Top stories for July 1-5

Let’s speak more positively about ourselves- RBZ chief- The Reserve Bank governor John Mangudya yesterday said Zimbabweans should speak more positively about themselves because there was already a negative perception about the country. “We must speak more positively about ourselves. We are renowned for being educated, but we are so negative about ourselves and those negative perceptions lead to more negativity and that leads to lack of confidence. But if we were to measure it, we are not a country with very bad policies. The policies are good, but we may not be publicising them very well. We have a number of comparative advantages which we can exploit. We have good weather, the seventh wonder of the world, the Victoria Falls, and we have peace. We take these factors for granted, but to an investor they are very critical. If we were to put a very huge investment around the Victoria Falls and target one million arrivals and they spend US$1 000 each, we would raise US$1 billion and this could fund ZimAsset.”

Fighting the irreversible
Five senior Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front officials including an army general have taken the government to court demanding hunting permits in the conservancies that they were allocated in the Save Valley, but Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said the five were wasting their time because this was a done deal. “We have not received the summons, but the decision to withdraw the 25-year leases was a Cabinet decision, which is irreversible,” he said. The five are: Major-General Engelbert Rugeje who was allocated Humani Conservancy, former Tourism and Hospitality Industry permanent secretary Sylvester Bradah Maunganidze of Gununduwe Conservancy, former Gutu West MP Noel Mandebvu who was allocated ARDA Mkwasine Conservancy, Josiah Pasi of Levanga Conservancy and Raymond Musungwa of Makore Conservancy. They are demanding hunting licences for March to November 2014 arguing that they had already been allocated their quotas. The ZANU-PF politburo ruled that all individuals who got farms under the agrarian reform should not benefit again in the lucrative wildlife-based land reform. But this will be an interesting case to watch as several ministers also have conservancies and benefitted from the land reform.

Sunday Mail editor granted bail
Sunday Mail editor Edmund Kudzayi, who was arrested almost two weeks ago and has been in custody since, was today granted bail of US$5 200. He is accused of trying to subvert a constitutionally elected government and is also reported to be the main person behind the facebook character Baba Jukwa. Edmund’s brother Phillip was also arrested in connection with the same offences. Police said another 10 people were connected to the Baba Jukwa character. Kudzayi was released on strict conditions which included surrendering the babajukwa2013@gmail.com password to the investigating officer Assistant Commissioner Chrispen Makedenge, surrendering the title deeds for his father’s house in Hillside, reporting to Harare Central police twice a day, and surrendering his passport to the clerk of court. Kudzayi is also not allowed to go anywhere outside the 40km radius of Harare Main Post office without permission from the court. He should be back in court next week for further remand.

Mugabe quashes rumours about ill health flies to Malawi
President Robert Mugabe flew to Malawi yesterday for that country’s 50th independence anniversary quashing rumours about his ill-health. Reports from Malawi confirmed that Mugabe arrived in Lilongwe at 3pm and inspected a guard of honour before proceeding Mtunthama State Lodge. A London-based Zimbabwe radio station reported on Friday that Mugabe had collapsed on Wednesday soon after his speech that whites farmers should not own land in Zimbabwe. SW Radio Africa said it had received unconfirmed reports that Mugabe had collapsed soon after the speech and his ill-health seems to have been confirmed by the fact that he was not at the home of the late Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front politburo member Stanley Sakupwanya on Thursday when other leaders went to pay their respects. Mugabe is 90 years old but there is still a lot of speculation about his health. Mugabe himself has even joked about it saying he has died so many times and risen that he beats Jesus Christ because Jesus only died once and resurrected.

Mugabe’s nephew says MDC has outlived its usefulness
President Robert Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwawo says the Movement for Democratic Change has outlived its usefulness that is why there are now squabbles among its leadership. The squabbles, he said, had nothing to do with the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. “If you remember very well when the MDC was formed in 1999, it was formed from the National Constitutional Assembly and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions with the main aim of pushing for the crafting and adoption of a new constitution. Now that the constitution was crafted and adopted it is no longer relevant. The reasons why it was formed are no longer there and that is why you see the party collapsing. Look at history and history will never lie… I do not see this party rising up again. It has collapsed because, as I have said, its mandate is no longer there. What they need to do now is to re-organise and assist the ruling party in coming up with best advice on developing the nation and nothing else,” Zhuwawo told New Zimbabwe.com.

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