Author: TSA Press

Maybe I lived it; maybe I dreamed it.  I surely can’t say here.

When I worked at a law firm, to the person in the office next door:

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.  Can I have a client number for that?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m rounding up to the nearest six minutes.”

When I worked at a law firm, to a heavy-hitter:

“Are you charging for that?”

“It’s one hour to L120, Analysis.”

“How do you figure?”

“I know the rules say that we bill in six-minute increments.  But I don’t do that; it’s too much trouble.  I bill in hour increments.  And I don’t worry about task codes.  All I do is analyze stuff, so it’s all L120, Analysis.”

Our counsel recommending how much we should pay in settlement:

“We must win on two issues to win this case.  I figure we have a one in three chance of winning on the first issue.  And we have a one in three chance of winning on the second issue.  So we have about a one in four chance of winning the case.”

“Are the issues independent?”

“Completely.”

“If the issues are independent, and we have a one in three chance of winning each of them, then we have a one in nine chance of winning the case.”

“I’m not trying to be mathematically precise.  I’m just saying how likely it is we’ll win the case.”

In internal communications:

“Finance sent you the attached email (and copied me) last week.  I haven’t yet seen your answer go out.  Could you send me a copy of what you sent to Finance?”

“I figure I’ll have a precise answer in six weeks.  I’ll answer the email then.”

“Don’t you think it would be a good idea to tell Finance that you don’t yet know the answer to the question, that you’ll know the answer in six weeks, and that you’ll respond then?  Or do you prefer to have people in Finance saying that the Law Department doesn’t answer emails?”

On the value of the case:

“It has a settlement value of about $5 million today, and it’ll be worth about $10 million as trial approaches.”

“Why’s that?”

“Cases are always worth more as trial approaches.”

On preparing a settlement memo:

“This memo is going to Mr. Big.  You get three paragraphs to describe the case.”

“That’s not possible.  My case is much too complicated.  It can’t be described in three paragraphs.”

“I’ve worked here for 10 years.  Every settlement memo I’ve ever sent to Mr. Big has been three paragraphs long.  Do you really think yours is the first case in the history of our firm that can’t be described in three paragraphs?”

“Yes.  My case is too complicated.”

Discussing settlement:

“Last year, you said the case was worth $1 million.”

“Yes.”

“But now you’re asking for $2 million.”

“Yes.”

“What’s happened in the last year that’s doubled the value of the case?”

“The compensation methodology is much too complicated to explain.  I can’t tell you why the value of the case has doubled.”

It’s enough to make you give up sleeping, for fear of more nightmares.

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Mark Herrmann spent 17 years as a partner at a leading international law firm and is now deputy general counsel at a large international company. He is the author of The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law and Inside Straight: Advice About Lawyering, In-House And Out, That Only The Internet Could Provide (affiliate links). You can reach him by email at inhouse@abovethelaw.com.

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Following the ousting of late President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabweans hoped for a real change. One year into the administration of his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa, there are mixed emotions; while macro indicators indicate Zimbabwe’s economic troubles are slowing, there are few signs of the necessary paradigmatic change that needs to occur for significant growth. 

A replacement or change-maker?

On the July 30th, 2018, Zimbabwe had a historic election in which Robert Mugabe was ousted after his 37 years in power. Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed the office of President under the Zanu-PF party on November 24th with 50% of the vote, defeating Nelson Chamisa (Movement for Democratic Change Party). Mnangagwa posed himself as someone who would bring an end to the hard times, re-engage with the international community, and open the country for business. Following this transition of power, Zimbabweans were hoping their country could usher in a new era of prosperity.

Mnangagwa pursued policies to open Zimbabwe for business, including abandoning its indigenisation policy, which requests businesses with over $1 net asset value to cede 51% equity stakes to Indigenous Zimbabweans. This policy made the investment in Zimbabwe comparatively unattractive, according to the foreign minister, discouraging foreign investment. This move is estimated to benefit the platinum and diamond mining sector in Zimbabwe, which would generate important growth; the mining sector in Zimbabwe is second only to South Africa in the region.

Macroeconomic indicators

Mnangagwa faces significant challenges in truly making economic strides. The African Development Bank Group considers Zimbabwe’s fiscal imbalances as significant inhibitors to development and social service investment, hurting poverty reduction efforts. As a result, “unemployment pressures have been mounting as employment opportunities continue to dwindle.”

A World Bank estimate projects an additional 1 million people entered extreme poverty in 2019. Unlike the natural agricultural boost in 2018, this year has seen a steep rise in the price of basic commodities and food due to droughts. Overall, food and non-food prices inflated 319% and 194%, respectively, in July 2019. Ibbo Mandaza of think-tank Sapes Trust told Al-Jazeera,

“We are now faced with a far worse political and economic crisis characterised by power shortages, rising prices, currency crisis and fuel shortages.”

Mnangagwa has attempted to cut government spending and increase tax revenue; however, these austerity measures have not been widely popular. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube also introduced the Bond note as Zimbabwe’s currency in order to address the continued repercussions of the 2008/2009 liquidity shortage due to the financial crisis.

Private-sector development is still limited in Zimbabwe and hindered by lack of investment regulation, high input costs, outdated machinery, and inefficiency in the bureaucracy. With young people making up 36% of the population, unemployment is high at a projected 8.13%. However, the proportion of young people in a country speaks to the potential economic productivity of a country in the future.

Numbers under Mnangagwa

However, many of these issues predate Mnangagwa’s term. Following his election, the economy performed relatively well, largely as a result of relative stability and agriculture productivity. This small economic boom was due to consumer confidence from a relatively peaceful election. From 2017 to 2018, the fiscal deficit went down 1.8% of GDP owing to domestic borrowing, and total external debt was down 8.5%.

Despite these obstacles, Zimbabwe is projected by World Bank estimates to contract by 7.5% in 2019, but pick up by 2.7% in 2020. While overall, indicators point to Zimbabwe having decent potential to overcome its historical economic shortcomings, it still faces difficulties in the short run. These include their currently unsustainable debt-to-GDP ratio, cash shortages, rigidity in conducting a foreign exchange, bureaucratic ineffectiveness, and other critical shortcomings remain obstacles for Zimbabwe to overcome.

Prospects for prosperity

With just a year into his election, it is still too early to tell what large dent he has made in the everyday socio-economic struggles of Zimbabweans. Mnangagwa still faces the problems of making up for Mugabe’s ostracization of international investors and economies. However, the economic trends point in a positive direction for future Zimbabweans. The greatest determinant of short term growth will be both foreign and domestic confidence in Mnangagwa and his ability to make substantial reforms. And on this front, it would certainly not hurt him to make a more concerted effort to emphasize the message that Zimbabwe is open for business.

Zimbabwe’s hard times are far from over. However, macroeconomic indicators point to what might be gradual growth for the country, with trends in inflation and poverty slowing or reversing. Mnangagwa said he was a man of change that would ultimately change Zimbabwe for the better, and despite the challenges it fill face in the short run, the long run is indeed promising. Conditional on substantive policies on openness to trade, continuing peaceful and truly democratic elections, and better fiscal policy, the country is likely to experience real economic growth over the next decade.

Post published in: Featured

* Elon Musk has won the defamation trial stemming from his infamous “pedo guy” tweet. Hope this means we’ll see more off-the-cuff tweets from Musk. [New York Times]

* Simon Cowell has lawyered up for an investigation about an allegedly toxic culture at America’s Got Talent. Wonder if he did an America’s Got Talent type of competition to select counsel. [Variety]

* A Seattle attorney has been sentenced to prison time and fines for fleecing a brain-damaged former client. [Seattle Times]

* Ride-share services are facing a legal reckoning over sexual assault allegations against drivers. [New York Times]

* A judge has refused to toss a lawsuit filed by Bill Nye against Disney for profits Nye is allegedly owed from his hit 90s TV show. As we know from South Park, Nye needs to be careful taking on Mickey Mouse… [Hollywood Reporter]

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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.

We go out of 2019 with so many areas of failure in terms of policy and activity that it is difficult to pick them out and deal with them one by one. So this weekly letter is going to cover my personal wish list for my country in 2020.

The first item is these wretched shortages – fuel, power, food basics. Once any product is in short supply you lose control of its price and distribution. In addition, these particular commodities are critical to everything we do and live on. We are no longer short of foreign exchange. In 2019, the fundamental reforms implemented under the TSP have given a huge boost to our export industries and official inflows of hard currency has exceeded our needs for the very first time in many years. My estimate is that total receipts this year will exceed US$7 billion while direct imports of all our essentials will only reach US$5,6 billion.

If I value all the critical commodity imports listed above, the cost comes to about US$200 million a month – well within our capabilities. But in every field, you have State-Owned Entities that are deeply corrupt and technically bankrupt. Without any credibility in the market place. They cannot order supplies from anyone without cash in hand and that they simply do not have. What we do have is a functioning private sector with a decent balance sheet and reputation. We have to switch procurement of these essential commodities to the private sector and use the infrastructure of the SOE’s to deal with logistics and storage.

The second item on my wish list is in the field of property rights. It is time that we recognised, as a nation, not just in Government, that property rights are sacrosanct. If we do not have a legal system and a Government or even a national perspective on this issue, we are going nowhere. Private ownership of the property – intellectual or other, is fundamental to the process of accumulation and value addition as well as a functioning banking system. People only look after what they own, nothing else.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we as a country, are now faced with the harsh reality that our climate is changing. The ONLY way we can manage that process on the ground is to have a million farmers who own and control the land they make a living from. State ownership and communal ownership simply will not be able to handle the magnitude of the climate-induced problems that are coming. Israel turns desert into flourishing farms – but always on the fundamental premise that the land that is being cultivated is owned by the Kibbutz or the Commune or the Company or individual.

We need, at the very least, a long term bankable lease for land that is protected by law and law enforcement against violation and abuse. The days of a connected individual targeting a prime property and then forcing the owners to flee with their clothes in bags must be a thing of the past. We have started on this process in 2019, but we need now to make it automatic and visible. Without tenure, our farmers will not put in contours, irrigation or plant trees. They will simply rape the land for profit and abandon it when it can no longer yield a return more than the cost of getting there. What we are doing now is simply not working – for anyone.

My third wish on the list is to adopt policies that recognise the value of foreign exchange and the need to use it responsibly and on a market-driven allocation basis. Right now we have a system that transfers control over foreign exchange from those who have earned it to people who control its allocation as a source of power, influence and privilege. We may now be paying the earners a real market price but this is only in a local currency that is not convertible outside the country and is unstable. The temptation to take this scarce resource and allocate it at a subsidy or to simply make it available because you can is just too much of a temptation. Just look at the lifestyles of those who control these artificial levers of power – they are all living way beyond their personal means.

We need to do what all successful States are doing – create a market for foreign exchange that is open, transparent and accessible to all. Then we need to direct all foreign earnings onto that market and allow anyone who wants foreign exchange for any legitimate purpose, access to the market at a market price. That is what happens in Botswana, Zambia and South Africa. Why not here? The good thing here is that we are on our way to doing just this, but there are many who will fight the changes to protect their privileges and power.

My fourth wish is that we as a Nation must strive in 2020 to agree on where we are going as a country. The Bible says that a “house divided cannot stand” and that “a nation without vision will perish”. At present we are stuck with both problems and we must accept that unless we get to grips with this issue we will not make real progress and maintain our stability. When the ANC met nearly 100 years ago to agree on the “Freedom Charter”, they laid the foundation for the subsequent struggle and rise to power. We need to meet together as a nation State and agree on where we want to be in 100 years and how we are going to get there.

Then we need a binding social contract to guide policy and government and to lay down the fundamental principles which we will all adhere to and live by. This is part of African culture and tradition and is also the very foundation on which a successful State is developed. The consensus in national life is very powerful and should not be that difficult to secure if we all work at it and our leaders accept its need. Making decisions at a national level in our different silos of interest and authority is simply not working. The danger of moving into the future without a road map is that we will get lost if we are not lost already.

My fifth wish is that we get to grips with how we manage our local authorities. What we are doing now is just not working. Would any of us select the sort of Councillor that is in charge today if the City was our company? The answer is no, never in a month of Sundays – it is just beyond most of them. The City or Town is a vital part of the State and in many ways what goes on there is more important than Parliament or Central Government. We need to be able to elect independent and professional men and women to the Councils. The situation in most urban areas has now reached crisis proportions in respect to service delivery.

Finally, our leadership must recognise that no Nation can make its way in the world of today without a good education and health services. We spend a lot of money on both, but performance is deteriorating and fast. If we do not get this right we put all our futures, not just the next generation, at risk. We need to change the way we fund both systems and learn from other Nations that are doing a much better job of delivery. We do not have to invent solutions – they are already in the market place of ideas. We need a system that will pay our professionals what they are worth, determined by their value to our society and not determined by some bureaucrat in an office in Harare.

Am I crazy to expect such fundamental changes from Father Christmas? Does our leadership really have the best interests of our people at heart? I have to believe that both are true. I go back to Obama when he was speaking to young people in America “Can we do this? Yes, we can!” I have no doubt we can find ourselves in 2020 and then map out a way out of this morass into a decent future for everyone.

Post published in: Featured

The economy has collapsed as hyperinflation again takes hold, blamed on ‘an unsustainable import bill, corruption, externalization of money, coupled with the printing of electronic money’ (see: https://www.fin24.com/Economy/Africa/its-official-hyperinflation-has-returned-to-zimbabwe-20191012).

For all his talk of a new dispensation, Mnangagwa has followed the same reckless path as Mugabe. While Zimbabweans starve or die from the failure of the health system, Mnangagwa has wasted millions on extravagant travel expenses, hiring a plane at US$30,000 a n hour to fly him to more than 40 destinations in the first eight months of the year, often taking large parties with him on lavish expenses (see: https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2019/12/06/mnangagwa-gobbles-over-us114m-on-foreign-trips/).

The pretext is that he is touting for foreign investment but only gangster regimes would invest in the corrupt Zimbabwe that Zanu PF has created. Even the Chinese now hesitate to risk more of their money. Of course we have the full support of Africa, but it seems they are not tempted to put their money where their mouth is. South African companies are instead pulling out.

Businessman and former MDC MP Eddie Cross says the situation simply cannot go on like this. He called on the government to get corruption and all forms of human rights abuse under control to set Zimbabwe on the road to recovery and growth.

For its part, the European Union said escalating human rights violations were at the top of the agenda at a recent meeting with government in Harare. EU Ambassador Timo Olkkonen said Zimbabwe was urged to expedite political reforms (see: https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2019/12/06/eu-takes-zim-govt-on-over-rights-abuses/).

Other points

• Despite the cold weather our faithful English supporter, the blind journalist, David Wilkins, spent the afternoon at the Vigil and went on afterwards to a fundraising dinner dance organised by our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe to raise funds for a Zimbabwe peace-building initiative.
• Thanks to those who came early to help set up the front table and put up the banners: Charles Mararirakwenda, Lucia Mudzimu, Farai Mutumburi, Hazvinei Saili, Ephraim Tapa and Kevin Wheeldon. Thanks to Hazvinei, Farai and David Wilkins for looking after the front table, to Lucia for handing out flyers and to Yvonne Makombe and Molly Ngavaimbe for drumming. A special thank you to Pamela Chirimuta for buying burgers, fries, wraps and drinks for our cold, hungry activists.
• For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimb88abwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website.

FOR THE RECORD: 14 signed the register.

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

• ROHR general members’ meeting. Saturday 14^th December from 11.30 am. Venue: Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road SE1 8XX. Contact: Ephraim Tapa 07940793090, Patricia Masamba 07708116625, Esther Munyira 07492058109.
• The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.
• The Vigil’s book ‘Zimbabwe Emergency’ is based on our weekly diaries. It records how events in Zimbabwe have unfolded as seen by the diaspora in the UK. It chronicles the economic disintegration, violence, growing oppression and political manoeuvring – and the tragic human cost involved. It is available at the Vigil. All proceeds go to the Vigil and our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe’s work in Zimbabwe. The book is also available from Amazon.
• Facebook pages:
  Vigil: https://www.facebook.com/zimbabwevigil
  ROHR: https://www.facebook.com/Restoration-of-Human-Rights-ROHR-Zimbabwe-International-370825706588551/
  ZAF: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zimbabwe-Action-Forum-ZAF/490257051027515

Post published in: Featured

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES SERIES 46/2019

Open Committee Meetings Monday 9th to Thursday 12th December

There will be three committee meetings open to the public during the week.

The meetings will be held in Parliament Building, Harare, on the dates and at the times and venues indicated below.

Members of the public may attend these meetings – but as observers only, not as participants, i.e. they may observe and listen but not speak. If attending, please use the entrance to Parliament on Kwame Nkrumah Ave between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Please note that IDs must be produced.

The details given in this bulletin are based on the latest information from Parliament. But, as there are sometimes last-minute changes to the meetings schedule, persons wishing to attend should avoid disappointment by checking with the committee clerk that the meeting concerned is still on and open to the public. Parliament’s telephone numbers are Harare 2700181 and 2252940/1.

Reminder: Members of the public, including Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, can at any time send written submissions to Parliamentary committees by email addressed to [email protected] or by letter posted to the Clerk of Parliament, P.O. Box 298, Causeway, Harare or delivered at Parliament’s Kwame Nkrumah Avenue entrance in Harare.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Monday 9th December at 10.00 am

Portfolio Committee: Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Oral evidence from the Ministry of Environment on environmental management and sustainability

Venue: Committee Room No.  413

Monday 9th December at 2.00 pm

Portfolio Committee: Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services 

Oral evidence from the Zimbabwe Academic and Research Network (ZARNet) on its operations.

Note: This is the second time this meeting has been scheduled.  ZARNet provides Internet and ICT services to the academic and research sector which include kindergarten schools, primary schools, secondary schools, vocational training colleges, university, tertiary colleges, research Institutions, government institutions, and affiliate institutions.

Venue: Committee Room No.  413.

Thursday 12th December at 10.00 am

Thematic Committee: Peace and Security

Oral evidence from the  Health Services Board on the conditions of workers in the health sector

Venue: Committee Room No.  4

Business to be Conducted in Closed Meetings

Portfolio Committee: Defence. Home Affairs and Security Services

The committee will meet to deliberate on the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Bill

Portfolio Committee: Information, Media and Broadcasting Services

The committee will meet to deliberate on the public consultations it held on the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill.

Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal responsibility for information supplied.

Post published in: Featured

Bill Watch 65/2019 contained speculation that Parliament would, as it has done in past years, have a ten-day break to allow ZANU PF MPs to attend to their party obligations in connection with the ZANU PF Annual Conference. [This is scheduled to run from 10th to 15th December including travelling time to and from the conference venue at Goromonzi.]  Both Houses have, however, decided to sit on Tuesday 10th December, and may well  sit on 11th and 12th December, in order to complete Budget business and, if possible, more of the pending Bills.

This bulletin highlights the main Parliamentary activities occurring during this week’s sittings, i.e., from Tuesday 3rd to Thursday 5th December.  A separate bulletin will outline the programme for next week’s sittings.

Progress on Bills Made This Week

Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency [ZIDA] Bill

This Bill, as amended by the National Assembly, was dealt with by the Senate on Wednesday afternoon 4th December, starting with the Second Reading stage.  Hon Ziyambi – The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs explained the purpose of the Bill and the amendments made by the National Assembly last week.  These amendments were discussed in Bill Watch 65/2019 and were reflected in a reprint of the Bill made available to Senators just before the debate.  Two Senators made brief contributions to the debate, and the House moved on to the Committee Stage, using much of the two-hour sitting to question the Minister on matters of detail.

Senators paid particular attention to the Government decision to downgrade the ZIDA Board to a purely advisory Board and the Minister repeated the explanation he had offered in the National Assembly.  Senators also pointed out typographical errors that had occurred in the reprint of the Bill as a result of renumbering of clauses following the insertion of an additional clause by the National Assembly.  The Minister said these errors did not require formal amendment, but could be attended to as part of the editing process to which the Bill would be subjected in preparing it for signature by the President and gazetting as law.

Finally, the Bill received its Third Reading, meaning that Parliament has passed it.  The Bill can now go to the President for assent and gazetting as an Act..

Note: Standing Order 147 allows minor errors, such as spelling or obvious grammatical mistakes, typographical errors and necessary re-numbering of clauses, to be corrected by the Clerk of Parliament under the direction of the Speaker.   Errors of substance though,  cannot be corrected except by Parliament.

Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Amendment Bill Amended

On Tuesday 3rd December the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] returned a non-adverse report on this Bill, as amended last week by the National Assembly [the amendments will be on our website soon].  The Bill  with these amendments was then sent to the Senate, which dealt with it on Thursday afternoon.

Senator Chief Siansali proposed changing one of the National Assembly’s amendments  This amendment had removed the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission [ZACC] and the National Prosecuting Authority [NPA] from the list of authorities able to apply to the High Court for Unexplained Wealth Orders [UWOs] – leaving only the police and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority [ZIMRA] able to apply to the High Court for [UWOs].

The Senate’s amendment was supported by Minister Ziyambi and adopted – thus restoring powers to NPC and removing those of the police to obtain UWOs.  This would mean only ZIMRA and NPA would have these powers – not ZAAC and not the police.  Chief Siansali’s amendment was sent to the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] to report on the constitutionality of his amendment.  A non-adverse report is expected next week.

When cleared by the PLC and finally passed by the Senate, the amended Bill will have to be referred back to the National Assembly for its approval of the Senate’s amendment – this is likely as it has the backing of Minister Ziyambi. These steps could be completed on Tuesday 10th December or the next day, when both Houses will be sitting – and if that happens, the Bill will have been finally passed by Parliament in the amended form and could be sent to the President for assent and gazetting as law.

Coroner’s Office Bill

The Second Reading stage of this Bill resumed on Tuesday 3rd December with the presentation of the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs’ report on the Bill and the public hearings conducted by the committee.  Debate continued on Thursday 5th December and the Bill was given its Second Reading, following immediately by the Committee Stage.  The House approved amendments to clauses 7 and 14 [link] of the Bill proposed by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs following suggestions made by the Portfolio Committee and during the Second Reading debate.  The amended Bill was then referred to the PLC, which – as the Bill is being is fast-tracked in accordance with the motion approved last week – will probably report on Tuesday 10th December.  If the report is non-adverse, the Bill could be finally approved and transmitted to the Senate on that day.

Freedom of Information Bill [link]

At the end of Thursday afternoon’s sitting at 6.45 pm the Minister Ziyambi standing in for the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, delivered a brief speech explaining the purpose of the Bill and commencing the Second Reading Stage.  In the absence of the chairperson of the relevant Portfolio Committee to present the committee’s report on the Bill, the House then adjourned the debate until Tuesday 10th December; the practice is that presentation of this report is the next step after the Minister’s speech.

PLC Non-Adverse Reports on Bills

On Thursday 5th December the Speaker announced that the PLC had submitted non-adverse reports on the following Bills:

• Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill
• Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Bill
• Constitutional Court Bill.

Note:  A non-adverse report on a Bill normally take the form of a two-sentence letter to the Speaker or the President of the Senate, whichever is appropriate, reporting the date of the PLC meeting and the Committee’s opinion that the Bill is not in contravention of the Constitution.  No reasons for the opinion are given.

Privileges Committee’s Report on Allegations of Soliciting Bribe by Four MPs

In February this year a Committee of Privileges, chaired by Senator Chief Charumbira, was established to inquire into allegations of soliciting a bribe against four members of the National Assembly, all of them members of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development at the relevant time.  On Wednesday 4th December Senator Chief Charumbira presented a motion asking the National Assembly to take note of the committee’s report on the matter.  The lengthy report concludes that:  there was no breach of privilege or contempt of Parliament but that their meeting with the Goddard Team (Messrs. Goddard, Tundiya and Steyn who later accused them of soliciting a bribe) outside the parameters of official Committee business at night and by further engaging in a discussion on a matter that was before the Committee (a mining contract at Hwange) created an impression of impropriety.  Therefore the Committee recommended disciplinary measures for their actions inconsistent with Parliamentary decorum, i.e., that the four Members should be prohibited from sitting in the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development for the rest of the 9^th Parliament; they should prepare and deliver a statement of apology to Parliament; and they should forfeit one sitting allowance.  Debate on Chief Charumbira’s take note motion was adjourned, to be resumed on a later date.

Appointment of Privileges Committee to Investigate MDC-A MPs’ Conduct

On 3rd December the Speaker announced that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders had nominated a Privileges Committee as called for by the National Assembly’s resolution of the 14th November, referred to in Bill Watch 62/2019 [link].  The full text of the announcement is available on the Veritas website [link]; it sets out the background to the appointment of the committee, the names of the nominated committee members and the committee’s terms of reference.   Immediately after the Speaker’s announcement Hon Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga of MDC-T told him that she wished to decline the nomination on the ground that she was “conflicted”.  The Speaker accepted this, and on 5th December the Speaker announced that the CSRO had nominated Hon Priscilla Moyo to take the vacant place on the committee.

Hon Samukange, a lawyer, chairs the committee, and the other members are now Hons Joseph Chirongoma, Omega Hungwe, Cecil Kashiri, Stars Mathe, Levi Mayihlome, Priscilla Moyo, Kindness Paradza and Algenia Samson; all are ZANU PF, and four of them are women.

Vacancy in the National Assembly

On Tuesday 3rd December the Speaker informed the House that Hon Alice Ndlovu, a ZANU PF proportional representation MP from Matabeleland South province had died.  MPs observed a minute’s silence in her memory.  The vacancy does not require a by-election.  As the late Hon Ndlovu was a proportional representation [women’s quota] MP, her seat will be filled in accordance with section 39 of the Electoral Act – by another woman nominated by ZANU PF and, in the absence of valid objection, appointed to be an MP by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

Progress on the Budget Debate

The Budget debate also proceeded in fits and starts during the week – beginning with presentation of the report of the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development, and followed by reports from all other Portfolio Committees.  The last report was presented during Thursday’s sitting, and individual MPs then started making their contributions to the debate, to be continued next week.

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It is considered to be deserved because a person worked hard to achieve such results. But when someone succeeds in business or breaks a bank in poker, for some reason, all merits are assigned to luck.

But how is business different from sports? Businessmen and even professional poker players work no less than athletes preparing for serious competitions. They train and hone their skills every day for a long period of time. Do they get acquainted with the special content? Like online casino South Africa and on various business sites. Casinority.com created worth-watching lists of legal and safe casinos. Just try some of them to become a part of the modern world of human being

To attract good luck in your life, it’s important to “open the door for it”. It means you need to change something in your life. You should be ready for a new experience. Here are some possible examples:

1. Live with a positive.

You need to change your thoughts. Think in a positive way, smile more often, stop being envious. Look for the pros in everything, and you will be surprised how it will change the world around you. New people will reach for you; you will make new acquaintances, some of which you may find beneficial.

2. Don’t be afraid to risk.

Of course, risk should be justified. Do not make large bets gambling if you have no experience. This applies to both gambling and business. To be more skilled, visit casinority.com, where experts prepared the most qualitative info. Even calling a girl you like out is also a huge risk! Try something new, even if you are not sure about the result in advance and so that luck comes to you. It is as useful as interesting.

3. Set a goal, but don’t get obsessed with it.

In order to get something in life, you need to think about it all the time. Set a goal and scroll it in your imagination. For example, if you want to buy a car, you need to imagine it in great detail: what model and color will it be. Imagine sitting in it and driving through the streets of the night city. A powerful message will certainly reach the Universe, and it will reward you with your dream comes true.

4. Take every chance in your life.

Luck often arises precisely from accidental situations. Life itself is a series of accidents, but for some reason, most people are afraid of it. Everyone is used to living on a schedule, in familiar territory, so that everything is as usual. Unlikely you will be lucky in this case; luck loves the brave ones. After all, do you know who will never win at the casino? The one who does not play!

5. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

Only those who do nothing are not mistaken. You may lose a lot of money, or your business may not flourish. However, your mistakes must not be forgotten. After all, mistakes create your experience, and any experience will certainly help you in the future. Let it be the experience your future decisions will be based on.

6. Surround yourself with the talismans of luck.

Buy special items to attract luck, no matter what will it be. The main idea is to believe that their presence will help to boost your luck. You can have a talisman and start to believe that it will attract good luck to you. Faith is a very powerful force. It can work as a placebo effect in medicine does. The patient is given ascorbic acid or a calcium tablet; then doctors say it is a new drug for his illness, and you will be surprised, but it really helps him.

7. Open your doors to the world.

Learn to say yes to life. Remember one famous American film with Jim Carrey in which the main hero lives a boring, worthless life, but one day he starts saying “Yes!” for all offers? Do you remember how his life changed? It has become much more interesting. He has found true friends and his love. Try to follow his example. Of course, life is not a movie, and you can not always agree with everything. But if your friends invite you on an interesting trip, be sure to accept the invitation.

Never lose heart! Remember the great people who have been haunted by various failures throughout their lives. But they could not only go forward. They also have reached incredible heights! Remember that it’s never too late to live!

Post published in: Featured