Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: MDC officials abducted | Daily News

MUTARE – MDC Alliance senior official Robert Saunyama, popularly known as Jack Roberts, and his younger brother and Chikanga-Dangamvura’s ward 6 councillor Danmore Saunyama were on Tuesday night abducted by eight suspected State security agents.

They were heavily armed and driving an unmarked Toyota double cab vehicle.

Jack Roberts is the district chairperson for Mutare South, a constituency he contested for and lost to Zanu PF in the July 30 elections.

Manicaland police said they had not received any report concerning the issue when the Daily News enquired about the alleged disappearances.

MDC Manicaland provincial spokesperson Trevor Saruwaka confirmed the abduction which he pinned on State agents at around 2130 hours. He said the abductors assaulted members of the duo’s families, including their wives and children.

“They forced their entry into Jack’s house where he was hosting his brother who had visited him with his wife and that of his other brother, Jericho.

“The abductors started assaulting the wives of the three brothers and children together with Danmore,” Saruwaka said.

Four men were pointing their guns at Roberts, who is a known martial artist, threatening to shoot him if he tried to defend his family, he said.

“The victims of this barbaric military brutality bled profusely and suffered various degrees of injuries,” he said, adding that their whereabouts were unknown by the time of going to press.

“The abductors then bundled the two brothers and took them to an unknown destination.”

The Saunyama brothers had only recently emerged from hiding after State security agents had previously been looking for them after the January 14 and 15 disturbances that saw dozens of MDC officials abducted at night and allegedly tortured at a military cantonment area in the city.

“During the raids carried from January 15, Jack survived by going into hiding only surfacing recently when he thought the environment had improved,” Saruwaka said.

The abduction is coming hardly three weeks after the usually sleepy Zimunya Township that lies 20km from Mutare buried Noah Sahumbe after he was brutally assaulted by soldiers who raided a sports club in which he was watching football on January 20. Saruwaka said the township had become hell since the protests.

“This brutality is coming only there weeks after we buried Sahumbe of Zimunya Township who succumbed to injuries he sustained after beatings by soldiers.

“Zimunya has been a little hell since the stay-away disturbances. The residents of this sleepy township have not known peace ever since.”

The MDC said the abduction could have a link with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s weekend threats against pro-democracy NGOs and opposition political parties and their members.

He said the country was descending into a dark period reminiscent of the Gukurahundi and 2008 violence.

“What is clear from today’s incident is that Zimbabwe is descending into a dark period of kidnappings, abductions, beatings, murders and extra-judicial killings. The dark days of Gukurahundi and 2008 run-off killings are upon us once again.

“One cannot fail to link the veiled threats by Mnangagwa over the weekend in Masvingo Province with this heinous operation,” Saruwaka said.

He said government was clearly stepping up a terror campaign against its citizens.

“It’s clear the junta has stepped up the terror campaign against ordinary, peace-loving citizens.

“Is this the new dispensation? Clearly, there is nothing new but a continuation of Mugabe’s legacy of brutality,” he said.

The post MDC officials abducted appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Corrupt officials feast on gold panners | Daily News

PENHALONGA – Corrupt officials are feasting on illegal artisanal miners in Penhalonga, allegedly extorting money from them to avoid arrests, a leading anti-graft agency has said.

Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) official Tracy Mutowekuziva told journalists in Mutare this week that her organisation was pushing for the formalisation of the sector to plug the corruption loopholes.

“Unregistered artisanal gold miners in Penhalonga are easy prey for corrupt government officials and guards who are demanding money from them to allow them to continue with their activities.

“We are therefore pushing for the formalisation of this key segment in the mining industry and also assisting some of them to apply for claims and formalise their activities but even that too is difficult,” Mutowekuziva said.

Formalisation would also aid the enforcement of government regulations that also protect the environment easier, she said.

“Formalising their operations will not only help curb corruption but also help preserve the environment so we hope government will try to make the processes much easier for everyone,” the TIZ official said.

Artisanal gold mining activities in this area are contributing to the silting of downstream dams, choking of Odzi River with sand and the silting of Save River further down.

The artisanal miners are also forever a potent deforestation annoyance and, camping in the wild, they often ignite wildfires.

Hundreds of illegal miners are working along Mutare River as it meanders westwards as it leaves the Penhalonga dams that were left behind by DTZ-OZGEO (Pvt) Limited when it was forced to close by a government ban of riverbed mining back in 2013.

Efforts to end the illegal mining have not yielded fruit over the years with some working hardly 100 metres from a police post near Hartzel along the Nyanga-Mutare highway.

There are growing calls for the formalisation of artisanal mining.

Without it, there may not be another way around regulating their activities for the benefit of others who also depend on the river for their livelihoods.

Centre for Natural Resource Governance director Farai Maguwu earlier argued that government can regulate it better when they embrace instead of criminalise them.

He has also been pushing for the legalisation of artisanal mining which was outlawed upon the repealing of statutory instrument 275 of 1991 in 2006 during a nationwide campaign to end artisanal mining activities in an operation code named: Operation Chikorokoza Chapera.

The post Corrupt officials feast on gold panners appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: NMMZ bosses in 18 000 litres of fuel scandal | Daily News

HARARE – National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) executive director and his deputy have appeared in court on allegations of corruptly allocating each other more than 18 000 litres of fuel.

NMMZ executive director Godfrey Mahachi, 59, and his deputy Darlington Munyikwa, 52, were released on $100 bail when they appeared before Harare magistrate Vongai Guuriro.

They are being charged with criminal abuse of office.

As part of bail conditions they were ordered to surrender their passports, continue residing at their current addresses, not to interfere with witnesses and report twice a week to the police.

The matter was remanded to March 28 pending finalisation of investigations.

Mahachi was represented by Justice Masitala while Nyengeterai Pirimikayi represented Munyikwa.

The complainant is NMMZ represented by Finance manager Lydia Mwarevangepo.

Mahachi is the executive director while Munyikwa is the deputy director.

Sometime in June 2013 NMMZ received circular D20/8 from the secretary of Home Affairs which highlighted fuel allocated for personal and business use to management on monthly basis.

According to the circular the minister was allocated 800 litres, permanent secretary 600 litres and director 400 litres for the director.

The circular applied to all departments in Home Affairs ministry except the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

The court heard that in accordance with the circular, Mahachi and Munyikwa would receive monthly allocation of fuel for personal and business use amounting 560 litres and 500 litres, respectively. It was alleged that Mahachi and Munyikwa also received allocations for specific trips with the institution pool vehicle getting 20 litres, weekly.

Despite the ministerial directive, from 2013 to December 2018 Mahachi and Munyikwa unlawfully acted contrary to their duties as public officers and allocated themselves an extra 40 litres of fuel weekly.  The court heard that the duo had termed the illegal allocations executive errands fuel which they used for family businesses.

According to State papers that fuel allocation was not approved by the NMMZ board or Home Affairs ministry.  NMMZ was prejudiced 18 430 litres of fuel valued $24 751, 57 and nothing was recovered.

The post NMMZ bosses in 18 000 litres of fuel scandal appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: 'Police raided my groceries' | Daily News

BULAWAYO – An Advanced Level student who is part of eight suspects arrested for looting at Choppies Supermarket in Luveve suburb yesterday claimed that police raided groceries that had been sent by his mother from South Africa.

Desmond Pendamazuva, 22, testified before magistrate Ngoni Nduna at the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Courts yesterday.

Pendamazuva and his seven co-accused, who are all in custody are being represented by lawyers, Lison Ncube, Coaster Dube and Jonathan Tsvangirai.

According to the 22-year-old’s testimony, 12 police officers reportedly raided his home; where he lives with a younger brother in the absence of their parents.

“On January 18, at around midnight police arrived at our house and said they wanted to conduct a search; there were 12 officers,” he told the court.

“They took the groceries which were in the cupboard and then led me to their vehicle. They told me that the recovered groceries were from Choppies.

“I did not say anything. My mother had brought the groceries towards Christmas.”

Methuseli Tshuma; Marshalaw Ncube; Clemence Ncube; Thandekile Mzizi; Desmond Pendamazuva; Nokuthula Mlambo; Sibonginkosi Gumbo and Sisasenkosi Zulu have all denied the theft charges.

The State represented by prosecutor Whisper Mabhaudhi alleges that following a tip-off from members of the public, police raided Zulu Khayalami Funeral Parlour in Luveve suburb where suspected looted goods were recovered.

Police arrested Mzizi, 28, Zulu, 35, and Moyo, 30, who then implicated others.

The trial continues today.

The post ‘Police raided my groceries’ appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has described the Monetary Policy statement issued by RBZ Chief John Panonetsa Mangudya as a disaster that will destroy the livelihoods of Zimbabweans. "The Monetary policy Statement is a disaster that will erode livelihoods, plunge the nation into darkness and uncertainty. The nation was misled that bondnote was equal to […]