NewsHawks 6 May 2022

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WHAT’S INSIDE Friday 6 May 2022 INnEflWatSion disrupts SMPoOrRe Tstars
financial reporting join Zim’s
NZuEpWcSo timelines as prices quest for
monopoly spin out of control World Cup
opens can
of worms Story on Page 6 Story on Page 46

Story on Page 3

Populist
decision
on Zupco
backfires

ALSO INSIDE Red flag over murky vehicle deals

Page 2 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Murky Zupco deal backfires

Government’s ban on commuter omnibuses has spectacularly backfired, leaving thousands of commuters in desperation.

MOSES MATENGA prices that were low and unsustainable for Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa Despite the imposition of the Zupco mo-
Zupco. In that way, we now had transport that of them breaking down time and again.” nopoly in public transport, the crisis has wors-
GOVERNMENT’S army-backed populist became cheaper but unavailable.” ened, with commuters now having to queue
decision to re-establish Zupco’s public trans- After the kombi bans, the government and for hours on end for transport.
port monopoly, while banning commuter om- “When they were desperate, they brought Zupco removed the cobwebs from rusty com-
nibuses has spectacularly backfired, leading to buses that were unroadworthy as long as their muter trains, introducing an urban railway Pirate taxi operators have taken advantage
a severe crisis that has seen thousands of com- wheels would turn. That is why you see most service. That arrangement has failed to address of the desperation of commuters to charge ex-
muters in desperation. the transport problems in the city. orbitant fares as high as US$2 to nearby sub-
urbs that usually cost as low as US$0.50 while
When Zupco was failing and facing closure longer but local distances now cost US$4.
in 2019, with the army spearheading the proj-
ect, the authorities decided to intervene and Even cabinet this week conceded that the
brought in their politically exposed person, Zupco monopoly had backfired, but failed to
businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who is proffer a realistic solution to the public trans-
close to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and port crisis and insisted measures will be put
his family to supply buses for personal benefit. in place to address the crisis despite nothing
happening on the ground.
Mnangagwa and government have of late
been presenting and commissioning new Zup- “Cabinet wishes to clarify that government
co buses which are hardly visible on the streets. has not banned the operations of private con-
tractors in the public transportation sector.
Tagwirei's Landela Investments reportedly While noting the apparent withdrawal of ser-
purchased buses for Zupco at US$58 900 and vices by some operations, cabinet wishes to
sold them for US$212 962 each. state that no effort is being spared in ensuring
that the inconvenience to the travelling public
Zupco has been buying hundreds of buses is minimised,” Information minister Monica
while hiring some to meet demand after the Mutsvangwa said.
army warned that banning commuter om-
nibuses without an alternative could lead to Cabinet also conceded that contracted pri-
public unrest. vate bus operators are owed huge amounts of
money by Zupco.
Besides buying new buses, the govern-
ment also introduced the government also “Government would like to assure the na-
introduced the hiring system in the broader tion that Zupco is engaging with contractors
arrangement viewed as a populist move to ap- with a view to ensuring that all arrears are set-
pease restless masses by providing cheap trans- tled and resolving any outstanding matters.”
port.
“Government has, however, noted with
“This was all meant to appease the restless concern the proliferation of unlicenced ve-
masses who were always on the streets strand- hicles (mushikashika) and unroadworthy ve-
ed for transport. There were fears by the Joint hicles commuting various routes. The public
Operations Command (JOC) that any gather- is informed that government, through the
ing of people waiting for kombis run by pri- Zimbabwe Republic Police, will enforce the
vate players was a security threat,” The News- law without fear or favour for the safety of the
Hawks heard this week. travelling public. All vehicles without number
plates will be impounded.”
“They also made a populist decision on

NewsHawks News Page 3

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Zupco deal: The cost of corruption

l MPs shut out from ownership inquiry

MOSES MATENGA

THE Zimbabwe United Passenger Company Businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei terpart Felix Mhona were cited as respondents in of Zupco buses and is expected to answer ques-
(Zupco)’s monopoly on the public transport sys- mation on the procurement of the buses is yet to the matter in which the applicants are seeking the tions on bus procurement, the monopoly and
tem has opened a can of worms amid reports that yield results. courts to compel the government to release details ownership arrangements.
Parliament was blocked from making inquiries on of a bus supply deal with Landela Investments, a
the procurement, ownership and whereabouts of The High Court recently reserved judgement company linked to Tagwirei. “Therefore I move that the minister of Local
over 500 purchased buses in the wake of a severe on the matter in which Transparency Internation- Government comes to Parliament with a ministe-
transport crisis. al Zimbabwe (TIZ) and a local media outlet are The company is said to have purchased the bus- rial statement where MPs bring issues from their
suing three government ministers for refusing to es for Zupco at US$58 900 each and sold them to constituents as we interrogate on the viability of
While thousands of Zimbabweans, particularly release information on the procurement of Zupco the government for US$212 962 each. Zupco and see how best we can assist our com-
in urban centres, struggle for transport on a daily buses. muting public,” Chikwinya told Parliament on
basis, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has on Parliament has since summoned Moyo to pres- Tuesday.
several occasions officially launched buses that are Local Government minister July Moyo, Finance ent a ministerial statement next week on the issue
rarely seen on the roads except on Zanu PF occa- minister Mthuli Ncube and their transport coun-
sions, a puzzle that has raised questions.

Businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who is the
proprietor of Sakunda Holdings and another com-
pany linked to him, Landela Investments, is said
to have interests in the procurement and control
of the buses amid questions on whether the proper
processes were followed in their acquisition.

Mbizo member of Parliament Settlement
Chikwinya, who is also the Citizens’ Coalition
for Change (CCC) secretary for transport, said
the transport crisis is a manifestation of misgov-
ernance and lack of policy clarity by the Zanu PF
government.

“These are effects of state capture by Tagwirei,
who now unilaterally runs Zupco with no one in
government able to raise a finger because they all
have their hands deep in his cookie jar,” Chikwin-
ya said.

On how the buses may have been acquired,
Chikwinya, who is also a member of the Parlia-
mentary portfolio committee on Transport, said
the MPs who tried to probe the matter were
blocked.

“The buses that are said to be bought by gov-
ernment are only paraded and seen on ZBC-TV
and state media yet there is very little or nothing
to show on the roads,” he said.

“Parliament has tried to investigate the trans-
parency of the transactions to determine if it is
true that these buses were bought by government,
but the legislators were shut out of the inquiry, the
reason being that the buses were bought by pri-
vate players participating in a government-Zupco
scheme hence Parliament had no right to investi-
gate where there are no public funds used,” Chik-
winya said.

“The ownership remains murky, but all shad-
ows reflect the image of Tagwirei.”

Even attempts to use the courts to extract infor-

Page 4 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Why there is a public transport crisis

MOSES MATENGA “Late payment is affecting contractors and it is Local Government minister July Moyo “Buses are being poorly maintained because of
in RTGS that is supposed to come after two weeks ed to pay their own drivers and service their own late payments and once they have broken down
A COMBINATION of corrupt deals, a dysfunc- but sometimes takes a month or two. With the lit- vehicles, while Zupco only fuels the buses. they are rarely fixed and it ends there.”
tional contract system and poor management at tle we are getting, it becomes difficult now to do
the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zup- proper maintenance of the buses.” Contractors have complained that the arrange- Owing to poor maintenance, the buses are usu-
co) lies at the heart of the current public trans- ment was not viable as they were forced to service ally down completely. If they are run, their time
port crisis which leaves thousands of commuters The contractors also said the impact of an un- their vehicles and buying spare parts in United on the roads is compromised by queuing for fuel
stranded in cities daily. stable exchange rate was hitting them hard. States dollars. at different depots.

Zupco functions through buying its own buses “We are supposed to get US$84 a day at inter- “Another challenge is the cost of spare parts in The contractors also blamed poor management
and hiring others through the commuter omnibus bank rate and it changes on a daily basis. Even the Zimbabwe. They are sold in United States dollars at Zupco for the crisis, saying most buses spend
system which was introduced to fill the gap left slightest move on rates hits us hard on the face.” and those who accept local currency they charge days in fuel queues at the company depots while
by the banning of private transporters who ran extremely ridiculous fares. This is one reason why people struggle to get transport.
combis. From the paid amount, contractors are expect- we have these transport shortages.”
They said the management at Zupco was fail-
Currently, Zupco has no capacity to acquire ing to put the house in order and deal with the
more buses of its own due to lack of resources as challenges.
it is among bankrupt state-owned entities on the
verge of collapse due to viability challenges. On where the new buses were being taken to,
the contractor said lies were being peddled over
Despite being captured by politically connected the new acquisitions such that is has become diffi-
businessmen, particularly Sakunda Holdings boss cult to know the truth.
Kudakwashe Tagwirei through his Landela Invest-
ments, Zupco is still unable to introduce supplied “If a good number of buses come in, I don’t
buses and resolve the public transport system that need to be told about it, the impact should be in-
is affecting thousands daily. stant and should be felt. Where are the statistics?
Where are the buses? You can’t fix a crisis by lying.”
In 2020, leaked government documents re-
vealed Landela Investments imported buses ini- Another contractor said: “People contracted to
tially said to belong to Zupco before being sold to Zupco will eventually go out of business. Some
the state enterprise at exorbitant prices. have already pulled out and most are going to pull
out soon due to poor and late payment; it is not
According to government correspondence sustainable.”
leaked then, Landela Investments sold 162 buses
to government at a profit of US$154 000 per bus He said the ministry of Local Government has
each with a carrying capacity of 64 passengers. exhausted its subsidy, hence the inability to pay the
contractors.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has made a
ceremony of handing over buses, but the buses are “Payments were made by the ministry of Local
hardly on the streets, raising public concerns over Government and we hear the budget for that was
their whereabouts and the purpose they are serving exhausted sometime in March. How are people
when thousands of commuters are stranded on a going to meet their obligations when the subsidy is
daily basis. no longer there? Government must come up with
another strategy to subsidise the programme. It’s a
Contractors who spoke to The NewsHawks said disaster in waiting.”
the situation will get worse as the biggest problem
now has become Zupco’s shambolic contractual “Recently, they came up with a figure of 800
system that has seen many of them pulling out passengers a day that translates to ZW$64 000.
and those that remain are frustrated as they believe That is what each bus should cash in. From the
they were now subsidising the government. ZW$64 000, a contractor gets ZW$34 000. This
is nothing compared to the expenses we encounter
“We only get fuel to run for a day and the next and you can imagine.”
we are back again. We now then spend most of the
time in fuel queues while people are stranded,” one “Without subsidy from government, we are go-
of the contractors said. ing nowhere.”

“Many have pulled out and for those that re- He said the Zupco programme has been around
main, they are frustrated because of late payment since 2019 and it was not making sense to give an
and poor payment. This has seen many of us fail- excuse over “teething problems”.
ing to pay our workers and for services.”
“We are sinking gradually but surely. I am chal-
lenging the minister (Moyo) to address contractors
on this issue and address their concerns.”

Contractors are complaining their arrangement with government is not viable.

NewsHawks News Page 5

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

NATHAN GUMA Commuters bear brunt
of police, motorists’ war
ARMED with batons, police officers disembark
from a tinted vehicle running at full speed to Commuters are having nightmares about getting transport to and from work. Here some commuters board a lorry and some look stranded in central Harare as
block a honking pirate taxi in the heart of the city they go home on Wednesday. Zupco has failed to meet the demand as many private operators are being blocked from carrying passengers.
in a dramatic and dangerous move.
Omnibus Operators (GHACO) says it is engag- GHACO secretary-general. One of them, Fredrick Mupamombe, says this
The targeted vehicle, a Toyota Wish, part of ing the government so private operators can be He said legalising separate franchises will help is his source of livelihood, though illegal.
the family of vehicles mainly used as illegal taxis allowed to operate under a self-regulated associ-
in the city, is driven at full speed with the driver ation. operators control cashflows hence bringing mean- “We are facing the same problems, commuters
oblivious of the danger posed to innocent by- ingful financial returns to transport operators. and us,” Mupamombe said.
standers in his needless drama with the police. “The Zupco franchise provides a conducive
environment to work in an orderly manner, but Meanwhile, the chase continues and police say “We implore government to bring back com-
Less than 500 metres away, a small truck the same environment must be extended to pri- they will continue with the blitz to bring sanity muter omnibuses. At least they will aid Zupco
emerges from a corner with more baton-wielding vate operators,” said Ngonidzashe Katsvairo, the on the roads. buses and help reduce the transport problem,” he
police officers, legs dangling outside the truck said.
sending more pirate taxi drivers into panic and Touts have not been spared the police blitz.
driving as if their very lives depend on the escape.

In all the cat-and-mouse chase, it is the vulner-
able hundreds of stranded commuters at risk and
this hazardous act has been the order of the day
in Harare since the police commenced an oper-
ation to decongest the city and seeking to arrest
criminal elements using pirate taxis to target un-
suspecting commuters.

Police said 4 769 motorists were arrested be-
tween 27 April and 4 May.

In the wake of the police crackdown, the situ-
ation for commuters has become dire and going
home for many has become dangerous, particu-
larly for women and children who are exposed to
potential harm.

“People can sacrifice to pay hiked fares, but
even private transport is becoming increasingly
scarce,” Lisa Muchadehama, a commuter from
Chitungwiza’s Unit L said.

“That is why I have to rush to a strategic place
where there are no running battles between the
police and touts. Unfortunately, the only safe
place to go is over three kilometres from the city
centre.

Motorists are charging between US$3 and
US$5 for a trip to Chitungwiza while nearby
routes require US$2.

For Muchadehama and others, due to the
transport crisis, they have to wake up at 3am to
get cheaper transport that does not overwhelm
the personal budget.

“I cannot sustain an extra budget and neither
can I stand the physical pressure at the Zupco
buses.”

Those in formal employment, including Her-
bert Munhongowarwa (34), a legal clerk from
Tafara, a suburb located 26 kilometres outside
the city centre, the salaries they are getting have
become meaningless.

Before the clampdown on public transport, Ta-
fara residents used to pay US$1 for a trip to town
and in Munhongowarwa’s case, another US$1 to
Avondale where he works.

This means Munhongowarwa will need US$6
to and from town, and a further US$2 from the
city centre to work and back-- in total US$8 per
day.

The figure translates to US$40 a week and
US$160 a month and, considering his salary, his
situation is then a classic case of punching above
his weight.

“I had to request for an advance salary pay-
ment,” he says. “I earn ZW$30 000 (US$180.73
at interbank rate) and already, it has become un-
sustainable.”

“I work for a law firm and am required to be
at work by 8am. If I fail to make it by then, I
may disturb court processes. The train is suitable
for people who are not formally employed as they
have no time restrictions,” he laments.

Passengers’ Association of Zimbabwe president
Tafadzwa Goliati says the government ought to
liberalise the transport sector.

“Transport operators are pulling out and most
buses are being deployed to highways that already
have ample buses,” Goliati said.

“You can never rely on buses which you do
not have. Zimbabwe should have a multi-fran-
chise system that accommodates all transporters.
This will ease pressure on the buses, most of them
which are no longer fit for road service.”

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
president Florence Taruvinga said the Zupco mo-
nopoly has failed and payment of decent salaries
will help improve workers’ living conditions.

“Private players play a major role in transpor-
tation. If government closes the door for them,
then the problem will persist.”

“Transport operators can manage to service
their vehicles because money will be exchanging
hands.”

Greater Harare Association of Commuter

Page 6 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

BERNARD MPOFU Inflation disrupts financial
reporting as prices rampage
STRATOSPHERICALLY surging inflation is
wreaking havoc on the Zimbabwe Stock Ex- Truworths said it had missed both dead-
change, with most listed companies delaying lines due to accounting headaches caused
the publication of financials due to accounting by soaring inflation.
headaches caused by the weakening economy.
“The committee noted with concern the re- portion of the inflationary pressures emanating accounting standards in the southern African
According to international research firm Stas- cent uptick in month-on-month inflation, from from the impact of the on-going Russia-Ukraine country, said Zimbabwe had officially become a
tica, Zimbabwe has the second highest inflation 7,7% in March to 15,5% in April, and the in- conflict.” hyperinflationary economy.
in Africa after conflict-ridden Sudan. crease in annual inflation from 72,7% in March
to 96,4% in April 2022,” the committee said. The past few weeks have seen most companies Zimbabwe first experienced hyperinflation
Official statistics show Zimbabwe’s year-on- such as financial institutions and manufacturing from around 2005 till 2008, peaking in 2008 at
year inflation for April stood at 96.4%, up from “The increase in inflation was a result of a firms publishing financials for the period ending 500 billion percent. The US$1 became equiva-
72.7% in March mainly driven by price increas- combination of global shocks and pass-through 31 December ahead of the extended deadline. lent to Z$2 621 984 228. The domestic currency
es in fuel, electricity and gas. effects of the recent exchange rate depreciation was ultimately ditched in favour of a multi-cur-
on the parallel market, with a significant pro- In 2019, the Public Accountants and Audi- rency system dominated by the US dollar.
Rising inflation and currency volatility have tors Board, mandated with regulating audit and
stood out as some of the key issues which arose
during the reporting period, with several com-
panies announcing they were coming up with
strategies to ensure their balance sheets remain
strong.

Some companies have in the past been fined
or suspended from the ZSE for failing to comply
with listing requirements such as timely publica-
tion of financials.

Earlier on, Justin Bgoni, the ZSE chief exec-
utive, gave listed companies a month-long grace
period to publish financials after 31 March fol-
lowing an overwhelming request for extension
of compliance by issuers to submit year-end fi-
nancial statements.

“This will allow issuers to complete their audit
processes and finalise financial statements and
reports. (Issuers/listed companies) who fail to
meet the 30 April 2022 deadline will be penal-
ised for noncompliance,” Bgoni said.

After failing to meet the latest deadline, more
companies have now asked for an extension.

Apparel retailer Truworths said it had missed
both deadlines due to accounting headaches
caused by soaring inflation.

“The reviewed results for the half-year to 9
January 2022 were due for publication on 30
April 2022. There is a delay due to necessary
work to be completed in order for publication
of financial statements that comply with Inter-
national Accounting Standard 29 – Financial
Reporting in Hyperinflationary Economies. An
extension has been granted by the Zimbabwe
Stock Exchange (ZSE) to publish the reviewed
results on or before 13 May 2022,” Truworths
said in a statement.

A few days before the April deadline, ZSE
manufacturing concern Zimplow also raised the
red flag.

“The Board of Directors of Zimplow Hold-
ings Limited notifies shareholders that Zim-
plow Holdings will not be able to publish the
Abridged Audited Financial Statements for the
year ended 31 December 2021 by 30 April
2022,” the company said.

“The delay is due to extensive work necessary
to conform to the requirement that Financial
Statements are adjusted for hyperinflation so as
to comply with International Accounting Stan-
dard 29-Financial Reporting in Hyperinflation-
ary Economies. The Board anticipates that the
Abridged Audited Financial Statements will be
published by 31 May 2022.”

Transport and logistics company Unifreight
Africa Limited on Thursday announced that it
would delay publishing its full year financials
due to the same reason IAS Financial Reporting
in Hyperinflationary Economies applies where
an entity’s functional currency is that of a hyper-
inflationary economy.

The standard does not prescribe when hyper-
inflation arises, but requires the financial state-
ments (and corresponding figures for previous
periods) of an entity with a functional currency
that is hyperinflationary to be restated for the
changes in the general pricing power of the
functional currency.

Zimre Holdings Limited (ZHL), which also
missed its deadline, said the delay was due to
“unforeseen” circumstances at the company.

“The delay is as a result of unforeseen delays at
Fidelity Life Assurance Company of Zimbabwe
(FLA), which, being a significant component of
ZHL, has in turn pushed back the conclusion of
the Group consolidation and review by its exter-
nal auditor,” ZHL said.

The soaring inflation has been a source of
worry for the country’s monetary authorities
over the past few weeks.

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Re-
serve Bank of Zimbabwe has resolved to main-
tain high interest rates among other measures in
order to tame the runaway inflation.

NewsHawks News Page 7

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Zanu PF, MDC-T connive
to sell Harare golf courses

CCC councillors have vowed to block the move to sell Sherwood and Warren Hills golf courses in Harare.

MOSES MATENGA/NYASHA CHINGONO Denford Ngadziore said. CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere composed of Zanu PF and MDC-T councillors
“These recreation facilities include the two hear between 2021 and 2022 over 30 hectares of who are working in collusion with city staff.”
ZANU PF and MDC-T councillors have set greenways and open spaces around Mabelreign
themselves on a warpath with their Citizens’ Co- golf courses in my ward, namely Warren Hills have been planned for residential stands.” Both golf courses sit on wetlands, and con-
alition for Change counterparts after conniving and Sherwood, and I suspect the change of use servationists warn that these vital landscapes are
to block CCC councillors from sitting on com- is being pushed by politically connected land CCC spokesperson Fadzai Mahere said the endangered by ill-planned housing projects.
mittees while facilitating the sale of Warren Hills barons.” move was done without consultation and de-
and Sherwood golf clubs through an arrange- scribed it as a danger to the environment. In 2020, Ngadziore reported to the police an
ment described as dubious. “All 23 councillors elected in the March attempt to turn the Sherwood Golf Course into
by-elections are yet to be included in various “The City of Harare is about to turn Sherwood residential stands.
The NewsHawks gathered that a meeting of committees of council. We were not aware of Golf Course and Warren Hills Golf Course into
the Environmental Management Committee the EMC meeting and we are yet to see the said residential stands. There has been little consulta- Harare has been losing wetlands which ac-
(EMC) was set for Thursday to deliberate and minutes except what we are seeing on various so- tion with the affected communities and no con- cording to environmentalists are crucial for the
endorse the resolution to sell the two golf clubs cial media platforms,” he said. sideration given to the environmental damage ecosystem, particularly as a reservoir of water.
to individuals, but sources at Town House said that is likely to take place. Part of the affected
the meeting was stopped. “Citizens’ councillors will protect the two areas are on wetlands,” Mahere said. Wetlands are natural water reservoirs. They
golf courses from any illegal developments. We are used to recharge the water table, filter and
Investigations showed that more than 63 “The EMC committee handling the deal is purify water and prevent soil erosion.
suspicious items, mainly to do with land sales,
were set to be tabled for discussion before the Zimbabwe currently has seven sites desig-
committee and this was to be done while CCC nated as Wetlands of International Importance
councillors remain excluded from committees at (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 453 828
the instigation of Local Government minister hectares.
July Moyo.
In a report by the Harare Wetlands Trust,
Town House sources confirmed the meeting about 17 wetland housing developments are
was blocked. However, acting mayor Enock happening in the city without due procedure.
Mupamaonde tried to be diplomatic, saying “the The report also shows that environmental im-
meeting was postponed”. pact assessments (EIA) have not been made
available, making the structures illegal.
The leaked agenda of the meeting showed
that council was set to discuss the Sherwood and “Permits continue to be issued to allow for
Warren Hills golf clubs. development on wetlands, including on Ramsar
Sites. The Ramsar Convention, though bind-
“. . . change of reservation of portions of ing on the state, is yet to be domesticated into
stands 8112, 8113, 8118 Warren Park town- Zimbabwean law. The state has not made use of
ship and 812 Mabelreign township from open the legislation to acquire or gazette wetlands, to
space and recreation (golf course) to mixed use establish nature reserves and prohibit develop-
development (residential, commercial and com- ment on them, which would do away with the
munity facilities (Kirkman Road), Harare Drive, issuance of permits such as EIA certificates and
Richwell Avenue and Sherwood Drive Harare.” wetlands utilisation certificates, which are legiti-
mising the loss of the wetlands,” reads the report.
A 29 March 2022 report indicated the need
for council to support the proposed change of Zimbabwe is a state party to international
reservation. conventions such as the Convention on Biolog-
ical Diversity and, most importantly, the 1971
CCC councillors have vowed to block the Convention on Wetlands of International Im-
move to sell Sherwood and Warren Hills golf portance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat (the
courses, saying it was a scandalous escapade by Ramsar Convention) in terms of which the state
land barons. has designated seven wetlands as wetlands of in-
ternational importance.
“As a local councillor, l have an obligation to
block and protect illegal developments in vari- The Ramsar Convention requires the estab-
ous recreational facilities,” Ward 16 councillor lishment of nature reserves on wetlands, wise use
of wetlands and conservation of preserved sites.

Page 8 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

MOSES MATENGA Mnangagwa, Ncube fret over

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa is fretting Zim’s suffocating economy
over the possibility of losing the 2023 elections
at a time Zanu PF Members of Parliament say l MPs summon Finance minister
launching a serious campaign for themselves and l Zanu PF fears electoral defeat
their leader will this time be difficult due to the
failing economy. well in road rehabilitation and pointing fingers at to act in addressing the civil servants' devastated President Emmerson Mnangagwa
the opposition local authorities. That was bound livelihoods.
In the last few weeks, Mnangagwa has taken to be a good strategy, but it counts for nothing Finance minister Mthuli Ncube
every opportunity when addressing party officials when the central government led by Zanu PF Civil servants have gone for years locked up in equivalent to what they used to earn pre-October
to express concern over so-called saboteurs whom now fails to address the issue on the public trans- serious fights with the government over salaries. 2018.
he fears are throwing spanners in his 2023 re-elec- port system,” a party official said.
tion agenda. The government workers are demanding a Auditor-General Mildred Chiri’s office has
Zanu PF has also been accused of failing to minimum monthly salary of US$540, which is exposed rampant corruption in ministries, the
This also comes as stakeholders including civil address challenges faced by those in their rural public and private sector, but no action has been
society, students and public servants are plotting strongholds who are also bearing the brunt of a taken to deal with the menace.
a nationwide shutdown in protest over a myriad collapsed economy.
of issues including the transport crisis, school fees
challenges and general economic decay that has On Monday, MPs said there was reason to
eroded people's confidence in the Mnangagwa move a motion to have Mnangagwa address Par-
administration. liament on corruption that finds itself rooted in
government and among the Zanu PF elites. They
Zanu PF insiders said the plotted shutdown, accused the Zimbabwean leader of failing to ad-
the economic crisis and failure to deliver on 2018 dress the scourge, with some members of his fam-
promises was disastrous for the party, particularly ily implicated in scandals.
ahead of the elections, hence Mnangagwa’s dis-
comfort. Several cases of corruption have been exposed
in Zimbabwe, including the Draxgate scandal
Those close to Mnangagwa fear he is being sab- that led to the arrest of former Health minister
otaged from within ahead of the party’s elective Obadiah Moyo but, like many others, he walked
congress in December at which Vice-President away scot free.
Constantino Chiwenga may challenge for the top
post. Speaking on the sidelines of a Southern African
Parliamentary Support Trust meeting, MPs said
MPs have since summoned Finance minister Mnangagwa should clearly state his position on
Mthuli Ncube to address Parliament on the state corruption if he is sincere in fighting the menace.
of the economy. The legislators want Ncube to
explain the challenges the country is facing as well “When you go through these reports you ask
as proffer solutions. why we then pass these budgets. When the rec-
ommendations to these reports are not done, it
They are particularly worried about inflation means the President is presiding over a dysfunc-
which has led to prices of goods and services sky- tional government, a corrupt government,” Nor-
rocketing. ton member of Parliament Temba Mliswa said.

This comes as MPs also want to summon “The Auditor-General’s office is critical in in-
Mnangagwa to Parliament through a motion, to terrogation and everything is pointing to the neg-
speak on the failure by his government to curb ative. What will be good is to invite the President
corruption that is rampant in the public sector, through a motion in Parliament so that he re-
leading to the country losing billions of dollars. sponds to why his government is not implement-
ing recommendations from Parliament through
Mnangagwa has accused saboteurs of causing several committees.”
economic distortions as he fears the resultant
hardships will work against him ahead of 2023. Mliswa said poverty and poor remuneration of
civil servants were also fuelling corruption in pub-
Glen View North MP (Citizens' Coalition for lic institutions and called on for the government
Change) Fani Munengami told the National As-
sembly on Wednesday that inflation is haunting
the country and the minister must address the
nation on the government's failure to address the
crisis.

“As I am speaking, inflation is (pushing up
the parallel market exchange rate to) ZW$500
against the US dollar, which means that our
livelihood as Zimbabwe, all things will go up,”
Munengami said.

“There is nothing valuable that we can buy for
our livelihoods. Our cry is that if we can have
a statement from the minister of Finance and
Economic Development on the way forward to
alleviate our situation so that our dollar will not
continue to be devalued.”

“As I am speaking, if you want to buy a loaf
of bread it is now costing ZW$400. Honourable
Tendai Biti is saying it is actually ZW$500 which
means I was lagging behind. So it is very difficult
to survive,” Munengami said.

Added Munengami: “Even boarding a kom-
bi to get into town, it is very difficult. If this
trend continues, we do not know what it will
be in weeks to come— probably it will be at
ZW$1 000. My plea is, may the minister of Fi-
nance come and give a statement on how we can
stabilise our dollar before it gets worse.”

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda turned
to Ncube and said the issue of the runaway ex-
change rate, particularly on the parallel market,
was a cause for concern.

“. . . and the request is if you could make a
ministerial statement. A statement to indicate to
the House what measures government is putting
in place to arrest the situation.”

Responding to the request, Ncube said he will
make the ministerial statement next week.

“I will give the ministerial statement next week
Thursday,” Ncube told the MPs.

Zanu PF MPs and those aspiring for seats in
urban constituencies who spoke to The News-
Hawks on separate occasions this week expressed
fear of losing the 2023 elections, citing myriad
challenges the party has failed to deliver on.

Sitting MPs and the aspiring candidates point-
ed at the issues of runaway inflation, public trans-
port crisis and corruption as some of the challeng-
es Mnangagwa and his party will have to confront
ahead of the polls due in July next year.

“In some urban areas, the government has done

NewsHawks News Page 9

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

MOSES MATENGA Zanu PF youth indaba divisive

THOUSANDS of Zanu PF youths from across Zanu PF youths say the so-called consensus method was not carried out in a democratic manner.
the country who were attending an indaba in
Harare are departing the capital with bitterness, Zanu PF insiders said the youth league indaba broiled in a nasty fight over succession with the Other sources in the party said the agreement
accusing party bigwigs of stifling democracy and and the pending women’s league congress were Chiwenga camp saying the Zanu PF leader has on leadership for the youth league was done to
fanning tribalism by imposing new leaders. being used by factions within the party to prepare betrayed an agreement to run for a single term avoid potentially bloody clashes like what became
for the December elective congress where Mnan- before handing over the baton. the order of the day during the party’s district and
Youths from the provinces were left fum- gagwa could be challenged by his Vice-President provincial restructuring exercises.
ing after John Paradza from Masvingo province Constantino Chiwenga. Though to be on good books when appearing
emerged as the new youth league deputy chair- in public, sources said the fights were intensifying The party remains divided, months after the
person. Mnangagwa and his deputy are said to be em- ahead of congress. provincial and district exercises in which Mnan

They said the so-called consensus method was
not carried out in a democratic manner.

The youths said they congregated in Harare on
Wednesday for the congress, but were bizarrely
ordered to rally behind Paradza since there was a
“consensus” on his appointment.

This has irked a rival Zanu PF faction that is
now crying foul and accusing party president Em-
merson Mnangagwa of tribalism.

Since he swept to power on the back of the
November 2017 military coup, Mnangagwa has
been accused of presiding over a systematic purge
targeting Zezurus within the party while others
accused him of giving key positions in the gov-
ernment and public institutions to his clansmen.

Zanu PF national chairperson Oppah Muchin-
guri-Kashiri confirmed that there was consensus
in coming up with the new youth leadership. An-
alysts said the method was designed to manage
factional fights in the party.

“There was no tussling or vicious contestation
during the election, but discipline and consensus
prevailed during the election process based on
individuals’ capability in the national executive,”
Muchinguri-Kashiri said.

The consensus method used in choosing the
new leadership has angered some members who
were expecting a proper election.

Mnangagwa’s son, Kudakwashe, was interested
in the youth league post before he pulled out of
the race without explanation.

The Zanu PF leader is accused of having fa-
voured people from Masvingo and the Midlands,
provinces perceived to be his strongholds, in
moves that have been criticised from inside and
outside Zanu PF.

The NewsHawks spoke to dozens of party
youths on Wednesday who said matters were not
in order as party members were not sure how the
elections would be conducted.

Their fears were confirmed when the party
secretary for the commissariat, Mike Bimha, an-
nounced the new executive.

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Page 10 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Govt freezes new NGOs registration

NYASHA CHINGONO

THE government has frozen the registration monised elections.” mated at US$800 million a year. Justice minister
of private voluntary organisations (PVOs) and He said Zimbabwe’s constitution had been A recent report by Zimbabwean develop- Ziyambi Ziyambi
trusts, stoking fears that the President Emmer- of the Bill, Ziyambi claimed communication
son Mnangagwa’s administration has begun a grossly undermined through the passing of ment experts warns that government action had been received from the Financial Action
clampdown on non-governmental organisa- amendments, especially statutory instruments must be measured. Task Force (FATF) that some charities are be-
tions, closing the democratic space even before which have been promulgated since Mnangag- ing used to channel terrorist funding and other
the passing of the PVO Amendment Bill. wa took over in 2017. Foreign aid, coming through non-govern- criminal activities.
mental organisations, is Zimbabwe’s third-larg- The Justice minister, Veritas said, also
Mnangagwa’s regime is pushing for a PVO “The constitution is a progressive document, est revenue stream, after exports and diaspora claimed that some charitable organisations
Amendment Bill and accuses non-governmen- which until now has not been implemented. remittances, the report quoted a recent central were being misused to launder the proceeds of
tal organisations of pushing for political agen- Mnangagwa’s government has been reneging bank statement. criminal activities by “for instance buying up
das and regime change hence the push to have on doing this, firstly the aligning of the laws properties in Zimbabwe and other countries.”
them shut out. and the implementation of the constitution,” Last week, Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyam- The PVO Amendment Bill was gazetted in
Vava said. bi was challenged to provide evidence of polit- November 2021 and seeks to amend the PVO
Multiple sources told The NewsHawks in ical interference by non-governmental organi- Act to impose new restrictions, but civil soci-
separate interviews this week that attempts to If passed, the law would give the government sations and that some charities are conduits for ety organisations have warned the proposed
register as PVOs and trusts have been thwarted powers to interfere in the governance and ac- sponsoring terrorism and other criminal activ- amendments will constrain their work and vi-
by officials citing orders “from above” as the tivities of civil society organisations, including ities as claimed by the regime in justifying its olate human rights, while negatively affecting
reason. changes to internal management and funding. push to shut down PVOs. communities who depend on their activities.
Asked on government’s partial freeze to reg-
“My colleagues and I have plans to support The law also would allow the government to Ziyambi told members of Parliament that ister PVOs, Ziyambi said: “I am not aware of
an HIV and Aids orphans but to do so we need brand aid groups “high risk” or “vulnerable” to the Bill does not speak to those law-abiding this, talk to the minister of Labour.”
to set up a trust. This is purely humanitarian, terrorism, while banning some organisations PVOs, but to the few who may be tempted to Several attempts to reach Labour minister
non-political but we were told that they are not from politics. use the guise of charity to carry out “undesir- Paul Mavima were fruitless.
registering anyone,” a source said. able, harmful and even criminal activities”.
Some fear a ban on aid agencies would lead
“We cannot continue with the plans if we do to drastic cuts in humanitarian assistance, esti- Legal monitor Veritas said in his justification
not regularise our operations. This is disheart-
ening, the children need help.”

Another applicant said: “They said the freeze
is indefinite and it left me more confused. My
lawyers were also told the same thing, so I
wait.”

The unofficial freeze comes at a time the gov-
ernment is pushing for the passing of the PVO
Bill, with pro-democracy activists saying they
are worried that the state is clamping down on
democratic space ahead of the crunch 2023
general election.

Mnangagwa is afraid the PVOs will play a
key part ahead of the polls hence the need to si-
lence them, but the push has invited a backlash
from the local and international communities
that have described it as bad for democracy.

Zimbabwe is also set to lose close to US$1
billion from the PVOs who have countless
projects in the country.

In the run up to the 26 March by-election
which the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for
Change (CCC) won comfortably, President
Mnangagwa threatened to suspend the opera-
tions of all non-profit organisations, even those
keeping the country from plunging into a hun-
ger crisis.

“We can do without NGOs. I will remove
them from this country, I will chase them
away,” Mnangagwa said before the by-elec-
tions.

“When they are in the country, they must
just do what they declared they want to do in
this country,” he said.

Two months on, new PVO registrants are
already feeling the heat of government threats
and the imminent Bill.

“There is an unofficial freeze on trusts and
PVOs. They have not given reasons. They only
say the order came from above. You can only
register family trusts right now. This move is
connected to the Bill,” lawyer Jacob Mafume
told The NewsHawks.

Banning non-profit organisations is a tac-
tic Robert Mugabe used in 2008 when he felt
most vulnerable at the ballot box. He accused
foreign aid agencies of bribing people with
food to vote for the opposition.

After he won the election through violent
brutality, he lifted the ban on the aid groups.

“It is a move calculated at making sure civil
society is crippled ahead of the 2023 elections.
It is not surprising that ever since Mnangag-
wa came into office through a military coup
we have seen a consolidation of power, an en-
trenchment of authoritarian rule, which would
lead to a one-party state,” Blessing Vava, Crisis
Coalition of Zimbabwe director said.

“It is well-calculated, especially the timing,
that this Bill is coming a year before the har-

NewsHawks News Page 11

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Implosion looms

l Situation out of hand: Senators
l May 9 shutdown takes shape

MOSES MATENGA We have some citizens in this country who are Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson Peter Mutasa
obsessed by power to an extent that they wish
ZIMBABWE is facing an implosion due to citizens of this country to suffer so that by the tion of the people, Mnangagwa,” Maimane said. Mnangagwa is faced with a serious economic
myriad challenges and senators have warned end of the day, they think using their stomachs.” “There should be no arrests and intimidation crisis, including hyperinflation and an unstable
that protests may be the order of the day going currency he blames on sot-called saboteurs.
forward as long as there is no solution to the Kambizi also blamed corruption on the eco- of activists. South Africa has paid a heavy price
economic crisis prevailing in the country. nomic crisis in the country. for the oppression in Zimbabwe. We will not The Zanu PF leader is afraid his detractors
ignore brutality and oppression. We cannot re- both within and outside the party will use his
Senators on Thursday said the country is in “The greatest enemy is corruption, corrup- peat the mistakes of 2002 and 2008. We cannot failure to address the economic crisis against
crisis and the economy is collapsing with no tion, corruption, corruption. Many a time we support dictatorship anymore. It is costing us him, particularly in view of the ruling party’s
hope of resuscitatibg it under President Emmer- have had investors who have shown interest to dearly, it is costing the whole of Sadc.” elective congress scheduled for later this year.
son Mnangagwa’s administration. come and invest in this country, but they come
in and get out, running away from corruption.”
At a time civil society, students and other
stakeholders are plotting a 9 May shutdown, The public has been calling on the govern-
senators said the situation needs immediate res- ment to bring back commuter omnibuses, end
olution. currency chaos and reduce the cost of living.

Senators who bemoaned the economic crisis The shutdown is also meant to force the gov-
include Zanu PF’s Angeline Tongogara, Chief ernment to reduce tertiary education fees, ca-
Mtshane Khumalo and the MDC-T’s Piniel pacitate hospitals, and increase salaries, as well
Denga. as pensions.

“I am equally concerned just like all oth- Activists have warned that further action will
er speakers that have spoken before me and I be taken if the government does not act.
totally agree with them that the Zimbabwean
economy is collapsing,” MDC-T senator Mor- Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson
gen Komichi told the Senate. Peter Mutasa said of the planned shutdown: “lf
on Monday 9 May, 2022, you suffer in a trans-
“Life is unbearable in Zimbabwe at the mo- port queue the government won't be the prob-
ment. Our currency is losing value like a falling lem, you will be the problem. Use your consti-
airplane nose diving into an ocean and it ap- tutional rights and protest quietly. Stay at home,
pears as if there is no solution in the very near send a message to government.”
future.”
South African opposition leader Mmusi Mai-
He said the situation was reminiscence of the mane said the world is watching and does not
2007-2008 crisis that saw the economy collaps- expect the heavy-handedness of state security
ing under the weight of hyperinflation. agencies.

“We are actually going towards that situation “The world will be watching when #Shut-
once more,” Komichi said. downZimbabwe happens. There is no room for
suppression of the rights of the people including
“Three years ago, we sat in this Parliament the right to protest. There should be no obstruc-
over a budget which was ZW$5.4 billion.
The following year we then passed a budget of Zimbabwean parliamentarians on Thursday said the country is in crisis and the economy is collapsing.
ZW$64 billion and this previous year we went
through a budget that was almost ZW$1 tril-
lion. The rate at which our budget is going up
has no relationship to the economic growth and
development. This only signifies that we are in a
conflictual state.

“We are in a war which is not physical as
such, but there is a serious conflict taking place
in Zimbabwe, a conflict that requires our atten-
tion as Zimbabweans.

“These are the basic requirements of any hu-
man being and this is the responsibility of the
government to make sure that people live com-
fortably, but the economic challenge or crisis in
Zimbabwe at the moment is sliding out of con-
trol,” the MDC-T national chairperson said.

He said the government has lost control of
the economy and instability is a possibility.

“It is true, I was just reading an article to-
day that the country is about to face serious
instability. The country is about to face upris-
ings, demonstrations because of hunger. The
moment the people of any country suffer, they
tend to go into the street,” he said in apparent
reference to the planned Monday shutdown.

Zanu PF senator Eleven Kambizi also con-
ceded that the economic crisis needs immediate
solutions.

“The economic situation that is prevailing
in this country is both funny and unique. All
things being equal, the people of Zimbabwe and
their economy should be showing a trajectory
that is going up but instead the opposite is hap-
pening and I am not too sure why.”

His statements come despite consistent de-
nials of a crisis by the government, particularly
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube who claims the
country is on the right track economically.

“Zimbabwe has all the resources in abun-
dance, be it minerals or agriculture. Why then
are citizens of this country suffering? Why then
is the economy on a downward trajectory? That
is the biggest question this House must focus
on,” Kambizi said.

“Secondly, there is the issue of political power.

Page 12 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

RUVIMBO MUCHENJE Lousy Workers’ Day festivities
signal changing times in Zim
A CROWD of about 200 people sits uncom-
fortably on patchy grass while children, oblivi- The ZCTU president Florence Mudzingwa
ous of the May Day festivities, play plastic foot-
ball near the stadium. ment for a common cause. ly build our nation. Politics has destroyed our tion.
“This is a serious economic conflict which economy,” he said. She called on the government to address the
Also present are visibly drunken men and
vendors looking to make a quick dollar. can be resolved by inclusive national dialogue The ZCTU president, Florence Mudzingwa, plight of teachers who were demanding their
to unite all sectors and focus on the economic then gave a lengthy Workers’ Day speech, but pre-October 2018 salaries which were pegged
It is 12pm at Dzivaresekwa Stadium, where agenda. Have a common vision and collective- people in the crowd did not pay much atten- at US$540.
workers are expected to gather for their Work-
ers’ Day celebrations. Teachers are demanding their salaries to be reviewed upwards.

Among the delegates are Citizens’ Coalition
for Change (CCC) supporters who have come
in solidarity with the labour body, the Zimba-
bwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).

The opposition supporters and their leader
Nelson Chamisa constitute the larger part of
the crowd.

Chamisa has roots in the original MDC. This
week was the first time in the history of May
Day that the party which was born by the la-
bour movement had marginal to zero participa-
tion at this event.

The paltry crowd was a reflection of how
Workers’ Day has lost its lustre and the deci-
mated economy which has affected the number
of workers in the country over the years.

The spiking unemployment rates, worsened
by the shutting down of companies could be the
reason why the ZCTU is now drawing paltry
crowds.

At its peak, the ZCTU, the biggest labour
union by size and membership, easily filled
Gwanzura and Rufaro stadia.

At the height of its popularity, led by the leg-
endary Morgan Tsvangirai, the union led mass
stayaways and strikes that brought the economy
to its knees.

The labour movement’s membership at that
time was instrumental in the formation of the
MDC in 1999, a party which posed a potent
threat to Robert Mugabe’s leadership, coming
close to winning power in the 2008 polls.

Of late, there has been mass migration of
qualified personnel to South Africa, United
States and Europe and that too has eroded the
membership of labour bodies.

Officially, year-on-year inflation scaled
96.4% in April. According to inflation expert
Steve Hanke’s dashboard, Zimbabwe’s year-
on-year inflation stood at 207% as at 28 April
2022.

“In this week’s inflation table, #Zimbabwe
takes the first prize. On April 28, I measured
Zimbabwe’s #inflation at 207%/year. More
than 3x the official inflation rate of 61%/yr.,”
he tweeted.

The hyperinflationary environment has
spooked investors or forced companies to
downsize their workforces.

The brain drain coupled with the deteriorat-
ing economy has greatly impacted the workers
and their ability to mobilise.

Sunday’s event amplified a ZCTU that has
lost steam and grit.

Gift Chimanikire, an MDC-T official, was
booed off the stage.

“I hope all those who are booing are work-
ers,” he said as he walked off stage.

MDC -T national chairperson Morgen Ko-
michi said the booing of the party’s representa-
tive at the event reflects a trait of violence and
intolerance within the CCC party.

“I call for politics of rational disputation and
tolerance. The conduct by CCC supporters at
the 1 May Day must be condemned. It’s a cul-
ture of violence. It’s not acceptable. Opposition
parties are not opponents but comrades in arms
against Zanu PF which is in power. The econo-
my is declining and failing because of misman-
agement by Zanu PF. Opposition parties must
unite into a grand coalition to fight 2023 gen-
eral elections,” Komichi said.

The MDC-T fared dismally in the 26 March
by-elections, amid accusations of being cap-
tured by Zanu PF.

CCC representative Tendai Biti spoke with-
out interference, amid cheering from the crowd.

He refused to comment on what the absence
of workers and the booing of the party that was
born by the labour movement meant for the
legacy of the trade unionist tradition that the
opposition used to take pride in.

The Zanu PF representative gave his solidar-
ity speech until he finished but with minimal
interjections from the crowd.

Komichi added that the workers’ plight can
be resolved by uniting parties and the govern-

NewsHawks News Page 13

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Harare City Council (below) spends US$3 million per month in treating water polluted by sewage effluent disposed into rivers.

Harare pays hefty price for corruption

NATHAN GUMA

THE Environmental Management Agency ical content in urban rivers, namely: Mukuvisi, Phekiwe rivers had 30.25%, 39.5% and 37.56% ly to cause a health disaster, hence the need for
(Ema) says Harare City Council (HCC) is spend- Marimba, Manyame, Nyatsime, Phekiwe and respectively. prompt action.
ing at least US$3 million per month in treating Umguza. 346 water samples were collected and
water polluted by sewage effluence disposed into analysed for physicochemical parameters that The urban rivers also recorded annual phos- “The sewage treatment plants have to be re-
rivers. include nitrates, phosphates, conductivity, dis- phate levels which are above the recommended stored to their full functionality. Known discharg-
solved oxygen and manganese. limit of 0.5mg/l (milligrammes per litre). es of untreated or partially treated sewer into the
An estimated 383 mega litres (ML) of raw and rivers should be stopped without undue delays,”
partially treated sewage is discharged daily into The rivers recorded oxygen levels that are be- Phekiwe and Mukuvisi rivers recorded the Shumba says.
the environment, according to a report titled Sta- low recommended levels of 60%. highest phosphate content levels of 2.26mg/l and
tus Report on Water & Air Pollution: Major Towns 1.12mg/l. High phosphate content causes kidney “We have about five places where sewer is be-
& Cities, 2022 prepared by Christopher Mushava, Low dissolved oxygen levels in ambient water failure. Marimba, Manyame and Nyatsime rivers ing discharged without being treated in Harare's
the director of environmental protection at Ema. are normally associated with high nutrient con- recorded annual phosphate levels of 0.73-, 1.2- rivers. The major one is on the river between
tent. This necessitates high concentrations of and 1.18mg/l. Nyatsime and Manyame rivers had Kuwadzana Extension and Kuwadzana 7 which
Only 25% of the country’s sewage treatment phosphates and nitrogen in water bodies. the highest average monthly phosphate content has been like that since August 2021. Upstream
works are fully functional and 43% are partly levels of 1.18- and 1.12mg/l between January and Mukuvisi in Msasa, there is pollution caused by
functional while 32% are non-functional. Phosphates are known to cause kidney failure March 2022, while Mazowe and Umzingwane big industries and the stream from the soldiers'
in people and death in fish. rivers recorded lowest levels of 0.5mg/l apiece. barracks in Dzivaresekwa Extension is filled with
There are at least 23 401 un-serviced stands sewer from the military camp and houses along
within residential areas in and around the coun- Of the five rivers, Nyatsime had the lowest Harare Residents Trust founder Precious the river,” Shumba said.
try’s 32 urban and local authorities which are con- dissolved oxygen annual levels of 18.76% while Shumba says disposal of sewage into rivers is like-
tributing to the sewer problem, says the report. Umguza had 39.63%. Marimba, Mukuvisi and

“These are not connected to sewer lines. Raw
matter produced from these areas will be washed
and contaminate both the environment and wa-
ter,” Ema’s publicity manager Amkela Sidange
says.

Harare produces 13 500 mega litres of water
which is treated for US$0.22 per kilolitre. This
translates to US$2 970 000 every month.

The local authority requires nine water treat-
ment chemicals, five more than Masvingo and six
more than Mutare.

Mutare, which produces 2.7 mega litres of wa-
ter per month, forks out US$4 320 at a treatment
cost of $0.16/KL. Masvingo spends US$32 640
at a treatment cost of $0.04/KL every month.

“This shows the extent of pollution in Hara-
re’s waters. Other water sources in Masvingo and
Mutare are not as contaminated hence they spend
less on sewer treatment,” Sidange said.

42% of Zimbabwe’s sewage treatment plants
are discharging effluent whose quality does not
meet national standard limits set out in Statutory
Instrument 6/2007, according to Ema.

In addition, 29% of the water treatment plants
are discharging red class effluent (high hazard)
while 19% are discharging yellow class effluent
which poses a medium hazard.

Four and six percent of the treatment plants are
discharging green and blue class effluent which
pose medium and low hazards respectively.

Ema’s latest ambient water analysis report on
pollution in rivers shows an increase in chem-

Page 14 News NewsHawks
Chilonga villagers
Issue 79, 6 May 2022

MORRIS BISHI Govt marginalising us:
Shangaan community
LOCALS in the Chilonga area of Chiredzi dis-
trict have accused the government of prioritising Chilonga community yearns for better infrastructure including bridges.
outsiders, saying the authorities took swift action
following the fatal accident at Chilonga Bridge Livison Chikutu, a resident of Makhosiya area encourage their people to stay away from the Hawks that government is not neglecting people
involving a NetOne vehicle. who represents the Chilonga community against flooded bridge other than inciting people against in his area, but Runde River is the fourth-big-
a proposed lucerne farming project in the area, government officials. gest river in the country and a bridge at Chilonga
They said this is stark contrast to the lethar- told The NewsHawks the government’s response needs a lot of money which the authorities are
gy displayed by officials whenever villagers raise to the weekend incident shocked the locals who “There is nothing special about responding to currently mobilising.
complaints over the dangerous bridge. were unaware that there is capacity to quickly re- disaster. Fire Brigade came from Tongaat Hulett
spond to such incidents. He said the Shangaan and it is what they always do even if there is a fire “Runde is the fourth-largest river in the coun-
The accident which claimed the life of a Ne- people are taken as inferior, that is why their incident in Chiredzi town or an accident within try and if you look at it Mutirikwi and Tokwe
tOne employee Samson Zvarimwa (48) and a wishes on the lucerne project are being ignored. the borders of the district. We continue encour- rivers which host two big water bodies are trib-
passenger Loice Maradze (40), both from Mas- aging community leaders to urge their people to utaries of the river, meaning a lot of water is be-
vingo province, happened after the two who Chiredzi district development coordinator stay away from the flooded river until a solution ing released into it. Constructing a bridge needs
were travelling in a Land Rover, tried to cross the Lovemore Chisema, who is also the district’s civil to construct a new bridge is found,” Chisema a lot of money, which I am sure government is
flooded low-lying bridge accros the Runde River. protection unit chairperson, said what happened said. currently mobilising through the ministry of
The makeshift bridge is notoriously known as the at the weekend is normal and there is nothing Finance. We urgently need a bridge to save our
“killer bridge” due to the numerous lives it has special. He urged local community leaders to The Chiredzi South member of the National people’s lives,” Gwanetsa said.
claimed. They were on their way to fuel a Ne- Assembly, Kallisto Gwanetsa, told The News-
tOne mobile network booster at Chikombedzi
growth point when they met their fate.

More than 12 people have died while trying
to cross the bridge this year alone while govern-
ment officials continue peddling empty promises
of plans to construct a proper bridge to replace
the one which was swept away by Cyclone Eline
in the early 2000s.

In response to the weekend accident, a heli-
copter and the Fire Brigade were seen at the ac-
cident site, with locals saying it is the first time
for them to witness such a response. Members of
the police sub aqua unit also responded on time.

Community leader Tiyani Chilonga told The
NewsHawks the government’s response to the
NetOne accident last weekend amplified what
the local Shangaan community has repeatedly
complained about.

“We are not treated as human beings in this
country. They are not worried about our welfare,
that is why they are not worried if locals are in-
volved in tragedies similar to what happened at
the weekend, they only want us during elections.

“We are dying almost every day due to the
low-lying bridge at Chilonga, but we were
shocked about the response which was taken by
government officials when a NetOne vehicle was
swept away by water at the weekend. Helicopters,
Fire Brigade, police divers and various equipment
were deployed to Chilonga Bridge in response to
the accident, but it is different from what we used
to see when locals are involved in similar acci-
dents. It is evidence that we are not seen as equal
human beings who deserve respect in terms of
the right to life or proper structures which guar-
antee our well-being. They only need our votes
so that they stay in power and during election
time they bring fertilizers and maize requesting
our votes,” Chilonga said.

NewsHawks News Page 15

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA Muradzikwa son’s trial opens

THE trial of prominent corporate executive Luminitsa
Grace Muradzikwa’s son Kundai, who is ac- Jemwa
cused of theft by flamboyant businesswoman
Luminitsa Kimberly Jemwa opened on Thurs- on the market if the outstanding rentals were maid to vacate the premises over delayed pay- However, no sooner had Kundai been arrest-
day with him pleading not guilty. not paid. ment of rentals of US$1 700 per month. ed than his mother Grace, a prominent insur-
ance industry executive, started allegedly in-
Kundai, through his lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, “He will dispute that he took any money or Jemwa had promised to pay the rent in cash terfering with police and investigating officers,
denied stealing money or jewellery from the jewellery from the complainant, that he would upon her return to Harare from Johannesburg, saying she was well-connected, as she knew
complainant. He said his arrest was meant to not have been able to do so in the maid’s pres- which she did. Matanga and had “immunit” from the law. She
tarnish the name of his family. ence as he did not go back to the premises after allegedly claimed her son also had “immunity”.
the maid’s departure as he would have no rea- However, before Jemwa’s return, Kundai had
“The accused will plead not guilty to the son to. He equally could not have believed there allegedly forced out her maid, seized the keys Grace is accusing Jemwa of falsely accusing
charges preferred against him. would be valuables in the house given the fact and gained illegal entry into the house and her son of stealing.
that the maid had a free run of the place as had stole US$32 000, designer handbags and jew-
“He will deny that Luminitsa Kimberly Jem- done the lessor’s guests who were at the house in ellery — comprising personal effects such as Police officers indicated they were unable to
wa was the lawful occupier of the premises in the complainant’s absence. necklaces, rings and bracelets — amounting to proceed because of Grace’s alleged interference
question and will contest the suggestion that US$120 000. and name-dropping. Grace is married to veter-
the premises can properly be called her ‘house’. “He will therefore contend that his arrest an journalist and Zimbabwe Media Commis-
was a gross abuse of the criminal justice system After that, Kundai then called Jemwa, sion member Henry Muradzikwa.
“He will further deny any suggestion that meant to embarrass him and his family as the claiming her maid had stolen her goods and
he ‘unlawfully’ intentionally and without per- complainant fed the media with falsehoods de- left without telling her. Jemwa, top local foot- “The accused’s mother (Grace Muradzikwa)
mission or authority from the lawful occupier signed to discredit his family,” Mtetwa said. baller Nyasha Mushekwi’s former wife, now a already interrupted the investigations by influ-
of the premises entered the premises. He will businesswoman dating a Johannesburg-based encing the release of the accused person from
state that in terms of the lease agreement signed Jemwa flew from Johannesburg, where she is local businessman, rushed back to Harare and the cells in the night well after the release time
between Cewdar Investments, the owner of based, to attend court this week. allegedly found her money and valuables gone. had passed. Since then, the accused's mother
the premises and one Katu Muleya, the lessee prevented us from carrying (out) searches at his
of the premises, he at all times had the lawful She was told to return on 18 May when trial In the company of relatives, she paid a sur- place of residence and influenced by being re-
right and authority to enter the premises as the resumes. prise visit to her maid Musodzi Pafiwa’s home leased from police custody within two hours of
lessor’s representative who had signed the lease in Domboshava, only to find that there was detention,” court papers say.
agreement. Those involved in the case accuse Muradzik- nothing to suggest she had stolen money, as her
wa of using police Commissioner-General God- home did not even have groceries. Jemwa then “The accused persons are facing serious of-
“He will further deny any suggestion that he win Matanga's name to intimidate Jemwa, who got both Kundai and her maid arrested, even fences, which if convicted, will face a jail sen-
evicted the complainant’s maid and will instead is fighting the corporate executive's son Kundai, though she had not found anything at her help- tence and the state has a strong case against this
give the background to how he was in fact called accused of unlawful entry into the tenant home er’s home. accused person, since he is the only person who
onto the premises by the maid following pro- and stealing US$32 000 in cash and valuables entered the complainant’s house and it is proved
tracted complaints by the maid of non-payment amounting to US$120 000. The maid told Jemwa that Kundai had forced through investigation that the crime was carried
of her salary, non-juicing of electricity at the her out and taken control of the house keys. out by the accused person, since there is no
apartment resulting in the maid requesting him According to court papers, Kundai, the son break-in which took place.”
to buy electricity tokens, which he did on three of Insurance and Pensions Commission (Ipec) It is alleged that once he got the keys, Kundai
occasions following undertakings for a refund commissioner Grace Muradzikwa and ex-Nicoz unlawfully entered Jemwa’s rented property and Additional information also indicates that
by the lessee. Diamond managing director, allegedly gained made off with US$32 000, four pairs of designer the dockets went missing, not once, but several
unlawful entry into their tenant Jemwa's house shoes for men, three pairs of designer shoes for times, due to interference by Muradzikwa, after
“He will further testify that due to failure at No. 4 Quinnington Road in Borrowdale women, bags and tracksuits, two diamond-en- she allegedly threatened to rope in police chief
to purchase electricity tokens for the unit, the Brooke, an upmarket housing estate in crusted Rolex wrist watches, as well as one pair Matanga.
maid ended up cooking at the caretaker’s quar- of diamond earrings, among other items.
ters. Harare’s northern suburbs, after forcing her

“He will testify that it was when he refuse
to buy further electricity tokens for the unit
that the maid called him to say she was leav-
ing the premises, as she had not been paid for
some months and therefore had no food or
other amenities, including electricity that he
went there for the handover of the keys. As the
apartments are fully furnished, he also wanted
to ensure that none of the lessor’s furnishings,
cutlery, crockery, glassware, etc would be re-
moved from the premises. He will state that this
is a right he has in terms of the lease agreement.

“He will state that upon the maid having
packed what she claimed were her own belong-
ings, he took photographs of what remained of
what he believed were the ‘lessor’s and his guest’
belongings and these photographs were sent to
the complainant who had been said to be les-
sor’s ‘wife’.

“He will state that none of the rooms at the
unit were secure and that the maid had access to
these rooms throughout. As the lessor had also
had other guests on the premises in the absence
of the complainant, such other guests equally
had access to all other such rooms.

“He will state that he reported all these de-
velopments to the complainant who did not, at
any stage, advise that there was cash or other
expensive items such as jewellery at the unit as
would have been expected. In fact, had there
been cash and expensive jewellery at the house,
any reasonable person would have prevented
the maid from leaving before the lessee and the
complainant had returned so that they would
ensure that all their property was intact. He will
place before the court communication showing
that even after the complainant had returned to
the house, she did not mention the items now
alleged to be missing although she stated that
the maid had been on a ‘shopping spree’ in the
house and had stolen a lot of stuff. Instead, the
complainant urged him not to communicate
with her maid as she needed to ‘recover all the
things she stole from us’.

“It is inconceivable that the complainant
would not have mentioned the alleged missing
cash and jewellery when she mentioned theft of
other items.

“It is equally inexplicable why the com-
plainant would have gone to Marondera to find
money for the outstanding rent in the house.
That the alleged theft was reported many days
after her return is on its own inconsistent with
there having been money on the premises, par-
ticularly taking into account that complainant
had been told that the unit would be put up

Page 16 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Journalists face surveillance risk

GOVERNMENT’S alleged acquisition of spy- Privacy is necessary for journalists to commu- “Governments should be transparent about sharing of a person’s communications.
ware targeting journalists and civil society activists nicate freely with sources, receive confidential in- what information they collect from citizens and In addition, the International Principles on
will stifle democratic rights and access to infor- formation, investigate corruption, and guarantee what they intend to use it for. There should always
mation, a report by a United Nations agency has their safety and that of their sources. be transparency and accountability backed by ju- the Application of Human Rights to Commu-
warned. dicial oversight on the data that they collect to mi- nications Surveillance highlight that any form of
“A common retort is that surveillance tools will nimise infringements of citizens’ right to privacy. surveillance should be guided by the principle(s)
On 3 May, journalists across the globe observed aid in the fight against crime. However, there is of legality, legitimate aim, necessity, adequacy and
World Press Freedom Day at a time some coun- need to strike a balance between fighting crime “Surveillance of citizens should not be indis- proportionality.
tries in the region such as Zimbabwe are being and protecting citizens’ rights, such as the right to criminate and should serve a clear purpose.”
criticised for sliding towards authoritarianism. privacy and to access information. Building up on “If left unchecked, digital surveillance of citi-
last year’s World Press Freedom Day, which rec- Among others, Principle 41 of the Declaration zens and, by extension, of journalists is the latest
According to a United Nations Educational, ognised information as a public good, in 2022, we on Principles of Freedom of Expression and Ac- threat to freedom of expression, freedom of the
Science and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) re- can also argue that transparency is a public good,” cess to Information in Africa provides that states media, access to information and the right to pri-
port on the State of Press Freedom in southern the report further states. shall not engage in or condone acts of indiscrimi- vacy," the report reads.
Africa, while the internet is increasingly becoming nate and untargeted collection, storage, analysis or
ubiquitous, enhancing the exercise and enjoy- — STAFF WRITER.
ment of citizens’ rights to access to information,
freedom of expression and the broader democra-
tisation agenda, many governments are turning to
surveillance, which threatens the very democratic
rights that citizens seek to enjoy.

While the democratising effect of the internet
and new technologies is beyond doubt, many
governments are turning to surveillance, which
threatens democratic rights.

Zimbabwe was named as one of the seven
countries that had purchased software from Cir-
cles, a surveillance firm that reportedly exploits
weaknesses in the global mobile phone system to
snoop on calls, texts, and the location of phones
around the globe. Circles is affiliated with the
NSO Group, whose Pegasus spyware has been
widely used to spy on human rights defenders and
journalists.

The mobile malware allows state spy agents
to track activities on mobile phones without the
knowledge and consent of the users.

It also allows them to penetrate applications
like WhatsApp, which have end-to-end encryp-
tion.

“Protecting sources of confidential information
is at the heart of journalism,” the report shows.

“In southern Africa, Botswana, Zambia and
Zimbabwe are some of the countries that have
been reported to have acquired sophisticated soft-
ware to surveil their citizens. These governments
have so far not been transparent about how they
intend to use these technologies in the surveil-
lance of their citizens.”

Unesco notes that privacy is a prerequisite for
journalists to do their work and ensure access to
fact-based and reliable information.

NewsHawks News Page 17

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Jongwe speaks from the grave

THE family of the late opposition MDC spokes- The late former MDC spokesperson Learnmore Jongwe
person Learnmore “Judha” Jongwe says Citizens’ Learnmore’s brother Passmore says he is a strong follower of CCC.
Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa is
carrying the vision of the late firebrand politician
who would have turned 48 on 28 April this year,
amid fresh calls for an independent probe into
his mysterious death.

Jongwe, who started off as a student activist
and graduated into national politics at a young
age, died aged 28 in a prison cell on 24 April
2002 awaiting trial for a case in which he was
accused of killing his wife a month earlier.

The state was accused by the then Morgan
Tsvangirai-led MDC of using food poison to
murder him and snuff out his promising career
in the opposition at a time when the late presi-
dent Robert Mugabe mounted a fierce campaign
to maintain his stranglehold on power.

In an exclusive interview with The News-
Hawks, Passmore Jongwe, brother of the late fi-
ery orator, revealed that the family still believes
that what Learnmore died fighting for will be
achieved in the not-so-distant future.

“I thank everyone who still remembers and
recognises what my brother Learnmore did to
this country. First and foremost, he managed to
instil bravery, especially to the young generation
of this country through his oratory skills. He was
a straightforward person who always believed in
justice. As the Jongwe family we shall always
carry Learnmore’s hopes and desires to see a free
Zimbabwe in which everyone enjoys,” he said.

Jongwe was survived by one child, Tawana-
nyasha, who is now aged 21 and married.

Passmore revealed that he is now registered to
vote and a strong follower of CCC.

“If Learnmore was to address Zimbabweans
from his grave in Zhombe, he would tell all the
young people to register to vote so that they
build a bright future. He would urge those in
power to respect the will of the people because
they are clad in borrowed robes. My brother
Learnmore would tell Zimbabweans that the ac-
tual owners of those robes are ready to take them
up. Lastly, my brother would urge Zimbabweans
to vote for youthful leadership led by president
Chamisa,” Passmore said.

He thanked members of the Learnmore Jon-
gwe Joundation, notably Job Sikhala, Doug-
las Mupondi, Enerst Mudzengi and Daniel
Molokele, for their support.

Learnmore Jongwe was president of Zina-
su from 1994 to 1997. He became interim
youth chairperson in 1999 when the MDC was
formed. He became an MP for Kuwadzana con-
stituency in Harare in 2000 and later became the
party spokesperson, a position he held until his
time of death.

Molokele, the MP for Whange Central, who
coordinates the Learnmore Jongwe Foundation,
told The NewsHawks that if Learnmore were to
speak from the grave, his clarion call would be
for the young people to be at the centre of the
struggle for change.

“I think he would have said our struggle re-
mains our birthright and encourage young peo-
ple not to take a back seat on issues of national
development. He would have encouraged the
youths and students of Zimbabwe to promote
the democratic agenda of this country. So he
would have loved to see the young people active-
ly involved, especially in political leadership and
business, to make sure that Zimbabwe becomes
a great country,” he said.

Molokele urged the present government to
appoint a commission of enquiry to look into
the circumstances of Learnmore Jongwe’s death.

“The circumstances of his death remain un-
clear even up to now. I think it’s important that
this matter is fully resolved. If I had the pow-
er, I would appoint an independent commis-
sion of enquiry to interview all the people who
were involved in the circumstances around his
death, especially the inmates, prison wardens
and family members so that what happened is
unearthed. Instead of relying on speculation, the
independent commission would come up with
conclusive findings and recommendations, so
that there is closure to this matter,” he said. —

STAFF WRITER.

Page 18 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Scandal as shell firms win ZITF gold

MOSES MATENGA

WITH a handful of ancient locomotives fit for President Emmerson Mnangagwa (donning scarf ) and Industry minister Sekai Nzenza (in headgear) visit exhibition stands at the Zimbabwe International
museum display, crumbling infrastructure and Trade Fair in Bulawayo.
saddled with huge debts as documented by Au-
ditor-General Mildred Chiri, the troubled Na- The NRZ won the best prize in the mining and engineering category.
tional Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is the last
company anyone expected to win a gold medal counts were not updated and proper checking ing the nation in between?” “The awards are for stands at ZITF during the
at the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade and authorisation of the same was not being Analyst Thomas Masvosve, commenting on trade fair. The awards are to encourage companies
Fair (ZITF). done. Some of the bank accounts were not in the to invest in their stands and improve the quality
accounting system,” the Auditor-General’s report microblogging site Twitter, wrote: “The ZITF of the show as a whole and ultimately the value of
Zanu PF, whose capacity to turn around the on local authorities reads. Company seeks to promote trade and invest- the ZITF grounds also known as the Zimbabwe
country’s failing economy is the stuff of legend, ment in the country, in order to have consistency International Exhibition and Conference Cen-
also won big at the country’s premier trade and in- Other companies facing big challenges, includ- in growth and sustainability. It is surprising how tre,” Moyo said.
vestment showcase where local and international ing NetOne, also scored big, but another surprise Zanu PF awarded itself the golden prize of overall
investors hunt for sound opportunities. was Zanu PF, the ruling party, whose companies winner. This country needs new leadership.” “As chairman before inviting His Excellency
have folded over the years. to hand out the awards, I do mention that the
Ministries that have been found wanting in Millions of US dollars were splurged by gov- awards are not an endorsement of the standing
their administration of important portfolios, in- Zanu PF won the small to medium enterprises ernment ministries and parastatals as they spared of the institution, company or financial perfor-
cluding the ministry of Health and Child Care (SMEs) development category at the event. no expense in buying fuel, booking plush accom- mance of the entity. It’s merely based on the stand
headed by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga modation and shelling out hefty allowances to judges’ criteria.”
and the ministry of Lands, also won big on a day Another Zanu PF outfit, MedBelieveED, officials.
that had all the glamour and fanfare but dismally meant to extol the virtues of President Emmerson “It must be borne in mind that our panel of
faiked to convince investors that Zimbabwe is re- Mnangagwa, won a prize at trade fair. All this was happening in a country whose judges is drawn from civil society and includes
ally open fir business. public hospitals have no basic medicines and pastors, professionals and individuals from the
The Health ministry is under fire for failing whose public transport system is in a shambles. academia. As a company for credibility we do not
The NRZ won the best prize in the mining and to address the crisis that has seen hospitals going tamper or alter the results as submitted by the
engineering category, yet the parastatal is known without medicine and machines needed to treat The ZITF Company was founded in 1986, as a judges unless there is a technical disqualification
for obsolete machinery and dysfunctional railway cancer and other diseases. non-profit, limited liability private company with to do with non-payment of rentals for a stand.”
infrastructure. Chiri red flagged the NRZ in her the vision to be the world’s first choice in offering
2020 reports, questioning its going concern status But the ministry won the best prize in the Zim- innovative opportunities for social and business He added: “A nominated winner has not en-
together with three other entities, namely pub- babwe medical and health-related category. interaction. But it became the butt of jokes last tered in the competition or chosen not to partici-
lic transporter the Zimbabwe United Passenger week after perennially loss-making and highly pate as it’s completely voluntary.”
Company (Zupco), Powertel Communications Former Tourism minister Walter Mzembi de- indebted companies won big in what observers
(Private) Limited and TelOne as loss-making and scribed the ZITF winners and exhibitors as a joke. described as a stunning reflection of institutional On the number of exhibitors this year, Moyo
highly indebted state-owned companies whose vi- rot and mediocrity. said the ZITF witnessed an increase in both the
ability remains in doubt. “Exhibitors’ prizes at ZITF are becoming a real number of countries that exhibited and the num-
joke of sorts,” Mzembi quipped. ZITF board chairperson Busisa Moyo told ber of direct and indirect exhibitors.
She said the NRZ has been incurring substan- The NewsHawks on Wednesday that awards at
tial losses for over a decade now owing to sub-eco- “Why is it that the worst performers of an the event were to do with exhibitions and not the “Countries went from eight to 14 while exhib-
nomic operating capacity, antiquated equipment economy get these prizes?” the former minister standing of an institution. itors went from under 20 to 41.”
and high provisions for doubtful debtors. asked rhetorically.

“Included in the inventories balance are spares “What is this in aid of? So after these prizes,
for rail infrastructure and locomotives totalling they work for the next edition while shortchang-
ZW$698 537 547 (2019: ZW$664 634 384).
These spares are for antiquated, decommissioned
equipment and rail infrastructure. The company
has antiquated operating equipment and has been

forced to rely on locomotives leased from third
parties. All the lease contracts for the locomotives
are denominated in United Stated dollars. This
exposes NRZ to significant foreign currency loss-
es,” Chiri said in her report.

“Loans totalling ZW$1 065 261 426 (2019:
ZW$1 179 211 868 were overdue,” the report
said.

It also emerged that the railway company is
owing its current and former employees millions
of dollars in salaries and benefits.

“The National Railways of Zimbabwe Pen-
sion Fund had a deficit of ZW$383 million,
according to the 2020 draft actuarial valua-
tion report done by independent consultants.
The company fully provided for this deficit in
the accounts. However, the company has no
financial resources to pay the Pension Fund
ZW$526 542 152 that was due at the end of
the financial year comprising of: outstanding
company and employee pension contributions
ZW$143 452 013 and accrual for pension deficit
ZW$383 090 139.”

While the dying NRZ was winning, Harare
City Council also bagged silver at the trade fair
at a time the metropolis is under severe distress,
drowning in debt and failing to provide basic ser-
vices. Refuse has gone for months without being
collected in the central business district and resi-
dential areas are now hotspots for waterborne dis-
eases due to erratic and in most cases non-existent
water supplies.

Harare was also red flagged by Chiri for abuse
of funds, shambolic bank accounts that has caused
failure to address service delivery failings.

But in all its mess, Harare was pronounced
number two in the civic participation category,
leaving residents fuming over the waste of re-
sources gobbled up by councillors and officials
who attended the ZITF junket.

Council officials splurged over US$130 000
on trade fair allowances, despite resistance by the
newly ekected Citizens’ Coalition for Change
councillors.

“The council’s cashbooks were not furnished
for audit. Cash receipts and payments journals
linked to the bank accounts were also not availed.
Reconciliations of bank accounts, EcoCash ac-

NewsHawks News Page 19

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

MARY MUNDEYA Vulture Restaurant saving

ALECK Zulu (56) walks slowly down a steep species from extinction
slope that leads to the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
amphitheatre. It is a scorching hot Thursday af- cleanliness of our environment, they also play a in the sky above dead carcasses.’’ eggs and young ones as human population is rap-
ternoon and a group of ecstatic primary school critical role in alerting wildlife rangers on loca- “Vultures have a slow gestation period so it's idly encroaching further into wildlife habbitats,’’
students accompanied by their teachers are fol- tions of poached animals through how they circle Julia said.
lowing him. also important that we take care of their nests,

Zulu is one of the two wildlife officers at the
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in charge of the organ-
isation’s Vulture Restaurant initiative.

Over the years, vulture populations in Afri-
ca have declined drastically due to a number of
factors, including poisoning and traditional use
of vulture body parts as medicine. According to
Birdlife International, vultures have become one
of the most threatened families of birds on the
planet.

Zimbabwe is home to six of the 11 main vulture
species that are found on the African continent,
all of which are either endangered or critically en-
dangered, according to the World Conservation
Union (IUCN) list. It is against this backdrop,
the Vulture Restaurant initiative (where vultures
are fed leftover animal carcasses) is being adopted
by numerous wildlife sanctuaries, hotels and lodg-
es as an innovative way of protecting the remain-
ing small vulture population.

The initiative is not only limited to the pro-
vision of food for the birds, it has grown to be-
come an educational programme through which
local and international tourists are taught on the
threats vultures face and their importance to the
ecosystem.

“One of the major reasons for vultures being
endangered is that their food supply is under
threat due to increased poaching activities where
poison is being used to kill large animals like el-
ephants. If the birds consume the carcass of the
poisoned animal, they die in huge numbers thus
our supplementary feeding programme provides
them with a safe food source.”

“Each day at 1pm, visitors to the lodge are in-
vited to walk a short distance to the game park
at the front of our lodge, where a guide drops
some meat so that the vultures can descend and
eat. Whilst the visitors are looking at the specta-
cle of the feeding birds, our senior wildlife officer
Aleck Zulu sharpens their understanding of the
importance of vultures not only to the wild but to
us as humans and our survival in harmony with
nature,” said Anarld Musonza, the Victoria Falls
Safari Lodge general manager.

The Shangani Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS),
which is home to another successful vulture
restaurant initiative, feeds the birds with offcuts
from a nearby abattoir as well as wildlife carcasses.

“The restaurant has been a very successful plat-
form to educate, not only international tourists
but local villagers, mostly school children, on the
importance of vultures and build support on their
conservation efforts.”

“Not only are we happy with the numbers of
visitors we receive per day, we are also delighted
with the increase in vulture numbers that have
been coming to feed on a daily basis which has
risen from approximately 200 to 350 since we
started,’’ SWS said.

Wildlife ACT Emergency Response manag-
er PJ Roberts referred to vultures as a keystone
species which acts as the environment’s clean-up
crew.

“Vultures play an essential role in maintaining
a healthy ecosystem. These critically endangered
birds provide an incredible ‘clean-up’ service for
the environment. By eating decomposing animals
from the landscape, we are guaranteed of an en-
vironment free from diseases such as anthrax, ra-
bies, tuberculosis and botulism which, if allowed
to spread, have catastrophic effects on both hu-
mans and animals,” Roberts said.

Birdlife Zimbabwe’s chief executive officer Julia
Pierini concurred with Roberts’ sentiments. She
cited the example of how India’s rabies epidem-
ic started after the country’s vulture population
dwindled.

“Since the 1990s India has been battling with
rabies that thousands of people die from the dis-
ease every year. Going that route would be cata-
strophic for our nation,’’ she said.

Pierini also paid tribute to every organisa-
tion contributing towards vulture conservation
through the Vulture Restaurant initiative.

“As Birdlife Zimbabwe we are grateful towards
every organisation that is contributing towards
vulture conservation in the country. Apart from
the birds’ immeasurable contribution to the

Page 20 News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

MOSES MATENGA Partnership breathes new life
into Hwange National Park
THE partnership between the Zimbabwe Na-
tional Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) emergencies we may have, including rescue, out- ZimParks’ Matabeleland North regional man- projects at the park and the money has already
together and the International Fund for Animal breaks and other things.” ager Sam Chibaya said through the partnership been utilised in several programmes, including
Welfare (IFAW) has breathed life into Hwange they have been assisted in feeding guard dogs the rehabilitation of the 100km road from Main
National Park, with animals that have been at “Last year we had 18 animals of different spe- that have been critical in combating poaching Camp to Makona Camp.
the mercy of climate crisis, poachers and diseases cies which we responded to rescue, treat.” and criminal activities in the camp.
now being rescued and treated. Tinashe Farawo, the ZimParks spokesperson,
He said Parks personnel were having prob- “We also deployed them in Chimanimani said: “We are very grateful to IFAW for the fund-
IFAW is a global non-profit organisation in- lems of people snaring animals for meat and said where a ranger was attacked and a rifle was tak- ing they have provided to enable us to become
volved in helping animals and people thrive to- that was often. en and we are happy that rifle was found. We more effective in our conservation efforts. We
gether and visible in over 40 countries around need also specialised vehicles to ensure the dogs have since been able to construct houses for our
the world where they are involved in the rescu- “In a month we have two or three animals are available anytime they are needed,” he said. rangers and reaction units at Makona Camp.”
ing and rehabilitation of animals. that we have to respond to and also those ani-
mals which are not being kept well somewhere, “We are working with partners, particularly “We have generally been struggling to effec-
Under the 2019 agreement, ZimParks and we have the responsibility to take them and re- IFAW who are supporting us in terms of the tively manage our conservation efforts because
IFAW partnered in a deal that has seen over habilitate them here.” feed. It costs a lot to keep these dogs so we are before the construction of these houses, our peo-
US$2 million poured in to fund, among other getting support from IFAW.” ple had to travel from the Main Camp to Ma-
projects, a laboratory within the national park “Climate change affects the dynamics and the kona Camp, but now they can live within their
and the construction of conservancy infrastruc- movement of animals so diseases not prevalent In 2019, ZimParks and IFAW entered into area of operation,” he said.
ture in the form of houses for game rangers. in other areas are then transported to other ar- a five-year agreement committed to fund con-
eas.” servation efforts in the giant Hwange National He said the partnership has also enabled
The partnership has also seen the tackling of Park for US$1 million per year. the authority to improve its response to hu-
the long-standing supply crisis in Hwange, Zim- “We then have to do active surveillance and man-wildlife conflict and poaching.
babwe’s biggest wildlife sanctuary, equipping of monitoring so that whenever there is an out- So far, IFAW has poured US$2 million into
a workshop at Main Camp with the tools re- break, we detect and control.”
quired to maintain the vehicles, among other
programmes.

The Veterinary Field Laboratory situated at
Mtshibi Camp inside Hwange has received new
equipment and drug supplies in a development
that has seen animals being rescued and treated
nearby unlike in the past where they would be
transported to Victoria Falls and South Africa
for testing.

“Before IFAW came we did not have anything
yet. This was actually a storeroom where we kept
our junk and everything. When I came here as a
veterinary doctor that is when we engaged IFAW
to support in terms of capturing of animals and
treating them,” Kudzai Mupondi, the veterinary
doctor housed at the Hwange National

Park told journalists during a media tour last
week.

“We can now test anything in terms of all
wildlife diseases. We now have PCR, all the
microscopes and everything which we need to
survey, monitor and investigate all types of dis-
eases.”

“Due to climate change, we are having all
sorts of diseases which we have to investigate
and control. Before we did not have anything
but now I am happy that we are very much ca-
pable and we have the capacity to test everything
and to respond to all the problems animals will
be having, be it sick animals, problem animals
that we have to capture and bring them here ei-
ther for treatment or rehabilitation,” Mupondi
said.

Mupondi said the laboratory was still a work
in progress and there was a need to revamp and
renovate the small room they were using.

“We also have a new vehicle from IFAW
which is helping us to respond to all types of

NewsHawks International Investigative Stories Page 21

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

InInvteesrtniagtaiotinvaelStories

ASTYPALEA is hard to distinguish ‘Smoke-Free’ Cities and Islands
from dozens of other Greek islands: It’s — Sponsored by Philip Morris
a tiny cluster of whitewashed houses
perched above the Aegean Sea, perhaps public relations manager for PMI. Canary Islands –– have been certified cales like Astypalea. But PMI doesn’t When asked whether it had partner-
best known for being shaped roughly In fact, the island’s newfound “smoke free.” Many have done so with appear to be interested in a world with- ships with PMI or its subsidiaries, com-
like a butterfly. the support of PMI. out tobacco. Reporters discovered that pany spokesperson Andreas Wanda
“smoke-free” status is not only mislead- the campaigns seem to be accompanied said: “There is no partnership between
But it now has a claim to fame: It is ing, since there are no new restrictions The certification is a bit of a rhetor- by a marketing push for IQOS, which TÜV AUSTRIA and its clients but a
the first island in the world to become on cigarettes, but it is also sponsored by ical stretch, as it does not require a ju- heats branded tobacco sticks inside a contractual relationship.”
officially “smoke free” — or so its lead- the tobacco industry. risdiction to limit the sale or consump- proprietary device, instead of burning it
ers say. tion of cigarettes. Instead, authorities with a flame. PMI has made a panoply Wanda did not say which clients he
In Volgina’s Facebook post, she lauds encourage residents not to light up as of health claims about the IQOS, argu- was referring to. Asked whether the cer-
“In Astypalea, we are changing and how smokers on Astypalea are now be- part of a public relations campaign, ing that it is less harmful to the lungs tification body was promoting PMI, he
moving toward a cigarette-free world ing offered “better alternatives” to cig- which is seemingly designed for PMI to than traditional cigarettes, and it has said it was not. “TÜV AUSTRIA does
with the support of Papastratos,” the arettes. promote IQOS. The device is intended funded studies intended to prove just not promote any of its clients nor its
island’s municipal government an- to keep business booming as cigarette that. But tobacco control experts say operations.”
nounced in 2018, in a Facebook post “What better alternatives?” a com- consumption declines globally, and there is no proof that such devices are Trojan Horse
punctuated by a heart emoji. At a cer- menter asks. anti-smoking regulations pile up in Eu- actually safer. It’s easy to see how local officials can be
emony the following year, it received rope and elsewhere. sold on the “smoke-free” concept as a
an official “smoke-free” accreditation “IQOS,” she responds, naming PMI declined to comment for this way to help their cities stand out from
issued by TÜV, an Austrian certifica- PMI’s smokeless tobacco device, which In the face of falling cigarette sales, story. TÜV Austria said its “certifica- the crowd, and attract tourists. Blog-
tion firm. it has been heavily promoting in the PMI is pitching its “Unsmoke Your tion procedure does not include, nor gers said PMI invited them to a lavish
past few years. World” campaign”, which envisions a requires, the promotion of products.”
“Astypalea incorporated the smoke- “world without smoke,” starting in lo-
free initiative into their identity […] It’s not just Astypalea. At least 45
Simply amazing,” wrote one attendee, municipalities, hotels, and companies
Kate Volgina. –– from the Czech Republic to the

But what wasn’t emphasized in this
PR blitz was that Papastratos is the
Greek subsidiary of Philip Morris In-
ternational (PMI), one of the world’s
largest tobacco companies. Volgina is a

Page 20 International Investigative Stories NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

press junket in Astypalea to show them not respond to requests for comment. promote specific tobacco products. sciously decide to continue smoking.” said local tourism officials told him
around the island. PMI also published Smoke-Free Spa Town She said it was a good thing that PMI OCCRP obtained documents that PMI had sweetened the deal by offer-
a glowing story on its website praising Karlovy Vary is about as different from would “save taxpayers’ money” with its ing support for tourism projects on La
the “tiny but entrancing” island’s clean a Greek isle as you can imagine: a land- donation for waste services. TÜV sent to parties interested in be- Graciosa, and even handing out IQOS
air, cuisine, and local leadership. locked Czech spa town famous for its coming certified. They explain that, devices. He accused PMI of turning to
historic hot springs and centuries-old “There has been no link or reference to receive the certification, applicants the Canary Islands to “greenwash” its
But these partnerships are clear Central European architecture. But like to any products of any tobacco compa- must “facilitate the awareness of smoke- image.
violations of the World Health Or- Astypalea, it is now “smoke free” — ny mentioned in any of the City’s com- free products, which are better choices
ganization’s anti-smoking treaty, the also with the support of PMI. munication,” she told OCCRP. for smokers compared to combustible “For me it is clear that, in the case
Framework Convention on Tobacco tobacco products, based on scientific of the Canary Islands and the smoke-
Control (FCTC), which forbids any The town’s mayor signed a coop- But the official City Hall newsletter, evidence.” free culture campaign in the area, Phil-
cooperation between governments and eration agreement with PMI’s Czech “Radniční listy,” has promoted the to- ip Morris International is trying to im-
the industry. subsidiary in May 2019 to become bacco company’s collaboration with the Smoke-free products include heat- prove its image,” he said.
“the first spa town in the Czech Re- municipality. It also published an arti- ed-tobacco devices like the IQOS, al-
Tobacco control experts told OC- public without smoke.” A few months cle directing smokers to the PMI-regis- though it is not specifically named in But unlike the agreements elsewhere
CRP that the smoke-free certification later, the tobacco company gave nearly tered website unsmokeyourworld.com. the certification. The science is still out in Europe, this one set off a furor, with
appeared to function like a Trojan 21,000 euros to the city council to pay on whether such devices are less harm- the Spanish Health Ministry publicly
horse, opening the door for more co- for waste services and ashtrays. At the Karlovy Vary International ful than cigarettes. blasting the campaign. Health officials
operation and giving the tobacco com- Film Festival in August, PMI installed were incensed that local governments
pany a seat at the table during public “The aim is to create an environment an interactive exhibition called World The documents cite Astypalea island had made agreements with PMI, and
health discussions. for informed choice of adult smokers,” Without Smoke Laboratory, where vis- and Papastratos, the PMI subsidiary, as that TÜV claimed its certification was
reads the official agreement, obtained itors could learn about cigarette alter- examples of places and organizations “always in accordance with the guide-
“Eroding the FCTC is good news by OCCRP. natives, including IQOS. The tobacco with a smoke-free culture. lines of the competent Ministry of
for tobacco companies,” said Louis company was listed in a press release as Health.”
Laurence, a researcher at the Universi- “Informed choice” stands out to an official partner. Papastratos isn’t alone — PMI’s
ty of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Mary Assunta, a senior policy adviser at Certification Smokescreen subsidiaries in Canada, Lithuania, the The management of Philip Morris
Group. the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Al- The “smoke-free” concept hinges on Czech Republic, and Slovakia have also Spain told local media that the agree-
liance, as a well-worn tobacco industry PMI being able to offer some kind of received the certification, with more of- ment with la Graciosa “in no way will
In Greece, the newly “smoke free” buzzword. tangible benefit to places like Astypalea fices going through the process. imply or be linked to the present or
Astypalea embarked on more partner- and Karlovy Vary. Giving them money future promotion of PMS of its brands
ships with Papastratos. The tobacco “You can pick up that this is com- is technically prohibited. This is where “It is absurd to reward a company and products.”
company was announced in local me- ing from the tobacco companies, and the certification company TÜV Austria that shipped 1.9 trillion cigarettes be-
dia as a sponsor of the Astypalea Cy- particularly Philip Morris, because it’s comes in. tween 2019-2021 with a Smoke Free But reporters found an archived
cling Festival, and it gave 15,000 euros exactly the kind of language they use certification” said Louis Laurence, from copy of the “La Graciosa Sin Humo”
to the city council for a conference on when they want to undermine or defeat Starting in 2018, TÜV Austria be- University of Bath. webpage –– which is no longer online
green energy. legislation,” she said. gan offering what it calls the “Smoke- –– that directed visitors to a PMI-
Free Culture” (SFC) Certification Pro- After its success in Greece and Czech owned site promoting heated tobacco
PMI’s larger goal with its “smoke- Karlovy Vary also agreed with Philip tocol. To get certified, an organization Republic, the tobacco giant shifted its technology. An image on the site com-
free” destinations appears to be to “nor- Morris to “raise awareness and avail- or locale must “wish to be associated attention to Spain. It pitched the idea pared an IQOS stick to a traditional
malize the adoption of IQOS for those ability for adult smokers of smokeless with tangible actions, implementation of becoming TÜV-certified to La Gra- cigarette, suggesting it was a cleaner
quitting cigarettes,” Laurence said. tobacco products, their benefits and plans and measurable objectives in or- ciosa and El Hierro, the two smallest alternative to smoking.
lower risks.” der to be relieved from cigarette smok- Canary Islands.
The devices are relatively new on ing.” Miguel Ángel Páez, an entre-
the scene, and health authorities are The city said it would print and dis- “Obtaining this certificate would preneur on La Graciosa, said local
still assessing where they fall under an- tribute informational brochures about “The TÜV AUSTRIA SFC certifica- place El Hierro in the environmental opinion on the initiative was mixed.
ti-tobacco regulations. PMI has been these products, and agreed to “create tion scheme does not certify smoke-free vanguard worldwide,” the Canarias7 Some initially thought that “La Gra-
lobbying governments worldwide to areas where smoking of traditional products nor services,” said Wanda, the news outlet reported after a briefing ciosa Sin Humo” would be good for
make sure that heated tobacco devices cigarettes is prohibited, but the use of company spokesperson. “The scheme given by a PMI official on the new “El tourism on the small island.
like IQOS are not subject to the same less annoying and risky alternatives to addresses systemic actions that organi- Hierro Libre de Humo” initiative.
FCTC sanctions as cigarettes, accord- tobacco products, etc., is allowed.” zations maintain or take to support a “They thought, ‘Oh, that’s pub-
ing to experts. The tobacco company smoke-free vision.” In La Graciosa, the city council of licity,’” Páez recalled.
argues that they are healthier because In return, Philip Morris said it would the island’s capital partnered with PMI
they do not emit smoke. work to “raise the profile of [Karlovy Notably, nothing in the smoke-free on “La Graciosa Sin Humo,” which in- But when doctors started coming
Vary] at the national and international certification suggests cutting back on cluded large cigarette-shaped signs pro- out against the idea, many islanders
Locals on Astypalaea have picked up level. tobacco products, just cigarettes. claiming that the island was a “smoke- became concerned, he said.
on PMI’s message. free space.”
Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová, the mayor TÜV even promotes the use of “Now some people just look and
“They made an arrangement with of Karlovy Vary, defended the agree- electronic cigarettes or heated tobacco Francisco Rodriguez Lozano, a doc- say, ‘Oh my god, what is this?’”
the municipality of Astypalaea … say- ment. She said it could help people products “for those smokers who con- tor who formerly headed Spain’s com-
ing that [people] should quit smoking stop smoking, and insisted it doesn’t mittee on tobacco control and is now — Organised Crime and Cor-
and start vaping,” said Alexander, a bar- president of the European Network ruption Reporting Project.
tender on the island who agreed to be for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention,
interviewed on condition that his sur-
name be withheld.

He said that after the campaign be-
gan, IQOS started to be aggressively
marketed across the island.

A lifestyle blogger known as The
Yorkshire Gentleman, who attended
the PMI-sponsored junket to pro-
mote Astypalaia’s new smoke-free sta-
tus, posted photographs showing how
IQOS was advertised at a smoke-free
beach he visited. The blogger also raved
about the luxury hotel where PMI put
him up –– and made sure to mention
IQOS.

“What an absolute delight of a hotel
it was!” he wrote. “Complete with in-
door Jacuzzi, sun terrace, and separate
upper bedroom level! This is one of
the hotels on the island that have gone
smoke free, but smoke free IQOS de-
vices are allowed.”

Alexander, an inveterate Winston
smoker, said he was not impressed by
the campaign. But many other locals
switched to IQOS because it became so
easy to find the products on Astypalaea
after it became “smoke-free.”

“Imagine: the biggest cafe in town
promotes IQOS with collaboration of
the municipality,” he said. “You will
enter this cafe and the first thing you
will see is a big table with many IQOS
products.”

The mayor’s office in Astypalea did

NewsHawks Editorial & Opinion Page 23

Issue 79, 6 May 2022 CARTOON

Rulers exist to
inflict misery

ONE of the jokes doing the rounds in Zimbabwe is that, African countries must respect
on any given morning, Zanu PF overlords wake up to a commitment to press freedom
singular task: How to make life more unbearable for the
long-suffering citizens. THE African Commission on Human pose identifying information and exacer- of the state. These surveillance technologies
and Peoples’ Rights, through the Special bate offline safety threats facing women access and process data without the consent
It is not funny anymore. The joke is on us. Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and journalists and their sources; and coordi- of subjects and contravene the right to pri-
In a country where more than half the entire popula- Access to Information in Africa, joins the nated disinformation campaigns leveraging vacy.
tion lives in extreme poverty, one would expect the gov- international community in commemo- misogyny and other forms of hate speech. As we celebrate World Press Freedom
ernment of the day to focus its energies on the restoration rating World Press Freedom Day, which is The impact of these online attacks can Day, under its theme of Journalism under
of livelihoods. Instead, what do we see? celebrated annually on 3 May. have a stifling impact on freedom of ex- Digital Siege, we should use this occasion
The rulers of the land are creating sideshows in a pression and press freedom, in addition to to reaffirm our commitment to the im-
well-calculated ploy to distract the masses from the real World Press Freedom Day serves as a re- a direct impact on the safety and security portance of press freedom, in addition to
crisis in this country. minder to states of the need to respect their of journalists. acknowledging the key role played by the
The real crisis in Zimbabwe is leadership failure, whose commitment to press freedom. It is equally In addition to these challenges, journal- media in ensuring full respect for the right
manifestations are corruption-induced poverty, econom- an opportunity to: assess the state of press ists and other media practitioners working to freedom of expression, promoting the
ic mayhem and socio-political turmoil. freedom; defend the media from attacks in a number of African countries have been free flow of information and ideas, assisting
Zimbabwe today — on President Emmerson Mnan- on their independence; and pay tribute to impacted by internet and social media individuals in making informed decisions
gagwa’s watch —is a wretched house of hunger. What is journalists who have lost their lives in the shutdowns. and facilitating and strengthening democ-
worse, he has no viable solutions in sight. line of duty. Disruptions and lack of access to the in- racy.
Five years after Robert Mugabe was toppled in a dra- ternet and social media violate the right to The Special Rapporteur takes this op-
matic coup, the country has the highest year-on-year in- This year, World Press Freedom Day is freedom of expression and access to infor- portunity to remind states parties to the Af-
flation rate in the world. The official statistical agency being commemorated under the theme mation contrary rican Charter of their
puts it at 96.4%, but some independent economists say Journalism under Digital Siege. This theme to Article 9 of the obligation to prevent,
it has actually scaled 200%. highlights emerging challenges on press African Charter protect and remedy
Against the backdrop of this catastrophic economic freedom during the digital era, impacting on Human and Hawk Eye attacks against jour-
state of affairs, the Zanu PF rulers have come up with yet journalism and freedom of expression alike. Peoples’ Rights nalists, including
another harebrained stratagem to inflict untold misery and can have protecting them from
on citizens. Undoubtedly, the internet has emerged serious conse- Dumisani violence, threats of
The urban transport crisis which has left thousands of as an integral aspect of journalism. Howev- quences for press violence and various
commuters stranded is a man-made problem that pro- er, despite its numerous positive benefits, it freedom, leaving Muleya forms of harassment,
vides a glimpse into the thinking of a heartless ruling is not without challenges. As lines increas- journalists strug- as stated in Principle
elite. ingly blur between online and offline activ- gling to do their 20 of the Declaration
Zupco’s legislated monopoly is a non-starter. ities, attacks against journalists which were job effectively. of Principles on Free-
Two years ago, journalists revealed how buses initially already occurring offline, are increasingly On this momentous occasion, it is only dom of Expression and Access to Informa-
said to belong to Zupco were, in fact, imported by a pri- happening online as well. fitting to address another cause for concern, tion in Africa.
vate company, Landela Investments, before being sold to which is the exponential rise of surveillance The Special Rapporteur reiterates the
the state-run transporter at exorbitant prices. Online violence has become a new throughout the continent. principle that “the same rights that people
Landela is an investment vehicle linked to President frontline in journalism safety and is charac- Of note are the multiple reports of states have offline should be protected online,
Mnangagwa’s adviser and Sakunda Holdings boss Kuda terised by physical threats, sexual violence, deploying surveillance technologies in their in accordance with international human
Tagwirei, whose tentacles stretch across the vast spectrum online harassment and intimidation and jurisdiction. The Special Rapporteur notes rights law and standards, thereby affirming
of the economy. verbal abuse. the steady rise in facial recognition tools that the provisions in Principle 20, on the
Zupco’s bus procurement arrangements are scandal- that track and identify individuals unbe- safety of journalists and other media prac-
ously opaque and if we had a genuine Parliament in this While men journalists are also subject to known to them. titioners, equally apply to online threats
country this matter would have been probed in the na- abuse online, abuse directed against wom- Furthermore, a number of states have against journalists”.
tional interest. en journalists tends to be more severe. installed facial recognition-enabled sur-
A legislated monopoly in the transport sector is a bad veillance cameras, that they claim to utilise l Commissioner Ourveena Geereesha
idea and the reasons are plenty. Reports show that women journalists for crime prevention. These systems are Topsy-Sonoo, Special Rapporteur on
It invariably results in poor efficiency of service, espe- are increasingly and persistently facing reportedly being utilised to keep track of, Freedom of Expression and Access to In-
cially in a polity such as Zimbabwe whose governance gender-based harassment and abuse online. and remotely hack journalists and critiques formation in Africa.
ethos is spectacularly deficient.
Zupco’s legislated monopoly is undermining consumer The phenomenon can be defined as a
sovereignty and restricting choice. combination of: often brutal, prolific on-
This is problematic in a country that claims to be a line harassment and abuse, including tar-
constitutional democracy. geted attacks that frequently involve threats
As everyone can testify, Zupco service is dismal; the of physical and/or sexual violence; digital
state-owned entity has no incentive to improve customer privacy and security breaches that can ex-
care.
Zupco is paying private transporters late and a pittance
at that. It is unreasonable to expect private combis to get
US$20 per day yet the unauthorised mushikashikas are
making US$70.
The transport crisis is the latest evidence of leadership
failure.

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

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Website: www.vmcz.co.zw, Facebook: vmcz Zimbabwe

Page 22 Editorial & Opinion NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

DUMISANI MULEYA Trevor Ncube should accept
responsibility for his actions
A MEDIA colleague yesterday afternoon alert-
ed me to an interview of local publisher Trevor Publisher Trevor Ncube (right) with Heart & Soul head of current affairs and news Blessed Mhlanga . . . Publishers like Ncube have a right to make
Ncube on his Heart & Soul online broadcast- political choices and engage in political activities, but not to prostitute journalism for personal gain.
ing platform, which is part of his Alpha Media
Holdings (AMH) publishing group that owns dant trappings of his then newly-found posi- In our last official meeting on 4 October Kangaroo disciplinary process against me. The
the NewsDay, Zimbabwe Independent and The tion. 2019 at the AMH boardroom where editors’ allegation was that I had gone on my annual
Standard. phones were seized in editorial meetings to break in January 2019 without signing a leave
It is important to note he had lost control stop journalists from recording his bid to san- form, something many other colleagues often
I was in the middle of suffocating news dead- of his media group in South Africa, Mail & itise Mnangagwa, Ncube actually said that he did without any fuss from anybody.
lines, hence took a bit of time before listening Guardian, which was sold to him by the had wanted to remove me soon after the coup
to the interview. Initially, I thought it was go- Guardian Newspapers UK in 2002 on the basis in 2017, but then he had struggled to justify The whole thing was an embarrassing cha-
ing to be short, sweet and to the point, in other of editorial integrity and not money. the move as our Independent editorial team had rade. I didn’t even get a lawyer. I represented
words concise; an engaging and refreshing ex- evidently performed well. myself very well. And the result was an email
change on critical current and national affairs. There were better offers from elsewhere. to me which said I was guilty of not signing a
Ncube returned home amid bankruptcy and The stories, copy sales and advertising bore leave form and I should accept wrongdoing in
It is important that as media and journalists debts within his businesses on both sides of the testimony to that. Even newspaper vendors my reply so that we move on. That was the ab-
we set the agenda on debating ideas and issues, Limpopo. In other words, he was broke. He gave management at meetings in Graniteside surd pretext required to fire me. So I dismissed
not the mediocrity of harping on events and, wasn’t motivated by public service as he now on the industrially dilapidated outskirts of Ha- that, saying if needs be I would escalate the is-
worse still, descending into petty talk about claims. He was back home to reap low-hanging rare, Ncube’s offices, that message. sue and bring in a lawyer.
individuals. fruits of the coup, including radio and televi-
sion licences that he didn’t eventually get. So a hare-brained strategy had to be hatched I was way ahead of them. Prior to that I
Regrettably, Ncube’s interview turned out to by Ncube and his then managing director, now had been told well before the 2018 elections
be a banal show — over an hour long — and For the avoidance of doubt, Ncube is a good chief executive, Kenias Mafukidze to remove by intelligence sources that Ncube would join
soporific, although its saving grace was that person. He is a passionate media proprietor, me. It was supported by their hangers-on in Mnangagwa’s regime and I would be removed
the presenter Blessed Mhlanga did a great job hence deserves radio and TV licences. We those grungy corridors of waning media power after that. I told the intelligence sources con-
to rein in and focus him on important, clear worked together very well for over two decades around Kelvin Corner. cerned that I was ready for that.
and direct questions — a no-holds-barred ap- until he joined the coup project.
proach — cutting through the turgid, prolix Some dubious human resources firm had After rejecting their disciplinary farce which
and incoherent narrative of his guest. So as an inconvenient editor-in-chief, I had to be hired, at a huge cost, to preside over a I knew was meant to appease the regime and
to be removed.
For an individual like Ncube who has a good
story to tell, flowing from his role as a publish-
er who initially fought for press freedom, civil
and political liberties and progress, before los-
ing his moral compass to join a regime which
has ruined the country and impoverished the
nation, not to mention violated human rights
on an industrial scale and ended up as a pariah
rogue, merely talking about events and people,
like disingenuous silence on critical issues, is
unhelpful.

Ncube’s story of activism, sacrifice and be-
trayal of the media cause is worth a gripping
chapter in a book. Publishers like him have a
right to make political choices and engage in
political activities, but not to prostitute jour-
nalism for personal gain.

Yet, as we have seen with Ncube’s recent
remarks in South Africa and on his newspa-
pers talking about his time as part of President
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Presidential Advisory
Council (PAC) before their bitter fallout about
a year ago, his interview was based on teleolog-
ical narratives; starting from the end and rea-
soning back, explaining things based on their
end purpose.

His continued manipulation of the Keynes-
ian logic — “when facts, I change my mind”
— to exonerate himself doesn’t wash. In this
case there has been no changes of facts before
and after his politically naïve and opportunis-
tic escapade into the Zanu PF government’s
madhouse. That is why the rationale behind his
self-serving change of mind as a power-hungry
political lightweight is irrational.

A summary of what Ncube said in the in-
terview is important before a comment. Basi-
cally he spoke about his role as an editor and
publisher, the political economy of the media,
press freedom, journalists and reporting, the
principles and ethics of the profession, and his
employees’ working conditions, as well as poli-
tics and dominant political players, Mnangag-
wa and main opposition Citizens Coalition for
Change leader Nelson Chamisa.

The interviewer focused him on that, al-
though he still strayed into pot-shots on per-
sonalities.

In the process, Ncube also spoke about my-
self as a former AMH chief content officer and
Zimbabwe Independent editor.

Predictably he was negative, but also said
complimentary stuff, saying he has huge re-
spect for me and that I’m a great journalist. I
appreciate that, but his toxic vitriol stuck out
like a sore thumb.

“Let’s be brutally honest about that. Du-
misani is very bitter. Dumisani left because we
were about to fire him. Dumisani left because
we had warned him a number of times. A final
warning had been written to Dumisani Muleya
for not being on duty . . . Dumisani Muleya is
bitter,” Ncube opined.

I laughed at this naked lie.
The truth is when Mnangagwa took over
through a coup in November 2017, Ncube
abandoned his media responsibility as a pub-
lisher and role as a moral agent for trinkets on
the gravy train.
He wanted proximity to power and atten-

NewsHawks Editorial & Opinion Page 25

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

When Mnangagwa took over through a coup in November 2017, Ncube abandoned his media responsibility as a publisher and role as a moral agent for trinkets on the gravy train.

show their goodwill, while also facilitating my AMH Trevor Ncube (third from left) with President Mnangagwa (right), Zimbabwe Independent function, and work. This means a bundle of
dismissal, I did not hear from them. But they editor Fauth Zaba (second from right) and former chief operating officer Kangai Maukazuva. obligations associated with the media and the
never stopped plotting until they appointed public interest.
new editors by splitting my two top positions wittingly presenting himself as a wise owl, in- he jumped onto the coup gravy train hoping
as AMH editor-in-chief and Independent edi- fallible and omniscient. to lodge his snout on the feeding trough and Ncube has also failed to accept accountabil-
tor between those editors who supported the make easy money, Ncube failed a basic test as ity. He thinks he owes no one an explanation,
coup. In the end, his interview turned out to be a publisher and someone who claims to be a yet he is a publisher and claims to be a leader
an exercise in self-justification and futility “leader” and a “brand”. in his own right. The reality is he should be
I will publish details of the full story which after needlessly discrediting himself through ready and prepared to give an explanation to
speaks into bigger issues in my book. Mnangagwa’s coup project and trampling on He just couldn’t take responsibility and relevant stakeholders for his judgments, inten-
media freedom in pursuit of self-aggrandise- accept accountability for his actions that had tions, actions and omissions when appropri-
Am I bitter about that? No. Not at all. ment as he retreated into a world of fantasy implications for media freedom and editorial ately called upon to do so.
My colleagues know that. We had seen the and self-delusion. independence beyond politics. He passed the
whole political manoeuvre from a mile away. buck. He mustn’t indulge in stonewalling — be-
We often joked about it with colleagues and Now he wants to gaslight people. ing evasive — obfuscation and sophistry as he
we still do. Besides, how can I be bitter for While he waxed lyrical about the media, He has responsibility to the public as a pub- did in the interview, as well as in his recent
voluntarily resigning after being removed as values of journalism and democracy, things lisher, where a sphere of duty or obligation article and at the Drakensberg conference.
editor-in-chief for defending editorial inde- that he was quick to turn his back on once is assigned to him by virtue of his position,
pendence, integrity and credibility under siege In addition, Ncube needs to understand
from an unprincipled publisher who had been that teleological (consequential) consider-
captured by corrupt and incompetent politi- ations tend to demand a level of accountability
cians? commensurate with the level of responsibility
that he has.
I can’t be bitter either for resisting the moth-
er of all screw-ups by a publisher who had Responsibility and accountability are closely
abandoned his core responsibility, account- related, admittedly importantly linked, hence
ability and role as a moral agent for trinkets on often conflated, though not identical by defi-
the gravy train. nition or moral implication.

And besides, resigning meant finally es- In all this, the bigger issue is how his actions
caping slavish working conditions that I had impacted on and damaged media freedom and
endured for over 20 years of dedicated service editorial independence. That is over and above
all for the love of journalism and my work; a perpetuating authoritarian repression, eco-
publisher who treats his workers like monkeys nomic failure and suffering among the people.
and pays them peanuts, while proudly tweet-
ing about it. Ncube must stop lying and denying that he
was interfering in editorial matters after join-
Unlike in other media houses, at AMH ing the regime because the problem was worse
workers, including editors, are not paid any than that. He meddled and tried in vain to ca-
package when they leave, even after decades jole, coerce and intimidate editors on behalf of
of service. Sometimes everything is taken away Mnangagwa, sometimes publicly. This is a fact
from them — from cars, laptops to even cell- and the truth.
phone sim-cards, evidence of poor employ-
ment conditions. To their credit, all editors who understood
the importance of editorial independence to
As workers’ representatives in the past, we quality journalism and the public interest re-
always told Ncube and his blood-sucking jected that, including those considered coup
managers that we were not monkeys, so we enablers. That is what saved AMH’s editorial
shouldn’t be paid peanuts. He always accused independence, which remains intact after his
his senior staff of behaving like trade union- Damascene moment.
ists, confirming his parasitic self-interest that
gripped his soul and exorcised the ghost of The idea in this response to his remarks is
his previous socialist pretences. His fat cat de- not to attack Ncube — who is a good person
mons riled workers. and well-meaning — but to ensure he takes
responsibility and hold him to account for
Although he sounded sober in the interview his various actions in an honest, transparent,
after his power-drunk stint at the lavish PAC humble and open-minded way. That is why
ivory tower, where his intolerance and political the debate must stay away from petty personal
toxicity, especially against critics and Chamisa, grievances and focus on bigger issues affecting
manifested themselves, Ncube continued with not just the media, but the people.
his self-righteous posturing and in denial, un- l Dumisani Muleya is the Managing Editor
of The NewsHawks.

Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 76, 15 April 2022
BusinessPage26
MATTERSNewsHawks

MARKETS CURRENCIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE COMMODITIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE

USD/JPY 109.29 +0.38 +0.35 *OIL 63.47 -1.54 -2.37

GBP/USD 1.38 -0.014 -0.997 *GOLD 1,769.5 +1.2 +0.068

USD/CAD 1.229 +0.001 +0.07 *SILVER 25.94 -0.145 -0.56

USD/CHF 0.913 +0.005 +0.53 *PLATINUM 1,201.6 +4 +0.33

AUD/USD 0.771 -0.006 -0.76 *COPPER 4.458 -0.029 -0.65

Forex retention riles RioZim

BERNARD MPOFU

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed mineral resourc- group’s gold produce but also negatively impacted due to the wobbling economy. tive market. The combination of a challenging op-
es group RioZim has cried foul over the govern- on the timeous execution of projects, which pre- “Despite the stability of the interbank rate, the erating environment and the delays on the comple-
ment’s decision to cut the foreign currency reten- dominantly required foreign currency. tion of the BIOX Plant Project due to inadequate
tion threshold for miners, warning this would eat comparative rates in the alternative market traded foreign currency resulted in the company incurring
into the company’s earnings at a time operating The company said the commissioning of the at huge premiums above the interbank rate during a loss for the year. It is against this background that
expenses have spiked. Biological Oxidation (BIOX) Plant Project that the period,” the company said. I present you with the financial results of the com-
was forecasted for the fourth quarter of 2021 was pany.”
The country has over the past few months been delayed and postponed to the first quarter of 2022 “This continued to put pressure on the group’s
battling rising inflation, a weakening domestic cur- profitability as inputs tracked rates in the alterna-
rency and power outages, among other economic
problems.

RioZim in its full-year financials for the period
ending 31 December 2021 said while the easing of
Covid-19 restrictions had improved business con-
ditions, the volatility of the Zimbabwe dollar is not
good for business. The company reported a ZW$2
billion loss during the period under review com-
pared to a profit of ZW$452 million in the prior
comparative period on account of rising costs.

“The operating environment throughout the
year was challenging. It was characterised by sig-
nificant exchange rate distortions, ongoing power
supply deficits and policy changes amongst other
challenges, which negatively impacted the opera-
tions of the group,” the company said in a state-
ment. The Covid-19 pandemic presented further
challenges to the already depressed macro-econom-
ic environment as new variants emerged during the
year. The foreign currency retention was revised
downwards to 60% in January 2021 from 70% in
the prior year.

This not only reduced the value realised for the

BERNARD MPOFU BAT sees lower demand for cigarettes

ZIMBABWE Stock Exchange-listed cigarette resulted in a decline in consumer spending. In and Madison, according to the company con- creased demand of leaf from our export markets.
maker BAT sees depressed consumer spending response to the aforementioned challenges, the tributed 52% and 38% of the volume perfor- Volume growth coupled with the pricing review
this year as production costs increase due to company continues to review its business model mance respectively. done during the period, resulted in the company
rising inflation triggered by Russia’s invasion of to ensure long-term sustainability of the business recording a growth in net turnover of 147% in
Ukraine and a rise in excise duty. and value creation for its shareholders.” “Export volumes of leaf and cut rag tobacco historical terms, compared to the same period
were up by 163% in the three-month period prior year,” the company said.
Tremors from the Eurasian war are already The value-for-money brands, Lucky Strike under review compared to prior year due to in-
spreading across the world, with economies ex-
periencing disruptions of fuel and wheat supplies
which are stoking inflation.

Official statistics show that Zimbabwe’s year-
on-year inflation for April stood at from 96.4%
from 72.7% in March mainly driven by price
increases in fuel, electricity and gas.

According to BAT’s trading update for the
three months ended March, the company deliv-
ered overall volume growth versus same period
last year, mainly attributable to increased export
of cut rag tobacco and leaf. The company’s vol-
umes from the sale of cigarettes were relatively
flat as compared to the same period last year on
the backdrop of shrinkage of disposable income.

“The trading environment for the three
months ended 31 March 2022 was characterised
by significant increase in inflation and exchange
rate volatility. Additionally, the cigarette excise
ad valorem regime was changed from 20% to
25% with effect from 1 January 2022,” the com-
pany said.

“We continue to monitor the conflict in
Ukraine and the potential impact on the Zimba-
bwean business. In the short term, the business
anticipates an increase in the cost of production.

“The challenging economic environment

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 27

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

ZB to fully capitalise mortgage division

BERNARD MPOFU turn was on the back of improved non-fund- The fair value adjustments, according to in 2020 to ZW$1.982bn in 2021, while a
ed income. Banking commissions and fees the financials, increased by 1 526% from 38% decrease in insurance related expenses
FINANCIAL services group ZB Financial contributed significantly, rising by 83%, from ZW$0.218bn in 2020 to ZW$3.548bn in was recorded, from ZW$1.847bn in 2020 to
Holdings (ZBFH) says it expects its mortgage ZW$1.836bn in 2020 to ZW$3.366bn in 2021 mainly as a result of improved perfor- ZW$1.152bn in 2021.”
lender to be fully capitalised by year-end after 2021. mance of the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange and
the transaction failed to be completed last year. investment property valuations. Meanwhile, operating costs rose by 83%
“As at 31 December 2021, all group compa- from ZW$4.442bn in 2020 to ZW$8.124bn
As first reported by The NewsHawks, the gov- nies, with the exception of ZB Building Soci- Net interest income registered a solid perfor- in 2021, largely as a result of the inflationary
ernment, in collaboration with local and inter- ety, were in compliance with prescribed mini- mance during the year 2021, rising by 212%, environment.
national bankers, including buccaneering busi- mum capital requirements,” the company said from ZW$1.060bn in 2020 to ZW$3.304bn
ness tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei, is working in its audited full-year financials for the period in 2021. Profit from ordinary activities rose by 327%,
on an ambitious project to create the biggest ending March 2022. from ZW$0.845bn in 2020 to ZW$3.612bn
financial services company in Zimbabwe, with “As the loans and advances book rose, loan in 2021.
an asset base of over US$2.5 billion. “The target was to finalise the consolidation impairment charges also rose by 37%, from
of the group’s banking operations, that is, ZB ZW$0.453bn in 2020 to ZW$0.621bn in Transfer to the life fund declined by 51%
The core of the project will involve merging Bank Limited, ZB Building Society and Inter- 2021. Resultantly, net income from lending from ZW$0.963bn in 2020 to ZW$0.472bn
leading financial institutions, including CBZ market Banking Corporation, by 31 December activities rose from ZW$0.607bn in 2020 to in 2021 due to subdued performance by the
Holdings, ZB Financial Holdings, First Mutu- 2021, but the transaction has taken longer than ZW$2.683bn in 2021, a 342% increase,” the underlying assets. Net profit registered a 20%
al Holdings Limited (FMHL) and First Mutual anticipated, and is now scheduled to be com- company said. increase, from ZW$1.712bn attained in 2020
Properties (FMP). pleted in 2022.” to ZW$2.058bn in 2021. Meanwhile, the
“Net insurance-related earnings improved group’s total assets increased by 66% in real
For the year 2021, ZBFH recorded a 122% The minimum capital requirement for build- from a loss of ZW$0.003bn in 2020, to a prof- terms, from ZW$30.504bn as at 31 Decem-
increase in total income from ZW$5.288bn in ing societies, according to the Reserve Bank of it of ZW$0.830bn in 2021, on the back of a ber 2020 to ZW$50.493bn as at 31 December
2020 to ZW$11.736bn. This performance out- Zimbabwe, stands at US$20 million. 7% rise in gross premiums from ZW$1.845bn 2021.

DUMISANI NYONI Invictus raises US$8m for oil rig

INVICTUS Energy has managed to raise US$8 775 SPP shares issued. Zimbabwe to increase the Special Grant 4 571 said.
million through a securities purchase plan (SPP) “Together with the US$4 million placement licence area from 100 000 hectares to 709 300 The Exalo #202 rig is expected to mobilise
and the funds will be used for the mobilisation hectares.
of the Exalo #202 drilling rig and long lead carried out in the December quarter, Invictus from Tanzania to the Cabora Bassa project in
items for the two-well drilling campaign at the has raised a combined US$8 million,” the re- The award is awaiting customary government May, with the potential basin opening drilling
Cabora Bassa project. port reads in part. gazettal. campaign currently scheduled to start in June.

The Australian Securities Exchange-listed “The funds will be used for the mobilisation The company also agreed to increase the The necessary casing, wellheads and ancillary
firm is exploring for oil and gas in the Cabo- of the Exalo #202 drilling rig and long lead minimum work programme obligation for the long lead items for the two-well drilling cam-
ra Bassa Basin in Zimbabwe, which is one of items for the two-well drilling campaign at the current second exploration period to drill two paign have already been secured.
the largest under-explored interior rift basins in Cabora Bassa Project in Zimbabwe. A portion exploration wells, including the Mukuyu-1
Africa. of the funds raised were also used for finalisation prospect (previously named Muzarabani) and Invictus Energy Ltd is an independent up-
of CB21 Seismic Survey data processing, as well one exploration well in the expanded area. stream oil and gas company listed on the Aus-
According to its March 2022 quarterly ac- as for general working capital.” tralian Securities Exchange. Invictus is opening
tivities report, the firm launched an SPP on 10 “Rig contract Invictus executed a binding one of the last untested large frontier rift basins
January to raise up to US$2 million. However, During the quarter, Invictus’ 80% owned drilling rig contract with Exalo Drilling SA to in onshore Africa — the Cabora Bassa Basin —
overwhelming demand saw the SSP doubled to subsidiary Geo Associates executed a heads of drill the Mukuyu-1 exploration well, with an in northern Zimbabwe through a high-impact
US$4 million. agreement with the Sovereign Wealth Fund of option for an additional exploration well,” it exploration programme.

The SPP was supported and oversubscribed
by Invictus shareholders with a total of 39 999

Page 28 Stock Taking NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Price Sheet A MEMBER OF FINSEC & THE ZIMBABWE STOCK EXCHANGE

Friday, 06 May 2022

Company Sector Bloomberg Previous Last VWAP (cents) Total Total Price Price YTD Market
Traded Traded Traded Change Change (%) Cap
Ticker Price (cents) 36803.89 Volume Value ($) (cents) ($m)
Price 1351.22 (%)
2500.00 - -
AFDIS Consumer Goods AFDIS: ZH 36803.89 - 453.09 32,700 441,850 - - 194.43 43,978.63
African Sun Consumer Services ASUN: ZH 1342.67 1400.00 15928.67 8.55 0.64 110.39 19,240.45
ART ARTD: ZH 2880.00 2500.00 366000.00 1,100 27,500 -380.00 -13.19 139.23 10,924.43
Ariston Industrials 455.93 420.00 26000.00 37,900 171,722 -2.84 -0.62 21.73
Axia Consumer Services ARISTON: ZH 16353.57 15795.00 15705.00 39,400 6,275,895 -424.90 -2.60 430.07 7,373.57
BAT AXIA: ZH 366000.00 23000.00 14.34 87,950.20
CAFCA Consumer Goods BAT: ZH 26000.00 - 5500.00 - - - - 52.94 75,518.67
CBZ Consumer Goods 16300.00 - 39763.54 - - - - 108.93
CFI CAFCA: ZH 23000.00 15600.00 15486.96 8,000 1,256,400 -595.00 -3.65 145.80 2,271.13
Dairibord Industrials CBZ: ZH 5500.00 - 27596.19 - - - - 57.14 82,083.98
Delta Banking CFI:ZH 40173.65 5500.00 580.00 200 11,000 - - 144.65 24,389.40
Ecocash 15939.66 39495.00 7022.22 60,100 23,897,890 -410.11 -1.02 280.95 19,690.05
Econet Industrials DZL: ZH 28924.03 15490.00 2100.00 658,300 101,950,700 -452.70 -2.84 224.66 518,586.39
Edgars Consumer Goods DLTA: ZH 587.57 27590.00 1099.34 387,800 107,018,000 -1327.84 -4.59 33.33 401,201.66
FBC Consumer Goods EHZL: ZH 7045.65 580.00 2166.67 17,200 99,760 -7.57 -1.29 107.43 714,900.50
Fidelity ECO: ZH 2100.00 7000.00 967.96 2,700 189,600 -23.43 -0.33 33.03
First Capital Technology 1050.64 - 211.24 - - - - 218.28 3,504.64
FML Telecommunications EDGR: ZH 2105.26 1100.00 1050.00 47,200 518,890 48.70 4.64 47,185.80
FMP Consumer Services FBC: ZH 951.65 2000.00 55709.68 600 13,000 61.41 2.92 8.33
GBH FIDL: ZH 221.88 968.00 60460.73 2,135,100 20,666,880 16.31 1.71 24.10 2,287.39
Getbucks Banking FCA: ZH 1050.00 205.00 17100.00 8,900 18,800 -10.64 -4.80 -7.96 23,743.71
Hippo Financial Services 55709.68 1050.00 493.28 300 3,150 - - 75.00 14,953.12
Innscor FMHL: ZH 60839.42 - 7000.00 - - - - 98.96 11,984.87
Lafarge Banking FMP: ZH 16680.00 60395.00 2200.00 17,700 10,701,550 -378.69 -0.62 272.30
Mash Financial Services GBH: ZH 538.77 17100.00 2750.00 200 34,200 420.00 2.52 113.75 1,133.49
Masimba 7000.00 539.00 24005.00 14,100 69,553 -45.49 -8.44 52.03 12,212.74
Medtech Real Estate GBFS: ZH 2200.00 7000.00 2700.00 6,600 462,000 - - 27.27 107,531.14
Medtech Class B Industrials HIPO: ZH 2750.00 - 220000.00 - - - - -37.14 344,551.46
Meikles 24027.78 - 1500.00 - - - - 10.00 13,680.00
Nampak Financial Services INN: ZH 2700.00 24005.00 3500.00 2,700 648,135 -22.78 -0.09 91.89
NatFoods Consumer Goods LACZ: ZH 220000.00 - 5214.27 - - - - 142.00 9,170.44
NTS MASH: ZH 1389.41 - 9000.00 - - - - 60.05 16,915.76
NMBZ Industrials MSHL: ZH 3500.00 1500.00 800.00 3,400 51,000 110.59 7.96 138.10
OK Zim Industrials MMDZ: ZH 5233.02 3500.00 15000.00 100 3,500 - - 334.62 264.00
Proplastics Real Estate MMDZB: ZH 9000.00 5300.00 24000.20 1,965,400 102,481,170 -18.75 -0.36 89.98 36.91
RTG Industrials MEIK: ZH 764.17 - 30193.59 - - - - 210.36
RioZim Financial Services NPKZ: ZH 15000.00 800.00 215.53 700 5,600 35.83 4.69 2.56 60,647.69
SeedCo Financial Services 24016.57 - 24000.00 - - - - 275.00 20,402.50
Simbisa Industrials NTFD: ZH 30196.63 24000.00 201.33 101,300 24,312,200 -16.37 -0.07 127.35 150,480.24
Star Africa Industrials NTS: ZH 215.28 30000.00 13200.00 13,800 4,166,715 -3.04 -0.01 235.48
Tanganda Consumer Goods NMB: ZH 24000.00 210.00 732.00 591,200 1,274,191 0.25 0.12 86.03 3,808.09
Truworths Industrials 201.83 24000.00 3400.00 93,300 22,392,000 - - 257.89 14,146.01
TSL OKZ: ZH 13200.00 200.00 378.95 300 604 -0.50 -0.25 0.67 67,049.48
Turnall Banking PROL: ZH 700.00 - 9500.00 - - - - 88.11 22,674.21
Unifreight Consumer Services 3393.75 750.00 6,500 47,580 32.00 4.57 78.48 19,963.96
Willdale RTG: ZH 379.40 3400.00 2.88 1,000 34,000 6.25 0.18 13.46 18,304.42
ZB Industrials RIOZ: ZH 9505.00 378.00 595.00 138,400 524,468 -0.45 -0.12 22.45 59,329.13
Zeco Consumer Services SEED: ZH 9500.00 2800.00 1,000 95,000 -5.00 -0.05 23.38 169,743.77
Zimpapers 2.88 - 558.15 - - - - 500.00 10,162.42
Zimplow Basic Materials SIM: ZH 521.73 595.00 200 1,190 73.27 14.04 104.47 62,655.50
ZHL Consumer Goods SACL: ZH 2795.50 2800.00 2,800 78,400 4.50 0.16 18.64
Consumer Goods TANG: ZH 556.03 558.00 71,500 399,075 2.12 0.38 48.41 773.24
TOTAL Consumer Goods TRUW: ZH 6,469,700 430,343,168 47,137.52
Consumer Goods
Consumer Services TSL: ZH 3,609.06
Consumer Goods TURN: ZH 3,620.12
UNIF: ZH 6,737.74
Industrials WILD: ZH 16,643.11
Industrials ZBFH: ZH
Industrials ZECO: ZH 13.34
3,427.20
Banking ZIMP: ZH 9,648.25
Industrials ZIMPLOW: ZH 10,148.39
Consumer Services 3,398,389.93
Industrials ZHL: ZH
Financial Services

ETFs DMCS.zw 270.44 245.00 262.67 197,078 517,668 -7.77 -2.87 162.67 185.28
MCMS.zw 2355.85 2355.00 2250.31 5,789 130,270 -105.54 -4.48 125.03 2,895.54
Datvest Modified Consumer Staples ETF OMTT.zw 1084.88 1090.00 1092.02 1,177,939 0.66 148.14 1,568.42
Morgan&Co Multi-Sector ETF 107,868 7.14
Old Mutual ZSE Top 10 ETF 17,432.46

FINSEC Financial Services OMZIL 21000.00 21000.00 21000.00 28,567 5,999,070 - - 110.00 US$m
62.36
Old Mutual Zimbabwe 8.06

VFEX (US cents) Mining BIND:VX 4.81 4.90 4.90 489,400 23,980.60 0.09 1.87 -10.91 115.58
Mining CMCL:VX 1300.00 - 1300.00 - - - - - 107.19
BNC Consumer Goods - - - - -
Caledonia Consumer Goods PHL:VX 21.34 - 21.34 - - - - 1.62 YTD %
Padenga SCIL:VX 28.10 28.10 0.18 +104.47
SeedCo International +138.10

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Property
NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022 PROPERTY INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE GARDENING Page 29

The home of prime property: [email protected]

Zanu PF struggles to complete property

This building by the corner of Samora Machel Avenue and 6th street in Ha-
rare has taken years to complete. It is a Jongwe Printing property. — Pictures:
Aaron Ufumeli

Page 30 News Analysis NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

DUMISANI NYONI Incentivise sunflower

AN assessment of the allotments by production to cut oil imports
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe indi-
cates that five cooking oil-processing have enough crushing capacity as well means the input costs for the farmer and crude soya bean oil. They therefore production stands to benefit the coun-
firms are among the top 10 bidders as more soya cake than Zimbabwe will be low as there would be no need lack the incentive to support sunflow- try as it will increase cooking oil pro-
getting 4% of the foreign exchange needs for feed production. This means to invest in irrigation material, the er production since it renders their duction locally and help to reduce the
auction system allocations. the excess produce will have to be ex- CTC said. investment obsolete. Therefore, new demands on foreign currency.”
ported in highly competitive export players can add to the mix of available
These huge amounts of forex going markets.” “Sunflower production is well oilseed expressors if sunflower produc- As a way forward, the CTC said
towards the importation of crude oil adapted in both hot and dry climates, tion increases,” it said. the government must incentivise oil
shows the need to support sunflower “Therefore, Zimbabwe stands to therefore highly suited for most regions expressers to venture into contract
production among the crops support- get more quantities of cooking oil per in Zimbabwe and for many small-scale The CTC said sunflower cooking farming of sunflower production to
ed by the government as cooking oil tonne of sunflower as compared to a farmers in Zimbabwe. Sunflower pro- oil is of better quality compared to supplement government efforts in or-
companies were accessing US$74.8 tonne of soya bean. The advantage of duction is also lucrative as the Grain cooking oil from soya and cotton and der to grow more sunflower with more
million. this initiative also is that with the com- Marketing Board has pegged the the sunflower crop is also used for live- edible oil content while feed manufac-
ing in of AfCFTA, Zimbabwe needs to pre-planting producer price for 2022 stock feed. turers should focus on soybean which
Zimbabwe is not producing suffi- focus on the production of commodi- at ZW$150 686 per tonne,” the CTC produces more soya cake which is re-
cient edible oilseed to meet the current ties which it has a comparative advan- said. “Just like the case of soyabean which quired for their stockfeeds.
cooking oil requirements. tage on.” can be used for many other purposes,
“This is way better compared to more value can be realised from sun- “There is a need to establish sun-
As a result, the oil expressers are left “This is to ensure that the country is other alternatives for farmers such as flower. For instance, the government flower community crushers where
to rely largely on crude oil imports. not only a consumer of other nations' soya bean which has been pegged at can also consider growing confection- households producing sunflower can
products and supports foreign farmers ZW$125 530 per tonne and maize ary sunflower seed varieties which are crush their oilseed to produce cooking
But the National Development while local production is crippled,” it pegged at ZW$58 553 per tonne.” used in bakery products, and also in a oil. Oil expressers need to be incentiv-
Strategy 1 (NDS 1) calls for improved said. number of health products and health ised to invest in machinery that crush-
production in agriculture to reduce The CTC said there are potential snacks,” the CTC said. es sunflower for cooking oil produc-
over-reliance on imports. Thus, oilseed The CTC said small-scale farm- competition benefits that may arise. tion which will also ensure a localised
diversification into sunflower produc- er-friendly sunflower production For instance, new players in oil ex- “These have been growing in market market for the crop,” it said.
tion is critical and this can be achieved leaves no one behind as it is affordable pressing can enter into this market, demand due to nutritional value and
by capacitating farmers and offering for both small-scale and large-scale taking advantage of increased sunflow- have been used for human nutrition in The CTC said quality sunflower
support. farmers, therefore supporting govern- er production. If Zimbabwe increases Eastern European countries. Oilseed seed varieties must be made available
ment initiatives to grow the incomes of sunflower production as supply in- availability has been the main problem to promote production of the crop.
The government initiative for dis- all farming households. creases, the country stimulates its own in regards to the production of cooking
tributing 600 metric tonnes of sun- demand. oil, resulting in importation of crude “Seed companies have a role to play
flower seed as part of the Pfumvudza/ Further to that, the commission oil from other countries to cater for the in providing best-yielding varieties
Intwasa farming inputs can reduce said its production is less mechanised “The current setup is that most of national demand for cooking oil.” for sunflower production aside from
crude oil imports. compared to soya bean. Since the crop the oil expressors have invested in ma- open-pollinated varieties,” the CTC
is tolerant to dry conditions, it also chinery that was suitable for soya bean “This initiative to increase sunflower said.
According to the Competition and
Tariff Commission (CTC) latest news-
letter, the southern African nation
channelled US$74.8 million of forex
from the foreign currency auction in
2021 to the importation of crude oil
due to oilseed production deficiencies.

Local farmers had for some time
lost interest in sunflower production
as there was a perceived lack of market
for the crop and a highly informalised
value chain.

“Zimbabwe stands to greatly ben-
efit from a reduced soyabean oil and
cotton-seed oil import bill of US$138
million as the country increases pro-
duction of sunflower. This further
supports government efforts of im-
port substitution as the nation will be
able to lower the huge import bill of
soyabean oil and cotton-seed oil,” the
analysis reads in part.

“As Zimbabwe increases sunflower
production, the nation will save about
US$138m (considering 2020 imports)
that is going towards importation of
soya bean oil and cotton-seed oil and
direct the money towards other essen-
tial things such as machinery, equip-
ment and fuel to increase production
efficiency.”

“Reliance on crude oil also means
that Zimbabwe will need to import
soya cake for the stockfeed producers,
which means Zimbabwe would not be
able to compete in the African Con-
tinental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
on the production of livestock as feed
cost would be high compared to other
countries,” the CTC said.

The CTC said average oil extraction
rate in Zimbabwe is relatively high-
er at 40% to 50% compared to soya
bean and cotton whose average oil
extraction rate is 18% and 18% to
25% respectively. It said a better oil
extraction rate benefits Zimbabwe by
saving on land for agricultural activi-
ties. Given the current cooking oil de-
mand of 120 000 tonnes per annum,
the CTC said soya bean require more
land (333 333ha) compared to sun-
flower (133 333ha) to meet the cur-
rent demand.

“Further to that, to meet the cook-
ing oil demand, the country needs
about 667 000 tonnes of soyabeans.
The 667 000 tonnes required to pro-
duce cooking oil is well above the 185
000 tonnes of soya bean required for
stockfeed production,” it said.

“Thus, focusing on soya beans as a
source for cooking oil results in excess
soya beans which Zimbabwe does not

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 31

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

How informal sector organisations in
Zimbabwe shape notions of citizenship

KRISTINA PIKOVSKAIA

SINCE the late 1990s, as companies in also influenced how individuals and The Zimbabwe Chamber of Infor- rights-based definition of citizenship. An informal trader in Zimbabwe. Pic: VOA
Zimbabwe have shut down and laid off groups viewed the political communi- mal Economy Associations established Its members had a profound awareness
workers due to the country’s economic ty, informal sector, and their place in a revolving fund to help members save of their socio-economic and human women and entrepreneurs. They were
crisis, people have resorted to the in- these structures. I learned that these or- money to use to develop their business- rights. Their agenda was quite broad. rethinking these notions of modernity
formal sector to earn a living. It is esti- ganisations had a significant impact on es. in line with the radically changed eco-
mated that 90% of Zimbabweans now stimulating their members to become They campaigned for issues that af- nomic conditions.
have informal sector livelihoods. self-reliant citizens. In contrast, the While these actions were quite lim- fected street vendors  directly, such as What’s next?
government’s approach to the informal ited, they helped develop a sense of harassment and confiscation of their The informal sector in Zimbabwe has
Gradually, informal sector organ- sector, especially to street vendors and community. They also provided tools wares. They also took on broader politi- been very dynamic, fluid, and affected
isations emerged in response to fun- cross-border traders, was ambiguous for ensuring safety and support as most cal issues. An example was the inappro- by broader economic and political de-
damental changes in the economy, and frequently confrontational. people did not rely on help from the priate spending of taxpayers’ money by velopments.
politics, and social life from the 2000s. authorities. This self-reliance became Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko in
They allowed people to network, get The local authorities’ attitudes were the norm. June 2016. They also opposed the ban Being novel actors, these and other
training in business, finance and collec- often hostile to street vendors and peo- on protests in September 2016. informal sector organisations try to find
tive bargaining, and campaign for their ple engaged in “backyard industries”. I was surprised to discover that these the space for themselves to engage with
socio-economic rights. For example, they evicted vendors from three informal sector organisations, The Zimbabwe Informal Sector Or- people, other civil society actors, and
undesignated vending sites in the city besides stimulating their members to ganisation, the youngest of the three influence politics.
Traditionally, trade unions and centre many times. become self-reliant, also shaped very organisations, focused on business
NGOs were a major focus of study for distinct notions, and consequently training and financial literacy. It shaped This while combating marginalisa-
the country’s political scientists. By the The organisations did not abandon practices of citizenship, among them. a notion of citizenship based on re- tion of the informal sector by the au-
mid-2010s, though, informal sector or- regular governmental politics. They This was through training and collec- spectability. thorities.
ganisations had become prominent civ- wrote petitions and engaged in pro- tive action.
il society actors. They had become clos- tests and demonstrations. But, to a Zimbabwe has had very particular The development of informal sec-
er to people than other organisations. large extent, they shifted to survival, or The Zimbabwe Chamber of Infor- notions of urban  modernity and re- tor organisations in Zimbabwe has no
non-governmental politics. This is citi- mal Economy Association’s notion of spectability since the colonial and early fixed trajectory yet. What is without
But how exactly did they contribute zen-driven political action that is small citizenship was collectivist. Its members post-colonial periods. doubt and unique about their diversity
to the political sphere? This question is in scope, with a primary goal of self- often referred to it as “family”. is that they have the potential to influ-
important for two reasons. Firstly, the help to survive. These are related to formal employ- ence politics at a personal and societal
informal sector in Zimbabwe is highly This was due to the chamber’s for- ment, a clear and direct link between level – by shaping particular notions of
politicised, and any organisation in the National Vendors Unions of Zim- mer close connection to the trade education and employment, urban what it means to earn a living in the in-
informal sector has a potential for some babwe members, for example, united unions that gave it a start. Its members planning, and lifestyle. Many aspects of formal sector.
political outcome. Secondly, the  civil to confront political patronage at a expected trade union-like protection this modernity were lost due to the eco-
society  in Zimbabwe has also played market in the Harare city centre when from it. nomic crisis that led to informalisation. *About the writer: Kristina
an important role in politics, and it is a pro-ruling party organisation seized Pikovskaia is a tutor in international
useful to understand the political role vending spaces. The National Vendors Unions of In my interviews, the organisation’s development at the University of Ox-
of newly emerged actors. Zimbabwe, the most politically ac- members proudly referred to them- ford in the United Kingdom.
tive of the three, cultivated the classic selves as businessmen and business-
My 2016 study focused on three in-
formal sector organisations that were
prominent in the mid-2010s. The Zim-
babwe Chamber of Informal Economy
Associations grew out of the once po-
litically potent Zimbabwe Congress of
Trade Unions. The  National Vendors
Unions of Zimbabwe  was especially
politically active at that time. The Zim-
babwe Informal Sector Organisation
focused on business development. It
was led by a former opposition youth
leader, Promise Mkwananzi.

For my qualitative study, I inter-
viewed their leaders and regular mem-
bers as well as civic activists, politicians
and city councillors. I expanded my
original pool of over 80 respondents
during  further research  on citizenship
in urban Zimbabwe in 2017-2018.

I asked them about informal sector
organisations and the role they played
in their members’ lives. I inquired
about how they affected people’s views
and relations with the authorities and
political parties. I also asked about their
place in Zimbabwe’s civic and political
arenas.
Shaping perceptions, driving self-re-
liance
Because of these bodies’ organisational
characteristics and relations with civic
actors, I expected to find direct link-
ages with party politics and so-called
hashtag movements, such as #Tajamu-
ka and #ThisFlag. These were booming
in 2016 in response to the economic
and financial crisis, corruption and po-
litical oppression.

Contrary to my expectations, I dis-
covered more unique, subtle, and nu-
anced influences of the informal sector
organisations on people’s perceptions of
themselves as political actors in relation
to parties, social movements, the gov-
ernment, and local authorities. They

Page 32 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Zec has broad powers to ensure
free, fair and credible election

Alex T.
Magaisa

THERE is a video clip in which are powers that are expressly writ- establishment and operation of the commission which it would be ZEC offices in Harare.
the chairperson of the Zimbabwe ten in the constitution or prima- polling centres are further exclu- reasonable to delegate to a third
Electoral Commission (Zec), Jus- ry legislation. For example, the sive powers. The constitution also party. So far, I have focused on ex- Act are required or permitted to be
tice Priscilla Chigumba, claims Zec’s express powers are outlined ringfences the conduct and super- press powers that are stated in the prescribed or which, in its opin-
that she and her organisation have in section 239 of the constitution. vision of voter education to Zec as constitution. However, other im- ion, are necessary or convenient to
no power to perform functions They are stated as functions and well as the power to accredit elec- portant express powers are stated be prescribed for carrying out or
that the public demands in the under Zimbabwean law, functions tion observers. in the Electoral Act. giving effect to this Act.”  This is a
running and supervision of elec- are interpreted as powers. The broad power that allows Zec to
tions. most well-known is the power to It has the power to instruct Section 5 of the Electoral Act issue regulations. Regulations are
prepare for, conduct, and super- state or local authority employees makes provision for “addition- a form of secondary legislation,
She argues that stakeholders vise presidential, parliamentary, to ensure the efficient, free, fair, al functions and powers” of Zec. just like statutory instruments.
must approach Parliament so that and local authority elections. The proper, and transparent conduct These include “undertaking and Section 192(2) also allows Zec to
she and Zec can be given those 2013 constitution also gave Zec of any election or referendum. promoting research into electoral issue statutory instruments  “as it
powers. She insists that she is not the exclusive power to register Finally, Zec has the power to es- matters”, “developing expertise considers necessary or desirable to
going to do what the journalist voters and to compile voters’ rolls tablish a complaints mechanism and the use of technology in re- ensure that any election is proper-
was asking of her because she does and registers. It also has the man- to handle and resolve complaints gard to electoral processes”, en- ly and efficiently conducted and to
not have the power. date to ensure the proper custody from members of the public. suring gender mainstreaming into deal with any matter or situation
and maintenance of those voters’ electoral processes, and “making connected with, arising out of or re-
But how true is this claim by rolls and registers. These are express powers that recommendations to Parliament sulting from the election”.
the chairperson of the elections are exclusively within the prov- on appropriate ways to provide
management body? Another important express ince of Zec. Section 321(2) of the public financing for political par- These regulations and statuto-
power is the power to mark elec- Constitution allows for legislation ties” among others. ry instruments must, of course,
Does she and Zec lack the nec- toral boundaries, which is referred that permits a constitutional com- comply with constitutional safe-
essary powers to run free, fair, to as the delimitation of constitu- mission to delegate its powers, The most significant express guards applicable to all second-
and credible elections? Does Par- encies, wards, and other electoral except powers to make appoint- power that Zec has is provided ary legislation. Therefore, neither
liament have to confer any more boundaries. The constitution also ments to any office established for in section 192 of the Elec- regulations nor statutory instru-
powers to Zec than are already gives Zec the express power to by the constitution. Delegation toral Act. This section provides ments can prescribe anything that
granted under the existing le- design, print, and distribute bal- of powers is a recognition of the for the regulatory powers of Zec. is outside the enabling legislation,
gal framework? To answer these lot papers. The form of and pro- operational realities of running an Section 192(1) provides that “The in this case, the Electoral Act. But
questions, it is necessary to exam- curement of ballot boxes, and the organisation. Certain functions Commission may by regulation what is clear from this examina-
ine the legal framework which is may not be within the expertise of prescribe all matters which by this tion is that contrary to the Zec
made up of the constitution and chairperson’s assertions, Zec has
the electoral law.

In my assessment, the chairper-
son is being needlessly modest re-
garding Zec’s powers and the au-
thority that she wields as head of
the elections management body.
To be sure, there is always room
for improvement, but even under
the current legal framework, both
the constitution and the elector-
al law provide a broad range of
powers that if used reasonably
and competently can assist in
delivering free, fair, and credible
elections.   

The starting point is that Zec
is one of the five independent in-
stitutions supporting democracy
under chapter 12 of the consti-
tution. As a creature of the con-
stitution, Zec derives its primary
powers from the highest law in
the country.

Parliament may grant it addi-
tional powers but that authori-
ty comes from the constitution.
Therefore, the primary reference
point for Zec’s powers is the Con-
stitution. In other words, it is in
the terms of the constitution that
we turn to identify Zec’s powers
and thereafter, to the electoral law
for any additional powers.
Express and implied powers
Constitutional organs have two
types of powers. Express powers

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 33

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

broad regulatory powers that it for electoral reforms.   by this constitution have all pow- basis that the CCC, as the main confidence in the government.
can use to perform its mandate Implied powers ers necessary for them to fulfill challenger, must plan for elections Third, the President may dissolve
and to promote free, fair, and So far, I have focused on express their objectives and exercise their in 2023. There is going to be a lot parliament where it has unreason-
credible elections. powers that are provided for in functions.” of gamesmanship and this may ably refused to pass the Appro-
the constitution and the Elector- centre on the timing of elections. priation Bill (budget). The latter
The only point of sympathy and al Act. Another type of power is Applying this to Zec, its objec- two circumstances are unlikely to
recommendation for improve- called implied powers. These are tives and functions are set out in A strategy of surprise, catch- happen, but the first is not too
ment is that the Electoral Act powers that, although they are not the Constitution and this provi- ing the opponent unawares and remote. If Zanu PF wants an ear-
qualifies Zec’s regulatory powers expressly stated, are implied by sion underscores the fact that it unprepared is one of Zanu PF’s ly election, it might use its two-
by subjecting them to the approv- the status, position, or functions has all the powers that are neces- favourites. In 2013, when the thirds majority to dissolve Parlia-
al of the Minister of Justice, Legal of the person or entity under con- sary to fulfill them. MDC parties were in a coalition ment.
and Parliamentary Affairs. Section sideration. For example, a human arrangement with Zanu PF, they
192(6) of the Electoral Act states resources director has the implied In short, what section 192 pro- were caught unawares when Zanu If this happens and there is an
that “Regulations made in terms power to recruit employees of an visions demonstrate is that there PF pushed for an election just a early dissolution of parliament be-
of subsection (1) and statutory in- organisation while a finance di- is no need for the Zec chairper- few months after the adoption of fore the expiry of its normal term,
struments made in terms of sub- rector has implied authority to son to plead limitation of powers the new constitution. The CCC section 158(1)(b) of the constitu-
section (4) shall not have effect sign an organisation’s cheques. when the supreme law confers should prepare for the next elec- tion provides that a general elec-
until they have been approved by The power or authority is implied this full range of powers, includ- tions with some anticipation that tion must be held within 90 days
the Minister and published in the from the positions that they hold. ing implied powers, that Zec can Zanu PF might go for an early of the dissolution. The one thing
Gazette.” This is bad law because Likewise, Zec has powers that make use of to promote free, fair election. How might this happen? that must be done before the next
it undermines the independence are implied by its constitutional and credible elections. If Zec is election is the delimitation of
of Zec. If the chairperson of Zec and statutory role as the elections wrong in the exercise of such pow- The timing of elections is reg- constituencies. This involves the
is complaining over this qualifica- management body.   ers, it is up to the courts of law to ulated by the constitution. Sec- marking of constituency and ward
tion of ZEC’s regulatory powers, correct it. tion 158(1) provides that a gen- boundaries which will be used for
then she has a legitimate point. The concept of implied powers eral election must be held within the next elections. This exercise is
has constitutional authority. Sec- The courts would not inter- thirty days before the expiry of due to be done sometime this year
The moment Zec’s regulations tion 342(3) of the constitution fere where the use of those pow- the five-year term of parliament. after the publication of the popu-
require approval by a member of provides that, “Where a power, ers is reasonable. Zec should not The five-year term runs from the lation census results. 
the executive branch who is also jurisdiction or right is conferred be pleading limitation of pow- day that the President is sworn
an interested party in elector- by this constitution, any other ers when the supreme law of the into office. As President Mnan- Zec will use the census results
al processes, it compromises the powers or rights that are reason- country gives it such a broad gagwa was sworn in on 26 August and the voter registration data
elections management body’s in- ably necessary or incidental to its range of powers. It may be that 2018, this means the next election to map out and mark electoral
dependence. The constitution it- exercise are impliedly conferred as Zec is misreading the Constitu- should ordinarily be held within boundaries.
self prohibits anything that might well”.  This means in addition to tion leading to self-limitation. Or 30 days before the expiry of the
compromise the independence of express powers that are conferred Zec is simply being timid in the five-year term in August 2023. But once this exercise is done,
a commission, and section 192(6) by the constitution, Zec has im- face of a powerful government. Under this timetable, the election it is open season for elections.
falls foul of this prohibition. plied powers that are reasonably But this does not mean that it is will be around the same time that Zanu PF strategists will be close-
What we do not know is whether necessary or incidental to the exer- lacking powers. elections have been held since ly watching CCC’s election pre-
Zec has made any regulations or cise of those powers. For example, 2013 – the end of July. paredness. Zanu enjoys the advan-
statutory instruments that have since Zec has the express power to The Zec leadership simply tage of incumbency and therefore
been denied approval by the Min- register voters and compile a vot- needs to be more courageous and However, it would be a mistake has vast access to resources which
ister, but still that provision is ers’ roll, it also has implied powers forthright in the use of its con- to work with this timetable as enables it to quickly mobilise re-
an unnecessary infringement on to do anything necessary to fulfill stitutionally given powers. When Zanu PF might spring a surprise sources for elections. The CCC
Zec’s independence and should be those functions. Powers that are Zec limits itself, it only adds to early election. should not bank on the next elec-
removed. Zec’s regulatory powers “incidental to” the exercise of ex- the collective sense of doubt that tions being held following the
should only be judged against the press functions are powers that are the public has about it. Zec and its The first scenario works in the normal schedules of the past two
standards of secondary legislation associated with those functions. chairperson must be confident in normal course, where the term of general elections. Since Zanu PF
under the constitution and chal- asserting their powers as granted Parliament is allowed to run its controls two-thirds majority in
lenged in a court of law following With respect, the Zec Chairper- by the constitution and the elec- full course. To understand where both houses of Parliament (or it
the rules of administrative justice son is wrong to limit the powers of toral law. Granted, it is important the surprise might arise from, it can bank on the cooperation of
instead of being subjected to the Zec when the Constitution makes to remove provisions that require is important to examine other the MDC-T), it has the power
approval of any Minister of gov- provisions for implied powers. ministerial approval of regulations circumstances in which an early to dissolve parliament and trigger
ernment. Those powers may not be express- or presentation of reports to par- election might be called. A gen- an early election. For that reason,
ly written in the provisions, but if liament, but these limitations do eral election is called when Par- the CCC and other opposition
But Zec has the mandate to pro- they are reasonably necessary or not stop Zec from asserting itself liament has been dissolved. It is parties must plan well ahead with
vide advice and recommendations incidental to the exercise of those in electoral matters. important to identify the circum- an open mind so that they are not
on improving electoral legislation functions, Zec is entitled to claim Timing of elections stances in which Parliament may caught unawares.
and there is no reason why it has and exercise them. If there was I have always said when you are be dissolved.
not flagged this up in its reports to any doubt concerning the scope dealing with Zanu PF, you must *About the writer: Dr Alex
parliament. If it feels emasculated of Zec’s powers, section 192(2) of always plan with the worst-case First, according to section Magaisa is a law lecturer at
by section 192(6) which subordi- the constitution expressly states scenario in mind. Therefore, think 143(2), Parliament is dissolved Kent University in the United
nates it to a minister of govern- that “All institutions established of the worst thing they can do in when the National Assembly and Kingdom and former adviser to
ment, it should say so in clear any given circumstances and it the Senate vote by a two-thirds Zimbabwe’s late prime minister
terms, making recommendations will likely do that. It is on this majority vote for the dissolution. Morgan Tsvangirai.
Second, Parliament is dissolved
where it has passed a vote of no

Page 34 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Taona T. Issue 79, 6 May 2022
Denhere
Zim usurpation of property rights:
The case of Malunga and Chin'ono
They first came for the Chilongas we didn't one of their news reports.
speakout strongly, because they were the Notwithstanding these constitution- gard and contempt for the court rul- Hopewell Chin'ono. Sensing that there was now a well-or-
micro-minorities of the Shangaan tribe. al protections over the past year we have ings that had demanded them to vacate through delivering an objective, factual
Then, they came for the Buja of Murewa witnessed the Zanu PF government the Farm. and truthful indictment of corruption chestrated state-sanctioned propagan-
we didn't speakout, because we thought through its acts of commission and fueled kleptocratic and neopatrimonial da agenda to lay the groundwork for
the granite would benefit the nation. They omission, aiding and abetting extra-le- In October 2021, Madzivanyati dis- misgovernance and misleadership of expropriation of his personal property,
came again for Sipho Malunga, we did gal and extra-constitutional disposses- regarded Justice Martin Makonese's rul- Emmerson Mnangagwa`s government. Chin`ono then produced a fronsenic
whisper truth to the power, and we naively sions and dislocations of private citizens ing to vacate the farm within 24 hours. Chin'ono particularly unpacked and ex- and evidenced-based footprint of re-
believed courts will provide justice. Then, property who ironically in this partic- Furthermore, in December 2021 Justice posed the Zanu PF-made tragic collapse ceipts and documents, detailing the
they came for Daddyhope, the citizens had ular circumstances are indeginous black Evangelista Kabasa also ordered Mpofu of our health delivery system which has whole purchasing process from South
no other choice except to push back. Zimbabweans, who had rightly and le- and his wife to vacate farm within 24 resulted in the avoidable deaths of 2 500 Africa to customs clearances and up to
SINCE the turn of the 21th century, the gitimately acquired their properties. hours, which they defied. pregnant women yearly. their final destination.
regime of property rights in Zimbabwe
has undergone a series of state-sanc- Accordingly, two prominent human Needless to say, that the common This coupled with lack of public and Nonetheless Kandishaya did not re-
tioned violations and dismemberment. rights activists and defenders, Malun- denominator between Malunga and government investment in renovating lent in his illegal misadventure of expro-
ga, a human rights lawyer and the di- Chin'ono is that they are both socio-eco- and constructing additional maternity priating and pilfering Chin'ono's goats
Consequently, this failure to uphold rector of Open Society Initiative for nomic and human rights defenders and wards, provision of functioning chemo- by any means necessary. Therefore on
and respect the sacrosanct aspects of Southern Africa (OSISA), together always have their tension focussed on therapy and cancer machines in public the Saturday 1 May he released a short
property rights by successive dirigisme with Chin'ono, a journalist and a docu- such matters. Consequently, in an in- hospitals. Notwithstanding the fact video clip on which he unequivocally
Zanu PF governments, has had di- mentary filmmaker, have become some creasingly hegemonic authoritarian and that the country is endowed with rich stated that he is going ahead with his
sastrous knockdown effect on the so- of the latest victims to fall foul of this talibanized political system such as ours, precious extractive minerals such as dia- devious plans.
cio-economic wellbeing of the country. vengeful expropriation and attempted they have inevitably been classified as monds, gold and platinum, the incom-
That is the failure to respect the proper- expropriation of their properties. objects for persecution and harassment petent Zanu PF government became At that moment Chin'ono had to
ty rights has made Zimbabwe a pariah by the autocratic Zanu PF government. increasingly insecure and disturbed by conduct a pre-emptive attack against
state that is unattractive and risky eco- The case of Malunga`s discrimi- this truthful exposition at the Geneva Kandishaya`s illegal shenanigans by
nomic destination for both the would natory and targeted extrajudicially In the case of Malunga , the CIO Conference. deploying his lawyers to serve the po-
be domestic and international investors expropriation of his Esidakeni Farm, deputy director Mazithulela in one of lice with complaints against Kandisha.
and entrepreneurs. which he legally co-owns with his part- the affidavits filed at High Court in Bu- After Chin'ono's Geneva speech and His lawyers inter-alia demanded that
ners Zephaniah Dhlamini and Charles lawayo by Kershelmar challenging the as expected the state and Zanu PF sup- Kandishaya`s actions be investigated
However, over the last three years Moyo, by the Zanu PF politically ex- acquisition of their farm revealed that porters went into overdrive, accusing and possibly prosecuted for his criminal
violation of property rights has taken a posed persons, has been in the media when he joined the CIO, he found a Chin'ono for being “unpatriotic” and misdemours.
very ugly and sinister streak as disloca- spotlight for the past two years .The trio file of him containing what he termed treacherous. Consequently, floodgates
tions and displacements are being per- legally purchased the farm in 2017 from “anti-government activities” and saying of both overt and covert threats against Simultaneously, there was a wave of
petrated against the indigenous lump- its former white farmer under Kershel- that he is a known critic of Emmerson Chin'ono were opened by both State solidarity with Chin'ono and a consid-
en-pooretariats and the subproletariat mar Farms (Private) Limited. Mnangagwa government. and Zanu PF supporters. erable pushback from the concerned
communities of Zimbabwe. Such as citizens against Kandishaya`s intended
the Dindes of Hwange, the Chilongas, However, leading this multipronged Furthermore, it is an open secret that Accordingly Taurai Kandishaya, as expropriation and theft of boer goats.
of Chiredzi and the Bujas of the gran- frontal and avarice extrajudicially ex- the state oppressive security operators a well-known CIO operative who has This form of dialectical voluntarism of
ite producing areas of Murewa. This propriation of Esidakeni Farm is the always keep a hawkish eye through- a dark and sinister reputation of insti- citizens pronounced itself on that Sun-
state-sanctioned unrestrained avarice Zanu PF Secretary for Administration out the over Chin'ono. They trail and gating open threats and violence against day morning of the intended illegal sei-
dispossessions tentacles have also now Obert Mpofu incahoots with Dumisani monitor his online and offline activities. opposition supporters, officials and zure of Chin'ono's boer goats. A group
encroached into the private properties Madzivanyati and Gatsha Mazithulela. This coupled with the fact that over the human rights took it upon himself as of ordinary citizens trekked to Chinon-
of two prominent citizens, Malunga`s Mpofu is a renowned Zanu PF feudal last two years has been an unrelenting a personal mission albeit with tacit ap- o`s homestead and offered to defend
Esidakeni Farm in NyamaNdlovu and extractivist buccaneer who reportedly vicious circle of persecution by prose- proval of the state to harass Chin'ono Chinono`s property.
Hopewell Chin'ono`s boer goats in his owns 65 000 hectares of prime land. cution by the state on trumped up and and threaten to expropriate his legally
Murewa homestead. Mpofu, according, to the investigation ridiculous charges. Thus, being post- acquired boer goats. There is a method in this state-sanc-
by Partnership Africa Canada is among ed from pillar to post within the dark tioned madness of property seizure of
Therefore, this opinion piece will the top five landowners in Zimbabwe. web and the underbelly of a captured, Kandishaya using his various social Esidakeni Farm and the intended but
attempt to foreground and locate the compromised and corrupted judiciary media accounts started by making un- failed expropriation of the boer goats.
dispossession of Malunga`s Esidakeni Despite numerous attempts by the system. founded and ridiculous allegations that That is the kakistocractic and oppres-
Farm and the intended but failed extra- Esidakeni trio to pursue justice and Chin'ono's thriving boer goats project sive Zanu PF government's attempt to
judicially expropriation of Chin'ono`s challenge this wanton politically mo- Suffice to say that when Chin'ono was a result of Zanu PF government economically and financially asphyxi-
boer goats, within the wider context of tivated and illegal acquisition of their delivered a truth-telling and forth-tell- largesse given to him, which was meant ate Malunga and Chin'ono, who both
the vindictive extractive-overaccumula- property through the courts, the illicit ing speech at the Geneva Conference to be extended to others after breeding command huge domestic, regional and
tion and coercive control mechanisms expropriators particularly Mpofu and on Human Rights and Democracy in of the boer goats. These unfounded international clout.
of Zanu PF government. Madzivanyati have shown utter disre- Switzerland where he spoke truth to allegations were also buttressed by the
the power and truth to the powerless discredited and compromised ZTV on This is part of a wider authoritar-
Where agricultural land and agri- ian consolidation plan by Zanu PF of
cultural accessories have been instru- cowing the general populace into sub-
mentalised as a punitive weapon against mission and thereby stifling any form of
human rights defenders, dissenting civic unrest and popular revolt.
voices, government critics and progres-
sive voices in Zimbabwe. Accordingly, However, the illegal expropriation
I will further argue that both cases of and illicit parcelling off of Malunga`s
illegal seizure of Esidakeni Farm and the farm and the threat to extrajudicially
foiled attempted pilfering of boer goats confiscate Chin'ono`s boer goats has
are mutually inclusive and they mutu- a far-reaching negative consequences
ally reinforce each other in the grand on the regional and international so-
scheme of state-sanctioned vengeful cio-economic status of Zimbabwe. No
usurpation of private citizens property reasonable domestic or international
rights. investor would want to invest their hard
earned capital and resources in a coun-
The 2013 Constitution of Zim- try where they know there is no rule of
babwe constitutionally and expressly law- based regime safeguarding proper-
guarantees and protects the right to ty rights.
own property. Thus, Section 71 (1)(ii)
defines property as any description Ironically, the Zanu PF government
and any right or interest in property. since November 2017 has been mod-
Furthermore, Section 72 states that : elling its socioeconomic foreign policy
every person has the right, in any part on a Foreign Direct Investment seeking
of Zimbabwe, to acquire, hold, occupy, neoliberal doctrine of “Zimbabwe is
use, transfer, hypothecate, lease or dis- Open for Business”.
pose of all forms of property, either in-
dividually or in association with others. However, under neoliberal socio-eco-
Coupled with the fact that Section 73 nomic and financial doctrine the re-
clearly set out the legal benchmarks on gime of protection of property rights is
which compulsory acquisition of prop- considered sacrosanct and any violation
erty can take place and the compensato- that violets property rights is considered
ry rewards. These constitutional rights sacrilegious.
clearly provide a watertight and robust
safeguards on protection of property Therefore, if Zanu PF was religiously
rights. following the letter and spirit of its neo-
liberal doctrine of “Zimbabwe is Open
for Business'', It would have never toler-
ated the blatant violations of individual
property rights of Malunga and that of
Chin'ono by the Zanu PF politically ex-
posed persons.

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 35

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Taking stock of Rwanda as host for refugees

THE UK and Rwanda have announced Clay huts in the Kigeme Refugee Camp near Gikongoro in Rwanda. In many situations, reducing aid –
a deal in which the UK will send some on the assumption that they’re becom-
people claiming asylum to the East Af- gees face  limited access  to electricity global approach to protecting refugees. Africa has almost tripled in the last ing more independent – has severely
rican nation where their cases will be and clean water. Because inhabitants The framework includes a commit- decade from 1.82 million in 2012 to compromised refugees’ well being.
processed. If they are granted asylum, they have been there for a long time, their ment to help refugees build self-reli- nearly 5 million in 2022. Funding
will be encouraged to remain in Rwanda family sizes have grown but infrastruc- ance, in large part through promoting shortfalls mean that  more than  70% Helping refugees find avenues to
for at least five years. Refugee expert Evan ture hasn’t kept up. their integration and economic in- of these refugees do not receive a full generate income and live independent-
Easton-Calabria (A) answers questions clusion. The Government of Rwanda food ration. ly from aid can be positive for donors,
(Q) and provides key insights into Rwan- While assistance agencies can ad- has for example committed to making agencies, and refugees alike.
da as a refugee host. dress some of these challenges, they banking services accessible to refugees In the face of declining funding, the
are constrained by both practical and and to issuing refugees with national idea of refugee self-reliance is appealing But reducing assistance in inappro-
(Q) Could you give us a picture of political factors. identity cards. to donors. But as my colleague, Nao- priate conditions risks refugees turning
Rwanda’s refugee operations? hiko Omata, and I discuss, becoming to family or friends, who are equally
Rwanda is a small country, about But there’s dwindling aid funding self-reliant isn’t straightforward. impoverished. This adds to the stress
(A) Rwanda hosts  about  127 585 26 000km2 in size. Finding available for protracted refugee situations. For and difficulty of refugees’ lives and
refugees, the overwhelming majority of land to expand refugee camps or which instance, in 2021 the World Food Pro- Refugees in many countries remain doesn’t mean that they will be encour-
whom come from just two countries: refugees can farm is difficult. Rwanda gramme  announced  it would reduce in camps and don’t have access to social aged – or are able – to become self-re-
the Democratic Republic of Congo is also a very politically restricted coun- food assistance to refugees in Rwanda or business networks or other resources liant.
(about 77 288) and Burundi (about 49 try.  Constraints  on political advocacy by a shocking 60% – three years after they might need to access or create em-
827). This is a significant number that and freedom of speech affect citizens, a  25% food ration  cut for refugees ployment. For example, while refugees Instead, fostering refugees’ indepen-
nonetheless pales in comparison to refugees, and assistance agencies – in- in Rwanda was the basis for protests in Rwanda have the right to freedom dence from aid may instead necessi-
neighbouring  Uganda’s  approximately cluding UNHCR. They risk their which led to 11 refugee fatalities. of movement and work, in practice tate  more  support initially, be that in
1.5 million and  Kenya’s  550 000 ref- activities being curtailed if they de- it’s difficult for them to move around the form of cash grants, micro-loans,
ugees. nounce the treatment of refugees, like In 2021,  just 55%  of UNHCR’s because of bureaucracy as well as the or intensive skills training.
the killing of refugees in Kiziba and operation costs to support refugees in remote location of some camps. Offi-
Rwanda has six refugee camps. Of Karongi Town. Rwanda was covered by funding. This cially they must receive permission to (Q) Is there anywhere getting it
the  six camps, the Mahama refugee figure is all the more worrying when leave camps; this alone can take up to right? What can be done better?
camp is both the newest and the larg- In 2018 Rwanda committed to compared against the level of need a month. And they have to return to
est, home to over 56 000 refugees. The applying the  Comprehensive Refu- –  the number of refugees  in eastern camps regularly to renew their permits. (A) Rwanda’s neighbour Uganda
other five are much smaller in size. gee Response Framework, the current is  often  held up as the model coun-
try when it comes to enabling refu-
An  estimated  50,000 Congolese gee self-reliance. It’s been lauded for
refugees have been in Rwanda since providing land to refugees to farm on,
1996. They are mainly of Banyarwan- and for having a relatively open legal
da background (including both Hutu environment in which refugees can
and Tutsi) and fled to Rwanda to avoid run businesses and even direct their
persecution by the Interhamwe (Hutu own community organisations to help
militia) in 1995 and 1996. For over each other. At the same it is clear that it
20 years they’ve mostly been living in is not perfect. For example, if refugees
camps like Kiziba, the oldest refugee want to live in any urban areas besides
camp in Rwanda. Almost 17 000 Con- the capital, Kampala, they forfeit their
golese refugees live in Kiziba. right to receive humanitarian assistance
and often remain unseen and unsup-
Most Burundian refugees arrived ported.
in 2015, after a widespread civil con-
flict. At the time over 70 000 Burun- Ultimately, supporting refugees bet-
dians came to Rwanda, mainly staying ter in the region means granting rights
in the Mahama camp. – like the right to work and freedom
of movement – and enabling access to
(Q) Who is in charge? What chal- these rights. Refugees in Rwanda have
lenges do they face? many of the same rights as those in
Uganda yet face more challenges and
(A) The responsibility of assisting discrimination in accessing them. Lack
refugees in Rwanda is coordinated of assistance in urban areas, or the right
between the UN Refugee Agency to legally reside in them as recognised
(UNHCR) and Rwanda’s Ministry in refugees, is a crucial ongoing issue in
Charge of Emergency Management. many countries in the region and be-
Together they manage refugee camps, yond. Self-reliance programmes must
repatriation, and projects – like envi- address these structural barriers. And
ronmental protection – in and around donors and agencies must recognise
the camps. UNHCR largely defers to that promoting refugees’ independence
the government and only plays a sup- from aid will not occur simply by re-
porting role in refugee assistance. ducing it.

There are also various partners who This article, originally published
provide services like healthcare, water, in 2019, has been updated to reflect
and shelter in the camps. But even in recent developments.
longstanding camps like Kiziba, refu-
— The Conversation.

Page 36 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

We cannot keep leaving women with
disabilities behind in leadership

“Women hold up
half the sky, but they
usually do not occu-
py half of the seats
in the positions of
influence.” — Marcia
VJ Cran, member of
UN Human Rights
committee.

GERTRUDE OFORIWA OFOAME

ONE in five women worldwide Group work at a workshop in Cameroon to support people with disabilities address gender based violence. Credit: Sightsavers.
have a disability. Yet 15 years af-
ter 180 countries adopted the  UN the simple fact of representation leadership positions signed a decla- gender parity on the committee, middle income countries and conti-
Convention on the Rights of Per- and lack of it. ration urging UN member states to and in 2018 there was only one nents like Africa, and women with
sons with Disabilities, we are still fully comply with their obligations woman out of eighteen members. diverse disability types.
among the most marginalised and In 2011, the UN resolution on to the rights of women and girls This meant none of the sub-com-
poorest in society, often experienc- women’s political participation stat- with disabilities. mittees had any women involved For the world to be truly inclu-
ing dual discrimination. ed that “women in every part of the and their voices weren’t represented sive, women from a diverse range of
world continue to be largely mar- So much of the problem also when holding states to account. backgrounds need to be fairly repre-
It is vital that the voices of wom- ginalised from the political sphere”. lies around perceptions about what sented in leadership roles. Govern-
en with disabilities are heard when It explained that this is the result of women with disabilities are capable Since we have had gender parity, ments need to commit to tackling
decisions are made that will affect various factors including “discrimi- of, including among women them- we have re-established the working some of the most pervasive forms of
their lives and that they are fairly natory laws, practices, attitudes and selves. Pascaline Mekati Matoko, group specifically on women and exclusion that women experience,
represented in leadership positions gender stereotypes, low levels of founder of Deaf Rights Cameroon girls with disabilities. Along with particularly women with disabil-
across society. Unfortunately, we education, lack of access to health Association, has said that when try- the CRC Committee on children, ities, and ensure that they are in-
are still a long way from this being care and the disproportionate effect ing to get women involved in ad- we have launched a joint statement volved in making policies that affect
achieved. of poverty on women”. vocacy, “disabled women are still on the rights of children with dis- their lives. We have all the methods
afraid to participate like everyone abilities. and knowledge available to do this;
Discrimination happens across Over a decade later, this statement else”. it is just the commitment, financing
all spheres of life, from those living is just as true. Women still repre- Women now sit on all sub-com- and work that needs to be done.
in poverty to those who in posi- sent a minority of decision-makers We need to change this narrative mittees. This ensures that when
tions of power, and in all countries. worldwide, and there is  no official and work with women (and men) countries are guided on their ap- — African Arguments.
Girls and women with disabilities data on the political representation to challenge stereotypes. I love see- proach to ensuring disability rights,
may face up to  ten times  more vi- of women with disabilities. For us, ing the change from a woman with women’s voices are represented. *About the writer: Gertrude
olence than those without disabili- the barriers are even higher, and the a disability thinking she’s good for Oforiwa Fefoame is Sightsavers’
ties. Shockingly, the literacy rate for discrimination often doubled. nothing to saying “I can”. It’s amazing that we have come so organisational spokesperson for
women with disabilities may be as The difference possible far, but we need to ensure that these social inclusion. A committed gen-
low as 1%. Some progress has been made, I know first-hand the difference successes are not lost and to make der and disability advocate, she is
but not nearly enough. Women, that having women at the table sure we build on them. I am part of also a member of the UN Commit-
In some parts of Africa, vulner- and particularly women with dis- can make from my experience with the  Equal UN  campaign, which is tee on the Rights of Persons with
ability to sexual violence, rape and abilities, still remain unheard in far the UN Committee for the Rights calling for diversity and fair repre- Disabilities, chair of ICEVI Africa
HIV is aggravated by the myth that too many decision-making process- of Persons with Disabilities (UN- sentation across all ten UN human and a board member of the Ghana
sex with a woman with a disabili- es.  CRPD). Before 2020, there was no rights bodies, where women are un- Federation of Disability Organi-
ty, particularly albinism, will cure derrepresented. This is the case par- sations.
Aids. Women with disabilities also This is why, in 2019, I and 18 ticularly for women from low and
make up the majority of those tar- other women with disabilities in
geted by accusations of witchcraft.

Covid-19 has only made our lot
worse. Research by the UN has
shown that in almost all contexts
and all around the world, wom-
en and girls with disabilities have
been  left behind  in the pandemic.
They have struggled to meet their
basic needs, access health services,
and have faced disproportionate
risks of violence.

What’s worse is that most of this
discrimination and violence goes
unreported and unpunished. Exist-
ing laws, policies, and programmes
on gender-based violence rarely
address the situation of those with
disabilities. It is also difficult to find
quality data broken down by both
gender and disability, making it dif-
ficult to get an accurate understand-
ing of the experiences of women
and girls with disabilities. We do
not even have an accurate estimate
of the number of women with dis-
abilities in Africa, and so we contin-
ue to be invisible to the public and
policymakers.
A seat at the table
Many of these issues boil down to

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 37

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

New forms of urban planning emerge in Africa

SYLVIA CROESE/ PHILIP HARRISON

RAPID urban growth and an et period for master planning as developer of Africa’s new cities has opportunities for infrastructure in- City of Harare.
increasing number of climate the World Bank and International been the Moscow based firm, Re- vestment.
change-related disasters, such as the Monetary Fund’s Structural Ad- naissance Capital, through its prop- In other cases, master planning,
recent floods   in South Africa’s justment Programmes dominated. erty developer Rendeavour. National and local actors have and new approaches such as strate-
KwaZulu-Natal province, have put Then in the 1990s, international different interests, although some- gic spatial planning, co-exist with
the importance of sound urban development agencies such as UN Much more complex is master times there are synergies with in- each playing a different role. De-
planning in Africa in the spotlight. Habitat worked to introduce more planning for existing cities where ternational players. They support spite the active role of international
strategic and participatory ap- there is no empty canvas but rath- master planning in the hope of, for players, examples from  Accra,  Cai-
Urban plans are seen as the key proaches to planning. These were er a complex set of local and inter- example, securing foreign invest- ro and Kigali signal the emergence
to  achieving inclusive, safe and important. But they also had lim- national actors and interests. The ment, to mediate difficult local con- and increased assertiveness of Afri-
sustainable cities. But urban schol- itations for rapidly developing cities Japanese International Cooperation flicts, to manage growth or impose can based planning visions, actors
ars have argued for decades that where strong guidance was needed Agency (JICA) is a big player, hav- urban order. and expertise with local civic en-
for plans to be effective we need for land management and the place- ing prepared master plans for cities Blended approaches gagement in planning processes.
to  move away from the traditional ment of large-scale infrastructure. from Lilongwe to Cairo. The language of master planning
way of doing things. This requires Resurgence of master planning persists from its heyday in the This blending of approaches and
dropping a top down approach During the first two decades of the Singapore’s Surbana Jurong is an- mid-twentieth century to the pres- practices indicates that planning in
– master planning – and opting 2000s, there has been a resurgence other actor. It has secured contracts ent. But is the practice the same? Africa is very much alive and part
instead for strategic forms of plan- of master planning in Africa. This or prepared urban master plans for of an intricate planning palimpsest
ning that are targeted, flexible and has happened for both new and ex- the Rwandan capital,  Kigali  and A close look suggests that con- that includes master planning, even
participatory. isting cities. In our article, we iden- Burundi’s  Bujumbura  among oth- temporary master planning in Af- if this has become unfashionable in
tify over 20 new city developments ers. rica is complex, representing a di- other parts of the world. To craft
There are good reasons for argu- across the continent. Here master verse array and layering of multiple plans that are better able to respond
ing for this shift. Master plans are planning is about design on an The Chinese are not directly in- actors, visions and interests – both to Africa’s challenges we need a bet-
often viewed as colonial legacies, empty canvas and has been under- volved but have a powerful demon- old and new. ter understanding of the politics
modelled on modernist visions of taken mainly by large international stration effect in the many study and dynamics of contemporary ur-
utopian urban futures. Strategic architecture and design firms. tours to their master-planned cities. Most master plans do not neatly ban planning practice.
planning on the other hand re- Large firms based in London, New fall into prescribed understandings
sponds more directly to local needs These new cities reflect the am- York, Tokyo, Beirut, Dubai, Cairo, of “master plans” as they incorpo- — The Conversation.
and realities, especially in the con- bitions of individual politicians, an and Johannesburg, are also involved rate some participatory elements
text of cities in the global South. expanding middle class with new in master plan preparation. and hybridise with strategic plan- *About the writers: Sylvia Cro-
lifestyle demands, as well as in- ning approaches. Many of these ese us a senior research fellow at
In a  recently published article, creased foreign investor interest in International interests in master so-called master plans offer solu- the University of the Witswa-
we acknowledge these critiques of urban Africa. For example, a major planning may be geopolitical as tions which are more incremental tersrand in South Africa. Philip
master planning. We also ask why it well as economic. For example, they and contextually informed than the Harrison is professor at the School
has persisted – indeed proliferated may be pursued in the hope that by term master plan might suggest. of Architecture and Planning
– from early post-colonial to recent preparing a master plan for an Af- at the University of the Witwa-
years in urban Africa. rican city there will be downstream tersrand.

By tracing Africa’s planning tra-
jectory over time we show that
master planning has served the en-
twining interests and ambitions of
international as well as local actors
in Africa. The dominant Western
narrative fails to take account of
this. This narrative successfully ex-
plains why master planning, which
once dominated in the West, has
been supplanted by strategic plan-
ning approaches. But it does not
engage with the diversity of practic-
es globally.

In particular, it fails to observe
the persistence of master planning
traditions in East Asia (China, Ja-
pan, Singapore, Malaysia, and else-
where) and the Middle East. It also
says nothing about the influence of
these regions on other parts of the
world. This includes urban Africa.

We conclude that these practices
are not simply a throwback to a pre-
vious era. Rather, they serve the real
interests, political or functional, of
national and local elites.
Post-colonial planning in Africa
Colonial-era planning left an im-
portant mark on African cities, in
urban segregation and regulatory
systems such as land use manage-
ment (such as zoning). But colo-
nialism ended without leaving an
embedded master planning tradi-
tion. Nevertheless, in post-colonial
years master planning, with its fo-
cus on shaping the future, became
an important instrument for assert-
ing national identity and develop-
ment.

A range of master plans were pre-
pared for existing and new cities.
They involved a diverse range of
international expertise, actors and
partnerships. Among them were
Greek, Croatian, Hungarian and
Japanese planners and architects.

The 1980s were a relatively qui-

Page 38 Africa News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Rwandan troops.

FREDSON GUILENGUE What does Sadc’s new military
approach in Mozambique mean?
SOUTHERN African Development
Community (Sadc) leaders have just missions, including those involving in humanitarian actions, although purpose, Mozambique has been pre- Forces have been commended for its
approved a new approach to the mili- low-level spoilers.  still capable of conducting robust paring itself through specific military “bravery” by engaging directly with
tary intervention in Mozambique. military operations when required anti-terrorist training provided by the insurgents, but the Sadc Mission
The final scenario, which is the or under attack. Sadc’s commitment the United States and the EU, and in Mozambique troops and the Mo-
They approved the transition from one behind Sadc’s intervention in to what it calls a “robust” military through its own efforts in expanding zambican army have been accused of
the current scenario six, which re- Mozambique prior to the 12 April presence could finally be made pos- its army combative readiness. Presi- avoiding direct combat contact with
quires rapid deployment capacity, to summit, comprises AU intervention sible after it secured financial support dent Filipe Nyusi has already under- the insurgents.
scenario five, that is the use of a mul- where the international community from the European Union, chan- taken a number of diplomatic mis-
tidimensional force — with a robust does not act promptly or where it nelled through AU mechanisms.  sions looking for financial support for According to the independent me-
mandate. requires the AU to act on its behalf, the Mozambican army, as it prepares dia in Mozambique, this has been the
such as in genocide or humanitarian Mozambique’s government has to take over. reason behind some elements of the
The decision was taken at a virtual crises for example. This scenario re- been claiming that the combined ef- Islamist rebels escaping to the neigh-
meeting on 12 April under the banner quires a rapid deployment of robust forts by the Sadc Mission in Mozam- It is expected that the Rwandan bouring province of Niassa, and still
of the Extraordinary Summit of the military forces in a period of 14 days.  bique, the Rwandan Defence Forces troops will also expand their direct being capable of running low-level
Organ Troika of the Heads of State and Mozambique’s Defence Forces engagements with the insurgents, offensives on their way to and from
and Government of the Southern Af- The AU establishes 30 days as  the have led to the group no longer con- together with the Mozambican forc- Niassa. 
rican Development Community plus deployment time for each of these trolling any portion of the country’s es, while also ensuring that the areas
the Sadc Mission in Mozambique scenarios. In the case of Mozam- territory, confining its actions to des- surrounding the US$20 billion Total Whether these guerrilla tactics can
(Samim), Personnel Contributing bique, Sadc deployed its mission perate sporadic attacks, mostly on ci- Energies gas business are well guard- be resolved by Sadc’s newly adopted
Countries (PCCs) and the Republic months after the crisis had begun, be- vilian populations.  ed. This will pave the way for the Mo- approach in Mozambique, only the
of Mozambique.  cause Mozambique was reluctant to zambican government, Rwanda, To- future will reveal. What seems to be
have Sadc troops fighting on its soil, Rumours point to growing inter- tal Energies and many others’ much certain is a more peacebuilding hu-
What does this change of approach favouring private military companies nal frictions among the insurgents, awaited enabling of resumption of manitarian approach, paving the way
actually mean on the battleground? such as the Russian Wagner Group with parts of its membership calling the French giant’s gas operations in for Mozambique to implement its re-
and the South African Dyck Advisory for submission to the authorities and Palma — with South Africa reaching construction plan for Cabo Delgado
The scenarios that drive Sadc’s ap- Group — and later on the Rwandan the more radical ones calling for a an  agreement  in March to buy gas locally while the Mozambican army
proach to conflicts are drawn from forces, based on a bilateral agreement.   “wait-and-see” strategy, because they from Mozambique — in what is seen assumes direct combat responsibili-
the African Union Peace Support believe the foreign troops would by observers as the hidden mandate ties and the Rwandan military enables
Operations (AU PSO), whose doc- What seems to have informed eventually have to hand over respon- of the Rwandan Defence Forces in the peaceful beginning of the highly
trine is based on six mission scenar- Sadc’s new approach to the conflict in sibilities to the Mozambican army.      Mozambique. profitable extractive operations.
ios, according to an AU document.  Mozambique is the need to enhance
and consolidate the achievements Because the insurgents on the But Sadc’s assumption that the — Mail & Guardian.
The first scenario is the deploy- made by the Sadc Mission in Mozam- ground are still capable of running current phase of the war in Cabo Del-
ment of AU/regional military advice bique on the ground. low-scale guerrilla operations, the gado implies a strategy more orient- *About the writer: Fredson
to a political mission. The second Sadc Mission in Mozambique’s new ed to consolidation of gains contra- Guilengue works for the regional of-
is an AU/regional observer mission The new approach might reflect a approach may result in Mozambi- dicts some reports from observers on fice of the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung
co-deployed with a United Nations mission more focused on consolidat- can troops having even more direct the ground. The Rwandan Defence policy institute in Johannesburg,
mission. The third is the deployment ing the territorial gains obtained so combat roles on the ground. For this South Africa.
of a standalone AU/regional observer far, coupled with more involvement
mission. The fourth is the deploy-
ment of an AU/peacekeeping force
for chapter VI and preventive deploy-
ment missions (and peace building). 

The fifth scenario, which is the one
now to be the basis for the SADC
Mission in Mozambique, is the use of
the AU peacekeeping force for com-
plex, multidimensional peacekeeping

NewsHawks Africa News Page 39

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

How Africa can respond to the seismic
changes in the world: Lessons from history

JOHN J. STREMLAU

FUNDAMENTAL changes are tak- Organisation of African Unity secretary-general Dr Salim Ahmed Salim.
ing place in the world: what are the
implications for Africa? today’s changes may require broader tional and regional integration? being felt. The implications for global tions today appear to lack the central
civic involvement. Socio-economic integration food supply chains and food trade in leadership that was possible during
A generation ago, newly appointed Governance and preventing deadly Africa is feeling the effects of acceler- Africa are also serious. Salim’s era. And African democracies,
Organisation of African Unity (OAU) conflict ating globalisation socially as well as as those elsewhere, are preoccupied
secretary-general Dr Salim Ahmed The AU’s  Constitutive Act  and economically. Among other alarming implica- with voter interests. These rarely fo-
Salim posed that question under cir- the  African Charter  on democracy, tions of the war in Ukraine for Africa cus on foreign affairs. Autocratic rul-
cumstances different from today, but elections and governance recognise In 1991 African leaders began are the curtailment of development ers may have more freedom to lead
of comparable significance. that the most deadly conflicts in mounting their response  with the assistance and other needed support regionally. But they are handicapped
Africa occur within, not between or adoption  of the Abuja Treaty estab- to mitigate the effects of global cli- by a lack of democratic legitimacy.
Two strategic shifts marked the among countries. A case in point was lishing the African Economic Com- mate change.
early 1990s. The first was the sudden the 1994 Rwanda genocide. munity. But ambitious goals that A different approach
collapse of the Soviet Union and the were envisioned to be realised over Africa is the region  most vulnera- Today’s challenges may require a more
end of the Cold War, with impli- In 1990 Salim clarified the strate- six stages (1994-2027) have not been ble to climate change for which it is bottom-up approach, with key inputs
cations for Africa. The second was gic importance of good governance met. least responsible. And it has the great- from non-governmental leaders. This
the winding down of colonialism as as the foundation for national and est need for financial assistance in year’s declaration against unconstitu-
white-minority rule came to an end regional integration. That year’s dec- Amid the current escalating com- dealing with climate change. tional changes of government, for ex-
in southern Africa. laration endorsed the goals of respect petition for markets and influence Leadership and institutional re- ample, involved a much wider array
for human rights and democratisa- in Africa among the major powers, form of players.
Today, Africa faces sudden chang- tion. This foreshadowed the emer- Africa’s collective agency needs to be The 1990 strategic review that Salim
es in renewed tensions. This has been gence of the “principle of non-indif- reassessed. This is true for each of the undertook sought a major revamp Hosted by Ghana for the AU and
crystalised by a number of devel- ference” when it comes to the risk of eight AU affiliated regional economic of the OAU. It is too early to judge affiliated inter-governmental organ-
opments. These include the war in violent domestic conflict. communities too.  Can Africans de- the need, capacity, and resolve of AU isations, it included representatives
Ukraine,  a new Cold War  and the vise practical ways to entice all major members to undertake major reforms from a broad spectrum of society.
rise of China as a global power. These Early warning signals include: powers to support the African Conti- of their continental and regional or- These included African civil society
are unfolding against the backdrop • Severe human rights abuses nental Free Trade Area? ganisations. The last big institutional organisations, academia, professional
of changes in global economics and • Blatant violations of electoral reform took over a decade to effect, bodies, youth and women’s groups.
society resulting from the Covid-19 integrity Africa’s socio-economic resilience and results inevitably have been
pandemic, climate change and the • Unconstitutional changes of and recovery was tested recently mixed. Having these representatives in the
fourth industrial revolution. government, and during the Covid pandemic. Wealthy room might produce practical recom-
• A breakdown in the rule of law. Western democracies  turned in- But it will take leadership to gen- mendations to help Africa adapt to
Salim and his team prepared a re- An urgent question today is wheth- ward  and practised vaccine nation- erate sustained and politically salient fundamental changes in the world,
port for the July 1990 26th Ordinary er escalating tensions and competi- alism. This hardship exacerbated debate about the necessity of institu- consistent with African norms and
Assembly of African Heads of State tion among China, Russia and the inequalities and disproportionately tional reforms. interests.
and Government that met in Addis US, and their non-African allies, will hurt the poorest Africans.
Ababa. After much debate the sum- impede Africa’s democratisation. The transition to  the AU also re- — The Conversation.
mit issued a declaration. It’s title was: And will they abet domestic abuses The war in the Ukraine over the quired leadership by African states-
“The Political and Socio-Economic of power that threaten to undermine past two months is already severely men, notably by Thabo Mbeki of *About the writer: John J. Strem-
Situation in Africa and the Funda- peace and prosperity, as well as na- affecting the continent. A  dire im- South Africa and Nigeria’s president leu is honorary professor of interna-
mental Changes Taking Place in the pact  on food prices, and food and Olusegun Obasanjo. tional relations at the University of
World”. nutrition security in Africa is already the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
Africa’s regional international rela-
Diplomatic historians regard the
1990 OAU declaration as the start-
ing point for a decade-long series of
policy and economic developments
that  culminated  in the transforma-
tion of the OAU into the African
Union (AU).

Politically astute African leadership
in 1990 overcame diverse identities
and interests to eventually agree on a
new set of principles.

These enabled the reform of Afri-
ca’s main inter-governmental institu-
tions and processes.

However imperfect, AU norms
and institutions have been sustain-
able and politically useful for two
decades. Peace has prevailed among
virtually all AU members. More chal-
lenging has been building AU con-
sensus for new ways to prevent and
resolve conflicts within states. This is
particularly notable in the politically
sensitive area of democratic elections.

History does not repeat itself, but
it has lessons to teach.

The 1990 exercise boiled down to
three core components that are worth
recalling: governance and preventing
deadly conflict, socio-economic in-
tegration and leadership and institu-
tional reform.

There is little doubt that in 2022
the world is in the midst of another
inflection point that few predicted
– or prepared for. I believe there are
lessons to be learned from the analyt-
ical framework used by Salim in 1990
and the OAU’s Declaration about the
implications for Africa. Although

Page 40 World News NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

What does the West want in Ukraine?
RICHARD HAASS Defining success — before it’s too late country had won the war, even if
it didn’t acquire much territory.
VLADIMIR Putin  launched his The West can't give Vladimir Putin any more reasons to celebrate. Photographer: Alexey Druzhinin/AFP/Getty Images If such a consensus emerged, it
war against Ukraine with expan- would be one worth supporting.
sive aims that, if achieved, would sure, the Ukrainians have every United States and Europe, and order everywhere. So even if Putin
have essentially ended that coun- right to define their war aims. But even within NATO.  were prepared to cease major mil- The Ukrainians have every right
try’s existence as a sovereign state. so do the United States and Eu- Three futures itary operations in exchange for to define their war aims. But so do
Faced with costly military set- rope. Although Western interests It is impossible to know if the keeping a large swath of Ukraine, the United States and Europe.
backs, the Russian president has overlap with Ukraine’s, they are Russian military will be able to the war would probably continue
since defined success down, refo- broader, including nuclear stabil- realise its ambitions of asserting at some level, much as it has in But it seems overly optimistic to
cusing the Russian military oper- ity with Russia and the ability to greater control in the Donbas the so-called frozen conflict in the imagine that a military stalemate
ation on consolidating its hold in influence the trajectory of the Ira- region and establishing a land Donbas since 2014. would pave the way for a diplo-
Ukraine’s east and south. nian and North Korean nuclear bridge to Crimea — and, if it is matic settlement. Putin would be
programs.  able to, whether Putin will again One alternative to a scenario hard-pressed to make a plausible
Curiously, Western aims in revise his war aims, in this case favoring Russia would be a stale- case that such a muddied result
Ukraine have been far less clear. It is also essential to take into upward. What is almost certain mate. Things would stand more justified the military, diplomatic,
Almost all the debate over what account that Russia gets a vote. is that no legitimate Ukrainian or less where they did before the and economic costs of his war.
to do has focused on means: on Although Putin initiated this government would formally ac- invasion, with Russia occupying Moreover, given his past rhetoric,
the quantity and quality of mili- war of choice, it will take more cept an outcome so favorable to Crimea and exercising de facto he seems unlikely to sign away all
tary aid to provide the country, on than just him to end it. He and Russia. control through its proxies over claims to Ukraine, accepting its
the wisdom of establishing a no- Ukrainian President  Volodymyr parts of the Donbas. Such a fu- permanent separation from  Rus-
fly zone over Ukrainian airspace, Zelensky  will both have to con- The atrocities that Russian ture would come about if Ukraine sia and letting it choose a liberal,
on the extent of economic sanc- sider what they require in the way forces have committed during the clawed back some of what Rus- Western-oriented path for itself,
tions on Russia. Little has been of territory and terms to halt hos- fight have made it far harder for sia has gained over the past two including membership in the
said about what either side would tilities. They will also have to de- Kyiv to let Moscow leave the ne- months but if neither Ukraine EU. The near certainty that such
have to concede in order to end cide if they are prepared not only gotiating table with anything that nor Russia were able to achieve an outcome would not result in
the war. Also left unsaid is wheth- to order an end to the fighting would seem like a reward for its decisive military progress. This major sanctions relief, an end to
er an end to the conflict would but also to enter into and honor brutality. Zelensky may also be- outcome could be acceptable to war crimes investigations, or calls
need to be formalised in a treaty a peace agreement. Another com- lieve (for good reason) that allow- Ukraine, which has a powerful for reparations also argues against
signed by Russia and Ukraine or plexity is that some aspects of any ing Russia to maintain a hold on incentive to end a war that has Putin accepting this scenario. A
simply accepted as a reality.  peace, such as the lifting of sanc- Ukraine’s territory would make caused so much death and de- stalemate would almost certainly
tions against Russia, would not it difficult, if not impossible, for struction. It would be peace at become an open-ended conflict.
Answering the question of how be determined by Ukraine alone Ukraine to remain sovereign in a price, but potentially a price
this war should end is vital as the but would require the consent of any meaningful sense. On this worth paying. And in principle, And again, many in Ukraine
struggle with Russia enters a crit- others.  score, the West should continue Putin, too, might support such an would reject any arrangement
ical moment, with a large battle to provide support to Ukraine, to outcome, judging that there was that left Russia in control of any
looming. Wars can end when a Meaningful consultations are prevent Putin’s aggression from little to gain from continuing the Ukrainian territory. 
major gap emerges between the essential if policy is not to be succeeding in Ukraine and from fight. If, as part of this scenario,
belligerents so that one side can made carelessly and on the fly. setting a dangerous precedent that Ukraine agreed not to join Nato, A third future would be defined
impose terms on the other, or And they are essential to prevent- would constitute a challenge to he might also calculate he could by Ukrainian military success.
when both sides realise that out- ing major fault lines from open- persuade many Russians that the Russia would be forced to accept
right victory is not in the cards ing up between Ukraine and the not merely the pre-2022 status
and decide it is better to settle for quo but the pre-2014 status quo.
less than bear the costs of carrying In theory, this would be an ide-
on. In either situation, the end al outcome for Ukraine, which
of the war can be codified in le- would regain all the sovereignty
gal documents that address ques- it has lost in the past eight years,
tions of territory and political and and for international order, as it
economic arrangements, or the would reinforce the norm that
conflict can simply wind down, territory must not be acquired by
coming to a de facto end without force. In practice, however, things
a formal peace. World War II was would be more complicated. Even
an example of the former; the Ko- if Ukraine succeeded in oust-
rean and Gulf Wars, the latter.  ing Russian troops, the country
would still be vulnerable to mis-
In principle, success from the sile and artillery attacks emanat-
West’s perspective can be defined ing from Russia, to say nothing
as ending the war sooner rath- of cyberattacks and political in-
er than later, and on terms that terference. Even more important,
Ukraine’s democratic govern- it is near impossible to imagine
ment is prepared to accept. But Putin accepting such an outcome,
just what are those terms? Will since it would surely threaten
Ukraine seek to recover all the his political survival, and possi-
territory it has lost in the past two bly even his physical survival. In
months? Will it require that Rus- desperation, he might try to wid-
sian forces withdraw completely en the war through cyberattacks
from the Donbas and Crimea? or attacks on one or more Nato
Will it demand the right to join countries. He might even resort
the EU and Nato? Will it insist to chemical or nuclear weapons.
that all this be set forth in a for- It is far from certain that Russia
mal document signed by Russia?  has the mechanisms in place to
prevent Putin from ordering such
The United States, the EU, and escalation if he decided he had
Nato need to discuss such ques- nothing to lose.
tions with one another and with
Ukraine now. Western goals will The potential for Russian es-
inevitably be influenced by what calation raises the question of
happens on the ground, but what whether at this point it would be
happens on the ground should not wise for Ukraine to attempt to
determine those goals; instead, take back all of the Donbas and
policy aims should influence what Crimea. Arguably, these aims
is sought on the ground. To be are better left for a postconflict,

NewsHawks World News Page 41

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

or even a post-Putin, period in favored Ukraine. The question
which the West could condition now is whether the West should
sanctions relief on Russia’s sign- embrace limited ends, eschewing
ing of a formal peace agreement. military efforts to oust Russia
Such a pact might allow Ukraine from all of Ukraine or demand-
to enjoy formal ties to the EU ing regime change in Moscow as
and security guarantees, even as a condition of stopping the war. 
it remained officially neutral and
outside Nato. Russia, for its part, Meaningful consultations are
might agree to withdraw its forces essential if policy is not to be
from the entirety of the Donbas made carelessly and on the fly.
in exchange for international pro-
tections for the ethnic Russians Whatever goals the West ulti-
living there. Crimea might gain mately settles on, requiring that
some special status, with Moscow the war end with a formal peace
and Kyiv agreeing that its final agreement should not be one of
status would be determined down them. The problem is not that
the road. it is impossible to come up with
History's advice a plausible formula for mutual
As the United States contemplates compromise that leaves each side
its strategy for Ukraine, it is use- better off; it is that depending on
ful to keep in mind two lessons the formula, one or both sides
of the Cold War. The first was to might judge that they are better
avoid direct armed conflict with off continuing a war that holds
the Soviet Union unless vital US out the possibility of a better out-
interests were threatened. The come than they would be signing
second was to accept less than a pact that rules it out. With both
optimal outcomes so as to avoid countries still eyeing the possibil-
threatening vital Soviet interests, ity of military gains and wanting
something that could all too eas- to avoid appearing weak, a formal
ily lead to war. This recognition pact appears out of reach for the
that there were limits to the Unit- foreseeable future.
ed States’ goals meant deciding
not to roll back Soviet advances All this points to a long war.
in Eastern Europe after Moscow It will likely be fought mostly
crushed the 1956 revolution in in Ukraine’s east and south, al-
Hungary and the 1968 revolu- though Russia would retain the
tion in Czechoslovakia. It meant ability to attack other targets. The
stopping Israeli forces from deci- elements of a strategy for a long-
mating the Egyptian Third Army term, open-ended war are well
after they surrounded it near Cai- known: provide Ukraine with the
ro during the 1973 war between weapons, ammunition, training,
the Soviet-allied Arab states and and intelligence it needs to defend
the US-allied Israel. And it meant itself against Russia; make sure
accepting communist rule in the that Nato remains strong enough
Soviet Union itself. Such restraint to discourage Russia from escalat-
was articulated in the doctrine of ing the conflict or preventing sup-
containment as developed by the plies from reaching Ukraine; re-
diplomat George Kennan. But duce energy imports from Russia
over time, as Kennan suggested, as much as possible and as soon as
the successful application of con- possible. 
tainment could add to pressures
that would undermine commu- The conclusion is clear: the
nism — as it eventually did, after United States and its Nato part-
four decades. ners should consult with one an-
other and with Ukraine over the
The first lesson of the Cold aims of the war. The United States
War is reflected in existing West- and Nato also need to refine their
ern policy toward Ukraine. From plans for deterring and respond-
the outset of the crisis, the United ing to any Russian attacks on oth-
States made it clear that it would er countries or any Russian use of
not place boots on the ground weapons of mass destruction. In
or establish a no-fly zone, since the near term, Western success
doing so could bring U.S. and will be highly unlikely to involve
Russian forces into direct contact a peace treaty, a true end to the
and raise the risk of escalation. conflict, or regime change in Rus-
Instead, Washington and its Nato sia. Instead, success for now could
partners opted for an indirect consist of a winding down of hos-
strategy of providing arms, intel- tilities, with Russia possessing no
ligence, and training to Ukraine more territory than it held before
while pressuring Russia with eco- the recent invasion and continu-
nomic sanctions and diplomatic ing to refrain from using weapons
isolation.  of mass destruction. Over time,
the West could employ a mix of
As for the second lesson, the sanctions and diplomacy in an ef-
United States’ and Nato’s deci- fort to achieve a full Russian mil-
sion to pursue their aims through itary withdrawal from Ukraine.
limited means has worked to a Such success would be far from
considerable extent. That choice perfect, just preferable to the al-
has not prevented Russia from de- ternatives.
stroying Ukraine’s civilian centers,
but the battle between the armed *About the writer: Richard
forces of the two countries has Haass is president of the Coun-
cil on Foreign Relations and the
author of The World: A Brief In-
troduction.

Porsche just got angrier Being a Fashion Model

&Life Style

STYLE TRAVEL BOOKS ARTS MOTORING

Page 42 Issue 79, 6 May 2022

JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA New boss DJ Scott aims to steer

ONCE upon a time, Power FM was Power FM to former glory
the popular urban culture radio sta-
tion in Zimbabwe for a prolonged um, urban radio culture saw dras- at that (time). Well, it’s a daunting Also, does that mean DJ Scott at their fingertips. We have to be a
period. tic changes while the 75% content task but I feel with the right support will give up his popular slot, Choc- choice for them!” DJ Scott said.
drive took its toll. Whether good from the team and management, olates and Roses, so loved by female
More often than not, the ZBC- or bad, that is a subject for another there is room for us to take Power listeners? “We have a number of IsiNdebele
run station, then known as Radio day. But it was clear the new dawn FM back to its glory days! At the speakers on the station such as Pha-
3, played more music and less cheap had set in. time Radio 3 was often described “It's early days, we will see about tisani Sibanda, Bebe, Prominence,
talk. That was the era before the ad- as one of the best radio stations in that, so many followers of the show Reneilo and Innocent Tshuma and
vent of commercial radio stations Around this time when Power Africa. The programming was excit- have inundated the station with some of them are multilingual in lo-
in the country, around July 2012 FM was going through transforma- ing and relevant. We endeavour to the same question. However, who cal languages, including Tonga and
when Star FM launched, followed tion, a young new star was arriving do the same, mindful of our era and knows? Maybe someone will take Nambya. There will be a smattering
by ZiFM Stereo. at the station whilst the old guard audience expectations.” over Chocolates and Roses!” he said. of our languages throughout.”
was making an exit, one by one.
Before, Power FM ruled the roost. And in keeping with new trends, According to the latest Zimbabwe On the issue of artistes always
It was the bedrock of urban radio, The new kid on the block was DJ Scott promised exciting and in- All Media Products Survey (2021 complaining that their music is not
spawning popular voices from the smooth-talking DJ Scott, full name teractive shows for the listeners from second half ), it shows that Lunch- played on Power FM, DJ Scott said
1970s, 1980s and the 1990s. Scott Matengambiri. the 20 radio presenters on their ros- time Radio with Chamvary and the they were going to increase the up-
ter. Champions League Breakfast show take and platforms for new musi-
Several presenters have come and Not in his wildest imagination with Tinashe and Phatisani were cians to get on board.
gone: Josh Makawa, John Matin- would he have thought that he How does he intend to turn two of the most popular shows on
de, Musi Khumalo, Busi Chindove, would last over two decades at this around the fortunes of the radio Power FM. “Watch this space! I am taking
Admire Taderera, Hilton Mambo, hugely popular station, let alone rise station, considering that Power FM notes, we are a musical station and
Alice Chavhunduka, Simon Parkin- to become its boss. seems to trail other urban radio sta- That said, Power FM is still faced am sure this will be reflected in the
son, Peter Johns, Joe Hussain, Tsitsi tions? with challenges of listenership. programming,” he said.
Mawarire, Tich Mataz, Hosea “Hit- “No, never,” DJ Scott, recently
man” Singende, Tonderai “Tony appointed Power FM’s head of sta- “It’s something I am interrogating “Like all other stations world- “However, now and again, there
D” Ndoro, Otis “The Flow” Fraser, tion, replied when The NewsHawks and hopefully take corrective mea- wide, there is fierce competition may be reason to engage our audi-
Kudzi “Mr Cool” Marudza, Bridget asked if he ever harboured those am- sures and be competitive on the ra- in striving to get audiences from ence in a robust interaction through
"Bubblez" Gavanga, Kelvin “Soul bitions. dio scene,” he said. the smartphone generation.  They call-in programmes and guest inter-
Supreme” Sifelani, George Munetsi, have a wide range of entertainment views.”
Kevin Ncube, Innocent “For Love” “That thought was inconceivable
Manase, you name them – they all
left indelible marks on this iconic
radio station.

Then at the turn of the millenni-

NewsHawks Poetry Corner Page 43

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

Poet: Wekwachiyangwa frightened children. Title: Beneath The Surface
Day 1 they also force us to look while they do the Poet: Samuel Chuma
bad things they do to mother.
from the son of a blind mother. for as long as i can recall there is black in the rainbow
for as long as i can remember mother has always been carrying a big stom- it shies from vision's probe
we have never had any other home ach on her person, but reveals itself truly
except along first street. as well as feeding a baby on her breast. to the soul that quests
that end to end stretch of tarmac and pave- these men play with mother's breasts not to close its eye to glory
ment gently, they suck in a way that makes me very proffered in the common plate
from samora machel road to robert mugabe angry and very sick. it alone remains
road. i always fear that one of mother's breasts will when night sits the throne
with its filthy alleyways, come off one of these terrible nights. and sheds off all colour
dirty sanitary lanes on account its always dark when these terrible and skin-dips in inky oasis of hope
and sordid byways. men come at mother, and models unabashed
with chafed pavement and scared tarmac, i cannot see clearly their faces. in the theatre of the astute
an open ended yet criminally exposed home. i have always wished to match them with the and so too; does discord embrace order
a hive of hectic activity during the day, faces of my siblings, and enemies foes converge
compromised activity during the night. and my own face for that matter. to dress old wounds of conflict
we have heard some call it a business district. i have neither seen my own father gotten in myopic wars of old
we have not bothered to find out nor any of our likely fathers. when none dared undress the rainbow
why they do who do so. mother has never talked about this to us. to discover the unifying bond of black
nor get to know what the phrase really means. i wonder if she would ever know,
a fancy description in our ears, she has been blind for as long as i can recall. Overview:
one which looks too long and too complicated, i hate these men. A poem about glamorous things needing
yet sounds eventually meaningless. all of them, including their relatives if they have the unglamorous to remain in subsistence
for my four siblings our mother and myself, any, as well as those who bring along morsels and how things are not as they seem
this is where at night we all gather to sleep, of stale food,
huddled together on the bare tarmac. portions of mutoriro and glue, ***********************************
barely covering ourselves with flimsy blankets, when we know they are only after mother.
at times we sleep scattered in clumsy pos- if they are not being violent against us, Title: Silent Lovers
tures. they are drugging us, Poet: Megaton R. Kuhudzai
a roofless home where mother's eldest sons lying to us and abusing mother.
rarely sleep, my three siblings are afraid of these men, As I stroll the silent city singing my ditty
taking turns to sit out the long nights most of whom come wearing uniforms that I make out faces drawn by the forces of a
our backs leaning against the walls of high rise make them appear policemen or security magnet; I hear hearts drum but unable to
buildings, guards on night duty. unchest; I see people as sheep chewing in
guarding mother against the strong men who i hate most the horrible sight of helpless moth- the feedlot; I catch laughter rolling off muf-
come for her deep in the night. er lying naked on the bare tarmac, fled throats; I feel hot tears of resignation
these men usually come in pairs, while one of these men pumps and thrusts at and anticipation
offering morsels of food and portions of drugs, her, I tell fear is ascending to the throne
all enlisted to entice our hunger and craving, grunting and groaning at her exposed body in A happy-sad dynasty begun
so we may turn a blind eye at their dirty inten- a horrible way, And I enter into my heart every moment
tions. at times abusing her bulging belly. I sit myself to meditate on these happen-
yet we know that they are always after mother, at times mother bleeds badly afterwards, ings; Weighing where I stand with the
who is hopelessly blind and cannot help it. so badly that we children are at a terrible loss mass of humanity.
mother cannot help her desperate situation what to do with her. Then I grit my teeth huddling myself tight
against these cruel men. mother never puts up a fight. to stay warm; As the javelin of reality jolts
at times the men are too strong she never cries out. my being. Tears well up but quickly sub-
for all the four of us to overcome. afterwards she sits up slowly and quietly, side
they almost always overpower us adjusting her dirty and usually torn dress. I came with them so the welcoming party
and thereafter take unhurried turns to do horri- then she blindly gathers the flimsy blanket rocked my cradle; Tonight I sing a ditty for
ble things on mother. around her lank overused shoulders, the gems in rubble.
while at times they have the presence of mind before she finally retires for the night.
to drag mother into the dirty alleyway- where i have never known mother to whimper or sob Overview
the rest of us street kids relieve ourselves by or scream. There are times when we just want to get
day and by night- and do their dirty business, mother never emits any loud noises save away from humanity and we do; some to
while one of them keeps a wary eye on our during the day, geographical settings that stabilize men-
weak resistance; when she sings out loudly as all blind beggars tal energy. But those that do, come back
on most occasions they do it right in front of us do. ‘home’ to be among men for that’s where
we belong... it’s all we got.

Page 44 People & Places NewsHawks

Issue 79, 6 May 2022

European Union Day celebrations in pics

THE European Union delegation to Zimbabwe on Friday cele- Harare to join in the condemnation of Moscow. cause and origins of the war, the blatant violations of international
brated EU Day, also known as Schuman Day, at a time the con- “The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms law, the attack and occupation of an independent state and the
tinent has been destabilised by the ongoing invasion of Ukraine atrocities perpetrated by the Russian military over the past two
by Russia. EU member states, diplomats, government officials, Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine. The war months should surely be enough to warrant a clear call of ‘stop it,
civil society members and international organisations attended the that has followed that attack has resulted in thousands of civilian no more’.”
function which was held at EU Head of Delegation to Zimbabwe casualties, including the death of at least two hundred children. It
Timo Olkkonen’s residence in Chisipite. has forced five million people to flee their homes,” Olkkonen said. Olkkonen said the global economic consequences of the war
will be severe as seen by the rise in the price of food, fuel and
Olkkonen slammed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called on “…We hope that Zimbabwe would join us in an explicit con- fertilizer.
demnation of Russia’s actions. Whatever one might think of the

NewsHawks Sport Page 45
coach. We go back a very long way.
Issue 79, 6 May 2022 Bittersweet moment for We used to sit and talk about these op-
Ghana’s Zim-born coach portunities when we were coaching in
ENOCK MUCHINJO schools. We both believed that all we
Lovemore Kuzorera putting Ghana's women Sevens players through their paces before last week's tournament in Tunisia. needed was opportunities to showcase
LOVEMORE “Dallas” Kuzorera our talents. He has done well with the
knew he faced a baptism of fire against Kuzorera. “You don’t know what to was not the only bittersweet moment Club),” recalls Kuzorera. Lady Cheetahs.”
Zimbabwe, his homeland, as Ghana’s do, should you celebrate? At the same for Kuzorera. Another one was beat- “Then we started coaching. Derek
head coach in a Rugby World Cup time, it’s painful. It was the first time ing, for the first time, his old friend Rugby in the football-mad West
qualifier that was initially scheduled to play against Zimbabwe at interna- and fellow young coach Derek Chi- used to beat me every time with Gate- African country continues to grow at
for June 2020. tional level. I cherish every moment wara, who was in charge of the Zim- way High when I was coaching Allan an encouraging pace, thanks to the
that I will meet Zimbabwe. It’s a sys- babweans in Tunisia. Wilson Boys High. But one thing for efforts of quite a few highly passion-
But the gods conspired against what tem that bred me to be who I am, so I sure is that we always encouraged each ate people involved in the game over
had been scripted as a headline-mak- thank God for an opportunity to face “It’s an honour, we have played other. We never knew we would coach there. Leading the way is the GRFU
ing return home for one of African my country and test my knowledge.” against each other way back in the ear- against each other at international lev- president, Ghanian entrepreneur Her-
rugby’s highly-rated young coaches, ly 2000s when I was at Mabvuku and el. It feels good to get one over him, bert Mensah.
to potentially plot his own country’s Defeating the Zimbabwean team him at Sports Club (Harare Sports he is a very knowledgeable and tactical
downfall and crush the Sables’ 2023 Mensah is perhaps better known
World Cup ambitions. Zim’s diaspora footballers: We in the sporting world as a very suc-
need a method to our madness cessful past chairperson of Kumasi
Covid-19 had other ideas for us, they are to be deployed as a fullback that. footballers who are on scholarships Asante Kotoko, one of Ghana’s big-
and the qualifiers had to be re-ar- in the national team. Owing to the Burying our heads in the sand in the United States and we really gest football clubs, 24-time domestic
ranged.  It meant the historic first Test limited preparation time with the na- and pretending it is business as usual ought to include a coach from that champions and winners of two Af-
match between the two countries will tional side, this may not be picked up will result in some absurd call-ups, side in the Warriors set-up. rican Champions League titles. But
not take place, at least for this cam- by the coaches during training, and like the time a pot-bellied Romario Schools sport is the mainstay of the old guard will always remember
paign. only becomes apparent on matchday. Matova was called up for the Olym- US sporting culture and I believe Mensah as a very good rugby player in
pic qualifier some of our play- his heyday. He played rugby for Sussex
All the same, Kuzorera would have As a result, the jury is out on the against South ers plying their University in England, his alma mater,
relished the challenge of taking on abilities of players like Adam Chick- Africa.  trade in that and was good enough to be selected
one of the best international sides on sen and David Moyo, because they We have HawkZone country should for Sussex’s county select side.
the continent as a young coach of an did not perform well in their early a number of be given oppor-
emerging nation in this sport. Warriors careers. Zimbabwe- tunities with the And then in the early to mid-
an coaches Warriors.  dle-1980s Mensah frequently travelled
“It would have been the biggest Chicksen was particularly target- domiciled I believe the to Zimbabwe to seek business oppor-
highlight of my career, an opportunity ed for ridicule by fans after Algeria’s all over the Sakheleni exposure to tunities, ending up playing for Old
to test my knowledge against a system Manchester City star winger Riyad Hararians, for a prolonged time the
that taught me everything I know Mahrez had a field day against him world and Nxumalo modern training country’s most successful club.
about rugby,” Kuzorera tells The New- in the Desert Foxes’ 2-2 draw with some of them methods and
sHawks from Accra. Zimbabwe in Harare in 2020. have even of- equipment gives In 1985, the speedy winger from
fered to mon- those players an Ghana gained selection into Zimba-
“It would have been a great privi- I do believe we have to start think- itor players and report back to the edge over our local players. bwe’s best provincial team, Mashona-
lege. A lot of coaches never got that ing outside the box and come up national team, but those offers have Another member of the Warriors land, starring as the only black player
opportunity in their careers.” with a system that will not only help been ignored. technical set-up should be from in the side and scoring the winning
us identify and monitor the British Why not take it a step further and South Africa, where we have the ma- try in a tour warm-up match against a
An opportunity, however, arose for Brigade, but also ensure that we have include a United Kingdom-based jority of our foreign-based players. strong Italian national team in Harare. 
37-year-old Kuzorera to rate himself a comprehensive profile of whoever is coach in the national team set up, Time permitting, the coach-
against his home country at last week’s called up to the Warriors. seeing that we have a strong diaspora es based in the various parts of the This is the kind of support system
Africa Women’s Sevens in Tunisia, and population in that country? world should come up with squads that Kuzorera works in, and it helps a
he passed the test in Ghana’s 29-7 win Times have changed and there is We also have a large contingent of that will play each other and then the great deal for him to fall under some-
over Zimbabwe to finish higher than very limited time for national team body who knows the game well and
the more fancied southern Africans in preparations. But as a nation we have shares the vision.
the 16-team tournament. to come up with plans to counter
“Me and Mr Mensah have a good
Kuzorera, born and raised in Ha- working relationship,” says Kuzorera.
rare’s Mabvuku township, is chiefly “He understands me as a coach and
contracted by the Ghana Rugby Foot- my vision. I also understand his vision
ball Union (GRFU) as head coach of for the union and where he wants to
the country’s foremost team, the men’s take Ghana rugby. So it’s easy for him
XVs national team. to support the teams because he is a
passionate man in changing young
With the substantive coach of the people’s lives. It’s not easy, in this day
women’s Sevens team currently serv- and age, to find a single person who
ing a GRFU ban, Kuzorera was asked will fund rugby programmes from his
at the last minute to step in for the Tu- own pocket.”
nisia tournament, and he guided them cream of the crop becomes our na-
to number seven, one place above tional team.
Zimbabwe following the victory over
the Lady Cheetahs. Instead of looking for interna-
tional friendlies, the diaspora-based
“It was a bittersweet taste,” says teams can fly in so that the teams
play each other in a tournament set-
THE recent exploits of United King- up during that international break.
dom-born footballers Tendai Darik-
wa and Jordan Zemura has reignited The fabled Dream Team under the
debate on how the country should late Reinhard Fabisch used to play
aggressively seek and court players Premier Soccer League teams and
with Zimbabwean roots to play for some players used that opportunity
the Warriors. to become part of the Warriors after
impressing for their clubs.
Captain Darikwa led Wigan to the
League One title and automatic pro- What those games also did was to
motion to the second tier of English destroy any doubts about who de-
football. served to be part of the national team
because contenders would be given a
Zemura is part of Scott Parker’s platform to state their case in front
Bournemouth side that makes a re- of everybody.
turn to the Premier League after
securing second spot in the English As a country, we cannot afford to
Football League Championship. ignore players who have Zimbabwe-
an roots who ply their trade in the di-
Nicknamed the British Brigade, aspora, but there has to be a method
the Zimbabwean footballers, who to our madness.
were born or raised in the UK, have
always divided opinion among foot- We have seen stories of other Afri-
ball followers in this country. can countries actively pursuing play-
ers based in the diaspora and that has
Unconvincing performances by greatly improved their fortunes.
some of the players after being called
up to the Warriors have left fans won- A deliberate effort that has been
dering if it is worth calling them up endorsed by all stakeholders will also
at the expense of locally-bred players. eliminate shady dealings as we have
in the past heard of some unscrupu-
But Darikwa and Zemura’s ex- lous officials demanding kickbacks
ploits might go a long way in chang- from players that want to represent
ing people’s minds. Zimbabwe.

Personally, I have always argued
that different systems of play have
affected some of the British Brigade
when they play for the Warriors.

For example, someone who is a
wingback at his club may struggle if

Sports A crippling
poverty of
leadership
at Zifa

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

Friday 6 May 2022 @NewsHawksLive TheNewsHawks www.thenewshawks.com

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valiers at the False Bay club in Cape Town
on Saturday. Tarusenga will come off the
A FUND accountant working in Hong Khupebench, while Muntanga is being rested
Kong, and a business administration grad- out to from the match altogether after a long
uate from a United States university, are journey from the US.
the two newest players of quality to join There is a third new player, among
Zimbabwe’s Rugby World Cup qualifica- those expected to make the trip to France
tion bid. for the qualifiers.
Both joined the side in South Africa
this week for the rest of the Currie Cup. He is the highly-rated University of Jo-
hannesburg co-captain, Kelvin Kanenun-
Hong Kong-based Nyasha Tarusenga, Unofficial president calls for emergego, who makes the starting line-up at
a versatile forward who can play in both blind-side flank.
flanker and second-row, was a key mem-
ber of a University of Cape Town side that It is also interesting to see the selection
in the match-day 23 of three players who
dominated the Varsity Cup over five years helped Zimbabwe clinch the Under-20
ago and went on to lift the World Univer-
sity Rugby Cup in 2019. African championship in Kenya last
month.
It is 26-year-old Tarusenga’s first in- Two Young Sables, Brendon Marume
volvement with Zimbabwe and, following
five years of being offered Test rugby by his and Tavonga Ablant, start at fullback and
right wing, respectively. Takudzwa Mus-
country of birth, he has finally headed the ingwini, captain of the Young Sables in
call, much to the delight of Sables coach
Brendan Dawson, an admirer of his. Nairobi, is among the substitutes for the
Boland clash.
Known as a bruiser in the loose-trio,
Tarusenga is however likely to be used by
Zimbabwe at lock, to rectify the country’s ZIM LINE-UP
Starting: 1. Victor Mupunga 2. De-
shortcomings in that area, and also given clan Ralphs 3. Bornwell Gwinji 4. Johan
that the Sables are expected to have depth
in the back-row by the time of the World Du Preez 5. Godwin Mangenje 6. Kelvin
Kanenungo 7. Tonderai Chiwambutsa
Cup qualifiers in France in July. 8. Aiden Burnett 9. Kyle Galloway 10.
Born in Zimbabwe and raised in South
Africa, Tarusenga plays club rugby in Boyd Rouse 11. Ernest Mudzengerere
12. Takudzwa Chieza 13. Marcus Nel 14.
Hong Kong, where he lives and works. Tavonga Ablant 15. Brendon Marume.
One more newcomer is hooker Brian Brian Muntanga playing college rugby in the United States. Subs: 16. Matthew Mandioma 17.

Muntanga, who has been brought over The challenge is however that Muntan- ty in the US. But, still only 25, the former to shake off a few niggles in the remainder Doug Juszczyk 18. Gabriel Sipapate 19.
in an attempt to address another Achilles ga is pretty much coming out of a state of Falcon College and Zimbabwe Under-18 of the Currie Cup ties. Sean Beevor 20. Nyasha Tarusenga 21.
heel of the Zimbabwean team, in the mid- semi-retirement, not having played much captain will stake a big claim in the World Hilton Mudariki 22. Takudzwa Musing-
dle of the front-row. rugby after graduating from Life Universi- Cup qualifiers-bound squad if he manages Both Tarusenga and Muntanga are wingi 23. Russell Dinha.
however not starting against Boland Ka-

PLAYING an obscure role in the Indi- Muzabani cherishes IPL role It is good to work with a Zimbabwe-
an Premier League (IPL) does not worry an coach. Andy liked the way I played
Zimbabwean pace bowler Blessing Mu- against Pakistan and then he gave me
zarabani. the opportunity to play in the PSL. Ob-
viously, he liked, and he gave me the op-
He is in elite company and savour- The 25-year-old paceman was draft- nament. the Pakistan Super League (PSL). portunity to come and train Lucknow.
ing each moment, perhaps making up ed by the Andy Flower-coached Luc- “It has been good being here, “Mu- He spent two seasons with Multan, We are cool, and he is a good coach. He
for Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for know Super Giants as a net bowler at zarabani tells The NewsReport in an winning the 2021 PSL title. is always supportive and pushing.”
the 2019 World Cup, the first time the the beginning of the season. nets, ALinStTeOrhveiIetNwea.SmIiDs sEo welcoFmininagn. IcaemMreailnlyistyshwoBriutpltisetd,seMsopuiutzeatrma$ba3akni.n2igfaBtilhieledliIotPonLfinadudecstpuioiotn-sitoprecsOtsfnuoevneordfthsZeimpabsatbfiwZveei’msyeba'srrsig,lhaMtteuesztsaprtarbloaas--nd c
southern African country had not been Sweating it off daily in the
to the tournament since the 1983 edi- bowling to the world’s best like Indian enjoying my time here. In IPL there are ors in the main tournament. Having ni desires to represent his country at the
tion. vice-captain KL Rahul and South Af- a lot of big names whom I enjoy bowl- impressed former Zimbabwe captain World Cup.
rica’s Quinton de Kock, Muzarabani ing to. I enjoy bowling to KL Rahul, he Flower in Pakistan, Muzarabani would “The biggest thing I would want to
His IPL debut was greeted with believes he is contributing positively to is one of the top batsmen in the world. find himself in IPL, albeit as net bowler.  achieve is going to the World Cup and
much enthusiasm from Zimbabwean Lucknow’s success in IPL. There are also the like of Quinto De “I was happy when Andy Flower gave create that environment of winning
cricket lovers. Muzarabani is only the Lucknow is second in the IPL, a po- Cock and lot of big names.” me the opportunity. It is always good to games. That is the goal really, we just
fourth Zimbabwean to take part in the sition that makes them a favourite to at Before joining the IPL, Muzarabani be in that environment and rub shoul- need to keep working hard,” he says.
most prestigious cricket league in the least reach the later stages of the tour- previously played for Multan Sultans in ders with the best players in the world. – The NewsReport.com
world after Tatenda Taibu, Ray Price
and Brendan Taylor.

ALSO INSIDE Bittersweet moment for Ghana’s Zim-born coach