WEEKLY DIGEST NOVEMBER 9, 2022

 Most remixed, most popular! Fire Emoji  Zim’s top golf brothers shine in
sets 2022 ablaze. .Page 22 Morocco. .24

US$1 Wednesday November 9-15, 2022

THE
ILLUSION
OF
STABILITY
IS FINALLY
FALLING
OFF

AFRICA IN BRIEF November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 2

Al-Shabab gunmen attack
military base in central Somalia

Rescuers search for survivors after a Precision Air flight that was carrying 43 people plunged into Lake Victoria as 4 Suspected al-Shabab from different directions. The fight-
it attempted to land in the lakeside town of Bukoba, Tanzania on November 6, 202 fighters attacked a So- ers killed several soldiers and stole
mali military base in the weapons and military vehicles, Abu
French investigators head to central Galgaduud region Musab said.
Tanzania to help probe plane crash on Monday, the defence ministry
has said, days after the area was Government forces, supported
captured by government forces. by clan militias, have made a num-
The army repulsed the attack on ber of battlefield gains against al-
the base housing national and lo- Shabab in the last three months,
cal troops in Qayib, a village cap- regaining territory long held by the
tured from al-Shabab last week, group.
defence ministry spokesman Ab-
dullahi Ali Anod told the state-run In response, al-Shabab killed
news agency SONNA. The attack at least 100 people in twin car
began with two suicide car bombs bombings at the education
at about 5am local time (02:00 ministry in the capital, Moga-
GMT), followed by hours of heavy dishu, on October 29, the dead-
fighting, Ahmed Hassan, a military liest blasts in five years. A suicide
officer in the nearby town of Bah- bomber also killed at least five
do, told Reuters news agency. people and wounded 11 others in
It was not immediately clear how an incident near a military train-
many people had been killed in the ing camp in Mogadishu on Sat-
raid, Hassan said. urday. Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-
In a statement, al-Shabab allied armed group fighting in
spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab Somalia for more than a decade,
said the group launched the as- is seeking to topple the country’s
sault in Qayib using suicide car central government and estab-
bombs before its fighters attacked lish its own rule based on a strict
interpretation of Islamic law.

— Aljazeera

1 French air accident in- an ATR 42-500 turboprop made by happened and experts say that
vestigators are being de- the company. could take months. Under inter-
ployed to Tanzania to as- national rules, the locally-led in-
sist in the investigation of a Flight PW494, operated by Pre- vestigation would usually include
passenger plane crash that killed cision Air, hit the water during the participation of authorities in
at least 19 people on Sunday. storms and heavy rain, state Tan- France, where the plane was de-
A spokesperson for France’s BEA zania Broadcasting Corporation signed, and Canada, where its
air accident investigation agency (TBC) reported. The tragedy hap- Pratt & Whitney engines were de-
said on Monday that it was send- pened while the plane was trying veloped.
ing a team to Tanzania along with to land at a nearby airport, Prime
technical advisers from Franco- Minister Kassim Majaliwa and the ATR said it was “fully engaged to
Italian planemaker ATR. The plane, airline said. support the customer and the in-
which crashed in Lake Victoria, was vestigation”
Majaliwa said investigators had
launched a probe into what had — Aljazeera

Gambia families reject $20 000 for cough syrup deaths

2 Families of the 70 ed a compensation offer from the the money was "an insult to the
Gambian children who government. The ministry of gen- victims". He said that accepting
died of acutre kid- der had offered $20,000 (£17,000) the money would mean that
ney injury (AKI), alleg- to be shared among the families. they were not fighting for jus-
edly linked to consuming Indian tice.
made cough syrups, have reject- Ebrima Sanyang, the chairper-
son of the grieving families, said — BBC

Ethiopian gov’t, Tigray forces

establish hotline following truce

The Ethiopian government and A victim of human trafficking in Libya

3 Tigrayan forces have es- Nigerian Senator Ike Ekweremadu to
tablished a telephone face organ-harvesting charges
hotline following a
truce struck last week, 5 Nigeria’s former dep- Nigeria. Ekweremadu and his fami-
the African Union’s chief uty Senate president ly were arrested at London’s Heath-
me- diator Olusegun Obasan- will go on trial in the row Airport in June.
jo said on Monday as both sides United Kingdom in Jan-
meet in Kenya for talks on imple- uary for alleged organ harvesting, The family and the doctor, Obina
menting the ceasefire. a judge has said. Obeta, 50, are accused of conspir-
On November 2, the feder- Ike Ekweremadu, 60, is accused acy to arrange the travel of another
al government and regional forc- with his wife, Beatrice, 56, their person with a view of exploitation.
es from Tigray agreed to the ces- daughter, Sonia, 25, and a doc-
sation of hostilities, a diplomat- tor of bringing a man from Nige- Prosecutors say the kidney was
ic breakthrough two years into ria to have a kidney removed. The meant for Sonia.
a war that has killed thousands 21-year-old man is said to have
and displaced millions. The truce raised the alarm after refusing to The alleged offence is believed
has raised hopes humanitarian consent to the operation following to have taken place between Au-
aid can start moving back into a preliminary tests at the Royal Free gust 1 last year and May 5 this year.
region where hundreds of thou- Hospital in London.
sands face famine. Olusegun Obasanjo, the African Union chief mediator at talks between The BBC reported that the Ek- No pleas were entered when the
Representatives of Ethiopia’s the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces, at an event in Addis Ababa, weremadu family allegedly treat- defendants appeared at London’s
government and forces from Tig- on February 5, 2022 ed the man like a slave before he Central Criminal Court on Monday.
ray are in the Kenyan capital, Nai- ran away and went to Staines po- Ekweremadu and Obeta were re-
robi, to discuss how to begin im- lice station in Surrey. manded into custody while Bea-
plementing the ceasefire, with the According to an official familiar both sides recognising “the chal- Ekweremadu is a senator for the trice and Sonia were released on
talks expected to last three or four with the talks, the hotline will ad- lenge of fully communicating with opposition Peoples Democratic conditional bail.
days. dress any flare-up in fighting and all their units to stop fighting”. Party for Enugu State in southeast
“The first sign for me of the coordinate disengagements, with Judge Mark Lucraft set another
progress after the signing of the — Aljazeera hearing date for December 16 and
agreement is the fact that be- brought forward the defendants’
tween them they have exchanged trial from May to January 31.
a hotline,” Obasanjo told a news
conference in Nairobi. — Aljazeera

THE DIGEST VIEW November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 3

Zim satellite
launch should
open our eyes

Alfonce Mbizwo 2,4 million years ago in eastern and Will 2023 budget
Editor southern Africa. be sincere?

THAT Zimbabwe has Honestly speaking, how can FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube end of the question or the Treasury will Paidamoyo Muzulu
launched its first satel- Zimbabwe afford to remain stuck and Zanu PF have one shot at it, negotiate or everyone loses his job,
lite in the United States so many light years away in terms presenting an election year budget forcing a fresh election. comprehend numbers, but beyond
of America is more than of technology when countries such that spurs confidence to business and that people who are upright and
enthralling given that as the United States and even our energise the electorate. A moment to It nearly happened once in the do not fear to hold the Treasury to
the country has for too long con- all-weather friends from the east be everything to everyone - making 2011 budget. Tendai Biti of the MDC account.
tinued to linger in the dark shad- are worlds away from us? the budget likely to be populist. then was Finance minister and the
ows of a fast-moving world that is opposition had majority MPs in the It is this committee that should
now conquering space. Some of the issues that have The tone was clear during the MPs’ National Assembly. The Treasury was check monthly that ministries and
largely condemned Zimbabwe to pre-budget seminar at the Rainbow forced to relook at the Parliament vote departments are spending within their
We hear the country launched its the dark ages have to do with our Towers in Harare. Ministries wanted and MPs got what they wanted. The budgets. It is the same committee
first ever satellite, ZimSat-1, courte- leaders’ apparent penchant, if not a budget approximately $9,6 trillion, debate lasted til past midnight. that can demand quarterly financial
sy of the National Aeronautics and paranoia, to dwell on futile escap- but Ncube did not mince his words reports from the Treasury. This is not
Space Administration (NASA), fol- isms such as this now-redundant that the budget would be crafted This is not possible in the current an easy task. It needs committed
lowing some hiccups. issue of sanctions. in line with the budget paper earlier scenario. Zanu PF has a two-thirds people.
circulated - no more than $3,6 trillion. majority and can pass the budget
Indeed, this is very progressive It boggles the mind why we, the without opposition support. What it Unfortunately, this committee, PAC,
on the part of Zimbabwe which, ordinary folk, are always being told How will Ncube balance what the simply needs is to whip its MPs into has not been very helpful. It has been
as far as we are concerned, has that Zimbabwe is not progress- Treasury has and the needs of the line. doing its work on an ad hoc basis and
been unnecessarily concentrating ing economically or otherwise be- ministries and departments? This taking issues that are only topical.
on wrong political agendas to the cause of sanctions imposed on the balancing act is no easy feat and I see In other words, whatever Ncube To imagine that Zimbabwe has two
detriment of our progress as a na- nation by the very US that has now him being creative and pulling the needs, he will get. It is that simple. Finance Adjustment Bills (2019 and
tion in this fast-moving 21st cen- helped us launch our very first sat- wool over the electorate's faces. 2022) before Parliament and no head
tury. ellite into orbit. However, there is anotherreality.This has rolled at Treasury, makes one feel
Let us look at what he could possibly is an election year. Zanu PF needs the nauseated.
While other countries are busy We believe the ZimSat1 launch in do. The first thing Ncube would do is votes and desperately needs them.
exploring deep and yonder gal- the US should immediately bury for to look like a prudential exchequer. He President Emmerson Mnangagwa It remains that probably before the
axies for new homes and miner- good this sanctions issue madness will stick to the formula and present needs re-election and desperately so budget is presented, PAC should send
als, Zimbabwe has been fixated by because it would be quite embar- a budget that gets him brownie too. So what will Ncube do? some signal that it will not tolerate any
useless political dogmas that have rassing for any of our government points from the World Bank and the nonsense from Treasury and if need
essentially downgraded the coun- officials to be seen talking about International Monetary Fund. Ncube will go back to his default be it will do rolling hearings to get to
try to some early humanoids in the these sanctions when the US gov- settings — do things under the radar. the bottom of the rot in Zimbabwe’s
realm of the now extinct Homo ha- ernment, through NASA, has been Ncube will tell Parliament that it has He did it in 2019 and 2020. He uses Treasury.
bilis, who lived about 1,4 million to so kind to literally carry us on its to approve the budget for stability as moneywithout authorisation and later
back into deep space. we are in the last leg of NDS1 and it is seeks condonation through a Finance Zimbabwe needs to start a new
important to keep things neat. There Adjustment Bill. page on financial prudence. Zanu
If the US hated us so much will be some howling in the house as PF has not helped the situation. It is
to the point of making us suffer MPs will demand more, particularly The other option is to table a slowly sinking the country in debt and
through unwarranted sanctions, for Parliament and making the right supplementary budget during the when we wake up to the reality it will
how on this mother earth could noises about social delivery with the midterm fiscal review. However, this be too late. This should be the time
they, heartless as we have been eye on the electorate. option is not appealing to Ncube as to stop the financial rot and Treasury
made to believe, make such an it opens his flanks that he would have impunity.
extraordinary gesture of lifting us However, like all the years, the sold the National Assembly a dummy
from the space age gutter. budget will be passed. Zimbabwe during budget debate. In conclusion, Ncube is a sly
has never had a budget deadlock that character who can lie with a straight
It is about time Zimbabweans resulted in dissolution of Parliament. As we speak, before Parliament is a face. The only way to keep him on
wised up and realise that this an- I will put this into context by quoting Finance Adjustment Bill 2022 seeking the straight and narrow is to make
ti-sanctions deluge is nothing but the Constitution. condonation for the unauthorised use him know he is being watched on
a red herring that we should also of $107 billion in 2019 and 2020. This every move and Parliament is ready
reject and demand that our lead- Section 143(3) of the Constitution expenditure took place during a time to make him account. It's now over to
ers start acting truthfully about our reads: "The President may by when Ncube was crowing that we Parliament to do its duty.
predicament and stop blaming proclamation dissolve Parliament ifthe had a balanced budget. Paidamoyo Muzulu is a journalist
sanctions for their failures. National Assembly has unreasonably based in Zimbabwe. He writes in
refused to pass an Appropriation Bill We now know it was a lie. We can his personal capacity.
ZimSat1’s launch should catapult referred to in section 305." add, Ncube is likely to lie again.
us from the ill-informed past to-
wards attaining upper middle in- An Appropriation Bill in layman's So what has to be done?
come status by 2030. terms is the national budget. It shows The only respite lies in having a
estimates of revenue anticipated in robust Public Accounts Committee.
a year and allocations given to each It is the only committee that the law
ministry or department. allows to be chaired by an opposition
MP. It is the same committee that has
It is also important to note that power to follow how the government
the National Assembly has the final used every dollar it was given by
authority on money Bills and the Parliament.
Senate has a nominal role. If the This is one committee that should
National Assembly says no, that is the have people with technical skills in
accounting, people who can read and

Weekly Digest is published daily by Alpha Media Holdings EDITOR Tel: 883184-8/887057/58/69/70/71 Tel. 883184/5/6/7/8,887069/70/1,887058/885280/1/2.
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PO Box BE 1165, Belvedere, Harare, Zimbabwe SUB EDITOR & DESIGNER After hours editorial 0714 119 403 ZimInd Publishers, Cnr Strand/Bessemer Roads
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FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 4

All-female
African
mine
carves out
sustainable
future

TSince its opening, Zimbaqua has mined nearly 50 tonnes of industrial aquamarine ed and funded by Iver Rosenkrantz (44) and Patrick
HE Zimbaqua gem mine is Mining companies working with town of Karoi in Zimbabwe, may be one such ex- Tendayi Zindoga (41), along with two like-minded
empowering women from villagers in harsh environments can ample. They are leading an economic revolution at Danish friends.
a rural community in Zim- occasionally create opportunities for Zimbaqua — which the company claims is Africa’s
babwe to become finan- growth and empowerment. And the first sustainable all-female mine. Rumbidzai Gwinji “We are changing the narrative and proving that
cially independent in a small band of women digging pits (34), is in charge here, as the mine’s manager. She is even one of the most male-dominated industries
male-dominated industry an hour’s drive from the nondescript one of the 35 women miners at Zimbaqua — found- can be championed by women,” says Rosenkrantz.

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PRICE ADJUSTMENT

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FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 5

“These women are happy and supportive of each “I decided to collaborate with Zimbaqua empowerment, liberation and honesty.” aquamarines from the mine, Rosenkrantz
other and work towards a common goal with no because it gives these women a chance to Elaborating on Zimbaqua’s open-pit is exploring myriad ways to make the mine
short gains in focus.” rebuild their lives — it gives them a job, fair profitable.
wage and opportunities.” mining, Rosenkrantz says: “In comparison
Gwinji and her co-workers have the two founders to tunnel mining, the way we mine is very “On the anvil, once budget
to thank for their economic independence. Dan- British jewellery designer Daniella Drap- low impact and much safer.” constraints are sorted, is the Zimbaqua Vi-
ish-born Rosenkrantz and Zimbabwe-born Zindo- er is also a beneficiary of the Zimbaqua sion project and community centre that
ga had spent a year buying stones from artisanal gemstones. Discussing the environmental impacts, would offer training in gem cutting, jew-
miners in Karoi and the surrounding areas. They say he explains: “We do not use chemicals and ellery making, arts, crafts, paediatric clinic,
they got to know the people in the community. “I was hugely inspired by what they merely dig holes that we cover up after- pre-school, and accommodation for vol-
were doing. Not only are the aquamarines wards. We support the community in the unteers.”
“We saw, for ourselves, just how much these from Zimbaqua incredibly beautiful, but best way possible.”
women struggled — there are no job opportunities they also have an amazing story — that of — Financial Times
here.” Poised to launch a jewellery line, using

So, Rosenkrantz and Zindoga set out to change
that. They first secured a mining licence for 50 hec-
tares of land and then began recruiting workers for
the Zimbaqua mine in 2019.

“We believe there is a need for change and inclu-
sivity. Unemployment in rural areas of Zimbabwe
is a big challenge, thus, opportunities for women
are very few.”

Having observed that alcohol abuse and do-
mestic abuse was common in the region, the two
founders felt that, in order to make a difference in
the community, they had to turn the women into
breadwinners. The women gain mining skills, re-
build their lives — and enter the workforce. For
Gwinji, her job at the aquamarine mine ensures a
steady pay cheque.

“I have become financially independent,” she
says.

“Our all-women [team] is a great deal here. I have
seen lives change, especially, for the women in our
community.”

Artisanal mining accounts for more than 80 per
cent of the minerals mined in Africa, says Rosenk-
rantz, a lawyer-turned-gemmologist and entrepre-
neur. Since its opening, Zimbaqua has mined near-
ly 50 tonnes of industrial aquamarine, 50 tonnes of
beryl, and five tonnes of quartz, among other min-
erals.

“Finding gem-quality aquamarine isn’t as easy
as people think. I know of other mines that have
produced far less than we have at Zimbaqua,” says
Rosenkrantz.

The top quality aquamarine — referred to as a
“double blue” in the gem industry — fetches any-
where between $500-$1 000 per carat. About 10
kilogrammes of varied gem quality aquamarine
has been mined so far; the low grade stones ac-
count for nearly three tonnes.

“The biggest crystal we mined weighed 160
grammes and was sawed into a few gems; the
biggest single stone we cut was 76 carats — a top
quality gem,” says Rosenkrantz.

There is generally a lot of singing and dancing at
the mine, but when the women miners hit a pock-
et, it turns into a party. Rutendo Chigwajara (43),
a mother of three, worked on tobacco farms and
subsisted on the $300-$400 she made in a year.
She struggled to put food on the table and keep
her children in school.

“My children were often kicked out of school,”
recalls Chigwajara. The local primary school fee of
$15 a term and the secondary school of $45 a term
is unaffordable for these women.

“Many of them are single mothers or divorcees
and have little or no education,” says Rosenkrantz.

In her early days at the mine, Chigwajara worked
as a pit worker. Having been promoted since, she
now earns nearly $3 000 a year. Jewellery designers
are rallying around Zimbaqua in an effort to con-
nect directly with the source of the semi-precious
stones. They are keen to keep things as transparent
as possible. Among them is Felix Köck, managing
director at Vienna-based jewellery brand Von Köck,
who uses Zimbaqua’s aquamarines to craft luxury
jewels and bespoke pieces for his clients.

“FINDING gem-quality
aquamarine isn’t as easy
as people think. I know
of other mines that have
produced far less than

we have at Zimbaqua.
The biggest crystal we

mined weighed 160
grammes and was
sawed into a few gems;
the biggest single stone
we cut was 76 carats — a
top quality gem.”

COVER November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 6

The
illusion of
stability
is finally
falling off

OBY TATIRA ZWINOIRA This drop came after the announcement The only problem with this new budget is to line ministries, departments and agencies
VER the past two weeks, the by Finance minister Mthuli Ncube proposing that with the Treasury facing dwindling reve- whose effect was to halt payment as the gov-
Zimbabwe dollar has depreci- a $3,4 trillion budget which as previously re- nue streams, how is the government going to ernment sought to enforce value for money,”
ated by 12,5% to $900 against ported is, itself, a 79% increase from a 2022 fund this budget? Africa Economic Development Strategies ex-
the greenback, following at budget of $1,9 trillion which includes the sup- ecutive director Gift Mugano said, at the re-
least two months of relative plementary budget. “In recent weeks, the Ministry of Finance cently ended CEO Africa Roundtable annu-
stability. and Economic Development issued a circular

COVER November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 7

al conference held last week in Victoria Falls. Finance minister Mthuli Ncube nomic Development one can deduce that 100% (more than two times).”
“Because the Ministry of Finance and Eco- Mugano said that the fact that the budg- the inflation figures will be around 100%,” The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries
Mugano said.
nomic Development is the chief culprit on et outturn is expected to be $3,4 trillion and (CZI), also reported of having similar worries
macroeconomic instability, the runaway ex- national output is expected to be $19 trillion “However, it is a fact that for the last four in its latest inflation and currency report for
change rate stabilised. Can we say that we when the economic growth is expected to years, the Ministry of Finance and Economic last month, which was covered in our sister
have found a formula on macroeconomic in- be 5% in 2023, gave a clear explanation that Development has spectacularly failed to pre- paper, the NewsDay.
stability? The answer is no.” these increases were due to inflation. dict its economic indicators, that is, the budg-
et and inflation. In all the cases, the govern- “The authorities must be commended for
Mugano told this newspaper, after he “This, therefore, confirms my view that the ment has exceeded its budgets by more than the current policy mix that has managed to
made these remarks, that at some point gov- 2023 fiscal year is gloomy. From the stylized reverse the trend on inflation. Annual inflation
ernment contracts would have to be hon- facts from the Ministry of Finance and Eco- and month-on-month inflation are expected
oured and that businesses would continue to to continue to decline in the coming months
price at a level where they could make profits. if the current policy mix is maintained,” CZI
said in its report.
The circular was part of wider fiscal and
monetary policies to tame the fall of the Zim- “However, the annual inflation is expect-
babwe dollar that has negatively impacted ed to close the year at high levels. Given the
inflation. level of the October CPI, annual inflation for
December 2022 cannot be below 229%. This
Other such measures include high-interest underlines the importance of ensuring that
rates, introducing gold coins that can be pur- possible threats to inflation stabilization such
chased in local currency, high capital gains as upcoming agriculture season and elec-
tax on shares sold before 270 days, and con- tions are well managed.”
verting local currency balances to reduce the
forex auction backlog. Such threats were highlighted by Mugano
in his presentation last week at the CEO Afri-
These measures have seen the month-on- ca Roundtable annual conference.
month inflation rate declining from an annual
peak of 30,7% in June, to 25,6% the following “Liquidation of the 40% export retention
month, 12,4% in August, 3.5% in September, and 20% domestic export retention (would
and 3,2% last month. The same goes for the result in the) RBZ religiously printing money
annual inflation rate which reached a yearly since it has no reserves of foreign currency
peak of 285% in August, dropping to 280,4% nor budget support to finance these liquida-
in September and 268,8% last month. tions. This will drive up money supply which
will drive exchange rate and inflation,” Muga-
no said.

“The proposal by the Ministry of Lands, Ag-
riculture, Water, Fisheries, Climate and Ru-
ral Development to increase households on
government agricultural support schemes
from 1,8 million to 3,5 million (in the context
where fertilisers and chemicals have surged
by +150%). This will result in massive ex-
change rate spikes as service providers will
have an enlarged envelope to use in the par-
allel market–we should see rates going up as
we are entering the farming season.”

He said the liquidation of the gold coins
were also going to put pressure on the cen-
tral bank to print money as at the date of
maturity, the local currency would have lost
more of its value than when the coins were
bought.

“The toxic political environment remains a
serious threat on the economic outlook,” Mu-
gano said.

“Russia and Ukraine crisis whose shocks
has been transmitted through increases in
fuel prices, agricultural inputs especially fer-
tilisers and food, remains a real challenge for
the country. So far government’s response to
the Russia/Ukraine crisis has been through
removal of levies of fuel.”

He said that a drought would also add
pressure to print money as demand for food
imports would rise.

One negative effect of the fiscal and mon-
etary measures, which is another reason why
the ‘stability’ will not hold, had to do with the
scarcity of the Zimbabwean dollar which is
also driving the currency’s depreciation on
the parallel market.

“Appreciation of the local currency on the
parallel market and the depreciation of the
local currency on the interbank market is fa-
cilitating convergence of the two rates. Near
convergence that is being experienced and
scarcity of the local currency is channelling
more foreign currency into the formal sector.
The economy is becoming more and more
dollarised,” CZI said.

“Foreign currency accounts (FCA) as a per-
centage of transferable deposits increased
from 47% in January 2022 to 63% in July
2022. This clearly shows that the US dollar is
becoming more dominant and Zimbabwe is
moving closer and closer to full dollarisation.
Deliberate policies by the authorities to re-
verse this trend are long overdue, as a dollar-
ized economy is seldom competitive against
neighbouring countries with weaker curren-
cies.”

Basically, with the market allowed to
put a 10% premium on the official forex
rate of US$1:ZWL635,47 its at about par or
at times more than what parallel forex deal-
ers are offering for the greenback, that is,
ZWL720.

So, more people are finding that there
is more value in transacting US dollars and
while that may have been a goal of the cen-
tral bank, it means local currency demand is
shrinking.

Now, typically, this would mean that the
currency would appreciate, however, with
most big payments largely still being de-
nominated in Zimbabwe dollars any short-
age of the local currency can result in it de-
preciating.

If the case was that people could transact
US dollars as much as the local currency than
the local currency would appreciate.

FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 8

Zimbabwe’s
education
was once
the envy of
Africa. Not
anymore

Educators during the coun- Mutare, Zimbabwe. Credit: Evidence The villagers referred to him as Teacher Mawoyo, around during working hours far from their schools”.
try’s post-independence Chenjerai/GPJ. just like “the British confer an honorary title of Sir to Instead, they work part-time jobs that have noth-
golden age wanted for highly esteemed people”, he recalls. Back then, with ing to do with teaching. When he asks why, “they say
nothing. Today’s teachers It wasn’t just his well-fitted suit, his salary as a teacher, he could afford a car, a house, that this pays them better than going to work”.
say they barely scrape by. the crisp shirt, and the neatly paired all the necessities of a comfortable life and even to
Zimbabwe education in turmoil tie that caught everyone’s attention. send his children to boarding schools – the equiva- Frustrations over pay and workload have resulted
Local parent Sinikiwe Masola, right, When Amos Mawoyo walked through lent of today’s rather expensive private schools. in a standoff between teachers and the government.
takes time out to help her neighbours’ the rural areas of Imbeza, a timber es- Teachers went on strike for more than two weeks
children, Christina Mutavire, left, and tate in the Eastern Highlands of Zim- That was Zimbabwe in the 1980s and ’90s. Today, in early February, demanding salaries two to three
Munashe Maringahosi, complete the babwe, almost everyone looked at the retired teacher says, “I see young teachers milling times more than what they earn. They returned to
day’s school lesson at their home in him in awe. Some offered to carry his
bag, others stopped just to greet him.

Pomona branch
official opening pictures

FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 9

work after the government offered a 20% salary she says. children and has already offered sever- and inclusive education for all Zimbabweans, and
increase and other incentives, including payment Education officials insist the govern- al incentives to the teachers. “The min- has provided a vast array of incentives [for teachers]
of school fees for up to three biological children istry is there to provide quality, relevant such as allowances for pandemic, housing, transport
per teacher. ment is working for the welfare of the and duty-free importation of motor vehicles,” says
Taungana Ndoro, director of Communications and
But months later, even as schools opened for Advocacy for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary
the third and final term of the school year on 5 Education. “There’s no strike,” he says. “It’s just wish-
Sept, the government’s promises are yet to be ful thinking by teachers’ union leadership.”
fulfilled, teachers say.
Even though the teachers are back to work, Pro-
For a country that held education as one of its gressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president
topmost priorities after becoming independent Takavafira Zhou says “their patience has been over-
in 1980 and has since been among the most lit- stretched, and anything can happen as teachers do
erate nations in Africa, Zimbabwe today is in the not have money to report for work daily”.
middle of a crisis with the torchbearers of this
sector feeling disillusioned and undervalued. Mawoyo, the retired teacher, was among those
who enjoyed the golden period for educators in the
“People are back at work fearing victimisation country. But in 2019, when he realized how every-
and salary cuts,” teacher Leonard Mabasa says. thing was changing, he decided to seek an early re-
“The ugly difference [of salaries compared] with tirement – a decision he doesn’t regret.
other fellow civil servants is further dampening
the spirit of poor teachers. The morale is at its “The pension is not much, but it is money that is
lowest ebb.” coming while I am sitting at home,” he says. “The
amount is almost like what those going to work to-
Teacher Danny Malingeni says that he and his day are getting. They need to pay for the transport
colleagues do go to work, but they are not really to work, lunch and other things from their salary’s
teaching children. “They show up at schools, but money. I realised I was better off at home.”
not much teaching is done in the classes…due to
frustration over remuneration and other welfare This story was originally published by Global Press
packages.” The pay dispute began in late-2018 Journal. Global Press is an award-winning interna-
when teacher salaries were drastically reduced tional news publication with more than 40 inde-
following the country’s switch back to local cur- pendent news bureaus across Africa, Asia and Lat-
rency after almost a decade of using the US dol- in America.
lar. In 2009, the government – in an attempt to
salvage an economy experiencing extreme hy- — African Arguements
perinflation – abandoned the old Zimbabwean
dollar and adopted a multicurrency system that
included the US dollar. The return to a single-cur-
rency system with a rebooted Zimbabwean dol-
lar sparked another rise in inflation, effectively
reducing the teachers’ wages. And inflation has
only skyrocketed further since then.

“As long as inflation is rising, your real purchas-
ing power keeps eroding,” says economist Pros-
per Chitambara, of the Labour and Economic
Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe,
a nonprofit research think tank. “This has been
happening in Zimbabwe over the past couple
of decades — which is how the real incomes of
teachers have eroded.”

Frustrations over pay and workload have re-
sulted in a standoff between teachers and the
government.

In Zimbabwe, a teacher earns less than $100
per month based on an unofficial exchange rate
that is widely used for goods and services in the
country. Teachers are demanding they be paid in
US dollars and not Zimbabwean dollars, where
the official exchange rate fluctuates daily.

Currently, Zimbabwe uses two main curren-
cies, the US dollar and the Zimbabwean dollar.
Teachers are paid in Zimbabwean dollars, except
for coronavirus-related allowances that are paid
in U. dollars.

It is important to put pressure on the govern-
ment to return the teaching profession’s historic
pride, Chitambara says, which can only happen if
teachers get paid as well as they did in the past.
“Zimbabwe has nurtured many astute academ-
ics globally, and it is the education sector from
the 1980s that we owe the production of such
brains to,” he says. “To have quality education just
like in the old days, remuneration issues must be
addressed.”

The literacy rate in Zimbabwe is about 91%, ac-
cording to a 2019 household survey conduct-
ed by the national statistics office and UNICEF.
That’s far above the average rate of 66% for the
sub-Saharan Africa region.

The achievement dates to Zimbabwe’s inde-
pendence in 1980, when the newly elected gov-
ernment promised free and compulsory prima-
ry and secondary education to all children to re-
dress the imbalances of the colonial education-
al system that excluded black pupils. To achieve
this goal of universal education, teachers were
immediately in high demand.

Since then, education has become less of a
priority. Even in 2015, education still account-
ed for 22% of the country’s total budget; but by
2021, it was 13%, according to a 2021 UNICEF re-
port. The recommended level is 20%.

Even so, education expenses far exceed budg-
et. In fact, budget overruns have widened since
2018, according to the report. In 2020, there was
a 99% budget overrun. High inflation and the
dwindling value of the local dollar were cited as
the main reasons.

Beyond the numbers, the impasse also threat-
ens the future of the children of Zimbabwe. Fi-
nal exams that determine university and class
placements are given during the third term. And
a year of learning was already lost due to school
closures during the coronavirus pandemic. Some
parents have paid for private tutors but not eve-
ryone can afford the hired help on top of regu-
lar school fees.

Sinikiwe Masola says she had to have her child
repeat a grade after he scored badly. “Govern-
ment needs to realise every person’s career goes
through the hands of a teacher, and if they are
unhappy, an entire generation’s future suffers,”

FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 10

Why COP27
needs a more
sophisticated
debate about
livestock and

climate
change

As the climate conference, COP27, kicks
of in Sharm el Sheik in Egypt debates
about agriculture and land use will be
centre stage. And amongst these dis-
cussions the role of livestock in the fu-
ture of food and agricultural systems will be hot-
ly debated.

Unfortunately, many of these debates are poor-
ly informed and misleading, frequently hitting the
wrong target. There are strong arguments for re-
ducing the impact of livestock farming in places
like the Amazon where expansion of pastures or
crops for fodder is encroaching on valuable rain-
forest areas. Equally there are good reasons for
many in the rich West to reduce the consumption
of meat and milk from high input industrial sys-
tems.

But such arguments do not extend to all live-
stock everywhere. Misleading policy conclu-
sions arise from aggregated statistics, which of-
ten miss out on extensive, smallholder and pasto-
ralist livestock systems. For example, the well-re-
spected data and graphics provider Our World in
Data provide easily-consumed data for journalists
that highlight livestock as the big villain of climate
change. But these data are based on studies that
do not account for most extensive livestock sys-
tems, focusing instead only on ‘commercially vi-
able farms.’

So, in thinking about climate mitigation meas-
ures, we need to ask, which livestock, where? And
always avoid being trapped by simplistic, general-
ising narratives that can be misleading and dan-
gerous. This is why the PASTRES programme that
works in six countries across three continents re-
leased the report – Are livestock always bad for the
planet? The report digs into the data and ques-
tions the standard narrative.

In particular, ten flaws in standard approaches
to climate assessments of livestock are highlight-
ed and are discussed in a short briefing, availa-
ble in multiple languages. Most such assessments
use so-called life cycle assessments, but too of-
ten the data are estimated based on emission fac-
tors that make no sense in most outside intensive,
industrial livestock systems. Furthermore, we have
to ask whether extensive systems are in fact ‘addi-
tional’ compared to ‘natural’ systems, where wild
animals rather than domesticated livestock roam.
And when thinking about emissions, we have to
be careful when equating methane (from animals)
with carbon dioxide (from fossil fuel intensive in-
dustries) as they have very different effects on
global heating.

Presenting all livestock as a villain and making
the case for radical shifts of diet and land use eve-
rywhere – even going so far as promoting the idea
of farm-free futures where protein is derived from
large fermentation vats – makes little sense. Such
a techno-utopian vision would undermine many
people’s livelihoods, destroy local economies and
would likely have little positive impact on the envi-
ronment in places where livestock are an integrat-
ed part of sustainable agro-ecosystems.

Indeed, despite proclaiming otherwise, such
positions may accentuate climate injustice, open-
ing opportunities for further concentration of food
systems, while fostering exclusionary forms of
conservation or ‘rewilding’. In so doing they under-
mine the very people who should be at the fore-
front of creating climate-friendly agricultural sys-
tems, such as pastoralists and extensive livestock
keepers who live across the world’s rangeland on
over half the world’s land surface.

A focus on net-zero targets for carbon remov-
al from land – through reducing livestock use and
planting trees, for example – may badly misfire.
Trees are vulnerable carbon sources in many en-
vironments because of fire risk and may be less
good at capturing and retaining carbon than
grasslands, supported by careful livestock grazing.

Mass tree planting on rangelands can result
in displacement of people and their livestock, as
plantation crops are established and enclosures

FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 11

increase. The rush to plant trees is again being driven by lenge for humanity today. COP27 in Egypt is a vital politi- cus on these issues – see the COP27 Livestock Resources from
misunderstandings of ecosystems and carbon dynamics in cal moment. But in our eagerness to meet the challenge, we ILRI. If you are not there (I personally will be amongst the live-
rangeland settings. And such damaging tree planting is be- must be careful about false and misleading solutions that stock keepers of Matobo in Matabeland South discussing these
ing pushed by carbon offset markets that are central to net can result in heightened injustices. Certain types of livestock issues on the ground), then do have a look at some of our PAS-
zero deals, whereby polluting companies in one part of the keeping – in the right places, with the right management – TRES publications in order to get a more informed view.
world can absolve themselves by planting trees elsewhere. can and should be part of the climate solution.
— Zimbabweland
Addressing climate change is perhaps the greatest chal- If you are in Sharm el Sheik, there are lots of events that fo-

FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 12

Rwanda Fed Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the current who was an assistant secretary at the Affairs at the time. Her office did not re-
False U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, State Department’s Bureau of African spond to questions sent by email.

Intelligence
to U.S. and
Interpol As It

Pursued
Political
Dissidents
Abroad

R wandan dissidents have claimed that
President Paul Kagame has used dirty
tactics to go after his critics abroad.
Now, a classified FBI report obtained
by OCCRP confirms that Rwanda has
been conducting “poison pen” operations on
American soil for years.

When Paul Rusesabagina left his Texas home
in August 2020, he believed he was traveling to
the East African nation of Burundi for a speaking
tour. But on a layover in Dubai, the famed hu-
man rights activist was diverted onto a private
plane, flown to his native Rwanda, and detained
on dubious terrorism charges.

Rwandan police guard the van carrying Paul
Rusesabagina

In an interview with the Guardian, Rwandan
President Paul Kagame described the operation
that lured his 68-year-old critic out of the U.S.
as “flawless.”

The elaborate kidnapping plot that entrapped
Rusesabagina sparked international outrage;
the world knew him as the subject of the Holly-
wood film “Hotel Rwanda,” which feted him for
saving the lives of more than 1,000 people who
sought refuge in the hotel he managed during
the country’s 1994 genocide. But it was only the
latest in a decades-long crusade of harassment,
threats, assassination attempts, and smear cam-
paigns orchestrated by the Rwandan regime,
according to a lawsuit filed by the Rusesabagina
family in a Washington, D.C., court.

For years, Rwandan dissidents have claimed
that Kagame has used unscrupulous tactics to
go after his foreign-based critics — including
filing false charges and abusing the Interpol
red notice arrest warrant system, a policy that
Freedom House calls “transnational repression.”
Prominent dissidents have even been assassi-
nated in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, and Mo-
zambique.

Now, a classified FBI report obtained by OC-
CRP confirms that U.S. law enforcement has
long known of Rwandan intelligence operations
against civilians on its soil, including the target-
ing of Rusesabagina, a U.S. permanent resident,
as early as 2011. The report also reveals the U.S.
government knew as early as 2015 that agents
of the Rwandan government had repeatedly
attempted to mislead and co-opt U.S. law en-
forcement to target Kagame’s critics.

Despite this, the U.S. government is Rwanda’s
largest bilateral donor, with $147 million handed
over to Kigali in fiscal year 2021.

“Poison Pen Information”
Read more about the Rwandan government's
efforts to target its opponents.
Written in the build-up to Kagame’s re-elec-
tion to a third seven-year term, the 2015 FBI re-
port warned top American diplomats that Rwan-
da was using its intelligence services to spread
disinformation in the U.S. about Rwandan asy-
lum seekers and opposition members. Its tac-
tics included “providing poison pen [intention-
ally false or misleading] information to U.S. law
enforcement agencies concerning alleged crim-
inal violations through the use of double agents,
as well as attempting to manipulate U.S. govern-
ment immigration law and the Interpol Red No-
tice System,” the FBI concluded.
One recipient of the FBI’s report was

FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 13

“Virtually any country that has an op- “Open to Abuse” Rwanda’s allegations against Munyakazi Even senior officials can be targeted:
pressive enough government to create The Rwandan government also manip- were inconsistent, first claiming that the Eugène Richard Gasana was Rwanda’s
dissidents who would flee to the West are ulated Interpol — an international policing dissident was a member of the RNC, then permanent representative to the United
going to engage in operations against body based in France — and its red no- saying he was wanted on charges related Nations until he disagreed with chang-
those dissidents,” retired FBI agent and tice system to get foreign law to the genocide. es Kagame made to Rwanda’s constitu-
counterintelligence expert Todd K. Hul- tion in 2015 that cleared his way for a third
sey told OCCRP, citing Russia, China, and enforcement U.S. immigration authorities investigat- term in power. Gasana knew he couldn’t
Cuba as examples. agencies to go after its targets. ed Munyakazi and de- return to his homeland and settled in New

But “it is not normal for a partner nation, Léopold Munyakazi, a former trade un- ported him in York, his lawyer told OCCRP.
and certainly not an ally, to run a poison ion official in Rwanda, moved to the U.S. 2016 for suspected human rights vio- Eugène Richard Gasana during
pen operation on American soil,” he said. in 2004 and later taught French at a pri- lations, despite the fact that the 2015 FBI
vate liberal arts college in Maryland while report said the investigation was “almost a UN Security Council meeting
The FBI report said that a number of waiting for political asylum. certainly” compromised by a Rwandan in- Eugène Richard Gasana dur-
dissidents were targeted, including Rus- telligence agent, and cast doubt on the
esabagina. The Rwandan government asked Inter- allegations. In Rwanda, he faced trial on ing a UN Security Council meeting
pol to issue red notices for him in 2006 genocide charges and was sentenced to at UN Headquarters in New York,
In 2011, nine years before he was kid- and 2008 after he criticized the govern- life in prison — only to be cleared of atroc- 2013.
napped, the Rwandan government made ment, and U.S.-based Rwandan diplo- ities a year later and re-sentenced to nine
a formal request to U.S. authorities to in- mats and intelligence officials monitored years for “downplaying the genocide,” ac- Soon he was being accused of
vestigate Rusesabagina for his alleged Munyakazi’s activities between 2011 and cording to multiple media reports. supporting rebel groups. His law-
support of militants in Central Africa. 2013, according to the FBI report. But yer told a New York court that the
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce- U.S. investigated these allegations
A handcuffed Rusesabagina arrives at a ment did not respond to questions. and did not find them credible,
court while an internal Interpol document
about Gasana’s case indicated the
This was a common allegation against policing body found the charges to
the regime’s detractors. Between 2012 be politically motivated.
and 2014 the FBI investigated people af- Then, he was accused of rape by a
filiated with the U.S.-based Rwanda Na- Rwandan woman who had interned
tional Congress (RNC), an anti-Kagame in his office at the U.N. several years
opposition group, after the Rwandan gov- earlier. New York law enforcement in-
ernment alleged that it was supporting vestigated the criminal complaint but
Central African terrorists but found no ev- did not find a basis on which to bring
idence of criminal activity. criminal charges, according to a sub-
sequent Interpol investigation. The ac-
However, the FBI report said its inves- cuser is now suing Gasana in New York
tigations were “consistently hindered” by over the same allegations.
Rwandan intelligence services “operating In 2020, Interpol issued a red notice
double-agents in the United States who when the Rwandan government recy-
were providing mis-information to inves- cled the same charges. Gasana chal-
tigating agents.” lenged the notice, arguing that the
charges were political. The internal Inter-
Rwandan intelligence services sought pol review obtained by OCCRP also con-
to use an intermediary to plant “derog- cluded that there was “a predominant
atory information” that would discred- political dimension” to Rwanda’s case
it RNC members, with the goal of get- against Gasana, and that Interpol “may
ting them deported, the FBI report said. be perceived as facilitating politically mo-
The intermediary confessed to working on tivated activities.”
some 40 individual cases. The person also “They manipulated Interpol. They
provided false information alleging that snuck the arrest warrant into the system
RNC officials were plotting to kill Kagame but we were able to get it deleted,”
in 2011 while he was on a visit to the U.S.. Gasana’s lawyer, Charles Kambanda, told
OCCRP.
The FBI and U.S. State Department de-
clined to comment. A Rwandan govern-
ment spokesperson did not respond to
questions.

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FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 14

after the Rwandan government failed in its efforts to go after
Gasana through law enforcement, its intention now “is probably to
bankrupt him.”

“Litigation in New York is damn expensive. We’ve been on the
civil case for three years now. They always find some reason to de-
lay the case since they know they don’t have a substantive case
against him, so they use procedural tricks to keep the case going,”
said Kambanda. “They’ve hired a lot of lawyers — I’m fighting five
law firms I think. One of them, a lawyer, is representing Kagame in
the case against Rusesabagina’s family.”

Will Hayes, a lawyer at U.K. law firm Kingsley Napley who repre-
sents clients fighting extradition requests and challenging Inter-
pol red notices, told OCCRP the current system is “open to abuse.”

“The effects of red notices are so onerous and significant com-
pared to the ease with which they can be issued,” said Hayes. “This
highlights the disparity between the power of the authorities that
request them and the subject who then has to deal with the con-
sequences.”

The minimum requirements for issuing a red notice are very
low, according to Hayes. Although in theory the requesting coun-
try should be able to provide information demonstrating the ac-
cused’s participation in an offense, in reality, “as long as there is a
valid arrest warrant and the person is sufficiently identified, it’ll go
through,” he said.

Often people learn there is a red notice against them only when
they attempt to travel, or when extradition proceedings against
them begin, Hayes said. To challenge it, they must petition an In-
terpol commission, which meets four times a year and can take
nine months to issue decisions.

In 2016, Enoch Ruhigira, a Rwandan living in New Zealand who
was traveling to the U.K., was detained in Germany on the basis of
a red notice, even though it had already been deleted at the time.
Ruhigira, the head of presidential staff under the previous Rwan-
dan President Juvénal Habyarimana, had been accused by Kag-
ame of genocide in 2004, but presented convincing evidence to
the contrary and got the red notice against him rescinded in 2015.
Still, he spent eight months in custody while the confusion was
sorted out.

Interpol declined to comment.
“You Can Run But You Cannot Hide”
Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front took power in the aftermath of
the 1994 genocide, which saw nearly 1 million members of the Tutsi
ethnic group and their sympathizers murdered. Lauded for bring-
ing peace and fast economic growth, his government has been
embraced by Western allies for nearly three decades. But at the
same time, it has targeted, criminalized and crushed his detractors
at home and abroad. Human rights organizations have document-
ed numerous killings, disappearances, threats, attacks and forced
returns under Kagame’s rule.
The RNC, an opposition group established in the U.S. in 2010 by
exiled former senior government officials, has drawn particular ire.
RNC co-founder Patrick Karegeya, a former head of Rwandan intel-
ligence, was murdered in a hotel room in South Africa in 2014. Co-
founder Faustine Kayumba Nyamwasa, an ex-Rwandan army chief,
has survived three assassination attempts.
“I am a high-profile target, but I’m safer than someone in

FEATURE November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 15
Kigali [Rwanda’s capital] with similar thinking like
me, Nyamwasa told OCCRP. “They are more ex-
posed to a lot of danger.”

“We have our own way of getting to know what
is intended,” Nyamwasa said, explaining how he
has managed to stay alive. “But you cannot con-
trol everything. The situation is threatening but
you get used to it. You learn to live with it.”

The Rwandan regime gets away with abduc-
tions, disappearances, and assassinations at
home and in other African countries, where per-
petrators can avoid justice by paying bribes, Ny-
amwasa explained. In Europe and in the U.S.,
where there are stronger institutions and rule of
law, Rwanda uses disinformation instead.

The disinformation and intelligence operations
are run out of Rwanda’s embassies all over the
world, according to former high-ranking security
officials now living in exile.

Rusesabagina’s daughters
Robert Higiro, a former major in the Rwandan
army, says sometimes the operations are carried
out by people posing as refugees who are actu-
ally working for the government. They “push ag-
gressively” by telling the U.S. State Department,
FBI, CIA or the U.K.’s Foreign Office that certain
targets are criminals and shouldn’t get asylum,
according to Higiro.
Several exiles told OCCRP about warnings and
briefings they had received by police in the U.S.,
U.K., Belgium, and the Netherlands, suggesting
that despite warm diplomatic relations, these
governments are aware of Kigali’s tactics.
British journalist Michela Wrong, author of “Do
Not Disturb,” a book about the Kagame regime
and the killing of Karegeya, told OCCRP that
Rwanda’s extradition efforts are designed to dis-
suade any political challengers to Kagame. For-
eign law enforcement agencies don’t always re-
alize what they’re dealing with, she said.
“The message is, ‘You can run, but you can-
not hide. I will get you in the end.’ That’s what all
these operations boil down to,” Wrong said. “This
is a personalized message directed at Kagame’s
own entourage, which he believes would be the
source of any serious challenge to his regime.”
Reconsidering U.S. Support?
Despite Rwanda’s poor track record on human
rights, Western allies have maintained their sup-
port for decades.
In addition to training the Rwandan military,
the U.S. proposed to spend $145 million in assis-
tance to Kigali in 2023. The U.K. signed a bilateral
agreement to send asylum seekers from the U.K.
to Rwanda, despite being warned that Rwanda
tortures and kills political opponents.
Protesters in London
One U.S. lawmaker is pressuring the Biden ad-
ministration to finally reconsider supporting Ki-
gali, especially after Rusesabagina’s kidnapping
in 2020.
“Not only would Rwanda be flouting U.S. laws
by targeting dissidents inside the United States,
Rwanda appears to be the only foreign govern-
ment in the world that is both wrongfully detain-
ing an American resident and seen by the United
States as a partner and ally,” wrote Senator Rob-
ert Menendez, the chairman of the Committee
on Foreign Relations, to Secretary of State An-
tony Blinken in July.
The lawmaker said there was a “need for a
more effective U.S. policy” and that he would
place a hold on all security assistance to Rwanda
until the State Department undertakes a com-
prehensive review.

— .occrp.org

INTERVIEW November October 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 16

Posch: Bitcoin use
is growing in Zim
Bitcoin advocate and Bitcoin
for Fairness executive direc- cialised on Bitcoin only and education, be- about. Help us break it down. What is Bit- minutes to their mother in Malawi and
tor Anita Posch says there is a cause there are so many scams around. coin? she sells the Mobile minutes to her neigh-
growing community of Bitcoin bours, and that is how she gets the mon-
users in Zimbabwe as people When I got back in early 2022, like in AP: Okay. I do not think that you have no ey.
circumvent barriers imposed by regula- March this year, I met with some people idea, but I can recognise...
tory restrictions. who were already into Bitcoin. If you are in South Africa, or other coun-
TN: Break it down as quickly as you can tries like in the UK, you can buy so-called
Posch (AP) told Alpha Media Holdings Someone came from Bulawayo to Harare so that people at home understand what Bitcoin vouchers at Steico, it is their web-
chairman Trevor Ncube (TN) on the plat- to visit my talk, and then we started a What- it is we are talking about. site.
form In Conversation with Trevor that sApp group and it has grown from zero to
there was a huge increase in the use of 250 people now. AP: Yes. Bitcoin is basically digital cash. If You can basically buy their Bitcoin, but
digital assets like Bitcoin to send and re- you can imagine, Bitcoin is not a coin, it is you only need to send the voucher code
ceive money. There is no trading, no scams, so as soon just something virtual. to your relative in Zimbabwe, and they
as someone is joining the group and say- can then obtain the Bitcoin, and then go-
Below are excerpts from the interview. ing you can get rich fast they are kicked out You have access to this virtual value ing to one of these trusted WhatsApp
TN: Anita Posch, welcome to In Conver- yeah. through your wallet on your phone, with groups and ask for people who would like
sation With Trevor. your private key, the so-called seat. to exchange those Bitcoin to US dollars.
AP: Thank you very much Trevor. I'm very So now we have had some meet-ups in
honoured to be here today. Really! Harare, there will be one in Bulawayo, there That is a cryptographic method of ena- TN: What is the connection, again you
TN: I am always fascinated by how I was one in Gweru, so it is growing and I also bling you to access data. really need to slow down here. What is
meet people who end up sitting where from talks to people who are using Bitcoin. the connection between Bitcoin and
you are sitting. Bitcoin is basically data that has a value Blockchain? Is there a connection?
So, we met after you posted this tweet I know that with the pandemic there was on it, and so you can send it globally, with-
on Twitter. Let’s share it with our viewers. a huge increase in the use of digital assets out borders, without permission. AP: Yes, there is a connection, but many
Then a friend of mine, Stafford Massie, like Bitcoin to send and receive money be- people believe that Blockchain is the
alerted me to your tweet and said Trevor cause people could not go out, they could You can use it peer-to-peer. ground-breaking technology, which is in
get in touch with Anita and see if you can go to banks. That means you do not need a bank, you my opinion not true to my knowledge.
talk to her. do not need to register, you do not have
Just briefly tell us what it is that you did I heard that in the year 2021 one trader any transaction limits. The Blockchain is a database only in
before you made that tweet. alone traded US$7 million in value of like You have low fees and there's no corpo- Bitcoin, that is storing all transactions that
AP: Okay. So, we were traveling to the Bitcoin and USDT. ration behind it. have been done since 2009.
Eastern Highlands, and I realised it is a very TN: You do not need to fill a form?
remote area, but still a lot of people are liv- TN: In Zimbabwe? AP: No nothing, you just need to, either TN: Bitcoin transactions?
ing there, agriculture and natural beau- AP: In Zimbabwe. if you have internet and a smartphone, you AP: Bitcoin Blockchain collects all the
ty and I thought I want to try to send Bit- TN: Wow. download a so-called open source sales transactions in the right timely order.
coin from here to South Africa, because this AP: On the ground, peer-to-peer. custodial wallet, like the blue wallet or the That is why Satoshi Nakamoto called it
is something that you like standing there in TN: As I was reading around, you are moon wallet or wallet of Satoshi. a time chain.
this remote area. You cannot really do that talking about, because of the controls Then you can start. He or they, because we do not know
from Zimbabwe to South Africa. and that kind of stuff, people actually So if you have relatives in the Diaspora who it is, never spoke of Blockchain, they
So I sent some Bitcoin from my phone to sometimes go around carrying cash to do for instance, they can obtain Bitcoin there only said time chain.
Bitcoinkasi which is a project in South Af- a Bitcoin transaction in Zimbabwe. and send it to you, and in three minutes That is the main innovation that Satoshi
rica... Am I right? Am I correct? You want to you have the money. Nakamoto made.
TN: In Cape Town? correct me and tell us... TN: But I cannot go into a shop and There have been a lot of attempts to
AP: Yes, in Mossel Bay. AP: You are completely right, as far as I buy? build something like digital money al-
We can talk about them later because it know there is a sort of a banking ban on Bit- AP: Not yet, and that is the thing I am ready in the 1990s.
is a very interesting project, and they had it coin. trying to foster and encourage people to So, it started with cryptography, a de-
in seconds. So, banks are not allowed to interact with use Bitcoin as a medium of exchange, be- centralised ledger and on and on and on.
So, Bitcoin is borderless, permission- it, but people are allowed, and it is alterna- cause most Bitcoin influencers or so, they But all those people and experiments
less, and it was it cost me nothing actual- tive money. are speaking about the store of value and could not solve the problem of double
ly to send the money, and I could send an It is like exchanging goods with each oth- the speculation effect. spending.
amount in Bitcoin which is lower than US$5, er, you know. How you can invest in Bitcoin yeah? I am What does this mean? When you have a
which you cannot do with most or even all So since on the one hand there is this ban speaking about using it as a means of pay- PDF, a digital file and you send it to some-
financial services you have around here. of the Central Bank of Zimbabwe, and on ment that enables you to send fast, almost one else, you can say that's the original,
So, Bitcoin really enables you to send the other hand you have the international for free and directly to your relative without but you can send 100 copies of the PDF
money almost for free anywhere in the sanctions. them having to go to Western Union, pay to someone else as well, so you are cheat-
world, which is great, even more when you So international exchanges are not al- 30% fees, and then maybe being robbed ing them.
live in countries where you have financial lowed to do business in Zimbabwe, and so on the way. Satoshi Nakamoto solved this problem
oppression and problems with banks and there are not many exchanges where peo- TN: But help me Anita, I am slow here, with the Blockchain, with this database
things like that. ple here can obtain or get Bitcoin or buy you really need to be slow with me. that there it can only ever be one digital
So that's what we did and it was success- Bitcoin. What is the point of me sending my rel- Bitcoin be sent or spent.
ful. So most of these trades happen in per- ative Bitcoin if they cannot go to a shop So, you cannot cheat, you cannot copy
TN: When you tweeted some people re- son, so you meet with someone you trust and use Bitcoin to buy? Help me? your Bitcoin and say now I have double
sponded, because you said you are the and this person gives you US dollars for AP: So, for instance they could go to a the Bitcoin.
first one to send Bitcoin from Zimbabwe, your Bitcoin or the other way around. website, which is called Bitrefill, and buy That is what they solved with the time
and somebody quickly said no my gar- I actually found this is very beautiful, it top up airtime for their phones with it. chain or Blockchain technology and the
dener actually sends Bitcoin to Zimba- might sound to some people like we are So, you can top up your Econet phone or mining.
bwe. excluded from the Bitcoin system, no you your how are the others called here?  “In Conversation With Trevor” is
I did not know whether to take them se- are not. TN: Econet. Tel-One. Net-One. a weekly show broadcast on YouTube.
riously or not? What is your response? The great thing about that is basically AP: Exactly. So, can directly basically com//InConversationWithTrevor. Please
AP: I believe that they are serious, and that you have no restrictions. send the the telephone minutes to some- get your free YouTube subscription to this
of course I know that people in Zimbabwe You do not need an ID to use Bitcoin, you one in Zimbabwe over Bitcoin. channel. The conversations are sponsored
know about Bitcoin, and there are a lot of do not need a bank account, and I think TN: Using Bitcoin? by Nyaradzo Group.
people who already have used it or have that is basically the thing which empow- AP: Yes. Or I know from people, who live
been using it. ers people and gives them also privacy, be- in South Africa and have relatives in Ma-
What I think was new was that I sent cause no one can take your Bitcoin away lawi, and they are sending these mobile
it over the so-called Lightning Network, from you, but you can freeze a bank ac-
which enables micropayments to almost count.
zero fees, and I sent it from my own Bitcoin TN: So a policeman cannot arrest you
node, meaning I did more than just have it and take a Bitcoin away from you?
on a wallet and send it somewhere. AP: No. I mean at gunpoint yes, or if they
I think that was the first of its kind, but of say I throw you to jail other or you just give
course I know that a lot of Zimbabweans al- me your private keys to your Bitcoin of
ready have been using Bitcoin, which I think course they can obtain it.
is great. But in general, on a level of let us say civ-
TN: Let us talk about that aspect of the ilised conversations with other people, no-
Bbitcoiners? Is that what we call them? body can steal your Bitcoin no.
AP: Yes, you can call them something like It is like cash in your pocket, the only dif-
that. ference is it is digital.
TN: As in Zimbabwe. There is also Bit- TN: So, I think on that point, let us help
coin mining in Zimbabwe? Let us talk in people at home and people like me.
the first instance about that community? I am sure you can tell from the questions
In your view how big is that community? I am asking that I am totally ignorant.
AP: Well, I can say it from my own experi- I have no idea about what I am talking
ence, I came here the first time in 2020 and
did my first talk about Bitcoin and opened
Blockchain technology, and tried to foster
a sort of a community here which is spe-

OPINION November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 17

Tigere REIT’s IPO gets off ground

TAFARA MTUTU and Masholdings’ respective dividend
yields of 2,7% and 1,1%. As a cherry on
T he investing community is looking top, the REIT will receive roughly 75%
forward to the maiden listing of a of its rentals in USD and opens the
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) door to ZWL investors looking for USD
on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in returns. We note that the REIT is ex-
what has been a most exciting year empt from income tax and these tax
for local capital markets. Much about this as- benefits mean that investors get more
set class has been discussed in Zimbabwe’s fo- distributable returns through divi-
rums and social media spaces since the begin- dends.
ning of the year, but latest developments mer-
it one more look. Zimbabwe’s first REIT is final- The IPO opened to the investing
ly coming out of the shadows under the name community on Monday October 31
Tigere. The Tigere REIT’s prospectus was pub- 2022 and investors have until Novem-
lished last week, and the IPO process is already ber 18 2022 to subscribe for units. Re-
underway. We look at some of the salient fea- tail investors can make use of C-Trade
tures of the REIT below and ZSE Direct platforms to partici-
pate in the IPO before the REIT lists on
The Tigere REIT is the brainchild of Terrace the ZSE on November 23 2022.
Africa, which is credited with the Village Walk
retail development project in the affluent sub- Tafara Mtutu is a research analyst
urb of Borrowdale. The REIT itself will not have at Morgan & Co Research. — tafara@
the Village Walk development in its portfolio, morganzim.com or +263 774 795 854.
but instead it will start off with the recently
opened Highland Park Phase 1 and Chinama- BUY GROCERIES WORTH ZWL30,000 AND YOU COULD
no Corner. Highland Park Phase 1 features Pick BE ONE OF OUR 24 X WEEKLY WINNERS TO WALK
n Pay as its anchor tenant as well as a fuel sta- AWAY WITH A ZWL90,000 SHOPPING VOUCHER
tion, restaurants and a few other FMCG retail-
ers on 6 704sqm of gross leasable area (GLA). PRICES VALID UNTIL 16 OCTOBER 2022
Chinamano Corner is relatively smaller with a
GLA of 2 007sqm but also features popular PUREDROP PROBRANDS
outlets under Simbisa Brands and a fuel sta- COOKING OIL PREMIUM RICE
tion. In addition, there are at least five other
developments in the pipeline which could see 8 X 2L 10 X 2kg
the REIT’s total GLA increasing by 18 000sqm in
the coming years. $22 14000 $15 83000

According to the prospectus, the IPO price $2 79999 $1 59999
was set at ZWL$28 for each unit of the REIT.
In order to interrogate the IPO price, we per- each each
formed a valuation of the REIT using three
models namely Price-to-Book (PBV) Value, Net PAMPERS
Operating Income (NOI) method, and the Div- JUMBO PACK DIAPERS
idend Discount Model (DDM). The first two
methods equally accounted for 50% of the fi- 48-76
nal valuation because they are relative valua-
tion models, while the DDM accounted for the $16 99999
other 50% because it is an objective valuation
model. The NOI model is a fairly simple meth- SAVE
od that ascertains the value of a property - or in
this case, a REIT - based on comparable capi- $2 17100
talisation rates and the REIT’s net operating in-
come. A capitalisation rate of 6,4% was calcu- PROBRANDS IRVINES IRVINES
lated from First Mutual Properties’ and Mash- LIFE FULL CREAM MILK STANDARD LOOSE EGGS MIXED PORTIONS
onaland Holdings’ latest full year investment
portfolio performance in the retail sub-sector. 6 X 1ℓ 12 X 2.5 DOZ 5kg
Together with Tigere REIT’s 12-month prorated
net operating income forecast of US$1,7m, this $5 70000 $32 00000 $10 80000
resulted in a fair value of US$25, 9m, or US3,68c $1 09999 SAVE
per unit which translates to a ZWL equivalent of $2 89999
ZWL$28,79 based on current market rates. each $1 20000
each
The PBV model, on the other hand, ascer- SAVE BIG WILLARDS SNACKS
tains a fair price of the REIT based on compa- & (ASSORTED) JADE SOAP
rable instruments’ PBV multiple and the REIT’s 8 X 150g 20 X 250g
net asset value of US3,09c. Given that the Ti- WIN BIG
gere REIT is the first of its kind in Zimbabwe, a $3 45000 $9 49999
comparable PBV multiple of 1,2x was sourced QUENCH $44999 $47999
from a database of REITs in the US and a coun- MANGO SYRUP
try risk discount of 11,6% was applied. Similar each each
market rates as above were applied, and the 6 X 2ℓ
model valued the Tigere REIT at ZWL$26,45. RED SEAL
$10 90000 DOG MEAL
The DDM was also in line with the relative $1 99999
valuation models. Among the assumptions that 10kg
formed the building blocks of this valuation was each
a cost of equity of 7,8%, a terminal growth rate $5 89999
of 4%, and a dividend withholding tax of 10%. SAVE
The model yielded a fair price of ZWL$27,26
using current market rates. An overall valuation $1 10000
that incorporated all three models placed the
value of the REIT at ZWL$27,44 which is mar- ADDIS COOLCAT FIZZI CARBINATED AMSTEL LAGER ALCOHOL MAY BE HAZARDOUS
ginally below the IPO price of ZWL$28. COOLER BOX SOFT DRINKS (ASSORTED) BOTTLES TO HEALTH IF CONSUMED TO
26ℓ 24 X 330ml EXCESS. THE OPERATION OF
We opine that there are other qualitative fac- 12 X 500ml
tors that might have influenced the slight pre- $23 99900 $21 59999 MACHINERY OR DRIVING AFTER
mium to the fair price such as (i) an appetising $2 65900 THE CONSUMPTION OF
blend of equity and real estate characteristics, SAVE $89999
(ii) income tax exemption, and (iii) an assured $21999 ALCOHOL IS NOT ADVISABLE. NOT
quarterly dividend pay-out. REITs are favoured $3 00000 each FOR SALE TO PERSONS UNDER
by many investors because they exhibit char- each THE AGE OF 18. DRINK
acteristics of equity instruments in the short RESPONSIBLY.
term but in the long term they behave more
like real estate. As a result, REITs typically have CHATBOT +263 788 788 034 QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED PER PERSON. E&OE.
a lower risk profile than equities and real es- PRICES INCLUDE VAT. PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT
tate, and investors who want to be exposed to PRIOR NOTICE. OFFER VALID WHILE STOCKS LAST. PICTURES ARE NON-CONTRACTUAL.
real estate over the long-term but with low li-
quidity risk often consider REITs as a suitable
investment.

Unlike real estate equity instruments such
as FMP and Mashonaland Holdings, REITs are
mandated to distribute at least 80% of rentals
to unit holders. This means that the Tigere REIT
offers more dividend per unit of earnings com-
pared to real estate equities. At an IPO price
of ZWL$28, the REIT comes with a prospec-
tive dividend yield of roughly 5% versus FMP

COLUMN November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 18

When they start believing Corruption: The party
must also benefit
their own fiction

MMy Dear People, lieve that he is bringing mega deals to Zim- The Zanu PF congress sadly ended last paper is known far and wide for its credibil-
y successor, who is now in- babwe with state media screaming that he weekend when the whole world was hop- ity and journalistic integrity.
famously known as the has struck a US$105 million deal kkkkkkkk. ing it would go on forever. However, it end- Besides despising the British, our revolu-
Page 2 girl, will leave no ed with a resolution that left many unsure tionary party is desperate to join the club
stone unturned in desper- They must be confusing those worthless as to the direction the party is taking. of former British colonies, whose sole use is
ation for national attention. RTGS for US dollars at Munhumutapa Build- First, the party’s current owner took to an annual party where people dress up and
She is now even being credited for bring- ing. the podium and declared that he accepts have tea. According to The Herald: “The
ing about weddings in Kanyemba because all sorts of people as party members, from Second Republic led by President Mnan-
of her teachings!! kkkkk. The imaginary figures of investment in teachers to doctors, musicians to coun- gagwa is doing a lot to be readmitted into
the country only benefit the country on the cillors. “But we do not accept thieves,” he the Commonwealth, and the Club's Sec-
The world has truly gone mad. printed papers at Mortar Glass House or on said. There was deathly silence across the retariat is expected to travel to Zimbabwe
Next we will be told that it is because of the cameras at Pockets Hill. conference room. It was a shock to every- sometime this month to assess the situa-
her efforts countrywide that we are breath- one that the leader was suddenly expelling tion on the ground, the group's secretary
ing at this rate! As for those at Dead BC, we know only too everyone from the party. general Mrs Patricia Scotland has said.”
Only this week Joji was at pains to tell us well that, like the rest of us, they have not He even dared to go on and declare: “We The paper quotes Scotland as saying she
that she was elected to try and give the im- felt the positive impacts of these eye water- reject violence and declare it alien to our was "delighted that Zimbabwe is putting
pression that she is popular. ing investments that they have been sing- society.” a great deal of energy and commitment
I am sure he was told off just like I did to ing about in their daily bulletins if their re- Surely, if thieves and violent people can to be readmitted back into the Common-
him at that rally and was ordered to “set the cent plea to see Ngwena because of biting no long- wealth".
record straight” whatever that is! poverty and poor working conditions are an- er find a Tidbits We
In all my time never have I gone to such ything to g by kkkkkkkkk. home in
lengths to get attention. Zanu PF, have no
Dr Amai 11 has even gone to the extent of Ngwena surely has potential award win- we may as doubt
banning media houses when she goes to ning fiction writers among his entourage! well shut that this
open public institutions, preferring to move “great
along with her band of wailers…… oops sor- Meanwhile, we have been told that real- deal of
ry praise singers. ity has knocked out perception, as Zimba- down the energy”
Mother of the Nation my foot! bwe bounces back through Ngwena’s com- whole or- includes
Meanwhile, Ngwena cannot just stop prehensive reforms. ganisa- Twitter: @MuckrakerZim all the
imitating Baba’s footsteps, five years after tion.
usurping the throne. “There is a gap between perception and A must- hard work
He is now wearing those hideous shades reality, but through our policy of engage- of jailing opposition MPs and activists, dis-
in a sorry attempt to walk in Baba’s foot- ment and re-engagement, that gap has read report
steps. Unopenga!!! been narrowed because people are able to Still with the once-revolutionary party, persing noisy opposition rallies and beat-
You will never be as wise or as cool as come and see for themselves that we are Muckraker got patriotic enough to sit un- ing up journalists who try to do their jobs.
Baba no matter how many or what type of friend to all. We are a stable country,” Ngwe- der the mango tree this weekend to read Hardwork for Ambassador
sunglasses you wear. na told investors in Abidjan, we are told. through the party’s Central Committee re- Speaking of the British, their Parliament
His advisors should be fired for letting port. It is a must-read document for some has been making noise about our elec-
him go public in those shades, including Stable with inflation at 268%, one of the of our bright psychology students doing a tions.
Ndabaningi who even went on to shocking- highest inflation rates in the world and rated self-delusion module in college, although it Clearly bored by all the drama in their
ly say that “he was looking cool” when he at the bottom of the Trade Openness Index has some flashes of unintended truth-tell- own politics, the old men in the House of
went to Abidjan in Ivory Coast kkkkkkkk. by the United Nations Conference on Trade ing. There is a section in which the party Lords decided they would discuss events
With people like that nurse as part of Ng- and Development?! complains about one of the most patriot- in their favourite former colony, Zimbabwe.
wena’s entourage, who needs enemies? ic activities in the country; land grabbing. One Lord Hayward, who we invited to
We know Ndabaningi you need to sing So stable that nurses and other health pro- The party whines about land barons that it observe the 2018 election when we were
for your supper, but such outright lies are fessionals are leaving the country in droves says have invaded plots of land all across still trying to be good people, says “there
taking it too far! due to the poor working conditions? Harare. We have always been told that we is no sign that (Zimbabwe government)
The Zanu PF congress last week showed should leave them alone, because they are will enforce any form of free and fair elec-
that the party is now poorer without Gus- Does he think he was talking to kids? building the nation and give themselves tions” in 2023. We can only commiserate
hungo. These investors must have spluttered in their names like “Ushewokunze” and “Tongoga- with one Melanie Robinson, the UK ambas-
In fact, it has completely lost direction. It tea. ra” to sound revolutionary. But Zanu PF is sador. She must have read all these state-
has turned from a vibrant party gathering not so sure about these land thieves. ments with horror. Now she has to move
under Baba to a circus. Ngwena is surely responsible for some “It was found out that a single housing around dusty offices explaining to the
One should just look at Kembo’s remarks cracked ribs due to laughter in Ivory Coast stand was being sold for the average of country’s owners why her country should
at the congress to see what I mean. after being told such fibs. US$5 000 by land barons doing their busi- be allowed the privilege of observing the
To see a grown man pledge loyalty at ness in the name of the party, resulting in election when they already know the re-
the congress by admitting that he was a In fact the gap between Ngwena’s re- most housing stands benefiting opposition sults.
naughty boy because of his failure to leave marks to the investors and what is on the members,” says the party to itself. Cool President
married women alone was pathetic as it ground is as wide as the gap between the Of course, these barons must be stopped. There was much speculation this week
was nauseating. quality leadership of baba and the lack of it It is the law that when people engage in after the country’s owner went about an in-
This is why Baba never appointed him to by the Lacoste kingpin! Baba must surely be corruption, it must benefit the party. We vestment summit in West Africa in shades,
be vice president despite his pleas to be turning in his grave! condemn all corruption that does not in- even though it was indoors.
appointed to the post. clude us. What sort of corruption is that? Of course, detractors started wonder-
Can you imagine Baba having such a The delusion at Munhumutapa Building is ing if, once again, we have an owner who
clown in the presidium!!! Hehehede Never!!! now at hazardous levels. Parallel election results
Cry the beloved party. We all know that our country is known cannot see. Our last owner could bare-
Poor Ngwena, he is trying to make us be- They have come with a master plan to in- around the world for running clean elec- ly keep his eyes open because, according
crease investment and that is through offer- tions. This is why it was a surprise to hear to his spokesman, who is also the spokes-
ing investors citizenship!!. that these Western-sponsored stooges man of the new owner, the old owner liked
want to count votes to check if figures from to rest his eyes a lot. Seeing Mnangagwa
This is what they call Second Repubric kk-
kkkkkkk.

Someone tell Monica that investors want
consistent and sound policies for them to
put their hard earned money in the country,
not citizenship.

Munopengaaaaaaaa!
Gushungo Chete Chete!
Ntombizodwa Chete Chete!
Dr Amai Stop it! PhD (Fake)

the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) with shades on brought questions about
are correct or not. whether his eyes were going the way of his
According to the reeling party, there is a predecessor, which is the same direction
ploy by unruly elements like the Zimbabwe that his leadership has taken.
Election Support Network to conduct par- But Nick Mangwana, the world’s busi-
allel vote tabulation next year. est spokesman, had a better explanation,
“In pursuit of that, they will deploy elec- saying: “His Excellency the President look-
tion observers at all polling stations who ing cool in Abidjan.” It is clear he was only
will also double as CCC agents,” says Zanu blinded by the brightness of Zimbabwe’s
PF. “These will send results to their estab- future under his rule.
lished Command Centres and have con- No to dildos
solidated results before ZEC announces. If It was reported this week that a uni-
ZEC announces what is different from what versity lecturer was arrested and taken to
they have, they are planning to start vio- court after alert customs officials searched
lent protests. This plan is a recipe for cha- her bag and found three sex toys. She was
os and mayhem as well as a serious se- sentenced to a six-month jail term, but the
curity threat.” That it is ZEC chair Priscil- aptly named magistrate Musaiona Shot-
la Chigumba herself who publicly encour- game mercifully gave her the option of a
aged parallel tabulation, because she is fine. She was charged under a Customs
confident of her commission’s transpar- and Excise Act regulation which prohibits
ency, is neither here nor there. We cannot the importation of “any goods which are
have people counting votes and suddenly indecent, obscene or objectionable.”
finding out that some comrades like Dex- This is good news to all of us morally
ter Nduna should not be in Parliament. If upright people in the country. We cannot
anything, we should just get rid of ZEC and have people importing these sinful items
get Tobaiwa Mudede back to count our into our country. We can marry off our un-
votes. It is obvious that he was more patri- derage daughters, conduct debauched
otic than Chigumba. romps in our high offices with the young
married women who work for us, murder
Commitment?
Zimbabwe is on the path to rejoining the with impunity, and steal from the public.
Commonwealth. We believe this because But on dildos, we draw the line. We are a
The Herald told us so this week, and that Christian nation.

AFRICA November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 19

DeCvaenloCpomrreunpttCioon-Eanxidst?
While recently discussing the corruption in
Kenya with a friend, they pointed out we ing benefits not necessarily to the most deserving, but rath- community’s well-being.
may be over-emphasizing the role of cor- er in a way that feeds inequality and injustice and discourag- To answer the second question of whether corruption may
ruption by overlooking the nation’s develop- es honest pursuits.
ment. favour development in some instances. The point is made by
He noted that some countries as those in Asia, still man- So, what of countries such as Turkey, China and Malaysia those that hold that fighting corruption hinders the growth
age to lift themselves from poverty despite the rampant cro- which have in the last few decades posted impressive eco- of the informal sector.
ny capitalism. So, is it true that economic development can nomic growth despite reportedly having widespread crony
be achieved without necessarily having to fight corruption capitalism? Crony capitalism is a form of corruption where This belief is premised on the fact that many of the infor-
and might corruption even favour development in some in- government officials give business to persons they are close mal businesses survive only because they are able to avoid
stances? to. paying exorbitant taxes and are able to survive even where
the costs of licenses would otherwise be prohibitive.
A good place to start would be to define what corruption I will not claim to have an answer for this question which is
is. Broadly speaking, corruption is the abuse of entrusted likely to have many complex answers. An interesting aspect These businesses deal in counterfeits that are more afford-
power for personal benefit. Whereas in most cases the en- to consider, however, is how the beneficiaries of the alleged able to their clients, and they win ‘deals’ against their estab-
trusted power rests with a public official, corruption also cov- cronyism in these countries differ from the beneficiaries in lished competitors through their multiple connections. These
ers cases where people in authority in the private sector use the Kenyan context. are realities in our society and through them, many small
their authority for illicit gain. businesses prosper.
It might be that in these countries, an advantage was given
From the definition, the concept of ‘conflict of interest’ is to enterprises that were keen and able to grow themselves We need to stop placing small businesses in situations
apparent. Can a person in a position of authority and respon- while in our case it is not. It might also be that despite hav- where they must rely on corruption and bribery to prosper.
sibility be both interested in ‘what is in it for me’ and at the ing been awarded contracts through cronyism, these gov- We must resolve to remove the existing trade barriers includ-
same time be on the lookout for ‘what is best for my coun- ernments still expected and demanded that the awardees ing over-regulation and reinstate measures that safeguard
try/organization?’ In theory, this should be possible, resulting deliver value for the money paid. local enterprises such as the restriction of cheap imports and
in a ‘win-win scenario’ where you get both personal benefits lowering exorbitant taxes.
while delivering on your public mandate. One challenge that differentiates us from the Asian tiger
economies is the capture of our leaders by financiers. On one Small businesses deserve support to win and deliver work
An example would be a situation where you give a state hand, we rely significantly on debts and grants, which means legitimately which can easily be achieved by setting aside
appointment to your sibling, who also happens to be the we have to make certain choices that are dictated by financi- some government tenders for SMEs and availing affordable
most qualified for the position. ers even where these are not necessarily to our benefit. credit.

Our reality however is that what will result in maximum per- The second class of financiers is trickled down through our Resorting to corruption as a solution introduces new costs
sonal benefit to say, a government official, will seldom also election process. As is, winning an elective position in Kenya to any business as they must now pay in kind for favors or
result in the greatest benefit to the public. This is more so ev- is an extremely expensive exercise. With this, we end up with protection.
ident in a society such as ours, where resources and opportu- many leaders of questionable competence that are financed
nities are scarce. The road to my home will rarely be the most by individuals and entities that allegedly make their money It also about brings inequality and unpredictability in the
economically productive road. through illicit means. nature of business as not all have access to the officials grant-
ing favours, which in turn kills meritocracy. Corruption also
By choosing to build it first, the state loses the econom- Such leaders may not have a choice but to award benefits lacks the clarity of who stands in line to gain the next favour,
ic benefit that would have come from prioritizing the more to those that financed their campaigns and will have no mor- the cost implication or when said favour can be utilised. So
economically viable road. al right to demand performance. again, corruption even in this situation curtails development.

Secondly, a candidate for a job or prospective vendor who Though in theory, a society could still develop if corruption In conclusion, we must as a society critically analyse the
is the most qualified or appropriate should not need fa- ends up availing opportunity and capital to individuals and effects of corruption on our development as the two are in-
vours to get the job or award. If one needs connections to enterprises that are able to grow this capital. deed ‘strange bedfellows.
get ahead even when qualified, then society must be award-
It is unlikely in our case that the opportunities will end up —AfricaBlogging
with such individuals. Development should also be consid- The writer is an Associate Director, Forensics Advisory
ered in the context of the general enhancement of the entire services, PwC East Africa region.

AFRICA November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 20

Cameroon's improve the cultural awareness of doctors and they
Anglophone are seeing more English-speaking Cameroonians in
their classrooms than they ever met when in medi-
cal school themselves.
While medicine may be slowly starting to im-

prove, there is a lot more to achieve in public life.
Harassment and humiliation
crisis - Many Anglophones feel that French has been
used as a language of intimidation from the earliest
days of the union between French Cameroon and
fuelled by what was British-controlled territory.
student
rejects and And since the uprising began, many more French-
poor speaking police officers have been sent to pa-
trol the streets of Bamenda, where they constantly
check IDs. They get angry if someone cannot speak
French, demand money at roadblocks and some-
times force young women to share their phone
numbers. When I go around Bamenda with those
fluent in administrative French, we have no bother
with such harassment. I am in awe of the way their
use of French gives me a pass in my hometown.

The challenge for Anglophones is that we simply
cannot hide.
spelling Some health professionals believe was only one when my cousin applied While studying biochemistry at the University of

Yaoundé, I - like many English-speaking students
the government's push to improve is- - and an oversight committee to im- - never bothered asking questions in class because
I sues in the medical field has borne plement reforms. Students also report of the abuse we got. Some Francophone students
fruit over the last six years. better translations of exam questions and even lecturers would hurl insults when they
n our series of letters from African journalists, There are now two functioning gov- but nothing near professional stand- heard English or picked up the accent in our well-
Tony Vinyoh looks at how his cousin's medical ernment-run medical schools in the ards. rehearsed French.
school rejection was one of the many exam- two English-speaking regions - there
ples of why a secessionist rebellion has dogged Trainers say more is being done to — BBC

English-speaking parts of Cameroon for near-
ly six years.
Short presentational grey line
It is easy to classify the war in Cameroon's Eng-
lish-speaking regions of North-West and South-
West as a clash over language. What this conflict
really embodies, however, is a battle for fairness and
access.
When I accompanied my uncle and his daugh-
ter in 2016 to check her medical school entrance re-
sults, I knew she would not make it.
At the entrance of a campus in Bamenda - the
main city in the North-West region - were hundreds
of science students, who had all passed their A-Lev-
els, scrambling to find their names on the notice
board. Most of them had not made it.
Some were bemused, others cried, some laughed
about it. Together, they were all sharing their first
real experience of living as English-speaking Cam-
eroonians.
The odds were stacked against my cousin - and
against all English-speaking Cameroonian candi-
dates - trying to get into a government-run med-
ical school.
It was a stark example of their marginalisation by
Cameroon's French-speaking majority.
Tony Vinyoh
Some Francophone students and even lectur-
ers would hurl insults when they heard English or
picked up the accent in our well-rehearsed French"
The medical school entrance paper my cousin sat
was in English - with questions often poorly trans-
lated from French making some of them incompre-
hensible and marked by those who are not profi-
cient in English. So very few English-speaking stu-
dents are accepted.
It effectively bars many English speakers from at-
tending state-run universities, where students re-
ceive subsidised tuition. It is also common to hear
allegations of bribery, which is rife throughout
Cameroon, with wealthy parents "buying" a place
for their child.
We were just one of the many families going
through disappointment in Cameroon's Anglo-
phone zone - and by November 2016 the demands
for education, judicial and other reforms escalated
into calls for a two-state federation. It later erupt-
ed into a secessionist war that has claimed tens of
thousands of lives.
Lost in translation
The prevailing system means there are fewer
doctors from North-West and South-West Came-
roon practising at home. Even for the Francophone
doctors who speak English, it is hard for them to RTGS RATES DAILY 1 MONTH 3 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 12 MONTHS

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cine. Medics at a hospital in the North-West region
told me about a man who had surgery for testicu-
lar cancer and went home believing he was cured. The Standard ZW 550.00 ZW 2,200.00 ZW 7,150.00 ZW14,300.00 ZW 28,600.00

His French-speaking doctor could not get it Weekly Digest ZW 550.00 ZW 2,200.00 ZW 7,150.00 ZW14,300.00 ZW 28,600.00
across that he had to return for a follow-up. He only
came back when he started feeling pain. The man
died.
In rural areas, for example, not everyone can Combo ***** ZW 21,750.00 ZW 67,300.00 ZW 134,600.00 ZW269,430.00

speak lingua francas like English or Pidgin.
I once interviewed a woman in my village for an
article I was writing about cataracts. She only spoke RTGS Accounts: First Capital Bank (Barclays) Account:2157-6346662 | Stanbic Bank: Account: 9140001182179

Lamnso, with which I am familiar but not fluent, so I
employed a translator to put us both at ease.
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The fact that she did not consider me an outsider
also allowed her to talk freely about her eye surgery
and encourage others to try it.

OPINION November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 21

Bite-size Incentivising listings on the VFEX is
snapshot the prospect of attracting foreign cur-
rency capital from investors, the aim
of of allowing shareholders to realise the
the VFEX USD value of their holdings, and ena-
activity bling investors to efficiently repatri-
ate their dividends plus the associated
flurry tax incentives. The implication for the
ZSE is that the market cap of the over-
EBEN MABUNDA all market will decline considering two
heavyweights are set to exit the mar-
T HE past six weeks have ket. If the economic instability persists,
brightened the outlook for more counters will follow suit. Innscor
Zimbabwe’s forex-denom- linked Padenga, Natfoods and Simbisa
inated bourse, the Victoria exited already. It would not be surpris-
Falls Exchange (VFEX) as it ing to see Innscor and its spin-off Axia
saw a flurry of activity with four coun- follow suit in 2023. Affected Exchange
ters set to list on the market. This is af- Traded Funds will of course be recon-
ter the bourse failed to gain traction, stituted to reflect the changes result-
attracting just four listings and record- ing from the exit of constituent stocks.
ing low transaction volumes since its
inception in October 2020. The VFEX will likely attract more
counters, increased investment and
Currency woes, unbridled infla- higher liquidity going forward.
tion and persistent government inter-
ference with the market as the gov- capitalisation has plummeted to ZWL that currently hangs over the ZSE has Eben Mabunda is an analyst and
ernment blames the stock market 1,83 trillion from a high of over ZWL3,5 created an opportunity for the VFEX to TV anchor at Equity Axis, a leading
for speculative activities and capital trillion earlier this year. The dark cloud gain traction. financial research firm in Zimbabwe.
flight, have cast a shadow on Zimba- — [email protected]
bwe’s main stock market, the Zimba-
bwe Stock Exchange (ZSE). In 2020,
Treasury halted trade on the ZSE for
several weeks and extended a heavy
hand to suspend fungible stocks PPC,
Old Mutual and SeedCo Ltd. Old Mu-
tual and PPC remain suspended.

Innscor spin-off Simbisa Brands on
September 27 expressed an impend-
ing departure from the ZSE for the
USD-denominated bourse — the VFEX
— to become the second Innscor off-
shoot on the new market after Paden-
ga Holdings.

Set up to lure foreign investment,
the VFEX also currently houses Bind-
ura Nickel Corporation, SeedCo Inter-
national, and New York and London-
listed miner Caledonia (NYSE: CMCL),
(LSE: CMCL).

After 52 years of listing on the ZSE,
Innscor subsidiary and Tiger Brands
(JSE: TBS) associate National Foods
(Natfoods) on October 31 indicated
that it will delist from the ZSE for a
VFEX listing. The largest food proces-
sor in Zimbabwe, Natfoods had a mar-
ket cap of ZWL57,38 billion on Tues-
day, November 2, whose stock had
shed 19,82% of its value since the start
of the year.

In October, Karo Mining Holdings
(formerly Karo Resources), a subsid-
iary of JSE-listed miner Tharisa Plc
(JSE: THA) announced the floating of
a US$50 million unrated bond — a first
for the VFEX. The US$-denominated
bond will be issued through private
placement, with the earnings used to
partly finance the Karo platinum pro-
ject and will be guaranteed by the
firm.

In the same month, Nedbank’s Zim-
babwean unit announced plans to list
on Zimbabwe’s VFEX. Nedbank will
list its Zimbabwe Depository Receipts
(ZDR) on the VFEX on November 18
2022. (A depositary receipt is a locally-
listed negotiable certificate, a finan-
cial instrument issued by a bank, rep-
resenting shares of a foreign entity.)

As a backdrop, Old Mutual Plc (JSE:
OMU), concluded the unbundling of
Nedbank in October 2018 in which
OMU shareholders received shares in
the bank. Following the unbundling,
investors from Zimbabwe ended up
owning Nedbank shares that were un-
available for local trading. The listing
of the ZDR will eliminate this challenge
and unlock value for Nedbank share-
holders.

The ZSE is currently the worst-per-
forming stock market in Africa having
waned 76,28% year-to-date; on Oc-
tober 27 in USD terms; whose market

ARTS November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 22

Most remixed, most popular!
Fire Emoji sets 2022 ablaze
Leo Magozz, Bling4, Brian Jeck and the entire Zero53
crew are literally having a free-run this year. The in- narrative that would have given them the national ear and Jeck, produced by VinceGood Beats, Mixed and mastered
spiring story of raw talent from Chegutu rising “from stake. by Brian jeck at ZERO53MUSIC in Chegutu and video shot
the unknown” to national stardom is one that can by Director Leoy V became a 2022 national anthem and ul-
light up every young person’s dream. With a string For over a decade the Zimdancehall tide until recent- timately the biggest record of the year.
of star studded remixes and already playing on internation- ly has been too heavy to turn and not allowing alternative
al TV networks, could this be the matchstick Zim Hip Hop youth music to get space. Fire Emoji could possibly go down the books of history
has been long waiting for or its a wave that will come to as the song that carried the Zim Hip Hop spirit and move-
pass? The Covid-19 induced Lockdown disrupted live shows ment from a long-since promising genre to the mainstream
and the public transport system (Kombis) which were major with several headliners actually getting booked and paid for
Since 2011 when Stunner and BaShupi gave us the mega drivers of Zimdancehall. The new normal therefore changed their craft.
hit Godo, the Zim Hip Hop scene has had several popu- the consumption patterns for music thereby giving visibility
lar hits from artists such as Cal_Vin, Few Kings, Asaph, Ti to emerging artists and sounds. With plus 1 Million Youtube views track has attracted a
Gonzi! However these short-lived waves and chapters were wave of remixes and covers from across the country and
marked by individual effort and a few group hits that some- A song uniting genres. A song uniting artists! some international artists tagging along. Drill lives matter!
how failed to enough gather collective mojo. Two years ago Zim Hip Hop artist Holy Ten found his break
and warmed up the national ears to a new vibe and style We are watching a new shift taking place in real time and
Groups like the Few Kings and MMT at one time created laying out a firm path for a later veld fire in the form of Drill. the disruptors are coming from all sorts of directions.
so much buzz on the local scene and raised the hopes for Holy Ten’s success story became an opener for more art-
local hip hop to hit the national radar but the sadly the fren- ists to gain visibility and confidence. Zim Hip Hop needs to hold on tight, push as an army, stay
zy ended with them. Music video director Leoy V has played a very instrumen- humble and never to lose the momentum until the whole
tal role in curating this new shift in sound, style and break country is on fire. Word of advise, genres can co-exist, dont
There were a number of factors that could have contrib- through his Letter Z music factory project where he shot disrespect those who were doing it before you, learn, col-
uted to the seemingly “false” collective takeoffs. The Zim budget music videos for the emerging artists and after a laborate and build from what they did.
Hip Hop movement over the years failed to glue together, hundred of videos one project sparked a the magic which
identify as a collective and rally behind a common drive and will soon be regarded as a defining moment. Special shout-out to ZimCelebs for spreading the fire!
The song Fire Emoji by Leo Magozz, Bling 4 and Brian Let there be more concerts, radio space and community
platforms that promote Hip Hop.

— earGROUND

SPORT November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 23

Luvo Manyonga: World champion & Olympic silver medallist's drug fight

(A public company incorporated in the Republic of Zimbabwe under company AHL 2062 It's the day before South Africa's final T20 World
registration number 254B 104/1947) Cup group game against the Netherlands.
Jeremy Snape, a mental skills coach who has
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF COMPANY SECRETARY worked with Crystal Palace and England Rug-
by, joins the BBC for a video call.
The Board of Directors of Ariston Holdings Limited would like to advise stakeholders A win over the lowest ranked team left in the tour-
that the company has appointed Ms. Nkosilothando Ncube as Company Secretary nament will see the Proteas progress to the semi-fi-
effective 8 September 2022. The appointment is in line with the provisions of the nals.
Companies and Other Business Entities Act (Chapter 24:31) and Zimbabwe Stock
Exchange listing rules (Statutory Instrument 134 of 2019). Defeat, well, that's not likely to happen, is it?
Our conversation focuses on the concept of chok-
Nkosilothando trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant (Zimbabwe). She ing, which Snape describes as "losing from a win-
holds, amongst other qualifications, a Bachelor of Accounting (Honours) degree from ning position, or losing a game you should win, as a
Africa University. result of psychological pressures and the weight of
expectation".
The Board of Directors, Management and Staff congratulate Nkosilothando on her We play with hypotheticals where South Afri-
appointment and wish her success in her new role. ca need 20 runs from the final 15 balls in the final
against England.
By Order of the Board This is now moot. South Africa crashed to a 13-run
loss to a Dutch team containing four South African-
A. C. Jongwe born players. It's just one more sorry chapter in the
Board Chairman sweeping tragicomedy that is the Proteas at Inter-
national Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.
7 November 2022 And that's the point. This reverse, as clear an up-
set as you'll see, has come with a degree of predict-
DIRECTORS: ability.
Mr. A.C. Jongwe (Chairman), Mr. P.T. Spear* (Chief Executive Officer), Since 1999, when South Africa managed to snatch
Mr. I. Chagonda, Mr. C.P. Conradie, Mrs.T.C. Mazingi,Mr. J.W. Riekert. a draw from the jaws of victory against Australia and
thereby tumble out of the World Cup semi-final, this
* Executive cricket team has worn the chokers' tag like a pillory.
Semi-final defeats in the 2007 and 2015 50-over
World Cups hurt, as did T20 World Cup semi-final
losses in 2009 and 2014. Since 1999, South Africa
have also lost in four Champions Trophy semi-finals.
"Is every defeat a choke?" asks Snape, who worked
with the Proteas between 2008 and 2011 in a bid to
help rid themselves of this unwanted baggage.
"That depends. Often a team is simply beaten by
the better team. Even if you perform at your best it
doesn't guarantee success.
"But perceptions and traits can stick to teams,
even if those individuals weren't involved in past
mistakes or chokes.
"It's similar to generational trauma. Things that
happen to older generations can have a lasting im-
pact down the line."
Was Quinton de Kock thinking of Allan Donald's
dropped bat at Edgbaston 23 years ago when he
took guard on Sunday? At any point during his dis-
appointing performance did Kagiso Rabada cast his
mind back to the capitulation against New Zealand
in 2011? It might have helped if they had done.
"We spend thousands of hours in cricket hav-
ing throwdowns and talking tactics but very rarely
talk about how the biggest opponent is in our own
head," ex-Gloucestershire all-rounder Snape says.
"The psychological component is for me the big-
gest obstacle.
"The first step in any elite environment should be
talking about pressure and expectation. Those are
two variables that are invariably going to come up
during a game. But your mind can't be empty. It has
to be filled with something.
"So if we anticipate that these things will arrive,
and we unpack what they mean to us, we can over-
come them by filling our mind with something pos-
itive, rather than something catastrophic."
Any athlete who fails to do this can easily slip into
a fight or flight response. And though the threat of
an inswinging yorker is not the same as a saber-
toothed tiger, like our ancient ancestors a batter is
more likely to survive if he keeps a cool head.
"We're in our best state when we're playing on in-
stinct," Snape adds. "When we're choking, we dial
up the consequences of our failure. We start to wor-
ry about what people will say about us and our char-
acter. We start to worry about tomorrow's newspa-
pers rather than what the bowler might do next.
"That psychology moves into our physiology. It's
almost an emotional hijack. Our knees get weak. We
fixate on a single task, such as playing the ball over
extra cover even when the shot isn't on.
"Our hands lose their sensation and our dexter-
ity and agility diminish. It's a difficult spiral and it
comes from a place of perceived shame and rejec-
tion."
This is partly why it is so fascinating for the rest of
us. Upsets in sport have a charm in their own right,
but there is something relatable when elite athletes
stumble over a psychological hurdle when it mat-
ters most.
Snape equates this with getting nervous before
delivering a best man's speech or writing an email
to your boss when you're angry. Embarrassment
and rejection are terrifying emotions and many of
us would do anything to avoid them.
But this binary thinking can lead to a calcification
in the mind, both for the athletes themselves and
for those of us seeking an answer to the choking co-
nundrum.
"In truth, the choking tag is a lazy construct most
of the time," Snape says. "We can get fixated on this
black and white issue when so often it's way more
complicated and nuanced.

— BBC

November 9 to 15 2022 Weekly Digest 24

Zim’s
top golf
brothers

shine in
Morocco

TBy Munyaradzi Madzokere here just in time for my tee off time,”
HE country’s professional golf broth- he said.
ers Scott and Kieran Vincent were impres-
sive on the international stage after they “I had arrived here on Tuesday morn-
made the top ten at the US$1.5 million Inter- ing and was club-less. So just came up to
national Series Morocco over the weekend. the course and thought at least we’ll see
Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand won the competi- the course and do a little bit of practice.
tion after a brilliant eagle, birdie finish at Royal Golf Dar I think I was using someone else’s wedge,
Es Salam on Sunday to finish on 12-under and beat Cana- and a putter from who knows when.
dian Richard T. Lee by one stroke.
“One of the guys from here I was lucky
It was the 2019 Asian Tour No. 1’s first triumph in near- enough for him to lend me a set for Wednes-
ly three years. day too, if I was able to just go out there and
play a couple of holes. So, I was lucky enough
Lee, who missed a 16-foot birdie putt on the last hole to do that. But the main reason was we had
to force a play-off, shot a final round 70 while Spaniard some clubs to play and practice with,” Kieran
David Puig fired a 73 to finish third, a stroke further back. added.

Scott Vincent who tied for third with his younger broth- It has been an impressive season already for
er Kieran going into the fourth and final round, finished Scott Vincent who won the Gate Way To The
fourth, three shots behind the winner on 9-under after Open, Mizuno Open on May 29 which earned him
carding a 71. a berth at the 150th Open Championship.

Kieran Vincent shot a final round 74 for a joint fifth place He followed up the win in Japan by clinching the
alongside Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma (66), Korean Taehoon International Series England on the Asian Tour, the fol-
OK (67) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat from Thailand (70), one lowing weekend and has been a regular feature in the
shot further back. star-studded LIV Golf Invitational Series since then.

The result is more impressive for Kieran Vincent who The 30-year-old Zimbabwean star now has five pro-
turns 25 this month and has only been a proffesional fessional wins.
golfer for barely six months while Scott is gunning for his
second International Series win this season. Last year, Vincent represented Zimbabwe in the To-
kyo Olympics, finishing tied for 16th in the men’s
Kieran shot a jaw dropping 64 on Saturday to put him- golf competition.
self in contention for the big prize after sinking an eagle,
and seven birdies to play in the final pairing on Sunday The Asian Tour visits Egypt next week
with Puig and Lee. for the first time for the US$1.5 mil-
lion International Series
His impressive performance came after a rollercoast- Egypt at Madinaty Golf
er week in which he only received his clubs on Thursday Club, from November
morning just hours before he teed off in the tournament. 10 to 13 and the Vincent
brothers will be looking
“I didn’t even know my clubs were there [at the airport to improve on their per-
on Thursday]. I was lucky enough that they were com- formances.
ing on that flight from JFK, so I picked them up and got