NewsHawks 8 July 2022

WHAT’S INSIDE Friday 8 July 2022 NNEssWa:SRobbing Price
the struggling
PNrEoWbeS implicates poor to give the US$1
Mnangagwa’s ally, corrupt rich
Zanu PF in gold SRPoOmRaTnticism
leakages Story on Page 7 v Realism:
How we blew
Story on Page 4 it again

Story on Page 58

US$157 million
lost monthly to
gold plunder,
illicit financial
flows in Zim

ALSO INSIDE Chamisa can defeat unreformed Mnangagwa

Page 2 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

US$157 million lost monthly to gold
plunder, illicit financial flows in Zim

MOSES MATENGA

A NEW investigative report by the Centre for in illicit financial flows. This problem dominates element of limited statehood has manifested it- report says.
Natural Resource Governance (CNRG), a civil the mining sector in general, but is more pro- self in the mining sector. The state has voluntarily “Gold money amounting to billions of dollars
society watchdog on the extractive industry, says nounced in the gold mining sector where artis- withdrawn from reg-ulating particular policies
Zimbabwe is losing at least three tonnes of gold anal mining is rampant. and, as a result, criminal elements are not pun- is flowing through a parallel system, outside the
valued US$157 million monthly through illicit ished or held to account.” formal market, every year and conse-quently be-
financial flows. “Artisanal gold mining, which has become a yond the sanction of the law, whereby political
major mining activity in Zimbabwe, is fueling Artisanal and small-scale miners produce over and social elites deliberately keep state institu-
The report, titled Zimbabwe’s Disappearing leakages of gold into a parallel system whose ac- 60% of total gold deliveries, although they re- tions weak in order to reap economic and politi-
Gold: The Case of Mazowe and Penhalonga, of- tors include those connected to the upper eche- main poor and live from hand to mouth. cal benefits or to increase rents.
fi-cially released yesterday, but which The News- lons of power in the country.
Hawks had in advance, says the country is losing “The country has become a huge gold mine, “Today, the sector is now largely character-is-
three tonnes of gold monthly worth US$157m “The entire phenomenon reveals collapsed and with artisanal mining occurring almost every- ed by lawlessness, violence and blatant dis-regard
through siphoning by top and influential Zanu captured state institutions that are ex-pected to where. Incidences of gold-rushes are frequent, for human rights and reigns of terror through
PF politicians and government officials, as well as steward and account for national resources. An chaotic and well-immersed in informality,” the marauding gangs known as MaShurugwi (ma-
their business cronies.

Cumulatively, the report says, gold money
worth billions of dollars is flowing through a par-
allel system or black market, with proceeds main-
ly salted away offshore.

Says the report: “Illicit financial flows (IFFs)
in the artisanal mining sector in Zimbabwe are
responsible for leakages of an estimated three
tonnes of gold, valued at approximately US$157
million every month.

“The sector has now spread its tentacles from
alluvial gold deposits along rivers and dry riv-er-
beds to large-scale disused mines that are now pa-
tronised by politicians and ruling party officials.”

The new monthly loss is way above the offi-cial
estimates given by the government previ-ously.
The authorities say Zimbabwe is losing US$100
million a month through gold smug-gling.

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has estimated
that between 30 tonnes and 34 tonnes of gold
produced in Zimbabwe is smuggled to South
Africa annually, translating to US$1.8 billion.
Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe placed
the loss figure at US$100 million every month.

However, using the latest gold prices on the
international markets, three tonnes of gold are
worth over US$184 million calculated at the av-
erage price of US$1 742.70 per ounce.

This means the country is losing close to
US$200 million a month through the illicit
squirreling away of gold.

One tonne is equal to 1 000 kilogrammes or 35
274 ounces (oz); 1kg is equivalent to 35.274oz.

Gold prices are expected to average US$1 830/
oz this year, a new record. The bullion’s March
rally above US$2 000 per ounce could represent a
highwater mark for the precious metal.

Although forecasts indicate the global gold
market faces some challenges in the second half of
the year, analysts say it still remains an important
safe-haven asset for investors.

The volume of gold produced each year in the
world has tripled since the early 1970s, and the
amount of gold bought annually has quad-rupled
and gold markets have been flourish-ing across
the globe. Over the last three dec-ades, the annual
volume of gold bought by investors has increased
by at least 235%.

Gold is now bought by far more diverse
con-sumers and investors than it ever has before.

The various and growing uses of gold in jew-
ellery, technology and by banks and investors
means the rise of several different sectors of the
gold market.

The largest demand for gold in the world is
jewellery, which consumes 50% of world pro-
duction. Coins take up 10%, industry utilises
9%, and the rest is for investments. Over the
last decade, demand for gold has since moved
East, driven by wealth creation, cultural affinity,
and income growth in some of the world’s fast-
est-growing economies.

While the world is benefitting from gold pro-
duction increases and high prices, Zimbabwe is
not reaping the rewards.

Smuggling, corruption and price manipulation
by cartels, corrupt networks and criminal syn-di-
cates, as well as underworld dealings amid chaos,
are robbing the country of billions of dollars.

Says the report: “Over the past four years, Zim-
babwe has experienced an unprecedented increase

NewsHawks News Page 3

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

chete-wielding gangs now mostly silenced),” the runners who operate numerous ‘offices’ for gold The report goes further: “The entry of small- en to attract gold producers to sell through offi-
report says. collection at the mines and in towns closer to the scale gold dealers into the formal value chain has cial channels and not on the parallel market.
mines,” the report says. resulted in an opaque system of award-ing these
“The practice of artisanal mining is therefore licences without due process being followed and “The gold pricing system should be attractive
illegal as it contravenes the Mines and Minerals “Gold leakages are rampant at the mining, a system of patronage has arisen where only po- to local gold producers and the trading plat-
Act [Chapter 21:05] which neither recognises milling and transportation levels of the supply litically correct and connected individuals are forms should be efficient in paying the gold
nor defines an artisanal miner. chain. While there was no evidence to sug-gest awarded such licences as ‘fronts’ for kingpins in producers. All producers should have equitable
smuggling of gold from FRP, this institution re- the gold sector. Further, FPR has failed to prof- access to FPR gold trading platforms in order to
“Despite the illegality, in 2016 the Reserve mains responsible for creating arbitrage opportu- fer an efficient pricing mechanism to incentivise protect artisanal miners from exploitation,” the
Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) announced a policy nities for the gold dealers who then choose to sell miners and maintain its regulatory role in gold report adds.
of buying gold from artisanal miners on a ‘no gold outside the country where there are better trading in Zimbabwe
questions asked’ basis. This was meant to bolster offers. “FPR should develop a mechanism for ac-
and boost gold deliveries and to ex-pand govern- “This report looks at the political economy of countability for its gold-buying agents. They
ment’s revenue basket. “Section 17(2) of the Gold Trade Act man- illicit gold mining and trade must have paper trail for their transactions. The
dates the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, government must expedite commissioning of the
“Nevertheless, the RBZ’s Fidelity Printers and or any person authorised by him with issuance in Zimbabwe and unmasks the intricate and mining cadastre system that computerises allo-
Refineries (FPR) gold-buying rates remain low- of gold buying/dealing licences. Previously the interlinked close relationship between parti-san cation of and registration of all mining claims,
er than black market rates, thereby fuel-ling side Ministry of Mines issued the licences based on politics and access to gold-mining rights by ar- inclusive of gold claims.”
marketing and smuggling of gold.” Gold Buying Regulations derived from the Gold tisanal miners; acquisition of gold-trading licenc-
Trade Act which states that the Minister of Mines es and gold-buying privileges; gold milling and CNRG conducted a study to investigate and
It adds: “Organised syndicates comprising a may make regula-tions to further the effective- smuggling. conceptualise the illicit economy of the artisanal
few politically connected individuals sponsor the ness of the Gold Trade Act. gold mining sector in Zimbabwe, using cases of
artisanal miners, manipulate security channels, “The report recommends political will to bring two selected sites, namely Mazowe (Mashona-
have unlimited access to cash, and carry the con- “However, in a statement issued by RBZ on order at FPR, and for civil society to demand ac- land Central province) and Penhalonga (Mani-
trabands out of the country through official ports 26 May 2020, the central bank stated that ‘small- countability in the artisanal gold mining sector in caland province).
of exit, sometimes in connivance with officials.” scale gold buying agents will have to enter into an light of continued increase in cases of gold smug-
agency agreement with FPR which contract shall gling from Zimbabwe.” The investigation was meant to elicit evidence
The report says gold barons — who include clearly spell out the terms and conditions under of criminality — smuggling, corruption, organ-
Zanu PF politicians and their business cronies — which the agents shall operate'.” It says more and better incentives than what ised crime and exploitation — within the chaotic
are ruling the roost and reigning supreme in the the government is currently offering must be giv- gold-mining sector.
cut-throat wheeling and dealing goldfields.

“Gold dealers abuse their gold-buying li-
cenc-es to fight for control of artisanal miners
and gold millers. Through the patronage system
they also access cash for their illicit business from
wealthy gold barons and FPR, the sole gold-buy-
ing and 100% state-owned gold trading, refining
and exporting company,” it says.

“In Penhalonga, there are over 5 000 gold pits
that are controlled by one gold dealer (Pedzisai
‘Scott’ Sakupwanya), while thou-sands of gold
pits in Mazowe are also con-trolled by a few gold
dealers registered with FPR. The gold dealers
submit less than 30% of the gold to FPR, while
the rest finds its way to South Africa, United
Arab Emirates and other Asian countries such as
China and India. Most smugglers prefer to exit
the country by road to South Africa where the
gold is flown from.”

Zimbabwe’s Robert Gabriel Mugabe In-
terna-tional Airport and OR Tambo in Jo-
hannes-burg, South Africa, are part of the smug-
gling corridor in the region.

In 2020, controversial Zimbabwe Miners’
Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya was
arrested trying to smuggle 6kg of gold worth
US$366 000 to Dubai.

Last year, Zimbabwean gold smuggler Tash-in-
ga Nyasha Masinire, Rushwaya’s former aide and
driver, was arrested at OR Tambo Internation-
al Airport with 23 pieces of gold worth R11m
(US$783 000 at the time).

Sources told the investigators that some of the
gold is flown out of South Africa by private planes
from Lanseria Airport, a privately owned interna-
tional airport that is situated north of Randburg
and Sandton to the northwest of Johannesburg,

“Gold barons sponsor a tightly monitored
pat-ronage system that is recruiting artisanal
miners through political offices. Artisanal min-
ers earn a pittance while in return the gold baron
gets lucrative rewards from the illicit trade. Al-
though the gold smuggling syndi-cates ultimate-
ly boils down to a few gold barons and kingpins,
the pyramid is very wide at the base with so many

Page 4 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

BRENNA MATENDERE Probe implicates Mnangagwa’s
ally, Zanu PF in gold leakages
A FRESH report has put President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s ally Pedzisayi “Scott” Sakup- mills. There are more than 30 hammer mills in Pedzisayi “Scott” Sakupwanya “Those permitted to mine at Redwing are
wanya at the centre of gold leakages and vi- the Penhalonga-Tsvingwe Valley area, where of the pit remains with 50%. Scott also buys forced to sell their gold to Scott. Attempts to
olence at Redwing Mine in Penhalonga and miners often take the ore at night. Artisanal the 50% that remains with the miner,” the re- smuggle the ore out of Redwing Mine to other
surrounding areas in Manicaland province, miners outside the Redwing Mine area and port reads. millers are met with violence by Scott’s secu-
where more than 1 000 small-scale and artis- along Mutare River are not accountable to rity. Scott buys gold processed at his mill at
anal miners are operating. anyone and often sell to unregistered buyers. “The rule of controlling the pits is that if US$33 per gramme. However, artisanal min-
Sakupwanya, is however, the main buyer. any owner of the pit is caught trying to steal ers say if they take the ore to external mills,
Sakupwanya runs the Betterbrands Gold the ore to send to other millers, the pit will they sell their gold at US$36-US$40 per
Mining Company which has a tributary agree- “It is reported that Scott buys gold at ‘less automatically be forfeited. Scott has therefore gramme.
ment to mine gold at Redwing Mine. The mine 4 but he sells to FPR at less 1’. Less 4 refers to hired security personnel who are known as
is managed by Prime Royal Mine, a company 4% less than the price offered at world mar- ‘bouncers’ in local street parlance,” reads part “If the gold is concentrated, Scott buys at
owned by Prime Royal Africa Investments. kets. He also employs runners who buy the of the report. US$52/g, which is way above other average
gold on his behalf. At each pit 50% of the gold gold buyers who buy at US$42/g. On a good
Better Brands Jewellery Company, owned automatically goes to Scott whilst the owner The report says Sakupwanya uses both coer- day he allegedly buys as much as 5kgs of gold.
by Sakupwanya, is responsible for buying cion and fair pricing as tools of the trade and There are about 20 gold barons in Mutare,
gold, while Prime Royal Investments Africa is to ward off competition. most of whom are employed by him.”
involved in organising artisanal mining syndi-
cates in Penhalonga. The report says there is rising violence by
Better Brands against artisanal miners.
The report, compiled by the Centre for
Natural Resources and Governance (CNRG), “Several artisanal miners told CNRG that
titled “Zimbabwe’s Disappearing Gold: A they are forced to surrender their ore to the
Case of Mazowe and Penhalonga”, reveals that Better Brands mill where they receive 50% of
Sakupwanya has been using a network of run- the value. However, they are not sure wheth-
ners, bouncers, private security personnel and er they actually receive 50% as everything is
his proximity to power to maintain his grip on done in their absence. They also argue that
the goldfields. 50% is too low considering the labour they
put into the mining process,” reads the report.
Zanu PF officials and law enforcement
agents in the province have also cashed in on “They also bring their own tools from
the mine, but Sakupwanya is named as the home – picks, shovels and the jack hammers
central figure in the illicit activities. (pam pam). Consequently, some of the arti-
sanal miners now prefer to take their ore to
The report says: “His company is domi- external mills dotted around Penhalonga. If
nating most of the gold-mining operations caught by the Better Brands security, they are
despite protest from the Penhalonga commu- subjected to severe beatings. In March 2022,
nity.” a video emerged from Penhalonga where se-
curity guards in plain clothes were using rods
“. . . Scott Sakupwanya, according to one of to viciously attack an artisanal miner who was
his several runners in Penhalonga, is receiving begging for his life. They were accusing him
millions of dollars from rich people and the of illegally entering a pit to harvest their ore.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to buy gold for Some informants have alleged the use of ma-
them. He in turn gives the money to his army chetes in assaults.
of runners throughout the country.
“Violence is also being used to dispossess
“Some of the artisanal miners were com- artisanal miners of their pits, especially if it’s
ing from as far as Chimanimani and Nyanga, proven that the pits have significant gold de-
though majority were operating from within posits. CNRG interviewed a number of artis-
the vicinities of Mutare. In the case of Pen- anal miners who confessed to have either been
halonga, accessibility to the pits has turned dispossessed of their pits or knew someone
political as powerful Zanu PF politicians in who was dispossessed. The security personnel
Mutasa and Mutare districts are now partly sometimes wear Zanu-PF T-shirts which they
responsible for granting access. These include use to intimidate artisanal miners.”
the party youth executives, chairpersons and
losing councillors of the party who were re- The report also says some of the gold mined
ported to be writing letters to Redwing in- in Penhalonga and surrounding areas is being
structing them on who should get the mining smuggled to Mozambique, by smugglers who
pits.” pay security agents along the border to allow
them to freely trade.
The report says some officers at Penhalonga
Police Station “either own or sponsor mining
pits at Redwing Mine”.

The report says leakages and illicit finan-
cial flows are occuring at various stages in and
around Penhalonga, including at production
level, where some miners contracted by PRM
do not ferry all the ore to the company mill
but divert some of the ore to unregistered

Govt gold incentives working — Sakupwanya

ZIMBABWE’S biggest gold buyer Better Brands duction and improve deliveries. We are encour- Artisanal and small-scale miners protested that are playing our part in growing small-scale min-
Jewellery (BBJ), owned by local gold baron Pedzi- aged by the incentives that the government has the incentives were only benefitting well-connect- ers, hence they now produce more.
sayi “Scott” Sakupwanya, says the government’s given to artisanal and to small-scale miners, as ed big players in the market.
current bullion incentives will see record deliv- well as the agents,” Sakupwanya said. “Small-scale miners are now delivering more
eries to the state-owned Fidelity Gold Refiners However, Sakupwanya said his company was gold to Fidelity than big established mines. This is
(FGR) — the target is 50 tonnes — by the end “While more could be done to incentivise the not crowding out the small players. because we are paying better prices to them across
of the year. small-scale miners — through further reviews the country. We urge gold industry players to
and timely payments — the scheme has proved “We are not monopolising the gold industry work together to boost production. The govern-
Speaking to The NewsHawks following a story to be an effective tool to boost gold deliveries to and crowding out small players. BBJ actually has ment is chasing an audacious target of 50 tonnes
last week which vented complaints by artisanal Fidelity. branches across the country and we are offering by end of the year. Let’s deliver it.”
and small-scale miners that the incentives were good prices to artisanal and small-scale miners.
not benefitting them but the well-connected, “The incentives have been well-received by Everyone is free to either sell to us or straight to In 2020, BBJ, which has been working with
Sakupwanya, a Zanu PF councillor for small-scale miners whose response is reflected in Fidelity. the RBZ for 16 years, delivered 800 kilogrammes.
ever-increasing deliveries to Fidelity. We are hap-
Mabvuku Ward 21, said overall the Gold In- py and grateful to government for the incentives “Only last week, President Emmerson Mnan- Last year, it increased that nearly 10 times as
centive Scheme offered by the Reserve Bank of which have spurred small-scale miners to produce gagwa said gold production registered phenom- it delivered seven tonnes in a major haul which
Zimbabwe (RBZ) has had a positive impact on more gold. enal growth and as BBJ we are part of it and we fetched about US$450 million.
gold production and deliveries. share the same vision of producing and buying as
“What this tells you is that with more incen- much gold as possible to boost the economy and “We believe we can achieve 50 tonnes this year
He said it has helped the sector recover from tives, small-scale miners have capacity to con- avoid leakages. as miners, both small-scale and large-scale. We
the devastating impact and consequences of tribute significantly to the economy and national will surpass the overall 29 tonnes that we deliv-
Covid-19 which ravaged economies and societies fiscus. With this approach, gold output and deliv- “Our detractors will always try to find fault in ered last year. Our deliveries are a testimony of
globally, including Zimbabwe. eries will increase, and in the process alleviate gold our business model. Everything we do is above how small-scale miners are critical to the econ-
leakages that continue to plague the country.” board and we are open to scrutiny. The incentive omy.”
“The incentive scheme is helping to boost pro- is designed to boost production for everyone. We
— STAFF WRITER.

NewsHawks News Page 5

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Illicit flows sponsor Zanu PF campaign

BRENNA MATENDERE

ZANU PF plans to use funding from illicit the gold cartel within a space of four years. His It adds: “The modus operandi at Redwing and ple who employ artisanal miners for provision
gold-mining sources in Mazowe and Penhalonga tentacles have also spread to the political circles. Mazowe gold mines, both owned by Metallon of cheap labour. The companies have avoided
to partly fund its campaign for next year’s crunch He was named in the recently unveiled Zanu PF Corporation and now partially taken over by operational costs and possibly statutory obliga-
general elections, a new probe has revealed. Resource Mobilisation Committee responsible Zanu PF officials, is the same. Several other tions as well as regulation and compliance that
for fundraising for the party’s 2023 campaign. closed mining companies in Zimbabwe have come with properly operating a gold mine in
According to the Centre for Natural Resource One source suspects gold is central to the party’s also adopted the same model.” Zimbabwe. The companies have subtly evaded
Governance investigative report, titled “Zimba- fundraising strategy — hence the appointment full accountability of the gold production from
bwe’s Disappearing Gold: A Case of Mazowe and of Scott,” reads the report. “These mines have been leased to Zanu PF mines.”
Penhalonga”, Zanu PF intends to use gold proceeds officials or politically connected businesspeo-
to finance its 2023 poll war chest.

“The link between illicit gold mining activ-
ities in Penhalonga and Zanu PF fundraising
campaign for 2023 was further confirmed by
Zanu PF Politburo Member Patrick Chinamasa
who said in February 2022 that government was
going to repossess RedwingMine and give it to
artisanal miners linked to the ruling party be-
cause the owners had allegedly failed to run it.”

“This is despite the fact that government of
Zimbabwe criminalises artisanal mining. The re-
marks, made during the launch of the Zanu-PF
campaign for the 26 March 2022 by-election
in Mutasa South where Zanu-PF candidate
Misheck Mugadza eventually beat the CCC
candidate and former Member of Parliament
for the area Regai Tsunga, gave a glimpse of the
political economy of artisanal mining in Zim-
babwe.”

Zanu PF faces a grueling challenge in next
year’s elections from the Nelson Chamisa-led
Citizens' Coalition for Change.

The report also revealed that as the nation
inches closer to next year’s polls, Zanu PF pol-
iticians have been turning to gold to fund their
campaigns.

“The artisanal mining sector, one of the fast-
est growing economic sectors in Zimbabwe,
goes beyond just enriching the politically con-
nected gold barons, but is also assuming a huge
political role. Politicians are controlling artisanal
mining sites where they use their political and
economic muscle to organise artisanal miners to
vote for the ruling party during elections,” reads
the report.

Researchers who compiled the report also re-
vealed that changes to Zanu PF’s resource mo-
bilisation committee which is now packed with
officials with a gold background are telling.

“Scott (Sakupwanya) has risen to the apex of

Page 6 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

NATHAN GUMA Foreign traders loot Zim gemstones

ZIMBABWE is losing gemstones through il- Mining operations in Zimbabwe’s gemstone industry are largely dominated by artisanal miners.
licit trade and undervaluation necessitated by
a close-knit ecosystem of panners, security ser- The 2019 Auditor-General’s report says ZCDC failed to account for the use of money exceeding US$400 million.
vices and runners of merchants from Pakistan,
Lebanon, China and India. the benefits of being formal operators from fi- he said. for the stones.
nancing opportunities, accessing equipment, He said the establishment of value-addition “All these will reduce illicit flows in the gem-
The country boasts more than 30 semi-pre- exposure to the global market, existence of con-
cious stones, most of which are mined by in- tinuing technical support through the school’s facilities would directly provide a ready formal stone sector. Thus, failure to build this centre
formal foreign prospectors from India, Mozam- extension and continuing education services,” and local market for the precious and semi-pre- has maintained conditions that promote illicit
bique and other countries. cious rough stones, which would pay fair value trade of the stones,” Mlambo said.

Cartels implicated in the illicit flows have
also been using well-traversed channels opened
up by couriers of second-hand clothing bales
on farms within the Penhalonga area, accord-
ing to a report titled “Scope and Nature of Illicit
Flows in Zimbabwe’s Gemstone Sector” by Lyman
Mlambo, a mining economist.

The smuggled minerals are then traded in
Chimoio, Mozambique, an area that is domi-
nated by Asian nationals who operate grocery
shops, before they are transported to Dubai and
other destinations.

In 2011, the United Arab Emirates import-
ed US$408 million worth of (rough) diamonds
from Zimbabwe, making it the largest diamond
market.

Experts say the undervaluation and illicit
trade have been worsened by Zimbabwe’s fail-
ure to set up a gemology centre for the process-
ing of gemstones into finished products.

The Zimbabwe Diamonds Policy (ZDP)
crafted in 2018 provides that the country estab-
lish a gemology centre by 2019, which would
feature a school of gemology, both aimed at
promoting local value-addition of the country’s
gemstones.

The centre is projected to cater for the pre-
cious stone value chain which includes; a cut-
ting, polishing and lapidary area for all dia-
monds and other coloured gemstones, a jewelry
manufacturing and retail section, and an ancil-
lary section that offers support and regulates the
activities of the diamond industry.

While the extraction process has largely been
informal, research in gemstone extraction re-
veals that there is little knowledge of the quan-
tity and quality of stones being extracted.

Mining operations in the gemstone industry,
besides diamonds and to some extent emeralds,
have been largely dominated by artisanal miners
and informal foreign dealers.

The existing diamond policy restricts explo-
ration and mining of diamonds to four entities,
including the Zimbabwe Consolidated Dia-
mond Company (ZCDC), Murowa Diamonds,
and any other two companies approved by the
government.

Some of the companies have been implicated
in mineral leakages.

The ZCDC failed to account for the use of
money exceeding US$400 million, and could
not properly account for 352 583.11 diamond
carats worth about US$146.3 million that were
in stock, according to the 2019 Auditor-Gen-
eral’s report.

Mlambo says the gemology school would
help curb undervaluation by teaching miners
“how to identify the stones, which is not a sim-
ple task”.

“This ignorance leaves miners at the mercy of
illegal dealers who could easily misrepresent to
the former what they are buying,” Mlambo said.

The total value of semi-precious stone depos-
its in the country is estimated at US$20 billion,
which clearly is an underestimate given that the
sub-sector has not been formally explored and
developed, reads the report.

Exploitation of the gemstones is predicted to
surpass US$1 billion by 2023, should the dia-
monds be formally exploited.

Mlambo says the school would also help
miners to formalise their operations.

“Learning how to conduct operations op-
timally and formally would also encourage all
players throughout the gemstone value chain
to get formalised, from exploration, mine de-
velopment, mining, processing (cleaning and
sorting), primary trading of rough stones, bene-
ficiation (cutting, polishing and enhancement),
secondary marketing of beneficiated products,
manufacturing of end-user products like jewel-
ry and their (tertiary) marketing.

“A gemology school curriculum would go
beyond technical issues and teach entrepre-
neurship skills (finance, management and oth-
er business skills) and further orient trainees
to be formal business operators as they realise

NewsHawks News Page 7

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

MOSES MATENGA Nssa: Robbing the struggling
poor to give the corrupt rich
WHEN the Zimbabwean government estab-
lished the National Social Security Authority exposed by The NewsHawks last year. Cabinet and the National Economic Conduct try at the time of conversion, during inflation
(Nssa) in terms of the Nssa Act of 1989 [Chap- Acting NBS managing director John Mapiye Inspectorate in the ministry of Finance have and when local currency was debased in 2006,
ter 17: 04], to provide social security, it was also been dealing with Nssa issues. 2008, and 2009, resulting in its demonitisation.
widely thought it would protect workers against was forced out last year for resisting the Dziva-
vulnerabilities, risks, and deprivation in times resekwa tender scam. Mapiye resigned in No- Until his suspension, Manase was reportedly As a result, citizens who could no longer fend
of need. vember last year after being victimised by Nssa being protected by Mavima. The minister actu- for themselves and their dependents due to old
executives and the bank’s board. ally blocked his initial suspension some weeks age or any other form of incapacitation were ex-
The provision of social security is a public ago until he relented under pressure from the posed to socio-economic challenges.
policy measure intended to protect an individu- Public Service minister Paul Mavima, who is Office of the President and Cabinet, and his
al in life situations or conditions in which his or accused of protecting Manase, has said investi- own permanent secretary. One study found out that the government
her livelihood and well-being may be threatened gations are underway at Nssa amid allegations was blamed for failing in its obligation to pro-
by sickness, workplace injuries, unemployment, of mismanagement and corruption in critical President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently tect citizens as enshrined in the national consti-
old age, retirement and death. departments that include audit, finance, invest- highlighted the problem of corruption at Nssa. tution which recognises the need for the state to
ments, procurement and property. extend social security to citizens.
It is based on the principle of social solidari- Due to all these things, Nssa is now synon-
ty and pooling of resources and risks, involving “There have been several social media post- ymous with stealing from the poor to give to The constitution requires the state “to take
drawing of savings from periods of employ- ings and articles with allegations and counter the rich. all practical measures, within the limits of the
ment, earnings and good health to provide for allegations on what is going on at the National re-sources available to it, to provide social secu-
periods of unemployment, old age, invalidity Social Security Authority,” Mavima said. In the process, it has abandoned its core rity and social care to those in need”.
and death. mandate of protecting citizens against econom-
“I wish to assure all our stakeholders and the ic uncertainties and misfortunes through social The social security savings that were lost in-
At the moment Nssa is administering two general public that and indeed the entire Minis- insurance and security. cluded investments in pension funds and shares
schemes: Pension and Other Benefits Scheme try of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare of publicly quoted companies. Generally, there
and Accident Prevention and Workers’ Com- are concerned with these allegations. Zimbabwe has experienced several economic was a systematic downward movement in values
pensation Scheme, although, in an endeavour challenges that robbed social security recipients of retirement benefits which pensioners could
to provide a more comprehensive social security “I have immediately tasked the board of Nssa of their social security entitlements and these receive when they re-tired.
package for the Zimbabwean society, ground- to fully investigate all matters that have been people did not have any legal recourse against
work for the introduction of more schemes is raised and take appropriate and decisive action their service providers. This largely volatile and unstable economic
underway. where wrongdoing is detected. But above all, we environment that was experienced in Zimba-
want Nssa to get back on track and resume the The country experienced macro-econom- bwe from 1980 required that the country un-
Instead of being famous for protection of impressive turn-around trajectory the authority ic instability between 1998 and 2008, which dertake a complete shift in order to develop an
citizens against vulnerabilities, risks, and depri- had planted.” reached hyperinflationary levels of 231 000 efficient system to achieve viability of social se-
vation in times of need, Nssa has become no- 000% by 2008, resulting in citizens losing life curity schemes, build confidence in society, and
torious for corruption and waste of pensioners’ The Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commis- savings in terms of insurance policies and retire- improve the social security governance system,
funds. sion has been camped at Nssa for the probe, as ment pension benefits. the study said.
first reported by The NewsHawks recently.
Nssa is always lurching from one corruption Social security recipients blamed the govern- In the end, Nssa has become a tragic case of
scandal to the other. Furthermore, the Corporate Governance ment for failing to provide policy and regulato- stealing from the poor and lavishing the rich.
Unit within the Office of the President and ry guidance to the insurance and pension indus-
Only this week, Nssa general manager Ar-
thur Manase — who is the boss — was put on
leave of absence to facilitate a “comprehensive
investigation” into corruption allegations at the
organisation.

Director of occupation safety and health
Charles Shava has been appointed interim gen-
eral manager.

A number of top executives have recently
been removed and some suspended at the in-
stitution.

This came amid revelations of a scandal in
which Nssa executives are accused of looting
millions of dollars in hefty loans, allowances
and benefits from underpaid pensioners living
in abject poverty.

Detailed social media leaks on Nssa, for in-
stance, recently said Manase had received a
US$750 000 housing loan and was continuing
to get a monthly US$2 500 housing allowance
to service the loan despite the fact that he al-
ready owns a home.

A fleet of luxury vehicles was allocated to
him.

Top executives got loans ranging from
US$60 000 to US$100 000 and top-of-the-
range vehicles.

The Nssa board, which pays its members
hefty allowances including exorbitant school
fees and US$15 000 yearly holiday allowances,
was recently entangled in a storm over wasting
pensioners’ funds after it went on a holiday-like
strategy meeting in Mombasa, Kenya, which
was also exposed in the recent social media
leaks.

The Mombasa retreat is now widely referred
to as the “Kenyan trip of shame”.

One Nssa executive, Prudence Mutsvangwa,
got a housing loan for US$500 000 and an-oth-
er one for US$100 000 to buy a car for her hus-
band, while pensioners receive a pittance, the
leaks say.

While pensioners with more than 20 years of
service are paid a pittance ranging from ZW$14
025 to ZW$34 000, the leaks say Nssa directors
and former directors are reportedly paid yearly
holiday allowances of US$15 000 per person, as
well as high school fees allowances running into
millions of United States dollars per year.

The leaks also say Manase appointed a num-
ber of his cronies to key positions at Nssa, most-
ly in acting capacities, and in different compa-
nies where the institution has investments to
establish a patronage network to consolidate his
position and control the organisation.

The names of officials that Manase has re-
moved, forced out and appointed in acting and
substantive capacities are provided in the leaks.

There are also several tender scandals at issue,
including the Dzivaresekwa Housing Scheme
and happenings at the Nssa-owned National
Building Society (NBS) where corruption was

Page 8 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

MOSES MATENGA Fierce resource confrontation
erupts as Oppenheimers dig in
A NEW battlefront has been opened in the fight
for the control of Zimbabwe’s abundant resourc- South African billionaire
es, with the latest being the court fight between Nicky Oppenheimer
South African billionaire Nicky Oppenheimer
who is now embroiled in a tussle to control a tabeleland South province, wrote to President out geological explorations by the government is being mined by foreign firms at their expense
65 000-hectare farm in Matabeleland South Mnangagwa demanding an immediate end to without locals being consulted, and work should and with the destruction of the environment.
province. lithium and tantalum explorations in Fort Rix- only commence after the local community has
on. agreed to the project. Similar fights are also obtaining in Chiadz-
Zimbabwe was already embroiled in vicious wa, where locals are complaining against mainly
fights over control of resources across the coun- The traditional leader argued in the letter that Mutoko villagers are also in a fight over ex- Chinese firms, whose diamond mining is not
try, including in Chilonga in Chiredzi, Mutoko, the explorers were given the green light to carry ploitation of their resources, mainly granite, that benefitting the community.
Hwange, Chiadzwa and several other areas that
have seen cases spilling into the courts while Shangani Ranch is said to be
others have taken a political turn. rich in minerals .

Involved in the several clashes over resources
are local villagers pitted against mainly foreign
companies enjoying the protection of the gov-
ernment.

The Oppenheimer family controls a multi-bil-
lion-dollar venture and occupied a controlling
spot in the world’s diamond trade before ventur-
ing into aviation.

They also own at least 720 square miles of
conservation land across South Africa, Botswana
and Zimbabwe.

The fresh fight between Shangani Holistic
(Private) Limited, owned by one of South Af-
rica’s richest men and Pearline Mineral Explo-
ration (Private) Limited started after workers at
the farm in early June noticed a plane flying low
above the ranch in Shangani, Insiza district, rais-
ing eyebrows over the intention.

It emerged that the workers captured the de-
tails on the plane and it was traced to the South
African mining company which, in turn, con-
tracted a local company, Duration Gold (Pri-
vate) Limited, to do the exploration and pros-
pecting.

This activated a series of events that led to
a court application seeking to block Pearline
Mineral Exploration (Private) Limited from
proceeding with exploration, cease all mineral
prospecting or mineral mining activities on the
ranch.

Judge Siyabona Musithu ruled that explora-
tion could only go ahead if there was an envi-
ronmental impact assessment certificate issued
by the country’s Environmental Management
Agency (Ema), giving temporary reprieve to the
business tycoon.

The ranch that the rich family claims has been
in existence since 1937 and is involved in cattle
ranching boasting over 8 000 cattle they intend
to increase to 19 000 in 10 years.

There is also room for safari hunting on the
farm, which is a wildlife sanctuary for male el-
ephants.

The ranch owners warned of serious con-
sequences that include the closure of the local
school, effects on their beef exports and job loss-
es.

The ruling reads in part: “Pending determi-
nation of this matter, the Applicant is granted
that the Respondent is interdicted and prohib-
ited, personally and through its agents, from
conducting any mineral prospecting or mineral
mining activities whatsoever on Shangani Ranch
situated in Ward 23 of Insiza District, Shangani,
without an environmental impact assessment is-
sued by the Environmental Management Agen-
cy in accordance with the Environmental Man-
agement Act.”

Shangani Ranch is said to be rich in minerals
including gold, silver, copper, antimony, lead,
cobalt, manganese, zinc, nickel, chrome, graph-
ite, and lithium.

The fight for the control of resources has
gripped Zimbabwe for years and this latest one
adds to the growing list of court cases.

In Chiredzi, dozens of Chilonga villagers are
suing over the “illegal” takeover of their ances-
tral land and approached the Constitutional
Court seeking an order to set aside section 4 and
Section 6(1)(b) of the Communal Lands Act
[Chapter 20:04], which they say is a perpetua-
tion of colonialism practices and a threat to their
dignity.

A traditional leader in Masvingo, Chief Mu-
rinye, recently blasted President Emmerson
Mnangagwa and top Zanu PF officials for allow-
ing corruption, including the forceful takeover
of resources.

Murinye said criminals and looters who are
enjoying the fruits of proximity to power are
plundering the country’s resources.

Last year, a traditional leader in Insiza, Ma-

NewsHawks News Page 9

Issue 88, 8 July 2022 Lives in danger as mercury and
cyanide flow into Mutare rivers

Mutasa Rural District Council collected water samples from Lake Alexander for laboratory examination following a surge in illegal gold mining in Penhalonga.

BRENNA MATENDERE Penhalonga area who are causing the mercury Environment, Tourism and Climate Change minister Mangaliso Ndlovu
and cyanide menace.
HUMAN lives and livestock in Mutare are in
grave danger following the detection of haz- “The problem we have is that Ema does not
ardous mercury and cyanide in a water body have constitutional arresting powers to effec-
that supplies residents of the mountainous tively reign in the illegal gold miners. Howev-
city and downstream villages. er, work is being done to stop the polluting of
water in Mutare with such dangerous chemi-
Tests were conducted by the Standards As- cals,” he said.
sociation of Zimbabwe (SAZ) after the Mu-
tasa Rural District Council collected water In January last year, civil society organisa-
samples from Lake Alexander for laboratory tions in Penhalonga which include the Centre
examination following a surge in illegal gold for Research and Development; Penhalonga
mining in Penhalonga. The dam supplies 25% Youth Development Trust and Zivai Commu-
of Mutare’s water supplies. nity Empowerment Trust wrote to key stake-
holders, warning that illegal gold washing
Results of the tests done by SAZ, docu- points risked contaminating Mutare’s water
mented under a situation report numbered with hazardous substances.
CFT-220218-00058, revealed that water in
Lake Alexander had a staggering amount of They also complained over the proliferation
mercury pegged at 0.898 milligrams per litre. of illegal gold milling plants in communities,
The laboratory tests also showed the presence citing the dangers of polluting rivers with cya-
of deadly cyanide, measured at 0.018 per litre. nide and mercury.

SAZ’s chemical and food technology acting James Mupfumi, the CRD director, con-
manager Joyce Mufara confirmed the tests and firmed writing the petition and said President
said relevant authorities were informed. Emmerson Mnangagwa must take decisive ac-
tion to save lives.
“The results are genuine,” she said.
On human beings, mercury has effects such “President Mnangagwa now has an obliga-
as irritation to the eyes, skin, and stomach; tion to abide by the constitution as directed
cough, chest pain, or difficulty breathing, by section 73 on environmental rights. It is
insomnia, irritability, indecision, headache, alarming that government has chosen to take
weakness or exhaustion, and weight loss. no action from the water tests results confirm-
On the other hand, cyanide prevents the ing the presence of mercury and cyanide in
cells of the body from using oxygen. When water sources consumed by citizens of Mu-
this happens, the cells die. Cyanide is more tare,” he said.
harmful to the heart and brain than to other
organs because the heart and brain use a lot Centre for Natural Resource Governance
of oxygen. director Farai Maguwu told The NewsHawks
Cyanide is deadlier than mercury and has that the threat of cyanide and mercury detect-
in several incidents been used by citizens in ed in Mutare water bodies must not be taken
suicide cases as it causes instant death if con- lightly.
sumed in solid cubicles that are used for dis-
solving gold after panning. Mercury is already “I heard about it (detection of mercury and
a banned substance in Zimbabwe, but it is cyanide). Very sad development . . . Mercury
smuggled mostly from Botswana by buyers and cyanide are deadly chemicals, whose ca-
who go on to sell it to local unlicensed miners. lamitous effects have been felt by farmers who
Environment, Tourism and Climate have lost whole herds of cattle in Penhalonga
Change minister Mangaliso Ndlovu told The and along Mutare River over the past couple
NewsHawks that he was aware of the detection of years.”
of the dangerous substances in Mutare’s water.
He said through the Environmental Man- “It is not surprising that traces have been
agement Agency (Ema) work was being done found in water bodies feeding the city of Mu-
to reign in unregulated gold miners in the tare,” he said.

Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe
promised to call back and give his comment,
but had not done so at the time of going to
print.

Page 10 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

NYASHA CHINGONO Public sceptical about gold coins

THE successful introduction of gold coins as a is due to them,” Masuku said. In 2016, government introduced bond notes, which lost value against the US dollar within months.
store of value could be hampered by a lack of pub- Mukundu weighed in, saying the government
lic trust in the country’s monetary system, analysts duction of gold coins may not rein in inflation. in recession, so it is a viable option for investors.
say. needs to clearly explain the modalities regarding “it is not the panacea to the inflation problem. The expectation is that the introduction of the
the liquidation of the gold coins. gold coins will alleviate the demand for US dol-
Faced with growing inflation, which more than Inflation is mainly caused by the increase in mon- lars,” Chitambara said.
doubled between May and June to 192%, the “The loophole is in terms of trust then there is ey supply growth. Which has been unsustainable,”
monetary authorities are in fix to save the mori- no explanation as to whether it appreciates in val- Chitambara said. The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries
bund currency which has been sliding against the ue, how long does it take to redeem it? It is a very said: “The introduction of gold coins as a store val-
US dollar over the past months. hurried move to create diversion on its failure to However, he added that the use of gold would ue is a welcome development, provided the gold
contain inflation,” Mukundu said. help restore confidence in investing in the econo- coins will be sold in Zimbabwe dollars so that the
Commentators say while introducing the gold my as gold remains a stable commodity. demand for the US dollar as a store of value will
coins could help preserve value and reduce the de- Central bank governor John Mangudya said in also shift to the gold coin, which relieves pressure
mand for US dollars on the market, public confi- a statement on Monday that the coins would be “The major role is to act as a store of value and on the exchange rate.”
dence could derail the new measures. available for sale from 25 July in local currency, the value of gold has always been stable. It has also
US dollars and other foreign currencies at a price been increasing even when the global economy is
Analyst Rashweat Mukundu said Zimbabweans based on the prevailing international price of gold
were adopting a cautious approach to the current and the cost of production.
measures as previous monetary policy measures
had left many poorer. The Mosi-oa-Tunya coin, named after the Vic-
toria Falls, can be converted into cash and traded
“The key issue with the Zimbabwean economy locally and internationally, the central bank said.
is lack of trust. This is the first time Zimbabwe is
initiating the preservation of value by selling gold The gold coin will contain one troy ounce of
coins. The question is: Has enough been done to gold and will be sold by Fidelity Gold Refinery,
educate the public on the purchase of the gold Aurex and local banks, it added.
coins? There is huge lack of trust of the monetary
authorities and the banking sector,” Mukundu Gold coins are used by investors internationally
said. to hedge against inflation and wars.

The introduction of gold coins has stoked fears Last week, Zimbabwe more than doubled its
of policy inconsistencies that have wiped out sav- policy rate to 200% from 80% and outlined plans
ings and pensions in the past. to make the US dollar legal tender for the next five
years to boost confidence.
In 2015, Zimbabweans who held bank balanc-
es when the Zimdollar was decommissioned in Soaring inflation has been piling pressure on a
2009 were given as little as US$5, meaning many population already struggling with shortages and
lost their life savings. stirring memories of the economic chaos during
Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule.
In 2016, the government introduced bond
notes, initially meant to be an export incentive Economist Prosper Chitambara said the intro-
and pegged at 1:1 with the US dollar but, with-
in months, the bond notes lost value against the
greenback, resulting in the erosion of savings.

Analysts and Zimbabweans who spoke to The
NewsHawks say the government has not earned
much trust to warrant a buy-in from the public.

“There is a clear lack of knowledge among the
general populace on what the gold coins mean and
whether they can trust the same system with their
money that has cheated them repeatedly over the
years,” Mukundu said.

On the streets of Harare, the introduction of
gold coins has been met with suspicion.

Currency traders fear they will not make much
money as people will not demand the US dollar as
a store of value. “On top of the mistrust we have
with the monetary system, which has changed
overnight over the years, our foreign currency
trading could be under threat if everyone goes for
these gold coins,” Terrence Musareka (35), a for-
eign currency trader, said.

Broadwell Masuku, a 64-year-old pensioner
who lost his saving in 2008, said it is difficult to
trust the government with money.

“They must promise the public that there will
be restitution of money lost if there is loss of mon-
ey or value. When you are buying this thing, you
are literally exchanging your money in exchange
for a paper, surely our government must operate
on a higher moral standard and give people what

NewsHawks News Page 11

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

‘Ncube’s economic policies complicated’

MOSES MATENGA l Minister, RBZ ignoring advice: Senators
l Mutsvangwa grilled over propaganda
FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube and the
Reserve Bank have run out of ideas and are in- Finance minister
troducing complicated policies that continue to Mthuli Ncube
confuse and disadvantage the ordinary people
while failing to address the economic crisis, sen- contributions seriously, yet they were failing to advise us to say you are not going anywhere and streets selling money, but you cannot get it.”
ators said this week. address the economic crisis. you will end up dollarising.” “If you go into your bank and ask for your

The upper House said the introduction of “I do not know what you can do, but I strong- “I was reading today about the gold coin. It money, you are given ZW$5 000 per week.
countless measures, including the latest pro- ly feel that the ministers are letting us down if might look brilliant where we do not have so What is ZW$5 000 today? What do you use
nouncement on gold coins, have failed to we are to get far with any policies, especially on many currencies, but how many currencies do it for? We are refusing and we are sitting here
address economic problems, arguing that the the economy right now where it makes us want we have in Zimbabwe? We have a multi-cur- as parliamentarians saying we are defending the
minister ignored advice to dollarise which came to be making suggestions,” he said. rency system which uses the dollar, and maybe community — we should call the minister and
from stakeholders during budget consultations as the base we use the RTGS, Zimdollar, rand, ask him to make this currency work.”
and now the country is suffering. “I wonder whether our minister of Finance pula and we also use the gold coin. Do you not
and Economic Development together with the think that if we had an economy that works we “I had to complain first because I think some
MDC-T vice-president Elias Mudzuri said Reserve Bank governor ever sit down and look would be able to use one currency?” of these suggestions must be made to be under-
the government should explain how the gold at the way people are suffering out there such stood by the minister of Finance. We should
coins will address the currency volatility and that we end up with a monetary system that “I strongly feel that our minister and our Re- continue asking him to answer this question on
stabilise the economy. works.” serve Bank governor and probably a team of fi- whether we are going to continue with runaway
nancial experts are doing what I would consider RTGS or we should suggest something that
“Can she (Information Minister Monica Mudzuri added: “When we did our budget, ‘work avoidance’. We are seeing people in the works for the common man.”
Mutsvangwa) explain how the gold coin is go- we were given enough warnings by those who
ing to address the volatility of the dollar and
how it is going to be used by the old granny Information minister
in Chiendambuya, Malipati and all over where Monica Mutsvangwa
they cannot even access the present Zimdollar
which if you go to the bank, you can only with-
draw ZW$5 000 as cash which is equivalent to
less than US$10. How does this link up with
our local currency and the number of curren-
cies that have been allowed to work?” Mudzuri
asked.

“Let us not be complicated, let us be sim-
plistic and ensure that a currency is used as a
method of transaction rather than a method of
cheating our own elders and those who might
not understand the academic meaning of cer-
tain terms.”

MDC-T senator Morgen Komichi said the
troubled Zimbabwean economy has caused un-
told suffering to the people. He questioned the
wisdom of introducing the gold coins, saying
they would be of no use to the ordinary person.

“In order to control this situation, the gov-
ernment introduced the gold coins. Many peo-
ple do not understand how the gold coins work.
Where on earth has this approach been used and
has it benefitted anyone? In Zimbabwe, how
does the gold coin approach serve the challenges
that are being faced by the civil servants, public
servants and ordinary gogo, mbuya, grandma
who is in Gokwe and Mberengwa?”

Senator Khaliphani Phugeni queried why the
government was insisting the economy was per-
forming well, yet it was on the verge of collapse
and in bad shape.

“You said the fundamentals of the economy
are solid, but you and I know that our people
continue to languish in poverty. Our people
continue to struggle to pay fees which is charged
in foreign currency or at parallel rate.”

“Our children are dying because of malnu-
trition, reason being that we cannot afford to
buy goods from the shops. Everything in this
country has become difficult and impossible to
achieve because of runaway inflation, yet the
minister says fundamentals of the economy are
solid.”

However, Mutsvangwa tried to paint a rosy
picture of the Zimbabwean situation, much to
the senators' irritation. She said the economic
fundamentals were "in the right place".

“I want to say, first of all, the fundamentals
of the economy of this country are in the right
place. The issue of gold coins which he has
brought about is an issue which the Reserve
Bank has come up with. It is a very clear plan to
move the economy forward,” she said.

“This economy is on the roll and that is the
truth about it. When you go outside I under-
stand fully the suffering of our people, that is
why I said all what the government is doing is to
make sure that there is stability in the country
which is being attacked by the detractors of this
country.”

“As to the details (on gold coins), I think it
will be in order for the minister of Finance and
Economic Development to come with a paper
in this august House to talk to the details per-
taining to the last point.”

On Wednesday, Mudzuri argued that gov-
ernment ministers were not taking Parliament's

Page 12 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

MOSES MATENGA Technocratic ministers under fire

CALLS for action against so-called techno- Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement minister Anxious Masuka
cratic ministers are growing louder, with Zanu
PF lawmakers accusing them of sabotaging in, minister Mthuli Ncube, the exchange rate of them, act as if they don’t care and close mar- formance of some of the ministers appointed
the party and its leader President Emmerson now is embarrassingly high.” kets at will, yet they know it’s a huge source of by Mnangagwa, accusing them of coming up
Mnangagwa in ways that would alienate the livelihood. with policies that do not paint the party in
masses agead of the 2023 general elections. He then said under the prevailing econom- good light to the electorate.
ic circumstances it would be difficult for the “When the son of God came, he had a big
Mnangagwa appointed five ministers into province to perform well. job at hand and he chose disciples to work Zanu PF is facing serious challenges in con-
his cabinet after the 2018 elections, name- with. vincing the electorate ahead of the elections,
ly Mthuli Ncube (Finance); Amon Murwira “Today, you cannot buy bread. How do you after failing to address myriad challenges the
(Higher and Tertiary Education); Kirsty Cov- expect us to perform well as a party when the One of the disciples he chose sold him out.” country is facing, notably chronic high infla-
entry (Sports, Arts and Culture); July Moyo economy of Harare is not well?” Chimanga As reported recently by The NewsHawks, tion, a dying healthcare system, rampant cor-
(Local Government), and Anxious Masuka asked. party bigwigs stationed at Zanu PF headquar- ruption and joblessness, among other issues.
(Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Reset- ters in Harare are also unhappy with the per-
tlement). But the Zanu PF structures and now “The party deployees in government, some
MPs are questioning the sincerity of some of
the ministers in serving the country and pur- Local Government minister July Moyo
suing Mnangagwa’s vision.

The latest minister to come under fire is
Masuka after a similar attack on Ncube, who
has been accused by Zanu PF structures of
pursuing policies that are not mending the
economic crisis, but continue to worsen and
impoverish the people.

Masuka replaced the late former Air Force
chief and ex-Lands minister Perrance Shiri
who died under mysterious circumstances in
2021 and was buried at the National Heroes'
Acre.

MPs in the Lands Parliamentary Commit-
tee this week added their voice to the grow-
ing displeasure targeted at the “technocratic”
ministers and attacked Masuka, accusing him
of ignoring them and pursuing an agenda that
runs contrary to expectations while sidelining
Zanu PF and other stakeholders.

The committee chairperson and Gok-
we-Nembudziya MP, Justice Mayor Wady-
ajena, said they were now questioning the
motives of officials in the Lands ministry, in-
cluding the minister himself.

“What do they want to achieve at the end
of the day? Are they there to destroy the par-
ty? Do they want to destroy the President?”
Wadyajena asked.

“They say they are not politicians but tech-
nocrats; you cannot separate their positions
with politics. They are products of politics,”
he added.

Wadyajena said they have invited Masuka
to appear before the committee on several oc-
casions but accused him of failing to respect
its mandate by not showing up.

“They do not further the interests of the
President.”

Several Zanu PF legislators concurred with
Wadyajena, with some arguing Masuka was
organising programmes in their constituencies
and not inviting them.

This also seemed to confirm that Zanu PF
thrives on using government programmes
to campaign to the electorate, particularly
through agricultural events that attract thou-
sands and have provided the party with a cap-
tive audience.

The Zanu PF MPs’ outburst also came after
party supporters in Harare openly castigated
Ncube for failing to address the economic cri-
sis and pushing policies that were hitting the
people hard.

Supporters also said there was now suspi-
cion that Ncube is working to sabotage Zanu
PF and his actions have become a threat to the
party ahead of next year’s elections.

The party supporters now openly accused
some of Mnangagwa’s ministers and the party
deployees to government of pushing policies
that will likely cost the party in 2023.

Zanu PF Harare provincial secretary for
economic affairs Blessing Chimanga, whose
department organised the meeting, said the
metropolitan province needed proper devel-
opment if the ruling party entertained any
hopes of winning.

He warned saboteurs, accusing them of en-
dangering the party.

“We hope to have answers for all those
questions we are grappling with. If the econ-
omy remains unwell, we will have no joy as
a party in Harare. Reasons for this mess are
so many. We had a central bank official who
clearly did not have answers for a number of
problems raised here.”

“In 2017, the rate was 1:1. The United
States dollar and the black market were at
1:2 when Patrick Chinamasa was the Finance
minister. When a professor of economics came

NewsHawks News Page 13

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

FORMER vice-president Kembo Mohadi’s Mohadi’s daughter struggled
daughter Abigail Millicent Mohadi Ambrose with job interview questions
(AMA), who is part of six recently sworn-in
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) com- AMA: Please may you repeat the question… Abigail Millicent Mohadi please, so that we move on to the next question.
missioners, had a difficult time answering Mudenda: I’ll do so. To what extent has the conduct and supervise elections for the provincial, AMA: And to make sure that citizens grievanc-
job-interview questions when she appeared be- 2013 constitution and the electoral law been im- and the municipal, local governing authorities as
fore Parliament’s Committee on Standing Rules plemented since the 2013 elections to date? well as to to prepare, conduct and supervise elec- es are heard and attended to.
and Orders. She was among the 32 shortlisted AMA: What extent? tions for the National Council of Chiefs and its Speaker of Parliament (Advocate Jacob Mu-
candidates who were interviewed for possible Mudenda: To what an extent? members as as applied in section 285 of the con-
appointment to serve as commissioners. In AMA: Okay in I’ll try to answer it the best way stitution, to ensure that all elections, as sorry as denda ): Ok thank you, the next question is ques-
view of her controversial appointment by Pres- that I understand question. Umm the 2013 con- well as prepare to conduct and supervise referen- tion number eight.
ident Emmerson Mnangagwa as a Zec commis- stitution . . . Can I pass I don't understand the dums to ensure that all elections are free are fair
sioner on Thursday this week, The NewsHawks question. are transparent and credible. In addition to that, Unnamed MP: Consider that you met a citizen
publishes below — in the public interest — the Mudenda: Can I repeat the question. To what it is to supervise elections in the Senate as well as who tells you that registering to vote is not im-
unedited excerpts of her interview: an extent has the 2013 constitution and the elec- supervised elections in the selection of the Speak- portant. Explain how you can convince a person
toral law been implemented since the 2013 elec- er of the House of Assembly. The other functions to register and vote.
Speaker of National Assembly (Jacob Mu- tions up to date? include registering voters, making sure that the
denda): Please take a seat. AMA: Ummm, so the constitution under sec- voters' rolls and voters registers are kept and ac- AMA: In that scenario, I would suggests to
tion 239 came about the Electoral Act, chapter cessible to the public. Other functions include the them if they know what voting is ,what changes
AMA: Thank you sir. two and 30 the, under the the functions of the limitation of constant constituencies and words do they expect to come out of a vote? In Isinde-
Mudenda: Mrs Ambrose Mohadi, you are here Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, of which it is to and any electoral demarcations, to promote voter bele they say (umntwana ongakhaliyo ufela em-
to answer six questions in the next 15 minutes. promote, conduct and supervise elections for the education as well as increase research in coming up belekweni) . . . which means a child who doesn’t
Please may you remove your mask so that we can President and the national assembly, to promote with electoral forms . . . cry dies. So, If they have grievances as a citizen of
hear you properly. First question is why should Zimbabwe, the only way, not the only way that
this committee recommend you for a possible Mudenda: Can you wind up your response one of the means they can be heard is if they vote.
appointment to serve as a commissioner on the Voting doesn't necessarily mean they will win in
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission? their favour, but it means they've taken the first
AMA: Firstly good afternoon honourables. step to see or to be the change that they want to
Why should the committee recommend to be a be. So I would encourage them. And if I have the
commissioner, because, I’m very patriotic, I’m a literature, voting literature to share with them,
unique individual. and teach them what they can do, if they did vote.
Mudenda: Just a second . . . Madam Ambrose
Mohadi, I asked you the first question: Why Mudenda: Next question, Senator Mwonzora,
should this committee recommend you for a pos- question number nine.
sible appointment to serve as commissioner on
the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission? Senator Mwonzora: Thank you very much,
AMA: Thank you. Ummmm like I just said Mrs Ambrose. What do you understand by elec-
ummmm, the com, I’d love a recommendation toral delimitation and what are the principles that
from this committee because I am a very patriotic ensure that the process of delimitation is demo-
... cratic?
Mudenda: Can you raise your voice please . . .
AMA: I’m a very patriotic individual who loves AMA: The process of delimitation is a process
this country and would love to serve in this coun- of demarcating boundaries for electoral processes,
try in whatever capacity I can get. I would say I'm delimitation stems from section 160 of the consti-
a very well rounded person, which is evident in tution. The process of delimitation happens every
my CV. I have worked as a, I started my career 10 years after a census, which is supposed to be
as a junior accountant in a foreign country, where done six months before a presidential election date
out of 3 000 interviewees, I made it into a top is given out. The process of delimitation FOR Zec,
12 into KPMG as an auditor from a young age, I ZEC is mandated to delimit but in the process of
progressed through the ranks KPMG and Biggio delimitation they are supposed to engage relevant
kingdom in Australia from there, I have done a stakeholders which is other political parties, con-
lot of mission work as a volunteer in other coun- stituency leaders as well as local authorities and the
tries in India and in Malaysia. And then when I public. In delimitation, it’s important that the area
came back from my studies in when I moved back that is being delimited has access to information
to Zimbabwe, I ran Vitafoam, which is a manu- and as well as the people are made aware of the
facturing firm in Bulawayo, making furniture, process that is going on and you cannot and the
and beds. I was in charge of over 200 employees, constituencies need to be come up to 210.
of whom the majority were much older than I
was. So with the experience of being an accoun- Mudenda: Finished, yes? We go to the next
tant, administrator, the mission work that I have question, question number 11, Honourable Gezi.
taken part in and as well as doing development
as a development. I'm also a development prac- Honourable Gezi: Thank you, Mr Speaker Sir.
titioner. I'm also a farmer. So as a development Mrs Ambrose, how would you evaluate the effec-
practitioner, I've been able to interact with people tiveness of Zec?
from different walks of life, engaging with differ-
ent communities, participating in activities that AMA: I believe the effectiveness of Zec can be
enhance people's lives from grassroots all the way evaluated by if there is an increase in the number
to the highest level. So I do not fear people per se, of voters if the population feels they are part of
but I respect every person from every walk of life the processes of Zec. If there is no not no but if
through my experience. Hence I believe I would there is fewer disputes after an election. Current-
be a good recommendation to Zec because Zec is ly, I think there's more Electoral Commission
a participatory commission. Zec engages with all is doing a good job because some of the reports
sorts with people from different walks of life and that have come from previous elections, there is
it promotes, it prepares, conducts and supervises the Zimbabwe Media Commission which moni-
elections at all levels, which I have covered in my tors media during elections and gives all political
CV. So, I believe I would be a good candidate. parties a fair a fair ground of fair opportunities to
Speaker of Parliament (Advocate Jacob Mu- campaign. Ummm in the polling stations, in the
denda ): Second question, why do you think the last elections, there was translucent boxes, which
government of Zimbabwe created the Zimbabwe is showing that Zec is becoming more transpar-
Electoral Commission? ent to an extent, the availability or that when re-
AMA: There is various answers to that ques- sults are counted at a polling station, and all pallet
tion, but I believe initially, when Zec was at its political parties and candidates are all day in the
inception it was called the Electoral Supervisory halls counting, and then the results being posted
Council of which it was under the Registrar-Gen- outside the polling station shows that the Zim-
eral and I think because Zec is supposed to be to babwe Electoral Commission is actually showing
help with the checks and balances of government, reforms and it's becoming better in comparison
there was a dispute they because they were not part to previously when no one knew about it. Howev-
of government under the registry. Hence it had to er, I would recommend that the commission taps
be an independent commission. So in saying that into the voting the youth and gender, Women and
in saying that its creation is going with the world gender by providing voters education that is spe-
standards as well that elections need to be free fair cific to them using mediums that are understand-
and credible, there needs to be transparency, it en- able to them.
hances democracy, as well as enhances the human
rights for the people of human rights freedoms for For example, the medium social media pres-
the people of this nation. It creates transparency it ence of Zec is not as prominent as it should be
creates a democracy and makes us world citizens. because looking at it from a young adult’s perspec-
Mudenda: Next question: To what extent has tive where we want everything on our fingertips,
the 2013 constitution and the electoral law been it's not readily available to the general public, so in
implemented since the 2013 elections to date? saying that that needs to improve its presence in
the social media arena to also get more voters and
improve its service provision.

Page 14 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

THE appointment of former Imposition of ex-VP’s daughter
vice-president and Zanu PF compromises ZEC's credibilty
co-deputy leader Kembo Mohadi’s
daughter Abigail Millicent Am- Opposition parties, led by the CCC, are demanding electoral reforms, especially Zec (below) overhaul, before the crucial 2023 general elections.
brose to the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (Zec) will further
compromise the integrity and
credibility of the elections body
mainly run by the ruling party's
cronies, analysts have said.

President Emmerson Mnangag-
wa on Thursday appointed Abigail
a Zec commissioner, together with
Catherine Mpofu, Jane Mbetu
Nzvenga Kudzai Shava, Rosewita
Murutare, and Shepherd Manhivi.

Zec is already staffed and stuffed
with sympathisers of the ruling
party accused of swaying the vote
in Zanu PF's favour.

The legitimacy and acceptabili-
ty of an election depends in large
part on the actual and perceived
integrity of the electoral process,
analysts said, amid fears that next
year's polls could be disputed in
the wake of the latest appoint-
ments.

Given that her father is a senior
Zanu PF leader, it is unlikely that
Abigail, who has a conflict of in-
terest and is compromised by her
family circumstances, will be an
impartial Zec officer, analysts ar-
gue.

The situation is exacerbated by
the fact that Zec is already run by
partisan officers, including judges
and military personnel.

If voters and candidates strongly
believe an election is fraudulent,
rigged or has been poorly adminis-
tered, they may not accept the out-
come, observers say, on the back of
Zec's failure to ensure biometric
voting.

At best, this could trigger public
discontent or disinterest; at worst,
violence, chaos and political insta-
bility, stoking fears of the bloody
scenes of 1 August 2018 in which
six civilians were killed in central
Harare. Hundreds had come out
demanding the release of the pres-
idential results that day.

Commenting on the controver-
sial appointment, opposition Citi-
zens' Coalition for Change spokes-
person Fadzayi Mahere said: “This
raises serious conflict of interest
issues and goes to the root of the
constitutional imperative for Zec
to be independent and non-parti-
san.”

“The unacceptable appearance
of Zanu PF bias is impossible to
shake off in the circumstances.
Rest assured, we will challenge this
as we continue to fight for elec-
toral reforms as we approach the
landmark elections in 2023.”

Opposition parties, led by the
CCC, are demanding electoral re-
forms, especially a Zec overhaul,
before the crucial 2023 general
elections.

Zimbabwe’s elections are usual-
ly disputed and this partly lies at
the heart of the country’s national
failure and rulers’ lack of legitima-
cy.

Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza
said: “Not surprising; patronage is
legion in this dispensation. It’s dis-
pensed with impunity.”

Rashweat Mukundu, a political
commentator, said the decision to
appoint a top Zanu PF member's
daughter into an election body
spelt doom for the 2023 polls.

“Nepotism and political cap-
ture of governance institutions are
putting petrol to the burning Zim
political inferno. This is a reckless
decision that will create more cha-
os in 2023,” Mukundu said. —
STAFF WRITER

NewsHawks News Page 15

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Crumbling economy
likely to nail Zanu PF
in elections — Chan

NYASHA CHINGONO Zimbabwe is also facing a shortage of grain, Several analysts believe the country’s economic downturn is making Zanu PF unpopular.
with the government looking to import from
POLITICAL analyst and University of Lon- neighbouring countries in the coming weeks. would vote for Chamisa against 30% for Mnan- in 2009 when founding MDC leader Morgan
don Professor Stephen Chan, who has followed gagwa. Tsvangirai enjoyed a lead over the late Zanu PF
Zimbabwean politics closely for more than four “Everyone understands it’s going to get worse leader Robert Mugabe. That was two weeks after
decades, has predicted that President Emmer- and what people are coming to understand is not This is only the second time that an Afroba- the consummation of the Government of Na-
son Mnangagwa will lose the 2023 presidential that it's going to get worse before it gets better. rometer survey has shown an opposition candi- tional Unity (GNU) and euphoria was high.
election to CCC president Nelson Chamisa al- People are coming to understand it’s not going to date leading in Zimbabwe. The first time was
though he doubts that the opposition will win a get better under the current economic policies,”
majority in Parliament. Chan told The NewsHawks.

Chan’s sentiments in a wide-ranging interview “If they change economic policies, of course,
with The NewsHawks this week dovetail with I think that the poor people will benefit after
those of several commentators who believe the a short period of great difficulty. The oligarchs
economic downturn will make the ruling Zanu will suffer, but there aren't enough oligarchs to
PF unpopular ahead of next year’s general elec- win an election. So, I’m thinking that Zanu PF
tion. Chan has been in Harare since last week. has got to re strategise if it wants to have a sure
chance of winning the elections,” he added.
A survey conducted by the Mass Public
Opinion Institute (MPOI) whose findings were While Zanu PF and President Emmerson
released in June shows the incipient decline of Mnangagwa are hamstrung by a non-perform-
Mnangagwa and the rise of Chamisa. ing economy, the Citizens' Coalition for Change
(CCC) also lacks the right arsenal to win an elec-
Zanu PF officials are also unsettled by the gov- tion, Chan argues.
ernment’s failure to address the economic chal-
lenges affecting the country, amid concerns that “I don't see the CCC as being as well-organ-
this may result in the party losing elections next ised as the old MDC under Morgan Tsvangirai.
year. That was a bit of a shambolic ship sometimes but,
by and large, it was a tight electoral machine. Mr
“Well, it might be harder to fix the elections Chamisa doesn't have that kind of machine. He
this coming time. Obviously there will be vio- doesn't have a front bench; he doesn't have a top
lence and things like that, but the economy is leadership around him, and he seems reluctant to
doing so badly,” Chan said. try to form that kind of leadership cadre around
him. He can't do it by himself so he might do
“It’s not so much the possibility of the CCC well personally,” he said.
and Mr Chamisa winning the elections but I'm
looking at very much Zanu PF losing the elec- Chamisa polled 2.6 million votes in the 2018
tions because they've performed so poorly in elections and in some constituencies polled bet-
terms of the economy. Even people who are fa- ter than his member of Parliament.
vourably disposed towards the government are
suffering very, very greatly because of economic Winning the popular vote, Chamisa remained
downturn.” a strong candidate, narrowly losing to Mnangag-
wa.
Zimbabwe was recently put on the red list of
hunger hotspots by the World Food Programme “As the presidential candidate, he remains
(WFP), which had earlier predicted that nearly popular, but I doubt very much whether his par-
three million people living in the urban areas face ty will win enough seats to gain a parliamentary
hunger. majority, for instance,” Chan said.

According to the Famine Early Warning Sys- The Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI)
tems Network (FewsNet), nearly 10 million peo- survey showed that the Zanu PF leader would
ple will be in need of food aid by September. lose to the CCC leader if elections are held now.
The survey signals that 33% of respondents

FewsNet says nearly 10 million people in Zimbabwe will be in need of food aid by September.

Page 16 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Chamisa can defeat Mnangagwa in 2023 ...

ZIMBABWE has been reeling under a mul- Professor of world politics at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, Stephen Chan
tifaceted economic and political crisis since
2000, and it appears there is no end in sight. rewrote their reports, because they then realised has decayed. The reason why you're having bad eryone understands it's going to get worse. And
Amid chronic high inflation, Zimbabwe is that all of the stories that they had heard about harvests every time there are poor rains, is because what people are coming to understand is not that
confronted with a crucial general election in electoral violence were true, that they're prepared you've not maintained the nationwide network of it's going to get worse before it gets better; peo-
2023, with President Emmerson Mnangag- to launch an attack against even the most distin- small dams. That's not rocket science. That's just ple are coming to understand it's not going to
wa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa as guished visitors. I'm actually staying in the very a bit of planning, and a bit of hard work, and a bit get better under the current economic policies. If
the main protagonists. Analysts describe next suite where President Mahama of Ghana stayed of care. So, all of that's lacking. So, no big inves- they change economic policies, of course, I think
year’s poll as a watershed moment, with the and, at that time, you had one of the most dis- tor is going really to risk coming into Zimbabwe, that the poor people will benefit after a short pe-
deteriorating economy likely to decide the tinguished former African presidents here. Can if their sector does not have clear infrastructure riod of great difficulty. Of course, the oligarchs
outcome. In Harare, The NewsHawks reporter, you just imagine what would have happened if already in place. will suffer, but there aren't enough oligarchies to
Nyasha Chingono (NC), spoke to a professor they had launched the teargas canisters, and these win an election.
of world politics at the University of London’s very, very distinguished people were here. Just the NC: Then recently, some UK legislators blasted
School of Oriental and African Studies, Ste- threat of doing that was enough to make them former British ambassador to Zimbabwe Catrio- So, I'm thinking that Zanu PF has got to
phen Chan (SC), on Zimbabwe’s diplomatic reconsider their reports, saying that the threat of na Liang over what I would describe as call diplo- re-strategise if it wants to have a sure chance of
re-engagement drive as well as the state of the violence was real in these elections, that therefore matic deception over the 2017 military coup that winning the elections. Because I don't see the
economy in the context of next year’s general if they're going to be re-admitted to the Com- ousted Robert Mugabe. Do you do think that the CCC as being as well-organised as the old MDC
election. Chan has been in the country since monwealth this whole playing field has got to be British were misled into supporting this regime? under Morgan Tsvangirai. That was a bit of a
last week. He predicted a Zanu PF loss in the levelled in a way as transparently as possible. shambolic ship but sometimes, by and large, it
presidential vote, but also cast doubt on the SC: The British and other governments, in was a tight electoral machine. Mr Chamisa
Citizens’ Coalition for Change’s ability to win NC: President Emmerson Mnangagwa sent fact, were prepared to give some benefit of the doesn't have that kind of machine. He doesn't
a majority in Parliament. Below are excerpts of two government representatives to the United doubt in 2017. They thought there might be a have a front bench; he doesn't have a top lead-
the interview: Kingdom to negotiate trade and investment. Is chance for a new start. And, in fact, I would ad- ership around him. And he seems reluctant to
this a viable route? vise the British minister for Africa, Rory Stewart, try to form that kind of leadership cadre around
NC: You have been interested in the affairs to come here. I helped him write a speech that he him. And he can't do it by himself. So he might
of Zimbabwe pre-independence and after 1980. SC: Well, you can send as many emissaries as gave, which is supposed to give a gesture of guard- do well personally as the presidential candidate,
What is your assessment of the situation in this you'd like, but when you're 'open for business', ed welcome but also to lay down again the same but I doubt very much whether his party will win
country? to use the President mantra now, you've actual- conditions the Commonwealth has laid down, enough seats to gain a parliamentary majority, for
ly got to provide real evidence that you are open particularly in terms of the electoral reform issues instance.
SC: Well, the country was beautiful and re- for business, which means you've got to have a that everyone was concerned about. So, without
mains one of the most beautiful countries in this regulatory framework here, in Zimbabwe, which those, you can talk about deception. You can talk NC: During the by-elections, you confessed
part of the world. So, people should be proud is transparent, which allows repatriation of prof- about being open for business, blah, blah, blah. that Chamisa is a strong candidate ahead of next
of the country in which they live. But there's its, and provides infrastructure for what you want Nothing happens as bedrock. In other words, un- year’s elections. Does he stand a chance of getting
absolutely no doubt that you had to go back to your investment to do. Basically, if I was going to less there's a fair playing field here, the investors a good result in 2023?
1980, (and look at) a white regime that looked advise any corporation right now about whether won't come, the Chinese might come, but even
down on black people. So, liberation accom- to invest in some way, I would say — point blank they won't build your infrastructure for you. SC: Yes, but he won the seats that he should
plished in the genuine uplifting of black people — that your investment will not have enough have won and, even then, Zanu PF picked up a
to accomplish genuine equality. Whether or not infrastructural support. And even the Chinese NC: The 2018 general elections were disputed. couple of seats. What I'm looking at when you
it was able to fulfil the other ambitions of inde- are finding this. For instance, there's a lot of fuss Do you think Zimbabwe is going down that road look at, say, the Afrobarometer new data, he's
pendence is another question, of course; things about a big Chinese corporation coming in to do again in 2023? only got a 2% lead, now that's not enough. In the
to do with freedom, things to do with prosper- lithium mining, but they're not going to be able Zambia elections before recent ones, which saw
ity, the big question marks over all those things to do battery-grade lithium, which is what makes SC: Well, it might be harder to fix the elections Mr [Hakainde] Hichilema win those elections,
right now. And I think, especially over prosperity, them money because there's not enough infra- this coming time. I mean, obviously, the bad real that was a change of government. Before the elec-
I think the economic situation here now is such structure here to support that. And they're basi- violence and things like that. But the economy is tions, which in fact I was attending, he only had
that you've got the highest inflation rate in the cally saying, do you want us to build the infra- doing so badly. It's not so much the possibility of on paper a 2% lead that, in fact, the government
entire world. And this is the second time you've structure; you cannot expect any investor to build the CCC and Mr Chamisa winning the elections. also was projecting for itself a 2% lead. At last,
done it, in 2007-2008, It was by far the highest a national infrastructure for you, so what's hap- But I'm looking at very much Zanu PF losing the the 2% went to government, but 2% is 2%; you
and broke every single record in modern history. pened is that there's either no national infrastruc- elections because they've performed so poorly, in can massage to use a certain interesting word in
We won't get as bad as that now, but one would ture or the national infrastructure for industry has terms of the economy. this last election, whichever one, get a 10% only,
have hoped that people would have learned from decayed, just like the infrastructure of agriculture you can massage down 10%. So, if Mr Chamisa
history not to make the same mistakes, but the Even people who are favourably disposed to- is leading now, according to Afrobarometer, that's
same mistakes have been made again. So, when I wards the government are suffering very, very
look at this country, I look at the progress that has greatly because of economic downturns. And ev-
been made, and look with disappointment that
the whole idea of economic planning and public
administration has not improved as much as it
should have.

NC: Zimbabwe has been battling to return to
the Commonwealth and the recently held Com-
monwealth Heads of Government Meeting in
Rwanda did not accede to its re-admission. What
do you think is preventing Zimbabwe’s re-admis-
sion to the Commonwealth?

SC: Basically, there are certain criteria that
you've got to meet to be a member of Common-
wealth. And this was made clear by the Com-
monwealth observers at the last elections, because
they wrote a separate report to the one on how
the elections were conducted, with a separate
report to the Commonwealth secretary-general
about whether this country could be readmitted
and a number of criteria were laid down, which
basically centred around electoral reform, so there
that would be a fair playing field when the next
elections come. Generally speaking, I think that
not just the Commonwealth; the world at large
thinks that not enough progress has been made
in electoral reform. And the Commonwealth ob-
servers were very much mindful of that because
they themselves experienced violence during the
election. At this very hotel, for instance, at the
Bronte Hotel [in Harare], just after the election,
observers were staying here, the riot police armed
with 41 teargas launchers came and tried to break
up a meeting that Mr Chamisa was wanting to
hold. Basically, he wanted to announce that he
was conceding the election in a dignified fash-
ion, which he went on to do, but the police were
obviously prepared to break up this meeting
violently. Many of these observers were very el-
derly, it would have caused a huge international
controversy if the teargas had been launched. But
that very evening, that very evening, observers

NewsHawks News Page 17

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

not a reliable figure. I think there's something not try going bankrupt. In other words, the IMF is NC: What is your assessment of President President Emmerson Mnangagwa
quite exact about their polling, but it's the best prepared to drip-feed the country, so it maintains Mnangagwa’s rule since 2017? that Zanu PF commands Parliament and Chami-
we've got right now. They've easily divided 2% enough solvency for future recovery. But you owe sa somehow manages to become the president,
and you look at the distribution of his voting sup- money to everyone, even your neighbours like SC: Well, compared with the hopes, this is a then they must come up with cohabitation. That
port, he's still not penetrated the countryside suf- South Africa, for instance, whenever you buy disappointment. He's not listening to technocrat- might be enough of a signal for people to start
ficiently, or 2% is not enough to overcome these electricity from a neighbour. ic advice. Like president Mugabe, he has tried to thinking, well, maybe we can re-engage.
interesting adjustments that can easily be made to manage the factions in the party and ensuring that
the accounting process. I'm not sure who's paying for that; South Af- their bricks and mortar stay rich. In other words, NC: What is your assessment of the efforts of
ricans actually paid a lot of the time, whether by the party comes first, and the nation comes sec- the country’s Foreign Affairs minister Frederick
NC: The British government over the past two way of grant or by way of loans, I'm not really ond. And you can't be a national president with Shava, in light of his re-engagement drive?
years has drastically decreased aid to Africa. What sure. You owe the African Development Bank that kind of outlook. So you've got to look be-
do you think is the impact of that move vis-à-vis money. You owe the IMF and the World Bank yond the party, you've got to look beyond the key SC: It is not very effective, and he's not helped
how China is gaining a foothold in Africa? money. You owe many countries money and, of section, the rich oligarchy. That's the intention of by the fact that, by and large, ambassadors are
course, you owe China a lot of money. No one doing that, everyone just wants to maintain pow- not doing much. I mean, I live in London, I was
SC: The world has reduced aid, not only to could function forever on debt, and I think that er. And no one's satisfied with the money they've invited often to diplomatic receptions and cock-
Africa, but everywhere, because we're having one of the very wise things that the Zambian new got, whether it was gotten honestly or dishonest- tail parties. I look around for the Zimbabwean
a financial crisis ourselves. So, the aid budget president who told me they just decided on day ly, or a combination of both. ambassador who should be working the room,
has been cut and China, of course, although it one that we've got to find a way to stop regular- making friends. At least the other African am-
seems to be increasing aid for certain projects, ising and repaying this debt. Otherwise, there's NC: What are the factors that are likely to help bassadors are very, very active. He's supposed to
is also having a financial difficulty right now — no future, we just keep going downhill and being restart the Zimbabwe's international diplomatic make good speeches that are important, then use
although not as big as Western countries. The held to ransom by other people. re-engagement drive? that. It just can't be the President speaking at that
Chinese have so many reserves, they can weather boss or whatever. The foreign minister has got to
any storm. But even so, they're not being reckless SC: If there's a split when election results say be seen at these places.
anymore.
CCC leader Nelson Chamisa
So, what you're seeing is they want their loans
repaid. We see that in Zambia, for instance, one
of the big problems of the negotiations is that
it's hard to beat the Chinese debt environments.
One-third of the external debt in Zambia is owed
to the Chinese — it might even be more here [in
Zimbabwe] — but your figures here are totally
unreliable, so we can't really make a judgement.
So, the Chinese want debts repaid, and some-
times willing to extend [repayment period], but
they're not going to reduce them [amounts owed]
dramatically. And you've got a problem. Also, I've
always said this with Chinese aid, which is a gift.
So this beautiful new part of the pie, the Chinese
parliament, it's got nothing Zimbabwean about
it. They've got to pay back the money for the air-
port, but there's nothing Zimbabwean about it.
It's the same as any airport building anywhere in
Africa or any other parts of the world. It's just
straight off the shelf. The parliament building, is
straight off a shelf. One would like to go out there
and see something which is reminiscent of Zim-
babwean history and Zimbabwean culture but
there's nothing like that, it's just a circular stan-
dard Chinese-built parliament building. Now
you look at countries like Senegal, they priori-
tise their architects who are building new public
works and new public buildings, or Zimbabwean
architects don't get a look at these prestige proj-
ects that should have a Zimbabwean mark on
them. So, the Chinese do good things, but it's at
a certain cost, not just the money for their loans.
There's no local identity in these gifts anymore.

NC: Zimbabwe has lost billions of dollars'
worth of mineral resources. Is this all-weather
friendship costly?

SC: Almost every country has got foreign in-
terests mining, but there is a problem when you
concentrate most of these interests just in one
provider — Chinese companies — then you've
not diversified your risk. There's always a risk
involved when you're looking at foreign partner-
ships. There's no diversification risk, which means
that one country can hold you hostage. It is much
harder for many corporations from different
countries to do that. Also, mining has got certain
problems attached to it. First, you've got environ-
mental costs, and then you've got labour issues.
Are you going to treat your employees fairly, for
instance? That's not always the case. But the main
difficulty is that I'm not sure the government has
got enough experts, or the novelistic experts don't
seem to understand the chain of processing the
raw material needs before we can learn proper
money on the export markets. Africa should have
grown out of the stage where they're just provid-
ing raw materials for everyone else, that was the
colonial model. They should process it.

Everyone's now talking about the new steel
works that is meant to produce high-grade steel,
and that all the raw materials are within a few 100
kilometres. But if you look at the map in terms
of the road linkages, you think about the trucks,
bringing all those raw materials over these bad
roads, you've got a problem.

NC: Zimbabwe is reeling under heavy foreign
debt. What is the sentiment around the world on
the country’s prospects of settling the debt?

SC: The feeling is that no one's going to get
their money back. Because the country doesn't
have the capacity to do that. So, the lenders that
are coming in right now, of course, the Chinese,
the IMF [International Monetary Fund] want
to manage the situation. They do not want the
country to go bankrupt because then nothing
gets repaid. No one has an interest in the coun-

Page 18 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Zim crisis needs Sadc attention: CCC

MOSES MATENGA l Arrests of MPs sign of new repression

ZANU PF is showing signs of panic and has Mkoba
activated state machinery to silence Citizens' Member of
Coalition for Change (CCC) leaders ahead of Parliament
the 2023 elections, hence the volatile political Amos Chibaya
situation in the country now requires the ur-
gent attention of Sadc and the African Union, a wayo) is dealing with the matter and the inter- Several CCC leaders are in the dock facing atile period as the country braces for the 2023
senior opposition official said this week. national community should be made aware of different charges they believe were frivolous elections.
the crisis we are faced with. and tantamount to abuse of the law to silence
The latest evidence of the siege on CCC se- them. Zanu PF has denied abusing the police Observers said the situation now was an in-
nior officials was the arrest of Mkoba Member “We have our leaders being arrested and cit- to consolidate their grip on power. dicator of more danger to come ahead of the
of Parliament Amos Chibaya, who is also the izens being harassed and that is a danger, espe- crucial elections in which President Emmerson
party’s national organiser. He is accused of ad- cially as we go towards elections. The playing Lawyers, human rights defenders and civil Mnangagwa faces a stiff challenge from CCC’s
dressing an illegal gathering in Masvingo some- field has to be level.” society leaders have warned of a potentially vol- Nelson Chamisa.
time in April.

Chibaya is in the dock together with several
other opposition leaders who include vice-pres-
idents Tendai Biti and Lynette Karenyi-Kore.

Civil society actors are also being targeted
for arbitrary arrests in what observers say was
a reflection of a deteriorating political situation
ahead of the elections.

Chibaya told The NewsHawks this week that
the intimidation of CCC supporters and arrests
of the opposition and civil society members in-
dicated the governing party is in panic mode.

“The regime is panicking,” Chibaya said.
“They have seen the level of support our par-
ty has and our rural penetration and mobilisa-
tion strategy has jolted them into this kind of
action.
“By using the police, they are simply trying
to silence us from carrying out our activities,
mainly in the rural areas that used to be Zanu
PF strongholds.”
He said tables have turned and the opposi-
tion was making inroads in the Zanu PF power
base, hence the ruling party resorting to block-
ing their gatherings and arresting leaders.
“The people in the rural areas are suffering
and everyone is calling for change. The reason
they are arresting us is for us to stop, but we
will not stop and we will go ahead. We have a
programme codenamed Mugwazo in the rural
areas and the level of support in the rural areas
shows we will win there because they are suffer-
ing like all of us,” Chibaya said.
“We are dealing with a regime that doesn’t
want to go and the only way is to vote them
out. We have engaged Sadc and AU, our secre-
tary for international relations (Gladys Hlaty-

NewsHawks News Page 19

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Fresh fissures over
million-dollar Warren

Hills golf project

MOSES MATENGA Ngadziore said he will not support the proj- Businessman Ken Sharpe
ect until residents’ issues are addressed.
HARARE councillors are at war over the sale
of Warren Hills Golf Course which has faced He has blocked the move for the third time
resistance from residents who feel the need to now, including the last full council meeting.
block the transaction and retain the recreational
park for posterity. Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) coun-
cillors are said to be blocking the sale of the land
Despite the council’s Environmental Man- to businessman Ken Sharpe’s company, saying it
agement Committee (EMC) seemingly agree- was a deal scandalously arrived at by Zanu PF
ing on the matter and seeking the seal of ap- and MDC-T councillors.
proval of a full council meeting to kickstart the
multi-million-dollar project run by Augur In- “Residents’ concerns are supposed to be ad-
vestments, other councillors led by Mabelreign dressed. Development in recreation areas needs
councillor Denford Ngadziore are adamant that serious consultation of stakeholders. No need to
no development should begin on the facility un- rush. We have an obligation to protect all recre-
less residents are consulted and agree. ation for the future of our children,” Ngadziore
told The NewsHawks on Thursday.
There was a resolution by the EMC to have
the change of reservation of portions of stands In the last full council meeting, Ngadziore
8112, 8113, 8118 Warren Park township and said: “As local councillor, I am in possession of
812 Mabelreign township from open space and a petition from residents. I also convened a con-
recreation (golf course) to mixed use develop- sultative meeting with residents from my ward.
ment (residential, commercial and community I was now in a process of convening another
facilities) (Kirkman Road), Harare Drive, Rich- stakeholder meeting, which includes the Golf-
well Avenue and Sherwood Drive, Harare. ers’ Association.”

It emerged that the committee had visited “From the petition presented to council and
the site and recommended that the permission I, I suggest that we should for the meantime to-
for change of land use be granted. Ngadziore, tally set aside this item or reject this item until
supported by other councillors, challenged the proper or holistic stakeholder engagement is
decision, arguing that due diligence had to be done,” Ngadziore added.
followed.
“I am standing here to protect the future of
“On 9th June 2022, this Committee (Item our children and this city is tampering with
24) had also recommended to Council-(1.) recreational facilities and golf courses. It needs
'That Council accedes to the proposed change serious engagement with stakeholders.”
of reservation of Stands 8112, 8113, 8118 War-
ren Park Township and 812 Mabelreign Town- Mayor Jacob Mafume said there was a need
ship from Public Open Space to a Mixed Use for council to act responsibly in dishing out
Development (Residential, Commercial and land on recreational facilities as the move will
Community Facilities) use’,” minutes of the have a boomerang effect.
EMC read.
“We need to be careful about golf courses,
The committee also recommended that sub- schools, recreational facilities and so on. Let us
ject to the adoption of recommendations, the move for a comprehensive policy on that. War-
application for change of reservation of land ren Hills is historical and we do not want to go
be referred to the honourable minister of Local down in history books that the Mafume council
Government and Public Works in terms of sec- dished out such facilities,” he said.
tion 49 (3) and (4) of the Regional Town Coun-
try Act (Chapter 29:15) for his determination. “We cannot have this iconic facility go just
like that. If we do not do it carefully, it will hit
It was also recommended that the roads sur- international headlines that this council is de-
rounding the Warren Hills Golf Course be re- stroying key facilities.”
surfaced and for local residents to get first prior-
ity in terms of employment. EMC committee chairperson Brian Matione
argued that council must be fair and honest to
investors and also respect the committee that
had done the work. The issue was taken back
to committee.

Page 20 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Harare city faces costly labour payout

MOSES MATENGA . . . as ex-secretary demands above US$1m

COUNCIL is embroiled in a multi-mil- dues. Former Harare City Council chamber secretary Josephine Ncube
lion-dollar fight with a former top employee It was on the basis of the court victory by
who is set to get more than US$1 million, a
house in one of Harare’s affluent suburbs and the two directors that Ncube added to her al-
hefty holiday allowances, among other luxu- ready long list of demands.
ries, as part of a package set to milk the local
authority dry. “The assumption under paragraph (5.6)
of the report was founded on the fact that in
The former employee, Josephine Ncube, terms of the Ministerial Directive-guided re-
was employed as the city’s Chamber Secretary muneration package that was being paid to the
for years before she was initially suspended former senior employee at the time of her re-
and later opted to resign after reaching 60 tirement, no such allowances were still payable
years of age in June 2020. to all Council’s senior executives following the
downward variations of salary packages of all
She had dragged council to court alleging employees in grades 1 to 4 in Council,” the
unfairness in the manner her ouster was or- Human Resources committee report reads.
chestrated and, after a protracted fight, she
then opted for negotiations and brought in a “The above assumption had been height-
list of demands. ened by the Labour Court ruling of June
2019 passed in favour of the City of Harare’s
Ncube, pursuant to the retirement notice, Finance Director and Human Capital Direc-
had in 2020 made various requests that in- tor which had overturned the cutting of their
cluded taking furniture and equipment from salaries and benefits following a Ministerial
her office and writing off the outstanding Directive.”
amount on the purchase price for house um-
ber 52 Harvey Brown Avenue after taking into “In the case involving the two (2)
account the deductions made over the years afore-mentioned Directors, the Labour Court
in-lieu of the housing allowance. had ruled that the downward variation of their
salaries and benefits following the Ministerial
Council is considering paying her a cash Directive had not followed due process of law
benefit based on the years she has served. and ordered that the City of Harare engages
the two (2) Directors for negotiations for an
In July 2020, the local authority eventual- 'equitable’ remuneration package.”
ly adopted the three recommendations and a
negotiating team was appointed in Novem- “The City of Harare had not appealed
ber 2021 to handle the negotiations between against the Labour Court ruling and had al-
Ncube and council. ready sought Council authority to engage the
two (2) Directors for negotiations in line with
“Notwithstanding the Council resolution the Labour Court order. Preparations for the
noting the various requests, on 3rd Febru- negotiations in compliance with the Labour
ary 2022 the former Chamber Secretary had Court order were at an advanced stage, with
filed a new set of additional demands which the City of Harare expected to engage one (1)
she categorised under three (3) sub-headings of the two (2) Directors this April 2022 for
as follows –(1) outstanding salaries and allow- negotiations over an equitable salary package.”
ances,
Council said some of Ncube’s demands ap-
(2) outstanding benefits, and (3) transfer peared persuasive and were worth tabling for
of immovable properties that were sold to negotiations as per the former senior employ-
her, among other demands as contained in ee’s request.
her letter dated 3rd February 2022 under cat-
egory (1) of her demands, the former senior Harare City Council.
employee appeared to be basing her claim for
outstanding holiday, housing and entertain-
ment allowances on her previous conditions
of service which were withdrawn from being
part of her total remuneration package fol-
lowing a Ministerial Directive of August 2015
that ordered the downward variation of salary
packages of all senior executives.”

Ncube was part of the 2015 officials who
gobbled up US$500 000 a month, including
hefty packages as well as holiday and travel al-
lowances.

The former chamber secretary was on a
monthly salary of US$34 000 at the time,
but then Local Government minister Ignatius
Chombo blocked that.

Ncube is following in the footsteps of for-
mer town clerk Tendai Mahachi who in 2015
demanded an exit package of US$3 million
coupled with huge demands observers said
bordered on extravagance.

This also comes as council is paying sala-
ries and allowances to more than nine of its
suspended directors and town clerk Hosea
Chisango who are all in court facing different
charges.

Ncube was suspended in 2018 over alle-
gations of improper conduct until her subse-
quent resignation and ultimate demands.

Despite her suspension, Ncube is still enti-
tled to allowances and, if she wins at the nego-
tiating table, she will leave the local authority
with benefits worth millions of dollars.

The Human Resources committee of coun-
cil has since sought a mandate from the city
fathers to extend the authority of the negoti-
ating team handling the matter.

Councillors said that the notice of retire-
ment by the former chamber secretary would
settle the long-standing labour dispute that
was ensuing between Harare City Council
and the senior employee, including court cases
that had been filed by the latter.

Two other directors have labour cases with
Harare and in 2019 won a court battle that
saw council being ordered to pay them their

NewsHawks News Page 21

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Chinhoyi allocates stands on wetlands

NHAU MANGIRAZI Zacc spokesperson cultivation as pollution remain the greatest ment impact assessment process to help out on
John Makamure threat to our wetlands. It is a challenge for our such eventualities. It is a mess in urban areas
A CLASH between some Chinhoyi residents cities and local authorities to comply with na- while rural councils have allowed farming ac-
and the municipality is looming over housing cer Munyaradzi Nhariswa said local authorities tional regulatory authorities,’’ Nhariswa said . tivities to encroach on wet-lands,’’ Nhariswa
stands which were unprocedurally allocated on were the biggest culprits in the destruction of explained.
wetlands in 2012, only for the local authority wetlands in the province. ‘‘Any house is built subject to the environ-
to reverse allocations 10 years in a matter that
has attracted the interest of the Zimbabwe An- ‘‘Human-induced activities including pre-
ti-Corruption Commission (Zacc). mature housing developments, stream bank

Zacc spokesperson John Makamure this
week confirmed that the commission is in the
Mashonaland West provincial capital to probe
the land allocations, among other issues.

‘‘I can confirm that Zacc officials will be in
Chinhoyi carrying out a systems and compli-
ance review targeting various areas, including
land allocation,’’ Makamure said in a written
response.

Combined Chinhoyi Residents’ Association
(CCRA) secretary Numeri Gwazeni confirmed
that some residents were on the brink of evic-
tion after being shortchanged by Chinhoyi
Municipality.

He said the local authority is-sued residents
an ultimatum to stop any further development
on stands allocated on wet-lands in St Ives sub-
urb.

‘‘Our membership is facing challenges with
the municipality over residential stands at St
Ives. Those allocated residential stands at St
Ives were sold before completion of land de-
velopment stages by Chinhoyi Municipality.
Both council and some beneficiaries made
serious blunders after council sold some res-
idential stands on wetlands and went on to
approve building plans for the same. Council
has reversed the approvals and warned affected
beneficiaries, by word of mouth, to stop devel-
opments. This makes it difficult for the affected
beneficiaries to claim compensation or replace-
ments,” Gwazeni said.

He said some beneficiaries were naive as they
developed stands near stream banks.

‘‘Affected residents should have gone back
to council to request replacements. It’s unfor-
tunate now that both parties are now in a log-
jam,’’ he added.

Sources revealed that among the affected res-
idents are those who purchased stands under a
scheme run by the Progressive Teachers' Union
of Zimbabwe (PTUZ).

‘‘Municipal officers told us to stop further
developments until further notice although we
had started off with the foundation process. It
is now difficult to know how we will get our
payments and the way for-ward,’’ said a local
teacher speaking on condition that he is not
named.

According to Gwazeni, at least 200 residents
have been affected after they were allocated
land on wetlands.

‘‘From the look of things, the problem in
some affected areas can be rectified by con-
structing storm drains,’’ he added.

The St Ives stands were partially serviced by
the PTUZ and Good Hope housing coopera-
tives in partnership with Chinhoyi Municipal-
ity.

After completion of the title survey, the
council advertised in the local Press and subse-
quently sold the stands over the counter.

‘‘It was a unilateral decision. Outstanding
land development stages include water and
sewer systems, roads and storm drains that are
still outstanding,’’ added Gwazeni.

Chinhoyi public relations officer Tichaona
Mlauzi confirmed that the stands at the cen-
tre of controversy were allocated by the local
authority.

“I can confirm that the stands at St Ives were
allocated by council. During the period of non-
stop rains, we realised that the stands are on
wetlands. As council we decided to engage in-
dividuals affected and stop them from further
development. This is what we call development
control as we have illegal structures there that
are still yet to be approved,’’ Mlauzi said.

He said council would allocate affected resi-
dents stands in Brundish.

The Mashonaland West Environment Man-
agement Agency education and advocacy offi-

Page 22 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Hwange coal fires pose danger to wildlife

Underground coal seam fires have been burning in Hwange for years .

MARY MUNDEYA

IT is a scorching hot Saturday afternoon and Glo- that such practices are increasing the vulnerability fires erupting where there is abundant wildlife. eas and a report the consultants were supposed to
ria Tomu, a resident of Hwange town’s Makwika of wild animals to underground fires. Wildlife makes the local tourism industry thrive produce in
village, is applying a soothing ointment to her and this will not do us any good.
son’s severely burnt legs. “The granting of coal-mining concessions in March has not been availed to the public.
areas near Hwange National Park is a ticking time “We are calling on the government to look into Asked on the safety nets the Zimbabwe Parks
Her heart is heavy. She is worried about what bomb to the welfare of our animals. Not only is it environmentally friendly ways of generating ener- and Wildlife Management Authority is putting in
the future holds for her community which has promoting their mass movement out of the park gy apart from coal mining,’’ Chima said. place to protect wild animals from the scourge of
for years been ravaged by underground coal seam to areas where the underground fires have been underground coal fires, Farawo said it was diffi-
fires. recorded in search of peace and quiet since they Hwange Colliery Company corporate affairs cult to act without any single case of animal harm
are not fond of noise, the mining activities will manager Beauty Mutombe did not respond to having been recorded.
On 9 September last year, her son Lincoln was be causing, the mining activities by the compa- questions from The NewsHawks. “Wildlife management is science based, con-
burnt in an underground coal seam fire whilst nies will also result in underground fires that will sidering that we have no single recorded case in
coming from church with his grandmother. spread into the national park, putting the entire Hwange Colliery is Zimbawe’s leading produc- which these underground fires harmed an animal,
animal population at risk,” Chima says. er of coal whose decommissioned coal-mining it will be difficult to put resources towards that
The severely injured Lincoln, who was in kin- sites have been producing underground fires. when we have other pressing matters,” he said.
dergarten at the time of the incident, ended up “The future of Hwange as a whole is currently The Hwange community though believes it is
spending two months in hospital. He still strug- hanging by a thread if the underground fires are Early this year, Hwange Colliery Company just a matter of time.
gles to walk properly and constantly scratches the not dealt with. There are increasing chances of the contracted mining consultants from the global
itchy burn scars that are visible on his lower legs DMT Group to investigate the cause of the un-
and feet. derground fires in the town and surrounding ar-

According to Dr Anupma Prakash from the
University of Alaska, coal seam fires, which hap-
pen when a layer of coal ignites, are reported from
nearly all parts of the world where coal reserves are
present and regularly occur in areas where coal is
or was actively mined.

The Worldometer website states that Zimba-
bwe had 553 million tonnes of proven coal re-
serves in 2016, which amounts to 163 years of
coal left, according to the country’s annual con-
sumption.

It is through the exploitation of the huge de-
posits of coal that Hwange town grew.

Apart from the presence oef vast coal deposits,
Hwange is also home to Zimbabwe’s biggest na-
tional park which provides habitat to the world’s
most diverse collection of animal species.

Underground coal seam fires have been burn-
ing in Hwange for years and have caused the
ground to be unsteady, putting the lives of people,
domestic and wild animals that roam around the
area in danger.

Although no cases of wild animals being affect-
ed have been recorded, environmental activists are
increasingly raising concern over their future and
well-being considering how frequent they are en-
croaching into mining and residential areas.

“Overpopulation, habitat loss and shortage
of water have been the major drivers of animal
encroachment into human settlements,’’ Nation-
al Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said.

Fidelis Chima, coordinator of the Greater
Hwange Residents Trust bemoaned the contin-
uous granting of coal-mining concessions into
areas next to Hwange National Park, indicating

NewsHawks News Page 23

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Harare’s street kids endure chilling winter
. . . hunger, violence and biting cold take toll
AYESHA CHIDEMBO
The number of children living on the streets of Harare continues to increase.
BUFFETED by the cold weather, Rudai-
ro Rezende (19) realises that this is a war
he must win, but the battles he must over-
come seem way too enormous for his little
strength.

Amid frigid temperatures, Rezende has
to battle for comfort and territorial control
while also scavenging for food. Life on the
streets of Harare is normally hard, but in
winter Rezende and other homeless people
in his situation, have to tackle a formidable
foe, by way of hostile temperatures.

To homeless people of various ages, win-
ter poses existential threats. The weak and
vulnerable do not survive.

For females, the dangers are more pro-
nounced. It is very common that female
street kids are kidnapped and beaten up
or even sexually abused by males seeking
warmth and comfort in these chilly times.

Desperate to remain alive, many are
forced to cover themselves with cardboard
boxes.

Even those who do not necessarily get
along are forced by the cold to sleep cud-
dled together. But this has its iwn dangers;
rape and sodomy are common.

“We sleep at around 11pm because at
that time there will be a few people walk-
ing and driving around town up to 3am.
But during this time, it will be extremely
cold. The cardboard boxes are not enough.
In this kind of weather, there is no substi-
tute for blankets,” Rezende said.

“When we wake up, the search for card-
board boxes begins. The search continues
until we sleep because we need them at
night to cover ourselves and also to light
fires for warmth. If you are not diligent
you will find nothing because other groups
would have collected before you.

“Some groups fight over cardboard boxes
during this time because there are bullies
and gangs that are militant enough to per-
sonalise everything for their own benefit
and willing to fight anyone who stands in
their way.

“They call themselves zvibaba (godfa-
thers) and we feel their presence in winter
when the fight for warmth takes centre
stage. It becomes messy.”

For 25-year-old Vimbai, a mother of a
two-year-old boy, winter evenings are usu-
ally unbearable and the anguish long. She
cannot keep up.

“Due to winter nowadays we tend to
prepare fire to keep ourselves warm even
around 5pm or throughout the day because
we don’t have anything to keep ourselves
warm,” Vimbai said.

The twin struggle against the winter chill
and gratuitous violence is worsened by the
economic crisis. Getting food is difficult.

Henry Chigama, founder and chief ex-
ecutive officer of EatOut Movement, an
institution which donates food, clothes,
blankets and other necessities to home-
less people, says the organisation has no
resources to cater for all children in the
streets.

“Year in and year out we carry out what
we call winter warm-up, which is a cam-
paign that raises blankets, hats, socks, jack-
ets, warm clothes and we distribute to the
homeless just to protect them from the
cold,” he said.

“But this year we did not hold the winter
warm-up. What we have done is we have
got a group of people that we have taken
and helped to get off the streets and we are
helping them to pay rentals and buy food
until they are able to look after themselves.”

He said their usual assistance has been
hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The number of children living on the
streets of Harare continues to increase,
with many fleeing their homes for vari-
ous reasons, including sexual, physical and
emotional abuse as well as economic hard-
ships and child delinquency.

Page 24 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

THE Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by The ZETDC (below) was seeking to recover US$1 billion in unpaid power supply bills from several local authorities, including Zvishavane.
Zvishavane Town Council, which was seeking to
evade paying a US$4 646 348 debt to a subsidi- Zvishavane council ordered
ary of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority to settle US$4,7m Zesa debt
Holdings (Private) Limited (Zesa).
connected with a matter so specified or for any pensation determinable in terms of Part III, V and June 2016.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and matter for which in terms of this Act provision VIII of the Land Acquisition Act. The subsection Zvishavane sought to set-off the main claim
Distribution Company (ZETDC) Limited had may be made in by-laws. was not subject to the Urban Councils Act.
dragged the local authority to court back in 2016. and prayed for the payment of the remaining
“The exercise of the way leave statutory servi- “The appellant could not, therefore lawfully credit balance of US$10 664 567.50, interest and
The ZETDC was seeking to recover US$1 tude is not one of the matters that is specified in impose way leave charges on the respondent. In cost of suit. However, the ZETDC disputed ow-
billion in unpaid power supply bills from several the Third Schedule. addition, section 227 (1) of the primary Act does ing the counter-claimed way leave charges.
local authorities, including Zvishavane. not confer any power on the appellant to impose a
“I, therefore, agree with Mr Mpofu that the ap- charge on the use of a way leave,” ruled the bench. In the alternative, it pleaded prescription in re-
It successfully sued Zvishavane, which was the pellant could not lawfully levy way leave charges spect of one-half of the claim to 30 June 2013,
applicant before the Supreme Court for unpaid in terms of section 227 (1) of the primary Act. Court papers show that Zvishavane admit- being the retrospective period in excess of three
bills totalling US$4 646 348.60, together with ted owing the amount, but counter-claimed for years from the date on which the counter-claim
interest and costs of suit. “I have already found that section 44 (1) of the unpaid way leave charges and rates amounting was served.
relevant Act, which created way leaves, was only US$15 310 916.10.
Aggrieved by the outcome, Zvishavane ap- subject to the other provisions of section 44 and In the statement of agreed facts, it admitted
pealed at the Supreme Court, seeking to set-off not to any other statute. The amount consisted of way leaves of US$4 owing Zvishavane US$720 984.53 in rates and
the main claim and praying for the payment 750 167 inclusive of 15% VAT incurred during other services other than way leave charges. —
of the remaining credit balance of US$10 664 “The only payment that could be made to the the period extending from 1 January 2011 to 30
567.50, interest and cost of suit. landowner under that provision would be com- STAFF WRITER.

The local authority appealed, complaining that
the lower court had erred in law.

Zvishavane also submitted that the High court
erred in holding that such charge should have
been claimed “within a reasonable time” despite
the 30-year period prescribed by the Prescription
Act [Chapter 8:11].

But the Supreme Court bench, chaired by Jus-
tice Samuel Kudya, dismissed the appeal.

“I, therefore, find that the court a quo was cor-
rect to invoke the doctrine in determining wheth-
er the by-laws were void ab initio and of no force
or effect,” the judge said.

Thabani Mpofu, the lawyer representing the
ZETDC, had submitted that the by-laws were
ultra vires both the primary Act and the relevant
Act.

He argued that way leaves do not form part of
that list.

Mpofu said as way leave charges were not
chargeable under the Electricity Act, they could
not constitute matters for which the appellant
could, in terms of section 227 (1) of the primary
Act, make by-laws.

The bench said section 227 (1) provides that
a council may make by-laws in terms of this part
in relation to any matter specified in the Third
Schedule or anything which is incidental to or

NewsHawks News Page 25

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

BUSANI BAFANA Women have less equitable access
to land than men, study reveals
WOMEN have limited access to land and its
ownership due to discriminatory customary have no interest in,” she said. dent across Africa where strong dependency on system based mainly on smallholder and medi-
laws and practices, rendering them more vulner- Gaidzanwa said in Zimbabwe customary land as a resource means that corruption disad- um-scale farming.
able to the impacts of drought, soil degradation vantages women more.
and desertification than men, a new study says. tenure prevents women from owning land, al- However, female-headed households, which
though they have access to it through their hus- Transparency International identifies forms were entitled to receive six hectares of arable
The research’s findings resonate in many bands or parents who through discretion allo- of corruption which include traditions prevent- land, constituted 18% of smallholder recipi-
countries around the world, including in Zim- cate pieces of land for them to work on. ing women from inheriting land, sexual extor- ents. Worse more, under the provisions for in-
babwe where land ownership is more of a priv- tion by community leaders and land officials, digenous commercial farming, aimed at provid-
ilege than a right for women as customary laws “Women’s access to land is not a right but a and multinational investors appropriating land ing opportunities for previously disadvantaged
determine women’s access and control of land. privilege because it has a lot to do with male traditionally worked by women. Zimbabweans, less than 12% of recipients were
dominance which is necessary in patriarchy. If women.
Even though women are the majority in a woman wants land in her own right she has “Land corruption increases gender dispar-
Zimbabwe, their access to land is much limited to buy commercial land usually in urban areas ities, which undermines women’s livelihoods “Both fall short of the 20% quota for wom-
compared to men. thereby escaping the patriarchal land controls,” and social standing and, ultimately, perpetuates en established arbitrarily by the government in
she said. poverty. While awareness of land corruption as 1998, because very few rural women who need-
Historically, women always comprised the a phenomenon has increased over recent years, ed the land had sufficient assets to meet the eli-
bulk of family, contract, seasonal and casual Land corruption understanding and recognition of how women gibility criteria,” the report says.
labour in Zimbabwe. The majority of workers Apart from the restrictive customary laws are affected differently from men has been lack-
in agriculture before and after land reform are on land tenure being a barrier for women, cor- ing,” it says. According to Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive
women, yet they rarely control the land. ruption in plots and farms allocation is a major Secretary of the UNCCD, their organisation
concern. According to the Transparency Internation- has acknowledged the specific role of women
Even the recent land reform programmes did Land corruption is prevalent in Africa and al 2021 Corruption Perception Index report, in land restoration and sustainable land man-
not address that imbalance. In fact, land reform has a disproportionate effect on women, accord- Zimbabwe is among the top 20 most corrupt agement, as well as the importance of gender
has in some cases further marginalised women ing to a report by Transparency International. countries in Africa with a corruption perception equality as a guiding principle in all policies and
and reduce their commitment to agriculture in The global corruption watchdog noted that index score of 23. Transparency International decisions in the fulfillment of the objectives of
Zimbabwe. land corruption hits the poorest the hardest, un- ranks countries around the world on a scale of the Convention,
dermining efforts to break the cycle of poverty zero to 100; with zero being the most corrupt
The study, Differentiated Impacts of Desertifi- and distorts how income, resources and services and 100 being the least corrupt. The recent UNCCD 15th COP held in Cote
cation, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) are shared between women and men. d’Ivoire convened the Gender Caucus chaired
on Women and Men, commissioned by the Unit- In a report, Women, Land and Corruption, Lawmakers must be engaged in passing and by Dominique Ouattara, the country’s First
ed Nations Convention to Combat Deserti- published in 2018, Transparency International implementing reforms that enable women to who bemoaned that desertification, land deg-
fication (UNCCD), says 102 countries in the says one in five people globally report having fulfill their land rights given the structural and radation and drought in addition to climate
world deny women land rights under custom- paid a bribe for land services. In sub-Saharan political factors behind women’s lack of land in change, saying they were pushing women into
ary, religious, or traditional laws and practices. Africa every second client of land administra- Zimbabwe, the report adds. an endless poverty cycle.
tion services is affected.
Another 103 countries do not criminalise “Women are particularly dependent on land Despite producing an estimated 60% output To break the cycle of marginalisation and
property dispossession or grabbing of inheri- across sub-Saharan Africa,” the report says. from the land and contributing around 70% of poverty, there should be an increased participa-
tance that disadvantages women. “They make up the majority of the agricultur- the agriculture labour, only 18% of women ac- tion of women in economic life and agriculture,
al workforce and have fewer opportunities than tively participate in land decisions compared to especially through land tenure security and the
“Insecure tenure rights are frequently cited men to earn an income by other means.” 30% of men, according to the report. creation of gender-sensitive banks, Outtara said.
as contributing to land and forest degradation,” The report says links between land corrup-
Lorena Aguilar, consultant and lead author of tion, women’s wellbeing and prosperity are evi- For example, Zimbabwe’s Fast-Track Land l This story was produced as part of a
the study, said. Reform Programme, launched in 2000, sought virtual reporting fellowship to the UNC-
to empower black Zimbabweans through the re- CD COP15 supported by Internews’ Earth
The study also reveals that only 20% of global allocation of commercial farms owned by white Journalism Network in partnership with The
landholders are women and where women have settlers, introducing an indigenous farming NewsHawks.
land it tends to be smaller and of poor quality
than that owned by men.

Land is male
The research, which analyses the gender im-
pacts of desertification, land degradation and
drought, also looks at the socio-economic issues
that affect women and men differently when
land is degraded or drought occurs.
“Not having land titles that can be used as
collateral, or the lack of secure tenure, hinders
women’s access to loans and credit, and limits
their access to extension services and training,”
Aguilar said.
He called for the dismantling of power struc-
tures that discriminate against women and the
recognition of women’s land rights.
About 44 countries in the world accord
women the same inheritance rights as men in
both law and practice, while 29 countries do
not grant female surviving spouses and daugh-
ters the same rights to inherit land and non-land
assets as their male equals.
“Consequently, there is no gender equality
without women’s rights to land, and addressing
women’s land rights is imperative to any effort
related to land degradation, desertification and
droughts,” Aguilar, a former Vice-Minister of
Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica, said.
Half of women in all countries surveyed in
the report are facing land degradation and cli-
mate change from a vulnerable position where
they do not have access and control of land, an
economic and social resource.
As a result, women do not invest in land they
have no control of.
“Equitable land governance and land security
tenure are critical to enabling land restoration
efforts led by women, for example, for making
investments for sustainable land management
such as soil conservation and augmentation, ter-
racing, tree planting and establishment of buffer
zones,” Aguilar said.
In Zimbabwe, land ownership is more of a
privilege than a right for women as customary
laws dictate women’s access and control of land,
says Rudo Gaidzanwa, Professor of Sociology at
the University of Zimbabwe
Gaidzanwa researched and published widely
on gender, land and economic empowerment of
women.
“Patriarchal land rights are part of the system
and we need to understand the ramifications of
this system which undermines women's invest-
ment because a woman without rights will not
work or invest in the land they do not own or

Page 26 News NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Neglected Rushinga schools get teachers

Sights from Chimandau Primary School where one teacher was singlehandedly teaching close to a thousand students.

MARY MUNDEYA

FOLLOWING a documentary that was published by The
NewsHawks on 16 February this year, which exposed a shock-
ing scenario in which one teacher had been single handedly
teaching more than 800 pupils at Chimandau Primary School
in Rushinga, 181 teachers have since been deployed to the dis-
trict in a move aimed at lowering the pupil-to-teacher ratio.

The development comes at a time the government is moving
to address the critical shortage of teachers that has greatly affect-
ed rural and remote schools.

The situation was not unique to Chimandau Primary School
alone; several others from the same district, like Matoto and
Maparepare, were also facing the same predicament. At some
point, more than 1 000 students from Kasika Primary School,
also in Rushinga, were left stranded for months when the school
was temporarily closed after the last remaining teacher had left.

Community leaders and parents who were interviewed were
disheartened by the zero percent pass rate that had for years
been recorded by schools in the district. They pleaded with the
relevant authorities to avail teachers as soon as possible, before
children's lives are ruined.

This media coverage brought widespread awareness to the
harsh reality that students from such marginalised communi-
ties deal with on a daily basis and caused an uproar from dif-
ferent stakeholders which forced the ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education to put pressure on the Public Service
Commission (responsible for the recruitment of teachers) to
take on more educators so that the existing gap may be covered.

Statistics from 2021 indicated that 140 000 teachers were
responsible for the 4.6 million learners in Zimbabwe and that
there was a need to recruit an additional 40 000 educators.

Rushinga legislator Tendai Nyabani told The NewsHawks
that the deployment of 181 teachers to his constituency was a
move in the right direction that is going to lessen the teacher
crisis the area had been facing for years.

“I’m delighted that schools in my constituency got 181
teachers from the recent recruitment. It’s a step in the right
direction that will go a long way in solving the teacher crisis
Rushinga has been having for years.”

Nyabani called for the decentralisation of the teacher recruit-
ment process, a move he believes will go a long way in reducing
the number of teachers who do not take up posts after recruit-
ment or leave after having worked for a month or less.

“We are calling for the decentralisation of the teacher recruit-
ment system because the reason why a lot of our schools are
ending up with one to no teachers is because people who get
posted here from different areas are not used to the climatic
conditions from here.”

“Rushinga is an arid place and basics like water are hard to
find. There is no way that someone from Mutare or Harare will
brave the living conditions we are exposed to. Hiring qualified
personnel from here who are used to our way of life will give
our pupils a chance at a better future,’’ he said.

NewsHawks News Page 27

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

UN classifies Zim as hunger hotspot

Critics blame the land reform programme for disrupting agricultural production, while most rural Zimbabweans depend on rain-fed farming (below).

BERNARD MPOFU

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ad- the United Nations (FAO) and the WFP warn requirement is estimated at 400 000 metric poses the country’s rural households to food
ministration has been left with egg on the face that acute food insecurity is likely to deterio- tonnes (mt). It imported cereal from both availability, access and stability challenges,”
after the World Food Programme listed the rate further in 20 countries (including one re- Russia and Ukraine worth US$17.3 million in Mutsvangwa said.
country among 20 hunger hotspots in urgent gion) — called hunger hotspots — during the 2020. It imported 35 807mt of wheat and mes-
need of support. outlook period from February to May 2022. lin from Ukraine and 10 253mt of wheat and “As the public will be aware, the 2021/2022
meslin from Russia. rain season started late in most parts of the
Despite injecting billions of dollars in agri- “According to the May 2022 Hunger country, and the season was characterised by
cultural subsidies and bankrolling an opaque Hotspots report, Ethiopia, Nigeria South Su- Barely a week before the WFP issued an poor rainfall distribution in terms of both
import-substitution programme, Zimbabwe, dan and Yemen remain at the ‘highest alert’ as SOS on Zimbabwe, Information minister space and time across the country. The agro-
once seen as the bread basket of the region, has hotspots with catastrophic conditions, and Af- Monica Mutsvangwa told a post-cabinet Press based nature of Zimbabwe’s rural livelihoods,
since the turn of the millennium struggled to ghanstan and Somalia are new entries to this briefing that the number of people facing food coupled with climate related shocks pre-dispos-
meet its grain demands. worrisome class since the previous hotspots re- insecurity had declined owing to several gov- es the country’s rural households to food avail-
port in January 2022,” the WFP says. ernment programmes. The government sees ability, access and stability challenges.
Critics blame the chaotic land reform pro- strong growth in mining and agriculture driv-
gramme carried out in the early 2000s for dis- Sri Lanka, West African coastal countries ing growth this year. “As the public will be aware, the 2021/2022
rupting agricultural production and violating (Benin, Cabo Verde, and Guinea) and Zim- rain season started late in most parts of the
land tenure rights. But the government blames babwe have been added to the list of hotspot “As the public will be aware, the 2021/2022 country, and the season was characterised by
the West for imposing sanctions on Harare for countries, joining Angola, Lebanon, Mada- rain season started late in most parts of the poor rainfall distribution in terms of both
paralysing economic activity. gascar and Mozambique which continue to be country, and the season was characterised by space and time across the country. The agro-
hunger hotspots.) poor rainfall distribution in terms of both based nature of Zimbabwe’s rural livelihoods,
Experts say low-productivity agricultural space and time across the country. The agro- coupled with climate related shocks pre-dispos-
practices and lack of access to markets are also Tremors of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are based nature of Zimbabwe’s rural livelihoods, es the country’s rural households to food avail-
affecting the food security of the vast majority also being felt in Zimbabwe. Official figures coupled with climate related shocks pre-dis- ability, access and stability challenges.”
of rural Zimbabweans, whose livelihoods de- show that Zimbabwe’s average annual wheat
pend on rain-fed agricultural production. Un-
der-nutrition rates are high, especially in rural
districts where diets lack diversity – maize be-
ing the main staple — and are poor in essential
nutrients.

According to the United Nations agency
responsible for food aid across the globe, 2.9
million people in Zimbabwe were food inse-
cure during the first months of 2022. The WFP,
which is one of the first agencies on the ground
in global emergencies caused by conflict, cli-
mate shocks, pandemics and other disasters,
requires US$22.2 billion to feed 345 million
people facing acute food insecurity in 82 coun-
tries.

Zimbabwe, the WFP says, is a new hunger
hotspot due to erratic rains during the past
summer cropping season and this will result in
a cut in cereal production.

Four provinces, official statistics show, had
permanent crop wilting. The country is also
experiencing persistently high inflation rates
and low availability of maize, a staple food. The
government has announced strict measures to
limit the marketing and movement of maize.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of

Page 28 International Investigative Stories NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

InInvteesrtniagtaiotinvaelStories

KYRGYZ authorities allege Bo- Signs of political motivation
lot Temirov is a drug user and used permeate case against Kyrgyz
falsified identification documents.
But case files obtained by reporters investigative journalist
suggest a high-level effort led by the
Golden Key News Briefs (GKNB) se- becoming a widely-watched indicator ments from the case against Temirov of a formal criminal case against for allegedly falsifying documents.
curity agency to silence him. of Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to press and found multiple red flags. The Temirov at the time raises questions Leila Nazgul Seiitbek, a Kyrgyz
freedom. findings strongly suggest that his about why the authorities were look-
To his tens of thousands of view- prosecution represents the deliberate ing into him. lawyer and rights activist who re-
ers, Bolot Temirov is a crusading in- His prosecution began earlier this targeting of an outspoken journalist, ceived asylum in Austria after facing
vestigative journalist waging an uphill year when, as Temirov says, he an- and not — as the official narrative Even the original justification for politically motivated charges, said
battle against corruption in his native gered the head of Kyrgyzstan’s power- would have it — the routine pursuit a January raid on the Temirov LIVE that Kyrgyz authorities typically open
Kyrgyzstan. He and his investigative ful GKNB security agency by investi- of a criminal matter. office, when a small bag of hashish an initial charge to take aim at a per-
video outlet Temirov LIVE have de- gating his family’s business dealings. was found on Temirov, shows signs of son’s reputation or as an excuse to be-
voted themselves to exposing cor- According to the police, the most being falsified or manipulated. gin a fishing expedition.
ruption in this small Central Asian The GKNB head, Kamchybek serious allegations against Temirov
country. Tashiev, denies that the journalist’s were uncovered during an initial in- The situation fits a pattern ob- “Once they have the decree on ini-
investigations into his family’s busi- vestigation into a hashish possession served in two other recent cases. After tiating the criminal case, they have
But to the Kyrgyz authorities, he’s ness have anything to do with the charge. In fact, however, the docu- making influential enemies in Kyrgyz wider authority and can request all
a foreigner engaged in provocations case, and has insisted that his agency ments show that the GKNB had re- politics, a rights activist and a pop- kinds of things,” she told OCCRP.
against the country’s government. was barely involved. quested information about Temirov’s ular blogger were both charged with
And that isn’t just invective; they ac- domestic passport and monitored his shocking crimes that would do dam- Tashiev and President Sadyr Jap-
cuse him of submitting fraudulent But in a new investigation, jour- travels months earlier. The absence age to their reputations. Both also arov came to power in late 2020
documents to obtain his domestic nalists from OCCRP and its Kyrgyz faced additional charges, including in the wake of a popular uprising
and foreign passports and then of us- partner, Kloop, have analyzed docu- against the results of a controversial
ing them for international travel.

“I consider all these criminal cas-
es to be dreamed up out of thin air,”
Temirov told OCCRP and Kloop.

But the penalty he faces — up to
as much as 20 years in prison — is
severe, and the outcome of his trial is

NewsHawks International Investigative Stories Page 29

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

parliamentary election. Rights groups Bolot Temirov attends a court hearing in his case on June 24. Credit: Kloop [Temirov], but they are also sending
and political scientists have pointed a larger signal to the entire society:
to multiple violations of democratic kyzy filed a police complaint against letter sent by the Ministry of Digital the raid. The men appeared to be ‘Don’t participate in all these process-
procedures during that tumultuous Bolot Nazarov, a Kyrgyz poet who Development to the GKNB respond- receiving and making multiple calls es you call democratic,’” Marat told
time. They have also warned of a had worked with Temirov’s team and ing to a request the agency had sent on their mobile phones throughout OCCRP.
subsequent deterioration in Kyrgyz performed their investigations as folk for information on Temirov’s domes- the evening, as if they were receiving
democracy, including the adoption of songs. She claimed that Nazarov had tic passport. instructions and reporting back to Even low-profile activists are
a new constitution that places more forced her to take drugs, including someone. sometimes targeted. An activist from
power in the president’s hands, legis- in the Temirov LIVE office. She also While the document’s contents are southern Kyrgyzstan, who request-
lation to limit freedom of speech, and claimed that Nazarov told her he re- not particularly revelatory, its exis- Initially, as officers approached the ed anonymity for fear of attracting
a rise in illiberal populist activism. ceived the narcotics from his boss, tence demonstrates that the GKNB door of Temirov LIVE’s office, one further attention from the security
who was also named “Bolot,” and was already taking aim at Temirov’s of the two men instructed the police agency, said that the GKNB tried
Against this backdrop, Temirov’s gave a partially accurate description citizenship even before the raid and cameraman to wait before entering. to hack her Twitter account, likely
prosecution will be a bellwether, of the office itself. the criminal case. in retaliation for her criticism of the
rights groups say. By the time he entered, the first Kyrgyz government’s handling of the
That afternoon, the police ques- With no active investigation wave of officers had already forced the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The court case that is now un- tioned her and registered the infor- against Temirov at that time, there journalists onto the ground and spent
derway against Temirov is a test of mation in an official document, writ- was no legal rationale for Kyrgyz law around a minute inside, potentially They also tried to trace her down
Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to rule of ing that the alleged perpetrator was enforcement — let alone the GKNB, allowing someone to plant the drugs using her phone number, but her
law, to due process, and to media Bolot Nazarov. an agency officially focused on pro- on Temirov without being caught on SIM card was registered to another
freedom,” said Gulnoza Said, a pro- tecting national security — to inves- camera. (They also confiscated the person, she told OCCRP. She found
gram coordinator for the Committee And then something unusual hap- tigate the journalist’s passport. computers where the Temirov LIVE out about it after that person reached
to Protect Journalists. pened. When police opened a crim- team says they stored their own secu- out to her through a colleague and let
inal case, they referred to the perpe- According to Ermek Baibosunov, a rity camera footage, removing anoth- her know GKNB agents had come
The Kyrgyz authorities, including trator as an “unknown person by the Bishkek-based lawyer, Kyrgyz law en- er independent source of accountabil- visiting.
Tashiev, did not respond to questions name of ‘Bolot’.” forcement officers need a solid reason ity.)
by OCCRP and Kloop but in other to surveil a person. “It’s really interesting that they
media denied any impropriety. “When investigators have every In a later review, a Bellingcat jour- were not chasing the real influenc-
opportunity to identify the perpetra- Flight records included in the doc- nalist who helped Temirov LIVE ers with large numbers of followers.
A History of Harassment tor, they are obliged to do so, in the- uments also show that the GKNB was with their investigation honed in on They were chasing activists like us,”
The criminal cases pursued against ory,” lawyer and rights activist Seiit- surveilling Temirov long before the footage taken of a police officer’s cell she said.
Temirov this year are not the first bek told OCCRP and Kloop. But, drug case. One document registered phone screen. The phone listed the
time he and his team have faced pres- in practice, it doesn’t always happen him flying to Istanbul on May 27, caller as “Batur SNB S5.” But when the security agencies tru-
sure from the authorities. if law enforcement has an interest 2021, and noted that, after Temirov ly set their sights on a person, they
In October 2021, Temirov LIVE in concealing his or her identity, she passed through passport control, the “SNB” is an old abbreviation for don’t usually stop at social media.
staffers began to notice suspicious added. border agents notified the agency’s the GKNB, while S5 appears to refer And often their approach is similar to
cars parked outside their building. Fifth Department, which according to its fifth department. the one used against Bolot Temirov.
A few months later, Temirov’s family Roughly an hour-and-a-half lat- to the media is responsible for moni-
discovered a hidden camera recording er, the police interviewed Adyl kyzy toring the media. (This was a month After Temirov LIVE received their In May 2020, the GKNB called
the living room of their rented apart- again, this time officially as a victim after Temirov LIVE published their confiscated equipment back from law Kamil Ruziev, a veteran human rights
ment from behind the wallpaper. of a crime. Though she presented first videos about Tashiev.) enforcement at the start of July, they activist from the northeastern city of
According to Temirov, footage from some details differently, she never wa- also discovered that on January 24, Karakol, in for a meeting. According
that camera was used in propaganda vered in her claim that it was Naza- Finally, the documents show that two days after the raid, someone had to him, the official reason was to dis-
videos against him later published rov who had pressured her to smoke the GKNB viewed Temirov’s journal- gone through their computers. But cuss four petitions Ruziev had filed
online. marijuana. ism as an inherent threat to the state. investigators were only given a court against the GKNB for failing to in-
Most shockingly, sources said a In a review of the Temirov LIVE You- order to examine the computers on vestigate a police officer who had pre-
young male who pursued a roman- Once the questioning concluded, Tube channel, they found that the January 28, making their actions il- viously threatened him.
tic relationship with one of Temirov the police issued a document handing videos were “aimed at discrediting legal, the journalists allege. The team
LIVE’s female employees was a the case over to a group of investiga- the country’s top military-political notes that propaganda videos featur- In a conversation with OCCRP,
GKNB agent. Surreptitiously re- tors. But once again, they described leadership, which could increase the ing files from their computers ap- Ruziev said that when he arrived at
corded footage of a sexual encoun- the alleged perpetrator as an “un- potential for protest and negatively peared online during that period. the local GKNB branch, the officers
ter between them was then used to known” Bolot. affect the socio-political situation.” held him in a room, threatened and
blackmail her. That video, too, was Traditional Tactics tortured him, and tried to force him
published online. This is what may have given them Agent Batur? The GKNB is the most powerful to testify that he had falsified a doc-
But while the previous harassment grounds to target Temirov at his office Other facts not covered in the case security structure in Kyrgyzstan and tor’s note as part of a previous case.
of Temirov LIVE seemed focused on that evening. documents also suggest GKNB in- traces its lineage back to the infamous Ruziev says he did not give into their
surveilling or scaring the journalists, volvement. Soviet KGB. demands.
this year began with a serious escala- According to the police, the sub- After Temirov’s arrest in January, According to Erica Marat, an as-
tion. sequent passport charges against he and his team turned their investi- sociate professor at the National Ruziev only managed to get out of
On the evening of January 22, Temirov grew from the drug case. gative lens on the raid of their office. Defense University in Washington, custody two days later, after declar-
Kyrgyz law enforcement raided the Additionally, GKNB head Tashiev By examining police footage, security D.C., and an expert on law enforce- ing a hunger strike and experiencing
Temirov LIVE office. After forcing has claimed that his agency was play- camera footage, and recordings made ment in former Soviet countries, the a spike in his blood pressure. Almost
Temirov and his colleagues to lie face ing no significant role. by journalists as police searched their GKNB has always been politicized immediately, he received word that
down on the floor, they raised him off office, they were able to reconstruct and usually loyal to the government. he had been charged with falsifying
the ground, unbound his hands, and But case documents definitively the raid and identify several question- In past years, it has also arrested documents back in March and also
instructed him to empty his pockets. demonstrate that the investigation able actions by law enforcement. people on trumped up or falsified was being charged with defrauding
Out came a small cellophane packet began long before January — and Most importantly, they found that charges, and even killed regime op- the people he assisted as a rights de-
of something green, later determined that the GKNB was involved from two men — one of whom appeared ponents. fender.
to be hashish. the beginning. to be neither a drug police officer nor In recent years, it has also taken
“They planted it!” Temirov shout- a member of the Interior Ministry aim at civil society, she said. According to Ruziev, prosecutors
ed as the police dragged him out. They show that the GKNB re- special forces — were coordinating “They basically want to silence later dropped the fraud charges after
The authorities then added three quested information on Temirov’s his accusers came forward and said
more charges. They accused Temirov, domestic passport two months before that GKNB officers had forced them
who, like many in Kyrgyzstan, is also Adyl kyzy ever went to the police. to make false accusations against him.
a citizen of Russia, of falsifying doc- The case file includes a November 23 But the document falsification charge
uments to receive his domestic and remains to this day.
international Kyrgyz passports. Based
on that claim, they also charged him Ruziev has no illusions about what
with illegal border crossing when he is happening in Temirov’s case. He
traveled abroad. told OCCRP that planting drugs on
A month later, an interior ministry a person or accusing them of inciting
investigator annulled Temirov’s pass- ethnic hatred are the easiest possible
ports. ways for law enforcement to launch
Questions About the Case criminal cases against journalists and
But for all the force of the Kyr- activists.
gyz authorities’ accusations, there
are some serious issues with the case The GKNB may have been pre-
dating back to the official start of the paring to use the latter approach
investigation. against Temirov as well. In its analysis
The January 22 raid on the of Temirov LIVE’s videos, a GKNB
Temirov LIVE office took place after colonel concluded: “We do not ex-
a young woman named Aiperi Adyl clude the possibility that the above
mentioned publications contain signs
and actions aimed at public calls for
a violent seizure of power and the
fomentation of ethnic, national, or
interregional hatred.”

— Organised Crime and Corrup-
tion Reporting Project.

Page 30 Editorial & Opinion NewsHawks

CARTOON Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Why leadership
calibre matters

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson dramatically an- Zanu PF cronies loot Redwing
nounced his resignation on Thursday this week after the
mass exit of ministers and other top officials rendered unten- Hawk Eye
able his continued stay at the helm.
Dumisani
His fate was sealed when he lost the trust of his lieutenants Muleya
during a turbulent tenure plagued by endless scandals.

Johnson wrongly assumed he could simply replace cabi-
net ministers and move on with life, but he came unstuck
when his newly appointed ministers also resigned in disgust.
It increasingly became clear that there was no way out for a
colourful politician whose controversial methods have prior-
itised style over substance.

Although the United Kingdom is generally viewed as a
declining global power in contemporary times, many peo-
ple around the world were still transfixed by the political
intrigue unfolding in London.

In Africa, many watched in bemusement as Johnson defied
calls to step down. It was difficult to avoid drawing compar-
isons between his actions and the behaviour of power-crazed
African dictators who stubbornly cling on to high office even
when they are destroying countries.

From their ivory towers, Western governments often bark
instructions to the rest of the world. They fancy themselves
as the citadels of democracy — without blemish and beyond
reproach.

And so it was understandable that many people in Afri-
ca, Asia and Latin America erupted in mirth as the political
circus in the UK hit the headlines. One commentator wryly
noted that it was satisfying to know that the British people
were realising how tough it was to end British rule.

But beyond the jokes, there are many lessons from the
Johnson debacle.

The first one is that leaders must be accountable for their
actions. A politician cannot live in perpetual scandal and
hope to remain relevant. These are very difficult times in
the history of the world; countries need leaders who show
seriousness in focusing on the urgent issues of the day: run-
away inflation, high unemployment, post-Covid recession,
geo-political uncertainties and a general sense of hopeless-
ness.

Another important lesson is that institutions must be
stronger than individuals. In the end, Johnson — despite
his reputation as a charismatic and unorthodox teflon char-
acter — could not continue obstinately opposing the force
of logic.

This is where Western democracies often do better than
African countries. Here in Africa, a leader can repeatedly rig
sham elections and hold an entire nation to ransom — for
decades – while presiding over the plunder of national cof-
fers and the murder of dissenters.

Africa has all the necessary ingredients for socio-economic
progress — except competent leadership. One-man rule has
ruined the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Strong-
man politics can only be checkmated through the strength-
ening of institutions and the crafting of smart policies.

Today, Zimbabweans are languishing jn untold poverty,
yet the country is endowed with vast natural and human re-
sources. The control and ownership of precious minerals are
reposed in one man: the President. It is unbelievable.

We report elsewhere in today’s newspaper that gold worth
US$157 million is being smuggled out of Zimbabwe every
month.

This is way higher than the government’s own estimate
of US$100m. While this astonishing plunder proceeds un-
abated, the World Food Programme, a United Nations agen-
cy, says Zimbabwe is now one of the world’s most worrying
hunger hotspots.

The calibre of Zimbabwe’s leadership is the reason why
precious resources are looted with impunity and public hos-
pitals lack life-saving drugs and equipment.

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
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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

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
WhatsApp: 0772 125 658, Twitter: @vmcz

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

NewsHawks New Perspectives Page 31

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

FUEL prices are rising weekly and Take fuel conundrum seriously
sometimes more than twice a week
and the trend is likely to stay. response. US inflation has caused whispers of the slowing down of al issues and debt crisis, the picture sons that led to the crisis in Sri
spikes in federal interest rates; ris- the Chinese economy as the coun- is gloomy. Therefore, policymakers Lanka, the most important is the
Zimbabwe is a net fuel importer, ing oil prices are becoming trou- try’s “Zero-Covid” policy is most in Zimbabwe need effective crisis failure of the government to antic-
relying on markets such as Singa- blesome for the Democrats in the certainly going to hinder growth. management. Without effective ipate the crisis whike mismanaging
pore that process oil into refined build-up to the mid-term elections. A slow economy constrained by crisis management, it is easy for the economy. Comparing this to
products. As usual, policymakers The approval numbers of President a resurgent Covid-19 will most the country to fall into a Sri Lank- the current situation in Zimbabwe,
are often keen to glance at old doc- Joe Biden are fast plummeting – certainly lead to reduced demand an crisis. Amid worsening eco- the similarities are glaring.
uments; these archives help them this could potentially lead to rap- from one of the world’s biggest oil nomic crisis, the Sri Lankan gov-
identify two major indicators of id action on the oil front. The US buyers. Worldwide recession is an- ernment last week announced that Crisis management is the for-
progress and bottlenecks. A glance leader has already asked oil com- other factor that may come in to the country has run out of fuel. It mulation of plans and strategies to
at trade numbers shows this: Al- panies to press the pedal on their cap the unsurmountable rise in oil forced the government to suspend deal with unforeseen unfavourable
though Zimbabwe exports have in- drilling and oil production capaci- prices. events. The better the management
creased over the years, fuel imports ties to help avert any future crises. Econometrics
were the major driver of chronic Previously, US shale oil production A rigorous analysis of the HawksView of the crisis, the better
trade deficits. This is still the same had helped offset minor shortages oil markets presents an om- the result. The outbreak
up to now as fuel imports are the of oil. Shale oil is a high-quality inous sign for Zimbabwe. Tinashe Kaduwo of a pandemic or a war
major component of the import crude oil that lies between layers of The country does not have is not in the hands of a
bill. shale rock, and the US has the big- the political or economic the sale of fuel for two weeks. Fuel country but what steps
gest shale oil reserves in the world. clout to do its own bidding is suspended in Sri Lanka because it takes to mitigate the
Considering this predicament, or a search for a cheaper that country cannot pay for fuel impact of these disas-
the Russian's invasion of Ukraine Nevertheless, the production of alternative. In theory, Rus- imports. It cannot pay for fuel be- ters is in its hands and
has come at a perilous time for a shale oil has conventionally been sia and Iran are options. cause its foreign exchange reserves it is the prime respon-
country that has for long lived more expensive than the extraction In practice, they are only options have depleted amidst the crisis. sibility of a state as well.
beyond its means and refused to of conventional crude oil. More- for economic juggernauts such as In this fuel conundrum, political
mend its ways. With soaring oil over, Biden’s campaign was based China. For Zimbabwe, they can Zimbabwe may soon fall that parties should not only try to as-
prices, the common man is shroud- on the trillion-dollar “Green Deal”; be nothing more than political way. The current Sri Lankan eco- sume power but should also prof-
ed in anxiety: what is going to hap- a move to boost fracking and drill- soundbites. The Western bulwark nomic crisis which is almost simi- fer crisis management plans. The
pen next? A comprehensive analy- ing would most certainly be ac- against Russia has led a country lar to where Zimbabwe is trending, government should show leader-
sis of the world markets is the need companied with a steep political like Germany to stop operations on is a man-made crisis, which could ship. The opposition should act as
of the hour. cost as climate change continues to its Nord-Stream 2 pipeline. In such have been prevented had the gov- a check and should not always try
be one of the most important elec- a situation, how can Zimbabwe – ernment taken steps in the right to overthrow the government for
Let us start with the basics. Rus- toral topics in the US. living on the ventilator of West- direction instead of making wrong power's sake. Let the people be the
sia is one of the world’s largest oil ern-backed aid, with its leaders decisions. Among the various rea- judge, not the political parties.
producers and a key supplier of in- While relief from the supply side begging for re-engangement with
dustrial metals such as nickel, alu- looks tricky, forward bets are on the West   – be allowed to openly *About the writer: Tinashe
minum and palladium. the demand side of the oil market. engage with a global foe? Kaduwo is a researcher and econ-
In this case, all eyes should be fixed omist. Contact: kaduwot@gmail.
It is also the dominant supplier on China. There are more audible With a fragile economy, structur- WhatsApp +263773376128
of gas to Europe. As Western sanc-
tions against the world’s 11th larg-
est economy come to the fore, The
Economist has predicted a shortage
of three million barrels per day. The
impact of these perceived shortages
is already clear:

the average price of crude oil in
2022 has been hovering around
US$101.20 per barrel as com-
pared to US$68.17 in 2021 and
US$39.68 in 2020 respectively,
and this has been quickly passed on
to diesel, petrol and gas prices as we
see on service station pump prices.
A familiar upward trajectory of oil
prices as the war in Ukraine rum-
bles on is expected. Several factors
are expected to shape which direc-
tion the wind blows from here in
the crude oil market.

The Organisation of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (Opec) have
not shown any willingness to
bridge the gap between demand
and supply. After all, oil-produc-
ing countries are always waiting
for their occasional heyday; their
time may have come sooner than
expected after Covid-19 pushed
down oil sales and production. Pre-
dominantly, two countries have the
capacity to meet the supply num-
bers required: Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates. Thus far,
both have been non-committal in
promising to ramp up the produc-
tion numbers.

However, there are always mar-
ket signals worth noting. Such is
the case with Libya, a smaller but
significant oil supplier, that has
been recently accused by some me-
dia outlets of “misrepresenting oil
production figures” to create un-
necessary volatility in the market.
The Opec countries seem in no
hurry to engage in a rescue act.

The second factor will be the US

Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 76, 15 April 2022
BusinessPage26
MATTERSNewsHawks

MARKETS CURRENCIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE COMMODITIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE
USD/JPY
GBP/USD 109.29 +0.38 +0.35 *OIL 63.47 -1.54 -2.37
USD/CAD
USD/CHF 1.38 -0.014 -0.997 *GOLD 1,769.5 +1.2 +0.068
AUD/USD
1.229 +0.001 +0.07 *SILVER 25.94 -0.145 -0.56

0.913 +0.005 +0.53 *PLATINUM 1,201.6 +4 +0.33

0.771 -0.006 -0.76 *COPPER 4.458 -0.029 -0.65

ZSE sheds ZW$2bn as investors exit

BERNARD MPOFU

THE Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) shed off The ZSE has evolved into one of the longest-established capital raising platforms in Africa.
over ZW$2 billion in value during the first five
months of the year as risk-averse foreign inves- market as it came with the addition of market depositary receipt. as well as offering secondary market securities
tors exited the local bourse after the government makers to the market and also exposed investors The ZSE is a licensed securities exchange trading and issuer regulation services.
announced several interventionist measures to to the concept of basic derivatives.
tame runaway inflation and a weakening domes- in terms of the Securities and Exchange Act Dating back to 1894, the ZSE has evolved
tic currency. The Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, on the (24:25). Its core mandate is to facilitate long- into one of the longest-established capital raising
other hand, had three new listings, including a term capital raising through listing of securities platforms in Africa.
The ZSE opened the year under review on
strong impetus, as inflation hedge-seeking re-
sumed. The runaway inflation and depreciating
local currency put a strain on ZSE operations as
foreign obligations required more and more lo-
cal currency to be met.

Up until recently when the government lim-
ited operating hours on the ZSE, the exchange
had become a haven for investors seeking to pre-
serve value against the backdrop of a weakening
economy. Zimbabwe’s economy is experiencing
high levels of inflation and a weakening domestic
currency, among myriad economic headaches.

“The market registered sell-offs follow-
ing stringent measures put in in place to curb
mounting inflation.

Foreign investors maintained an exit stance
with a net year-to-date foreign sell position of
Z$2.066 billion during the first five months of
2022,” Gerald Dzangare, acting Securities and
Exchange Commission chief executive, said
during an annual general meeting. In United
States dollar terms, the ZSE lost US$5.4 mil-
lion when calculated using this week’s official
exchange rate of 379:1.

Market capitalisation was 120% up from the
beginning of 2022 to close the month of May at
ZW$2.893 trillion.

The ZSE recorded a net foreign seller’s posi-
tion of ZW$9.73 billion in the year 2021 com-
pared to a net sell position of ZW$5.42 billion
in 2020. Foreign investor participation declined
to 11.74% in 2021 compared to 22.81% in
2020.

While foreign investors exited the local
bourse, the year 2022 turned out positively in
terms of listings for both the Zimbabwe Stock
Exchange and the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange.
For the first time in the history of the ZSE, an
Exchange-Traded Fund, purely home grown,
was listed. This significantly transformed the

BERNARD MPOFU SecZim orders probe into Willdale
concluding the report,” which ends in September. Capital markets provide a platform for the
ZIMBABWE’S capital markets regulator has Gerald Dzangare, acting SecZim chief exec- Some companies listed on the Zimbabwe trading of securities such as shares in compa-
ordered the local bourse to conduct a probe nies, debentures, government stock, among
into listed brick maker Willdale, which is facing utive, said. Stock Exchange like Masimba have subscribed others, and they enable issuers of the securities
charges of insider trading. Market manipulation refers to artificial infla- to an independent whistleblowing service run to raise money or capital.
by audit firm Deloitte. Under this service, stake-
The Securities and Exchange Commission tion or deflation of the price of a security. Also holders are encouraged to report theft, corrup- SecZim’s key functions include regulating
(SecZim) is planning to complete setting up a known as price manipulation or stock manip- tion, fraud and other inappropriate workplace trading and dealing in securities; to register,
whistle-blower and complaints facility by year- ulation, it involves the literal manipulation of behaviour. supervise and regulate securities exchanges; to
end. a financial market for personal gain. It involves licence, supervise and regulate licensed persons;
influencing the behaviour of the securities SecZim is the regulator of capital markets and to encourage the development of free, fair and
SecZim has investigated several cases of sus- which is not backed by market forces. players such as the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, orderly capital and securities markets in Zimba-
pected price manipulation on the equities to- Victoria Falls Stock Exchange and the Financial bwe and to advise the government on all matters
wards year-end as some companies seek to ap- Dzangare said an updated draft of the whis- Services Exchange, investment managers, in- relating to securities and capital markets.
pease shareholders. tle-blower procedure manual for the market will vestment custodians, among others.
be complete by the third quarter of the year
“SecZim has requested Zimbabwe Stock Ex-
change (ZSE) to investigate allegations of insid-
er trading on listed company Willdale. ZSE is

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 33

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

NATHAN GUMA Interest rate hike: RTG unmoved

HOSPITALITY company Rainbow Towers shareholding there, and when we liquidated out as capital work-in-progress were capitalised in It is against this background that Madziwan-
Group (RTG) says it will not be directly affected of it, we realised profit. the 2020 financial year and the impact spilled yika says the RTG will not be directly affected by
by the interest rate hike introduced by the gov- “Some of the items that in 2019 were sitting into 2021.” the latest economic reforms.
ernment as part of measures to tame skyrocket-
ing inflation.

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube announced a
hike in the interest rate from 80% to 200%,
while outlining plans to make the United States
dollar legal tender for the next five years.

RTG chief executive officer Tendai Madziwan-
yika said the tourism group has not borrowed
from financial institutions, hence its exemption
from the onslaught that may affect other compa-
nies due to world-record interest rates.

“It may rather affect some of our supply
chains,” he told The NewsHawks on the side-
lines of the company’s 23rd annual general meet-
ing. “There are some of our suppliers who may
perhaps be heavily borrowed. That is certainly
going to affect them.

“They will obviously try to pass the cost to
whoever they are supplying, but obviously, it
may make them less competitive compared to
whoever is out there. The nice thing is obviously
that the suppliers’ landscape is broad now.”

RTG recorded a massive drop in debt from
US$24 529 000 to ZW$225 000, whilst share-
holders’ equity exponentially quadrupled from
US$11 268 000 to US$44 109 000 between
2012 and 2022.

The group further recorded 70% increase in
gross profit, the highest in the nine-year period
since 2012, and its earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation and amortisation grew more than
10-fold.

Moreover, the group posted revenues of
ZW$2.8 billion in 2021 against ZW$2.4 billion
recorded in 2020, a 17% increase. The uptick is
higher than the global and African tourism av-
erage.

Global Tourism experienced a mild 4% up-
turn in 2021 (415 million) with 15 million more
international arrivals, whilst African tourism re-
corded 12% growth.

Global international tourist arrivals more than
doubled (+130%) in January 2022 compared to
2021, according to the latest United Nations
World Tourism Organisation Tourism Barome-
ter report for March 2022.

On the other hand, Madziwanyika said the
RTG’s revenue increase was based on local tour-
ists only.

He also said the increase in revenue had come
as a result of opportunities that arose during the
Covid-19 pandemic when several entities were
closed except for those classified as essential ser-
vices.

“We had a lot of extraordinary business in
2020,” he said. “We had closed down some of
our units. This means we had very low costs.
One of the units was receiving people coming
back from overseas during the Covid-19 lock-
down period.

“When you are closed down you do not have
fixed costs, and during that time, we were getting
good revenue.”

He also said the group realised profit from
other investments previously made by the com-
pany.

“In 2020, we recognised a portion from our
investment in First Mutual Holdings. We had a

NATHAN GUMA ZPC’s US$48 Deka pump project begins

THE Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) has bishment of Zinwa’s water treatment plant in vices such as surveys, general civil works, inland plies to nearby communities which have been
begun receiving material for the Deka project, Hwange, and provision of three tap-off points transportation, pipe laying, and jointing, and facing acute water challenges.
which is funded by a US$48.1 million line of for the supply of raw water to the Deka com- pipe hydro testing and commissioning, thus
credit from the government of India. munity. enormously contributing to socio-economic “As part of our corporate social investment
development,” said the company in a state- initiatives, we are cognizant of the need for ac-
The project, launched in October 2021, is The first batch of 3 555 mild steel pipes is ment. cess to water in the communities that we oper-
aimed at rehabilitating damaged pipes feeding expected to arrive in Zimbabwe today, while ate and, to this end, there will be several water
water into the Hwange Power Station's cool- the first consignment of 30 trucks carrying The project is being implemented in parallel outlets along the pipeline for the provision of
ing systems. Water will also be supplied to a the pipes to Hwange will be cleared at Forbes to the Hwange Unit 7 and 8 expansion project, this basic need.
Zimbabwe National Water Authority’s (Zinwa) Border Post this week, said the company in a to augment the supply of water to the coal-fired
treatment plant. statement. power station, while adding 600 megawatts “Furthermore, we have a deliberate local em-
(MW) to the national grid. powerment strategy, where the locals have been
It includes construction of a new 42km, “This is another achievement that is expected given first priority and employed for this and
960mm diameter pipeline from Deka High to contribute immensely to the key aspirations The thermal power station currently requires several ongoing projects to ensure that no one
Lift pump station, on the Zambezi River, to of the National Development Strategy (NDS an estimated 3 500 cubic metres of raw water and no place is left behind.
Hwange Power Station complete with inde- 1) and Vision 2030, which is targeted to im- per hour, with the volume likely to increase
pendent cathodic protection, supply of spare mensely contribute to achieving energy self-suf- when the expansion units are in operation, “ZPC is committed to energy self-sufficien-
pumps and motors, supply of spares for Deka ficiency. hence the need for additional water supply. cy by the year 2030 and would like to thank
Low Lift and High Lift pump stations, a new all stakeholders for their sustained support and
supervisory control and data acquisition system “To date, a total of US$13.7 million has The ZPC said the project will increase power commitment in a bid to meet all the targets,”
and field instruments. been invested in procuring local goods and ser- generation and supplement drinking water sup- the company said in a statement.

In addition, the project will see the refur-

Page 34 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

TelOne pushes for ban on copper trade

JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA TelOne head Corporate Communications and Client Experience Melody Harry

TELECOMS giant TelOne, plagued by incessant security guards for the protection of critical net- lic,” Harry said. holes and cabinets that are being screened.
vandalism of copper cables, says it is looking at work assets and for the purposes of rapid response The company has a reward scheme in place as “Intelligence gathering is vital in identifying
ways to stop the buying and selling of copper ca- services in respect of alarmed network cables.
bles in the country as a stopgap measure to curb an incentive to members of the public who pro- those behind the vandalism and the markets
the vandalism of its infrasructure. “TelOne is part of an Anti-Vandalism Task vide valuable information that leads to the identi- where stolen copper is disposed of. TelOne also
Force comprising of the Environmental Manage- fication and arrest of suspects. undertakes border operations to ensure that sto-
Incidents of vandalism of TelOne telecommu- ment Agency (Ema), the Zimbabwe len copper is not illicitly exported.”
nications infrastructure have been on the increase “Members of the public should dial 999 to
countrywide, with vandals mostly targeting cop- Republic Police (ZRP), Zesa Holdings and the report theft of TelOne network infrastructure,” She said the provision of network solutions
per installations that currently make up more National Railways of Zimbabwe to coordinate ef- she said. “TelOne collaborates with the judicia- such as wireless or optic fibre that are less suscep-
than 60% of the network. forts in fighting vandalism of state and essential ry to ensure that suspects are charged under the tible to vandalism was ongoing in different areas
services infrastructure. appropriate Act that stipulates a mandatory 10- countrywide.
The five-year-old problem has put the business year term for those found guilty of vandalising the
under threat, with at least US$1.5 million having “TelOne regularly conducts awareness cam- telecommunications equipment. “This year alone we intend to roll out 40 base
been recorded in lost revenue and network ele- paigns on the print, electronic and social media stations. The demand for high quality broadband
ments for the period ended 31 December 2021. platforms as well as hold community engage- “The ongoing exercise of hardening our target- service is increasing intensely but has unfortu-
ments to raise awareness on network vandalism ed infrastructure will make it difficult for crimi- nately been affected by incessant vandalism of our
“We are aware that the biggest buyers of stolen and the reporting lines by members of the pub- nals to attack. Such infrastructure includes man- copper network,” she said.
copper cable are the people with copper mining
licences. And these are the people behind all the
vandalism. So we want all copper mining licences
to be scrapped because there is no copper mining
in the country.

“The biggest loss to the company from acts of
vandalism has been the business lost due to voice
and internet service disruptions also prejudicing
the company’s valued clients and negatively im-
pacting the company’s reputation,” TelOne head
of corporate communications Melody Harry said.

In the first six months of 2022, TelOne record-
ed a total of 196 incidents of live network vandal-
ism representing an increase of 18% compared to
the corresponding period in 2021.

In turn, a total of 29 000 customers were af-
fected by vandalism-induced downtime, a 74%
increase in the number of customers affected in
the prior comparable period.

The company was prejudiced of US$292 620
in potential revenue in the half year to 30 June
2022. This represents a 64% surge compared to
the previous year.

According to Harry, in terms of equipment
lost, TelOne lost network valued at US$362 460,
representing a 15% increase when compared to
the first half of 2021.

“Year to date, a total of 28 vandals have been
arrested compared to 23 arrests that were made in
the first six months of 2021. Out of these arrests,
eight of the suspects were sentenced to the man-
datory 10-year jail term by the courts.

“We expect the conviction rate to rise once the
Copper Amendment Bill — which seeks a min-
imum of 30 years’ imprisonment for convicted
copper thieves — among other requirements —
gets presidential assent in the second half of 2022.
This legislative piece sailed through the National
Assembly last month,” she said.

The implications on business is that TelOne in-
curs huge costs in the form of replacement costs
and funds injected to curb the vandalism, with
the estimated revenue losses averaging US$1 mil-
lion annually.

Added to this, the company expends substan-
tial amounts on the engagement of commercial

BERNARD MPOFU ‘Govt policies fail to revive economy’

A SERIES of stringent and interventionist the measures announced so far, including the my into a hyperinflation one when month-on- for it being rejected in the market.”
measures announced by the government to recent policy measures of May 2022, did not month inflation is at least 50%. The month- Official figures show that in May 2022
slow down inflation currently rising in quan- manage to dampen the inflation trajectory, the on-month inflation rate in June 2022 was
tum leaps have backfired after the authorities CZI says in its Economic Update for June. 30.7% gaining 9.7 percentage points on the Zimbabwe had the highest annual inflation
failed to tame the economic implosion, new May 2022 rate of 21%. rate compared to its regional counterparts,
research by the Confederation of Zimbabwe “If the current trajectory is maintained, making Harare one of the most expensive cit-
Industries (CZI) has shown. Zimbabwe will be headed towards hyperin- Year-on-year inflation was decreasing in ies to live in.
flation, which will be catastrophic for the 2021 and a projection of 35% for year-end in-
Battling rising inflation — among the high- country. Since dollarisation in 2009, the high- flation was targeted for 2022. However, year- “To underscore how damaging the infla-
est in world — fiscal and monetary authorities est-ever month-on-month inflation to be re- on-year inflation for June 2022 was recorded tion situation in Zimbabwe is, the month-
in Zimbabwe have in recent times pushed for corded in Zimbabwe was in July 2020, when at 191.6%. Over the half-year period in 2021, on-month inflation in May 2022 of 21% was
a cocktail of measures such the hiking inter- it was 35.5%, which also corresponds to the it has increased by 131 percentage points. higher than our neighbouring countries’ an-
est rate to 200%, threatening businesses with highest-ever annual inflation rate since dollar- nual inflation,” the CZI says.
crackdowns and monitoring online transac- isation of 837.5%. “This basically means that the policy mix
tions in a desperate bid to get the economy over the past six months has failed to rein in “With prices of goods increasing over a
back on track. “This means that month-on-month infla- inflation, hence the need for a new thrust,” the month at rates that are well above what our
tion is only about five percentage points away CZI says. counterparts are experiencing over a period of
In May, President Emmerson Mnangagwa from breaching this record level, underlining 12 months implies that Zimbabwe’s industry
made an unprecedented proclamation when that all the gains that were made in 2021 have “Although year-on-year inflation has been is at a disadvantage and, if things continue in
he temporarily banned financial institutions. already been wiped away.” on an upward trend since August 2021, there this direction, the industry will struggle. Afri-
But the measures, according to the CZI, have is a noticeable exponential increase since ca is becoming one big market due to the Af-
yielded little and will render local industry un- Hyperinflation is a term used to explain rap- March 2022 which is threatening to lead to rica Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),
competitive. id, excessive, and out-of-control general price hyperinflation if sustained. This also means and there is need to address our macro-eco-
increases in an economy. An economy can that policy is losing the battle with respect to nomic environment, if Zimbabwe is going to
The month-on-month inflation rate for only move from being a high-inflation econo- protecting the local currency as there is a risk have any chance to compete.”
June 2022 quickened to 30.7% from 21% in
May 2022.

“The sharp increase in inflation shows that

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 35

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

BERNARD MPOFU CZI exposes Treasury promises, lies

ZIMBABWE’S manufacturing sector has ex- Finance minister Mthuli Ncube
pressed frustration over the government’s failure
and insincerity in fulfilling a litany of financial ment’s promises. stimulating industrialisation, growing the tax for the United States dollar due to unending in-
and non-financial promises to shore up indus- On 2 August 2021, the board of governors base fund for new equipment and replacement flationary pressures.
try. for value chains was to be created. Industry is
of the IMF approved a general allocation of yet to benefit from these allocations, and we Rising inflation and the volatility of the Zim-
Limited access to cheap capital to retool and SDR456 billion (US$650 billion) to boost have gone through the first 6 months of 2022. babwe dollar have stood out as some of the key
stiff competition from regional players have global liquidity. Zimbabwe received SDR677.4 Allocations of these funds will greatly help in- issues confronting the economy at a time global
been cited as some of the key factors stifling lo- (US$961 million), which the authorities said dustry to retool, which is long overdue.” economies are yet to come to terms with effects
cal industry. would ease the liquidity situation in the econ- of the Covid-19 pandemic and most recently
omy. At the peak of Covid-19 infections and fatal- the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries ities, tourism, which was one of the hardest hit
(CZI) in its submissions to the forthcoming “The budget highlighted that the funds will economic sectors — also expressed worry over After enduring two years of economic con-
Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review seen by The be used to support projects in the social sectors, the government’s failure to honour promises of traction between 2019 and 2020, latest figures
NewsHawks said the government has failed to namely health, education; and the vulnerable a stimulus package. from the country’s statistical agency show that
live up to its promises on several fronts. groups; productive sector value chains; infra- Zimbabwe’s economy remains stuck in the
structure investment and foreign currency re- Zimbabwe’s year-on-year inflation has con- quagmire as the authorities battle to tame rising
“The 2022 budget set aside ZW$2.3 billion serves and contingency fund,” the CZI said. tinued to jump in quantum leaps, reaching levels of inflation.
for provision of medium and long-term finance three-digit figures in May amid warnings that
to enable companies across the agricultural, “A retooling revolving 2022 National Budget the domestic currency may soon be jettisoned The country’s officialannual inflation rate
mining and service sectors implement value boosting aggregate demand, boosting exports, reached 191% in June from 131.7% in May.
addition activities through the Industrial Devel-
opment Corporation, following the addressing
of outstanding governance issues,” the CZI said.

“However, this facility is yet to be availed in
2022 despite the glaring need for funding on
the ground. CZI hopes that the Mid-Term re-
view will place emphasis on the need to expedite
this process.”

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube last year un-
dertook to embark on several measures aimed
at stimulating growth after economic activity
dipped due to poor policies. The after-effects of
the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change-in-
duced drought have dealt a blow. This included
reviewing and aligning investment regulations
and policy frameworks in line with regional and
international best practice.

“The 2022 National Budget had promised
that government will revive the multi-sectoral
engagement with a view of eliminating obstacles
to the doing business environment in the coun-
try,” the industrial lobby group said.

“Multi-sector engagement has not been re-
vived to address the inherent ease of doing
business obstacles that have been hindering our
progress as a country, especially with respect
to the cost and multiplicity of regulators that
have to be approached for related services. This
issue must be of priority in the second half of
the year. The country is witnessing an erosion of
competitiveness as domestic prices rise, and var-
ious taxes being levied on business. The African
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which
is now under implementation, needs a compet-
itive industry in order to survive and penetrate
export markets. Failure to address competitive
issues will result in demise of most domestic in-
dustries.”

Turning to International Monetary Fund
Special Drawing Rights holdings, the CZI re-
vealed that it had not benefited from the en-
visaged liquidity injection despite the govern-

Page 36 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

How ‘newsjacking’ can work to
build a company’s PR reputation

IN today’s fast-paced world, news is Locally, Mambos Chicken has ment. concept. This has led to a situation nalist creates a news article and
constantly breaking. As a result, it taken newsjacking to a new level by “In a successful newsjacking, an where it is difficult for beginners to wants to share it on social media
can be difficult for companies and using daring humour, latching onto organisation injects a marketing understand the fundamentals of the to get the word out. The reporter
organisations to stay ahead of the topical issues. Their latest parody message into the reporting of a par- strategy without being lost in a sea takes an event or topic that is mak-
news and build relationships with involved riding on the much-await- ticular fact. To do this successfully, of verbiage. ing news and uses it to write about
the right people. Fortunately, there ed monetary statement by Finance the organisation needs to respond When newsjacking was first in- something else related or not related
now is what is called newsjacking. minister Mthuli Ncube. Though (usually quickly) to a news event troduced to the world of public re- to the original news story. This un-
this turned out to be a non-event, that generates a lot of Press attention lations, it was met with scepticism, related topic might be a company,
Newsjacking, the practice of Mambos released a list of their own in a short time,” says Raf Weverber- referred to as “Twitterfied public industry, or public figure’s statement
taking a news story and using it to ‘Non-Monetary Benefits.’ gh, a communication strategist. relations,” and many thought it about a current event. Social media
promote your brand or product, is A deep awareness of breaking would never catch on. Those in the is then used to gain more traction
becoming a popular tactic in public Not lost out in their spoof was news and trending topics is required industry were used to the tradition- and expose the brand to one’s target
relations and marketing campaigns. highlighting the glaring fact that for effective demographic.
But what is newsjacking, and how the Press conference touted in a newsjacking.
can you use it to your advantage? media release to begin at 10.30am There may be Corporate While newsjacking may be an
"sharp" ended up starting a full 20 nothing to effective public relations tactic, it
Best practices for newsjacking minutes later, much to the chagrin mention, but it Communications is critical to be judicious about the
involve creating content in tandem of a boardroom full of sweating is critical to cre- things you discuss. One should
with breaking news, creating con- journalists. ate an environ- avoid sensitive themes and choose
tent that is relevant and timely as ment in which topics that resonate with your
news breaks, and then promoting Another restaurant chain, Nan- you are at the Lenox Lizwi Mhlanga brand’s narrative and messaging to
that content through channels that do’s, has turned into an art form this top of the news ensure the success of your newsjack-
are meaningful to your target audi- novel way of using viral content to agenda. Ex- ing efforts. If there is nothing inter-
ence. build buzz and generate leads for a perts recommend that newsjacking al method of Press releases and me- esting to say, then it is better to stay
company or brand. Notwithstand- should be included in an organisa- dia contacts. Now, newsjacking has out it.
Newsjacking also involves taking ing, it takes a certain creativity, tact tion’s PR strategy. become a staple in PR and market-
a news story that already exists and and finesse to pull one off without As newsjacking has grown in ing campaigns, often referred to as *About the writer: Lenox Mh-
using it to reach a larger audience falling flat. prominence, so too has the amount “content marketing for the digital langa is a specialist communica-
than traditional PR tactics would of jargon, buzzwords, and ques- age". tion consultant and can be reached
allow. This can generate media cov- It is a tactic that corporations and tionable advice surrounding the Another example is where a jour- at: [email protected] and
erage, build a brand’s reputation, or politicians alike have leveraged to +263772 400 656.
generate leads. generate maximum exposure and
influence with minimum invest-
Over the past few years, we have
seen an explosion of news content
on social media. Much of the news
is from organisations that do not
represent the mainstream and often
provide a platform for a particular
point of view. These social media
platforms have also become a key
distribution channel for traditional
media, who are scrambling to stay
relevant in a landscape dominated
by social media.

There are three major benefits of
PR newsjacking. Connecting your
brand to a current news item can
expose it to a new audience, raising
its PR profile. Joining a viral debate
makes it simpler to gain attention,
since it is not restricted to people
who are already aware of the brand.

Second, commenting on current
events in the media shows that your
company is on par with industry
challenges. Being a thought leader
increases stakeholder trust and helps
one to demonstrate value to a com-
pany’s audience.

Newsjacking is also an excel-
lent approach to convey what your
organisation does in a non-pro-
motional manner. If you are inter-
viewed or cited in the media, you
will gain credibility in your field
and may eventually become the go-
to person to comment on industry
concerns and trends.

In PR, we know that appearing
in the media is a favoured way of
boosting a business’s reputation.
This makes newsjacking a brilliant
strategy to improve brand recogni-
tion. Newsjacking ties your brand
with popular subjects, increasing
audience awareness of your messag-
ing. Your brand will grow and stand
out as you become a well-known
name in your industry.

NewsHawks Stock Taking Page 37

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange Pricelist

`

08 July, 2022

Market Cap ($mn) 2,126,435.21 -4.04% Top 5 Gainers 14.99% Top 5 Losers -15.00% Value Leaders ($) 145,063,300 Top 5 Gainers YTD 500.00%
All Share Index 16,813.22 -4.04% Lafarge 12.29% FML -13.33% Delta 123,748,900 Zeco 295.42%
Top 10 Index 10,345.17 -2.62% Edgars 8.64% FBC -11.11% Econet 65,896,360 CFI 255.97%
Value Traded ($) 6.56% GB Holdings 5.04% FMP -10.53% Masimba 47,539,200 NMB 215.63%
Interbank rate (USD/ZWL) 416,485,069.25 0.55% African Sun 4.89% ZHL -9.54% Natfoods 12,508,690 FCB 212.80%
382.4981 Zimplow Mash OK Zimbabw e Afdis
Market Cap (US$mn) -4.04%
YTD Movement (%) 5,559.3353 -54.41%

Bloom be r g Opening LTP Closing Price Previous Volume traded Value traded Shares In Market Cap Market Cap Price Change Price Change

Ticker (RTGSc) (RTGSc) (RTGSc) Change (%) Price (RTGSc) (shares) (RTGS$) Issue (mn's) (RTGS$ mn's) (US$ mn's) RTGS YTD (%) US$ YTD (%)
39,100.00 - 39,100.00 - 39,100.00 - - 119.49 46,722.36 122.15 212.80% -11.13%
Afdis AFDIS: ZH 1,137.40 1,194.77 1,137.40 17,007.76 44.46 86.03% -47.15%
1,000.00 5.04% 270.45 13,100.00 156,515.00 1,423.52 4,536.69 11.86 -25.10% -78.72%
African Sun ASUN: ZH 270.45 280.00 278.77 3.08% 1,582.14 5,400.00 15,053.50 1,627.40 6,913.59 18.07 51.40% -56.99%
1,582.14 - 1,582.14 8,486.07 46,354.95 121.19 179.38% -20.63%
Ariston ARISTON: ZH 8,486.07 8,395.35 - 1,999.88 - - 436.98 60,791.65 158.93 -42.86% -83.77%
1,999.88 8,400.00 1,999.88 -1.07% 2,600.00 11,300.00 948,675.00 552.15 34.42 0.09 14.71% -67.41%
Art ARTD: ZH 2,600.00 - 2,600.00 238,000.00 3,039.76 49,107.77 128.39 -25.65% -78.88%
238,000.00 238,000.00 - - - - 0.00 0.00 - -
Axia AXIA: ZH SUSPENDED 2,600.00 - 26,000.00 100.00 2,600.00 1.32 2,271.13 5.94 52.94% -56.55%
26,000.00 - - - 14,000.00 20.63 71,714.38 187.49 82.54% -48.14%
Bridgerfort MMDZ: ZH 14,000.00 - 26,000.00 - 37,000.00 - - 42.94 39,235.12 102.58 295.42% 12.34%
37,000.00 - 13,721.00 - 30,453.05 - - 8.74 365,863.52 956.51 72.60% -50.96%
Bridgerfort Class B 30,453.05 37,000.00 -1.99% 2,297.68 - - 522.66 8,234.02 21.53 -34.29% -81.33%
2,297.68 13,500.00 28,053.24 - 5,993.30 1,000.00 137,210.00 106.04 152,852.35 399.62 45.14% -58.77%
BAT BAT: ZH 5,993.30 37,000.00 2,300.00 -7.88% 13,760.67 1,100.00 407,000.00 1304.18 337,453.74 882.24 53.25% -56.46%
13,760.67 30,000.00 5,900.32 0.10% 569.93 517,100.00 145,063,300.00 358.00 3,867.19 10.11 47.13% -58.20%
Border BRDR: ZH 2,300.00 13,026.20 -1.55% 7,500.00 1,000.00 23,000.00 2590.58 43,676.75 114.19 92.00% -45.45%
569.93 5,900.00 -5.34% 2,200.00 58,700.00 3,463,485.00 2590.58 2,396.31 6.26 39.37% -60.41%
Cafca CAFCA: ZH 7,500.00 12,980.00 640.00 12.29% 1,100.00 950,000.00 123,748,900.00 604.25 23,546.09 61.56 215.63% -10.33%
2,200.00 6,500.00 -13.33% 2,400.00 1,800.00 11,520.00 671.95 14,078.92 36.81 2.00% -71.02%
CBZ CBZ: ZH 1,100.00 640.00 2,200.00 - 900.00 11,100.00 721,500.00 108.92 9,905.26 25.90 2.56% -70.86%
2,400.00 6,500.00 1,090.19 -0.89% 127.01 - - 2159.81 740.44 1.94 -39.87% -82.92%
CFI CFI: ZH 2,040.00 -15.00% 1,600.00 5,200.00 56,690.00 690.14 18,609.89 48.65 166.67% -24.24%
900.00 - -11.11% 25,003.57 1,600.00 32,640.00 1,238.16 48,093.02 125.73 -11.01% -74.72%
Delta DLTA: ZH 127.01 1,080.00 800.00 8.64% 35,582.32 100.00 800.00 536.59 193,773.66 506.60 109.38% -40.52%
1,600.00 2,040.00 137.99 - 12,766.19 8,100.00 11,177.25 1,163.12 11,744.00 30.70 83.50% -47.87%
Dairibord DZL: ZH 25,003.57 1,600.00 -0.35% 481.73 - - 193.02 8,101.47 21.18 34.31% -61.84%
35,582.32 800.00 24,916.01 -4.44% 5,100.00 23,800.00 5,930,010.00 569.88 12,330.89 32.24 -7.22% -73.64%
Ecocash EHZL:ZH 12,766.19 140.00 34,002.75 14.99% 12,002.48 15,300.00 5,202,420.00 80.00 30,323.80 79.28 -4.06% -72.74%
481.73 14,680.00 -9.54% 1,300.00 1,500.00 220,200.00 1,859.07 9,332.78 24.40 10.70% -68.55%
Econet*** ECO: ZH 5,100.00 - 435.78 0.05% 177,498.75 14,200.00 61,880.50 241.65 110,226.66 288.18 17.23% -66.69%
12,002.48 21,500.00 5,102.71 - 2,866.67 1,291,400.00 65,896,360.00 252.65 11,586.27 30.29 255.97% 1.13%
Edgars EDGR: ZH 1,300.00 33,985.00 12,002.48 -4.99% 1,192.27 - - 755.65 3,021.08 7.90 88.89% -46.34%
177,498.75 14,680.00 1,235.07 -9.21% 3,100.76 28,500.00 351,995.00 68.40 41,179.55 107.66 16.68% -66.85%
FBC FBC: ZH 2,866.67 161,149.83 - 8,199.06 29,500.00 47,539,200.00 404.17 5,425.19 14.18 0.00% -71.59%
1,192.27 500.00 2,866.67 -0.19% 795.00 - - 253.87 294.84 0.77 0.00% -71.59%
Fidelity Life FIDL: ZH 3,100.76 5,105.00 1,190.00 3.28% 3,090.00 1,200.00 14,280.00 1,285.88 7,558.07 19.76 3.45% -70.61%
8,199.06 3,202.43 - 850.00 390,600.00 12,508,690.00 66.17 21,211.71 55.46 8.97% -69.04%
FCB FCB: ZH 795.00 - 8,199.06 - 13,492.93 - - 37.09 33,354.88 87.20 27.82% -63.69%
3,090.00 1,235.00 795.00 -2.91% 17,905.49 - - 251.94 100,631.08 263.09 98.89% -43.50%
First Mutual FMLH: ZH 850.00 160,000.00 3,000.00 - 172.25 300.00 9,000.00 2,495.50 8,088.73 21.15 48.07% -57.93%
13,492.93 850.00 - 17,564.29 - - 247.20 44,380.98 116.03 153.69% -39.63%
First Mutual Properties FMP: ZH 17,905.49 - 13,492.93 -0.03% 229.00 - - 562.18 879.51 2.30 14.50% -67.47%
172.25 1,190.00 17,900.00 -0.41% 11,010.00 17,200.00 3,078,800.00 4,715.08 35,710.24 93.36 42.51% -59.51%
GB Holdings GBH: ZH 17,564.29 3,550.00 171.55 -3.21% 540.00 1,500.00 2,573.25 261.06 2,667.35 6.97 31.91% -62.52%
229.00 17,000.00 - 3,000.00 2,400.00 408,000.00 384.07 3,194.23 8.35 0.11% -71.56%
GetBucks GBFS: ZH 11,010.00 SUSP 229.00 -9.17% 250.00 - - 357.10 4,445.00 11.62 -19.22% -77.05%
540.00 SUSP 10,000.00 0.19% 13,200.00 3,000.00 300,000.00 493.04 23,125.16 60.46 71.43% -51.30%
Hippo HIPO: ZH 3,000.00 3,000.00 541.00 - 2.88 1,000.00 5,410.00 106.47 13.34 0.03 500.00% 70.46%
250.00 3,000.00 - 464.00 - - 1,778.00 7,548.15 19.73 10.39% -68.64%
Innscor INN: ZH 13,200.00 - 250.00 - 468.00 - - 175.19 2,695.68 7.05 60.82% -54.31%
- 13,200.00 - 1,702.42 - - 463.34 6,153.21 16.09 -24.33% -78.50%
Lafarge LACZ: ZH 2.88 17,900.00 -10.53% - - 1,818.22 7.14 0.02 - -
464.00 178.00 2.88 - 11,000.00 31,600.00 131,184.75 576.00 13,423.24 35.09 175.00% -21.87%
Mash MASH: ZH 468.00 17,000.00 415.14 4.89% - - 344.58
1,702.42 - 468.00 - 1,400.00 25,000.00 167.89
M as im ba MSHL: ZH SUSPENDED 10,000.00 1,785.71 - - - 122.03
11,000.00 541.00 - -
Meikles MEIK: ZH - 4.25
- 11,000.00
Nam pak NPKZ: ZH -
-
Natfoods NTFD: ZH 395.25
-
NMB NMB: ZH 1,800.00
-
NTS NTS: ZH -

OK Zimbabw e OKZ: ZH

Old Mutual OMU: ZH

PPC PPC: ZH

Proplastics PROL: ZH

RTG RTG: ZH

Seedco SEED: ZH

Sim bis a SIM: ZH

Star Africa SACL: ZH

Tanganda TANG:ZH

Truw orths TRUW: ZH

TSL TSL: ZH

Turnall TURN: ZH

Unifreight UNIF: ZH

Willdale WILD: ZH

ZBFH ZBFH: ZH

Zeco ZECO: ZH

ZHL ZHL: ZH

Zim pape r s ZIMP: ZH

Zimplow Holdings ZIMPLOW: ZH

Hw ange HCCL: ZH

RioZim RIOZ: ZH

Econet shares in issue include Class A Shares

Exchange Traded Funds Opening LTP Closing Price Change Previous Price Volume traded Value traded Market Cap Market Cap Price Change Price Change
(RTGSc) (RTGSc) (RTGSc) (%) (RTGSc) (RTGS$) (RTGS$ mn's) (US$ mn's) RTGS YTD (%) US$ YTD (%)
Datvest Modified Consumer Staples ETF 191.06 200.00 191.38 191.06 27,433.00 -36.21%
Morgan&Co Made in Zimbabw e 0.17% 170,755.00 52,500.60 130.19 0.34 91.38%
Morgan&Co Multi Sector 121.09 124.00 124.94 121.09 24.94%
OM ZSE Top-10 ETF 2,600.63 2,850.00 2,850.00 3.18% 2,600.63 20.00 213,344.45 3,076.02 8.04 24.94% -19.03%
9.59% 36,920.00 570.00 3,588.94 9.38 185.00%
920.00 920.00 920.00 968.33 -41.12%
-4.99% 339,664.45 735.99 1.92 107.26%

* The complete list of ZSE Indices can be obtained from the ZSE website: www.zse.co.zw

Victoria Falls Stock Exchange Pricelist

08 July, 2022

Bloom be r g Opening LTP Closing Price Previous Volume traded Value traded Shares In Market Cap Market Cap Price Change Price Change
Ticker (USc) (USc) (USc) Change (%) Price (USc) (shares) (US$) Issue (mn's) (US$ mn's) (RTGS$ mn's) US YTD (%) RTGS$ YTD (%)
BIND:ZH 3.50 3.50 - -
BNC - 0.00% 3.50 1,272.73 44.55 17,038.55 -36.36% 124.00%
Caledonia CMCL:ZH 1,300.00 1,300.00 - -
Padenga PHL:ZH 26.22 - 26.00 0.00% 1,300.00 6,000.00 1,560.00 0.62 8.06 3,082.93 0.00% 251.99%
Seed Co Intl 26.00 -0.84% 26.22 537.67 139.79 53,471.29
SCIL:ZH 28.10 28.10 - - 23.81% 335.80%
- 0.00% 28.10 242.24 68.07 26,036.65
0.18% 252.62%

* The complete list of VFEX Indices can be obtained from the VFEX website: https://www.vfex.exchange/

Property
NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022 PROPERTY INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE GARDENING Page 38

The home of prime property: [email protected]

Poverty meets affluence: Squatter vs mansion

A squatter camp overlooks well-built mansions in the affluent suburb of Borrowdale as the gap between the rich and poor widens in the country. — Pictures Aaron Ufumeli

NewsHawks News Analysis Page 39

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Tracing genesis of Zim's resource curse

NYASHA CHINGONO

REVELATIONS that foreign Zimbabwe continues to lose potential revenue due to resource plunder.
mining companies in collusion
with the government are plun- Human Rights Risks in the Ex- cahoots with the government. land. parts of Africa where commu-
dering black granite from Mt traction and Production of Nat- Zimbabwe is losing billions of In Mutoko, many families are nities are impoverished rather
Darwin, Murehwa and Mutoko, ural Stone in Zimbabwe”, by than benefit from natural re-
raking in millions of US dollars mining law experts James Tsab- dollars every year to illicit min- being displaced as granite ex- sources. The sad part is local
while leaving villagers wallow- ora and Darlington Chidarara eral flows while communities traction companies expand into and national leaders are com-
ing in poverty are testimony states that granite extraction are left scarred and landless. communal lands. plicit in receiving trinkets from
to Zimbabwe’s resource curse involves huge tracts of land, re- so-called investors. National re-
which has obtained for the past sulting in the disruption of live- What is happening with black The resource curse continues source laws must define benefits
42 years, with analysts saying lihoods. granite, has long been the order to haunt communities. for communities within the re-
natural endowments must ben- of the day in the diamond-rich source areas, tighten protection
efit local communities. The report notes that the Marange area of Manicaland What is disheartening is how and rehabilitation of the envi-
natural stone industry, which province. the local leadership and even ronment,” Mukundu said.
Last week, The NewsHawks includes the granite-mining top government officials are
published a detailed series of sector, has grown rapidly in the After descending on the dia- working overtime to sabotage Political analyst Professor Ste-
stories chronicling how black past three decades to become a mond fields in 2005 and plun- their own communities. phen Chan said granite miners
granite was being plundered, key economic sector in Zimba- dering alluvial diamonds, inves- are holding the country hostage
mainly by European and Chi- bwe. It is constituted mainly by tors left the community poorer. Political analyst Rashweat and urged Zimbabwe to diversi-
nese miners, to the detriment of quarrying or extraction compa- Mukundu said: “Resource ex- fy its mining interests.
communities. nies. There is very little process- The late former president ploitation is a sore issue for
ing in the country. Robert Mugabe was dismissed many communities in Zimba- “Almost every country has
While this is not a new phe- as bluffing when he revealed bwe who have not benefited foreign interests, but they con-
nomenon, it is high time the The industry was initially that Zimbabwe had lost US$15 from such resources but many centrate on one provider, the
authorities prioritised com- dominated by European-based billion between 2009 and 2015. have ended in prison, threat-
munities and the future gener- companies from Italy, Spain and But critics say although Mugabe ened and living in scarred lands Chinese; then you have not
ations in Zimbabwe, analysts other nations, but in the last 10 got his figures wrong, he was and polluted water bodies.” diversified your risk such that
have said. years, Chinese companies have right that there was widespread one country will hold you hos-
also gone into the sector. looting in Marange. He said national leaders are tage. Mining has certain prob-
The country continues to complicit in the plunder of nat- lems attached to it; it is not
lose potential revenue due to re- The report is just a tip of the Seeing large profits, the gov- ural resources in Zimbabwe. always ok. A lot of government
source plunder. iceberg of resource exploitation ernment ordered the displace- does not understand the chain
by foreign entities, working in ment of Chiadzwa people, most “The case of Mutoko, of processing,” Chan said.
An investigation into granite of whom are now living in pov- Hwange, Lupane and Marange
mining operations in Masho- erty away from their ancestral speak to what we call the re-
naland East and Mashonaland source curse in Zim and other
Central has revealed the neg-
ative social and economic im-
pact on lives and livelihoods of
communities rather than an im-
provement in their welfare.

The bulk of the granite is
then exported to Europe, partic-
ularly Italy and Spain, but the
proceeds hardly trickle down to
affected communities.

It is sickening that commu-
nities like Mutoko hardly ben-
efit from the black granite that
leaves daily. About 60 haulage
trucks laden with blocks of rock
leave daily, as stone-cutting ma-
chinery rips mountains apart
with no restraint.

The Mutoko community only
got a bustop made from pol-
ished granite, a few years ago
and that is the only monument
the rural settlement has to show
for its large deposits of granite.

Amid the heavy quarrying of
sacred mountains, there are oth-
er negative consequences that
come with the exploitation of
the rock.

These include large-scale vi-
olations of land rights, envi-
ronmental degradation, forc-
ible relocations and evictions,
discrimination, labour rights
violations including perpetual
short-term contracts, denial of
the right to organise and the
right to collective bargaining,
corruption, failure to comply
with health, among others.

A report entitled “From
Mountains of Hope to Ant-
hills of Despair: Assessment of

Page 40 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Joshua Nkomo on the Cross: A
liberation thinker’s crucifixion
This article began as a public lecture pre-
sented on the cause of the Joshua Mqabu-
ko Nkomo Foundation, South Africa, at
the Holy Trinity Church, in Braamfon-
tein, Johannesburg, on the 2 July 2022.
The NewsHawks will run it in two parts,
starting this week.

WILLIAM JETHRO MPOFU

SOME books can be judged by their The late former President Robert Mugabe and the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo.
covers. These are books whose outlook
accurately betrays their content. They own ideas, not the other way round. ic gestures and slogans of revolutionary Nkomo became a great philosopher of have all those building blocks in place,
are great books that are open while Realism, on the other hand, dictates memory and socialist posturing. liberation, but a tragic visionary and although his own shortcomings from
their covers are closed because they failed politician who could not deliver a practical leadership skills and being
have nothing to hide. assessment of a situation as it is, with- In all this, Nkomo clearly did not the liberation he had envisioned, in the ruthlessly focused on the endgame per-
out overt emotional involvement. understand, realise or take seriously process opening himself, his political spective did not help the situation.
Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nko- that power-hungry and opportunistic organisation and followers to unthink-
mo (1917-1999) was such an open Idealists like Nkomo tend to be allies that he had embraced, nurtured able calamities, including marginalisa- It is an existential and historical
book of a human being. His life was more positive compared to realists, in and worked with before they revolted tion and genocide. tragedy that most philosophers of lib-
full of the how-to, and how-not to, les- how they perceive things and carry out against him were far more dangerous eration such as Nkomo lose in politics
sons in politics and leadership. tasks. When making decisions, realists to him than his enemies. Yet we must always remember that to ruthless pragmatists like Robert
are more  goal-oriented and thorough Nkomo and other like-minded nation- Mugabe.
Nkomo left behind a treasure of than idealists, who may have lofty am- That way one can reason that Nko- alists had set their main objective as
experience and knowledge, for us, we bitions, but lack the clarity of vision mo was a great man whose greatness primarily to liberate Zimbabwe from After resorting to armed struggles
can only use or squander it. His titanic and focus to put them into action in ultimately became his weakness and colonial rule, which they did. This to overthrow colonialism, claiming to
body perfectly projected his big-mind- an achievable way. downfall. makes us avoid marking and rating represent the majority and national
ed and big-hearted self and political Nkomo by an examination which he will, some liberation movements mu-
purpose. The space that Nkomo — However, the brutal truth might be His great revolutionary vision for a did not sit for. Forgetting that would tated to authoritarian regimes, which
“The Big Josh” - commanded, by sheer that Nkomo was neither a saint nor a diverse, free and prosperous Zimba- be unfair and too harsh to him. preserved vestiges of colonial systems,
height and width of physical body, was naïve operator, but a great man in dark bwe became too bright to be real and perpetuated part of their legacies and
telling. His physical size performed the times, and a big political dreamer who its light blinded rather than illuminat- But it is Nkomo’s towering vision, reproduced their exploitative practices,
metaphysical presence of his political was outmanoeuvred by power-hungry ed the practical and historical dangers honesty of his mind and truth of his as they sought to entrench themselves
ideas and vision. nationalistic realists and ruthless op- that lurked around in treacherous po- heart – being ahead of his time - that in the state; consolidate and retain
portunists, whom he trusted and even litical landscapes, especially in such set- eventually prevented him from achiev- power – that being means to an end.
Nkomo had such largeness of polit- loved. tings as Zimbabwe that was liberated ing the desired liberation of Zimbabwe
ical and revolutionary vision that one from being a settler colony only to be and that of himself which he took up as It is for that reason that, worldwide,
can easily accuse him of having been Nkomo thought everybody was captured by some corrupt and incom- a vocation from the time of his youth politics has become the proverbial
too innocent — idealistic - for the real fighting to liberate Zimbabwe and petent native colonialists that later re- as he navigated a path of liberation to dirty game and a domain of sorcerers
world of politics to imagine that one embark on a nation-building project duced the country to a special province greatness. where the proverbial angels must fear
politician and his political party could to take the country to the Abrahamic of hell itself. to trade. And this is a great theological
turn a colony like Rhodesia to a future promised land, yet, as we now know, A path of liberation to greatness and philosophical question of theodi-
paradise for both the colonised and others were fighting to displace colo- That is how Nkomo, with all the consists of having a burning and gen- cy where the good God allows evil to
their colonisers. nial settlers and secure access to power political utopia he had envisioned, uine desire to achieve something great, prosper and good to perish more often
and resources while perpetuating ex- ended up a messiah to be crucified a good cause and strong support sys- than not.
Yes, a fair observer may reach the tractive economic models for self-ag- on the cross in a dystopia that he was tem along the way. Nkomo did not
conclusion that Nkomo was spectacu- grandisement, with occasional symbol- too good to foresee. For that reason, This article began as a public lecture
larly naïve politically to imagine that a
settler colony could be easily liberated
into a political paradise.

His critics say that he was naïve to
think that his fellow comrades in arms
on the other wing of the broad liber-
ation movement had a similar vision
and imagination of a diverse, free and
prosperous future Zimbabwe which he
also had on mind.

This is a recurrent charge against
him, especially by those who feel be-
trayed and left to the mercy of liber-
ation struggle hyenas currently ruling
the country — scavenging and devour-
ing its resources for self-aggrandise-
ment like hungry predators.

Nkomo might after all have been a
giant that was always going to collapse
of its own weight of contradictions,
especially the contradiction of being a
good man in a dirty game of politics.
Or being an idealist, while dealing with
ruthless Machiavellians.

In philosophy, when engaging is-
sues of perception, idealism is a the-
ory which informs us that our reality
is shaped by our thoughts and ideas.
Realism, on the other hand, says reality
has an absolute existence independent
from our thoughts, ideas and even con-
sciousness.

Even at the height of the struggle
and in later years through the Guku-
rahundi massacres darkness, Nkomo
largely saw things through optimistic
lenses, shaping the situation with his

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 41

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

presented on the cause of the Joshua The late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo. which I argue Nkomo belonged. the existential and spiritual prison of and limits when at some point they
Mqabuko Nkomo Foundation, South repair. For their strength and greatness, being evil tormentors that are captives thought of the impossible at the time;
Africa, at the Holy Trinity Church, in of their sins. that racist apartheid Boers could be ne-
Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on the 2 Under the said leadership, Zim- when they become limited and weak, gotiated with, which infuriated Chris
July 2022, and acknowledgements, as babwe has now become a huge crime their limitations and weaknesses tend Enrique Dussel provides a geneal- Hani and other warriors that wanted
well as the official presentation and re- scene and Zimbabweans a pathetic to be strong and costly for themselves ogy, and also maps the archaeology to run their Russian tanks into Pretoria
flection thereof, follow below. second-hand people that wear sec- and their followers. They are the giants and eschatology of the philosophers of on the ashes of the Boer Republic in
ond-hand clothing from far away and whose limits are also gigantic and that liberation that spring up everywhere military victory, if ever that was practi-
Salutations other lost places of the world. is why they fall with a costly and noisy when conquest and domination of one cally possible.
I want to deposit my salutations and thud that is never easy to forget. people by another shows up.
gratitude to the Joshua Nkomo Foun- That Nkomo was a great philoso- Nelson Mandela, who now faces
dation, in South Africa, for affording pher of liberation, but a failed politi- The Gukurahundi genocide that These might be called by all other the same harsh judgements as Nkomo
me the opportunity to reflect on a great cian and a tragic soldier is an import- was conducted by the victors that van- names and monikers, but they are who from extremists, was such a philos-
African statesman. ant assertion that I must defend or quished Nkomo, his party, army, and they are, philosophers of liberation. As opher of liberation when he got pos-
In doing that I want to submit my surrender whatever credibility I might vision through a combination of force I state earlier here, my purpose in this sessed by the conviction that the scary
intention to reflect on the political val- have as a political observer to question, and fraud, ironically with the assistance brief account is to flesh out the lim- apartheid Afrikaner was a prisoner of
ues and not the person of Nkomo. It and eventual dismissal. of the hitherto common enemy as was its that frequently confront them and hate who needed to be liberated from
is only a philosophical dilemma that the case in the Zipra/Zanla clashes in undo them and their great work, living his sorry world. There is frequently a
personal values cannot be reflected What fundamentally are the philos- Entumbane, Bulawayo, in 1980-81, their followers dead, wounded, disap- pathetic baby that needs love and a
upon without reference to the person ophers of liberation? for instance, (with Rhodesian forces pointed and most times justly feeling hug behind even some of the scariest
that bears them. And rememberable is led by the likes of now retired Colonel betrayed. oppressors.
that it is great persons with great values Philosophers of liberation are great Lionel Dyck — who later became mer-
that bear great limits. Limits that seem and rare human beings. Some of them cenaries — now on the Mugabe side In that way, the line can be really It is thanks to philosophers of liber-
always to shadow their great purpos- come in the shape of political leaders, following independence realignment thin between a philosopher of libera- ation that South Africa ended up with
es the way dark shadows follow light soldiers, scholars and priests. Now and of interests), will not easily be resolved tion, who prefers compromise to total a negotiated settlement that gave the
itself. I want to confess my personal again a country or a historical epoch is or forgotten by the victims. political victory, and a traitor. By their liberation movement and its followers
vulnerability to the strong temptation gifted with one or two of them. nature they are sold to the belief that political power, and also tragically let
to be carried away by my enchantment Of the victims those that have for- the world and its resources is a shared the Afrikaners keep the economy, a
with the heroism of Nkomo. No one They are never in the majority, given have not forgotten and those that place and the spirit of compromise compromise that is eating into the very
can with success, I Insist, drive a coach although the crowds of people and have forgotten have not forgiven. In- and sharing power comes first to their soul of South Africa up to now.
and its horses through the truth of populations that follow them can be jury, fear, and anger sit heavy on their minds.
Nkomo’s heroism. a mass because their philosophical vi- psyche. Some of them might, in the The alternative could have been a
I want to promise that I will not al- sions and political purposes can be en- telling words of Mahmood Mamdani, Fanatic followers that aspire to be war of all against all that would have
low my enchantment with Nkomo to chanting and electrifying to individuals one day be the victims that become dominators and oppressors are left left the country a wasteland, the phi-
overtake candid observation. Or will and crowds. They frequently look like killers, because they are angry and disappointed when philosophers of losophers of liberation are persuaded.
I allow my candid critique to collapse born leaders when in actuality they are aggrieved beyond repair. They are the liberation choose compromise from That “South Africa belongs to all who
into insult. At that I want to confess made and formed by social and histor- wounded that might be prepared to total revolution. It is not that the phi- live in it,” for instance, is a typical ci-
my deep suspicion of heroes, be they ical circumstances like almost all other wound others because their very lives losophers of liberation are cowards, no, tation from the philosopher of libera-
religious saints or political messiahs. leaders, including those who mislead, and thoughts have become a durable they have the strength and the courage tion’s dictionary, a citation that infuri-
If there were no heroes in politics, dictators, tyrants, kleptocrats and other wound that perpetually bleeds. Guku- to live with compromise and concili- ates extremists on the far left and on
if we did not allow leaders to grow coezanagers. rahundi itself has become the ghost ation. the far right in the ideological playfield.
into heroes, there would be no traitors that Achille Mbembe describes. A
or villains. As soon as there is a hero, Now and again, in different places, stubborn one that insists on waking up They have the high wisdom not to Because they are great humanists,
in any political cause, that cause is as some philosophers of liberation are every time an attempt is made to bury dethrone one form of oppression only philosophers of liberation easily forget
good as betrayed. Hero-making dehu- corrupted by power and lose their way it in such a postcolony as Zimbabwe to replace it with another. that humanists are few and that other
manises the leader and imposes upon and others corrupt power and use it for is. For the sake of disclosure, I am nei- people, especially in politics, are true
him the irresponsibility to inevitably dark ends, giving liberation and lead- ther the first nor the last to describe the Philosophers of liberation are wary snakes. Their great humanism leads
betray the cause because heroes are ership a very bad name in the process. philosophers of liberation, their great of political victory and power. philosophers of liberation to trusting
almost always monsters whose work ideals and their Himalayan limits and blindly, and even trusting their enemies
is perpetually debatable, controversial I have purposely made the capital weaknesses. They are not the philosopher kings and the enemies of their grand vision.
and unfinished. assertion that Nkomo was a philoso- that Plato described. They are philos- They can trust enemies more than their
I want to declare my belief that to pher of liberation. Now it is my bur- For their great vocation Gustavo ophers that also know how to be war- friends because in the very first place
liberate Nkomo, which is the theme of den to describe who the philosophers Guitterez has described the liberation riors. They are grand human beings they do not believe in enmity.
this commemorative event, we must of liberation are, and what they are. theologians. Paulo Freire provides a that tend to naturally love liberation
recover the name and image of Josh- massive description of great humanists and fear domination, even the possibil- That great trait, in particular, makes
ua Nkomo from myths and fictions. Because they are rare and great hu- who do not only want to free them- ity of them and their organisations and them pathetic and dangerous politi-
Myths and fictions created both by his man beings, their strengths are obvi- selves from oppression, but have the nations dominating others, that is how cians that are a danger to themselves,
die-hard supporters and sworn ene- ous, and their greatness is in the public largeness of mind to seek to free their lofty and elevated they are, which can their causes and followers. How Nko-
mies. Some by himself. domain, so what remains germane is oppressors as well. be a fatal weakness, especially when mo at the end took advice from Julius
Great men and great women, I ob- to describe their limitations and weak- their political adversaries are crooks, Nyerere, a man who did not hide his
serve, because of their sheer greatness, nesses. Oppressors need to be freed because villains, killers and scum of the earth. deep hatred and contempt for him
always fall where their pieces can be by being oppressors they languish in and his political party and army, is an
picked up. I salute the Nkomo Foun- It might be a good waste of time Oliver Tambo and his political stu- illustration of the philosopher of liber-
dation for allowing us to participate in and words, in a short article like this dent, Thabo Mbeki, practiced the phi- ation’s tendency to trust unwisely and
the important intellectual and political presentation, to go to town about the losophy of liberation in all its strengths dangerously, and to be post-political in
vocation of picking up the many pieces strengths and glories of the philoso- political activity.
of the fallen Nkomo today, fallen from phers of liberation, a political tribe to
the cross of crucifixion by those that At one-point, Nkomo writes in his
feared and hated him for all the grand book, Nyerere unceremoniously threw
issues that he lived and stood for. him out of Tanzania, threatening to ar-
In the dark times that Zimbabwe- rest him, and telling him straight that
ans are going through today, part of he was no leader and had no political
picking up the great pieces of Nkomo party to talk about. But it is to Nyere-
is being honest about the Zimbabwe re that Nkomo later listened and took
that could have been and that we lost “wise counsel”.
in the political and physical demise of
Nkomo. The Russians, Cubans, East Ger-
Nkomo and values he embodied was mans and Angolans, all weather friends
a political opportunity that Zimbabwe of Zapu, were ignored by Nkomo
lost. And that loss is daily demonstrat- when it came to making crucial deci-
ed by the tragic failure of leadership the sions. The Russians and the Cubans, in
country has had to endure with disas- particular, sat Nkomo down and told
trous consequences. him how Nyerere had Nicodemously
Nkomo, whose pieces we pick to- approached them, pleading with them
day, was a great thinker of liberation to direct their support to Zanu and not
who was tragically prevented, and Zapu. But with his big heart, Nkomo
prevented himself and his party, from still played the liberation philosopher
bringing his political values and liber- and chose to bury the hatchet to save
atory leadership to life in the country Zimbabwe at a huge cost to his party,
that has been broken to almost beyond supporters and himself. To be contin-
ued…

*About the writer: Dr William Je-
thro Mpofu is a Zimbabwean-born
researcher at the University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in
South Africa.

Page 42 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU Ndabaningi Sithole: Zimbabwe’s
forgotten intellectual and leader
NDABANINGI Sithole was one of
the founding fathers of the modern Ndabaningi Sithole.
state of Zimbabwe in southern Af-
rica. dependence? The majority great- revolutionary tool. his politics and civic interests. De- was spectacular. He has been for
ly doubted that Africa was ready. His manuscripts, smuggled from spite later political disagreements, the modern Zanu PF a persona non
In August 1963, he became the Some regarded the rise of African they maintained a cautious allyship grata. But a figure like Sithole can-
first president of the  Zimbabwe nationalism as a bad omen for the prison with the help of guards and and respect. not be easily expunged from histo-
African National Union (Zanu), whitemen in Africa." sympathisers, were mostly pub- ry, which he actively contributed to
the militant liberation organisation lished abroad to avoid censorship. While in the US, Sithole pub- as a leading actor and as a writer.
that fought against white minority As historian  David Max- Two of these included  The Polyga- lished  AmaNdebele kaMzilikazi  in
rule that he led for a decade before well writes, nationalism – support- mist and Obed Mutezo – the story 1956, the first published novel At a time when a young gener-
being deposed in a palace coup en- ing the interests of the nation-state of an “African Nationalist (Chris- in Ndebele in Zimbabwe. It was ation of Africans are calling for
gineered by his rival  Robert Mug- – has been a powerful force in Zim- tian) Martyr”. Sithole was also a released by Longmans, Green & decolonisation, Sithole’s ideas reso-
abe. Mugabe went on to become babwean history as a mobilising leading contributor to the  Zimba- Co. in Cape Town before being nate even further. In the preface to
the post-independence leader of ideology. It continues to play a key bwe News, a newsletter that was republished in 1957 as  Umvukela the new edition of African Nation-
Zimbabwe. part in the arena in which political published by Zanu to convey its wamaNdebele  by the newly estab- alism, former Kenyan prime minis-
ideas and participation are imag- revolutionary messages. lished Rhodesia Literature Bureau. ter, Raila Odinga posits:
Sithole was the most prolific ined. The book is inspired by the events
black writer in colonial  Rhode- As if he knew history was not go- of the Ndebele uprisings of 1896. "Reading African Nationalism
sia from the 1950s until the country Zimbabwean nationalism, a ver- ing to be kind to him, Sithole spent evokes mixed feelings of sadness
gained independence as Zimbabwe sion of which historian  Terence considerable time writing his ideas, Sithole was the product of an un- and joy. It is sad to imagine that a
in 1980. In that period he pub- Ranger called “patriotic history” re- but also about people he met as a usual progeny – a father from the whole book had to be written to try
lished nine books (one serialised in mains central to debates about who leader. He partly coordinated the Ndau clan and a mother from the and explain to fellow humans why
African Parade magazine). He also belongs, and who has the right to liberation struggle through the bar- Ndebele clan. As such, he was not Africans were agitating for and de-
left an incredible archive of the lib- speak, to vote and to own land. rel of the pen. Sithole writes himself easily contained by the Shona-Nde- served self rule."
eration struggle that was generated into history. He is not just a chron- bele binary that has informed much
in real time. Surprisingly, most of The barrel of a pen icler of the liberation struggle, as it of Zimbabwe’s modern politics. It is always important to look
Zimbabwe’s liberation figures did Sithole’s tenure as leader of Zanu is happening in real time, but also Growing up in rural Matebeleland, back to the past, in order to navi-
not leave behind a lot of their own was mostly from prison, between acts as an archivist for the future. he was raised under Ndebele tradi- gate the present and the future. His
writings. Sithole is unique in that 1964 and 1974. It was a treacher- tion and culture. It is not surprising ideas aside, Sithole is also a remind-
regard. ous time. Most of the black polit- The teacher and preacher that his first published book was in- er of the fickleness of politics and
ical leaders had been rounded up, Sithole was a primary school spired by Ndebele traditions. history.
His most important book,  Afri- detained, killed or forced into ex- teacher at home before studying
can Nationalism, which has recent- ile. Besides directing Zanu’s insur- theology in the US between 1955 A complicated legacy — The Conversation.
ly been republished, is part auto- gent activities from his prison cell, and 1958. He had been mentored To look at Sithole’s life and career
biography and part polemics that Sithole also filled up time writing by the revered missionaries Garfield in retrospect is to wade through so *About the writer: Tinashe
provides a history of the liberation books: novels, poetry, and political and Grace Todd at Dadaya Mission. much hubris, of his own making Mushakavanhu is a junior re-
movement in Zimbabwe at its na- tracts. He considered writing as a This relationship was formative to and of others. His fall from grace search fellow at the University
scent stages. It was first published of Oxford International United
in 1959 and then in 1968. Kingdom.

A third edition of African Na-
tionalism is timely. It was released
by his family through the  Nd-
abaningi Sithole Foundation which
was launched last year to “honour
and perpetuate his legacy as an ad-
vocate for civil rights and pan Afri-
can democracy” through republish-
ing his books and hosting events.

It is timely because there is a re-
configuration of the politics of Zim-
babwe. Mugabe, who was a domi-
nant force for almost four decades,
has since died. There is currently a
vigorous contestation for power and
legitimacy going on in the country.
Figures like Sithole who have been
sidelined in Zimbabwe’s history of-
fer us an opportunity to reconsider
suppressed views and perspectives.

The philosopher-politician
More than six decades after the
publication of African Nationalism,
it remains a critical text to think
about topical subjects such as self
determination, political represen-
tation and decolonisation. Sithole’s
foray into active politics was pri-
marily through his writings and
thus his bona fide credentials as a
leading intellectual were embraced.
His book’s wide critical acclaim and
translation into half a dozen Euro-
pean languages earned him respect
among his peers.
Sithole composed the book in the
US where he was a student of theol-
ogy. He explained his impetus in his
introduction:
"I was confronted by what some
of my American friends said about
African nationalism, which at the
time was just beginning to be felt
throughout the length and breadth
of the continent of Africa, and
which was also beginning to make
fairly sensational international
headlines. The big question which
everyone was asking: 
Is Africa ready for sovereign in-

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 43

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

A new resurgence of decolonisation: We
need to do African studies with Africans

THIS is Part 1 of an interview in which I wonder if you can speak to the spe- gan Ndlovu is still in South Africa. So, poraries, they were actually happening Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni.
German-based Zimbabwean Professor cific context of Marxism in South Afri- the location determined the number of simultaneously with Columbus going to
Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni reflects on the ca — where are the contributors to the South African contributors, and also, the Americas. So, it’s a unique space from thinking, embodied, of course, by the
relationship between the two overarching volume learning their Marxism? Are they with a project like this, you always rely on which to think about the depth of colo- South African Communist Party and the
themes explored in his book — Marxism members or past members of organisa- networks. And the networks which I had nialism in the South African region, with New Unity Movement, among others.
and Decolonisation — and his new posi- tions like the South African Communist were mainly in South Africa. The very South Africa, really becoming a staging You can then see in this deep Marxist tra-
tion in Bayreuth where he occupies a pro- Party (SACP) or the National Union of idea of theorising both Marxism and post, into Zimbabwe, into Malawi, into dition, people like Moses Kotane going
fessorship in “Epistemologies of the Global Metalworkers of South Africa (NUM- decolonisation simultaneously emerged others from 1652 onwards. to the Soviet Union long ago. You will
South”. He describes the institutions and SA)? Are they learning Marxism in SAcp within the context in which there was a see people like Joe Slovo, emerging as key
movements in South Africa where contrib- or NUMSA political education sessions? feeling among others that this push for So, that’s one thing, which I thought Marxist thinkers.
utors to the volume may have developed Are they learning Marxism in their for- decoloniality is displacing, so to speak, would be important as a starting point to
their Marxist and decolonial analyses. mal education at specific universities Marxism, or with others, of course, do- understand the question of coloniality. People like Chris Hani. You’ll find that
The interview touches on some of the key where Marxism has somewhat of a foot- ing a quick critique of Marxism, putting And second, it also has the deepest, if I there is a Chris Hani Institute in South
African and African diasporic theoretical hold? forward such views [of Marxism] as a Eu- can say racial capitalist realities, including Africa. You’ll also find a place called Mza-
reference points for the volume, including rocentric idea. links with the issues of enslavement. So, la Nxumalo Centre  in Durban, which
Pan-African, Black radical, Afrocentric, Or are they principally autodidacts, all the dirty aspects of coloniality, moder- tries to revive Mzala’s tradition which was
nationalist, and Black consciousness tra- forced to learn Marxism on their own So, I thought, instead of falling into nity, you’ll see them in South Africa. Of also a deeply Marxist tradition. These are
ditions of thought. Finally, we discuss the for lack of access to an institutionalised those quick dismissals, it would be im- course, maybe they did not fully succeed recent centres which were built. The oth-
relevance of land reform, mining, and presence of Marxism? After answering portant for us to have a project in which in the project of extermination. er aspect in South Africa which is very in-
feminism to the theoretical and empirical that I’d like you to answer the same ques- we really bring people to think deeply teresting, related to the Marxist tradition
frameworks deployed in the book. Academ- tion for decoloniality — where are your about  the two movements. From where But there were massive killings of the is the emergence of the labour unions.
ic Yousuf Al-Bulushi (YAB) interviewed contributors first learning about decolo- I was standing, the key concern of the indigenous people, and it is also about
Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni (SNG). niality? What kind of institutional pres- book was that I never saw an antago- their displacement. The second aspect is When we think about institutions,
Yousuf Al-Bulushi (YAB):  Your chair ence does it have in South Africa? Have nism between Marxism and decolonisa- that South Africa becomes a convergence we also think about the University of
position at Bayreuth University in Ger- they participated in organisations like tion. If anything, I saw complementarity zone of intellectual traditions. Garvey- the Western Cape for instance, which
many is in Epistemologies of the Global the Economic Freedom Fighters or the between the two. But coming back to ism, Ghandiism, you’ll see them in South was also a leftist dominated institution,
South. Can you describe how this partic- Rhodes Must Fall movement that may your question directly, the uniqueness of Africa. You’re able to see Black Power and which produced a lot of leftist thinkers.
ular position came about? What does the have generated an interest in theories of South Africa: I think the first uniqueness Black Consciousness as strong traditions The University of Durban-Westville was
title mean, in your mind? And how does decolonisation? of South Africa, it’s really the colonial in South Africa. You will also see liber- another one. So, there is really a very rich
it relate to the project of the book we’re uniqueness in the sense that, it was sup- alism. White liberalism as well as liberal tradition. It’s a very complex intellectual
discussing today, Marxism and Decoloni- I think I read somewhere that there posed to be a little Europe existing at the African nationalist traditions. space to operate in. And that tradition is
zation in the 21st Century? was an important decolonial theory southern tip of the African continent. not dead. But those leftist traditions were
Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni (SNG):  My working group that may have also influ- But you can also see the  radical always in contact with strong Africanist
position here is professor in Epistemol- enced the development of this volume. And it really emerged perhaps con- Pan-Africanist tradition in the mould of traditions.
ogies of the Global South, with the SNG: Yes, as I mentioned, the book was currently with the movement to colonise the Pan-African Congress under Robert
emphasis on Africa. It emerged with- conceived while I was working in South Latin America. If you think about the Mangaliso Sobukwe, which really brings When Mbeki came to power after
in a context in which the University of Africa, even the co-editor Professor Mor- so-called “voyages” of Vasco da Gama or in the notion of “Africa for Africans”, the Mandela, he came with the idea of an
Bayreuth, which is well known for its Af- Bartholomeu Dias, who were contem- Garveyist idea. And then you also have African Renaissance, which goes back to
rican Studies programme, was leveraging very deep and rich traditions of Marxist the time of Kwame Nkrumah and oth-
its positionality at a time of resurgence ers. And this tradition also has its own
and insurgence of decolonisation of the institutions. When I joined UNISA I
21st century.

In 2019, they won funding for what is
called the “Africa Multiple Cluster of Ex-
cellence”. And that funding really emerg-
es within a context in which there is a
resurgence of decolonisation, in which
the question of decolonising knowledge
becomes a prominent feature. This chair
was meant to bring in epistemologies of
the South to catalyse the thinking, the
epistemologies, the methodologies, as
well as the reflections on doing “African
Studies” differently.

One issue that was very clear in this
is that we need to do African Studies
with Africans, rather than making them
objects of study. The second issue is, do-
ing African Studies without considering
the epistemologies from Africa, from the
global South, will still be problematic.

Now, how this relates to the issues
which we’re dealing with in the book:
one of the trends cutting across the book
is the Black Radical Tradition, which has
always embraced the Marxist tradition.
At the centre of epistemologies of the
global South is also the Black Radical
Tradition allied with what Cedric Rob-
inson termed Black Marxism. But the
book was conceived while I was still in
South Africa, not when I was here, at the
University of Bayreuth.
YAB:  In North America, despite our
long history of red baiting and anti-com-
munism, there are a few places where
scholars and activists can still go to learn
about Marxism and decoloniality from
more than just one or two anomalous
thinkers. This is perhaps a product of
what Michael Watts refers to in his essay
on the successes and failures of 1968 as
the long march through the institutions.
In the case of your volume, many — al-
though not all — of the contributors, are
at South African institutions.

Page 44 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

found there was an Institute for African school] contributed a lot to making peo- economic as well as cognitive justice, and the centre of debates in the sense that like to ask you about the importance of
Renaissance Studies at the University of ple rethink their condition and it gives many are really disillusioned with that the attempt to do compulsory land rec- feminist analysis in the volume. In rad-
South Africa. So, in South Africa, you them the vocabulary to name some of type of thinking. So, they think there lamation  provoked so many problems ical geography, it has often been social
find almost every tradition in the same the issues which they didn’t have a name must be other thinking which can actu- on the one hand and on the other hand reproduction, broadly conceived, that
space. for. But I think this story won’t be com- ally liberate them, other than the issues of it was necessary. And the feeling is that has been an extremely important field of
plete without emphasising that South democracy and human rights preached global capital and the powerful regimes analysis for us. And this is thanks in large
And of course, the long anti-colonial Africa is in Africa. Let me put it that from the global North. Not that they are of the global North wanted to make an part to interventions by scholars like Al-
and anti-apartheid struggles themselves way. So, because of that, the existence of saying democracy is wrong or human example of Zimbabwe, that if you take tha Cravey, Cindi Katz, Melissa Wright,
became schools in which many people strong Pan-Africanist and decolonisation rights is wrong — but they want it to be this radical position, this is the disciplin- and many others. In the African context,
were educated and radicalised. But as you traditions on the continent must also be radicalised. ing which you will receive. So that oth- we can think of the work of Pumla Gq-
were saying, they were also auto-didacts. taken into account. Nkrumah is a hero ers must never attempt what Zimbabwe ola, Ifi Amadiume, Oyeronke Oyewumi,
As a result of the disappointment of the in South Africa. Lumumba is a hero in So what they were lacking was the attempted to do. So that’s what every- and Sylvia Tamale, among many others,
transition from apartheid to democracy, South Africa. Amílcar Cabral is a hero in language to name the challenges which one cautions now: “Don’t do it the way as having advanced the study of gender,
the youth were in search of answers to South Africa. Frantz Fanon is a hero in they are facing. So, concepts like neo-co- Zimbabwe did it, because you will see decolonial feminism, and racial capital-
the question: “Why is the situation like South Africa. So, there is also a tapping lonialism, coined by Kwame Nkrumah the consequences.” So, Namibia is not ism. So, I’m wondering how the other
that?”, why certain changes never took into the long existing, strong Pan-Af- in 1965, is an important concept. A con- moving as fast as it’s supposed to move contributors — beyond that import-
place, and a lot of them then decided to ricanist traditions in the decoloniality cept like racial capitalism — which you in terms of land reform. South Africa is ant chapter you referenced by Funzani
force themselves to look for revolution- movement. Of course, with the contra- can see throughout the chapters in this also very cautionary in the way they want Mtembu on feminist policy — engage
ary thought, which can help them to dictions, such as xenophobia. And also, book — they find really has an explana- to do it. So, on that Zimbabwe question, with questions of social reproduction,
explain the situation in South Africa. So, we cannot ignore the fact that there are tory power when applied to the situation we were happy to receive that chapter on the one hand, from the Marxist tradi-
indeed, there are people who are learn- also institutions on the continent, such in South Africa. Concepts like decoloni- which actually speaks about the land re- tion, and what Maria Lugones called the
ing on their own by going back to these as the Council for the Development of sation of the mind, from Ngugi wa Thi- form in Zimbabwe from a Marxist and coloniality of gender, on the other hand,
traditions. Social Science Research in Africa, which ong’o and Ibekwe Chinweizu. There was decolonial perspective as an important from the decolonial tradition?
has continuously produced Africa-cen- a time when Ngugi wa Thiong’o was not aspect of Black economic liberation. SNG:  That’s an important question in
But you will also find that the other tred and political economic thinking. very popular. But he has recently come the sense that even among the contrib-
important aspect of the South African YAB:  The book certainly draws exten- to South Africa three times if I am not And then, if you come to South Afri- utors there was a skewing towards men.
situation is the strong civil society move- sively on African and Caribbean anti-co- mistaken. Really, the walls and lecture ca, the issue of mines and minerals and And that’s always a challenge even in the
ments, which are also grounded in left- lonial traditions of thought, particularly theatres were full. Because it’s also like a you link it with the Marikana massacre wake of decolonising, which we’re trying
ist, and also Africanist traditions, such on the work of Cesaire, Nkrumah, Seng- discovery: “Oh, Ngugi is alive!” And his of 2012, whereby Lonmin — which is to do, in the sense that most of the time,
as  Abahlali baseMjondolo, the shack hor, Cabral, as you just mentioned, and works have come back as new literature. actually a multinational company in ca- the responses are mainly from men be-
dwellers movement,  the anti-privatisa- others. How has the reception of these This is what is interesting to me. And hoots with the South African neo-apart- cause they dominate the academies. So,
tion movements, which are also schools thinkers changed over time? And what even including myself, I reread all these heid state — gained against labour and we need a targeted and deliberate invita-
in their own right. new light do the contributors to this literatures after I had the PhD. And I killed 34 miners who were striking for a tion of women into these spaces so that
volume shed on their work for radical found that they taught me a lot of things, living wage. What is perhaps emerging we don’t reproduce the same problems
They make sure their constituencies theory today? which I could not have known if I had poignantly in the book is that Marxism of the domain of knowledge being dom-
are equipped ideologically to think dif- SNG: I think one of the issues when we not done that. So, I think what happens continues to be seen as a very good sci- inated by men, even if they are Black.
ferently. It won’t be surprising in such were doing the decolonial work, one of is that it radicalises and propels us into ence of understanding capitalism. And This is one aspect. So, as I was saying,
a situation to find such movements as the agenda items was to try to expose action. If you see the Rhodes Must Fall perhaps, decolonisation is another very what we’re trying to do is to make sure
the  Economic Freedom Fighters, who ourselves, the youth, and the students to and the Fees Must Fall movement, Biko’s good science for understanding colonial- that the issue of gender is not an addi-
are combining both the nationalist, the the literatures which we were deprived of. idea of Black Consciousness was very ism. But also revealing that capitalism tion and certainly we are not yet there.
Marxist, and Fanonian type of thinking, You know, these literatures which are not central. Fanon’s ideas on violence and de- and colonialism are self-co-constituting Gender questions should be cutting
while also bringing Biko into the mix. in the curricula. So, we began a project of colonisation were also very central. Inter- each other. So, if you combine them, you across decolonising work. We must not
recovery, of Black radical thinking. And sectionality thought featured too. There will understand the modern world-sys- be found saying: “Oh, there is gender,
I must say also, the youth and stu- immediately, as we exposed ourselves, was a debate — how do we handle the tem better. And in understanding the that we did not take into consideration!”
dents in South Africa are also influenced the youth, and the students to some of issue of violence in activist politics, and modern world-system better, the issue of What we were trying to do is to make
by particular thinkers, such as  Bernard the literature, we began to understand others were justifying violence by saying feminism, the issue of gender, the issue it part of the broader decolonisation
Magubane, who was also a leftist thinker, the world differently, and the politics of “Fanon said, decolonisation is always a of sexism, then arises not as an addition, of the 21st century, to the extent that
and pan-Africanist intellectuals like  Ar- knowledge became clear to us. Some of violent movement”. but as an intrinsic part of the constitu- we’re saying the problem is the modern
chie Mafeje, who also belonged to the the leading scholars like  Molefi Asante, YAB: Another unique aspect of this vol- tion and the cartography of power of world-system and the global orders. And
New Unity Movement, and Steve Biko is for instance, and the Afrocentricity ume is its combination of theoretical and coloniality. To the extent that the argu- if the problem is the modern world-sys-
alive today more than he was during his School, have a very strong following in empirical studies. With regards to the ment is you’ll never have a genuine de- tem, and its global orders, then at the
time I think. South Africa. So, a lot of the members latter, issues of land reform, mining, and colonisation without de-patriarchisation, centre is the heteronormative patriarchal
of ADERN [the Africa Decolonial Re- feminist policy are some of the topics that this is where that chapter that brings sexist order of things that has to fall. And
So in that context, it was easy to see search Network] see value in both deco- come to the foreground. Can you tell us in the issue of feminist policy becomes if it is a central part of that, how do you
decoloniality in such a rich space. But loniality, Afrocentricity and Black Marx- why these topics are especially important very important, in the sense that this is change the modern world-system, there-
more specifically, I’ve been in South Af- ism. Then there are others who, when when it comes to thinking about where not another terrain of struggle which is fore, without engaging the question of
rica for over a decade or so, and when I they discovered Cheikh Anta Diop, they Marxists and decolonial thinkers might on the side. It is really a central part of gender? We might not be succeeding the
joined the University of South Africa, I also thought, here is an answer to our turn today to apply their ideas in radical the decolonisation struggles, because the way we wish to succeed. But we were
also then entered into a space which was problem. The works of these scholars, forms of praxis? major problem with decolonisation in very aware of that important aspect of it.
not very familiar to me: it was still white thinkers and activists has always been SNG:  This again takes me back to my the 20th century was that it then became And we were really very happy that Fun-
at the top, Black at the bottom. And I available but not in the curriculum and first point about the place of South Af- dominated by men, it became androcen- zani and the other colleague from India,
quickly also said: “But how do I con- formal education. rica in modernity and more specifically tric, and the issue of de-patriarchisation Debadrita Chakraborty, who also dealt
tribute to changing the situation which in colonial modernity. Perhaps let me fell by the wayside. with the question of the Dalits, actually
I found?” And then, I formed the Africa The same can be said about  Cedric make reference to the uniqueness of dealt with it from Maria Lugones’ con-
Decolonial Research Network  in 2011. Robinson’s Black Marxism. A lot of the the Southern African region as a whole, So now, when we’re reorganising and cept of coloniality of gender. 
And that Africa Decolonial Research scholars actually began to read that book in the sense that it was dominated by the re-articulating decolonisation in the
Network became really the site for deco- now rather than when it was first pub- what is called settler colonialism. I think 21st century, the issue of gender must It actually was very interesting for us,
loniality. lished in 1983. And they think: “Oh, that’s an important point to begin with not be a peripheral issue, it must be an because we needed more of that type of
wow, we didn’t know there was some- because if we don’t understand that, we interesting part of the decolonisation, thinking. But at the moment, we are very
And the University of South Afri- body who explained racial capitalism won’t understand why the issue of land, because there can never be decolonisa- aware that consciously, we need to ad-
ca became also a site for nurturing the in this way!” So, it’s an interesting time, for instance, becomes a central issue, or tion without de-patriarchisation. And dress the question of gender as an intrin-
decolonial spirit. I was also reading the in which the reading is “going back” the issue of minerals and mines. You will secondly, there can never be a good social sic part of decolonising. So, it might not
literatures of the Latin American moder- to the Black Radical Tradition. And if not understand why there is a formation science, which ignores more than 50% of be cutting across all the other chapters of
nity/coloniality group. And one of our you view this from the Latin American like Economic Freedom Fighters, if you the population which are of the female our book at the moment. Just like race,
members, Morgan Ndlovu (co-editor of decoloniality, these figures are from the don’t take that background into account, gender. And there was always this critique which continues to privilege  white su-
this book), in 2011, attended the Cul- border, they’re not the central figures in in the sense that even after the liberation when I went to the university in the 90s, premacy and bourgeois lifestyles, gender
tural Studies Association of Australasia academia. And now, all the young aca- struggles in Southern Africa, you find that Marxism was gender and race blind inequalities continue to privilege men,
annual conference where  Ramon Gros- demics and next generation scholars who that perhaps what was gained was politi- because of its concentration on class and hence there is slowness in moving
foguel  was the keynote speaker. It was are training for Masters and PhDs, and cal independence, without the economic analysis. And I think the position is now away from it by the beneficiaries of patri-
in that encounter that when they began those who have teaching responsibilities, independence, without cognitive justice changed as research on Marxism has pro- archy. They need to be pushed to take a
to speak, Morgan informed Ramon that they are now rewriting the curriculum and epistemic freedom. gressed in that it depends which version deliberate position to reflect on and em-
“In South Africa we formed the Africa and bringing in these thinkers. of Marxism one is referring to. Friedrich brace feminism and womanism.
Decolonial Research Network”, Ramon The question of minerals and na- Engels engaged the gender question and
just jumped in and said: “This is exciting Your question was about whether tionalisation is also very central in their there are many Marxist feminists. *About the interviewer: Yousuf
news. Yaa! This is exactly what we want- there is a changing meaning to all this. discourses. Southern Africa is rich in Al-Bulushi is an Assistant Professor in
ed. There is indeed a changing meaning minerals like gold, diamonds, and many Decolonisation was also suffering the Department of Global and Interna-
of it. The way the younger scholars are others. There is a feeling mainly among from the same limit of sometimes side- tional Studies at the University of Cal-
There is decoloniality in Africa!” And taking it up and applying it to current youth that what was gained in 1994 in lining gender but now the question of ifornia, Irvine. His research focuses on
that member came with a message to me challenges and problems. This is like new South Africa was bourgeois liberal de- heteronormative patriarchal sexism is global capitalism, political geography,
from Ramon to say they have an interna- old literature to many of us who were mocracy, and that social justice and eco- central to it. Yes, in the 1960s, the dom- social movements, and the black radi-
tional Summer School on Decolonizing not exposed to it before. And therefore, nomic justice were never delivered. So, in inance of big men, whenever you talk cal tradition in Africa and the African
Knowledge and Power in Barcelona and this is a literature which can propel us that sense, immediately you speak about about decolonisation, big names like diaspora. He is currently completing
our network was invited. And in 2012, into understanding the present and into both Marxism and decolonisation, they Nkrumah, Nyerere, and others, and very a book manuscript,  Ruptures in the
seven of us went there, and that’s how we the future. So, we use it not only for ac- seem to take them to the necessary exis- few women, was common. But there Afterlife of the Apartheid City, which
then combined our forces. And in 2014, ademic, intellectual enrichment, but also tential issues of life in an antiblack world, were many women in the struggles. So, takes up the interventions by Abahlali
we began a version of the Barcelona for activist purposes. And this also comes continuations of racial capitalist exploita- that’s why we are trying to say that theory baseMjondolo, a movement of shack
School at the University of South Africa. within a context in which we are tired of tion, as well as heteronormative patriar- and praxis need to go together to reflect dwellers in Durban, South Africa, as a
It attracted a lot of young people from the neoliberal traditions and the issues of chal sexism. on the actually existing social, political, window into broader questions of pre-
across the institutions in South Africa, democracy and human rights as a solu- cultural, economic, and epistemic chal- carity, black radicalism, development,
including those who were from the so- tion to African problems of social and On the question of land also, you lenges, and the gender question as well as transformation, and autonomy.
cial movements. So when Rhodes Must will find that Zimbabwe also stands at the sexuality question cannot be ignored.
Fall and Fees Must Fall then broke out in YAB: Along that line of thought, I would
2015-2016, we were just hiding the fact
that perhaps the decolonial school might
actually be the one who influenced
this, because now the government was
worried. But indeed, it [the decolonial

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 45

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

This week the author deals with the re- Church-state relationship in
lationship between the church and the Zimbabwe and human rights
state. The term church-state usually rep-
resents the relationships between religious Some Church leaders enjoy state privileges while their practices and belief systems do not accord women and children their general and the religious fraternity in
organisations or authorities on the one full rights. particular.
hand, and secular government on the
other. viz-a-viz developments in the AICs re- Youths, Sport and Recreation and the gious doctrines encourage the treat- Thus, this research shall also theo-
The  separation of church and state  is a duce the impact of such movements as Parliamentary Portfolio on Gender. ment of women and children as sec- logically inform males on the benefits
philosophical and jurisprudential concept they are viewed as elite-centric. ondary citizens? of gender equity as well as giving more
for defining political distance in the rela- Despite the presence of all these, the prominent roles to females not only in
tionship between religious organisations Women and children in AICs re- abuse of women and children in AICs Why are women and children in churches but in society as a whole.
and the state. Conceptually, the term re- quire special attention as the blanket and JMAC continues unabated. In ad- AICs contented with the limited en-
fers to the creation of a secular state  (with approach does not apply into their dition, there are over three thousand joyment of Human Rights that they Lastly, the research shall go a long
or without legally explicit church-state situation. This reduces AICs to be a Non-Government Organisations, Civ- are accorded? way in showing that the exclusion of
separation) and to  disestablishment, the closed society, hence, in terms of meth- il Society Organisations and pressure women in religious sects may result
changing of an existing, formal relation- odology, participatory observation and groups but there are information gaps What are the major challenges hin- in the emergence of more female-led
ship between the church and the state. phenomenological approach shall be on the abuse of women and children in dering attainment of equality in AICs churches as they seek to reclaim their
adopted by the study. churches. Prevalence of this challenge and which mechanisms can be adopted human rights.
MATTHEW MARE has also given this research the impetus to overcome them?
The situation is exacerbated from a to delve into this rarely visited area for The research methodology consti-
THE church-state relationship in theological viewpoint where there is no further investigation and interrogation. Significance of study tutes the research paradigm or philos-
Zimbabwe is like a hen and egg debate. biblical clarity on the issue of women This research shall go a long way, in ophy, the research design, the research
The church claims superiority over the and children’s rights. Theologically, the The major purpose of the study was the enrichment of the existing body of instruments, the target population,
secular authority as national leadership abuse of women and children basing to explore the interface between hu- literature on the interdisciplinary field sample and sampling procedures, data
consults it when faced with political on biblical justifications is entirely a man rights and the theological teach- of theology and human rights. analysis procedure and validity and re-
problems. hermeneutical problem. ings, rituals and practices of JMAC However, this thesis deviates from liability of the study and ethical con-
with particular emphasis on children previous studies as it takes a bottom-up siderations.
This puts to contest on who has au- AICs present themselves as under- and women’s rights. approach in unbundling what consti-
thority over the other. Over the years mining the rights of women and chil- tutes human rights violations from the The aforementioned elements are
African Independent Church (AIC) dren. In the absence of formal cases of The objectives of the study were to: view of members of a religious sect. treated in-depth in Chapter 6, which
have been made to believe that they abuse in JMAC, practices such as vir- Unpack the concepts of human Most studies have been seen to is devoted to the research methodolo-
have the final decision over who must ginity tests, objectification of children, rights, theology and their application utilise pedestrian approaches, which gy. However, a general overview of the
and who must not be the president of women made to undertake an oath in the contemporary world; conclude that women and children same follows.
Zimbabwe. of secrecy and that no church matters Analyse debates over church-state are abused in local churches without
ought to be reported to secular courts, relations and their implications on the understanding what really constitutes Saunders et al (2019:128) postulate
The situation makes it very difficult that women should not use contra- observance of human rights; abuse in the same and without even that, without identifying a paradigm as
for the state to rein in on malpractices ceptives, forced child marriages, and Explore the relationship between analysing whether there are mecha- the first step, there is no basis for sub-
obtaining within such religious circles. exclusion from decision making roles feminism and religious doctrines; nisms to address human rights viola- sequent choices regarding methodolo-
No wonder why politicians jostled over has reduced women to subjects albeit Articulate faith-based understand- tions in religious circles. gy, methods, and literature or research
the late Aaron Mhukuta alias Mudzid- voluntarily. ing of human rights among women In this vein, this research may help design. Thus, this research adopted a
zi Wimbo of Goora in Shamva as they and children at the backdrop of the policy makers to come up with reli- pragmatist approach to research. Yin
believed that he accurately prophesied This notable annihilation of the latter’s efforts to align themselves in gious sector specific policies that com- (2015:6) describes pragmatism as a
on Zimbabwe’s political trajectory. rights of women and children has realising and observing the same; and plement instead of competing with philosophical stance that supports, the
manifested in AICs taking a masculini- Assess the feasibility of attaining AICs in terms of upholding rights for selection of appropriate research meth-
This has been the case in Zimbabwe ty viewpoint of human relations where equality in AICs and mapping the way women and children. ods in relation to the research ques-
where national leadership is affiliated only male rights are respected. The al- forward on the same. At the same time, the research shall tions being studied.
to various church denominations with legations of women and child abuse in Research questions questions: also expose how patriarchy plays a ma-
politicians deifying some of the church JMAC are rampant and the state has What is the nexus between human jor role in influencing the conduct of In line with the aforesaid view, the
leaders to the extent of issuing them a legal obligation to protect, promote rights and theological doctrines? men, women and children in churches researchers may choose to use a quanti-
diplomatic passports. and defend their rights. To what extent does the state exer- to the extent that male chauvism has tative method or a qualitative method
cise control over the church? been accepted as natural and the norm or conduct a mixed methods study us-
For example, the leader of Johanne Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has a Min- How far true are claims that reli- in many quarters within the country in ing both kinds of methods.
Marange Apostolic Church (JMAC) is istry on Gender and Women Affairs,
a proud diplomatic passport holder. A the Gender Commission, Ministry of The selection depends on which
diplomatic passport holder has immu- choice best benefits the research ques-
nities that he/she enjoys in line with tions. For the purposes of this study,
the Vienna Convention. Whilst these qualitative method was utilised. Rea-
leaders are enjoying state privileges sons for this choice are elaborated in
their practices and belief systems do Chapter 6 where an in-depth discus-
not accord women and children their sion of qualitative methods was under-
full rights. taken.

Thus, there has been a growing de- Meanwhile, pragmatic paradigm
mand, first by feminists, and now by places the research problem as central.
the general populace, for third gen- The main reason why the researcher
eration rights to safeguard women opted for the pragmatist paradigm is
and children’s rights especially the girl that it is the most suitable in research-
rights. ing the topic under study.

Be that as it may, section 60 of The issue of what constitutes human
the Constitution of Zimbabwe does rights differs from one country to an-
not limit the authority of the church. other and from one religion to another.
Churches have undiluted powers to There is no universal agreement as to
formulate their own doctrines, prac- what really constitutes human rights.
tices, teachings and rituals in a manner
appropriate to them. Worse still, the rise in advocacy for
equal recognition of women and chil-
In that regard, church laws and dren in religious circles has added fire
doctrines seem to override state law, to the already contentious issue.
especially in regard to the treatment of
women and children in the country. Therefore, this makes pragmatism
Most AICs regarded themselves as so- to be the appropriate parade gm for
journers on this earth, a position that the study.
has made so many churches to float
above the laws. Pragmatist research focuses on the
'what' and 'how' of the research prob-
This contradicts the Krishna swami lem (Creswell, 2013:3), which are
report which makes it clear that both qualitative in nature hence its utilisa-
individual and collective rights are a tion in this research, which was focus-
subject of state law. More so, Zimba- ing on the exploring of the interface
bwe is subject to a number of interna- between human rights and theology in
tional statutes and protocols on human JMAC.
rights with regards to equality between
men, and women that it has ratified to *About the writer: Dr Matthew
ensure that even churches are subjects Mare is a Zimbabwean academic
and are accountable at law in terms of who holds two bachelor’s degrees, five
gender equality, since the constitution masters’ qualifications and a PhD.
of the country and not church law is He is also doing another PhD and
the supreme law of the land. has 12 executive certificates in differ-
ent fields. Professionally, he is a civil
However, the gender revolution is servant and also board member at
seemingly negating the religious sphere the National Aids Council of Zimba-
by churning much of its focus and syn- bwe.
ergies on gender inequalities. Globally,
there are a number of feminist move-
ments that purport to represent the
rights of women but their existence

Page 46 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

BRIAN HUNGWE Issue 88, 8 July 2022

THE law of defamation has evolved Liability for social media and
since the 9th century when the Laws online journalism defamation
of Alfred the Great, the King of Wes-
sex, directed that slander was “to be demanded a retraction of the story defamation as that which “causes Others, the court found as aggravat- material appearing online, and how
compensated with no lighter a penal- within 24 hours, failure to which she harm to reputation, that is, the esti- ing factors the accompanying exten- the traditional legal principles appli-
ty than the cutting off the slanderer's would proceed to take legal action mation in which a person is held by sive publication of the defamatory cable to the analogue period could
tongue”. against Kudzayi for defamation. others, (his good name and stand- article on the internet, following its conform to the new unforgiving on-
ing). publication in a local print newspa- line defamatory realities.
The introduction of the printing As such, it is important to define per.
press, and the emergence of print defamation. Feltoe adds that the statement that However, once defamatory materi-
journalism expanded the scope of causes harm is one that is “published” According to the Internet Users al has appeared on a social media site,
defamation and liability. The key def- Reputable scholar in defamation, and “injures” the reputation of the Statistics for Africa, half the popula- all the plaintiff must prove is that the
amation areas were largely confined Gatley on Libel and Slander, writes person whom it refers by ‘lowering tion in Zimbabwe use the internet, publication of defamatory material
to libel, which applies to defamatory that “a man commits the tort of def- him in the estimation of reasonable, representing about 2% of the popu- referred to or concerned him or her.
material in print form, and slander, amation when he publishes to a third ordinary person generally, … dimin- lation in Africa. The extent to which
the spoken defamatory word. person words or matter containing an ish[ing] his esteem or standing in the a reputation can be destroyed at the If the defendant is hosting a social
untrue imputation against the repu- eyes of ordinary members of the pub- click of a button is insidious. media site, and is identifiable, there
The advent of the internet has pre- tation of another”. lic.’ is scope to join him or her in the lit-
sented significant challenges to the Cyber defamation in general is igation.
traditional legal scope for defama- Gatley expands the scope of def- Therefore, for defamation to occur more ubiquitous than print and has
tion, as new common law interpre- amation to include “statements that there must be publication of a de- enormous power to defame individ- However, if the potential defen-
tations must emerge to define new are to the plaintiff’s discredit”. famatory statement concerning the uals. South African courts have grap- dant is anonymous, there is not
complex defamation elements, fol- plaintiff. The key word to defamation pled with applying the existing law to much a plaintiff can do, unless if
lowing the migration of print jour- Another scholarly publication, is publication. It must be communi- online defamation claims. The courts there exist such facts, that can impli-
nalism to online. Halsbury’s Law of England pro- cated to an individual/s other than in various jurisdictions have been cate the defendant. The consequences
vides that “a defamatory statement the plaintiff, and the words written, slow to adjust to cyber defamation of the published material must result
Social media has also become a is a statement which tends to low- uttered, and or published must be of and enacting a legislative framework in the plaintiff, according Feltoe, A
battleground for ideas and carries er a person in the estimation of the or concerning him or her. that adjust to suit the realities if the Guide to the Zimbabwean Law of
with them often harmful defamatory right-thinking members of the soci- digital era. Delict, being “shunned, or avoided,
publications. This contribution seeks ety generally or to cause him to be As such it matters not where the or may expose him to hatred, ridicule
to argue that social media, and online shunned or avoid or to expose him publications occur. It can be in news- In the H v W case, a South African or contempt … (the person) may be
journalism carry the same defamato- to hatred, contempt or ridicule or paper, and or social media platforms court held that “the law has to take defamed by casting aspersions on his
ry weight as offline media, and liabili- to covey any an imputation on him referred to earlier. Precedents show into account changing realities not character, trade, business, profession
ty will arise if defamatory publication disparaging or injuries to him in his that courts are often tempted to in- only technologically, but also socially or office”.
occur. office, profession, calling, trade or crease the quantification of damages or else will lose credibility in the eyes
business”. for defamatory material that appear of the people. Without credibility, The words said, and or written,
It is a fact that social media is a online, considerations being given to law loses legitimacy. If law loses legit- must be clearly set out and proven
deadly phenomenon that has become Several precedents define defama- the extent of the publication reach. imacy, it loses acceptance. If it loses and the defamatory extent evidenced.
a platform for reputational damage, tion around this legal scope. It is common cause that the Internet acceptance, it loses obedience. It is The plaintiff, after setting out the
with often gross social, economic, defies geographical boundaries, and imperative that the courts respond words used, must prove that the
and professional implications. Zimbabwe’s law of defamation is at the click of a button any defama- appropriately to changing times, act- statement was also false, published to
extensively borrowed from the En- tory material can be instantaneously ing cautiously and with wisdom”. more than one person and it harmed
In general, social media, refers to glish jurisdiction. Following this available to the global audience. his or her reputation.
interactive websites that host virtu- same definitional scope, a scholar on This explains why the public is
al interactions between people, and media law, and defamation In the case of Mugwadi v Dube & often unable to relate to defamatory It then becomes a question of law
through the applications, content whether the words alleged are reason-
is created and shared through social University of Zimbabwe law lec-
networking. turer Professor Geoff Feltoe describes

The most common social plat-
forms are Facebook, Twitter, Google
Plus, and Instagram. Discussing the
impact of social media, Nicole Pel-
letier, a scholar, writes in her seminal
defamation article, “The Emoji that
Cost US$20 000: Triggering Liabil-
ity for Defamation on Social Media”
quoting reliable statistics researching
forums that as of 2016, “over three
billion people in the world are active
Internet users, and over two billion
are active on social media. Facebook
reports 1.79 billion monthly active
users worldwide, while another sta-
tistic reporting the number of active
Facebook users says it is “still count-
ing.”

With lower but still influential
numbers, Twitter reports 313 mil-
lion monthly active users for 2016.
These staggering statistics demon-
strate the horrifying extent of repu-
tational burns you can endure if your
name is placed as a sacrificial lamb,
or through vengeful defamatory an-
tics on social media.

The subject of defamation on so-
cial media loomed large this week in
Zimbabwe over an alleged adultery
affair story written by journalist Ed-
mund Kudzayi involving Zimbabwe’s
main opposition Citizens Coalition
for Change spokesperson Fadzayi
Mahere and local economic analyst
Tinashe Murapata.

The story alleged Murapata, a mar-
ried man, is involved in a love rela-
tionship with Mahere and their affair
had led to the collapse of the mar-
riage of the former. Mahere publicly
denied the story. Apparently Mura-
pata also privately denied it.

As a result, Mahere, through her
lawyers Honey & Blanckenberg,

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 47

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

ably capable of conveying the defam- Pravesh Singh, drawing comparative benign adjuncts to online communi- the defendant is hiding behind an- There exists an obligation, or a legal
atory meaning through what is called analysis of growing global precedents cations” and used to “humanise trun- onymity. This is important because duty to act, to remove it.
the objective test, that is, the judge on social media related litigation, ar- cated digital messages by conveying the plaintiff must prove that the de-
using the interpretation of an ordi- gues that emojis can be defamatory. humor (sic) emotion, and sociability, fendant authored, and or caused the There are also instances where
nary reader of average intelligence emoji (can) perform a far more sinis- publication of the defamatory mate- the plaintiff is maligned without his
who is in reality an English hypothet- In August 2020, an Australian ter role”, they often carry non-verbal rial. identity being made. If the facts are
ical immigrant through law called a court case Burrows v Houda, which sinister and a defamatory character, of such a nature that ordinary people
reasonable person. considered whether the use of the with accompanying connotations In circumstances where the defen- will reasonably infer that it was him
“zipper-mouth emoji” could be con- and quasi-innuendos. dant’s identity is clear, with his or her or her being referred to, the plaintiff
In the case of Velempini v Engi- sidered as defamatory, held that the associated publication clearly visible, will have to adduce these facts.
neering Services Department Work- use of an emoji was capable of giving Therefore, this sinister extent of there are sufficient grounds to insti-
ers Committee for City of Bulawayo rise to a defamatory meaning. Nicole emojis can be easily equated to the tute proceedings. Liability also arises If the aggregate effect of the state-
& Others, 1988 (2) ZLR 173 (HC) at Pelletier, a scholar, writes in an Amer- devastating form of social media con- where the defamatory material is re- ments, and the surrounding facts,
178, the court held that the defamed ican journal that an emoji is “a small tent expressed in clear, and often out- published. It is not a defence that the would make a person of average in-
person must be adversely affected in digital image or icon used to express rageous and unambiguous terms. defendant is not the originator of the telligence identify the plaintiff as the
his character and/or profession. an idea, emotion, etc., in electronic defamatory material. person being referred to in the arti-
communications”. However, the appreciation of the cles, the defendant would be liable.
While this is about the natural meaning must relate to the state- Often, this operates only in mit-
person, it also applies to artificial He adds that “emojis are often in- ments made, context and the objec- igation. Once publication has been There are various defences that a
persons who can be defamed or hurt cluded alongside text to portray an tive test will be used to determine established, the onus is upon the defendant can raise against the def-
in its trade or business. Like a natu- emotion or otherwise add to readers' liability. plaintiff to prove that the defendant amation action, and they would in-
ral person, it can also seek delictual understanding of the text. The most was responsible for the publication. clude, but not limited to, fair com-
remedies. basic emoji is a yellow smiley face, Importantly, it should be noted ment, truth in the public interest,
but emojis span from face emotions, that there are always competing in- Scholars Loubster and Midgely truth for the public benefit, qualified
The extent to which liability can like happy, sad, and angry, to animals terests around the law of defamation posit that “not only the person from privilege, absolute privilege, and/or
arise is not just limited to spoken or and ordinary objects, like a cat or a between the right to reputation and whom the defamatory remark origi- jest. Each applicable defence will be
written words, online and offline. A briefcase. freedom of expression. nated, but also any other person who determined by the nature and form
person can also be defamed through repeats, confirms, or even draws at- of the defamation allegations raised.
gestures, cartoons, or a piece of art or With such options, tweets are In the Moyo v Muleya interdict tention to it, is in principle responsi-
caricature. largely only limited by individual us- case, it emerged that courts are re- ble for the publication”. *About the writer: Brian Hun-
ers' creativity. The emojis deliberately luctant to interfere significantly with gwe is a journalist and lawyer. He
As social media activities blow out occupy a role in social media analo- the exercise of freedom of speech in This would also apply to retweet- is a PhD Candidate at (Wits); holds
of control, there is growing juris- gous to non-verbal behaviour in of- defamation cases. While each case is ing of defamatory material on any a National Diploma in Mass Com-
prudence demonstrating that an in- fline speech. determined with its own facts and platform or tagging. There are in- munication (Harare Poly); LLBS
appropriately expressed emoji on an circumstances, there is the extent to stances where liability can even arise (UZ); LLM Constitutional & Hu-
online platform can carry gross de- Just like any form of social media which freedom of expression can be where the defendant hosts a defama- man Rights Law (MSU) and LLM
famatory imputations that can raise communication, emojis, described allowed. tory article or poster on his site and by research Internet Defamation
liability for defamation. by scholars Kirley and McMahon in refuses to remove the posting. This (UKZN).
an American journal as “as cute or A problematic and complex aspect can easily amount to acquiescence.
A South African scholar Priya of online defamation occurs when

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Page 48 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

Is US establishing military base in Zambia?

VIJAY PRASHAD

ON 26 April, the United States President Hakainde Hichilema’s government faces serious economic challenges despite the fact that Zambia has one of the richest resources of raw materials in the
Africa Command (Africom)  an- world. Photo: Salim Dawood/AFP
nounced that it had set up an office in
the US Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia. me, are for the US to use Zambia’s lo- After news broke out about the nusca (these are  Bangladesh, Cam- continent, opposition grew swiftly. It
cation “to monitor, to control and to establishment of the office, former eroon, Egypt, Pakistan and Rwanda). was led by former South African pres-
According to Africom Briga- quickly reach the other countries in Zambian permanent representative Lufuma’s reason, therefore, seems like ident Thabo Mbeki and his defence
dier-General Peter Bailey, deputy di- the region.” to the African Union, Emmanuel a fig leaf. minister at that time, Mosiuoa Leko-
rector for strategy, engagement and Mwamba,  rushed  to see Hichilema ta, both of whom lobbied the African
programmes, the Office of Security Zambia and its neighbour, the and caution him not to make the Neither Zambia nor the US mili- Union and the Southern African De-
Cooperation would be based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, deal.  tary has made public the agreement velopment Community to reject any
US embassy building.  he said, “possess not less than 70% of signed in April. The failure to release US base on the continent. 
the world’s cobalt reserves. There are Mwamba said that other former the text has led to a great deal of spec-
Social media in Zambia buzzed huge copper reserves and other min- presidents of Zambia — Lungu ulation, which is natural.  Over the past five years, however,
with rumours about the creation of a erals needed for modern technologies (2015-2021), Michael Sata (2011- the appetite for full-scale rejection of
US military base in the country. De- [in both these countries].” 2014), Rupiah Banda (2008-2011) Meanwhile, in Ghana, where a bases has withered despite an African
fence minister Ambrose Lufuma re- and Levy Mwanawasa (2002-2008) defence cooperation agreement was Union resolution against allowing the
leased a statement to say that “Zam- Partly, M’membe said, “this is what — had also refused to allow Africom signed between the two countries establishment of such bases in 2016.
bia has no intention whatsoever of has heightened interest in Zambia.”  to enter the country since its  cre- in May 2018, the United States had The US military has 29 known mili-
establishing or hosting any military ation in 2007. initially said that it was merely creat- tary bases in 15 African countries.
bases on Zambian soil”.  Zambia is operating as a “puppet Is this a base or an office? ing a warehouse and an office for its
regime,” M’membe said, a govern- Lufuma  argues  that the “office” set military, which then turned out to Not only have these 15 African
“Over our dead bodies” will the ment that is  de jure  independent up in Lusaka is to assist the Zambian mean that the US military was taking countries ignored their own regional
United States have a military base but  de facto  “completely dependent forces in the United Nations Multi- charge of one of the three airport ter- body’s advice when it comes to al-
in Zambia, said Fred M’membe, the on an outside power and subject to dimensional Stabilisation Mission in minals at Accra airport and has since lowing foreign countries to establish
president of the Socialist Party of its orders,” M’membe added, while the Central African Republic (Mi- used it as its base of operations in military bases there, but the African
Zambia. referring to US interference in the nusca). Since 2014, the US has pro- West Africa.  Union has itself allowed the US to
functioning of the Zambian govern- vided  around 136 million kwacha create a military attaché’s office  in-
Africom’s Bailey of Africom had ment.  (US$8 million) to assist the Zambian “From the experience of Ghana, side the AU building in Addis Ababa. 
met  Zambia’s President Hakainde military.  we know what it is,” M’membe told
Hichilema during his visit to Lusaka. Despite his campaign promises in me, while speaking about the Ameri- “The AU that resisted Africom in
Hichilema’s government faces  seri- 2021, Hichilema has followed the Lufuma said that this office will can plan to make an office in the US 2007,” M’membe told me, “is not the
ous  economic challenges despite the same IMF-dependent policies as his merely continue that work. In fact, Embassy in Zambia. “It is not [very] AU of today.”
fact that Zambia has one of the rich- unpopular predecessor Edgar Lungu. Zambia is not even one of the top five different from a base. It will slowly
est resources of raw materials in the However, in terms of a US base, even troop-contributing countries to Mi- but surely grow into a full-scale base.” — Mail & Guardian
world.  Lungu had resisted the US pressure to
allow this kind of office to be estab- From the first whiff that the US *About the writer: Vijay Prashad
When Zambia’s total public lished on Zambian soil. might create an Africom base on the is an Indian Marxist historian.
debt  grew  to nearly US$27 billion
(with an  external debt  of approxi-
mately US$14.5bn), it returned to
the International Monetary Fund in
December 2021 for  financial assis-
tance, resulting in an IMF-induced
spiral of debt.

Two months after Hichilema met
the Africom team, he hosted IMF
deputy managing director Antoinette
M Sayeh in June, who thanked Hich-
ilema for his commitment to the IMF
“reform plans.” 

These plans include a general aus-
terity package that will not only cause
the Zambian population to be in the
grip of poverty but will also prevent
the Zambian government from exer-
cising its sovereignty.
Puppet regime
M’membe has emerged as a major
voice against the US military pres-
ence in his country. Defence min-
ister Lufuma’s claim that the US is
not building a base in Zambia elicits
a chuckle from M’membe. “I think
there is an element of ignorance on
his part,” M’membe told me. “This is
sheer naivety. He [Lufuma] does not
understand that practically there is no
difference between a US military base
and an Africom office. It’s just a mat-
ter of semantics to conceal their real
intentions.”

The real intentions, M’membe told

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 49

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

SASHA OSHA Patrice Lumumba’s tooth represents

PATRICE Lumumba  is the hero of plunder, resilience and reparation
the Democratic Republic of Congo’s
truncated bid for complete indepen- been used as disposable pawns in their Patrice Lumumba. conflict and plunder of its vast natu- Ngandu and many others.
dence. externally foisted tragedies. And these of reparation; the return of pilfered ral resources. It is certain that if Lu- Collectively, their works capture
tragedies have descended on them as colonial goods to the rightful owners. mumba had been allowed to pursue
He was assassinated by local count- thickly as their famed tropical forests. But what about the tooth’s attendant his bold project of emancipation and and reflect the life and energy to
er-revolutionary forces with the help torture? This much delayed political development, the DRC story would be found in the DRC’s frenetic and
of the CIA and Belgian authorities in What are we to make of the ordeal gesture broaches difficult issues sur- have been vastly different. teeming postcolonial metropolises.
1961. Since then, all over the devel- of Ota Benga, for example, the Con- rounding the African quest for gen- But there is a snag. These largely self-
oping world, Lumumba’s name has golese teenager who, on account of uine reparations from erstwhile colo- It is almost impossible to under- taught artists were cut off from their
come to stand for defiance against his unusual teeth, was captured and nial overlords. stand why the potentially richest precolonial artistic heritage due to the
colonialism and imperialism. relentlessly exhibited in the anthro- The world’s richest country country in the world remains one of violence of the colonial encounter.
pological zoos of America? Treated The current plight of the DRC — all the poorest.
The manner of his  death  was like a performing monkey, he experi- but a failed state — makes us weep The tooth
particularly distressing. He was hu- enced the most heartless form of visu- over its enduring state of abjection. A And yet the wealth of the DRC As in many other parts of Africa, over
miliated and tortured before he was al cannibalism, physical humiliation huge country blessed with innumer- continues to shine through the ac- 2,000 works of art stolen from what
murdered. His body was then doused and psychological torture. Would his able natural resources, with some of complishments of its talented peo- is now the DRC remain in the muse-
with acid to facilitate decomposition. teeth be returned to the DRC as well? the rarest and most important min- ple. Out of depleted and crumbling ums of Europe. These works are not
A Belgian official reportedly kept erals of earth, it remains crippled by infrastructure, governmental emascu- merely aesthetic and symbolic. They
his teeth as mementos as if to add an- Indeed, the handing over of Lu- lation and chronic internecine strife, are also central to the continuation of
other grisly and macabre dimension mumba’s tooth represents a gesture miraculously, creative excellence con- integrated cultural evolution. In addi-
to the entire sordid affair. tinues to emerge. tion, they encompass swathes of his-
tory and tradition spanning millen-
The return of Lumumba’s tooth How can one ever forget the time- nia. The return of those stolen pieces
after 61 years leaves many questions less music of guitarist Franco Luama- of cultural heritage and an awareness
unanswered and threatens to open a bo,  vocalists  Tabu Ley  and  M’bilia of what they truly represent would be
can of worms. This inordinately be- Bel, singer-songwriter  Fally Ipu- a starting point for meaningful repa-
lated gesture came without a formal pa and so many other Congolese mu- rations for the past.
apology for the damage caused by sical geniuses?
Belgian colonialism or a pledge of Ultimately, beyond its cosmetic or
wide-ranging reparations. Or the accomplishments of phe- even symbolic value, the gesture of
The ghost of Lumumba nomenal scholars such as Congolese returning Lumumba’s violated tooth
Ever since his death, it seems the philosopher  V.Y. Mudimbe, whose ought to lead to a considerable degree
ghost of Lumumba has plagued his work singularly redefined the manner of healing the DRC so desperately
aggrieved country, first with the tor- in which the west came to understand needs, in organic, broadly and deeply
tuous and bizarre reign of  Mobutu Africa? Mudimbe reconfigures your conceived ways. This means acts of
Sese Seko  and then with  Laurent mind every time you encounter him. reparations must not only be loaded
Kabila. Yet the inhospitability of the DRC in meaning but must also be essen-
keeps him secluded in the US. The tially transformative in nature. In
But it was under Belgian colonial rest of the world continues to benefit other words, they must include socio-
rule that the plunder of the Congo from Congolese talents and minerals economic and cultural deliverables.
began in earnest.  King Leopold II, while the country itself regresses.
bloated with colonial self-righteous- — The Conversation.
ness, instituted a reign of devastation The eclectic and boisterous urban
that left an estimated 10 million peo- culture that produced the Congolese *About the writer: Sanya Osha is
ple dead. Rubber plantations were rumba and soukous out of the pot- a senior research fellow at the Insti-
transformed into a hell in which holed streets of Kinshasa also birthed tute for Humanities in Africa, Uni-
the enslaved who didn’t meet their visual artists such as Monsengwo Ke- versity of Cape Town, South Africa.
production quotas had their limbs jwamfi “Moke”, Cheri Cherin, Chéri
chopped off. Since then, the DRC has Samba,  Patrick Mutombo, Marthe
been gripped by a delirium of dense,
impenetrable, equatorial traumas.

Indigenes of the DRC have always

FROM SUMMERS TO WINTERS

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK

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Page 50 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 88, 8 July 2022

CLÁUDIO SILVA How power in Angola and handed down. Most govern-
is wielded by one man ment officials have little power, not
ONE of the most challenging ex- to mention ordinary citizens who
periences I have as an Angolan is to New book shows how the regime came to be ruled by, and came do not even vote for their presi-
explain the country’s reality, quirks, to rule through, fear and paranoia — and still does so to this day. dent. The new 2010 constitution
and nuances to those unfamiliar replaced direct presidential elec-
with this peculiar country. A woman displays her clothing wares in Harare. tions with a system in which vot-
ers cast a single vote for a political
Every nation has its complexities and the more recent  2015 Mount where we have come from. More- power to entities that have none. party, and the first name on their
and I’m obviously biased, but the Sumi massacre  in which the mili- over, in recounting these stories, I see articles written about parlia- electoral list becomes president.
rich history and exasperating con- tary killed hundreds of members she shows how the war fuelled the ment as if it had a voice or about
tradictions of this southern African of a religious sect in the Huambo presidency’s (perceived) need to ministers as if they have the author- As we head into perhaps our most
state often leave me frustrated at my highlands. continuously securitise the state. ity to take meaningful decisions. important elections since 1992, I
inability to articulate a thought or They do not. Power in Angola is keep thinking of Roque’s chapter
argument on the tip of my tongue. For people like me, who did not The Angolan regime was ruled wielded by one man — João Lou- in which she comprehensively de-
directly witness the horrors of civ- by fear and paranoia and, in turn, renço since 2017, and José Eduardo tails just how fraudulent our elec-
Paula Cristina Roque has no il war, who did not see uncollected it ruled through fear and paranoia dos Santos for the 38 years previ- toral process is. Opposition parties
such problem. In  Governing in bodies on the Luanda streets I walk — and it still does so to this day. It ously — and his security apparatus. like UNITA have decried this and
the Shadows: Angola’s Securitised through today, who only heard of repeatedly emboldens the security Ministers, congresspeople, the head even sued the state – to no effect
State, the political analyst author- the Kuito battles through friends, forces, who see threats where there of police and armed forces all re- of course — yet, uncannily, discus-
itatively and succinctly makes an and who only knew of the Huambo are none. port to the head of the SCP, who sion of electoral fraud in Angola
argument I have long struggled to siege through family accounts, reports to the president. remains taboo. As a society, we still
express: that, ultimately, true power Roque’s descriptions provide a One thing I often notice in cov- want to treat our elections as a force
in Angola lies in the presidency and timely and disturbing reminder of erage of Angola both locally and Decisions are made at the top for change. We still want to believe
nowhere else. Roque painstakingly internationally is the attribution of that we, as citizens, are empowered.
proves this point in her expansive As Roque maintains, however, the
but tightly wound work, which reality is that the MPLA is simply
leads the reader through Ango- not prepared to give up political
la’s history via the crossroads that power.
led to it becoming a “securitised
state”. Written during the pandem- One of Roque’s most interest-
ic, which had a profound effect on ing assertions in  Governing in the
Angola’s economy, and published Shadows  — an essential book for
ahead of upcoming general elec- anyone who wants to understand
tions on 24 August, the book could Angolan politics, along with Ricar-
not have come at a better time. do Soares de Oliveira’s Magnificent
and Beggar Land — is that Angola
Through Governing in the Shad- was doomed to be a securitised state
ows, Roque argues that the presi- whether it is governed by MPLA or
dency’s efforts to maintain power at UNITA, the two warring parties
all costs are central to the running in the civil war. The war, its logics
of the Angolan state – more so than and legacies made sure of it. And,
actual governance of the country as much as my generation did not
or even the interests of the ruling directly partake in it, we are still
MPLA. condemned to suffer its long-last-
ing political, economic, and soci-
The bedrock of the presidency’s etal effects. The question now is
authority is Angola’s security net- whether we have the capacity to rise
work, which is overseen by what above this legacy and participate in
Roque refers to as the Security our own nation-building, and if the
Cabinet of the Presidency (SCP) people that currently wield power
and is beholden to the head of state — either in government or oppo-
alone. It’s no surprise then that An- sition — have the same desire for
gola spends billions more on secu- real change. Angola is a securitised
rity than on health, education, or state, but one in which the vast
development, and that the head of majority of its population have no
the SCP is in many ways the second direct memory of what made it so.
most powerful man in the country.
As Roque proclaims: “Bringing
When I was growing up in Ango- the government out of the shadows
la, conversations about the govern- to share power and privilege with
ment were only ever had in hushed society remains the only way to de-
tones and in the safety of home. liver much-needed security to all
When I left the country and began Angolans.”
writing publicly about Angolan
politics, I received calls from wor- It is up to our generation to do
ried relatives warning me to stop. so.

These attitudes are completely — African Arguments.
reasonable. Since independence in
1975, Angola has experienced a se- *About the book reviewer:
ries of  horrific traumas  that have Cláudio Silva was born in Luan-
shaken the nation’s identity to its da, grew up in the United States,
core and reverberated down the and moved back to Luanda 20
generations. years later to found LNL, Ango-
la's largest food and tourism plat-
One of the most harrowing as- form. Silva is currently managing
pects of Roque’s book are her mat- director at LNL and has written
ter-of-fact but chilling accounts of for a variety of travel, lifestyle
the brutal civil war that began in and economic publications, in-
1975 and continued until 2002. cluding CNN Travel, The Guard-
She also covers the MPLA’s ruth- ian, Roads & Kingdoms, and The
less purge of a dissenting party Economist Intelligence Unit.
faction in 1977, which silenced
discussion of politics for decades,