adminChivero boat disaster crew jailed, owner cleared
Innocent Ruwende Senior Court Reporter
THREE crew members of the overloaded boat which capsized, killing 11 children in Lake Chivero on Christmas Day last year, were yesterday each jailed for five years for culpable homicide, while the owner was acquitted on a technicality.
The driver was not licensed while all passengers had no life jackets when tragedy struck.
Boat driver Enock Yolani Zulu (36), and crew members Fadil Ramon Weale (27) and Joseph Abrahams (37) were convicted, despite having pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of culpable homicide when their trial opened before magistrate, Mr Tendai Mahwe.
The State, however, said it will contest the acquittal of the boat owner, Latif Ameer (53).
The State argues that Zulu subverted justice by exonerating Ameer.
Mr Mahwe convicted the boat crew on the strength of overwhelming evidence.
He, however, cleared Ameer of all the counts to the chagrin of parents and relatives of the children who perished in the disaster.
Some of the parents wept and walked out of the courtroom when judgment was passed.
The boat owner was acquitted on the basis of Zulu’s testimony that was riddled with inconsistencies.
Zulu said Ameer had authorised him to drive his boat, but later made a U-turn, saying the boat owner’s mechanic, who appeared to be drunk, had authorised him.
Ethanol plant closure blamed on sabotage
From Sydney Kawadza in CHISUMBANJE
VILLAGERS here have blamed the closure of the Chisumbanje Ethanol Plant on political bickering and underhand moves to sabotage the project.
The US$600 million plant, closed in February this year, rendering scores of workers jobless.
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, who now chairs the Inter Ministerial Cabinet committee on the Chisumbanje Ethanol project, heads here tomorrow on a familiarisation tour.
DPM Mutambara, who heads a committee of eight ministers, said he wanted to talk to all stakeholders to understand the problems facing the project.
“Before sitting down with the ministers involved, as the new chairman of the Cabinet Committee, I want to visit the plant and meet with the people there and see the developments.”
The project was expected to employ over 10 000 workers and cut Zimbabwe’s fuel import bill by US$200 000 per day (US$73,1 million per year).
Villagers yesterday accused MDC-T leaders in the province of working against the project.
They urged the Government to intervene to resuscitate the project.
Workers at the plant are being paid 55 percent of their salaries.
“The project was a welcome development for the community because we had started witnessing growth in the area. Look at the buildings that had started sprouting in the area . . . the banks and even the companies that had started setting up shop in the area,” a villager Mr Michael Simoyi said.
The villagers accused politicians of trying to run down the projects.
Mutambara remains principal
Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
PROFESSOR Arthur Mutambara remains a Principal and Deputy Prime Minister in the inclusive Government, Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba has said.
This is despite the decision taken by Sadc at its recent summit in Maputo, Mozambique, to recognise Professor Welshman Ncube as the leader of the MDC.
Mr Charamba told The Herald yesterday that Prof Ncube’s recognition by Sadc as leader of the MDC would not upgrade him to the status of Principal when it comes to Zimbabwe’s Government matters.
He said DPM Mutambara would continue with his brief, including in the ongoing Constitution-making process.
“The long and short of all this is that Prof Mutambara remains a Principal in the same way Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is and the same way President Mugabe is.
“He remains so in spite of the Sadc decision, which relates to political parties anyway.”
Mr Charamba said Sadc stressed that for the purposes of its mediation assignments in Zimbabwe, it would now be dealing with leaders of political parties.
In this regard, Mr Charamba said there was a distinction between structures that mattered to Sadc for the purposes of its mediation and legally-constituted structures and designations that mattered to the Government of Zimbabwe for the purposes of operationalisation of the Global Political Agreement.
“This is to say that whereas Sadc concerns itself with political parties, the Government of Zimbabwe concerns itself with Principals.
Final Communique of 32nd Summit of Sadc Heads of State
Sadc CorrespondentThe following is the Final Communique of the 32nd Summit of Sadc Heads of State and Government in Maputo, Mozambique, August 18, 2012
The 32nd Session of the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community ( Sadc) was held in
Sadc Tribunal: Maputo spot on
Tichaona ZindogaThe clamouring for the return of the banished Sadc Tribunal by various non-governmental organisations and busybodies like Desmond Tutu and John Sentamu in the run-up to the recent Sadc summit in Maputo is quite telling.
Free surgery for diabetic patients with eye complications
Herald Reporter
More than 100 people will benefit from free surgical eye operations being undertaken by United States of America-based eye specialists and their local counterparts. The five-day surgery targets people with diabetic eye complications. The programme started yesterday and ends on Friday.
Gono divides Parly
Lloyd Gumbo Herald Reporter
THE Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Water, Lands and Resettlement is divided over the decision to inquire how the Reserve Bank distributed farm equipment and inputs under the farm mechanisation programme.
There are reports that some committee members want to settle personal scores by nailing Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono.
This follows claims by committee chairperson Mr Moses Jiri (MDC-T) that his committee had been given approval by Parliament administration to probe Governor Gono.
Committee member and Zanu-PF legislator for Mhondoro-Ngezi Cde Bright Matonga said people were not supposed to abuse parliamentary privileges to settle personal scores.
He said some Zanu-PF legislators were going to protest against the inquiry because it was being done in bad faith.
However, Mr Jiri dismissed Cde Matonga’s claims saying parliamentary business had nothing to do with party politics and personal scores.
Cde Matonga said there was no clarification on why the committee wanted names of the beneficiaries.
“It appears that there are some members in the committee with ulterior motives who want to settle political and personal interests,” he said.
“We don’t want people to abuse parliamentary privileges by pursuing this when it is not in the interest of the committee.
“We are in the committee to represent Zanu-PF interests and the majority of Zanu-PF MPs are totally against abuse of parliamentary procedures by some people. We are going to protest against this.”
Police shooting probe deepens
Lloyd Gumbo Herald Reporter
ZANU-PF will investigate if there are some of its members who took part in the shooting of a municipal policeman while demolishing illegal car sales.
Harare provincial party spokesperson Cde Claudius Mutero said at the weekend that any member who would be implicated would face disciplinary action.
This comes at a time when Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo has said council has a right to demolish illegal structures.
Some sections of the media claimed that some Zanu-PF officials took part in the disturbances that saw one assailant firing gunshots at municipal police.
“We are a law-abiding party and we are going to investigate and if we find that there were some party people involved in the disturbances, they will be disciplined,” Cde Mutero said.
“We don’t want anyone to put the name of the party into disrepute. As a party, we encourage our people not to violate the law.
Bosso do it again
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
Highlanders.1
Gunners.0
Droughts, heatwaves to continue
Chronicle Reporter
THE country will continue to experience droughts, heat waves, floods and unpredictable weather patterns due to climate change, experts have said.