Category: News Feeds

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.

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.”

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.

The
closure
will
begin
on
Tuesday,
14
October
2025,
and
is
expected
to
last
until
Monday,
10
November
2025.

Motorists
travelling
from
Waterfalls,
Chitungwiza,
and
Masvingo
are
advised
to
use
the
Glen
Norah
(High
Glen)
route
via
the
Trabablas
Interchange
or
proceed
north
from
Houghton
Park
Roundabout
before
turning
into
Willowvale
Road.

Those
heading
to
the
Hunter
or
Craig
Allan
industrial
areas
should
access
the
roads
via
Orme
Road
from
Mangwende
Drive
East
or
Soutter
Road
from
Main
Street,
and
use
side
roads
parallel
to
Harare
Drive
and
Willow
Road.

At
the
Harare
Drive/Willowvale
intersection,
a
large
temporary
roundabout
will
be
created.
Drivers
are
urged
to
follow
all
signage
and
instructions
from
traffic
controllers.

The
Ministry
has
encouraged
motorists
to
plan
for
extra
travel
time,
exercise
patience,
and
take
caution
while
driving
through
the
affected
areas.