Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: 2 car smugglers in the dock – The Southern Eye

TWO men appeared before Beitbridge magistrate Innocent Bepura on Thursday accused of smuggling two vehicles suspected to have been stolen in neighbouring South Africa.

Mugovewashe Chasauka (34) from Beitbridge and Brighton Paradza (33) from Chitungwiza, who were charged separately, were both remanded out of custody on ZWL$600 000 bail each.

According to court papers, on September 8, Chasauka was in the company of a person only identified as Muchine when they allegedly stole a Mazda B2500 pick-up truck at Lavender Squaremeat World in Annilin, Pretoria.

The car was driven across the Limpopo River through an illegal entry point and a fake temporary import permit was used to produce a fake registration book, both under the name Mpofu SM.

He used the car in Zimbabwe using a fake affidavit purportedly made to him by Mpofu.

Using the same modus operandi, on November 10, Paradza reportedly stole a Toyota Hilux GD-6 from the Brooklyn area in Pretoria and took it to Zimbabwe using the same scheme.

However, his luck ran out and was arrested.

Claudious Karinga prosecuted.

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Source: Govt doles out cars to Mat’land colleges – The Southern Eye

GOVERNMENT this week distributed utility vehicles to three colleges in Matabeleland to help smoothen their operations.

Binga Industrial Training College, Plumtree Polytechnic and Hwange Teachers’ College were the beneficiaries.

Binga Industrial Training College received a Nissan UD 40-seater bus and an Isuzu DMax double-cab pick-up truck, while Plumtree Polytechnic and Hwange Teacher’s College were each given an Isuzu DMax double-cab pick-up trucks.

Higher, Tertiary Education Innovation Science and Technology Development secretary Fanuel Tagwira handed over the vehicles at a colourful ceremony held at the Bulawayo Polytechnic College.

“These colleges started operating this time last year, and this year, except for Hwange which started earlier. You haven’t seen anything yet, you are going to see buildings sprouting out of those many acres,” Tagwira said.

“We are going to start construction because the government will support us with resources to make sure that construction begins.

“We are grateful that we are able to handover these resources which we know will help with the going back and forth of our students and institutions.”

The bus and vehicles are expected to help the colleges drive government’s heritage education 5.0 programme, which seeks to launch colleges into outcomes-focussed national development activities towards a competitive, modern and industrialised Zimbabwe.

Chief Bamwali Siansali of Binga said: “If we look at Binga, Hwange and Plumtree, these are districts which were formally marginalised, but this will make a great impact in these communities. It was known that when our youths finish primary educational level, the first job they could get was to be a herd boy or a house maid. Gone are those days.”

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Source: Govt doles out cars to Mat’land colleges – The Southern Eye

GOVERNMENT this week distributed utility vehicles to three colleges in Matabeleland to help smoothen their operations.

Binga Industrial Training College, Plumtree Polytechnic and Hwange Teachers’ College were the beneficiaries.

Binga Industrial Training College received a Nissan UD 40-seater bus and an Isuzu DMax double-cab pick-up truck, while Plumtree Polytechnic and Hwange Teacher’s College were each given an Isuzu DMax double-cab pick-up trucks.

Higher, Tertiary Education Innovation Science and Technology Development secretary Fanuel Tagwira handed over the vehicles at a colourful ceremony held at the Bulawayo Polytechnic College.

“These colleges started operating this time last year, and this year, except for Hwange which started earlier. You haven’t seen anything yet, you are going to see buildings sprouting out of those many acres,” Tagwira said.

“We are going to start construction because the government will support us with resources to make sure that construction begins.

“We are grateful that we are able to handover these resources which we know will help with the going back and forth of our students and institutions.”

The bus and vehicles are expected to help the colleges drive government’s heritage education 5.0 programme, which seeks to launch colleges into outcomes-focussed national development activities towards a competitive, modern and industrialised Zimbabwe.

Chief Bamwali Siansali of Binga said: “If we look at Binga, Hwange and Plumtree, these are districts which were formally marginalised, but this will make a great impact in these communities. It was known that when our youths finish primary educational level, the first job they could get was to be a herd boy or a house maid. Gone are those days.”

The post Govt doles out cars to Mat’land colleges appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Govt doles out cars to Mat’land colleges – The Southern Eye

GOVERNMENT this week distributed utility vehicles to three colleges in Matabeleland to help smoothen their operations.

Binga Industrial Training College, Plumtree Polytechnic and Hwange Teachers’ College were the beneficiaries.

Binga Industrial Training College received a Nissan UD 40-seater bus and an Isuzu DMax double-cab pick-up truck, while Plumtree Polytechnic and Hwange Teacher’s College were each given an Isuzu DMax double-cab pick-up trucks.

Higher, Tertiary Education Innovation Science and Technology Development secretary Fanuel Tagwira handed over the vehicles at a colourful ceremony held at the Bulawayo Polytechnic College.

“These colleges started operating this time last year, and this year, except for Hwange which started earlier. You haven’t seen anything yet, you are going to see buildings sprouting out of those many acres,” Tagwira said.

“We are going to start construction because the government will support us with resources to make sure that construction begins.

“We are grateful that we are able to handover these resources which we know will help with the going back and forth of our students and institutions.”

The bus and vehicles are expected to help the colleges drive government’s heritage education 5.0 programme, which seeks to launch colleges into outcomes-focussed national development activities towards a competitive, modern and industrialised Zimbabwe.

Chief Bamwali Siansali of Binga said: “If we look at Binga, Hwange and Plumtree, these are districts which were formally marginalised, but this will make a great impact in these communities. It was known that when our youths finish primary educational level, the first job they could get was to be a herd boy or a house maid. Gone are those days.”

The post Govt doles out cars to Mat’land colleges appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Gold mobilisation unit in dire straits – The Zimbabwe Independent

Around 60% of the country’s gold output comes from artisanal and small-scale miners.

THE government’s gold mobilisation unit has been unable to function due to funding constraints and this is crippling its operations, the Zimbabwe Independent was told this week.

The gold mobilisation unit, headed by Major-General Chris Mupande, comprises officials from the army, police, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.

The unit was set up to boost gold production, as well as, curb leakages in the mining sector.

The country produced 35 tonnes of the yellow metal last year and is targeting to produce at least 40 tonnes this year, although there are indications that the sector could produce up to 50 tonnes.

Funding from the Treasury has, however, been the challenge, forcing officials from the unit to go for operations without the necessary resources to monitor and carry out investigations.

This, however, has exposed several officials to potential corruption.

When contacted for a comment, Mupande played down the issue.

“Where did you get that (information that) funding is not adequate? No, they shouldn’t tell you that nonsense. There is nothing like that,” he said.

But officials from the unit, who requested anonymity, said the situation was dire and all targets set for the unit were unlikely to be met.

“Our working conditions are dire and there is a need for urgent funding of our operations. It’s difficult, we are operating like street kids,” the source said.

The Mines ministry recently dispatched teams from the Gold Mobilisation National Taskforce to the country’s eight mining provinces in a move meant to boost gold deliveries to Fidelity Gold Refinery.

The unit’s main responsibility is to ensure that all gold generated in the country go to Fidelity.

However, information gathered by the Independent reveals that the teams have sometimes struggled to fulfil their duties due to inadequate funding.

There are worries that, if things remain the same, the team may be tempted to commit unethical behaviour, including accepting bribes and engaging in corruption.

Mines minister Zhemu Soda was not reachable for comment as his phone went unanswered and did not respond to questions sent to him.

Last month he disclosed that mineral leakages were depriving the government of revenue.

“Mineral leakages deprive the government of much-needed revenue from taxes and royalties. This in turn creates uncertainty and instability in the mining sector, which can discourage foreign investment. This can deprive the country of much-needed capital and expertise,” Soda said.

“For 2023 from January to August, the gold deliveries to Fidelity sit at 19,3 tonnes against a target of 40 tonnes by the end of the year. In 2022, for January to August a total of 22,29 tonnes was delivered, this represents a 13,2% decrease.”

He also noted that there was need to employ strategies to decrease the rampant side-marketing of gold.

The government’s laxity in the mining industry monitoring has precipitated widespread gold smuggling at a time when the country is targeting a US$12 billion mining industry by 2023.

Authorities in Zimbabwe have been urged to combat unlawful gold trading, corruption, and money laundering in the mining industry, according to the socio-justice organisation, Transparency International.

Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe previously estimated that the country was losing about US$100 million every month from gold smuggling.

According to the socio-economic justice watchdog, Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd), Finance and Investment Promotion minister Mthuli Ncube was quoted in 2019 saying Zimbabwe might have lost 30 to 34 tonnes of gold to smuggling to South Africa.

However, commentators say if efforts were not directed at reducing illicit cash flows in the mining sector, the goal to achieve a US$12 billion industry remained a mirage.

Around 60% of the country’s gold output comes from artisanal and small-scale mining, according to Southern African People Solidarity Network coordinator Fambai Ngarande and Zimcodd regional desk.

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