Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: . . . as MDC Alliance leader fears split | Daily News

Ahead of the MDC Alliance’s 5th congress, the party’s president Nelson Chamisa has sensationally claimed that Zanu PF is working around the clock to ensure that the country’s biggest opposition movement splits into two.

This comes as senior officials in Zanu PF have openly declared

interest in the opposition party’s impending congress to be held later next month.

Chamisa is likely to face his secretary general Douglas Mwonzora at the congress.

Mwonzora has openly declared that he has rights, including contesting the sitting leader since he is a “full member of the MDC.”

Zanu PF politburo members Victor Matemadanda and Lewis Matutu have publicly stated their preference of the candidature of Mwonzora ahead of Chamisa, the 41-year-old who the ruling party regard as immature.

As a result, Chamisa’s backers have come out guns blazing

threatening to mercilessly descend on anyone who will challenge the incumbent.

Tempers are flaring in the MDC, with fault lines now emerging between those who back Chamisa and Mwonzora, amid growing fears that the party could split again as happened in the past.

Since its formation in 1999, the MDC has split three times, first in 2005 after disagreements over participation in the Senatorial elections.

The second split came in 2014 after the party’s dismal showing in the elections where former president Robert Mugabe thumped the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai by a wide margin.

The MDC also split last year following a vicious and acrimonious battle to succeed Tsvangirai after his death.

Although former officials who had walked away from the Tsvangirai led MDC are now back in the broader MDC Alliance, there are several individuals who are dissatisfied with the leadership of Chamisa who came to power through an internal coup.

In a thinly veiled attack on Zanu PF, Chamisa said non MDC members cannot dictate what happens in their movement.

The MDC leader said he is aware that their foes are working through the witching hours and burning the midnight oil to see the upcoming congress in disarray and to destroy the movement and throw it into jeopardy.

“The MDC will never split for it is the people’s project. The people cannot split. The people’s project will never be split by selfish motives. Individuals may from time to time elect and choose to get lost but along the way, often sooner, they will either find themselves or be found,” said Chamisa.

Last week, government was forced to deny that it was interfering with the MDC impending congress saying it had bigger fish to fry.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services deputy minister Energy Mutodi dismissed talk that government was making arrangements to use security agents to weaken the opposition.

“Government is not worried who emerges the winner at the MDC congress, be it Chamisa or Mwonzora. None of the two is capable of overcoming our 2023 Zanu PF candidate…Mnangagwa. We have started reviving the economy and the gains are open for everyone to see,” Mutodi said.

But the MDC youth assembly is adamant that the ruling party wants a “weaker candidate” to emerge as the party’s leader in May “for obvious reasons” — vowing that this would not happen.

“It is saddening that Zanu PF wants to give us a leader and we know why. We are, however, clear as youths and other organs of the party that we have Chamisa as our leader and the decision is ours not Zanu PF’s,” said Lovemore Chinoputsa, the MDC youth assembly secretary-general.

MDC vice chairperson Tendai Biti has angrily reacted to the

suggestions that Mwonzora was likely to emerge as the new party leader after the May congress.

He said the party would not accept to be led by “a ruling party chosen half-wit”.

“We will reject any nincompoop given to us by Zanu PF. We already have a candidate in … Chamisa. So, we will not tolerate that.

“Our duty is to protect the legacy of our dear leader Morgan

Tsvangirai and we know with Chamisa we will be able to do that,” Biti thundered.

Chamisa has, however, been at pains preaching peace.

“Therefore, when we speak of unity in the MDC, we refer to the united action of the people through the concert of a festival of ideas, as they put aside their racial, tribal, gender and class differences to map out a common national development trajectory. The people shall govern! We must not be extremists causing hatred. We must be measured

in our language and tone.

“What makes the MDC great is the celebration of dissent and diversity. The MDC is intact and growing bigger into a post-independence liberation force, democratization catalyst and transformation agent in Zimbabwe.

“Nonetheless, we will be vigilant and guard against infiltration and violence from without. Non-members cannot manage internal affairs,”

In a conciliatory message, Chamisa said the party is determined to add instead of subtracting and will try everything possible to ensure that it remains united.

“We want to grow the base. As I always say, we grow by adding, where necessary by multiplying and never by dividing or subtracting. To add is to strengthen and to subtract is to weaken. We must remain focused on the goal. That which unites us far exceeds whatever might separate us. Together we shine, asunder we are all dust,” said Chamisa.

The post . . . as MDC Alliance leader fears split appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Zanu PF wants Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi to initiate another constitutional amendment, but this time, to ensure that the provision which saw 60 women getting into Parliament on free seats continues beyond 2023. The first constitutional amendment was Constitution Amendment No. 1, which gave the president powers to appoint the chief justice, deputy chief justice […]

Source: 'Subversion charge used to cripple opposition' | Daily News

Legislator Joanna Mamombe was making a presentation at a parliamentary workshop in Nyanga when a team of about eight officers came to arrest her.

The officers claimed to be from Harare Central Police Station’s notorious Law and Order Section and arrived driving a spanking new Toyota Fortuner registration number ACI 4582.

The Harare West MDC Member of Parliament had been in Nyanga for parliamentary business since February 24.

The night before, another security services team had visited Mamombe’s parents’ home in the working-class suburb of Glen Norah in Harare at midnight in search of her, harassing everyone and “intruding into personal privacy of innocent people.”

The 25-year-old opposition lawmaker was driven to Harare and appeared in court last Monday charged with attempting to subvert a constitutionally-elected government.

The State claims she called the southern African country’s government “authoritarian” at a press conference on January 14 in remarks that were posted to Facebook.

The court heard between January 14 and 16 and in response to Mamombe’s presser, members of the opposition, various trade unionists, pressure groups, youth forums and members of the public engaged in violent protests across the country.

As a result, property was destroyed, lives were lost, several police officers and members of the public were also injured.

Mamombe, who is out on bail, is just one of several opposition politicians and human rights defenders arrested in Zimbabwe over the past two weeks.

Most of them face charges related to subversion, which is punishable by 20 years in jail.

Opposition leaders allege that the powers-that-be are abusing the justice delivery system to weaken their opponents.

They further allege that the arrests are meant to influence a particular outcome at the MDC’s May congress.

A day before Mamombe’s arrest, MDC legislator Godfrey Sithole — who had been in hiding — surrendered himself to the police.

Sithole appeared before Chitungwiza magistrate, Winfilder Tiatara, who remanded the legislator for Chitungwiza North in custody.

Another MDC legislator Charlton Hwende was this past week arrested before being released on Friday on $3 000 bail, after appearing in court again on subversion charges relating to the same allegations that the opposition leaders incited Zimbabweans to overthrow President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

He was represented by Harrison Nkomo who told the court that police officers who arrested Hwende flagrantly violated his rights.

The court issued an order to investigate the complaints against the arresting details.

“My client was arrested while on board flight SW411, Air Namibia, as soon as it touched the ground. His passport was taken away from him by the police officers and technically he has not entered Zimbabwe because he was not given a chance to regularise with Immigration,” Nkomo said.

“I wish to have this on record in case the State might want to charge him with violating the Immigration Act later. He was detained from 10:45am to 17:30pm without being advised of the reason for his arrest in violation of constitutional provisions.

“The State papers do not disclose any offence and these are issues we shall address the court on the next remand date.”

The matter was remanded to March 20.

MDC parliamentary chief whip Prosper Mutseyami told the Daily News on Sunday that government’s disdain towards upholding fundamental human rights is reflected in these wanton arrests of perceived opponents.

“The manner the operation was done sends shivers down the spines of the ordinary civilians. It is a sad incident reflecting retrogression in our constitutional democracy against reform pretence by Mnangagwa,” Mutseyami said.

“The MDC caucus strongly condemns the abduction and arrest of Hon Mamombe and Hon Sithole and Hwende. When Members of Parliament are harassed and their rights violated in that manner, it means the ordinary citizens are worse off. In general, acts of torture, arbitrary arrests on trumped up charges, mass trials and conviction are of concern to the MDC caucus.”

Activists say the government is using subversion — which was initially used to quash rebellion by nationalists in the post-independence era — as a bank of ammunition it can use to cripple opposition.

Bekithemba Mpofu, the MDC deputy spokesperson, said “during the many years of their political apprenticeship, the leaders of the military government were party to a process which accused political rivals of treason.”

“They charged Dr Joshua Nkomo, Lookout Masuku, Dr Dumiso Dabengwa, Dr Morgan Richard Tsvangirai, Prof Welshman Ncube and Hon Tendai Biti among others. The new leaders on the list are just a continuation.

“Persecution of MDC leaders and members must stop, mass and fast-tracked trials, denial of due process and violations of people’s rights must stop forthwith,” Mpofu said.

A furious MDC leader Nelson Chamisa told a news conference on Wednesday: “The level of human rights violation is worsening by the day. Hon Morgen Komichi, Hon … Biti, Hon Hwende, Hon Amos Chibaya, Hon Happymore Chidziva, Hon Godfrey Sithole, Hon Levi Chimina, Hon Lloyd Mukapiko, Hon Settlement Chikwinya and Hon Mamombe have all been brought before the courts on trumped-up charges.”

The MDC leader said at least 17 people have been killed in January of 2019 on account of the State’s heavy-handedness.

“Beyond these killings, there has been a systematic targeting of MDC members including senior leaders, MPs and councillors. Leaders of the ZCTU and civic society were also targeted. There has been invasion of homes, abductions, and arbitrary arrests, mass and fast-tracked trials,” he said.

A human rights lawyer, who didn’t want to be named for fear of reprisals, explained that authorities were using “subversion” charges as a way to quell any opposition to the regime, including from pro-democracy activists.

Just last week, civil society activist Rashid Mahiya was arrested and charged also with subversion over the same fuel riots.

Mahiya is director of Heal Zimbabwe Trust and also chairperson of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, peace-building and civil rights non-profit organisations operating in the country.

Just like others, he is also charged with attempting to subvert a constitutionally-elected government.

He has retained lawyer Tonderai Bhatasara as his lead counsel.

Cuurentl,y he is out of custody after being granted bail.

Leaders of Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, president Peter Mutasa and secretary-general Japhet Moyo are out on bail after being arrested for calling for the January national stay-away against the 150 percent hike in fuel prices.

Mutasa and Moyo have both been granted $2 000 bail and are reporting three times a week to the Criminal Investigations Department Law and Order.

They are also facing charges of attempting to subvert a constitutionally-elected government.

Earlier in January just after the protests, Zimbabwe’s high court granted activist pastor Evan Mawarire bail following his arrest again on charges of subversion related to the violent anti-government protests.

Critics say Mnangagwa’s government is walking in the footsteps of former president Robert Mugabe.

During Mugabe’s era, subversion charges were used to subdue politicians and pro-democracy activists alike.

The subversion charges were also used during the colonial regime to suppress black dissent because of the chilling punishment upon conviction.

Prominent human rights lawyer Dzimbabwe Chimbga told the Daily News on Sunday the charge of subversion of a Constitutional government stipulates that anyone who uses physical force or violence or the threat, boycott, civil disobedience or resistance to any law, actively or passively, “shall be guilty of subverting constitutional government and liable to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 20 years without the option of a fine.”

Many had hoped Mnangagwa would change policies and tactics that were used by his predecessor to thwart dissenting voices.

“I guess as they say, new wine, old bottles, the recipe remains the same, even when the cook has changed,” Chimbga said.

Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said the law and State apparatus are still being used the same way they were used under Mugabe to thwart voices of dissent.

“Under Mugabe it was as predictable as day and night that all political arrests were harassment meant to break dissenting voices, but convictions were never secured and cases would fall apart in a simple court scrutiny. But now convictions (on political cases) are now being secured and it’s more worrying to see judiciary more and more passing political decisions dressed as judgments. Human rights defenders have more cause of concern now than before.  Maybe it’s the entrenchment of the military factor in all spheres and facets of our lives leading to these convictions.”

MDC member and lawyer David Coltart, writing on his Twitter account, said in his over three years of practice no convictions have been secured by the State.

He said the only act deserving of a conviction was Mnangagwa’s November 2017 coup against Mugabe.

“Ironically the only clear-cut case of treason since independence is what Mnangagwa, (vice president Constantino) Chiwenga & (Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Busi) S.B. Moyo did in 11/17,” he wrote on Twitter.

Another political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya, commenting on the same issue on his Twitter account, said the rate at which treason charges are being preferred against the opposition is more than that of the Mugabe regime.

“Zimbabwe’s new treason dispensation. Treason charges are being dished against opposition politicians like at no other time. Mugabe dished them too but not at this Coup class rate!” he wrote sarcastically.

British Labour MP Kate Hoey has since called on the United Kingdom minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin to summon Zimbabwean ambassador to the UK Christian Katsande to explain the developments in the country, pertaining to the charges being levelled against the opposition.

“Hope @hbaldwin is calling in Zimbabwean Ambassador. This is happening too often @UKinZimbabwe,” she wrote on Twitter.

The post ‘Subversion charge used to cripple opposition’ appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: A divided opinion on national dialogue | Daily News

Zimbabwe’s prolonged crisis has not only polarised society but it has simultaneously sown a pervasive sense of doubt, suspicion, mistrust and even indifference on anything political, especially when it has to do with Zanu PF government.

The current national dialogue as initiated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa has unavoidably suffered the same fate.

There are sharp divisions in public opinion on the purpose and possible outcome of this process.

Unfortunately, these perceptions have a huge bearing not only in the process but outcome of the dialogue and hence a subject worth discussing.

In my previous instalment on this subject, I observed that there was some disquiet and serious pessimism.

Considering the context of the national dialogue coming hard on the heels of a national protest turned riotous and subsequent killings, abductions and rape cases allegedly by security personnel; the doomsayers were not entirely wrong.

I also pointed out that some people saw the dialogue as Zanu PF’s ploy to hoodwink people and divert attention not only from economic problems but recent blatant human right violations.

In this article, I will interrogate further the implications of this assumption that the national dialogue is nothing but a farce calculated to rescue Mnangagwa’s tottering public image as a reformist leader.

It is important for a genuine debate on this pressing national concern. That things are not at their best for Mnangagwa needs no emphasis; the post-election soldiers shooting of protesters and bystanders, the spiralling inflation and decaying economy, shortages of basic commodities, fuel price hike(currently service stations have run dry), the riots and shooting of even more people.

The strong condemnation of the Government of Zimbabwe was both internal and international, including by countries like Britain, that were warming to the so-called reformist Zanu PF.

It is very possible then that perhaps Zanu PF just wants to ease pressure from itself by using the national dialogue to buy time. If that were to be the case one further asks the question to what end and who would be the loser?

My answer to my own question is that Zanu PF would be the loser and Mnangagwa’s credibility would have been shredded beyond repair. Not that Zanu PF is sincere but it is unlikely that the party would take such a risk where its president stands to lose face. Why am I saying so?

First of all, Zanu PF was not directly coerced to the national dialogue process. It chose the timing, venue (although some participants have reservations on the choice of the venue) and potential participants.

In all honesty, the process is government-driven as the president’s initiative.

If the national dialogue pays dividends, which hopefully it does, definitely Mnangagwa gets the bigger credit and by extension Zanu PF as a party.

Of course, the spirit of the talks should be a victory for Zimbabweans and not politicians but still credit would be given to Mnangagwa.

In the unfortunate event of the national dialogue failing to restore basic normalcy like security and public safety, the situation could easily get out of control.

Only the Zanu PF government would have lost the grip of the country and the world would not watch by the country tearing into pieces by strife and lawlessness. That is, if the last public protests are anything to go by.

The last thing any ruling party would want and Zanu PF in particular would be to lose grip of levers of power and invite international interference.

Of course, the Constitutional Court ruled on the electoral dispute and legally Mnangagwa assumed the country’s highest office. Legally he is secure but definitely not politically if the economic situation continues to deteriorate.

Logically, the president would not allow a situation, if he can control it, where the political and economic crisis brings into question his legitimacy which remains contested by the MDC Alliance in particular. The National Dialogue becomes one avenue to move the country forward without further jeopardising his standing.

Generally, the atmosphere in the country is potentially explosive. Anywhere with a combination of both political and economic decline one would expect civil and political unrest and instability. In Zimbabwe, the history of repression of dissenting views and the recent overt acts of shooting at unarmed civilians in the full glare of international media leaves a lot to be desired. The government has a lot of soul searching and has to go overdrive to lessen the tension in the country.

Failure to arrest the trends could easily slide the country into a failed state with rogue army elements being a law unto themselves. It is easy to be a “Somali” and have warlords and other criminals mushrooming all over as motorists were being reaped money at fake roadblocks by marauding youths (where I was also a victim of the reap off). Any ruling party would be wary of that.

But Zimbabwe’s biggest challenge remains the economy. The democracy deficits and lack of constitutionalism are matters that can be easily settled with political will from the ruling party. However, the economy is another matter. It is easier to destroy than build. Besides, there cannot be political stability in a collapsed economy. We can dream of investors and the country being open for business but that would take us nowhere unless we put certain fundamentals right.

Economic recovery is not an overnight matter and would still call for further sacrifice by citizens and business. Therein, lies the importance of a national consensus which can only be guaranteed by processes like the National Dialogue if properly executed. The onus is on Zanu PF to ensure there is a national buy-in.

In conclusion, I do not rule out that those who believe the National Dialogue could be a gimmick may be correct.

Though only time will tell. In my view, the ruling party has limited choices, if any, from the present crisis and thus cannot close its only possible way out. In the unlikely event Zanu PF is foolish enough to use the National Dialogue as a gimmick, then it is Mnangagwa’s government that stands to lose whatever ounce of credibility that may be remaining. In politics anything is possible, but in this case, there are more reasons for the president to want the National Dialogue process to succeed especially to lift the country out of the current quagmire but also to save himself.

He should try hard to reach out to all political players and extend his invitation to non-political players like churches, civil society, academics, business and many more.

The post A divided opinion on national dialogue appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Female mortician shares her fascinating career | Daily News

 

Not many people are able to handle just the sight of a lifeless body around them, worse still if it is not that of a relative or friend.

For funeral directors, dead bodies are their stock in trade.

Talk to any undertaker or staff who work for funeral parlours, they all have fascinating stories to tell about how they ended up in the profession.

For Chengetai Jones, a mortician at First Funeral, she was inspired into taking up the profession after witnessing a body being expertly embalmed at a mid-tier funeral parlour in Harare.

She realised her passion for “beautifying” the dead during the time that her late mother worked as an accountant for that same funeral company.

Whenever she visited, Jones would pester a mortician who was popularly known as Lenon to grant her access into the mortuary.

Her first encounter with a dead body was when Lenon allowed her to watch as he was cleaning and patching an accident victim, who had bruises and deep cuts all over the body.

“…it was an adventure and I could not believe the results: the wounds and cuts were no longer visible after the patching and embalming. At that point I felt that it was exactly what I wanted to do,” she recalled with nostalgia.

“Lenon admired my bravery and encouraged me to join the profession but when I later tried looking for him after my mother’s death, I was gutted to hear that he had passed on. His workmates then told me that First Funeral required a female mortician.”

She was invited for an interview at First Funeral on September 13, 2006 and got the job.

The rest is history.

She has been a mortician at the parlour for 14 years.

The zeal she enthuses in embalming dead corpses defies the morbid stereotypes associated with the once male-dominated career.

She has since learnt to live each day as if it were her last and to treat dead bodies as her friends.

Jones said she is no longer scared of death nor is she afraid to comfort someone who would have suffered a loss.

She says as she would be doing her job, she gives the deceased the same love and attention that their friends and family would if they were the ones caring for the body.

“I’m not scared of corpses. I can confidently visit an accident scene and rescue people when other men are covering their faces in fear.

“I had the privilege of dressing a number of my deceased close relatives and I was the first person to be called whenever death occurred in the family.

“Corpses have become my friends. I have seen it all and death does not scare me anymore. For me, it is simply a transition to the afterlife and I know my day will also come.”

To demonstrate how comfortable she is in the company of corpses, Jones can even take her food while in the mortuary.

She said: “I enjoy my food and would sometimes actually carry it to the mortuary and quickly eat before finishing dressing the body. There is nothing unusual. For me, a dead person is only different from the living because they cannot talk.”

The mother of two says she can actually communicate with the dead bodies that she calls her friends.

For 11 years, she worked single-handedly at the parlour until she was joined by another female mortician.

Before then, she would only ask for assistance from her male workmates to pull corpses placed in top drawers for embalming.

“Most of them cannot stand the mortuary; it takes a lot of courage,” she told the Daily News on Sunday.

Jones says it is quite encouraging that more women are taking up the profession and excelling.

“This says a lot about gender responsibilities that women have for long been restricted from venturing into by society. It is just like any other job,” Jones said.

Like any other profession, being a mortician isn’t an easy job.

But contrary to perceptions that morticians take drugs to deal with dead bodies, Jones says this is far from being the case.

“It is a lie that morticians take drugs to maintain a sober sense. I have done this job for years but never took any drugs or alcohol,” she argued.

She also dismissed cultural beliefs that forbid pregnant women from going near a dead body to protect the unborn baby from diseases or being tormented by evil spirits.

Jones has carried pregnancies for her two children while on duty.

“I could even have the corpse’s head rub against my belly and nothing happened to me. In fact, I would work up to the ninth month and normally went for maternity leave a few days before delivery,” she said.

Once in a while, she has had unpleasant moments.

At one time, while preparing a body that had been brought to her in a decomposing state, fluids gushed out and smeared her whole face.

She said she developed warts, as a result.

“I was later treated and thank God it was not one of these sexually transmitted infections. The warts looked like herpes and for a moment my heart skipped.

“The work is physically and emotionally demanding and you must be willing and able to work long hours. An ever-present sense of urgency is another reality of the job and one ought to have a strong stomach for the post-mortem sights and smells,” she admitted.

She is happy to have a supportive family which also utilises her expertise whenever a family member has passed on.

But does she have a moment she would rather forget quickly?

Jones narrated to the Daily News on Sunday how staff at a local hospital she could not name for professional reasons tested her resilience.

She had visited the hospital to pick up a body and prepare it for burial.

She least expected the worst would happen.

Hospital personnel ushered her into the room where the body lay and with the help of a driver from her funeral parlour, they had hoped to quickly retrieve the corpse and have it cleaned up in time for burial.

Unbeknown to them, the deceased person had encountered a dreadful accident that detached his body into two.

She held the body part which had been wrapped in clothe by the legs while her driver got the upper body and on the count of three, they were going to lift the corpse but Jones fell to the ground because the corpse’s other body part followed her and everything became a mess.

“It was one of the worst of my experiences. I will not say the name of the hospital but I was a regular there and the nurses used to tease me for choosing this line of profession, so, that day, when I arrived, they had shouted ‘that girl is here and today and we have an ace up our sleeve for her’,” Jones said as she reflected on her 14 years as a mortician.

“My robe got soiled but we just took our body and returned to the parlour. I never did anything else but just washed myself and left for home.”

That experience taught her to be extra careful.

The post Female mortician shares her fascinating career appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.