WEEKLY DIGEST MAY 11, 2022

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.Understanding the .When banks can no

need to protect patents longer be banks

Creating more chaos: The
era of unpredictable

policy-making continues

AFRICA IN BRIEF May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 2

Ex-Nigerian President Jonathan Dozens dead after suspected
dissociates self from 2023 bid militia raid in eastern DRC

1 Former Nigerian Presi- 4 Dozens of people were campments.
dent Goodluck Jonathan killed and many more Its fighters killed 18 people at a
will not seek the govern- are missing after armed
ing party ticket to con- men raided a mining church last month, and another 60
test presidential elections encampment near the town of at a camp for displaced people in
next year, his spokesman has said, Mongwalu in the Democratic Re- February, authorities have said.
ending months of speculation of a public of the Congo’s (DRC’s) east-
planned return to national politics. ern Ituri province, three civil society “The authorities were warned
A group of supporters from leaders said. because rumours were already cir-
northern Nigeria had bought nom- Army spokesman Jules Ngon- culating, but misfortune followed,”
ination forms for Jonathan to take go Tsikudi confirmed a deadly at- Lossa said.
part in the ruling All Progressives tack had taken place at a mining
Congress (APC) party’s primary camp near Mongwalu, but did not Attacks on civilians are daily haz-
elections scheduled for later detail the number of casualties. “In ards in DRC’s eastern provinces,
But in a statement late on Mon- the following hours we will know where groups like CODECO and
day, his spokesman Ikechukwu the exact number of deaths,” Tsiku- other warring militias, as well as a
Eze said the former president did di said late on Sunday. “The army local ISIL (ISIS) affiliate, routine-
not authorise the purchase of the is working day and night to com- ly spar for territory and resourc-
nomination forms, a requirement pletely eliminate the armed groups es. Such conflicts have killed thou-
for candidates to take part in pri- here in Ituri.” sands and displaced millions more
mary elections. Civil society leaders estimated since the turn of the decade, ac-
Jonathan was president be- that between 30 and 50 people cording to the Norwegian Refugee
tween 2010 and 2015, under the were killed. One said the local hos- Council.
People’s Democratic Party, now in pital had been overwhelmed by
opposition. the number of victims. This month marks one year
“While we appreciate the over- Dieudonné Lossa, who leads a since DRC’s government declared
whelming request by a cross-sec- collective of civil society groups martial law in Ituri and its neigh-
tion of Nigerians, for Dr Jonathan in Ituri, blamed the killings on the bouring North Kivu province to
to make himself available for the CODECO militia, which has built a quell the violence. But dead-
2023 presidential election, we wish reputation for attacking civilian en- ly raids have surged since then,
to state that he has not in any way, according to the Kivu Security
committed himself to this request,” Tracker, which monitors the con-
Eze said. flict in the region.
“We wish to categorically state
that Dr Jonathan was not aware of — Aljazeera
this bid and did not authorise it.”
It is common for Nigerian politi- Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, the former President of Nigeria at the
cians to switch sides during elec- United Nations headquarters in New York, US,
tions, but it would have been a sur-
prising about-turn if the APC had race to succeed him is wide open ter of Petroleum Timipre Sylva and
decided to embrace a candidate with more than 20 governing party several ministers and state gover-
it once derided as incompetent candidates registering to contest nors. Central bank governor, God-
when he was president. the primary vote. win Emefiele, is also making an un-
With President Muhammadu precedented presidential run.
Buhari due to step down next year Registration will end on Tuesday
after serving two full terms, the and a party committee will screen But the field is expected to nar-
the candidates, who include Vice row once political horse-trading
President Yemi Osinbajo, former starts, which will lead to some can-
Lagos state governor and party didates dropping out.
heavyweight Bola Tinubu, Minis-
— Aljazeera

South Africa says it is still analyzing details of $8,5
billion climate deal with rich nations

2 South Africa's gov- try shift away from coal, environ- conference in Glasgow, Scotland,
ernment is still analys- ment minister Barbara Creecy said last November. South Africa is the
ing details of a $8.5 bil- on Tuesday. The United States, world's 12th biggest emitter of cli-
lion financing package Britain, France, Germany and the mate-warming gases and a major
offered by rich Western European Union pledged the coal producer and user.
nations last year to help the coun- funding during the COP26 climate
— Reuters

Nigeria court denies Emefiele
request in presidential run

A Nigerian court sitting in the capi- Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari

3tal city of Abuja has dismissed Angolan diamond mine says Russia
central bank governor sanctions could hurt operations
Godwin Emefiele’s re-
quest to not be prevent- 5 Angola’s state-run di- The company expects revenue of
ed from contesting for the amond miner Endia- about $1.42bn from the sale of its
presidential ticket of any polit- ma could face a hit to diamonds this year.
ical party in the February 2023 elec- its operations as West-
tions. ern sanctions on Russia could de- “One of the great challenges
lay supplies of parts and machin- for 2022 will certainly be to main-
Emefiele’s suit, rejected on Mon- ery, according to a government tain the sustainability of the mines
day, was seeking to restrain the Inde- brochure. while the war between Russia and
pendent National Electoral Commis- The government publication was Ukraine lasts,” said the government
sion (INEC) and the country’s attor- made available at the Mining Inda- brochure, “since the sanctions that
ney general from disqualifying him ba conference in Cape Town on the United States and Western
from pursuing his presidential ambi- Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele briefs the media dur- Monday. Western nations have un- countries have imposed on Russia
tion. ing a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on January 24, 2020 leashed crippling economic sanc- may affect some national mining
companies, delaying the supply of
In his ruling, Justice Ahmed Ra- in the said parties’ presidential prima- mounted over the weekend when tions against Russia after Moscow’s some machinery, parts and spares.”
mat Mohammed turned down the ries” unless the court accelerated the the news broke that the 100 million invasion of Ukraine in late February.
request and summoned INEC and hearing.a naira (approximately $240,000) pres- Endiama, which holds the exclu- Endiama has signed contracts
the attorney general to appear be- idential nomination and expression of sive concession for diamond min- with Rio Tinto to explore its Chi-
fore the court on May 12 to state their Emefiele “has [an] aspiration to interest form of the ruling All Progres- ing rights in Angola, has already ri mine in the Angolan province of
sides. The bank chief said he was not seek election to the office of Presi- sives Congress (APC) party had been flagged an almost one-third re- Lunda Norte, while another project,
a political appointee but instead, a dent” in the 2023 elections, the court procured for the central bank chief. duction in diamond output to Luaxe, was also expected to begin
public servant. filing also read. 10.05 million carats this year, from pilot production, it added, without
— Aljazeera a forecast 13.8 million carats. providing a timeline.
According to a court filing signed Calls for Emefiele’s resignation had
May 6 and seen by Al Jazeera, Eme- — Aljazeera
fiele said he had brought the suit “to
urgently challenge the attempt to
disqualify and exclude him from par-
ticipating in the parties’ presiden-
tial primaries”, being held later this
month.

The filing added that Emefiele
“would be barred from participating

THE DIGEST VIEW May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 3

Govt must Grim: ED’s scorecard after 4 years
heed advice

on the
economy

is right.
Political interference in the run-
ning of the economy has proved THIS week had two special unprecedented educational and
days — Workers Day and Press employment opportunities for our
futile in Zimbabwe over the years. Freedom Day - they both had youths.
But it seems leaders are unwill- muted celebrations. Something
ing to learn. has changed, the economy is Mnangagwa was highly
not working and the two are now ambitious and has dramatically
“The downside is having the holidays threatened by extinction. failed to deliver. He has not
head of State announcing such
measures sending a clear sig- Zimbabwe has over the last created jobs that he promised.
two decades progressively de- Unemployment remains very
nal that politicians are direct- industrialised. Many of the high. The few that are lucky
ly involved in economic policy- factories that used to produce
making, notably monetary pol- goods are now warehouses, to be employed are generally
churches or just lying idle across underpaid, but heavily-taxed.
icy measures (where a greater the country. Workers were thrown On corruption, Mnangagwa
degree of central bank independ- into the street or the few lucky
ence is required), and in the pro- ones who received a decent exit has been all talk but no action.
package went into the informal In addition to the Zimbabwe
cess rendering the Reserve Bank sector. Anti-Corruption Commission, he
of Zimbabwe as an arm of polit-
ical decisionmaking,” the ZNCC The government’s fixation with set up a Special Anti-Corruption
Alfonce Mbizwo said. Robust sustainable meas- International Monetary Fund (IMF) Unit in his office, but the number
neoliberal policies like the Staff of investigated cases, trials and Paidamoyo Muzulu
Editor ures must be implemented to Monitored Programme means the convictions is worryingly low.
turn around the economy. country will continue to shed jobs. Many high-profile cases of
But government has chosen to Firing workers has been made
B USINESS’ criticism of ignore sound advice. easier since the Supreme Court’s graft are still to be completed. students in 2017. The number
government’s latest 2015 Zuva judgment that said dropped to 239 441 in 2018. There
measures to strength- Therein lies the tragedy of the employers like workers also had Former ministers Obadiah Moyo was a miraculous jump in 2019,
en the deteriorat- latest measures. a right to terminate employment and Priscah Mupfumira are still
contracts via a three-month free birds. So is Delish Nguwaya, when the numbers bounced to
Government has continued to notice period. 296 464. However, since then
stick its head in the sand, im- an associate of the President’s it has been a downhill trend. In
Thousands were laid off without sons. The optics don’t look good,
ing Zimbabwe dollar plementing measures that wors- any meaningful compensation. leading to the now common 2020, the figure further dropped
has exposed again the failure by en the economic crisis and are Zimbabwe is still recovering
President Emmerson Mnangag- against the letter and spirit of its from the employment carnage. phrase on corruption by citizens to 184 249. The year 2021 saw 163
Workers Day started losing its 179 registering.
wa’s government to address the ‘open for business’ mantra. lustre and the media did not give — catch and release. Numbers don’t lie. These are
it any prominent coverage. On health care, there is nothing
economic crisis. No serious investor will come modern and affordable for damning statistics. Whether they
The crisis is deepening and to a country run by a government The media, too, fell short in its
concrete measures are urgently prone to knee-jerk reactions such coverage of the Media Freedom all. Zimbabwe has witnessed are put in a pie-chart or a bar
Day. Not even a single mainstream graph, the picture is still grim.
required. as suspending bank lending, the media made it a lead story or a privatisation of the sector There is no way of putting it
carried it as an editorial comment. much to the chagrin of citizens.
Some of the measures an- lifeblood of the country’s finan- Public hospitals remain otherwise.
nounced by Mnangagwa in- cial services sector. These two issues of workers
clude the imposition of stiff tax- Measures put in place by and media workers’ rights have dilapidated, under-resourced and The only thing on
paled into significance when Mnangagwa’s upside is
es on foreign currency Mnangagwa’s government compared to the public transport understaffed. They have literally infrastructure development. He
crisis in Harare, in particular. The been kept open through generous
transfers and on the Some of in the past to protect government has dismally failed support of donor agencies. has worked really hard to improve
sale of Zimbabwe the local currency in- to provide decent, safe and infrastructure such as roads,
clude banning the efficient public transport to the Many Zimbabweans are still
Stock Exchange the measures an- multi-currency re- commuting public. dying from preventable diseases. dams, power generation and
shares. airports.
The meas- gime and mak- This failure is too glaring to Neonatal deaths have largely
nounced by Mnangagwa ing the Zimba- miss and prompted me to have remained high in the last 10 It should be noted that most of
ures are a look at President Emmerson these projects except roads are
aimed at bwe dollar the Mnangagwa’s scorecard after four years, a classic example that our
calming include the imposition of sole legal ten- years in office. The man has fallen healthcare has not developed. funded byChinese loans. However,
short on most of the things he it has to be acknowledged that
the mar- stiff taxes on foreign curren- der in 2019 asked the Zimbabwean electorate And to make matters worse, Mnangagwa’s administration
kets, but in and the infa- to judge him on. Zimbabweans are still dying of
feudal diseases like cholera and has tried to keep to delivery
many ways cy transfers and on the sale mous Statuto- Mnangagwa in his 2018 timetables and the results on that
they pose ry Instrument election manifesto said he would typhoid. Thousands too still die front are showing.
prioritise the following: Put job from malaria each year.
challenges of Zimbabwe Stock Ex- 127 which pe- creation first, have zero tolerance Mnangagwa also promised Perhaps, he realised this was a
for compa- nalises issuance to corruption, establish modern, low-hanging fruit or a quick win
of local curren- affordable health care system for to generate unprecedented
nies to sus- change shares. cy receipts for for- all, develop infrastructure worthy educational and employment and he has put all his energies
tain opera- of a new Zimbabwe and generate into it as the handle to be used in
tions. eign currency pur- opportunities for our youths. This
promise is far from being met as the 2023 re-election campaign.
This is why even chases and pricing In conclusion, it cannot escape
goods above the official many children are dropping out
after the announce- of school for various reasons but the observation that Mnangagwa
ment, the Zimbabwe auction rate. These measures
dollar continued to fall on the have a common denominator in primarily lack of funds. has only scored one out of five
promises he made. That is a 20%
black market. that they have failed dismally to Zimsec has also revealed mark, a fail by any measure —
that the number of Ordinary
This has resulted in skyrocket- stop the alarming free-fall of the Level students registering for quantitatively or qualitatively.
ing prices of basic commodities, Zimbabwe dollar.
as salaries lag behind the gallop- Similarly, these punitive meas- the November examinations This is a grim situation and the
gloomy picture will not look any
ing black market exchange rate. ures will fail to stem the rapid de- has dropped by a massive 50% better without a miracle.
since 2017, ironically the year
The Zimbabwe National Cham- preciation of the local currency Mnangagwa came to power via a
ber of Commerce (ZNCC) has not and things will not change until
pulled any punches in raising government consults and imple- coup. Paidamoyo Muzulu is a journalist
There were 332 473 registered based in Zimbabwe. He writes in
alarm over political interference ments advice proffered by busi- his personal capacity.
in monetary policy issues, and it ness and other stakeholders.

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,
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ANALYSIS May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 4

When at the RBZ’s auction, but still lower than Retailers are allowed a variance of 10%
banks the more widely parallel market rate. on the interbank rate.
can no
longer

be
banks

Payment of the local part of foreign

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ELECTORAL ACT [CHAPTER 2:13]
announced a raft of measures that he ELECTION NOTICE
says are necessary to stabilize the ex-
change rate. _______________________________________________________________________

Flanked by Finance Minister Mthu- ___________P_O_L__L_I_N_G__S_T__A_T_I_O__N_S__&__W__A_R_D__C__O_L__L_A_T__IO__N__C_E__N_T__R_E_S___________
li Ncube and RBZ governor John Man- Notice is hereby given in terms of section 51(3) of the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13] that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has established 41 polling stations where
gudya, Mnangagwa said “strong fun-
damentals” such as forex inflows show polling will take place on Saturday 7 May 2022. The polling stations shall be located at the centers specified in the Schedule 1 below.
that the “recent exchange rate depre- Polling shall take place from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of electing councilors for the specified wards.
ciation is driven by factors outside the
obtaining economic fundaments. This SCHEDULE 1
is comparable to the work of econom- 7 May 2022 By-elections Polling Stations
ic hitmen”.
SER DISTRICT LOCAL AUTHORITY WARD POLLING STATION NAME
The new measures make using USD 1 Chitungwiza Chitungwiza Municipality 7 Open Space Cnr Chigunguru/Hombarume Rd Tent A
more expensive, an attempt to ease 2 Chitungwiza Chitungwiza Municipality 7 Open Space Cnr Chigunguru/Hombarume Rd Tent B
pressure on the Zimdollar. But measures 3 Chitungwiza Chitungwiza Municipality 7 Tangenhamo Primary School AA
on banks, money supply and the stock 4 Chitungwiza Chitungwiza Municipality 7 Tangenhamo Primary School AB
market may brew fresh uncertainty. 5 Chitungwiza Chitungwiza Municipality 7 Tangenhamo Primary School B
6 Makoni Rusape Town Council 5 Rujeko Primary School
Here, newZWire summarises some of 7 Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Chengetai Primary School
the steps announced this evening. 8 Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Chikanga General Dealer Tent
9 Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Chikanga Primary School A
Bank lending suspended 10 Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Chikanga Primary School B
All bank lending, whether to govern- 11 Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Chikanga Primary School C
ment or private sector, has been sus- 12 Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Chikanga Secondary School
pended. This unprecedented move is 13 Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Corner Shop World Bank Tent A
“to minimize money creation of broad 14 Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Corner Shop World Bank Tent B
money that is prone to abuse for spec- 15 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Beulah Heights Secondary School A
ulative purposes”, Mnangagwa said in 16 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Beulah Heights Secondary School B
his statement. RBZ had only recently in- 17 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Murahwa Hill Primary School AA
creased interest rates to 80% hoping to 18 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Murahwa Hill Primary School AB
limit money supply growth. 19 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Murahwa Hill Primary School AC
This will have a major impact on busi- 20 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Murahwa Hill Primary School AD
nesses – both large and small – and 21 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Murahwa Hill Primary School BA
banks, whose main job is lending. 22 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Murahwa Hill Primary School BB
According to RBZ data, total loans 23 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 Murahwa Hill Primary School BC
and advances grew 179% in 2021, a year 24 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 St Marys Secondary School AA
in which inflation ended at 61%. Micro- 25 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 St Marys Secondary School AB
finance lenders had over 307 000 cus- 26 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 St Marys Secondary School BA
tomers at the end of the year. 27 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 St Marys Secondary School BB
If your business runs into any working 28 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 TM Shopping Centre Tent A
capital problems, you cannot, for now, 29 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 TM Shopping Centre Tent B
go to your bank for a loan to help with 30 Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 TM Shopping Centre Tent C
your cash flow. Companies borrow from 31 Mt Darwin Pfura RDC 40 Chaminuka Training Centre
banks to pay for cash flow, including for 32 Mt Darwin Pfura RDC 40 Chomagora Primary School A
payments such paying salaries and bills. 33 Mt Darwin Pfura RDC 40 Chomagora Primary School B
For now, you cannot get a bank loan 34 Mt Darwin Pfura RDC 40 Manhondo Business Centre Tent A
to start a business. This ban affects 35 Mt Darwin Pfura RDC 40 Manhondo Business Centre Tent B
even commercial farmers, who rely on 36 Kariba Kariba Municipality 3 Ambassador Church Tent A
banks such as CBZ and the AFC to fund 37 Kariba Kariba Municipality 3 Ambassador Church Tent B
their cropping. 38 Kariba Kariba Municipality 3 Nyanhewe Primary School
Government has also limited mon- 39 Kariba Kariba Municipality 4 Mahombekombe Primary School
ey supply growth targets to 0% per
quarter. Roughly, this means RBZ will 40 Kariba Kariba Municipality 8 Ministry of Transport Tent
not be printing any new money, but it 41 Kariba Kariba Municipality 8 Near Lake Harvest Tent
also means that there is no new money
whatsoever for lending, which may hurt The Ward Election Officers for the by-elections are in column five of the list in Schedule 2. The Ward Command Centres are in column 4 of Schedule 2 below. SCHEDULE 2
the economy even more.
Such measures are rare. In August, WARD COLLATION CENTRES
Ethiopia’s central bank temporarily sus-
pended all lending by banks using col- District Local Authority Ward Collation Centre Ward Elections Officer Sex
lateral, citing “economic sabotage”. Chitungwiza Chitungwiza Municipality 7 Tangenhamo Pri.School Mamungaire Tapson M
New day, new rate Makoni Rusape Town Council 5 Rujeko Primary. School M
Retailers and wholesalers can now use Mutare Mutare Municipality 14 Chikanga Primary School Chirere Ocean M
a new “interbank exchange rate”. This is Mutare Mutare Municipality 16 St Mary’s Secondary School Mudehwe Cornelius W F
a rate that was introduced in April when Mt. Darwin Pfura RDC 40 Chomagora Primary School Chipise Sekai M
RBZ allowed banks to buy or sell fo- Kariba Kariba Municipality 3 Nyanhewe Primary School Chadereka Coster F
rex of up to US$1000 from customers. Kariba Kariba Municipality 4 Mahombekombe Pri. School Karenge Tsungirirayi F
The limit on this facility has now been Kariba Kariba Municipality 8 Ministry of Transport Hikwa Sarah M
bumped up to US$5000 per day and Mbewe Godfrey
US$10 000 a week.
This is some admission by govern- U. Silaigwana
ment that the auction rate is overval- Chief Elections Officer
ued, and may signal the first steps away ZIMBABW ELECTORA COMMISSION
from the auction. But the new rate it-
self is still off the market value. The in-
terbank rate was Z$268 to the US dollar
at banks this week, compared to Z$166

ANALYSIS May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 5

currency taxes, duties and royalties will RBZ will no longer auction forex that it ments within 14 days. Government says auction backlog by the end of May.
now be at the new interbank rate. does not have, and it must settle allot- it is making money available to clear the Using USD just got more expensive
Government has made moves to try

and make it more expensive to use US
dollars.

Electronic transactions for local cur-
rency will continue to attract the 2%
tax. But if you transfer USD locally, you
will now have to pay a 4% transaction.
If you withdraw USD cash of above
US$1000, you will now pay a levy of
2% per transaction, up from 5 cents
per transaction.

A half-measure for exporters
Exporters have to sell 40% of their
export earnings at the official rate.
Previously, they got that money at the
auction rate. Now, that 40% will be
paid the interbank rate. While export-
ers now get more, it is unlikely to sat-
isfy them. They have called for the to-
tal removal of the foreign currency re-
tention system completely, saying it is
losing them value.
Sticking to current forex system
The government is sticking to the
dual currency system. Collection of
revenue in USD will continue to sup-
port spending, such as the importation
of vaccines, infrastructure, or paying
debts. De-dollarisation will be “care-
fully managed”, Mnangagwa said.
Stock exchange: scapegoat?
Government says there has been
“regulatory weakness” on the ZSE that
is helping fuel market speculation.
Brokers can no longer transfer funds
from one client sub-account to anoth-
er. Transfer out of a client sub-account
will only be to the client’s account,
and not to another person’s account.
Government says current taxes do
not encourage traders to hold shares
for a long period of time, causing
“speculative bubbles”. Shares sold be-
fore 9 months will now attract 40%
capital gains tax. This will force inves-
tors to hold shares for longer.
The ZSE came under attack last
week from ZANU PF spokesman Chris
Mutsvangwa, who accused brokers
of taking payment in US dollars from
clients to buy shares on the ZWL-de-
nominated ZSE.
Transport: Kombi U-turn
Government is again opening public
transport to private players, hoping to
ease a crisis bought by its imposition
of the ZUPCO monopoly. Government
will allow for duty-free importation,
for 12 months, on vehicles that meet
regulations to be issued.

Electronic transactions for
local currency will continue
to attract the 2% tax. But if
you transfer USD locally, you
will now have to pay a 4%
transaction. If you withdraw
USD cash of above US$1000,
you will now pay a levy of 2%
per transaction, up from 5

cents per transaction.

COVER May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 6

Creating more chaos: The era of
unpredictable policy-making continues

By Obvious Khumalo and Rapirai Mat- surance covers making planning for the scare away investors. nesses relies on borrowing for short term
future a nightmare for businesses and In our view, the RBZ should restrict and long-term financing and operation-
Iimba individuals. However, this is a welcome al needs. Thus, production and capacity
n an attempt to halt the deterio- measure but it will not be enough to gain money supply growth to contain infla- utilisation is likely to decline leading to a
rating Zimbabwe dollar, new meas- back the trust that has been lost and the tion, but there is no need to starve the decline in formal employment levels. All
ures were pronounced on the 7th of credibility of Government’s policies. country of capital. It also throttles eco- these will in turn impact GDP growth in
May 2022. We took this opportuni- nomic activity even at a time the econo- 2022 to levels even lower than the IMF
ty to analyse the newly announced Suspension of lending by banks my is already fragile and might usher in projection of 3.5% for 2022.
measures earmarked to restore confi- The suspension, according to the Pres- a deadlier episode (recession).
dence and curb market indiscipline. The ident, will minimise the creation of broad Suspension of third-party country
recent exchange rate movement accord- money that is prone to abuse for pur- The Zimbabwean economy is high- payment on foreign payment
ing to the government has been caused poses of manipulating the exchange ly informalized alongside countries like
by negative sentiments by economic rate for financial gains and to allow cur- Nigeria and Gabon. One of the major Third party country foreign payments
agents as opposed to economic funda- rent investigations. Surely, this is not an reasons being the punitive tax regime have been suspended. This is to stem
mentals. We thus analyse the measures ideal measure to control the growth in which is currently in place. This limits susceptible illicit financial flows.
and their possible implications on the broad money supply. This will likely re- the government revenue collection giv-
economy here under; sult to the following: en that most of these informal business- Clearance of foreign auction backlog
 Denting our rank of doing busi- es do not pay taxes directly and oth- The RBZ set to clear the backlog by
Restoration of value on Bank depos- ness since availability of credit is one of er social security contributions. By sus- end of May 2022 and ensuring that all
its the key pillars. The country is currently pending bank lending, back yard money foreign currency allotments are settled
ranked number 67 globally with a score lenders and loan sharks will thrive given within a period of 14 days post auction
The economy has been in currency cy- of 65 in the 2019 Ease of Doing Business that the money outside the banking sys- allotment and allotting only cash which
cles and these cycles have become vi- Report under the getting credit pillar. tem will be earning more premium. is available. It is of great concern that
cious. The back and forth has eroded  legitimizing a parallel banking sys- such pronouncements have been made
the economic agents’ savings, pension tem with usurious interest rates which The suspension of lending by banks before and the same problems contin-
schemes, medical aid schemes and in- will likely worsen the current econom- ued. This is because these commitments
ic turmoil. The whole world over busi- and timelines have been given before

COVER May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 7

without addressing the inefficiencies. nouncements. lel market rate), it is difficult to attract sufficient foreign currency liquidity
Raising the willing buyer willing sell- Implications: The Zimbabwe dollar significant seller thus the market being to support full dollarization in Zim-
skewed towards buying forex which is babwe.
er limit now has three prices (Foreign Exchange not ideal.
The amount that can be traded under Auction, Interbank Forex market and the Collection of revenue in foreign
Parallel foreign market). This presents ar- Continuation of the dual currency currency to continue
this arrangement have been increased bitrage opportunities which has been system
to a maximum of US$5,000 per day with there since the introduction of the For- Given the loss of faith in our local
a limit of US$10,000 per week per indi- eign Exchange Auction in June 2020. This stance is commendable since a currency by economic agents, they
vidual. This has in actual fact increased Given that the rate from the Interbank fast-paced de-dollarisation would not get rid of it the very moment they
the weekly withdrawal limit by US$4,000 foreign Exchange market is still far be- be ideal given the current volatile ex- receive it. Therefore, it is imperative
since an individual was able to withdraw low the market determined rate (paral- change situation and wayward inflation that the government continues to en-
US$6,000 per week before these pro- rate. In addition to the above, there is in- hance confidence building measures
for the local currency.

Reserve money growth targeting
The quarterly reserve money growth
has been reviewed downwards to 0%
per quarter. This entails that the gov-
ernment has left no room at all for
even a slight growth in reserve money
supply growth. Since 2020, the RBZ
has been commendable on reserve
money management. However, it is
of great concern that narrow money
is still growing at unprecedented lev-
els making Zimbabwe dollars readi-
ly available leading it to its deprecia-
tion and becoming even weaker. It is
a global practice to focus on reserve
money which the central bank has to-
tal control over, but it is our view that
the Zimbabwean situation requires a
broader approach.
Measures on the Stock Market
 inter account transfers between
client sub account with a broker are
now prohibited
 third party funding of client sub-
account is no longer permitted.
 Transfer out of a client sub ac-
count with a broker shall only be al-
lowed to the customer’s bank ac-
count and not third parties.
 Capital gains tax for shares held
for a period not exceeding 270 days
has been reviewed from 20% to 40%.
World over, capital markets by their
nature are intricately linked and they
reflect inherent distortions in the
market. It is against this backdrop
that the recent ZSE bull run was a
sign of the distortions in the foreign
exchange and money markets. Thus,
imposing hasty regulations will cre-
ate operational bottlenecks and will
make the ZSE unattractive to both lo-
cal and foreign investors.
Implications: We are of the view
that these policies will have an ef-
fect of cooling off the stock market in
the short to medium term. This would
be as a result of the limited access to
Zimbabwe dollar liquidity and the in-
crease in trading costs. Trading vol-
umes would tumble in the short term
but trading activity will gradually re-
cover in the medium to long term.
Foreign investors participation will
continue to decline being triggered
by the lower levels of confidence giv-
en the policy uncertainties and in-
consistencies. Investors cannot free-
ly move money in and out of Zimba-
bwe let alone repatriate dividends
and proceeds from the sale of assets
(shares included).
Differential Intermediate Money
transfer tax (IMTT).
The 2% in place will continue to ap-
ply to local currency transfers while
domestic foreign currency transfers
will now attract 4% IMTT. It is our
view that this tax on foreign curren-
cy transfers will likely increase infor-
malisation of the economy given that
transactions can be simply be cash
based and outside the formal chan-
nel. This will result in a reduction in
foreign currency deposits into the
formal banking system.
Foreign currency cash withdraw-
al levy
Foreign currency withdrawals of
cash above US$1,000 will now attract
a 2% levy. This is likely to be an im-
pediment for customers to use the
formal banking system thus dragging
back all financial inclusion efforts. As
such banks should use this as an op-
portunity to develop digital platforms
for US$ transactions.
Conclusion
The above policy measures will only
affect the stock market in the short
term and likely to cool off in the me-
dium to long term.
The writers are researchers at
Wealth Access Securities

FEATURE May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 8

Understanding the need to protect patents

OFREEMAN MAKOPA AfrIPI project leader Dennis Scheirs ties. The assurance of legal pro- in the creation of new designs parties that have not contribut-
N April 27, 2022, unauthorised copying or imita- tection encourages investments by making it unlawful for third ed to the design process to ben-
the African Re- tion of the design by third par-
gional Intellectual
Property Organi-
zation (ARIPO) and
the Intellectual Property Rights
and Innovation Project in Afri-
ca (AfrIPI) hosted a workshop on
designs and utility models for
ARIPO Member States meant to
raise awareness, provide train-
ing and promote ARIPO’s re-
gional system for registering
designs and utility model trends
in various ARIPO and European
jurisdictions.

A utility model is also known
as a ‘petty patent’. While a pat-
ent requires complicated tech-
nical requirements to secure le-
gal rights, a utility model is suit-
able for inventions involving less
technical input. A utility mod-
el must be new and useful. Most
utility models consist of tech-
nical improvements to prod-
ucts or processes that provide a
practical use or new effects.

The workshop aligned with
ARIPO’s mission of ‘fostering
creativity and innovation for
socio-economic growth of the
member states through an ef-
fective Intellectual Property
System. Though the utility mod-
els and designs have the ca-
pacity to uplift communities
through creating employment,
there are a lot of unregistered
utility models around the world.

However, registering a design
ensures that the person or en-
tity that owns the design is as-
sured an exclusive right against

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FEATURE May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 9

efit from the creativity of others. Distinguished Gentlemen
Furthermore, Intellectual property rights re- Zimbabwe`s Business Leaders

fer to a wide range of assets, such as patents, 2022
trademarks, copyrights, plant varieties or geo-
graphical indications. From a company brand CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
to furniture design, all these products and
creations can be protected. Each intellectual The ICDZ hereby calls for nominations for the “2022 Distinguished Gentlemen”. This is in order to recognize
property right has its own characteristics and businessmen in Zimbabwe who in their life and work, personify outstanding qualities and achievement in leadership,
type of protection that it confers. advancement of sound economic practices, and adherence to the highest ethical standards.

Therefore, it is very important for innovators The theme for this year is 'Illustrious governance in the midst of crises” with the slogan “Listen. Learn. Lead”. This is in
and businesses to identify what potential intel- view of the challenging and volatile environment that the Zimbabwean industry is currently facing and the need to
lectual property assets they own and know how recognize insightful leaders who are of keen penetration and discernment. These distinguished gentlemen are leaders
best to protect them, as oftentimes it is their who seized and pursued commercial opportunities that have made their organizations realize sustainable growth.
most valuable asset.
Eligibility and Criteria
A strong intellectual property environment
will boost the participation of African countries ICDZ will recognize business leaders from the following categories:
in the world’s economy. It will also stimulate in- • Sector 1: Large and Listed Companies.
novation and competitiveness in the private • Sector 2: Small and Medium Enterprises.
sector. Therefore, sound national IP rights sys- • Sector 3: Public Enterprises and Parastatals .
tems are the backbone of innovative countries, • Sector 4: Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
thus favouring economic growth. • Special recognition: Leadership that reflects the practical, useful, entrepreneurship,
humanitarian and philanthropic spirit.
Aripo director general Bemanya Twebaze
said there are more than 4 million utility mod- • Must have over 20 years of relevant business experience.
els in the world, but very few of them are reg- • Must be of Zimbabwean origin.
istered. • Must have shown organizational excellence and demonstrate outstanding contributions to the

“As the ARIPO region, we find ourselves in a economy.
uniquely advantageous position because it is • Must be above 40 years of age.
not every country or region where utility models
are protected. In ARIPO, utility models, togeth- Nomina on Submission
er with industrial designs, already have a robust
instrument, the Harare Protocol. According to Nominations must include the following:
Statistica, the total number of utility models in • Name and contact information of nominee
the world is about 4 million and although we • Nominee's curriculum vitae or detailed biography.
know we have lots of these models in our farms, • Nominee`s photograph.
firms, and in our villages, very few are formal- • Comprehensive narrative statement describing the nominee`s traceable
ly registered or protected. Utility model prod- achievements for the recognition.
ucts are inextricably linked to our SMEs and
have the capability of uplifting our communi- Closing date for nomina ons is 20 May 2022.
ties from unemployment. We are a creative and
problem-solving society and because of that, I Our Official Media Partners:
see endless opportunities in utility models and
industrial designs for the continent,” he said. Send to: [email protected] 0242 692838 /+263 772 236 003 /+263 779 520 700 /+263 773 237 914

ARIPO has over the years adopted and imple-
mented various intellectual property Protocols
that govern the grant, registration and admin-
istration of various intellectual property rights
on behalf of member states that are party to
the various Protocols and whose national laws
recognise such intellectual property rights.

Intellectual property rights granted or regis-
tered in ARIPO under its various Protocols are
subject to the national laws of member states
on compulsory licences, forfeiture, cancella-
tion, use of in the public interest, cancellation
or invalidation.

AfrIPI project leader Dennis Scheirs high-
lighted that having intellectual property rights
allows innovation centres to grow and thereby
contribute to African economies.

“This workshop links innovators of more than
20 African countries with the Intellectual Prop-
erty Offices of these countries. This will further
boost innovation in the region, as the protec-
tion of their Industrial Property rights will al-
low the innovation centres to prosper, grow,
and contribute to the African economies. As Af-
rIPI, we are delighted to facilitate workshops
like these that favourably contribute to Africa’s
economies and the Agenda 2030 for Sustaina-
ble Development,” he said.

Scheirs added that there were four main com-
ponents that AfrIPI help their partners with.

“AfrIPI has four main components. The first
component is the promotion of international IP
frameworks and the IP Chapter negotiations of
AfCFTA agreement. We have one of our long-
term experts based in Accra to give full-time
support to the African Union secretariat in con-
ducting these negotiations. The second com-
ponent is about capacity building. This com-
ponent mainly focuses on IT tools that can
bring efficiency gains and increased transpar-
ency and examination guidelines that bring in-
creased quality decisions. The third component
is the awareness of IP for African SMEs.

“Only a few African SMEs are aware of the ad-
vantages that IP can bring to them and how it
can make their businesses stronger. The fourth
component is dedicated to geographical indi-
cations. An example of this is the French cham-
paigne or the Cameroonian Penja Pepper or the
goat meat Cabrito de Tete in Mozambique,” he
said.

They are local products that obtain their
characteristics by being produced in a specif-
ic geographical area and can, therefore, real-
ly boost the local economy when properly ex-
ploited and protected.

However, Industrial designs, also under Hara-
re Protocol, are more of the ornamental or aes-
thetic aspects of items which makes the items
more appealing thus enhancing their commer-
cial value. The term might sound abstract but
the designers are the architects, visual art pro-
fessionals, car designers, and others. The de-
signs do not protect intangible goods that are
not visible to the eye.

FEATURE May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 10

Contested conservancies:
The example of Kenya
TIAN SCOONES
o complement the recent ades, the conservancy model is only beautiful, but also has fan- livestock and tourism run a farm as a family business,
series of blogs on con- now central to a high-profile and tastic natural resources and dur- Our short visit to just one con- first established in the 1963, imme-
servation and develop- well-funded push towards con- ing drought periods huge num- diately after Independence when
ment issues in the south- servation in these areas, notably bers of wildlife move down from servancy was of course insufficient the current owners’ father took
east Lowveld of Zimba- through the controversial Northern further north in search of pasture to get a full picture, but a number over. The original farm was settled
bwe, I thought readers might be Rangelands Trust (NRT). and water. of themes nevertheless emerged. after the World War I, when the
interested in a recent piece I wrote northern Maasai pastoral popula-
for the PASTRES blog based on a Certainly, the Laikipia area is not Conservancies: mixing wildlife, Our hosts were one of the now
visit to Laikipia in northern Ken- relatively few white Kenyans who
ya kindly facilitated by the Laikipia
Forum. It includes some commen-
tary on parallels but also differenc-
es with Zimbabwe. Read on…..

Across vast areas of relatively
high potential rangeland in Ken-
ya, advocates for conservancies
proclaim the advantages of com-
bining livestock and wildlife in in-
tegrated, conservation-oriented
land uses, linked to tourism. This,
it is claimed, has benefits both for
biodiversity and wildlife protec-
tion, as well as for the local econ-
omy, with ‘community conservan-
cies’ being the latest effort to ex-
pand the model out from the core
private land of Laikipia into pasto-
ral areas beyond.

Conservancies have emerged
in Kenya as a new form of regis-
tered land use in this area over
the last decade or so, now for-
malised through the 2013 Wildlife
Conservation and Management
Act. Building on successful exper-
iments in combining livestock and
wildlife land uses over many dec-

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FEATURE May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 11

tions were removed from this area and solider set- cluding accusations of political interfer- that under-funded national parks cannot. great work they are doing. With the po-
tlers given land. However, it was only into the 1940s ence in encouraging pastoralists to enter The bringing down of fences across vast litical-business-international donor elite
when a white settler rancher took over the land, as- the area, but also a view that longer-term areas, such as the Save Valley, occurred from Nairobi regularly visiting, Laikipia is
sisted by Italian prisoners of war who helped build conflictual relations with neighbours did in Zimbabwe from the late 1980s, part of valued as major national asset, and lead-
the infrastructure. Most ranches across Laikipia not help. Land incursions in Laikipia are a what many thought was a tactic to offset ing political families (as seems inevitably
were established in a similar way, with white Ken- common event, especially during extreme land claims through growing moves to- the case in Kenya) have stakes in the area.
yan settlers running cattle operations. However, drought periods, as today. They are also wards reform. ‘Community’ outreach and
over time, many such original settlers or their fami- part of a cycle of populist electioneering projects in neighbouring areas in turn were Some conservancies have exceptional-
lies have sold up and moved away. tactics, where politicians can point to the seen as a route to offering ‘development’, ly good PR machines, with hagiograph-
vast lands and encourage armed pastoral- based on a wider commitment to the area, ic books profiling owners, alongside great
Those who run conservancies these days are a ists to take ‘their’ land, but without any real although of course never assuaging land international press coverage highlight-
mixed bunch, ranging from rich tycoons from the intention of following up. hunger or dealing with deep inequality. In ing the wonderful work being done, with
Middle East to eccentric, passionate conservation- the southeast Lowveld of Zimbabwe that I glossy pictures of threatened charismatic
ists from the US and Europe to families, such as our Contested land know well, this has been quite a success- animals and their conservation. With royal
hosts, who have lived in these areas for genera- In the weeks before visiting Laikip- ful ploy, and even at the height of the land patronage thrown in (the future king and
tions. For some, the fantasies of living in ‘wild’ Af- ia, I had been in Zimbabwe. There are of invasions in 2000-01, key conservancies queen of England apparently proposed
rica, conserving endangered animals and enjoying course many resonances with the land sto- were protected, including from the very to each other on one of the conservancies
sundowners around an infinity pool loom large. For ry there. Similar settler colonial histories, a top. in a very fancy lodge), there is a very high
some conservancies that don’t need to turn a profit racialised pattern of land holding, popu- level of support, which disgruntled pasto-
Laikipia is the playground of a super-rich, but con- list political rhetoric about land access and Although of course not articulated in this ralists, even when agitated by local politi-
servation oriented, eco-passionate, Western elite. a deep inequality in who has land, espe- way, the Laikipia conservancies have fol- cians,
Our hosts however were not of this type, and were cially better-quality land. Having studied lowed a similar route, bolstered by the new
much more grounded in the local context, neces- land reform in Zimbabwe over many years, legal status, and so formal recognition, of Beyond, the polarised debates a more
sarily having to make a living from the ranch; al- seeing such vast areas in Kenya still under conservancies. Although not the case for open deliberation about the future of the
though with other income sources to supplement ‘white’ control was striking. How could this our hosts who receive no external fund- drylands – and the role of both pastoral-
too, as the ranch income is insufficient to cover all still be the case? ing, many receive huge amounts of subsi- ism and wildlife use within this – is clearly
costs. Conservancies have been used in Zim- dy from international conservation organi- required, as the future of Laikipia and the
babwe too as a route to assert land con- sations and even massive grants from aid conservancies remains highly contested.
The ranch covers a total of 15,600 acres (small trol, with the case being made that high- agencies, in support of their ‘community’ This blog was written by Ian Scoones and
by Laikipia standards; nearby Ol Pejeta covers over value tourism generates foreign exchange work. Some even have TV deals with glob- originally appeared on the PASTRES blog
90,000 acres), with most devoted to open range- and that wildlife needs conserving in ways al channels to profile their animals and the
land, and 600 acres currently allocated to arable
farming. The core business remains livestock pro- CONGRATULATIONS
duction, focusing on producing high-quality breeds
for live sale, both cattle and sheep. The land is ide- The management and staff of Gray Group of Companies congratulates
al, with good grass and relatively high (on average) Annavestah Mudiwa for scooping the Director of the year award at the
rainfall at 800mm per annum; although due to ex-
traction of groundwater by upstream farming op- Megafest Business awards (Midlands region)
erations on the edge of Mount Kenya (mostly flow-
ers and export vegetables), the rivers are not flow- Your noteworthy accomplishment is a culmination of your efforts and wisdom
ing as often as before. Breeding animals is a skilled, which will propel you to even more triumphs.
niche business developed over years through care-
ful breeding and management. This offers great- GRAY MOBILE BRANCHES GRAY HOMES VESTAL PERFUMES VESTAL PHARMACY
er returns than beef production, although they do Shurugwi Filabusi 44 Longden Easgate Market BRANCHES
lease land to NRT beef herds; currently only 150 Harare Gwanda Belvedere Shop A14 Shurugwi
head, but at times up to a thousand. These animals Zvishavane Beightbridge Gwanda
are bought up by the Trust in pastoral areas and Mberengwa Contact us 0784614434
fattened on conservancy land for later sale. Pre-
sented as a ‘development’ effort by NRT, it is essen-
tially a commercial venture making use of plentiful
land and cheap grazing leases in the ranches.

The other activity on the ranch is a high-end tour-
ism facility, which is run by another branch of rhte
same family. With a limited number of exclusive
chalets, with riverside game viewing, a pool and
restaurant (which prepares dishes now featured in
a beautiful, illustrated book), the lodge can attract
tourists able to pay high daily rates (the ‘local’ rate
was beyond our budget, so we stayed in Nanyu-
ki!). This type of tourism, very much framed around
sustainability and conservation efforts, is common
across the conservancies.

With hunting banned in Kenya, non-consumptive
wildlife uses are the only way to make money from
the plentiful wildlife populating the conservan-
cies, including all the ‘big five’ charismatic animals
– with large herds of elephants trashing the trees.
Yoga retreats, corporate meetings, wildlife safaris,
bird watching and so on are all part of the packages
offered. And the place was indeed amazing! While
COVID had dramatically hit the international tourist
market, ‘local’ tourists filled the gap (including Nai-
robi businesspeople, UN types and so on, all clearly
with more cash than us researchers).

Relations with neighbours
The ranch we visited was not far from Nanyuki so
had neighbours on ‘community land’ nearby. The
contrast across the fence line was dramatic. On one
side was plentiful grazing, open savanna and along
the fence line expansive wheat fields, all beautiful-
ly laid out. On the other side was a barren, dusty
selection of dwellings, with a few goats and some
scrawny looking cattle around, and the odd irrigat-
ed garden for vegetables. It is no wonder that those
living outside look over the fence enviously.
In this particular conservancy, the relations with
the local community are seemingly relatively good.
While not many people are employed on the ranch
(around 50 on the livestock operation, and 25 at the
lodge), some do come from the villages around, es-
pecially for temporary piece jobs (about 25-30 are
employed on short-term contracts through the
year). The local chiefs and other key people impor-
tant in local politics are regularly invited for discus-
sions on the ranch. Nevertheless, the area has to be
guarded, a big fence is erected, a buffer zone of
wheat fields has been planted and regular arrests
take place as people break in to graze animals. Giv-
en the serious drought over the past few years, the
ranch owners have allowed some people to bring
their animals in on an informal lease grazing ar-
rangement, but this is very selective, targeted at
those who matter and can keep the peace.
Peaceful relations with neighbours is not always
the case in the Laikipia conservancies. The shoot-
ing of Kuki Gallmann, owner of the vast Laikipia Na-
ture Conservancy, in 2017 was a recent example of
where poach grazing and land invasions turned to
violence. Many stories surround this incident, in-

FEATURE May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 12

In Zimbabwe,
conflict
escalates
between
elephants
and humans

For months, the idea of her crops being un- phants at night in the fields in Siyalwindi, season is likely to yield a poor harvest even threatened.
able to pass another night in the field un- Zimbabwe [Credit: Derick Matsengarwod- as the elephants continue to launch regular “We don’t sleep in our homes at night,
perturbed while she dozed indoors rattled zi/Al Jazeera] raids. So the villagers are doubling down on
Flora Mangwana so much. These days, the crop protection, saying farming as a prima- we stay awake trying to keep away the el-
40-year old farmer sleeps in a makeshift Survival of the fittest ry source of livelihood in Siyalwindi is being ephants that are coming for the little crops
hut outside her home in Siyalwindi, northwestern Due to poor rainfall, the current farming we have,” Mangwana added.
Zimbabwe.

For more than a dozen years now, herds of ele-
phants from the nearby Hwange National Park in-
vade her family plot every other night, devouring the
planted maize before it reaches maturity.

That has often left Mwangana, her family’s bread-
winner, scrambling to find other food sources to
feed her family of six. Ahead of harvest this April, she
is worried about a repeat scenario.

“The elephants are coming to our fields in large
numbers and we are not going to harvest much this
season,” she said. “Every year, we don’t harvest much
because of the elephants. This year, there was little
rainfall and elephants are still becoming a big prob-
lem, destroying our fields.”

The Hwange National Park is the biggest wild-
life reserve in the southern African nation. In 1928, it
was declared a game reserve. Stretching over 14,600
square km and located in the eastern part of the
Kalahari Desert, a low rainfall area, it is home to more
than 100 mammal and 400 bird species.

During the dry season, the competition for food
and water intensifies, resulting in conflicts among
the animals. For years, some of these animals, the el-
ephants, have also been straying into residential ar-
eas around the park. The invasion has led to loss of
crops on farmland and lives across the country.

Things have worsened as the elephant popula-
tion in the game park increased over the years to
more than 50,000, far beyond its holding capacity of
10,000, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management
(ZimParks) told the BBC.

In 2020, there were more than 50 injuries and 60
deaths due to growing wildlife-human conflict, ac-
cording to ZimParks’ website. It was an increase of
more than fifty percent from the previous year.

In search of good pastures and water holes, the
villagers drive their livestock into the game park.
Thomas Tshuma, 47, a cattle herder has encoun-
tered elephants while tending to his livestock in the
game park.

“Each time we go into the game to herd our live-
stock, the elephants are harassing us, attacking and
chasing away our livestock at watering holes and
pastures,” Tshuma told Al Jazeera. “The grazing lands
are now scarce and we have to look for better pas-
tures to feed our animals.”

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To protect their crops, the villagers have formed
watch groups to scare away the elephants using
primitive weapons and bonfires. When the animals
emerge from the park, the watchmen start beating
metal tins loudly to frighten them.
But experts also say that this human activity is part
of the problem.
“Land use change and continuous human en-
croachment near and sometimes in protected areas
is the driving factor to the increase in Human-Wild-
life Conflict”, said Shamiso Mupara, executive direc-
tor of Mutare-based nonprofit Environmental Bud-
dies Zimbabwe. “And it likely results in both parties
suffering.”
The increase in demand for land use around
Hwange has seen communities encroaching on the
game park.
“Before the conflicts started, there was a fence
dividing the community and the park. However, it
was removed and the elephants have access to the
community farmlands,” said Ndlelende Ncube, the
founder of Tikobane Trust, a Hwange-based conser-
vation volunteer group. “Also, the increase in popu-
lation has resulted in the occupation of buffer zones,
sometimes a kilometre wide, resulting in conflicts in
27 villages.”
A woman in a shade used to guard against ele-
phants at night in the fields in Siyalwindi, Zimbabwe
A woman in a shade used to guard against ele-

FEATURE May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 13

Others have resorted to trapping wild animals for meat or ters away”, said Ndlelende. and they see little direct benefits from the CAMPFIRE funds.
for sale of their body parts to poachers. Community volunteers packing elephant repellent in used Community members, including Mangawana and Ncube said
their neighbours appointed to the committees do not know
ZimParks, which manages the country’s national parks, said plastic bottles in Zimbabwe how it works because they do not run the project.
it is trying to “create a balance between people and wildlife”, Community volunteers packing elephant repellent in used
according to Tinashe Farawo, a spokesperson for ZimParks. For example, when a rowdy elephant is shot by ZimParks,
“Both the animal and human population are increasing.” plastic bottles in Siyalwindi, Zimbabwe [Credit: Derick Mat- communities allegedly get only a small share, Ncube said.
sengarwodzi/ Al Jazeera] Last year, Dete, another affected area, reportedly received less
“Communities who share borders with parks must de- than $100 payout, he said.
sist from herding cattle in the parks because their livestock There also seem to be concerted efforts to reduce poach-
is at risk of contracting diseases and being attacked,” added ing through skills training and entrepreneurship education for After years of confronting the elephants, Mangwana is run-
Farawo. Previous studies done in the Kruger National Park in communities near the parks to aid them in participating in the ning out of patience and wants quick solutions, rather than
neighbouring South Africa to test the repellents have proved tourism value chain. Farawo said the villagers are benefitting new policies and programmes.
that “elephant repellents, chili bombs and beehive fencing are from Communal Areas Management for Indigenous Resourc-
effective in deterring elephants,” according to Mupara. es (CAMPFIRE), a government programme to support com- “The elephants should rather be taken away from the area,”
munity-led development. Government officials said the funds she said. “We are losing and we are under a lot of stress be-
Last year, Tikobane Trust tested an elephant repellent from the programme are used for development purposes, cause we are not sleeping at night. The CAMPFIRE funds are
it made with the help of local advocacy groups, in one vil- such as building schools, clinics and roads. only benefitting a few people who are administering the pro-
lage. The main ingredients were cow dung, water and garlic. gramme.”
It proved to be a “success, repelling elephants from 200 me- However, some farmers say the perennial losses incurred by
the animals trampling on their crops are having a toll on them — Aljazeera

BUSINESS May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 14

From banker to coffee shop owner

A43-year-old banker has him rethink his life’s trajectory. “Twice a month, on a Friday, after work at 4pm, I would Musungwa ran the business for two years before de-
helped reimagine what “We had just celebrated my col- get on a bus to South Africa. I would get there on Sat- ciding to take on another challenge, this time in farm-
it means to grab and urday morning, go to the shops, be back at the bus ing. But before he could get going, a group of friends
enjoy a cup of coffee on league’s 35th anniversary with the stop by about 2pm. By Sunday morning, I’m back in approached him with a different proposal. His friends
the go in Harare, with his bank, and at the time, I was about Harare,” he said. were looking to start a coffee shop and were looking
mobile coffee business, Zimbarista. 27. And I thought to myself, ‘wow, for someone with knowledge of running a coffee shop
how is it he’s been here longer than “I would bring baby food, diapers, certain milk for to partner with.
It’s shortly after 8am on a Tues- I have been alive?” Musungwa, lactose intolerant children, and things like that,” he
day, and there’s a constant stream who had by then worked for the continued. “In my mind, I was like, ‘coffee again?’ At the same
of gym-goers and commuters bank for nine years, recalled. time, I thought, ‘I’m coming out of this situation, so I
making their way towards a mo- Before long, Musungwa had accumulated a rela- guess I could just help them in the meantime,’” he said.
bile coffee truck parked at a service “This could become my life too.” tively decent number of people looking for a product
station in Rolf Valley, an upmarket That was the moment, Musung- on a daily and weekly basis. However, he realised that Musungwa was asked to attend an on-the-job train-
suburb in Harare. wa realised he didn’t want a 10- as the economy improved, the demand for supplies ing with Seattle Coffee Company in Johannesburg,
year anniversary at the bank. brought over the border would dwindle and could not South Africa. There, he experienced another life-defin-
The unit’s barista, Simbarashe, Owning a home and a car by the sustain him, full-time. It was at this point that he ven- ing moment.
greets the customers with a smile age of 23, Musungwa’s life was cer- tured into the construction business – which is how he
and, for some, prompts their orders tainly nothing to sneer at. And yet came to coffee. “I get into Hyde Park Seattle, one of their bigger
as they approach the truck. One he feared that the “rat race” would branches, and my mind was blown,” Musungwa re-
woman drops off a metal flask, ask- swallow him, and that one day, he While interacting with the owners of a landscape calls.
ing that it be filled with her “usual”. would look back at his life and not business at one of the construction sites, Musung-
have much to show for it. wa was presented with an opportunity to buy a cof- “The coffee culture in South Africa was very different
This energy and culture are rep- So he started taking steps to fee shop. from the coffee culture here,” he explained.
licated in nine other locations in transition from life in the bank.
Harare, where Zimbarista coffee First, off, he embarked on a hunt “They said ‘if you know someone looking to buy a Musungwa observed that the coffee culture in
units operate, a culture instilled by for a contingency plan. He scouted coffee shop, we are selling one at the place we oper- South Africa was ‘hey, let’s meet up for a coffee, it’s a
Tungamirayi Musungwa, founder for business opportunities, look- ate from’, and I said ‘let me come and see it,’” he said. relaxed environment,’ he explained.
and owner of the business. ing for a gap in the market that he
could fill. In 2009, after a conversation with his wife, Musung- “This was so different from the culture in Zimbabwe,
About two decades ago, life With a one-year-old baby in the wa and his family bought the shop and officially be- which was ‘I need my fix, and I’ve got to be back on
looked a lot different for the entre- home in 2007 – a year of econom- came coffee business owners, despite knowing noth- the road.’”
preneur, now 43, who then worked ic devastation – and no baby items ing about coffee.
a comfortable “nine-to-five” job as on the shelves in Harare, Musung- “There were long queues of people, and the coffee
a branch manager for a bank. wa already had a taste for trade. “I’m in the place of trying things, so I’m not going to had to be done fast – in the shortest time possible,”
know anything if I don’t try anything,” Musungwa ex- Musungwa continued.
However, celebrating a col- plained.
league’s work anniversary made “They are paying top dollar for it; I saw latte art be-
“We sold a stand (property) that we had in Chisha- ing drawn with milk, freehand, and I thought to myself,
washa Hills and bought the place,” he continued. ‘I don’t know what I was doing for the last two years,’ it
was a total mind shift,” he explained.

BUSINESS May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 15

l FROM PAGE 14

“We did extremely well, and the its vintage feel; it lends itself to many weddings. cludes putting them in the units we operate for In the future, Musungwa hopes to include
business grew; we ended up open- It’s got a whimsical sort of feel to it,” Musungwa hands-on experience,” added Musungwa. more training sessions, open Zimbarista branches
ing one or two other outlets,” Mu- said. across Zimbabwe and roast and sell his own cof-
sungwa said. Musungwa has now trained about 53 baristas, fee beans.
However, due to the effects of the Covid-19 including Janie Duffy, a customer who took the
“I managed Freshly Ground for pandemic, Musungwa was forced to cut down to course to enhance her own business. Coffee remains a key passion.
about four and a half years before I 10 outlets, with four operating as mobile units and “I love talking about coffee, I love teaching it,
finally left.” the rest as fixed outlets serving coffee within an- “The best part of the course was practicing the and I love seeing people go from not knowing and
other business. process of making coffee – from grinding the understanding to now making it, doing it them-
Musungwa was up for the next beans, calibrating the coffee machine, creating selves in the same way I was trained at Seattle,”
challenge, now confident that he Training has also become a big part of the work the right temperature and texture of milk to pour- Musungwa said.
was onto something with coffee. of Zimbarista, with the company hosting monthly ing a pattern on top of the coffee,” Duffy told bird. “I love to see people get it, and suddenly they
barista training sessions. are soaring with it, and now they’ve found some-
“There had already been things “I’m confident to serve a good coffee and su- thing they can go ‘hey, that’s a passion for me’,” he
on the horizon that I had begun to “We offer various training programmes from pervise and monitor my baristas at Ultimate Fun, added. – bird
see. Things like the emergence of in- entry level barista training to those who want to the popular family activity centre in Eastlea,” she
ternational brands coming in,” Mu- operate more out of a coffee shop, and that in- added.
sungwa explained.

“I just thought, with the pressure
of all these coffee shops opening
up, and with people having options
of where to go, your market share
will eventually suffer; I thought, ‘how
do you stay ahead of that?’ Conveni-
ence came up,” he said.

According to Musungwa, people
are leaning more toward conveni-
ence, in a world where people or-
der online and things arrive at their
doorstep.

“How about we make the coffee
more mobile, rather than waiting for
people to come to us? How about
finding out where people are al-
ready meeting and interacting – and
occupying those spaces?”

To answer these questions, Mu-
sungwa founded Zimbarista, a mo-
bile coffee business serving teas and
a variety of espresso-based coffees
and quickly identified schools as a
market where parents and guard-
ians gather for school drop-off, as
well as at corporate events. The
business started to grow.

“Slowly but surely, we began to
open more and more outlets,” he ex-
plained.

At its peak, Zimbarista had 12 out-
lets and a shop in a vintage VW bus.

“The bus was brilliant because of

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INTERVIEW May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 16

‘Why I started feeding
my hungry neighbours’
T wo years ago immigration law-
yer Samantha Muzoroki start- There are different aspects that we raise you the right way, and here you are, they say oh I cannot start this, I cannot
ed feeding her hungry neigh- deal with besides feeding people, and it if you are on holiday it is either you are do this because I do not have money,
bours in Chitungwiza using her all comes back to this big shockwave at dishing out groceries to people or you but sometimes you just need to use the
own savings. the end of the day. are giving people your school fees. will and the love as an input and I know
Muzoroki (SM), who is founding direc- along the way someone will believe in
tor of Kungengetana Trust, recounted in TN: Shockwave at the end of the day? So she said she could not keep up with what you are doing because honestly
an exclusive interview with Alpha Media Rude awakening every day? Why do you it. why would I continue doing something
Holdings chairman Trevor Ncube (TN), keep doing it? like feeding people when I do not have
how she started by feeding a group of So we had our run-ins, it was not a good money.
10 to 15 people until she got to the hun- SM: I would love to come up with a thing, but now she pats me on the back,
dreds that are served meals every day. flowery response and tell you all these but I think that is where it came from. Yet I know in actual fact that we have
nice words and all, but I do not know communities that can chip in and bridge
She spoke about why she was always why I am still doing it. I think naturally I have wanted to fix the gap between the poor and the rich
ready to assist others from a very young problems even if they are bigger than me. and draw it a little bit closer.
age. Below are excerpts from the inter- But I feel I have a moral obligation to
view. satiate that hope that I ignited to the So I will try up until the point where I This is exactly what has been happen-
people. say I cannot do this anymore but I would ing with the trust, but on a small-scale
TN: Samantha Murozoki, welcome to have tried at least because in my head I obviously.
In Conversation With Trevor. Like if I tell a child I am going to give am always worried about me or my chil-
you a cup of water on a daily basis, it is dren. TN: The will and the love? I love that.
SM: Thank you for having me over Tre- my job to make sure I so for as long as I That is beautiful. Use the will and the
vor, it is a pleasure. live, or for as long as I can make a plan. If I cannot get sadza today, can Tre- love to do what you can to help others.
vor be able to say come let me dish one
TN: Samantha, when Covid hit in 2020, So I keep going at it. spoon in your lunchbox, or Sam let me In the process, tell me where do you
some of us were running around try- I think the African aspect, I come from give you $20 and Khyra can go to school. get your reward from?
ing to see how best we could avoid it, a family where we believe that if we can
and what you were doing was figuring help our neighbour or our cousin we So everything I do is not necessarily to SM: Growing up, my grandmother,
out how you could feed people that had should do it, at the expense of luxuries get it back but I know that life is like a my dad’s mother actually, used to tell
been impacted negatively by Covid. or a basic life. wheel, it is full of unexpected eventual- us and say everything that you do is re-
For me, it is not really a shocker, the ities. corded in the book by God, by our an-
Why were you doing that? numbers are the ones that shock me but cestors, by angels and the universe.
SM: To tell you the truth Trevor, I do the act itself is not a shocker. So one kind could be a million acts to-
not have a set answer for that. This is because from an early age I morrow for me possibly. That is how she said it in the vernac-
I still ask myself like what are you do- have witnessed my mum and my dad ular.
ing Sam? and my aunties do the same. TN: I like what your mother said, Sam
How did you get here? Long and short TN: Here is the thing. What you are do- when you get capacity I will be able to She would say you might not get your
story of it is that I was back in a commu- ing this absolutely beautiful, stunning help you, which I think is the normal way reward today, you might actually get
nity, which I had been a part of since I and inspirational. of thinking isn’t it? negative elements coming your way
was 14 years old. However, there is 16 million of us in this whilst you are doing good but know for
So it made sense if someone came to country, and more in the region, 75 mil- You help yourself first before you help a fact four or five years down the line or
knock at my gate and said they need- lion in the region plus, and that was not others? But clearly you have not waited even 20 years I will get my big reward.
ed help with this, or me to respond to a our natural reaction when Covid hap- for yourself to get capacity? You have just
child that was crying next door because pened. been helping ever since? It could be in the form of good health,
they had not eaten anything the day be- When Covid happened, the majority it could be breakthrough in a person-
fore and reacting by saying, come let of us looked at taking care of ourselves, SM: Yeah, and the amazing thing that I al endeavour that I have, it could be my
me give you food, let us cook and let me taking care of our companies, taking have noted is that the community is ac- kids excelling and being offered an op-
dish for you. care of our stuff, but you extended your- tually willing to chip in to help this drive portunity because their mom was part
For me it was a normal thing for any self and that is what I am trying to un- go on. of a movement during Covid.
person to do. derstand.
That is how I got into it, and I thought That when everybody else is running I like capacity, I do not even have a So for me, very fairy-tale like, but I ac-
I would be dealing with figures of like 10 away and trying to hide, trying to take bank balance that I can boast about and tually believe in that, I believe the uni-
to 15 actually. care of themselves, you are extending say look I have millions and I am help- verse always rewards you one way or the
I did not think we would hit the figures yourself, you are actually running out ing people. other.
of thousands. It is still a shock and I am and saying how can I help?
still trying to ease into the wave actually, I am trying to find out where that It is your neighbour, or that person who l “In Conversation With Trevor” is
two years later. comes from? has compassion or who reads an article a weekly show broadcast on YouTube.
TN: Talk to me about that shock? How SM: I think I would still put it back to or who is going to watch In Conversation com//InConversationWithTrevor. Please
does it manifest itself ? upbringing, background, and also you With Trevor that sits and says look I can get your free YouTube subscription to this
SM: You go to sleep and you have giv- need to have a natural inclination to spare $100 and give this organisation to channel. The conversations are sponsored
en 15 people food and the next day when wanting to help, the humanitarian as- do wonders with it. by Nyaradzo Group.
you wake up trying to cook for those 15 pect of it.
you find out that there is about 200 or I am the kind of person even in high Then we take that $100 where it nor-
300 people outside and you are thinking school I remember I almost got a beat- mally feeds maybe 10 people, it will
there is Covid. ing from my mum when she gave me spread to 50 people.
I have never heard about this disease school fees, it was cash.
and it is killing people, what if I get these She put it in my pulling socks and tied I think that the lack of capacity has al-
people killed by crowding at the house? it around me. I went to school, I was at ways been a draw back for many people,
What if I get arrested for doing these Kwenda Mission, and instead of going
things? to pay my fees in full, my friend had not
As there is protocol that had to be fol- paid fees for about two terms, so then I
lowed. How am I going to feed them? was like okay I can just tell my mum that
I only have food that is enough for part of the money got lost then I give
three weeks and enough for about 15 to you the money and we are sorted.
20 people and my family. Everything else we would deal with.
So all of these things started at that So that is what we did, I gave her the
time and I was thinking how am I going fees and I went to pay half of my fees.
to sustain this project and how am I go- So now consultation day comes, my
ing to explain it to my parents? mum used to work at Adams so she ac-
I was using my mother’s house. What tually come clad in her uniform because
have you done Sam? she was coming from some trip.
Speaking from maybe a year later, the She gets there and they tell her Sa-
strains came in from the shortages of mantha hasn’t paid fees in full. I have
food, the inconsistencies in the dona- never seen my mum so mad.
tions that come through. She was just like no I will talk to her
Things became really rocky at a certain when she comes back home.
point in time. When I came back home I got a thor-
Now we were also at a point where we ough talk, but my mum whilst she was
were saying if I did not wake up to go screaming at me said to me, when you
and knock at people’s doors or sell off gain capacity to do these acts of kind-
something, I was not going to be able to ness I will gladly support you, but not on
feed the people I was dealing with now. the tight budget that I have.
So all of these strains add to the shock I am a single mum and I am trying to
and the shock never wears off because
every day there is a rude awakening:
Sam we had 250kg last week, my mum
is already telling me we need to buy
more mealie-meal, we needed cooking
oil, I had kids that were not in school one
time because I could not get cash do-
nations.

OPINION May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 17

The future of Zim’s interest rates
interest-bearing account. 1% is common among several is often driven by supply con- capacity.
TAFARA Mtutu The result is an aggregate economies. straints, which largely vortex on This presents a catch-22
THE Reserve Bank of Zimba- the availability, or lack thereof,
bwe maintained the key policy increase in expenditure as the The finance minister alluded of foreign currency. for monetary and fiscal poli-
rate at 80% in its latest mone- allure of spending or utilising to an inflation rate target rang- cymakers who face opposing
tary policy committee meeting cheap money outweighs sav- ing between 25% and 35% in An adequate supply of for- economic demands. On one
shortly after releasing a worry- ing it. On the other hand, an December 2022, although lat- eign currency for imports of raw end, lower interest rates will
ing year-on-year inflation rate increase in interest rates makes est CPI figures point to an infla- materials on a stable currency support local businesses but
of 96,4% for the month of April. it expensive to borrow money tion rate expectation of c.380% exchange often leads to low in- increase speculative borrowing
and it increases the attractive- by year end. flation. A brief look at the infla- that was instrumental in the lo-
The move to maintain the ness of keeping funds in an tion trend before and in the few cal currency’s depreciation in
high interest rate most likely interest-bearing account, which According to the finance months after the inception of 2019.
finds its rationale from les- subsequently leads to a decline minister, Zimbabwe’s expected the foreign currency interbank
sons learned in 2019 when the in aggregate expenditure and a GDP growth for 2022 ispegged auction system shows that the On the other, higher inter-
country moved back to the slowdown in economic growth. at 5,5% and a long-term GDP availability of foreign currency est rates will curtail speculative
Zimbabwean dollar (Zimdollar), growth trend, based on histori- was key in slowing down the borrowing but choke business-
and low interest rates birthed One might wonder why poli- cal growth figures since 1999, is inflation rate from 838% in July es that regularly require lines of
“cheap money” that fuelled cymakers need to tame eco- approximately 0,1%. 2020 to 52% in September 2021. credit for their working capital
speculative borrowing as well nomic growth, and the answer and long-term capital require-
as the gross depreciation of the to that is, any growth beyond Based on these assumptions We opine that the inefficien- ments. We note that Zimba-
local currency relative to the what is sustainable often leads and the Taylor rule, a reasonable cies within the auction system, bwe’s economic challenges
United States dollar (USD). to inflation and anunconducive interest rate for the year would among other factors, have require more than a revision of
economic environment. be just over 200%. Such a rate prompted a renewed period interest rate to slow inflation
Latest inflation trends and would theoretically improve the of currency depreciationon the down. We are cognisant of the
currency depreciation are A theoretical way to deter- central bank’s odds of closing parallel market. difficult and conflicting meas-
reminiscent of theturmoil that mine the appropriate level of the year with a Y-o-Y inflation ures that policymakers have to
played out in 2019, and poli- interest rates is the Taylor Rule. rate of approximately 30%. Given Zimbabwe’s extensive deliberate in the short-term.
cymakers have expressed their In this context, the Taylor rule is reliance on foreign currency for
resolve to contain the country’s an equation that expresses the While 200% sounds abnormal raw materials, a simple substi- However, we maintain that
second bout with the volatile appropriate nominal short-term for a key policy rate, higher rates tution effect simply manifested these should incorporate
macro-economic environment. interest rate asa summation of have been set by policymakers as the supply of foreign cur- long-term measures that can
the neutral real short-term rate, in several countries through- rency that dried up on the in- ensure a stable medium of
One tool that policymakers an inflation target, the differ- out history. Croatia deliberated terbank was replaced by supply exchange,such as resuscitat-
often use to control the macro- ence between the long-term on an interest rate of 2,647% in of foreign currency on the more ing local production capacity,
economic environment is the gross domestic product (GDP) September 1993, Brazil’s inter- volatile parallel market. building foreign currency re-
interest rate. A very low interest growth trend and expected GDP est rate reached 355,086% in serves, restoring confidence in
rate is often at the heart of eve- growth, as well as the difference February 1990, and Argentina’s The volatile parallel market local capital markets, integrat-
ry expansionary monetary poli- between the expected inflation interest rate soared to 557% in rates subsequently rippled to ing with the global communi-
cymeasure, while high interest rate and the target inflation November 2001. the price of the end-product ty, and addressing corruption
rates are effected when policy- rate. Given a set of reasonable and have largely resulted in the and opaque property rights,
makers seek to slow economic assumptions, one can approxi- However, the Taylor rule high inflation rates. among many resolutions.
growth to sustainable levels. mate the appropriate level of makes a bold assumption that
interest rates for Zimbabwe. inflation is driven by strong de- The volatile parallel market Tafara Mtutu is a research an-
A low interest rate makes it The neutral real short-term rate mand for goods and services, rates have added to the burden alyst at Morgan & Co Research.
cheaper to borrow money from is the rate at which monetary which is not entirely the case in of businesses and increasing — [email protected] or
banks and makes it less lucra- policy measures are neither re- Zimbabwe. interest rates have further pun- +263 774 795 854.
tive for one to keep funds in an strictive nor expansionary, and ished businesses at a time when
Unlike countries that expe- measures should be aimed at
rience demand-driven infla- supporting local productive
tion, Zimbabwe’s inflation rate

COLUMN May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 18

Dignity. What dignity for the
long-suffering Zim workers?

This week, it was proposed by parliament after it was announced that the country
that the country’s owner be summoned will soon get 100 new ambulances.
to the National Assembly to explain why “Each province is set to receive be-
he is allowing corruption in the country. tween eight to 10 ambulances once they
“Parliament must move a motion to have been all kitted,” we were told, amid
summon President Emmerson Mnangag- much heavy breathing and excitement.
wa to the National Assembly to answer According to the media, which must
questions about rampant corruption in be tired of reporting all these massive
his government, which were flagged by government successes, the Ministry of
Auditor-General Mildred Chiri in her 2020 Health had 282 ambulances in 2018. Out
report,” according to Temba Mliswa. of those 282 ambulances, 134 were work-
“The president is presiding over a dys- ing while 148 were rusting away.
functional government, a corrupt govern- Muckraker read that the World Health
ment,” Mliswa said. Organisation recommends an ambu-
It must have been a double shock for lance to population ratio of one ambu-
Mnangagwa. First, the very idea that he lance for every 50 000 people.
must explain to elected representatives We should be just grateful that our
why his government is corrupt is a huge owners have found it in their hearts to set
surprise. aside a few dollars from their 4X4 budget
Since when is a Zimbabwean president to throw a few ambulances our way. What
account- would we
‘Walking gracefully’: able to Tidbits do with-
Introducing Dr Amai II anyone? out our
selfless,
Second, generous
it must leaders?
have More
been a
shock to decep-
AMy Dear People an efficient public transport system and this be lec- Twitter: @MuckrakerZim tions
hh these people should have has seen the parastatal try miracles in resus- tured on Those
just told us that all they want- citating buses that had long been retired in corrup- who have
ed to be was to be just like Baba effort to address the obvious gaps.  tion by Temba, of all people! been making noise saying government
and me and then there would What dignity? has broken its promises must be finishing
have been no need for them to I have seen reports of people saying they In a May Day speech this week, Mnan- the week with egg on their faces.
roll out the army tanks, as we would have left their workplaces at 5pm only to get to gagwa came out to praise workers for The Minister of Dodgy Public Service,
just accepted. their respective homes at 10pm or even later.  their role in the booming economy. Paul Mavima, said while we were prom-
“Your dignity as workers, your value, ised free education every year under the
No idea what I am talking about? Well, I don’t even want to imagine the dangers wages and salaries must be commensu- New Deception, we must now expect it
this past week we minted a new Dr Amai, or that women and school children face in such rate with the resultant improving macro- next year, just in time for elections.
let us call her Dr Amai the Second, kkk.  circumstances.  economic fundamentals,” he said. “I am glad to announce that now the
He then thanked those working in the President has committed to that, starting
All what this lot has been doing is just I saw a video of a woman literally being informal sector and those in the Diaspo- in 2023, there is going to be free prima-
to copy Baba and myself and honestly, it’s forced to abandon her dignity as she was ra, which he managed to do without ask- ry education, so all those who are going
getting a little embarrassing.  pushed through a window to enter a Zup- ing why those two groups were there in to go into public schools will not be re-
co bus.  the first place. quired to pay basic tuition fees, and the
They say imitation is the highest form of He promised that he state will continue to
flattery, but this mimicry is really poor. This is just nightmarish and these guys would ensure that “the support those who
need to address this with urgency. improving macro-eco- are vulnerable with
I studied for and got a PhD from the high- nomic fundamentals Parliament must things like uniforms,
est learning institution in the country. Kombis need to be given route authorities,
police corruption needs to be nipped in the translate to a dignified life move a motion to examinations fees
I know some of you think it’s bogus, but bud and kombis have to be policed.  for workers”. summon President and stationery.”
look at the case against Brother Levi, it’s go-
ing nowhere because I did everything right.  Monopolies and command econo- With rising inflation fig- Emmerson Who are we not
mies failed to work under Stalin, there is no ures, an exchange rate to believe that this
Dr Amai II does not have my intellectual chance they will work under Launchmore.  in free-fall and falling in- promise will be ful-
prowess, so she went all the way to Asia to Mnangagwa to thecomes, it is hard to see filled this time? Did
get an honorary doctorate. Even China has developed principles of the government
competition in business. Why Zimbabwe which “improving macro- even lie to us?
Oh dear me, an honorary degree from a wants to go backwards is anyone’s guess. economic fundamentals” Expert on Zim
faraway country. he has been given by his National Assembly
Huh! Cde Linda is an embarrassment. 
If she was patriotic like me and needed an Probably with nothing to say but yearn- advisors. More likely, he to answer questions In the United King-
honorary degree then she would have con- ing for attention, she unprovokedly declared was just given a speech about rampant dom, a Lord James
tacted Enrico Sibanda and he would have that she had been offered US$1 million to from another country to corruption in his Oates has stood up
given her one from his International Insti- badmouth the country. read. in their parliament
tute of Philanthropy. This has been a running theme for many to declare that one
Johnny-come-latelies in Zanu PF, who all After all, it must have faction of the oppo-
What ever happened to brother Enrico, claimed millions were handed over to the been a shock to him to sition is better than
a decade ago he was doling out his bogus opposition.  learn that there are still government another.
PhDs and I am sure he would have been The only difference is that Linda claimed workers in the coun-
happy to give one to Dr Amai II.  she had the evidence and she would post it try, given how hard he has He has endorsed
in due course.  worked over the past few years to destroy Nelson Chamisa’s CCC as the legitimate
The reporter announcing Dr Amai II’s re- As the clock ticked away, Linda began the economy. opposition, while calling Douglas Mwon-
ceipt of the honorary doctorate deserves pressuring herself to present evidence, but Momentous time zora’s MDC Alliance as “Zanu PF’s pup-
an award for ground-breaking reporting, the problem is that there was really none. There was massive news this week, out pet opposition faction”. Lord Oates once
as she reported that Dr Amai II had walked Unashamedly, she claimed that the US of the mega deals briefcase. taught in Zimbabwe, which, in the tradi-
“gracefully with other doctors in the proces- embassy in Harare was “sweeping her It was announced that assembly kits for tion of Western politicians, makes one a
sion while resplendent in her colourful aca- emails” and deleting previous correspond- buses had finally arrived from China. leading expert on all things Africa.
demic regalia”.  ence they had with her.  “Kits for the assembly of 21 buses ar- All this, of course, made Chris Mutsvan-
If you believe this, then you would literally rived in Zimbabwe yesterday from China, gwa, the garrulous Zanu PF mouthpiece,
Such earth shattering journalism.  believe anything.  as Harare moves to reduce the forex im- angrier than usual.
Dr Amai II now joins other illustrious doc- But no, Linda still pressured herself to pro- port bill and create more jobs through as- “They now arbitrate and abate fights
tors like Dr Gono, Dr Kereke, Dr Chiyangwa, duce evidence and her best effort was an sembling buses locally,” reported the Her- within that opposition movement,”
Dr Mangudya and Dr Kaseke, kkk. email off a mailing list inviting her to apply ald, a leading authority in the business of Mutsvangwa said at a press conference.
If there was one thing that was easy to for a grant of US$10 000-US$15 000. fact-based and credible journalism. Of course, choosing which opposition
predict, it was the transport crisis that has The call for applications was not about With these 21 buses, all these people party is legitimate and which one is not,
enveloped the country’s major cities.  bad-mouthing the country, but rather for using the public transport crisis as an ex- is not the job of distant British lords in
It does not need Dr Amai II’s PhD to tell community development and it was neither ample of government’s failures will be tweed jackets. That is Zanu PF’s job.
that creating such a monolithic monopoly an offer to Linda, but rather she was just be- put to shame and finally silenced. We must be grateful
like Zupco was always going to create prob- ing invited to apply.  According to the headline, the 21 bus- According to Mutsvangwa, we must all
lems. Cde Linda should be first taught on how a es herald — pardon the pun — the arriv- be grateful for what Zanu PF has done for
Baba saw the dangers of the Zupco mo- mailing list works — that email was not sent al of the world-class public transport sys- us.
nopoly back in the early 1990s and did away to her only, but to thousands of people. tem we were promised in 2018. “This is a constitution begat of a mil-
with it. It was not an offer to our patriotic Cde Lin- As the President said in his May Day itary struggle which gave them the de-
Why this lot decided to bring it back is re- da.  speech: “During peak hours, workers mocracy which they have. Had it not
ally strange and needs a PhD thesis of its Anyway, after failing to produce evidence, must be the transported with the great- been for Zipra and Zanla, which waged a
own — there you go Dr Amai II, a topic for a I am sure Cde Linda will continue to hide be- est of ease.” war, many of them would have been cat-
dissertation for you. hind her finger and claim that her emails Who are we not to demand nation- tle herders, hunting birds with catapults,”
In an era where they harp on about devo- were swept. al celebrations for the arrival of bits and he said.
lution, creating a monopoly is really anach- With such politicians hanging on pieces of 21 buses? We deserve a nation- Surely, after many of us spent the bet-
ronistic and ironic — I doubt that one knows Launchmore’s coattails, there’s no need to al public holiday to mark this momentous ter part of last week expending all our en-
what these small words mean, kkk. wonder why you, my people, are in a worse day. ergies on either chasing after or tending
Public transport was a mess and it need- off position today than you were in Novem- Ambulances to a herd of goats in Murehwa, Mutsvan-
ed fixing, but creating a monopoly was nev- ber 2017. There was reason for more celebrations, gwa should be really proud of us.
er the way out of it. Munopengaaaaaa!
What was needed was the policing of Gushungo Chete Chete!
kombis and having Zupco run side by side
with them, but no, these Einsteins decided
to get rid of kombis altogether.
Zupco does not have the capacity to run

AFRICA May 4 to 10 2022 Weekly Digest 19

“I survived a kidnapping but
part of me died that day”

A fter a surge in the number of abductions in re- to grab a few items for a get-together that evening. grabbed in the driveway of his home, near Johannesburg,
cent years, South Africa has one of the high- "In my rear view mirror, I was looking and still thinking: just after returning from the mosque.
est rates of kidnapping in the world, as Mpho
Lakaje reports from Johannesburg. 'This person is going to be so embarrassed when they re- CCTV footage that was widely seen on social media
Lesego Tau did not panic at first when a alise they are in the wrong car'," she told the BBC, recount- shows Mr Bhiku dressed in a blue T-shirt and black trou-
stranger opened the back door of her grey Mercedes C- ing the events of last June. sers calmly chatting to a friend.
Class and climbed in.
But this was not an innocent mistake. Two men can be seen getting out of the car parked op-
She had parked outside a shopping mall in Johannes- "Our gazes locked and I realised what was happening." posite. At first they stroll towards him, but then rush at him
burg and was focused on texting a friend before going in This was a kidnapping. after Mr Bhiku realises what is going on and tries to flee.
Six months earlier, businessman Yasin Bhiku was
CCTV footage showing abductionImage source, @

AFRICA May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 20

Abramjee have arrested 115 suspects, consisting of Pakistan- Ms Tau was lucky that she man- "My father is not a man who cries,
He was overpowered and forced into the vehi- is, Mozambicans as well as South Africans." aged to get away, but her kidnap- but he got teary. He kept on feeling
pers took $1,400 (£1,100). like he could have protected me.
cle at gunpoint. The businessman was later found One of the suspects is 43-year-old Faizel Char-
unharmed and rescued by the police. loos, who was taken into custody in March. The ordeal has damaged her psy- "There's still a part of me that ac-
chologically and left her family dis- tually died on that day."
Ms Tau, who runs her own cleaning company He is believed to be the mastermind behind a tressed.
in Pretoria, also tried to flee once she had figured spate of recent kidnappings. During police raids — BBC
out that she was about to be abducted. in several Johannesburg properties linked to him,
drugs, cash and a high-powered vehicle were re-
She said she tried opening the door of her car, covered Mr Charloos recently appeared in court,
but another man, dressed as a parking attendant along with several others, on kidnapping charges.
in a hi-vis jacket, blocked the door. He has made no comment.

The man in the back seat showed that he had a It emerged that he has dual citizenship in South
gun and ordered Ms Tau to drive out of the shop- Africa and Mozambique.
ping complex.
'Police don't rescue victims'
Along the way, she was told to stop and some- In a separate case in April, police successfully
one else jumped into her car. rescued a four-year-old girl who was snatched at
a school in Johannesburg, by a woman pretend-
Four-hour ordeal ing to be her childminder.
Once in the countryside, about 15km (nine Her kidnappers had earlier demanded thou-
miles) into the terrifying journey, the kidnappers sands of dollars for her safe return.
ordered Ms Tau to stop. But four people were arrested when they ar-
A red car then arrived at the scene and some- rived outside a shopping centre to collect the
one got out, took her bank cards and forced her ransom.
to reveal her security codes. Despite such breakthroughs, Mr Labuschagne
"The other people from the car… started going is not convinced the police are winning.
through all my different cards. They were with- "We have had one or two arrests. But in the
drawing [money]." overwhelming majority of these cases, the police
At the same time, her captors were repeatedly don't rescue the kidnapped victims from where
hitting her on the head with the gun, ordering her they've been kept. They are released after a pay-
to increase her withdrawal limit. ment."
The ordeal went on for over four hours.
At one point she heard someone on the oth-
er end of a phone call say: "Just finish her off. We
are done."
"I made peace that they were going to kill me,
but I thought, I need to fight. I have to fight. If
they are going to kill me, I might as well fight," Ms
Tau said.
She fought her way out of the car, but the kid-
nappers grabbed her and started hitting and
scratching her. She got away and ran across the
road into the oncoming traffic.
This story and that of Mr Bhiku are not isolated.
In February, Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed
that 2,605 kidnapping cases had been reported
to the authorities in the last three months of 2021.
In the decade from 2010, kidnapping more than
doubled in South Africa and there are now 10 kid-
nappings per 100,000 people, according to the
South African think-tank the Institute for Securi-
ty Studies. This is one of the highest rates in the
world.
In 2018, Mr Cele promised to make dealing with
kidnapping a priority.
Kidnappings in South Africa. . Figures are from
April of one year to March the next year.
1px transparent line
Vitims have been kept against their will either
for a ransom, to have their bank accounts cleaned
out or be sexually assaulted.
Some did not make it out alive, though it is not
clear how frequent this outcome is.
In an attempt to deal with these kind of crimes,
the police launched a kidnapping task team,
combining intelligence gathering with tactical re-
sponse.
Crime syndicates target South Africa
One thing that has been established is that kid-
nappers tend to work in teams and the abduc-
tions follow a pattern with each gang member
having a set role, police spokesperson Col Athlen-
da Mathe told the BBC.
"The spotters are those that would follow the
target. The pickers are those who move in to kid-
nap the victim."
The kidnappers often drive high-performance
vehicles and are usually heavily armed.
"Then we have the guards that would take over
and keep the victim... until a ransom is paid."
But in the background, there is a mastermind
who does thorough research and pulls the strings.
"The kingpin would be someone who lives a
high-end life and wouldn't do the dirty job," Col
Mathe says.
Minister of Police, Bheki Cele ahead of the court
appearance of Nafiz Modack and co-accused at
the Cape Town Magistrate?s Court on May 03,
2021Image source, Getty Images
These criminal syndicates have tentacles in
countries like neighbouring Mozambique and as
far afield as Pakistan.
They tend to mostly target wealthy business
people with the means to pay a ransom, but
some victims have been from low-income areas
and children are not spared.
Private hostage negotiator Gérard Labuschagne
says there has been an increase in very high-value
cases. Ransoms can be set at up to $3m (£2.3m)
"Organised groups operating in Mozambique
and other parts of Africa have now decided, for
whatever reason, that South Africa is ripe for this
type of crime and they've been committing it very
successfully," Mr Labuschagne says.
Some social commentators believe general
lawlessness has made South Africa attractive to
organised criminals from around the world.
In the face of public anger, the police acknowl-
edge that more work needs to be done but Col
Mathe says they have made progress.
"Since the identification of these syndicates, we

OPINION May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 21

Bite- ernment purports to Increase invest-
size of ments in aviation infrastructure to open
tourism up the country to more regional trade.”
According to the most recent World
Tourism Organisation’s Tourism
Barometer:“Based on the latest avail-
able data, global international tourist
arrivals more than doubled (+130%) in
January 2022 compared to 2021 - the
18 million more visitors recorded world-
wide in the first month of this year
equals the total increase for the whole
of 2021.
“After the unprecedented growth of
2022 and 2021, international tourism is
expected to continue its gradual recov-
ery in 2022”. Listed firm, Rainbow Tour-
EBEN MABUNDA ism Group’s digital platform, “Gate-
way Stream” has over 52 000 rooms
H OME to one of the Sev- across 30 African states. Its CEO Tend-
en Natural Wonders of the ayi Madziwanyika is on record for hav-
World — the majestic Vic- ing said: “We see ourselves becoming
toria Falls, Zimbabwe is en- more of a tech and marketing firm with
dowed with iconic natural a hospitality arm in future”.
resources, such as wildlife and beauti-
ful scenery. ra. “Furthermore, over the period, gov- Eben Mabunda is an analyst and
TV anchor at Equity Axis, a leading
The Hwange National Park is the financial research firm in Zimbabwe.
country’s largest wildlife reserve — [email protected]
stretching for over 30 000 km² — equal
in size to the European nation of Bel- JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION IS INTRODUCING:
gium. The Park is home to the world’s
highest concentration of elephants. INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

This translates to a tourism industry IECMS is a unifying platform that will connect all
that has enormous growth potential. institutions belonging to the Justice Delivery Sector.
Zimbabwe’s tourism historically con-
tributed 7% to Zimbabwe’s gross do- This will be transformational as all our courts will be
mestic product (GDP), with the sector paperless and fully automated.
employing just over 5% of Zimbabwe’s
population. In 2019, tourist arrivals to It is a web based Case Management System that
Zimbabwe dropped by 11% to 2,3 mil- automates and tracks all aspects of a case life cycle,
lion visitors. The sector’s earnings fol- from initial filing through disposition and appeal.
lowed suit, declining 10% to US$1,25
billion. This system will integrate the Constitutional Court,
Supreme Court, Commercial Court, High Court,
In 2020, Zimbabwe’s Tourism Minister Labour Court, Administrative Court, Magistrates
Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovuproject- Court and Sheriff of the High Court under the same
ed revenue losses of up to U$1 billion in system.
the country’s tourism industry, owing to
travel restrictions brought about by the The implementation of the IECMS will bring about efficiency, expedite case
Covid-19 pandemic. disposition, and deliver access to justice. Moreover, the IECMS seeks to:-
a. reduce case backlog;
The sector continued to suffer due b. prevent the loss and physical damage of documents in a case file;
to the Covid-19 pandemic as tourist ar- c. enhance information accessibility; and
rivals to Zimbabwe declined by 40% to d. modernize the sector’s operations.
375 799 in 2021.
Don’t be left behind!!!
Zimbabwe's tourism sector account-
ed for 4,25% of the national Gross Do- To register visit our website:
mestic Product (GDP) with a value of
US$1,03 billion in 2018. In 2019, the sec- www.zimiecms.org.zw
tor accounted for 6,3% of GDP with a
value of US$1,23 billion, official records
show.

A rebound in regional and interna-
tional travel is expected in the second
half of the year, with a trickle-down ef-
fect on the regional and local tourism
sectors.

Moreover, with 2023 being an elec-
tion year for Zimbabwe, local travel is
expected to soar this year, scaling up
into 2023 as campaigns increase across
the country. This is expected to bring
relief to the local travel and tourism
sectors, which had been on the receiv-
ing end of the pandemic.

Between 2015 and 2018,tourism ar-
rivals grew by 6% per annum. In 2018,
tourist arrivals to Zimbabwe hit a three-
decade high, coming in at 2,6 million
visitors up 329% from 600 000 in 1990.

In the same year, the sector generat-
ed U$1,39 billion in the country’s reve-
nue. A breakdown of the aggregate fig-
ure shows that the sector generated
US$1 billion worth of foreign currency,
22,7% of Zimbabwe’s US$4,4 billion fo-
rex earnings for 2018.

As the world recovers from the socio-
economic effects of Covid-19 with vac-
cines being rolled out across the world,
Zimbabwe’s five-year economic blue-
print, the National Development Strat-
egy, aims to ramp up tourism’s contri-
bution to GDP from 1,1% in 2020 to 5%
by 2025.

According to the blueprint:
“The growth of the tourism sector will
be anchored on increased investment
in diversified tourism products, such as,
heritage tourism, medical tourism, and
community-based tourism, among oth-
ers.
“Key flagships will be the opening
up of new tourism resorts in Kanyem-
ba, Tugwi Mukosi, and Kariba and the
development of new nodes anchored
on the Victoria Falls Special Econom-
ic Zone, notably in Masuwe, Batoka,
Gwayi Shangani Dam, Binga, and Sijari-

ARTS May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 22

10 Songs for Mama: Your
Mother’s Day Playlist

Is there a more universally revered and get your head on straight: the boy is the past few years, collecting awards up and many families, Gogos assume a particularly
societal position than Mother- brilliant. A masterfully executed take on a down and collaborating with the best in the elevated role among Zimbabwean millenni-
hood? I’m hard-pressed to think of concept known the world over, the song game (regionally and beyond), she has gar- als. Whether because the parents left for the
one. The prevalence of Zimbabwean will have you wanting to right any wrongs nered international attention via her starring big city and then the diaspora, or fell vic-
songs dedicated to moms should against your mother that may still be linger- presence on the Netflix show, “Young, Rich, tim to the virus in the 1990s, there are mul-
thus come as no surprise. ing in the air. and African.” titudes of 80s and 90s kids whose mother
figure is their grandmama. This track, the
Two years ago, we published the ar- 6) Trevor Dongo- Ndozviita Sei In 2019, she released her debut album intro to Stylz’s long-awaited album by the
ticle 10 Urban Songs For Your Mother’s “Kundisiya kwamakaita, hupenyu hwangu ‘Naked’, and among the litany of stellar same name (meaning, ‘I swear by Grand-
Day Playlist. Of course, ten songs bare- hwashanduka, tunes on the project sits ‘Amai’, a raw trib- ma’) is brilliantly orchestrated, as Noble
ly begin to scratch the surface. In fact, I Handizivi ndodini ko?” ute to a mother, as told through the lense voices both him and his Gogo in a conver-
am confident that I could put out a list of Before Trevor Dongo was crooning his of a young adult daughter figuring it all out. sation beginning in playful banter and end-
ten different songs annually for the next way into the ladies’ hearts as the debonair ing in an ominous declaration that her time
five or so years before I’m stranded—and king of the love jam, he caught our attention 3)Diamond Boyz- Mhamha was nigh. You feel it.
that’s only accounting for songs that al- with this 2006 emotional lament to a de- “Chishuwo changu ndechekuti musava-
ready exist, not the dozens more that will ceased mother. Left in the unforgiving cus- tore 1. Seh Calaz-Amai
be sung between now and then. tody of a stepmother, the song tells a story Komborerai muwedzere makore “Ndichakutendai seko, zuva ranhasi zva-
of abuse and treachery that no child should Vaone kugona kwangu kusvika ndiroore musisipo?”
Without further ado then, here are ten have to live through. Still as powerful now as Ndizokwanisa kukuchengetaiwo nerim- Boss Yala is one of the five or six names
MORE Urban Zim songs for your Moth- it was almost two decades ago! we gore” often brought up when discussing the
er’s Day playlist! If you do not see your 5) Hwinza- Amai Vangu Alice The Mutare-based duo has been bub- Mount Rushmore of ZimDancehall music.
favorite song on here, and this I beg of “Makaenda musina kuti bye bye bling just under the surface since they An incredibly consistent and high-energy
you, either check this previous article, or Kutaura kuno mai, mumbori payi?” dropped their first hit single, ‘Energy’ a few performer, this morose tune represents one
charge it to there being a lot of mhamha To many observers, Hwinza epitomizes years back. They represent a sparsely occu- of his more somber moments in the game.
songs out there, be kind, and leave your the vulgarity (and subsequent demise) of pied genre-bending space within the game, With beautiful visuals to match, the song is
suggestion in the comments! ZimDancehall music. Yet in this turn, we find dabbling in elements of hip-hop, dancehall, definitely an apex in Calaz’s distinguished
the usually mischievous chanter in tears, and afrobeats to produce an eclectic and discography.
10. Betty Makaya-Amai reminiscing about his mother. Coupled with incomparable style. So I hope you enjoyed this read and,
‘Handizombokanganwi rudo rwenyu poignant visuals from the cemetery, the The track ‘Mhamha’ is off their ‘Energy’ al- more importantly, that you have a wonder-
imi self-aware lyrics of the song only adds to its bum, and it’s a whole vibe. ful Mothers’ Day. For those whose mothers
Rwakaita kuti ini, ndiwe ini…” punch. Through his pain here, we see a dif- 2) Noble Stylz- Ndopika NaGogo. are no longer with them, we hope you find
Y’all remember Betty? In the early ferent side of Hwinza. “Patsvene muzukuru, mazuva angu peace, love, and happy memories on this
2000s, the Urban Grooves moment had 4) Nadia Nakai- Amai mashoma asara day of remembrance. All going well, see you
garnered some momentum, and was cre- “And my queen has always been around, Gogo handisikuda kunzwa izvozvo, Mu- back here this time next year!
ating stars by the day. With many of the The machine I cannot live without/ zukuru nyarara…” (I’ve also built YouTube and Spotify play-
young female artists (Plaxedes, Tererai, She pick me up when I break down, While the Elli-ot assisted ‘Mhamha Vaka- lists with as many songs fitting this theme
Pauline etc) hailing from such prominent Now I’m up, I bow down…” ti’ would have been the predictable en- as were available on either platform. Follow
stables as Shamiso, Galaxy and Cham- While the South African-based hip hop try from Noble here, I’ve decided to flip the the respective links, and enjoy!)
hembe Records, Makaya broke the mold, artist has been a force to reckon with over script a bit, and shout out the grandmoth-
coming from a lesser known studio, and ers. The undisputable matriarchal pillar of — earGROUND
shook up the scene with ‘Usipo,’ ‘Kurwizi’
and other era-defining tunes. Although
not as renowned as its peers off her de-
but album, the tear-jerking ode to a de-
ceased mother, ‘Amai’, still hits right in
the feels.
9) Ishan- December (ft GZE)
“Vadeura dikita, enjoy the fruits
But usazokanganwa kudiridza ma
roots’
After dropping one of the biggest re-
cords in Zimbabwe over the past few
years (Kure), there was reason to be excit-
ed for Ishan’s career trajectory. His 2020
album, Bundu Pop, however, seems to
have come and gone without much fan-
fare. Whatever the reason, this was rath-
er unfortunate, as the project as a whole
was solid (in the writer’s subjective opin-
ion, of course!) One of the standout
songs therefrom was the Gze-assisted
‘December.’ The song finds young Ishan
breaking down as he negotiates how the
dream-chase often takes us away from
those we love the most: Mhamha being
the archetype
8) Sam Mutukudzi-Amai
“Pakabuda rudo rwukuru kundirera
Pamboshanda masimba makuru,
kundibereka…”
Admittedly, I had not heard this song
when we made the first list. Our editor
in chief, with all due license, decided to
shoehorn it into the article nevertheless,
albeit with a #. And boy, am I ever so
glad he did. What a beautiful song that
serves to remind us of how much bril-
liance we were cheated out of by way of
Sam’s early passing.
7) Holy Ten- Wakatuka Amai
“Kune mhepo dziri kunze uku dzinoda
anodzivhika, iwewe haumbozviziva
Nekuti minyengetero yavo amai inog-
ara yatongozvidzivirira”
There are a few Holy Ten songs that
could have troubled this list, but I’ve de-
cided to go with this stand-out tune
from the award-winning ‘Risky Life’ al-
bum. A victim of the high bar he has
set for himself, there are whispers here
and there about whether Samanyan-
ga is as good as we’ve made him out to
be. If that thought ever enters your con-
sciousness, just listen to ‘Wakatuka Amai’

SPORT May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 23

Hadebe
honors
mom with
career she
helped
launch
Teenage Hadebe’s golden ticket was a
soda his mom bought him as a treat. PREPARING FOR
As a child growing up in Zimbabwe, the PREPAANREINWG DFAOWR N
Houston Dynamo defender would impro-
vise to play his favorite sport, fashioning A NEW DAWN
whatever was on hand into a ball because his family
didn’t have the money for one. AUDITED FR IIONZ IAM NL ICM IITAELD RIOZIM 03767 PAGE 1 of 2
RESULTS
But in a truly Willie Wonka-esque twist, the cap of RioZim Limited
that soda had a code that won Hadebe a real soc- FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021
cer ball.
Head Office: RioZim Limited
“We saw there was a competition on the televi- 1 Kenilworth Road, Highlands, Harare. P O Box CY 1243, Causeway, Highlands, Harare, Zimbabwe
sion and I went to my mother and said, `Just buy me Telephone +263 746141/9, 776085/91, 746089/95, +263 86 7700 7168, Cell +263 77 215 8503-5, Fax: 746228.
a Coke and you never know, maybe I’ll win some-
thing,′ so that’s what she did,” Hadebe laughs, re- CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT ABRIDGED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT
calling the moment when he was about five years OF OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
old. INTRODUCTION
for the year ended 31 December 2021
That ball put Hadebe on a path that would take
him across the globe playing the sport he loves. In The operating environment throughout the year was challenging. It was characterised ENERGY BUSINESS (Loss)/profit for the year 31 Dec 2021 31 Dec 2020
honor of his mom, Selina Ndlovu, who died in 2017, by significant exchange rate distortions, ongoing power supply deficits and policy Audited Audited
Hadebe always wears a shirt under his jersey that changes amongst other challenges, which negatively impacted the operations of the 178 MW Solar Project Other comprehensive income/(loss) to be ZW$000 ZW$000
says “My Mother’s Blessings.” Group. The COVID-19 pandemic presented further challenges to the already depressed The Company concluded the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for all the reclassified to profit or loss:
macroeconomic environment as new variants emerged during the year. proposed solar sites which are a prerequisite before the implementation of the solar Foreign currency translation gains (2 097 942) 452 734
When he scored his first goal for Dynamo last projects at the various mines. Engagements with potential financiers are ongoing albeit Net other comprehensive income to be
month, he doffed his jersey to reveal the shirt. The foreign currency retention was revised downwards to 60% in January 2021 from 70% at a slower pace due to the complexities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. reclassified to profit or loss 1 666 641 2 947 931
in the prior year. This not only reduced the value realised for the Group’s gold produce 1 666 641 2 947 931
“I dedicate everything to her, that’s my strength,” but also negatively impacted on the timeous execution of the Group’s projects, which 2 800MW Sengwa Power Station Other comprehensive (loss)/income not to be
he said. predominantly required foreign currency. The commissioning of the Biological Oxidation Due to a mix of considerations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company reclassified to profit or loss:
(BIOX) Plant Project that was forecasted for Q4 2021 was delayed and postponed to Q1 has put up various financing options to attract potential investors into the project. Re-measurement (losses)/gains on
Hadebe was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s sec- 2022. Stakeholders will be kept abreast on the developments of the project. defined benefit plans
ond-largest city. Soon after he got that first soccer Income tax effect
ball, he knew he had a knack for the game. Despite the stability of the interbank rate, the comparative rates in the alternative market OUTLOOK Fair value gain on other comprehensive (1 531) 219 973
traded at huge premiums above the interbank rate during the period. This continued to income investments 378 (53 057)
“I was sure I was talented because -- you know put pressure on the Group’s profitability as inputs tracked rates in the alternative market. The BIOX Plant commissioning remained a priority for the Group. Subsequent to year Income tax effect
when you are a kid, you want to show which position The combination of a challenging operating environment and the delays on the completion end, testing of the plant components commenced in earnest with no major challenges Net other comprehensive (loss)/income not to be 915 12 312
you’re playing -- but me, I was playing all the posi- of the BIOX Plant Project due to inadequate foreign currency resulted in the Company being encountered. The commissioning of the BIOX Plant was completed on 14 April reclassified to profit or loss (46) (616)
tions. Sometimes you could find me in the goals, in incurring a loss for the year. It is against this background that I present you with the 2022. Production is forecast to improve as Cam & Motor returns to producing from its
the midfield, playing as a striker, playing as a de- financial results of the Company. high grade pits. Total other comprehensive incomefor the (284) 178 612
fender, playing as a goalkeeper,” he said. “I wasn’t year, net of tax
sure which position exactly, but I had many coach- GROUP PERFORMANCE The COVID-19 pandemic eased subsequent to period end as the Omicron variant, 1 666 357 3 126 543
es and they saw I had potential, so that’s why they which emerged close to period end, was contained. Various countries began to relax Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year (431 585) 3 579 277
kept on telling me to work hard, never give up on my Gold production regressed by 7% from 1 205kg produced in the prior year to 1 122kg. Due the COVID-19 restrictions and protocols resulting in the movement of cargo and people
dreams, and that’s what I did and now it pays me, so to delays in the completion of the BIOX Plant Project, the lifespan of the stopgap One-Step across borders significantly improving. Despite a positive outlook, the Group will remain Total comprehensive (loss)/profit attributable to: (394 845) 3 579 091
thank God for that.” mining operation was extended and continued to supply ore to the Cam & Motor plant. steadfast in its observance of the COVID-19 health protocols as prescribed by the World Owners of the parent (36 740) 186
The grades, however, significantly dropped which resulted in subdued production. This Health Organisation and Ministry of Health and Child Care from time to time. Non-controlling interests
He was 17 when he embarked on his professional impacted the Group’s production as both Dalny and Renco recorded almost consistent (431 585) 3 579 277
career, playing for several teams in his native coun- production from the prior year. The gold price recorded a marginal 1% increase from the DIRECTORATE
try before ending up with the South African first-di- prior year to an average of US$1 774/oz for the year compared to US$1 765/oz in the
vision Kaiser Chiefs. prior year. Despite a 7% decline in gold production, the Group’s revenue increased by Our Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Lovemore Chihota sadly passed away on the 2nd of July
84% to ZW$5.8 billion compared to the prior period’s ZW$3.1 billion primarily due to the 2021. Mr. Chihota was dedicated to the Company since his appointment to the Board in
Hadebe was set to play his final match in Zimba- depreciation of the local currency against the United States dollar. 2014 and his death was a heart-breaking loss to the Company.
bwe, with his proud mother in the stands, when he
got the devastating news: She had collapsed and GOLD BUSINESS Mr. Manraj Singh Bindra was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on the 18th of June ABRIDGED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT
died suddenly outside the family home. 2021. I welcome him and wish him a successful tenure. OF FINANCIAL POSITION
Renco Mine
Hadebe eventually played in South Africa, and The mine operated at almost the same level of production as the prior year achieving DIVIDENDS as at 31 December 2021
that led to a stint in Turkey. In 2021 he was signed by 561kg of gold, 3% lower than 580kg produced in the prior year. The slight shortfall in
Dynamo as a designated player. gold output from the prior year was attributed to reduced plant throughput as a result of No dividends were declared for the period. Note 31 Dec 2021 31 Dec 2020
increased power cuts during the year. Audited Audited
Houston struggled in his first season, finishing APPRECIATION ZW$000 ZW$000
6-16-12 and at the bottom of the Western Confer- Dalny Mine
ence. The team parted ways in November with Dalny achieved a 6% growth in gold production achieving 209kg of gold from 198kg On behalf of the Board, I would like to extend my gratitude to my fellow Directors for ASSETS 5 018 833
coach Tab Ramos, whose contract was not renewed. produced in the prior year. The growth in gold production was due to increased plant their continued leadership and unreserved commitment to the Company during a 563 423
Dynamo hired Paulo Nagamura, a former MLS play- throughput as plant improvements carried out during the year successfully stabilised difficult financial year. I would also like to thank our Management and Employees for their 1 422
er who previously coached Sporting Kansas City II, the plant. unwavering dedication and loyalty in spite of the challenges faced by the Company. To
in January. our valued stakeholders who continue to support us, we thank you. 1 317 637
One-Step Mine 214 633
While defenders aren’t generally goal scorers, Ha- Gold production at One-Step mine fell by 18% from the prior year’s production of 427kg Non-current assets
debe’s height— he’s 6-foot-2 — and skills make him to 351kg. The low gold output was attributable to lower grades which dropped from the 12 976
a dangerous aerial presence. More than that, he’s prior year. The life of mine was extended during the year despite the grades deteriorating Property, plant and equipment 5 8 319 842 7 128 924
become a key leader on the team and charmed and mining operations continued for the full year. The One-Step ore was processed at the
Houston fans with his broad smile — and his keen plant in Cam & Motor as had been happening in the previous year. Exploration, evaluation and development assets 6 1 078 280 1 427 751
fashion sense. 1 087 562
Right of use asset 22 728
In addition to Dynamo, Hadebe also plays for Zim- 94 794
babwe’s national team. However, the team is cur- Investment in associate company 2 882 544 2 610 107
rently suspended from international competitions
because of government interference in the running Cam & Motor Mine S R BEEBEEJAUN Employee benefit asset 200 284 9 739 031
of its national soccer federation. There was no gold production from Cam & Motor mine during the year which was a carry CHAIRMAN
forward from prior year as the mine continued with the construction of its BIOX Plant 15 April 2022 Fair value through other comprehensive 1 345
The T-shirt isn’t the only reminder of his mother Project throughout the year. The completion of the BIOX Plant which was scheduled for 20 789
that Hadebe carries. He’s got a tattoo that also says the second half of the year was delayed due to inadequate foreign currency and COVID-19 income investments 13 891 4 309 410
“My Mother’s Blessings” on the back of his neck. pandemic induced challenges. Commissioning of the BIOX Plant Project would have
enabled resumption of mining operations at the Cam & Motor high grade ore pits. Total non-current assets 12 517 569 12 304
Just 26, Hadebe is now a parent himself. He and 27 617
his wife, who were high school sweethearts, have BIOX Plant Project ABRIDGED CONSOLIDATED Current assets 7 1 520 076
three children. After obtaining the funding required for the completion of the BIOX Plant Project, the STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS Inventories 1 274 808 4 371 465
Company accelerated installations in the second half of the year to bring the plant to Trade and other receivables 84 437 3 650
He hopes he’s made his mother proud. completion stage at the end of the year. Testing of the various equipment and components for the year ended 31 December 2021 Cash and cash equivalents 2 879 321
“Every time I play, I ask for guidance with every- commenced subsequent to year end and the plant was successfully commissioned on the Total current assets 4 375 115
thing I’m doing, even when I’m on the pitch, be- 14th of April 2022 by the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe H.E. Dr E.D. Mnangagwa.
cause she used to like watching me play,” he said. Total assets 15 396 890 -
“But I’m sure in spirit she’s there with me.” 267 077
BASE METALS BUSINESS 31 Dec 2021 31 Dec 2020 EQUITY & LIABILITIES 1 345 2 474 850
— AP Audited Audited Shareholders’ equity 20 789 447 283
The Refinery operated under care and maintenance throughout the period. 210tons of Revenue ZW$000 ZW$000 Share capital 6 003 034
matte, 78tons of PGMs and 21tons of copper were produced. Revenue of ZW$381 million Cost of sales Share premium -
was generated during the year from the projects at the Refinery which partially funded 5 768 667 3 135 077 Foreign currency translation reserve 13 173 3 189 210
the care and maintenance costs. The Company continues to engage various stakeholders Gross profit (5 747 486) (2 028 676) Fair value through other comprehensive (2 061 721)
to identify sources of raw material to feed the Refinery to normal production capacity and income reserve 1 879 583
our stakeholders will be kept appraised. Distribution and selling costs 21 181 1 106 401 Accumulated (losses)/profits 3 976 620 294 484
Administrative expenses Equity attributable to equity holders (33 090) 639
CHROME BUSINESS Loss on disposal of property,plant and equipment (16 093) (778) of the parent
Other income (1 694 868) (758 333) Non-controlling interests 3 943 530 2 174 706
The legal dispute relating to the Company’s chrome claims in Darwendale remained Operating (loss)/profit Total equity
under litigation as at year end and the Company continues to pursue the finalisation of (134) - 5 363 916
the court case. Net finance costs 135 701 115 438 Non-current liabilities 9 811 190
Finance income (1 554 213) 462 728 Interest bearing loans and borrowings 333 074 9 739 031
DIAMOND BUSINESS Finance costs Provisions
(129 451) (49 600) Other payables 8 3 288 201
Diamond production for the Group’s associate, RZM Murowa (Private) Limited, declined Share of profit from an associate - 424 Deferred tax liabilities 1 377 898
by 28% to 414 000 carats from 579 000 carats produced in the comparative year, 2020. Lease liabilities 13 417
The Associate processed material from the low grade stock piles with limited mining (Loss)/profit before tax (129 451) (50 024) Total non-current liabilities 5 823 780
activities from the K2 pit. This was in contrast to the prior year whereby production was
from the mining activities in the K2 pit, which has slightly better grades. The key focus Income tax expense 525 847 494 842 Current liabilities 8 4 534 473
for the Associate is completion of its Project Crown Jewel which entails increasing the Trade and other payables 9 1 085 077
current processing plant capacity to move to a ‘low grade high volume’ strategy in order (Loss)/profit for the year (1 157 817) 907 970 Interest-bearing loans and borrowings
to sustain production as it is currently processing low grades. Lease liabilities 10 030
(Loss)/profit for the year attributable to: (940 125) (455 236) Total current liabilities 5 629 580
The Group’s share of profit from the associate increased to ZW$525.8million compared
to ZW$494.8 million in the prior year. Owners of the parent (2 097 942) 452 734
Non-controlling interests
(2 088 185) 456 309 Total liabilities 11 453 360
(Loss)/earnings per share (cents): (9 757) (3 575)
Basic Total equity and liabilities 15 396 890
Diluted basic (2 097 942) 452 734

(1 711.21) 373.93
(1 711.21) 373.93

DIRECTORS: S R Beebeejaun (Chairman), C Dengu (Deputy Chairman), M M Shah* (Chief Executive Officer), M S Bindra, G K Jain, M T Sachak, R Swami* - Executive*

May 11 to 17 2022 Weekly Digest 24

The True Beauty of Castle Tankard

FBY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE attempt and bagged the US$25 000 win- tions Nedbank who is one of the few fe- year absence due to Covid-19 pandemic.
our-year-old filly, True ner’s prize. male black connections in Zimbabwe horse Delta Beverages marketing director Iri-
Beauty, galloped to the racing.
biggest win of her ca- Formerly trained by Kirk Swanson, True mayi Muzorewa was pleased with the way
reer after she claimed Beauty joined Tomcat Racing at the start of Moyo, who is extremely enthusiastic the event was organised and pledged the
this year’s Castle Tank- the horse racing season last year and has about horse racing, has shares in Tomcat organisation’s continued support of horse
ard event which had a US$50 taken no time to blossom after Saturday’s Racing where two of her horses True Beau- racing going into the future.
000 stake at Borrowdale Park on historic win. ty and Diesel 'n Dust are being trained.
Saturday. “It’s been a good afternoon. Congrat-
By Skitt Skizzle and out of a Silvano (Ger- “I certainly wasn’t expecting this. True ulations to the winners and to everyone
On a beautiful afternoon, on many) mare, True Beauty was bred by Bos- Beauty has done so well for us since we got who took part in this event. This event is
the occasion of the 62nd edition worth Farm Stud, and this was her sixth and her as a two year old. Special thanks to Kirk about bringing the nation together around
of the country's oldest and big- biggest victory including 10 placings in 18 Swanson, he chose her in a sale in August a common cause. It’s about developing the
gest horse racing event, another starts. Mason could not hide his excitement 2019, in Johannesburg,” Moyo said. sport, in this case the sport of horse rac-
four year old, Only Him was run- at the team’s success. ing. We are proud of being associated with
ner-up while Holy Land was third. “She never ceases to amaze, always do- horse racing in Zimbabwe and we’ll contin-
“It’s truly hard to describe this awe- ing better and better. We were not expect- ue to do so in future,” Muzorewa said.
Not only was it a memorable some feeling of winning the Castle Tankard ing this and we are thrilled. Thank you Tom,
day for True Beauty but her con- race. My first crack at a Grade 1 race and he is the trainer and all the guys that work This year’s Castle Tankard was dampened
nections including top trainer the combination of True Beauty and Den- with True Beauty all the time,” she added. by the death of two people during a mass
Thomas Mason of Tomcat Rac- is Schwarz makes it a dream come true. An stampede at the end of a musical show late
ing, jockey Denis Shwartz and absolute top ride! Big thank you to Sibong- The win by True Beauty and her connec- at night.
owners, banker Sibongile Moyo ile Moyo for entrusting me with the special tions makes them the team to beat ahead
and Mr. G Tafeni. filly. To my team at home well done,” Mason of another big horce racing event on the Caption: True Beauty and her connec-
said following the Castle Tankard triumph. calendar, the 33rd edition OK Grand Chal- tions including Thomas Mason (blue suit),
It was the first Group 1 race for lenge set for June 4 at the Borrowdale Park. Jockey Denis Shwartz (on horseback) and
True Beauty and her connections, True Beauty also managed to cast the owner Sibongile Moyo celebrate their Cas-
as they all struck gold in their first spotlight on owner Moyo, a banker with In the meantime they have to recover tle Tankard victory at Borrowdale Park on
one of the country’s top banking institu- from a massive Castle Tankard win upon saturday.
the competition’s returns following a two