In August 2011, Cynthia performed as a curtain raiser for Jamaican dancehall sensation Sean Paul in Bristol at the O2 Academy in the UK.
Singer Cynthia Mare was robbed while driving home last night.
In August 2011, Cynthia performed as a curtain raiser for Jamaican dancehall sensation Sean Paul in Bristol at the O2 Academy in the UK.
“A man smashed the car window and stole handbags with my laptop iPad camera, external hard disks, money and bank cards,” she told Nehanda Radio.
“Got a few tiny cuts on my left hand from the glass and I had tiny bits of glass in my mouth and throat. It’s like dust. I made a police report. I need to get a check up at the hospital as I inhaled the tiny dust size glass particles when I was screaming. Going to see doc for that. I’m traumatized,” she said.
“We need to do something to make our country safer. I blame it on Bad roads, no lightling. Thieves just get away with this. We need to do something. I know over 5 close friends and family who were attacked like this. Some injured.
“One guy was killed last week at the very same spot I was attacked. Since he’s not famous no one will even know about that. How long will we fear for our life when exercising a basic right of freedom to do and travel when you want. As a musician I do perform at night sometimes. Do I not have a right to be safe?” she added.
Cynthia formerly based in the United Kingdom moved to Zimbabwe last year in May so that she can pursue a different direction in her music career.
Ever since the death of her mother in July 2011, Cynthia has reinvented her music, ditching the ‘Not Another Diet’ hip-hop genre to something more Afro-pop and Zimbabwean. Her latest album is called “Songs My Mother Loved”.
In August 2011, Cynthia performed as a curtain raiser for Jamaican dancehall sensation Sean Paul in Bristol at the O2 Academy in the UK. In October the same year she scooped a BEFFTA (Black, Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television and Arts) Award for ‘Best UK Female Afro/Caribbean Act’.
(MDC) President Morgan Tsvangirai is resting at home in compliance with what his doctors ordered, contrary to media reports that he is seriously ill and is detained at a hospital in Harare.
Morgan Tsvangirai resting at home with wife Elizabeth
On Sunday, his doctors said he was exhausted, a condition the medical experts attributed to overworking. They immediately ordered him to rest, which made him miss the party’s Africa Day rally in Highfield.
Since then, he has been resting at his Highlands home, with intermittent visits into the city centre for observation by his doctors. Today, he had a chat with some journalists at his home.
After one such visit yesterday, the excitable press has been awash with false news that the former Prime Minister is seriously ill and is admitted at a city hospital.
But he is recuperating at his Highlands home as we have publicly maintained since Sunday.
Morgan Tsvangirai resting at home with his wife Elizabeth
We see no reason to mislead the nation on President Tsvangirai’s state of health and we have been open about his condition since this last weekend.
More importantly, unlike other political leaders who fly out to up-market hospitals outside the country for medical treatment, President Tsvangirai has exhibited faith in local medical expertise and health facilities.
Our doctors and other civil servants are working under very difficult circumstances but President Tsvangirai has retained his faith in their ability to discharge of their duties.
Zimbabweans should not panic. President Tsvangirai is in fine spirits and will be back to work soon to continue with his mission to bring positive change in the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.
Luke Tamborinyoka, Presidential Spokesperson, Movement for Democratic Change
The simmering socio-economic and political paralysis that grips the nation offers no viable sanctuary for the naïve, for, destiny lies in the hands of the few dedicated and brave who dare stick their chests out challenging the regime at a very high cost.
PTUZ Secretary General Raymond Majongwe
Indeed , for the majority , Raymond Majongwe , secretary general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) included , appeasement of the establishment is a survival strategy , the idea being premised on the flawed assumption that it’s better to feed their friends to a crocodile , one at a time , hoping that the crocodile will eat them last , as Franklin Roosevelt accurately observed decades ago .
The charismatic and controversial Majongwe justifies his support for Mugabe as he alleges that the 90 year old veteran leader has teachers at heart unlike the opposition who failed to address their plight during the life span of the inclusive government. God forbid! Is it a question of, if you can’t beat them just join them?
Curiously , hardly months down the line even before the dust settles down when Majongwe competed with other fanatics in congratulating Mugabe for the ‘landslide’ victory, the opportunistic secretary general sheds crocodile tears , bemoaning the betrayal of teachers by the regime as their situation has become untenable.
Naively, Majongwe pleads with Mugabe , ‘We are pleading with the politicians of this country , we are pleading with the President of the country , we are pleading with the powers that be to consider and reconsider our positions and we are simply sending a very clear message that there is nothing political about this process.’
And, to express his allegiance to Mugabe and squash any misconceptions that might be construed from his pleas, Majongwe laments, ‘Zimbabwean workers are pleading with their government to be more sympathetic and more responsive…. No one is fighting Mugabe. He is the President of the country.’
Osh, that sounds like student rhetoric on campus! Oh dear dear! It’s a pity that the civil service and teachers in particular are being duped by the naïve Majongwe who is so unsophisticated to the extent of believing that his crocodile tears can soften Mugabe’s heart. Indeed, it’s sad that the PTUZ secretary general strives to be accommodated by the establishment at the expense of those he shepherds, but, at best Mugabe just tolerates him.
Mugabe isn’t only cunning but calculative as well and he capitalises on the naïve like Majongwe to outwit the general populace in advancing his selfish and parochial interests that are self-serving.
After being duped into believing that the recent increase in teachers’ salaries was meant to improve their welfare , in spite of all the evidence to prove that the gesture was beyond treasury’s ability to fulfil as its coffers are dry, Mugabe outwits Majongwe again as there are rumours doing the rounds to the effect that the government wishes to scrap salaries for April, August and December , the argument being that teachers aren’t rendering any service during this period .
Not only that , it’s also rumoured that teachers who don’t have Science, Maths and English at ‘O’ level irrespective of the subjects they teach and any other higher qualification they hold must rewrite these subjects within a grace period of time failure to which the system will eject them, beside the change of the curriculum within the next four months as well as a directive to have sporting activities to be conducted on Saturdays as opposed to during the week , thus, overburdening the already disgruntled underpaid teachers .
It is convenient and strategic for the regime to be on the offensive at this juncture against the passive civil service as a distraction to divert their attention from fighting for better pay and improved working conditions. Childishly , Raymond Majongwe deliberately opts to mislead teachers into believing that the real culprit behind all this mess is Lazarus Dokora, the minister for education and not the Head of state himself , as he laments , ‘President Mugabe appointed Minister Dokora and the successes that we are talking about , 34 years after independence were because of Mugabe.’
Majongwe’s conclusion is invalid for it’s drawn from a flawed premise. Firstly, the PTUZ secretary general seriously underestimates the gravity of the crisis that grips the nation. Not only doesn’t he foresee the possibility of teachers not to be paid at all for months in the near future as treasury is bankrupt as happened in Zaire during Mobutu Sese Seko’s reign in the past , but , the fact that Mugabe doesn’t prioritise the welfare of teachers but that of the military which constitutes his power base.
Secondly, Majongwe is either mean with facts or is too ignorant to realise that Mugabe and Dokora are both hyenas who thrive on the toil of the general populace. For, how can Majongwe finds it convenient to use Dokora as a scapegoat to cover Mugabe’s flaws who is as culpable as the latter in the whole drama that has brought the country to its knees?
In any case, who appointed Dokora in the first place and shouldn’t that individual be held accountable for poor judgement? If Majongwe can’t see the correlation between Dokora and Mugabe, then it’s a wonder why teachers pin their hopes on him as a saviour, for, they themselves are complicity in own demise.
The policy of appeasement, as spearheaded by Majongwe, is riddled with flaws that renders it useless as a weapon to fight an entrenched dictatorship as Mugabe’s. In fact, it’s only a short term solution that doesn’t address the underlying problems bedevilling teachers . In as much as the policy is applauded for not being confrontational, it’s toothless as it prolongs the suffering of its followers.
In addition, appeasement from weakness and fear, as Winston Churchill observed, is futile and fatal, for, it gives the wrongdoer the false impression that they can’t be stopped. Not only that, the strategy makes the appeaser look weak and defenceless, a distorted impression that doesn’t help in intimidating the wrongdoer who capitalises on it to his advantage at the expense of the victim.
By embracing Mugabe with all arms unconditionally , in spite of a lack of repentance on the part of the latter, Majongwe’s strategy becomes tragic as the gesture is synonymous with a kiss of death , for, there is no reciprocity on Mugabe’s part let alone any sign that he succumbs to the PTUZ secretary general’s pleas .
Contrary to Majongwe’s flawed assertion that Lazarus Dokora’s reforms are meant to destroy what Mugabe built for the past 34 years, it’s a pity that the PTUZ secretary general can’t even realise let alone acknowledge the fact that the destruction of the education sector preceded the minister’s appointment.
For Majongwe to be unable to realise this fact isn’t only regrettable on his part but is a bad omen for the thousands of hardworking teachers who are led to believe that the secretary general fights for their cause, for, he isn’t , as his main motive is to line own pockets through the subscriptions of the victims .
This realisation is a wake-up call for those who have been following him blindly for, the principles that guide Majongwe aren’t different from those of the dysfunctional ZIMTA administration. As teachers starve, the flamboyant Majongwe, like Obert Mpofu, struggles to beat obesity, a problem associated with a lavish life style.
Isn’t it that the cosmetic attacks the PTUZ secretary general makes on Mugabe are nothing other than a veiled ploy to cover his tracks and attract a following from vulnerable teachers disappointed with ZIMTA but only to seek sanctuary in the jaws of a shark? Teachers are their own liberators and their only effective weapon is the withdrawal of service they render in society until their demands are met.
Begging for an audience with Mugabe as Majongwe does isn’t only naïve but futile for, it prolongs their suffering. Mugabe is prepared to pay only the military and ignore the rest of the civil service for, that is his power base and the earlier teachers realise this better for them.
Majongwe, like Madhuku and Mutambara before him, strives to be accommodated by the corrupt system that has ruined the lives of many and not to dismantle it . The objectives of his struggle aren’t the same as that of teachers in Chikwakwa, Mhakwe, Biriri and Matusadonha. That is the way it is and unfortunately, this world is so cruel for those who play by the rules.
William Muchayi is a pro-democracy and political analyst who can be contacted on [email protected]
Chiyangwa's 'White House' and (right) with wife Elizabeth
HARARE – Businessman Phillip Chiyangwa has fixed his problems with wife Elizabeth — meaning the latter’s epic $230 million divorce ultimatum is off the plan, it emerged yesterday.
Chiyangwa’s ‘White House’ and (right) with wife Elizabeth
While the Native Investments Africa Group founder would not be drawn to comment on the issue yesterday, a family spokesperson confirmed the development and issue, saying the 53-year-old businessman would make a statement soon.
“You will know that Mrs Chiyangwa has been back for about six weeks now and this followed some serious mediation (from) children, and other relatives,” he said, adding “the couple was also considering the renewal of vows” in a ceremony to be held soon.
As part of the “healing process”, the property tycoon will make a “public apology for humiliating her and the family”, including the Jumas, they added.
And while Zimbabweans have been robbed of an opportunity to pry into this Hollywood-style affair or divorce, questions remain on who is going to pick up the tab of the appellant lawyer’s fees or dues — at some point estimated at $350 000. Daily News
Buhera MP Joseph Chinotimba was last week embraced and welcomed as a guest of honour at the Book Café in Harare, where he reportedly “brought the house down” with his jokes.
Joseph Chinotimba with a female companion
Appearing at the Carnival Comedy Night at the venue, ‘Chinoz’ was pictured on stage, microphone in hand, making jokes and laughing with Book Café patrons.
The ZANU PF official has previously been the butt of Zimbabwean jokes, often described as a ‘caricature’ of politics in his quest to win the Buhera parliamentary seat in past elections. But since scoring a shock ‘win’ in the constituency last year, the jokes have seemed less funny.
The former Harare city council security guard rose to infamy during the 2000 land invasions when he and the combative war vets leader, Chenjerai “Hitler” Hunzvi, led the takeovers of white-owned commercial farms. Chinotimba styled himself “commander-in-chief” of the land invaders and openly advocated the use of extreme violence and rape.
He also advocated this level violence in Buhera during the 2008 elections period, and has been accused of being behind the deaths, assaults and rapes of many MDC supporters in the area.
According to eyewitness testimonies, on the 5th May 2008 Chinotimba raped an MDC-T member named Idah Munyukwi twice, after threatening her with a gun. Also under his instruction a group of about 21 ZANU PF thugs gang raped Memory Mufambi, an MDC-T supporter in Ward 18 of Buhera.
Mufambi, whose husband was a prominent MDC activist, was beaten unconscious by a mob of ZANU PF youth militia and war vets who then took her to their torture base where she was raped repeatedly over the course of a week. She suffered serious internal injuries as a result of the rapes, and has been in and out of hospital ever since.
Also in 2008, in Ward 27 area of Chapanduka, Chinotimba led a group of ZANU PF thugs who beat to death an MDC-T activist known as Sibamba. In another incident on the 18th May 2008, Chinotimba’s truck was used in the attack on Choukuse Nyoka Mubango in Ward 26. Mubango was axed to death in full view of his wife and five children.
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora reacted with anger that Chinotimba was now being ‘embraced’ by society.
“It is hurtful and demeaning to see the tormentor being given this respect and being given a chance to perform as a guest of honour. It is arrogant on the part of government and it is unacceptable,” Mwonzora said.
He added: “The diplomatic community is forgetting that ZANU PF committed these horrendous crimes. We see them gracing these occasions as if everything is fine, and it is outrageous.” SW Radio Africa
The MDC-T Shadow Minister for Energy, Abednico Bhebhe, has dismissed the new $18 million loan for Hwange Colliery saying the fund is a ‘fertile ground for looting’ by executives and politicians.
Hwange Colliery Company
Bhebhe was reacting to reports which said the troubled parastatal had secured the loan from the regional PTA Bank to recapitalize its operations. The Herald claimed that the fund is a ‘timely boost’ and is expected to ‘reinvigorate’ the struggling coal mining firm.
Board Chairman Farai Mutamangira said the fund will be used to purchase equipment from the Eastern European country of Belarus and that negotiations with the supplier were at an advanced stage, with the order expected in Zimbabwe shortly.
The new loan comes at a time when the company requires $150m to boost its operations and when it owes its employees $19m with the government not willing to adopt the debt. The company is also struggling to repay a $20m loan borrowed from the ABC bank a couple of years ago.
Hwange Colliery has more than 3,000 employees and yet it operates below capacity, producing only 200,000 tonnes of coal annually against a target of 450,000. Last week government blocked a board proposal to retrench half the company staff.
Bhebhe said unless Hwange Colliery privatizes he does not see the fading coal mining giant reviving itself.
He said: ‘The Colliery’s fundamental problem is that it is a parastatal and as such its operations are heavily controlled across the board, from day to day operations right up to pricing. As a result they have not been able to replace the equipment which would have helped them to operate competitively.’
The MDC-T MP for Nkayi South said it does not make sense for the company to borrow more money when they are struggling to repay the ABC loan. He said: ‘Common sense will tell you that when a company borrows more money when they are failing to repay what they owe, what it means that the new loan will be pilfered by the executives.’
Bhebhe said claims by the board that the new loan will be used to revive the ailing coal giant should be taken with a pinch of salt because such claims were made about the previous loan. He said instead of that loan being used to revive the company part of it was looted while the other was used to purchase substandard equipment which failed to function.
Hwange Colliery is the country’s largest coal producer with its main component, Hwange Power Station, being one of the major contributors to the national grid. SW Radio Africa
The ongoing saga surrounding a Zimbabwe election report, which has been kept secret by the South African Presidency for over a decade, has taken a fresh twist after the ‘missing’ document resurfaced.
Time Running Out: Jacob Zuma seen here with Mugabe
The report disappeared from the chambers of Pretoria high court judge Joseph Raulinga in February this year, but according to court registrar Louisa Mangwagape, the Presidency’s original copy has now resurfaced.
This message was passed down on Monday to lawyers representing the Mail & Guardian newspaper, which has been fighting since 2008 to have the report details made public.
No other details about the report’s reappearance have been divulged.
The report was written by judges Sisi Khampepe and Dikgang Moseneke in 2002, after they were sent by then President Thabo Mbeki to report back on the elections in Zimbabwe that year. The report was never released to the public, although Mbeki endorsed the polls as a democratic process.
The elections however were seriously marred by violence and other irregularities, and in 2008 the Mail & Guardian newspaper went to the courts to have the document released. It argued that the evidence contained in the report was of public interest.
The disappearance of the document in February coincided with plans by the Presidency, under Jacob Zuma, to appeal against an order to release the document to the newspaper. The appeal also came months after Zuma endorsed Zimbabwe’s latest flawed elections in 2013.
The court order, the most recent in a series of rulings confirming the newspaper’s rights to access the document, was made last year by Judge Raulinga. He is one of the few ‘outsiders’ who has seen the contents of the report after taking a ‘judicial peek’ at the document in 2012. Raulinga ruled that there was enough evidence in the report to show that the electoral process in Zimbabwe in 2002 was neither free nor fair.
The appeal is still pending.
Political analyst Clifford Mashiri said Tuesday that it was “suspicious” that the report went missing in the run up to South Africa’s general elections, and now resurfaces so soon after Zuma was reelected as President.
“We can only speculate, but we know that the Zuma government fought tooth and nail to suppress the election report. It did so on the understanding that they knew the contents of the report. This is a very damaging report, which would impact negatively on Zuma,” Mashiri said. SW Radio Africa
Brazilian Samba dancers wow the crowd in 2014. PIC: Angela Jimu
The Harare International Carnival is a weeklong annual festival that encompasses a series of events and festivities. It is aimed at advancing the arts, culture and heritage of Zimbabwe as well as uniting the population.
On Sunday the event started with a march led by the newly crowned Miss Carnival 2014 Gamuchirai Kujeke and several local and visiting bands before culminating into a big bash at Africa Unity Square where merry-makers enjoyed non-stop music and dance.
Below are some of the pictures from this year’s carnival, which was running under the theme, Celebrating Our Diversity.
For Alick Macheso’s Harare fans, last weekend shifted focus from the courts to the stage. The musician performed in the capital after eight weeks of absence and it was the first time for the sungura ace to be on stage in the city since his nasty divorce saga with estranged second wife Fortunate “Tafadzwa” Mapako exploded.
Alick Macheso on stage
Judging by the activity at the courts recently when Macheso went for his case with Tafadzwa, it appears the musician’s fans are prepared to be behind their icon through thick and thin.
Attendances at Macheso’s shows at Ice ‘n’ Fire Pamuzinda and Extra Mile Leisure Spot over the weekend confirmed this support. His followers are behind him and are unlikely to be swayed by the drama unfolding in the musician’s private life.
However, beyond this support and the real life drama in Macheso’s territory is apparent pressure that seems to be haunting the musician at his shows.
The musician is apparently under pressure to prove too many things to his fans. He seems determined to go beyond his way to show that his private life issues have not affected his performance and career yet signs of instability incidentally pop out from the musician’s guard.
In the initial stages of the publication of the musician’s divorce saga, Macheso did not want to play the song “Tafadzwa” that was created when he was head-over-heels with his estranged second wife. Macheso would turn down fans’ request for the song until he realised he was shooting himself in the foot by letting personal issues creep into his eventful music life.
Now he plays the song. He did so last weekend at his Harare shows after fans requested for the song. At Pamuzinda, fans began shouting requests for the track and the musician bowed to pressure. As the first lead guitar chords of the song sounded out of the gigantic PA system, fans went wild and cheered the musician. However, after a few minutes into the song, fans seemed to sympathise with Macheso.
Instead of continuing with their cheers and dancing, the fans just stood and watched Macheso roll out the song.
“He does not seem to enjoy the song anymore. People should understand his motions and stop requesting for this song,” said one female fan who is well known for supporting Macheso.
This is a song he did praising his fiancé who is now determined to expose him to the extent of making allegations about Macheso’s body parts below the belt. This is the same song people are now clamouring for in obvious bid to provoke him.
Although he did his best to hide emotions as he played the song, it was clear he did not want to concentrate much on the lyrics. For the better part of the song, he let the instruments to the job while he was busy saluting people he recognised in the crowd.
The emphasis on the lyrics that used to be done with passion and exuberance has died. He obviously did it for the sake of his fans. Pressure has left him with no option but to play the song at the shows and claim that it was composed before he met his Tafadzwa.
Some fans went beyond limits to “salute” Macheso holding up their small fingers in apparent signals of the claim that Tafadzwa made about the musician’s manhood.
But Macheso was not deterred and when he played many of his other hits he proved he still has the power to soldier on. Songs like “Madhau”, Charakupa”, Shedia”, “Madhuwe” and “Macharangwanda” were done expertly and people enjoyed the show.
Among other things, Macheso wanted to prove he is still a good dancer as he went through serious paces for the better part of the show. He also showed his old guitar skills when he made his dancer Selemani “Majuice” Mpochi kneel with the guitar on his back while he used his foot and elbow to play it. It was an exciting show with its sombre moments.
Macheso shared the stage with Jah Prayzah and Jacob Moyana who gave good accounts of themselves in different ways.
Jah Prayzah tried to push his new songs from the album “Kumbumura Mhute” with little success. However, when he played old songs, fans went wild as they danced to songs like “Machembere”, “Ngwarira Kuparara”, “Maria” and “Ngoda”.
The band’s military drills were the crowd’s favourite.
Moyana had a good night in office and proved that besides being controversial, he has good clean songs that can make it on the market. But the controversial tracks, “Munotidako” and “Sei Musingameche” were the crowd’s favourites.
The weekend should have been a refreshing experience for Macheso’s Harare fans. The Herald
HARARE – Christian Disciples’ Relational Ministries bishop Montana Nyikadzino has been dragged before the Harare Civil Court by his former wife demanding $500 in child support.
Bishop in maintenance wrangle
Nyikadzino’s ex-wife Stella accused the “man of God” of neglecting his two children and spending all his money on a new girlfriend.
She alleged the bishop recently bought a vehicle for the mistress.
Stella told magistrate Tafadzwa Muvhami that Nyikadzino removed their children from the expensive school they were enrolled at to a cheaper school so as to continue spoiling his girlfriend.
“He is a bishop and lives a luxurious life, stays in an expensive full house with his girlfriend and drives a (Mercedes) Benz,” Stella said.
“I once reported him to Justice for Children because he had refused to release children’s documents. He gets tithes and offering money.”
Nyikadzino, through his lawyer, said he was waiting for the divorce proceedings to be finalised at the High Court.
He accused Stella of being violent saying she humiliated him in front of his church members. He also said that Nyikadzino did not get a salary for being a bishop.
His ex-wife strenuously denied the allegations.
“I don’t cause havoc, even when I put a facade in front of people that we were happy, his girlfriend was sitting in the church among congregants,” the ex-wife said.
“I have never tried to defame him but rather tried by all means to protect his image and that of my children. I am not possessive as he alleges.
“He is the one who is violent and shameless. The other time he beat me in front of congregants and when we came to court the other time, he wanted to hit me when we went out.
“People are quitting his church because of his womanising. It has nothing to do with me.”
The bishop said the amount the ex-wife was claiming was excessive.
“It is also her duty to maintain the children,” said the bishop’s lawyer.
“He has not neglected his children because he usually sends money through Ecocash when he gets money from church members.
“The church membership drastically dropped because of the behaviour of the applicant.
“She accuses female church members of desiring her husband and tried to scandalise and defame respondent.
“She once stormed into a church meeting and caused havoc by assaulting the respondent.”
Magistrate Muvhami ordered Nyikadzino to pay $150 for the upkeep of his children even as divorce proceedings are underway. Daily News
