Bulawayo Bureau
PARTIES in the inclusive Government did not sign the Global Political Agreement for a new Constitution, but to pave way for an undisputed election result, President Mugabe has said.

Addressing the belated 2011 Annual Chiefs’ Conference at the Large City Hall here yesterday, the President said the parties wanted to deal with issues of alleged violence in the 2008 elections.

“The quarrel that led us into the Global Poli-tical Agreement was not about the Constitution, but it was about allegations of violence in the elections in 2008.
“Our neighbours were saying there was a lot of violence during the elections and we should have another election without violence,” he said.

Herald Reporter
President Mugabe says Zimbabwe will stand by China even when the West denounced the emerging

Bulawayo Bureau
THE annual chiefs conference opened here yesterday with traditional leaders endorsing

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
ZIMPAPERS Talk Radio auditions for radio presenters, disc jockeys and news readers were oversubscribed with over a thousand aspiring broadcasters thronging Alexandra Sports Club in Harare yesterday to try their luck.

A long and winding queue had formed as early as 8am at the sports club.
University students, school leavers and professionals were among the aspiring broadcasters.
Zimpapers group chief operating officer Mr Pikirayi Deketeke said the high turnout was a reflection of people’s confidence in the radio project.

“We are pleased with the turnout which we are using as a barometer for Zimbabweans’ response to the Zimpapers Talk Radio.
“It shows that there is a lot of enthusiasm for the radio,” said Mr Deketeke in an interview.
“We had a lot of people coming as early as 7am and they were from all walks of life, university students, professionals from other fields with a passion for broadcasting.”

The radio station, said Mr Deketeke, will create a platform of broadcasting for those with the passion.
“We will come up with a shortlist of candidates whom we will further train.
“We are looking at as many voices as possible for further shortlisting,” he said.
“We had part of the equipment arriving yesterday and technicians are on site. We are also working with Transmedia, so we are quite on course,” he said.

Herald Reporter
TWO consortiums comprising Zimbabwean and Middle East investors are reportedly bidding to take over the debt-ridden mining giant, RioZim.
One of the consortiums, Raintree, is being bankrolled by white former commercial farmers who are running businesses in the motor and petroleum sectors after their farms were compulsorily acquired for resettlement.

Sources said members of Raintree include ex-Commercial Farmers Union leader Mr Richard Tate, Mr Nigel Earle and Mr Troy Travlos.
All three could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The other group, whose name could not be established, comprises indigenous Zimbabwean businesspeople who have partnered investors from the Middle East.
“This consortium (of Zimbabweans and Middle East investors) is prepared to take over the mining firm and pay off its debts and at the same time inject working capital,” said a source.

The Herald is reliably informed that the bidding for RioZim is being closely monitored by Zimbabwean authorities to see if the takeover conforms with indigenisation regulations.
Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday said the Government was monitoring the developments.
“We are keeping a close eye on the developments at RioZim. That is all I can I say for now,” Minister

Felex Share Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT will deploy psychologists to Yamuranayi Primary School in Mufakose, Harare, to investigate hysteria-linked problems affecting pupils.
There was chaos at the school on Monday after some pupils were hit by hysteria allegedly linked to Satanism.
Some parents and guardians withdrew their children from the school, fearing they would also be affected.

Harare provincial education director Mr Calvin Mazula yesterday said psychologists will visit the school to “look into the issue”.

“Government, through the ministry, has instructed that a team of psychologists visit the school for us to have a clear picture of what is happening,” he said.
“These are the only people who can give professional advice hence our decision to send them. The team would visit the school either today (yesterday) or tomorrow (today). This is an urgent matter and they (psychologists) have to go immediately and we will update you on the developments,” he said.

Mr Mazula said normalcy had since returned to the school and lessons were progressing well.
“The issue was over-dramatised. However, I can confirm that after police controlled the situation, lessons are going on well and there are no reports of further disturbances,” he said.
Commenting on the suspended pupil, Mr Mazula said: “It’s the parent who decided to have her child have a

Sydney Kawadza Assistant News Editor
THE European Union has not completely removed Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa

Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter
COMMUTER omnibus operators and traffic police have resolved to work together to curb corruption

Felex Share Herald Reporter
COPAC co-chairpersons and technical experts have completed reviewing the first draft of the proposed new Constitution.
They are expected to handover the draft to the management committee anytime this week.
The draft contains 18 chapters.
The three Copac co-chairpersons confirmed the development yesterday, saying they will table the draft before a full Constitution Select Committee today.
Copac co-chairperson Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana (Zanu-PF) yesterday said they will today table a “corrected document” before handing it over to the Global Political Agreement negotiators.
This comes amid reports that Copac last week made a raft of changes to the draft Constitution after principal drafters inserted information not solicited from the people.
Principals to the GPA last week gave Copac a two-week ultimatum to complete the process.
“We completed the review of all the chapters yesterday (Monday) and we are left with discussing with other Copac members,” he said. “We will pass it on to the management committee before it is published. That is when those who were making wrong analysis would see what is in.”
Cde Mangwana said outstanding issues will be resolved by the management committee, which was expected to meet yesterday.

Felex Share Herald Reporter
LAST year’s pass rates for Zimsec Ordinary and Advanced Levels improved significantly compared to 2010.
The pass rate for the November results for O-Level improved by four percent, while that for A-Level improved by over 10 percent.
The 2011 national percentage pass rate for O and A-Level stands at 19,50, from 16,50 for the 2010 results.
The pass rate for A-Level increased to 85,25, up from 75,99 in 2010.
St Faith’s High School in Manicaland had the best results for A-Level, followed by Shungu in Midlands and Nyanga high schools in Manicaland respectively.
For O-Level, Nyanga High School was the best-placed school, followed by St Dominics (Chishawasha) and ZRP High School respectively.
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council board chairman Professor Norman Maphosa yesterday said the Grade Seven performance improved by close to four percent, from 25 percent in 2010 to 28,9 percent last year.
He said registered candidates for O-Level went up from 229 522 in 2010 to 241 512 last year. Candidates who sat for A-Level dropped from 27 782 in 2010 to 25 136 last year.
A total of 288 365 candidates registered for Grade Seven examinations last year, down from 303 978 in 2010.
“The O-Level pass rate stands at 19,50 percent last year and the criterion for passing is five subjects or

Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
A CHEGUTU man has been jailed 10 years for illegally reconnecting electricity after he was switched off by Zesa for not paying bills.

Obvious Muposiwa (31) of House Number 2890 ZMDC House, was arrested after two acts of defiance.
Power to his house was disconnected on February 8 and he went on to reconnect as soon as the Zesa worker had left.
Several days later, another Zesa employee discovered that Muposiwa had illegally reconnected electricity supplies.

This prompted the power utility to remove the Miniature Circuit Breaker to ensure power would not be available.
However, this did not deter Muposiwa. He went on to use wires to restore the supplies.
He was arrested and brought before Chegutu magistrate Mr Fabian Feshete who convicted him of destroying or interfering

with Zesa equipment for distributing electricity without authority.

He was convicted on his own plea to the charge.
Mr Feshete slapped Muposiwa with a 10-year mandatory term of imprisonment.

The court could not find special circumstances to warrant the reduction of sentence.
Prosecutor Mr Solomon Kanyoka appeared for the State.
Anyone arrested for possession, stealing or vandalising Zesa Holdings infrastructure can be jailed for not less