adminPresident tours National Defence College
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday visited the National Defence College on a familiarisation tour ahead of its official opening next Friday.
The college was built through a US$98 million loan from the Chinese government.
In his brief to the President before the tour, Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa said the NDC would act as the nation’s thinktank.
“The main role of the NDC is to act as a thinktank for the country and thereby contribute towards the enhancement of our national strategic design.
“Already, the NDC has started off with a year-long pilot programme with students drawn from the ZDF and other security organs such as the ZRP, the ZPS and the President’s Department.
“This will be extended to other strategic Government institutions,” Minister Mnangagwa said.
He said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army had pledged to assist the college with furniture.
Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga said the establishment of the NDC was a culmination of the Look East Policy enunciated by President Mugabe following the imposition of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe by Western countries.
“We attribute this phenomenal success story to the Look East Policy which is your (President Mugabe) brainchild,” he said.
“We have seen our relationship with the People’s Republic of China and especially us as ZDF, grow from strength to strength.”
ZDF Chief of Staff for Joint Operations and Command Major General Nicholas Dube thanked the President for mooting the idea to construct the NDC.
“The idea to construct the NDC was a result of your inquiries every time you officiated during the commandant staff courses on when we would have an
Tsvangirai, Locardia in verbal war
Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s wife Locardia Karimatsenga says her husband became mentally unstable as a result of a miscarriage she suffered and now needs psychological and psychiatric help.
Karimatsenga, who married the PM in November last year, says her husband was angered by the miscarriage.
She claims the PM’s plan to wed a second wife he met a few months ago was a sign of a psychological breakdown.
Karimatsenga said this in an affidavit forming part of an urgent chamber application to stop the wedding between the PM and Ms Elizabeth Macheka slated for September 15.
Yesterday, PM Tsvangirai’s lawyer Mr Innocent Chagonda confirmed being served with the summons.
He said the application had no basis at law and was calculated at politically harassing the PM.
“There is absolutely no basis at law for the order sought. The only thing we can think of when looking at the papers, is that it is meant to either politically harass the PM or settle personal issues through abusing the court process.”
Mr Chagonda said his client denies that Ms Karimatsenga was his wife.
“The PM says no to the claims that Ms Karimatsenga is his wife. Even if what she claims is correct, there is no basis for the order sought.
“If such applications are granted, then no one will ever wed in Zimbabwe. Even girlfriends will stop legitimate weddings,” he said.
Zimpapers holds luncheon for secretaries
Leocadia Matsvaire Herald CorrespondentZIMPAPERS treated its secretaries to lunch at an upmarket restaurant in Harare yesterday to commemorate the annual Administrative Professional Assistants Week. The week is celebrated annually, bringing administrative professionals together and honouring them in various ways for a job well
Touts descend on soldiers
Farai Kuvirimirwa Herald Reporter
RANK marshals yesterday severely assaulted two soldiers in uniform at the Charge Office bus terminus in Harare after they came to the rescue of commuters who were being harassed.
Zanu-PF chairman for Chadcombe-Msasa district Cde Itai Badze and kombi crews were recently assaulted by the same group known as “Mandimbandimba” on separate occasions.
Trouble started when a Msasa Park-bound kombi driver refused to pay US$3 to the bouncers.
They immediately blocked the exit point and ordered all passengers out of the vehicle.
A soldier from One Commando Barracks, who was in the vehicle, was caught in the crossfire.
One of the touts seized the soldier by the collar, while others dragged him by the hands.
They took off his green beret.
The touts demanded that he takes off his uniform and engage them in a fistfight.
They then took him to a food court across Angwa Street where nearly 20 touts head-butted, slapped, punched, spat on his face and threw him to the ground.
The soldier remained on the ground as the touts punched and kicked him for about five minutes.
Another soldier in uniform, a Warrant Officer Class 1, who tried to intervene was also assaulted.
“You cannot do anything to us. Just remove your uniforms so that we prove to you what we are saying.
“Muri two hamuna zvamunoita, tinotokudai muri 100 ndokuti mutikwanise. No one can stop us from collecting money here,” shouted one of the
Mwonzora cleared of defrauding widow
Court ReporterCOPAC co-chair and lawyer Mr Douglas Mwonzora, who was accused of defrauding a Masvingo widow of her plot in 2005, which was worth Z$350 million, was on Wednesday acquitted. He was cleared of the charges together with his client, Mr Alfred Muchini after their lawyers successfully applied for
Power outage explained
Herald ReporterThe power outage that hit Harare city centre and surrounding areas on Thursday has been attributed to a system breakdown along the Bindura-Singo line. The powerline links the Zimbabwean grid to Mozambique. Zesa spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira said the disturbances had also caused Hwange
Shortage of magistrates
Court ReporterThe chief magistrate’s office has been hit by a shortage of magistrates owing to massive resignations compounded by the recruitment freeze in the Government departments. Chief magistrate Mr Mishrod Guvamombe said there were 36 vacant posts for magistrates that his office was failing to fill
Quality fuel assured
Herald ReporterGOVERNMENT has assured motorists that fuel coming into the country meets quality standards. Secretary for Energy and Power Development Mr Partson Mbiriri said the fuel was subjected to rigorous testing at every stage from the point of departure. Mr Mbiriri was addressing delegates on
Chinotimba meets Mzembi over Save
Herald Reporter
War veterans leader Cde Joseph Chinotimba yesterday held a meeting with Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi over the latter’s concerns on the Save Valley Conservancy saga. Cde Chinotimba is among beneficiaries who are expected to partner farmers in the conservancy.
Zanu (PF): Making the Electoral Weather
Shall it be the ballot or the butt . . . sorry, the bedroom?
The MDC-T leader has been away, will be away for a whole week, and his mouth-man says we should not force his boss to stay in the country while President Mugabe is allowed to be out of the country at will.
Was the President not in Iran recently for the Non-Aligned Movement, added Mwonzora, sounding like a man who has lost charge of both mind and mouth.
We all sound like we are wrongly and wrongfully asking the Prime Minister to stay at home, indeed to stay closer to the country he is so desirous of ruling! Staying in the country now seems like a heavy burden on our Prime Minister.
And for Mwonzora, the whole matter reduces to a tit tat! It is about evening out of foreign fixtures, evening out numerically, which is why attending a 120 country-strong NAM is comparable to attending a convention of a party in America, albeit a governing party — for now! In my world such