Author: TSA Press

Attempts
by Masvingo
Mirror to
determine
why
Mwonzora
has
not
yet
been
arrested,
nearly
two
months
after
a
Harare
magistrate
issued
the
warrant,
were
unsuccessful.

National
Police
spokesperson
Commissioner
Paul
Nyathi
had
promised
to
respond
to
the
publication
but
had
not
done
so
by
the
time
of
going
to
press.

Mwonzora
told
Masvingo
Mirror
that
he
was
unaware
of
the
warrant
of
arrest,
although
he
confirmed
the
civil
matter.
He
said:

“I
haven’t
received
the
warrant
of
arrest
you
are
talking
about.
I
don’t
deserve
any
warrant.
This
is
a
sniff
campaign.”

Mwonzora
was
ordered
by
the
courts
in
February
2024
to
pay
US$500
a
month
in
maintenance
for
his
10-year-old
son
with
Getrude
Chuma,
in
addition
to
school
fees.

The
arrest
warrant
relates
to
his
failure
to
pay
maintenance
from
March
to
July
2025.

The
total
arrears
have
now
ballooned
to
US$3,500
after
he
also
missed
payments
for
August
and
September.

Chuma
expressed
frustration
at
the
Harare
Central
Police
for
failing
to
serve
the
warrant
on
Mwonzora
for
the
third
time.

MUTOKO
–
Police
are
investigating
the
circumstances
under
which
a
Chinese
national
allegedly
shot
dead
a
Zimbabwean
worker
at
a
gold
mine
in
Mutoko
early
Thursday,
an
incident
that
has
reignited
tensions
over
abuses
by
Chinese
miners
across
the
country.

Zimbabwe
Republic
Police
(ZRP)
spokesman
Commissioner
Paul
Nyathi
said
the
incident
occurred
at
around
2AM
on
October
9
at
a
mine
in
Makosa
area.

“The
ZRP
is
investigating
the
circumstances
in
which
a
foreign
national,
Quijun
Yu,
43,
shot
Fungai
Nhau,
36,
at
a
mine
in
Makosa.
It
is
alleged
that
the
foreign
national
was
on
duty
when
several
people
pounced
at
the
boiler/carbon
room
resulting
in
the
shooting
incident.
The
foreign
national
has
been
arrested.
The
police
will
release
more
details
in
due
course,”
Nyathi
said
in
a
brief
statement.

The
shooting
took
place
at
China
Zhuhe
Mining,
which
later
issued
its
own
statement
claiming
the
incident
happened
during
an
attempted
robbery
by
“a
group
of
gangsters.”

According
to
the
company,
an
on-duty
Chinese
engineer
armed
with
a
registered
firearm
“fired
several
warning
shots
into
the
air
to
stop
the
criminal
act”
after
robbers
allegedly
climbed
over
the
mine’s
perimeter
wall.

At
around
7AM,
local
workers
reportedly
found
a
man
critically
injured
about
a
kilometre
from
the
mine.
The
company
says
the
man,
who
later
died,
admitted
to
being
part
of
the
gang
that
had
tried
to
rob
the
mine.

China
Zhuhe
said
police
were
called,
and
the
situation
briefly
turned
tense
when
“local
villagers,
unaware
of
the
truth,
saw
the
gangster’s
body
and
mistakenly
suspected
Chinese
employees
of
improper
conduct.”

Police
reportedly
intervened
and
restored
order.

“The
Chinese
engineer
involved
in
the
incident
is
actively
cooperating
with
the
police
investigation
and
awaiting
the
police’s
final
handling
decision,”
the
company
said.

But
the
mine’s
version
of
events
has
been
met
with
scepticism
and
anger
from
many
Zimbabweans,
including
opposition
politicians
and
activists,
who
accuse
Chinese
companies
of
widespread
exploitation
and
violence
against
local
workers.

Former
finance
minister
Tendai
Biti
condemned
what
he
called
“widespread,
unabated
and
vicious
crimes
of
extraction
being
perpetrated
by
Chinese
criminals
masquerading
as
miners
and
investors.”

“There
has
been
countless
stories
of
underpaid
black
workers
going
for
months
without
pay
and
viciously
assaulted
for
little
misdemeanours,”
Biti
said.

“As
of
now,
police
in
Mutoko
are
investigating
the
brutal
murder
of
a
Zimbabwean
worker,
shot
in
cold
blood
and
mercilessly
dragged
in
the
gravel
and
thorn-filled
bushes
of
Nyamuzuwe.”

Biti
said
Chinese
mining
operations
had
desecrated
graves,
sacred
mountains
and
rivers
across
the
country,
adding
that
the
government’s
silence
amounted
to
complicity
in
a
“new
Scramble
for
Africa.”

Environmental
rights
advocate
Farai
Maguwu
also
weighed
in,
warning
that
public
anger
was
rising
over
what
he
described
as
“abuses
by
Chinese
criminals.”

“Read
the
mood
of
the
people
of
Zimbabwe.
The
temperatures
are
rising.
People
are
saying
enough
of
these
abuses,”
Maguwu
said.

The
latest
incident
adds
to
a
growing
list
of
violent
encounters
involving
Chinese
mine
owners
and
local
workers
in
recent
years,
with
critics
accusing
authorities
of
failing
to
hold
foreign
investors
accountable.

Finance
Director
Tennyson
Mpunzi
told
journalists
that
with
delays
from
the
Zimbabwe
National
Roads
Administration
(ZINARA),
the
council
has
had
no
choice
but
to
rely
on
TTI
funds
to
pay
suppliers
and
keep
projects
on
track.

“We
have
spoken
about
how
funds
from
ZINARA
are
being
disbursed.
Sometimes
they
delay
and
we
struggle
to
pay
our
suppliers.
TTI
funds
come
in
handy
there
and
we
use
those
funds
to
settle
some
of
the
debts,”
he
said.

“Remember
if
you
delay
in
settling
debts
you
incur
some
interests,
so
those
funds
are
utilized
in
terms
of
covering
that
gap
before
we
receive
monies
from
ZINARA.”

According
to
the
council’s
proposed
2026
budget
report,
from
January
to
31
August
2025,
a
total
of
US$558,336,
R140,398,
Pula
8,107
and
ZWG$5,267,286
was
received
from
the
parking
management
partnership.
So
far,
6,978
parking
bays
have
been
marked
across
the
city.

City
engineer
Mondo
added
that
the
money
has
also
allowed
the
council
to
continue
work
on
parking
bays
and
road
repairs.

“We
have
been
able
to
resuscitate
some
work
on
our
parking
bays
and
pothole
patching.
We
have
also
topped
some
funds
that
have
been
applied
along
George
Silundika,”
he
said.

Mayor
David
Coltart
clarified
that
under
the
agreement
with
TTI,
the
council
can
only
use
proceeds
from
the
parking
company
in
areas
where
the
firm
operates.

“In
terms
of
the
agreement
with
TTI,
we
can
only
utilise
those
funds
in
the
areas
that
TTI
is
operating
or
may
operate
in.
For
example,
we
cannot
take
those
funds
and
use
them
in
Luveve;
we
can
only
utilise
them
where
TTI
operates,”
Coltart
said.

The
pair,
represented
by
Constance
Mathaba
of
Makiye
and
Partners,
recently
made
the
application
through
their
lawyer.

They
are
facing
14
counts
of
fraud
after
allegedly
swindling
14
vendors
of
US$200
each
under
the
pretext
of
acquiring
vending
bays
in
the
city
centre.

The
duo
sought
to
have
four
charges
dismissed,
arguing
that
the
complainants
for
counts
four
and
nine
were
not
called
to
testify,
while
those
for
counts
10
and
11
had
confessed
that
they
never
handed
over
any
money
to
Zhou
and
Mutangi.

However,
Magistrate
Ramaboea
dismissed
the
application,
ruling
that
the
State
had
led
sufficient
evidence
proving
the
two
accused
persons
had
a
case
to
answer.

The
matter
proceeded
to
the
defence
stage,
with
the
pair
taking
turns
on
the
stand.

Both
Mutangi
and
Zhou
denied
the
charges.
They
claimed
that
the
vendors
made
the
US$200
payments
through
an
association
called
Bulawayo
City
Achievers,
which
Mutangi
leads
as
president.

Mutangi
told
the
court
that
the
vendors
approached
their
association
after
the
Bulawayo
City
Council
announced
it
would
allocate
vending
bays
to
vendors
affiliated
with
registered
associations.

“Our
association
works
together
with
the
city
council
as
we
seek
to
support
informal
traders.
In
2024,
the
city
council
announced
that
there
would
be
an
allocation
of
vending
bays,
and
as
such,
we
did
our
part
to
make
the
announcement
to
various
vendors,”
Mutangi
said.

“The
city
council
is
using
by-laws
that
were
passed
in
2010,
which
state
that
vendors
can
only
be
allocated
bays
through
associations.”

Mutangi
said
he
only
knew
one
complainant
who
had
acquired
a
vending
bay
at
Baktas
through
their
association,
but
he
did
not
know
the
others.

He
added
that
the
association
charges
US$200
as
a
joining
fee,
covering
administration,
processing,
background
checks,
and
bay
allocation,
and
that
all
vendors
had
received
receipts.

“After
learning
about
these
charges,
I
did
some
investigations
to
get
to
the
source
of
the
issue.
I
discovered
that
one
complainant
had
already
received
a
bay,
while
the
others
were
still
on
the
waiting
list,”
he
said.

“The
problem
was
that
they
wanted
bays
located
on
Fifth
Avenue,
yet
the
association
had
advised
them
they
could
only
get
bays
at
Baktas.
The
reports
they
made
of
fraud
are
false;
they
are
misrepresenting
facts.”

The
State,
led
by
Brenda
Nyoni,
challenged
the
defence,
citing
discrepancies
in
Mutangi’s
testimony
and
questioning
the
authenticity
of
the
receipts
presented.

“There
is
no
evidence
that
these
receipts
actually
came
from
the
book
you
are
referring
to.
Had
it
been
the
case
that
the
complainants
had
formally
made
payments,
you
would
have
presented
these
documents
at
the
very
early
stages
of
this
trial.
This
is
an
afterthought,”
Nyoni
argued.

“All
the
witnesses
came
here
and
testified,
but
at
no
point
did
you
challenge
their
testimonies
to
raise
these
issues
you
are
pointing
out
now.
How
do
you
expect
the
court
to
believe
you?

“The
complainants
testified
that
they
had
a
meeting
with
you
—
they
have
a
video
recording
of
the
meeting.
You
never
challenged
any
of
this
evidence,
which
indicates
they
were
telling
the
truth.
Why
raise
different
issues
now?
It’s
a
sign
that
you
are
lying
to
the
court.”

Mutangi
told
the
court
that
payments
were
made
to
the
association’s
secretary,
who
was
responsible
for
receiving
funds
from
clients.

However,
the
prosecution
questioned
this
procedure,
noting
that
the
association’s
constitution,
submitted
as
evidence,
designates
the
treasurer
as
the
officer
responsible
for
handling
payments.

Zhou
also
denied
the
charges,
claiming
the
allegations
were
malicious
and
politically
motivated
because
she
holds
a
political
position
at
the
market
where
they
operate.

She
said
she
only
acted
as
an
agent
of
the
association
and
referred
complainants
to
the
association
offices
when
they
sought
assistance
to
secure
bays.

“The
complainants
are
being
malicious
because
they
know
where
they
left
their
money.
They
only
came
to
me
after
the
city
council
had
announced
that
vendors
would
be
allocated
bays
if
they
were
affiliated
with
associations.
I
advised
them
to
go
to
the
association
offices
in
the
city
centre
to
get
full
details,”
Zhou
testified.

“After
they
went
to
the
association,
one
Chishamiso
Chigora
was
granted
a
bay
at
Baktas.
That
was
when
she
influenced
the
other
vendors
to
refuse
bays
at
Baktas,
and
that’s
when
they
made
their
police
reports.”

The
State
also
inquired
about
the
association’s
joining
procedures,
membership
proof,
and
communication
channels.

Zhou
said
members
receive
membership
cards
and
pay
a
US$6
monthly
subscription,
but
she
admitted
she
never
attended
meetings,
as
communication
was
done
through
WhatsApp
group
chats.

The
matter
was
postponed
to
October
22,
2025,
for
continuation
of
trial.

At
its
21st
National
People’s
Conference
in
October
2024,
ZANU
PF
passed
Resolution
Number
One,
which
proposed
extending
Mnangagwa’s
term
beyond
its
current
expiration
in
2028
to
2030,
a
move
that
has
sparked
divisions
within
the
ruling
party.

In
an
interview
with
the Zimbabwe
Independent,
Mutsvangwa
said
the
party’s
rank
and
file
are
supportive
of
the
proposal
to
extend
Mnangagwa’s
term.
Said
Mutsvangwa:

“The
organs,
the
provinces
and
the
party
membership
are
quite
happy
with
His
Excellency’s
stewardship
of
the
party
and
membership.

“Their
dictum
is:
‘If
it
ain’t
broke,
why
try
to
fix
it?’
The
delegates
have
expressly
and
vehemently
resolved
to
continue
with
His
Excellency
till
2030.

“They
have
drowned
out
other
noises
of
unbridled,
undeserving
and
self-centred
ambition.

“The
cacophony
of
social
media
trolling
has
no
resonance
in
the
closed
membership
of
the
organs,
provinces
and
membership
of
ZANU
PF.”

The
conference
is
scheduled
to
run
from
next
Friday
until
18
October
at
the
Mutare
Polytechnic
Pavilion
Grounds,
following
politburo
and
central
committee
sessions
in
Harare.

Around
4,000
delegates
are
expected
to
attend,
including
foreign
guests,
down
from
nearly
7,000
participants
in
previous
years.

EMA
spokesperson
Amkela
Sidange
said
the
agency
has
repeatedly
penalised
the
council
for
failing
to
stop
sewage
leaks,
issuing
nine
tickets
and
environmental
protection
orders
since
2021,
with
the
latest
served
on
3
October
2025.
Said
Sidange:

“Since
2021,
a
total
of
nine
tickets
and
environmental
protection
orders
have
been
issued
to
the
Harare
City
Council
for
the
continued
discharge
of
raw
sewage
into
Lake
Chivero.

“Over
and
above
all,
the
agency
filed
a
High
Court
application
that
was
received
on
the
3rd
of
June
2025.
“The
Court
application
was
for
Harare
City
Council
to
rectify
the
deplorable
water
reticulation
system.

“The
latest
order
directed
the
local
authority
to
urgently
repair
sewer
bursts
in
Kambuzuma,
Budiriro,
Glen
View
and
Rugare,
and
to
replace
damaged
stream
crossing
pipes
in
Amalinda,
near
Chiremba
(road).”

Gary
Stafford,
owner
of
Kuimba
Shiri
Bird
Sanctuary,
together
with
the
Zimbabwe
Wildlife
Africa
Trust,
has
filed
a
separate
lawsuit
seeking
US$86,000
in
damages
from
the
council
for
losses
linked
to
the
contamination.

The
application
also
seeks
a
court
order
preventing
the
municipality
from
discharging
effluent
or
any
harmful
substances
into
Lake
Chivero.

The
move
comes
after
the
completion
of
the
Justice
Maphios
Cheda
Commission
of
Inquiry
in
June.

The
commission,
appointed
by
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa,
was
mandated
to
investigate
the
capital’s
financial
and
administrative
operations
amid
growing
allegations
of
corruption
and
mismanagement.

During
his
testimony
before
the
commission,
Harare
Mayor
Jacob
Mafume
revealed
that
the
city’s
executives
were
collectively
earning
around
US$500,000
every
month.

He
said
the
Town
Clerk
was
taking
home
an
estimated
US$27,000
monthly,
while
the
lowest-paid
executive
earned
about
US$15,000.

The
executives
also
received
a
range
of
perks
such
as
entertainment
allowances,
school
fees
payments,
and
clothing
benefits.

A
senior
council
official
familiar
with
the
recent
salary
review
told
the Zimbabwe
Independent that
the
cuts,
averaging
20%,
were
implemented
in
September
without
any
prior
notice
to
the
affected
executives.
Said
the
unnamed
official:

“In
September,
salaries
for
top
executives
were
reduced
by
20%
without
their
knowledge.
Most
senior
managers
were
surprised
to
see
the
cut
on
their
payslips.

“From
what
we
now
understand,
this
was
directed
by
the
ministry
to
contain
rising
expenditures
and
channel
resources
towards
service
delivery.”

Under
the
Local
Government
and
Public
Works
Ministry’s
resource
management
framework,
councils
must
cap
salaries
at
30%
of
monthly
revenue,
with
the
remainder
for
service
delivery.

However,
many
local
authorities
routinely
exceed
this
limit,
prioritising
salaries
over
essential
services
like
water,
waste
management,
and
roads.

The
Zimbabwe
Independent
confirmed
that
affected
officials
include
directors,
deputy
directors,
the
chamber
secretary,
and
the
Town
Clerk.

Acting
Town
Clerk
Phakamile
Mabhena-Moyo
said
he
had
not
yet
received
full
details
of
the
cuts.

In
a
joint
statement,
the
Conservation
Society
of
Monavale
(COSMO),
Sherwood
Golf
Club
&
Community
Hub,
and
Concerned
Residents
of
Monavale
&
Meyrick
Park
said
the
work
was
being
carried
out
illegally,
without
valid
permits
from
the
City
of
Harare
or
the
Environmental
Management
Agency
(EMA).
Reads
the
statement:

“EMA
responded
swiftly
(when
residents
reported)
and
issued
the
developer,
one
Mr
Tiripano,
reportedly
of
TripTrans,
with
a
fine
for
violating
section
97(2)
of
the
Environmental
Management
Act.

“Undeterred,
the
developer
continued
grading
the
wetland
on
Saturday
October
4,
2025.
The
matter
was
reported
to
the
police,
leading
to
the
arrest
of
two
persons
working
for
the
developer
who
were
later
released.”

Residents
say
the
new
development
comes
amid
an
ongoing
land
ownership
dispute,
with
around
11
hectares
of
the
Monavale
Wetland
Ramsar
Site
reportedly
acquired
by
Cablemail
(Pvt)
Ltd.

Dorothy
Wakeling,
a
Monavale
resident
and
member
of
the
local
Conservation
Society,
described
the
wetland
destruction
as
utterly
devastating,
and
said
it
contradicts
both
city
policies
and
national
laws.

Wetlands
are
crucial
to
the
water
cycle,
helping
recharge
underground
aquifers,
naturally
purifying
water,
and
reducing
surface
runoff,
which
is
a
major
cause
of
flooding.
Said
Wakeling:

“This
graded
area
of
wetland
must
be
retrieved
and
then
it
can
be
restored
for
water
provisioning
for
all.

“The
policy
of
the
City
of
Harare
is
densification.
Where
will
the
extra
water
come
from
when
the
wetlands
have
gone?”

Briggs
Bomba,
proprietor
of
Sherwood
Golf
Club,
said
the
community
was
deeply
disappointed
by
the
blatant
seizure
of
communal
land
by
land
barons. Said
Bomba:

“We
have
been
at
the
forefront
of
resisting
illegal
land
invasion
in
the
surrounding
area
—
including
attempts
by
land
barons
to
encroach
onto
the
golf
course
and
wetland
spaces.

“We
call
on
the
whole
community
to
join
the
fight
for
the
preservation
of
the
Monavale
Wetland
ecosystem,
which
forms
part
of
our
shared
ecological
heritage
of
Harare.”