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Zimbabwe’s Quality Journalism

Monday 13 June 2022 

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...Accusations could scuttle Zim's rejoining bid

Review & Mail Writers with the 1994 Rwanda genocide, died in Ha-
rare some years ago and was buried at a lo-
Zimbabwe’s detractors are reportedly cal cemetery under a pseudonym where it
working in cahoots with local opposition was discovered by UN investigators work-
parties and civil society organisations to ing in conjunction with the Zimbabwe gov-
scuttle Zimbabwe’s chances of being re-ad- ernment last month.
mitted into the Commonwealth using the Although Mpiranya was buried in 2006,
unfortunate murder of Moreblessing Ali the discovery of his body came after Zim-
babwe had asked Rwanda for help in its at-
(pictured second column) and the death in
tempt to re-join the Commonwealth.
Zimbabwe of Rwanda fugitive, Protais Mpi-
the murder was politically motivated and This was viewed by the Zimbabwean gov-
ranya (pictured third column). of Zimbabwe to believe that it is meant to
accusing the ruling ZANU PF of having a ernment as a ploy by the United Kingdom
Ali, a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) scuttle its re-admission bid on the guise of
hand in the kidnapping and subsequent and its allies in the West to spoil relations
activist, was allegedly kidnapped by her human rights abuses.
murder of Ali. between the countries so that Zimba-
ex-boyfriend, Pius Jamba a member of While police are yet to conclude their in-
Ironically, this is also happening just 10 bwe did not get the support it sought from
ZANU PF on May 24 in Chitungwiza, in a vestigations to determine the motive of the
days before the Commonwealth Heads of Rwanda on allegations of harbouring Mpi-
purely personal matter following a failed murder, those in the opposition and civil
Government Meeting scheduled for Kigali, ranya.
love affair. society have already concluded that it was
Rwanda on June 22, where Zimbabwe will Foreign Affairs Minister, Fredrick Sha-
However, the West, working with the op- politically motivated despite evidence of a
be seeking re-admission. va, however, pointed out that Zimbabwe
position CCC attempted to politicise the love relationship between Ali and Jamba.
This gives every reason for the government Mpiranya, a fugitive wanted in connection would never harbour any... TOPAGE 2
purely criminal matter by insinuating that
 13 June 2022 2022
January-February
Zimbabwe, two dead people
and Rwanda's Commonwealth
FROM PAGE 1
...fugitives, noting that it had instead, co-
operated with the UN investigators result-
ing in the discovery of Mpiranya’s body.
Interestingly, several other incidents of
abductions, killings and abuse of opposi-
tion political party activists have occurred
shortly before important international
events, raising a lot of questions about the
timing and motives.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Information, Nick Mangwana said the fact
that the suspects in the Ali murder case
were known ZANU PF supporters did not
meant that it was politically motivated.
“If in a private dispute someone is mur-
dered by a person that supports, say Dyna-
mos FC, it’s not a Dynamos murder. If one
is robbed by say, a Catholic devotee, it’s not
a robbery by the Catholic Church,” he post-
ed on his micro-blogging site Twitter.
The ruling ZANU PF party said the murder
of Ali, whose decomposing body was dis-
covered in a well in Nyatsime at the week-
end was purely a criminal matter.
In a statement, ZANU PF Director for In-
formation and Publicity Tafadzwa Mugwa-
di, said the death was being politicised by
the CCC and others in a bid to tarnish the
image of the country ahead of the CHOGM
meeting scheduled for Rwanda on June 10,
where Zimbabwe will be seeking re-ad-
mission to the Commonwealth.
Ali was allegedly abducted from a bottle
store in Chitungwiza by her ex-boyfriend
Pius Jamba on May 24 and her mutilat-
ed body was discovered at a homestead in
Manyame on June 11.
The body was retrieved from a well at the
homestead of a known Chitungwiza ZANU
PF member, Simbarashe Chisango, who
is believed to be related to Jamba, also a
known ZANU PF member.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP),
however, issued a statement saying Ali was
a victim of a love crime and her disappear-
ance had nothing to do with politics.
The CCC, however, insisted that the mur-
der of Ali, whose body was reportedly cut
into two and her intestines stashed in a
plastic bag, was politically motivated and
accused the police of attempting to protect
the suspects.
But Mugwadi questioned why the inci-
dent was happening at a time Rwanda was
scheduled to host the Commonwealth
Heads of State and Government Meeting.
He said these were attempts by the oppo-
sition political parties to tarnish ZANU PF
Govt moves to promote traditional grains
Chris Mahove
Government is embarking on a food sys-
tems transformation programme that will
see production of traditional grains en-
couraged among the farming population,
especially the youth.
This was revealed by the Minister of
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and
Rural Development, Anxious Masuka at
the weekend.
Minister Masuka was speaking at the 2021
National Irrigation Prize Giving Ceremo-
ny at Rupike Irrigation Scheme in Masv-
ingo.
He said government is currently reviving
irrigation schemes as part of t its deliber-
ate and broader thrust to climate-proof
agriculture to assure household and na-
tional food security, eliminate grain im-
ports, promote and diversify exports, cre-
ate employment, enhance value addition
and beneficiation, and accelerate the im-
provement of rural livelihoods.
Government, he said, would ensure
complementary efforts focus on conser-
vation agriculture through the sustain-
NEWS
and government, saying they were choreo-
graphed to destabilise Zimbabwe’s foreign
policy.
“In 10 days’ time, the Commonwealth
Heads of State and Government Meet-
ing (CHOGM) will be underway in Kiga-
li-Rwanda. Through the engagement and
re-engagement agenda, Zimbabwe has
expressed interest to be admitted into the
Commonwealth of Nations.
“The prospects for that have increased
significantly under the Second Republic
than they were before. More countries have
warmed up to that. But if that were to hap-
pen, the MDC-CCC factions and their re-
gime change agenda will be exposed and
fizzle away from the face of our politics.” He
said.
He said such incidents involving the ab-
ductions and harassment of opposition
political party activists always happened
ahead of “international conferences, sum-
mits, or events of diplomatic significance to
Zimbabwe”
“ The idea is to try to embarrass leader-
ship ahead of such summits or provoke in-
ternational discussions about Zimbabwe
badly, justify renewal of illegal sanctions
on our nation and presenting the oppo-
sition groups as victims of the state,” said
Mugwadi.
Mugwadi said the opposition was twisting
facts on the matter in an effort to arm-twist
the United Kingdom to deny Zimbabwe
re-admission into the Commonwealth.
Munyaradzi Kashambe, the ZANU PF
Member of Parliament for Seke weighed in,
saying the CCC wanted to use Ali’s death to
gain cheap political mileage.
“This was a domestic issue and that must
be corrected and we would like to warn the
CCC members to take heed of President
Mnangagwa’s call that we want peaceful
and free elections in Zimbabwe not this vi-
olent election they are engaging in.
“We know of their dirty tricks, we know of
their political grandstanding and we know
of their handlers who fund them and this is
the news they want to hear,” he said.
“We as ZANU PF are saying no, Morebless-
ing’s case was not a political murder, this
was a family dispute- a promiscuous dis-
pute,” he said.
But CCC spokesperson, Fadzai Mahere
said there was no politicisation of the mur-
der, noting the opposition party was simply
demanding justice for its slain member.
“This is a Constitutional imperative. Sec-
tion 219 mandates the police to investigate
crime, serve and protect citizens and act in
able intensification of production through
Pfvmvudza/Intwasa which, which he
said would be refined this year so that
crops grown and livestock raised in an
agro-ecological region were determined
by requirements of the agro-ecological
region, and not by what a farmer wanted.
“Equally, government support will be re-
fined to reflect this principle. Attendant,
to this effort is the need for a food sys-
tems transformation so that traditional
grains can find favour among our popula-
tion, and especially the youth. In the large
holder sector, government is accelerat-
ing irrigation rehabilitation and develop-
ment through dam construction and in-
frastructure development,” he said.
Masuka said it was under this context
that 450 irrigation schemes were being
transformed through overhauling the
governance systems so that they were run
as viable businesses, and assure their sus-
tainability.
“This is why ARDA is now the designated
business manager for these schemes. This
is the new ARDA – transformed to deliver
rural development. I am informed that
already 287 of the 450 irrigation schemes
an impartial manner,” she said.
Mahere scoffed at suggestions that Ali was
in fact, a ZANU PF member, saying the rul-
ing party should just desist from harassing
CCC members and Ali’s family at the fu-
neral.
“This is patently false. She is a CCC mem-
ber and that very claim is undue attempt to
politicise the matter,” she said.
Political analyst, Munjodzi Mutandiri said
Zimbabweans should put human life ahead
of their political differences, saying the re-
sponses by those in government, partic-
ularly the police; and ZANU PF leadership
were a disgrace and display of catastrophic
leadership failure.
“Moreblessing's story is an indictment of
the poverty of policing and regard for hu-
man life by those with power in our coun-
try. The shameful statement from the police
instead of investigating the matter (poten-
tially saving Moblessing's life) is clearly an
indicator of a police force that has been
captured by political elites,” he said.
Mutandiri said as the country entered the
election campaign season, it was import-
ant that the perpetrators of this heinous act
face the full might of the law, adding all the
facts in the matter, particularly the people
involved, pointed to a case of political vi-
olence.
“It is now the duty of the police to speed in-
vestigations and unearth the motive. In the
absence of a thorough investigation and ar-
rest of the perpetrators, a reminder of the
2008 dark days and the impunity that fol-
lowed is inevitable. In Zimbabwe if the case
is not political the police are swift to act. It
is critical that human rights Defenders and
opposition political parties (especially CCC
as she was a member of the party) demand
of their government justice for Morebless-
ing,” he said.
Another political analyst, Gift Gwindin-
gwe, said the issue should be looked at from
two fronts.
“To say Moreblessing Ali's death is politi-
cally instigated might be misleading public
opinion of deaths that are a result of mis-
understandings between or amongst in-
dividuals. People quarrel and if the quar-
rel degenerates into a physical fight then a
saddening tragedy like Ali's demise might
occur. We do not condone that. So in a case
where a misunderstanding arose in pub-
lic view and an altercation was witnessed, I
think it's improper to bring in political dif-
ferences. That's going too far with politics.
Actually, stooping unnecessarily low. Vio-
lence is condemned in totality though,” he
have been transitioned to ARDA manage-
ment and that many of these have become
viable businesses again,” he said.
He said the revived Agricultural Finance
Corporation (AFC), Agricultural and Rural
Development Authority (ARDA), and oth-
ers, were ready to work with all farmers,
noting that the AFC would provide loans
for farmers who run irrigation schemes
as businesses while ARDA would deploy
scheme business managers to assist the
farmers.
He said AFC, AMA, ARDA, ZINWA, GMB
and TIMB had been transformed and re-
branded to reposition them as key insti-
tutions that rendered the much needed
support for rural development, adding
that communities should undertake ex-
change visits to get an understanding of
why this new business model was being
advocated.
Minister Masuku said the vision of a
prosperous and empowered upper mid-
dle income society by 2030 was anchored
on a vibrant and robust agricultural sec-
tor.
“Rural agricultural development must
cause rural industrialisation. Rural indus-
2
00
said.
He noted that falsehoods were spreading
like veld fire on political arenas more than
they were spread on social media plat-
forms.
“Authenticity of one's political orientation,
especially in cases where individuals like
Moreblessing Ali went with their stories, is
difficult to ascertain. Why, if all things are
equal, should political leadership claim
members, especially in tragic circumstanc-
es like these? For how long should a politi-
cal organization's mileage be enhanced by
others' suffering? “he said.
He said politicians should leave the be-
reaved family to come to terms with the
tragic demise of their beloved one, adding
that outsiders should not cry more than the
bereaved.
In a statement titled “Reclaiming the sanc-
tity of life – ZCC Pastoral letter on the mur-
der of Moreblessing Ali’, the Zimbabwe
Council of Churches (ZCC) expressed con-
cern that the nation had seen an increase
in cases of murder and loss of lives of Zim-
babweans in cold blood in the first half of
this year.
It said although not all the murders were
politically motivated, the church was wor-
ried that there were so many murders just
some few months before a potentially vio-
lent 2023 election environment.
“The church calls upon the government,
political parties, and community leaders at
all levels of society to desist from instigating
violence in their public or private utteranc-
es but rather to promote peace and toler-
ance among their constituencies,” it said.
The ZCC pleaded with the Zimbabwe Re-
public Police to handle cases of human dis-
appearances, distress calls and cases of vi-
olent conflict with a sense of urgency and in
ways that did not compromise the dignity
of victims.
“The church also calls upon the National
Peace and Reconciliation Commission and
other peace-building organizations to up-
scale their work across different sectors of
society towards the establishment of a new
culture of non-violence,”
It said all state and non-state institutions
and citizens should work towards a re-
newed sense of the dignity of all persons,
adding there should be a new national
commitment that no one should spill the
blood of a fellow Zimbabwean.
“The church is calling on the nation to
reclaim the sanctity of all human lives,” it
said.
The ZCC admitted that the church had
been indifferent and lukewarm in its ap-
proach in addressing the history of shed-
ding of blood in Zimbabwe, noting that
by failing to express its moral outrage re-
garding loss of lives, the church had pas-
sively condoned this sin by omission and
contributed to the blunting of the national
conscience.
trialisation should lead to rural develop-
ment. That rural development must ac-
celerate the attainment of Vision 2030,” he
said.
There are increasing calls from govern-
ment and civil society for the production
of small grains, such as sorghum, millet,
and rapoko instead of maize production
in order to enhance food security against
the background of climate change in Zim-
babwe.
The irrigation schemes competition was
introduced to motivate farmers, and to
capacitate them for improved production,
productivity and profitability.
Minister Masuka, however, called for the
reformation of the competition to include
parameters such as progress towards Vi-
sion 2030 by measuring the upliftment of
communities, improvement in incomes
and social status, food security and other
relevant matrices.
He said the winning scheme must be that
using the new model of the Vision 2030
Accelerator Model to better align with the
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Vi-
sion, adding that the judging panel must
also be widened to reflect this thrust.
 13 June 2022 2022
January-February
Western countries can’t legislate Africa: ED
Albert Chavhunduka
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has
castigated the Countering Malign Rus-
sian Activities in Africa Act, which is set
to be passed in the USA Congress, say-
ing it is an attempt by Western coun-
tries to legislate Africa.
The United States intends to pass a law
to counter Russia in Africa by tracking
its military operations, investments,
oligarchs and suspected illicit finan-
cial flows.
The move follows the realisation that
more than half of African countries
have chosen to be neutral on Unit-
ed Nations resolutions on Russia's
military operation in Ukraine, which
America views as a threat to its influ-
ence on the continent.
The Countering Malign Russian Ac-
tivities in Africa Act gives the US Con-
gress power to investigate African
countries aligned to Russia, amid fears
by the Tony Blair Institute for Glob-
al Change that Russia seeks to renew
ties it had with Africa during its Soviet
Union era.
But President Mnangagwa said Zim-
babwe and Africa as a continent must
stand tall and guard against West en-
croachment as it was a threat to true
multilateralism and sovereignty of the
global South in the face of a disinte-
grating world order.
UN committed to Zim’s sustainable development
Albert Chavhunduka
The United Nations (UN) says it is com-
mitted to see Zimbabwe become an upper
middle-income country by 2030 and its
5-year Sustainable Development frame-
work will be vital in ensuring that govern-
ment achieves all the key Sustainable De-
velopment Goals (SDGs).
In his remarks during the virtual Harare
Blue Talks, which were co-hosted by the
embassies of Portugal and Kenya ahead
of the UN Global Ocean Conference, UN
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator
Edward Kallon said the UN was commit-
ted to collaborate with Zimbabwe and as-
sist the country to meet its national devel-
opment targets by 2030.
The UN Global Ocean Conference will be
held in Lisbon, Portugal later this month
from the 27th to the 1st of July and it will
run under the theme, “Scaling up ocean
action based on science and innovation
for the implementation of goal 14: stock-
taking, partnerships and solutions.”
“While the conference spotlights these
goals, in Zimbabwe the UN is working in
collaboration with the government and
other partners including civil society,
business, academia and donor and devel-
opment partners towards achieving the
SDGs through Zimbabwe’s national de-
velopment strategy and by extension the
AU Agenda 2063,” said Kallon.
“This partnership framework defines
where the UN will support the govern-
ment of Zimbabwe to meet its own devel-
opment priorities. At the heart is the mu-
tual desire of the UN to work towards a
prosperous and empowered upper-mid-
dle income society by 2030 anchored on
four strategic pillars for this transforma-
tion.
“I want to reaffirm on behalf of the UN, our
commitment to the government and peo-
ple of Zimbabwe to support the achieve-
ments of the national development prior-
ities and the 2030 agenda for sustainable
development.”
The UN official applauded Zimbabwe
for adhering and acceding to the 1982 UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea which
he said should also help the country to
benefit economically through access to
maritime routes despite being a land-
NEWS
President Mnangagwa was writing in
his weekly column titled, “None but
Ourselves” published in the state me-
dia on Sunday.
He accused Western states, including
the US, of being selfish and using co-
ercive legislative diplomacy to impose
their interests on the African conti-
nent through the Countering Malign
Russian Activities in Africa Act.
“Through this Act, United States of
America coercively seeks to legislate
for a whole continent, in line with its
own whims and interests. The illegal
Act flattens a whole continent to re-
duce it to a mere appendage of Amer-
ica,” he said.
“In the eyes of USA, our nations are
not independent and have no right to
relate to other nations of the world as
they see fit or in pursuit of their na-
tional interests. To imagine that the
United States government, through
its legislature, plans another Platt
Amendment for a whole continent of
Africa simply beggars belief.
“In all this, there is a clear attempt to
threaten and objectify Africa, the only
continent with abundant resources
and still sworn to multilateralism un-
der the recent Africa Continental Free
Trade Area (AfCFTA). Given America’s
iniquitous ZDERA, Zimbabwe is best
qualified to warn the world against this
insidious encroachment on national
locked country.
“Access to maritime benefits is a right
guaranteed by the 1982 UN Convention on
the Law of the Sea,” he said.
“I’m pleased to note that Zimbabwe,
Zambia and Malawi while being land-
locked states, have acceded to the Con-
vention. Without this right of access to sea,
landlocked countries will be deprived of
the successful exercise of their right on the
UN Convention on the law of the sea.
“This, as you are all aware, will hamper
their access to international trade through
maritime routes as well as other rights un-
der the Convention with all the economic
and social benefits derived there from.”
The 2022 UN Ocean Conference, -Kallon
said-will focus on the 14th sustainable de-
velopment goal and bring together differ-
ent stakeholders.
“The UN Ocean conference comes at a
critical time. There is no doubt about the
critical importance of the ocean to the
survival including to landlocked countries
like Zimbabwe and others in Southern Af-
rica,” added Kallon.
“Later this month, it will bring together
stakeholders under the theme, “Scaling up
Ocean Action based on Science and Inno-
vation for the implementation of goal 14 of
the Sustainable Development Goals, Stock
Taking, partnership and solutions.
“While the conference’s spotlight is Sus-
tainable Development goal 14, which is Life
on the Water, we should not lose focus of
the interconnectedness of the 17 sustain-
able development goals, which were ad-
opted by member states as the blueprint
for development towards 2030.”
The Zimbabwe-UN cooperation frame-
work was signed last year as part of efforts
to catapult the country to successfully land
its SDGs and national development agen-
da and it will run until 2026.
It is based on four main pillars which seek
to achieve a number of goals which in-
clude a people-centred equitable human
development, environmental protection,
climate resilience and natural resource
management, economic transformation
and equitable inclusive growth.
Lastly, the framework further aims to
promote transformative, accountable, eq-
uitable and inclusive governance.
The cooperation framework translates
President Mnangagwa
and continental sovereignties by pow-
erful States seeking to overreach un-
der flimsy guises,” he said.
President Mnangagwa further be-
moaned the shrinking multilateralism
and lack of collective approach and
cooperation in tackling the ongoing
global challenges which include cli-
mate change, the Covid-19 pandemic,
ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe
as well as global supply chain disrup-
tions.
“Even as we caucused in Davos, it was
clear to us from Africa that some in our
midst had come to sell their war and
to foist their viewpoint on the rest of
us, rather than to engage in the spirit
of greater peace and multilateral ap-
proach to challenges facing our plan-
the promise to leave no one behind into ginalised while embodying the spirit of
tangible action for people on the ground partnership that are the call of the 2030
especially the most vulnerable and mar- agenda.
Workers renew calls
for dollarisation
Review & Mail Writers
The recent hikes of service fees
by most government departments,
pegged in USD, have triggered fresh
calls for dollarisation amid concerns
workers’ salaries in local currency
would not match them.
The workers also noted the galloping
prices of basic commodities such as
bread, cooking oil, fuel and transport
fares, which they said had gone out of
reach of ordinary Zimbabweans.
“Recently, the Zimbabwe Schools Ex-
amination Council, most government
departments and public hospitals
which are used by the poor have hiked
their fees pegging them in USD. The
moves are a direct confirmation that
the nation has dollarized but salaries
remained pegged in RTGS. The gov-
ernment and employers must wake up
to the reality of dollarization and pay
workers living wages in a stable cur-
rency,” ZCTU Acting Secretary Gener-
al, Runesu Dzimiri said in a statement.
Dzimiri said while everything else
was going up and denominated in
USD, workers’ salaries remained stag-
nant.
“In recent months, the cost of living
has risen to unprecedented levels and
we demand that the government take
a bold step to correct the situation and
cushion the consumer,” he said.
He said workers bore the dispropor-
tionate brunt as wage increases had
lagged inflation, with majority being
relegated into the working poor.
“The inflationary tax has erod- tive; we cannot use the US dollar as a
ed workers’ wages. The only stability sole currency. That will be a very bad
that can be administered to stop the idea indeed."
3
00
et,” said Mnangagwa.
“Zimbabwe has to locate itself and
survive within this torrid global envi-
ronment as it daily unravels. The en-
vironment is not about or likely to
change. We have to adjust to this new
normal of wars, militarisation, global
pandemics, climate change and a bro-
ken international system.
“These overbearing global adversities
are increasingly obtruding into our lo-
cal circumstances. It requires skilful
navigation so we do not ram into dan-
gerous global ecosystem of intricate,
interlocking icebergs.”
For President Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe
must emulate India and China and
craft own locally compatible respons-
es to its national issues and burden of
developing the country.
“One nation we can turn to for salu-
tary lessons is India. There is a lot we
have done already which makes Indian
experience kindred. We both face sim-
ilar global challenges, we both value
agriculture, our two nations are mod-
ernising our infrastructures, both na-
tions have high literacy levels on which
to develop higher tertiary skills.
“Above all, Zimbabwe enjoys very
good relations with India which has
been supporting us in a number of ar-
eas, principally that of energy. It also is
part of a region we have always related
wo in our long history.”
bleeding is to fully dollarize the econ-
omy. It is in this vein, that the ZCTU is
calling for the urgent convening of the
Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF)
whose sole agenda would be to discuss
the issues of rising prices and the ero-
sion of workers’ salaries,” he said.
Dzimiri said because of chronic high
inflation, economic agents had lost
confidence in the Zimbabwean dollar
as it no longer effectively fulfilled the
major functions of money.
He warned that the current situation
had become unsustainable and could
be a catalyst for civil unrest.
“The economic instability is also
known to contribute to mental health
challenges at the workplace and this
will have serious negative repercus-
sion on both production at the work-
place and the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP),”.
The government is however, adamant
that it would not fully dollarize the
economy and is encouraging the use
of the local currency.
Finance and Economic Development
Minister Mthuli Ncube has on sever-
al occasions insisted that Government
was still pursuing de-dollarisation,
saying dollarisation was a bad idea.
Ncube argued that the improved in-
dustrial capacity utilisation was a re-
sult of the presence of the domestic
market.
He insisted the use of the Zimbabwe
dollar had made the country’s econo-
my competitive.
"It has made our economy competi-
 13 June 2022 2022
January-February NEWS 4
00

Docked salaries compensation: Daggers out for ZIMTA

Chris Mahove
The Zimbabwe Teachers Association
(ZIMTA) is under fire from fellow-trade
unions after it announced plans to com-
pensate its members whose May salaries
were docked by the Public Service Com-
mission (PSC) for absenting themselves at
the start of the second term citing inca-
pacitation.
A memo to all members shared on
WhatsApp groups stated; “Dear Col-
leagues- Can you please submit names per
station of our members who have docked
May salaries as your association wants to
pay them back. Please may you please take
this as a matter of urgency. Submit names
to Beatrice,”
ZIMTA, however, got widespread con-
demnation from fellow trade unionists,
who accused the teachers’ association of
selling out the workers’ struggle by legit-
imising unlawful deductions by the em-
ployer.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ) President, Takavifira Zhou, said
ZIMTA had taken the decision because
they knew their members did not suffer
the deductions, adding it was “an issue of
grandstanding and useless rhetoric”.
He said it was unfortunate that ZIM-
TA was legitimising unlawful deductions
by the employer, adding the association
could have been offered the money by the
government for political expediency.
“The best way forward is to challenge the
unlawful deductions because natural jus-
tice dictates that the principle of audi al-
teram partem is fundamental before a de-
cision is taken against anyone. Therefore
if the employer in its wisdom or lack of it,
thought it has a case against the employ-
ees, due process was supposed to have
been done, which is investigation, pref-
erence of charges, inviting each employ-
ee for a hearing, carrying out the hearing
then determination with reasons for the
decision. This is our borne of contention
against the government for now,” he said.
Zhou said the teachers’ argument was
that failure to provide service for those
days was as a result of action caused by the
employer not to pay living wages, render-
ing performance of duties impossible.
“Each case must be heard individually
than coming up with a rule of the thumb/
blanket judgment/one- size-fit- all ap-
proach. Incapacitation is real and it's fool-
hardy for the employer to pretend other-
wise. Furthermore, this issue of applying
no work, no pay principle must balance
with the principle of no pay, no work be-
cause employees cannot be said to be hav-
ing a salary if they cannot survive. It doesn't
make sense at all, it is clearly illogical,” he
said.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of
Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) Secretary Gener-
al, Obert Masaraure said ZIMTA was in-
troducing some strange culture of trade
unionism as ordinarily unions were ex-
pected to be pushing for reforms of the la-
bour terrain to avoid the recurrence of the
docking of salaries.
“Workers face multiple challenges as they
confront brutal systems. The focus should
never be to try and find comfort in the sta-
tus quo but to push for radical transfor-
mation. We would have expected unions
to fund concerted litigation and advocacy
to put an end to such practices,” he said.
Masaraure said government should
be compelled to pay all the money they
docked through litigation and advocacy,
questioning where ZIMTA was getting the
money to compensate its members.
Other trade unionists affiliated to the
ZCTU, the erstwhile ZIMTA mother body,
took to social media to echo similar sen-
timents, suggesting that they were being
clandestinely bank-rolled by government.
“They have been working with govern-
ment to try and destroy other militant
unions. So government will simply pay
them and then make its yellow union ZIM-
TA appear better than others. On this one
they must be working with Mthuli Ncube,
Mangudya etc.,” wrote one unionist
Another wrote; “Above all where is ZIMTA
getting that money to refund all the teach-
ers whose salaries were docked for partic-
ipating in an incapacitation strike? With
the huge number of affected teachers, in-
cluding those who were not paid for the
census exercises, which is far too much
for ZIMTA to pay its members and others
who will be lured by such nonsense,” said
another trade unionist.
They said ZIMTA was desperate to win
back some of its members who had de-
fected to other teacher trade unions such
as ARTUZ and PTUZ.
“They want their membership to increase
so that if a strike is called it becomes in-
effective because few will follow the call.
The same happened at the ZCTU congress
where some affiliates had their arrears
cleared so they could attend congress,”
wrote another.
ZIMTA Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Nd-
lovu did not respond to questions sent to
him, this after he had indicated that a call
made to him was inaudible.
Some disgruntled members last year
were pushing for the retirement of Ndlovu
and accused him of amending the associ-
ation’s constitution raising the retirement
age from 60 years to 65 years.
A section of the Zimbabwe Teachers As-
sociation (ZIMTA) disgruntled member-
ship is pushing the retirement of Sifiso
Ndlovu amid concerns that he has amend-
ed the retirement age by adding five more
years.
During the same year, hordes of teachers
reportedly withdrew from the association
after learning that he was earning in ex-
cess of US10 000 per month as salary.
ZIMTA is the biggest teachers' union with
more than 40 000 members.
Teachers’ unions have been demand-
ing the restoration of their pre-October
2018 salaries that were pegged at USD$540
saying salaries in local currency were be-
ing eroded by inflation and rising prices
of basic commodities and services, which
were now pegged in USD.

Covid-19 stifles SMEs Cell day marks start

Albert Chavhunduka
Development finance institutions are
reeling from the after effects of the
Covid-19 pandemic which they say affect-
ed their services and hampered access
to banking facilities for many of their cli-
ents leading to the worst underperform-
ing loans.
Covid-19 affected many economies glob-
ally and disrupted livelihoods for millions
of people especially those dependent on
the informal economy.
Addressing stakeholders recently during
the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
monitoring workshop, Small and Medium
Enterprises Development Corporation
(SMEDCO) Risk and Compliance manager
Bigboy Mazhandu said the Covid-19 pan-
demic negatively impacted his institution
as well as their clients.
Mazhandu further expressed concern
over the failure by SMEs to repay back
loans which were extended to them add-
ing that some small businesses were
forced to shut down as a result.
“Due to Covid-19 and the restrictions,
monitoring these SMEs also became a
challenge even those who were in the re-
tail sector, we couldn’t monitor them be-
cause of these restrictions, which result-
ed in a high underperforming loan,” said
Mazhandu.
“This affected their cash flows and as a
result they could not pay back their loans.
It also affected their continuity, some even
folded and that’s a challenge we faced as
an institution.
“In terms of the interventions that we
came up with as an institution, we had to
come up with a programme for refinanc-
ing those who had failed to make it during
the Covid-19 period, either refinance or
reschedule so that the loan tenure is ex-
tended.”
Mazhandu further said SMEDCO lost a
lot of revenue from its infrastructure rent-
als and the lockdown made it difficult for
non-essential services which in turn af-
fected the whole chain supply.
“Most SMEs were not classified as an es-
sential service sector, so in terms of their
revenues dwindled, shortening hours and
some were not even allowed to operate
during the lockdown,” he said.
“We also provide infrastructure, where
SMEs are supposed to pay rentals but be-
cause of Covid-19, SMEs were not oper-
ating which means they were not paying
rentals. It also affected us as an institution
because at some point SMEDCO was not
regarded as an essential services provider,
we were closed which affected the whole
supply chain.”
Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank
Head of Retail Clara Mukosera weighed in
and said that as financial institutions, they
lost most of the money they had disbursed
before the Covid-19 pandemic since it was
not invested but used for other purposes.
“You’d find that most of the money that
we would have disbursed just before the
Covid-19 outbreak found its way to the ta-
ble, as many women were just fighting to
put food on the table because they could
not produce,” said Mukosera.
“At one point, we disbursed some loans
but because of lockdown our women
could not procure raw materials required
in line with the different lines of business-
es they operate. As a result, the challenges
during the Covid-19 period were for both
our microbusinesses and SMEs as well as
for the institution itself to be able to bal-
ance sustenance.”
She added that as a bank, they could not
provide any service to their clients most-
ly women which became a challenge due
to poor loan disbursements because of
Covid-19.
“Even when small markets availed them-
selves, you’d find out that the pricing
strategy itself would be mostly to get rid
of rotting produce, which meant that the
loan itself could not be repaid because of
the pricing that they ended having to work
with,” she said.
“As a result of these real challenges, it ob-
viously meant that we were not going to
get the money back and empower them in
line with our initial strategy. They ended
up with a lot of wastage where stockpiles
of perishable items so automatically that a
person would not be able to pay back the
loan and these are real challenges that we
were walking the journey together with
our customers.”
of campaign for ZANU PF
Review & Mail Writers
The Cell Day organised by the rul-
ing party could be a strategy to shut
out opposition Citizens Coalition
for Change (CCC) party led by Nel-
son Chamisa ahead of the watershed
2023 harmonised elections.
In the past few months, the CCC
embarked on a rural campaign and
appeared to be making inroads in
the ruling party’s strongholds as its
leader, Nelson Chamisa appeared
to be pulling larger than expected
crowds.
The party, buoyed by its perfor-
mance in the March by-elections,
launched a rural mobilisation cam-
paign dubbed Mugwazo where par-
they were to wrestle the rural vote
ty leaders traversed rural Zimbabwe
from ZANU PF.
meeting ordinary citizens and en-
But with the strategy being used
couraging them to register to vote.
by the ruling party, the opposition
The opposition party, which trans-
would have to work extra hard as
formed from the MDC-A, has since
ZANU PF used the Cell Day to ensure
visited areas like Gokwe, Mutoko,
its members at cell level were regis-
Uzumba and Murehwa among oth-
tered to vote.
ers and indicated it was targeting
The ruling party is also now using
every district in the country.
its cell structures to mobilise new
On the other hand, the ruling ZANU
members and has plans to increase
PF has seen a marginal decrease in
the number of its cells, which will
the number of its voters, and the
most likely saturate rural areas with
Cell Day, launched this year and ex-
ZANU PF members.
pected to be an annual event, is seen
The cell meetings also looked at the
as a step by the revolutionary party
issue of identity cards and the party
to regroup and restrategise.
would assist its members attain reg-
“This is about ZANU PF trying to re-
istration cards and register to vote.
organize itself against a background
The National Cell Day meetings ex-
in which it has lost appeal owing to
plained to party members the role of
the prevailing harsh economic envi-
the cell structure as a key organ of
ronment largely blamed on corrup-
the party. Other exercises included
tion and rent seeking. It is also at a
cell structure verification exercise,
time when the opposition is trying
inspection of the cell register and
to make inroads into rural commu-
confirmation of cell members who
nities,” said political commentator,
were registered in the national vot-
Earnest Mudzengi.
ers roll.
Mudzengi said the ZANU PF Cell Day
The party is said to have recorded
called for the opposition to go deep-
a membership of over 3, 2 million
er with their rural outreach, making
members in its restructuring exer-
themselves more appealing in terms
cise in 78 000 structures across the
of policy proposals that address ev-
country as of February this year.
eryday needs of everyday people if
 13 June 2022 2022
January-February
HIV control approaches may not work for
TB: lessons from South Africa and Zambia
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most dead-
ly infectious diseases. Around 9.9 million
people around the world fell ill with the
disease in 2020 and an estimated 1.5 mil-
lion people died.
The advent of HIV in the 1980s un-
leashed large increases in TB, particularly
in sub-Saharan Africa. In some countries,
the number of people diagnosed with TB
quadrupled every year. People with HIV
are particularly susceptible to falling ill
with TB.
My colleagues and I were part of a re-
search project called TREATS – Tubercu-
losis Reduction through Expanded An-
tiretroviral Treatment and Screening for
active TB. The project set out to see wheth-
er a “universal test and treat” approach in
Zambia and South Africa could achieve
steep reductions in HIV and TB.
This approach had been used in an HIV
and TB intervention known as PopART
(Population Effects of Antiretroviral Ther-
apy to Reduce HIV Transmission).
We expected to find that screening ev-
erybody for TB would identify individu-
als with the disease who had not yet been
diagnosed. We also thought treating them
quickly would reduce the amount of TB in
the community and reduce the infection
risk to others.
But that’s not what we found. Screening
everybody for TB had no impact on the
prevalence or incidence of TB infection.
The reasons are complex and our team is
in the early stages of analysing the results
to identify possible explanations.
Double interventions
The PopART intervention took place be-
tween 2013 and 2018. It delivered com-
bined testing and treatment for HIV and
TB to about 600,000 individuals in Zam-
bia and South Africa. It was carried out by
SA concerned over sale of bogus auto parts
South Africa's automotive industry is
facing an influx of illegal auto parts in
the market. A large share of fake parts
are reported to be from China. Traf-
ficking of counterfeit vehicle parts
such as brake pads and oil filters is be-
coming a significant economic prob-
lem for the motor vehicle parts suppli-
er industry.
This year, the South African police dis-
covered fake vehicle bearings at a Jo-
hannesburg warehouse worth close to
200 million US dollars. Automotive ex-
perts in South Africa warn that bogus
aftermarket parts can be life-threat-
ening for motorists.
"In the roadshows that took part
around the country, the net effect was
to a tune of half a billion rands and in
terms of USD that would be 31 mil-
FEATURE
community health workers who visited
every household in an entire community
at least once a year.
The community health workers provid-
ed information on HIV and TB. In addi-
tion, they offered everyone an HIV test and
screened everyone for TB using a simple
symptom screen.
Individuals who had symptoms sugges-
tive of TB were asked to provide a sputum
sample which was taken to a health facility
for testing for TB.
Any individual who tested positive for
HIV was encouraged to access antiretro-
viral therapy (ART), which was provided to
all regardless of CD4 count.
The PopART intervention was found to
reduce HIV incidence by about 20% in the
communities that received the interven-
tion compared to those which did not.
The TREATS study then followed 2017-
2021 to measure what effect the PopART
intervention had had on TB. A key compo-
nent of the TREATS study was measuring
whether PopART had reduced the over-
all prevalence of active TB. There were
50,000 participants, aged 15 years and
over. Community workers went door-to-
door to explain the study and invite people
to be tested for HIV and TB at mobile field
sites. A mobile site was set up for screen-
ing and testing. It included a digital x-ray
machine and portable laboratory for iden-
tifying TB in sputum samples.
The TREATS survey compared the prev-
alence of TB in communities that had re-
ceived the PopART intervention with those
that had not. We found no difference in
prevalence of TB. TREATS also measured
whether young people in communities
which received the intervention had fewer
new TB infections than those in commu-
nities that did not receive the intervention.
lion USD worth of goods that were de-
stroyed. These were products entering
borders as counterfeit products that
don't meet the necessary specifica-
tions." expresses Vishall Premlall, Tyre
Equipment and Parts Association Na-
tional Director.
Mobile mechanic repair start-up,
Fixxr has come into the South Afri-
can automotive aftercare sector to of-
fer consumers advice on accredited
parts suppliers and mechanics. How-
ever, Mawethu Soga, Fixxr Head of
Commercialization and Growth be-
lieves that to minimize illicit goods in
the market, Africa's 30 billion US dollar
aftercare car sector needs to focus on
building a reliable auto part industry.
"What you see in South Africa is a ma-
ture automotive space. Both in parts
Chest x-rays are more sensitive for screening for TB. PUNIT PARANJPE/
AFP via Getty Images
Again we found no difference.
The TB screening used in the PopART in-
tervention relied on symptom screening
followed by sputum testing. It is likely that
this screening method, while feasible and
acceptable, is insufficient to reduce the
burden of TB. We know that some people
with TB do not have symptoms or do not
consider their symptoms to be import-
ant to mention. Chest x-rays are more
sensitive for screening for TB, but these
are largely unavailable and unaffordable
in places where TB disease is commonly
found.
More sensitive tools for TB screening, that
are feasible, acceptable and affordable, are
urgently needed.
Future directions
Our study has highlighted the impor-
tance of addressing stigma around TB and
supply and mechanical skills. Out of
the other markets like Nigeria, you
have 90 percent of cars that are sec-
ond-hand. They do not have a reliable
parts market, you don't have reliable,
trained mechanics. So, everyone is
trying to do the best they can. Those
markets have great capacity for ma-
nipulation.” says Soga
Kelvin Maumela, a Johannesburg
based mechanic who has spent 63 years
of life repairing cars, attributes the in-
flux of fake auto parts in the country to
consumers’ limited knowledge of the
repair business. "I have 63 years’ expe-
rience in repairing cars. I usually no-
tice fake auto parts by looking at the
labels. When I come across a custom-
er's car that has counterfeit parts, I al-
ways alert them of the danger it poses
5
00
HIV in encouraging people to come for-
ward for diagnosis and treatment in these
communities. Community health workers
doing the PopART visits found that as the
rounds of the intervention went on, the
stigma broke down. People were happier
to get tested for HIV and to be screened for
TB. The numbers screening positive actu-
ally went up over time, which may be a re-
flection of people feeling more confident.
But TREATS has shown that improve-
ments in the diagnosis and treatment of
HIV do not easily translate into great-
er success against TB. Further research
will be vital in building on the lessons of
TREATS to find the best ways to fight this
devastating disease.
--The Conversation
to them." points out Maumela.
Despite many crackdowns on crimi-
nal activity, the fake automobile parts
market continues to thrive as consum-
ers' affordability is threatened by a de-
cline in South Africa’s economic cli-
mate, Nathaniel Gumbi, owner of NBW
Gearbox in downtown Johannesburg,
took a stance to only repair cars that
have original parts.
"Even if the car is not fixed by us, we
advise you to take out those parts be-
cause they are not safe." says Gumbi
South Africa's automotive bodies such
as Tyre Equipment and Parts Associ-
ation are working on creating a whis-
tle-blower hotline where consumers
and automotive businesses can report
illicit activities.
--Africa News
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 13 June002022
Monday January 2022 PERSPECTIVE 7
00

Toes-for-cash Internet hoax reflects

Zimbabwe fears of soaring prices
Battling rampant inflation, Zimba-
bweans are counting their toes as
they struggle to buy food for their
families.
An Internet rumour blazed through
the country that desperate people
were selling their toes for cash. The
false report became so widespread
that the country’s Deputy Minister of
Information Kindness Paradza visit-
ed street vendors in central Harare
earlier this month to debunk it.
One-by-one the traders took off
their shoes to show that they had all
10 toes, as Zimbabwe’s state media
recorded the digital investigation.
Paradza declared the toes-for-mon-
ey story a hoax, as did local and for-
eign fact-checkers. Police later ar-
rested a street vendor who now faces
a fine or six months in jail on charges
of criminal nuisance for allegedly
starting the story.
It’s starkly true, however, that Zim-
babweans are finding it increasing-
ly difficult to make ends meet. Since
the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine,
Zimbabwe’s inflation rate has shot
up from 66% to more than 130%, ac-
cording to official statistics. The war
is blamed for rising fuel and food
prices.
The war in Ukraine has exacerbat-
ed inflation rising around the world.
Consumer prices in the 19 Europe-
an Union countries that use the euro
currency surged 8.1% in May, a re-
cord rate as energy and food costs
climb. In the US and the United Street vendors take off their shoes to show their toes on the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe, on June, 9, 2022. An Inter-
Kingdom, annual inflation hit or was net rumour blazed through the country that desperate people were selling their toes for cash. — AP
close to 40-year highs of 8.3% and
9%, respectively, in April. Turkey ap- companies no longer trust the local Across the country, currency trad- on during the hyperinflationary era
proached Zimbabwe’s eye-watering currency and that has put pressure ers line the streets and crowd en- such as skipping meals. Others now
prices, with inflation reaching 73.5% on the demand for US dollars. The trances to shopping centers waving buy food items in smaller quantities,
in May, the highest in 24 years. Ukraine war is simply exacerbating wads of both the local currency and sometimes in such tiny packages they
In Zimbabwe, the impact of the an already difficult situation.” US dollars. are enough for just a single meal. Lo-
Ukraine war is heaping problems on Many fear Zimbabwe could return Many Zimbabweans who earn in lo- cals call them “tsaona”, meaning “ac-
the already fragile economy. The war to the hyperinflation of 2008 which cal currency such as government cident” in the local Shona language.
“coupled with our historical domes- reached 500 billion%, according to workers are forced to source dol- Promising better days ahead, Ncube,
tic imbalances, has created challeng- the International Monetary Fund. lars on the illegal market, where ex- the finance minister, said the gov-
es in terms of economic instability At that time, plastic bags full of 100 change rates are soaring, to pay for ernment “will not hesitate to act and
seen through the currency volatility trillion Zimbabwe dollar banknotes goods and services that are increas- intervene to cushion against price
and spilling over into price volatili- were not enough to buy basic gro- ingly being charged in US dollars. increases and exchange rate volatil-
ty”, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube ceries. Retailers said the rising rates for ity”.
told Parliament in May. The economic catastrophe forced US dollars on the illegal market are Many are sceptical of such vows
Teachers “can no longer afford bread then-President Robert Mugabe to forcing them to frequently increase from the government, saying nothing
and other basics, this is too much”, form a “unity government” with the prices, often every few days, to allow short of a miracle will pull Zimbabwe
tweeted the Progressive Teachers opposition and adopt a multi-cur- them to restock. out of its economic crisis. Even while
Union of Zimbabwe in early June. rency system in 2009 in which US The once-prosperous southern Af- coping with constantly rising prices,
The three largest teachers’ unions dollars and the South African rand rican country’s economy is battered many can’t help making grim jokes
are demanding the government pay were accepted as legal tender. by years of de-industrialisation, cor- about the situation.
their salaries in US dollars because The US dollar continues to domi- ruption, low investment, low exports
their pay in local currency is “eroded nate with prices in local currency of- and high debt. Zimbabwe strug- “I still have all my toes intact but it
overnight”. ten benchmarked to the rates for the gles to generate an adequate inflow wouldn’t hurt selling one,” chuck-
“Because of high inflation, the lo- American currency on the flourish- of greenbacks needed for its largely led Harare resident Asani Sibanda.
cal currency is collapsing,” economic ing illegal market, where most indi- dollarised local economy. “I could still walk without it, but my
analyst Prosper Chitambara told The viduals and companies get their for- Ordinary Zimbabweans are return- family would at least get some food.
Associated Press. “Individuals and eign currency. ing to coping mechanisms they relied – AP
 13 June002022
Monday January 2022
From judicial management to corporate rescue: a paradigm shift
Legal
Corner with
Reuben Mukavhi
In a previous instalment, we men-
tioned that in the old law, when a com-
pany was in financial distress, it would
be placed under judicial management.
The new Insolvency Act [Chapter 6:07]
abolished judicial management and re-
placed it with what is called corporate
rescue proceedings. In this instalment,
we highlight some of the major differ-
ences between the two processes.
The basis for judicial management
was that by reason of mismanagement
or other the company was unable to
pay its debts or being prevented from
becoming successful. The problem
with this was that managers would not
be too keen to apply for judicial man-
agement because that would amount
to them admitting mismanaging the
company. The company would thus
continue to be flogged when it was dy-
Lets fight against suicide
Gamuchirai Chinamasa
Mental Health Talk
Hopefully the heading got your at-
tention. Suicide is a word that scares
the life out of me and should out of
you too. When I am scrolling on so-
cial media and come across the word
SUICIDE my heart begins to palpitate.
For those that need more clarity, Sui-
cide means ending your own life. It
is sometimes a way for people to es-
cape pain or suffering. When some-
one ends their own life, we say that
they "died by suicide." A "suicide at-
tempt" means that someone tried to
end their life, but did not die.
Thinking about suicide is scary. You
may have strong feelings that are hard
to deal with. You may feel like things
will never be better, but you are not
alone. Many people think about sui-
cide. Thinking about suicide does
not mean that you will do it. It does
not mean that you are "going crazy."
Thinking about suicide is often a sign
that you want to escape.
There are ways to feel better. Re-
member, you are not alone. You can
start by talking to someone else. You
can talk to a family member or friend
you trust. You can also call a crisis
line. If you have a doctor or counsel-
lor, tell them how you feel. They can
teach you skills to deal with thoughts
of suicide. No one can say that they
will never have thoughts of suicide.
You can do two big things to help pre-
vent suicide. The first is to build con-
nections with other people. The sec-
ond is to find help for mental health
problems. Feeling connected to oth-
ers is a big part of protecting yourself
from suicide.
I don’t think desperately seeking
to end seemingly unendurable pain
qualifies as either pleasure,own in-
etrests or benefits. I also don’t think
that wanting to end your life and sur-
viving that pain makes you a bad in-
fluence or a bad person either. I don’t
think its fair that a survivor of suicide
should be seen as crazy, unstable or
not a good person to be around or not
capable of going on with life and be-
coming a parent, partner or boss. I
personally think a survivor is one of
the strongest people and can over-
come almost anything because they
fought so hard after a bad season to
PERSPECTIVE
ing, until too late. On the other hand,
the basis for corporate rescue is sim-
ply that the company is in financial dis-
tress. The reason for the distress is not
relevant. This is expected to make it
less of a self-indictment on the part of
managers to seek help quickly.
The intended outcome of judicial man-
agement was to enable the company to
pay its debts and to make it successful.
This was a long shot. It meant that ju-
dicial management would not end un-
til all the creditors were paid, and un-
til the company was a going concern
once again. The intended outcome of
corporate rescue is rescuing the com-
pany from liquidation. This could be
achieved by simply agreeing a compro-
mise with creditors and restructuring
the balance sheet of the company. It
can therefore be done within a short
period of time.
Judicial management was always by
order of court. A company could not
place itself under judicial management;
it just had to go to court. This made the
process expensive and intimidating.
come back on top and continue with
life as it is. A suicide survivor is not
weird or unstable person especially
if they are seeking help and taking it
seriously, it takes a very STRONG and
smart person to know when to seek
help and how, it shows someone that
wants to live but needs help to do so.
Once you see one entertain that idea
of suicide it’s a very deep cry for help
that should not go unnocticed. Think-
ing about suicide is scary. You may
have strong feelings that are hard to
deal with. You may feel like things will
never be better. Many people, trust
me think about suicide, when going
through heartbreak, rejection or fi-
nancial loss they do think it would be
better to die, at the time it will just
be a thought which they don’t realize
how strong it is, some even jokingly
say, “better to be dead than feel this
With corporate rescue, there is provi-
sion for both voluntary corporate res-
cue and corporate rescue through or-
der of court. A company can just adopt
a resolution to commence corporate
rescue, without the need to go to court.
This is less expensive and less intimi-
dating.
Judicial management was indefinite.
This made it a kind of blank cheque for
judicial managers who could keep the
company under supervision for as long
as they wished. Corporate rescue has a
3 month- rule, whereby corporate res-
cue proceedings must be completed
within three months. This puts prac-
titioners on the spot to do the assign-
ment and leave. This is good for busi-
ness.
Judicial managers were empowered
to manage the company in such man-
ner as they considered most economic
and most likely to promote the inter-
ests of the members and creditors of
the company. They were only required
to produce a report, which they would
present to meetings of creditors and
way,” not realizing the power in those
words
Mental health problems are a big part
of suicide. You can help protect your-
self by finding help for mental health
problems early. There are many com-
mon signs of mental health problems:
• Feeling like nothing makes you
happy anymore.
• Feeling very sad or hopeless for
many weeks.
• Feeling like you cannot cope
with things that happen in your life.
• Feeling very stressed or scared
for many weeks.
• Noticing strange thoughts or
noticing strange things that do not go
away. Some people hear voices or see
things.
• Sleeping less or more than usu-
al.
• Eating less or more than usual.
11
00
members, without getting any input
from those affected persons. The cred-
itors and members had very little say.
They would only contribute if the judi-
cial manager asked them to pass some
resolution. The corporate rescue prac-
titioner, on the other hand, is required
to design a plan of rescue for the com-
pany, which plan shall be subject to
approval by the creditors and mem-
bers of the company. This requirement
has given a voice to the creditors and
members in the management of their
company. If they are not happy with
a proposed rescue plan, they can just
reject it or require the practitioner to
amend it.
Though this exposition is not exhaus-
tive of the differences between the two
judicial processes, it makes it clear that
the concept of corporate rescue marks
a paradigm shift from the old law. It is
geared more towards saving compa-
nies from collapse for the benefit of all
stakeholders than just protecting the
interests of creditors.
Get in touch on rmukavhi@gmail.com
• Drinking more alcohol or using
more drugs than usual.
• Taking a lot of time off work or
school.
• Avoiding family and friends.
• Feeling "run down" or sick of-
ten.
Talk to your doctor if you notice these
signs. Your doctor can see what may
be causing the problems. Some peo-
ple talk openly about thoughts of sui-
cide, but many people keep their feel-
ings a secret. In Zimbabwe the culture
here is to either gossip, laugh at or ig-
nore a suicidal persons cry for help.
Most people will stake screen shots
before they call for help or to check up
on that person.
The thing about depression or sui-
cide, it can happen to anyone, even
the strongest amongst us, you don’t
see it coming till it is already there
so instead of thinking you are above
it I advice you always keep yourself in
good spirits, vent when you need to,
cry when you want to, pray always and
advocate for mental health because it
could be you or your friend next, you
don’t choose it, it chooses you!
There are ALWAYS warning signs to
show that someone needs help, you
just need to know them and actal-
ly care to realize them. You often see
many warning signs happening at the
same time. Such as:
• The person talks about wanting
to kill themselves.
• The person uses more drugs or
alcohol than usual.
• The person says they have no
reason to live.
• The person seems very scared
or worried.
• The person says that they feel
like there is no way out of a situation.
• The person cannot see hope for
the future.
• The person does not want to
spend time with others.
• The person has a hard time
controlling their anger.
• The person does things that
may be dangerous and does not think
about what might happen.
• The person’s mood changes in
a big way.
• The person actually tells you
how they would end their life and
when.
• The person is always crying,
low and out, easily brought to tears or
triggered
• The person has given up on the
things they used to love to do.
LETS FIGHT AGAINST THE STIGMA!!
 13 June 2022 2022
January-February
EDITORS
COMMENT
ARTISTES
NEED
RECOGNITION
All roads led to the Aquatic Com-
plex in Chitungwiza at the weekend
where Sungura music maestro, Alick
Macheso, was launching his 12th Al-
bum, after having spent more than
two decades in the music industry.
Macheso was also celebrating his
54th birthday, a sure sign he is slow-
ly getting to the twilight of his career.
In just six years, the veteran bassist
would be 60 years, and will qualify as
a senior citizen.
No one would blame Macheso if he
were to retire from active music con-
sidering his age.
In his more than 20 years in the mu-
sic industry so far, Macheso has been
the beacon of Sungura music, churn-
ing out melodious and lyrically preg-
nant tunes each year, which kept many
Zimbabweans of all ages entertained.
Macheso is one of the few in the mu-
sic industry who has been able to lead
a dignified life and can safely look
back and say the music industry has
reaped fruit for him.
However, for his stature as a talented
artiste and celebrity, Macheso should
be of a higher much status than he is
today if he were to be from any oth-
er country where talents such as his
are appreciated by authorities and his
followers at large.
The statement by Deputy Minister of
Transport, Tino Machakaire, when he
bought Macheso’s latest CD album for
US$10 000 dollars was a touching re-
minder that we ought to do more for
our musicians as a country.
“I have known @alickmacheso3 for
a very long time. In all my interac-
tions with him with him, he is very
humble and respectful. The CD that
I purchased tonight goes beyond just
paying for music but it is my token
of appreciation to the Living Legend.
May he live long” he said.
Despite the many negative insinua-
tions that followed the gesture by the
Deputy Minister, we feel he provoked
a necessary debate on how we treat
our artistic heroes as a country.
Many musicians and artistes have
died in misery, while many more oth-
ers are living in misery despite their
contributions to the arts industry in
Zimbabwe.
Talk of Cephas Mashakada, Chinx
Chingaira, Lazarus “Gringo’ Boora,
System Tazvida, Tinei Chikupo; the
list endless.
These are artistes who contribut-
ed immensely to the arts industry in
Zimbabwe but had nothing to show
for their industry.
It is sad to note that government has
neglected this sector with most of the
artistes in the country struggling to
make ends meet despite their popu-
larity.
There is need for people to realise
that artistes need to survive on their
talents. Most artistes have to supple-
ment their incomes through other
odd trades and it is high time that the
government commits to a sustainable
budget to assist artistes.
There is serious undervaluation of
the trade and the scourge of piracy
needs to be dealt with decisively while
local musicians should be afforded
equitable airplay on national stations.
The National Arts Council of Zim-
babwe (NACZ) which was created
through an Act of Parliament in 1985
and to champions the promotion and
development of the arts sector in the
country, seems to be failing in that
regard.
LEADER PAGE
'Sangomas' storm Harare Central Business District
Community Eye
with
Ngwindi Ngwindingwindi
Presumably, it is cries of econom-
ic hardships in the country or some
unique opportunity that has springed
up and propelled citizens to become
more enterprising so as to start un-
usual business ventures in some least
expected places around the country.
Or perhaps citizens misunderstood
the presidential mantra of 'Zimbabwe
is open for business'.
We have witnessed over the years a
surge in religious organisations and
medical facilities in different parts of
the country; all probably due to high
demand for health and soul repara-
tions. Herbalists and pseudo-herbal-
ists have also decided they cannot be
outdone, since they also offer or claim
to offer virtually similar services.
A stroll in the streets of the country's
largest city, Harare, will give a sore
tickle to the eye with sights of queer
packaging displayed on pavements all
over the city. These are herb vendors
at work, and in some cases you find
them practicing sangoma acts on the
streets (kushopera).
What therefore demands under-
standing is whether the city has de-
vised this as a traditional herbs ex-
hibition tactic, or perhaps they have
realised that citizens are in dire need
of alternative health remedies, since
pharmaceutical drugs are beyond the
reach of many in the country. There
have been operations to rid the city of
undesignated vending and illegal ac-
tivities; but herbal vending seems to
be sprawling and spreading like veld
fires, and is allowed to be like that;
operating freely even on the doorstep
of the City's Cleveland House just be-
hind the main Town House.
There are therefore questions which
can be asked pertaining this kind of
vending activity:
Where are they sourcing the herbs
About us
We are an independent, critical and al-
ternative media platform established in
the year 2021, specializing in quality or
good journalism made up of profession-
al journalism and well-curated content
from various contributors, writers as well
as authoritative interviews with a range of
sources that make news locally and inter-
nationally.
We strive to be an independent, non-par-
tisan alternative platform that serves our
clientele, in its diversity, well and timely.
As a media establishment, we are also
dedicated to play the normative role to
educate citizens, play a watchdog role
through exposure of abuses and excesses
of the powerful in society, including politi-
cians and the corporate world.
12
00
SMEs
from?
How authentic are the herbs which
are allowed to be sold openly on the
streets?
Are the vendors licensed to dispense
those herbs, and who regulates their
operations?
Who approves authenticity of the
herbs; that is to verify if they are not
harmful for human consumption?
To answer some of these questions
I would suggest that the issue be
looked into and probably devise some
measures in terms of regulation and
rearrangement of the order. I know
for sure that the city authorities and
government institutions are aware of
these activities, but I implore them to
take action and bring some sanity in
the state of affairs of this city which
appears to be on autopilot.
I may have no authority in my as-
some of these heinous acts.
sumptions, but deeper instinct tells Why are we having these herbalists
me that some of these are danger- on our streets? I would like to believe
ous drugs which come in the form of that the authorities will somehow re-
herbs or are just a disguise for ped- spond to this question or questions
dling illicit drugs. Our society has in their own ways at some point. I am
since been ravaged by abuse of dan- one among thousands of citizens who
gerous substances which I strong- have noticed and have been eager to
ly believe are being dispensed to the know why we have this going on like
public in different forms; these street that. This is our city together, all of us;
herbalists cannot be an exception. We I know for sure ZINATHA, the Medi-
have many people who are suffering cines Control Authority body, the city
as a result of consuming substances
health department and all relevant
whose sources are largely spurious. organizations have seen the chaos I
The authorities need to intervene as
have highlighted in this piece of writ-
we risk losing a lot of people out of ing. It is therefore incumbent upon
desperation to boost sexual prowess. responsible departments to justify or
Hardships may cause low sexual drive correct what I personally perceive to
leading people to source for stimula- be a menace in our society.
tions; hardships may cause one to dry To fellow citizens, I advise that we be
up random tree bucks and leaves and careful on the things that we consume
sell to unsuspecting public as a vhu- out of desperation or addiction. Some
ka-vhuka herb. We therefore have two of these herbs are being sold by un-
parties who are in desperate situa- scrupulous people whose aim is not
tions and are trying to boost sex ap- for your good but for easy dollars into
petite and income respectively. My
their purses. Let us all be cautious of
independent small survey revealed our health because the consequenc-
to me that the largest chunk of clien-
es of taking some of these fictitious
tele for these pseudo-herbalists are substances may ruin our lives beyond
male citizens who seek sexual boost- restoration. So, it is our responsibili-
ers, much more than those who seek ty to guard ourselves from being de-
herbs for cancers and other diseas- stroyed by uncouth practices in our
es. Citizens must be protected against midst.
Property of Ruzivo Media and Resource Centre
Room 207 & 211
Courtney/Capstone Hotel
Corner 8th Street and Selous Ave
Call : 078 299 4101
 Review & Mail

Thumbs up for Macheso’s latest offering

Entertainment Review
Since Thursday, social media, has been
flaming red with fire emojis as fans cel-
ebrate, enjoy and hype Alick Macheso’s
latest offering, dubbed ‘Tinosvitswa
Nashe’
This is Macheso’s 12th album, launched
on his 54th birthday and also marking 24
years since his band Orchestra Mberik-
wazvo was formed.
Macheso held a mini-launch at Harare's
Rainbow Towers on June 9 where the
Deputy Minister of Youth, Arts Sports
and Culture Hon Deputy Machakaire
bought the album for US10 000. Af-
ter the event, Baba Shero had pocketed
US20 000.
Hon Machakaire went on to describe
the gesture as a way of saying thank you
“I have known @alickmacheso3 for a
very long time. In all my interactions
with him with him, he is very humble
and respectful. The CD that I purchased
tonight goes beyond just paying for mu-
sic but it is my token of appreciation to
the Living Legend. May he live long”
This was followed by a launch in
Chitungwiza at the Aquatic Complex
and the show was oversubscribed.
Meanwhile some fans took to social
media to appreciate the work done by
the veteran musician
“He is a national treasure underrated
simply because Sungura is regarded as
music of the poor.” @Bossmaj2030
Once upon a time there was a music
professor...Alick Macheso the Maestro.....
Who made the blind to see, the deaf to
hear and feel the vibration of the EXTR-
RRA- BASSOOO @ Lorrent Loe Mudz-
ingwa
Alick Macheso is bigger than Whole Zim
Hip hop music industry @Muller_Mat-
ambo
Macheso pakukwenya gitare he is the
greatest of all time in my gigantic book
of Facts @itsvigie
And not only had his fans had nice
things to say, other prominent people
had this to say:
Musician: Mudiwahood
Alec Machesoooo is Another LEVEL
Comedienne: Madam Boss
You are truly a legend
Musician: Jah Prayzah
If consistency was a person. I have so
much respect for Mdara wedu Macheso
and what he has achieved for himself
and the industry
Musician: She Calaz
“Haa Baba ndi Baba sure, zvandaona
nhasi. Mdara Alick Macheso It’s a bless-
ing, kumira nemi, kutaura nemi, ku-
ridzirwa, nemukurarama munguva ino
yatararama tichikuona, tichifara nemi,
Longlive, Kwetezvekunyeba.”

Mudariki’s vision for a Zimbabwean contemporary art fair

In the past 20 years, a new generation of
Zimbabwean artists has attained interna-
tional acclaim, or emerged as stars with
work showing at top galleries and muse-
ums, collected by prominent people such
as Jay Z. One of these stars, Cape Town
based Richard Mudariki, is now using his
growing fame and network to create a
contemporary art fair to spotlight emerg-
ing artists in Zimbabwe. With it Harare
has joined other major African cities like
Cape Town, Dakar, Lagos, Marrakech and
Kampala in bolstering its contemporary
art scene.
Mudariki co-founded artHARARE Con-
temporary Art Fair with art historian Aya
Koudounaris. The first editions in 2020
and 2021 took place online in a time of
COVID isolation. Now it’s expanding its
scope by fundraising to take place in phys-
ical form in Harare sometime in Novem-
ber 2022.
While fairs are marketplaces where var-
ious galleries display art for sale in order
to attract collectors, artHARARE is also
driven by a sense of community build-
ing. It is addressing a lack of infrastructure
that continues to force young talent to look
elsewhere for support. I spoke with Mu-
dariki about the project.
Who attends or views artHARARE, from
where?
Because of the power of the internet, our
growing audiences for the two editions of
artHARARE were international. Accord-
ing to the website analytics and reports,
we have a huge following from South Afri-
ca, Germany, the UK, the US and of course
Zimbabwe. Most visitors (87%) came to our
site directly, not from a link from another
site, while 47% came through Google and
16% through our social media platforms.
The majority of our audience are art col-
lectors, curators, art institutions, journal-
ists, art historians, art lovers, art students
and artists.
What kind of model is artHARARE built
on?
The model that artHARARE has ad-
opted is unique in that it is an artist-run
contemporary art fair. Artists are our key
partners in this venture. Our value propo-
sition is to bring under one umbrella and
celebrate all leading contemporary Zim-
babwean visual arts and cultural produc-
ers in an open, easy to view platform. Our
mission is to attract the attention of lead-
ing international art collectors, art muse-
ums, art foundations, auction houses and
corporate collections to acquire and add
contemporary Zimbabwean visual art to
their collections.
A painting on a wall is brightly coloured
showing a figure reclining, faces emerging
from the background.
Over the past 18 months artHARARE has
received tremendous support from the
artistic community in Zimbabwe and its
diaspora. The platform aims to deliver
economic value to both the artist and the
collector or art institution by being the go-
to platform to showcase and discover art,
explore Zimbabwe’s rich artistic heritage
and establish competitive primary and
secondary market prices.
We are heavily investing in building a ro-
bust network of artists, curators, collec-
tors, galleries, art dealers, art historians,
and art lovers, a form of social capital, or
call it cultural capital. As an entrepreneur-
ial venture, we have a time horizon of five
years to develop the brand artHARARE,
realise our vision and place it on the inter-
national art calendar.
In our launch year, we saw significant
contributions of skill, energy and time by
many art professionals in Zimbabwe and
in its diaspora, and a dedicated team that
worked to launch the online fair in just un-
der four months. A lot of value was creat-
ed, with many artworks by emerging Zim-
babwean visual artists being acquired in
local and international private collections.
In addition, a number of emerging art-
ists who were showcased in the fair were
picked up by international galleries in
London and Milan.
Year two saw an increased interest in the
activities of the fair both from the artists
(more than 30) and art collectors repre-
senting all continents. We were privileged
to showcase artworks of internationally
recognised Zimbabwean artists such as
Moffat Takadiwa and Portia Zvavahera.
Their participation allows for the fair to
have anchor artists that give it weight. The
fair’s art prize was established and we fa-
cilitated a programme that brought an
emerging female artist Prudence Chimu-
tuwah from Harare to a four week resi-
dency in Cape Town.
Why did you feel an art prize was a nec-
essary intervention?
The artHARARE Africa First Art Prize was
set up to benefit emerging and mid-career
artists working in Zimbabwe and the Zim-
babwean diaspora by increasing their pro-
file. For the inaugural prize, we received
a number of high quality submissions
and the professional jury team – Fadzai
Muchemwa, Moffat Takadiwa, Marwan
Zakhem, Serge Tiroche and Richard Mu-
dariki – had a hard time picking the two
winners Wilfred Timire and Franklyn Dz-
ingai. A group exhibition of the shortlisted
artists was held.
It will be run as an annual prize. The
sponsors, Africa First founded by art in-
vestment expert Serge Tiroche, share our
vision of promoting contemporary art
from the continent.
What have you learnt so far?
I have learnt these important lessons:
Opportunities exist in the midst of a cri-
sis.
Working with an energetic, committed
and hardworking team makes a differ-
ence.
Zimbabwe is full of fresh talent and the
artists are eager to be successful.
We need to work together and speak as
one voice.
The digital renaissance in the global art
market is here to stay.
In future will you change any aspects of
the fair?
Going forward, the fair will have a physi-
cal presence which seeks to activate vari-
ous spaces in the city (and country) to host
creative and artistic interventions. An art
education programme is also on the plans
to educate and encourage a new genera-
tion of young local art lovers and art col-
lectors. This will also be complemented
by an artist incubation programme that
seeks to develop artists to become profes-
sional in their practices.
--The Conversation
 We are on
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Mvuma steel plant components arrive in Durban
Chris Mahove
Components for the Dinson Iron and
Steel Company Mvuma steel plant
have arrived in the port city of Durban
in South Africa.
In a tweet at the weekend, DISCO
said; “Dinson Iron & Steel Company
Zimbabwe (Disco)
“Humongous...Components for Mvu-
ma steel plant blast furnace have ar-
rived at Durban Port, South Africa.
They will arrive in Zim at the end of
June. What a spectacle it will be, as we
build Africa's largest steel plant!”
A company spokesperson confirmed
the shipment, saying the components
were part of the consignments of spe-
cialised equipment imported from
China.
“In total we are going to have US$100
million worth of equipment coming
from China; and up to 1000 truck-
loads. Some fabrications are being
done locally by local engineers,” he
said.
Once completed the Mvuma still
plant will be Africa’s largest steel
plant producing approximately 2 mil-
lion tonnes of steel per annum and
employing more than 5000 people. It
is three times the size of ZISCOSTEEL
in Redcliff, which used to be the big-
gest in the continent.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Au-
thority (ZESA) constructed a 27-kilo-
metre temporary power line to sup-
Mthuli should be kept Swiss company okays
in check: Analysts business environment in Zim
Business Review Writers
Economic analysts have warned that lack
of transparency and poor management of
public coffers will continue to weigh down
on taxpayers and the country’s economy.
The analysts were responding to govern-
ment’s over expenditure between the years
2019 and 2020, wherein the Ministry of Fi-
nance and Economic Development over-
spent by more than ZWL100 million.
Finance and Economic Development Min-
ister Mthuli Ncube recently appealed to
the National Assembly condonation for the
unauthorised expenditure amounting to
ZW$6.8 billion for 2019 and ZW$100.7 billion
for the year 2020 through the Financial Ad-
justment Bill 2022.
The revelations have, however, been seen
by analysts to be exposing that government
has been on a spending spree of unparal-
leled extent despite the multiple claims of
budget surplus by the Finance Minister.
Speaking to Review & Mail, economic ana-
lyst Vince Musewe urged government to re-
spect the rules of parliament and be trans-
parent in the manner national finances
were being utilised saying if this was left un-
checked, it would set a bad precedence for
the country’s economy.
“There is nothing new here, this has hap-
pened before where government disre-
spects parliamentary rules with regard to
the budget. In fact, our parliament is very
weak in challenging this practice,” said
Musewe.
“They protest but ultimately go with the
ply electricity at the plant production
company site which will provide the
necessary electricity for the opera-
tions.
A permanent 97-kilometre high-volt-
age power line from Sherwood to
Kwekwe is currently under construc-
tion.
Africa’s largest steel plant benefits
The Mvuma Steel Plants will be split
into two locations, one in Midlands
for iron ore smelting and the other in
Chikomba, Mashonaland East, for the
majority of the mining and benefici-
ation.
Dinson Iron and Steel Company has
also been granted exclusive rights to
build a new town between Mvuma,
Chivhu, and Chirumanzu districts
around its new facility.
A dedicated railway line is also set to
be established, connecting the US$1
billion stainless steel plant to a new
port in Mozambique, which is expect-
ed to help transport large quantities
of exports on time.
Investors are being sought to assist
with the rehabilitation and upgrading
of the existing rail networks.
The railway project is also projected
to boost bulk railway traffic between
Mozambique and Zimbabwe and open
more opportunities for mining and
manufacturing, as well as help the
tourism sector and unlock numerous ince are set to benefit immensely from of achieving a US$12 billion mining
downstream job opportunities. the project, which is also expected economy by 2030.
Communities in the midlands prov- to contribute to the country’s goals
flow as if nothing has happened. Precedent
has already been set and sadly there is no
transparency when it comes to expendi-
tures incurred outside the approved budget.
“The loud and clear message is that the
Ministry of Finance does what it wants then
seeks post approvals as a matter of proce-
dure only and not as a matter of principle
and transparency.”
Another analyst, Prosper Chitambara ex-
pressed concern over government’s over
expenditure which he said needed to be
corrected as a matter of urgency.
“What the minister should be doing is to
come up with supplementary budgets and
at least over expenditures approved by par-
liament in the right way. So I think it’s not
right and something needs to be correct-
ed. Last time, the minister was even saying
there is no need for a supplementary bud-
get, so in the future it’s important for him to
not seek for condonation after they have al-
ready overspent,” he said.
Professor Gift Mugano weighed in and
called for the immediate resignation of the
Finance Minister who he accused of acting
like a “monopoly” and making his own deci-
sions without parliament’s approval.
“He became a monopoly and centre of
power to make decisions without parlia-
ment’s support and permission; without
even the permission of the President for that
matter. Mthuli Ncube should be brought
before parliament to answer to the people
of Zimbabwe. Who gave him the authority
to spend outside the means, provision and
approved budget signed by the President?,”
said Professor Mugano.
Review & Mail
Albert Chavhunduka that government helps us to get through
those challenges,” said Drummond.
Swiss companies are giving credit to “So I think that’s where the partnership
President Emmerson Mnangagwa for works out, for example this project has
his efforts which they say are breath-
taken three years and of course Covid-19
ing life back into the country’s economy
was a problem.
making Zimbabwe an investment mag-
“Originally, we didn’t think it was go-
net which is attracting many investors
ing to take three years, we thought may-
into the southern African country.
be it would take like two years you know
Switzerland is one of the leading Euro-
but with the support of the government,
pean investors in Zimbabwe and recent-
we got through the challenges and we
ly a number of Swiss companies includ-
are about to get to the project’s comple-
ing the Swiss Bioceuticals Limited, have
tion as you saw, His Excellency came and
been expressing their interest to in-
formally inaugurated the facility, so we
crease their investments in the country.
got there in the end.”
Last month, President Emmerson
Drummond further said that govern-
Mnangagwa officially commissioned the
ment was on the right track and trans-
US$27 million Swiss Bioceuticals Limited
forming its economic fortunes which
medicinal cannabis farm and process-
has made Zimbabwe one of the most at-
ing plant in Mt Hampden, a move which
tractive investment destinations in Afri-
was seen as a testament of the successes
ca.
of the engagement and re-engagement
“I think the environment has changed
policy.
significantly, we have been working very
Only 15 of the 57 cannabis permits which
closely with the government for the past
have been issued so far since 2018 have
three years and as part of that-with the
been activated.
government’s help and his Excellen-
Speaking to Review & Mail, CEO of the
cy, the President Emmerson Mnangag-
Swiss Bioceuticals Limited Nigel Spen-
wa-we have made some changes to the
cer Drummond appreciated President
licenses and make it more commercial-
Mnangagwa’s government, which he
ly viable and the environment, as it is
said had assisted them as foreign com-
now, it’s one of the most attractive in the
panies to tackle many challenges in the
whole of Africa,” he said.
country.
“So certainly, we are investing more
“I think Switzerland has a very strong re-
and expanding our facilities here and
lationship with the government, there’s
hiring people. For other companies who
definitely a partnership there. General-
are looking into getting the industry, this
ly, when you’re building a new business
will be a good time for them to think
in any market there’s always challenges
about it, there’s a very prospective fu-
and I think what gives us confidence is
ture.”
 13 June002022
Monday January 2022
Enforcing competition would ease food
price hikes in east and southern Africa
Small and medium-scale farmers and
agri-businesses in east and southern
Africa are getting a raw deal. To suc-
ceed they need fair and integrated re-
gional markets. Research by the Cen-
tre for Competition, Regulation and
Economic Development has highlight-
ed the need for better integration of
regional economies as a step towards
food security in the region.
Powerful commercial interests, high
transport costs and poor access to fa-
cilities such as for storage mean that
small and medium-scale farmers are
often not getting fair prices for the
food they grow. Fair prices are those
that meet demand and cover reason-
able costs of supply including trans-
port across borders.
During the course of our research we
came across examples of how the odds
are stacked against most small and
medium-scale farmers. Take the ex-
perience of Endrina Maxwell, a small
producer in Malawi. In April 2021, she
sold her soybean crop in central Ma-
lawi and realised the returns from in-
vesting in commercial agriculture as a
female agribusiness owner and farm-
er. She got prices around Malawi kwa-
cha 350/kg, about $450/t (see Figure
1). At the same time, the prices in the
main markets in Dar es Salaam and
Nairobi were over a $1000/t.
A number of hurdles stood in En-
drina’s way to take advantage of the
high prices in neighbouring countries.
First, specific price information was
not readily available for someone in
Endrina’s position to be aware of the
gains from exporting. Second, trans-
port costs are very high for small-
er producers. Third, to hold-off from
selling at the harvest and to bargain
for better offers, producers like Endri-
na need to have storage options.
This situation does benefit some.
These include the main traders and
processors in Malawi and across the
region. These companies bought up
much of the crop at the time of har-
vest at low prices, for local use and
for export, taking advantage of their
storage facilities and private informa-
tion. Prices in Malawi then increased
to peak at $1350/t in January 2022, as if
there was a severe scarcity.
The trebling of soybean prices af-
fected another cohort of small-scale
farmers. Soybeans are a key com-
ponent of poultry feed. Small-scale
poultry farmers saw their animal feed
prices increase by similar amounts,
squeezing them severely.
Our research identifies a lack of ef-
fective regional competition and in-
dicates the need to inquire into trans-
port, storage and logistics issues. The
differences in prices between loca-
tions on transport corridors trans-
late into rents to transporters and ar-
bitrage margins being made by large
traders. It also points to supplies be-
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PERSPECTIVE 12
00
ing bought-up by intermediaries at
low prices at the harvest and held
back to drive prices up.
The fragile food systems in the re-
gion, combined with increasing con-
centration at multiple levels of key
value chains, calls for a regional com-
petition policy for resilient and sus-
tainable regional value chains.
A stronger regional market referee
to monitor and enforce competition
rules would level the playing field for
fairer food markets.
The Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa Competition Com-
mission working together with na-
tional competition authorities, has
the central role to play.
What’s missing
The African Market Observatory was
created to fill the gap of reliable mar-
ket information for key food products
at the wholesale and producer levels.
The observatory tracks and compiles
prices monthly. The first 12 months of
data gathering by the observatory un-
derlined the benefits to smaller mar-
ket participants of market data.
This year, with the African Market
Observatory, it has been possible to
track markets through crowd-sourc-
ing prices from smaller market par-
ticipants. Access to this data has al-
lowed Endrina to anticipate what she
should get for her soybean harvest. It
has also enabled her to plan her other
business – oil production – more ef-
ficiently.
The pricing patterns have highlight-
ed the crucial role that access to com-
petitive transport services as well as
storage facilities play in accessing Nairobi we can see that soybean pric- For example, animal feed producers
markets and fairer prices. This has in- es have been way above the fair im- in Kenya who are buyers have been
formed Endrina’s decision to invest in port prices. This implies that produc- hit hard.
storage facilities on her farm as a re- ers received too little and end users A package of interventions to ensure
sult of discovering that there is value paid way too much, with intermedi- regional markets work better is ur-
in spreading her grain sales through- aries capturing the difference. gently required.
out the year as opposed to selling only Dar es Salaam could have sourced Making regional markets work
at the harvest. soybeans from Malawi, Zambia or We propose the strengthening of
To strengthen the region’s fragile Uganda – all neighbouring countries three priority areas:
food security – made worse by cli- – to add to domestic supplies. Pric- policy and advocacy, enforcement,
mate change –it’s essential that pro- es at over US$1200/t in some months, including against cartels; and
duce can be sourced from across the such as October to December 2021, regional merger evaluation.
region, which is the most cost effec- were US$200-400/t above what it Competition advocacy and policy is
tive way to meet the needs of custom- should have cost to land goods from essential, as many of the factors un-
ers and to reward producers for ex- Uganda and US$400-750/t above what dermining effective regional compet-
panding supply. it should have cost to land from Zam- itive markets include policy aspects.
This is most evident in Kenya where bia. This includes an efficient trans- Regulatory barriers, for example, un-
food prices have risen exponentially. port rate, calculated at US$0.04/t/km dermine trade and reinforce the mar-
The country is experiencing the most from various sources. ket power of companies within coun-
severe drought in 40 years. In addi- Regional trade and competitive mar- tries.
tion, the war in Ukraine is compound- kets are also impeded by govern- The Comesa Competition Commis-
ing international pricing pressures. ments. Zambia had an export re- sion and national authorities in the
This means that Kenya needs to striction on soybeans from August region need to urgently act together
source imports from the region where to November 2021. Removing the re- in these areas to tackle poorly work-
weather has been good at fair com- striction brought lower prices to buy- ing regional food markets.
petitive prices. Yet, despite growing ers in Dar and higher prices to sell-
production in countries such as Ma- ers in Zambia, benefiting both sides The African Market Observatory is
lawi and Zambia, cross-border trade through trade. a starting point for data collection
is not happening effectively. Where the region is unable to take where analyses can be deepened, col-
Unfair trade advantage of good supply in some lo- laboration can be strengthened, and
By considering the market clearing cations to meet demand in others at access to pricing information im-
sources of supply for the main cen- competitive prices, this places great proved for market participants.
tres of demand in Dar es Salaam and pressure on downstream industries. The Conversation
 13 June 2022 2022
January-February
Meet Zim’s First Internationally Certified Ninja
Martial Artist, Wilfred Mashaya has
taken time to reflect on his decorated
career. The 40-year old has raised the
country’s flag high through the sport. Re-
view and Mail Sports Writer, Shelly Guni
(S.G) caught up with Mashaya (WM)
who shared his journey through Martial
Arts. Below are excerpts of the interview:
S.G. Who is Wilfred Mashaya?
W.M Wilfred Mashaya is a man born in
1982 at Chin'ombe Clinic in Gutu. I grew
up in Mufakose where I did my Prima-
ry and Secondary Education at Makun-
dano Primary School and Mufakose (1)
High School Respectively. I did my Ter-
tiary Education at Harare Polytechnic
doing Electronic Computer Systems.
S.G. Tell us, what inspired you to be-
come a martial arts fighter and how
has the journey been so far?
W.M. I was inspired by the late Legend-
ary Bruce Lee, seeing his films when I
was young. I used to say when I grow
up, I want to be like Bruce Lee both as
an Actor and Martial Artist. I started
training Martial Arts when I was 8 years
old. The Journey had its ups and downs
but am happy that I have managed to
yield some fruitful results on t h e
way and also feel proud to
have lifted my country's flag
high around the
world by scoop-
ing many accolades
and awards
S.G. Who would you
say has been the big-
gest influence on
your career?
W.M. Bruce Lee
like I alluded to
and also my late
Master Sensei
Titus Chigum-
bu (passed away
in 2008). These
two have been
my greatest in- fluence
in my career.
S.G. Can you describe Martial Arts,
what is it all about? How important is
it in one's life? Is it just like any other
sport?
W.M For Starters Martial Arts
is a combat sport which teaches
self-defence and grooms one t o
be a real fighter or Warrior.
Besides fighting, it teach- es re-
spect, discipline, brevity, health and fit-
ness, kindness and grooms one to be a
better person in the society in terms
of character, behaviour and attitude.
It also encourages one to stay away
from criminal activities, staying
away from drugs, to respect our
elders and refrain from violence.
Like above it's different from
any other sport as this is more
than sport as it touches social
values; meaning it is actual-
ly a way of life like teaching
Discipline, Respect, kind-
ness, helping others. Actu-
ally it grooms one to be the
best in everything fitness,
self-defence skills, be-
haviour, character, flexi-
bility etc.
S.G. What are some of the
challenges you have faced
in your career so far and
how did you overcome
them.
W.M The major one is
lack of financial support
and lack of sponsor-
ship. The other one be-
ing that as I introduced
new Sports disciplines
in my country Zim-
babwe, which is Ko-
budo (Martial Arts
Weapons) and Nin-
jutsu, it has taken
time for people to
support it, but I hope
SPORT
with time it will receive much support
as proven by the results we are showing
around the World, We are doing better
as compared with other sporting Disci-
plines in the country.
Also material resources to use have
been a challenge but we
are learning to live within
our means and find our-
selves with the little re-
sources that we have.
S.G. What would you
say has been your big-
gest career achieve-
ment?
My Biggest
Achievements
are becom-
ing the First
Zimba-
bwean
Male
Sports-
man to win
the Regional
Sportsman of
the Year Award
then followed
by becoming the
first Zimbabwean
and African to Win a Weap-
ons (Kobudo) World Cham-
pionship which I self-
trained myself. Followed by
becoming The First Interna-
tionally Certified Ninja. Followed
by being the First Zimbabwean to
be Inducted Into More than six Eu-
ropean Hall of Fames, among them
Barcelona Hall Of Fame, London Hall
Of Fame, Lisbon Hall of Fame, Serbia
Hall of Fame, Italy Hall Of Fame, Rome
Hall of Fame.
Also clinching the Zimbabwe 2018
Sportsman and Sportsperson of the
year awards at Ansa.
Being Appointed Martial Arts Ambas-
sador by various bodies around the
World.
Lastly being a holder of Four Black
Belts in Karate, Kobudo (weapons), Nin-
jutsu (Ninja) and Self-Defence.
How would you describe the current
state of Martial Arts in Zim?
The sport is doing well in the country
compared to other sports but unfortu-
nately it is not receiving the fair recogni-
tion or sponsorship it deserves despite
having produced many Champions.
Can we say MA sport is now established
in the county?
W.M. Martial Arts (MA) is becom-
ing a force to reckon with in the
country but I believe it needs
more support, recognition and
sponsorship for it to be well
established as we have many
talented Martial Artists from
various styles like Karate, Ko-
budo, Taekwondo, Mixed
Martial Arts, and Wushu etc.
S.G. ZimNinja has been do-
ing well internationally,
what can you attribute
that to?
W.M. ZimNinja has
been doing well
through dedica-
tion, commit-
ment, dis-
cipline
and
the
pas-
sion
to bring glory to
the nation through
sport participation, hard
work and consistence. Above
all it has been God since day one.
All the glory to the Almighty for
the talent and achievements
When did you receive your first
medal? Can you describe the
feeling?
W.M. My first medals
were a Silver and a
bronze medal in
2016 in Mos-
cow, Rus-
sia in an
Inter-
n a -
t i on al
Kobudo
C h a m -
pionships
(Weapons). I
couldn't
b e - lieve it and
I was so hap- py even to
the surprise of many in a
sport that I self-
trained myself.
I was the only
black and Afri-
can participant
at the tournament. It was a great feeling
and I give all the glory to the Almighty.
S.G. You introduced your son to the
sport and he is doing well. When you
were at his age, what were you doing
by then and if you had received the
amount of support he has now, where
would you be?
W.M I introduced my Son to Martial
Arts when he was 4 years old and he is
now 7 years and he is doing very well,
having amassed more than 15 medals in
International Virtual Competitions spe-
cialising in both Karate and Weapons. I
started at 8 years and even when I was
15 years, I couldn't do what he is doing
at 7 years. I believe if he gets enough
support at that tender age he will take
the World by storm and make our Na-
tion proud as he has become already
the Youngest African to win an Inter-
national and World Championships in
Weapons which were being held virtu-
ally since 2020 due to some Covid-19
restrictions on travel. On top of that, he
13
00
became also the youngest African kid
to be inducted into a European Martial
Arts Hall of Fame when he was induct-
ed into the Spartan Hall Of Warriors in
absentia in Rome Italy on the 7th of May
2022.
S.G. Are you happy with women par-
ticipation in Martial Arts?
W.M. Women participation; that is one
of my greatest contributions to the na-
tion as I have managed to attract the at-
tention of Women to join Martial Arts
as it promotes fitness and also equips
them with self-defence skills when at-
tacked in the streets or by criminals.
Also I am very much happy that they
are also competing and winning Medals
especially in weapons which very few
Africans are good at. This also applies to
kids. We are seeing parents having trust
in me to groom and train their kids as
they are impressed with the results be-
ing shown by the kids I train and also
by my son's advancement and achieve-
ments. In kids we also thrive to instil
discipline, to make them strong and to
be future role models in the society.
Women are being fascinated with
Weapons as they see them interest-
ing that it becomes a hobby like to play
around with chuckle Sticks, sword etc.
and winning for them is something
they are proud of and on top of that
learning other styles like Ninjut-
su, Karate and Self-defence
S.G. Generally, what keeps
you motivated as an
athlete?
I am motivated
by the glory and
pride that comes
w h e n
I work
hard and achieve
not only for myself
but for others and the nation
at large. I feel challenged every
day to be a better version of my-
self and to surpass my previous
achieve- ments. For me I
learn every day and I always
feel like I ha- ven't yet start-
ed thriving to always swal-
low pride, to keep my head
low, eyes high, remaining
focused and hungry for suc-
cess through hard work.
S.G. This year, you received
medals from. Europe, can you
comment on that?
W.M. Since the advent of the COVID 19
pandemic in 2020 to date, we have re-
ceived more than 200 medals won by my
students at ZimNinja Academy in Inter-
national Virtual Competitions, some-
thing that makes me feel very proud to
have groomed men, women and kids
who can now rise up to the challenge
and compete with the rest of the World.
Among these medals won in more than
10 Virtual Competitions, I have per-
sonally won more than 20 medals from
these Competitions and hope to contin-
ue doing my best for the nation
S.G. Can you tell us about your up-
coming events?
We have been invited to a World Cham-
pionships in Poland and we are looking
forward to do our best and bring glory
to our nation if we get enough Spon-
sorship from well Wishers ranging from
Individuals and the corporate world.
We hope to go with a team of plus 15
Martial Artists who shall be competing
mainly in Martial Arts Weapons (Kobu-
do). We have fielded a balanced team of
men, women and kids.
We are training very hard as we know
it's not an easy task ahead of us so we
have to put our all and do our best so
that we can raise our country's flag high
if we manage to go there and showcase
our talent on the World stage. The World
Championships will be held from 15 to
18 September 2022 in Poland
 13 June 2022 2022
January-February
ZNBWCB aims to spread combat sport
Shelly Guni
The Zimbabwe National Boxing and
Wrestling Control Board (ZNBWCB)
is on a mission to discover raw talent
and develop the sport in all corners
of the country.
ZNBWCB programs manager Kupak-
washe Mukurumbira said their focus
remains to create new opportuni-
ties for upcoming athletes in combat
sports while also providing the com-
munities with top activities.
Combat Sports are fighting sports
that usually involve one on one com-
bat. The ZNBWCB oversees three
combat sports: boxing, wrestling and
mixed martial arts.
“We have been on an intensive drive
to increase awareness, establish our
presence and engage various provin-
cial stakeholders within the provinc-
es.
“The response has been positive
from provincial stakeholders who we
have engaged to date. We are in the
process of finalizing partnerships for
development of combat sport facili-
ties with several councils.
“We believe this will set an import-
ant foundation as we continue to de-
velop combat sports from grassroots
to elite level,” Mukurumbira said.
And in a move to engage everyone
in the country, the board has estab-
lished provincial offices, something
which many sport codes have failed
to do.
Chevrons not hungry ZRC to conduct stakeholder
for victory- Rajput consultation in Bulawayo
Tawanda Munthali
Chevrons head coach, Lalchand Ra-
jput has expressed disappointment
with his players, saying they were not
hungry for victory.
This follows the Zimbabwe national
senior men's cricket team’s humiliat-
ing whitewash suffered at the hands
of Afghanistan in the Dafabet 3 One
Dayers series.
"That hunger is still not there, I come
from India and we are hungry to win
every game. We hate losing to be hon-
est. The players have to be a little hun-
grier. If you hate losing, automatical-
ly you start winning," said the former
Afghanistan head coach.
The Chevrons displayed horror
shows during the series, failing to
collect vital points for the ICC Super
League.
The whitewash leaves Zimbabwe
languishing in 12th position in the
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super
League standings with 35 points in 15
games, a point above bottom placed
Netherlands, who have played the
same number of games.
The visitors reached 100 points af-
ter they secured 30 points with the
whitewash, and moved up the ladder
to second position above powerhous-
es England, India and Australia.
The defeat means Zimbabwe lost fur-
ther ground on getting direct qualifi-
cation to the 2023 Cricket World Cup
in India. The top eight teams in the
Super League gain direct qualification
to the World Cup whilst the other na-
tions will have to square off in qualifi-
ers for the two remaining spots.
Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Crick-
et Supporters Union, Vivian Banhire
said the team that played against Af-
ghanistan was the weakest Zimba-
bwean side that he had ever seen in
SPORT
Mukurumbira said the development
was a way to decentralize boxing to
all provinces, which he said was a key
part of their strategy.
“The goal is to increase participa-
tion in all provinces and ensure we
include everyone. As stated in the
national development strategy, we
are expected to leave no one behind.
“The thrust is also to increase op-
portunities for talent identification
and development in every province
in the country.”
Matebeleland South Provincial Co-
ordinator Maculwamahle Nkomo
also shared the same sentiments
with Mukurumbira.
The province has also been doing
remarkably well in trying to promote
the sport.
Nkomo said they have managed to
run a number of programs rang-
ing from Combat Sport awareness,
Combat Sport Education, Combat
Sport Club, Combat Sport Capaci-
ty Development Programs, Combat
Sport Event and Combat Sport for
Development
“The response from stakeholders
in Matabeleland Province has been
good, many people love the sport and
it’s not only the young but the elder-
ly, its females and males, its people
from different cultures and walks of
life.
“We have had intensive awareness
campaigns of the combat sport in
communities so that people under-
Chevrons head coach, Lalchand
Rajput
the last 15 years, adding the fans would
ask for answers from the coach, the
board and the players.
"The team that is playing against Af-
ghanistan is the weakest team. The
players playing do not have the fight,
they do not have anything in them.
They do not deserve to be playing for
Zimbabwe. As the fans we are not go-
ing to watch that, we are going to ask
for answers from the board, technical
team and the players if they're ready
to play international cricket," said
Banhire.
Banhire added that the fans were al-
ways eager to rally behind the team
and urged the boys to improve on
their performances.
"We do not want to be humiliated,
please pick up your selves, pull up
your socks as fans we are ready to
support you," he added.
After the Afghanistan tour, Zimba-
bwe are set to host the T20 qualifiers
in Bulawayo with the top two teams
getting tickets for the T20 World Cup
in Australia later in the year.
stand that combat sports are similar
to common sports like Soccer, tennis
etc.
“Our combat sport awareness ini-
tiatives target bringing the public
opportunities to see demonstrations
of combat sport in schools, during
exhibitions and special government
events,” she said.
She said they were providing infor-
mation on the value of boxing and
sharing the commercial and profes-
sional side of boxing, particularly
how amateurs could become profes-
sionals and earn a living through the
combat sport as a professional boxer,
wrestlers, MMA fighters, managers,
promoters, coaches, referees etc.
“A key aspect we have been work-
ing on is creating clubs in the district
and the province as a whole.
“The idea is for us to have registered
clubs/academies which will become
hubs of talent identification and de-
velopment and also provide oppor-
tunities for our communities to par-
ticipate in boxing for fitness and
recreational purposes.
She said capacity development train-
ing for boxers, managers, coaches,
promoters and technical officials was
on the cards to help build skills in the
provinces and improve the quality of
boxing so that it reached interna-
tional standards.
“We are anticipating that in the
third and fourth quarter we will host
events within three districts that will
Shelly Guni
The Zimbabwe Football Restructuring
Committee (ZRC) are set to conduct a
stakeholder consultation forum in Bu-
lawayo.
The event will be held on Tuesday and
Wednesday at a hotel in Bulawayo.
A nine-member ZIFA Restructuring
Committee was in December last year
appointed by the Sports and Recreation
Commission (SRC) to oversee the run-
ning of football in the country after the
ZIFA board was dissolved in November.
The committee is headed by business
executive and lawyer Blessing Rugara.
The other members are Zimpapers
board chairperson and sports expert,
Tommy Sithole, bankers Desmund
Ali and Joel Gombera, former Zimba-
bwe Olympic Committee chief execu-
tive Anna Mguni, ex-CAPS United ad-
ministrator Joyce Kapota, lawyer Rudo
Mugandani, football administrator Bri-
an Busani Moyo and former CAPS Unit-
ed defender Charles Sibanda.
In a statement by Rugara, ZRC said:
“The consultation forums are expect-
ed to be completed by the end of June
2022 wherein the Committee will sub-
mit preliminary findings for discussion
to the Sports and Recreation Commis-
sion
by July 2022.
In April and May, the Zimbabwe Re-
structuring Committee conducted four
similar extensive closed door consul-
tation sessions with different football
stakeholders in Harare, where they en-
gaged were with athletes, clubs, PSL,
technical administrators and ZIFA rep-
resentatives.
“With regard to the Bulawayo chapter,
the Committee is confident of a posi-
tive outcome as evidenced by the Hara-
re sessions.
“It is apparent that there was need to
conduct engagements with the gener-
14
00
bring together boxers, technical offi-
cials, partners and sponsors. We have
already started the ground work and
we are getting the relevant support.
“We are also partnering with dif-
ferent organizations using combat
sports as a tool to fight different so-
cial challenges that include drug and
substance abuse, early marriages,
teenage pregnancies.
“We want to show our youths that
no matter their backgrounds there
is potential for them to change their
lives through combat sport.”
Nkomo however, shared some of the
challenges they were facing while
trying to achieve their goals.
“The challenge so far is that we don't
have so much support from the pri-
vate sector.
“We have clubs that have potential to
grow that lack resources and equip-
ment; these are in both urban and
rural areas of the province. If they
could partner with us I believe we
can change the face of combat sports
and totally transform our youths'
livelihood through the sport.
“Secondly, the issue of negative per-
ception. People think the sport is vi-
olent and only makes people rowdy.
Yet this sport builds confidence in
oneself, and self-actualization and
because of that you find that the ath-
letes are not violent people in their
various walks of life but are vibrant
and able to speak out with confi-
dence,” she said.
ality of football stakeholders through
these consultation sessions.”
Rugara added that the ZRC now had a
solid appreciation of the urgent matters
to be addressed with regard to football
administration and structures in Zim-
babwe.
“The process has also allowed for the
Committee to interact with a signifi-
cant number of football stakeholders,”
he said.
He said the ZRC was at the final stages
of its fact-finding mission, adding that
the next phase would be to review best
practices and proffer applicable rec-
ommendations.
Rugara said the committee was, how-
ever, happy with the progress they had
made so far.
“Notwithstanding, the Committee is
happy with the progress to date and as-
sures the nation that it will successfully
conduct its mandate including availing
a comprehensive document of its find-
ings
and recommendations from all the ac-
tivities undertaken by December 2022.”
The ZIFA board, chaired by Felton Ka-
mambo was suspended by the SRC last
November over several charges includ-
ing alleged sexual harassment of female
referees and failure to account for pub-
lic funds.
The suspension saw the country being
suspended by world football govern-
ing body, FIFA, from all international
events, resulting in the disqualification
of the senior football men’s team, The
Warriors, from the ongoing Africa Cup
of Nations.
The SRC has however, since lifted the
suspension of the ZIFA board in a bid
to convince the world football govern-
ing body to lift the country’s ban from
international.
The stakeholder forums are seen as a
move to try and bring back sanity into
the game of soccer.
INSIDE Zim’s First Internationally Certified Ninja P13

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CHEVRONS NOT HUNGRY

FOR VICTORY- RAJPUT
...After Chevrons suffered a humiliating defeat to Afghanistan Page 14