• admin
• Herald
• August 20, 2012
• 118 views

Chivero 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.

• admin
• Herald
• August 20, 2012
• 46 views

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.

• admin
• Herald
• August 20, 2012
• 45 views

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.

• admin
• Herald
• August 20, 2012
• 65 views

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.