September 2013

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe yesterday defended his Cabinet appointments which analysts have slammed as recycling of deadwood. Speaking to journalists at State House soon after the swearing-in of ministers and their deputies yesterday, Mugabe said his decisions were based on party loyalty. “The decision was based on how much of Zanu PF are you,…

HARARE – Media, Information and Broadcasting Services minister Jonathan Moyo has moved to allay fears of a media crackdown as he begins his new Cabinet term of office. Moyo told reporters at State House yesterday soon after taking oath of office that his return to government did not in any way signify “Armageddon” for the…

HARARE – Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono says the new cabinet announced by President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday has the capacity to carry the country forward. Gono also hailed the appointment of former Justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa as the finance minister saying it was extremely reassuring that a new Cabinet had been…

HARARE – Exiled senior Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) official Roy Bennett has called for a new leadership of the troubled opposition party, suggesting that Morgan Tsvangirai’s continued stay in power did not reflect the will of the people. Delivering a sharp assessment in an interview with Business Day, he was at odds with the…

HARARE – The man President Robert Mugabe tapped on Tuesday to be his new Finance chief was not his first choice. Indeed, as the architect of the multi-currency regime when he served as acting Finance minister in 2009, he may well have been his last. But more than any other Zanu PF politician, Patrick Chinamasa…

HARARE – High Court judge Felistas Chatukuta will today make a ruling on an application for discharge by controversial businessman John Bredenkamp — accused of a $4,2 million fraud. Through his lawyer Eric Matinenga, the 73-year-old man had applied for discharge after the state closed its case, arguing that prosecutors had failed to establish a…

HARARE – Two women yesterday appeared in court charged with witchcraft after they were allegedly found sitting naked in winnowing baskets in Budirio 2 around 5:30am. Maria Moyo (30) and Chipo Chakaja (26) of Gokwe Nembudziya — who were only wrapped in red cloths — told Mbare magistrate Rueben Mukavhi that they were unaware how…

HARARE – High Court Judge Francis Bere yesterday ruled that the MDC’s challenge on the government’s position that mayors should only be selected from elected councillors is not urgent. MDC lawyers Mwonzora and Associates had filed an urgent High Court application, seeking an order to compel Local Government minister Ignatious Chombo to allow non-councillors to…

HARARE – As competition in the media industry continues to rise, newspaper publisher Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) has formally announced staff retrenchments at the company. In a statement yesterday, AMH — which publishes NewsDay, the Zimbabwe Independent, the Standard and the Southern Eye newspapers — said it would retrench staff in editorial, advertising and the…