News

HARARE – National elections management body Zimbabwe Electoral Commisison (Zec)  has said the country presently has no law which recognises gender parity but Parliament can legislate for 50-50 representation to achieve the Women’s Affairs committee’s goal of having equal gender representation in the legislature. Addressing the parliamentary portfolio committee on Women Affairs, Gender and Community…

HARARE – Government has proposed 60 years imprisonment for those who are found guilty of raping minors below 12 years of age, and the disabled. In a statement announcing Cabinet’s position on the matter, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services minister Christopher Mushowe said the proposal to amend the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) [Chapter…

HARARE – MDC youths, still smarting from last week’s bloody skirmishes with the authorities, have warned their Zanu PF counterparts against perpetrating violence by promising they will respond aggressively to harassment and bloodletting which has been blamed on the former liberation movement supporters by peace-building and rights monitoring groups. This comes as there is resurgence…

HARARE – A Harare magistrate has dismissed an application for discharge by a South African woman arrested for allegedly ingesting cocaine packs. Isaura Masinga had applied for acquittal arguing cops sifted through her stool on various occasions and failed to find anything justifying continuous prosecution. Harare magistrate Josephine Sande ruled that Masinga ought to explain…

BULAWAYO – War veterans minister Tshinga Dube has defended outspoken former Cabinet minister Christopher Mutsvangwa saying he had nothing to do with the stinging communiqué which offended  President Robert Mugabe last year, adding the  State has failed to identify its authors. Mutsvangwa is the chairman of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans (ZNLWVA) who ended…

HARARE – Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko has called for sweeping law reforms which impose stiffer penalties such as cutting hands and shooting people tried and found guilty of corruption. Mphoko’s calls are at odds with his colleague — Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who has publicly said he is against death penalty — a position which…

HARARE – Parliament is pressing the executive arm of government to ensure that it makes delayed salary payments to thousands of workers at struggling State-owned National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). “Employees are owed over $90 million in outstanding salaries while debts have ballooned to a staggering $176 million,” said the parliamentary portfolio committee on Transport…

HARARE – The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) has justified its eviction of 200 villagers from Lazy Nine Farm in Banga Village, Shurugwi South saying the area is a military protected area. “The area is an officially gazetted cantonment area as stipulated under the Government Gazette Notice No. 802/1978,” lieutenant colonel Alphios Makotore, the director Army…

HARARE – Popular Harare pub and grill restaurant Rufaro Shisanyama has been ordered to demolish its VIP section by end of this week following an inspection visit of the premises by the city council which said the extended structure was built illegally. The owners have been given up to Sunday, failure of which they will…

HARARE – Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is racing against time to form the much-anticipated grand coalition of opposition parties ahead of a self-imposed July 31 deadline. Early this month, a buoyant Tsvangirai declared that the proposed alliance would be signed, sealed and delivered by month-end so that the parties to the coalition can have ample…