What you may have missed October 16-20

New economic blueprint-The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front today adopted the new government economic recovery plan dubbed the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset). The plan which covers the period up to December 2018 covers four clusters: food security and nutrition, social services and poverty reduction, infrastructure and utilities and value addition and beneficiation.

MDC fingers ZANU-PF

A Movement for Democratic Change legislator Thamsanqa Mahlangu today said senior Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front officials were responsible for the cyanide poisoning of elephants which has claimed more than 100 animals in the Hwange National Park. “The MDC is convinced that the few poachers that have been arrested are junior players while the key players who are well connected in the murky ZANU-PF circles are being left to continue with high scale poaching activities. Those that have been arrested were paid as little as US$500 by the well linked ZANU-PF syndicates to poison the water wells with the cyanide chemicals,” Mahlangu said.

Chinamasa asks for loans

Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa today said he had asked the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for new loans before Zimbabwe had cleared its old loans. “Unless they give us new money, there will be no growth, there will be no capacity on our part to pay the arrears. We need new money, we need new investments into our country to boost capacity to pay them.”

Foreign investment at $454 million

Zimbabwe approved foreign direct investments amounting to $453.7 million from January to September this year, according to statistics released by the Zimbabwe Investment Authority today. ZIA approved 120 projects, including six sole foreign investments, with a capacity to create 6 276 jobs and generate exports worth $259.1 million.

Ivory bust

South African police have arrested a bus crew employed by Citiliner for smuggling 2kgs of ivory worth R1.6 million reports said today. Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said James Nyirenda (41) and Langton Saka (40) were arrested during routine checks. The ivory was hidden underneath some luggage in two of the bus’s compartments. The bus was travelling from Bulawayo to Johannesburg.

Mr Clean

Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa has described himself as a clean businessman who refused to pay $8 million to retain a contract in which he earned $30 million a year. In another case he refused to give a President’s son 20 percent stake in an investment worth hundreds of millions.

(20 VIEWS)