POLICE HIT SNAG IN MAKUZEZE SAGA

Efforts to unravel the mysterious disappearance of funds from Makuzeze Primary School appear to have hit a snag after the law enforcements agents yesterday revealed that they had not found anything amiss in the audit report at the centre of the matter.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga
Matabeleland South Provincial police spokesperson Inspector Christopher Ngwenya yesterday told NewsDay their investigations had failed to link the suspected culprit to the crime.
“We received information from our CID Fraud investigation section that investigations are still in progress, but so far no arrests have been made after three weeks of investigations which is a long period,” said Ngwenya.
Police launched investigations into alleged abuse of funds at the school after receiving a damning audit report from Mangwe Rural District Council.
According to the report, the former school head Victoria Pasipanodya had allegedly failed to account for more than R30 000.
Mangwe Rural District Council, which runs the school, ordered an audit after parents demonstrated against Pasipanodya’s management style and alleged misuse of funds.
Parents also accused her of unofficially transferring three teachers from the school, accusing them of undermining her authority.
Pasipanodya has since been transferred from the school to pave way for investigations, while the affected teachers were reinstated at the parents’ behest.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/04/04/police-hit-snag-in-makuzeze-saga/

SOUTH AFRICANS PROTEST OVER ZIM ELECTION

A GROUP of protestors in South Africa on Wednesday demonstrated against that country and Sadc’s endorsement of the electoral process in Zimbabwe.
Pamela Mhlanga
The group, which was made up of citizens from the Sadc region countries living in South Africa, held a march in Cape Town before proceeding to Parliament and handed over a petition to South Africa’s Speaker of National Assembly, Max Sisulu.
The protestors also launched an online petition on the Facebook page named Zimbabwe Election Protest, calling upon the South African government to reject Zimbabwe’s flawed election.
The online petition on Wednesday reached more than 1 000 signatures of people who had signed supporting the move.
“The recent election in Zimbabwe was flawed on numerous accounts, directly breaching many legal requirements set out in the new Zimbabwean Constitution and the Electoral Act,” the protestors charged.
The protestors said they believed that it was absolutely essential for the legitimacy of Sadc that Zimbabwe’s electoral process be rejected.
“It will set a dangerous precedent for the region if such a flawed election receives regional approval and will only serve to undermine the history and the future of the struggle for democracy, freedom and justice in Southern Africa.”
They said they were not disputing the result of the election, but their contention was with the electoral process and therefore, called on people of all political affiliations to stand with them.
In an interview with Radio France on Wednesday, one of the protestors, Douglas Coltart, son of Zimbabwe’s outgoing Education minister, David, said the protestors felt it was a very dangerous precedent for the region as a whole if elections that did not comply with the electoral law were endorsed because it undermined the right to democracy for the people of the region.
He said the protestors were disappointed that despite the illegal breaches of the electoral law, the South African government and Sadc had indorsed the elections as free and credible.
“We are, therefore, asking for three things, we are asking the South African government to issue out a statement saying that the illegal breaches of the electoral law were not of acceptable standard,” Coltart said.
“We are also asking the South African government to put pressure on Sadc to do the same and reject the election results and we are also asking them to conduct an audit of the electoral process in Zimbabwe.”
http://www.southerneye.co.zw/2013/08/16/south-africans-protest-over-zim-election/

KHUPHE GIVES UP MAKOKOBA

MDC-T deputy president Thokozani Khupe is unlikely to stand in her faction-riddled Makokoba constituency in Bulawayo following indications that the party wants her to take one of the seats reserved for women under the proposed new constitution.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga
The speculation has been fuelled by reports that MDC-T provincial chairman Gorden Moyo submitted nomination papers to represent the party in Makokoba.
According to the Copac draft constitution, 60 women — six from each province — will be elected through proportional representation.
According to sources, the MDC-T wants to use Khupe —who is also Deputy Prime Minister — to campaign for the party on a national level and not confine herself to a single constituency.
MDC-T Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Mandla Sibanda on Sunday confirmed that Moyo had submitted his nomination papers to stand in Makokoba.
“Moyo has submitted his application to stand for Makokoba constituency just like everyone else,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Khupe were fruitless yesterday as she was said to be in a series of meetings.
The development comes at a time when the MDC-T is plagued by infighting in Makokoba with reports that on Sunday, party
supporters walked out of a meeting on the new constitution addressed by Makokoba-Mzilikazi Senator Matson Hlalo at Mzilikazi’s MacDonald Hall.
Hlalo told NewsDay that members of the party who boycotted the meeting had disrespected him.
“I do not find a reason why they are plotting against me. These are the same people that are killing the party,” he said.
One of the party members who had boycotted the meeting told NewsDay that Moyo was the one who was supposed to address them and not the Senator.
“We were expecting Moyo to address us as he was the rightful person for that, but instead when we got to the meeting we found Hlalo,” she said.
But Sibanda insisted the meeting, which was on the Copac draft constitution, was supposed to be addressed by Hlalo.
“Senator Hlalo was the rightful person to address the meeting and he has gone around engaging residents concerning the feedback on the constitution. So it is an ongoing process,” he said.
Sibanda said the MDC-T members were disgruntled by the fact that the meeting was chaired by ward 8 councillor Mackenzie Sibanda who was suspended from the party because of the factional fights.
He said the members felt Makokoba district chairperson and ward 7 councillor James Sithole should have chaired the meeting.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/02/19/khupe-gives-up-makokoba/

MDC WARNS YOUTHS TO BE WARY OF ABUSE BY POLITICIANS

MDC youths have warned young people to be wary of politicians who use them as pawns during elections, but dump them soon after.
REPORT BY PAMELA MHLANGA OWN CORRESPONDENT
Addressing MDC youths in Bulawayo last Saturday, party youth secretary-general Discent Bajila said youth participation in national issues had been reduced to “tokenism”.
“While as young people we bear the brunt of the collapse of all tributaries to human development in our country, our participation in reversing national ills by whatever definition has been reduced to nothing but tokenism,” Bajila said.
“One election after the other, leaders in Zimbabwe have failed to deliver on their promises, thereby becoming wrong role models or dissuasive forces to would-be voters and would-be leaders.”
He, however, urged youths to dedicate themselves to contributing towards national development.
“As young people, we often argue that because we constitute above 60% of the population, we are therefore entitled to at least 60% of every proverbial cake that exists in our country.
However, we also have to accept that for us to enjoy 60% of the cake, mere demographics are not enough, we also need to do 60% of the total work required in making the cake,” Bajila said.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2012/11/28/mdc-warns-youths-to-be-wary-of-abuse-by-politicians/

MDC ATTACKS TSVANGIRAI OVER GUKURAHUNDI STANCE

MDC secretary-general Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga has attacked Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T for  allegedly  ignoring  victims of  Gukurahundi by choosing to assist  victims of the 2008 political violence only.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga Own correspondent
But MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora yesterday said Misihairabwi-Mushonga’s remarks were tribal and  needed to be treated with care.
“PM Tsvangirai is going province by province in his programme of helping victims of political violence and if the time for Matabeleland comes, he will be there,” Mwonzora said. “I have also noticed that some of these political parties are like a megaphone for Zanu PF.”
Tsvangirai recently told thousands of party supporters at Zaka growth point that the MDC-T would compensate victims of political violence once the party won the next election.
The party was already paying school fees and providing other basics to the victims or surviving dependants.
He was speaking at the commemoration of political violence victims, a development Misihairabwi-Mushonga at the weekend described as discriminatory given that Gukurahundi victims had not been compensated by the government.
Addressing party supporters at Chefunye business centre in Tsholotsho, Misihairabwi-Mushonga said: “People who were the first to have their houses burnt were here in Tsholotsho. So why did he (Tsvangirai) not bother to come here first?”
Misihairabwi-Mushonga, who is also Regional Intergration and International Cooperation minister, said despite clear indications of violence perpetrated against the people in the Matabeleland region, the government had failed to compensate victims.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2012/10/17/mdc-attacks-tsvangirai-over-gukurahundi-stance/

MDCT CORRUPT-KHUMALO

The independent candidate for Pelandaba/Mpopoma Samuel Sandla Khumalo has attacked his former party — the MDC-T — saying it did not have control and that it had perfected the Zanu PF art of vote rigging and corruption.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga
Khumalo had to brave a barrage of boos and insults from MDC-T youths at a public meeting which almost degenerated into chaos. The legislator later threatened to walk out of the meeting, as he was being heckled.
In an interview on Sunday, Khumalo expressed anger with the way he was treated by the MDC-T youths during the event.
“I am not happy with the way I was disrespected by those youths and there is certainly a lack of respect in that party.
“The behaviour of those youths was utter nonsense,” he charged.
Khumalo said the party was in shambles, as it had perfected the art of vote-rigging and corruption, just like Zanu PF.
“There are no longer controls within that party and even the president of the party Morgan Tsvangirai knows that,” he continued.
Khumalo also said the MDC-T was in chaos and that had forced him to stand as an independent candidate.
He said he was aware that he was hated in the party, as he stood for the truth and he was prepared to be a watchdog of the society, once re-elected.
http://www.southerneye.co.zw/2013/07/16/mdc-t-corrupt-khumalo/

MANGWE PROBES TROUBLED SCHOOL

MANGWE Rural District Council says it will this week carry out an urgent audit at Makuzeze Primary School after parents accused authorities of misappropriation of funds.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga
Parents last week stormed the school accusing the acting headmistress Victoria Pasipanodya of mismanaging the council-run school and transferring three teachers without following procedure.
In an interview yesterday, the council’s chief executive officer Nketha Mangoye Dlamini said the audit followed parents’ concerns that school funds and property were abused.
“We are currently preparing a plan for the audit. We may never know — this audit might also unearth more things that would have been hidden and we are sure to investigate on that,” he said.
Dlamini said the audit would probe issues relating to property, school funds and school operations.  Last Tuesday, parents, council representatives and officials from a Bulawayo pressure group Mthwakazi Youth Leaders’ Joint Resolution met the district education officer for Mangwe, Headman Mpofu, to resolve the matter.
Sources said Mpofu insisted during the meeting that the transfer of the three teachers be upheld despite protests from parents.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Mpofu refused to shed light on the matter referring questions to the Matabeleland South provincial deputy education director John Jamela who is based in Gwanda.
However, Jamela was said to be out office yesterday.
Mthwakazi Youth Leaders’ Joint Resolution spokesperson Mqondisi Moyo said his organisation was contemplating taking the matter to court if authorities did not rescind their decision to transfer the three teachers.
“We are totally against the district education officer (DEO)’s endorsement of the decision to redeploy the three teachers to other stations,” Moyo said.
“As Mthwakazi, we will not change our resolution and it still stands. No teacher out of the three should leave the school.”
“We want the DEO to go and defend his decision in court.”
“We will take the matter to court and if it means that someone be sued let it be, because already the teachers’ CVs have been tainted.”
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/01/17/mangwe-probes-troubled-school/