Writes Kumbirai Mafunda Authorities at Mutare City Council (MCC) have procured and taken delivery of some fire tenders to enhance the local authority’s emergency response capabilities following a complaint filed against it by an aggrieved resident over poor service delivery. In August 2023, Ephraim Matanda, a resident of Mutare, engaged the services of Peggy Tavagadza and Tatenda Sigauke of Zimbabwe Lawyers…
Hon. Dr. Ashebir W. Gayo, the self-imposed Acting President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP)’s futile attempts to cause by-elections at the continental legislative body through a virtual meeting yesterday has been described as a damp squib. According to Dr. Gayo, the meeting was held to discuss the election modalities for filling vacant positions in…
Writes Elvis Dumba Chinhoyi – With fireworks and firecrackers lighting characterizing New Year celebrations, police have reiterated the need to use these with caution. Zimbabwe Republic Police National Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, said the lighting of firecrackers and fireworks without police clearance is illegal. Addressing the media during a media engagement recently, Assistant Commissioner…
Dr. Anxious Masuka, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development has reviewed the date of the tobacco seedlings’ destruction for the 2023-24 season intending to curb the carryover of diseases and pests. “As all tobacco growers are aware, the last day of destroying all seedbeds for this season is 31 December 2023….
Writes Kumbirai Mafunda A lawyer has approached the High Court seeking an order for the dismissal of a prison officer, who is vigorously involved in partisan politics, in contravention of constitutional provisions that bar civil servants from engaging in active partisan politics. Harare lawyer Takudzwa Edward Mudzuri is also suing the Commissioner-General of Zimbabwe Prisons…
The government has put in place legal and policy frameworks backed by institutional mechanisms that are working towards Gender Based Violence prevention and response.
A High Court judge has struck off the roll an application by some villagers in Chishawasha seeking to stop the urbanisation process taking place in the area ruling that it was not urgent. In her judgement, delivered on the 7th of December 2023, High Court Judge Honourable Justice Emilia Muchawa ruled that the matter was…
The 80th Session of the Executive Committee and the 45th Conference of Presidents of National Parliamentary Assemblies of African the Parliamentary Union (APU) take place from the 11th to the 15th of December 2023, in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) is focusing on combating insecurity and terrorism, factors of political instability and recession, and the development of…
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) joined the Government of Zimbabwe and the rest of the world in commemorating International Human Rights Day which is observed on the 10th of December each year. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone…
Writes Marlvin Ngiza Buhera Residents Network Trust (BRNT) has called for increased attention and expedited response to child abuse cases in communities amid reports that some of the cases have been left unreported or unattended, especially in rural communities. In a message to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, BRNT Director Leonard…
The Judicial Service Commission is holding a Leadership Indaba in Victoria Falls from 6 to 10 December 2023 under the theme “Enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of leadership in the Judicial Service through the implementation of the Strategic Plan.” “As the theme suggests, we have combined the Leadership Indaba as most of us know it…
The 54th Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum was hosted by the Parliament of Mauritius from 22nd to 27th November 2023 under the theme: “The Role of Parliaments in Promoting Coordination for Enhanced Disaster Risk Reduction and recovery planning in the SADC region.” The meeting ended on a high note on Saturday 26th…
Writes Lovemore Chazingwa Thousands of protestors and hordes of organizations throughout South Africa continue to voice their concerns over the war in Gaza, demanding the immediate expulsion of Ambassador Eliav Belotserkovsky from their land. In a media statement, MP Nkosi Mandela applauded organizations that supported the vote to expel the apartheid Israeli ambassador, Belotserkovsky. He…
Zimbabwe is committed to the elimination of violence against women as demonstrated by the willingness of Parliament to join the international community in commemorating 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence running from November 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to December 10 which itself is a Human…
The Network for Environmental and Climate Justice in collaboration with the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe Chapter held an Accountability for Water and Environment Symposium on 15 November 2023 in Harare. The symposium sought to enhance civic participation in water and environmental governance as well as…
Writes Pabalelo Tlou Margret Chogugudza, director of Rural Young Women Support Network says her NGO is determined to expose and seek solutions to the challenges that young women within the mining sector are experiencing on a daily basis. Speaking to this publication, Chogugudza said the main objective of the NGO is to bridge the gap…
There is a need for legislation that ensures that sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) are upheld, Katswe Sisthood has said. This came to the fore at a meeting to present the SRHR context to the Members of the Parliament’s Thematic Committees on 7 November 2023 in Harare. Talent Jumo, the Director of Katswe Sistahood painted…
Parliamentarians play an important role in effectively lobbying towards the achievement of the Malabo targets, Hon. Dr. John Kanyuithia Mutunga, MP for Tigania West Constituency, and Chairman of the Agriculture and Livestock Committee of the Kenyan National Assembly has said. He made the remarks during a plenary session to commemorate the 14th Africa Day for…
Responding to the continued detention of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader, Job Sikhala, who has spent 500 days in pretrial detention, Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East and Southern Africa, said: “Job Sikhala’s prolonged detention while he awaits trial is a gross miscarriage of justice and an indictment of Zimbabwe’s judicial system….
Writes Baboloki Semele The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) have formally inaugurated a comprehensive three-year project aimed at providing support to AU member states in their efforts to integrate the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) and embark on transitional justice initiatives at the national level. The project, titled the Initiative for…
A workshop by various stakeholders in the agricultural value chain has brought to the fore the benefits and regulation architecture of biopesticides. The workshop is being held in Harare from 24 to 26 October 2023 under the auspices of the Southern Africa Biopesticides Project titled, Enhancing Trade Through Regulatory Harmonisation and Biopesticide Based Residue Mitigation…
The Speaker of Parliament, Hon Advocate J.F.N Mudenda, who is in Luanda, Angola, for the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings, being held from the 21st to 27th October 2023, received commendations from the Executive Committee and SADC Group for his sterling contributions to the IPU Executive Committee during his four-year tenure on…
The Speaker of Parliament, Hon Advocate J.F.N Mudenda, and President of the Senate, Hon M.M Chinomona are in Luanda, Angola, attending the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings. Speaker Mudenda is a member of the IPU Executive Committee representing the Africa Geopolitical Group. Concomitantly, he attended the Executive Committee meeting on the 21st…
Writes Chris Mahove The Parliament of Zimbabwe has given the recently elected legislators until the end of this week to declare their assets and give their appropriate addresses. Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, told the legislators at an induction workshop held in Harare this week that it was a statutory requirement to which every one…
Hon Jacob Mudenda, the Speaker of Parliament, has urged legislators to exhibit integrity, understanding that their actions and decisions impact not only the present but also the future of Zimbabwe. He made the remarks today in his keynote address during the official opening of the Induction Seminar for Members of the 10th Parliament in Harare….
Delegates from SADC region member states gathered at Elangeni Hotel, Durban (South Africa) for the official opening of the 15th Annual Conference of Southern African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC). Over the next three days, delegates will deliberate on ways to tighten oversight for advanced ethical public financial management, governance, and accountability…
The government of Zimbabwe has been commended for its commitment to upholding the right to access information during the International Day for Universal Access to Information held on Thursday, 28 September 2023 In his remarks during the commemoration, Hon Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services hailed President Mnangagwa for creating…
Own Correspondent A number of parliamentarians who attended the just concluded Pan-African Parliament Regional Conference on Governance, Ratification Promotion, Legislative Incorporation and Implementation of the African Union Legal Instruments on Shared Values in the Republic of Chad have alleged that they were offered bribes to induce them into endorsing the illegal takeover of the leadership…
Speaker of Parliament Hon Advocate J.F.N Mudenda is in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he is attending the 2nd World Summit of the Committees of the Future 2023. Enroute to Montevideo, Speaker Mudenda was met by His Excellency Ambassador Meshack Kitchen in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the South American bloc specifically Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,…
In line with its mandate, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is ramping up efforts to promote and coordinate the ratification, domestication, and popularisation of African Union legal instruments including the revised Pan-African Parliament Protocol also known as the Malabo Protocol. In this regard, the West African Regional Caucus of Africa’s Premier legislative body is scheduled to conduct…
The recent Africa Climate Summit, through the Parliamentarians Dialogue that was held on 4 and 6 September 2023 revealed the role and potential contribution of parliaments to climate action. It also served as a platform for parliamentarians to discuss various implementation pathways from the perspective of legislatures for the delivery of the commitments made during…
The establishment of a regional parliament for southern Africa will ensure broader participation of citizens in the regional integration agenda. A senior official at the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), Joseph Manzi, said this at the 3rd Regional Dialogue for Non-State Actors on the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030, currently underway in a…
The African Parliamentary Press Network (APPN) has called on the need to restore the vibrancy of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the legislative arm of the African Union (AU); and guard against political bickering. The APPN reminded stakeholders about Article 17, Clause 1 of the Constitutive Act of the AU that states, “In order to ensure…
All is set for Zimbabwe’s international humanitarian law moot court with finals earmarked for the High Court on Friday where competitors will battle it out for the coveted first prize. In her remarks, Tamalin Bolus, the Legal Advisor of the International Committee of the Red Cross at the Pretoria Regional Office, said Zimbabwe is privileged…
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has noted with grave concern the circulation of a fake story on various social media platforms alleging that the President of the Pan African Parliament, His Excellency, Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira, has been fired from the Pan African Parliament on allegations of embezzling close to USD 1.2 million. The…
…Malawi MPs Yeremiah Chihana, Steve Mikaya, and others from other countries also implicated The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has uncovered a plot by some of its members led by Dr. Ashebiri Woldegiorgis Gayo to oust the current President, Chief Fortune Charumbira from his positions against rules and protocols governing PAP. In an internal memorandum written to…
Writes Elvis Dumba Harare – The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is offering a US$1000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Citizens Coalition for Change Spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi and two others. In a police statement issued on Thursday, Zimbabwe Republic Police said they are offering US$1000 in cash to anyone who supplies credible information leading…
Staff Writer His Excellency, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) was made aware of the financial incapacitation of the Pan African Parliament resulting in the latter’s inability to convene the statutory Committee Sittings in August as well as the plenary session in October/November due to the inadequacy of the budget…
Africa has a real opportunity to transform its food systems, reduce its import bill, and create wealth, HE. Dr. Jakaya Kikwete, the former president of the United Republic of Tanzania and Africa Food Prize (AFP) chair has said. He made the remarks at the 2023 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) during a session titled ‘Parliamentary…
Writes Chimeno Azriel ZANU (PF) local Authority aspiring councillors who lost in the just-ended harmonised elections have vowed to continue serving the residents of Kadoma despite their loss to the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). The youthful aspiring ZANU (PF) candidates accepted the defeat and promised to continue to serve the people of Kadoma in…
Writes Elvis Dumba Mutorashanga – Traditional leaders in Zvimba North Constituency have congratulated the people of Zimbabwe for showing political maturity by peacefully participating in the country’s general elections. During a ZANU PF victory celebration held in Zvimba North Constituency over the weekend, Headman Katizagomo, born Gibson Jenami, paid tribute to Zimbabweans for heeding the…
Writes Marlvin Ngiza People with disabilities (PWDs) have expressed concern and dissatisfaction with the voting criteria for senators who represent the disability constituency in the country with the view that it was limiting and was not fair in expressing the actual desires and feelings of the community. A Gweru-based Young Voices Disability Zimbabwe Director, Nyasha…
The 30th of August marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances with Amnesty International Zimbabwe calling for genuine investigations and handling of the case of a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activist, Nelson Mukwenha, who was reportedly a victim of enforced disappearance and torture on the 26th of August 2023. In response…
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has dismissed social media speculations on the recalling of election agents and observers to sign new V11 result forms saying that those reports were fictitious. In a statement released, ZEC Chief Elections Officer, Utloile Silaigwana said that the used V11 forms form the election residue and were kept securely until…
The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Hon. Prof. Amon Murwira, today met with European Union Ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe in order to update them on Zimbabwe’s position on the EU Electoral Observation Mission’s (EU EOM) Preliminary Report. The Hon. Minister stated, “Against this backdrop, Zimbabwe finds it disturbing and unfortunate that the…
