Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

ATLANTA — Lionel Messi’s move to America will look like a masterstroke if he leads Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles.

His decision to join Inter Miami in 2023 has already been good for all parties, raising the profile of soccer in the United States, delivering titles for his club and writing a new chapter in his storied career.

But Argentina could be the biggest winner of all, with Messi arriving at what might be his last World Cup with his powers still at stratospheric levels aged 38.

“Leo will be the best for as long as he wants; he has been doing it every single match for the last 20 years,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.

Thierry Henry described him as “on the moon” after his hat trick in Argentina’s opening game against Algeria.

“Leo is just different. It’s just a different topic,” Henry told Fox Sports.

Messi scored his first hat trick at a World Cup and also moved level on 16 goals with Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in tournament history.

“I tried to prepare myself in the best possible way to feel good physically, to feel useful, and to be able to help the group,” Messi said.

That’s an understatement.

Despite saying the last World Cup was likely his last, Messi is once again at the heart of the Argentina team, its biggest creative and attacking threat. At this stage of his career, that was far from guaranteed.

“We should be used to this, but if you ever needed any more confirmation that when it comes to Argentina, Messi is the system, he is the tactic, he’s the formation, he’s the identity and he is the heart,” Fox analyst Alexi Lalas said after the 3-0 win against Algeria. “It was something to behold.”

Messi has not lost his rhythm after US move

Messi left behind the intensity of European soccer to join Inter Miami in 2023, delivering a massive boost for Major League Soccer.

He said he wanted to “live football in another way” and while that included changes to his home life in the U.S., there was also a step down in the level of competition compared to Europe’s top leagues.

But at a time when top players are warning of burnout because of soccer’s increasingly congested calendar, Messi appears to be benefiting from making the move. He has played fewer games in the U.S. than at the height of his Barcelona career when he could play in excess of 50 a season. His performance at the start of this World Cup shows he hasn’t lost his sharpness even if he is not regularly facing the world’s top defenders in MLS.

“I love to play, to compete. And no matter where it is, today I find myself at another World Cup, which brings extra happiness, but I prepare myself just as I have done throughout my entire career,” he said.

Many people already rated the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the greatest soccer player of all time. But even past his peak years, he has hit new heights on the sport’s biggest stage.

His long-awaited World Cup triumph in 2022 came after his move away from Barcelona, where he was winning Champions League titles and setting scoring records, but repeatedly fell short with Argentina in international tournaments.

He was at Paris Saint-Germain when, as a 35-year-old and playing in his fifth World Cup, he finally managed to win the one trophy that had eluded him. Again, Argentina may have been the beneficiary of its icon taking a step down at club level.

While PSG hoped Messi’s arrival could deliver the Champions League, the domestic competition in France is not regarded as highly as Spain’s. Messi no longer faced such intense soccer on a weekly basis.

He went on to produce his finest form at a World Cup in 2022, scoring seven goals, including two in the final as Argentina beat France in a penalty shootout. He managed just one goal at the previous edition in Russia.

Messi is an inspiration for his teammates

He is back again four years later and looks like he is in the mood for more.

His Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul has spoken of the extra training both players had put in to ensure they were in peak condition for the tournament.

“We killed ourselves to, physically, arrive in the best way,” De Paul said.

Messi, meanwhile, has taken inspiration from Rafa Nadal after watching the Netflix docuseries on the tennis great’s drive to stay at the top of his game.

“I am very similar in that sense. I always want to feel good. As long as I can and I am well, I will be there,” Messi said.

For his teammates, he is simply the biggest inspiration.

“What Leo transmits is spectacular, it is hard to explain,” said Scaloni. “His teammates view him both as a God and as a kid from the neighborhood.

“Honestly, you just run out of words. Beyond the goals he scores, it is what he transmits—both to his teammates and to the fans. We will miss him.”

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THE Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries says 2025 was a good year for business due to policy consistency, macroeconomic stability and increased confidence in the local currency, which supported growth across key industry segments.

According to the findings of CZI’s Annual Manufacturing Sector Survey 2025, unveiled in Harare yesterday, manufacturing recorded strong recovery across key performance indicators, with firms reporting growth in output, turnover and employment.

The survey findings show that overall manufacturing sector performance was positive in 2025, with output surging by 13 percent, turnover rising by 12 percent and net employment expanding by six percent.

The industrial lobby group said the improved performance reflected increased production activity, stronger business confidence and improved capacity utilisation across manufacturing companies.

According to the survey findings, large manufacturing firms generated over US$10 million in revenue, with key segments such as food products accounting for the biggest share of revenue distribution at 23 percent.

Beverages and basic metals, machinery and electrical equipment each accounted for 13 percent of revenue from large firms, reflecting their significant contribution to industrial output and commercial activity.

Chemicals and chemical products accounted for 10 percent of total revenue, while wood and wood products chipped in with10 percent to the revenue distribution of large manufacturing firms.

Other non-metallic mineral products, paper and paper products, and other manufacturing each accounted for seven percent, while rubber and plastics products followed at three percent.

Clothing apparel, textile, fabricated metal and furniture represented smaller shares of the revenue from large manufacturers.

The survey further showed that growth was recorded across different firm sizes, although performance varied depending on company scale and access to resources.

Medium-sized companies recorded the highest growth rate at 21,2 percent, supported by stronger output and turnover expansion as these businesses benefited from agility to scale operations in response to market opportunities.

Large companies recorded the strongest employment growth following an 18,1 percent expansion, reflecting their capacity to increase workforce numbers to support their production requirements.

Small enterprises recorded employment growth of 7,5 percent, with CZI attributing the slower pace to constraints related to capital availability and market access challenges.

The manufacturing sector continues to benefit from efforts aimed at improving economic stability, boosting local production and strengthening domestic value chains.

In terms of employment, beverages contributed 27 percent while food products accounted for 13 percent of total manufacturing employment, making the two industries key drivers of employment within the sector.

Beverages accounted for 27 percent of the employment across manufacturing subsectors, while food products contributed 13 percent of total manufacturing jobs, making the two industries key drivers of employment within the sector.

Wood and wood products were also major job creators at 12 percent of total manufacturing employment, followed by non-metallic mineral products and other manufacturing activities, which contributed seven percent each.

Wearing apparel and fabricated metal products each accounted for six percent of manufacturing employment, while rubber and plastics products contributed four percent.

Textiles, paper and paper products and basic metals, machinery and electrical equipment each accounted for two percent of total employment, while repair and installation of machinery and equipment, printing and reproduction of recorded media, and furniture each contributed 1 percent.

The distribution of employment and revenue across the subsectors demonstrates the diverse structure of Zimbabwe’s manufacturing industry, with both traditional and emerging industries playing important roles in economic growth.

These findings come as the manufacturing sector continues its recovery trajectory, with improved output, turnover growth and employment gains recorded during 2025.

Presenting the findings of the survey, CZI chief economist Dr Cornelius Dube said Zimbabwe’s manufacturing industry strengthened its recovery momentum in 2025, achieving growth across output, turnover and employment measures.

“Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector showed strong recovery across all key performance metrics in 2025. Medium-sized firms have emerged as the growth engines of Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector, recording the strongest expansion at 21,2 percent.

“Their performance demonstrates the advantage of combining sufficient scale with the agility to respond quickly to market opportunities, allowing them to increase output and turnover more effectively.

“While large firms continue to play a critical role in employment creation, recording the strongest job growth at 18,1 percent, their output growth.

“Small firms recorded the lowest growth at 7,5 percent, largely due to persistent challenges related to access to capital, limited market opportunities and constraints affecting their ability to expand operations,” said Dr Dube.

Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndhlovu told guests at the event that the manufacturing sector showed resilience in 2025 and that focus must now shift towards accelerating industrialisation and enhancing economic competitiveness.

“As we reflect on the findings of this Report, we are reminded that Zimbabwe’s industrial transformation is no longer a matter of aspiration, but it is a national imperative.

“The resilience demonstrated by our manufacturing sector in recent years is commendable, but the message emerging from this Survey is clear: we must therefore accelerate the pace of industrialisation, deepen domestic production, and strengthen the competitiveness of our economy,” said Minister Ndhlovu.

CZI president Mr Mucha Mukanganwi said the business community noticed the positive operating environment in 2025, as demand for locally produced goods remained firm, driven by the improved economic conditions.

He attributed the improved performance to a more supportive policy environment, stability in the ZiG currency framework, strong international gold prices and improved agricultural output.

“The feedback we have received from business reflects a positive sentiment for 2025. Beyond the sentiments, our statistics are also showing that it has been a very good year for the industry.

“The policy environment has really improved, and businesses have been able to take advantage of that. The gold price cannot be ignored, and what has been happening in agriculture, especially with farmers performing well, has also translated into demand for industrial products,” said Mr Mukanganwi.

The survey showed that capacity utilisation grew to 55,9 percent from 52,3 percent the previous year, driven by improved policy consistency, macroeconomic stability and increased confidence in the local currency, the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG).

According to the survey, the industry continued investing in capacity expansion, with 35 percent of surveyed firms investing in new capacity during the year, resulting in an additional nine percent of production capacity.

CZI said 20 percent of manufacturing firms were recent entrants, reflecting renewed investor interest, although more incentives were needed to support existing local manufacturers.

The organisation said local companies continued to face an uneven playing field compared with new foreign investors, calling for policies that strengthen domestic industry competitiveness.

CZI said that Zimbabwe’s mining and agriculture continued to dominate exports, with manufacturing yet to reach its full potential.

The organisation called for stronger incentives to promote industrial exports and enhance Zimbabwe’s competitiveness in regional and international markets.

CZI said continued engagement between business and Government would be critical in addressing structural challenges and creating conditions for sustainable industrial growth. – Herald

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ZIMBABWE’S capital markets rebounded strongly in May, with the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) and the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX) posting gains as improving investor sentiment, easing inflationary pressures and growing confidence in macroeconomic stability boosted demand for equities.

Following a subdued April, investors returned to the market in search of quality assets, driving benchmark indices and market capitalisation higher despite persistent liquidity constraints, uneven foreign participation and mixed performances across investment products.

The recovery signals a gradual restoration of confidence in Zimbabwe’s bourses, although investors are increasingly becoming selective, favouring companies with strong fundamentals, resilient earnings and long-term growth prospects.

According to market statistics from the ZSE, collectively, the two exchanges added substantial value during the month, with the ZSE gaining more than ZiG6 billion in market capitalisation, while the US dollar-denominated VFEX added approximately US$250 million.

However, analysts say the rally was not broad-based and was largely driven by a handful of counters that continued to dominate investor interest.

On the ZSE, trading activity strengthened considerably during the month after total turnover rose by 3,9 percent to ZiG531,1 million in May from ZiG510,9 million in April, while trading volumes surged by nearly 52 percent to 81,4 million shares from 53,6 million shares.

The number of transactions also increased by 13,6 percent to 2 218 trades from 1 953 in April.
The benchmark All-Share Index advanced by 6,6 percent to 389,26 points from 365,17 points, while the Top 10 Index gained 5,8 percent to close at 384,31 points from 363,18 points.

Overall market capitalisation rose by 7,3 percent to ZiG89,56 billion from ZiG83,46 billion, adding more than ZiG6 billion in value in a single month.

The rally was largely anchored by significant gains in Tanganda Tea Company, which surged by 151,6 percent, while TN CyberTech Investments Holdings rose by 44,2 percent.

Tanganda’s impressive performance came amid a major corporate restructuring following consumer goods giant Innscor Africa’s acquisition of a 27 percent stake through its investment vehicle Rutanhi Beverages.

The transaction, supported by a US$8 million rights issue, has significantly reshaped the company’s shareholder structure and strategic direction.

The company has also undergone sweeping governance changes, including the departure of long-serving chairman Herbert Nkala after nearly three decades at the helm.

TN CyberTech Investments also attracted investor attention after outlining plans to intensify its digital-first banking strategy during the 2026 financial year through strategic partnerships, artificial intelligence and expanded digital networks aimed at enhancing financial inclusion.

Other notable gainers included Ariston Holdings, which rose by 30,9 percent, ZSE Holdings, up by 16,9 percent and CBZ Holdings, which advanced by15,4 percent.

Ariston recently approved a major board overhaul as it seeks to address liquidity challenges and concerns over its going concern status.

Meanwhile, ZSE Holdings benefitted from investor optimism and the company recently announced a partnership with Red Sphere Microfinance, a subsidiary of CBZ Holdings, to launch a technology-driven Trade Receivables Discounting Platform under the Zimbabwe Entrepreneurship Exchange (ZEEX).

The initiative is expected to unlock much-needed working capital for small and medium enterprises by enabling suppliers to convert unpaid invoices into immediate cash through a regulated digital marketplace.

CBZ Holdings emerged as a preferred counter as investors increased exposure to banking stocks amid expectations of improving economic activity.

Brokerage firm FBC Securities said one of the key drivers behind improving market sentiment was the continued stability of inflation.

“Monthly inflation peaked at 1,1 percent in April, but eased to 0,5 percent in May, while annual inflation remained contained at 4,4 percent,” the brokerage firm said in its monthly equities review.

“This low inflation environment has preserved the real value of ZiG-denominated assets and encouraged domestic investors to remain allocated to equities rather than fleeing to hard assets.”

FBC warned that exchange rate developments remain a key risk, with the interbank rate depreciating by about 3 percent during May, from ZiG25,34 per US dollar to ZiG26,90 per US dollar.

The brokerage firm said the outlook for the ZSE over the next three to six months remains positive, supported by relaxed listing requirements under Practice Note 18, although sustaining the rally will depend heavily on the central bank’s ability to preserve foreign currency reserves and maintain stability in ZiG.

On the ZSE, foreign investor participation also improved during the month.
Foreign purchases rose by 4,4 percent to ZiG97,7 million from ZiG93,5 million, while foreign sales decline by 5,7 percent to ZiG143,9 million from ZiG152,6 million.

Although foreign investors remained net sellers, the narrowing gap between purchases and sales suggests offshore investors are becoming less aggressive in reducing their exposure to Zimbabwean equities.

Analysts believe sustained macroeconomic stability could eventually encourage a return of foreign capital.

On the VFEX, valuations strengthened significantly despite weaker trading activity, suggesting investors are increasingly adopting longer-term investment strategies.

Equity trading volumes fell by nearly 54 percent to 42,04 million shares from 91,31 million shares in April, while turnover declined sharply by more than 81 percent to US$16,76 million from US$89,33 million.

Despite this slowdown, the VFEX All-Share Index rose by 7,1 percent to 245,12 points from 228,92 points, while market capitalisation increased by 7,13 percent to US$3,74 billion from US$3,49 billion.

The number of trades also edged higher to 2 904 from 2 849, indicating resilient investor participation.
Performance on the VFEX was largely driven by Zimplow Holdings, which surged by 126,8 percent to 11,50 US cents, Edgars Stores, up by 126 percent to 4,152 US cents, First Capital Bank, which gained 38 percent to 14,84 US cents, and Padenga Holdings, which advanced by 19,2 percent to 107,54 US cents.

Zimplow attracted investor interest due to its diversified operations across agriculture, construction and infrastructure sectors, while Edgars delivered a resilient performance despite operating in a challenging economic environment characterised by tight liquidity and elevated real interest rates. Padenga benefitted from strong operational performance, with first-quarter gold production increasing by 13 percent to 696,7 kilogrammes from 618,9 kilogrammes in the comparable period last year.

The company’s earnings were further supported by elevated international gold prices, which averaged US$4 875 per ounce during the quarter compared to US$2 887 previously.

FBC Securities said the VFEX continues to attract investors seeking protection from currency depreciation because it trades exclusively in US dollars.

“This has been a powerful magnet for foreign portfolio flows and local investors seeking hard currency exposure,” the brokerage firm said.

“The 7 percent index gain in May occurred despite a decline in international gold prices, suggesting that VFEX-listed companies are increasingly being rerated based on operational improvements rather than commodity prices alone.”

It said the tobacco selling season is also expected to provide additional US dollar liquidity that could support further investment into VFEX-listed equities.

Looking ahead, FBC expects the VFEX to benefit from two major structural developments.
“The first is the anticipated migration of high-quality companies from the ZSE, including TSL Limited, which is seeking shareholder approval for a VFEX listing,” said FBC.

“The second is the continued strength of global gold prices, which remain historically elevated despite retreating from their January peaks.”

FBC cautioned that liquidity concentration remains a significant risk.
“The sharp decline in turnover during May highlights the exchange’s vulnerability to periods of low trading activity, underscoring the need for additional listings and a stronger market-making ecosystem,” the brokerage firm said.

According to VFEX statistics, foreign participation on the US dollar-denominated bourse also weakened significantly during the month.

Foreign purchases declined by 78,5 percent to US$235 676 from US$1,09 million in April, while foreign sales plunged by nearly 99 percent to US$57 354 from US$4,25 million.

Market observers believe this largely reflects investor consolidation following unusually high activity in April rather than deteriorating confidence.

Investor appetite for diversified investment products remained mixed.
On the ZSE, real estate investment trusts (REITs) lost momentum, with turnover falling by 44,3 percent to ZiG22,3 million from ZiG40 million in April, as investors redirected capital towards conventional equities offering better returns.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs), however, staged a strong comeback. Turnover surged more than fourteen-fold to ZiG253 369 from just ZiG16 229 in April, while trading volumes rose to 2,37 million units from 154 108 units.

On the VFEX, REITs delivered impressive growth, with trading volumes increasing more than four-fold to 2,47 million units, while turnover rose by 322 percent to US$355 035.

The exchange also continued expanding its product offering through ETFs, which recorded trading volumes of 386 865 units and market capitalisation approaching US$3 million.

Economist Mr Walter Mapfumo said May’s performance signals that Zimbabwe’s capital markets are entering a more mature phase, characterised by selective investment decisions rather than broad-based speculative rallies.

“The market is becoming increasingly sophisticated,” he said.
“Investors are rewarding quality companies and avoiding indiscriminate risk-taking. That is a healthy development because sustainable growth in capital markets is driven by fundamentals rather than speculation.

“However, liquidity remains a major challenge. Going forward, attracting foreign participation and maintaining policy consistency will be critical to sustaining this momentum.”

Source: Herald

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Source: The Long Road to Nowhere: South Africa at the Fracture Point – South of the African Equator

By Andrew Field

South Africa was meant to be the beacon of hope for southern Africa. For centuries the region looked to it as the powerhouse, the state to be followed. The 1994 majority rule and the rainbow nation promised a new dawn. Instead, it has been a trajectory of despair, hopelessness, and fear. Now, a civic movement called March and March threatens to shut the country down unless undocumented migrants are expelled. Eleven days before voter registration, four months before local elections, and six weeks after the Constitutional Court set President Cyril Ramaphosa on the path to impeachment, South Africa is not in crisis. It is something worse: crisis has become the permanent condition. Institutions hold their shape while their substance drains away.

The economy limps forward at 1.2 to 1.5 percent growth. Real GDP per capita is flat. Income per capita remains below 2007 levels. Unemployment sits at 31.4 percent, with youth unemployment at 43.8 percent — the powder keg behind xenophobic rage. Nearly 60 percent of South Africans live below the poverty line. The state props up 45 percent of the population with social grants it cannot afford. It is not a safety net, it is a pressure valve, and pressure valves do eventually blow.

Externally, South Africa is punished. U.S. tariffs bite. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) limps toward expiry. Washington calls Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) racist and a barrier to trade. It is a hangover of victimhood mentality that seems not to be going away. The policy architecture meant to redress apartheid has become a geopolitical liability. A country that once exported confidence now exports citrus and wine under duress. An economy generating 1.5 percent growth cannot absorb a youth cohort of twenty million. It cannot fund its own military. It cannot close the fiscal deficit without cutting services on which nearly half the population depends. And it cannot produce the political legitimacy that comes from a citizen’s reasonable expectation that things will improve.

Internally, the Government of National Unity (GNU) is fragile. Formed after the African National Congress (ANC) fell to 40 percent in 2024, it now holds together ten parties that disagree on everything from land to migration. Ramaphosa is the glue — the reform narrative, the credit rating upgrade, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list removal. Remove him, and the GNU collapses. Yet impeachment looms. South Africans suffer the same filth of corrupt politicians as Zimbabweans do. It is endemic in Africa — the liberation movement’s dirtiest secret, that the struggle was never entirely about the people.

The November elections will expose the contradictions. The ANC campaigns against its coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA). The South African Communist Party (SACP) contests independently. Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party implodes. Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) mobilise the unemployed youth — twelve million strong, most unregistered, most disengaged from the ballot box but not from protest and potentially violence. Rage is being courted, but rage not converted will find other outlets. Twelve million South Africans aged 18 to 29, only 4.5 million registered to vote, and of those unregistered, 62 percent have no intention of registering. In 2024, 11.5 million registered voters did not bother to cast a ballot. Add the unregistered and the figure approaches twenty million South Africans of voting age who will not participate in November. They are not apathetic. They protest, organise, burn tyres. They are the fuel of unrest.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is a hollow shell. It cannot defend borders or neighbourhoods. What fills the vacuum is more interesting than a coup, and more difficult to contain. The SANDF is deployed domestically against organised crime in roles it is doctrinally unsuited for. A partisan militia network loosely attached to the MK veterans’ structures remains available to whoever can organise it, after thirty years of the ANC using it as a factional instrument. And South Africa’s private security sector, estimated at 400,000 to 500,000 personnel, armed, operating in every township and mine, and largely unaccountable in practice, outnumbers both the SANDF and the South African Police Service (SAPS) combined. Given the right patronage, and every general loves a flashy car, this combination remains a latent instrument of political leverage.

Patronage networks thrive while the state implodes. Meanwhile, the white minority fades from the political conversation. Once a fifth of the population (1960 census), now 7.1 percent. Skills and capital exit. Farm murders are tragic but not genocide. The Afrikaner ethno‑right is not driving the crisis, but it is another symptom of a state that has failed to make its citizens — all of them — believe their future lies within it. Nearly 95,000 white South Africans left between 2021 and 2026. Some return, but the net effect is decline. The tax base shrinks. The skills pool evaporates. The rainbow nation bleeds colour.

Thirty‑two years after liberation, South Africa remains democracy in form, but hollow in substance. The courts still rule, elections will still be held, the GNU will stagger on. But the institutions are shells. Twenty million young people have concluded the ballot box is not their instrument. The military cannot defend a border. The president is in court to stop Parliament examining his conduct. Vigilantes issue ultimatums to foreign nationals.

This is not the rainbow nation Nelson Mandela envisioned. It is a fractured state, led by a political elite too busy protecting their own interests to harness the country’s vast potential. South Africa could have been the powerhouse of Africa, the happiest on the continent. Instead, it is a cautionary tale: a democracy that exists only in form, while the substance of hope, prosperity, and unity has been squandered. The ANC clings to power, the DA pretends to govern, Malema mobilises rage, and Ramaphosa fights for survival. The people are left with load‑shedding, unemployment, and broken promises. The political elite are messing up — bluntly, catastrophically, and without shame.

South Africa’s long road has no visible destination. The rainbow has faded, the dream has curdled. The country is not collapsing in a single dramatic moment but rotting in slow motion. The political elite, meanwhile, are polishing their speeches and chauffeured cars, congratulating themselves on managing the decline with such dignity. They call it democracy; the people call it load-shedding. They call it reform; the unemployed call it hunger. They call it unity; the rest of us call it a con, run by men who discovered that the language of liberation is the perfect cover for the business of looting. Unless the leaders rediscover the courage to govern for the people rather than themselves, the only thing South Africa will power is the world’s darkest punchline.

Addendum

---

Postscript: Durban, June 2026

This essay was written as a projection. Events have not waited.

In Durban’s Sherwood Hall grounds, more than 8,000 Malawian nationals are living in open fields, mothers cradling babies, children huddled in the June cold, waiting for repatriation buses that cannot come fast enough. They are the visible tip of a crisis that has swept Johannesburg, Pretoria, Mossel Bay, and the Western Cape since April. Five Mozambicans have been killed in Mossel Bay. Nigeria has already flown its first 260 nationals home and expects a thousand more to follow. Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique have all activated emergency repatriation operations for their citizens in South Africa.

March and March’s June 30 deadline is nine days away. It has not caused this. It has legitimised it.

The pressure valve this article described has not blown. It is leaking — badly, in multiple places simultaneously, and the repair crews are nowhere to be seen. South African authorities insist the situation is under control. The 8,000 people sleeping in a Durban park suggest otherwise.

The long road has no destination. But it has a date. Nine days from now.

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HARARE – The High Court has dismissed an application by businessman Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo seeking to throw out claims filed against him by ex-wife Sonja Louise Madzikanda for division of assets, dissolution of marriage, spousal maintenance and a declaration of the existence and dissolution of a civil partnership.

In a ruling handed down on Thursday, Justice Fatima Maxwell found that Chivayo’s application under rule 31(1) of the High Court rules amounted to “a veiled attempt to get the assistance of the court to defeat an extant order by consent.”

The dispute traces back to March 4, 2026, when Chivayo filed an urgent chamber application, seeking access to the minor children born to the parties pending resolution of the main matter – divorce proceedings initiated by Madzikanda. That application resulted in a consent order granted by Justice Amy Tsanga on April 2, 2026.

Beyond settling access arrangements for the children, the order recorded that the parties had agreed on the forum for resolving their dispute, with paragraph 1 stating: “The question of the proprietary consequences of the termination of the parties’ union shall be adjudicated under case number HCHF 62/2026 (divorce matter).”

Justice Maxwell found that by filing the present application on April 27, 2026, seeking dismissal of the claims relating to asset division, divorce, maintenance and the civil partnership declaration, Chivayo was attempting “to resile from the agreement that the proprietary consequences of the termination of the parties union shall be adjudicated under case number HCHF 62/2026.”

The judge held that the application “seeks to achieve a result that defeats the agreement reached by the parties resulting in the order by consent issued by Honourable Tsanga J,” adding that “the effect of that order is that the parties must litigate under HCHF 62/26 the proprietary issues between them.”

On the binding nature of court orders, Justice Maxwell stated: “It is trite that once a court has made an order, it binds all and sundry concerned. Everyone is bound by the court order until it is lawfully altered or discharged by a court of competent jurisdiction or statute.”

The judge was critical of Chivayo’s failure to disclose the existence of the consent order in his application, remarking: “Applicant did not address or refer to the existence of the order in HCHF 892/26. I take it as an attempt to pull wool over the court’s eyes.”

Justice Maxwell invoked the legal principle against inconsistent positions, holding that “a position that is not consistent with the adjudication of the proprietary issues between the parties under case number HCHF 62/2026 cannot be supposed by the court,” and that “no person can be allowed to take up two positions that are inconsistent with one another, commonly expressed as to blow hot and cold, to approbate and reprobate.”

Beyond the consent-order point, the judge found rule 31(1) itself inapplicable to the case. While the rule allows a defendant who has filed a plea to apply for dismissal of an action on the grounds that it is frivolous or vexatious, Justice Maxwell held that Chivayo “compromised his right by consenting that the proprietary issues be determined in case number HCHF 62/26.”

He further reasoned that the rule is designed for cases where “the whole action is bound to be dismissed by reason of being frivolous or vexatious,” and is not intended for situations “in which part of the claim is valid.”

On the test for absolution from the instance, the judge noted that a court “must ask itself if there is no evidence at all on each and every essential averment that the plaintiff must make to sustain the cause of action.”

Justice Maxwell pointed out that Chivayo was “not challenging the validity of the claims for custody and maintenance,” and noted that the parties held differing views on the applicability of the Marriages Act [Chapter 5:17] to their circumstances, with Madzikanda “even seeking recourse from the constitution.”

She concluded: “I am not persuaded that the summons can be termed totally hopeless to warrant dismissal.”

The application was dismissed with costs.

Advocate Sylvester Hashiti and Edley Mubaiwa appeared for Chivayo, instructed by Mpofu Mazhata Chambers, while Advocate Regina Mabwe appeared for Madzikanda, instructed by Mahuni Gidiri Law Chambers.

Madzikanda recently took to social media claiming that a court had ruled that she was never married to Chivayo and dismissed her divorce application, but even her lawyers say they do not know where she got tha information from as no such judgement exists.

She is claiming $25 million as part of her divorce settlement. Chivayo’s lawyers insist the couple, who have two young children together, were never married.

Source: ZimLive

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