TheNewsGuru

Tag: Zimbabwe

  • Zimbabwe to borrow $218m from China for the renovation of Robert Mugabe Int’l Airport

    Zimbabwe today signed a bilateral agreement with the government of China with terms to borrow, in part, $153 million with the purpose, among others, to renovate Robert Mugabe International Airport.

    TheNewsGuru reports the Zimbabwe-China loan will also cater for 2 other projects: the construction of a new Parliament Building that will accommodate 650 legislators and the expansion of High Computer Performance Centre at University Zimbabwe.

    The country will also as part of the agreement receive a $65 million grant on economic and technical cooperation.

    Zimbabwe China

    Signing the agreement, Chinese Ambassador Huang Ping said more deals with the Zimbabwean government would be propping up soon.

    The Zimbabwe-China loan accrues 2% per annum with a 20 years grace period.

     

  • Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa appoints military figures into key cabinet jobs

    Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa appoints military figures into key cabinet jobs

    Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa has named his cabinet, appointing senior military figures to high-profile positions.

    Critics have said that it has dashed hopes of change in the country.

    Mr Mnangagwa was inaugurated as president last week. He took over from Robert Mugabe who had been in power for 37 years.

    Mr Mugabe stepped down after the army took control of the country, following a power struggle in the ruling party.

    Thousands of people celebrated Mr Mugabe’s resignation as they hoped the failed economy would improve.

    Some had hoped that President Mnangagwa would appoint members of the opposition to his cabinet, to form a transitional government until elections next year but this did not happen.

    BBC

  • Zimbabwe’s Harare International Airport to be named after President Mugabe

    Harare International Airport would be renamed after President Robert Mugabe with effect from Nov. 2017, a Cabinet Minister said on Friday.

    Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Joram Gumbo, told state media that the airport would be renamed Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport after the International Civil Aviation Organisation approved the proposed change of names.

    “The International Civil Aviation Organisation has approved the change of name. The process has started and by end of November we will have renamed it,’’ Gumbo said.

    This would be the second time in post-independent Zimbabwe that an airport has been named after a person.

    The first one being Bulawayo Airport which was upgraded from domestic to international and renamed Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport after the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo.

    The only other public airport bearing the name of a person is the Mount Hampden Airstrip.

    The then Rhodesian government changed its name to Charles Prince Airport in 1978 after Charles Hilton Prince who had worked there between 1958 and 1973 as Air Traffic Controller and airport manager.

    Many roads in major urban centres have been named after Mugabe, with even an orphanage at a mission school in Manicaland bearing his name.

    Gumbo said the ruling Zanu-PF party had on numerous occasions requested the renaming of the airport after him.

    “We think it is a small recognition by the people of Zimbabwe to name the Harare International Airport as the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

    “It is something small to recognise his contribution.

    “He is a peacemaker. He is an icon for Africa,’’ Gumbo said.

     

  • Zimbabwe declares Mugabe’s birthday as national holiday

    Zimbabwe has declared President Robert Mugabe’s birthday on February 21 a national holiday, a state daily reported Saturday, honouring the veteran politician in power since 1980 who opponents accuse of brutal repression and devastating the economy.

    The declaration of the Robert Mugabe National Youth Day came after lobbying by the ruling ZANU-PF party’s youth league.

    “In declaring this day, we would like to highlight to our youths the values and principles so brilliantly displayed by President R.G. Mugabe which have resulted in an exemplary life that our youths can emulate,” state-owned Herald newspaper quoted home affairs minister Ignatius Chombo as saying.

    He said the cabinet made the decision after years of lobbying by the ruling party which also said it wants the country’s main airport named after Mugabe.

    Last week the cash-strapped government announced plans to build a $1bn Robert Mugabe university, joining several other facilities named after him including the government’s school of intelligence, a main street in the capital Harare and the highway to his rural home.

    Mugabe, now 93 years old, first came to power after Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain. He says he plans to contest elections due next year despite his advanced age and concerns over his frail health.

    Zimbabwe’s economy has been run down, with output halved since 2000, while many basic services have collapsed and government salaries use up more than 90 percent of all public revenue.

    Opposition parties are in talks to try to unite and field one candidate to oppose Mugabe in the next presidential poll.

    Past elections, however, have been tainted by violence and intimidation by ZANU-PF operatives.

     

  • Zimbabwe 2018: I’m going nowhere, 93-year-old Mugabe declares

    Zimbabwe 2018: I’m going nowhere, 93-year-old Mugabe declares

    President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Saturday said he was not stepping down nor dying and that there was no one with his political stature who could immediately take over from him.

    The 93-year-old leader has been in charge in the former British colony since independence in 1980.

    His health is closely watched by Zimbabweans, who fear the country could face chaos if he dies without anointing a successor.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that following his fragile health, his wife Grace challenged him (Mugabe) to name his successor.

    However, Mugabe told tens of thousands of supporters at a rally in the town of Chinhoyi, in his home province, that doctors were recently surprised by his “strong bone system.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Zimbabwean leader has traveled to Singapore three times this year for what officials say is routine medical treatment.

    “There is the issue that the president is going. I am not going,” Mugabe told supporters on the grounds of a local university, 100 km west of the capital Harare.

    “The president is dying. I am not dying. I will have an ailment here and there but bodywise, all my internal organs … very firm, very strong,” Mugabe said as he leant on the lectern.

    Mugabe had walked onto the stage slowly but without assistance.

    The issue of who will succeed Mugabe has deeply divided the ruling party, with two factions supporting Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mugabe’s wife Grace.

    On Thursday, Grace challenged Mugabe to name his preferred successor, to end divisions over the future leadership of ZANU-PF.

    She repeated the call on Saturday, adding that Mugabe would lead the process to choose his eventual successor.

    Mugabe said although some party officials wanted to succeed him, he saw no one among his subordinates with his political clout to keep the party united and fend off a challenge from the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

    “A new man will not have the same stature and the same acceptance as I have managed to secure for the party over the years,” said Mugabe.

     

     

     

  • Police fire tear gas at protesters demanding fair vote in Zimbabwe

    Police in Zimbabwe fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse scores of opposition supporters demanding fair elections next year.

    Around 100 young supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) took to the streets of Harare on Wednesday to protest against what they say are plans by the country’s electoral body to ensure a victory for 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe.

    Riot police attempted to stop protesters from marching in the city centre, firing tear gas canisters and water at activists and shoppers from police trucks.

    Some young people set fire to cardboard on the streets but police quickly doused the flames with water.

    “Heavily armed police officers brutally crushed our peaceful demonstration,” MDC youth secretary general Lovemore Chinoputsa said in a statement.

    Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said: “There is a nationwide ban on protesting. People are not allowed to come out to the streets and show that they are angry.”

    A truck spraying water cannon fired towards our correspondent as she was reporting.

    “Riot police and water cannon trucks are driving around the city trying to disperse people. People are running for cover,” Mutasa said.

    Police spokesman Paul Nyathi said “some people” who had been “causing disturbances” were arrested.

    The MDC wants the electoral commission to create a new voters’ roll and increase the number of locations where voters can register in urban strongholds.

    Morgan Tsvangiri, the opposition leader, says he is worried Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party wants to rig the elections.

    “People went out there to fight for one person, one vote to empower Zimbabweans,” he said. “Over the last 37 years [Zanu PF has] denied Zimbabweans the right to vote. They have put all efforts at preventing Zimbabweans from voting.”

    According to the constitution adopted in 2013, Mugabe is allowed to run for a final five-year term next year. He has been in power since independence in 1980.

    Mugabe denies allegations of vote rigging.

    Tsvangiri’s plans to stage a fourth attempt to try and remove Mugabe from power next year, but some analysts say his party needs a new strategy.

    “The MDC has not been able to fully utilise the capital they have, popular support and the critical numbers of masses following them,” Earnest Mudzengi, director of the Media Centre, a training organisation for journalists, told Al Jazeera.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Mugabe is currently in Singapore for medical treatment.

     

  • Recession: Accept labour, livestock as school fees – Zimbabwe Govt orders school owners

    Recession: Accept labour, livestock as school fees – Zimbabwe Govt orders school owners

    The government of Zimbabwe has assented to the payment of school fees by parents using livestock or labour for the school.

    This is due to the economic realities in the country.

    Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora disclosed over weekend that school authorities should be flexible and not turn away pupils because their parents have no money to pay tuition fees.

    He told Zimbabwe media, “Our schools have to be flexible and ensure those who do not have money to pay fees can work.

    “For example, if there is a builder in the community, he/she must be given that opportunity to work as a form of payment of tuition fees.”

    The development was further elaborated by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango who said that payment using livestock is reserved for rural areas while those in towns and cities can pay by working for the school.

    However this option raised divergent views from parents while the country’s teachers’ association called for a change in the policy.

    Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association Secretary-General, John Mlilo said, “I do not think that it’s sustainable with regards to parents in urban areas … so many parents have outstanding balances.

    “Therefore, I am trying to imagine those 1 000-plus parents coming to work at a school … Why spend time doing manual labour at a school when they can go there to look for a good job?”

    A bill has been recently tabled in parliament to direct banks to accept livestock as collateral for cash loans to informal businesses.

  • Party, not me will determine successor, Mugabe assures Zimbabweans

    President Robert Mugabe has assured Zimbabweans that the ruling party would decide whom to succeed him in office.

    The president who marked his birthday on Saturday (today) said he will not impose his successor on the people.

    He said if the ruling ZANU-PF party felt he should retire, it would hold an extraordinary congress to choose a new leader.

    The world’s oldest leader, who turned 93 this week, has maintained a tight grip on power in Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.

    He is due to stand for re-election next year and says ZANU-PF has no viable alternative candidates.

    Mugabe was joined by thousands of supporters to celebrate his birthday at a school in Matobo, just a short distance from the grave of colonialist Cecil John Rhodes.

    Matobo is one of the areas that suffered heavy casualties during the 1980s crackdown by an elite North Korean-trained brigade against rebels loyal to Joshua Nkomo, Mugabe’s then rival.

    Rights groups said that 20,000 civilians died during the so-called Gukurahundi offensive.

    Rhodes was an imperialist, businessman and politician who played a dominant role in Southern Africa in the late 19th century, driving the annexation of vast swathes of land.

    According to the report, some people are requesting that the president should choose a successor before he retired.

    “Others are saying ‘President, choose a successor before you retire.

    “Is that not imposition, me imposing someone on the party, No, I don’t want that.

    “This is an issue for the congress to choose, we can have an extraordinary congress if the president retires but you said I should be your candidate in the next election,” Mugabe said.

    Critics said Mugabe’s policies, like the seizure of white-owned farms for blacks and his black economic empowerment drive have ruined the once promising country.

     

    NAN

  • Mugabe marks 93rd birthday in style

    President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Saturday celebrated his 93rd birthday party in a style.

    The president however pledges to remain in power despite growing sings of frailty.

    The annual party cost up to $1 million (0.9 million euros) including a multi-course feast and vast birthday cakes, putting many Zimbabweans in a state of aggression as the country endures severe food shortages.

    Mugabe, one of African longest serving leaders in an interview with state television ZBC-TV also commended President Donald Trump of America brand of nationalism.

    “When it comes to Donald Trump, on the one hand talking of American nationalism … America for Americans … on that we agree: Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans,” he said.

    Mugabe said he hoped that Trump might review the sanction imposed on the Southern African country by America and its allies in 2003 over alleged violations of human rights and vote rigging.

    “We are just now under sanctions imposed not by Donald Trump, but by Obama. What arrogance is that?” he said.

    He further disclosed that he never wanted Hillary Clinton to make it to the white house.

    Critics have accused Mugabe of putting Africa’s most promising economies, Zimbabwe into a serious financial mess through wrong policies such as the collection of farm lands from white minority in the country and printing of currency.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Mugabe, a former rebel leader, took power after independence in 1980.

  • Sperm harvesters: How 4 women in Zimbabwe gang raped a male teacher

    A male Zimbabwean teacher from Lupane was on Friday, February 17, 2017, kidnapped, drugged and gang-raped by four women, suspected to be ‘Sperm harvesters.’ The victim whose name was withheld reportedly woke up naked in the bush, feeling extremely weak on Saturday morning.

    The teacher, who already has filed a complaint at Lupane police station, said he was sexually abused for hours by a group of four light skinned women who gave him a lift on Friday night.

    According to Chronicle, a police source said the victim was given a lift in a Toyota Quantum with five people on board, four women and a man who was driving the vehicle.

    ‘The teacher was intending to travel to Bulawayo on Friday night. He was given a lift by the group of women who were traveling in a Quantum with South African number plates.

    The man said the women were speaking IsiNdebele and another language that he could not understand.

    ‘After some time, the driver diverted the route and one of the women told him that they wanted to pick up someone,’ the source said.

    He also stated that after the driver stopped the car, one of the women quickly covered his eyes while others held his feet and hands together.

    ‘The man said they forced him to drink a substance from a bottle and he passed out. He suspects that they sexually assaulted him and took away his semen as he woke up at 5.am naked with a weak body and bruised private part.

    After wearing his clothes, which were left on the scene, he walked to the main road where he boarded a lift to Lupane police station and filed a report,’ the source added.
    The man was later taking to St Luke’s Hospital for treatment.