adminThousands lose stands
Chronicle Reporter
MORE than 2 000 beneficiaries of Hlalani Kuhle Government Housing Project have lost housing stands in Cowdray Park, amid revelations many stands now have multiple owners.
There is growing tension in the suburb as the original beneficiaries accuse the Bulawayo Home Seekers’ Consortium Trust (BHSCT) of allocating their stands to other people.
Those affected claim they have reported the matter to the police but without help and some have threatened to axe each other over the stands.
While officials from BHSCT said the stands were repossessed because the owners were not paying monthly subscriptions, the beneficiaries allege their stands were being sold.
Retired Colonel Thabani Khumalo, the chairman of the project, recently said they were repossessing undeveloped stands and those whose owners have not been paying development and administration fees. He said a slab, box and foundation were not recognised as development.
Erratic rains raise fears of drought
By Leonard Ncube
THE southern parts of the country have received less than 75 percent average rainfall since the start of the 2011-2012 rainy season, raising fears of another drought, the Meteorological Services Department said.
Request to exhume Mujuru dismissed
Harare Bureau
A HARARE magistrate dismissed an application by the family of General Solomon Mujuru to call a South African pathologist to exhume and examine the remains of the late national hero on the final day of the inquest yesterday.
Magistrate Mr Walter Chikwanha, who is presiding over the Mujuru inquest as a coroner, said it was not the responsibility of the court to make such orders.
The magistrate took a swipe at the family’s lawyer, Mr Thakor Kewada, for giving his opinion about the post-mortem conducted by Dr Gabriel Aguero Gonzalez before the court made a ruling on his evidence.
Mr Kewada had asked the court to allow South African pathologist Dr Reggie Perumel to give evidence, but he was told to wait until Dr Aguero Gonzalez gave evidence.
Man gets death sentence for murder
Midlands Bureau Chief
BULAWAYO High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha on Friday sentenced to death a Gokwe South man who in 2010 axed to death his sister-in-law before striking his wife with the same axe and nearly killing her.
City council, Urban Councils Association showdown looms
Chronicle Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council is headed for a showdown with the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ)
Mpofu donates generator to Chinotimba Clinic
Victoria Falls Reporter
CHIEFS, workers and communities in Hwange District are set to benefit from the community ownership scheme as the Government moves in to bolster its indigenisation and empowerment programme, Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Obert Mpofu said yesterday.
Cop convicted of stealing from corpse
Midlands Correspondent
One of the two police constables facing charges of stealing $3 000 from a corpse at an accident scene was yesterday convicted of the crime by Gokwe magistrate, Mr Christopher Mberewere.
Prostitute chucks out ‘client’ naked
Midlands Correspondent
RESIDENTS of Gweru’s Ascot Infill suburb were yesterday treated to a free show when a man who allegedly failed to pay for services rendered to him by a prostitute was chucked out of the house naked.
There was more drama outside the house when members of the public, who included children, made a beeline to catch a glimpse of the naked man.
Some overzealous residents went on to slap the man believed to be in his early 30s.
Suspected gold panner killed in mine mishap
Beitbridge Reporter
A 71-year-old suspected gold panner from Mberengwa was killed when the walls of a shaft in a disused mine collapsed on him along Umzingwane River in Zezani area of Beitbridge, police confirmed.
The man has been identified as Jason Moyo and had visited his in-laws in Beitbridge.
The business of pacifying Somalia
There is an unprecedented build-up of military force in Somalia. African Union peacekeepers are set to double to more than 17 000 while Kenya and Ethiopia have launched their own invasions. Soldiers from the USA, Britain and France are targeting “insurgents with foreign terrorist links”. This military influx could prove counter-productive, given the lack of resources for stabilising local politics and strengthening the economy.