Category: zimbabwe

Source: Byo man nabbed for fatal assault of soccer fan -Newsday Zimbabwe

A BULAWAYO man has been nabbed in connection with the fatal assault of a soccer fan outside Babourfields Stadium on September 3.

Police provincial spokesperson Inspector Abdenico Ncube said Bongani Sibanda (31) of New Magwegwe was in detention over the murder of Msilisi Magutshwa (39) of Makokoba.

Ncube said the now-deceased was trying to rescue his friend who was being assaulted by the accused when he met his fate.

“On September 3, the now-deceased was at Barbourfields Stadium watching a football match with his friends when one of his friends was assaulted with a sjambok for pushing the accused person. The now-deceased tried to rescue his friend who was being assaulted by the accused,” Ncube said.

“His condition deteriorated and he was taken to Mpilo Hospital on September 5, where he was admitted as he kept complaining of a severe headache.

“He passed away on  September 13 at 10:20pm. A police report was made and a post-mortem report revealed that he died of assault and head injuries.”

Police received information to the effect that Sibanda, who attacked the now-deceased, was at Mzilikazi rank trying to escape to Nkayi. They acted on the tip-off and managed to arrest him.

When they interviewed him, he admitted to having assaulted Magutshwa and his friend.

In a separate incident,  Mzukhona Ngwenya (35) of Gwabalanda was arrested for the murder of his younger brother Mbongeni Ngwenya (24).

Ncube said the two went home drunk on October 31 and had a misunderstanding which resulted in Mzukhona fatally striking his brother withan iron bar once on the head.

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Source: Con-artists defraud NatPharm -Newsday Zimbabwe

FOUR Harare men appeared before magistrate Dennis Mangosi charged with defrauding the National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe (NatPharm) of medicines worth US$9 600.

Karamayi Mondoka (43), Kudakwashe Mupa (18), Gift Mondoka (35) and Harawa Yavunga (42) were remanded in custody to tomorrow for bail ruling.

Prosecutor Zebediah Bofu said on November 10 at around 4pm, Mupa and Gift acting in connivance went to NatPharm with a fake hospital requisition purportedly from Mt Darwin District Hospital.

It had an issue voucher number dated November 8, 2023.

They tendered their requisition to the dispatch department and their order was processed.

The order was processed and they received 1 008 cycles by 10 cartons levenorgestrol 150mg/ethinylestradiol 30mg tabs (control pills), 100×100 by two cartons of paracetamol 500mg pills and 120 cartons of 10×100 latex examination gloves.

However, an alert NatPharm employee became suspicious and cross-checked with Mt Darwin district pharmacy manager Tendai Mukanya on the authenticity of the voucher.

Mukanya confirmed that it was fake.

Detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics were informed and they arrested Mupa and Gift.

The two implicated their accomplices.

Detectives recovered 36×250 Isoflurane 100%, which is manufactured in Egypt, but is an unregistered medicine in Zimbabwe.

The total value of the recovered drugs was US$9 640.

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Source: Robbers hide in apostolic sect robes –Newsday Zimbabwe

TWO apostolic sect members on Saturday robbed a Midlands man of his vehicle after hiring his vehicle.

Midlands provincial police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko yesterday confirmed the incident that occurred in the Batanai area under Chief Ngungumbane, Mberengwa.

Mahoko said on the day in question, Bright Masukume (34) of Magunje village in Mberengwa received a call from two unknown men who requested to hire his kombi to attend a church gathering in Triangle.

“The complainant drove his black Nissan Caravan registration number AGF2037 from Vurasha, Mataga area to Batanai where he met two men dressed in white garments and he disembarked from the vehicle to finalise the deal,” Mahoko said.

“The two men turned against him and one of them pointed a knife at him while the other drew a machete hidden under his garment and threatened to kill the complainant.”

He said one of the men stabbed Masukume once on the back and he sustained a minor cut.

According to Mahoko, the suspects dragged the complainant into a nearby bush where they tied him to a tree using ropes.

He said they searched the victim and took his cellphone and passport before driving off in his vehicle.

The following morning, passersby discovered Masukume and untied him from the tree before a report was made at Buchwa Police Station.

Mahoko appealed to anyone who might have information on the whereabouts of the two robbers to report at any nearest police station.

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Source: Witness absolves Sikhala –Newsday Zimbabwe

THE trial of former St Mary’s legislator Job Sikhala, in a case in which he is being charged for disorderly conduct continued yesterday with a witness Shupikai Rusere absolving him of wrongdoing.

Rusere told the court that she never saw Sikhala in Zengeza on the day when violence is said to have occurred.

She made the claims before Harare magistrate Yeukai Dzuda.

Sikhala, who is being jointly charged with fellow politician Lovemore Maiko, is being represented by Jeremiah Bhamu and Lazurus Mbereko.

Tafara Chirambira appeared for the State.

The witness testified that she only saw Maiko when he was conducting a door-to-door campaign and distributing Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) fliers in May 2022.

Rusere  said she saw Maiko and other CCC members being attacked by stone-throwing Zanu PF supporters.

Rusere testified that she was the one who offered Maiko shelter at her house.

The witness said Zanu PF supporters stormed her house searching for Maiko and assaulted him.

The court heard that Maiko was badly injured and could have lost his life.

The witness denied ever seeing Sikhala that day.

The defence is seeking to summon a third witness, journalist Batsirai Maseko who was covering by-elections on the day in question.

The matter was postponed to November 22 for trial continuation.

Sikhala and Maiko are facing a charge of disrupting a Zanu PF rally for the then aspiring Zanu PF ward 7 Zengeza West councillor Charamba Mlambo, ahead of the March 2022 by-elections.

Mlambo lost the seat to Maiko who contested on a CCC ticket.

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Source: Journalists not safe: VMCZ –Newsday Zimbabwe

The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) says the media landscape in the country remains unsafe for journalists, especially those working for the private media.

In a research report titled State of the Media Ethics and Professionalism 2023, VMCZ said this compromised ethical reporting and professionalism as journalists resorted to self-censorship.

According to the report, the country recorded at least 30 cases of violations against journalists last year.

“These arrests and other safety issues contributed to the decline of media freedom in the country,” the report read.

According to the report, there is concern over some harsh legislation that VMCZ says had the net effect of criminalising journalism.

“During the period of this research the government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services instituted several legislative reforms to align media laws with the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No 20) Act, 2013,” the report said.

“This process resulted in some laws being amended while others were repealed and replaced with new legislation. The infamous Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, is one such draconian law struck off the statute of the books in July 2020 and replaced by three new laws namely the Zimbabwe Media Commission Act of 2020, the Cyber and Data Protection Act of 2021 and the Freedom of Information Act of 2021,” the report read.

“While these new laws can be heralded as bringing a new and positive outlook to media regulation respondents said certain clawback clauses in the new laws were retrogressive and would bring a nought effect on the new amended laws.”

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