Suspended Chief Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe was on Tuesday humiliated at Harare magistrates’ court after he had a confrontation with his estranged girlfriend Sheila Samakomva.
Guvamombe was at court with his wife and former cop Angeline Guvamombe who filed for divorce early this year and sued Samakomva for $100 000 for having an adulterous relationship with her husband which resulted in the birth of a child out of wedlock.
Sheila Samakomva
Samakomva arrived shortly after the Guvamombes and sat at the back of the court and during an adjournment; the confrontation between the three began with Samakomva demanding her money back from Guvamombe
However, court resumed before they could converse, but they were being constrained by popular soccer fanatic Mboma Nyatanga and lawyers from Samkange and Ventures who are representing Guvamombe.
As the ex-chief magistrate was about to leave court, he was met by insults from Samakomva who then made it clear that the $10 000 she was demanding was the money she had paid for Guvamombe’s legal fees.
“All I want is my money, Mr Guvamombe, are you going to give me my money or I should take the matter into my own hands” said Samakomva as she pushed Guvamombe.
Mishrod Guvamombe
A visibly shaken Guvamombe had nothing to say but to try and calm Samakomva down telling her that his lawyers were organizing an affidavit to give her an assurance of when the money was going to be paid back.
Samakomva wasn’t held back and was heard shouting,” You should have thought about that before you blocked me.”
She further threatened Guvamombe that she was going to expose him over a dossier that he created and circulated last month accusing the current acting Chief Magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi, his deputy Elijah Makomo and JSC secretary Walter Chikwanha of engaging in illicit sexual behaviour and corruption in the Judicial Service Commission.
Mishrod Guvamombe
“If you don’t give me my money, I am going to Mutevedzi’s office to tell him of the fake dossier you created. I have it all in my phone!” shouted Samakomva.
Embarrassed, Guvamombe had nothing to say while his lawyer Jonathan Samkange and wife Angeline watched on.
Guvamombe appeared before Harare regional magistrate Bianca Makwande who remanded him to appear in court on November 4 pending indictment following the granting of his application to be tried at the High Court by Justice Zhou. H-Metro
Geniuses unleash new standards and set benchmarks to dominate in their area of expertise.
Gospel singer Shingisai Suluma
They change the industry through their brilliance which inspires, and it is only ignorance that will blind others to notice their magnificence.
Zimbabwe has been blessed to have one of the most successful gospel divas, well known for thriving to produce polished acts.
She has amassed a lot of awards in the music industry, in 2005 and 2007 at ZIMA she won the Best Female Gospel Artiste of the Year and the Best Female Artiste of the Year.
Some of her albums include Zvanaka, Huyai Ishe, Mumaoko, Nokuti Wakanaka, Fara Zvakadaro, Tatenda Taona, Ndewake, First Ten Years, Maitiro Enyu and others.
Her name is Shingisai Suluma (SS).
H-Metro entertainment reporter EDWIN NHUKARUME (EN) reached Shingisai now based in Canada for this wide ranging interview.
Shingisai, who was propelled to stardom by the song Mirira Mangwani in 2000 off the album Mumaoko, revealed about her future plans and how she met the pillar behind the success of her music.
Read on
EN: Give me a brief background about yourself?
SS: Not sure about what to highlight now after so many years in the music industry. I am just grateful that I had the opportunity to serve in churches at a young age, I had the opportunity to record my first work when I was in college, and I was honoured to receive the love of my Zimbabwean listeners.
EN: What motivated you to become a musician? How did it start?
SS: I started pretty early, but I did not take it seriously until my teenage years in high school and at church. My motivation was my parents’ encouragement, because they were the first to see what I could not see. I used to sing with my sisters and together would perform in churches and other meetings. Our proud mother would record us on her little cassette tape recorder and play our songs in her car. At that time, the thought of a professional recording was distant.
EN: Who is your role model?
SS: Rather than talk about a particular role model, I am a product of various influences. On the international scene, I listened to Andrae Crouch, Shirley Caesar, Commissioned, The Winans, Keith Green, Twila Paris and many others. These were not easy to come by. Friends who were overseas would bring those recordings on vinyl, then cassette tapes and later on, CDs. On the local scene. Shuvai Wutawunashe was one of my biggest influences, Freedom Sengwayo, Brian Sibalo, and Rita Shonhiwa were great inspirations too.
EN: Why did you choose gospel music?
I am a Christian and singing about it came natural. I could not imagine myself singing anything else. There is something about gospel music that makes it last a long time. It touches on issues that everyone, Christian or not, goes through and it has the ability to console, encourage, and inspire. Sometimes even my own songs speak back to me to encourage me when I feel weak.
EN: You have been at the helm of the gospel industry in Zim at some point. Can you share how you did it and what was the feeling like?
SS: Honestly, I do not remember ever feeling like I was ever at the “helm” of the gospel music industry. My story was not of sudden success. It was a gradual and sometimes painful process of rejection and determination. Even when my music got successful, many others were doing well at the same time, so I do not consider myself to have been “at the helm.”
It was always a shared experience with many great singers in Zimbabwe.
EN: You relocated to China then USA at the peak of your career. Don’t you think it somehow affected the dominance you were enjoying during that period?
SS: Relocating was necessary for several reasons. The most important reason was that no matter what happens, family comes first. My family has resolved to stay together in every situation and so when it was time to move to new opportunities we all had to go. Moving was a necessary change, and one that I would not trade for anything.
EN: Are you still in the US?
SS: No. I left the US in 2018 and my family now lives in Canada.
EN: Which album do you think is your best?
SS: That would be like asking me to choose my favourite child. Every song has its time and every song has its situation. There are some songs that are more widely noticed than others, and they seem to take away from the ones that rarely get requested. Whenever I have the opportunity to perform, sometimes I like to introduce some of the older less known songs and some listeners may not have heard them ever.
EN: Are there any new projects you are working on musically?
SS: I always work on something new. I do not always make the work public, but I always have new concepts coming. I have some ambitious projects that I hope to make public when the time is right.
EN: Who are your favorite musicians in gospel and secular music?
SS: Many artists have come out of Zimbabwe in the last few years, and listening to the quality of their productions has been refreshing. I was glad to work with Janet Manyowa. I have also collaborated with Comfort Manyame, and an upcoming artist Rose Mambo. I have great respect for Emelda Tshuma, an amazing vocalist I have had the opportunity to work with. I listen to the late great Oliver Mtukudzi, who I was honoured to host during one of his US tours.
EN: Any bad experiences in music?
SS: I do not like to keep a record of bad experiences. I believe that bad experiences have the potential to make us better people. While I do not like to tell stories of bad experiences, I like to be grateful that each one of those experiences had lessons and gave me an opportunity to be a better person.
EN: Your husband is your manager in your music business. Was it the best idea or arrangement?
SS: My husband is not just my manager. Managing my music business is a small portion of what he does. He is my producer, he records and edits my videos, he is a songwriter, he plays keyboards for me, and he directs the music during rehearsals and performances. I don’t know of anyone else as fortunate as I am. I know that this kind of arrangement may not work well for everybody, but it has been the best for me. I love it
EN: How do you describe your husband? What kind of a person is he?
SS: He is a great guy – that’s why we have been married for 23 years and counting.
EN: How did you meet your husband?
SS: We met as teenagers at a church group, but we did not know each other enough to think of a future together. We went our separate ways to two different countries and it was then that we started communicating, growing our friendship, and eventually fell in love.
EN: What are the things that annoy you the most?
SS: Besides flies and mosquitoes? I love talking about things that encourage me the most. The less I have things that annoy me the better life becomes. I believe that I have to make myself difficult to annoy, because negative emotions are not just draining, they are unproductive.
EN: Any plans to do an album with your sisters Tutsirai and Nyasha as you were once an acapella group during your childhood days?
SS: I still sing with my sisters. Both of them, and my brother, in the Joystreet Choir. My younger sisters Belicia and Bryna and my cousins Faith and Rumbidzai also sing with me. Doing an album together sounds like a great idea. You, Edwin, can take credit for that when it happens.
EN: Are you following Zimbabwean gospel music? And which artistes do you think are doing well at the moment?
SS: I know I will omit some great voices out there, so I will not even try. But I do listen to the radio on the internet streams and I would like to point out how I am impressed with the production quality coming out of Zimbabwe. The producers are doing an amazing job indeed. I am always proud to introduce Zimbabwean artistes whenever I have the opportunity.
EN: How old are you?
SS: You don’t ask a lady her age. When you find out, you don’t say.
EN: What advice would you want to give to the young and aspiring gospel musician?
SS: Two things:
Listen wide. Do not limit your listening to only the music you enjoy. Listen to music that you may not necessarily enjoy. There is always something to learn, especially if you are not sure why other people like that music. That is what grows you.
Imagine wild. Do not limit your creativity. Go beyond what you have seen. Try something new. Find your personal uniqueness. Don’t be a copy.
EN: Do you still have two children or you have added another one?
SS: Children? No – I have two amazing young ladies. Tashinga is a piano player and a drummer, and Tiara is a guitar player.
EN: And has it been your wish to stay in the foreign land? What really made you to relocate there?
SS: There’s no place like home. I am here for a reason and for a season. Once that is accomplished, I will be back home.
EN: How do you manage to balance music, teaching and motherhood? Are you still into teaching art and design in textiles?
SS: No that season of my life passed. I am not a teacher anymore. Music and Christian ministry are my life’s major commitments now. My daughters are grown and I no longer have the problems of early motherhood. Even though I do not teach in schools, I am still a teacher at heart and I work to teach young women who are in my care, helping them to grow into productive women in their communities.
EN: Thank you for your time and this interview.
SS: You are welcome and thanks for your patience as you waited for us. We have been very busy. H-Metro
Flamboyant businessman Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure says the recent opening of his night club Dreams Night Life, formerly Club Sankayi, is meant to promote local tourism.
Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure
Ginimbi, who is reported to have invested a fortune on the club, said his ‘dream’ is to make the venue a local tourist attraction that attracts various people from all around the country.
“I had a dream when I closed up Sankayi, the dream was to have a place that merry makers around the country would want to come and spend some quality time whenever they visit Harare regardless of class.
“My aim is also to have people from various cities and towns visit Harare specifically because of Dreams Night Life.
“Its place that offers the modern day clubbing experience that many experience in developed countries but being available for a locals that never get the opportunity to visit those countries.
“The name ‘Dreams’ came from that dream,” said Ginimbi.
The venue that is open on Saturdays and Sundays only boasts of good sound, services and a great ambience accompanied with intelligent lighting that also decors the venue.
Top deejays spin at the club on Saturdays whilst Judgment Yard entertain on Sundays reviving the Sunday night life.
The group that had taken a break after the closure of Club Sankayi resumed their dubbed “Mad Sunday” sessions which are starting to be talk of the town again.
“The break after the closure of Sankayi was good for us, it gave us time to restructure and just re-organise ourselves as a group and now we are back with more energy and vibrant.
“The return of the Mad Sundays has been well received with our fans and we thank them for always supporting us.
“We have a lot in store for our Mad Sundays,” said Judgement Yard’s DJ Flevah. H-Metro
A Waterfalls man is regretting tying the knot with a sugar mummy who offered him money to pay for her own lobola.
Gift Guti, 34, claims that Rumbidzai Matanda, 44, is verbally abusing him in their marriage of less than a year.
Narrating his ordeal, Guti said Matanda started demanding back the money she gave him to pay for her lobola and threatened to expose him over failing to repay the money.
“My brother, my marriage is now unhealthy to the extent that I no longer feel ashamed to expose the real issue I am undergoing with my wife,” said Guti.
“I separated with my first wife and she (Matanda) also divorced her first husband but I am now regretting being ever at her mercy every day of my life.
“We fell in love and she later decided to marry me but I had no money. She is the one who gave me the money which I paid lobola to her parents.
“Rumbidzai is ever demanding that money and I kept on promising to return it asi handina mari yacho. Chakaita kuti andipe inyaya yekuti ndakanga ndisina mari yacho handizive kuti ndazoiwana kupi mari yaanogara achindishungurudzira.
“I agreed to tie the knot and it went very well but I am living in regret of the vows and marrying the elder woman before the marriage officer.
“She is 10 years older than me and I feel used and abused.
“The reason I felt it’s necessary to come open is that she is ever making false reports to police that I am assaulting her.
“I had never tasted police cells but because of Rumbidzai my visit to Waterfalls police station has become a weekly thing achishandisa mapurisa veipapo.
“She threatened to get me arrested if I do not return the money she gave me for her lobola,” said Guti.
Guti told H-Metro that he was expected to report to Waterfalls police station for counseling if not being detained following Matanda’s false allegations against him.
Contacted for comment, Matanda confirmed the story saying it was not for public consumption.
“Who gave you the story and my contact number. Vanhu ivavo ndivo vanemakuhwa,” said Matanda.
“It is our private life and has nothing to do with the public.
“My visit to Waterfalls Police Station was to receive counselling since we had a misunderstanding but as for the details it’s not for public consumption. Thank you,” said Matanda. H-Metro
Striking doctors in Zimbabwe marched to parliament on Thursday to protest the disappearance of their union leader and press the government to increase their pay after a court ruled that police should not interfere with the march.
A group of Zimbabwean doctors sing as they protest at Parirenyatwa hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, which represents hundreds of junior doctors countrywide, said the association’s president Peter Magombeyi was abducted on Saturday, days after receiving threats on his phone. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Police had blocked previous attempts by the doctors to march to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s offices and to parliament to present petitions after Peter Magombeyi, the leader of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZDHA), went missing.
The group challenged the police actions and High Court Judge Clement Phiri ruled that the doctors could go ahead with Thursday’s march after lawyers for the police conceded that the actions by law enforcement agents were unlawful.
ZDHA represents junior and middle level doctors at public hospitals. The doctors have been on strike since Sept. 3, demanding a further pay increase as living costs soar.
As in the past, the government has called in army medics to help in the hospitals, which are already struggling with shortages of medicines.
“The situation in our hospitals is so saddening and we don’t draw any pleasure from it. The sooner it ends the better for us,” Tawanda Zvakada, ZHDA acting secretary general told said after handing in a petition to parliament.
Riot police were out in full force and cordoned off a park near parliament where the doctors gathered, to stop ordinary citizens from joining the demonstration.
Last month, police banned protests planned by the opposition over Mnangagwa’s handling of the economy.
The demonstrations were viewed as a test of Mnangagwa’s willingness to tolerate dissent in a country tainted by a long history of repression under his predecessor Robert Mugabe, who died on Sept. 6 in Singapore.
The immigration officer lifted his stamp to put the visa into my passport and I heaved a sigh of relief. But then my passport was taken by a smiling woman who asked, “Have you been to Zimbabwe before?”
In this photo taken Sept. 13, 2019, Associated Press journalist Andrew Meldrum poses for a photograph at the entrance to State House in the capital Harare, Zimbabwe. After 16 years in journalistic exile, Meldrum returned to Zimbabwe, the country where he worked as a journalist for 23 years until he was expelled by former president Robert Mugabe’s government. For the past week he reported on the mourning period for Mugabe. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Through questioning she determined that I had worked as a journalist in the country from 1980 to 2003.
“Was your departure from Zimbabwe voluntary or involuntary?” she asked. I answered truthfully: It was involuntary as I had been expelled by the government.
“Please come with me to answer a few questions,” she said, leading me to a small room.
I knew that room well, as I had been detained there 16 years ago. That was after I was dragged from a news conference, slapped by a police officer, put in a car with a hood over my head and held in the airport basement for several hours.
This time I was questioned by the young woman and two other agents. They interrogated me about why I had been jailed, put on trial and acquitted but then forcibly ejected from Zimbabwe. Had my reporting been biased? I said that I had reported objectively and that I had been the last foreign correspondent based in Zimbabwe to be thrown out of the country. I told them I was returning to cover the burial of former president Robert Mugabe.
“It’s an historic event. Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years and had a huge influence on Zimbabwe and across Africa. I want to chronicle this final chapter of his life,” I told them.
“The international sanctions against Zimbabwe, why haven’t they been lifted?” I was asked, prompting a discussion about the economic penalties that were imposed during Mugabe’s rule and have been maintained.
Then came their verdict.
“Welcome back to Zimbabwe!” said one of the agents, telling me I would be admitted — and adding that they would be watching my work.
FILE – In this Sept. 7, 2019, file photo, an ice-cream vendor reads a newspaper reporting on the death of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe on a street in Harare, Zimbabwe. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
I walked outside and felt Zimbabwe’s unmistakable cool, consoling evening air. I was back. After 16 years in journalistic exile, I had returned to the country that had been my home and the core of my career. It felt surreal.
For the past week I’ve been on the beat, covering the mourning period for Mugabe, the viewings of his body, the state funeral attended by several African leaders, and the dramatic tug-of-war between widow Grace Mugabe and President Emmerson Mnangagwa over where, when and how Mugabe would be buried. I’ve interviewed Zimbabwean officials, academics and analysts and, best of all, Zimbabweans of all walks of life. One of Mugabe’s best legacies is a well-educated population that is the envy of Africa and the pointed, perceptive and often funny quotes from everyday citizens can liven up any story.
One of Mugabe’s worst legacies is repression and human rights abuses. Government critics and opposition leaders faced abductions, torture and sometimes death. The abduction last week of the leader of a doctors’ association who had criticized the government for the deterioration in Zimbabwe’s health care system is a reminder that this abuse is continuing. It was the latest in a string of such abductions by suspected government agents.
It’s hard to remember that Zimbabwe, at its independence in 1980, captured the world’s attention as a country of positive achievements and promise. It had gone from a bitter, bloody war against white minority Rhodesian rule, to majority-ruled Zimbabwe. Guerrilla leader Mugabe won elections, espoused racial reconciliation and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Minimum wages increased, school enrollment quadrupled, health clinics sprang up and people’s lives improved dramatically. Zimbabwe’s success was a pointed challenge to neighboring apartheid-ruled South Africa.
That is the country that I had come to report on in 1980. It was exciting to write about Zimbabwe’s development and the country’s role in the struggle against apartheid.
But soon I found myself uncovering and writing about the government’s brutal campaign in the southern Matabeleland provinces, a center of opposition to Mugabe, during which an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Ndebeles, Zimbabwe’s minority ethnic group, were killed. Mugabe gave fiery speeches attacking the West and urging sanctions against South Africa. He publicly condemned gays, saying they had no legal rights. In 2000 he ordered the seizure of white-owned farms, which was often violent. When Mugabe was challenged by an opposition party that sprang from the trade union movement, his militia reacted viciously and some 300 members of the new party were killed.
The abuses were harrowing and in reporting them for the British newspaper The Guardian, I was getting these accounts out to the world, especially of the brave people insisting on good governance and respect for human rights at great cost to their own safety. The government began restricting the foreign press and several of my colleagues were kicked out of the country. Then in May 2002 I was arrested and spent a night in jail. I was charged with publishing a falsehood, a criminal offense carrying a two-year jail term. After a grueling two-month trial, I was acquitted. But 10 months later state agents abducted me and forcibly expelled me from the country.
FILE – In this May 16, 2003, file photo, journalist Andrew Meldrum is manhandled by police and pushed into a car after being issued with a “prohibited immigrant” order by immigration officials at their offices in Harare, Zimbabwe. After 16 years in journalistic exile, Meldrum returned to Zimbabwe, the country where he worked as a journalist for 23 years until he was expelled by former president Robert Mugabe’s government. (AP Photo/File)
Mugabe loomed large throughout all of this, so it seemed fitting to return to report on his funeral.
Immediately upon my arrival, I felt back at home. At Rufaro Stadium, in the capital’s poor Mbare suburb, Mugabe’s partially open casket was put on view. I had always liked going there for concerts featuring musicians like Oliver Mtukudzi and Paul Simon’s “Graceland” tour with Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba. The stadium was also where Mugabe had given many incendiary speeches.
And now here was his casket. I got in the fast-moving line to view the body and soon found myself peering at it, eyes closed in repose, small and not angry.
As I walked away a microphone was thrust in my face. “Andrew Meldrum, you have viewed Robert Mugabe, what do you think of his passing?” It was a well-known reporter from the state broadcaster. I said it was an historic occasion that I was pleased to be able to chronicle.
Throughout a tumultuous week of reporting, I have noted the changes to Zimbabwe since my departure 16 years ago. Downtown Harare looks a bit run down but still orderly amid its bustle. It is in the outlying working-class suburbs where conditions have plummeted.
FILE – In this Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, file photo, children play soccer next to a defaced portrait of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in Harare, Zimbabwe. After 16 years in journalistic exile, Andrew Meldrum returned to Zimbabwe, the country where he worked as a journalist for 23 years until he was expelled by Mugabe’s government. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)
The roads have deteriorated badly, power cuts are up to 19 hours per day and water comes on just once a week. By day people line up at wells to pump water for drinking, washing and cooking; at night these areas are dark. I used to go to friends’ homes for meals in these neighborhoods. Now few can afford such hospitality.
It is when I am outdoors, taking in Zimbabwe’s unique sub-tropical climate, that I feel most at ease. The cycads and palm trees, the brilliantly colored bougainvillea, the jacaranda trees that have been coming into their purple bloom while I am here are more notable to me than shabby buildings that need a coat of paint. When I heard the distinctive “tuk, tuk, tuk” call of the purple-crested turaco, I was immediately taken back in time to when I lived here.
FILE – In this Sept. 14, 2019, file photo, women in the stands hold posters of former president Robert Mugabe at his state funeral at the National Sports Stadium in the capital Harare, Zimbabwe. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)FILE – In this Sept. 14, 2019, file photo, the casket of former president Robert Mugabe is loaded by military officers into a vehicle as it departs after a state funeral at the National Sports Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
Zimbabwe’s challenges and problems are more pressing than ever, which makes it even more satisfying to be reporting on the people struggling to get by and insisting on better living conditions. Even if it is only for a short time, it feels good and natural to be back.
At the airport, when I was questioned before my entry, the official asked me: “What is your mindset on coming back to Zimbabwe? Are you bitter?”
“No,” I said, smiling. “I’m not a bitter man. Returning to Zimbabwe and reporting on its challenges is gratifying.”
___
Andrew Meldrum is the Africa News Editor for The Associated Press and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has reported on southern Africa for 34 years, including 23 years in Zimbabwe.
We, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellows from across the many nations of the African Continent, note with concern the on-going tensions in Zimbabwe and the deteriorating human rights and economic situation.
A Zimbabwean doctor is told to retreat after attempting to march in Harare, Wednesday, Sept, 18, 2019. Zimbabwean doctors protesting the alleged abduction of a union leader were met by a line of baton- wielding police in the capital as fears grow about government repression. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Of particular concern are reports of alleged abductions, assaults and torture of civic and political activists in recent weeks.
Several cases have recently been covered in the media, with the possibility of other unreported matters, as the alleged abductions are taking place mostly during the night.
The identity of the perpetrators is unknown. However, the targeted victims are activists and political opponents of the government.
We note that the Government of Zimbabwe has denied involvement in the abductions and torture of citizens.
Some senior members of the government acknowledge the abductions, but attribute the violations to a shadowy “Third Force”.
The opposition, on the other hand, blames the government.
We make no judgment on the matter, but what is clear to us is that the government has a responsibility to protect its citizens.
This is the position under international law as well as the laws of Zimbabwe.
The spate of alleged abductions and torture, and the failure to apprehend perpetrators, and to stop these atrocities suggests a neglect of or a lack of regard for this duty to protect.
We also note that this is not the first time that citizens have been abducted and tortured in Zimbabwe.
Indeed, in some cases, the abductees have disappeared without a trace.
The distressing case of political activist Itai Dzamara who was abducted in 2015 is one such matter that remains unresolved.
We have also observed with dismay the use of force by the Government of Zimbabwe against citizens who have attempted to exercise their civil and political rights through peaceful protests.
Whilst we understand the need for lawful action by citizens and the need for the state to protect uphold legitimate law and order, we also find the use of excessive and disproportionate force to be disagreeable and distressing.
We are concerned that these attacks on citizens are continuing and that the principal targets are civic and political activists suspected of being aligned to the opposition.
Torture is absolutely prohibited under international law and also under the law of Zimbabwe.
There is simply no room for it.
There is also no room for extra-judicial punishment by members of the security services or anyone.
All suspects must be subjected to the due process of the law.
The indiscriminate and severe beating of citizens by members of the security services, which we have observed in the media, is tantamount to extra-judicial punishment.
We therefore express our serious concerns over the plight of Zimbabwean citizens.
We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to take its responsibility to protect citizens seriously. In this regard,
We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to thoroughly investigate cases of alleged abduction and torture of citizens.
We also urge the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure that members of the security services desist from using excessive and disproportionate force when dealing with members of the public.
We further urge the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure that there is legal accountability for those who have perpetrated these heinous offences.
In addition, We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens.
Finally, we are concerned that the economic situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate.
We urge the principal parties to find common ground between themselves and in this regard, to put the interests of ordinary citizens first.
The resolution of the severe economic challenges will be easier if the principal actors can find a peaceful solution to the political and economic challenges facing the country.
We further wish to express our solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe who continue to face many challenges and hardships.
Pep Guardiola insisted he never doubted Manchester City could cope with their defensive injury crisis as his side made a flying start to the Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.
City boss Guardiola was forced to deploy Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho at centre-back after losing Aymeric Laporte and John Stones to recent injuries.
But Fernandinho slotted in comfortably at the back as City easily subdued Shakhtar with first-half goals from Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan at the Metalist Stadium.
Gabriel Jesus netted City’s third goal in the closing stages to ensure they made the long flight home with three points stowed away.
“When you win the manager makes the right decisions, when you lose the wrong decisions. We lost one game in eight months and we will not doubt who these players are. It is a joy to be their manager,” Guardiola said.
“We defended really well and created chances. We don’t have many choices in defence.
“Fernandinho’s the only one I have. He is a clever player and so intelligent and an incredible guy.
“He has a lot of experience and personality and what he says the people follow him in the locker room. He’s important.”
Fernandinho added: “I’ve been training in this position since the start of the season. Pep knows all about our squad and team. Today was my opportunity and I hope I can improve more.”
There was more good news for Guardiola as French defender Benjamin Mendy, on as a late substitute, made his first appearance since April after returning from a knee injury.
With Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta making up Champions League Group C, City are expected to cruise into the last 16.
This mature performance was the perfect opening to their bid to win the Champions League for the first time, especially coming after Saturday’s shock 3-2 defeat at Norwich in the Premier League.
“Three points away are so important. Now it’s in our hands. If we can close the games at home then we will be in the last 16,” Guardiola said.
City have failed to get past the quarter-finals in Guardiola’s previous three seasons in charge, while the Spaniard hasn’t won the tournament since the second of his two titles with Barcelona in 2011.
Those past failures gave extra significance to City’s opening match.
Nicolas Otamendi is the English champions’ only fit centre-back, so Fernandinho was pressed into action, with Guardiola giving the Brazilian the captain’s armband for his first start this season.
The 34-year-old had lost his place as City’s holding midfielder following the pre-season signing of Rodri from Atletico Madrid.
– Emphatic response –
Rodri wasted a chance to put City in front inside the first minute when he met Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick with a misdirected header inside the six-yard box.
City were dominating possession without testing Shakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov and Jesus’s shot deflected for a corner after the Brazilian was teed up by Gundogan’s clever pass.
Their pressure was rewarded in the 24th minute when Jesus flicked the ball back to Gundogan on the edge of the area.
Gundogan’s curling strike cannoned back off a post into the path of Mahrez, who had the simple task of slotting into the net from close range for his first goal of the season.
It took 35 minutes for Shakhtar to muster their first shot on target when Junior Moraes had a close-range effort well saved at the near post by Ederson.
City’s response was emphatic and they doubled their lead in the 38th minute.
Mahrez was the provider this time with an incisive surge towards the Shakhtar area.
The Algerian deftly picked out Gundogan’s run and he finished with a clinical strike that flashed past Pyatov.
Jesus wrapped up the points in the 76th minute when he slotted home from De Bruyne’s pass for his second goal of the season. AFP
Hector Herrera grabbed a dramatic point on his Atletico Madrid debut with a late header that saw his side come back from two goals down to draw 2-2 in their Champions League opener against Juventus on Wednesday.
Herrera snatches late point for Atletico with debut Juve strike
Herrera came off the bench to crash home Kieran Tripper’s last-minute corner and complete the comeback after Juve had gone ahead through Juan Cuadrado’s superb strike seconds after the break and a bullet header from Blaise Matuidi on 65 minutes.
Stefan Savic gave the home fans hope when he pulled one back for Atletico five minutes after Frenchman Matuidi had doubled the away side’s lead.
“I’m happy to have made my first appearance and to have helped the team. This side is known for how it always fights to the end,” said Herrera to TV broadcaster Movistar.
“A draw against a team like Juventus isn’t bad at all. We wanted to win the match but a draw is a good result given the quality of the opposition.”
Both sides now trail Lokomotiv Moscow in Group D thanks to the Russians’ 2-1 win at Bayer Leverkusen after a result that left Maurizio Sarri’s Juve disappointed they didn’t get more from an impressive second-half display.
“I think we played well but we have a bitter taste in our mouth now because we felt we had the game in our hands,” said Sarri.
“We need more attention and focus on set-pieces. We will work on that.”
– Towering Atletico –
Cuadrado had flashed Juve into the lead two minutes after the restart with an exceptional strike after good work from Gonzalo Higuain, who rolled a neat pass that allowed the Colombian to smash home the opener.
Jose Maria Gimenez then passed up a good chance to level when he blasted over Koke’s pull-back, and the away side capitalised when Matuidi charged onto Alex Sandro’s cross and thumped his header past Jan Oblak.
The hosts got back into the game almost immediately when Savic headed home a towering Gimenez’s perfect knockdown, and they were then pleading for a penalty with seven minutes left when referee Danny Makkelie waved away their appeals despite Matthijs de Ligt kicking the ball onto an unsuspecting Leonardo Bonucci’s hand.
Juve had almost re-established their two-goal advantage shortly before when Higuain’s powerful shot was pushed out to Matuidi, whose follow-up was cleared off the line by Trippier.
Atletico got a deserved leveller with yet another header, this time from substitute Herrera who beat an uncharacteristically weak Juve defence to power home his first goal since signing from Porto in the summer.
The home fans had to survive one last scare however, with an otherwise quiet Cristiano Ronaldo coming to within centimetres of an incredible winner when his mazy dribble ended with a low drive that beat Oblak and the far post.AFP
Paris Saint-Germain launched their latest quest for Champions League success with a statement win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, while a late Atletico Madrid comeback foiled Juventus as Manchester City eased to victory in Ukraine.
Ángel Di María celebrates scoring the first goal for Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League win against Real Madrid. Photograph: Benoît Tessier/Reuters
French giants PSG have failed to make their mark in Europe, crashing out of the Champions League in the last 16 each of the past three years despite the huge sums of money spent by their Qatari owners.
With Neymar suspended and Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani sidelined by injury, Angel Di Maria stepped up in their absence by grabbing two first-half goals in a 3-0 triumph at the Parc des Princes.
Thomas Meunier added the third late on as Madrid, who beat PSG on the way to lifting the trophy in 2016 and 2018, were soundly beaten in their Group A opener with Eden Hazard kept quiet on his full debut.
“There’s no message sent, but we dominated this game very well,” PSG captain Thiago Silva told RMC Sport.
“We have to play like this all the time, in the league as well, with character and hunger.”
Real, the 13-time European champions, are still favourites to advance from a section that includes Club Brugge and Galatasaray, who drew 0-0 in Belgium, but the nature of the loss underscored the work that lies ahead for coach Zinedine Zidane.
“They were superior to us in everything they did, and in intensity, which annoys me the most,” said the Frenchman.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico clawed their way back from two goals down in the final 20 minutes to rescue a 2-2 draw at home to Juventus in Group D.
The anticipated clash between Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix, the teenager touted as the heir to Ronaldo’s throne, took a backseat to a Atletico rousing comeback after second-half goals from Juan Cuadrado and Blaise Matuidi put Juve in control.
Stefan Savic nodded home from point-blank range to give Atletico hope and substitute Hector Herrera headed in a corner in the final minute to snatch a point.
“I think we played well but we have a bitter taste in our mouth now because we felt we had the game in our hands,” said Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri.
– Strong response from Man City –
Both sides trail Lokomotiv Moscow following the Russians’ 2-1 win at Bayer Leverkusen. Grzegorz Krychowiak and Dmitri Barinov scored for Lokomotiv either side of an own goal by former Germany defender Benedikt Hoewedes.
Premier League champions City bounced back from defeat by Norwich at the weekend with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk in Kharkiv.
Riyad Mahrez slammed home a rebound after Ilkay Gundogan hit the post, and the German international smacked in a second before Gabriel Jesus sealed the points on 76 minutes.
“When you win the manager makes the right decisions, when you lose the wrong decisions. We lost one game in eight months and we will not doubt who these players are. It is a joy to be their manager,” coach Pep Guardiola told BT Sport.
City are second to Dinamo Zagreb in Group C after the Croatian champions made it a night to forget for competition debutants Atalanta with a 4-0 rout.
Dinamo failed to score a single goal as they lost all six matches on their last group stage appearance in 2016-17.
However, Marin Leovac gave them a 10th-minute lead and Mislav Orsic bagged a hat-trick as Dinamo got off to a dream start ahead of a trip to City on October 2.
Bayern Munich needed late goals from Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller to make sure of victory against Red Star Belgrade in Group D.
Kingsley Coman’s bullet header gave Bayern a first-half lead but the German champions were forced to wait until the 80th minute before Lewandowski ended Red Star’s threat.
Substitute Mueller volleyed in a third in stoppage time.
Last year’s finalists Tottenham blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Olympiakos.
Harry Kane’s penalty and a fine Lucas Moura strike put Spurs 2-0 up after 30 minutes in Greece, but Daniel Podence cut the deficit shortly before the break and Mathieu Valbuena levelled from the spot in the second half.AFP
Guvamombe was at court with his wife and former cop Angeline Guvamombe who filed for divorce early this year and sued Samakomva for $100 000 for having an adulterous relationship with her husband which resulted in the birth of a child out of wedlock.
City boss Guardiola was forced to deploy Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho at centre-back after losing Aymeric Laporte and John Stones to recent injuries.
