Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: 'NPRC's Gukurahundi probe useless | Daily News

NATIONAL Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) is not capable of addressing the Gukurahundi question, Mthawakazi Republic Party (MRP) has said.

In a statement, MRP president Mqondisi Moyo said if the NPRC was credible, it could have been engaged in probing the violence that occurred in Harare on August 1, in the aftermath of last year’s July harmonised elections.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa instead appointed a seven-member commission of inquiry that included foreigners and was chaired by former South African president, Kgalema Motlanthe.
During its visit to Bulawayo last October, the Motlanthe Commission, however, came face to face with angry elements in the region who demanded answers about the silence on the Gukurahundi genocide which saw the death of over 20 000 civilians in the 1980s.

The NPRC recently announced its intentions to begin compiling information on the actual occurrences during the Gukurahundi era.
The MRP leader, however, warned that attempts by the NPRC to delve into the Gukurahundi genocide before dealing with institutional tribalism in the country would be fiercely resisted by all progressive Matabeleland forces.

Moyo said the findings of the highly-hyped Chihambakwe and Dumbutshena commissions on the Gukurahundi genocide during the former president Robert Mugabe’s reign had remained concealed; hence there was a need for an independent commission involving foreigners.

“We continue to demand a neutral international Commission of Inquiry into Gukurahundi Genocide because there was a foreign element in the commission of this crime against humanity.
“Such a Commission must be able to unpack the involvement or lack of it, of the British government under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher,” said Moyo.

Last month, one of the NPRC commissioners, Leslie Ncube told the Daily News the NPRC would from this month start to gather as much information about the Gukurahundi disturbances as part of the building blocks towards national healing.

He encouraged affected communities to engage truthfully and to co-operate fully with the commission.

The post ‘NPRC’s Gukurahundi probe useless appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Woman wants Matanga, Mathema jailed | Daily News

MUTARE – Firebrand political activist Lynette Mudehwe has filed a court application demanding the incarceration of Home Affairs minister Cain Mathema and Commissioner-General of Police Godwin Matanga for failing to comply with a court order to pay her $6 000 in compensation.

Mudehwe was granted compensation after she was brutally assaulted by the police as she was protesting the year-long stay in an upmarket hotel by former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko.
In a court application that has been set down for hearing on March 13, Mudehwe is suing the duo in both their official and individual capacities.

She also cited Finance minister Mthuli Ncube as one of the respondents, although she is not demanding his incarceration over the issue.

According to the application, Mudehwe, who is represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights lawyer Fiona Lliff, is seeking to have the pair found guilty of contempt of court for “wilfully disregarding” a court order handed down on December 3, last year.

The post Woman wants Matanga, Mathema jailed appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

WARRIORS coach Sunday Chidzambga has named the provisional squad ahead of the last qualifying match for Afcon 2019 against the Congo. The match is pencilled for 23 March, with Zimbabwe just needing a point to qualify. The last time the teams clashed was on 9 September last year in Congo, and the match ended in […]

MDC Alliance deputy treasurer-general and Kuwadzana East MP, Charlton Hwende has been arrested. Hwende had been in Namibia for some time where he has been receiving medical care. He was arrested upon his arrival back [...]

Source: RioZim's $2,2bn Sengwa power project takes off | Daily News

Work at RioZim’s $2,2 billion Sengwa thermal power plant has kicked off in earnest amid indications that at least four key feasibility studies are expected to be completed this month.

RioZim has engaged PowerChina for the construction of the 2 000 megawatt (MW) thermal power station in Gokwe North, which has been in the pipeline for more than 30 years.
Power China subsidiaries Sino Hydro recently completed Kariba South expansion project, which added 300MW into the national grid and has commenced work at Hwange 7 and 8 that is expected to generate additional 600MW.

Timeline documents seen by this publication show that officials from the Chinese State-owned firm were in Zimbabwe last month to sign exclusivity agreement with RioZim and both agreed that an equipment, procurement contract (EPC) and operations maintenance agreement should be sealed by May 2019.

This will be followed by the construction of a 700 megawatt (MW) plant under the project’s first phase. The document further indicated that a power plant feasibility report, coal mine feasibility study report, and a water pipeline feasibility study and bill of quantities should be completed by March 20, this year.

“A shareholders agreement will be signed between the two companies in the third quarter of this year and we also expect the project’s financing model to be completed by October 30, 2019,” said people familiar with the matter.

“By this time next year PowerChina would have significantly covered a lot of ground on this project,” the sources added.
RioZim is being advised by CDF Trust and Consulting BV on the mega project while PowerChina is being advised by Transfrontier Investments and AMG Global.

The Sengwa power project has been in the pipeline since the 1990s and has an attractive option, with guaranteed supply of coal from RioZim’s concession, which has in excess of two billion tonnes of the fossil fuel. Feasibility studies conducted in 1997 revealed that about two billion tonnes of the coal are proven reserves expected to feed the thermal power station.

Market experts believe that if the project, which entails development of a coal mine, power station, water pipeline to the power station and a power transmission line to the national grid, comes to fruition it would help Zimbabwe to deal with its intermittent power cuts, with excess electricity being exported.

The southern African country, which has seen power consumption fall on the closure of fertiliser plants and chrome smelters, still imports electricity from neighbours like Mozambique and South Africa to avoid outages that plagued industry for over a decade between 2007 and 2017.

Zimbabwe currently produces just above 1 000MW against demand of 2 200MW. Several international firms from India, China, Namibia and South Africa among other countries expressed interest to develop the thermal power plant after 2009, but nothing concrete was achieved.

The latest development also comes at a time when construction of the $1,4 billion Hwange Expansion Project for Unit 7 and 8 has started in earnest, after Energy minister Joram Gumbo laid the foundation stone in Hwange on Friday.

“The process of laying the foundation signifies the commencement of real construction works in a journey that will take us to the promised land of security of electricity supply as we set our sights towards the successful implementation of Vision 2030 which will transform

Zimbabwe into an upper middle class economy,” he said.
Gumbo noted that the expansion project is a key economic enabler as it would positively impact on the economy through the employment of in excess of 3 000 people and enhance skills transfer.
Already, 450 people from around Hwange have been employed.

The post RioZim’s $2,2bn Sengwa power project takes off appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.