Category: News Feeds

Police
stopped
vehicles
and
searched
for
“dangerous
weapons,”
just
days
after
issuing
nationwide
prohibition
orders
against
carrying
such
items.

According
to ZimLive,
traffic
in
Harare
and
Bulawayo
city
centres
was
noticeably
lighter
as
many
people
chose
not
to
go
to
work,
and
children
stayed
home
from
school.

HARARE
–
Two
officials
of
a
private
school
in
Harare
have
walked
free
following
trial
for
allegedly
duping
at
least
60
pupils
of
a
collective
US$7,500
paid
as
enrolment
fees.

Thomas
Mutsvene
and
Tariro
Patsikadova
were
being
accused
of
failing
to
register
a
private
school
in
Glaudina
suburb.

Prosecutors
alleged
that
the
school
was
ordered
to
shut
down
by
authorities
in
2023
after
collecting
the
fees.

In
his
ruling,
Harare
magistrate
Ishmael
Shayanewako
said
in
respect
of
the
failure
to
register
a
private
school,
the
court
was
not
shown
that
the
two
are
the
owners
of
the
school.
Rather,
they
were
running
it
on
behalf
of
the
Glaudina
community.

He
also
said
noone
came
to
testify
on
why
the
accused
persons
were
expected
to
register
it.

He
said
the
case
is
one
which
can
best
be
resolved
in
the
civil
court
between
the
affected
parents,
the
former
administration
of
Glaudina
Primary
School
and
the
current
administration
of
Glaudina
Council
Primary
School.

The
state
was
alleging
that
the
two
lied
to
60
parents
in
Dzivarasekwa
that
they
were
running
a
school.

“They
collected
US$7,500
from
the
parents,
supposedly
as
fees,
but
failed
to
enrol
the
children
into
the
school,”
prosecutors
told
the
court
during
trial.

Mutsvene
was
accused
of
posing
as
the
head
teacher
while
Patsikadova
was
the
school
development
committee
chairperson.

They
promised
that
the
school
was
going
to
open
on
January
9,
2023
well
aware
their
school
was
not
registered
and
the
local
authority
was
already
making
efforts
to
shut
it
down.

“The
two
accused
persons
took
money
amounting
to
US$7,500
from
the
complainants
knowing
that
their
school
was
not
registered
and
that
it
was
to
be
taken
over
by
the
Harare
City
Council.

“Thereafter,
the
two
failed
to
enrol
the
children
thereby
prejudicing
the
complainants
of
the
above-mentioned
amount
of
money.

“The
60
complainants
are
now
entitled
to
pay
an
amount
of
US$70
per
child
to
Harare
City
Council
for
registration
and
fees
at
the
same
school
for
the
same
enrolment
period,”
read
court
papers.

HARARE
–
Former
Citizens
Coalition
for
Change
(CCC)lawmakers
Amos
Chibaya
and
Costa
Machingauta
were
Friday
convicted
for
participating
in
an
unlawful
gathering
in
2023.

Harare
magistrate
Sharon
Rakafa
found
the
two
guilty
alongside
three
other
party
activists
Monica
Mukwands,
Aletta
Viremai
and
Lancelot
Tungwarara
following
a
full
trial.

The
activists
were
all
remanded
out
of
custody
awaiting
their
sentencing
on
Monday.

A
total
of
20
suspects
were
cleared
of
wrongdoing
with
the
magistrate
noting
that
they
were
caught
in
a
dragnet
arrest.

Rakafa
said
the
state
proved
that
Chibaya
and
his
accomplices
indeed
mobilised
for
a
gathering
and
were
also
wearing
their
party
regalia
at
the
time
of
their
arrest.

The
state
proved
that
on
January
14,
2023,
the
25,
including
those
who
were
acquitted,
gathered
at
Machingauta’s
home
for
a
CCC
political
party
members’
presidential
assembly
meeting
in
Budiriro
high
density
suburb,
Harare.

The
invitation
was
authored
and
circulated
on
various
social
media
platforms
by
Tungwarara.

The
five,
who
were
convicted
were
wearing
CCC
regalia
that
include
caps,
helmets
and
T-shirts,
gathered
at
Machingauta’s
home
after
an
invitation
sent
via
social
media
platforms.

While
at
the
gathering,
they
chanted
the
common
CCC
slogan,
“Ngaapinde
hake
Mukomana,
2023
Chamisa
chete
chete”
meaning
“let
the
boy
get
in,
2023
Chamisa
only”,
according
to
the
State.

Police
in
Budiriro
received
a
tip-off
over
the
gathering
and
went
to
investigate.

Upon
arrival,
the
police
observed
that
their
conduct
was
disturbing
the
peace
of
a
section
of
members
of
the
public.

The
police
ordered
them
to
disperse
but
they
resisted,
leading
to
their
arrest,
prosecutors
told
the
court
during
trial.

HARARE
–
Zimasco
(Pvt)
Ltd
has
written
to
the
Law
Society
of
Zimbabwe
(LSZ)
and
the
Judicial
Services
Commission
(JSC)
complaining
about
the
conduct
of
Harare
lawyers
Wilson
Manase
and
Valentine
Kwande
as
well
as
High
Court
judge
Joel
Mambara
for
allegedly
aiding
an
unlawful
bid
to
take
over
the
company
by
businessman
Shepherd
Tundiya’s
Avim
Investments.

In
a
letter
dated
March
26,
Zimasco,
through
its
CEO,
John
Musekiwa,
said
there
were
several
instances
of
unethical
conduct
by
the
court
officials,
something
which
brought
the
legal
system
into
disrepute.

This
following
a
recent
order
by
the
High
Court
granting
Avim
lnvestments
the
right
to
take
over
the
prominent
mining
and
chromite
ore
smelting
company.

The
order
was
issued
by
Justice
Mambara
but
there
were
claims
the
ruling
was
not
directed
at
Zimasco
but
a
completely
unrelated
and
non-registered
entity,
Sinosteel
Zimasco,
as
confirmed
by
a
company
registry
search.

Zimasco
complained
that
despite
the
discrepancy,
mentioned
above,
Tundiya,
in
collaboration
with
Manase
and
businessman
Denny
Marandure,
allegedly
attempted
to
gain
control
of
Zimasco’s
bank
accounts
at
Ecobank
by
instructing
the
bank
to
alter
the
account
signatories
in
their
favour
on
March
17,
2025.

The
bank
however
declined
to
comply,
asserting
that
the
court
order
did
not
pertain
to
Zimasco.

In
addition,
the
order
had
not
been
served
on
Zimasco
but
was
instead
presented
directly
to
the
bank.

Following
the
failed
attempt
at
the
bank,
the
individuals
visited
Zimasco
head
office,
claiming
authority
to
take
over
the
company’s
management
under
the
purported
court
order.

According
to
Zimasco
management,
the
order
was
against
Sinosteel
Zimasco,
not
their
company.

Avim
Investments,
then
sought
assistance
of
Kwande,
a
lawyer
from
Kwande
Legal
Practitioners
who
filed
an
application
to
“correct”
the
court
order,
to
show
that
Sinosteel
Zimasco
(Pvt)
Ltd
was
operating
as
Zimasco.

This
application
was
heard
by
Justice
Mambara,
who
granted
the
order.

The
company
said
it
was
never
notified,
even
though
it
was
an
affected
party.

Zimasco
and
Ecobank
were
also
served.

Armed
with
the
modified
court
order,
Manase
and
his
associates
renewed
their
attempt
to
gain
control
of
Zimasco’s
accounts.

Ecobank
refused
to
comply,
maintaining
that
the
corporate
rescue
order
applied
to
Sinosteel
Zimasco
and
not
Zimasco
Pvt
Ltd.

The
standoff
resulted
in
the
company
filing
an
urgent
chamber
application
to
stop
the
takeover.

Zimasco
also
lodged
formal
complaints
with
Mambara
and
the
two
lawyers
for
alleged
unethical
conduct.

In
the
letter,
Zimasco
said
that
in
terms
of
the
rules
of
court,
an
application
to
correct
an
order
can
only
be
made
as
a
court
application
and
that
it
must
be
made
on
notice
to
all
affected
parties.

“Further,
a
look
at
the
order
sought
in
this
hastily
prepared
application
shows
that
it
is
not
an
application
to
correct
an
order
but
an
application
to
introduce
a
new
party
who
was
not
part
of
the
previous
order.

“No
attempt
was
made
to
serve
this
new
party
which
in
the
context
of
this
matter
is
obviously
an
attempt
to
defraud
us
and
ensure
that
we
do
not
have
the
chance
to
oppose
the
patently
defective
process.

“Regardless
of
such
non-service,
the
application
was
referred
to
Mambara
who
had
granted
the
first
defective
order
at
the
insistence
of
the
lawyer
Valentine
Kwande.
It
was
considered
by
the
Honourable
Judge,
and
granted
by
17.19
PM
on
the
same
day
it
was
filed,
barely
three
hours
post
filing,”
Musekiwa
said.

Zimasco
said
the
speed
was
astounding
because
“this
chamber
application
was
filed,
allocated,
read
and
considered
by
the
judge,
granted
by
him
and
an
order
issued
in
three
hours
and
yet
an
urgent
chamber
application
which
we
filed
to
stay
the
first
order
on
the
20th
March
2025
(we
did
not
know
of
this
second
application
or
order
at
this
stage)
has
only
been
set
down
for
the
24th
March
2025.”

The
company
said
the
ordinary
chamber
application
was
more
effectively
and
expeditiously
dealt
with
even
than
any
urgent
chamber
application
could
be
and
yet
it
was
not
even
an
urgent
application.

“For
these
and
other
anomalies,
we
have
filed
a
complaint
against
the
judge
and
are
preparing
a
criminal
complaint
against
all
parties
concerned
including
the
lawyers,
their
client
and
judge.

“Armed
with
the
‘corrected’
order,
Mr.
Manase
again
attempted
a
raid
on
Ecobank
who
again
refused
to
give
him
access
to
the
accounts
as
this
second
order
was
even
more
defective
and
meaningless
than
the
first.

“The
actions
of
the
lawyers
are
deplorable,
criminal,
and
dishonourable.
They
are
unethical
and
bring
the
entire
justice
delivery
system
into
disrepute.
In
fact,
our
principal
shareholder
is
a
Chinese
company
who
has
raised
a
diplomatic
complaint
over
the
actions
in
question,”
said
Musekiwa.

The
company
wants
the
LSZ
to
investigate
the
case.