President ED Mnangagwa courts apostolic sect, seeks prayers to rule Zimbabwe forever

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday disclosed that he wants to die in office saying he wanted prayers to rule forever. Mnangagwa was addressing thousands of Johane Marange apostolic sect members in Marange attending the church’s annual Passover, whi…

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday disclosed that he wants to die in office saying he wanted prayers to rule forever. Mnangagwa was addressing thousands of Johane Marange apostolic sect members in Marange attending the church’s annual Passover, which started on July 1. The Passover ended yesterday. “If you want to rule the country forever you come […]

The post President ED Mnangagwa courts apostolic sect, seeks prayers to rule Zimbabwe forever first appeared on My Zimbabwe News.

Golden chance for Zim football

Langton Nyakwenda TINO KADEWERE is back at Olympic Lyon after a rather below-par loan spell at Spanish side Real Mallorca, but events in Harare last week left the dreadlocked striker inspired to represent Zimbabwe once again. The 27-year-old is in the Netherlands for a pre-season camp with Lyon and scored a brilliant goal as the […]

Langton Nyakwenda

TINO KADEWERE is back at Olympic Lyon after a rather below-par loan spell at Spanish side Real Mallorca, but events in Harare last week left the dreadlocked striker inspired to represent Zimbabwe once again.

The 27-year-old is in the Netherlands for a pre-season camp with Lyon and scored a brilliant goal as the French side edged Dutch lower-league side De Treffers 2-1 in their first friendly match on Friday night.

Lyon play Manchester United on Wednesday, but the big friendly has not distracted Kadewere from following events back home.

Zimbabwe were on Tuesday readmitted into the international football family, ending a 17-month FIFA suspension.

FIFA also announced a four-member Normalisation Committee headed by former Dynamos chairperson Lincoln Mutasa to run ZIFA affairs.

The committee — which also comprises ex-Mighty Warriors captain and coach Rosemary Mugadza, former Highlanders player Sikhumbuzo Ndebele and lawyer Nyasha Sanyamandwe — will be in charge of the national game for the next 12 months.

Zimbabwe’s return coincided with the draw for the 2026 World Cup African Zone qualifiers held in Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday night.

The Warriors were placed in Group C — alongside traditional giants Nigeria, neighbouring South Africa, Benin, Rwanda and Lesotho.

Nine group winners will automatically qualify for the finals and one team, from among the best runners-up, will enter a FIFA play-off tournament.

It has been a colourful week in which local football spirits were lifted after the gloom that had followed the country’s suspension.

Zimbabwe’s return also signalled the end of the forgettable Felton Kamambo era.

“Honestly, this is the greatest news ever. We are happy and very proud to be able to play for our country once again, so we all hope for the best,” Kadewere told The Sunday Mail Sport.

The Warriors will play their first qualifier in November and Kadewere will be praying for more game time at Lyon to make the squad.

“So far so good. I am really happy to be back (at Lyon) and things have been going very well. It’s amazing. The preparations are going so well and we just wait and see how everything goes.”

He is one of the European-based players expected to form the core of the Warriors squad.

Roving Udinese wingback Jordan Zemura and midfielders Marshall Munetsi (Reims) and Marvelous Nakamba (Aston Villa) will also likely be part of the new-look Warriors.

“I think the World Cup draw was a bit fair; of course, we have to take our chances.

“I believe we can do well; we just need to take every game as a final and make sure we get maximum points.”

The Olympic Lyon striker featured for the Warriors in their last international match, when they beat Guinea 2-1 in a group game at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Cameroon on January 18, 2022.

He came on as a second-half introduction for Zemura.

CAPS United right-back Godknows “Zizou” Murwira, who started in the same match, is also confident Zimbabwe can recover from the recent slumber.

“We have qualified for AFCON finals ahead of most of the countries before.

“Nigeria are African giants, but these will be home-and-away fixtures, so you never know what will happen. If we have preparations in time, I feel we can come out tops,” said Murwira.

However, some football administrators and coaches think Zimbabwe should look beyond the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, as they feel the country needs to put in place strong junior development football structures.

To them, the installation of a Normalisation Committee is a golden opportunity for Zimbabwe football to rediscover itself.

“It’s an opportunity for the real football people to reclaim their game from chancers,” former Warriors coach Wieslaw Grabowski said.

“We have a lot of retired footballers who are educated, some have degrees and attended high-profile football courses. The next ZIFA elections should be their opportunity to get into football administration.”

Former ZIFA Masvingo province chairperson Naboth Magwizi hopes the Normalisation Committee will call for an all stakeholders meeting to discuss the way forward.

“I just hope the committee is going to put more energy in developing junior football in all the provinces.

“An all-stakeholders’ meeting is needed,” he said.

Zimbabwe players in the diaspora are also following local events with keen interest.

There are a number of players of Zimbabwe origin who are currently plying their trade in Europe.

These include Liverpool’s Isaac Mabaya, Reiss Neilson (Arsenal) and Tawanda Masvanhise of Leicester City.

There are also a number of good players on the domestic front who will be hoping to play with consistency in the Premiership and be in the reckoning for a national team call-up.

@LangtonGuraz

Zim sours in popularity: Survey

Tanyaradzwa Rusike ZIMBABWE is the global tourist destination that has soared the most in popularity since 2019, according to a list compiled by a British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph. The 2023 Telegraph Travel Awards, published on Tuesday last week, ranked Zimbabwe above other popular destinations such as Egypt, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, the […]

Tanyaradzwa Rusike

ZIMBABWE is the global tourist destination that has soared the most in popularity since 2019, according to a list compiled by a British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph.

The 2023 Telegraph Travel Awards, published on Tuesday last week, ranked Zimbabwe above other popular destinations such as Egypt, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

In the regional category, Zimbabwe was ranked seventh top tourist destination in Africa, after South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia.

The Telegraph listed Zimbabwe as the “biggest riser” in popularity since 2019 on a list of 10 countries, eclipsing powerhouses such as Brazil, France, Spain and Malaysia.

Over 30 000 readers of the newspaper voted in a poll to rank the most popular tourist destinations in the world, covering 20 different categories, ranging from airlines and hotel groups to cruise operators.

“Our survey is a long, thorough one, which takes time and thought to complete,” said the paper.

“But almost 30 000 readers have risen to the challenge and provided us — once again — with the most important, influential and independent insight into the world of travel . . .

“Those that have excelled in our awards have only done so because they meet your exacting standards.

“And, as we can see from the sheer numbers and the wide range of destinations and companies which are rated, Telegraph readers are hugely adventurous and experienced travellers.”

Endorsement

Readers cited Zimbabwe’s rich history and culture, as well as its stunning natural beauty, as reasons for its growing popularity.

The country is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Great Zimbabwe Monument, Victoria Falls and the Matobo National Park.

Zimbabwe has also been praised for its safety and security.

Latest data from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) shows that more than 100 000 foreign tourists visited the country during the first three months of this year.

The Telegraph’s list is a welcome boost to Zimbabwe’s tourism industry, which has been struggling in recent years due to disruptions occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In recent times, Zimbabwe has welcomed A-listers such as British business magnate and commercial astronaut Sir Richard Branson, English Premier League star John McGinn (Aston Villa), Hollywood superstar Steve Harvey and Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.

ZTA head of corporate affairs Mr Godfrey Koti said tourist arrivals are increasing.

“Since the relaxation of Covid-19-induced travel restrictions, the sector has been looking up,” he said.

“Tourists from the UK, the US, Germany and the Middle East account for the bulk of the tourists coming into the country.

“We had about 108 000 foreign visitors in the first quarter of the year, and we are projecting that an additional 450 000 will visit during the second half of the year.”

The authorities, he said, were vigorously marketing “Brand Zimbabwe”.

Investment

Revenues from the sector also grew significantly during the January to March period.

“We have seen quite a huge growth in terms of receipts to about US$178 million, compared to US$131 million last year, representing an increase of about 36 percent.

“We are looking forward to increased growth during the first half of the year,” said Mr Koti.

“We have also seen an improvement in our room occupancy, which grew by 4 percent in the first quarter compared to last year.

“This is something that shows that we are on the right path.”

In 2020, Government launched the National Tourism and Recovery Strategy that seeks to achieve a US$5 billion tourism economy by 2025.

“We have been on a strong drive to push the Visit Zimbabwe campaign as much as we can on the international front,” he added.

“Through these initiatives, we have partnered with airlines to increase access into the country.

“We have also been engaging organisations that are specifically marketing MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism.

“We have been engaging with sports such as cricket, where we recently hosted the World Cup qualifiers, as well as the Zimbabwe Rugby Union.”

* Twitter: @tdrusike

Natfoods scam: R15m recovered in SA

Nyore Madzianike Police has recovered R15 million (about US$800 000) and seized a mansion in South Africa from cyber criminals who siphoned millions of United States dollars from bank accounts belonging to National Foods, a local manufacturer and marketer of food products, The Sunday Mail can reveal. A team of investigators drawn from the National […]

Nyore Madzianike

Police has recovered R15 million (about US$800 000) and seized a mansion in South Africa from cyber criminals who siphoned millions of United States dollars from bank accounts belonging to National Foods, a local manufacturer and marketer of food products, The Sunday Mail can reveal.

A team of investigators drawn from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and police’s commercial crime department dispatched to South Africa to undertake extraterritorial investigations into the case returned last week after finalising their probe into what could be one of the biggest cybercrimes ever reported in the country.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that the team returned last Wednesday.

“The team has returned from South Africa, but they are yet to brief their commanders on their findings,” he said.

“Once that is done, we will be able to give you details on their findings.”

A source close to the ongoing investigations told The Sunday Mail that some of the money had been traced and recovered.

“The team faced some challenges when it got to South Africa since the paperwork that allows them to execute their mandate was not processed on time,” said the source.

“Since they were already on the ground, they had to forgo undertaking other planned events.

“For example, we understand that they did not manage to interview the foreigners suspected to be behind the hacking and will only rely on what the South African authorities have.

“It was a heavy blow for the team as they were keen to interview them.”

However, the source said, there are plans for investigators to return to South Africa.

“The fortunate thing is that nearly R15 million is being sent back home after it was recovered,” added the source.

“Another house, bought using the National Foods money, was also seized.

“The team also traced some of the money to a bank in Namibia.

“Another R5 million was found to be in South Africa.”

The source said investigators also learnt of a local businessman with possible links to the scam, who they are keen to interview.

Natfoods claims it lost US$1,4 million to criminals who hacked into the company’s computer systems and accessed credentials to transfer money from its bank accounts.

The suspects, including two foreigners, engineered an intricate phishing scam that began with the scammers sending an e-mail purportedly from a South African financial institution to the Natfoods’ finance manager.

Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending e-mails disguised as electronic messages from reputable companies to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords.

Upon opening the e-mail, Natfoods’ computer system was corrupted.

This gave the fraudsters access to the company’s computer system, including authorisation to process financial transactions.

The scammers then began instructing the firm’s banks to deposit money into their own bank accounts in South Africa using the finance administrator’s credentials.

Law-enforcement agents obtained a High Court order in South Africa to freeze bank accounts holding part of the loot pending investigations.

The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), with assistance from its counterparts in South Africa, also obtained a seizure order to freeze properties suspected to have been bought using proceeds of the crime.

The South African AFU has since seized a fleet of top-of-the-range vehicles and a plush Johannesburg mansion pending further investigations.

Police had earlier confirmed recovering US$950 000 from the criminals, including properties and cash in South Africa.

A team of investigators was later dispatched to South Africa in pursuit of the matter.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Chamisa’s CCC suffers a huge blow as election day draws near

The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has suffered a blow after the High Court threw out its bid to remove a suspected ‘double candidate’ from the ballot. The opposition party claimed Andrew Mutsau forged signatures to file his nomination…

The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has suffered a blow after the High Court threw out its bid to remove a suspected ‘double candidate’ from the ballot. The opposition party claimed Andrew Mutsau forged signatures to file his nomination papers for Kariba constituency. They argued Mutsau was not properly nominated by the party and his […]

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