Thousands have already filled up CUT campus grounds and more continue to stream through.

President Mugabe is in his home province of Mashonaland West (updated) today where he is due to address another massive crowd of Zanu-PF supporters, mainly youths in the fifth leg of the nationwide Presidential Youth Interface Rallies being organized by the revolutionary party’s Youth League. The historical event takes place at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) campus grounds. The Herald takes you through the proceedings, live from CUT, Chinhoyi. 

REPORTER: Simiso Mlevu, PHOTOGRAPHER: Wilson Kakurira, PROOFREADER: Clearance Munondo, ONLINE EDITOR: Happiness Chikwanha

11:58 -Thousands of party faithfuls have already started filling Chinhoyi University Grounds for the rally. Although the meetings are meant for youths, other organs of the party which include Women’s League and the main wing cannot resist the urge and continue to come in numbers.

12:04 – President Mugabe has this far interacted with youths in Mashonaland East, Manicaland, Masvingo and Matabeleland North. The central message has been unity and a call for discipline in the top leadership of the party. Also, the meetings have been used as a platform to launch massive voter registration by the youth wing in preparation for the 2018 elections in which the revolutionary is widely tipped to romp to victory.

Orchestra Dendera Kings lead by Sulumane Chimbetu entertain the crowd.

12:09 - Although the meetings are meant for youths, other organs of the party which include Women’s League and the main wing cannot resist the urge and continue to come in

12:10 - Suluman Chimbetu, son to the legendary Simon ‘Chopper’ Chimbetu is currently entertaining the crowd as people wait for the commencement of official proceedings.

Some of the banners on display here at Chinhoyi University grounds.

12:15 - Some senior party and government officials have already taken their seats in the VVIP tents. Already seated here are Cdes Josaya Hungwe, National Political Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, Mabel Chinomona and Professor Jonathan Moyo.

Part of the crowd at CUT campus grounds.

12:28 -  College and university students who form a considerable percentage of the Youths have seized at the opportunity to interface with the President.

12:44 - The two Vice Presidents, Cdes Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko are making their way to the VVIP tent. Also arriving with the Vice Presidents are Cdes Mupfumira, Dr Joseph Made, Dr Chombo, Cde Walter Chidhakwa, and Cde Kembo Mohadi.

Traditional leaders following the proceedings at CUT campus grounds.

Mashonaland West is proving to all and sundry that indeed it is the province where the revolutionary leader hails from. The crowd could be the biggest so far.

Minister Walter Mzembi arriving at CUT campus grounds earlier in the day.

12:49 - President Mugabe has arrived at the venue and the crowd thunders in cheers. As he moves in the midst of the thousands gathered here, he waves his trademark clenched fist while the song Jongwe accompanies.

President Mugabe accompanied by the First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe meeting thousands who have converged at CUT campus grounds to attend the fifth Presidential Youth Interface Rally.

13:04 - As the first secretary of the ruling part moves to take his seat, senior party officials seated in the VVIP tent rise to welcome him.

13:07 - National Anthem being sung to mark the beginning of official proceedings here in Chinhoyi

13:11 - Director of Ceremonies, Youth League Political Commissar, Cde Innocent Hamandishe invites Mashonaland West Youth Chair, Cde Rupiya to introduce those who worked with him in organising today’s rally.

13:20 - Cde Hamandishe requests Ministers Professor Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Zhuwao to make slogans. Cde Zhuwao denounces those who are firing young people from work.

Cde Hamandishe says there are officials who want to fire youth officers and appeals to President Mugabe to protect young people.

President Mugabe at the venue earlier on to mark the beginning of the official proceedings at CUT campus grounds.

13:24 - Secretary for Youth Affairs, Cde Kudzanai Chipanga introduces Politburo members before asking Secretary for Administration, Dr Chombo to make a slogan on their behalf.

13:28 - Cde Chipanga has requested the two Vice Presidents to make slogans as a way of greeting party supporters congregated here.

13:37 - Secretary for Youth affairs takes to the podium to give his remarks. He starts with salutations recognising the presence of various dignitaries. He says the thousands gathered here are intent on meeting President Mugabe and the First Lady.

“This is our fifth interface rally Mr President and numbers keep on rising adding that Harare will be the last to host,” says Cde Chipanga.

Dr Amai Grace Mugabe following the proceedings at the Mashonaland West Presidential Youth Interface rally.

13:44 - ”There are a number of minerals found in the province and youths are actively involved in mining. However, there are always running battles with the police.

Cde Chipanga thanks the Ministry of Mines for working flat out to ensure that the environment improves in that regard. According to Cde Chipanga, youths are appealing to government departments to cascade down to districts so that development spreads evenly.

13:47 - First Lady, Dr Amai Grace Mugabe has been thanked for mooting the idea of command agriculture but Cde Chipanga bemoans the lack of youth involvement in government programs.

President Mugabe and First Lady Dr Amai Mugabe flanked by Vice President Mphoko (r) and Cde Kudzi Chipanga (l).

13:50 – Cde Chipanga appeals to President Mugabe to craft special input programs for the youths. The Secretary for Youth Affairs says the youth wing stands guided by the First Lady and as such they are sternly opposed to factionalism.

Dr Ignatious Chombo sharing a lighter moment with Vice President Mnangagwa earlier in the day at CUT campus grounds.

13:55 - Youths have called for the renaming of Harare International Airport after President Robert Mugabe adding that if their request is not met, those in charge must not bother attending next year’s 21st February Movement to be held in Nyanga, Manicaland.

13:59 - Cde Chipanga says as youths, they have also been calling for a holiday to honour and recognise the birth of President Mugabe but up to today, nothing has been done. He says those in charge of declaring holidays, if they do not meet young people’s requests, they must not bother travelling to Nyanga too.

Vice President Mphoko

14:02 - Recalling the biblical story if Adonijah which Amai Mugabe recently made reference to, Cde Chipanga tells another story. He narrates the story about a donkey which was used by Jesus Christ and ended up celebrating thinking it too was loved by the people.

14:07 - ”It never occured to the donkey that it was carrying Jesus. It just got excited. When it went back to where it stayed, it felt people there did not like it. It therefore traveled back alone and got the shock of its life as the people there chased it way, beating it up.”

 FIRST LADY DR MUGABE

14:09 – First lady takes to the podium to make her remarks.

“Today, I do not have much to say, but I want tell people the truth. All of us are serving at the pleasure of the President.”

Amai Mugabe says there are three people who are serving as President Mugabe’s assistants. Those are herself, Vice Presidents Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Report Mphoko.

14:13- Amai Mugabe says there is a lot going on in the party adding that it doesn’t matter how many years one has walked with President Mugabe but what matters is what one does behind his back.

14:17 - She tells the crowd of the developments leading to the sacking of Cdes Sandi Moyo and Sarah Mahoka.

ON KASUKUWERE AND PROFESSOR JONATHAN MOYO

“Let me tell you. We could not cause her expulsion from the ministerial post. Up to today, she remains Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs.”

“This is where I am driving at. When we held our demonstrations as the Women’s League, some people grabbed the opportunity to organise their own demonstrations against against National Political Commissar Kasukuwere.

Vice President Mnangagwa following the proceedings at the Mashonaland West Presidential Youth Interface Rally Saturday afternoon.

14:18 - ”They accused him and his brothers of trying to topple President Mugabe. I want to ask you, do you think these three can succeed?” She says asking Cde Kasukuwere and his young brother, Tongai to rise.

Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Professor Jonathan Moyo captures images during the Mashonaland West Presidential Youth Interface Rally on Saturday afternoon.

14:22 - ”Kamukomana aka . . . ,” she says pointing at the Minister . . .  ”remove a man like the President?”

Vice President Mphoko

14:24 - Amai Mugabe says time has come for the truth to be said adding that even the media is being used to malign Cde Kasukuwere and Professor Jonathan Moyo.

14:26 - ”Everyday we read about Kasukuwere. If its not him, then its Professor Moyo. People have gone to the extent of coming up with non-existent corruption cases.

ON MEDIA 

14:27 - The First Lady has called on the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Media, Information and Broadcasting Services Mr George Charamba to come forward. She describes him as a prolific writer and academic adding that she respects him for that.

14:28 - However, Amai Mugabe says he has superintendent over character assassination of some ministers.

Front row: Cde Saviour Kasukuwere (in red), Dr Chombo and Vice President Mnangagwa sing the National Anthem before the commencement of the official proceedings earlier on.

14:29 - ”George, I have known you for a while. Way before you were appointment to your current position and before I was first lady.

“George, I have known you for a while. Way before you were appointed to your current position and before I was First Lady.

Is that a nap? Cde Kasukuwere attends the Mashonaland West Presidential Youth Interface Rally at CUT campus grounds on Saturday afternoon.

14:31 - ”So, I want to reprimand you as your mother. You are junior to ministers. I notice there are some people who get favourable coverage and others not. Why?

14:33 - Amai Mugabe says she is doing a wonderful job in Mazowe but Charamba has never visited adding that the two have long standing family friendship -and winds up her address.

CHIPANGA BACK TO THE PODIUM

The Zanu PF youth league says they have a special present for the first family before President Mugabe makes his address and they have presented a portrait of His Excellency with his mother, Gogo Bona Mugabe. Cde Chipanga says this is where the interface starts.

PRESIDENT MUGABE’S ADDRESS

14:38 – President Mugabe takes to the podium and starts with salutations before thanking the Youth League for the sterling job they are doing.

14:39 - He narrates the journey leading to the current youth interface meetings saying the journey started with the Million Man March held last year.

 14:40 -  ”Now its my turn to visit youths who travelled long distances to meet me last year.”

Presidential Spokesperson Mr George Charamba

14:41 - This initiative ensures that we remain in touch with the masses. President Mugabe says judging by the turnout, his home province has proved that it is Mashonaland Best, not West.

14:42 – President Mugabe has applauded young people asking people to clap hands for them.

“We used to hold rallies but we never did things this way. This is pleasing,” he says.

President Mugabe and First Lady Dr Amai Grace Mugabe

14:43 – “I want to say, Zanu PF is the party which liberated the country. It is the party which lost its members at the battle fronts and it is the ruling party.”

President Mugabe says when the country gained independence, they never concluded that the revolution had come to an end.
“Revolution is a continuous process,” he adds.

14:49 - He pays tribute to earlier revolutionaries, the likes of Mbuya nehanda and Lobengula for making efforts to reclaim the country from the whites.

His Excellency says the heroes of the First Chimurenga were overpowered because they did not have lethal weapons like guns.
“So, when we learnt of the efforts they had made, we took it upon ourselves to continue the struggle.”

14:52 - President Mugabe narrates the colonial journey and what motivated black consciousness.

14:56 - He recounts the bombing of seven gallant sons of Zimbabwe at Chinhoyi saying the incident inspired others to fight harder and endure persecution by detentions.

Cde Philip Chiyangwa (in red) chats to Minister Walter Chidhakwa after the rally.

15:10 - President Mugabe says dating back from the days of the liberation struggle, the principle has always been that politics leads the gun adding that the same principle leads today.

 15:14 – “Government crafts policies. And those policies guide security arms. These are the Ministries of Defence, State Security and Home Affairs.

 “This is how all governments are run. We respect our defense forces, especially those who are at the top.”

15:16 - ”Of course they will retire but we are going to find them room in government so that they do not languish,” says President Mugabe.

Father Ribeiro (file picture)

15:19 - ”Let us have a monument erected here and their names inscribed,” says President Mugabe.

“Father Riberio has written a book about them. He did some research about who they were and their background. We thank him for that”, says President Mugabe.

He says father Riberio used to be their Chaplin at Harare Central Prison adding that he took care of him together with the late Cde Tekere.
“We thank him very much,” says President Mugabe.

LEASING OF FARMS TO WHITES

15:23 – “People of principle. We believe this country is ours. We are owners of this country. We should defend and protect it. So how come? How come some of you who have farms have allowed whites to come back clandestinely and farm in your pieces? Have you failed to till the land? You are returning the land back to the whites? There are so many farms like that,” he says.

He says people have been told the story of a donkey but says he wants to tell them the story of a Camel.

15:26 – “The camel was being used by a man and when it got cold, it made a special request to the master saying its cold outside. The camel ended up forcing out the owner of the tent when it got comfortable.

15:28 - President Mugabe says the analogy applies perfectly to farmers who are allowing whites back to those farms.

15:35 -  Farms were repossessed, President Mugabe says, after Britain refused to honour the Lancaster House agreement

15:37 - ”I am only giving you counsel. Counsel as someone who travelled the journey throughout the struggle. Counsel also, as your President.”

“We must never let go our freedom, ownership of our resources, our story. The legendary story of our struggle.”

UNITY

15:40- To the leaders whom we are working with in government, you must realise that what made us succeed was the aspect of unity. Yes, there are cases of discipline but what underlines all this is unity. Unity means we are together in mind, we speak with same language. We should avoid speaking and acting against each other. Gossiping, plotting and counter plotting against each other. I told Chipanga that you will be approached by some senior party members who will ask you to prop them up. Don’t listen to them,” says President Mugabe.

President Mugabe

15:43 - ”Once you start listening to one part, you will cause divisions because it will penetrate your wing. Once your wing has been penetrated., we will have a divided party from the top to the bottom. I say to you stop them.”

He says, “There is talk that the President is going, I am not going. There is talk that the President is dying, I am not dying.”

15:46 - ”Of course, I get ailments here and there, like every one else. But I am strong. Recently, doctors were shocked that I have bones so strong. I just said its the Lord. I thank God for keeping me strong for so long,” he says.

15:49 - President Mugabe says he appreciates that there are people with ambitions to lead but he also thinks that a uniting figure is needed to take over.

14:50 -I look at the leaders at the top and the ministers. I ask myself that are they united? I see, No, they are not. They are divided along tribal lines. They are fighting. Some say we no longer want Zezurus. Its our time now. Then I conclude that as long as you have that mentality, you are not going to be a unifier. You are not going to be a good leader,” he says

AGRICULTURE

16:00 - President Mugabe says government came up with programs to assist farmers. He says those with plenty water are working with government under the command agriculture scheme whereas subsistence and communal farmers are assisted under the Presidential Inputs scheme.

He says the two schemes have yielded tremendous results this season. He has called on farmers to consider the possibility of farming crops like cassava, sweet potatoes and rice among others that are found in East Africa.
President Mugabe has also called on farmers to venture into cattle ranching adding that people must shed the notion that raring cattle is an old age thing.

WILDLIFE RESOURCES

16:03 - He says we are blessed with plenty wildlife and because those entrusted with taking care of them are saying they are now too many, we have considered the possibility of exporting. However, he says, only those that are in abundance will be exported.

FIRED YOUTH OFFICERS TO BE REINSTATED 

 16:06 - Responding to the request by Cdes Hamandishe and Zhuwao, President Mugabe has ordered the reinstatement of fired youth officers.

16:07 – “The request to fire 2000 youth officers, so I am told, never came to Cabinet. Whether it is the Minister of Finance, or Labour and Social Welfare, I say stop it.”

16:11 -  In conclusion, President Mugabe  implores party members to carry forward the Zanu-PF legacy.

PRESIDENT MUGABE ENDS HIS ADDRESS

16:16 – Before calling on MAshonaland West chairperson Cde Chengeta, to give vote of thanks, Cde Chipanga announces that ZIFA President, Phillip Chiyangwa has pledged US$ 50 000 and soccer balls to be shared among provinces.

Cde Chengeta thanks the first family for making time to visit Mashonaland  ”Best”.

16:18 - He announces that party members from the province have donated 40 beasts to His Excellency President Mugabe. To Amai Mugabe, he says 200 tonnes of maize has been donated as well.

16:19 - President Mugabe waves goodbye to party supporters gathered here.

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VP Mnangagwa

George Maponga Masvingo Bureau—
Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said there is nothing sinister about the President choosing the country’s Chief Justice (CJ), as this is standard practice the world over, including in countries such as the United States. VP Mnangagwa, who also oversees the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, recently moved the Constitutional Amendment Bill (Number One) that allows the President to choose the country’s Chief Justice in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission.

The Bill is now awaiting to go through Senate before being assented to by President Mugabe.

Speaking in Chiredzi on Thursday during an advocacy meeting to explain provisions of the new Constitution, VP Mnangagwa defended the move to have the President appoint the Chief Justice.

He said the current method of choosing the Chief Justice was flawed.

“We cannot have a situation where teachers sit down and say amongst ourselves let us choose the headmaster,” said VP Mnangagwa.

“Someone has to choose the headmaster. Similarly, directors in the ministry (of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs) cannot be left to choose who should be the ministry’s permanent secretary, that is wrong.

“On top of having the right qualifications, integrity and probity, the Chief Justice must be appointed by the President, who is also the Head of State. Even (US President Mr Donald) Trump chose his own Chief Justice. That is the practice the world over, so we are saying the President must choose and that is what we are working on.’’

The statement by VP Mnangagwa followed heated debate in the National Assembly over the Bill that eventually passed after a vote in the House.

Opposition Members of Parliament were opposed to the Bill, but Zanu-PF prevailed after the party used its two thirds majority.

Legal experts have since hailed the passage of the Bill, saying the move to allow the President to appoint the Chief Justice was in line with international best practices.

VP Mnangagwa urged Zanu-PF to make sure it retained its two thirds majority in Parliament in next year’s elections like what was currently obtaining, saying the Bill would not have sailed through the Lower House without that majority.

“Let’s make sure we retain that two thirds majority in next year’s elections; we are very confident, of course, that we will win because Zanu-PF has a traceable history of delivering to the people on the ground, while the opposition will be sleeping,’’ said the VP Mnangagwa.

In 2015, Government launched the Harare chapter of the National Housing Delivery Programme under Zim-Asset that targeted construction of 105 935 houses in Harare by 2018.

“The banks are eager to provide the much-needed services such as roads, trunk water and sewer lines and other facilities that contribute to a well-planned city,” said Mr Manyenyeni.

“We will continue facilitating so that we not only contribute to housing delivery, but employment creation and value addition. Millions of dollars have been lost to land barons on pieces of land and structures that end up being demolished because they are illegal.”

Mr Manyenyeni said unplanned settlements were mushrooming in the city, while revenue collection continued to decline.

He said council was collecting between $12 million and $13 million a month against a budget of $24 million.

Dr Amai Mugabe

Sydney Kawadza Senior Reporter
The Zanu-PF Women’s League has embarked on a variety of business ventures to boost its coffers, with the wing raising over $165 000 through selling party regalia. Addressing the wing’s National Assembly meeting at the party headquarters in Harare on Thursday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Women’s Affairs Amai Grace Mugabe said they needed more resources for predictable revenue inflows to wean themselves from the main wing for financial support.

She appealed to Members of Parliament to support the Women’s League by buying the regalia in their constituencies and win the hearts and mind of the electorate ahead of the 2018 elections.

The Women’s League has supported some of its activities using its own resources, such as the Top 10 management committee meetings, Provincial Women’s League chair-ladies’ meetings, Provincial Women League Induction Workshops, Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and the national secretary of administration provincial tours of the league’s farms.

“The league provided budgetary support for the programmes to the tune of US$46 867,00,” said Amai Mugabe.

“Self-reliance rather than a culture of dependence is what we should inculcate among the Women’s League members.”

Amai Mugabe said the league’s programmes were meant to garner support for the party, while generating revenue and develop entrepreneurial skills among its members.

Some of the projects include Wilmar Industrial High School in Goromonzi, farms in various provinces, a 50-hectare sugarcane farm in Hippo Valley and the resuscitation of the 15 000-hectare Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme in Binga.

“In September 2015, the league identified a business partner and embarked on the revival of Mbuya Nehanda Training Centre located on the 48-hectare Melfort Farm in Goromonzi,” said Amai Mugabe.

“Intervention took the form of change of use of the then run-down centre from a children’s home to Wilmar Industrial High School.

Renovations were completed in December 2015 and the school opened its doors to the first intake of Form One students in January 2016.”

The school, said Amai Mugabe, has a school curriculum biased towards entrepreneurial courses.

The Women’s League is also looking forward to embarking on farming activities, with Amai Mugabe adding that they will not entertain any idea of leasing out the farms to former white farmers.

Amai Mugabe bemoaned challenges faced by the league in accessing the sugarcane farm at Hippo Valley, with Tongaat Hullet refusing to allow them to take over the farm.

“The Women’s League is at risk of losing two seasons’ harvests of sugarcane proceeds to Tongaat Hullet, which claims that the EU was against the deployment of its resources for the benefit of traditional chiefs and political entities,” she said.

The Women’s League leader argued that only Government, as the sole land allocating authority, should intervene through President Mugabe.

Women and youths in Binga are expected to benefit from the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme, which the league has resuscitated in conjunction with the Matabeleland North provincial leadership and the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development and other departments.

The project, implemented in 2005, was moving at a slow pace and the league engaged a partner to expedite it.

“The project is now operational and currently have 100 hectares of the developed 250 hectares of land under seed maize,” said Amai Mugabe.

“More high value crops will be considered as part of the cropping programme for the scheme. Through this project, the livelihoods of the surrounding Binga communities are bound to improve.”

An additional 150 hectares will be cleared by August to bring the total of land cleared for irrigation to 400 hectares, while a second 10-km pipeline from the Zambezi River to the fields will be constructed.

The league also looks at resuscitating communal irrigation programmes, while supporting them with required agro-equipment and inputs.

It will also complement Government efforts towards increased food production with the dispatch of the Hurudza Farming Tips Teams to provinces, where community-training will be targeted at the league’s membership.

The poultry projects the Women’s League has embarked on will soon roll out a 30 000 chickens, with each province getting 3 000 chicks.

A training programme on poultry business will precede the roll out programme.

The latest development falls directly against the British, who have imposed illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe, but continue denying interfering in the country’s domestic affairs.

President Mugabe has been on record denouncing Britain and its Western allies for imposing the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe as a regime change agenda.

“Mr Girmony was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after a defective note verbale from UNAIDS seeking an appointment with Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi to present his papers had been copied to the Director of Protocol and Conferencing,” said the sources.

“In the diplomatic circles, carbon copying a note verbale is considered to be rude.”

A note verbale is a piece of diplomatic correspondence prepared in the third person, an informal message used in diplomacy.

It is said that Mr Girmony, during the meeting, revealed that Government and UNAIDS had agreed to spend a $93 million grant on drug procurement.

“This is the moment that the new UNAIDS country director virtually exposed the British underhand efforts to sabotage Government programmes, especially in the health sector,” the sources said.

“Mr Girmony revealed during the meeting that the British, through the DFID, were against the agreement between Government and UNAIDS and was influencing the sponsoring of non-governmental organisations against supporting the use of the remaining fund for the drug procurement.”

The interference by the British means Zimbabwe cannot use the $93 million for the purchase of critical drugs.

DIFD has urged the donor to divert the funds to French NGOs instead of assisting the Zimbabwean Government in the health sector.

UNAIDS cannot proceed with the programme without the concurrence of the sponsoring NGOs.

“Moves by the DFID to influence sponsoring NGOs to veto the idea and transfer the money meant for drugs procurement tremendously affects the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s efforts to equip our health institutions,” the sources said.

Government recently announced that it had saved about $180 million from its initially allocated budget to fight HIV and aids, tuberculosis and malaria between 2014 and 2017.

While it was not clear whether the $93 million being withheld through the British influence was part of the $180 million, Zimbabwe was allocated $311 million to fight the above mentioned diseases for a period of three years.

The savings have been attributed to the drop in drug prices.

Government had intended to re-channel the $138 million towards other interventions.

The Global Fund in Zimbabwe, a major contributor in the fight against the three diseases, had urged Government to re-prioritise its needs and apply for approval from the Global Fund to avoid returning the savings.

Mr Makunde

Lovemore Meya and Nyemudzai Kakore
Chitungwiza Municipality has set aside $5 040 travelling and subsistence allowances for the five-member independent tribunal that will deal with corruption allegations levelled against suspended councillors today. Town clerk Mr George Makunde told the caretaker commission running Chitungwiza that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing had appointed the independent tribunal.

“Please be advised that the case of the 25 suspended councillors for Chitungwiza Municipality shall be heard before the independent tribunal from July 27 to September 29,” reads part of the letter.

“In this case, there is need to prepare travelling subsistence’s allowance for the members, fuel, as well as stationery, inclusive of bond paper, counter books and pens.

“The members are Mrs Virginia Mudimu (chairperson), Mrs A Karonga, Mr L Muzondo, Mr T Chin’anga (secretary), Mr L Dzivamakwara (recorder or translator), Mr G Wanyuji and Mr Muchini. The travelling and subsistence allowances rates shall be as per circular number 12, 2016 given referenced HC/7.

“For avoidance of doubt, the rates are as follows; out of pocket allowance $10 per 24-hour period, unproved breakfast $10, unproved lunch $20 and unproved dinner $25.”

Mr Makunde had to seek the commission’s approval on Tuesday, saying they had since prepared a budget.

“What we have done chairman (Mr Madzudzo Pawadyira) in preparation is that we need to have a meeting with the tribunal to agree on the logistics,” he said.

“First of all, fuel allocation, secondly, how we are going to pay their subsistence allowances as per the letter and also their other requirements.

“The hearing will be here in the council chambers and as a temporary measure, we have set aside 100 litres of fuel from the day they are commencing. We have been advised that there will be five people, each person a vehicle and possibly two others are going to combine.

“We have also set aside their subsistence allowances as unproved breakfast $1 680, unproved lunches $3 360 and the total is $5 040. For unproved dinners and out-of-pocket allowances, these will be processed as when and necessary and claim forms shall be devised for use.”

Suspended Chitungwiza councillors will answer to corruption allegations involving allocating themselves tracts of land worth over $7 million.

The councillors are accused of being involved in the sale of land for personal gain and were exposed by an internal audit.

According to letters written to all the councillors, they will appear before the tribunal in the council boardroom.

The letters specified that all the councillors were entitled to legal representation of their choice at the hearing if they so wished.

Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Cde Saviour Kasukuwere suspended the entire council of 14 MDC-T councillors, including the mayor Phillip Mutoti and 11 Zanu-PF councillors.

Minister Kasukuwere said from the poor management exhibited, he had no alternative, but to take stern measures “which should bring the municipality into line with norms and standards of sound local governance”.

After the suspensions, Minister Kasukuwere gave the councillors seven days to prove their innocence.

All of them challenged their suspensions, prompting Minister Kasukuwere to engage the services of the Judicial Services Commission to appoint a the tribunal to carry out disciplinary hearings.

First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter—
FIRST Lady Amai Amai Grace Mugabe has challenged women to take part in nation-building, saying the country can only be developed by its citizens. Amai Mugabe said this while officiating at the Today’s Woman Interdenominational Conference founded by Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa Archbishop Dr Eunor Guti in Harare yesterday. “I wish to appeal to the women of Zimbabwe to join hands and help build the nation of Zimbabwe,” she said.

“I always hear people talk about the Zimbabwe we want, but the Zimbabwe we want can only be built by us.
“We all have a role to play and it’s us, only us who can transform Zimbabwe.”

Amai Mugabe urged women to share ideas and influence Government policy.
“Let us be agents of positive change through the cross pollination of ideas,” she said.

“A collection of ideas that emerge from such gatherings has the potential to influence policy frameworks that in turn can sustain national economies. As women of prayer, we must be seen to influence the world if we are to become true ambassadors of Christ, who described us as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The success we post and the milestones we achieve as today’s women, must be the necessary anecdotes that compel society to emulate our exemplary lives.”

Amai Mugabe commended organisers of the conference, saying such efforts could transform nations and make the world a better place.
She urged Zimbabweans to be thankful to God for the peace prevailing in the country.

“My word of encouragement to you all is that there is great hope for our nation as evidenced by the divine peace that prevails in Zimbabwe and the region at large,” said Amai Mugabe.

“We must be thankful to God for his blessings and continue to give glory to him.”
The conference is running under the theme, “A Year of Having, but You Need a Clean Heart First.”

“This prophetic theme rings true to our current situation in the agricultural sector, where as a country we are enjoying a bumper harvest,” said Amai Mugabe.
“It is a blessing from God to have men and women who prophesy and their prophecies do come to pass.

“Indeed, our faithful farmers had clean hearts and they honestly committed all the acquired inputs to production and they yielded remarkable success.”

Amai Mugabe urged women to be resilient in the face of adversity and to take advantage of the opportunities availed by President Mugabe to empower them.

“Never give up as women, wake up early as a woman and work for your children and don’t just depend on men,” she said.

“Our President has given us opportunities to do as men do, especially in the field of education. Let’s ensure that our children, especially the girl child, (are educated) because if you educate the girl child, you have educated the whole village.”

Amai Mugabe said women had a key role in moulding characters of their children and urged them to teach them, especially girls, the dangers of engaging in pre-marital sex, having affairs with older men and drug and alcohol abuse.

The First Lady also said she was human like everyone else and urged women to continue praying for her so that she remains an exemplary mother of the nation.
“As the First Lady, I am as human as you are and when you see me err, don’t hesitate to tell me,” she said.

“I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

“If you hear me saying things that are uncouth or un-First Lady like, please ndidzorei. The position of First Lady is important because I see myself as a representative of all women in this country.

“I always have that in mind in whatever I do. I don’t want to embarrass the women in this country, I want to be diligent and to be prayerful as the mother of this nation.”

The conference is also being attended by various international delegates.

Watkinson’s argument was that this could be used “as a way of relieving the people from the ignominy of heathenism”, itself a barbaric practice where the presence of God, and the need to worship him, did not exist in their lives.

The phrase, “In God We Trust,’’ has been the official United States motto, since its adoption in 1956, when it replaced the old one, “El pluribus unum”, which had been in existence since 1782 when the Great Seal of the US was created.

Such is its enduring appeal, and acceptance, that it cuts across religions — from Christianity to Judaism and from Hindus to Muslims — found in Psalms and Proverbs in the Bible, in two places in the Koran and in Islam it’s referred to as Tawakkul.

Many American public schools displayed framed posters of the motto, “In God We Trust”, after the 9 /11 terrorist attacks and in a number of states in America — including North and South Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Florida, Arizona — you can use it on special vehicle licence plates.

Given that the US currency has been a big part of us since our Zimbabwe dollar was forced out of circulation, to take a sabbatical, by the pressure of hyperinflation, I guess a lot of you guys have got used to seeing the phrase “In God We Trust” on the money in your wallets, pockets or when you make your transactions.

For Khama Billiat, the phrase “In God We Trust” has provided a shield for him, an escape from the storm triggered by reports in the South African media in the past week, where his image has been tainted by a graphic painting of him as someone who is allergic to the virtues of professionalism.

The South African media vultures have been all over him, feasting on a character which they claim is critically flawed, a prisoner to the lure of alcohol he even allegedly comes to training hopelessly drunk after partying all night the previous day.

In just a week, we have seen Khama being transformed from the Golden Boy, who was the face of the South African Premiership last year when he scooped all the top awards at the annual ceremony to honour the best footballer plying his trade in that country, into the ultimate Bad Boy of Super Diski.

The Super Diski version of Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne, the England superstar midfielder whose life and career were ruined by alcohol abuse and other vices, an athlete who isn’t only an insult to the professionalism expected of a player of his status, but one whose wild lifestyle is a cancer that should be removed from their game before it poisons their kids.

That’s why we have seen some of the newspapers championing the campaign, this week, for Khama to be sold, cast away somewhere in Saudi Arabia or Egypt, far away from their Mzansi, the land of the upright, the land where only model foreign footballers should be given the permit to play on their green football fields, dripping with purity, where monsters like Khama are a curse that should be exorcised.

With no public support coming from his club, Khama has been vulnerable and, in such a very difficult week, he has turned to an American motto hoping to find divine defence amid this media blitzkrieg.

And each and every message he has posted on his social media platforms has been attached with the phrase, “In God We Trust”, even turning to King David’s prayer in the book of Psalms for the Lord to look at his soul and remind him if, indeed, he was messing things up as was being suggested by those who have dedicated pages to his demonisation.

I AM NOT KHAMA’s ADVOCATE, BUT SOMETHING JUST DOESN’T ADD UP FOR ME

Khama’s attachment with negativity, from all those stories about his romantic associations with raunchy dancer Bev and being robbed at gunpoint in a shop in the early hours of the day when model professionals are expected to be in bed, have not helped the cause of those who have tried to jump to his defence.

I’m not Khama’s advocate because, unlike Peter Ndlovu, Moses Chunga or Benjani Mwaruwari, he isn’t someone I know very well even though my admiration for his unique talent knows no boundaries and my belief of his immense value to our Warriors’ cause has and will never be shaken.

It’s difficult for me to provide judgment on him as a person because, away from the football ring, I haven’t interacted with him a lot to provide me with enough material to have an informed position on how he is away from the spotlight that comes with the moments he spends on the football field either representing my country or his club.

Given he is someone who represents the Warriors with distinction, playing a leading role in the team — and by extension my country — as we ended a decade of waiting for a place at the Nations Cup finals, he is someone I have always wished well in his football career.

I am not a Mamelodi Sundowns fan in a league where no club appeals to me because of my preference for substance instead of theatre and for quality instead of comedy, but forced to find some remote love in Super Diski, I would grudgingly find it in the camp of the old lady called Orlando Pirates.

However, Khama’s magical feet — and Pitso Mosimane’s refreshing and successful mission to prove that African coaches aren’t inferior to their European or South American counterparts — has made me find a reason to celebrate the Brazilians’ success.

What I find a bit ironic, though, is the striking coincidence between the explosion of all these so-called dark chapters of Khama’s indiscretions and our Warrior’s refusal to be bullied into signing a contract extension at Sundowns.

The silence from his club who, ordinarily would be expected to support him, has fuelled speculation that this smear campaign is all part of a grand hatchet job from inside Mamelodi Sundowns to significantly damage Khama’s reputation or remind him who calls the shots in Mzansi football.

THE TOUCH OF INNOCENCE . . .

These two vintage pictures of Knowledge Musona (left) and Khama Billiat during their schoolboy days are worth their price in gold

By standing his ground and exercising his rights it means, six months from now, he will be able to talk to potential suitors without them breaking any rules and regulations related to player transfers.

It also means he won’t be burdened by the weight of the crazy buyout clause that has turned him into a virtual prisoner at Sundowns and frustrated potential suitors who could have long plucked him out of Super Diski.

It also means his handlers can also negotiate a deal for himself with a potential suitor who doesn’t need to pay the repulsive buyout clause come July next year?

Of course, that amount is nothing for someone like Patrice Motsepe, the billionaire owner of Sundowns, but for those who earn their living telling the big boss that they have everything under control, employed specifically to ensure star players like Khama don’t get to the last six months without their contracts being extended, it means the world.

Will they tell the big boss that they slept on duty and the prized asset can now simply wait for the end of his contact and escape from the bondage that had characterised his stay with the club and make a lot of money for himself without the team being principal negotiators to where he goes from now onwards?

In South Africa that is dereliction of duty and some people have paid for that with their lives.

Why, I may ask, is that it has become common that any good player, deemed as a special investment by Sundowns, cannot divorce himself from the club without the process turning into a messy affair?

It was the same story with Keagan Dolly when he was courted by a Greek club before he eventually moved to France this year with Sundowns even claiming, at some stage, they had made an error in the buyout clause in the contract that they had signed with the player.

“When they were interested in Keagan‚ we as a family really didn’t want him to go back to Sundowns. Because we had struggled to get him out of Sundowns when he was a junior‚” Ramon Dolly, Keagan’s father, told the SABC at the height of the dispute.

Now, if a club as big as Sundowns, can have the temerity to tell the world that they made a mistake in the buyout figure they inserted in the contract they signed with a player like Dolly, when he tells them he wants to move, what else can they do — using friendly media organisations — to inflict considerable damage on a stubborn foreign boy who is refusing to be bullied?

Khama clearly isn’t a saint, but I don’t think he is the kind of devil they are portraying him to be either and it’s sad that, right now, he is the victim of a relentless and well-oiled machine that will batter him, from all angles, until he is either whipped into line — to sing the master’s song — or suffer severe reputational damage.

That is why, unlike others, we chose not to carry the stories coming from South Africa without testing them.

IF KHAMA IS A DEVIL, WHAT ABOUT WARNER, ROOT, GERRARD AND COMPANY?

At 2am on June 13, 2013, in the Walkabout Bar in central Birmingham, Australian cricketer David Warner punched his English counterpart Joe Root in an altercation which the former claimed was sparked by the latter insulting Muslims, especially South African batsman Hashim Amla’s beard.

The cricketers had been drinking, in those early hours, and the incident made front page news in both the British and Australian newspapers.

Exactly two years later, in August 2015, Warner — who was accused of starting that infamous fracas — was appointed the vice-captain of the Australia cricket team, a position he still holds up today.

Four years after that incident, on February 13 this year, Root was appointed captain of the England cricket team.

“That incident did make me reassess things a bit,” Root told the Daily Mail. “You learn from those experiences and you try to make sure you don’t put yourself or your team-mates in similar scenarios.

“I still like to think I have a pretty good laugh with the other guys in the dressing room and still enjoy a beer and the odd night out. You have to enjoy winning and being part of a successful team, just being a young bloke.”

On 29 December, 2008, Liverpool star Steven Gerrard was arrested outside the Lounge Inn in Southport and charged, along with two others, with assault causing actual bodily harm after an attack, in a bar, which left a disc jockey with a broken tooth and cuts to his forehead.

Gerrard, the former England captain and one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players, who had been drinking in the bar, is said to have been angered by the DJ’s refusal to play a particular song that he wanted.

He faced the possibility of five years in prison, if convicted, and although CCTV footage showed him delivering a series of punches at the DJ Marcus McGhee, a Manchester United fan, Gerrard pleaded not guilty saying he only hit him in self defence.

The jury acquitted him and, a few months later, he was named captain of the England football team.

The point I am making here is that while we expect, or probably demand, model footballers and sportspersons because they should set examples for our kids, it doesn’t always work that way because these guys are also human.

It’s not like I’m a supporter of footballers, or sportsmen, who frequent bars and fight in nightclubs.

But I am saying before we shouldn’t be selective in our condemnation of them, suggesting that Khama is the worst devil the game has ever known, and conveniently forgetting that better and higher profile players have done worse things than this boy and didn’t get half the savage media treatment our Warrior is getting in South Africa today.

After all, unlike Stevie G, Khama — who has this week been portrayed as probably the worst monster ever to roam a football field — has never been arrested for fighting in a bar, or dragged to court to answer charges of inflicting serious bodily harm on his victim.

If Khama is such a monster, then why did the same people who are today scavenging on his character, seemingly turn a blind eye when one of them, Jabu “Pule’’ Mahlangu was being devoured by alcohol while being portrayed as a model superstar on their back pages?

“I’ve never shied away from the fact that I come from a background of alcoholics. Alcohol was part of my life . . . fact,” said Mhlangu, in a refreshingly frank interview.

“I didn’t drink because I became famous, noooo. I grew up drinking while I was becoming famous.’’

What about Lovers Mohlala, what about Steve Lekoelea, what about Masibusane Zongo, the one they told us had the wizardry of Cristiano Ronaldo, what about Mbulelo Mabizela, the one who once played for Tottenham before it started going downhill?

They will probably say they don’t want it to happen to Khama too, fair and fine, but why extend that touch of concern now — given they are telling us he was having similar problems even during his days at Ajax — when the boy has chosen to stand up against the Sundowns’ machinery?

It just doesn’t add up, if you ask me, and I might be wrong — which is human — but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I won’t join that Zimbabwean, in a comment on Khama’s Facebook post this week, described him as a Malawian simply because some sections of the South African media have ganged up against him.

Keep praying Khama, the Devil is a Liar and, you right mate, In God We Trust!

To God Be The Glory

Come on Warriors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Khamaldinhoooooooooooooooo!

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Moses Chunga

THE Young Warriors ended their nightmarish 2017 Cosafa Under-17 Cup adventure in Mauritius without a single point to their credit after losing all their three group matches. Coach Moses Chunga and his team made up of schoolboys received a reality check as they slumped to defeats at the hands of Mauritius, Malawi and Botswana, scoring just one goal in 270 minutes of action.

After the Warriors’ breathtaking success story at the 2017 Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup, expectations among the majority of Zimbabwean football fans were that the Young Warriors would also roar in Mauritius and win the tournament.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of that success story scripted by coach Rodwell Dhlakama and his charges at the same tournament where we fielded a team that featured players like Knowledge Musona, now the Warriors captain.

However, the Class of 2017 were no match for their opponents in Mauritius and slumped to a 0-5 thrashing at the hands of Malawi, in their second game, lost 1-2 to Botswana who came from behind to win the match and fell 0-1 to hosts Mauritius.

The Mauritians will now play for the gold medal against Zambia after they shocked South Africa 2-0 in their semi-final yesterday.

Chunga said, before his troops played Malawi, he feared for the worst because he claimed the opponents were older than his charges and did not, on face value, appear to be under the 17-year threshold.

His remarks coincided with reports from Zambia claiming that some of the players sent to the championships were older than 17 years and should not have been part of the tournament.

The Zambians were disqualified from last year’s Cosafa Under-17 Cup after the organisers established that they had fielded over-aged players.

A team photo of the Zambian side that is currently in Mauritius has gone viral across Southern Africa amid calls for the Cosafa leadership to take a stance on some players which many feel are over 17.

While we always believe that every national team that represents us, in whatever battle, should strive to win, we tend to agree with the approach that Chunga took to look for very young players, including some who are under 15, for this mission in Mauritius.

The Cosafa Under-17 Championships is a developmental tournament and while winning it brings bragging rights, the real motive should always be to introduce our youngsters to the challenges of playing football at such a level.

And Chunga’s decision to go for genuine young players might not have reaped immediate benefits for us in Mauritius but, in the long run, it could be more beneficial for our football than those who chose to cheat their way to glory this year.

As long as we keep these young players together and ensure they continue getting expert coaching, we could be building a strong platform for a competitive future Warriors side with these players graduating, in the next four or so years, into our senior team.

We shouldn’t join the bandwagon of those who want to cheat their way to success because such a formula only brings short-term success.

The world has always wondered why African nations, notably Nigeria and Ghana, do very well at the Fifa World Under-17 and Fifa World Under-20 Championships, which representatives of this continent have won on a number of occasions, but never replicate that form when it comes to the Fifa World Cup for senior players.

Critics have always argued that the reason why African nations do well at these youth tournaments is because most of them tend to field players who are older than their opponents.

And, when the playing field is levelled, at the senior Fifa World Cup, everything changes and that is why we have never seen an African side qualifying for the semi-finals of this tournament while our junior sides have been regular winners in the age-group tournaments.

Where do the players who shine so brightly at the age-group tournaments go?

The answer is that, since they are already old by the time they are fielded in the age-group tournaments, they don’t develop as expected while those countries from Europe and South America, who field young players, reap the huge dividends that come with exposing the right age-groups in the right tournaments.

Chunga has a vision, we saw it when he started his Kidznet project with Dynamos at the turn of the millennium, and we should trust him to continue shepherding our Young Warriors, irrespective of the results in Mauritius because, in the long run, our football will be the winner.

Those who are criticising Chunga forget that, for about four years now, we have not been taking part in these tournaments and the coach had to start from scratch and he made the right decision to go with the youths who represent the future for this game.

Caribbea Bay Resort

Lifestyle Writer
The breeze from Lake Kariba sifts through rooms at Caribbea Bay Resort to announce the arrival of a new day.

The resort, which is on the shores of the Lake is one of the popular accommodation destinations for tourists that favour this part of the country which offers various lifestyle and leisure activities.

Singing birds jovially welcome the new day as other animals close to the resort also announce they have had another day added to their lives by the Almighty.

Baboons stroll in a nearby bush and they seem keen to check on the guests at the resort as they keep going up and down trees peeping towards the hotel.

The sounds and sights are refreshing.

As guests start their day with different activities that include morning walks, visits to the gym and going for breakfast, activity in the waters that seem to spread endlessly also peaks.

Throughout the night, the waters, which appeared like a dark cloud spread on the ground, were dotted with lights as house-boats, boats of fisherman and security patrollers littered the Lake.

A houseboat on Lake Kariba

A new night visitor to the Lake could mistake the dotted lights to a location of scattered human habitats.

But on this early morning, as the boats start making their ways to the shore, the picture completely changes.

Now, the lights and dark ground cloud have become moving white objects that slowly sail on blue surface — the water. What a beautiful morning!

Outdoor activity at Caribbea Bay Resort also peaks as some guests go for early morning photo-shoots by the lakeside.

The resort, which is under Africa Sun, is currently undergoing refurbishments. The first phase was to give the outside of the hotel an exciting facelift and the second one, with attention to rooms has just begun.

The temperatures are usually high in this part of the country, but this particular winter morning promises a fine day.

It is not cold. Just a favourable weather and staffers at the resort concur that this is one of good days in Kariba.

“The weather will be fine today. Usually the sunrise comes with rapidly rising temperatures and this breeze today shows that it will not be a hot day. It has been like this for a few days now and people that have visited the place in this period have been luck to experience such weather.

“However, even if it is hot, people will always cool themselves on boat cruises and in swimming pools,” narrates one of the staffers. And talking about boat cruises, some people are already making their way to a boat on the edge of the Lake to go for a morning cruise. Few people enjoy this early cruise because most guests like to be on the waters at sunset. The sunset cruise is the most popular as it brings classic experience of seeing the sun gradually descending as if it is sinking in the endless waters, colouring the surface orange and giving tourists the best photo shoot background.

On good days when there are many people around, boat operators make good business with sunset cruises. Many boats from other hotels and lodges dotted on the shores of Lake Kariba compete to bid the sun farewell everyday as they embark on sunset cruises.

It is one of the activities that attract people to the Lake.

The Lake that remains one of dream destinations for domestic and international tourists.

As our crew learnt later that day, the boats can only go as far as mid-lake because the waters belong to two countries.

“An invisible border, directed with distant islands separate Zimbabwe from Zambia.

“We can only go as far as this island,” one of the waiters on the boat announces as we embarked on a sunset cruise.

“The other part belongs to Zambia and we cannot encroach into their territory without permission.”

Still the experience if fascinating because the cruise can go for about two hours as people enjoy sailing on the vast waters.

The upper part of the boat is the music section and the DJ selects various songs to people that dance and enjoy their drinks.

The lower part is a bit relaxed. People at this bottom section prefer to enjoy the waves and admiring nature.

The sun begins to set as the boat makes its way back to the shore and it is time for photo-shoots.

The distant sun fascinates tourists as it ‘sinks into water’. Such is the way that tourists usually end their outdoor day activities at Lake Kariba. But, besides the activities in the Lake, others prefer to cool down in ‘minute lakes’ — the swimming pools — that are at most accommodation facilities in Kariba. At Caribbea Bay, they have two of them. One at the foot of the structure and another overlooking the lake.

And away from these ‘big and small’ waters, Kariba also offers off-lake activities. The most popular of the activities are game drives. People enjoy seeing different animals in the game park and the most popular game drives also come towards sunset.

Animals like elephants, leopards, lions, elands, zebras and warthogs among others are found in the game park and the environment in the forest is also refreshing.

One operator of cruises and game drives, Sunset Safaris, has been in the industry for a long time and they shared their experiences with our team.

“People that come here for many days want to experience boat cruises and game drives. We take people on exciting experiences in water and on the land. We have had many tourists that come here several times and can never have enough of Kariba. Indeed this is one of the best destinations in the country and we will try our best to give people best services,” said Crabbie Mukwesha of Sunset Safaris.

Commenting on leisure and tourism in Kariba, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority head of corporate affairs Sugar Chagonda said people should go and enjoy best services provided by tourism operators in the tourist resort.

“There are so many activities offered in Kariba. Most people enjoy activities on the Lake and others also like wildlife on the land. We have some of the best service operators in Kariba and people can get more information from our offices here in Harare or in Kariba. We have a rich database of tourism operators in Kariba,” said Chagonda.

“We encourage local tourists to visit this destination. Domestic tourism is on the rise and we encourage people to enjoy fascinating natural wonders of their country. Anyone who has visited Kariba will tell you that Zimbabwe is one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”