Author: TSA Press

King Mzilikazi was the founder of the Ndebele nation.

The wide road leading to South Africa past the Centenary Park and Ascot mansions – originally known by its colonial name, Selbourne Avenue – had been renamed Leopold Takawira Avenue, after the former deputy president of ZANU who rebelled from Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU in 1963, during the early years of colonialism resistance.

Bulawayo councillors have also resolved that all Avenues in the CBD will maintain their numbering format from 1st Avenue to 15th Avenue, defying a government directive last year to rename 6th Avenue to Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Way.

King Mzilikazi Road will, therefore, start from Samuel Parirenyatwa Road, ending at the Umguza River Bridge. The remainder of that road leading up to the Tredgold Magistrates Court will be 7th Avenue.

Defying the government directive, the councillors have, instead, resolved to rename George Avenue – which runs from Harare Road to Old Gwanda Road past Holiday Inn hotel – after Mnangagwa.

A motion to adopt the name changes, tabled by Ward 17 councillor Sikhululekile Moyo, before being adopted by the full council, said in part: “It is desirable to preserve the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial history and heritage of the local people of Bulawayo and promote national cohesion, healing, peace and tranquillity in a devolved unitary state.”

Apart from renaming some of its roads, the BCC is also correcting some street and road names. Lobengula Street will now become King Lobengula Street; Moffat Road in Hillside suburb is to be known as Robert Moffat Drive while Leander Road in Hillside will carry the full name of Dr Leander Star Jameson Road.

Cecil Avenue, which runs from Harare road past the National University of Science and Technology past Matopos Road all the way up to Morningside suburb where it ends at the intersection of Ullswater Drive and Wellington Road, will now be known as Cecil John Roads Avenue.

Coghlan Avenue in Kumalo is being corrected to Charles Patrick Coghlan Avenue.

The BCC has also announced name changes to honour some of the country’s liberation heroes and heroines.

Nketa Drive will now be known as Queen Lozikheyi Dlodlo Drive, after the Ndebele matriarch who was one of the wives of King Lobhengula.

Athlone Avenue is changing to Simon Vengai Muzenda Road and 23rd Avenue is to become Landa John Nkomo Road in honour of the two late former vice presidents.

Also honoured is independence war hero Nikita Mangena, who will have Fife Street being renamed Nikita Mangena Street. Fort Street is to be known as Lookout Masuku Street, immortalising the former ZIPRA commander.

Basch Street is being renamed Dumiso Dabengwa Road, in honour of the former ZIPRA commander who died last year.

Old Khami Road is now Sydney Malunga Road, a tribute to the late relentless campaigner against the marginalisation of the Matabeleland region.

Other Street/Road Name Changes

Lady Stanley Avenue to Mama Joanna Mafuyana Avenue

Steeldale Road and Anthony Tylor Road to Albert Nxele Road

Dunde Drive to Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu Drive

Waverley Road to Jairos Jiri Road

Fairbridge Road to Erick Bloch Way

Hillside Road to Sir Garfield Todd Road

Van Riebeck Road to Joseph Msika Drive

Connaught Avenue to Cephas Cele Avenue

Collenbrander Road to Daniel Madzimbamuto Road

Manchester Road to George Nyandoro Road

Vera Road to Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu Road

Birkenhead Road to Sikanjaya Muntanga Road

Doncaster Road to Maria Msika Road

Landmark Name Changes

Pelandaba Clinic is to be renamed Thenjiwe Lesabe Clinic

Stanley Hall in Makokoba has been renamed Liberation Legacy Square

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The directive comes as a recommendation by ZANU PF’s Politburo after Tsenengamu and former deputy Youth Affairs Secretary Lewis Matutu held a press conference Monday accusing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s close allies of corruption.

“Ideologically I am up there, that is why I was elevated to the position I had. We cannot use Cde Chitepo’s name to protect corrupt elements. I am not going there. Those that made the recommendation should be the ones going to the school of ideology.”

Tsenengamu said he does not see where he and Matutu wronged the party.

“I do not see where we wronged the party. They said we flouted procedure yet they are the ones who tampered with the party constitution by failing to serve us with formal communication and give us an opportunity to defend our position before a disciplinary committee.

“We did this as individuals, and not representing the party,” he added.

The firebrand politician accused the Zanu PF hierarchy of playing the role of the “arresting officer, prosecutor, magistrate and prison official.”

“I do not care what will happen next. I am part of society, live in society and know what corruption is doing to the livelihoods of ordinary people. I cannot go against my conscience,” he said.-Credit :Zimbabwe Voice

Post published in: Featured

Is my argument as strong as it can be? Are there better cases out there? And did I find every weakness in my opponent’s argument?

These types of questions can slow you down, but they don’t have to. Watch this webinar to get a firsthand look at the most advanced AI-based project Thomson Reuters has ever tackled: Westlaw Edge Quick Check. Quick Check goes beyond traditional research methods to uncover relevant authority that may have been missed. Hear from one of the creators of Quick Check how this feature is helping researchers practice with a new level of confidence in their own work, gain a strategic advantage against their opponents, and ultimately deliver superior client value.

Legal research will never be the same.

Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts on motherhood in the legal profession, in partnership with our friends at MothersEsquire. Welcome Claire E. Parsons back to our pages.

It might be a great story if I could tell you how I advocated for myself with my law firm during my first, and most difficult, pregnancy, but I’m still practicing as a partner with the same firm because I didn’t have to. I don’t usually lack the ability to fight. My opposing counsel will vouch that I have no qualms about making demands or setting boundaries. But, even if we have a capacity or a skill, it doesn’t mean we are always able use it.

The reason it mattered so much that I didn’t have to persuade my then bosses to treat me well during my first pregnancy was that, at that time, I was unable to do it. Why? Because it was one of the lowest and scariest points of my life. At the time, I believed, albeit incorrectly and unconsciously, that the difficulties in my pregnancy were my fault.

After an otherwise normal pregnancy, my daughter was diagnosed at around 20 weeks as “IUGR.” I later learned that this meant she was small, but the reason was unknown and confounding since I’m 5’11’’ and had been a nearly 10-pound baby myself. During the ultrasound where this was discovered, I lay helpless, exposed, and covered with goo, as the tech learned my occupation and cross-examined me about whether I was “working too much.” Clearly, she believed I’d caused it and I was too shocked and ashamed to disagree. After ordering rounds of bi-weekly tests to monitor the baby’s progress, the doctor seemed to echo this unstated accusation as she warned me to avoid working past 5 p.m.

I cried most of that night, then went to my boss the next morning to convey the news. I offered no solution to manage the situation and my case load because I had none. But, without a single mention of billable hours, my boss volunteered that I should reduce my work schedule even more than the doctor had recommended and he gave the only good advice for such a situation: to put myself and the baby first. While I was still scared, I was reassured to have my firm’s support as I managed my health, my baby’s growth, and my work.

As the weeks went on, the baby grew but not as much as we’d hoped. With no warning, I was put on bed rest for three weeks before labor could be induced. I remember calling my mom in tears to drive me to the hospital because I was too shaken to drive myself a few miles. Then I remembered I had a brief due soon, panicked for a moment, and called another partner to discuss it. She told me to forget about it, that she’d handle it, and that I had no choice but to rest as the doctors had ordered. I hated giving up a project and leaving someone else to pick up the slack, but it was a relief to know I didn’t have to try to focus on a brief when all I could think about was my baby’s safety.

When my daughter was born, she was tiny but gorgeous and healthy. Unfortunately, she was tongue-tied and could not breastfeed. I saw this as yet another failure and tried unsuccessfully for three weeks to redeem myself by getting her to latch. Pumping and attempting to feed the baby around the clock resulted in minimal sleep, crying jags, endless frustration, and more feelings of failure. Eventually, we started formula and therapy helped me become aware of and confront the unconscious belief that I had failed as a woman not once but twice, since I couldn’t grow or feed the baby.

My firm never knew any of this, but for this reason, I was fortunate that they didn’t demand that I come back early to compensate for the three weeks I’d spent on bed rest. The truth was that I needed the full period of my leave to accept that my daughter was okay, catch up on sleep, and recover from my experience. By the end of my leave, I was still exhausted but at least felt able to face the world.

When I returned to work, my practice picked up where it left off. I still got quality work, contact with clients, and no one ever assumed that I couldn’t handle projects because I had a new baby. Within a year, I second-chaired a successful wrongful death trial. The next year, I won two significant awards for community service and professional achievement. The following year, I successfully first-chaired a jury trial. The next year, I made equity partner. And as my practice grew up, so did my daughter. She’s healthy though still petite, and she has a limitless imagination, a huge heart, and is a fantastic big sister. As it turns out, I didn’t fail at anything at all when I made her.

How did my law practice survive a difficult pregnancy? It survived the way we all survive when life happens to us: with decency and compassion. Because my firm helped my practice survive, we have since been able to make it thrive. Now, as a partner, I mentor associates, market the firm, and bring in new business.

I didn’t write this to tell you what your firm’s policies should be, but I hope your firm remembers the human factor when it is setting and implementing policy. In my case, compassion from my firm saved my practice when my life took a turn that I didn’t expect. That kindness helped my firm retain a talented, loyal, motivated attorney who plans to practice for decades more. For a little while, I didn’t believe in myself. Because the partners in my firm stood by me, I believe in them and work hard every day to make sure they know it.

Earlier: Mothers At Law: Achieving Meaningful Success In The Legal Profession

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Claire E. Parsons is a Member at Adams, Stepner, Woltermann & Dusing, PLLC in Covington, Kentucky where she focuses her practice in local government practice, school law, and civil litigation. She is the mother of two girls and the Content and Communications Chair for MothersEsquire. You can email her at claire@claireeparsons.com, follow her on Twitter @ClaireEParsons, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

It’s awfully hard to believe Credit Suisse when it says Tidjane Thiam knew nothing at all about the apparently KGB-level spying operation at the bank. There are lots of reasons for skepticism, including the effort’s size, apparent undertaking on Thiam’s behalf, and, oh yea, the fact that it either lied (probable) or didn’t know (less likely) when it said that the botched surveillance of former Thiam lieutenant Iqbal Khan was an isolated incident, which it was not, and in any event Thiam didn’t know anything about any of it, no matter how many people were being tailed by P.I.s.

Although almost 600 people have died from the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, and more than 28,000 others have been infected, the World Health Organization has stopped just short of declaring the virus a pandemic, instead referring to it as a “public health emergency of international concern.” The illness is so concerning, however, that law schools have started to take notice, and one has even taken steps to suspend its annual study abroad program in Beijing.

Professor Robert Hu of St. Mary’s University School of Law has taken about 20 law students to China for a five-week study program each summer for the past decade, but this summer, the school simply isn’t willing to risk its students’ health. “Some of our students were disappointed,” Hu said, “but we told them, look this is really for the safety of everybody involved.” Local news outlet KENS 5 has additional details:

“When we found out from the U.S. State Department [that they] issue[d] the advisory which says American citizens should not go to China and also the WHO, the World Health Organization, considered the Chinese situation a public health emergency globally, we decided out of [an] abundance of caution for the safety of our students we should suspend the program,” Hu said.

Hu said major airlines canceling their flights to China also played a role but in the end he stressed, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

“We don’t want to take risks at all.”

Hu says St. Mary’s Law will resume the study abroad program in China next summer.

Is your law school changing its plans when it comes to study abroad programs due to the coronavirus? Please get in touch with us and let us know. Thanks!

St. Mary’s School of Law suspends study abroad program in wake of coronavirus outbreak [KENS 5]

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

In Summary

• The death toll from the coronavirus in mainland China had risen to 490 as of Wednesday with 24,324 infections so far.
• A number of African countries have moved to restrict travel to China, but Zimbabwe has only encouraged its nationals to postpone their trips to China until the outbreak is brought under control.

Zimbabwe has put 506 people under surveillance after they recently travelled to Chinese cities that are now hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

Health and Child Care minister Obadiah Moyo said people returning from worst-hit areas in China had been asked to self-quarantine in their homes for two weeks and are restricted from going to public spaces such as offices or any gatherings.

“Rapid response units will also be set up in all provinces and at all border posts,” Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa told journalists in Harare. “Further updates will be made available in order to safeguard the nation at all times.”

The isolation and quarantine units have been established in Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. However, no one has been admitted at the centres so far.

The death toll from the coronavirus in mainland China had risen to 490 as of Wednesday with 24,324 infections so far.

Cases of the flu-like disease have also been recorded in over a dozen countries.

A number of African countries have moved to restrict travel to China, but Zimbabwe has only encouraged its nationals to postpone their trips to China until the outbreak is brought under control.

Dr Moyo has insisted that the country’s health institutions were ready to deal with a coronavirus outbreak.

“Everyone is ready and the country is well equipped,” he said.

China’s ambassador Zimbabwe Gao Shaochum said the Chinese community was being sensitised about the outbreak.

“Those who have returned from the most affected regions in China, such as Hubei Province, are advised to delay coming back to Zimbabwe until the situation eases in order to reduce the risk of bringing the virus to Zimbabwe,” Mr Gao told The Herald newspaper.

Zimbabweans that regularly travel to China include students and informal traders.

The southern African country also has a big population of Chinese nationals working on various projects funded by Beijing.

The projects include the construction of a “new capital city” on the outskirts of Harare where a new Parliament building is being built.

Zimbabwe’s health system is bearing the brunt of an economic crisis that has left hospitals without equipment and drugs.

Last year, doctors went on a four-month long strike demanding an improvement in their working conditions and payment of salaries in foreign currency.

Last month, Zimbabwe billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, through his philanthropic arm Higher Life Foundation, offered to pay the doctors a monthly allowance of about $300 for six months so that they go back to work.

Post published in: Featured

In that regard, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday met with United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) executive secretary Vera Songwe to discuss the upcoming conference, which will be held from Feb. 24 to 27 in the resort town of Victoria Falls.

The conference, which is the biggest to be held by UNECA, will bring together over 2,000 delegates from United Nations (UN) agencies, African governments and other development partners.

After her meeting with Mnangagwa, Songwe thanked the Zimbabwean government for agreeing to host the forum.

“This is one of the biggest meetings that we as the UN in Africa host, the Africa Sustainable Development Forum and essentially we bring together all of the UN family and all of the member states of the continent to talk about Sustainable Development Goals,” she said.

The aim of the SDGs is to improve the quality of life of people in all aspects by 2030, with a major focus on health, education and job creation among others.

“This year is particularly important because we have 10 years to get to 2030 and it is also part of a slice of 2063, the Africa we want, which is the African Union agenda. It really brings everybody together to see what else we need to do to get there,” Songwe said.

She said Zimbabwe represented some of the successes, expectations and challenges that Africa was facing in achieving sustainable development.

“The continent can learn a lot from what you are doing in the ICT sector but you also have challenges with climate change and its consequences,” the UNECA boss said.

With energy production in the region having been hit by frequent drought, Songwe said it was imperative to look at renewable energy and the role of regional power pools to ensure African economies are not affected by power shortages. Enditem

Post published in: Featured

* Bernie Madoff has asked to end his prison sentence early because he is allegedly dying of kidney disease. [Reuters]

* Law firms are cashing in on representing the estate of Jeffrey Epstein. [New York Post]

* Oh Snap! The top lawyer at Snap, Inc. earned around $9 Million in 2019. [Bloomberg Law]

* A Long Island man who was exonerated in the murder of his parents was just sworn in as a lawyer. [New York Post]

* The Supreme Court may decide to hear a case about the legality of the Affordable Care Act this month. [Hill]

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Jordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at jordan@rothmanlawyer.com.