WEEKLY DIGEST MARCH 16, 2022

 How commerce is evolving in Africa. . .  Buoyant music star Nutty O sets eyes on
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AFRICA IN BRIEF March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 2

Ambush and reprisals in western Dozens dead in DR Congo
Ethiopia kill 64 – rights body
train accident: Rail company

1 At least 53 people have 4 A train crash in the ing 60 people had been killed.It was a
died in western Ethio- southeastern Democratic freight train which was carrying “sev-
pia after an unidentified Republic of the Congo has eral hundred stowaways”, said Man-
armed group attacked a killed at least 60 people, the yonga. “Some of the bodies were still
civilian convoy and its military es- state rail company and local sources trapped in the wagons that had fallen
cort in a region plagued by ethnic said. into the ravines,” he added.
violence. “[Currently] the toll is 61 dead, men,
The Ethiopian Human Rights women and children [and] 52 injured Manyonga said the train was made
Commission said on Sunday that who have been evacuated,” Marc up of 15 wagons, 12 of which were
the previously unreported attack Manyonga Ndambo, director of in- empty. It was coming from Luen in a
occurred on March 2 in Metekel, frastructure at the SNCC train opera- neighbouring province destined for
in the Benishangul-Gumuz region. tor, told the AFP news agency on Sat- the mining town of Tenke, close to
Twenty soldiers and three civilians urday. Local media quoted the pro- Kolwezi, the capital of Lualaba prov-
were killed in the ambush, while 30 vincial governor, Fifi Masuka, as say- ince in southern DRC.
attackers died during the day-long
gun battle that followed. — Aljazeera
Eleven more people were killed
the following day – including one Map showing Benishangul-Gumuz in western Ethiopia, and Tigray in
who was burned alive – as securi- northern Ethiopia
ty forces rounded up suspects and
carried out summary killings, ac- Security forces discovered an- were not available for comment.
cording to the rights group. other Tigrayan man hiding in a car, A military spokesman and govern-
The commission investigated tied him up and threw him onto ment spokesman did not immedi-
the incident after a video posted the pyre, the commission said, not- ately respond to requests for com-
on social media on Friday showed ing the presence of Ethiopian sol- ment.
armed men, some in military uni- diers and uniformed forces from
forms, using a stick to poke a man the Amhara region and Southern The violence in Benishangul-
back onto a burning pile of bodies Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Gumuz, home to several ethnic
after he tried to escape. The gov- Region. The rights body did not say groups, is separate from the war in
ernment said on Saturday it would which security forces killed the ci- Tigray, a northern region that has
act against the perpetrators. Ac- vilians. been fighting central government
cording to the commission, the rule for more than 16 months.
government soldiers stopped a Spokesmen for the two regions
bus, pulled out eight ethnic Tig- — Aljazeera
rayan civilians who had just been
released from prison and accused
them of orchestrating the attack.
Security officers arrested and
beat the men, then they shot them,
along with two men from the local
Gumuz ethnic group, and burned
their bodies, the commission said.
Security officers told the commis-
sion that they found cash and a
satellite phone with the Tigrayan
suspects.

Uganda arrests ‘key’ ADF operative

Ugandan police have arrested a sus- lah Kabanda Musa, alias Mogo, was recovered in a raid on the suspect's Last month, Kenyatta's Jubilee party announced that it would join the
pected prominent recruiter and co- arrested in central Uganda while al- home. The security agencies suspect Azimio la Umoja (Quest for Unity) coalition headed by Odinga (R)
legedly plotting attacks against se- he was part of the group that coor-
2 ordinator of the Allied curity agencies and prominent indi- dinated attacks at the central police Kenya’s President Kenyatta backs
Democratic Forces rebel viduals. He said a loaded rifle, 11 mo- station in Kampala in November last his former rival Odinga in polls
group. bile phones and a computer storage year.
Police spokesperson device with "radical materials" were
Fred Enanga said Abdal- — BBC

Chad military gov’t, opposition 5 Kenyan President both wearing matching blue caps,
groups hold peace talks in Qatar Uhuru Kenyatta has danced to a song by Odinga with
endorsed his former the lyrics: “Leo ni leo. Inawezekana”
archrival for the country’s (Today is the day. It is possible).
top job, weeks after their parties
joined forces ahead of presidential The announcement came af-
Chad’s military government and parliamentary elections in Au- ter Kenyatta’s previously anointed
and dozens of opposi- gust. successor William Ruto, who also
“We have chosen Raila Odinga, intends to contest the presidential
3 tion groups have start- without any opposition, to be the election, was sacked from Jubilee.
ed peace talks in Qatar fifth president of Kenya,” Kenyat-
as a first step towards ta told a cheering crowd of thou- Ruto, 54, was initially anointed
ending a rebellion and sands in the capital Nairobi. The by Kenyatta as his successor but
holding elections. announcement brings togeth- found himself marginalised after
Some 44 armed rebel and op- er two of Kenya’s top political dy- the 2018 pact between the presi-
position groups were invited to nasties, who have a long history of dent and his former foe.
the Doha meeting – though some opposing each other at the ballot
were missing at the opening on box. Ruto has positioned himself as
Sunday, which had already been But in 2018, Kenyatta and Od- a leader looking to upend the sta-
delayed from February 27. Chad’s inga stunned the country when tus quo and stand up for the “hus-
Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Pa- they shook hands and declared a tlers” trying to survive in a country
dacke and African Union Commis- truce after post-election violence ruled by “dynasties” – a reference
sion head Moussa Faki Mahamat in 2017 left dozens of people dead. to the Kenyatta and Odinga fami-
told the opening of the confer- Last month, Kenyatta’s Jubilee par- lies which have dominated politics
ence that both sides would have ty announced that it would join the for decades. ‘State-backed vote-
to make concessions for the talks Azimio la Umoja (Quest for Unity) rigging’
to succeed. But the process risks Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi coalition headed by Odinga.
being protracted and complicat- (R) greets Chad's Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke at the start of From rivals to political partners The East African powerhouse has
ed. The landlocked African na- the Chad peace talks On Saturday, Kenyatta declared traditionally been ruled by presi-
tion was thrown into turmoil by dents from the dominant Kikuyu
the killing of longtime leader Idriss Under the younger Deby’s plan, of “prisoners of war”, and the re- his backing for the veteran opposi- tribe like Kenyatta or the Kalenjin
Deby Itno in battle with rebels in the dialogue would be a prelude turn of confiscated assets. tion leader, saying: “We don’t have tribe like Ruto.
the country’s north last April. to agreeing on a new constitution any doubt that we have a team
His son, Mahamat Idriss Deby and then holding elections. The military government says it captain in Raila Amolo Odinga.” This year’s contest is shaping up
Itno, a 38-year-old four-star gen- has released hundreds of prison- Odinga, 77, responded, saying to be a two-horse race between
eral, took over after his death, Chad has had a turbulent history ers and given amnesty to several the pair’s journey from bitter elec- Ruto and Odinga, who belongs to
heading a 15-member military since gaining independence from prominent leaders. toral rivals to political partners “has the Luo tribe.
council and vowing to hold free France in 1960, and tens of thou- been the most unlikely in the his-
elections after a national dialogue sands have died in various con- However, it has so far excluded tory of our country.” “I accept the A former political prisoner and
that was scheduled to start on flicts between its large, shifting the Front for Change and Concord nomination with absolute grati- prime minister, Odinga has se-
May 10. Diplomats have said the constellation of armed opposi- in Chad (FACT) – the Libya-based tude and dedication to our peo- cured the support of at least 26
national dialogue may have to be tion groups. As a condition for the group that launched the offen- ple,” he added. parties, which are now part of the
delayed because the “precursor” Doha talks, Chadian rebels called sive in which Idriss Deby Itno was At a rally later in the day, the duo, Azimio la Umoja coalition.
talks in Doha could take weeks. for a general amnesty, the release killed.
But his image as a fiery anti-estab-
— Aljazeera lishment leader has taken a knock fol-
lowing “the handshake” with Kenyat-
ta.

— Aljazeera

THE DIGEST VIEW March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 3

Govt
must
make
teachers
a priority Drought vis-a-vis
politics of the stomach
day because they were taught. If
Alfonce Mbizwo they do not return to work they THE summer temperatures are tributed during the ongoing COV- Paidamoyo Muzulu
Editor will not be paid; my Cabinet has getting high, averaging 30 de- ID-19 pandemic. Those who were
since resolved that we will only grees celsius. There is no sign of luck to get financial aid received hungry and poor. The opposition
F inally, a member of Par- pay teachers who avail them- storm clouds gathering and the air a paltry $1 000, which is way be- to Zanu PF among the electorate
liament saw the sense selves at their workstations.” is dry. Crops are wilting and farm- low the poverty datum line which is palpable, hence control of food
in discussing the farce ers are already counting their loss- now stands at $70 000 for a fam- aid is vital.
in the education sector So, teachers are not likely to es. However, politicians from the ily of five.
in the August House. get relief from this administra- ruling party are thanking their stars. The government has admitted
After months of government tion no matter how genuine The 2023 general elections are as Zanu PF has been known for pol- to the drought and possible food
pretending that all was well and their concerns are, which is also good as done. itics of patronage. Food aid will be shortages. This was revealed in a
that it had the situation under shared by the larger public ser- used to woo voters and this has post-Cabinet statement on Tues-
control, Magwegwe MP, Anele vice. Zimbabwe has experienced ten- happened before. Food distribu- day.
Ndebele voiced his concern at year cycle droughts since inde- tion is largely controlled by the
how the situation was develop- So, it is heartening that Nde- pendence in 1980. Droughts are central government and the mil- Information minister Monica
ing. bele brought the issue back in a time that makes the politician itary has had a hand in some in- Mutsvangwa said: “Cabinet wishes
the spotlight. He had to raise a seem important and caring. Poli- stances. to advise the nation that overally,
Zimbabwe’s teachers have point of national interest in the ticians actually become messiahs. the first round crop and livestock
been claiming ‘incapacitation’ National Assembly to point out They save lives of the poor peas- It is a fact that the military is survey confirmed that climate
citing low wages, rising cost of that the government must ur- ants and in the process reap politi- aligned to the ruling Zanu PF par- change is upon us and affecting
living, a battered economy and gently address the conditions of cal dividends in the form of votes. ty. This clearly came out during the agricultural production. The na-
a currency that is depreciating service of teachers. November 2017 coup that ousted tion is being assured that every ef-
every day to demand salaries Zimbabwe is a country that is the late Robert Mugabe. The mili- fort is being made to ensure that
pegged in United States dollars. "I express dismay and shock largely rural. According to ZimStat, tary intervened in a purely internal no Zimbabwean will die of hun-
on behalf of all teachers in the 67% of the population stays in rural Zanu PF matter. ger. Adequate stocks of cereals
Many have stayed away since country in the way we as govern- areas and just a third, 33%, is in ur- are available for all needy families.”
schools opened last month and ment treat our teachers. We are ban areas. The issue is further com- The military has also been in-
were joined by headmasters, talking of people who have in- plicated by the high unemploy- volved in the Command Agricul- This was a loaded statement. It
who said their efforts to discuss vested years and hard-earned ment rate in the formal sector hov- ture and Pfumvudza programmes. did not speak to the political distri-
their grievances with their em- money to get the best education ering at over 80% according to the These are programmes funded by bution of agriculture inputs nor the
ployer were being ignored. Gov- available and acquire the requi- World Bank. the State in a murky manner aimed failure by the beneficiaries to repay
ernment’s response has been to site skills, yet they are denied a at helping farmers with agriculture the loans. It also skirted the issue
implement a no-work-no-pay living wage under the sun,” Nde- The grim picture tells a story of inputs. of production figures, which ap-
policy and suspend over 1 500 bele said. growing poverty and over 70% of parently are the lowest in the Sadc
teachers and at least 50 head- the population is food insecure. The programme since its incep- region at slightly above 1,1 tonnes
masters. “I will tell you a fact that our This is where the looming drought tion in 2016 has largely been a fail- per hectare for maize. The regional
teachers are now going for Red becomes a political issue, con- ure as the country continued to average is five tonnes per hectare.
It has also started recruit- Cross training to acquire a mere sidering the forthcoming general import maize and wheat to cov-
ing teachers to replace the dis- healthcare certificate so that elections around June 2023. er shortfalls. Beneficiaries who are It would be interesting to see
missed educators. This is despite they can go overseas. We must by and large Zanu PF supporters how the electoral period pans
the fact that the education sec- do something as Parliament to To compound matters, the coun- have not helped the situation ei- out. However, facts abound that
tor was in need of at least 10 000 curb this brain drain as we are try is facing spiralling inflation ther when they default on loan re- Zanu PF will do everything to be
new recruits to meet demand. losing teachers.” where the local currency is fast los- payments. Father Christmas to the starving
ing value against the United States masses and in the process win
Its response was typified by The government makes it clear dollar. Zimbabwe is a net import- In November 2021, Finance min- votes.
President Emmerson Mnangag- that it does not take the issues er of goods from the region and ister Mthuli Ncube said the default
wa’s statement at a recent ral- raised by teachers seriously, and the world, further heaping pressure rate stood at 86%. The govern- Anywhere in the world, food in-
ly: “Teachers are teachers to- has so far ignored any overtures on the government on resources ment is taking over a debt of $37 security, economic decline, ris-
to hold talks to review their sal- to procure food especially maize, billion for the 2020/21 agricultural ing inflation, high unemployment
aries. crude edible oils and wheat. season. and collapsed infrastructure would
jolt the government to act. This is
Recruiting new teachers does However, Zimbabwe has had a The situation is not made any not the story in Zimbabwe as his-
not solve the problem because bad history when it comes to man- better by the proposed Private Vol- tory has taught us, the grumbling
the new employees will face the aging droughts and keeping its untary Organisation Bill that is be- stomachs are a boon for Zanu PF.
same challenge of poor salaries people fed, worse during an elec- fore Parliament. The Bill seeks to
and they will likely be declar- tion period where food can be control the affairs of NGOs that I’m out.
ing incapacitation soon. And we used as a political tool. are said to be involved in politi-
keep going in circles. cal issues. However, the irony is Paidamoyo Muzulu is a journalist
This would not only affect the ru- NGOs have over the years carried based in Zimbabwe. He writes in
Government needs to resolve ral communities where Zanu PF, the the burden of feeding vulnerable his personal capacity.
the impasse with the teach- ruling party since independence, families in both rural and urban
ers and make improving their has played a messianic role to keep areas.
conditions of service a priority. its supporters in tow. Urban pov-
The dissatisfaction by teachers erty is growing at an alarming rate It can be hazarded that the Bill's
speaks to the wider frustrations and the government has no social main thrust is to control NGOs and
by other public workers and the safety nets to speak of. indirectly the opposition parties.
poor state of the economy in This seems to be an urgent matter
general. To put this into context, one has to Zanu PF, particularly going into
to look at how social relief was dis- an election year when people are
And government needs to
wake up to the dangers of failing
to deal with the challenges.

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. AMH subscribes to truthful,
Cnr Strand/Bessemer Roads, Graniteside, Harare Alfonce Mbizwo, [email protected] Fax 76837 PRINTERS: accurate and fair reporting.
PO Box BE 1165, Belvedere, Harare, Zimbabwe SUB EDITOR & DESIGNER After hours editorial 0714 119 403 ZimInd Publishers, Cnr Strand/Bessemer Roads
Tel: 773934-8, 798894-6, 771635. Freeman Makopa, [email protected] P.O. Box AC 558, Ascot, Bulawayo. Graniteside, Harare. Tel: 771722/3 Do we measure up?
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Building. Bulawayo

GOING GREEN March 16-22 2022
Weekly Digest 5

mission and Distribution Compa- the challenges in terms of getting Honourable Deputy Minister,Rajeshkumar Modi (MP)
ny under a 25-year power purchase enough foreign currency to devel-
agreement. op these projects faster, but we are The Management and Staff of Bernard Remegious Bakery congratulates
doing what we can with the foreign Hon Rajeshkumar Modi (MP) on being appointed President of
The 5MW plant is sitting on a currency support that we are get- Megafest Board Advisory.
13ha piece of land acquired from ting from the auction system,” he We wish you the best in this new venture
Hwange Rural District Council in said.
2015 and the implementation of the Contacts:+263 772 901 978 ,+263 772 803 393
project started in 2019. “The only thing that we are try- Address :14 Wallshall rd Thorngrove , Bulawayo
ing to advocate for is if we can get
Solgas Energy co-founder and more foreign currency so that we Email:[email protected]
chief finance officer Tafadzwa can build these solar plants faster
Mundicha told Weekly Digest that and commission the megawatts a Zak Hawa
an additional 10MW would be com- little bit faster as well.” The Management and Staff of Jasbro Foods (Pvt) Ltd congratulate Zak Hawa on being appointed
missioned during the first quarter
of 2023. IPPs have also cited red tape and Megafest Holdings Advisory Board Member.
bureaucracy as some of the chal- Your noteworthy accomplishment is a culmination of your efforts and wisdom
“We started feeding the pow- lenges bedeviling the sector.
er into the national grid last year in which will propel you to even more triumphs.
October but we were doing it with- The Zimbabwe Independent Pow- We are proud to be associated with you.
in the testing phase. We have now er Producers Association (Zippa) re-
finished the testing phase, so Pres- cently told Zimbabwe Independent Congratulations!
ident (Emmerson Mnangagwa) is that about eight renewable energy
actually coming to officially com- projects with a combined 100MW Physical Address:14A Bristol Road Belmont; Tel:+263-292-68198; Fax:+263-292-74053
mission the power plant on Thurs- capacity have flopped due to Treas-
day,” he said. ury’s delays in signing an IPP imple-
mentation agreement.
“Right now we have got 5MW
that we are feeding into the nation- “The excessive delay has meant
al grid. We are now adding 10MW IPP projects have not been able
to make it 15MW. We are investing to obtain financial closure — the
a further US$11.4 million and it is knock-on effect can mean that po-
likely to be commissioned in March tential lenders have moved on and
2023.” committed their funds to other ju-
risdictions, in which case the im-
“So when the President comes on pact is not delay, but could be can-
Thursday, he is going to do the offi- cellation,” the Zippa representative,
cial commissioning of the 5MW that Ian Mckersie said.
we are already feeding. He is also
going to do ground breaking of the “It is estimated that eight renew-
other 10MW,” Mundicha said. able energy projects with at least
100 MW capacity have been unable
The project, which is expected to reach financial closure and pro-
to achieve an installed capacity of ceed to the construction phase as a
50MW by 2025, has a potential to result of the same issue.”
go a long way in addressing elec-
tricity challenges in the country and The country imports between 200
also helping reduce foreign curren- – 400 MW from Southern African
cy spent on importing power. Development Community peers to
bridge the big gap between avail-
Zimbabwe is battling lengthy able electricity and demand.
power outages, with industrial and
domestic consumers sometimes However, experts have indicat-
enduring up to 12-hour blackouts a ed that this could be avoided if the
day. Treasury signs an IPP implementa-
tion agreement.
At the centre of the crisis is na-
tional electricity producer, Zesa If signed, the agreement expe-
Holdings, which has struggled to dites implementation of IPP pro-
meet demand due to undercapital- jects.
isation stemming out of huge un-
settled bills running into millions of According to Sydney Gata, the
United States dollars. Zesa Holdings executive chair-
person, the entry of licenced IPPs
Mundicha, however, said there meant Zimbabwe could potential-
are huge opportunities within the ly generate about 6 000 MW, turn-
green energy sector in Zimbabwe ing Zimbabwe into a net electrici-
but the main challenge was foreign ty exporter.
currency shortages.
IPPs are currently feeding 135 MW
“The main issue obviously are into the national grid.

GOING GREEN March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 4

Solar: Solgas planning to add 10MW to plant

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI tional grid from its Hwange solar phase of the project, consist- 15 600 solar panels at the so- erected from the farm to Dete
INDEPENDENT power producer plant, says plans are underway ing of 5MW, cost the company lar farm near Cross Mabale in where it feeds to the Zimba-
(IPP), Solgas Energy, which has to further add another 10MW at US$7,3 million. Hwange district. bwe Electricity Supply Authority
started feeding five-megawatt a cost of US$11,4 million. (Zesa) grid.
(MW) solar energy into the na- Solgas started feeding the A switching station was built
Old Mutual are financiers of electricity into the national grid on site with two transformers Power from the plant is sold
the projects, of which the first in October last year from the while a 28km power line was also to Zimbabwe Electricity Trans-

COVER March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 6

Headwinds piling up for Zim

TBY TATIRA ZWINOIRA This means that there will still be a need be underwhelmed by their crop returns War disruption
he United States Agency for Internation- for imported grain especially considering this current season. According to WFP, both Ukraine and
al Development’s food security arm, the local wheat is not good for making bread. Russia are critical players in global wheat
Famine Early Warning Systems Network But, this year, these imported grains will and maize markets, ranging among the
(FEWS NET) has warned of below-aver- Both Ukraine and Russia are the coun- be more expensive than in previous years top five exporters globally for both com-
age harvests by April or May and short- try’s top wheat import sources. owing to the ongoing invasion of Rus- modities.
lived improvements to food security outcomes. sia into the eastern European country, Together, the two countries supply 30%
In terms of maize, the country is esti- Ukraine, that spiked food and energy pric- of wheat and 20% of maize to global mar-
FEWS NET blamed this on a poor start to the mated to have produced 2,7 million tonnes es worldwide. kets.
2021/22 rainfall season and erratic rainfall, follow- more than double the five year average. “In addition, Russia and Ukraine are key
ing a bumper harvest in the comparative 2020/21 “The main expected effect of the conflict exporters of sunflower and barley, ac-
season that had better rains. The Food and Agriculture Organization, on global food security comes through the counting for more than three-quarters
in a January 2022 update, reported that impact on global grain and energy mar- and one-third of supplies to internation-
“The 2021/22 rainfall season has been character- the large outturn reflected an expansion in kets. International food and fuel prices al markets, respectively. The Russian mili-
ized by erratic rainfall across much of the country. the sown area, estimated at a well above have increased sharply since the onset of tary invasion has brought shipments from
After widespread dryness and below-normal rain- average level of 1,9 million hectares, and the conflict,” reads part of a new report by Ukraine to a halt and paused Russian grain
fall during the first half of the season, more regular high yields. World Food Programme (WFP) titled ‘Food deals, amidst uncertainty around sanc-
rainfall began by January 2022,” FEWS NET said in security implications of the Ukraine con- tions,” reads the WFP report.
its recent outlook. Thus, the expected 1,56 million hecta- flict’. “An estimated 13,5 million tons of wheat
rage of maize due to the late start of the and 16 million tons of maize are frozen in
“The passage of Tropical Storm Ana at the end of 2021/22 season confirms a lower output “This will ultimately affect local food the two countries – 23 and 43 percent of
January helped to reduce rainfall deficits in parts of for the grain with the balance having to be prices and, because of this, access to food. their expected exports in 2021/22. Insurers
the country, but these heavy rains also caused wa- covered by imports. At the same time, grain and oil price hikes
ter logging and leaching, and resulted in the loss of are increasing the cost of WFP’s opera-
some crops, livestock, and property, and damage Zambia remains the biggest import tions, reducing the ability to serve those in
to houses and infrastructure including roads, bridg- market for maize. need just when it is most required.”
es, clinics, and schools.”
What this means is Zimbabwe will have
A looming drought to rely on imported grains as farmers will
Manicaland Province and Mashonaland Central
Province are reportedly the worst affected, increas-
ing the risk of drought.
“Beginning in early February, soil moistures have
once again been significantly reduced across the
country due to a widespread and extended dry
spell. The poor start of the 2021/22 rainfall season
also contributed to reduced cropped areas for main
staple crops,” FEWS NET said.
“Official national cropped area estimates are
slightly below average, with 1,56 million hectares re-
portedly planted to maize as of the end of January.
However, key informants report significantly be-
low average cropped area in some areas, brought
about by dry spells, very late planting, and poor to
very poor germination.”
FEWS NET said currently, crop stages for maize
and small grains range from the vegetative to re-
productive stages.
“However, crop conditions in most areas are de-
teriorating rapidly. Most crops are showing signs
of nitrogen deficiency due to water logging and
leaching in some areas from heavy rains in January
and due to recent shortages and access constraints
due to above-average prices of top-dressing ferti-
lizer,” FEWS NET said.
Zimbabwe has a wheat demand of between 350
000 and 450 000 tonnes annually, yet, only 336
000 tonnes are expected this year, according to the
2022 National Budget.
Last year, 276 000 tonnes of wheat were estimat-
ed to have been produced.

COVER March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 7

demand high premiums for vessels market, particularly that of maize grain, re- There were further plans to increase fuel as US$0,85).
entering the Black Sea, if willing to mains below normal levels for this time of the revealed by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Lastly, Namibia was charging US$1,13 and
provide coverage in the first place. year, influenced mainly by government grain Authority over the past weekend.
Amidst ships being hit by missiles, trade restrictions this marketing season. As de- US$1,14 per litre of petrol and diesel, respec-
war risk premiums range in the hun- mand for maize grain on the market is peaking “The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authori- tively.
dreds of thousands of US dollars at the height of the 2021/22 lean season, maize ty (ZERA) will continue to monitor the fuel pric-
and have reached US$300,000 for grain prices increased by 10-20 percent across es in the market and provide regular updates. What this points to is that our fuel is not con-
some tankers.” rural and urban areas in January, as compared The fuel prices continued to increase during trolled solely by international oil prices, as the
to December.” FEWS NET said maize meal, the past week. Pump prices were supposed to SADC average is US$1,14 and US$1,08 per li-
WFP added: “Movements in in- cooking oil and bread prices went up by about increase but after consultations with the gov- tre of petrol and diesel, respectively, based on
ternational grain prices reflect these 20% in January compared to December. ernment and industry, it was agreed to main- these comparative regional prices.
disruptions, with major export quo- tain the current prices while monitoring market
tations for wheat up by 28 percent These price increases, and others, are result- developments,” Zera said. Fearing consumer backlash, Zimbabwe Pres-
on average within two weeks – US ing in wages being eroded monthly, leaving ident Emmerson Mnangagwa ordered that fuel
No 2 Soft Red Winter Wheat in- families more food insecure. “The public and operators are advised that prices not be increased while government de-
creased by 52 percent between 21 the blending ratio remains at EO. Operators partments examine the tax making petrol and
February and 7 March.” As of January 2022, WFP reported that at may sell petroleum products below the pre- diesel exorbitant.
least 49% of Zimbabwe’s population live in scribed prices depending on their trading ad-
So, the high imported costs will extreme poverty with an estimated 5,3 mil- vantages and should display prices in a prom- However, Mnangagwa’s intervention came
add to inflationary pressures local- lion people across rural and urban areas being at a time when curiously international oil pric-
ly at a time when the food insecure. This is why it came as a shock inent place as pro- es are stabilising. As of writing this, the inter-
depreciating local that on top of these challenges, the govern- vided for by the fuel national price of brent crude oil was about
currency is resulting ment decided to hike fuel prices to US$1,67 and pricing regulations.” US$100 per barrel from a record high of US$139
in inflationary pricing US$1,68, per litre of petrol and diesel, respec- last week.
of basic commodities tively, from US$1,51 a piece in the same week. Following the
and services. fuel price increas- “High fuel and transport costs continue to
Fuel shocks es, Zimbabwe be- contribute significantly to commodity and ser-
Inflation spiral came the south- vice price increases on the market; ZWL die-
Financial services ern African coun- sel and petrol prices went up between January
firm, Old Mutual Zim- try with the highest and February by about 10 percent, with USD
babwe, has projected priced fuel. prices for diesel and petrol increasing by 4 and
that the country’s an- 2 percent, respectively,” FEWS NET said.
nual inflation will close Angola charg-
the year at 105%. es 33 and 28 US “Public bus fare in ZWL increased by 60 per-
The annual inflation cents per litre of cent from January to February. Electricity tariffs
rate for February was petrol and diesel, went up by 12.3 percent in January compared
66,1% from 60,6% in respectively, Mo- to December.”
January, according to zambique (US$1,08
data published by the and US$0,96), Bot- With the new fuel price increases, and more
Zimbabwe National swana (US$1,08 to come, inflationary pressure is only poised to
Statistics Agency. and US$1,06), Zam- continue given what happened from a smaller
“In December 2021, bia (US$1,21 and increase in February.
the government re- US$1,19), South Af-
vised upwards ZWL rica (US$1,38 and Already, some parallel forex dealers are
producer prices for the US$1,39), Demo- charging ZWL270 against the US dollar.
2022/23 marketing season. Pric- cratic Republic of
es were increased for maize grain, Congo (US$1,04 and US$1,03), and Eswatini Former Consumer Council of Zimbabwe
small grains, and soya beans by 83, (US$1,06 and US$1,05). The price of petrol and (CCZ) chairperson Phillip Bvumbe said most
85, and 214 percent, respective- diesel per litre was US$1,20 and US$1,22, re- consumers are living below the consumer fam-
ly, to 58,553 ZWL, 70,264 ZWL, and spectively, in Lesotho, Mauritius (US$1,41 and ily basket by their cost-of-living calculation of
150,686 ZWL per MT,” FEWS NET US$1,04), Malawi (US$1,42 and US$1,39), Sey- $75 000 as of January.
said. chelles (US$1,54 and US$1,54), Tanzania (US$1,11
“Cereal availability on the open and US$1,07), and Madagascar (US$1,02 and “Consumers are struggling and something
needs to be urgently done to address some of
the macroeconomic challenges,” he said.

The government has been encouraged to in-
crease its social spending while also giving tax
reprieve on citizens by local economists.

OPINION March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 8

inActlnoaewswsn!
TTAFARA Mtutu
HIS year is shaping up to retail, office, residential and health- compared to REITs. as an additional avenue for steady REITs offer a more attractive
be a defining year for lo- care. The way that REITs work is Properties take weeks, months or dividend income.REITs also have dividend yield compared to real
cal capital markets. Two fairly simple to understand. an attractive tax profile, which var- estate stocks. According to En-
additional ETFs — Mor- even years to dispose of, and savvy ies by jurisdiction. dowus, REITs pay higher dividends
A REIT invests in new or existing than dividend stocks, on average.
gan & Co Multisector ETF properties that are then leased to investors will understand the hefty According to REIT legislation in The average dividend yield pay-
and Datvest Modified Consumer generate rental income which is opportunity cost this imposes on Zimbabwe, REITs will be exempt out by dividend stocks in the S&P
Staples ETF — were listed in the subsequently distributed to the the seller. from income tax and REIT security 500 was around 1,7% in October
first quarter of the year, and REITs, on the holders will only pay the 1% capital 2021 compared to the FTSE EPRA
chatter over a new asset other hand, have gains withholding tax on disposal Nareit Index’s dividend yield of
class has whet curious in- a similar liquidity of their securities and the 10% with- about 3,5%.
profile to equity holding tax on dividends earned.
Zimbabwe is anticipating thevestors’ appetite. However, in Zimbabwe the gap
Zimbabwe is anticipating and one can This is attractive even to a real es- could be wider given that a rental
swiftly move in tate equities investor because list- property in Zimbabwe is likely to
listing of some Real Estate In-the listing of some Real Es- ed businesses are generally liable fetch a dividend yield ranging be-
tate Investment Trusts (RE- and out of REITs to income tax of 25%, and equities tween 4% and 7% against Morgan
with relatively investors are liable to a dividend & Co Research Real Estate Index’s
vestment Trusts (REITs) some-ITs) sometime this year, and tax of 10% as well as capital gains latest dividend yield of 0,7%.
this could deepen the coun- time this year, and this could lower liquidity withholding tax of at least 1,5%
try’s capital markets. deepen the country’s capital concerns. when they dispose of some of their REITs’ returns through capital
The addition of REITs In addition, holdings. gains are somewhat mixed. An
on ZSE will also mark Zim- markets. the cost of buy- analysis by Nareit using data up
babwe as the fifth African ing and selling The asset class also supports job to June 2021 reveals that REIT of-
country with REITs after REITs is sig- creation and infrastructure devel- fered superior long-term returns
Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and nificantly lower opment, especially in the case of when compared to equities and
South Africa. A REIT is an as- than with prop- Zimbabwe, which will only allow bonds but trailed large and small
set class that invests in several real REIT investors through dividends. erties. The latter often comes with REITs to build new properties in- cap stocks over holding periods of
estate investments, which can be Unlike traditional real estate eq- additional costs such as legal costs, stead of buying existing assets. less than 15 years by about seven
both greenfield and brownfield uities, REITs are mandated to pay appraisal fees, maintenance and percentage points, on average.
investments. almost all income from rentals to repairs, and so forth. In the US, for example, RE-
The asset class offers the same investors. The level of distributions The low-cost and relatively high ITS contributed the equivalent of One should note, however, that
exposure as real estate stocks and to REIT securities holders varies by liquidity profile of REITs will be par- about 2,9 million full-time jobs in past returns are not necessarily
direct ownership of real estate but jurisdiction and the legislation in ticularly beneficial to institutional 2020, generated over US$190 bil- indicative of future performance
with unique advantages over these Zimbabwe stipulates that at least investors in Zimbabwe whose ex- lion in labour income, and spent and these trends could upend in
traditional exposures. 80% of gross taxable income be posure to real estate had been lim- more than US$85 billion in capital the future.
According to reit.com, there distributed. ited to either First Mutual Proper- to construct new properties and
were 865 listed REITs globally as REITs offer several advantages ties or Mashonaland Holdings after maintain existing properties. Tafara Mtutu is a research an-
of December 2021 and these had a over real estate stocks and prop- the delisting of Dawn Properties alyst at Morgan & Co Research.
total market capitalisation of about erty ownership, such as (i) liquidity, and Zimre Properties Investments In order to unpack the returns — [email protected] or
US$2,5 trillion. (ii) lower costs, (iii) guaranteed divi- in 2021 and 2020, respectively. of REITs, it would be prudent to +263 774 795 854.
There are several types of REITs, dend pay-outs, and (iv) tax breaks. The availability of REITs on ZSE break down sources of return be-
and these are often categorised Property markets all over the world will offer more options for real es- tween dividend income and capital
by real estate sub-sectors such as are typically very illiquid when tate exposure at a low cost as well appreciation.

OPINION March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 9

Nickel flies nickel is dominated by the production of ferronickel for stainless steel (66%). However, it is also used in the produc-
through tion of non-ferrous alloys (12%), alloy
the steels (5%), plating (7%), foundry (3%)
roof: and batteries (2%). China is presently
Market the largest consumer of nickel, ac-
dynamics counting for approximately 55% of the
global demand.
PEBEN MABUNDA
RICE of Nickel surged 250% on While it is believed that lithium is the
the London Metals Exchange key input in “lithium-ion batteries which
(LME) between Monday and power EVs, nothing could be further
Tuesday this week to hit a re- from the truth.
cord high of US$100 000 per
tonne, as traders hurried to close a In 2016, Elon Musk highlighted: “Al-
“short” position taken by Chinese met- though [they’re] called lithium-ion, the
als tycoon Xiang Guangda, who faces actual percentage of lithium in a lithi-
billions of dollars in potential losses. um-ion cell is approximately 2%,” Musk
This forced the LME to unusually halt explained at Tesla’s 2016 shareholder
trade in the metals in the hopes of can- meeting. “Technically, our cells should
celling the price rally. It later retreated be called nickel-graphite, because the
to about US$80 000. primary constituent in the cell as a
Feeding the trend are worries over whole is nickel.”
supply delays stemming from Russia's
invasion of Ukraine. The demand for nickel is expected
The wave also hit other metals in ear- to soar as governments and companies
ly Tuesday trades as zinc soared 18% to aim to reduce carbon emissions by fos-
US$4 896 while tin jumped nearly 10% sil-fuelled vehicles.
to a high of US$51 000.
Nickel prices gained momentum at Eben Mabunda is an analyst and
the close of 2021 on the back of growing TV anchor at Equity Axis, a leading
demand from automakers but started financial research firm in Zimbabwe.
to accelerate last week on qualms of — [email protected]
disruptions on Russia supplies.
Russia supplies the world with about
10% of its nickel requirements and is
the world’s third largest nickel produc-
ing country (despite a production drop
in recent years) behind Indonesia and
Philippines respectively.
In 2018, the nation’s nickel output to-
talled 272 000 tonnes, but it came in
at 250 000 tonnes in 2021, a quarter of
Indonesia’s output.
Elon Musk did justice in his analogy
when he, three years ago, said, “Nickel
is the new gold!” As the electric vehicle
(EV) industry continues to boom, the
market outlook for the base metal is
very much bullish, buttressed by firm-
ing demand with activity in the world’s
top nickel-producing countries expect-
ed to increase.
Nickel is an essential component of
the batteries used by many automak-
ers, and a supply shortage could cause
numerous nuisances and swells across
Western car manufacturing.
Global nickel demand is forecast to
hike to 3,4 million tonnes (Mt) in 2024
from 2,5 Mt this year with experts
analysis of existing mines, projects and
development plans estimating that
global supply will fall short of demand
in 2024, with production of 3,2 Mt.
The gap between global supply and
demand will then widen quickly to a
deficit of 0,56 Mt by 2026.
Rystad Energy notes that the bat-
tery market only accounts for 9% of
the current global supply of about 2,3
Mt, but forecasts show its market share
could rise to 31% by 2026. This surging
demand from the battery market will
place huge pressure on the nickel sup-
ply chain in less than a decade.
The “Secondary Battery Market Fore-
cast to 2027 — Covid-19 Impact and
Global Analysis by Technology; Appli-
cation” report valued the global EV’s
market at US$52 884,4 million in 2019
with projections of reaching US$ 85
395,25 million by 2027; growing at a
CAGR of 8,50% from 2020 to 2027.
Other estimates indicate the use of

FEATURE March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 10

“Getting into supermarkets was the biggest battle”
N obukhosi Ndlovu launched Nutrie
Foods in July 2013 in Harare, Zim- nuts at the farmers’ market, then I her diligent repayments on the loan to market is death.”)
babwe. At the time, she was em- would go to the warehouse to manu- and granted her another loan for work- To supply these stores, Nutrie Foods’
ployed as an HR consultant and had facture and bottle the peanut butter ing capital.
a few small businesses on the side, and, around 5pm, I would visit the local capacity needed to be ramped up, so
but she always had a dream of commercialising tuck and spaza shops to sell the prod- The headache of getting into retail for the first year, Ndlovu did not even
the production of the peanut butter her mom uct,” she recalls. “The next day, the rev- stores approach the bigger supermarkets,
had made at home in the rural community of enue earned from the sales would be making sure to establish the operation
Zhombe. Today, the company manufactures used to repeat the routine.” Ndlovu readily admits that getting first. However, once she did approach
peanut butter, mixed fruit jam and marma- her products listed was her biggest them, there were many requirements
lade. It also packages honey, sugar beans, soya The microfinance company noticed battle. (She once posted on Facebook: and demands.
chunks and rice under its brand, which is sold in “Producing a product is easy; getting it
various supermarkets and smaller local stores in
the country. She speaks about the challenge of
getting consumer packaged goods on super-
market shelves and the growing demand for
healthier food.

No finance, no equipment
Ndlovu’s first hurdle was securing the finance
needed for the equipment required to produce
peanut butter on a commercial scale. “I did the
research and determined I would need equip-
ment to the tune of US$20,000,” she explains.
And so, the knocking on doors began but tra-
ditional banks had no good news for her; they
required collateral that she did not have. Final-
ly, a friend referred her to a microfinance insti-
tution co-founded by two Zimbabwean women
and Ndlovu set off to secure an appointment.
On day one, however, she was blocked by the
gatekeeping receptionist. Undeterred, she re-
turned the next day and her spirited and loud
debate with the same receptionist got the at-
tention of the CEO who was in the building.
“She asked that the receptionist let me in
and, armed with my business plan that outlined
the funding required for the equipment, which
could then be used as collateral for the pay-
ments, I got the loan,” says Ndlovu.
Nutrie Foods moved its operations into a
small rented warehouse in Willowvale, an in-
dustrial suburb in Harare, that had three-phase
electricity to run the equipment.
“In the beginning, I was everything in that
business. I sold my car and bought a small de-
livery van. In the morning, I would buy ground-

FCB8326C

FEATURE March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 11

She had to deal with requests to change her ENJOY THE MASSIVE SAVINGS
labelling and packaging and overcome the
hurdle of paying a listing fee of $2,500, capi- Valid Until 6th March 2022
tal she simply did not have as a new start-up. E&OE. Prices Includes VAT. Price Are Subject To Change Without Prior Notice.
“I tried to negotiate and offered to provide
the value of the listing fee in stock, but to no O er Valid While Stocks Last. Pictures Are Non-Contractual.
avail. When I look at it now, it was hectic and
I felt like I was running around to please them PAMPERS KOTEX ALCOHOL MAY BE HAZARDO
but it was absolutely worth it. Supermarkets CARRY PACK 10'S SANITARY PADS 8’s -10's ALCOH
are where the money is made in a business
where your margins are small and you have to $43899 $28999
push volumes.” EACH EACH

It was only in 2018, a week before her birth- ALLWEAR 3PCE DETTOL BUDWEISER BEER 330ml GORDON`S LONDON
day, that the first big retailer gave her the BATHROOM TOWEL SET BATH SOAP 175g DRY GIN 750ml
news that Nutrie Foods would be listed. “I $34499
said to myself, this is my present! I don’t need $3 23999 $23999 $2 19999
anything else!” she remembers. EACH EACH EACH
EACH
Nutrie Foods products are now available in
various major retail stores such as Pick n Pay, RHINO POLYCOTTON BOOM AUTO
Spar, OK and wholesalers such as N Richards. CONTINENTAL PILLOW 65cm x 65cm WASHING POWDER 1kg

Boosting factory output $1 38999 $68999
Ndlovu highlights another breakthrough for EACH
business growth. In 2016, she was selected to EACH
join the Mandela Washington Fellowship as
part of the Young African Leaders Initiative KLEINE ZALZE FAT BASTARD PINOTAGE/ SHIRAZ
(YALI). She spent some time in the US and got ASSORTED DRY WHITE WINE 750ml 750ml
the opportunity to present her business plan
in a competition. The announcement that she $2 49999 $2 49999
was one of the winners came with the very EACH EACH
welcome prize of a $25,000 grant.
“That grant changed my life because I used HARPIC RAID INSECTICDE FLIP TOP BIN
it to empower the women who were supply- ACG LIQUID 750ML 300ml 46ℓ
ing me with groundnuts. I was able to obtain
seed and fertiliser for them to increase pro- $45999 $45999 $2 59900
duction. At the time, we were doing about one EACH EACH
tonne every 24 hours, and then we moved it EACH
up to three or four tonnes per shift.”
The fact that Nutrie Foods could show a CARRY OUT AE 2 PLATE GAS STOVE BELGRAVIA SPIRIT COOLER JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD RESERVE
successful processing facility with this in- STORAGE BOX 9306BTN WITH GLASS 2 PLATE (ASSORTED) 275ml BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY 750ml
creased output meant that it was able to ap-
proach banks for further loans from a stronger $1 01900 $11 19900 $39999 $13 99999
footing. “I had property, I had shown growth. EACH EACH EACH EACH
I managed to get a loan and buy a new pro-
duction line in 2018 that does 10 tonnes per
shift and is automated,” says Ndlovu. Current-
ly, the plant can produce about 12,000 bottles
of peanut butter per day.
Expanding the range
Ndlovu added additional products to her
line-up almost immediately after starting the
business.
“When at the market to get groundnuts, I
would see some of the farmers had honey to
sell. The honey did not require much from me
as I already had the peanut butter containers
that I could use.” In the second year, Nutrie
Foods simply added sugar beans when pur-
chasing the honey and groundnuts from the
farmers.
Over the years, products like jam were add-
ed, which did require a bit more value addi-
tion and processing, and in 2019, Nutrie Foods
began importing Kilombero rice from Malawi
to package under its brand for sale as a pre-
mium rice product.
While the brand is still best known for its
volume-seller peanut butter, it is not the
company’s most profitable product. “It re-
mains our fastest-moving product but hon-
ey brings in a bigger profit. The rice, as a pre-
mium product, also has better margins, but it
is on the expensive side, whereas the peanut
butter is an affordable commodity.”
According to Ndlovu, Covid-19 undoubtedly
had an impact on consumer behaviour. Honey
sales were driven up by an increase in health
consciousness and an awareness of the ben-
efit of honey and ginger for certain symptoms
of the virus.
“Many people changed to healthier diets.
They were buying peanut butter to use as a
cooking alternative for oil and drinking honey
in their tea,” she says.
The trend is so pronounced that Nutrie
Foods is investigating healthier grains for its
product offering. “People have stopped con-
suming the heavy maize meal dish of sadza.
We are looking to add finger millet.”
Exports and growth plans
After the purchase of the new plant in 2018,
Nutrie Foods investigated the certifications
required to export its products. The advent
of the pandemic in 2020 put these plans on
hold for a while although Ndlovu believes it’s
high time to restart that process.
“With our natural products, I think we would
have a market everywhere, but the plan is to
first look towards our neighbours in the Afri-
can region,” she says.

– Howwemadeitinafrica

ANALYSIS March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 12

Mnangagwa es. said. es. Over the short term, miners cannot
plans to cut “What we lose on the swings of gal- But the cost of mining those com- ramp up production beyond their cur-
fuel taxes. rent development plans just to latch on
He’ll also need loping fuel and cereal prices, we should modities – already rising last year – has to the gold prices. In February, Caledo-
a plan to close be able gain on the roundabouts of also now gone up significantly, which nia announced a contract to hedge 25%
the hole they windfalls from the mining sector,” he may erode gains from commodity pric-

leave CONGRATULATIONS

P resident Emmerson Mnangagwa be- Commissioner Susan Makore Commissioner Tanaka Muganyi
lieves he has a plan to soften the blow
of rising global oil prices; cut fuel tax-
es. But he will also need a plan for
what to do with the gaping hole that
this will leave in his government’s pocket.

Cutting fuel taxes is a logical step, but it also
means Treasury letting go of one of its top rev-
enue earners at a time it is under pressure for
more money.

Fuel prices went up from US$1.44 per litre to as
high as US$1.68 per litre last week. A further hike
is expected in the coming days.

The push is from world oil prices, which have
touched near decade-highs due to the Russia-
Ukraine war. But a large part of what Zimbabwe
pay for at the fuel pump is made up of taxes and
levies. These will now be cut, Mnangagwa says.

“We are looking at the whole duty framework
to cushion our economy from shocks and pres-
sures from galloping fuel prices,” Mnangagwa
said in an article he wrote for the Sunday Mail. “I
have already directed the Ministry of Energy and
Energy Development to review and reduce duty
and surcharges on fuel, so the pump prices of
petrol and diesel remain manageable.”

Fuel taxes: A job for Mthuli
But this will be no easy job for Finance Minis-
ter Mthuli Ncube.
The taxes that are charged on fuel are a big
earner for Ncube. Last year, fuel duty account-
ed for 83.1% of Treasury’s total excise collections,
showing how much government relies on fuel
taxes.
He needs the fuel taxes to pay for critical im-
ports, such as grain, fertilizer, equipment, and
fuel itself. All these imports now cost a lot more
than they did last year.
There is also pressure now on Ncube to raise
the US$175 salaries that he promised to civ-
il servants.
Ncube admitted this at a meeting with busi-
ness executives on Wednesday.
“It’s not easy to come up with risk mitigation
measures, but one thing we have done is to low-
er the taxes on fuel from about 12,7 (US) cents
to 8,7 cents, and that’s where we are now,” Ncu-
be said. “We could lower it further, but it’s diffi-
cult to get to zero because we have pressures as
Government, such as civil servants’ salaries and
so forth.”
Among the range of taxes and levies on fuel
is the US 2 cents collected by roads agency on
every litre of petrol and diesel. Via Statutory In-
strument 31 of 2022, Treasury set the NOCZIM
Debt Redemption and Strategic Reserve Levy –
a tax imposed on taxpayers to pay for past debts
– at US$0,087 per litre for both petrol and die-
sel in February.
According to the latest trade data, Zimbabwe’s
biggest import is fuel and oils, which made up
21.5% of all imports in December.
Higher fuel prices mean that Zimbabwe needs
more US dollars this year to buy fuel. Last year,
Zimbabwe imported fuel worth US$856 mil-
lion, in a year in which crude started the year at
US$50 a barrel and averaged US$70. With oil
now having touched double that average and
expected to rise higher, Zimbabwe will have to
spend much more at current consumption lev-
els.
“It’s a very difficult situation for us as industry
and the Government as well because they de-
pend heavily on taxes from the energy sector,”
says Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI)
president Takura Matsheza.
Mnangagwa, on Sunday, said he believes
firmer commodity prices, such as gold, will help
counter the impact of rising fuel and grain pric-

ANALYSIS March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 13

of 2022 target gold production at Blanket via a cap and For the 4,000 ounces of gold per month for the period, oz and will receive an effective spot gold price between
collar hedging contract for 20,000 ounces of gold from Caledonia will receive an effective gold price per ounce these two levels.
March to July. of not less than US$1,825/oz or greater than US$1,940/
— newZWire

POLITICS March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 14

What
happens
when ZanuPF
faces an
existential
threat?

AALEX MAGAISA istential threat, it responds in a typically ultra-defensive his staff member who was left severely wounded. At the
s the Citizens Coalition reported. and often brutal fashion. The first response is to close time of writing this BSR, it was being reported that the
for Change (CCC) basks Banning the CCC’s rallies ranks and defend common interests. While it is true that CCC spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere, had been attacked
in the glory of its early Zimbabwean police have banned there are competing factions within ZANU PF, when they by a gang of assailants who sped away with her posses-
gains across the country, face a common threat, they put aside their differences sions. The regime will probably dismiss it as criminal ac-
it is important to remem- the Citizens Coalition for Change and usually find common ground to defend their loot- tivity, but in the circumstances, there are legitimate con-
ber that they are dealing with an ad- (CCC) from holding its by-election ing space. cerns that it is a politically targeted attack.
versary that has no scruples. Even in rally in Marondera this weekend. The These incidents of violence are worrying signals of
ordinary times, ZANU PF goes for low police are also understood to have Mnangagwa’s first term is nearing completion. The
blows. And when the tide is against banned another CCC rally scheduled general who led the coup that toppled Robert Mugabe, what is likely to come, especially as Zimbabwe prepares
it, ZANU PF bristles, ready to pounce for Binga in Matebeleland North. Retired General Constantino Chiwenga, has been lin- for the general elections in 2023. If a small set of by-elec-
on anything in its way. With only a This follows another ban of a rally in gering rather impatiently for his turn. But Mnangagwa’s tions that have little bearing on the balance of power can
couple of weeks before the by-elec- Gokwe two weeks ago. Although a desire to carry on has long been a source of latent ten- result in so much violence which involves death and seri-
tions and just over a year before the High Court judge overturned the po- sion with the ambitious but fragile lieutenant who also ous injury, one can only imagine how this will play out as
crucial general elections, the stakes lice ban on that occasion, the CCC wants a piece of the cake. After all, it is he who risked his major elections loom where power for the next 5 years
couldn’t be any higher. was unable to hold its rally as local life and liberty to bring it to the table when Mnangagwa will be decided. The stakes will be a lot higher in 2023,
police ensured it did not happen by was hiding in the safety of South Africa. However, while and this can only lead to an escalation of political vio-
Already there are signs of deploy- disrupting the gathering. The police both men have contrasting personal political ambitions, lence if ZANU PF senses, as it surely must, that power is at
ing dirty tricks such as restricting po- have also tried to impose highly re- Chamisa and the CCC represent a common threat to risk of slipping away.
litical freedoms and violence are ev- strictive measures on rallies held by both of them. The problem for those operating in repressive environ-
ident. Electoral watchdogs in formal the CCC. These measures are very It is has become more apparent in recent weeks, that ments is that the Russian war in Ukraine has taken centre
and informal spaces have their work different from how the police treat neither of these two older men can legitimately win a free stage and it is likely to do so the longer it goes on. With
cut out, but as this article examines, ZANU PF rallies which are general- and fair election against the young opposition leader. In the eyes of the world on Ukraine, and no one restrain-
there are worrying signs of hesitation ly unconditional. Still, the presence the absence of a political deal, they are united by their ing them, dictators around the world are going to have
by those carrying the duty to keep a and defiance of thousands of people need to resort to political skullduggery to protect their a field day. Even Zimbabwe’s neighbour, South Africa,
watchful and frank eye on the elec- who came to Gokwe were more than common turf. Between each other and Chamisa, the which has dismally failed to deal with a problem at
toral processes. They must step up enough to demonstrate the CCC’s its doorstep has latched onto the Ukraine cri-
and speak truth to power if they are pulling power. latter is the greater enemy who must be resisted On sis, fancying itself as some sort of mediator.
to avoid being political laundromats at all costs. Their factional fight can resume later. The risk that the ZANU PF regime will ful-
for authoritarians. The banning of CCC rallies indi- As Chamisa navigates the political landscape, ly switch on the apparatus of violence in
cates a clear pattern that is familiar he must know that the two men are closer to the the run-up to the 2023 elections while
Political laundering in authoritarian environments: the internationaleach other than they are to him, their dif- both global and regional attention is
Political laundromats sanitize the ruling party will use state institutions turned elsewhere is very real.
reputation of authoritarian regimes. and the cover of law to stifle its rivals. ferences notwithstanding. He is the out- CSOs as watchdogs
Political laundering, like its coun- During the election campaign, no scene, politicalsider who is threatening to grab the pie
terpart money laundering in the fi- other party has been subjected to In this context, the role of local
nancial sector, is a process where similar rally bans or restrictions as the from right under their mouths and they civil society organizations assumes
dirty political reputations undergo CCC, but the police can still wave the will gang up against him. laundering of
a cleansing process, making them Maintenance of Order and Peace Act The second type of response, which greater significance. While Zimba-
look cleaner than they are. The most as justification for its actions. ZANU is part of the political skullduggery, is bwe’s Constitution has an entire
obvious political laundromats are PF has never been stopped from to raise the authoritarian factor to sti- authoritarian chapter dedicated to institutions
media organizations that do prop- holding its rallies in the same plac- fle Chamisa and the CCC. This includes designed to support democracy,
aganda, heaping unearned praise es that the CCC is being denied. The using the coercive apparatus of the regimes is most of them have been woeful-
while ignoring the repression and different application of rules by the state to prevent Chamisa and the CCC performed by ly inadequate. It is either they are
corruption of the regime. State-re- police is yet another demonstration from carrying out political activities. grossly under-resourced or they
lated actors like the ZBC, the nation- of the weaponization of the law. Law This explains the recent spate of police wealthy are captured by the ruling party.
al broadcaster, and Zimpapers which is applied selectively to give an unfair bans on the CCC’s political rallies. The international Therefore, instead of acting as ef-
publishes The Herald, The Sunday advantage to ZANU PF by denying authoritarian factor is also apparent in fective watchdogs of the state and
Mail, and The Chronicle among oth- the CCC opportunities to carry out the partisan media coverage, with the its organs and supporting democ-
ers, are typical political laundromats an effective campaign. state media giving a disproportionate
that specialize in cleaning the repu- public relationsamount of time and positive messaging racy, these institutions have become
tation of the regime. The Daily News All this is a testament to the ear- enablers of authoritarianism.
has joined that stable in recent years. ly success of the CCC after its dra- to ZANU PF. There is an increased use of
Those who invest in them are ena- matic entry into the political arena repressive power, just to thwart the per- and lobbying In the absence of effective watch-
blers of this process of political laun- in the last week of January. ZANU PF ceived existential threat posed by the CCC. firms. dogs envisaged under the Constitu-
dering. had hoped to go into the by-elec- tion, non-state actors such as CSOs as-
On the international scene, polit- tions against a battered and men- Indeed, the CCC must brace itself for more sume a greater role and they have done
ical laundering of authoritarian re- tally exhausted MDC Alliance. It had repressive strategies from the dictator’s play- a great deal over the past few decades.
gimes is performed by wealthy in- not budgeted for a new kid on the book.
ternational public relations and lob- block that would fundamentally dis- The third type of response is the use of politi- The story of Gukurahundi as it is known to-
bying firms. The Mnangagwa re- rupt the political market. Where the day would be different if organizations like the
gime has invested millions of dollars ZANU PF regime used to target the cal violence. ZANU PF does not care about oppo- Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, the
in western PR firms under the guise MDC, it must now contend with the sition parties that pose no threat to its hold on power.
of promoting re-engagement with CCC with all the energy and adven- That is why it treats the MDC-T led by Douglas Mwon- Legal Resources Foundation, and the Lawyers for Human
the West. Non-state actors includ- ture that it brings to the political zora with much favour. It does not regard it as a politi- Rights, an international organization had not stepped up
ing civil society organizations (CSOs) market. The numbers that Nelson cal threat. If anything, the MDC-T is both a shield and a to document the gory details of the atrocities. The Zim-
also risk assuming the role of political Chamisa and the CCC have pulled in sword in the hands of ZANU PF – a shield because by babwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) continues to
laundromats when they deliberate- the rallies held in Harare, Bulawayo, giving it airtime and treating it kindly, ZANU PF creates a be a marquee example of a CSO that is vigilant and ac-
ly restrain themselves from speaking Gweru, Kwekwe, and Gokwe so far defence against accusations of partisanship; but a sword tive in defending rights and freedoms whenever they are
truth to power or ignore or underplay have spooked the regime. After 2 because ZANU PF can rely on the MDC-T to spend most threatened by the state. The Zimbabwe Human Rights
blatant violations. It is easy to recoil years of trying to decimate Chami- of its time attacking the CCC. NGO Forum, ZimRights, and the Zimbabwe Peace Pro-
in fear when operating in a repres- sa and his allies, their resistance and The killing of Mboneni Ncube, a CCC supporter at the ject have shown great initiative and leadership in recent
sive environment. They contribute resurgence have confounded the re- Kwekwe rally exemplifies the extent to which ZANU PF years.
to political laundering through self- gime and caused panic. is prepared to go to defend its status. Many others were The situation concerning electoral matters however
censorship or under-reporting of re- injured in that incident which was instigated by ZANU needs urgent attention. The Zimbabwe Election Support
pression and corruption. It is with- Existential threat PF supporters. This brutal killing followed irresponsi- Network (ZESN) and Electoral Resource Centre (ERC)
in this context that this BSR analyses It is clear to ZANU PF that the CCC ble statements by Chiwenga the previous day when he have provided leadership in this area for a long time. This
the current conduct of the Zimba- poses a political threat of existential threatened to “crush” opposition supporters like “lice”. is why a review of the latest election observation report
bwean regime and how it has been proportions. In other words, the very Previous genocides have been preceded by such hate by ZESN is underwhelming. Someone unfamiliar with the
existence of ZANU PF is at stake. And speech by leaders. ongoing political developments might think that circum-
anytime that ZANU PF faces an ex- This followed the tear-gassing of CCC supporters by stances leading up to the by-elections are mild and that
police in Kwekwe and the beatings and arrests of oth- the risk of political violence is minimal when in fact there
er supporters in Harare. CCC Vice President Tendai Bi- has been a brutal killing at a political rally and there is an
ti’s home was also attacked, leading to the assault of escalation of repression by the ZANU PF regime.

POLITICS March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 15

Weakness of voter registration statements in response to concerns One of the problems with this re- the electoral watchdog had to say were party to an “altercation” with
ZESN is a long-term election ob- over the voters’ roll. There are sever- port is its lack of boldness in high- on this blatant political murder and CCC supporters. The irony is that
server, which places it in an impor- al allegations concerning the high lighting the source of problems af- the report moves on to other issues. ZESN had all this information from
tant watchdog role over the politi- number of duplicate entries, unau- fecting the electoral environment. Clearly, the matter is not treated with the police when it compiled its re-
cal and electoral processes. Its latest thorized movement of voters from There seems to be a timidness that the seriousness it deserves. There are port, and yet somehow, its report is
report, published on the Kubatana their constituencies and wards, and restrains ZESN from naming ZANU several problems with this reporting: more hesitant than the police’s re-
website, covers the last two weeks of changes to information on the vot- PF as the trouble causer. For exam- port.
February. While the report states that ers’ roll which have been highlight- ple, in one part the report states that It trivializes the circumstances of
the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission ed by citizens and social movements some “people were generally afraid the death as arising from an “alter- Furthermore, the ZESN report
(ZEC) conducted the first phase of its such as Pachedu. to talk about politics and were at- cation” between the ruling party and makes no mention at all of the sev-
mobile voter registration exercises, it tending some rallies out of fear of opposition supporters. This is gross- eral victims of injuries caused by
has only a superficial reference to the ZEC has, rather incredibly, tried to possible victimization if they did not ly misleading because it gives an im- the ZANU PF aggressors at the rally.
problems associated with this im- dismiss the voters’ roll that it issued, attend”. pression of parties that bear equal Surely, ZESN’s observers who were at
portant exercise. The lack of national claiming that it was leaked. Anoth- responsibility for the death. This was the rally would have witnessed these
identity cards is a key issue that the er ZEC Commissioner has claimed The culprit that uses such meth- a situation where ruling party sup- injured parties. In any event, one did
report refers to but the enormity of that the chaotic voters’ roll which has ods is known. It can never be the op- porters unlawfully invaded an op- not have to be at the rally to know
this handicap especially for young been the subject of much criticism position because it cannot victim- position political rally and used force that there were scores of victims who
voters could have been given more was only a “draft”. But this is incon- ize the ruling party. Although the re- against its supporters to cause fatal were impaled and struck with weap-
prominence. sistent with the legal requirement port refers to the issue of access to harm and several other injuries. They ons by the ZANU PF supporters. If
The practical bottlenecks, such as which is that there must be a final the media, there is nothing to dem- had no right to be there, and they anything, this politically motivat-
the long queues and frustrating de- voters roll within a specific period onstrate the blatant bias in favour were the provocateurs and aggres- ed killing should be a big highlight
lays are not highlighted. In some cas- before the next election. Indeed, ZEC of ZANU PF, itself a perennial prob- sors. To describe it as an “altercation” in the pre-election report, signaling
es, people reported that ZEC was not has used this rule to disqualify an lem that has been raised by election is to minimize the blameworthiness a red flag that needs to be careful-
present in places where it had an- MDC-T candidate on the basis that observers in the past but has never of the ZANU PF aggressors and to ly watched as Zimbabwe hurtles to-
nounced that it would be conduct- he was not registered before the clo- been addressed. gaslight the victims who are made to wards the next general elections.
ing voter registration. These issues sure of the voters’ roll. How then can shoulder responsibility for their situa-
do not appear in the report. ZESN’s he be disqualified when ZEC claims Lightening political violence tion. It was an unlawful attack, not an Finally, there is no mention of
observers might say they did not the voters’ roll to have been a draft? On electoral violations, despite altercation and an electoral watch- the incendiary statements made
witness these things, but it may be there being a cold-blooded killing of dog should be bold enough to re- by Vice President Chiwenga before
that their monitoring was not com- All this highlights that there are se- an opposition supporter by named port these facts. the Kwekwe rally at which Mboneni
prehensive enough to detect these rious concerns over the voters’ roll. ZANU PF supporters, the ZESN re- Ncube was slain. Chiwenga had lik-
weaknesses. There is a reluctance to Yet amid this chaos, the country’s port starts with a mild statement The irony is that the Zimbabwe ened opposition supporters to “lice”
be critical of ZEC, although its per- premier electoral watchdog has not saying, “cases of electoral violations Republic Police, which is notorious- that would be “crushed”, a vio-
formance has been dismal. a single word on the voters’ roll. The were minimal”. Perhaps it reflects the ly partisan, did a better job than the lent metaphor that constitutes hate
No word on the voters’ roll problem with these glaring omis- extent to which political violence has electoral watchdog in reporting the speech. That it preceded the killing
Having commented on voter regis- sions is that they create a false pic- become normalized that an electoral circumstances of the murder. It treat- of an opposition supporter is worry-
tration, the expectation was that the ture of normalcy. It is as if voter reg- watchdog relegates the murder of a ed the victim Mboneni Ncube with ing as it may be treated as unlawful
ZESN report would say something istration went ahead and there is political opponent to the margins of respect by naming him, something incitement of violence.
on the state of the voters’ roll. This is a credible voters’ roll when in reali- the narrative. that the ZESN report does not even
particularly important given that this ty there is not. If there are questions A single politically motivated kill- do.  Alex T Magaisa is a prominent
has been one of the most topical is- over the voters’ roll, as there are, elec- ing should be serious enough to Zimbabwean lawyer and consti-
sues during the pre-by-elections pe- toral watchdogs should highlight warrant a big red flag in the report of The police also named the ac- tutional expert currently teach-
riod, with a lot of concerns over the them. If they do not talk about them, an electoral watchdog. Instead, the cused persons, making it clear that ing law at the University of Kent
state of the voters’ roll. It is the doc- people might think they are bury- report describes it in the following they were ZANU PF members who Law School in England. He once
ument that determines whether citi- ing their heads in the sand. Electoral terms, “The worst case that was re- unlawfully entered a CCC rally. Any- served as advisor of the then
zens can vote in the by-elections. In- watchdogs should not fear offend- ported was the altercation between one reading the police memo would Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Mor-
deed, ZEC has been forced on more ing ZEC. Citizens whom they repre- suspected ruling party supporters have a clear picture of who was to gan Tsvangirai from 2012-2013.
than two occasions to make official sent expect them to be their leading and those of the CCC party which blame for the political violence. But He writes here in his personal ca-
voices in these matters. resulted in the death of one person, the ZESN report presents a mild and pacity.
at a CCC rally in Kwekwe”. That’s all sanitized picture that vaguely re-
Lacking boldness fers to “ruling party supporters” who

INTERVIEW March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 16

Sibanda: I owe my
success to upbringing
F ormer Miss Universe Zimba-
bwe Langelihle Sibanda says versation With Trevor partly start- semi-arid region in Matebeleland South. educated?
she owes her success to her ed because I am fascinated by our life Of course I was named Langelihle by LS: I started at Homestead Prima-
parents, who brought her up journeys and our purpose and how we my father, which I think that name on its ry School in Kezi, which is a very small
to be humble. eventually get to our purpose. own sets the tone because it is always school.
Sibanda (LM), who is now a renowned going to be a beautiful day you know in I support it now, but it is a very small
entrepreneur, told Alpha Media Hold- The things that we stumble over and my life. school. I went to Lozikeyi Primary School
ings (AMH) chairman Trevor Ncube the things that we go through. So being born in Kezi and coming from and then I went to Evelyn High.
(TN) on the platform In Conversation that rural background, I think that TN: Lozikeyi was known for
with Trevor that growing up in rural Looking at your life, I was like this is on its own gives you your roots, I am a lot of sports people?
Kezi, Matabeleland South and learn- very interesting. LS: It was athletics.
ing life skills from her parents shaped gives you your base. delighted we TN: Yes athletics, I
her character. A camera started you off on your en- It humbles you. It shows
trepreneurial journey, you went into you the other side. remember that.
She is the founder and creative di- modelling, you became Miss Universe I only moved from are doing it. I mean I have LS: Absolute-
rector of The House Of Langa, and the Zimbabwe.
owner of the Edge Cafe. Below are ex- Kezi to Bulawayo be- known you for a while, and as ly. The one with a
cerpts from the interview. You represented Zimbabwe. You flew cause of the libera- red uniform.
the flag in Las Vegas. tion war. TN: Yes!
TN: Langelihle Langa Sibanda, what a My father being an we meet I must say sincere LS: I know
beautiful name, welcome to In Conver- You are now an entrepreneur. You
sation With Trevor. started a restaurant, The Edge, The extension officer was condolences, we lost a friend, a that one. Then
House Of Langa is out there doing its viewed as working Evelyn High
LS: Thank you, thank you Trevor. This is thing. for the government of friend to me, a brother to me, and then I fin-
an honour. the day.
If you were to sum up your life in one ished my A’Level
I have admired you from a distance, word, what would that be? So that left our lives Dumisani Sibanda. at Townsend High
and today I am sitting on the couch. Isn’t in a situation where it School.
that exciting? LS: I think one word would be tough was not comfortable any- From there I went to
because I am such a tall individual, it has more, and the school where I the University of Zimba-
TN: Absolutely. to be two at least. Hahaha. had started my Grade 1 and 2 got bwe.
LS: Thank you, thank you. closed due to the war. TN: What did you study at the Uni-
TN: Great honour having you my sis- I think I am abundantly gifted, because So we had to move to Bulawayo where versity Of Zimbabwe?
ter. We have been planning to do this I do not think what I have achieved, what I continued with my education and I LS: Well I wanted to do Law, but I fell
for a while. I am doing, I am doing it all alone. went to Lozikeyi Primary School. short in my points and I ended up do-
I am delighted we are doing it. I mean I never went to any fancy schools until ing Political Science and Administration.
I have known you for a while, and as we There is a higher power that seems to high school. I do not know, in my head I thought
meet I must say sincere condolences, lead me and for me, like you said, from For my base it was my mom and my one day I will be the first lady president!
we lost a friend, a friend to me, a broth- a camera to where I am and from where dad and my brothers. Hahaha I am joking!
er to me, Dumisani Sibanda. I was born to be where I am to be on a That unit of love and knowing that I felt But genuinely I would have preferred
Talk to me about the grieving pro- big stage like Miss Universe, for example. protected when I was in Kezi. law, but when I look back and the way
cess of losing this amazing man? Even during the war I was too young things have gone, the Political Science
Who was very close to me, obviously I do not think I had planned that, but to understand, but I still felt protected degree became so open, it was not re-
close to you as a brother, how has been God is always at play. and loved and that love, that protection, strictive as far as I am concerned, but
the grieving journey? those values and virtues that I got from law and that reading of volumes and
LS: It is difficult Trevor. He knows my wants my desires.He being a child and understanding that you volumes, I do not think it was for me re-
You know as an African grieving is one paved the way for me to an extent when work hard for what you get. ally to be honest.
of those things. I look back at my life, I never thought I You do not just go to school and ex- TN: You might know this about
I do not think we even understand it would be sitting In Conversation with pect results to sit on your lap, you work me, like you I wanted to do Law and I
because sometimes when we see some- Trevor for example, because I look at hard for them. missed Law by one point.
one crying with their hands up here, we this programme, or I look at your show My father was an academic who loved LS: Oh no.
think oh she is over doing it. as one of those shows that has the big us to be doing better than him, that was TN: But I share it because it was a
Then when you keep quiet they say names in my country, the big names in always his statement. very traumatic experience. I wanted to
she doesn’t care. the world and who am I to sit here? He would say whatever you do in life I do Law, I wanted to be a lawyer.
I have learnt over the last two months, want you to do better than me. In that day, in that particular mo-
my brother passed away in December But I know I am chosen to be here so I I want you to be better than me and ment it was the worst thing to hap-
2021, we buried him on Christmas Eve. am blessed to be here. that is when he knew he would have lived pen to me, but when I look now, like I
What I have noticed is, and what I am and would have done well. said when we started, I am fascinated
going through, is something I am not However, my story really starts from So I grew up knowing I had to do bet- by what God does in terms of ordering
going to hide. humble beginnings. ter than my father. our steps.
If I feel like falling down and crying, I I also grew up knowing that I am al- I would have been the worst law-
will do it. I was born from a father who was an lowed to be who I am, but I should start yer that anybody has ever seen, but
Sometimes I talk about him and I do agricultural extension officer, and a with education. more importantly, that reading of the
not cry, but there are times I talk about mom who was just a stay at home mom, So even anything that I have done, ed- Law books and so forth, I do not think
him and I am a mess, but I am allowing but a very smart woman and I get the ucation had to come first. I would have been able to cope with
myself to go through that because grief strength from her. My father always said to me if you have that.
is that love we have for someone that we education you have a chance in life be- So fascinating that you also wanted
have lost. I get the humility from my father be- cause no one can take that away from to be a lawyer!
Sometimes it collects at the corner of cause all these titles that you have just you. LS: Yes.
our eyes, and it comes out as tears and I said can make one lose their way, but I There are certain things that you can TN: You ended up not being a lawyer,
should allow that. have remained grounded because of my have but they can all just be stripped off, and you are saying now, the degree
He is one brother that I will miss dearly, upbringing. but education opens doors, education that you have right now is the right de-
a tall guy, a wonderful gentle giant. will give you a respect that you might not gree for you?
One thing I remember about my I am blessed that I had the parents get. LS: Absolutely.
brother is when I was about 13 years old that I have, the family that I have. And it is true, because when you look
he bought me my first bra. at it, when I started modelling people re-
That is how attentive my brother was, Even when I was Miss Universe Zimba- spected the fact that I had a degree.
he knew that his little sister was grow- bwe, I do not remember any of my sib- The fact that my father would not allow l “In Conversation With Trevor” is
ing up. lings treating me any differently. me to do modelling any earlier because a weekly show broadcast on YouTube.
I remember he put it on for me, and it he was like “no, modelling is for the peo- com//InConversationWithTrevor. Please
is a memory that I treasure because that I would get home, my mom would ple who are less academic”. get your free YouTube subscription to this
is the deep love that my brother and I say Langa do the dishes, Langa you are TN: Let’s talk about the education. So channel. The conversations are sponsored
had. cooking today. where did you start? Where were you by Nyaradzo Group.
I will continue to miss him and I will
continue to mourn him, and I will contin- So it never changed who I was, but it
ue to share his story when I am able to. kept me grounded and it left me realis-
He has got two beautiful daughters ing that no matter how big people think
and I see him through them. you are, family will always put you in your
So I have something to look at all the place.
time. I will miss him dearly though.
TN: Wow. I mean Dumisani and I were TN: Haha yeah.
pretty close. LS: I often laugh at my brothers.
We were at university together. When They should be worshipping the
the news broke that he had passed ground I walk on, but no they do not
on after a car accident, a friend Nor- care Trevor!
man Khumalo, who is in the USA I think, I am a little sister and when they go
reached out to remind me of a day “MaSibanda” I know I am being called
when we were young and had a few and I should do like that.
drinks and started a little fight. So, no my journey has been a fascinat-
LS: Oh, right? ing one.
TN: So yeah it took me there. In Con- TN: Shall we start at the beginning?
LS: Yes.
TN: You were born in Kezi? Talk to me
about that?
Your upbringing and what your up-
bringing did to you in terms of your
worldview?
LS: Okay. I was born in Kezi. A very

BUSINESS March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 17

How commerce is evolving in Africa
A frica has long been a
complex market for She’s a senior fellow at the Afri- mega cities, cities with 20 million to see some pretty big impacts kind of coming of age, and into
many global busi- ca Center at The Atlantic Council, over the next 10-15 years with the workforce, and as consum-
nesses. Trade and a member of the Council on For- people, like Lagos or Cairo. that many young ers. I’m curious about innovation
commerce have been eign Relations and the co-author The third trend is that they are in the region. At Signal we have
fragmented across its 54 coun- of an award-winning book The increasingly connected. So no peo- focused on several continents
tries, with currencies, consumer Next Africa. Welcome, Aubrey. So ple and large regions like China or
insights and regulations specif- good to have you here. longer is it a disconnected place Latin America, where there are
ic to each. At the local level, con- where it’s separate from global some specific innovations hap-
sumers have often bought and Aubrey Hruby commerce or global culture. But pening. Are there innovations
sold things in open air markets, Thank you, John. It’s a pleasure rather, the smartphone has real-
with cash or even barter of mo- to be here. ly connected these young urban specific to Africa, or particular
bile phone minutes. So let’s start with your book, Africans to the global market. geographic regions of Africa
The Next Africa, which helps So you have something like that you might note?
But a recent pan-African trade companies understand why Afri- 850 million mobile subscrip-
deal has begun to streamline the ca is an opportunity to seize and tions, and something over Coming back to that is-
African market, and technolo- that it’s open for business. Giv- about 650 million smart- sue of smartphones and
gies are giving consumers and en that – what’s your high-level phones. connectivity, the smart-
businesses new on-ramps. The view on what that means? What And then, lastly, is this
result? The continent and its 1.5 makes the African market a great economic resilience. The phone has made a plat-
billion are more accessible than opportunity right now? continent is showing much form for all kinds of inno-
ever. There are four megatrends that stronger economic resil- vation. I mean, our lives
are really driving that opportuni- ience. There are setbacks
Aubrey Hruby has advised ty. The first is demographics. And because growth is neither are defined by them.
companies in and out of Africa some say demographics are des- linear nor smooth, as we And that is the same for
for the past two decades and is a tiny. It is a large market by peo- know. And so there are set- individual Africans. But
senior fellow at the Africa Center ple size. So we’re talking today backs, but the continent it makes, for example,
at The Atlantic Council, a mem- about 1.5 billion, but it is going to bounces back from those
ber of the Council on Foreign Re- 2.5 billion by 2050, where you’ll setbacks much faster. It’s fintech platforms a re-
lations and the co-author of an have one in four people globally no longer just dependent ality. So financial in-
award-winning book, The Next be African. And it’s not just that on commodities, like we clusion is happening
Africa. these are any people, they’re saw in the 1970s or 1980s, over the phone.
young people, so, very young.
In this month’s Signal Conver- The median age is somewhere — Howwemadeitin-
sation, Hruby shared insights on between 17 and 18, which when Africa
how commerce is evolving and you compare that to Europe, or
the many opportunities for busi- to parts like Japan, you see that but has greater diversi-
nesses to engage in what is now those regions are shrinking, and fied economies. So that
the world’s fastest growing re- rapidly aging. Even China’s rap- growth line is positive
gion. Welcome to another Sig- idly aging. So this is a very young over time, and it’s stay-
nal Conversation. I’m very excit- population. ing more positive. So
ed about this one. We have with The second trend is that it’s ur- that’s what makes the
us Aubrey Hruby, who is an advi- ban. So now, you know, people market of interest to
sor to companies with interest in have these images of Africans as companies.
African markets, working main- defined by villages and rural life. That’s some
ly with African policymakers and But in reality, 50% of Africans live pretty extraordi-
Fortune 500 companies across in cities, and many of them live in nary growth. And
20 distinct African markets. that youth de-
mographic is,
I would imag-
ine, culturally,
we’re going

COLUMN March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 18

Nguwaya resurfaces
in a waste deal that
stinks to high heaven
T HE GeoGenix BV-City of Hara-
re deal signed on Wednesday fleeced its citizens of their hard-earned
this week stinks to high heav- money through punitive fuel taxes
en. The deal in which the for- which no other country in the world
charges.
eign company will supposed- Cynically, Energy minister Soda Wa-
ly invest €303,9 million (approximately ter has added effervescence to the is-
US$344 million) to convert the Pomo- sue. He has advised Zimbabweans to
na dump site in Harare into a modern use Zupco buses instead of driving to
waste management facility that will also work. Fair enough if these were availa-
generate a bit of electricity is shrouded ble and efficient.
in mystery. Everyone knows the buses’ primary
Until this week Zimbabweans were purpose, namely to pick up people at
made to believe the company was from the usual pick-up points and ferry them
Germany; all reports, including those to rallies addressed by the country’s
from the City of Harare information de- owner.
partment itself said the company was Now with the election season in full
Yellow CCC is German. swing,
showing them But this Tidbits these
buses will
week as spend
the city days on
signed the road
the far away
memo-
randum from
of agree- Twitter: @MuckrakerZim those
ment in who
the pres- need to
flames ence of no less a person than Minister get to work and back.
of Local Government himself July Moyo, Invictus diesel
we were told the company was from If the Invictus Energy thing was not
The Netherlands. just another “diesel in Chinhoyi” hoax
A look on the internet to find out who the country would urge it to speed up
M y Dear People, this outfit is hit a brick wall, well not the drilling of wells so that Zimbabwe
Do you remember when How CCC’s rally affected Launchmore’s, quite. Written on their wall is this: “This does not have to depend on Russia and
you all went onto the is anyone’s guess. company has activated a Non Mailing Ukraine for its fuel.
streets kissing soldiers Indicator (NMI) to indicate that they Muckraker is reliably informed that
and thanking them for the In Kwekwe, yobs started violence lead- do not wish to receive unsolicited mail there is nothing happening in the Ca-
coup? ing to the death of one CCC supporter. or sales visits. Their registered address hora Bassa basin in the form of oil ex-
should not be used for this purpose.” ploration. If there is, Invictus should do
I wonder how this is going for you now. Yesterday, the police cordoned off Rud- Throw in the mix one Delish Nguwaya, the right thing and organise a media
Prices are going up daily and there is no haka stadium in Marondera where CCC described in the deal as the Dutch tour of the area.
respite in sight. was due to have a rally. company’s country rep- What news organ-
resentative in Zimba- News that the killers isations are report-
Until you apologise to Baba nothing will Another rally set for Binga has been shut bwe and then you know had been arrested ing are simply press
improve. I think you need to organise a down by the police because Launchmore where this stinking deal statements from In-
bira to ask for Baba’s forgiveness. has a function in Hwange a few days after is coming from. victus. I dare them
the CCC's meeting. Zimbabwe will re- sent shockwaves to invite journalists
This week, fuel prices went up again, member Nguwaya from to Muzarabani so
but instead of having leaders who empa- In response, CCC goes to the courts, another stinking deal in throughout Zanu PF. they see for them-
thise with the public, we have ministers where they will probably win, but the po- which he courted an- selves what’s hap-
like Soda who are just there to make the lice will shut them down as happened in other shadowy compa- Since when did pening (or not hap-
public feel worse. Gokwe and Marondera.
ny from Europe to sup- killing political pening) there.
When asked about the rising fuel costs, The grim reality is that CCC is not al- ply Covid-19 equipment opponents suddenly Voters’ roll ferrets
Soda advised people to park their cars lowed to operate and the state will do eve- and medication. It did It was great to
and use Zupco instead. rything to shut it down. not end well. But who hear Citizens Co-
really is Delish? Is he a become a crime in alition for Change
This is classic Mary Antoinette-esque. I First they took away the party name, the son-in-law to some im- (CCC) putative
know many of you don’t know Mary Antoi- party headquarters and funding and they portant family or some- the country, many president Nelson
nette so I will school you kkk. thought they had destroyed them. thing? Time will tell! Chamisa saying
Son-in-law patriots wondered? there was now no
She was the queen of France in the 18th The calling for by-elections was not be-
century when France was going through cause this lot had suddenly discovered de- President Emmerson way the Zimbabwe
social and economic upheavals. mocracy, but rather they thought CCC was Mnangagwa was in Ken- Electoral Commis-
finished. ya this week on a state sion (Zec) was go-
The price of bread, which was a staple visit ostensibly to strengthen bilateral ing to cheat them again because the
for the peasants, also skyrocketed. But the crowds that Nero is pulling have relations between Zimbabwe and the party has planted its people in all im-
shocked them to the core and they are re- East African country. It is reported sev- portant places, including in Zec.
When the French started protesting sorting to default settings — that is the eral MoUs were signed. All very good. Of course, he could be right see-
over the price of bread, Mary Antoinette brutal shutting down of the party. At the tail end of his tête-à-tête with ing how the voters’ roll was leaked to
advised that they should eat cake instead. his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyat- Pachedu, a group of pro-CCC ferrets in-
I fear next year, the elections are going ta (UK), Muckraker’s mole overheard the terested in analysing the roll. Pachedu
To cut a long story short, her husband, to show a side of these people that we following: has exposed some very damning she-
the king, was dethroned shortly after. haven’t seen in a while. ED: (rubbing his palms together) Then nanigans employed to doctor the roll,
there is the small matter of your fa- including moving hundreds of thou-
Soda’s statements are no different from Hehehe who saw that Women’s Day arti- mous son-in-law. UK: (with faked puz- sands of voters from their constituen-
Mary Antoinette and will only serve to cle in the Horrid newspaper? zlement): Oh, you mean Jonso (Jona- cies to other ones without their knowl-
make this government more unpopular than Moyo)? edge. But now that Chamisa has his
than it already is. In the article, the Page 2 girl was de- ED: (with a salivating smile): Exactly. own people in Zec, it means accord-
scribed in the most glowing of terms and Can I have him back for a while? ing to him, the coming elections will
Still on the fuel prices, may someone was literally deified. UK: (With concern in his voice): You be “free and fair”. He said it himself, not
please explain to me why Zimbabwe’s fuel mean if I give him to you, he will come Muckraker.
is the most expensive in the region. Among other things, the article said the back alive? Porn hoax
assistance that the Page 2 girl has given to ED: (with a wry smile): I hope so. Many companies across the globe are
I know one of the reasons is the immoral girls and women has not been seen in the Fuel prices sanctioning Russia because of its inva-
taxes that we are charged. history of Zimbabwe since 1980. The prices of fuel have gone up again sion of a “sovereign” country Ukraine.
and will keep going up almost weekly There was panic across the length and
The government is literally wringing I am not going to praise myself for the for the foreseeable future. breadth of the huge country of 144 mil-
every last penny from us. work I did, but this is absolutely shocking. The reason: the Russia-Ukraine war lion people of which nearly 70 million
whose end is not in sight. Even if it ends are men when one interesting compa-
Instead of acknowledging that we are The Page 2 girl is being placed on a tomorrow the disruption it has caused ny said it would not extend its services
overtaxed, you hear Mthuli self-congrat- higher pedestal than Sally. to the supply of fuel around the world to Russia.
ulating and patting himself on the back will be felt for a long time to come. PornHub, a free sex videos website,
about his so-called surplus. We all know Sally was loved by everyone But for the Zimbabwe government, popular in the country, had reportedly
and Page 2 girl is nowhere near Sally both which has always wished to keep the blocked Russia and the outcry was virile.
What is the point of a surplus when half in terms of her work and stature. price of fuel way ahead of its regional There was a heavy sigh of relief, howev-
the country cannot put food on the table? counterparts, the war has come at the er, when it later emerged the news was
If I were to rank first ladies, in terms for right time. The government has always a mere spoof.
I think Mthuli needs to have a word with their work, I would be number one, Sal-
himself. ly second, third is Janet Banana and the
Page 2 girl is a distant last kkk.
Back to kissing the soldiers.
You thought democracy was on its way The article then goes on to say Zimba-
kkk, not knowing that things were about bwe is blessed to have a first lady like her.
to get very dim very quickly.
CCC is literally a banned party in Zim- Oh dear me. I dare the Horrid newspaper
babwe. Whenever they try to hold a rally, to do a poll to see if Zimbabweans think
the police come up with ways to block it. they are blessed to have the Page 2 girl.
Firstly, in Gokwe, police blocked the rally
on the spurious reason that Launchmore The results will be shocking.
was having his rally more than 100kms Munopengaaaaaaaa!
away. Stop it
Dr Amai. PhD (Fake)
l Feedback: [email protected]

AFRICA March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 19

Dudula: How South African anger

has focused on foreigners

P olice in South Africa are on alert in case of renewed bles when the foreigners were forced to stop. mier of Gauteng province, which includes Jo-
clashes between residents of Johannesburg's Alex- "We as South Africans are unemployed and are going hun- hannesburg, the ANC's David Makhura, has
andra township and foreign street vendors. said he is concerned about the recent vio-
Alexandra is one of the poorest areas of the coun- gry. All we want is to get jobs too," she told the BBC. "How do lence against foreign nationals in Alexandra.
they expect us to survive in our own country?" He called on civil society groups to work with
Not all of the group's actions have been legal and the au- the government to promote peace and toler-
try but from its shacks, residents can easily see the ance.
towering skyscrapers of Sandton, one of the richest commer- thorities are investigating cases of public disorder and intim-
cial districts on the whole continent, just a few kilome- idation. But some opposition parties are trying to
Operation Dudula is based in Johannesburg's make political capital out of the issue.
tres away. As a result people from across South Af- Poverty Soweto township - more than 25km (16 miles)
rica and neighbouring countries flock to the away on the other side of the city. One that is taking a hardline approach is the
township to use it as a base to earn a living. Founded by 33-year-old Nhlanhla Lux newly formed Patriotic Alliance (PA) led by ex-
Two controversial groups - the Alexandra is the main prisoner Gayton McKenzie.
Dudula Movement and Operation Dudula driver of the Dlamini, it came to prominence last June
- which are campaigning against undoc- tension as South when Soweto residents marched through The PA, which has some local council seats
umented foreign nationals have emerged African residents the township on what was called a "clean- but has not yet run in a national vote, wants all
recently and support seems to be grow- undocumented migrants to leave the country.
ing among South African communities up" operation.
It targeted suspected drug dealers and Earlier this year, members of the opposi-
people who were alleged to be illegally tion Economic Freedom Fighters unexpected-
who feel marginalised. occupying government property. ly visited restaurants in Johannesburg to "in-
But just as in Alexandra, the group's spect" the ratio of foreign workers employed
believe - whether rightlyThere are concerns that their cam- scope of interest has expanded. and to put pressure on business to hire more
paigns could lead to yet another out- or wrongly - that South Africans.
break of xenophobic violence in the foreigners are the cause Members now want the many foreign
country. shop owners in South Africa to shut down On the issue of checking peoples' status,
of many of their their businesses and leave the country. the government has said that it is doing more
What do these groups want? They also want small businesses, such to ensure the people have the correct docu-
Poverty is the main driver of the ten- as restaurants and shops, to only employ mentation - but that will take a while.
sion as South African residents believe -
whether rightly or wrongly - that foreign- difficulties. South African citizens. Why is this happening now?
ers are the cause of many of their difficulties. This is not the first time there has been an
Dudula is a word in the Zulu language which This is because campaigners believe these upsurge in anti-foreigner sentiment in South
places overlook South Africans and hire undoc- Africa. In 2008, there was a wave of attacks
loosely means to "push back" or "drive back" - umented migrants instead because they can pay across the country against refugees and mi-
this gives a clue about what they want. grants - more than 60 people were reported
Though the two groups are separate, they have them less than the minimum wage. to have been killed and thousands displaced.
Authorities have said while this may happen in some plac- There were further outbreaks of violence
been inspired by the same cause - they both hope to drive against non-South Africans in 2015, mostly in
out undocumented African migrants from their communities. es it is not a widespread problem. the cities of Durban and Johannesburg, which
They believe by doing this they can ensure that jobs and Both groups have denied that their motives are xeno- led to the deployment of the army to deter
phobic and argue that they are simply protecting the live- further unrest.
business opportunities go to South Africans. lihoods of South Africans, something they say the African And three years ago another rise in attacks
What is the difference between the two groups? on foreigners led to hundreds of Nigerians
The Alexandra Dudula Movement was founded last year. National Congress (ANC) government is failing to do. leaving the country.
The people behind it alleged that foreign nationals were il- They both say they are not affiliated to any political party. It is not clear exactly why the issue is com-
What has the reaction been? ing up again but South Africa's numerous
legally occupying government-issued housing in Alexandra, From foreigners there is a sense that they are being economic problems have been exacerbated
which is supposed to be for poor citizens. by the impact of COVID-19 mitigation meas-
But the campaign has expanded to include a call for all un- blamed for wider problems. ures which resulted in the loss of countless
documented African migrants to stop trading in Alexandra. "We're not taking anyone's job, we create our own op- jobs and a sharp spike in the cost of living.
Last month, the movement closed down all the stalls owned portunities, we're not stopping South Africans from doing
by foreign nationals who could not show the correct papers the same," Mozambican Sam Manane, who has been sell- — BBC
for running the business or a valid passport. ing snacks in Alexandra for the past 10 years, told the BBC.
"We're just being targeted."
They then assigned the stalls to South Africans, such as Al- The national government has not yet reacted but the pre-
exandra resident Wendy Sithole, who started selling vegeta-

INTERNATIONAL March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 20

Angola’s regime is scared

As Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, an- and his allies remained well-protected.
other securitised state is using simi- Combined with neo-patrimonialism and massi-
lar language of threats and veiled au-
thoritarianism to pursue a narrow po- fication of party structures, this political order de-
litical agenda. Angola learnt much of fended the interests of ruling elites and relentless-
this from Russia. Its almost absolute dependence ly undermined any actions deemed subversive or
on the Soviet Union for arms, military training, and reformist. In this environment, the mere question-
ideological guidance in the 1970s and ‘80s made ing of official narratives or the expression of popu-
the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation lar opposition was seen as an existential threat to
of Angola (MPLA) a disciple of the former super- the MPLA and, therefore, the nation.
power. The country’s transition to illiberal democ-
racy in a post-Cold War era revealed pragmatism, When Dos Santos stepped down and hand-
but the underlying sense of threats and grievanc- ed over to Lourenço in 2017, the new president
es remained a defining characteristic of how pow- retrained this structure. Weeks into his term, he
er was structured. caused widespread surprise when he began dis-
mantling the Dos Santos family’s grip on the econ-
Half a century later, the MPLA remains in power omy. He sacked his predecessor’s children and al-
but is facing what look set to be difficult elections lies from influential roles and initiated an anti-cor-
in August 2022. Once again, however, Russia may ruption campaign that targeted members of the
come to its rescue – albeit in a very different way MPLA. In some respects, his actions marked a
this time. Its war in Europe will likely still be dom- clean break from the past. However, Lourenço cru-
inating the world’s attention, giving the Angolan cially retained many of his former boss’ governing
regime greater scope to violently steal the elec- strategies.
tions with few repercussions.
— African Arguements
Since the introduction of multi-party elections
30 years ago, Angola’s governing party has seen
these votes as an existential threat and treated
them as a matter of national security. Since the
first elections in 1992, the MPLA has taken extraor-
dinary measures to clamp down on opposition
politics and popular mobilisation. By doing so, it
has won every election comfortably and still se-
cured over 60% in 2017 despite a significant drop
in support.

This year’s vote, however, may be different. The
MPLA appears genuinely nervous and fearful of
defeat. There is popular discontent with the gov-
ernment amid a permanent recession, a social cri-
sis, and high levels of poverty and hunger. Mean-
while, three opposition parties – led by the main
opposition United Front for the Total Independ-
ence of Angola (UNITA) – have formed an alliance
under the banner of the United Patriotic Front.

All this has put Angola’s securitised state on
high alert. This fact has been epitomised by some
recent MPLA statements that reveal a government
with a faltering belief in the strength of its poli-
cies to win over voters and in its strategies of clien-
telism to sustain its power.

Since late-2021, President João Lourenço and
other senior officials have responded to public
protests and opposition calls for electoral trans-
parency by warning of the dangers of terror and
instability. Last October, for instance, General
Francisco Furtado, head of the Presidential Secu-
rity Bureau, accused the opposition of using fears
of electoral fraud to create “a climate of insecurity,
intimidation and terror in the population ahead of
the elections”. Similarly, after a protest by taxi driv-
ers escalated into acts of vandalism against a bus
and an MPLA building this January, the president
described the episode in terms of “acts of terror”
and “a macabre plan to make the country ungov-
ernable”. Activists say the violence was orches-
trated by the government itself so it could justify
greater securitisation.

In these statements, the government’s message
is clear: any action that threatens its rule will result
in widespread unrest. This emphasises the MPLA’s
historic self-image as the only political force ca-
pable of governing Angola. Since coming to pow-
er at independence in 1975, the former liberation
movement has positioned itself as the guardian of
the country and guarantor of stability. By exten-
sion, any threat to its dominance such the opposi-
tion or public dissent is a source of instability and
fear for the future.

Building Angola’s security state
Angola’s security state was built up over almost
40 years under President Eduardo dos Santos.
Emerging out of war, the MPLA under his rule was
unable to transition effectively to peacetime pol-
itics.
Through this era, the security forces and intelli-
gence services – along with surveillance, paranoia,
and violence – were deployed not just in extraor-
dinary circumstances but became part of day-to-
day politics. Control was centralised in the pres-
idency, which was supported by a wide array of
security forces. The presidential guard developed
into the best trained, armed, and resourced secu-
rity force. Meanwhile, the three main intelligence
services – external, domestic, and military – were
put in service of the MPLA and used to target dis-
senters. Like the police, they became increasingly
violent and used as a force to maintain political –
rather than public – order. While inequality, pover-
ty and impunity grew in the country, the president

March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 21

Congratulations
to Mr Zak Hawa
on the appointment to the
Megafest Advisory Board

Wishing you MANY more years of success.

Forge For Quality

• Adhesive Tapes
• Fencing
• Hardware
•Hand Tools
• Ladders
•Led Torches
•Power Tools
•Solar Products
•Safety Wear

AND SO MUCH
MORE

ARTS March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 22

Buoyant music star Nutty O sets
eyes on BET and GRAMMYS

SBY FADZAI MATHABIRE “We have only dreamed and prayed for not just one but two NAMA awards. Nut- said, “I did not expect this because when
uper talented Zimbabwean this and a dream came true, a prayer an- tyO was evidently excited to be honoured you look at the category there are great
songwriter and vocalist born swered.” Carrington Simbarashe Chiwad- among great artists alike and to register a men. For you to be considered a great man
Simbarashe Chiwadzwa popu- zwa win on his debut nominations at the event there has to be great competitors. So this is
larly known as Nutty O emerged held at the HICC Saturday night. special for me tonight.”
a double winner at the recently The National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA)
held 20th National Arts Merit Award in Ha- is the premier award given by the Nation- Being his first time to be nominated for I am sure for one thing, it is not only my
rare, Zimbabwe. These 2 wins have set him al Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) in rec- a NAMA, he left the event the biggest win- talent that brought me here because I
to 5 awards this year including the 3 ZIMA ognition of outstanding achievements in ner of the night with two category awards: know for real that talent does not make it
awards he scooped a fortnight ago for best the arts and culture. The inaugural NAMA Outstanding male musician and outstand- to the shortlist of things that you need to
male artist, album of the year and song of was held in February 2002 honouring art- ing album. Historically, NuttyO had never be successful in life. I am a strong charac-
the year. ists who excelled in 2001. been nominated for the NAMA and that is ter, a powerful mind, and I have stood for
why seeing his name next to names who what I believe in from day one. I have nev-
After a lot of hard work, dedication, self have won before was so special to him. He er given up.”
belief and consistently trying his luck from shared his excitement in his speech as he
2017, the Zimdancehall artist finally sweeps — earGROUND

SPORT March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 23

Chelsea & The Management and Staff of Pintail Trading (Pvt) Ltd is delighted on the appointment of
Roman Hon Deputy Minister, Rajeshkumar Modi as Megafest Holdings Advisory Board President.
We congratulate him for his outstanding accomplishment both professionally and personally.
Abramovich: Is
this a moment Congratulations!
of reckoning
Physical Address: 5 Street Btwn 4th/5th Avenue
for English Bulawayo
football
Phone No: (0292) 882301-4
ownership? Email: [email protected]

The sanctioning of Chelsea owner Roman
Abramovich in the wake of Russia's in-
vasion of Ukraine has, perhaps like nev-
er before, forced English football to con-
front questions over who exactly should
be allowed to own its top clubs.

With the risk of letting clubs becoming em-
broiled in geopolitics now exposed, football au-
thorities and the government will face questions
in parliament on the issue on Tuesday.

So what should and can be done? Why has it
taken until now? Is it too late? And what damage
has been done? 'The sportwashing derby' and dif-
ficult days for football

These are certainly chastening days for the
sport. Sunday's match between imperilled Chel-
sea and Saudi Arabian-bankrolled Newcastle
United was dubbed in places as 'the sportswash-
ing derby'. It was portrayed by some critics as one
of the darkest episodes in the history of the Pre-
mier League.

With the Club World champions in turmoil,
sponsors deserting the club, and fears of finan-
cial ruin amid a block on merchandising and tick-
et sales, Chelsea's fans now face opprobrium be-
cause a section of their support continue to sing
the name of the man whose fortune brought them
almost two decades of glory.

This singing was despite the government de-
scribing Abramovich as "a pro-Kremlin oligarch"
who has had a "close relationship" with Vladimir
Putin for decades, and obtained "financial ben-
efit" and "preferential treatment" from that rela-
tionship.

One of the companies Abramovich co-owns,
the government claims, may even have made
steel for Russian tanks. That has been denied by
the firm and Abramovich - who has always reject-
ed suggestions of links with the Russian President.

But given the horrors Putin has unleashed on
Ukraine, many are appalled that so many Chelsea
fans remain loyal to the oligarch, and concerned
at what that reveals about football's priorities and
values. As if the sight of a pro-Abramovich ban-
ner at Stamford Bridge was not uncomfortable
enough for the game, the manager of Newcas-
tle United then found himself (again) facing ques-
tions over Saudi Arabia's human rights record at
his post-match press conference.

Eddie Howe was asked about the 81 executions
the country had just carried out in a single day.

Howe insisted he would "stick to football" and
many Newcastle fans seem to think such ques-
tions are unfair. Certainly it would be better if a
representative of the club's majority owners PIF
was available to be asked such questions. Similar-
ly, there would have perhaps been more transpar-
ency and accountability at Chelsea if Abramov-
ich had granted the occasional interview over the
years where he could have faced questions over
his motives for owning the club.

Many feel such questions to Howe are both in-
evitable and entirely legitimate when - despite
the club's insistence of separation between the
club's majority owner sovereign wealth fund PIF
that controls the club and the Saudi state - PIF is
chaired by the country's ruler, Crown Prince Mo-
hammed bin Salman himself.

Or when - just as Chelsea executives have asked
manager Thomas Tuchel to field questions about
the sanctioning of the owner - no-one from PIF
gives an interview or press conference them-
selves. Or when a Saudi flag was spotted among
Newcastle fans at Stamford Bridge. And when
Saudi Arabia is itself engaged in a war - in Yem-
en, in which, according to Human Rights Watch
"all parties… have committed serious violations of
the laws of war, many of which may amount to war
crimes…"

— BBC

March 16-22 2022 Weekly Digest 24

Nedbank commits to
Zimbabwe rugby development

RBY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE Player of the Tournament accolade. by is growing in Zimbabwe and I think we are rations in the run-up to the qualifiers.
egional banking group Nedbank Speaking on the sidelines of Saturday’s fi- here for the long haul and we hope to see rug- Kwidini said while their brand has also ben-
has committed to playing its part by grow from strength to strength,” she add-
in the development of local rug- nal Nedbank Zimbabwe Senior Manager of ed. efited from investing in local rugby, the or-
by following the successful stag- Marketing, PR and Communications Mary- ganisation has an obligation to give back to
ing of the inaugural Nedbank Rug- Anne Kwidini said the company was pleased The Rugby 15 tournament which was or- the community.
by Challenge Cup which concluded at Harare to oversee the growth of Rugby in the coun- ganised by Zimbabwe Rugby Union in Part-
Sports Club on Saturday. try and was looking to be involved for a long nership with Harare Province Rugby and The “I think you have seen how much we have
time to come. Sables Trust was used as a platform to pick grown as a brand and what we have always
Old Georgians emerged the champions af- the Sables squad to participate in the Currie wanted was just to generate that brand love
ter beating Old Hararians 46 – 25 in the final of “We have seen the potential that our rug- Cup First Division in preparation for the World from our communities. After all we are money
the competition while Harare Sports Club set- by players have had so it's exciting to see just Cup qualifiers set for France in July. experts, we do well and for us it’s about giv-
tled for third following a 37 – 20 victory over how much the sport is loved in Zimbabwe and ing back to the communities who have done
the National Under-20 side. for us it was about taking the sport to the peo- Nedbank have also come up big for the so much for the brand and have taken us to
ple, to the communities and I think this tour- national team they renewed sponsorship for where we are today,” today she added.
Six teams namely Old Georgians, Old Ha- nament is testament to that,” Kwidini said. one more year after announcing an increased
rarians, Harare Sports Club Rugby, South- package for the country’s flagship rugby side Caption:
ern City, Manicaland Select and High Perfor- “We have seen rugby going to the com- which is aiming to qualify for its first Rugby Nedbank Senior Manager of Marketing,
mance Center Under-20 side took part in the munities where young boys that ordinarily World Cup in three decades. PR and Communications Mary-Anne Kwidi-
tournament which ran from February 19 to wouldn’t have been able to come on this kind ni (right) hands over the player of the tourna-
March 12. of platform have been able to come out and The commercial bank unveiled a massive ment accolade to Old Georgians player Ryan
it’s amazing to see. US$200 000 sponsorship which is almost Musumhi while Zimbabwe Rugby Union offi-
OG’s player Ryan Musumhi captured the double last year’s package of US$120 000 cials look on at Harare Sports Club on Satur-
“The potential is amazing and it would be which is meant to cater for the team’s prepa- day.
amiss for us to stop right here right now. Rug-