ZIMBABWE MEASLES DEATH TOLL RISES TO 685 PAGE

2
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New Zimbabwe
Issue 6 • 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022 Price: FREE

ROB
INSIDE
PAGE

sues She creates

JOE
innovative
healthy snack
start-up

PAGE

15

Teen rises to
stardom after
viral Tik Tok
Former NSSA boss Robin Vela files US$360k
lawsuit against RnB singer Joe Thomas after
artist snubs bling birthday bash
By Staff Reporter Grammy award winner the chairmanship of NSSA, the celebrity artist was PAGE
failed to pitch up for before he was pushed out scheduled to play at the
FORMER National a performance at the amid a financial scandal upmarket Superbowl at Sun 20
Social Security Authority former’s 50th birthday running into millions of City Resort.
(NSSA) chairman, celebrations. United States dollars. The money also
Robin Vela is suing RnB Now based in South Vela allegedly paid included security costs, and His “juju”
artiste Joe Thomas for Africa, Vela rose to Thomas US$75 000 travel expenses covering for
US$1, 5 million after the prominence after assuming appearance fee and his 13-member ensemble.
lifted Liverpool
to page 2 “curse”

ALSO INSIDE Zim government entities, businesses abandon local currency for US dollar I Page 4

Advertising: +263 789 728 995 E-mail: advertising@newzimbabwe.com Editorial: +263 782 789 810 newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com
Page 2 I News New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022

New Zimbabwe NEWS

Vela files US$360k lawsuit against RnB singer Joe Thomas...
from page 1
Thomas’ lawyer Gerald
Isaac of Gerald Isaac
Management Group has
already been served with a
letter of demand by Vela’s
counsel, Eric Fishman, a
litigation partner at New
York based firm, Pryor
Cashman LLP.
Reads the letter; “As
you are aware, Rob Vela
hired Thomas to perform
at an event celebrating the
50th birthday of Robin
Vela.
“The event was a one-
off celebration scheduled
to take place at the Sun
City Resort in South
Africa on July 16, 2022,
and you understood
that hundreds of guests
– most of which were
global corporate leaders
and ultra-high net worth
individuals travelling from
international locations –
would attend the event.
“You also knew that
Thomas was one of the
headline entertainers of
the event. The parties
executed the Performance
Agreement on or about
February 3, 2022. Under the
Performance Agreement,
Thomas agreed to perform
one concert on the evening
of July 16, 2022.
“In exchange, Rob
Vela agreed to pay Thomas
a US$75 000 performance
fee, in addition to payment
for:“Sound, lights, back-
line, mutual agreeable
hospitality, two first class
air-tickets, 12 coach/
economy tickets, hotel
rooms (one 5 Star Suite and
12 King) security, and local
ground transportation.
“In the event that artist
was unable to perform
because of sickness or
accident, then Rob Vel
had the option to either re-
schedule or receive a full flight tickets were non-
refund. refundable and only credits
“You failed to perform for exact flight would be
any of your obligations. On issued, I offered that in the
July 12, 2022, after business event Joe is scheduled or
hours in South Africa, Isaac contracted in the future to
called Vela and informed
play or perform in South
him that Thomas could not
travel to the event because Africa, I would be willing
he contracted Covid-19. to work diligently in having
“This was less than future promoters direct the
two days before Thomas travel budget to Vela,” said
and his entire entourage – Isaac.
including Isaac – were due The bash attracted the
to arrive in South Africa. who is who of international
Vela asked Isaac to provide showbiz including socialite
proof of Thomas’ positive and host Minnie Dhlamini,
Covid-19 test, but Isaac MICASA, America’s
refused. Got Talent 2019 finalists
“This letter gives you Ndlovu Youth Choir and
one last opportunity to do
American based RnB
the right thing and make
Rob Vel whole for the group SWV.
losses it has incurred. Thus,
in order to avoid a legal
dispute, we hereby demand
the payment of US$368
759.55 by no later than
August 10, 2022.”
Vela had reportedly
paid for VVIP security for
Thomas at OR Tambo up to
his hotel.
The matter has also
been reported to police in
South Africa.
Isaac, however, told
this publication they had
repaid the performance
fee and were not obliged
to settle the other losses
incurred by Vela such as
travel and accommodation
as Thomas did not willfully
breach the agreement.
“We have paid him
the money we owed him.
As of now we do not owe
him anything. We paid on
August 15. We signed a
‘force majeure’ agreement
with Vela and offered him an
opportunity to reschedule
the performance. In
addition, as a courtesy , not
Top: Menu at Robin Vela’s 50th birthday celebration
out of obligation—because Bottom: A guest at Robin Vela’s 50th birthday celebration

Zimbabwe measles outbreak death toll rises to 685

ZIMBABWE’S measles
outbreak has so far
claimed 685 lives, the
Ministry of Health said on
Saturday, more than four
times the cases reported
almost a fortnight ago
even as a nationwide
vaccination program
continues.
“Zimbabwe had 6,034
confirmed cases, including
4,266 and 685 deaths,” the
ministry said in a posting
on Twitter, adding 191 new
cases and 37 deaths were
reported in a single day on
Sept. 1.
Primarily children aged
between six months and
15 years were succumbing
to the disease, especially
those from religious sects
who do not believe in
vaccination, the country’s
information minister
Monica Mutsvangwa said
last month.According
to government claims,
apostolic sects do not
believe in vaccination and
rely on prayers.
The apostolic church
leaders have not reacted
to government claims that
their beliefs are responsible
for a higher spread of
measles.The government is
reaching out to faith leaders
to garner support and
awareness, Mutsvangwa
said.
Calls to Bishop Andby
Makururu of the Johanne
Masowe Apostolic Church
were not immediately
answered on Saturday.
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022 News I Page 3

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Page 4 I News
Zim government entities, businesses
abandon local currency for US dollar
By TimesLive
AS THE Zimbabwe
dollar continues to
lose value amid high
inflation, businesses are
abandoning the currency
and insisting on doing
business in US dollars.
Companies such as
state-owned Zimbabwe
United Passenger Company
(Zupco) hiked fares in
Zimbabwe dollars and
announced they can be paid
in the US currency.
Harare City Council
said: “Council wishes to
advise its valued residents
and stakeholders that
certain fees chargeable by
council are now payable
exclusively in US dollars,
with effect from September
1.
“The fees exclude
all charges that are
accessible through the
monthly bills — water
consumption, sewerage,
refuse collection and rates.
The above-mentioned
charges will remain open
to being payable using
multicurrency as may be
opted by the client.”
Other government
departments have followed
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
suit and as schools prepare
to open for the third term,
the state gave the green light
for them to charge fees in
US dollars, to the dismay of
most parents.
Economic analyst
Victor Bhoroma told
TimesLIVE companies
pricing goods and services
in US dollars will cause
extreme cases of poverty
as most people earn
Zimbabwe dollars. This
includes the civil service
and those employed in the
formal sector.
“This is a hardship for
all the people who earn in
Zimbabwe dollars because
they constantly have to
find alternative streams of
income to make ends meet
and support themselves.
“It is a trying time for
Zimbabweans because the
cost of living is going up, yet
incomes are not going up
by the same measure,” said
Bhoroma.
To boost confidence
SA: Zimbabwean man
arrested for stoning
police vehicle
By City Vision
CAPE Town: A 30-year-
old foreign national was
remanded in custody after
he failed to pay a R1 000 bail
in the Philippi Magistrates’
Court on Friday 26 August.
David Chamunorwa
Kangoworariwa, originally
from Zimbabwe, was arrested
on Wednesday 24 August for
allegedly stoning a police van.
In the process he allegedly
broke its window and a window
glass at the Nyanga Police
Station.
A case of malicious
damage of state property was
opened.
The motive for the attack
is unknown.
Eric Ntabazalila, regional
spokesperson for the National
Prosecuting Authority (NPA),
said the accused will appear
again in court on Thursday 6
October.
“He had bail set at R1 000
but hasn’t paid it to be released.
The Zimbabwean national
is at Pollsmoor Prison,” said
Ntabazalila.
in the money market as the
local currency continues to
tumble, the government put
in place a multicurrency
system for five years. It
makes both currencies
legal tender for all local
transactions.
The government,
which pays in Zimbabwe
dollars, is the country’s
biggest employer. Civil
servants, health workers
and teachers have
previously gone on strike,
demanding to be paid in
US dollars.
Nyanga Community
Policing Forum (CPF)
secretary Dumisani Qwebe
described the incident as a sign
of disrespect.
He said he wished the
state could charge him for
vandalising its resources. “No
one who is normal can do such
a thing. The court needs to
assess his mental state and if it
finds him normal, he must then
be charged. The court must
ensure that it gives him a longer
sentence,” said Qwebe.
He stated that vandalising
government property is a
huge case that needs a harsher
sentence.
Qwebe stated that as the
CPF they are against crime and
gender-based violence (GBV).
“We cannot fold our arms
while the criminals are doing
as they please on the streets.
We cannot sit down while
our mothers and children
are being abused in front of
us. Whomever is committing
crime or abusing women and
children must know that his
days are numbered,” he stated.
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022 News I Page 5

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Page 6 I News
Eny’s Treats the African
healthy snack start-up
Armed with only ambition, an agriculture degree from South Africa and a vision, a
young woman from Zimbabwe is making healthy snacks that promise to revitalize
local farmers, create new jobs and improve the health of all Africans.
By Agencies
THE BEGINNING
In 2016, Tracy Vongai
Mapfumo took a job at Bio-
Innovation Zimbabwe,
because her healthy food
start-up wasn’t earning
enough to pay the bills.
The businesswoman,
now 29, has a background in
agriculture and a bachelor’s
degree in Crop Science from
the University of KwaZulu
Natal (UKZN) in South
Africa. She had gone to UKZN
after she had excelled in her
A-level studies and received a
Presidential Scholarship.
However, after graduating
in 2014, she initially struggled
to secure a job. So she decided
to apply for a job at a research
Tracy Vongai Mapfumo
organization studying
underutilized plants, and that’s
when she realized that local
plants could be valuable as
ingredients for competitive,
African, healthy foods.
They could also offer
a means to contribute to
Zimbabwe’s economy and
allow you to stay “at home”
rather than following so many
other graduates looking for
work outside the country.
So, in her small backyard in
Glendale, 59 km from Harare,
Mapfumo set to work to
revolutionize healthy eating.
One of my colleagues
reacted badly to a peanut
snack, and from there, I
promised to make tasty and
healthy snacks for people like
her,” she said.
“I started experimenting
with making snacks with local
seeds and plants and giving
them to my co-workers and
family members.”
After attending a few
food fairs to see what kind of
gluten-free and peanut-free
“snacks” were on the market,
Mapfumo identified gaps
in this space that she could
utilize. This led to the birth
of Mapfumo’s healthy food
startup, Eny’s Treats.
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
Eny’s Treats
“I was determined to
make snacks that people with
allergies could enjoy without
any problems,” said Mapfumo.
“I made a seed bar without
using the usual peanut. I used
sesame seeds and moringa
seeds.
“No one had any allergic
reactions, including the girl
with a peanut allergy, which
led me to explore more flavors.”
She started by making a
seed bar with different layers.
She used chocolate, sesame
seed, baobab, blackberries,
pumpkin seed, and sometimes
moringa or blueberries. What
she had in mind was a healthy,
tasty, gluten-free, peanut-
free “snack” for people with
allergies.
In 2019, Mapfumo
won an award for a start-
up category in the Young
Entrepreneurs program
offered by CBZ, a Zimbabwean
bank specializing in promoting
young people in business. As a
result, she was able to expand
her start-up, moving home to a
more formal commercial area
in Harare.
Today, Eny’s Treats uses
natural sweeteners like honey,
dried fruit and berries to create
healthy and nutritious snacks,
sourcing seeds from local
farmers in an attempt to create
more jobs and a bigger market
for small seed producers.
Mapfumo quickly
realized that many small
farmers were moving away
from growing maize and
trying alternative crops
suitable for drier climates. This
included sesame and baobab
seeds that thrive in this type
of climate. The company now
sources sesame seeds from
local farmers in the low, dry
areas of Muzarabani and
Chimanimani.
Eny’s Treats has steadily
grown to become an award-
winning company that supplies
gluten-free snacks to luxury
supermarkets in Zimbabwe
and now makes seed bars,
seed balls and seed butter.
All ingredients are sourced
locally from smallholders or
producers in dry regions of
Zimbabwe.
In addition, the
company provides
value-adding
consulting services
for indigenous foods
to rural women.
“We partnered with the
Zimbabwe Resilience Building
Fund where we trained 30
women and youth in rural
Mberengwa,” Mapfumo
explained.
“We trained these women
in the value addition of marula
nut under the ECRIMS Mukai
Initiative.
“Inside the marula fruit
is a pit, or nut, that we use to
make marulra nut-flavoured
snacks.
“This is an alternative way
for rural women to earn money
using the resouces available to
them.”
Kisepile Muleya, district
coordinator of the Mukai
project, explained that the
project aimed to improve
family income, preserve the
environment and add value to
natural product crops.
Born to change the status
quo
The company “Eny’s
Treats” was named in honour
of her late mother, Eniya (Eny)
Dengu-Mapfumo.
“I lost her just before
I graduated … my mother
nurtured my skills and taught
me to work hard,” she said.
Mapfumo was fortunate
to be a part of FemBioBiz, a
program that allows female
entrepreneurs and executives
of bioscience companies
to expand their operations
through an accelerator
program that leverages local
exposure and access to global
markets. 2019, she participated
in the Youth Connekt program
and received the First Runner-
Up award by Mashonaland
Central.
As Mapfumo works with
small farmers, essentially
women, she has noticed a
disturbing pattern. Usually
when a piece of land starts
to yield, a man takes over the
business, claiming that the
land is his. For this reason,
Mapfumo emphasized the
need to give more strength
to women and the issues
that touch the heart of land
ownership.
To that end, she partnered
with the Zimbabwe Resilience
Building Fund (ZRBF) to train
rural women and youth on the
added value of marula beans
in Mberengwa district. This
partnership gave rise to the
first rural women’s agricultural
Tracy Vongai Mapfumo
cooperative in that district.
The future
In 2021, Eny’s Treats
participated in ZIMTRADE’s
Eagle Nest program where it
learned how to deal with the
export market and how to
monetize it.
Currently, most of the
work is done manually as they
do not have a mechanized
production line, but Mapfumo
plans to change that by
introducing machines to
increase production and also
improve safety and hygiene
standards. She also wants to
change the plastic packaging
used now to biodegradable
paper.
Mapfumo said the
company is focused on
expanding to provide more
retail stores in Zimbabwe and
moving its products beyond
Zimbabwe’s borders as the
region promotes more intra-
African trade.
“WE work with a lot of
stockists, but we mainly sell
to luxury speciality stores and
pharmacies geared toward
dieters and fitness enthusiast.
“We are also selling to
gyms,” explained Mapfumo.
The business has grown.
Eny’s Treats is now staffed
by five people, including a
director, an accountant who
also handles marketing,
an administrator and two
members of the production
team.
Accountant Nyasha
Samukange has been with
Eny’s Treats for five years and
has seen the company grow
and evolve from just two
products to over ten.
“This made our business
go from a few points of sale to
several numbers of stockists
across the country,” she said.
“With our progress so far,
the future looks bright.”
Mapfumo still hasn’t
given up its work in producing
the products. But her “little
idea” is now a vibrant company
and the young entrepreneur
has a clear vision of her future.
“When I started the
business, I was 26 years old and
nobody took me seriously,” she
said.
“By being consistent, they
realised I was really good at
what I did.
“So, I say. Know your
vision, know where you want
to go and fulfil it.”
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
New Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe banks on
cows as inflation soars
By DW News
THEY ARE an investment
on four hooves. Cattle
have become a safe
financial option for some
Zimbabweans.
Hyperinflation in the
southern African nation
has led to a loss of public
confidence in banks and
conventional pension
systems.
Zimbabwe’s annual
inflation rate jumped to 192%
in June, the highest level over
a year. The reason behind this
is the war in Ukraine, which
is driving global commodity
prices higher.
Over the last 20 years,
many citizens have lost
savings in banks and pension
funds.
The “mooing bank”
Some are now looking
for safer ways to protect their
investments. And one option
is investing in cattle.
Ted Edwards is the chief
executive officer of Silverback
Asset Managers, which
some also mockingly call a
“mooing bank.”
It is a unit trust
primarily based on cattle.
But, according to Edwards,
business is booming.
“Cows seem to be a safe
option for some,” Edwards
said, adding that some asset
management companies are
creatively coming up with
the old tradition of investing
in cattle to create wealth for
investors.
Edward’s asset company
has established a unit trust
investment vehicle where
citizens can invest in cattle
using the local currency.
Cattle holds stable value
Over time, cattle have
proven that they can absorb
inflationary shocks, Edwards
told DW.
“What we have done
is to create a unit trust fund
called Mombe Mari trust
fund. We have essentially
unitized cattle into the trust
fund as a means of attracting
investment into the cattle
industry.”
Currently, one unit
is equivalent to hundred
kilograms of live cattle. “It
is open to investment for
anyone out there who wants
to buy units in the unit trust.”
While a cattle unit trust
may be a new phenomenon
in Zimbabwe, cattle have
traditionally been a source of
wealth for rural farmers.
Investing in cows gives you
more control: farmer
BUSINESS
In the southern part
of Zimbabwe, a region
predominantly suitable
for cattle ranching, farmer
Zenzele Ndebele says he has
never regretted investing in
cattle.
Ndebele has managed
to withstand the inflation
pressures that the country is
experiencing.
“I have a certain control
over what I can do with my
cattle,” Ndebele told DW.
“You can really calculate.
Your cattle will add value over
a period. Then, you can sell if
you want to sell.”
Cattle essentially retain
their value regardless of
inflation swings. In addition,
they yield value long-
term due to their potential
reproduction rate of around
one calf a year.
How the cow scheme works
While a group of
investors can, for example,
invest in a whole cow,
individuals can buy shares in
a cow or calf.
When a cow produces
offspring, the value of that
calf is added to the client’s
portfolio.
Male calves can later be
sold as a bull, and proceeds
are used to procure the
In 2008, Zimbabwe introduced 100 billion dollar
notes to cope with hyperinflation
equivalent value in female
calves.
Selling high-quality
specimens also adds to the
returns.
Risks involved: Droughts
and diseases
Cattle have long been
considered a measure of
wealth across Africa.
According to the Food
and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), livestock accounts for
35% to 38% of Zimbabwe’s
Gross Domestic Product
(GDP).
Investing in livestock has
its own challenges though.
Just as monetary investments
could be eroded by inflation,
cattle can be affected by
droughts and diseases.
However, economists
like Gift Mugano say the
investment option is far
much safer in a volatile
environment like Zimbabwe.
Businesss I Page 7
Gold coins or cash cows?
“To have investments in
cows or animals is a better
investment opportunity than
gold coins,” Mugano told DW.
“When the animals drop
their offspring, that is your
interest rate. It is a better
bank than going to the bank
and put money that is eroded
by inflation.”
Zimbabwe’s central
bank started selling gold
coins to the public in July to
help protect people’s savings
against the country’s runaway
inflation.
The gold coins are sold
in local currency, US dollar,
and other foreign currencies.
The Mosi-oa-Tunya gold
coin, named after Victoria
Falls, is mostly made of
gold and can be used for
purchases in shops as well as
be used as security for loans
and credit facilities.
Page 8 I Business
Zim-owned Gold Leaf Tobacco says it will fight
preservation order won by SA’s revenue agency
Allegations by the tax agency are ‘wholly untrue’ and based
on ‘falsely crafted information’
By Agencies
THE SOUTH Africa
Revenue Service
(Sars) last week won a
preservation order against
Gold Leaf Tobacco and its
directors Simon Rudland
and Ebrahim Adamjee.
The preservation order
is intended to prevent
realisable assets from
being sold or dissipated to
frustrate the collection of
taxes.
Rudland, Gold Leaf
Tobacco’s co-owner and
the Zimbabwe-based
tycoon who was the target
of a failed assassination
attempt in Johannesburg in
2019, has vowed to fight the
preservation order which,
he says, was obtained ex
parte (a court proceeding
involving arguments
from one party only),
without any notice to Gold
Leaf, and was “based on
unsubstantiated and wholly
untrue allegations.”
One of Gold Leaf ’s
brands, RG, reportedly
became SA’s largest selling
cigarette brand during the
Covid lockdowns, when a
ban was temporarily placed
on the sale of tobacco.
SA is believed to be
the only country in the
world to impose a ban on
tobacco, supposedly for
health reasons at a time
when government was
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
concerned that hospitals
would be overrun with
Covid patients.
Smokers switched
brands during the ban,
many of them permanently,
because smuggled
cigarettes were cheaper
than locally produced ones
as they were able to side-
step paying excise duties.
This is reckoned to have
cost the fiscus billions of
preservation order and
rands in lost revenue each
refute the allegations by
month.
Sars, which are simply
Gold Leaf said it could
untrue,” he says. “We haven’t
not be held responsible
yet had an opportunity
for cigarettes legitimately
to respond fully to all the
bought in Zimbabwe and
allegations, but we will do
smuggled across the border.
so,” he said.
“We will oppose this
Gold Leaf is innocent,
says Rudland
In a statement to
Moneyweb, Rudland said
Gold Leaf “maintains
its innocence and shall
continue its operations with
complete transparency with
the Revenue Authority, as it
has always done”.
“We will continue to
make our excise and Vat
contributions, amounting
to over R2 billion per
annum.”
“We shall not delve into
the merits of the litigation,
however, we emphasise that
it is appalling to note that
Sars [has] opted to rely on
falsely crafted information
in support of [its]
application against Gold
Leaf, a taxpayer who makes
an enormously significant
contribution to the fiscus,”
he added.
Saint refuted
allegations that Gold Leaf
was running two sets of
books, with illicit off-book
sales accounting for the
majority of the company’s
business – prompting Sars
to apply for a preservation
order before the North
Gauteng High Court.
Sars celebrates
For now, Sars is
celebrating the granting
of the preservation order.
“Sars has been investigating
and clamping down on the
illicit economy focusing
on tobacco, gold and fuel
industry over the last
year, and this is one of the
many enforcement steps
executed by Sars,” it said in
a statement.
“The conduct of non-
compliant taxpayers is
depriving government
of legitimate resources
to the prejudice of both
the state and the South
African public,” said Sars
commissioner Edward
Kieswetter.
Tax Justice SA said the
high court preservation
order against Gold Leaf is
a “watershed moment in
the battle against organised
crime groups who are
looting South Africa on an
unprecedented scale.” It says
the illicit trade in cigarettes
robs SA of R19 billion a year
in lost revenue.
Simon Rudland’s
brother Hamish was the
driving force behind the
attempted buyout earlier
this year embattled sugar
producer, Tongaat Hulett.
That deal came to a
grinding halt when the
Takeover Regulation Panel
withdrew a waiver requiring
the buyer (Mauritius-based
Magister) to extend an offer
to all Tongaat shareholders
on the grounds that the
information supplied
to it was incorrect or
incomplete.
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
New Zimbabwe
Tsitsi Dangarembga
By Deutsche Welle
ON AUGUST 26, a
Zimbabwean court is
due to finally deliver its
verdict for prominent
novelist and activist Tsitsi
Dangarembga.
“It is over two years
now that it has become
part of the routine of not
being completely free,” said
the 63-year-old author,
referring to the fact that
her case has dragged on for
two years, requiring her to
appear 29 times in court.
If convicted, the 2021
recipient of the Peace
Prize of the German Book
Trade faces several years in
prison.
International fame
The Booker Prize-
nominated author gained
fame with her debut novel,
“Nervous Conditions”
(1988), which was named
by the BBC in 2018 as one
of the top 100 books that
have shaped the world.
As a filmmaker, she also
addresses in her works
social taboos such as
AIDS and violence against
women.
Dangarembga was
arrested and eventually
charged for joining a
peaceful demonstration in
July 2020 with her friend,
journalist Julie Barnes.
Beforehand, residents
Author and activist
Dangarembga’s
trial reflects
repression in
Zimbabwe
had been ordered to stay
at home, and hundreds of
police and soldiers were
deployed to enforce the
measures.
Dangarembga and
Barnes carried posters
demanding social reforms
in the country and the
release of imprisoned
journalists. The women
were arrested and charged
with public incitement to
violence, breach of peace
and bigotry.
It is an accusation
that has led to the arrest
of several other protesters
and activists critical of
the government in the
past, such as investigative
journalist Hopewell
Chi’nono, who in 2020
revealed that government
officials were funneling
money to fight the
pandemic into their own
pockets. The journalist
called for protests, which
led to him being arrested
and detained.
Shrinking civil society
The southern African
country has been in a deep
economic and political
crisis since the overthrow
of longtime President
Robert Mugabe and the
subsequent takeover by his
former deputy, Emmerson
Mnangagwa, in 2017.
Lengthy detentions
and trials for Zimbabwean
Courts & Crime
activists and government
critics have been increasing.
More than 1,000
individuals are estimated
to be facing trial for various
human rights-related
“crimes” in the last three
years, says the organization
Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights. The group
has offered legal assistance
to many of those activists.
Some individuals have
been detained for months
on end without trial, while
other cases drag on for
long periods with strict bail
conditions.
“It is exhausting to go
back and forth to court.
There are often onerous bail
conditions. People become
grounded,” Doug Coltart,
a human rights attorney,
told DW, adding that some
of the activists had their
passports taken away.
“It hangs over you
when you are being
prosecuted. You do think
twice about standing up for
what you believe in when
you know there are charges
pending.”
Miscarriage of justice
A number of those
facing trial have been tried
in soc-called specialized
“anti-corruption courts,”
which were created as a
division of the High Court
in 2018 to speed up the
hearing of corruption cases.
Courts & Crime I Page 9
However, cases
involving those perceived
to be critics of the state
have been referred to these
courts. Lawyers believe this
could be a strategy to break
any possible dissent.
“It really is a travesty
that trials are taking place
in an anti-corruption
court,” said lawyer Coltart.
“It seems like in that court,
different rules apply. Bail
is more frequently and
routinely denied.”
Disregard for the
constitution
Though Zimbabwe’s
constitution guarantees
the right to peaceful
demonstration, free
expression and the freedom
to assemble, the application
of the law is different.
Citizens are fighting
against restrictions to
openly criticize the
government for its failures.
“The limitation of
freedoms in our system
has a chilling effect on the
ability of citizens to freely
express themselves,” Chris
Mhike, the defense lawyer
in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s
case, told DW.
Human Rights Watch
and Amnesty International
have expressed concern
over the human rights
violation in Zimbabwe
ahead of the country’s 2023
general elections.
248 Malawians
jailed in Zim
ZIMBABWE has
detained 248 Malawians
who were arrested while
traveling to South Africa
without proper travel
documents.
The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Malawi
has confirmed to the
local media saying the
Malawians are in jail
awaiting deportation.
According to the
ministry, some of them
were sentenced to four
months and others to six
months imprisonment
but their sentences have
been suspended pending a
deportation exercise.
Earlier this month,
65 Malawians were
intercepted in Zimbabwe
by police in Chivhu,
while 83 were arrested in
Mvuma.
The 65 were arrested
by police officers
manning a roadblock
at the 141km peg along
Harare-Masvingo Road
intercepted.
Days before that,
Zimbabwean police also
detained 86 Malawians
suspected of trying to cross
into South Africa illegally.
Reports indicate
that police found the 86
Malawians in a house at
a town near Zimbabwe’s
border with Mozambique
Page 10 I Features New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022

New Zimbabwe FEATURES

LIVING ON SCRAPS
By Agencies

THE RATTLING of metal

can be heard yards away
from the scrapyard. A
steady trickle of people
struggle in: small children

The Zimbabwean children who

laden with sacks of tins
and bits of car engines,
and adults with handfuls
of jagged objects,
unidentifiable beneath the
rust.
Some push handcarts
eke out a living from rusty metal
as scrapyard attendants take
turns to weigh the metal
brought in, then hand over a
few dirty US dollar notes in
return.
Children are regulars
amid the hustle and bartering
that Zimbabwe’s poorest are
resorting to in order to eat.
With the economic crisis ever
deepening, Unicef says 47%
of Zimbabwean youth have
now dropped out of school.
Most of the children
here in Hopley, 10 miles
(16km) from the capital,
Harare, have not been in class
since the Covid pandemic
began and are not returning
due to rising poverty.
Colin Mapuranga
(not his real name), 15,
and his brother Mike are
at the scrapyard, in torn needs 120,000 Zimbabwe
T-shirts and shorts, and tell dollars (£308) a month to
a tale of hardship in troubled survive, according to the
Zimbabwe. Colin and Mike Zimbabwe Statistical Agency,
keep an eye on the scale as it an amount beyond the reach
reaches 30kg. For that, and of many. While food prices
their five hours of collecting rise, the currency has also
it, they are handed US$10 tumbled in value during
(£8.50). the first half of the year, and
“It is not much, but it millions face acute hunger,
is something,” says Colin, according to the Famine
tucking the notes into his Early Warning Systems
pocket. “It’s not easy. We Network.
woke early and walked for Unicef says that nearly
Main Picture: Colin Mapuranga sits on a pile of metal in a scrap yard near Hopley, a settlement
hours to get metal.” one in three 5-17-year-olds
outside Harare.Photograph: Nyasha Chingono
With the money, they in the country are engaged in Bottom: Boys struggle to make a living by delivering scrap metal to a yard in Hopley near
will buy food for the day and child labour. Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare
maybe something from the Child-headed families
piles of secondhand clothes like Colin’s are finding metal,” says Colin. Mercy Muzvidzwa, 42, I sell to steel manufacturers at
sold in Harare’s open spaces. things especially tough. The As the brothers leave is pushing a wheelbarrow profit, which is not much,” he
For now, school fees are a parents of the three siblings the scrapyard, Jeremiah of scrap with her two says.
luxury they cannot afford. died three years ago, and the Magunda, 42, and his three children. They wake at Mataga admits that
Colin says: “We must children were left to fend for sons, all under 15, arrive to 5am to scour surrounding school-age children are his
work harder – maybe one themselves in a small house in weigh in their metal. They are neighbourhoods. This is main suppliers. “We have a
day we will afford to go back Hopley, a settlement created disappointed at the reading. her only source of income, lot of children and women
to school. Our older sister, in 2005 after street trader They will go home with $7. she says. “I have been doing coming here daily to deliver
who is 18, cannot pay for our families were displaced from Magunda and the boys this for the past four years. scrap metal. They still have
fees. She wakes up every day Harare by the late president have been scrounging for You cannot just sit at home; strength to walk around,” he
to look for menial jobs. So Robert Mugabe in a clearout metal objects around Hopley life is not that kind, and my says.
we must help her or we will of city streets. The initiative since the onset of Covid. “I children need to eat. Under President
starve.” was called Operation came here with my sons to “It is tough to be Emmerson Mnangagwa,
Inflation hit 192% in Murambatsvina (Drive Out try my luck. We are suffering. carrying heavy metal but who wrested power from
June, and all but the very rich Trash). I used to be a gold panner, there are no options. I go out Mugabe in 2017, Zimbabwe
are struggling. Children are “We barely have enough but since I hurt my finger with my children every day, has witnessed an economic
abandoning school to take up to eat, but this metal business I stopped. My sons have they always help me.” tailspin, with politicians
menial tasks to help put food has helped us get by. Some been doing it when I am not This scrapyard belongs blamed for doing little to
on the table. days are tougher – you can get around,” Magunda tells the to local dealer Fungai Mataga. ease a hunger crisis that has
An average family here as little as $3 (£2.50) for light Guardian. “I buy all the scrap metal here. followed poor rains.
 New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
Anti-vaxxers hamper measles fight
By DW News
ZIMBABWE has reported
at least 2,056 cases of
measles. Virtually all of the
157 deaths recorded were
children who had not been
vaccinated, Information
Minister Monica
Mutsvangwa said last week.
The outbreak started
in the Manicaland Eastern
Province at the beginning
of August, spreading rapidly
across the country. Health
authorities are scrambling to
contain the spread.
The government
announced a mass
vaccination campaign
targeting children aged
between 6 months and 15
years. Authorities are trying
to engage traditional and
faith leaders to support the
drive.
Zimbabwe continued
vaccinating children
against measles during the
coronavirus pandemic. But
the drive has been hampered
by religious groups that
preach against vaccines.
Rejection of modern
medicine
The Christian sects
in question are against
modern medicine and tell
their members to rely on
self-proclaimed prophets for
healing.
DW caught up with one
of the religious groups that
had gathered for its annual
pilgrimage in Zimbabwe’s
Eastern Province,
Manicaland.
Thousands of members
of the Johanne Marange
apostolic sect converged
to listen to an oracle. They
prayed and believed what
they were told, including that
they should reject medical
science.
The church doctrine
does not allow its members
to be vaccinated or seek
medical treatment when they
fall sick.
A preventable fatal
disease
Measles is among the
most infectious diseases in
the world. The childhood
infection is caused by a virus
that can be fatal for small
children. It primarily spreads
in the air by coughing,
sneezing, or close contact.
Symptoms include coughing,
fever, and a skin rash.
However, a vaccine can easily
prevent the disease.
But 56-year-old sect
member Kuziva Kudzanai
told DW it was a sin to
seek medical treatment. “If
anyone gets sick, they will
go to the church elders for
prayers,” he insisted.
Church gatherings that
have resumed following
the easing of COVID-19
restrictions have themselves
“led to the spread of measles
to previously unaffected
areas,” the health ministry
said in a statement last week.
Added pregnancy risks
The prohibition on
medical care also applies
to pregnant women, sect
member Janet Hanyanisi told
DW. “We are not allowed to
be vaccinated or even to go
to a hospital for treatment.
Instead, we go to our church
midwives for delivery,” she
said.
Health authorities have
struggled to break down
some religious communities’
resistance to vaccinating
their children, who they
believe are speeding up the
spread of the disease.
Features I Page 11
“So far what we have
seen that almost all the dead
are unvaccinated children,”
said Cephas Hote, a medical
officer in Mutasa District,
one of the worst affected
regions. He added that there
were a few infections among
vaccinated children, but with
only mild symptoms.
The scramble to contain
measles
The government reacted
by launching a national
measles vaccination blitz.
July Moyo, a minister in
the local government,
says several government
departments and the police
are enforcing the vaccination
to “tackle the emergency.”
Moyo hopes that the
involvement of the whole
government will ensure that
“people, especially children,
get vaccinated.”
Before the current
outbreak, Zimbabwe had had
no cases of measles for more
than ten years. Public health
authorities are hoping that
the current outbreak can be
contained before it becomes
a pandemic.
Scientists estimate
that more than 90% of
the population needs to
be immunized to prevent
measles outbreaks.
In April, the World
Health Organization (WHO)
warned of an increase
in measles in vulnerable
countries as a result of a
disruption of services due to
COVID-19.
Later, UNICEF said
about 25 million children
worldwide have missed out
on routine immunizations
against common childhood
diseases, calling it a “red
alert” for child health.
Page 12 I Editorial
New Zimbabwe
Letter to the Editor
What message do you have for Zimbabweans in
the Diaspora regarding Diaspora Vote at the United
Nations General Assembly, President Mnangagwa?
DEAR President
Mnangagwa,
In September 2018 on
the side-lines of the United
Nations General Assembly,
you promised Zimbabweans
living in the United States of
America that you addressed
that you were going to work
hard to ensure that they
would vote in 2023. I am sure
some of them will be waiting
for you to make the special
announcement on what you
achieved in your desire to
have them vote in next year’s
harmonized elections.
Given the resistance to
the diaspora vote from some
of your colleagues in Zanu
PF we have read about in
the media, are you going to
tell these Zimbabweans that
“I am sorry, I had overrated
my capacity to deliver, I am
a captured President who
dances to the whims of a few
misdirected Zanu PF officials
who do not like the diaspora
vote”? I hope you will be
honest enough to tell them
that.
Patrick Chinamasa,
Ziyambi Ziyambi, Pupurai
Togarepi, Christopher
Mutsvangwa, and of late
Jasper Mangwana among
others, have vehemently said
the diaspora vote is a no, no.
They all seem to want to give
the excuse of
Have they overpowered
you, Mr. President? If so, that
proves you are not worthy to
be President as you go around
promising people things that
you cannot deliver. How do
you expect Zimbabweans to
trust you when you promise
things that you will not
deliver on which do not
need many resources to
implement? Don’t you see that
our fellow African brothers
and sisters in countries such
as Angola, Botswana, Kenya,
Namibia and South Africa
among others are enjoying the
diaspora vote? Why should
Zimbabweans not enjoy the
same benefits?
Your not-so-smart
colleagues are abusing a
constitutional judgment for
Zanu PF’s selfish reasons, and
you as a person who has legal
training should school them
that the Electoral Act or the
Constitution of Zimbabwe is
not cast in concrete and can
be amended. Did Zanu PF
not push for the amendment
of the Constitution to do away
with the Presidential running
mate clause? Did Zanu PF
not push for the amendment
of the Constitution to
include a quota for youth
parliamentarians? Where
you saying the truth when
you said you were going to
work to ensure the diaspora
vote in 2023? Whether you
have succumbed to the whims
of the Chinamasas of this
world, or whether you were
cheating when you promised
the diaspora vote, your weak
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
EDITORIAL
side has been exposed, and
Zimbabweans should know
you are not worthy to be their
President.
Zimbabweans in the
Diaspora must take you to
task for misleading the world
that there will be a diaspora
vote for Zimbabweans in
2023. You must pay dearly for
this.
I bumped into an
article recently in which the
President of the Patriotic
Party, Charles Mutema,
said a petition has been
submitted to parliament for
amendment of the Alectoral
Act to include the diaspora
vote. I hope you will influence
your parliamentarians
to do the right thing and
respect Zimbabweans living
in the diaspora for their
constitutional right to vote.
I also encourage
Zimbabweans in the diaspora
to stand up and claim their
right. Arise Zimbabwean
Diaspora, Arise! We have a
ruling party that does not
respect the diaspora, who
are a major contributor
to Zimbabwe’s struggling
economy. SADC, the African
Union, and the United
Nations need to know that
President Mnangagwa has
failed in his duties as President
on simple things that other
African countries are doing
or working on doing.
Kennedy Kaitano
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New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
Zimbabwe Charter: For the people
and by the people of Zimbabwe
By Dr Mike Chipere 7. Monthly bedroom tax
ZIMBABWE’S problems
can never be resolved
until they are sufficiently
identified or defined.
Reducing the country’s
complex problems to
looting and corruption is
well-intentioned but very
simplistic and myopic in
scope.
In this intervention
I define the Zimbabwe
problem to be greed (for
Money, Wealth and Power)
and I present a twenty item
Zimbabwe Charter, as an
answer to the Zimbabwe
problem and a precondition
for supporting future leaders
of Zimbabwe.
1. All Zimbabwe national
army personnel above
the age of 50 years
must be retired with
immediate effect and
not to be replaced until
the size of the army is
50 % of what it was in
November 2017.
2. All A2 farm owners must
be resident at their farms
and must not to be in
full time employment
elsewhere.
3. The country must
debate and set A2 farm
sizes to ± 150 arable
Hectares in regions 1-3,
the first 150 hectares
surrounding farmhouse
must be offered to the
owner before the land
redistribution.
4. All A2 farms that have
not been utilised to
full capacity in the
last 10 years must be
immediately reallocated
but with preference given
to people with traceable
previous commercial
farming experience
regardless of their race.
5. Municipal land
exceeding 20 hectares
(owned by individuals
or registered companies
that employ less than 100
permanent staff) must
be forfeited to the city
council.
6. 99 % annual taxation
must be charged on
the market value of
all valuable domestic
movable and immovable
property that exceed 4
municipal houses and 4
cars.
must be charged on all
house rooms exceeding
15 unless if the property
is registered and
operating as a business
with auditable tax
returns.
8. All beneficiaries
of the war victim’s
compensation fund
must be reassessed
by an independent
organization. Funds
inappropriately disbursed
must be repaid in US$
or equivalent in both
movable and immovable
property.
9. All property lost through
the indigenisation
policies or other means
other than a fair market
exchange must be
returned to its original
owners by those who
either stole it or benefited
by other means.
10. 99% income tax must
be charged on a fraction
of salaries or wages that
exceed US$60 000 per
annum backdated to
2009. US$60 000 is 10
times more than the
amount required to
support a family of 5.
11. Constitutional
amendment must follow
constitutional enactment
procedures.
12. All (past & present)
donations or payments
made to churches, faith
and traditional healers
must be refundable when
demanded by the donor/
payer at any time.
13. Compulsory
employment of all skilled
and qualified disabled
people by all Zimbabwe
stock exchange listed
companies in proportion
to their market
capitalization.
14.Multiple directorship of
public listed companies
and other corporations
with an annual turnover
that exceeds US$1
million must be banned.
15. Traditional leadership i.e.
chiefs and headmen must
be subject to elections
every 10 years.
16. All university degrees
awarded by unregistered
foreign & local
universities and honorary
degrees awarded by
Zimbabwean Universities
after year 2000 must be
respectively invalidated
and withdrawn.
17. The Chihambakwe
Commission
Gukurahundi report
and the Entumbane
report written by Justice
Dumbutshena must be
publicised in-order to
allow victims to decide
appropriate reparation.
18. A conditional grant must
be paid to the elderly
(over 65 years); orphans,
unemployed disabled and
all inhabitants of region 5
regardless of citizenship
5 years after the 1923
general elections.
19. Zimbabwe insurance
companies must be
compelled to comply
with the Justice Smith
commission which
established that they owe
pensioners US$4 billion
which they have refused
to pay-out.
20. The 2023 elections
should only be held
if the following 2
conditions are met; (1)
Compulsory voting by all
Zimbabweans over the
age of 18 (2) Displaced
Zimbabweans in the
diaspora must be allowed
to vote.
The Zimbabwe Charter
draft which I share in
this paper is based on my
own ideas as a concerned
Zimbabwean, but the charter
can only become a people’s
charter if Zimbabwe’s silent
majority or all the people who
are not enjoying the fruits
of political independence
participate in its construction.
To participate, please
visit www.zimcharter.com
where you can edit a single
draft charter item or propose
a new charter item.
After a few months,
all contributions will be
evaluated manually and
through qualitative data
analysis software, and
consolidated into a maximum
of 20 concrete, actionable
demands, which will then be
taken to our political leaders
represented by ZANU PF,
MDC, CCC, ZAPU and other
opposition parties.
Some will rightly argue
that taking the charter back
to our political leaders would
be pointless because the 63
years’ combined leadership
experience of ZANU PF as a
ruling party and MDC | CCC
as an alternative government
is what destroyed Zimbabwe.
I would argue that if
Editorial I Page 13
we demonstrate unity by
successfully delivering the
proposed charter, it means
that in the event that ZANU
PF, MDC, CCC etcetera fail
to convince us that they are
capable of implementing the
Charter, we can quite easily
become the new politics that
this nation requires.
Zimbabwe is a highly
intolerant and polarised
country, it does not have
a higher level of common
belonging but hopefully
the Charter presents
an opportunity for
Zimbabweans to find each
other.
It is grossly irresponsible
to expect Zimbabweans to
make voting decisions purely
on the basis of empty rhetoric,
blind faith and charismatic
authority.
If Zimbabwe’s silent
majority manage to make a
success out of the proposed
Zimbabwe Charter, every
Zimbabwean will be left
in no doubt that it is based
on a very simple ideology
of redistribution of unjust
money, wealth and power.
As some passionately
mobilise Zimbabweans to
vote in the 2023 elections,
it is important that we pay
attention to the question,
what idea is there to vote for
rather than who is there to
vote for?
Page 14 I Opinion
New Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe health
system is in
intensive care:
how it got there
By Norman Nyazema
HEALTH systems are, at
their core, meant to promote,
restore or maintain health.
Their objective is to improve
the length and quality
of citizens’ life from the
cradle to the grave. Health
is therefore a fundamental
human right.
This was very clear
to the different healthcare
delivery administrators and
practitioners in Zimbabwe for
the last 42 years. But something
happened along the way and
Zimbabwe is now at the bottom
of the pile.
During my tenure,
from 1998 to 2002, as the
director of the Institute of
Continuing Health Education,
a postgraduate arm of
the medical school at the
University Of Zimbabwe, I was
involved with the health system
in Zimbabwe, representing
the school on a joint health
planning committee under the
Ministry of Health and Child
Welfare. I was also chairman
of the national medicines
and therapeutics advisory
committee, which used to
take stock of the availability
of medicines. I also served as
deputy chair of the Medicine
Control Authority.
My involvement has
continued in the form of
teaching students at one of the
country’s medical schools.
During the early years,
1980 to about 1990, things were
moving.
In 1980, after
independence, the
Zimbabwean government set
about addressing the inequities
of a system imposed during
the colonial period. Prior
to independence healthcare
catered primarily for colonial
administrators and expatriates.
Africans got separate or
second-class provision.
The new government
sought to replace this with the
concept of equity in health
and primary healthcare. The
noble idea was to distribute
health between individuals
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
OPINION
and to invest in health wisely
and effectively. Zimbabwe
also joined the World Health
Organisation and followed its
recommendations to the letter.
But by the turn of the
century it was clear that the
government had lost its way Esther Gwena, an untrained midwife in Mbare Harare.
when it came to healthcare.
The third phase, between between 2006 and 2011. The each year to improving their
And there has been a marked
1998 and 2008, saw a further aim of the trust was to augment healthcare systems.
deterioration ever since.
contraction of the economy. whatever the government was Zimbabwe has failed to
Zimbabwe’s current
People began to be laid off in doing. The aim wasn’t to watch come close to meeting this
system fails in three respects
larger numbers. What had the government fold its arms target. Health expenditure
which are key to any healthcare
already started got worse. and let the private sector do increased steadily in the first
system: policy, people and
Government officials from the everything. decade after independence to
funding. The result is it is
very top began to go outside the People: A great many reach 3.1% of GDP and 6.2%
unable to deliver the most
country for treatment. doctors, nurses and other of government expenditure
basic care. There’s a lack of
The phase of 2009-2013 healthcare professionals have – or US$23.60 per capita – in
medicines and functioning
was a period of stabilisation of emigrated. In 2006 a report 1990–91. But spending as a
hospital equipment. It is also
the socio-economic situation produced by Dr Lovemore percentage of GDP has gone
a system devoid of empathy.
in the country because a Mbengeranwa painted a bleak down. And at 2000, per capita
Zimbabweans believe that one
government of national unity picture. It found: health financing stood at
goes to hospital to die, not to
was established. During this • there had been an US$8.55. At the beginning of
have one’s health restored.
period funds, some of which unprecedented staff 2008, it stood at only US$0.19.
The health system in
were allocated to the health exodus and that there was Since the Abuja
Zimbabwe is, to all intents
system, began to flow into the low morale among those declaration in 2001 it has
and purposes, now in the
country. remaining improved slightly but is still
intensive care unit. The future
But 2013 to date has been • ineffectiveness of the behind in meeting the 15%.
is bleak unless there are serious
the blame game period. There referral system Today in Zimbabwe, health
long-term reforms to build
has been – and continues to • ill-equipped training insurance covers less than 10%
resilience.
be – an exodus of healthcare schools and a shortage of of the population.
What went wrong
professionals to greener tutors Over 39% of all health
There have been
pastures. The consequence has • general shortages and lack expenditure is out of
several distinct phases in the
been poor service at health of equipment and skilled pocket, leading to financial
development of Zimbabwe’s
facilities. personnel, with poor impoverishment for many
healthcare system since 1980.
Policy, people and remuneration people.
The first phase, between
funding • lack of accommodation Next steps
1981 and 1989, was a period
Policy: In the 1980s the and other incentives for I believe it’s still possible
of redistribution without
government sought to put in personnel to provide universal health
growth in productivity. There
place a healthcare policy that • inadequate funding for the coverage in Zimbabwe.
was an impressive expansion
benefited all Zimbabweans. health sector over the past The country has the basic
in social services, using aid
For example, investment few years foundations in place. It has
funds. Indeed some health
in primary healthcare • shortages of essential the brain power – locally
services were free, for example,
infrastructure (clinics and drugs, including and in the diaspora. What
maternal and child health. The
health centres) resulted in 85% antiretrovirals. needs addressing are the
private sector also contributed
of the population being within The situation has socio-economic and political
to healthcare provision. For
one hour’s travel time to the continued on a downward environments to make it
example industry paid an HIV/
nearest health facility. path. Those who stay are conducive for people to return.
AIDS levy.
But, over time, health incapacitated. When they Zimbabwe also has the
The second phase,
policy and strategic plans for attempt to focus on providing natural resources such as
between 1990 and 1997, was a
health became increasingly basic care they appear to have diamonds, gold, platinum,
period of economic stagnation.
donor funded. Implementation no one to listen to them. lithium and maybe soon gas
Many people were unemployed
often reflected the agenda of Funding: In the first and oil. All can be mobilised to
and as a result the tax base
donors. decades after independence, provide the required financial
shrank. Little money was
Some private sector health was put at the forefront resources to strengthen the
available to the fiscus. The
companies came on board. of development. This was health system for future
health budget began to be cut,
For example, the National underscored at the continental generations.
affecting the quality of services.
Health Trust was set up by level. The Abuja Declaration, Norman Nyazema is
Households had to pay for
Econet, the biggest mobile signed in 2001, saw member a Professor and Research
some health services out of
telecommunication company states pledge to allocate at least Associate in Health at The
their pocket.
in Zimbabwe. I chaired the trust 15% of their national budgets University of Limpopo
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022 Arts | Culture | Entertainment I Page 15

New Zimbabwe
ARTS I CULTURE
ENTERTAINMENT
SA- Zimbabwean-born vocalist
rises to stardom after TikTok
video of him singing hit song
‘Uhambo’ goes viral

Mr Sibanda (Andrea’s Father) Tendai Joe (Andrea’s Manager)

Andrea “The Vocalist” Sibanda

By Ditiro Masuku be punishment,” teenager So much that DJ launch his musical career. going to South Africa,” says
Drum Magazine Andrea Sibanda (13) tells Maphorisa as well “I was told by my Andrea.
SOUTH AFRICA: us. as Aubrey Qwana manager that we would be His dreams are
It’s a song about the But one of the church reached out to the coming to South Africa a becoming a reality faster
misfortunes of death. members was so moved, talented Zimbabwean- week before we came, so than he’d imagined
And he poured his heart he took a video of the born teenager for a every day I was preparing possible.
out while singing it in young vocalist, and soon collaboration. And soon myself. And when my dad It was a trip he would
church.
it became a hit on the he was packing his bags, showed me the tickets, never forget.
“It was supposed to
internet. heading for South Africa to I knew we were indeed to page 16
Page 16 I Arts | Culture | Entertainment
SA- Zimbabwean-born vocalist rises to stardom...
from page 15
“The morning we
were leaving, we woke up
together as a family and
prayed. We had already
packed some stuff, so I
bathed, and my mom made
sure I was looking good for
the trip.
“To be honest I was
nervous. It was my first time
to be in an airplane! So, I did
not know what to expect.
We went to the airport four
hours before our flight, to
make sure I do not miss this
one. I just want to thank
Zimbabwean businessman
Mr Tinashe Mutarisi who
made this trip possible.”
He says it was his first
time coming to South
Africa.
“My first time flying,
first time in South Africa,
first time in Sandton. The
roads from the airport
were so amazing. The
airport itself was very big,
one can get lost in there. It
was beautiful, seeing a lot
of cars, on many lanes. I
come from a small tourist
town of Victoria Falls, so
all these things were new
to me. I stayed in Sandton,
had every type of food I
can imagine, but enjoyed
my chicken more. I love
chicken,” he says.
“Our hotel was so big
and secure, we had three
TVs there. I could have
any drink I wanted. I went
for dinner in Sandton. I
used the Gautrain to go to
Andrea The Vocalist and Dj Maphorisa
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
Pretoria. I was so amazed by online. enjoyable. I enjoyed every [grade 8]”
the speed of the train. I went “The story is about part of the process, except He is working on new
to Mamelodi and ate kota. death and that we all pass for the waterfalls scene music. “I have new music.
We shot my music video through the graveyard, and where water falls on me, Very exciting. I worked
there. I went to Botanical it is a very difficult road/ you will see when the video with DJ Maphorisa in the
Gardens where we shot path. We will be telling God is out.” studio, and we recorded
video on day two.” that it is a hard path.” He says if he is not three songs. I also worked
It wall all exciting. He had so much fun singing, he is playing soccer with Bothlale from Idols
“I also went into the while shooting the video, with his friends. And SA 2017; we recorded a
tallest building in South and cannot wait for it dealing with newfound very beautiful song called
Africa, where Maphorisa to come out. “Wow, the fame? “When I am at Amanxeba. I also worked
stays. It was amazing. music video was shot by home, I am just a child, I on another song with
Maphorisa also asked Makhadzi’s music videos play soccer with others and Juizee and Dobby4040.
what I wanted to eat and director, Toolz. He was so everything I have always I must say I have very
bought me a lot of it. I went professional and friendly. been doing. When I am at beautiful music coming! I
shopping in Sandton. I also He was patient with me school am just a student, am cannot wait to share it with
visited Nelson Mandela which made it easy and not famous. I am in form 1 my supporters.”
Foundation and Madiba’s
former house, in Houghton
Estate. I loved everything.”
He did not expect for
things to have escalated
this far. “When my video
went viral on Tik Tok and
Aubrey started looking for
me, I heard about it. Then
my manager, Mr Joe came
told us I will go far. He also
made me talk to Aubrey on
video and Maphorisa on my
birthday. When I recorded
Uhambo, I was excited also
because that was my first
time in a studio,” a grateful
Andrea shares.
Uhambo is a traditional
gospel song he sang at his
church 12 Apostolic. “We
call it Ndodana,” he says.
“I sang the song
as punishment
at church,
and someone
took a video
and posted it
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022 In Pictures I Page 17

Zimbabwe Agricultural Show 2022

Page 18 I Diaspora
New Zimbabwe
I’d still be one of Northern Ireland’s
hidden homeless without the Simon
Community, says up and coming
Zim-born rapper
By Aine Toner
Sunday Life
AS THE rise in hidden
homelessness suggests,
people without a home don’t
always sleep on the streets.
A young, up and coming
musician knows only too well
the challenges associated with
finding a place to call home.
Donald Dick, originally
from Zimbabwe, has been in
Northern Ireland for over half
his life. The 26-year-old loves
football but is particularly
interested in music, the
medium in which he wants to
build a career.
“Even now, my music
is getting a good response
without paid promotion,” he
said.
“I just put it on YouTube
and tell my friends on social
media and Facebook that I’ve
new music out. I’m getting
1,000 views a month.
“If there are some things
that I don’t feel comfortable
speaking out about, I am able
to say it in a song. Music gives
you a chance to connect with
others.”
The rapper and
songwriter — “I want to be
the biggest rapper in the
world,” he told Sunday Life
— believes he and his family
were “blessed” to have arrived
in Northern Ireland.
Zim-born artist hosts exhibition after appearing on BBC show
Charmaine Maw
However, an
overcrowded home led to
Donald becoming one of the
hidden homeless, aged 22 and
sleeping in a friend’s car.
The term refers to people
sleeping in their cars, in
squats, on the floors or sofas
in family and friends’ homes,
in unsafe accommodation or
in homelessness projects.
“I was feeling like it was
the lowest part of my life, that
I had no one to help me and
that I was going to have to
find ways to figure it out for
myself,” Donald said.
“You get up in the
morning and your mind
hasn’t rested properly, so it’s
not nice.”
The Housing Executive
called the Simon Community
on Donald’s behalf, a move
which changed everything.
He was initially in the
charity’s Larne temporary
accommodation project for
eight months. At this point,
ready to live independently
again, Donald worked with
his support worker and the
charity’s tenancy liaison
officer to consider private
renting, then moved into
one of the Creating Homes
properties.
“It is the best feeling in
the world to have a roof over
your head, a place where you
could call home,” he said.
By The Chester Standard
A WOMAN has set up an
exhibition for local artists
to exhibit their work after
she was shortlisted to
showcase her sculpture at
Royal Academy London.
Charmaine Maw, 59,
originally from Zimbabwe,
moved to Ellesmere Port in
2014.
In 2014, Charmaine
decided to quit her job in
finance to go to university
and study art, as it had
always been an interest of
hers.
Charmaine became
very interested in glasswork,
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
DIASPORA
“I still get flashbacks of
sleeping in the car, sleeping
rough, but having a house is
great because I can bring my
wee son over and I’m able to
focus on my career and things
that I really want to do for
myself.
“I’m able to look after
myself and try to get back to
where my mindset was before
being homeless.”
It’s a “really big deal” for
Donald to be able to bring his
six-year-old son to his house.
“I’m very happy in my
home. I couldn’t ask God for
more,” said the proud dad.
“They [the Simon
Community] make everybody
feel like that.
“The same thing they
did for me, that’s the same
thing they’d do for everybody
around who comes to the
hostel.
“They don’t care what
background you’re from.
They’ll treat you the same way
as your mum and dad do.
“If you need something,
they make sure to help you get
what you need to get.
“You are not just there to
stay in a hostel for a few weeks.
They actually want to help you
and talk to you about your
interests, what areas you’d like
to live in and show what they
would be able to do to help
you.”
describing working with
glass as “absolutely magical”.
This year, she
submitted a piece of artwork
into the Royal Academy
London and from 15,000
applicants, Charmaine’s
sculpture ‘Cloud Burst’ was
shortlisted into the final
1,000.
As well as this,
Charmaine appeared on
the BBC show Joe Lycett:
Summer Exhibitionist in
July showcasing ‘Cloud
Burst’.
Her sculpture
represents global warming,
and the metal represents
Donald Dick
P ro p or t i on a l l y,
Northern Ireland has the UK’s
worst homelessness figures
but, as Donald found, there
are many who are without a
home but do not show up in
official figures.
“The government needs
to start making more homes
or more accommodation and
trying to get people off the
streets,” he said.
“A lot of people my age,
people who I went to school
with... I know many people
who are sofa surfing right
now, and the numbers are just
going to keep growing.”
the Earth twisting and
contorting.
Speaking to the Globe,
she said: “After the show
aired, I was inundated with
people asking if they could
come and see cloud burst in
person.”
From this, Charmaine
decided to organise an
exhibition at the St Thomas
& All Saints Church in
Ellesmere Port, where she
works.
She said: “I decided to
set the exhibition up so that
people could come and see
Cloud Burst, but also to
allow other artists to exhibit
The musician believes
Northern Ireland is capable of
great things as regards rap.
“I make music like
literally every day. Other than
making music for myself,
me and my friend, who has
a studio, we work with other
rappers around Northern
Ireland,” he explained.
“If they want to make
music, we’ll record them and
we’ll try and help each other.
“We give each other
advice and shoot their music
videos. We are trying to get
the Northern Ireland rap
scene the same as England.”
at the same time.”
There are 11 high-
standard local artists
exhibiting their work,
alongside Charmaine.
She added: “When
I finished university, my
passion was to open and
make a space where all the
tools and equipment were
there for artists, but then
Covid hit so we ended up
not doing that.
“I feel like it’s a shame
that there are so many
talented people out there,
that nobody ever sees,
so it’ll be really good to
showcase our local art.”
New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022
New Zimbabwe
‘A most fortunate guy:’ Club-less Kapini
Former Zimbabwe coach, national team soccer
player takes over at Trinity College in the US
By Agencies
WHEN Methembe
Ndlovu was growing up
in Zimbabwe, he thought
he had to make a choice
at age 16: either he could
play soccer or pursue an
education.
In Zimbabwe, he could
not do both at a high level.
Both of his parents were
schoolteachers; they wanted
him to continue his education.
Ndlovu wanted to play soccer.
One day, at soccer
practice, a man from the U.S.
showed up. He talked about
colleges in America and how
Ndlovu could play and go to
school.
That moment changed
his life.
“I like to say I’m one of the
most fortunate guys,” Ndlovu
said.
Soccer and education
have taken him all over the
world – to Dartmouth College
in Hanover, N.H., where he
saw snow for the first time and
was a four-time Ivy League
player, to playing soccer
professionally, to coaching the
second-most popular soccer
team in Zimbabwe, to helping
start a program that combined
education about AIDS and
HIV with soccer.
Now Ndlovu, 49, is back
in New England, in his first
year coaching the men’s soccer
team at Trinity College. Former
coach Mike Pilger retired after
18 seasons in November after
the Bantams went 3-11-1 last
season.
“I spent my first few years
in the U.S. on the East Coast,
so this has always felt a little bit
like my home in the U.S,” said
Ndlovu, who has had stints as
an assistant at Notre Dame and
Penn State. “I had very high
regard for [the NESCAC] so
when this opportunity opened
up, I felt like this could be a
good fit.”
Ndlovu started playing
soccer as a boy. He grew up
in a town called Bulawayo in
southwestern Zimbabwe.
“I was a very committed
athlete, but my parents said,
‘You are continuing in school,’”
he said. “I would play with my
club team when I could, which
is unusual – my parents said if
you keep these grades, you can
play club.
“The kids who were
really serious about being
professional as football players,
they were training in the
morning and the afternoon.
I could only train in the
afternoon after school. It really
resurfaces at
put me in a good position for
former club
U.S. colleges. I didn’t know
anything about college, or
scholarships or financial aid.
It was something that wasn’t
even a thought for me.”
That is, until somebody
from Dartmouth came to one
of his practices. A man was
teaching English at a local
school and came to watch the
club team play and asked to
speak to Ndlovu, whom the
coaches pointed out as a good
student.
“He went back to the U.S
and started sending me SAT
prep stuff,” Ndlovu said. “It
was totally random.
“This is why I say I’m
one of the luckiest people.
A year later, another person
came on the same kind of
exchange thing to teach so I
developed a connection with
the school and with the coach
and prepared for the SATs and
a couple of years later, I was in
Hanover N.H.”
Ndlovu got off the plane
at Logan Airport, not knowing
anyone in the U.S. An assistant
coach named John O’Connor
was there to welcome him with
a sign with his name on it. In
a full circle kind of moment,
on Oct. 16, Trinity will play
Castleton (Vt.) University,
whereO’Connor is now
coaching.
Ndlovu always assumed
he would play professionally
then become a teacher. But as
he watched his college coach,
Bobby Clark (who went on to
win a national championship
at Notre Dame in 2013), he
realized once again he could
do both.
“Being exposed to the
whole college atmosphere in
the U.S., it kind of started to
plant an idea in my head you
could actually teach soccer
for a living, this could be a
career,” he said.
He did play, for
the Zimbabwe national
team and in the U.S. for
a professional team on
Cape Cod. He got the
chance, for 2 ½ years,
to coach his favorite
childhood team, the
Highlanders, and they
won the Zimbabwean
national title.
He also was
the co-founder of
a program called
Grassroots Soccer,
which sought to
educate youngsters
in Zimbabwe about
AIDS and HIV
using soccer as a
vehicle. Zimbabwe
SPORT
has the fifth-highest HIV rate
in the world.
“It’s a subject that can be
difficult to talk to with young
people so soccer was just a
tool for engagement,” he said.
“I’m still involved. When I
moved here, I had become
Africa’s CEO. I was looking
after programs in Zimbabwe,
Zambia and South Africa for
Grassroots so when I left, I
transitioned onto the board.
And I just stepped down from
the board this year, but I still
remain involved behind the
scenes.
“Our mission is to save
lives. We have graduated more
than a million adolescents
in 22 different countries
since 2002. This means a lot
of young people have gone
through our programs and
graduated and received life-
saving information.”
Trinity’s soccer practice
began Thursday. Earlier in the
week, Ndlovu couldn’t wait to
start.
“We want to improve
every day,” he said. “And at
the end of the season we’ll
finish where we belong. But
what we want to do is work
together as a group, on and off
the field, with and without the
ball, really be a team – if we
take care of those little things,
working together, playing
properly, preparing properly
for games, the results will take
care of themselves.”
Methembe Ndlovu
Sport I Page 19
By Sports Reporter me a chance to give back,” the
38-year-old footballer said
AFTER parting ways recently.
with DStv Premiership
“It’s all about negotiating
side Sekhukhune United,
Zimbabwean goalkeeper a contract and seeing what
Tapuwa Kapini has they have to offer for me as a
resurfaced at his former club senior player.”
Highlands Park, who play Kapini is one of the
their trade in the third tier longest-serving players in
of South African football.
South African football after
Kapini was released by
a lengthy career spanning
Sekhukhune United before
almost two decades.
the start of the 2022/23 season
He made his
and he will be hoping to
breakthrough move to South
secure a deal with the Lions of
Africa in 2006 to join the
the North as the new season
now-defunct Platinum Stars
looms large.
after spending five years with
Highlands Park finished
Bulawayo giants Highlanders.
second in the South African
Kapini, whose age has
third-tier ABC Motsepe
been a subject of constant
League with 30 points last
debate among local football
campaign, just two points
fans, spent five years at the
adrift of leaders MM
club before leaving to join
Platinum, who went on to win
AmaZulu in 2011.
the competition’s playoffs and
He then spent five years
gain promotion.
at Highlands Park from 2015-
Kapini’s imminent move
2020 and helped the side earn
to Highlands Parks comes
promotion to the topflight
after he recently hinted that he
league in a successful spell
could retrace his roots back to
which also saw him being
Bulawayo giants Highlanders,
handed the club’s captaincy.
where he enjoyed tremendous
success before moving to
South Africa.
“If things were good, I
could have come back long
ago. People from Bulawayo
often ask, but as of now, I don’t
have that answer, but it’s my
dream, and it’s all in Bosso’s
[Highlanders] hands to give
Tapuwa Kapini
Page 20 I Sport New Zimbabwe Issue 6 4 September 2022 - 10 September 2022

‘A most
New Zimbabwe fortunate

SPORT
guy:’
PAGE

19

Liverpool legend Bruce Grobbelaar

put wee on Anfield goalposts to lift
title ‘curse’
Claims he then
saved a penalty
By The Star UK

LIVERPOOL legend Bruce

Grobbelaar has told how he
put wee on his goalposts in
order to remove a curse.
The maverick goalkeeper
admitted he believed in spells
to try and change his fortunes
on the field.
Zimbabwe international
Bruce, 64, told freebets: “When
you’re from Africa and played for
teams with witch doctors, you don’t
disbelieve anything they do.
“When one put a curse on
Liverpool at my Anfield testimonial
[saying Liverpool wouldn’t win the
league without Grobbelaar in goal],
I thought it was a joke – I didn’t think
he was a real witch doctor, but he was.
“Over the years Liverpool never
won the title, so I thought, ‘I’ve got to
do something to get rid of this curse’.
“In Africa, if the pitch was
cursed then you peed on the posts.
“So I peed in a bottle, poured
it all down the posts and crossbar
at both ends, and saved a penalty at
the Anfield Road End. Then the Reds
went on an undefeated run at Anfield
and won the league!”
The keeper revealed that it
wasn’t the first time he resorted to
drastic tactics under the advice of a
shaman.
Bruce added: “On one occasion,
the witch doctor told me to strip
naked and stand around a tree with
all the other players.
“He splashed water over us, told
us to get our gear on, then we went
to the stadium and won. He was the
hero, not the players!” Bruce Grobbelaar