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Source: Municipal police should lead urban traffic enforcement –Newsday Zimbabwe

HARARE, Aug. 13 (NewsDay Live) — Municipal police are best placed to lead urban traffic enforcement because they understand local traffic patterns, infrastructure constraints and community priorities better than distant national agencies, Harare City Council chief traffic officer Martin Chimombe has said.

Chimombe made the remarks at a traffic enforcement master parade in Harare this week, as government moves to give municipal police arresting powers.

He said the rollout of artificial intelligence-powered traffic cameras in Harare’s central business district was aimed at tackling persistent road safety and traffic enforcement problems, including speeding, red-light violations, illegal turns and congestion.

“Municipal governments are best placed to lead urban traffic enforcement because they understand local traffic patterns, infrastructure constraints and community priorities in ways that distant national agencies cannot,” Chimombe said.

He said giving the city authority to manage and operate the CBD camera network — including site selection, signage, enforcement follow-up and local appeals — would place responsibility closer to residents affected by the decisions.

“Municipal control fosters accountability. City managers and councillors answer to residents and local businesses, so operational choices such as camera placement, public notices and the reinvestment of fine revenue are more likely to reflect community needs and face scrutiny from local stakeholders,” he said.

Chimombe, however, said municipal control should operate within a national framework.

“The city must operate within national legal frameworks that define offences, penalties and evidentiary standards,” he said.

He said municipal control would also improve responsiveness, allowing local teams to quickly adjust camera locations, traffic signal timings and signage to address emerging congestion and complaints.

He said cities could also run targeted awareness campaigns tailored to local languages, commuting patterns and business concerns, helping improve compliance and public support for traffic enforcement.

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A routine investigation into missing irrigation pipes in Zimbabwe’s Sabi Valley took an unexpected turn when police who were searching a suspect’s homestead discovered a massive cultivated mbanje plantation in his garden. Cephas Chirume, aged 27, was arrested in Chipinge after officers attended Farm Nine Compound in Middle Sabi to investigate the alleged theft of […]

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The heads of six Arab soccer federations expressed their “full support” and “confidence” in Gianni Infantino on Thursday as the embattled FIFA president fights to keep his job after his failed World Cup private investment plan.

The backing came from 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan, with four of the signatories being FIFA council members.

“We, the undersigned leaders of our respective football associations, express our full support for Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, and reaffirm our confidence in his leadership and continued commitment to the development of football worldwide,” the statement read.

“We deeply appreciate Mr. Infantino’s sustained efforts to advance football globally, expand opportunities across all regions and strengthen the game’s role in bringing people and communities together.”

The statement said the signatories “look forward to continuing our close cooperation with him towards a stronger and more prosperous future for world football, expanding opportunities and further enhancing Arab football’s contribution to the global game.”

Infantino is facing a revolt after his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. He withdrew the $20 billion proposal after a furious backlash by global soccer officials, including European body UEFA, which has warned of a boycott of all FIFA games and events.

UEFA teamed up with CONCACAF — the confederation for North, Central America and the Caribbean — and the AFC — the confederation in Asia — and issued an open letter Monday saying Infantino’s plan was a “fundamental breach of trust” and described it as “deception.”

And on Thursday, the Football Association of Ireland said in a statement it has withdrawn its support for Infantino to be re-elected as FIFA president in March, saying “recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.”

The soccer federations in England and Wales did the same last week, while Northern Ireland said it was backing UEFA’s stance.

Schism in Asian bloc over Infantino support

By expressing support for Infantino, Qatar and Lebanon aligned against the Asian Football Confederation. Infantino’s official Instagram account previously has posted letters of support from several member federations, including Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The four FIFA council members among the signatories were Qatar Football Association president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida, Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa and Mauritanian Football Federation president Ahmed Yahya.

The other two were Lebanese Football Association president Hashem Haidar and Moatasem Gafar, president of the Sudan Football Association.

Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and seemed sure to be re-elected unopposed next year in Morocco.

FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for challengers to come forward.

Source: AP

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HARARE — Zimbabwean equities came under renewed selling pressure on Thursday, with the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange’s main indices declining sharply as losses in large-cap counters, led by CBZ Holdings, outweighed gains in selected mid-cap and consumer stocks.

The ZSE All Share Index fell 1.45% to 469.38 points, while the ZSE Top 10 Index declined 2.20% to 471.90 points, indicating that selling pressure was concentrated among the market’s larger and more heavily weighted counters.

The ZSE Top 15 Index also lost 1.99% to 484.21 points, while the Small Cap Index was unchanged at 100.11 points.

Trading activity remained relatively modest, with 39 trades generating ZWG2.91 million in turnover. Total market capitalisation stood at approximately ZWG105.02 billion.

CBZ leads losses

CBZ Holdings was the biggest drag among the day’s major decliners, falling 15% to ZWG34.00.

The sharp decline in CBZ provided a significant negative influence on the broader market and came as the banking sector remains closely watched by investors for signals on credit growth, interest rates, asset quality and the evolving currency environment.

Proplastics declined 3.20% to 134.0005 cents, while Tanganda slipped 0.87% to 459.95 cents. Mash Holdings was marginally lower at 250 cents, down 0.15%.

The concentration of losses among several established counters contrasted with stronger performances elsewhere on the market.

Delta leads gainers

Delta Corporation was the strongest performer among the leading gainers, advancing 14.16% to 490 cents.

Willdale also gained strongly, rising 13.77% to 5.80 cents, while ZSE Holdings increased 12.12% to 185 cents.

TNCI gained 12.07% to 28.025 cents, while Rainbow Tourism Group rose 6.42% to 164.9524 cents.

The sharp movements among individual counters point to a market in which stock-specific factors and liquidity are continuing to exert considerable influence over daily price formation.

Consumer stocks outperform

The sector picture was more mixed than the headline indices suggested.

The Consumer Staples Index gained 1.75% to 330.51 points, making it the strongest-performing sector index of the day.

The Real Estate Index also advanced 0.42% to 700.92 points, while the ZSE ETF Index gained 0.34% to 612.49 points.

The Information, Communication and Technology Index was unchanged at 456.23 points, while the New Industrial Index edged down 0.03% to 176.19 points.

The divergence between the broader market and sector indices suggests that Thursday’s weakness was not uniformly distributed across the exchange.

REITs maintain positive momentum

Real estate investment trusts continued to show relative resilience.

Tigere REIT gained 1.44% to 109.5588 cents, lifting its market capitalisation to approximately ZWG2 billion.

Revitus REIT was unchanged at 198.25 cents, with a market capitalisation of about ZWG730.2 million.

The steady performance of listed property vehicles remains notable as investors continue to assess real assets as an alternative store of value in Zimbabwe’s evolving monetary environment.

Market enters new phase after Old Mutual return

Thursday’s session also comes as Zimbabwe’s capital markets adjust to the return of Old Mutual Limited to domestic trading through the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, following the company’s delisting from the ZSE.

The development has increased the significance of VFEX as Zimbabwe’s principal US dollar-denominated equity market while leaving the ZSE increasingly focused on local-currency trading.

The latest ZSE performance nevertheless demonstrates that domestic equities remain highly sensitive to individual counter movements, liquidity conditions and investor positioning.

For investors, the key feature of Thursday’s session was therefore not simply the 1.45% decline in the All Share Index, but the divergence beneath the headline number: large-cap stocks weakened sharply, while mid-cap equities, consumer companies and listed property vehicles displayed greater resilience.

The Mid Cap Index rose 1.89% to 488.64 points, making it the strongest-performing broad market index of the session.

That divergence will be important to watch in subsequent sessions as investors reassess valuations, liquidity and the relative attractiveness of large- and mid-cap counters in Zimbabwe’s evolving equity market.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, a Japan-claimed island at the end of the Kuril chain ‌near the island of Hokkaido, Russian media said on Thursday, ‌a day after major naval drills and a missile firing by ally North Korea.

Moscow ​and Tokyo never signed a formal World War Two peace treaty as the main hurdle was the unresolved territorial dispute over the islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories.

On the trip, which state news agency ‌TASS described as Putin’s ⁠first in person to the island chain, he visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup, after overseeing ⁠the navy drills in Russia’s far east.

Japan’s foreign minister protested against Putin’s visit on X.

“The northern territories, including Etorofu, are Japan’s inherent territory both ​historically and ​based on international law,” said ​Toshimitsu Motegi. “Japan strongly protests this ‌visit.”

Vesti TV channel images showed Putin in a dark suit, standing in a room looking at two large tuna and halibut on a table, as two officials spoke about fishing and the migratory behaviour of fish. He also stopped to try local fish roe.

“What lovely ‌weather you have there, just like ​a resort!” Putin told a group of ​Iturup locals. “And we thought you ​arranged this!” a woman, who appeared to be ‌in her 30s, joked back.

The visit ​follows Wednesday’s firing ​of a ballistic missile by ally North Korea, towards waters off the east of the Korean peninsula, days ahead of ​major joint military exercises ‌by Seoul and Washington long denounced by Pyongyang.

Source: Reuters

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