Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: Supa wants case  heard at Con-Court | Daily News

FORMER Technology minister Supa Mandiwanzira wants the Constitutional Court to hear his graft case arguing he was being persecuted over an administrative decision that saved NetOne.

Mandiwanzira appeared before Harare regional magistrate Elijah Makomo yesterday represented by Thembinkosi Magwaliba. He said he had the blessings of former president Robert Mugabe’s office in the transaction.

He is being charged with criminal abuse of office for corruptly engaging Megawatt for consultancy services rendered to NetOne Pvt Ltd and had argued that the charges were misplaced because the telecommunications company was not a procuring entity but the application was thrown out.

“I feel not prosecuted but persecuted as I am being hauled before the courts for doing the right thing. I feel horrible that I may actually be sent to jail for something which I did that was correct
“I actually contacted my principals through one-on-one meetings recorded by officials from then president’s office where the green light was given.”

Mandiwanzira said he had to seek authority to give information deliberated during Cabinet meetings when the deal was entered.
“I may have to get approval to testify, in camera, details of how the issue was handled,” he said. According to the State papers, Megawatt is jointly owned by Liu Xiadong and Blue Nightingale where Mandiwanzira is a director.

It is alleged that Mandiwanzira subsequently engaged Megawatt to review pricing made by Huawei without going to tender.
The court heard that Megawatt did the work it had been contracted for although there was no contract between the two entities.

“The engagement of Megawatt was on the basis that no payment would be made by the Government of Zimbabwe or NetOne for the services. The payment of $4 000 000 was a success-based fee recoverable from Huawei Technologies if it was found to have overpriced,” Mandiwanzira had argued.

“As at the date on which the procurement is alleged to have taken place, that is February 2015, NetOne was not bound to follow the procurement procedures set out in the Act and its regulations. It could therefore procure services without going to tender.”

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Source: Exhibitors snap up 80pc space at ZITF | Daily News

Preparations for the 60th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) are now advanced with over 80 percent of available exhibition space having already been taken up, it has been learnt.

The annual event — organised by the ZITF company — will take place at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo from April 23-27 under the theme, “Propagating Industrial Growth through Trade and Investment”. ZITF’s chairperson Ruth Ncube, yesterday, said the company was upbeat about participation as data for the comparable period last year had been surpassed by this year’s figures.

“Over 80 percent of available space has been taken up. We don’t have space and we have sealed parks and closed gate three and four to make space available for outside exhibitors,” she said at a stakeholders meeting in the capital. The ZITF boss also pointed out that the event had managed to attract quality exhibitors this year.
“In the past, we had almost become a flea market but this has changed and we have managed to attract quality exhibitors,” she said.

In line with its expansion drive, the ZITF is working on several refurbishments at the park. “A VIP Lounge is on target as well as broadband throughout the exhibition centre. In terms of installing Wi-Fi in the halls and venues, we are now 80 percent complete along with air conditioning and car parks,” she said.

Foreign interest in the exhibition has been high with confirmed foreign representation coming from Malawi, Mozambique and as far as Japan. From the end of last year, she said ZITF has been engaged in a concerted foreign participation drive that includes one-on-one meetings with a total of 30 foreign heads of missions based in Zimbabwe and representing target countries from SADC, South America, Asia and previously dormant markets such as Europe and North America.

“Additionally, company representatives have also taken part in high-level trade missions such as the Intra-Africa Trade Fair held last month where they had promising meetings with Government officials and businesspeople from African countries such as Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.

“These initiatives complement Government’s efforts where, through the Zimbabwean diplomatic missions abroad, we have been actively engaging potential investors keen to partner with us for mutually beneficial projects.

“We are hopeful for a speedy conclusion to these discussions, culminating in trade and investment delegations from the afore-mentioned countries during ZITF 2019,” said Ncube.

She also pointed out that local interest in the show has also been high particularly from enterprises who wish to use the event as a showcase for home-grown industrial and technology solutions.

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Source: Govt liberalises fuel imports | Newsday (News)

BY XOLISANI NCUBE

Government has liberalised the importation of fuel by allowing mining firms, transport operators and large corporates with capacity to procure the product on their own so as to ease pressure on the central bank.

Briefing journalists after a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said mining companies and those who consume high volumes of fuel could now import on their own.

“Furthermore, Cabinet has given a greenlight to large companies such as those in the mining sector to use their funds to import fuel for their use,” she said.

Zimbabwe has been experiencing a fuel crisis since last year due to foreign currency shortages and this has resulted in long queues being witnessed across the country.

Energy and Power Development minister Joram Gumbo said the permission given to corporates to import their own fuel does not extend to individuals.

“This is not for individuals. At the moment, we are only allowing corporates,” he said. Cabinet also moved to change the Prisons Act and replace it with a new law that allows inmates to seek medical assistance from a medical doctor of their choice at their own expense as well as incorporate human rights issues as stated in the 2013 Constitution.

According to Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, the proposed law, which will focus on the rehabilitation of offenders and integration of the same back into society, was aimed at conforming the country’s prison system to international standards.

“This new law provides for a mechanism that caters for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, juvenile offenders as well as disabled and other special categories,” he said.

The new law would also broaden the scope of the parole system so as to accommodate all categories of prisoners to promote the establishment of correctional community centres throughout the country to cater for rehabilitated inmates upon release.

Cabinet further agreed to quicken the partial privatisation of State-owned Zupco and its capacitation through the introduction of electronic ticketing system in order to increase revenue collection and efficiency.

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Source: Foot and mouth affects production at Nestle | Daily News

HARARE – Nestle Zimbabwe is slowing growing stocks of its Infant Formulas (IF) after they had gone off the market for nearly one month owing to a foot and mouth outbreak in South Africa (SA). Nestle’s corporate communications and public affairs officer Yamurai Zhou told the Daily News that because of a ban on SA dairy products the production of the formula was affected.

This also comes at a time when Cerelac has also been in short supply on the local market owing to limited foreign currency to import raw materials for its manufacture. “We are fully aware of the supply constraints currently in the market and the discomfort it has caused our consumers and customers.

As an organisation we are working round the clock to minimise the impact on our consumers and customers. “Nestlé Zimbabwe does not manufacture IF locally. We source our formula from our sister company Nestlé South Africa, which produces the IF that we require in line with local regulations governed by the ministry of Health and Child Care.

“Our supply was affected for close to a month by a foot and mouth disease outbreak in South Africa. Authorities in South Africa and our own local authorities put in place temporary measures banning all export and importation of live animals and their products,” Zhou said.

Zhou added that although our products are 100 percent safe for consumption and were not impacted by this outbreak, IF being a milk-based product was inevitably part of the ban. Zhou emphasised the ban has since been lifted but the situation had created supply gaps to their market and they were gradually rebuilding their stocks.

A survey conducted by the newspaper showed that major retail shops had limited stocks of both IF and Cerelac while some did not have IF completely. Shops that still had small quantities of IF had products that were manufactured in July and August 2018 only.
Cerelac retails for around $11 in most shops while IF products such as Nan and Lactogen range between $10 and $15.

While health practitioners advise to breastfeed exclusively until a baby is six months, IF is beneficial for children with working mothers and has also been fortified with nutrients found in breast milk for maximum benefit.

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MDC MP for Kuwadzana East and deputy treasurer-general Chalton Hwende was on Wednesday morning taken to court where he is facing treason charges. This was revealed by the MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora who characterised as [...]