Chireya man found hanging in Mudzi

A 26-year-old Gokwe man allegedly hanged himself near his girlfriend’s homestead in Mudzi after finding male clothes on her washing line. The body of Joel Murambwe of Meki village under Chief Chireya, Gokwe, was found dangling from a tree near Banze Business Centre.

Mashonaland East acting provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Tendai Mwanza said: "I can confirm that we received a report of a Gokwe man who committed suicide after seeing male clothes on his lover’s washing line.

"The body was discovered on Tuesday after police were notified of the incident by Tichaona Chidwenya, who is the headmaster at Banze Primary school."

According to Asst Insp Mwanza, on September 25 at around 6am, Murambwe visited his girlfriend Enara Muchado (19) of Banze Business Centre. It is reported that upon arrival, he found male clothes on the washing line and confronted Muchado. It is said that Muchado explained to Murambwe that the clothes belonged to a neighbour named Katsande whom she helped because he was not feeling well.

Murambwe was not satisfied and suspected that his lover was cheating. He allegedly told his girlfriend that he was going to kill himself and he left the homestead to an unknown destination. Muchado went to Banze Business Centre to tell Murambwe’s friend, Pardon Mutsungi (28) what had happened.

Murambwe did not return home that day. The following day, at around 6am, Murambwe’ body was discovered by a school pupil who informed Mr Chidwenya. The body was taken to Mutoko Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.

Asst Insp Mwanza said people should approach their elders, church leaders and the police if they have problems, instead of resorting to suicide or murder.

Mawarire aquitted

#ThisFlag movement leader Evan Mawarire was today acquitted of charges of inciting public violence and disorderly conduct at the University of Zimbabwe.

Mawarire’s lawyer Harrison Nkomo yesterday trashed the State case during cross examination of the first witness in a trial in which the cleric is charged with attempting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe’s government.

Witness Edmore Muchineripi Runganga, who is the investigating officer in the case, had a torrid time justifying how Mawarire attempted to subvert a constitutionally-elected government and how he had incited public violence.

This was after four of Mawarire’s videos were played in court in which he urged people to stay at home during a countrywide shutdown that took place on July 6, last year.

Runganga accepted that in the videos there was nowhere where Mawarire had urged people to engage in acts of violence, arguing instead that this could have been a coded message, which probably meant people must engage in violence.

He, however, could not justify this, adding that it was mere speculation as there was no witness to confirm that assumption.

Runganga also said that Mawarire’s calls for a "shutdown" and calling people to resist the introduction of bond notes and the import ban ushered through Statutory Instrument 64/2016, was a clear sign that he intended to subvert a constitutionally-elected government.

After grilling by Nkomo, Runganga failed to qualify how Mawarire intended to subvert a constitutionally elected government with his Bible and a flag. He also admitted that police did not find anything after searching his house.

"Why do you believe that a 40-year-old pastor with a Bible, a flag and records, videos in his house, has the capacity to subvert a constitutionally-elected government?" Nkomo asked.

Runganga likened Mawarire’s #ThisFlag movement to Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram. He claimed that Mawarire is influential and had brainwashed his church congregants, which resulted in the creation of #ThisFlag movement.

Nkomo further asked Runganga to place evidence proving that the violence that took place on the alleged dates were a result of his videos and to produce the alleged property that was damaged, which the officer-in-charge for CID Law and Order Harare could not do.

Allegations against Mawarire emanates from last year’s July massive strike dubbed #Shutdown Zimbabwe.

Allegations are that between July 13, and December last year, Mawarire printed and used electronic media to incite Zimbabweans to revolt against the constitutionally-elected government.

He was arrested on February 1, 2017 at the Harare International Airport upon his surprise return to Zimbabwe from the US.

The popular clergyman had at that point helped to organise one of the most successful and peaceful strikes in the history of post-independent Zimbabwe, with long-suffering citizens heeding his call to stay away from work to protest the country’s worsening rot.

Last year’s crippling strike forced the panicking Zanu-PF government to use excessive force to quell subsequent protests, as Zimbabweans agitated for change.

Mawarire is also facing a separate trial on incitement of violence charges after he joined demonstrating medical students at the University of Zimbabwe recently.

He was also removed from remand on Tuesday following his arrest on Sunday for recording a video complaining about fuel shortages. The court ruled that he had been over-detained.

Rugby comes to Gokwe

Despite recent social media blitz labeling Gokwe as one of those backward places in the country, it has defied odds, breaking frontiers in the Zimbabwean rugby realm following to form Gokwe North District Club (GNDC).

Founded in May 2017 by rugby enthusiast and entrepreneur, Maxwell Gwaranapo, GNDC already boasts of more than 30 players drawn from school leavers across the district and a handful of schoolboys.

In an interview with 263Chat, Gwaranapo who played rugby for Glenview High 2 during his school days, says the club’s formation was not his initial intention as he was focused on introducing schoolboy rugby to primary kids but the abundant potential led him to think of setting up a formal rugby team.

“We started in May this year when I visited Gokwe North Nembudziya primarily focusing on introducing rugby to primary schools and managed to get 15 schools playing, but I then discovered that we had guys who played rugby at school level and relocated to the rural areas due to various reasons and are really missing the game.

“At first I thought I will be working with primary schools only but to my surprise got a lot of youth who wanted to play and that’s the reason we came up with the club,” said Gwaranapo.

Gwaranapo says the team has not faced any significant opposition yet and is eager to get a taste of real competition at Provincial and national level, which may come sooner as Midlands teams are already planning to incorporate the side into some of the upcoming rugby tournaments.

Rural development of the sport should be taken seriously, as Gwaranapo says, and empower the rural youths by giving them access to rugby, giving them a chance to develop competitiveness and confidence.

Disappointingly however, Gwaranapo says he has not had any support from any organisation or institution and sacrifices his personal savings to support the initiative.

“We haven’t had any support I used my personal money to buy balls for the schools and the club; We really need help.

“We want to see all schools in the district playing rugby and have more clubs. One thing I loved about rural boys is endurance,” he said.

The success of the club will go a long way in terms of increasing the number of rugby playing clubs from the Midlands as well as giving an opportunity to rural youths who are currently being denied a chance to nature their potential

Woman shot by husband over missing money

A 26-year-old woman from Gokwe is recovering at home after she was allegedly shot on the leg by her husband following a misunderstanding over a missing $600.

Ms Joyce Ngwenya of Mudundu Village under Chief Nemangwe was rushed to hospital after she was allegedly shot by her agitated husband, Tapiwa Manyoka last Wednesday. She was treated and discharged.

Acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende said she was still to get more details from police in Gokwe.

Chief Nemangwe said the argument that led to the shooting incident arose after part of the money the couple was keeping in the house went missing.

“The information I got was that the couple was keeping a sum of $1 200 in their bedroom hut when the wife discovered that half of it was missing. The two usually do business together which include selling maize and goats. So they had saved cash amounting to $1 200,” said Chief Nemangwe.

He said on the day in question, the wife discovered that $600 was missing and she confronted her husband about it.

“They started pointing fingers and an argument ensued,” said Chief Nemangwe.

He said when the wife threatened to quit the marriage over the missing money, the accused took a gun which he kept in their wardrobe and shot her once on the leg.

“A neighbour rushed to me to report the matter but I told them that it was a police case. The police were alerted leading to Manyoka’s arrest,” said Chief Nemangwe.

4 sisters murder,wife speaks out

A Gokwe woman whose husband allegedly killed her four siblings, said she regrets leaving her sisters at his mercy.

Ms Priviledge Dlomo (24) of Chirima Village in Gokwe spoke to The Chronicle news crew at her aunt’s homestead in Insiza district where she now resides.

Ms Dlomo fled from her matrimonial home in Nkayi to her parents in Gokwe after her husband, Dingilizwe Dube (38), who was in South Africa threatened to kill her.

Dube was bitter that she was brewing traditional beer for sale in his absence.

Ms Dlomo resorted to the business of brewing beer to raise money to fend for her three children because Dube was not sending money.

When she told her in-laws about her plight and that of her children as a result of Dube’s neglect, they gave her sorghum and advised her to brew beer for sale.

Ms Dlomo’s other child is from another marriage.

After her escape, Dube allegedly followed her to her parents’ home and she fled again to Insiza where her aunt lives.

Dube allegedly vented his anger on Ms Dlomo’s four siblings who were burnt to death after he allegedly torched the hut they were sleeping in last month.

He is in custdoy awaiting trial for four counts of murder.

The Dlomo family is demanding 48 beasts from Dube’s family as compensation for the deaths of their children.

“I regret fleeing from my husband because he ended up venting his anger on my sisters. They had nothing to do with our problems yet they paid with their lives,” said a tearful Ms Dlomo.

She said her life is now empty as she now has no siblings as they were just five girls in their family.

“I am failing to come to terms with this tragedy and I have no idea what my mother is going through following the death of her four children in one fell swoop,” she said.

Ms Dlomo said at one point her parents warned her against marrying Dube.

She said Dube started physically abusing her when she was three months pregnant with the first child of their marriage. She said at one time when she was under attack, she fled into her mother’s bedroom but he followed and attacked her there.

Ms Dlomo said Dube was fined a beast by a traditional court for entering his in-laws bedroom and the beast he paid was among the nine beasts belonging to the Dlomo family that he axed after the attack on the four siblings.

Six beasts died in the attack.

Dube was last week convicted of arson and malicious damage to property by a Gokwe magistrate and was sentenced to an effective 12 months in prison.
He was further ordered to restitute the Dlomos $1 800 or six beasts.

Dube’s family has since compensated the Dlomo family for the lost beasts.

Chronicle

Emergency passport suspended

Members of the public who are seeking the emergency travelling documents are forced to apply for the ‘normal’ passport, which costs $53 and is now being released after about two months as a result of the backlog. Normally, the passport is released within three weeks of application.

An emergency passport, which takes 24 hours to be released costs $318, while the one released in three days costs $253. In an interview yesterday, Registrar-General Mr Tobaiwa Mudede said his office was trying to clear the passport backlog, hence the need to temporarily reject new applications for emergency passports.

“We have a backlog of nearly 2 000 passports and that’s a lot,” he said. “We have not suspended issuing passports, there is a backlog that we are trying to clear. This thing is temporary. We don’t force situations.

“If you want to use the word we have ‘slowed down’ in accepting applications, that’s the right language to use. We will start accepting applications for emergency passports once we clear the backlog.”

Mr Mudede said it will not make sense for his office to continue accepting new applicants for emergency passports when his officers were battling to clear the backlog. He said his office did not want to find itself being persecuted publicly for failing to deliver, hence the need to slow down in taking people’s money.

“We must deal with the backlog and finish before we open again for new applications,” said Mr Mudede. “To accept new applications and just park them is not the right thing to do. You wouldn’t like that, you will say ‘no no why have you accepted my money when you cannot deliver’,” he said.

Many people who applied for normal passports, some as far back as May this year, are yet to receive them and this has been blamed on the reduced numbers being processed by the RG’s office. The applicants said they were in the dark as to what had caused the delays given that in the past it was just a three-weeks wait for a normal passport.

The Chronicle

Government issues IDs,birth certificates for free

The Registrar General’s office will from tomorrow start issuing birth certificates and national identification cards for free for a period of 90 days.

The Minister of Homes Affairs, Dr Ignatius Chombo confirmed the development, saying it follows a public outcry from people who are failing to raise the funds needed to acquire the two documents.

The 90-day window period applies to both those who lost their birth certificates and national identity cards as well as those who want to obtain them for the first time.

The move to issue the two documents for free follows a voter registration proclamation period by President Robert Mugabe which will end in January next year.

Dr Chombo added that the move by government will assist in promoting democratic processes and systems as Zimbabweans will be able to acquire the necessary documentation for voter registration which will start soon.

The Minister said those in need of these services can visit the Registrar General’s offices in their respective areas or mobile units set up country wide.

Country music legend Don Williams dies

LOS ANGELES —
Country music singer Don Williams, one of the biggest stars of the 1970s and 1980s, died on Friday at the age of 78, his publicist said.

Williams, known as "the Gentle Giant" because of his 6-foot, 1-inch frame, mellow voice and low-key profile, had hits with Tulsa Time, I Believe in You and It Must Be Love over the course of a 50-year career.

He died on the same day as Troy Gentry, one half of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry, who was killed in a helicopter crash in New Jersey.

"2 legends lost at once. Troy Gentry and Don Williams will be missed so much. Praying for their families and may they rest in peace," country-pop band Big & Rich wrote on Twitter.

The statement announcing his passing said Williams died of an undisclosed illness but gave no further details.

Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010 and released his last studio album, "Reflections," in 2014.

Two years later, he announced his retirement from touring, saying it was "time to hang up my hat and enjoy some quiet time at home."

Williams was a big influence on other musicians, spanning country to rock. Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend were among those who have recorded his music.

In 2016, a tribute album, "Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams," was released featuring performances by Alison Krauss, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks and many others.

Nemangwe woman feeds newborn baby to dogs

A Gokwe woman let dogs feast on her newly born baby in a bid to save her marriage, after being impregnated by her husband’s uncle, while the husband was working in South Africa.

Svodai Murwisi (30) of Maritini Village under Chief Nemangwe was this week sentenced to 245 hours of community service, failure of which she will serve seven months in prison.

Gokwe magistrate Christopher Maturure considered that Murwisi was a first offender who did not waste the court’s time by immediately pleading guilty.

The agreed facts are that Murwisi gave birth to a baby while alone at home without the knowledge of her husband and decided to conceal

She placed the child under the cooking shed and proceeded to her bedroom hut to sleep, knowing there were dogs around. Murwisi’s neighbour, Sylvester Ziumbwa stumbled on a dog feasting on a baby skull the following morning outside her homestead.

Murwisi told the court that she wanted to conceal the birth from her husband.

“Your worship, I deeply regret my actions but the truth is I wanted to save my marriage since I had been impregnated by another man. I left the baby in the shed to die,” said Murwisi.

Tineyi Tirigo prosecuted.

Source-B Metro

New rules for ZSP applications for Zimbabweans in South Africa

The South African government has announced new regulations for the new four-year, non-renewable permit for nearly 200 000 Zimbabweans working and studying in South Africa.

The new permits, known as the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), will replace the current Zimbabwean Special Permit (ZSP), the Department of Home Affairs announced on Friday.

The initial Special Dispensation for Zimbabweans was approved in April 2009 to document Zimbabwean nationals, who were in South Africa illegally. The ZSP allowed applications from Zimbabweans with a valid Zimbabwean passport, evidence of employment, business or accredited study and a clear criminal record. Successful applicants were granted permits to stay and work, study or run a business in South Africa.

The permits expire on 31 December 2017 for the 197 941 approved permit holders.

Home Affairs Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize on Friday said the application process for ZEP opens on 15 September and will close on 30 November 2017.

The ZEP is open for valid ZSP holders only.

Terms and conditions of ZEP

Minister Mkhize said the conditions for the new permit entitle the holder to work, study or conduct business in the country.

The ZEP permits will be issued for a maximum period of four years, effective from 1 January 2018 and expiring on 31 December 2021.

According to the Minister, the conditions of the ZEP stand as follows:
•Entitles the holder to work/study and/or conduct business.
•Does not entitle the holder the right to apply for permanent residence, irrespective of the period of stay in the Republic of South Africa.
•Will not be renewable/extendable.
•Does not allow a holder to change conditions of his/her permit while in South Africa.
•ZSP permit holders, who wish to convert their status to any other mainstream visa, should apply timeously for such visa from within SA, provided they meet all the requirements for that visa.
•A ZSP applicant will be allowed to travel using the ZEP receipt and the expired ZSP permit until such time as the ZEP permit is issued, without being declared undesirable.

The Department of Home Affairs has advised prospective applicants to submit applications online from 15 September 2017 through the VFS website: http://www.vfsglobal.com/ZEP/SouthAfrica.com.

They will be charged an administration fee of R1 090. Thereafter, applicants will be allocated appointments for the required submission of fingerprints and supporting documents to VFS from 1 October 2017 at its offices across the country.

The applicant will be required to bring the following supporting documents:
•A valid Zimbabwean passport.
•Evidence of employment, in case of an application for work rights.
•Evidence of business, in case of application for business rights.
•Evidence of an admission letter from a recognised learning institution for study rights.

Managing labour and migration

Minister Mkhize said the dispensation will greatly assist in advancing the objectives of the National Development Plan Vision 2030, particularly in respect of the economy and attracting critical skills into the country. It will also assist in addressing the flows of labour within the SADC region.

“We believe that migrants play an important role in respect [of] economic development [and] enriching social and cultural life,” she said.

The dispensation, the Minister said, will assist in enhancing national security and orderly management of migration.

“This process adds to our goal of developing a new national identity system, which will require that, through a secure population register, we know for certain who is in the country. This will help government in dealing with issues of irregular migration,” Minister Mkhize said.

Hope for change

Minister Mkhize said hopefully by the time the ZE permits expire in 2021, there will be tangible economic development.

“We trust that the ZEP will go a long way in assisting Zimbabweans to rebuild their lives as they prepare to work in business and in educational institutions, for their final return to their sovereign state in the near future.”

Zimbabwean Embassy representative, Robert Moranga, welcomed the new process and its terms.

“We thank the government of South Africa for this generous offer to thousands of Zimbabweans. This is an act of solidarity, an act of good neighbourliness.”

Moranga called on fellow Zimbabweans, who hold ZSPs, to come forward and apply for the new ZEP as soon as applications open to avoid the last-minute rush.

“It’s important to take heed of the call to come forward and submit applications so that they can live and work legally in South Africa,” said Moranga. – SAnews.gov.za