Category: zimbabwe

In a development that has ignited significant debate across Harare and Nairobi, controversial Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo has emerged as a central figure in a colossal Sh375 billion (approximately US$2.9 billion) expansion project for Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). This unexpected involvement has raised numerous questions, particularly given Chivayo’s well-documented history and flamboyant lifestyle […]

The post Wicknell Chivayo’s Sh375 billion Kenyan “Heist”: How the Tycoon Sneaked into JKIA’s Massive Airport Deal first appeared on My Zimbabwe News.

Zimbabwe has surpassed last season’s winter wheat planting record, with more than 123,000 hectares already planted as of June 14, placing the country on track to achieve its national target of 125,000 hectares as the extended planting deadline comes to an end.

The achievement marks another significant milestone in the country’s drive towards food security and wheat self-sufficiency, despite challenges posed by delayed land preparation and global input supply constraints.

Traditionally, winter wheat planting closes on May 31 to ensure crops are established under optimal growing conditions ahead of harvest. However, prolonged wet weather delayed the summer harvesting season and slowed land preparation, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development to extend the planting deadline to June 15.

Speaking during a tour of winter wheat fields in Goromonzi yesterday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Obert Jiri, said the extension had helped maintain planting momentum and positioned farmers to exceed last season’s performance.

“We have surpassed what we achieved last season. Last season we ended on 122,000 hectares. This year already, by the 14th of June, we had surpassed 123,000 hectares,” said Prof Jiri.

“We anticipated that by the 15th of June we would be able to hit our 125,000-hectare target, which is very much within reach.”

During the tour, Prof Jiri visited Springs Farm in Goromonzi, owned by Mr Joseph Macheka, where 60 hectares of wheat have been established under a centre-pivot irrigation system.

He revealed that more than 128,000 hectares had been registered by farmers for planting this season, demonstrating strong confidence in the wheat production programme despite challenges affecting agricultural inputs and global supply chains.

Prof Jiri attributed the progress to the resilience of farmers and the support provided by key institutions and stakeholders.

“We would want to emphasise that it is through the resilience of our farmers and through the cooperation of our partners, Zesa, Zinwa and other stakeholders who contributed to this wheat strategy, that this has been achieved,” he said.

The Agriculture Ministry said Zimbabwe’s grain security outlook remains stable, supported by healthy stocks held in the Strategic Grain Reserve, which continue to provide a buffer against potential supply disruptions.

Prof Jiri also dismissed concerns over possible increases in the prices of bread and mealie meal, saying the country’s grain reserves remain adequate to support national requirements.

Meanwhile, grain deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) are reportedly ahead of last year’s levels, signalling improved agricultural productivity and a stronger harvest outlook.

“These figures were taken before the close of the planting day, with mop-up planting still ongoing in some areas as farmers were finalising establishment under irrigation,” said Prof Jiri.

“We are confident that these final mop-up efforts will meet or even surpass the 125,000-hectare national target once all submissions have been fully captured and verified.”

The final winter wheat planting figures are expected to be released after the completion of a nationwide verification and collation process.

Zimbabwe has increasingly relied on winter wheat production to reduce imports and strengthen domestic food security, with successive years of strong planting performance helping the country move closer to self-sufficiency in wheat production.

Source – The Herald

The post Zimbabwe farmers surpass wheat planting record appeared first on The Zimbabwe Mail.

GENEVA — A World Cup video review official said his hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign was caused by an involuntary twitch, and a FIFA committee concluded the Australian didn’t breach the sport’s disciplinary code.

FIFA’s discrimination monitor had called for Shaun Evans to be removed from the tournament.

Evans worked Germany’s opening 7-1 win over Curaçao on Sunday as an assistant to the video assistant referee, based at the World Cup broadcast center in Dallas. When the official broadcast cut before the game to show the video review officials, Evans made an “OK” symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg.

“I did not intentionally make a hand gesture or symbol to communicate a message, affiliation, game or belief of any kind,” Evans said in a statement released Monday by FIFA. “The only explanation I can offer is that the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch and I was unaware I had done it at the time. Images taken later during the match showed that I repeated this movement many times while holding a pen between my fingers.”

In 2019, the gesture — with thumb and forefinger touching in a circle and other fingers outstretched — was designated a hate symbol by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League.

“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” said the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European soccer body UEFA that monitors racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games.

“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” Fare said in its statement, describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi.”

Evans is working at his second World Cup, and it was his first game of this year’s tournament.

“FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee can confirm that, after looking into the matter involving support video assistant referee Shaun Evans, it has found no evidence of breaches of the FIFA disciplinary code,” the FIFA panel said in a statement. “The disciplinary committee has also taken note of Mr. Evans’ statement.”

The gesture was appropriated a decade ago as a signal for white supremacy that started as a hoax on the far-right online message board 4chan.

“Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” Fare said. “We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.”

The sign sparked global attention in March 2019 in New Zealand after it was made during the first court appearance by the white supremacist shooter who killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch.

Later in 2019 when the sign was designated as a hate symbol, Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Center on Extremism, said context is key to interpreting whether an “OK” symbol is hateful or harmless.

At the time, he said: “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”

Evans is among 30 video review analysts selected by FIFA to work at this year’s World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“The coverage following this incident simply does not reflect who I am,” Evans said. “Of course, I understand how the gesture has been interpreted and I regret this, however I want to be very clear and categorically say that I did not knowingly or deliberately make the hand symbol suggested. Officiating at the World Cup is the biggest honor of my career and I look forward to supporting my colleagues for the rest of the tournament.”

Australia’s Professional Football Referees Association said it welcomed the outcome of FIFA’s review.

Evans, a referee in Australia’s top-flight competition since 2012, “has consistently represented the values expected of football officials: professionalism, respect and integrity,” the PRFA said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

“The PFRA celebrates diversity across football and unequivocally rejects racism, discrimination and extremist ideology in all forms,” the statement said. “We acknowledge Shaun’s public statement, in which he addressed the matter directly, and we recognize the importance of fairness, context and due process when concerns are raised.”

Source: AP

The post World Cup official says twitch caused gesture resembling supremacist sign; FIFA says no breach appeared first on The Zimbabwe Mail.

A Harare magistrate has dismissed an application by Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries founder and leader Walter Magaya to have his rape case referred to the Constitutional Court.

Magaya, who denies the allegations against him, had argued that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was infringing his right to a fair trial by continuing with charges linked to complainants whom he claimed had withdrawn their complaints between 2013 and 2018.

However, Harare magistrate Francis Mapfumo ruled that the application did not raise any constitutional issues requiring the intervention of the Constitutional Court and dismissed the request.

The application arose during proceedings in which Magaya challenged amendments made to the charge outline and witness statements. Through his lawyer, Admire Rubaya, he argued that investigators had improperly altered evidence.

During cross-examination, the investigating officer acknowledged making changes to one complainant’s affidavit but told the court that the amendments were intended to clarify information obtained during the investigation.

Magaya maintained that his constitutional rights had been violated and argued that the State should not proceed with the prosecution where some complainants had allegedly withdrawn their complaints.

The court also heard evidence relating to the collection of DNA samples from Magaya. The investigating officer said police obtained a warrant authorising his removal from prison for the procedure.

The defence, however, is challenging the process, alleging that Magaya was taken for sampling without his legal representatives being present.

Magaya is accused of raping women from among his congregants, allegations he has consistently denied.

He is also facing a separate rape case before Magistrate Esthere Chivasa. Proceedings in that matter were stayed after the High Court upheld his challenge against a ruling that the case be heard in a Victim Friendly Court.

More: NewsDay

The post Magistrate Dismisses Magaya’s Application To Have Rape Case Referred To Constitutional Court appeared first on The Zimbabwe Mail.

LAGOS / WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised concerns that the rapid rise of dollar-linked digital currencies in Nigeria could gradually weaken demand for the naira and complicate the country’s monetary policy framework, even as digital assets reshape how money moves across Africa’s largest economy.

The warning comes amid a surge in the use of stablecoins—digital tokens pegged to the U.S. dollar—for payments, remittances, and cross-border trade, with Nigeria emerging as one of the world’s most active cryptocurrency markets.

According to IMF-cited data, Nigeria recorded an estimated US$59 billion in crypto-asset inflows between July 2023 and June 2024, reflecting the scale of digital finance activity flowing through smartphones, crypto wallets and decentralised platforms.

The Fund notes that Nigeria accounts for roughly 60% of stablecoin inflows into sub-Saharan Africa, underscoring its dominant position in the region’s fast-growing digital payments ecosystem alongside markets such as South Africa.

Stablecoins—digital currencies designed to maintain a fixed value, typically pegged to the U.S. dollar—have become increasingly popular in Nigeria due to persistent inflation, foreign exchange shortages and volatility in the naira.

Unlike highly volatile cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, stablecoins offer users price stability, making them attractive for everyday transactions, savings, and cross-border payments.

For millions of users, they are now functioning as a parallel payment system. Freelancers receiving international payments, importers sourcing goods, students paying foreign tuition fees and small businesses managing supply chains are increasingly bypassing traditional banking rails in favour of faster, cheaper digital dollar transfers.

A growing number of transactions are now executed within minutes via mobile devices, significantly reducing reliance on formal foreign exchange channels and conventional remittance networks.

The IMF, however, warns that this shift could have unintended macroeconomic consequences if left unchecked.

“While stablecoins can improve payment efficiency, lower transaction costs and improve financial inclusion, the increasing use of U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoins raises risks to monetary sovereignty, capital flow management and financial stability,” the IMF said in its latest assessment of Nigeria’s economy.

The concern centres on what economists describe as “digital dollarisation”—a process in which households and firms increasingly hold and transact in dollar-denominated digital assets rather than the local currency.

In such a scenario, demand for the naira could weaken over time, potentially reducing the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ability to influence liquidity conditions and steer the economy through interest rate policy.

Nigeria’s adoption curve reflects broader global trends. A February 2026 survey by YouGov, BVNK, Coinbase and Artemis found that Nigeria and South Africa are among the fastest-growing markets for stablecoin usage worldwide, driven largely by demand for cheaper cross-border payments and protection against currency depreciation.

The survey also revealed that 95% of Nigerian respondents would prefer to receive payments in stablecoins rather than in naira, highlighting the extent of trust erosion in the domestic currency among digital-first users.

Globally, stablecoins have evolved into a market exceeding US$300 billion, dominated by dollar-pegged tokens such as Tether and USD Coin, and increasingly integrated into cross-border payment ecosystems.

The World Bank, cited in IMF analysis, estimates that sending US$200 to sub-Saharan Africa still costs around 9% in transaction fees—well above the global average of 6%—a gap that stablecoins are rapidly filling.

For policymakers, however, the innovation brings a regulatory dilemma: how to support financial technology growth without undermining monetary control and financial oversight.

Nigeria previously adopted a restrictive stance on cryptocurrencies in 2021, pushing much of the sector into peer-to-peer markets after banking restrictions limited formal crypto transactions. Since then, authorities have gradually shifted toward a more structured regulatory approach.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has introduced frameworks for digital asset service providers and is exploring oversight mechanisms for stablecoin-related activities, signalling a move toward partial formalisation of the sector.

The IMF is now urging deeper coordination between the Central Bank of Nigeria and capital market regulators to ensure digital assets are brought fully within the country’s regulatory perimeter.

Analysts say Nigeria’s challenge mirrors that of other emerging economies: balancing innovation-driven financial inclusion with the need to preserve currency stability and effective monetary policy transmission in an increasingly digital financial system.

The post IMF flags rising stablecoin use in Nigeria as potential threat to naira stability appeared first on The Zimbabwe Mail.