Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has received an early boost ahead of what could turn out to be a bruising contest when the MDC congress gets underway in three months’ time — after several party structures moved to endorse his candidature at the weekend. This comes as speculation is growing that respected MDC secretary-general, Douglas Mwonzora — […]

Source: GMB officials to face 8 more charges | The Herald February 28, 2019

GMB

Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter
The prosecution seeks to add charges of money laundering against Grain Marketing Board (GMB) officials accused of defrauding the parastatal of over $1 million.

Basilio Sandamu (64), the non-executive vice chairman of GMB and also the director of Romany Farm Pvt Ltd, and Taona Munzvandi (48), the chief executive officer of GMB Pension Fund, are jointly charged with Korbs Mutandiro (59), one of the directors of Romany Farm.

The trio is facing one charge of fraud.

The State wants to add eight more counts against them emanating from the fraud charge.

They allegedly swindled the parastatal of $1 070 000 in a State land deal.

Mutandiro and Sandamu recently made an application for exception, arguing that Romany Farm (Pvt) Ltd must be held liable and not them.

The application was dismissed by regional magistrate Ms Lucy Mungwari yesterday.

In their application for exception, they argued that the actions giving rise to the charge were attributed to a corporate body.

Law officer Mr Michael Reza urged the court to dismiss the application for lack of merit.

The court ruled that the State outline clearly showed the suspects acted in their personal capacities.

The post GMB officials to face 8 more charges  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Mine ownership dispute erupts | The Herald February 28, 2019

Business Reporter
THREE mining firms — A & L Mining Syndicate, Ticharwa Murehwa and Mujere Mining Syndicate — are at each other’s throat over gold mining claims in Odzi, Manicaland, in a development that affects production.

The ownership wrangle has already spilled into the High Court, but a judgment passed by Justice Davison Foroma, indicating that the three miners would revert to their original claims, is not being respected.

Documents seen by The Herald Business show that A & L Mining Syndicate, previously a joint venture involving Aaron Zhanje and Lovemore Marange, then owned a mining claim that was 10 hectares big.

A & L Mining Syndicate was pegged in 2005. Mr Ticharwa Murehwa’s claim was 2,5ha while Kingstone Mudonhi of Mujere Mining Syndicate owned a 10ha mining claim.

However, in 2014 Mr Mudonhi raised a boundary dispute against Mr Murehwa. The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development in Manicaland stepped in and a determination was made in favour of Mr Murehwa.

In 2016, Mr Murehwa’s mine started producing large of quantities of gold resulting in the mine winning a small-scale gold producer award.

But in 2017, one Aaron Zhanje claimed to have been sent by former First Lady Grace Mugabe to get the farm so that it would be allocated to youths.

Mr Zhanje is said to have raised a complaint of encroachment onto his mine, A & L Mining Syndicate.

This allegedly resulted in the Mines Ministry to nullify its earlier decision that said all the miners should respect the earlier demarcations, and increased the size of Mr Zhanje’s claim to 15ha, in violation of a standing regulation that gold blocks should not go beyond 10ha.

Due to the extension of Mr Zhanje’s claim, Mr Murehwa has since been kicked out of his earlier claim to pave way for A & L Mining Syndicate.

Mr Murehwa now holds 2,5ha in an area that has not been prospected while Mr Mudonhi has been left with 2,7ha, with all the productive area handed over to A & L Mining Syndicate.

The chopping of mining claims happened during the time when Professor Francis Gudyanga was Permanent Secretary in the Mines Ministry.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Mr Mudonhi confirmed that there is a dispute and they have tried to engage some officials cited by Mr Zhanje as being behind the grabbing of claims without success.

“In 2014, there was a dispute between the three of us. The Ministry of Mines came and resolved the dispute and said everyone should show their beacons and we did that.

“In 2016 when I had gone 60 metres deep, someone called Admire Mahachi came and said pane mwana ndipo pana amai but when we tried to verify his claims, we established he was lying about the people he claimed to be fronting and we refused to give him gold claims.

“We were once arrested on allegations that we were harbouring then Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son and at some point they said we were harbouring soldiers at the mine,” said Mr Mudonhi.

Mr Mudonhi said all that was false. Messrs Murehwa and Mahachi could not be reached for comment last night.

 

The post Mine ownership dispute erupts  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: ZERA to reduce electricity consumption | The Herald February 28, 2019

Ellen Chasokela Herald Reporter
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) is consulting consumers, policymakers and electric appliance retailers on minimum energy standards for electrical appliances that should be sold on the local market.

This comes as ZERA is intensifying efforts to do away with lights and electrical appliances that use a lot of electricity.

Already, Statutory Instrument 21 of 2017 bans the trade, manufacture and use of inefficient incandescent bulbs, in favour of energy saving bulbs.

The law came into force on May 1, 2017.

ZERA is working on ensuring that the law encompasses the manufacture and importation of energy inefficient electrical appliances.

In a statement yesterday ZERA said it was “carrying out consultations with consumers, policy makers, and electrical appliance retailers on the development of minimum energy performance standards for electrical appliances.

“The draft regulations, which are meant to phase out the importation and manufacture of inefficient electrical appliances, are being developed and will be promulgated after consultations with all key stakeholders across the country.

“The minimum energy performance standards, when developed, will provide for restrictions on manufacturing, importation and sale of such inefficient electrical appliances in Zimbabwe,” said ZERA.

The measures are not unique to Zimbabwe as they are common across the world.

The proposed standards are not going to ban the usage of appliances that consumers currently have, but, if approved, will prohibit the manufacture, importation and sale of inefficient appliances which do not conform to the approved rating or minimum energy performance standards in the country.

ZERA has previously said the use of energy saver bulbs will result in the power utility saving close to 200 megawatts.

The post ZERA to reduce electricity consumption  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Anthrax hits Mutare Farm Prison | The Herald February 28, 2019

Anthrax is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by bacteria that normally affects cattle

Manicaland Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) has recorded an anthrax outbreak at its Mutare Farm Prison which officials said can manage to contain. The disease is said to have killed pigs at the farm prison.

ZPCS Manicaland spokesperson Mr Liberty Mhlanga said they discovered the outbreak at their farm sometime two weeks ago.

He said they took the affected pigs into quarantine in a bid to contain the outbreak.

“We have recorded an anthrax case on February 6,” said Mhlanga. “The pig died but we have managed to contain the disease and issued a 30-day quarantine order to make sure the diseases will not be transmitted to other pigs.”

Mr Mhlanga said they have not recorded any similar case or experience suspected cases relating to the disease.

He said they have issued bio-security measures and vaccinated all of their pigs.

“We have managed to vaccinate all of our pigs and review our bio-security measures of foot baths and spraying of all farm motor vehicles,” he said.

The post Anthrax hits Mutare Farm Prison  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.