Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: Egodini Mall project stalls. . . amid Zim's financial meltdown | Daily News

ZIMBABWE’s financial meltdown has brought the construction of the Egodini Mall — set to be the biggest public transport terminus boasting a retail section and parking bays in Zimbabwe’s second largest city, Bulawayo — to a screeching halt.

The project, touted as a massive development, which, if completed, would change the face of the city business-wise, has been suspended or scaled back amid a cash crunch and steep price hikes that have hit the South African contractor.

The contractor has not been on site for months amid murmurs among councillors and the ordinary Bulawayo folk.
Across the city, it’s the same story.
Experts say construction sites have also gone dormant, with projects either suspended or delayed.

At the Egodini site, test holes drilled by geo-technical and hydrological teams remain in place, but the work has stopped.
The $60 million mall was set to open its doors to the public this year, but has been further pushed back because the contractor is not ready, the city council has said.
In 2014, the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) took a brave step to bring a new and colossal development to a city whose occupants have long complained about marginalisation.
The multimillion-dollar Egodini Mall project has, right from its onset, suffered several false starts.

At one point in 2016, the council set a date for the ground-breaking ceremony but it turned out to be pie in the sky as the event was postponed indefinitely following squabbles that erupted over its implementation soon after the signing of the agreement.
South African contractor, civil engineering firm Terracotta Trading (Private) Limited, won the tender to upgrade the former Basch Street Terminus into a regional public transport hub in 2012 ahead of two other companies.

The project, which was initially expected to cost $60 million, is expected to provide shopping convenience for travellers as well as the commuting public.
The project is on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis and would come at no cost to council, officials said then.
Bulawayo was set to ultimately own it once Terracotta had recouped its investment.

The refurbishment was expected to see the terminus handling at least three million travellers per month, according to the BCC.
As part of the redesign of the terminus area, BCC would expand existing roads into the site and create dedicated pedestrian routes to increase traffic access.
The site was set to include a transport hub located on the Basch Street ground level, retail sections and parking bays.
However, after several attempts to relocate hundreds of vendors and commuter operators who were operating at the terminus, the council finally managed to cordon off the site last year, paving way for the construction process.
Transporters and vendors were pushed to new sites in the central business district in a development that created congestion in the new areas.

In October last year, the contractor commissioned a contact centre at the site, in what made many to believe that the project was finally taking off.
Soon after that, thousands of desperate Zimbabweans besieged the site after the contractor advertised for jobs.
Despite all those overtures, the project is yet to take off.
Insiders said the unpredictable environment after economic reforms in October 2018, derailed the contractors’ planning.
The apparent inactivity has actually forced government to intervene.
“We summoned the directors to my office to explain the delay, and in their explanation, they said they were putting final touches before construction work can begin. However, we have not seen any movement yet and we have summoned them again,” Bulawayo Metropolitan Affairs minister Judith Ncube said.
“Government is worried over the delays, and we want to find out and understand from them what is stalling the whole project. If they have any problems, a solution has to be found; Bulawayo awaits that project.”

Government officials, such as former Local Government ministry secretary George Mlilo and former Resident minister Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo, at one point raised concerns over the deal and accused Bulawayo councillors of underhand dealings.
They claimed that some senior council officials were linked to the South African company that was awarded a 99-year lease to the terminus.

Bulawayo mayor Solomon Mguni did not mince his words. He expressed grave concern over the delays at the construction site, signalling that the contractor might be living on borrowed time.
“Councillors’ opinions are divided. Some want us to cancel the deal, others want us to engage the contractor. We are yet to receive the progress report from council management and officials on the current state of work at Egodini.
“When the progress report comes to councillors through the relevant committees, I am sure councillors will be able to make a decision on the fate of the contractor,” Mguni warned.

The mayor said the contractor should either show indicators of progress or ship out. As mayor of the city, I take note of the delay. I am obviously concerned and disappointed that we may not meet the timelines. However, it’s not for me to take a decision on the fate of the contractor. It will be collective decision of councillors.
“Of course, we will be guided by the executive management’s progress report and input from the contractor. We acknowledge that the project has been off to a false start, but need to find a way of completing it without compromising on our contractual obligations.  We can’t afford further delays on that project. It’s either the contractor shapes up or ships out,” the mayor bellowed.
Terracotta Trading director Thulani Moyo — who is based in South Africa — did not respond to questions emailed to him.
However, he recently told the media that he was still confident the project would take off.

He said nine professional teams inclusive of geo-technicians, civil engineers, structural engineers, self-poisoning engineers among others were already conducting preliminary works.
He also added that the programme will be in three phases with the first one expected to be complete by end of this year.
Moyo, however, admitted that the economy was having a huge toll on the project.
“Phase two, we all know that  the Zimbabwean economy is not doing well at the moment. As the economy improves, then we will do phase two and as the economy improves, we then do phase three. That is the way it will actually works.

“Unfortunately, obviously we do have a problem following the fuel price increase. Even some of our people are coming back saying the price that I had quoted I can’t offer it anymore while others say they can’t do it all together,” Moyo said.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (Bupra) acting coordinator Emmanuel Ndlovu described the project as a total hoax.
“There was no diligence done to determine the preparedness of the company in completing the task. The whole Terracotta deal including its company is a total hoax.
“We were duped. There were red flags initially with allegations that some councillors and council officials had pocketed some money from the so-called Terracotta. I think this is an eye opener. Private developers need to be properly regulated,” said Ndlovu.
Affirmative Action Group (AAG) regional president Reginald Shoko said the dying economy had a negative impact on the project.

“When one looks at the architectural designs presented about Egodini and the activity on the ground, there are serious doubts if the said targets will be met, but like all things in the country, the project might also be suffering from the effects of economic performance.

“But the sectional construction deadlines can be met. The project promoters have been found wanting in terms of communicating developments which has left the people to speculate and create theories in most cases, very negative, creating a crisis of expectations to the ordinary citizenry and above all put pressure on the local authority given the issues around the project at its inception,” Shoko said.

The post Egodini Mall project stalls. . . amid Zim’s financial meltdown appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Corruption in prisons getting out of hand | Daily News

ZIMBABWE is ranked amongst the most corrupt nations in the world.

It is often said that the well-heeled who are corrupt have their way of escaping the long arm of the law, hence it is essentially the “small fish” that go to prison.

But once in prison, correctional employees are expected to turn offenders into a different kind of person — one who abides by the law and supports himself or herself with his or her own labour, and to re-establish these people as free citizens in society once they complete their jail terms.

But while prison wardens and guards receive special legal and vocational training, and are then certified before taking the job, they are aiding and abetting corruption in cahoots with mostly financially-sound incarcerated inmates.

Prison graft ranges from the smuggling in of contraband, secretive conjugal visits, business deals right up to gun-running.
Often, this worsening delinquency by prison officers is going unnoticed except for the few cases that spill into the courts.

The Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs ministry regularly sends teams to prisons to supervise the law-enforcement activities at the correctional institutions and protect, according to law, the prisoners’ right to appeal, right to make accusations and right to report unlawful activities.
But more and more prison officers are violating criteria and procedures for assessing daily conduct and conditions for rewards and penalties for prisoners, which are codified and publicly promulgated in order to prevent arbitrary or capricious behaviour on the part of the prison staff in their work.
Prison staff must abide by this code to the letter in all aspects of their work.

Yet corruption is becoming a prevalent problem among correctional staff.
One of the worst cases ever reported was of a prison guard, Hazvienzani Katiro, who supplied ammunition to convicted robbers who had completed their jail terms.
Katiro had stolen a number of 9mm live rounds of ammunition from his workplace before offering the ex-convicts who in turn committed armed robberies and attempted murders as they furthered their criminal activities.

In other cases, a robber who had been left with 39 days claimed to have been assisted to sneak out of prison by prison guards who feared he would divulge their underhand dealings.
Tawanda Chikonyora, who was serving in the A Class at Chikurubi, claimed he was given a set of civilian clothes and bus fare by a senior prison officer only identified as Gandiwa and advised to escape unnoticed after a phone that showed EcoCash transactions between wardens and inmates had been caught.
In Chikonyora’s mobile phone were messages showing EcoCash transactions between prison officers and inmates in exchange for special favours.

Chikonyora was subsequently apprehended and convicted of escaping lawful custody and returned back to prison to embark on another four-year jail term.
Recently, rapist and businessman Munyaradzi Kereke was embroiled in a bribery scam in which he set up a poultry project for prison bosses in exchange for favours while in jail.
Kereke is alleged to have pumped
$9 000 into the project, from jail.

The three prison bosses Nobert Chomurenga, 58, a senior assistant commissioner heading Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), Harare, Cephas Chiparausha, 43, the chief correctional officer and Tonderai Mutiwaringa, 56, an assistant commissioner stationed at ZPCS headquarters, are being charged with criminal abuse of office.
They have appeared in court.

An armed robber who spent 14 years at Chikurubi Maximum Prison before his release on bail pending appeal told the Daily News on Sunday that impoverished and poorly-paid prison guards were committing crimes to eke a living as the economy tanks.
“Money can buy you anything if you are in prison. Rich people who go to jail almost get anything that they want and it is true that prison officials can arrange for an inmate to get unscheduled visits,” said the armed robber, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Sometimes they stage-manage that a prisoner is ill and take him to the clinic where a family member is then sneaked in so that other inmates do not see this happening, but everyone knows that is what happens.”

Legal experts have condemned such conduct saying it defiles the mandate of ZPCS to rehabilitate criminals.
“ZPCS is a body established in terms of section 207 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and when you look at its functions, it is actually derived from its name because if you look at section 227(1a) it spells out that their duty is to protect the society of Zimbabwe from criminals who have been lawfully convicted,” lawyer Liberty Gono said.

“Their duty is to rehabilitate convicted criminals because although they are supposed to be punished for their unlawful conduct, the function of ZPCS is to make sure that they can be reintegrated into society once their prison terms are completed.
“If you also look at sub-section 2 of section 227 of the Constitution it further says ZPCS is supposed to be a non-partisan and professionally run body so instances wherein you find prison guards at the fore front of committing crimes and going against their mandate then we have got a very huge problem.”
Legal expert Tarisai Mkwacha said the economic crises was driving prison officials into committing crimes but slammed the deviant acts which he said jeopardized the justice delivery system process.
“Rehabilitation is the re-integration into society of a convicted person and the main objective of modern penal policy is to counter habitual offending, also known as criminal recidivism,” Mkwacha said.

“Four different goals of corrections are commonly espoused:
retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Each of these goals has received varied levels of public and professional support over time.

“With the economic crises in Zimbabwe, the purpose of rehabilitation in prison is far from being achieved because of rampant corruption in the justice system. A fundamental question always arises ‘who guards the guards?’ when prison officials are involved in corrupt dealings to eke a living.

“It is with regret that the core purpose of rehabilitation is
abrogated by its custodians. Recently a senior correctional officer was involved in a chicken farming business with an inmate. This is only a tip of an iceberg. There are more serious dealings and exchanges of money going in our prisons from small drugs, fraud and arms dealing,” Mkwacha said.
Gift Mtisi, a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said training on discipline is necessary to end this form of corruption.
“…and also to pay them salaries which are above poverty datum level,” said Mtisi.

 

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HARARE – The death toll from the flooding and landfalls in Zimbabwe, caused by the Tropical Cyclone Idai, has risen to 65, local media reported on Sunday. On Saturday, the country’s Ministry of Information reported [...]

Source: Who really was behind Gukurahundi? Mugabe, former lieutenants shift blame | Daily News

WHEN former president Robert Mugabe was swept away through a popular coup, the world celebrated the departure of an “evil dictator”.

Many hoped for a fresh start but that dream remains elusive for victims of Gukurahundi, a dark phase in the country’s history when an estimated 20 000 people were killed.
So far President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man who kicked out

Mugabe from power, has refused to apologise for the killings even as his allies open up old wounds and pin all the blame on his mentor.
Recently, deputy minister of Defence, one of Mnangagwa’s top allies, Victor Matemadanda blamed the massacres on Mugabe’s shoulders, but new documents and historical narratives point out that the Zanu PF leader was just as complicit.

Recently, declassified diplomatic cables by the United States’ State department have pinned Mnangagwa and Zanu PF for the Gukurahundi atrocities.
The authoritative voice on Gukurahundi comes from the Catholic Commission for Peace and Reconciliation  which in a 1999 report put the death toll up to 20 000 although ruling party officials dispute the figure.

But still, Mnangagwa who has promised a break from the past when he was assisted to ascend to the presidency by the military, prefers to keep the past buried.
Mnangagwa has refused to apologise over the atrocities which saw a government militia killing people mostly in the Midlands and Matabeleland regions saying “he cannot change the past”.
His name features prominently in that past.

In the latest cables, Mnangagwa who was then State Security minister is quoted vowing to crush the dissidents so as to rid the country of people who were bent on causing anarchy in the country.

In May 1983, the then Swedish ambassador to Zimbabwe Bo Heinback discussed the situation in the southern part of the country with the late Nathan Shamuyarira, who was back then the minister of Information.

“Heinback said a committee of five persons representing twelve private voluntary organisations active in Zimbabwe had met with Mugabe on March 3 and had presented a full catalogue of Fifth Brigade atrocities. Mugabe had with him ministers Mnangagwa, (Sydney Sekeramayi and (the late Hebert) Ushewokunze. The PVO people found Mugabe’s response less than satisfactory, as he recounted at length the history of Zanu-Zapu relations In effect to justify current policies,” reads part of the cables.
The cables further revealed that Mnangagwa had information that Zapu leaders, although they were denying any connections to the dissidents, secretly supported them.

“During a cordial one hour courtesy call by Ambassador Miller on minister of State Security Emmerson Mnangagwa on June 18, Mnangagwa volunteered to be informal channel on important foreign affairs questions. He also castigated Zapu officials for publicly decrying dissident actions, but privately continuing their support to dissidents, implying that the government would continue and possibly extend its anti-Zanu PF activities,” read the cables.

Mnangagwa was quoted in the cables saying these Zapu networks in the countryside “have existed forever” and they have to be exposed and “cleaned out. It is our duty to protect citizens and overall national security, regardless of what others think”.
Although countries like the US turned a blind eye, they were concerned with the way government was banning Zapu activities and raised concerns in the cables.
Mnangagwa and his apologists have refused to take the blame for the sad chapter in the country’s history placing the blame on the shoulders of Mugabe.

Matemadanda, who is also the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, claimed that Mnangagwa played no role in the Gukurahundi.
Addressing a press conference early this week Matemadanda blasted Mugabe who stirred a hornet’s nest last month when he accused Mnangagwa of using soldiers to kill innocent civilians.
“Even though you may want to forgive the old man I do not think he deserves forgiveness because surely how can Mugabe have the audacity to tell Mnangagwa not to kill when he is the specialist in that area.
“We survived by fleeing this country, Mnangagwa himself escaped death by a whisker, Mugabe is the known and approved killer, I think he should have said you are taking my job.
“I once went to Matabeleland told chiefs to take cattle from Gushungo Dairies for him to appease the spirits of those he killed during the Gukurahundi; this is what is making Mugabe lose his senses,” said Matemadanda.

However, the man who dispatched Mnangagwa back in the 1980s insists his henchman was the one who went after the “dissidents”.
“… You know he (Emmerson Mnangagwa or ED) was the minister of Intelligence, he’s the one with Stannard, the two of them, who led that (arms caches findings) and who even led Gukurahundi. I know one of the vehicles, (then Zapu/Zipra intelligence chief) Dabengwa’s vehicle, which they blasted, they said he’s carrying arms,” said Mugabe.
In his own words as captured by the State media, Mnangagwa said “Likening the dissidents to cockroaches and bugs, the minister said the bandit menace had reached such epidemic proportion that the government had to bring ‘DDT’ (pesticide) to get rid of the bandits.”
“In yet another speech captured by the State media Mnangagwa who often quotes the bible said “blessed are they who will follow the path of the government laws, for their days on earth will be increased. But woe unto those who will choose the path of collaboration with dissidents for we will certainly shorten their stay on Earth.”’

Matemadanda’s attempts to exonerate Mugabe’s successor and former henchman Mnangagwa drew brickbats from the likes of former Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo who revealed that he used his time in government to gather information on those who were involved in the massacres.
Moyo, a former politburo member, now living in self-exile revealed on micro-blogging platform twitter that he used his time in government to gather information about Gukurahundi.
“Only fools think we didn’t access critical information on Gukurahundi when we were in government. A lot of critical information (including dockets) was collected and secured from 13 to 30 November 2017. Gukurahundi is so well-documented that the truth is known,” said Moyo.

While Matemadanda portrayed Mugabe as the arch-villain and mastermind of the brutalities that targeted supporters of Zapu led by the late Joshua Nkomo, Moyo said the director of the whole episode was Mnangagwa, who was back then the minister of State Security in charge of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

“The deadliest force in the #Gukurahundi atrocities was the CIO, the lead. Directed by Mnangagwa, who administered the State of Emergency Act & liaised with exRhodie & apartheid killers, the CIO gathered ‘intelligence’ through barbaric torture and murder on an industrial scale,” said Moyo.

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Source: UN team joins Zimbabwe efforts supporting cyclone Idai victims – Xinhua | English.news.cn

HARARE(Xinhua) — The United Nations team in Zimbabwe has joined the government and other partners in supporting about 8,000 people affected by cyclone Idai in the southeastern parts of the country.

“UN Zimbabwe team is on the ground joining Govt & other partners in supporting the needy and continue to join in in the recovery efforts,” UN Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe Bishow Parajuli said in a tweet.

Zimbabwean civil society is also mobilizing resources to help people whose houses were destroyed in flooding, rock slides and mudslides that have left at least 31 people dead and scores of others missing since Friday.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a state of disaster in the affected areas, which enables the government to launch an international appeal for assistance.

The military is assisting with evacuation efforts for those who are stranded.

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