obert Martin Gumbura will be out of prison in just five years after the High Court slashed his sentence by half following an appeal. The pastor was serving an effective 40-year jail term for rape and will now have to serve half of the years following a successful appeal against his sentence. His lawyer, Lovemore Madhuku says he might have five years remaining considering the remission of sentence. “In the magistrates’ court, he was given 50 years before 10 years were suspended conditionally. “He has been in jail since 2014 meaning that he has already served part of the remaining sentence, also taking into account what it is called remission of sentence. “You will find out that he is left with about five years,” said Madhuku. The appeal was hear
MTV star Lasizwe has been trolled by Zanu PF ghost accounts and was accused of being gay. He was targeted for supporting the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter movement. Lasizwe tweeted ‘I stand with Zimbabwe’ after the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter hashtag trended all over the world in support for Zimbabweans currently experiencing human rights abuses and abductions for speaking against corruption and bad governance. His post was followed by comments, “no gays please, we are Christians” “unfortunately we don’t stand with gays,” “we don’t stand with gays.” Soon after the attacks Lasizwe Tweeted, “The homophobia I am currently experiencing from my fellow african brothers and sisters is heart breaking! We still have a long w
PRESDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking to suffocate opposition parties in the country by crafting tough laws that will regulate their operations. Mnangagwa's government is also drafting laws to criminalise campaigning against one's country after he accused the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance of inviting Western sanctions on the country. Speaking during a postCabinet media briefing in Harare yesterday, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises minister Sithembiso Nyoni said Vice-President Kembo Mohadi would soon present recommendations to Parliament which came from the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) which seek to regulate political parties. "Recommendations from the 2018 and 2019 annual reports of the National Peace and Reconciliation
ANDY Muridzo’s handlers have appealed for God’s grace as the Jeetaz Band leader has lost three close relatives in a short space of time. Not only has the crooner lost close relatives but other misfortunes have been trailing him in his entire life, which calls for prayer and divine intervention. Although the causes of death could not be ascertained at the time of going to print, Baba Keketso’s handlers said the crooner was devastated as he was failing to come to terms with mishaps. The latest to die was his grandfather which prompted the singer to share his grief on social media in a message captioned: “My grandfather is gone guys. I’ve lost enough in one month mwari ndinzwireiwo Nyasha”. GRIEF After sharing his grief, many peop
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s under-fire administration has resolved to legislate a code of conduct for all political parties and to criminalise campaigning against “one’s own country.” The promulgation of this move by government comes at a time when a campaign trending on social media, #ZimbabweanLivesMatter is forcing advocacy networks, celebrities and politicians in Zimbabwe, South Africa and across the world to take the information on rights abuses in Zimbabwe and mount pressure on Mnangagwa’s government to act. Speaking at a post cabinet briefing on Wednesday, Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said Vice President Kembo Mohadi, as Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on National Peace and Reconciliation, presented recommendations from the 2018 And 2019 annual
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday threw down the gauntlet and declared he had had "enough of the machinations" of opposition political parties and hostile countries plotting his downfall and frustrating government efforts to re-calibrate the economy. In a special televised address from State House in Harare in the wake of fierce local and foreign criticism of his administration following the brutal crackdown on organisers of last week's foiled anti-government protests, Mnangagwa threatened to "flush out bad apples" destabilising government efforts to resuscitate the economy and entrench democracy in the country. "We make no apologies for fixing our systems across political, social and economic spectrum ..." he said. "The dark forces, bot
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa resurfaced Tuesday with an emphatic endorsement of #Zimbabwelivesmatter and a surprise prison visit to incarcerated journalist Hopewell Chin'ono and opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume. Chamisa last month took a break from work and further disappeared from social media to find time to mourn his mother who died in the opposition leader's rural Gutu home. He appointed one of his deputies, Welshman Ncube to act on his behalf while he was away. Posting on Twitter Tuesday, Chamisa said he visited Chin'ono and Ngarivhume and they are still determined to fight corruption. "Back from the village. Made a surprise visit to comrades Hopewell and Jacob at Harare Remand Prison. They are in high spirits, resolute and inspired to continue the f
The MDC Alliance has welcomed President Nelson Chamisa who has been on compassionate leave also known as bereavement leave following the death of his mother Gogo Alice Chamisa last month. Below is the party’s statement in full. STATEMENT ON THE RETURN OF PRESIDENT NELSON CHAMISA The MDC-Alliance welcomes back President Nelson Chamisa from his leave of absence. President Chamisa took time to mourn his beloved mother and, shortly after, the sudden death of his uncle. President Chamisa will resume his official duties on Friday 7th August. The People’s President extends his sincere and heartfelt thanks to the loving people of Zimbabwe and beyond for standing with the family during this difficult family tragedy. The winds of change are calling. Zimbabwean
This morning, I updated the people of Zimbabwe on the situation in our country. Despite the hurdles and challenges we have and continue to face – cyclones, droughts, sanctions and now the Coronavirus – our goal remains constant: To reform, restructure and rebuild in order to improve the lives of our people. We will continue to strive for peace, unity, development and progress. We will continue to reform and to open up, to liberalise and to modernise. The repeal of POSA and AIPPA is just the start. As your president, I vow to continue working harder towards this vision. Let us together cultivate a society of hope, of inspiration, of unity, of love and of peace. Let us pursue with renewed fortitude and zeal our journey of reforming and rebuilding our motherland. In unity an
MDC-T acting secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora has reportedly shut out acting party president Thokozani Khupe and her loyalists from Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House (previously known as Harvest House) as power struggles intensify after the opposition movement failed to hold an extraordinary congress to elect a substantive president on July 31. Police last week barred Khupe from holding the elective congress ordered by the Supreme Court in March citing the spike in COVID-19 local transmissions and lockdown regulations which prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people. Mwonzora was set to challenge Khupe at the congress for the presidency. "Mwonzora's campaign has resorted to violence ... people who are not aligned to his faction are being prevented from entering Harvest Ho
