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I want my gold back, Rushwaya tells court… insists she grabbed wrong bag

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Nehanda Radio
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15
Zimbabwe Miners‘ Federation (ZMF) president Henrietta Rushwaya
Zimbabwe Miners‘ Federation (ZMF) president Henrietta Rushwaya

By Nyore Madzianike

Henrietta Rushwaya and Pakistani businessman Ali Muhamad are willing to accept stiffer bail conditions than those originally proposed while awaiting trial on charges of attempting to smuggle gold to Dubai and associated charges.

Zimbabwe Miners‘ Federation (ZMF) president Henrietta Rushwaya
Zimbabwe Miners‘ Federation (ZMF) president Henrietta Rushwaya

Rushwaya, through her lawyer Mr Tapson Dzvetero, said she was prepared to deposit $90 000, surrender title deeds to one of her properties as surety and report every Friday at Rhodesville Police Station, but would accept even stiffer conditions if magistrate Mr Ngoni Nduna wanted to ensure she did not abscond.

She also noted that the four gold bars worth US$333 000 would be returned to her if she was acquitted, and forfeited if found guilty, so she was anxious to stand trial.

Mohamad, through his lawyer Mr Tinashe Tanyanyiwa, offered bail of $100 000 plus surety of the title deeds of his Belvedere house or any other business property and was willing to report twice a week at Milton Park Police Station.

The two are appearing along with Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives Stephen Tserai and Raphios Mufandauya plus Zimbabwe Miners Federation official Gift Karanda.

They are facing between them charges of smuggling, unlawful possession of gold, bribery, criminal abuse of office and obstructing the course of justice, all arising from the discovery of 6kg of gold in Rushwaya’s hand baggage on October 26 as she attempted to board a flight to Dubai using the VIP route at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

The finding of the gold is not in factual dispute, just the intentions and the charges.

In her bail application, Rushwaya said she wanted to clear her name and reclaim her four gold bars. She denies all charges and continues to assert, as she has done from her arrest, that she grabbed the wrong bag when going to the airport.

Rushwaya denied ever having attempted to bribe anyone and says the US$5 000 she is alleged to have offered was not found on her person when she was searched.

Mr Dzvetero said Rushwaya had more than 50 people dependent on her, including employees, and has fixed family ties in Zimbabwe.

He said she had vast businesses interests in mining and was licensed to produce and market cannabis for medication.

Muhamad, through Mr Tanyanyiwa, said he wanted to clear his name and preserve his US$50 million business empire in Zimbabwe.

He denies there was any evidence linking him to the offences and there was no indication in State papers of him having conspired to smuggle the gold outside the country.

The searches at his home revealed detailed information from Fidelity Printers, so he had no need to conspire to smuggle gold, and found no links to the charges he was facing nor to any of his co-accused. No gold was found at his home, even though he had a licence to buy gold and so could have held gold legally.

Tserai, who is represented by Mr Admire Rubaya, described the State’s allegations during the bail hearing as built on “sinking sand.”

Mr Rubaya said smuggling required proof of intention, and that proof was, he said, lacking for all accused and required Zimra to be the complainant, yet there was no statement from any Zimra official that Rushwaya, “probably in the company of Tserai and Mufandauya”, was called to declare and failed to do so. While the State alleges that Tserai was pulling Rushwaya’s bag as she went through the VIP route on the basis of CCTV evidence, the investigating officer agreed that the bag was not transparent and Tserai could not see the contents, said Mr Rubaya.

The bail hearing for the five accused continues today. Messrs Garudzo Ziyaduma and Charles Muchemwa appeared for the State.

Comedian ‘Gringo’ lost battle to cancer…. set to be buried in Rusape

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Nehanda Radio
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7
Lazarus “Gringo” Boora
Lazarus “Gringo” Boora

By Tafadzwa Zimoyo

Comedian Lazarus Boora (47), popularly known as Gringo, who died yesterday morning at West View Medical Clinic will be buried on Thursday at his rural home in Rukweza, Rusape.

Lazarus “Gringo” Boora
Lazarus “Gringo” Boora

He succumbed to stomach cancer around 9am yesterday despite concerted efforts by doctors to stop the disease from spreading to other parts of the body.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said in a statement yesterday that the arts community and the nation had lost a great actor.

“My fellow countrymen, this morning (yesterday), we learnt of the passing of one of Zimbabwe’s talented comic actors, Lazarus Boora, popularly known as Gringo,” she said.

“Allow me on behalf of His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa and the nation to convey my condolences to the Boora family.

“Lazarus may have left us, but he will forever be remembered as our dear Gringo, a man who brought joy and laughter in our homes. May his dear soul rest in peace.”

Minister Mutsvangwa chronicled the history of Gringo, starting from the days he attended primary school in his home area in Rusape, Manicaland, where he was born in an area called Rukweza.

Gringo then came to Harare for his secondary education.

“It was during these formative years that his potential in the arts sector came to light,” said the Minister.

“He later went on to attend Mutare Teachers’ College where he studied drama. To further his education in the arts, he then enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe where he studied theatre and dance.”

Gringo then joined various theatrical groups, and rubbed shoulders with highly professional theatre gurus who helped him hone his acting skills.

“In 1997, Lazarus had his television debut when he acted a minor role as a junior policeman in Aaron Chiundura-Moyo’s popular television drama series ‘Chihwerure’,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

“The following year, 1998, Lazarus Boora was cast as Gringo in a television comedy drama series which was an adaptation of a cartoon character by Enock Chihombori.

“He became an instant hit with Zimbabwean television viewers. His co-actors also found themselves in the lime light as the Zimbabwean TV audience fell in love with the drama series.

“From then, he became known as Gringo, and this became the platform to carry out his passion, entertaining Zimbabweans and the world at large.”

In 2002, “Gringo Ndiyani”, a production fronted by Gringo won the Best TV Drama Series award at the inaugural National Arts Merit Awards, while Gringo walked away with the best Actor Award and the writer, Enock Chihombori won the Best Film and Television Script writer’s award.

Minister Mutsvangwa said this was a testament that the series was one of Zimbabwe’s finest comedies and further affirmed Gringo’s excellent acting abilities.

Gringo’s aunt, Mrs Esther Manheya (sister to Gringo’s mother), confirmed the funeral arrangements, saying a farewell ceremony for his Harare friends and fans would be held tomorrow before the body is taken to his rural home.

“We are very saddened as a family,” she said. “Gringo died around 9am yesterday when we were visiting. The funeral wake is at his brother Mr William Musakwa’s residence in Zimre Park and we have discussed as a family that tomorrow, we conduct a farewell ceremony for his friends and fans, before he leaves for Rukweza Village.

“The programme on what is going to be done at the ceremony is still being worked on, but we will involve those who are relevant in it. He will be buried on Thursday afternoon.”

She said the ceremony would be conducted at number 6653 Bvumba Road, Zimre Park.

Dr Johannes Marisa, who had undertaken to help treat Gringo following an appeal by the family last week when his condition deteriorated, said not much could have been done as the cancer had spread to other body parts.

“Gringo had stomach cancer which had already spread to some parts of the body,” he said. “We did the scan and the results came (but were not good) and like I said, I could not share with the media before the family.

“I told the family on Sunday and yesterday we had agreed to do a computerised tomography scan popularly known as ‘CT scan’. It seems he suffered a lot in the past months but did not know about his condition. It was too late for us to save him.”

In an interview yesterday from his base in South Africa, Chihombori, the man who created Gringo, said the country had lost a great character in the arts industry.

He vividly remembered his first encounter with him and said he was fun-loving, but very talented.

“We have lost a great character,” said Chihombori. “My memory with him dates back to the time we met and started shooting Gringo. He was a fun-loving and cheerful character.

“Even during the shoot when you gave him a script, he would go the extra mile being creative. He would make people feel at home by continuously cracking jokes each time he was on set.

“My experience with him in his acting career was amazing as I learnt a lot from Gringo. I will miss him dearly. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it to the funeral because I am in South Africa right now, but I salute you Lazarus.”

National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) director, Mr Nicholas Moyo, described Gringo as a rare breed of a comedian, who was propelled to fame by the 1997 ZBCtv hit drama series “Gringo” and he subsequently featured in other spin-offs of the show like “Gringo Ndiani?” and “Gringo Mari Iripi?”

He recently starred as “Gibbo” in the series “Village Secrets”.

“Boora will be remembered forever as the master of local television with his signature makeshift khaki short, black vest, barefoot and his witty humour which kept millions of Zimbabweans glued to their television sets,” said Moyo.

“The NACZ management and staff would like to express their sincerest condolences to Amai Boora and the Boora family, the arts fraternity and the nation at large following the passing on of one of the country’s most recognisable television personalities. May his soul rest in peace.”

Gringo became popular in the early 90s when he began his acting career.

He is survived by seven children and wife Netsai. The Herald

Suicides rise in Malawi as virus debts compound misery

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Nehanda Radio
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3

Loud sobs echoed through a suburb of Malawi’s capital Lilongwe in the middle of the night, jolting resident Paul Kaonga from his sleep.

The crippling debts and anxiety that the pandemic has brought in its wake are feared to have led to a rise in suicides
The crippling debts and anxiety that the pandemic has brought in its wake are feared to have led to a rise in suicides

The cries came from a nearby house. Kaonga hastily pulled on some clothes and rushed over.

Distraught family members informed him that Kondwani Botha, a neighbour, had killed himself.

The 31-year-old father had struggled to keep his construction business afloat when coronavirus hit and he sunk into debt.

“He was really knee-deep in financial trouble,” Kaonga told AFP after the funeral.

It was the third suicide Kaonga had heard of in his neighbourhood in the space of two weeks.

A few days later, another man who was also struggling financially took his own life.

Kaonga, who works as a pastor, blamed economic hardship brought on the pandemic.

“People have resorted to lending money from loan sharks just so that they can get by (and) pay their workers,” Kaonga explained.

“Before you know it, you owe so much that you cannot pay back.”

– Dwindling incomes –

Malawi was already one of the world’s poorest countries when the pandemic arrived, further dampening the economy.

Around half of Malawi’s 18.6 million inhabitants live below the poverty line, and an additional 1.1 million fell into that category this year, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Most people in the landlocked southern African country rely on day-to-day street trade and odd jobs stifled by movement restrictions.

Coronavirus hindered “the normal ways of business” in Malawi, said economist Betchani Tchereni, estimating that around 2.7 million people lost income this year.

Police spokesman Peter Kalaya suspects suicides have increased as a result.

Deaths by suicide recorded between January and August 2020 were more than 50 percent higher than over the same period last year, Kalaya said.

The most common reasons were family disputes, chronic illness and inability to pay back debt.

“We are greatly troubled,” Kalaya told AFP.

“We have taken a proactive approach by raising awareness on how citizens can deal with stress,” he said, adding that staff had been trained to respond to depressive behaviour.

– Coronavirus anxiety –

Mental health experts have also raised alarm bells over higher suicide risks.

Psychologist Beatrice Chiphwanya, who runs a private practice in the city of Blantyre, said she has helped an unusually high number of clients overcome suicidal thoughts this year.

“People are dealing with a lot of anxiety (and) uncertainty concerning education, health, finances,” Chiphwanya explained.

“It is sad that therapy is not a service that has been fully normalised in this country,” she added. “It is not affordable, hence a lot of Malawians are still going through with the act of suicide.”

Most public facilities in Malawi are too short-staffed and underfunded to provide adequate mental healthcare, particularly during a global health crisis.

To date the country has recorded more than 5,950 coronavirus cases, including 185 deaths.

Health ministry official Immaculate Chamangwana said psychiatric practitioners in public hospitals were often asked to help out in overwhelmed maternity and paediatric wards even before the pandemic.

“These people are not only concentrating on mental health,” Chamangwana told AFP, adding that all hospital workers were given basic mental healthcare training to compensate.

Malawian expert Gerald Namwaza, a researcher for the UK-based MentalCare charity, said coronavirus had aggravated the suffering of patients who already faced discrimination and stigma.

“In Malawi… people with mental health issues are oftentimes ridiculed and side-lined,” Namwaza said.

“They are vulnerable and at high risk of committing suicide when sent in isolation due to coronavirus,” he added.

“It becomes a double jeopardy for them.” AFP

‘Kamala represents the future’: US women, minorities celebrate vice president-elect

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Nehanda Radio
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0

The first female vice president, and a symbol of American diversity — Kamala Harris has electrified many women and minority voters on the US left, who view her as the future more than Joe Biden.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivers remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 7, 2020, after being declared the winner with Joe Biden of the presidential election
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivers remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 7, 2020, after being declared the winner with Joe Biden of the presidential election

As celebrations rolled on in major cities, excitement for some has shifted from Biden’s election victory to his running mate.

“She’s a wonderful role model for young girls,” said Theodora Egbuchulam, a New York attorney. The 55-year-old Black woman had gone to Times Square to celebrate the news.

“Kamala represents the future, and it makes me so proud that after everything that was done and said, we have an African-American woman in the White House,” Egbuchulam said.

“It tells young girls and boys that America looks more like us than just a typical white male.”

At 56, Harris brings new energy to the future administration of Biden, who at 77 is the oldest elected president. But her victory is even sweeter for the women who watched four years ago as Hillary Clinton suffered a shocking defeat to Donald Trump.

“We never had a woman in power like this. It’s amazing,” said Devi Kowlessar, a New York real estate agent who is Indian-American, like Harris.

“Hopefully she’ll reunite Americans, and she’ll make these past four years disappear,” Kowlessar added, referring to Trump’s time in office. “We want her to unite people, to bring love.”

– From fiction to reality –

“‘Madame Vice President’ is no longer a fictional character,” tweeted actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played the role in the acclaimed comedy series “Veep.”

For her victory speech on Saturday night, Harris wore a white suit in tribute to the suffragettes who fought 100 years ago to win American women the right to vote.

The California native invoked the memory of her Indian mother, who died of cancer in 2009, and hailed “the generations of women, Black women, Asian, white, Latina, Native American women who throughout our nation’s history have paved the way for this moment tonight.”

“I still can’t believe it, that we’ll have somebody in the White House that looks like me,” said Robin Brown, the head of a New York NGO that helps pro-choice Democratic female candidates get elected.

But Harris was a polarizing figure on the campaign trail: branded a “monster” by Trump, many voices on the left also criticized Biden’s vice presidential pick.

Some people, such as the former spokeswoman for Senator Bernie Sanders’s campaign, Briahna Joy Gray, saw Harris as a “cop” — guilty, according to them, of having made oppressive political choices when she was district attorney of San Francisco (2004-2011) that hit minority communities particularly hard.

– Power of representation –

For Kelly Dittmar, the director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, Harris brings “the perspective and lived experiences of a Black and South Asian woman who has lived her life in the United States.”

That, to her, is the power of “representation”: “It brings diverse perspectives to the table that makes for better and more inclusive decision-making.”

Harris brought “a certain level of excitement and enthusiasm that helped the campaign” mobilize female Democratic voters, according to Dittmar.

Harris’s nomination also reassured people concerned about “regression, that we were going back to an all-white male… vision or image of leadership” with the choice between Biden and Trump, both of whom are in their seventies, the academic added.

In her speech Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris promised: “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.”

For Vera Green, a 29-year-old management consultant in New York, “the glass ceiling is broken.

“It’s so deeply personal, I think, for every woman everywhere,” she said. “It’s a huge step for women.” AFP

After cosy ties with Trump, Saudi Arabia faces Biden ‘pariah’ pledge

By
Nehanda Radio
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4

US President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its human rights failings, but observers say the oil-rich Arab powerhouse still holds enough leverage to deflect a major rupture in relations.

US president-elect Joe Biden travelled to Saudi Arabia as vice president in 2011 to offer condolences to the late King Abdullah following the death of his brother
US president-elect Joe Biden travelled to Saudi Arabia as vice president in 2011 to offer condolences to the late King Abdullah following the death of his brother

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose Shakespearean rise to power coincided with the start of Donald Trump’s presidency, has largely escaped US censure thanks to his personal ties with the administration.

But Trump’s defeat leaves the de facto ruler vulnerable to renewed scrutiny from the kingdom’s closest Western ally, which could leave him isolated amid economic challenges that imperil his reform agenda, a griding war in neighbouring Yemen and pockets of opposition to his rule.

While Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner — who struck up a close rapport with the crown prince — shielded the heir to the Saudi throne, Biden has vowed to reassess the relationship.

He has slammed what he calls Trump’s “dangerous blank check” to the kingdom, pledged justice for journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s 2018 murder by Saudi agents and vowed to suspend US arms sales over the catastrophic war in Yemen.

Biden has threatened to make Saudi Arabia “the pariah that they are”.

Still, observers say, decades-old military and economic relations — based on cooperation over counter-terrorism and maintaining stability in oil markets — are unlikely to be upended.

Although the US has reduced its reliance on Saudi oil in recent years, the kingdom remains a key customer for American defence industry giants and military contractors.

And observers say Biden would need to work with Saudi rulers on a host of hot-button issues in the tinderbox region, from countering the regional influence of common foe Iran to fighting a newly resurgent Islamic State group.

“A Biden administration will no doubt take a harder line on human rights than its predecessor, but it is unlikely to completely abandon the Saudi-American partnership,” David Rundell, former chief of mission at the US embassy in Riyadh, told AFP.

“While the United States has become more energy independent due to fracking, important American allies like Japan and Korea have not,” added Rundell, author of the book “Vision or Mirage, Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads”.

– Policy or rhetoric? –

Riyadh appears wary of Biden’s pledge to revive a 2015 nuclear pact between world powers and Iran, a controversial deal that was negotiated when he was vice president under Barack Obama.

The landmark agreement was shredded by Trump, who chose to go to Riyadh on his first overseas visit as president in 2017, when Saudi rulers lavished him with gifts, a sword dance and a glowing orb.

To ensure the deal’s success this time, analysts say Biden would have to seek consensus among regional states, including Saudi Arabia, which are traditionally opposed to diplomacy with Tehran.

“Nobody expects Biden to travel first to Riyadh and perform a sword dance, but he needs Saudi for any regional buy-in of a new Iran deal, in counterterrorism support, Israel-Palestine, oil market stability,” said Saudi author and analyst Ali Shihabi.

Biden has separately expressed support for recent Arab-Israeli normalisation accords with Middle East nations, including Bahrain, which is unlikely to have signed up without a nod from Riyadh.

Observers say Prince Mohammed could use Saudi Arabia’s possible future normalisation with Israel — the biggest diplomatic prize for the Jewish state — as a negotiating tool.

“Many in Riyadh believe that a normalisation deal with Israel would put Prince Mohammed in a much better position with a Biden administration,” Cinzia Bianco, a research fellow at the European Council for International Relations, told AFP.

“Everything depends on how hostile a Biden administration would actually be, in policy, not in rhetoric, towards Saudi Arabia from January onwards.”

– ‘Make him accountable’ –

Saudi observers dismiss Biden’s campaign speeches about the kingdom as bluster, pointing out that Trump also struck a hostile note in his 2016 campaign before warming up to its rulers.

Biden’s pledge to suspend Saudi arms sales runs contrary to his past record.

When he was vice president, the US offered the kingdom’s military not just logistical and intelligence support, but also weapons worth over $115 billion, more than any other previous administration, according to 2016 data from the US-based Security Assistance Monitor.

Even so, relatives of Saudi prisoners of conscience are pinning their hopes on Biden. They expect he will place stronger conditions on US support, such as demanding their unconditional release.

Prince Mohammed has overseen a sweeping crackdown on dissent, with dozens of activists, journalists, clerics and even royal family members detained in recent years.

“We are hoping that (Biden) will make human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia a priority, which has been neglected by the current Trump administration,” said Walid Alhathloul, the brother of activist Loujain Alhathloul, who has been jailed for over two years and is currently on hunger strike.

“It’s time for the US to restore the international order and to make (Prince Mohammed) accountable,” he told AFP. AFP

DeMbare record Covid-19 case

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Nehanda Radio
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0
Television and Radio personality Yvonne Tendai Mangunda (Picture by TinPo Media)
Dynamos marketing and communications manager Yvonne Tendai Mangunda (Picture by TinPo Media)

By Eddie Chikamhi

Dynamos yesterday reported that one of their staff members tested positive for Covid-19 following tests conducted at the National Sports Stadium.

Television and Radio personality Yvonne Tendai Mangunda (Picture by TinPo Media)
Dynamos marketing and communications manager Yvonne Tendai Mangunda (Picture by TinPo Media)

The club’s marketing and communications manager, Yvonne Mangunda, confirmed the solitary case.

She said the affected individual has been placed in self-isolation in accordance with the Covid-19 health protocol.

The Harare giants, who are set to resume team training today, conducted Covid-19 tests on 46 members of the team.

They included first-team players, technical staff, security and members of the secretariat.

The Glamour Boys have kept the identity of the affected individual a secret.

“As part of the preparations for the resumption of team training, Dynamos Football Club today (yesterday) conducted Covid-19 tests on its first team players, technical team and secretariat.

“Out of the 46 people tested, one tested positive for Covid-19.

“Relevant authorities have been informed and the club will adhere to Government and public health guidelines set for the positive individual.

“The individual will observe a period of self-isolation in accordance with Covid-19 protocols.

“We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to work soon.

“We will provide further updates as necessary via Dynamos official communication channels.

“The team will start training on 10 November 2020 (today),” said Mangunda.

Club captain, Partson Jaure, yesterday said the Glamour Boys can’t wait to start playing football again.

“What has happened today is the biggest sign that football is going to be played again,’’ said Jaure.

“If it wasn’t so, then there was no need for the tests to be conducted.

“So, we are happy as players and as a team, that we are coming back to play football again.

“Football has been our livelihood. That’s what we do every day and then you are told there won’t be football for seven months, it wasn’t easy.

“But, I am happy football has returned. We can’t wait to play.”

DeMbare are one of the teams which conducted the tests yesterday.

ZIFA and PSL are pushing for the game to be played before the end of the year and the medical committee have been busy putting in place the logistics.

The truncated football season will be played in a tournament format.

The competition will be held in a bubble over a period of two weeks.

ZIFA are keen for the tournament to take place to allow players to prepare for the upcoming CHAN tournament set for January in Cameroon.

ZIFA have indicated they can only afford to pay for the CPR tests and the referees.

The football mother body have extended their plea to the stakeholders to assist with transport, accommodation, food and other cost centres that have been caused by the emergence of Covid-19. The Herald

Trapped miners’ families plead for assistance

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Nehanda Radio
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3
Some of the illegal miners search for their colleagues who are believed to be trapped underground after a shaft collapse at Nugget Mine in Matobo
File picture of illegal miners searching for their colleagues who were believed to be trapped underground after a shaft collapse at Nugget Mine in Matobo (2019)

By Conrad Mupesa

The families of four Task Mining Syndicate workers in Chegutu whose bodies are still trapped underground are appealing for financial assistance to pay artisanal miners who have volunteered to carry out the retrieval exercise.

Some of the illegal miners search for their colleagues who are believed to be trapped underground after a shaft collapse at Nugget Mine in Matobo
File picture of illegal miners searching for their colleagues who were believed to be trapped underground after a shaft collapse at Nugget Mine in Matobo (2019)

The artisanal miners were initially demanding US$1 600 from all the families to retrieve the four bodies but the figure has since been reduced to US$1 000, US$250 for each body.

The four were part of five artisanal miners who were trapped after a shaft collapsed at the mine on September, 8.

The artisanal miners, who have been conducting the rescue efforts, made a breakthrough on October, 30 and retrieved the body of Shingai Gwatidzo (20).

Shingai’s body was laid to rest at Borgan Villa in Mhondoro over a week ago.

Apart from Gwatidzo, the other bodies yet to be retrieved are those of Munashe Nyamukanga (16), Charles Mutume (31), Crynos Nyamukanga (44) and Constantino Dzinoreva (47).

Ms Ellen Nyongoro (34), who is on of Crynos Nyamukanga’s two wives and mother to Munashe, whose bodies are still trapped underground, said the rescuers were requesting US$500 from them.

“We are appealing for well-wishers to assist us with money these rescuers are demanding,” she said.

“They first asked for US$1 600 from all the families but after several meetings, they reduced the figure to US$1 000, meaning that they want US$250 to retrieve each body,” she said.

She said that they had managed to raise US$240 ($60 per body) as the four families, which they handed over to the miners on Tuesday but they were demanding to be paid the rest of the money.

Some of the families appealed for corporates to assist them.

The artisanal miners who spoke to The Herald confirmed that they wanted to be paid for their efforts.

“We are putting our lives on the line, yet we are getting nothing from the Government, the mining syndicate or the families,” said a member of the rescue team who requested anonymity. The Herald

Boy (15) electrocuted in school hostel

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Nehanda Radio
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1
Nkululeko High School
Nkululeko High School

By Freedom Mupanedemo

A Form 3 pupil at Nkululeko High in Lower Gweru was electrocuted on Sunday while washing his blankets in a tub at the boys’ hostel.

Nkululeko High School
Nkululeko High School

Midlands Police spokesperson Inspector Joel Goko said the boy, Collen Chinyemba (15) from Kuwadzana, Harare, was with his school mates when he was electrocuted.

“It is said the boy was washing his blankets in a tub in the boys’ hostel when he then tried to steady himself by holding on to a metal pinned to the wall and was electrocuted,” said Insp Goko.

He said the boy fell to the ground and the other boys rushed to get the boarding master.

“The boarding master organised transport which took the boy to Gweru Provincial Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival,” said Insp Goko. The Herald

Mighty Warriors crash out

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Nehanda Radio
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2
File picture of the Mighty Warriors in 2019
File picture of the Mighty Warriors in 2019

By Grace Chingoma

WIN-LESS and goalless!

That is the sad story of the Mighty Warriors who crashed out of the COSAFA Championships yesterday.

Mighty Warriors
Mighty Warriors

They lost 0-1 to neighbours Botswana in a Group C match at Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

They needed to win by two clear goals, but they found it tough against the neighbours.

From three matches they played, Zimbabwe return home win-less and goalless.

The Zimbabweans had always prevailed against the Zebras but a new-look Mighty Warriors, dominated by some Under-20 players, were beaten by Botswana.

Botswana showed that they meant business when they dismissed Tanzania 1-0 on Saturday.

The East Africans had beaten Zimbabwe 1-0 last Wednesday.

Botswana advanced to the semi-finals as Group C leaders with six points.

Mighty Warriors coach, Sithethelewe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda, made two changes to the team which played against Tanzania last week.

Skipper Emmaculate Msipa also missed the match through suspension.

Botswana got the solitary goal in the 73rd minute after defender, Talent Mukwanda, was outpaced by the opponents’ attack.

Last year the Mighty Warriors won bronze in Port Elizabeth.

Before leaving for the regional tournament, Sibanda said their main objective was to give competitive game time to the Under-20 players who are still involved in the World Cup qualifiers, which have been postponed indefinitely.

The team had very few senior players.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Under-17 women’s national team play Tanzania this afternoon at the Oval.

They will complete the round robin matches on Thursday with a match against Zambia.

Top two teams in the round meet in the final.

The Young Mighty Warriors have three points, from two matches, following victory against Comoros on Sunday.

“The girls are raring to go. If we win again, maybe, we can win a bronze medal, so we have to win our next match,’’ said coach Annie Konje.

“I was very pleased with the result (against Comoros), we went back to the drawing board after our first defeat.

“The girls simply need to follow instructions. This is our first time playing at the tournament.” The Herald

Kadewere expected today, Munetsi out

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Nehanda Radio
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0

By Eddie Chikamhi

Tino Kadewere was yesterday named in the French Ligue 1 Team of the Week after scoring a beautiful brace that handed Olympique Lyon a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Saint-Etienne in Sunday’s Rhone-Alpes derby.

Knowledge Musona. Tino Kadewere and Marvelous Nakamba
Knowledge Musona. Tino Kadewere and Marvelous Nakamba

Kadewere has been named in the Sofascore’s Ligue 1 Team of the Week, along with Lyon teammate Maxwel Cornet of Cote d’Ivoire, following a dream outing by the two African players on the night.

He is expected home today for the back-to-back AFCON qualifiers against Algeria while his Warriors teammate, Marshall Munetsi, will not make it after suffering an injury in a Ligue 1 match for Stade de Reims on Sunday night.

The 24-year-old Kadewere had a night to remember after he came off the bench to replace Moussa Dembele in the 57th minute and made the difference with two well-taken goals for Lyon.

Despite playing 33 minutes, Kadewere sent social media ablaze yesterday and the cameo was enough to earn him his team’s man-of-the-match award.

Sofascore, a football stats website, gave him a performance rating of 8.5, the second highest in the dream team.

Argentinian Ángel Di María, who scored twice and had an assist for PSG in their 3-0 win over Rennes, had the highest ranking of 9.5.

“I think it was great today. I am very happy personally. It was a derby and it was very important for us and the supporters,” Kadewere told French Foot Mercato.

“The most important thing is to win these matches. I really believe in God. I have faith and I knew it was going to happen because I always had the dream of playing for Lyon and it happened.

“It’s better when you actually do things. I am very happy. Tonight, my dream has come true.

“I’m very happy to score and win, but I was not alone. We are a team, we win together.”

The victory pushed last year’s Champions League semi-finalists to fifth position on the French Ligue 1 standings.

Last week, Warriors teammate Munetsi, was also in the Team of the Week following a commanding performance in Stade de Reims’ 2-1 victory over RC Strasbourg.

Kadewere had told reporters before the match that he dreamt of scoring a double on Sunday and was happy his dream came true.

“I dreamt about this, I’m very happy, the most important thing is to have won, we did that for us and for the fans,” he told the Lyon website.

“They weren’t with us at the stadium but I know they were all in front of the TV. We will take the three points, we’ll do what it takes to perform well this season.

“I’m not only happy for myself but also for the team… We are a group, everyone deserves to play, I stayed focused because the coach told me I was going to play.

“The free-kick we had worked on in training and it worked . . . It’s a great feeling to win my first derby.

“I think it was great today. I am very happy personally. It was a derby and it was very important for us and the supporters.”

Kadewere set some records in the process as he became the first player to come from the bench and score a brace in the Derby.

His team were behind at half-time.

Lyon found themselves trailing following Anthony Lopes’ own goal in the 40th minute.

But Kadewere’s goals in the 65th and 74th minutes turned the game around and secured all three points for the hosts.

Kadewere was assisted by Ivorian Cornet, for his two efforts, which stretched his tally to three goals after nine Ligue 1 matches.

He is expected home today to join the Warriors for the back-to-back AFCON qualifying matches against Algeria.

However, Munetsi will not make it after he was ruled out through injury.

His team informed ZIFA yesterday that the gritty midfielder suffered a knock during the 4-4 draw against Lens on Sunday night.

Warriors team manager, Wellington Mpandare, confirmed the setback.

He became the fourth player to drop out of the 24-member squad after Butholezwe Ncube and the United States-based duo of Tatenda Mkuruva and Tendai Jirira who were forced out by travel complications.

While some of the targeted players have been a joke, given they were unlikely to add value to the team, Munetsi’s absence will be a huge blow to the team.

Especially in a game, against the attacking Desert Foxes, where the Warriors are likely to be on the defence for much of the game.

He has been one of the best players, for the national team, since former coach Sunday Chidzambwa anointed him as a future leader of the Warriors. The Herald

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