May 2017

HARARE – Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene has approached the High Court seeking to nullify an order that identified Christopher Mutsvangwa as legitimate leader of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA). This comes after the court in February last year barred Chimene from masquerading as the interim or substantive leader of the…

HARARE – Rape convicted cleric Robert Martin Gumbura — currently serving 40 years behind bars — has been dragged back to court for allegedly failing to pay $74 000 for furniture he purchased more than three years ago. According to court papers, the Independent End Time Message church founder, who was jailed in 2014, operated…

HARARE – Harare City Council (HCC) has terminated WellCash Debt Collectors (WellCash)’s contract following mounting pressure from residents and lobby groups. The resolution comes after Community Water Alliance gave the debt collector a three-day ultimatum to vacate council district offices from where they were now operating. According to minutes of a full council meeting held…

HARARE – Government has tasked the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) to investigate alleged smuggling of contraceptives to South Africa (SA). According to reports, there is a thriving market for the Marvelon family planning pills in the neighbouring country — where multitudes of Zimbabweans have migrated to — as dealers sell them to women…

HARARE – Mines minister Walter Chidakwa must keep his “dirty hands” off Shabanie Mashaba Mines (SMM), businessman Mutuma Mawere said yesterday. This comes after Chidakwa told Senators last week that Treasury would soon inject $15 million to resuscitate SMM. Chidakwa also revealed that his ministry had secured asbestos markets in Russia, Kazakhstan and India. SMM,…

HARARE – Law expert Alfred Mavedzenge is today expected to file a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court (Con-Court) challenging the constitutionality of the Electoral Act, arguing it gives government the power to veto regulations promulgated by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec). The lawsuit seeks an order to declare Section 192 (6) of the Electoral Act…

HARARE – Government has scrapped duty on the importation of locomotive spares in a bid to revive the cash-strapped National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). This comes as government recently waived import duty on air craft spares, a development which indicates that government may be moving to resuscitate moribund parastatals, including national airline  Air Zimbabwe. NRZ…

HARARE – A Zimbabwean woman, Beauty Mutashu — who was busted at Harare International Airport hiding 3,8kg of cocaine in her luggage — was yesterday denied bail after the court noted she was a flight risk. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in jail. The 32-year-old, who confessed to being a sex worker,…

HARARE – The family of an 11-year-old girl killed in a police chase of a commuter omnibus have spoken of their “strong disappointment” after the driver walked free from court. Farasi Masawi on October 24 last year around 5am proceeded through a red traffic light at the intersection of Cork Road and King George in…