Commission did not hesitate to rush
more than the issue of money. The through with dubious blanket travel
outcomes of all the summits between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) meets Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat (R) as bans against African countries.
the two blocs are usually dominated she arrives to attend 10th European Union-African Union Commission-to-Commission 2020 meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The summit is the occasion to
by announcements about the aid and But this money comes with a pre- for itself. Instead, the main objectives ing the global influence of China and draw lessons and resolve some of
investment that should flow to the defined European rationale and rein- are set by the ambitions of the EU’s its Belt and Road Initiative. these differences, for instance by an-
continent. This year the EU will be forces uni-directional patterns. The own  agenda, such as diversifying its As long as the AU lacks a compre- nouncing further investments in vac-
able to boast a staggering 150 billion inflows are not derived from the list energy sources, achieving its climate hensive Europe strategy and as long cine production on the African con-
euro (about US$170 billion). of  priorities  that the AU has drawn goals, impeding migration and curb- as the EU does not involve African tinent.
partners in European matters, dec-
larations of a “renewed and deeper Aid and investment
partnership” will continue to ring An important part of any summit’s
hollow. declaration is thus the amount and
PGIrCaCphAiScsOpowered by purpose of aid and investment that
Awkward issues should flow to the continent. The
Over the past 12 months several suc- 150 billion euro that the EU and its
cessful coups d’état took place in Af- members intend to spend on Africa
rica. Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali and over the next seven years will un-
Guinea are now headed by unelected doubtedly be welcomed by African
members of the armed forces. countries. It will also reassure the
This poses serious challenges to African Union itself, which relies on
the EU. Not only does it undermine the EU for the lion’s share of its oper-
its aim to foster democracy and good ational budget.
governance in Africa, but the new
leaders have also fuelled  anti-impe- Although African leaders might
rial sentiments and severed ties with be able to flag up the EU’s financial
the European partners. commitments as a success when re-
There is nothing the EU can do turning to their countries, this does
to prevent any of these unwelcome not solve the issue of the partnership.
leaders from showing up at the sum- What the AU is still lacking, is a
mit having already set a precedent. In strategy for Europe. This mismatch is
2007, it failed to enforce a travel ban not only about how the EU can con-
OUR SERVICES against Robert Mugabe, then presi- tribute to the African agenda, rather
dent of Zimbabwe, who triumphant- than the other way round.
ly attended the summit in Lisbon.
Yet, it would be awkward if A real partnership entails proper
CORPORATE WEAR Charles Michel, a Belgian politician reciprocity. This means that the AU
serving as President of the Europe- needs to reflect on how it wants to
CUSTOM MADE T-SHIRTS an Council and French President promote its own values and interests
Emmanuel Macron, whose country in Europe. And for the EU, it means
holds the Presidency of the Council taking off paternalistic lenses and
CUSTOMIZED GIFTS of the European Union, are forced requesting Africa’s assistance to help
CORPORATE BRANDING to roll out the red carpet for some- solve the many challenges the EU is
body like Assimi Goïta, the president facing on its own continent.
of Mali. Goïta’s government just ex-
pelled the French ambassador  and Africa not only has much knowl-
SIGNAGE pulled the rug under the  EU’s mili- edge to share for the EU’s efforts
tary task force Takuba. to  digitalise societies  and coordi-
The coups d’état are also consid- nate  responses to pandemics. The
ered unwarranted by the African AU also has a wealth of experience
Union, which has reacted with sanc- in promoting peace-building and de-
tions against most of the unconstitu- mocracy.
tionally installed governments.
Cnr J.Moyo & Rezende Contact On top of avoiding diplomat- In the wake of the rule of law cri-
Equity House sis in several EU member states, the
ic scandals, the summit will try to AU’s election observation missions
avoid thorny issues, such as the fu- would be as well placed in Hunga-
Suite 306 +263-77-777-5662 ture of the heavily criticised West ry’s upcoming election, mirroring the
Harare +263-78-972-7627 and Central African currency CFA EU’s mission that monitored the re-
cent elections in Zambia.
Franc, which is pegged to the euro
— The Conversation.

*About the writer: Frank Mat-
theis is a research fellow at the
United Nations University.

Page 34 Africa News NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja’s impromptu address in the streets of Nairobi is captured on smart phones. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

KIM YI DIONNE/ Twitter in Kenya’s last poll: Great way
JENNIFER DE MAIO to reach voters, but not a game-changer

KENYANS will head to the polls in broadcast messages of up to 280 char- among aspirants for higher offices. used Twitter to broadcast messages or dent MP candidate for Starehe con-
August this year for what is expected to acters. Seven of the eight candidates running interact with potential voters. Candi- stituency in Nairobi.
be a hotly contested presidential elec- for president in 2017 had Twitter dates can use Twitter to broadcast their
tion. Opposition leader Raila Odinga In our  research, we analysed 15 accounts, while only 28% of senate values or strengths to potential voters. He raised significant funds and or-
is running for the fifth time, but on 691 tweets by 86 Kenyan politicians candidates did. Ruling Jubilee party For example, former Nairobi governor ganised youth to register to vote  via
this occasion with the  support  of his during the 2017 elections. We evaluat- candidates and male candidates were Evans Kidero (who ran unsuccessfully Twitter.
former rival, President Uhuru Kenyat- ed the extent to which Twitter can “de- more likely to have Twitter accounts. for reelection in 2017) tweeted:
ta, who is ineligible to stand again. mocratise” political communication We did not examine election out-
by disrupting the hold that political Even among those Kenyan candi- We invest in our children’s future come data alongside our Twitter data
Significantly, Kenyatta has  over- parties have on the electoral market. dates who had Twitter accounts, not because education validates their to see if there was a correlation be-
looked his deputy, William Ruto. all posted to Twitter during their cam- dreams. #KideroNaElimu #Kid- tween candidates’ engagement and
We found that social media has paign. We found only 26% of the offi- eroMueke-5Tena. electoral success.
Ruto and Odinga will be the candi- the potential to allow for more direct cial candidates running for president, Old and new resources
dates to watch in the 2022 presidential communication between politicians governor, senator, or women represen- This tweet elicited 25 replies, but Traditional  campaigns, major party
elections. But there will also be hun- and citizens. But our analysis of can- tative tweeted during the campaign Kidero replied to none of them. support, and ethnic dynamics and in-
dreds of politicians campaigning for didates’ tweets in the 2017 election period. equality  remain strong influences in
positions in Kenya’s parliament and does not suggest that Twitter democ- What politicians said Looking at our data capturing Twit- contemporary Kenyan politics. Add to
in local government. In addition to ratised political discourse and politics The majority of the tweets posted by ter replies, we saw Kenya’s ruling party that the increasing role of county-level
drawing on patronage networks and in Kenya. While we expect candidates the candidates in our study were in candidates rarely “engaged” with other competition in shaping national-level
holding mass campaign events, Ken- in the upcoming election to continue English. Some were in Kiswahili, and users. Independent candidates were politics.
yan politicians will use social media to expand their reach and visibility some were in a mixture of these two much more engaged and interactive
to broadcast their policy messages, through social media, Twitter may not languages. The politicians often men- with others on Twitter. Twitter will be part of many Ken-
rally support and position themselves yet replace patronage networks and tioned their county in tweets. The yan candidates’ campaign activities
against their opponents. traditional campaigning. word “county” was the most frequent Joseph Nyagah was an independent ahead of the August 2022 elections.
Candidates who used Twitter term in the thousands of tweets in our presidential candidate who tried to ap- It is not yet clear that it will truly lev-
Social media’s role in  politics  and Our analysis of the 2017 tweets sought dataset. peal to a diverse audience and actively el the political playing field between
elections has grown significantly in to answer three questions: engaged in conversations with every- independent candidates and candi-
the last decade. The most obvious For example, Lenny Kivuti, an op- day Twitter users. His many replies to dates backed by political parties with
examples are negative, like  Russian • Which candidates use Twitter? position party candidate for governor Twitter users — totalling 394 across significant resources. But the surge of
Twitter propaganda  during the 2016 • What do candidates say on in Embu County, posted multiple the 62 days of our study — suggest it independent candidates and their so-
US elections. There were also  misin- tweets during his 2017 campaign may be interesting and important for cial media innovations suggest change
formation  campaigns via WhatsApp Twitter? about various local influencers he met. researchers to study more closely how is coming.
in Brazil’s 2018 presidential election, • Do candidates use Twitter to This includes the  tweet  above about independent candidates use Twitter
and the Cambridge Analytica and meeting the county  bodaboda  chair- less as a broadcasting platform and —The Conversation.
Facebook scandal. engage with potential voters, men, as well as tweets about meeting more as an avenue to engage with cit- *About the writers: Kim Yi Di-
or just to broadcast at them? local taxi owners and drivers and even izens. onne is associate professor of politi-
Platforms like Facebook, Twit- Here is what we learned: Nairobi-based  professionals  originally cal science at the University of Cal-
ter and WhatsApp are — as Kenyan Not all candidates who ran for of- from Embu County. The candidate in our dataset with ifornia, Riverside, US. Jennifer De
writer and political analyst Nanjala fice in Kenya in 2017 had Twitter ac- Engaging or broadcasting the most replies (1 754) was also an Maio is professor of political science
Nyabola  writes  — reframing democ- counts. Only 147 (45%) of the 327 Our data show whether candidates independent: Miguna Miguna, an un- at the College of Behavioral Sci-
racy and the way citizens engage and candidates running for president, gov- successful candidate for governor of ences, California State University,
organise in digital space. Through ernor, senator, or  women representa- Nairobi. Northridge, US.
these platforms, politicians can engage tive had Twitter profiles.
directly with voters, which is especial- We found greater use of Twitter Without major party backing,
ly important for independent candi- photojournalist and activist Boniface
dates, who may not have the backing Mwangi campaigned as an indepen-
of a major party.

But how do politicians use digital
media? To answer that question, we
looked to Twitter, which is popular in
Kenya. The platform allows users to

NewsHawks World News Page 35

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

The plight of the UK after its historic
economic, social and political self-harm

A country on a losing streak, beset with myriad political, social and economic crises:
such is the generally agreed take on the current plight of the United Kingdom.

NATALE LABIA Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson.

IT did not have to be like this. History finds itself in the rough. creasingly irreversible, and is starting Therefore, it must be deeply disconcert- law. It must be remembered that this is
may regard the turning point to be the This week, statistics released by the to have material socioeconomic conse- ing to those many South Africans who not the first time perfidious Albion has
holding of a referendum on member- quences. have sought refuge in the UK to be faced such challenges. It was only in the
ship of the European Union (EU), an Office of Budget Responsibility, the confronted with a once unimaginable 1970s that it was it labelled the “poor
act of social, political and economic UK’s fiscal watchdog, show that the Where does all this leave a coun- level of dysfunction and self-harm. man of Europe”, and was later forced
self-harm with few equivalents. gross domestic product is roughly 4% try which still has an important role However, as history has prov- to leave the Exchange Rate Mechanism
smaller than it would have been with- in shaping the liberal, and ultimately en, one should never as George Soros “broke the Bank of
The perennially dubious benefits of out Brexit. Although, thankfully, initial democratic, discourse for the Western underestimate England”. The UK has been through
leaving the EU were recently clarified nightmares of tailbacks of trucks and world? The UK is, still, the world’s tough times before.
in an official government paper released empty supermarket shelves have abat- fifth-largest economy. the inevita-
last week, entitled “The Benefits of ed, costs of food and living are higher bility of consequenc- However, the question remains:
Brexit”. It boasted of being able to have and aggregate demand is lower. “Unclear” is really the only answer. es. There are few easy fixes. It Just how much worse will it get be-
blue passports and a crown stamped on For South Africans, the UK remains to be seen where the leadership fore economically, socially and polit-
pint glasses. It would be funny if it was Johnson famously recently ex- has always presented will come from, to reposition the UK
not also economically ruinous. claimed “f*ck business” and has sub- a semblance as a country that once again can act as ically, things start improving?
sequently hiked taxes to their highest a dynamic example of the benefits of It remains to be seen where the
The promise of a free trading, regula- in 40 years. The Tory party, which of a place of free markets, democracy and the rule of
tion-lite, low-tax UK sold by Brexiteers always prided itself on being a safe, developed world liv- leadership will come from, to
is no closer to materialising than it ever steady and sensible custodian of the ing and somewhat staid solidity. reposition the UK as a country
was. Meanwhile, the ongoing stasis economy, now seems hellbent on de- which once again can act as a
over what to do about that region on stroying it. dynamic example of the bene-
another island to the main part (which fits of free markets, democracy and
includes a country which may vote to UK growth over the last five years the rule of law.
leave the country) and shares a border has lagged behind those of the US and — Daily Maverick.
that cannot exist for political reasons, the Eurozone. GDP in the UK was *About the writer: Born in Cape
across a sea on which there must now 3% higher in the third quarter of 2021 Town, South Africa, Natale Labia
be a border but which is now uncon- than in the second quarter of 2016, lives in Milan, Italy, and writes on
stitutional, and which is also inhabited while, over the same period, the Euro- the economy and finance. Partner of
by two religious groupings who have a zone produced 7.2% growth and the private equity firm Lionhead Capital
history of mutual violence and antipa- US 10.6%. Partners.
thy with few equals, seems further than
ever from being resolved. The issue of This trend is both worrying and in-
a post-Brexit Northern Ireland is in-
deed a conundrum which may get a
lot worse before it gets easier. Winston
Churchill’s musing on Russia – “a rid-
dle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an
enigma” – could not be more accurate.

On top of this situation of politi-
cal and economic no return comes a
prime minister who increasingly looks
catastrophically incapable of leading.
Boris Johnson’s unfounded allegations
last week about the leader of the op-
position, Labour chief Keir Starmer,
having played a role in defending pae-
dophile Jimmy Savile – which resulted
in Starmer being attacked by a violent
mob – is just the latest failure of an ad-
ministration rocked by waves of “Par-
tygate” and associated crises. Johnson’s
team of advisers have now largely de-
parted, leaving him wounded and only
still in power because it seems no one
dares challenge him for fear of inherit-
ing a lethally poisoned chalice.

The fact that the Metropolitan Police
Force, once a bastion of respectability
and indeed a symbol of everything that
was once great about Great Britain, is
facing a blizzard of crises, from the co-
vert surveillance of murder victim Ste-
phen Lawrence’s family to allegations
of corruption, bribe-taking and cover-
ing up fatal police errors related to the
Hillsborough Massacre, seems an oddly
metaphorical testament to a country
losing its way. The rule of law, at one
time more essential to the UK’s DNA
than any other, has seemingly been
misplaced. To call it farcical would be
an understatement. And then, finally,
as if to add insult to injury, the son of
the Queen is implicated in charges of
sex with minors after his close friend-
ship with Jeffrey Epstein.

A litany of crises such as these would
be unfortunate in any country. Howev-
er, they are particularly damaging when
combined with an economy which also

Page 36 World News NewsHawks
UNITED States President Joe Biden
has said he believes Russia is on the Issue 68, 18 February 2022
brink of invading Ukraine, as he
joined Nato allies in warning that Joe Biden says risk of Russian
shelling in the disputed east of the invasion of Ukraine ‘very high’
country may be an attempt to set up
the pretext for an incursion. “measures of a military-technical der to speak at a United Nations se- sembled that they found themselves US President Joe Biden.
nature”. curity council meeting on Ukraine. in a “moment of peril for the lives
Claims of attacks by Rus- and safety of millions of people”. including ground troops, aircraft,
sian-backed separatists at sever- Biden ordered his secretary of Russia continues to deny that ships, are preparing to launch an at-
al locations in Ukraine’s Donbas state, Antony Blinken, to change his it has any intention of invading He said: “Our information indi- tack against Ukraine in the coming
region,  including at a kindergar- travel plans at the last minute in or- Ukraine but Blinken told those as- cates clearly that [Russian] forces, days.
ten  and a school, were said to bear
the hallmarks of an attempt to incite —The Guardian.
conflict.

The US president, speaking short-
ly after the expulsion of his country’s
deputy ambassador to Moscow, said
his administration had “reason to be-
lieve” that Russia was “engaged in a
false-flag operation to have an excuse
to go in”.

He told reporters: “Every indica-
tion we have is they’re prepared to
go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine …
My sense is it will happen in the next
several days.”

The president made his comments
as Russia handed over its long-await-
ed response to American and Nato
proposals about European security.

The Kremlin said in its 10-page
letter that the US had not taken its
concerns seriously about Ukraine’s
potential to join Nato and that Rus-
sia would need to take unspecified
“measures of a military-technical
nature”.

Biden ordered his secretary of
state, Antony Blinken, to change his
travel plans at the last minute in or-
der to speak at a United Nations se-
curity council meeting on Ukraine.

Russia continues to deny that
it has any intention of invading
Ukraine but Blinken told those as-
sembled that they found themselves
in a “moment of peril for the lives
and safety of millions of people”.

The Kremlin said in its 10-page
letter that the US had not taken its
concerns seriously about Ukraine’s
potential to join Nato and that Rus-
sia would need to take unspecified

There is a future.

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Porsche just got angrier Being a Fashion Model

&Life Style

STYLE TRAVEL BOOKS ARTS MOTORING

Page 37 Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Jah Prayzah emerged the biggest winner at the 2017 National Arts Merit Awards in the music category

Red carpet treatment at the NAMAs!

JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA inated submissions across categories 2022 without widely consulting the der the theme ‘Our Legacy, Our Pride’.  pone the competitive NAMA, NACZ
with 794 entries followed by film and artists. While the organisers have in- NAMA shall celebrate Zimbabwe’s is cognisant of the fact that a lack of
THE red carpet will be rolled out to television with 434, visual arts 283, dicated that Covid-19 was the reason 40th anniversary as well as the 35 years activity in the sector has greatly affect-
guests at the 20th edition of the Na- literature 254, spoken word 104 and behind the postponement, it was rath- of National Arts Council existence.   ed the ability of artists to create in their
tional Arts Merit Awards on 26 Febru- dance 99. er unconvincing and in fact a smoke- usual spaces."
ary 2022 at the majestic Harare Inter- screen as the world over music awards “This will be a unique event in the
national Conference Centre. Media and theatre categories re- such as the Europe Music Awards, the sense that on the night we shall hon- One of the most anticipated cate-
ceived the least entries with 80 and 87 BET Awards, even the Bulawayo Arts our forty (40) legends as we celebrate gories is music in which musicians Jah
Also known as the NAMAs, the entries. Awards and others, have been held 40 years of Independence, dubbed Prayzah and Nutty O go head-to-head.
show makes a welcome return af- virtually and in some cases to a select NAMA Legends Awards #NAMAleg-
ter a two-year hiatus because of the The NAMAs are the country’s pre- audience. ends. Former stablemates Jah Prayzah and
Covid-19 pandemic. mier awards show established through Nutty O are up for Outstanding Male
an Act of Parliament in 1985.  In fact, it is less costly to hold the "These Legends Awards provide for Musician, Outstanding Album and
Qualifying entries of art work were NAMAs virtually because there is no a strategic postponement of the com- Outstanding Song gongs while Janet
those produced between 1 December While the ceremony will be marked need for the big-budget red carpet petitive 20th  NAMA whose hosting Manyowa got two nods for Outstand-
2019 and November 30 2021. by glitz and glam, critics in the cre- event with its razzmatazz.  hung on the balance due to Covid-19 ing Female Musician against Gemma
ative sector have roundly condemned pandemic and the subsequent lock- Griffiths, Feli Nandi and Dorcas Moyo
The nominees from 2 135 entries the National Arts Council of Zimba- All the organisers needed was the downs,” Nicholas Moyo, the NACZ as well as in the Outstanding Album
that were received cover a wide spec- bwe (NACZ), the organisers of the nominees list and then the winners director, said last year. category. 
trum of the arts such as visual arts, the- NAMAs, for postponing the show to who would be awarded virtually and
atre, literary arts, film and television, this year. the event livestreamed on the official “The prestigious competitive an- Newbies DTt Bio Mudimba of
dance, media, spoken word and music NAMAs YouTube or Facebook pages. nual awards are therefore postponed Kujata Jata fame is nominated in two
categories. The awards show, jointly hosted for a year owing to the impact of the categories, Outstanding Song and
by the NACZ and Jacaranda Culture However, the NACZ insisted on Covid-19 disease on creativity and the Outstanding Newcomer, while Feli
The awards ceremony will be held and Media Corporation (JCMC) was postponing the awards show, saying it arts sector in particular over the past 8 Nandi is also up for two categories in
under the theme “Zimbabwe and Be- scheduled for 27 February 2021 but would be bigger and better this year. months.  Outstanding Female Musician and
yond #AmaLevels”. unfortunately the organisers decided Outstanding Newcomer. 
to push the date back to 26 February “The next NAMA will be held un- “In reaching the decision to post-
For this year’s entries, music dom-

Page 38 State of the culture NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Addy Hip-hop legends turn in communication with one another
Kudita back the hands of time as some of the file photos reveal. I
imagine that even Steve Biko was in-
THIS past week one of the most world the level of their creativity and generally not amused because gang- Some of American music artistes. fluenced by the radical Black Panther
trending stories in pop culture glob- the transcendent nature of their mu- ster rap appeared to typify a debased he played a role in helping demys- movement in his formulation of his
ally was the Super Bowl final. Accord- sical vision. lifestyle. For the rappers, they were tifying the rap music idiom to cross black consciousness ethos. This was
ing to NBC news, 101.1 million peo- just "keeping it real" or telling things boundaries into the white majority. the age of the Afros, bell bottoms and
ple watched the Los Angeles Rams Before I wrote this piece, I went to as they were in America’s gang-con- The political economy of the music berets. The politics influenced the
beat the Cincinnati Bengals this past YouTube and noted 51 million views. trolled inner cities of the Bronx in industry works like that. Blacks are in fashion and so forth.
on Sunday on television via NBC I also noted one interesting detail. New York and Compton in Califor- the minority. But Eminem was, ini-
and Telemundo. An additional 11.2 Not a single dislike for the musical nia. tially, looked upon with suspicion by Straightened Afro hair was a state-
million people streamed the game, performance of Dr Dre and company. Universal appeal some as just another privileged white ment of pride and self-acceptance
making the total audience over 112 It is awe inspiring. The performance Rap music grew like a rose on con- boy about to do an Elvis Presley on and Black people all over the world
million. The Rams won 23 to Ben- was a powerful cultural moment and crete in America’s troubled inner city a black sub-culture. In The '50s and connected through the politics,
gals’ 20.  very significant. This was hip-hop projects. '60s, Presley had been accused of fashion and music. Throw in the
grabbing America by the throat and cultural appropriation as he rode on Blaxploitation movies from a con-
American football is one of most "making 'em all look"! Initially they rapped about the the coat tails of blues artistes such descending Hollywood film industry
popular sport disciplines in the US, Humble beginnings struggles, the disillusionment of as Chuck Berry and Big Momma proliferating negative stereotypes of
but globally it is one of the least em- Rap started in the dirty rat-infested Black lives. Initially they vented their Thornton on his rise to fame.  black identity, the deal was sealed. In
braced of American cultural exports. hoods of racially segregated Amer- frustrations against the system which Assimilation sport, the '60s and '70s had boxing
Somehow, American football has not ica...the cultural production of the seemed designed to hold them down. Eminem, however, soon earned the and Muhammad Ali was a diety. His
done as well as basketball in terms under-privileged and oppressed black The music was a window into the respect of his peers on account of his entry on to the world stage elicited
of uptake from sports and entertain- folk of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens soul of the black nation and though sheer artistry as much as on account visceral reactions from people from
ment fans across the world. How do I — all the five boroughs. These kids the '70s had disco music, funk and (in my view), of the fact that he was right across the spectrum. Who was
know this? Well, we are yet to have a stood no chance and the deck was pop, rap was growing quietly in the under Dre's guidance at Aftermath not spellbound by Ali’s intelligence
true world final for the sport of teams stacked high against them. Making back. Around 1983, rap began to Records. Poetic justice if you ask me. and articulation of the concerns of
other than those in the United States! it out and even into the homes of stake its claim on the popular imag- So yes, hip-hop is the world now. black America? I call him the soul of
So it beggars belief when the news suburban majority White America ination with the release of musical These brothers can actually take the hip-hop. Ali was as much an artiste
media report that the Rams are the with the dough was a long shot. Rap films such as Beat Street. Several de- baton from Michael Jackson and say: as he was a sports figure who under-
world champions. was just one element of the sub-cul- cades down the line, and through all We are the world! stood his assignment. Consider the
ture forged from graffiti, breakdance, the headbutts and knockdowns in the Looking back following little poem he recited be-
I am not much of an American fashion, theatre, Dee jaying and MC- dog-eat-dog world of showbiz, rap is In the aftermath of the tragic deaths fore a boxing match with one of his
football fan or of any football. But I ing as Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, the number one most recognizable of civil rights leaders and politicians opponents:
was caught in the hype, especially be- Melle Mel, Afrika Bambaata and American cultural export. toward the late '60s such as Malcolm
cause of one compelling reason: hip- KRSOne led the way. It was initial- X, Martin Luther King and Robert "Float like a butterfly, sting like a
hop. A bonafide hip-hop head and ly frowned upon back then as just a Some 50 years down the line, hip- Kennedy, Black America was in a bee. Your hands can’t hit what your
one-time MC, I salivated at the op- fad, but they did not see it coming. hop is the single most resilient and rudderless state. Politically, the Black eyes can’t see."      
portunity to watch the OGs on stage. The movies, the breakdancing, the most profitable music genre over sev- Panther movement was trying to fill The journey of the drum
Think, Dr Dre (born Andre Romelle fashion, the music, all helped to push eral decades and still rising and go- the leadership gap in politics and was A bewildered George Foreman could
Young), Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broad- it forward and around the globe .The ing through various mutations. The having run-ins with the law enforce- not fathom why the Zaireans were
house), Eminem (Marshall Mathers), era of gangster rap around the '90s world rocks to hip-hop. Dr Dre and ment agencies.     I can imagine the yelling "Ali, bomaye!" (Ali, kill him!)
Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent (Curtis and into the 2000s was somewhat a company understood the assignment sense of despondency among people before their famous Rumble in the
Jackson) and queen of hip-hop and low point for the genre as it intro- at Super Bowl 56 in front of a glob- in the African-American community. Jungle epic duel on 30 October 1974,
hip-hop soul Mary J Blige. Growing duced unsavoury elements of profan- al audience of over 112 million and In Africa, the liberation movements at the 20th of May Stadium in Kin-
up, the haunting groove of gangster ity and hyper-sexuality which often snatched it like true hustlers. were in their nascent phase and, of shasa. Ali was just plain charismatic.
rap kept our heads ringing. waded into misogyny. The daggers course, the political activists of that His wit, humour and braggadocio
came out and the likes of NWA and Eminem, born Marshall Bruce time cross-pollinated across the At- sucked people in like no other cul-
I personally will not forget the later Tupac Shakur centred the debate Mathers III, though coming from a lantic with their American brothers. tural icon probably ever shall be able
first time I ever heard Dre’s album on the socio-political impact of their Caucasian background, was brought The Mandelas, the Martin Luther to do. Where am I going with this?
Chronic and Snoop’s Doggystyle. musical content. up in almost similar fashion to the Kings, the Kaundas at one time were Well, the melding of sport and mu-
One of the hit tracks by Snoop, "Gin rappers he shared a stage with on sic is not new. That particular box-
n Juice", was just a real party banger. The Black Caucus in politics was Sunday and he, like them, came up to ing match was peppered with con-
You had to listen to it from a proper earn his stripes. Personally, I believe cert performances from godfather of
sound system. soul James Brown, Miriam Makeba,
Manu Dibango, Hugh Masekela and
The low-end bass and kick drum others. 
punching your guts or banging
against your chest, it was just hectic When you look back into time,
in the clubs when you snuck into the you begin to understand how at one
Teen Scene at Rumours night club or time the late queen of song Miriam
wherever it was you were partying. Makeba was romantically involved
The pairing of Snoop as an MC and with US crooner Harry Belafonte
Dre as beatmaker and producer was and Black Panther leader Stokeley
as formidable as the musical partner- Carmichael. At some point, the late
ship of the late Michael Jackson and US jazz icon Louis Armstrong came
Quincy Jones. G funk was Dre’s thing to the then Rhodesia. He did cover
and Snoop rode all of those beats with August Musarurwa’s "Skokiaan" and
his mellifluous drawl. famously gave the late Zimbabwe-
an-South African jazz guru Hugh
One thing was clear: we lived vi- Masekela his trumpet.  The African
cariously through all of that gangster diaspora continues to cross-pollinate
rap. But that is the power of Brand and feed off each other to create and
America. The nation has given us serve up unparalleled popular culture
some of the world’s most influential to a stunned world.
cultural icons and entertainment Parting shot
genres from sports, television shows, Maybe someday in Africa we will
film and music. Well, and even food! learn something from Sunday’s event
But I digress. My aim this week is just at the Super Bowl. Early last month,
to spotlight the power of hip-hop and the Africa Cup of Nations final was
what a tempestuous journey it has played out between Senegal and
travelled from the five boroughs of Egypt to millions of viewers from
New York, the inner city Black neigh- across the world. Somehow, our pop-
bourhoods. ular African musical exponents lost
an opportunity to bring their sound
Super Bowl Final performance into the homes of global sports fans
With a line-up so strong, music fans in the manner the hip-hoppers did
had it coming. Hip-hop is in the place in the US. But maybe that is because
where rock and roll was some 40 not too many people can beat Amer-
years ago. It might as well have been ica when it comes to putting a show
a rock and roll band on that grand together. In the end, Americans un-
stage. It might have been the Rolling derstand that whether you are dealing
Stones, but it was not. It was a bunch with sport or music, the bottom line
of former street hustlers showing the is that you are in the entertainment
business!

NewsHawks Life & Style Page 39

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Title: Gango Repambare yesteryear tunes mingled with contemporary Title: Spaces
Poet: Temba Munsaka dancehall vibes, Poet: Samuel Chuma
and gospel music to bring equilibrium to super-
Inescapable poverty that has erected home- ficial dissonance, The pause in between
steads, the unabated attack to the eardrums drives the the naked sobs
monolithic structures grounded on the bedrock brain to insanity. of heartbroken widow
of oligopolistic vice. Roasted maize kissed by the dragon, The empty growl
The perversion of justice swindled from the the corn yummy brown like the thighs of a of hungry stomach
Constitution. maiden. Skirmishes with the city police are a demanding sustenance
Wheeling of carts laden with watermelons, constant reminder of draconic justice, The near death
a remnant from the low veld escarpments. bequeathed from a colonial narrative, vacuumed gasp of
Swarthy grapes, guerilla tactics perfected by the Mbare Mafio- orgasmic release
that looked like they had just escaped the so. Lanky fingers that help your wallet escape, The ruins of thought
winery, Like Bushiri from lawful custody. Now colonized by
and vegetables that had seen too many sun- Pampers and sanitary wear litter, Ghosts of reason
sets. Bananas that looked like Sudanese long seen the bottom beauty, The foundations of grief
orphans. Oranges cum lemons now discarded by the roadsides, Built upon naivety
perfected for lemonade. pompous of prehistoric glorified nectarines. And untamed expectations
Illicit sex pharma in brazen vending, Little children playing 'skip-skip' on the tarmac, And the abode of pain
Biotech industry smuggled. obvious of the unparalleled risks, Where doors are unlocked
A concoction of distilled much to the chagrin of motorists. But joy remains captive
mucilaginous vapours, A myriad of languages, These are the spaces
branded in the slime, like the Tower of Babel, That always find me
to steal the life out of future leaders; conversing in a plethora of dialects, Lying prone and stupefied
numbing their brains to oblivion. as folks like bees went about their business. And always they lead me
Intoxicated lads barely beyond six; Mbare, an encapsulation of diversity. To pastures green
iZombie, a novice in comparison. And in comfort rape me
Free-flowing tributaries of raw sewage in reck- ***********************************************
less flooding, Title: Where was the man of God? ***********************************************
barefoot toddlers digging for fishing worms in POET: Fungai Jayaguru aka Superlady Title: Mother
the smelly soggy streets. Poet: Ngugi waMkirii
Green bombers in sorties of a lifetime, I don't want to sound like a bitter ex;
loading and ejecting ordinance willy-nilly. Neither should this be a cursing text! Your union was intimate with bruises,
Sizzling frying in the open- I stand as your broken parent, Like a solid foundation you stood.
fresh chips, livers, and viscera; Neglected, devalued and disregarded; When the turbulent tides of life
residents jostling for a chilly bite. Someone has replaced me and re - groomed Hit against the walls of your existence,
Tyre fixing and fuel vending in vertical inter- you; So I heard you have new parents, You persevered.
course, A new mother and a spiritual father; Your tears watered my existence,
garages replaced in an instant. So holy that you forgot me oh Lee! Your resolve bolstered my being.
Touts in constant poetic recitals, I'm a "pagan" before your eyes, someone Meek you were,
imbuing the cochlea with a bombardment of against your Christ, Love was your emblem,
putrid noise. Apparently it's "them" whose shoe sizes you Your light shone on me,
An assortment of verses in lethargy, remember, Over my leaking, thatched roof, And those around me.
disjointed at their best, you placed them a ceiling, You remained a paragon of fortitude,
and comical at their worst. You gifted "him" a car for "his" birthday; And your life
Leod like sand of the Zambezi, I had nothing for supper yesterday. Taught me to endure
discourses around soccer results, I'm not complaining, it's just a feeling, The tirades of time,
ironically grownups playing street soccer ev- The question that swells my heart is, And that everything is a passing whim.
erywhere, WHERE WAS THE MAN OF…? Tying me to your back,
to kill the boredom. Armed with a hoe
A wiseacre wisecracking jests, *********************************************** You split the land,
unemployed coalesced around him, Soiled your charred feet
to decongest their minds in gregarious zest. To salvage a life for me.
Long-distance buses in poetic chanting, From you I learnt to work
their constant hooting a concord in vibe, And not to sleep,
the banging of doors a barrage to sanity. For sleep has no yard.
Continuous and simultaneous fornication of
transistor radios a marathon none wins; ***********************************************
diversity of jams to wake up Nyaminyami,

Page 40 People & Places NewsHawks

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe director Loughty Dube speaking during the launch of an Internews-funded investigative journalism project at The NewsHawks Conference Room in Harare.

NewsHawks Sport Page 41

Issue 68, 18 February 2022

Zouma drama provides universal food for thought

A DIFFERENT way of look- that Zouma might have been South Africa cricket coach Mark keeper, on the basis of a racial in- Kurt Zouma.
ing at the hefty fine of 250 000 caught at the wrong time in Boucher, who is being probed sult made in the late 1990s when
pound sterling imposed on Kurt the world today – during a cur- for allegedly such stuff But racism is racism.
Zouma by his English Premier- rent global movement follow- using the term was said Likewise, so are rights abuse
ship club West Ham, for phys- ing the callous murder of Afri- “brown sh*t” in by some and violence. No excuse for it.
ical aggression against his cat, can-American George Floyd by reference to a HawkZone out of ig- So, if today Kurt Zouma is be-
may help in some small way a white policeman two years ago ing severely punished for abus-
in dealing with other issues of – a gross act that perhaps has former national norance ing his cat and Mark Boucher
rights abuse affecting the wider given the world a new sense of teammate Paul and na- is being investigated for racist
world today.  awareness towards issues of race, Adams, who is of Enock ivety be- words used two decades ago —
and maybe even towards oth- mixed race. cause of because of a supposed new atti-
Uproar has been sparked er universal virtues like animal Cricket South Muchinjo the era, tude of humankind in the world
across the globe over the heavy rights.  — then there is a strong argu-
sanction against Zouma, a Africa (CSA), may- ment in revisiting old cases like
French-born footballer of Cen- If that is the case, let us draw Boucher’s em- be even Suarez’s and Hazard’s, which
tral African Republic heritage. a parallel with the raging case of ployers, appear determined to without deliberate intent to were not handled justly because
It is the kind of reaction that is get rid of the ex-Proteas wicket- cause hurt. time was not ripe.  
completely understandable, giv-
en previous incidents in which
famous footballers in the Unit-
ed Kingdom got away with just
a slap on the wrist for similar of-
fences, if not worse. 

In 2013, Chelsea star Eden
Hazard was handed a three-
match ban for violent conduct,
after he kicked a teenage ball
boy in utter rage. 

Two years earlier, in 2011,
Liverpool talisman Luis Suarez
escaped with just an eight-match
ban and a 40 000 pound fine
for racially abusing Manchester
United fullback Patrice Evra.

The contrast in the severity
of the punishments meted out
sticks out like a sore thumb, no
wonder the collective anger we
have witnessed. 

Let us pose for a moment,
though, to reflect. 

11 years have since elapsed
since Suarez’s racial slur against
Evra. Hazard attacked the poor
ball-boy nine years ago.

Now, would both Suarez and
Hazard escape with the same
lenient sanctions had they com-
mitted the same violations to-
day, in 2022?

Similarly, was Zouma likely
to be so heavily punished had
he been recorded hitting his pet
back in 2011 or 2013?

Let us explore the possibility

The distressing misfortunes of Tarisai Musakanda

... From page 42 a visa, I think he can only travel after patched to Prince Edward School in who are lucky to earn much-needed of alcohol intake, partying or club-
Musakanda had initially arrived in 10 years. (However) if lawyers han- the capital Harare, a perfect place for income during the short contracts on bing because others or teammates
the United Kingdom that summer to dle the case, he can travel, but the an all-rounder to carve his sporting the club cricket scene overseas. may do that as a way to relax after
play for Budleigh Salterton in Dev- process is long, and they first have to niche.  a week of hard work. Fair enough,
on, totalling 846 runs from 16 in- apply for a certificate from the po- Patrick Gada, a former first-class but as an aspiring sports profession-
nings, and topping the club’s batting lice in Australia before applying for Musakanda shone in cricket and cricketer from Zimbabwe who lives al, one needs to fully understand
average with 76.91. a visa.” rugby with equal ability at Prince and coaches in England, has taken the dangers of certain behaviour on
“He’s a lovely lad, I don’t want to Edward: a dazzling flyhalf for the quite a few cricketers from the home- and off the cricket field, or how they
kick him when he’s down,” Weekes This is a distressing turn of events rugby first XV, playing alongside land under his wing during their UK could eventually affect performance.
tells The NewsHawks. “I’m absolutely for a one-time multi-talented teenag- Luke Jongwe as his scrumhalf in an stints, including Musakanda. He has Too much of everything is bad, as
gutted. This kid is so talented. It’s a er, no slouch in the classroom too, a exciting half-back pairing, the two a few words of brotherly advice. they say. I have seen and heard of
real tragedy and I’m gutted.” high school hero who broke all sorts later to bat together for Zimbabwe’s some young Zimbabwean cricket
Musakanda has been fortunate to of records in all activities he partook. national cricket team. “I have seen several young Zim- people drinking beer for breakfast
retain his Zimbabwe contract after babwean cricket players coming and from breakfast till dinner or eve-
the Australia incident of 2020. But His parents were always there to It appears uncertain that Mu- into England in the last decade,” ning time. This cannot be healthy.
things could well change dramatical- help him along the way, supporting sakanda will add to his five Tests, 15 Gada tells this publication from I feel and in the long run, it could
ly in the wake of his latest misdemea- his dream by upgrading the schools ODIs and 12 T20Is for Zimbabwe in Northamptonshire. severely affect one’s performance on
nour. he attended. From Marondera High the wake of his latest troubles. It will the cricket field if professional hard
“Worse,” says one of his overseas School in his hometown of the same be a huge relief for his family and “When they go abroad, it is some- work is not put in alongside having a
contacts. “Now he can’t come to name, where he started off, the young friends if he gets his career and life times worthwhile to get advice from healthy and balanced diet.”
England or go to Australia or New man was moved across town to the back on track. those who have been here before
Zealand because of that drink-drive local private school – Watershed or have a full understanding of life Not hollow words from a recent-
conviction in Australia. He won’t get College – when his sporting prowess Meanwhile, Musakanda’s ordeal abroad – the things to look out for ly naturalised British citizen who
and classroom grades revealed special over the past two years – unfortu- and avoid. It can be very easy for a knows the terrain too well.
traits. He did not stay long there, dis- nate as it is – can serve as a lesson for young person to go abroad or come to
other young Zimbabwean cricketers the UK and be caught up in a culture

Sports A crippling
poverty of
leadership
at Zifa

‘Humiliated, intimidated,
degraded’ ref reports
Thursday 1 October 2020 sexual advances

Friday 18 February 2022 @NewsHawksLive TheNewsHawks www.thenewshawks.com

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS CULTURE
Distressing misfortunes$60Covid
tariff for
visitors &
Community
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of TarisaCi MhuasmakisaandraeacENOCKMUCHINJO
Story on Page 3 Story on Page 8
around a life has been tragically lost
and fatefully it is of a fellow sports-
A LOT of gifted black sports stars Khupeman, related to a pioneering figure in
on the planet persevere against odds out to Musakanda’s chosen sport.
to get to the zenith of their careers, The deceased ex-tennis prodigy
deprived of a strong support system, was the nephew of Peter Chingoka,
including family.  a ground-breaking black person in
cricket, as a player and administra-
Without a solid social back- tor. His father, Paul Chingoka, was
ground, many eventually succumb
to the pitfalls of sudden fame and president of Zimbabwe’s tennis fed-
fortune.  Unofficial president calls for emergeeration and later head of the coun-
Zimbabwean cricketer Tarisai Mu- try’s Olympics committee. The two
sakanda’s descent into misfortune, brothers are both late.
most of it self-inflicted, is therefore His aunt, Patricia Kambarami, is
rather frustrating to those who know also an accomplished sports admin-
him well, given his upbringing in istrator. She currently works for the
a supportive family that provided International Cricket Council (ICC)
everything a young and promising as the regional development manager
sportsman needs to reach his fullest for Africa, and previously she was the
potential.  chief operating officer of South Afri-
The talented batsman’s father is his can cricket franchise Titans, the first
biggest fan, and a critic in the same woman to hold such a post. 
vein. Former Davis Cup player Gwinyai
Mike Musakanda is a regular, re- Chingoka, who was 38 at the time
spected and robust contributor in of his untimely death last month,
one thoroughly engaging WhatsApp coached young up-and-coming ten-
cricket fans' forum. Usually when nis players, away from his day job
members of the group sometimes with a mobile network operator. 
vent out their frustration on his He was buried at Warren Hills
27-year-old son for inconsistency on Cemetery in Harare on 30 January,
and off the field, he excuses himself hundreds of mourners in attendance,
and does not react. Obviously, be- including Musakanda family mem-
cause he would be biased if does.  bers. 
On one particular occasion, While action was swiftly taken
though, Musakanda Snr appeared against Musakanda in Australia for
to also lose his cool during a high- his transgression two years ago, we
ly-charged debate over his son after await the court’s ruling in this case
the once promising batter was fired at home in Zimbabwe, and the law
by Australian club New City in 2020 will take its course. A life dear to his
following a drink-drive conviction. loved ones has been lost, and it hurts
“Musakanda must get his act to- terribly. But nobody wants to be re-
gether if wants to revive his career,” sponsible for the death of another
he wrote, interestingly referring to human being, not least a young pro-
his own son by the family name.   fessional sportsman with a magnetic
And then, what about this one, personality like Tari Musakanda.
a day later, when another regular Tarisai Musakanda. London-based Barbadian-British
sports agent Winston Weekes —
contributor on the group posted a father.  be contributing as a regular guy in a week, charged with culpable homi- who has forged close relationships
social picture of the cricketer enjoy- Musakanda Snr countered: “As group of over 200 vocal fans. cide. 
ing himself on a night out with his with Zimbabwean cricketers for
friends in a pub.  fans, when we see pictures like these, ALSBOutINyoSuIcDanEalso sFeinnseanthceehiMntinofisty wTihpiseiss oMuutsa$k3an.2daB’sislleicoonddberpusohsitothrrseefudnedcasdes anZd imha'ss lnaetgeostitatleadnd c
we should be forgiven for linking it a concerned parent’s frustration. The with the law over a driving-related contracts for a great number of them
When some members on the to the player’s performance, especial- frustration must have reached boil- offence, in a space of two years. in the UK – interacted with Mu-
group chose to side with the Chev- ly if he’s not playing well.” ing point last month, for the family, While no one was hurt when he sakanda when he played for Barba-
rons batsman, questioning the rele- For the father of such a talented when Musakanda tragically knocked was caught driving under the influ- dos Embassy XI in England in 2019
vance of the image since everyone is professional sportsman – a high- down former tennis star Gwinyai ence of alcohol in an Australian state as an invitational player alongside
free to have good fun from time to ly-rated player once touted by ad- Chingoka, who died days later from that has a zero-tolerance approach to fellow Zimbabwe internationals Re-
time as they argued, the post how- mirers as a future captain of Zimba- injuries of the accident.  such behaviour due to a high rate of gis Chakabva and Shingi Masakadza.
ever found support from an unlikely bwe – it takes remarkable modesty to Musakanda appeared in court this traffic-related deaths there, this time
source – the under-fire player’s own ... To page 41

ALSO INSIDE Zouma drama provides universal food for thought