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Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti said that Zimbabweans now face another five years of “frightening” grinding poverty, corruption and underdevelopment after ZANU PF won the 2023 Harmonised Elections.
ZANU PF candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa won 52.6% of the votes cast thereby avoiding a run-off.
Biti has implored SADC to ensure that it finds lasting solutions to Zimbabwe’s perennial problems after the regional body condemned the manner in which the 23 to 24 August elections were conducted. <a href="https://twitter.com/BitiTendai/status/1695740830063993324?s=20">Said Biti</a>:
<blockquote>
It’s “de javu” once more. Another contested and bitter election. A ritualistic process rejected even by the pro-status regional body SADC.
To Zimbabweans, it is a prospect of a further 5 years of attrition, poverty, extraction, corruption and underdevelopment that is most frightening.
Zimbabweans deserve better. They deserve a time-out from 44 years of banditry. The hope now is for the regional body to accept its report and realize that the Zimbabwean crisis requires external agency in pursuit of a lasting solution. Flawed processes produce illegitimate outcomes.
</blockquote>
The country’s main opposition party, CCC, has rejected the presidential election results, insisting that it won but its victory was “stolen”.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Zimbabweans Face Another Five Years Of "Frightening" Poverty, Corruption - Biti

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti has said President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime is even more detrimental to political freedoms than that of former leader Robert Mugabe. Biti’s comments come after the tragic murder of Tinashe Edson Chitsunge, a member of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), by supporters of the ruling ZANU PF party in Glen Norah on August 4, 2023.
Biti, who is currently an MP for the CCC, claimed that his party has faced significant restrictions in conducting its election campaign. He stated that since January 2023, 63 of their rallies have been banned, and they have been unable to hold any meetings or rallies this year. Even attempts to hold meetings in private residences have resulted in arrests. While some level of mobilization is possible in urban areas, rural areas present significant challenges. Reflecting on the political situation in Zimbabwe, Biti said:
<blockquote>
At least 63 of our rallies have been banned from January 2023 to now. We have not been able to hold any single rally or meeting this year. Even those who have attempted to hold meetings in their houses have been arrested. In urban areas we can mobilise to some extent but in rural areas we cannot.
 We lived during Mugabe’s time, and we thought it was bad, but I think I owe him an apology. This regime is worse.
</blockquote>
Under Mnangagwa’s rule, concerns regarding political repression and corruption have persisted. Mnangagwa, who was once a close associate of Mugabe, has been accused of violating the law and undermining independent institutions to maintain his hold on power.
According to the CCC deputy spokesperson, Ostallos Siziba, the opposition party is currently unable to hold meetings in urban areas or rural areas due to restrictions imposed by the ruling ZANU-PF party. He said ZANU-PF has declared rural areas as off-limits for the opposition. Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa had intended to campaign in rural areas to gain support from ZANU-PF strongholds. the party has a rally at Sakubva, Mutare this Sunday.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

Biti Says Mnangagwa's Regime Is Worse Than Mugabe's

Harare East MP, Tendai Biti (CCC), has described the voters’ roll availed by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) as a “crime scene” demanding an urgent national audit by all political parties.
Biti said the current voters’ roll cannot be used to conduct a credible election.
He was commenting on a tweet by Team Pachedu, who had alleged that there are more than 10 000 national identity numbers (IDs) on the 2023 voters’ roll that were previously used by completely different people during the 2002-2008 elections. <a href="https://twitter.com/BitiTendai/status/1683481144547844096?s=20">Said Biti</a>:
<blockquote>
The current voters’ roll is not fit for a burial society election. It is a crime scene.
There must be an urgent national audit of this roll signed off by all political parties.
Zimbabwe cannot be led into an occult travesty masquerading as an election. 23 August must be a real election.
</blockquote>
Some CCC candidates recently claimed that the voters’ roll is not searchable nor analysable saying it is in small font and in PDF format which does not allow a comprehensive search.
However, ZEC chief elections officer Utloile Silaigwana said that the voters’ roll met the provision of the Electoral Act and was searchable and analysable.
He said the Electoral Act “permits the commission to format the voters’ roll to prevent it from being altered or tampered with”.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Current Voters' Roll A "Crime Scene", Says Biti

Tinashe Muyambo, the group chief executive at Masawara, one of Zimbabwe’s largest insurance industry players, has called for measures to be put in place to protect pensions and prevent a repeat of the losses experienced a decade ago, as 356 055 policies lapsed in late 2022.
Speaking at the 2023 Zimbabwe Independent Insurance Survey and Awards, Muyambo stressed the need for insurers and pension funds to “ring-fence” savings and protect them from shocks that could potentially harm the volatile economy. This would involve protecting savings from losses incurred by riskier operations. Muyambo emphasised the urgency of implementing such measures to regain confidence in the sector, which has been dented by policyholders sitting on the fence. He said:
<blockquote>
 If we are serious (about) the insurance industry underpinning growth in this market, how can we ring-fence this industry from fluctuations?
How can you do it in a manner that is actionable? . This conversation not only needs to happen, but needs to be executed as quickly as possible because 2030 is not far and if we want to get there, we need to start picking up the pace on some of these matters.
</blockquote>
Tinashe Muyambo was referring to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 roadmap, which aims to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy.
Following the loss of savings in 2009, the government commissioned a commission of inquiry, led by Justice George Smith, which found that US$5.86 billion worth of pensions had been lost. The commission recommended that the sector compensate victims, but insurers and pension funds have struggled with compensation. Last year, the government called on parliament to pass legislation to put the recommendations into action.
Former finance minister Tendai Biti, who oversaw Treasury during the insurance policy conversions in 2009, has criticized insurers for being reluctant to redeem pensioners. He urged the Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, to urgently enact a law that puts into effect the recommendations of the Justice Smith Commission of Inquiry and compensates pensioners who lost their US dollar savings. Biti emphasised that the recommendations need to be implemented immediately to restore confidence in Zimbabwe’s insurance and pensions sectors. Muyambo, in turn, stressed the urgency of implementing measures to protect pensions and build investor confidence in the sector. He added:
<blockquote>
A stable political and economic environment that fosters investor confidence and encourages growth; efficient regulation and supervision to ensure financial stability and protect consumers and innovative products and services that meet the needs of consumers and businesses.
</blockquote>
According to the survey, the insurance and pensions industry in Zimbabwe requires greater support for its development, given the expected continuation of the depreciation of the local currency. The survey predicts that the country will continue to experience foreign inflation spill-overs throughout 2023, with a sharp increase in food prices already feeding into domestic consumer prices. Unplanned government expenditures as the country moves into electioneering mode are also expected to drive an increase in the Zimbabwean dollar money supply, which may lead to a rapid deterioration of the exchange rate in 2023. It further reads:
<blockquote>
Waning confidence in the local unit will also trigger full dollarisation as the general population will regard monetary amounts not in terms of the local currency but in terms of a more stable foreign currency. There is also evidence that most prices are being quoted in US dollars while most households and individuals prefer to keep wealth in non-monetary assets (real estate and commodities) or in a relatively stable foreign currency.
</blockquote>
In April, an Insurance and Pensions Commission report said 356 055 policies lapsed during the final quarter of last year, as markets struggled to keep pace with a deteriorating economic crisis.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

Increased Calls For Safeguarding Pensions In Insurance Industry As 356k Policies Lapse

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe owes more than $4 billion to banks and companies, including commodities giant Trafigura Group and South African Airways, for fuel, corn, and other goods and services.
Private credit has saved Zimbabwe’s economy from total collapse, according to John Mangudya, the central bank’s governor. He told Bloomberg:
<blockquote>
The creditors were supplying Zimbabwe in good faith, supplying things like fuel in advance, which was consumed by Zimbabweans. It’s only right that the country repays.
</blockquote>
Trafigura is Zimbabwe’s second-largest private creditor, owed $66 million, behind Holbud, which is owed $85 million. SAA is owed $61 million for airline services. Mangudya expects the recent appreciation of the Zimbabwean dollar against the greenback to continue, which should alleviate pricing pressures.
John Mangudya expects the recent appreciation of the Zimbabwean dollar against the US dollar to continue, which he believes will alleviate pricing pressures. He also expects to see negative month-on-month inflation in July.
The central bank’s quasi-fiscal activities have been criticised by the International Monetary Fund, which has urged authorities to end them. Zimbabwe cannot access credit from international financial institutions as it is already $17 billion in arrears. Zimbabwe’s Treasury plans to seek lawmaker approval to assume the central bank’s external obligations.
Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti is also on record criticising the central government for off-budget spending such as subsidies, loan guarantees, and tax exemptions, as well as the accumulation of off-budget debts or other financial obligations and sidelining of Parliament in key economic policy decisions. Biti argues that laws affecting the economy have mostly been made through Statutory Instruments and the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act, bypassing the role of Parliament. He argues that Parliament should take back its powers to act on policies that affect the economy to prevent negative consequences for millions of people, particularly pensioners. 
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindul News</a></h3>

Reserve Bank Of Zimbabwe Owes Over $4bn For Goods And Services

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti says the move by the decision by Treasury to withdraw operating licences from 17 pharmacies that were caught red-handed using exorbitant exchange rates is illegal and irrational.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development issued a statement saying 17 pharmacies across the country that were using exchange rates ranging from ZWL$8 500 to ZWL$11 000 will lose their licences.
Posting on Twitter, Biti it is unlawful for the Government to take such drastic action without following due process. He wrote:
<blockquote>
The attack on retailers, including the withdrawal of some pharmacy licenses is blatantly illegal, puerile, and irrational.
For starters, as a question of law, no adverse decision can be taken against any party without due process and respect for the right to be heard.  What lawyers call the audi alteram principle codified in section 68 of the Zim constitution.
As an economic measure, we have always argued that “ginyanomics “ does not and can not work. Retailers are subject to market exigencies and in a cash economy, they will always possess huge amounts of cash.
That on its own is no basis for their criminalization. In dominated social formations such as Zim, a rogue State enacts laws &amp; policies that invariably criminalize innocent rational behavior.
This regime is rogue &amp; clueless. It is currently intoxicated by the myth that the Zim $ is holding. The truth of the matter is that cleaning up all RTGS$ in the economy and thus starving the economy of liquidity is not sustainable.
It is an ephemeral measure that will be exposed once the printing press begins to run to finance insatiable fiscal demands.
We have been here before. This economy can not be turned around by patchwork or kick-and-hope economics.
Real structural reform is required, which includes enacting laws to limit government borrowing, central bank reform, dollarization, scrapping the auction, and gold coins, scrapping export surrender requirements, addressing corruption and illicit financial flows, paying pensioners &amp; civil servants in US$, floating the Zim$.
The truth is these reforms are beyond #ZANU. An exhausted ruling elite bereft of desire or capacity to transform Zim.
</blockquote>
The Zimbabwe dollar has been on a positive trajectory on both the official foreign exchange market as well as the black market over the past few weeks.
On Friday, 14 July, the local currency moved to ZWL$4883.8208 per US$1 on the Wholesale Foreign Exchange Auction.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"Puerile And Irrational", Biti Condemns Pharmacy Licence Cancellation

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have filed an urgent appeal on behalf of the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/LEAD/">Labour, Economists, and African Democrats (LEAD)</a> political party, seeking to declare the government’s efforts to modify the country’s constitution through the use of a Statutory Instrument unconstitutional.
The government issued Statutory Instrument (SI) 114 of 2023 just before the Nomination Court convened on June 21, 2023, to correct an amended Section 268 of the Zimbabwean Constitution. The amended section stipulated that ten women must be elected to provincial or metropolitan council positions under a proportional representation system, thus excluding men. SI 114 now allows both men and female candidates to be nominated for political party lists.
ZLHR filed the appeal on June 24, 2023, arguing that SI 114 of 2023 is unconstitutional. The opposition also pointed out that the ZANU PF-led government enacted SI 114 of 2023 to benefit its candidates as the ruling party had ignored the constitutional amendment and utilised the zebra system to nominate male and female candidates for the 10 provincial or metropolitan council seats. 
Following the publication of SI 114, ZEC published a press release on June 21, 2023, alerting political parties that they can proceed with nominating both female and male candidates for provincial or metropolitan council seats.
Political analysts have criticised the government’s and Parliament’s inability to take note of the constitutional amendment before signing it into law, demonstrating incompetence. Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) member and lawyer, David Coltart said the SI 144 demonstrated “gross ineptitude by the ZANU PF regime and was also <a href="https://www.davidcoltart.com/2023/06/zlhr-files-urgent-application-against-si-that-seeks-to-amend-constitution/">“thoroughly illegal.”</a> He said:
<blockquote>
One cannot just amend a Constitutional provision, which has been in place for almost two years, on the day before nomination day, or at any time. It’s utterly bizarre
The new constitutional provisions, Sections 268 and 269, bad as they are, state all the candidates must be women. A mere SI can’t change that.
No doubt ZEC will again ignore this brazen breach of the Constitution. But how incompetent is it for someone to wake up on the eve of an election to ‘correct’ an ‘error’ in the Constitution which was published almost two years ago? The bumbling is breathtaking.
</blockquote>
According to Tendai Biti, a Constitution cannot be amended by an SI, even if an error was made recording the amendments made in the National Assembly. He argued that the Senate debated and adopted that erroneous position, which the President signed into law. He said:
<blockquote>
Under such circumstances, only a constitutional amendment can undo the original position. Besides, a law affecting an election cannot be made once an election proclamation has been made. This is therefore a scandalous mongrel’s breakfast but one which not many mongrels will touch.
</blockquote>
Political analyst Iphithule Maphosa said the government and Parliament’s failure to revise the constitutional amendment – Section 268 – before signing it into law demonstrated incompetence. Maphosa added that they are now making changes when an election is imminent to suit the ruling party, which shows a lack of seriousness in carrying out oversight duties.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

LEAD Ropes In Lawyers To Declare Govt's Constitutional Amendment Bid Illegal

Several members of the opposition <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Citizens%27_Coalition_for_Change/">Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)</a> have claimed that they won in the party’s selection process to determine Parliamentary and council candidates. However, they were ultimately not included on the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/06/22/full-list-ccc-parliamentary-candidates-2023-elections/">official party list</a>.
Gilbert Mutubuki, a former <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zimbabwe_National_Students_Union/">ZINASU</a> leader, emerged as the winner in the selection process to elect the party’s representative for the Chiredzi West constituency but was not included on the official party list. Instead, Nhamoinesu Machigiri was included. In a Facebook post seen by Pindula News, Mutubuki thanked the citizens of Chiredzi West for their support and urged them to back the preferred CCC candidates for a big win. He said:
<blockquote>
Thank you Chiredzi West citizens for your support in the @CCCZimbabwe candidates selection process. 
Though I emerged as the leading parliamentary candidate, I, however, failed to make it on the official party list. 
Let’s all support the preferred CCC candidates and win BIG. 
#NHM
</blockquote>
A video circulating on social media revealed that former Finance Minister <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti/">Tendai Biti</a> was announced as the winner in the selection process ahead of <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Allan_Markham/">Allan Markham</a>, but he also <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/06/18/tendai-biti-loses-to-markham-in-race-to-represent-ccc-in-harare-east-report/">did not make the official party list. </a>
Another official named Freddy Michael Masarirevu, who claimed to have led in St Marys, Chitungwiza, also did not make the official party list despite winning in the selection process. He said:
<blockquote>
Thank you for supporting me throughout the selection process. you nominated me in numbers &amp; came for caucuses in huge numbers. We won 3 out of 5 wards ( Ward 7, Ward 3 &amp; Ward 4) came 2nd in (Ward 5 and Ward 1) and had the highest number. Unfortunately, that was not perceived enough as other criteria were said to have been used. Let’s congratulate the winner &amp; support him. We are a peaceful party &amp; democracy means accepting such outcomes. We conducted ourselves well and in a very peaceful manner…
No cases of violence reported. I was glad to have been able to instill christian values at least to most of those that supported me. I hope you maintain the standards. Let’s continue to support the movement and all the Candidate declared successful. We must win big on 23 August, keep your eyes open &amp; don’t be distracted. God bless you!!!
</blockquote>
The opposition party introduced a new selection system that is not yet clear to many, bypassing the normal primary elections. With the new system, aspiring candidates submit their profiles, which are vetted by internal security for eligibility. If they qualify, they present their manifestos on voting day, and the electorate votes by queuing behind their preferred candidate. However, in the cases mentioned above, the aggrieved parties passed the vetting process and won the election but did not make the official party list.
Party leader, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Nelson_Chamisa/">Nelson Chamisa</a>, argues that the new selection process was introduced by the party to prevent infiltration by the ruling ZANU PF and members of the central intelligence organization (CIO). The party has frequently accused ZANU PF and the security sector of infiltrating its structures to cause confusion and obtain information and strategies to use against it.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

CCC Official: I Won Polls But Didn't Make Official Party List

CCC leader Nelson Chamisa has said those on the party’s nomination list who won’t make it in the final list of 2023 parliamentary and local government candidates will be redeployed in the CCC “Government.”
Addressing a press conference in Harare on Sunday afternoon, Chamisa was asked specifically about what will happen to either <a href="https://pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti">Tendai Biti</a> or <a href="https://pindula.co.zw/Allan_Markham">Allan “Rusty” Markham</a>, the Harare East and Harare North MPs, respectively, who were nominated for Harare East, since both cannot be CCC candidates for the constituency. In response, Chamisa said:
<blockquote>
Well, they will be redeployed elsewhere. You know, the citizens’ movement is a big movement. Roles and tasks are given by the citizens.
The one who has been nominated will be the candidate and the one who is not nominated will also be deployed. They will be given other responsibilities.
</blockquote>
Asked if the losing candidates will be coming back to Parliament as Senators or through Proportional Representation, Chamisa said:
<blockquote>
They will come into Government. We are no longer talking about Parliament now. Our eyes are on Government. They will be in Government serving the people of Zimbabwe.
</blockquote>
Following the recent 2023 delimitation exercise by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) which came up with new electoral boundaries for wards and constituencies, Ward 18 which was part of the pre-delimitation Harare North was moved to Harare East constituency.
ZEC dissolved the Harare North constituency and Markham contested in Harare East for a ticket to represent CCC in the 23 August elections.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Markham will be the CCC candidate for Harare East, which means Biti will either contest as an independent candidate or revive his PDP party to have any chance of retaining his seat.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Chamisa Pledges To Redeploy Losing Candidate Nominees In CCC Government

Harare East legislator <a href="https://pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti">Tendai Biti</a>, who is also CCC co-vice president has reportedly lost the internal contest to represent the opposition party in the 23 August elections.
CCC recently finalised its internal election process to select its parliamentary candidate in Harare, with Biti locking horns with Harare North MP <a href="https://pindula.co.zw/Allan_Markham">Allan Markham</a>.
Markham reportedly won the race to represent CCC in Harare East Constituency in national elections due 23 August this year.
It will be the first time in 23 years that the former Minister of Finance will not be part of the country’s legislative house.
Posting on Twitter, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono said Biti’s defeat is a victory for corruption in the country. <a href="https://twitter.com/daddyhope/status/1670382206743633923?s=20">He said</a>:
<blockquote>
The BIGGEST issue that has destroyed Zimbabwe is nothing else but CORRUPTION!
The Zimbabwean opposition has removed from parliament the most effective corruption fighter in parliament in Zimbabwe’s post-colonial history, Tendai Biti.
That is what Joseph de Maistre meant when he said “….every nation gets the government it deserves.”
The looters must be popping champagne in their mansions because CCC managed to do what even Kuda Tagwireyi tried and failed!
The best Finance Minister we have had in 3 decades is gone through a decision made by lining people up behind a candidate.
What a muppet show!
</blockquote>
However, a video of the CCC Harare East’s candidate selection process announced by a party official shows that Biti won over Markham.
The official emphasized that those who garnered more votes were not necessarily the winners as there are criteria that will be used to determine the CCC candidates for the elections.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Tendai Biti Loses To Markham In Race To Represent CCC In Harare East | Report

CCC co-vice president <a href="https://pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti">Tendai Biti</a> has described those who support his competitor <a href="https://pindula.co.zw/Allan_Markham">Allan “Rusty” Markham</a> as snakes who are siding with “vasina mabvi” literally “those without knees”, a derogatory term for white people.
Both Biti and Markham are eyeing the Harare East Parliamentary seat after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) dissolved the latter’s Harare North constituency in its 2023 Delimitation Report.
Addressing his supporters in Harare East, Biti said he has no plans to become a Senator and declared his intentions to run for Parliament. He was quoted by <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/opposition-mp-biti-on-the-offensive-uses-derogatory-vasina-mabvi-term-in-reference-to-white-competitor-rusty-markham/">NewZimbabwe.com</a> as saying:
<blockquote>
I am a legislator and Zanu PF knows what I do in Parliament is unmatched. We are selecting Biti as MP. When I came the other time, I was not mentioning names but today I will.
We do not want snakes in Harare. There are some going around with “vasina mabvi” (white people) but we do not want snakes, we do not want black mambas.
We are going to crush the heads of these snakes. Chamisa for President, Biti for MP.
Send this message across the constituency, to ZIMPHOS, Mukandabhutsu, Kamfinsa, and Greendale.
Do not mention anyone by name, just identify them as snakes.
</blockquote>
Biti, Markham and Murisi Zwizwai are some of the veteran opposition legislators who may fail to return to Parliament on 23 August.
CCC’s Consensus Candidate Selection Programme is currently finalising the party’s list of candidates for the 2023 harmonised elections.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Tendai Biti In Racial Slur, Brands Supporters Of His White Rival Snakes

The Supreme Court of Zimbabwe has dismissed an application for leave to appeal filed by <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti/">Tendai Biti,</a> who faces a US$1 million defamation lawsuit brought by Augur Investments’ top executives <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Kenneth_Sharpe/">Kenneth Raydon Sharpe</a> and Tatiana Aleshina.
Biti’s application was dismissed with costs by Justice Alfas Chitakunye, who said it was improperly placed before the court, <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200012656/biti-loses-us1m-defamation-appeal">NewsDay</a> reported. The High Court had already ordered that the trial proceed after Biti objected to the lawsuit but lost by default judgment. Biti then approached the Supreme Court seeking leave to appeal the High Court’s verdict. However, Justice Chitakunye said Biti should have first purged the default judgment he lost at the High Court before approaching the Supreme Court for leave to appeal.
Biti’s appeal comes after his application for exception was dismissed by High Court judge, Justice Jacob Manzunzu in 2021. The trial was due to commence before High Court judge, Justice Tawanda Chitapi, but failed to kick off after the opposition legislator filed an appeal against the High Court’s ruling at the Supreme Court.
Augur Investments is seeking US$500 000 damages from Biti while its chief operations officer, Aleshina is claiming US$100 000. Sharpe wants US$400 000.
Biti is accused of having scandalized the company’s good standing over the Harare Airport Road tender. Augur accuses Biti of making false claims that they were involved in fraudulent transactions and land theft from the City of Harare, portraying them in a bad light.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

Biti Suffers Setback In US$1 Million Defamation Lawsuit

The Zimbabwe National Assembly has removed a clause that allowed employers to terminate permanent staff contracts with just three months’ notice. This action was taken after the country’s Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that companies could end staff contracts at any time without offering them compensation, provided they received at least three months’ notice. The ruling led to an increase in terminations of employment without disciplinary action, and had been considered a burden to the country’s labour laws.
During debates on the Labour Amendment Bill, the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, agreed to remove the requirement of notice. The Bill also proposed the use of “labour brokerage arrangements” to be removed, as it was deemed to be modern-day slavery.
In his submission, Harare East legislator Mr Tendai Biti said the import of the Zuva Petroleum judgment was to create an untenable situation on the labour law in the country. He said:
<blockquote>
When that happened, labour law died because what is the point of having a disciplinary hearing when you can simply give three months’ notice? We need to go back to the status quo. We need to go back to the old position where you cannot terminate on notice. In other words, we need to remove no-fault termination and go back to fault termination to protect workers. You are allowed to employ seasonal workers, but a normal industrial worker should only be terminated on fault. That means that the only no-fault situation is retrenchment
</blockquote>
During discussions on the Labour Amendment Bill in the National Assembly, opposition CCC legislators proposed amendments for paternity leave, which were rejected by Minister Ziyambi. However, the Minister agreed to remove a Clause on “labour brokerage arrangements” after legislators argued that it was a form of “modern-day slavery.” These arrangements involve a middle-man employing their own workers who are then sub-employed to a third party, such as cleaning services. The Bill was passed in the National Assembly and will now be sent to the Senate for approval.
The Zimbabwean National Assembly also passed two other bills: the Electricity Amendment Bill and the Children’s Amendment Bill. The Electricity Amendment Bill aims to impose deterrent sentences for those who vandalize electricity infrastructure, while the Children’s Amendment Bill aligns the Children’s Act with the Constitution and international conventions to strengthen child protection.
The Parliament also continued discussions on the Electoral Amendment Bill, with lawmakers agreeing that there was duplication of duties between the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and the Registrar General in voter registration and document issuance. The Registrar General’s office was suggested as a solution as it issues national identity documents. However, any changes would require a constitutional amendment. Minister Ziyambi suggested that the Delimitation Commission be separated from the electoral body to avoid conflicts during elections, but any changes would be kept in mind for future parliamentary sessions.
<h2><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Zimbabwe Removes Clause Allowing Employers To Terminate Contracts On Short Notice

The member of Parliament for Harare East, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti/">Tendai Biti</a> of the opposition party CCC, has challenged the Finance Minister, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Mthuli_Ncube/">Mthuli Ncube</a>, to provide a detailed explanation before Parliament about Statutory Instrument 127 and <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2023/03/03/govt-adopts-blended-inflation-rate-based-on-usd-zim-dollar/">blended inflation. </a>
SI 127 of 2021 amends the Exchange Control Act and the Bank Use Promotion Act, imposing heavy administrative penalties for breaches of special provisions of the Act.
The SI prohibits businesses from selling goods and services or quoting them at an exchange rate above the foreign currency auction system rate. It also punishes businesses for issuing clients with Zimbabwean dollar receipts for payment received in foreign currency.

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/03/08/blended-inflation-rate-is-pure-undiluted-heresy-biti/">Blended Inflation Rate Is “Pure, Undiluted Heresy” – Biti</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/03/15/blended-inflation-rate-problematic-for-economy-experts/">Blended Inflation Rate Problematic For Economy – Experts</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/04/13/accountants-engage-govt-over-weighted-blended-inflation-rate/">Accountants Engage Govt Over Weighted Blended Inflation Rate</a></li>
</ul>
Biti has demanded an explanation from Ncube on how he crafted the method of mixing currencies in the country. The SI has been viewed as an attempt to curtail the exchange rate on the parallel market to stabilize the local currency. However, business leaders view it as a regulation that could lead to shortages of goods and akin to price controls. Regulations promulgated under Presidential Powers expire after six months, and permanent legislation is expected to be enacted to replace them before the expiry date. Biti said:
<blockquote>
I stood up to speak about inflation. I know we have spoken about inflation before but the reason why I stood up is because of Statutory Instrument 127 of 2021 that speaks of inflation, which is calculated on goods and services in US dollars and RTGS.
In economics, inflation is a measurement of the rise in prices and only one currency is used, whether USD or RTGS or local currency, and you cannot mix currencies. So, the Minister of Finance who is a professor of economics should come to this august House and explain where he is getting this mixing of currencies, RTGS and US dollars, and why he is calling it blended inflation.
</blockquote>
Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda said Ncube should appear before Parliament to explain SI 127.
Blended inflation is a method used to calculate inflation by taking into account both foreign and domestic currencies in countries with multiple currencies in circulation.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe uses this method to measure the rate of inflation by converting prices of goods and services into a common currency, such as the US dollar. The prices are then aggregated and weighted to calculate inflation.
Although blended inflation is considered more accurate than using a single currency, it can also mask the impact of inflation on specific sectors of the economy, which can lead to a distortion in the inflation data. Therefore, the use of blended inflation can be controversial.
<h2><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Biti Challenges Ncube To Explain SI 127 And Blended Inflation In Parliament

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has been criticised over the purchase of 32 helicopters from Russia worth a reported US$320 million without following laid down procurement procedures.
Mnangagwa took delivery of 18 out of the 32 Kazan Ansat helicopters from Russia under a public-private partnership (PPP) last Thursday.
The helicopters reportedly cost US$2.5 million each when new but Zimbabwe bought each of the planes for US$10 million amid indications that they are secondhand.
The Government said the choppers will be used as air ambulances, search and rescue, and air policing.
Former Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, who is CCC deputy president, told <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/thestandard/news/article/200011867/mnangagwa-chopper-deal-raises-stink">The Standard</a> that procurement procedures were not followed in buying the planes. Biti said:
<blockquote>
Remember all expenditures are approved in Parliament, but this expenditure was never approved in the budget.
It means that it’s an unlawful purchase.
The country’s procurement law makes it very clear that there has to be competitive bidding during a procurement process and certainly this was not done.
The state should challenge the immorality of this. Why are they buying helicopters when civil servants are not properly paid?
US$320 million is a lot of money and their bigger priority is buying helicopters.
It’s now self-evident that the prices are inflated, this also means that the brand new helicopter will cost US$2.5 million yet we are being sold a second-hand helicopter at almost the same amount.
The problem that we have as a country is that we now have a kleptomaniac government, so anything that happens they are just thinking about money, corruption and the bottom line of their self-aggrandisement.
</blockquote>
Biti pledged to raise the matter in Parliament and ask the relevant committee to investigate the murky deal.
The Government recently backtracked on a new law that sought to conceal procurement processes in the Health ministry from the public after an outcry.
Mnangagwa repealed the General Notice 635 gazetted in an extraordinary Government gazette last week after critics argued that the law would promote corruption.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Russian Helicopters Deal Never Approved In National Budget - Biti

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba has claimed that the late former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was irked by Nelson Chamisa in 2009 and had to ask then president, Robert Mugabe to give him a ministerial portfolio to pacify him.
Charamba made the claim on Twitter while responding to Chamisa’s post outlining his “achievements” during the Government of National Unity (GNU) era.
Chamisa, who now leads CCC, said he introduced the Zimbabwe ICT policy framework, made ICT products cheaper and affordable, and removed duty on ICT products among other achievements.
He was responding to one Nzekete AG who had asked what he (Chamisa) achieved when he was ICT Minister during the GNU era.
However, Charamba said Chamisa did not achieve anything but the ICT policy framework he alluded to was introduced by Mugabe.
Charamba also claimed that Chamisa and the current CCC vice president were troublesome to Tsvangirai who then asked Mugabe to appoint them to the Cabinet to get them off his back. Wrote Charamba:
<blockquote>
WE HAVE ALLOWED THIS YOUNGSTER TO SPIN A YARN FOR TOO LONG. HERE ARE THE FACTS:
Late President RG Mugabe started a campaign to computerise schools and colleges long before Chamisa was known.
The late President would save from his Travel and Subsistence allocation to build a fund for buying computers.
Lawrence Kamwi, then his Principal Private Secretary, minded that Fund, with Wonder Nyamurima who is still in Government, handling the distribution programme in schools.
Our first donation was at a high school very close to Kadhani in Mondoro. All this was well before GNU, which is when Chamisa appears, even then as a Mugabe appointee.
Then came GNU; late Tsvangirai pleaded with President Mugabe kuti kamukomana aka kanondinetsa (this young boy is a nuisance) if you don’t give him a bone.
He said the same naTendai Biti, who was his other headache. VaMugabe heard Tsvangirai and then asked: saka tokaisepi? (what portfolio should we give him) Tsvangirai: chero kwamada kusina basa (give him even a useless portfolio).
VaMugabe then said: Computers and ICT are generation-specific in that they are needed by our youths; I will put him there so he plays champion among his age-mates.
That’s how Chamisa was appointed, even though he had no clue. The programme had long taken off. VaMugabe had another reason: strangely, during negotiations, our side had ceded Information and Publicity to MDC-T.
I and Jonathan Moyo raised hell and ended up engaging the President for this ill-thought decision. MaChinja were not amused.
President Mugabe then created ICT ministry whose mandate was drafted by Madame Nhekairo.
It was another disaster as several corporates, including telecommunications, were ceded to ICT.
Again, we went back to complain, unsuccessfully this time! The late President reasoned that we did not need to fear as Ministry control of telecommunications companies would be minimal given the presence of POTRAZ as the regulator.
The late President engaged Hewlett Packard, which has just been taken over by the Chinese as LENOVO.
Computers were already flowing in. Prices for SIM cards fell because of competition hotting up in telecomms industry, and in line with global trends.
Chamisa did absolutely nothing besides presiding over the inevitable!!!!!!
… Kakagara kachitemesa Tsvangirai musoro; iko naBiti. At some point Tsvangirai wanted Biti fired.
Biti was saved by vaMugabe who by then knew Biti was preparing to break away. Tsvangirai aida kutsvaira Biti kuSpecial Congress yakaitwa Bhuruwayo.
Biti mounted a well-funded, donor-driven counter (Americans poured money kwete mbijana) and neutralised Tsvangirai.
Biti would later confide this to President Mugabe in Cape Town where both attended WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM!!!! Tinenge takanyarara not because we do not know!!!!
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

"Tsvangirai Asked Mugabe What To Do With Chamisa, Biti"

Harare East MP, Tendai Biti (CCC), says Zimbabwe is in the hands of kleptomaniacs hence there is a need for citizens to vote ZANU PF out of power in the upcoming general elections.
Biti was speaking to <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/https-www-newzimbabwe-com-zim-being-run-by-kleptomaniac-govt-biti/">NewZimbabwe.com</a> in Ward 9 Tafara, where he was conducting a door-to-door campaign as the opposition party prepares for general elections. He said:
<blockquote>
It’s urgent that there is Change and transformation in Zimbabwe. We are run by kleptomania, a government (that) steals and steals and cannot look after its poor. Mthuli Ncube has failed and failed in absolute terms.
</blockquote>
According to Mayo Clinic, kleptomania is a mental health disorder that involves repeatedly being unable to resist urges to steal items that you generally don’t really need.
Recently, American economist Steve Hanke said Zimbabwe’s inflation currently stands at 666%.
Hanke also named Zimbabwe as the most miserable country in the world and said “ZANU PF operates more like a political Mafia than a political party.”
Meanwhile, Biti said he has a track record in leadership and “has been in the struggle since 1986 as a student.” He said:
<blockquote>
Harare East has the national duty of returning Tendai Biti to Parliament so he can continue working for the country.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe Being Run By A Kleptomaniac Government, Says Biti

Harare East Member of Parliament, Tendai Biti (CCC), has blamed Donnybrook Racecourse owners for the death of two girls from Manresa who drowned in a disused quarry pit on Sunday.
Biti, who is the MP for the area, said the owners of the racecourse should be held to account for the deaths of Tafara Masamba (15) and her cousin-sister Blessing Munemo (12) who drowned while swimming. Bit said:
Two children from Harare East Constituency have unnecessarily lost their lives. We mourn with the parents &amp; relatives from this avoidable tragedy. Donnybrook must however be held to account.
Donnybrook Racecourse is one of the major car racing joints in Harare.
Catherine Masango, a family member, told <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/biti-demands-accountability-after-two-girls-drown-in-donnybrook-disused-pit/">NewZimbabwe.com</a> that the two cousin-sisters left their home saying they were attending a car racing event. Said Masango:
<blockquote>
They left the house saying they were going to church but later came back saying there was no church.
Together with other children from the neighbourhood they left and went to Donnybrook. We later heard that they had drowned.
The children who were at the scene said Tafara tried to rescue Blessing who was stuck in the mud but they later drowned together.
</blockquote>
Mourners who spoke to NewZimbabwe.com on Tuesday at the funeral wake blamed the owners of Donnybrook Racecourse for failing to erect a perimeter fence around the pit.
A caretaker at the car racing course said a perimeter fence was erected but was later vandalised.
<a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/">NewZimbabwe.com</a> reported that when they visited the area where the two drowned there were no signs of a security fence having been previously erected.

Donnybrook Must Be Held To Account For Drowning Of Two Girls In Disused Pit - Biti

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) vice president Tendai Biti has endorsed Nelson Chamisa as his preferred presidential candidate for this year’s elections.
CCC will on Wednesday (today), select candidates to represent the party for the presidency, senate, parliament, council, youth, and women’s quota.
Posting on Twitter, Tendai Biti said CCC has “one candidate for the position of President” Nelson Chamisa. He wrote:
<blockquote>
Tomorrow citizens nominate servants to stand as candidates in this year’s plebiscite &amp; to serve for the next five years.
We only have one candidate for the position of President. Our champion in chief Advocate Nelson Chamisa God bless Zimbabwe.
</blockquote>
CCC, which was formed just over a year ago, decided against holding primary elections to select its candidates preferring what they have termed “citizens consensus” for fear of being infiltrated by State security agents.
CCC deputy spokesperson Ostallos Siziba on Tuesday told reporters that the party had established a panel that will be responsible for the selection process.
He said the panel is drawn from competent individuals in communities, civic spaces, and political movements, among others.
Rashid Mahiya will lead the panel that will oversee the candidate selection process.
Siziba sought to assure party supporters that the process will be held in a transparent manner and represent the interests of communities. He said:
<blockquote>
We have set a robust and transparent process that will ensure that only the best candidates will represent us as presidential candidate senators, members of parliament, councillors, proportional representatives and young people. We have deployed our technical teams and leaders to different parts of the country.
The center of this consensus candidate selection is our rhythm which is about putting citizens back at the center.
So we make the emphasis because we believe that our processes must be reflective of the collective will of citizens in different parts of the country.
</blockquote>
The ruling ZANU PF party has already conducted its primaries amid reports of violence in some constituencies.
As a result, ZANU PF will have election reruns in Gokwe Nembudziya, Insiza North, and Zvimba West.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Tendai Biti Endorses Chamisa As CCC Presidential Candidate

CCC vice president Tendai Biti said that Zimbabwe’s mining, farming, manufacturing, banking, legal and auditing sectors are still controlled by white people and serve white commercial interests.
Biti, who is Harare East MP (CCC), made the remarks while contributing in Parliament on Thursday during the Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services Parliamentary Committee debate on war veterans’ welfare. He said:
<blockquote>
Forty-four years after independence, much of that land is still intact and owned by white commercial interests.
Billy Rautenbach for instance, owns tonnes and tonnes of land in the Chipinge-Chisumbanje area.
Whilst we complained about the problem of white ownership of farms and multiple ownership of our farms by white farmers, right now the biggest challenge is multiple farm leasing by white interests in this country.
This country is still owned, controlled and run by white commercial interests, whether it is in mining, farming, manufacturing, banking, legal and auditing sector, white commercial interests are still dominating in this country.
It is not yet Uhuru; there is unfinished business in the liberation struggle.
</blockquote>
The former Finance Minister also urged the government to give war veterans title deeds of farms they acquired in the Land Reform Programme, saying the offer letters given to the ex-combatants were not enough. He said:
<blockquote>
Many of the war veterans have nothing to show for that. We are giving them pensions in a volatile, non-stable currency.
Let us give our war veterans their pensions in a stable currency.
The government itself has recognized the volatility of the Zimbabwean dollar by levying everything in USD; passports, number plates, birth certificates, milk from Pick ‘n’ Pay, school fees and license in USD but war veterans’ salaries in RTGs isu tonyebera kuvada vanhu ava.
</blockquote>
He said there should be a permanent representation of war veterans in the National Assembly through a quota system.
ZANU PF has often accused the opposition of being against the land reform programme and failing to appreciate the noble role played by war veterans in the liberation of the country from settler colonial rule.
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200009522/ed-demands-re-run-in-violence-hotspots">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe Still Controlled By White Commercial Interests - Tendai Biti

Harare East MP, Tendai Biti (CCC), has said the government must give war veterans title deeds of farms they acquired during the Land Reform Programme, reported <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/whites-commercial-interests-dominating-zimbabwe-says-biti-urges-govt-to-give-war-vets-farms-title-deeds/">NewZimbabwe.com</a>.
Biti said the majority of war veterans are wallowing in poverty and have nothing to show for their contribution to the country’s liberation.
Debating in the National Assembly on Thursday, Biti argued that the ex-combatants should not be given offer letters which have no security. He said:
<blockquote>
The first thing we need to do is to give title deeds to war veterans of the farms that they acquired. You cannot make them subject to the offer letter.
The greatest service we can do to war veterans, number one is to give them title deeds to the farms that they benefitted from as a result of the Land Reform Programme.
The offer letter is non-securitised and in breach of Chapter 16 of the Constitution. The offer letter, just like their constituencies, can go just like the wind – bhururu bhururu, yabhururuka seshiri.
</blockquote>
When Biti said war veterans’ “constituencies, can go just like the wind”, he was referring to Buhera South MP Joseph Chinotimba who led the farm invasions in 2000 and recently lost his constituency in the ZANU PF primaries. He added:
<blockquote>
Let us give them security of tenure kuti chanoti chandakarwirawo ndechichi. Chandinosiirawo vazukuru vangu ndechichi, that land and if we say the basis of the Land Reform Programme was the land, then the basis of the reward of the war veteran must be the land.
That should be the starting point. Why are we afraid to give war collaborators the land? Let us give them title deeds.
Land was the basis of the liberation struggle and hence ownership of it is deemed to have the potential of socially and economically empower veterans and their dependents.
</blockquote>
Around the year 2000, Zimbabwe embarked on a fast-track land reform programme which was largely violent in nature.
Vast tracks of land were seized from white farmers and parcelled among landless black families.
However, the chaotic nature of the programme has been blamed for Zimbabwe’s economic challenges as production on farms collapsed and western countries imposed sanctions on the country.
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200009522/ed-demands-re-run-in-violence-hotspots">Pindula News</a>

Biti Challenges Govt To Give War Veterans Title Deeds For Farms

<a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti">Tendai Biti,</a> the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Member of Parliament for Harare East legislator has said Zimbabwe is losing over US$2 billion in illicit financial flows.
Biti, a former Minister of Finance and Economic Development, urged the government of Zimbabwe to consider enacting laws to deal with illicit financial flows which he said are bleeding the southern African nation.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Biti said he was concerned about the issue of illicit financial flows in Zimbabwe. <a href="https://openparly.com/govt-urged-to-deal-with-illicit-financial-flows-as-al-jazeera-readies-corruption-documentary/">Open Parly</a> quotes him as saying:
<blockquote>
We are losing over US$2 billion annually in illicit financial flows.
What we are losing in terms of illicit financial flows is actually more than what we are getting in terms of diaspora remittances US$1 billion, what we are getting in terms of foreign aid or overseas development assistance and what we are getting in terms of foreign investment which is around $200 million.
The major culprits are the mining houses – organisations such as the ZimPlats of this world, the Unkies of this world who are guilty of transfer pricing, thin capitalization, under-invoicing and over-invoicing.
It (mining sector) is accounting for $6/$7 billion a year, yet billions are getting out of our country. We have got 65 minerals, but they are not benefiting our country. Most of the mining model in Zimbabwe is extractive. You come in, you loot and you get out leaving total destruction, unemployment and so forth.
Look at the status of Mhangura in Mashonaland West Province, it is a ghost town.  Go to Renco in Masvingo, the road there looks like a road that was built in 1492 but they have been getting gold from our country. 
So I urge that the Minister of Finance and Minister of Industry and Commerce should come up with legislation that deals with illicit financial flows from this country.
We are losing a billion USD from tobacco smuggling, a billion USD from gold smuggling on its own and we are now losing possibly $2 billion on lithium alone.  Lithium yavakungo pwititika muZimbabwe.
As I am talking to you right now, the price of lithium is US$80 000 a tonne. That is the new black gold, and we have nothing to show for it. Our people are suffering; 79% of our people are living in extreme poverty, 95% are unemployed, yet on paper, we are a very rich country.
</blockquote>
His remarks come as Al Jazeera is set to release <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/al-jazeera-investigations-on-zimbabwe-broadcast-postponed-due-to-technical-issues/">a documentary -The Gold Mafia: Laundry Service</a> – on Thursday 23 March 2023 which is allegedly an expose on illicit activities happening in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.
Illicit financial flows are said to be happening in the mining and agriculture sectors which are the key pillars of the economy. 
Former President, the late <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Robert_Mugabe">Robert Mugabe</a> at one time claimed that the country had lost about US$15 billion due to illicit deals in the diamond mining sector.
Small Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya was caught at the airport trying to smuggle about 6kgs of purified gold. There have been several others too who have been caught.
Meanwhile, Parliament recently concluded consultations on the Mines and Minerals Bill which is before Parliament and will be getting into Second Reading soon. The Bill is anticipated to bring order in the mining sector, as well as try to plug loopholes for illicit financial flows. 
<a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe Losing Over US$2 Billion Annually In Illicit Financial Flows - Biti

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti has said the recent move by the government to measure inflation using a weighted average of items priced in Zimbabwean dollars and United States dollars is insincere and an attempt to conceal rising inflation.
Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mthuli Ncube on Friday announced that the country will now measure the “blended” inflation rate.
Biti said the government always comes up with “ridiculous” policies in a bid to cover its “embarrassing failures”. Said Biti:
The Reserve Bank has this incredible but ridiculous capacity of inventing dross and reselling the same.
<blockquote>
Zimbabweans remember the fiction of the 1:1 parity exchange between the Zim $ &amp; the US$.
Operation “gedye gedye” was an embarrassing failure whose sole motive was to cover up billions ..stolen from depositors.
The new fad on the scene is the creature called “ blended inflation “ meant to refer to inflation calculated on a blend of the US$ &amp; the RTGS$.
Inflation is the measure of the price movement of a good over a period of time. Any good has one price so the blend rate is pure undiluted heresy and is a disingenuous attempt to muddle the ever-rising rate of inflation.
Yet another example of incompetence &amp; mendacity of the Central Bank. One trapped in a huge Hypocrisy Trap. Zim inflation remains the highest in the world &amp; no amount of spin can change that.
</blockquote>
Using the blended rate, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) said the year-on-year inflation for February 2023 was 92.3% from 101.5% in January.
Previously the rate of inflation was based only on items in Zimbabwean dollars.
Before Friday’s move to measure the blended inflation rate, ZIMSTAT had measured annual inflation at 229.8% in January and 243.8% in December.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Blended Inflation Rate Is "Pure, Undiluted Heresy" - Biti

<a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti">Tendai Biti,</a> a Member of Parliament for Harare East, has condemned the Insurance Bill, saying it does not protect insurers against insurance companies.
Biti said insurers suffered huge losses in 2008 when the Zimbabwe dollar collapsed and in 2019 when their insurance assets were unilaterally converted from the multicurrency regime to the Zimbabwean dollar.  
While speaking in Parliament, Biti condemned the Insurance Bill saying it did not address the losses incurred by insurers. <a href="https://openparly.com/insurance-bill-the-poor-zimbabwean-ndiye-ari-kumorwa-naana-old-mutual-naana-first-mutual-life/">Open Parly</a> cites him as saying:
<blockquote>
I wish that these three Bills, one of them is an Act, the Insurance Bill that we are discussing today, the Pension and Provident Fund now an Act and the IPEC Bill that we just parked in Committee Stage. I wish that we have had an opportunity of synchronised debate by the National Assembly because there is interconnectivity between the three Bills.
We have a crisis of the loss of values. We have the crisis of an insurance industry that is undisciplined that is extractive, that is greedy. We know this as a statement of fact Madam Speaker, because of the findings of the Justice Smith Commission of Inquiry Report that was published in March 2017. That Commission of inquiry report is an indictment against the insurance industry. It accused and found against the insurance industry, particularly two houses, the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Old_Mutual_Zimbabwe">Old Mutual</a> and the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/First_Mutual_Holdings_Limited">First Mutual</a>, rampant excessive aggrandisement, consumerism and conspicuous consumption. They live in Borrowdale in houses where engineering has said you cannot build a house but they will excavate. They drive Lamborghinis and other fancy cars parked at Sam Levy’s Village at the expense of insured individuals.
Thousands and thousands of insured workers have been pauperised by the insatiable greed of insurance actors in the insurance sector. The question that then arises Madam Speaker, is that, does this Bill that we are considering address and deal with the mischief that is there in Zimbabwe? Does an insured person who lost his value or her value as a result of the shenanigans, the omissions and the commissions of these players have her question answered?
I submit Madam Speaker that her question is not answered. The mischief of the collapse of the insurance industry has not been answered in this particular sector. <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Dexter_Nduna">Hon. Nduna</a> is here. He will tell you that there are over two million vehicles in Zimbabwe and of those, each one of them is obliged by operational flaw to pay compulsory third-party insurance. Millions and millions of dollars of third-party insurance are collected but the economy has nothing to show for it except expensive houses in Borrowdale, in Ward 18, represented by <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Allan_Markham">Hon. Rusty Markham</a>. It is not good enough. So we need radical comprehensive transformative reform of our insurance sector. 
</blockquote>
<h2>He proposed the following: </h2>
<blockquote>
i). The creation of structures of good governance inside the insurance sector. It should not be easy to own an insurance house.
ii). The strong role of the regulator considering that the Justice Smith Commission of Enquiry Report found that 19% of the loss was due to a weak regulatory framework. He said the insurance sector must give regular reports to the regulator. 
iii). The conduct of insurance. Insurance companies have been allowed to create wealth which should not have passed to the owners of policies. They have been allowed to form and hedge against inflation through the formation of property companies. He said all assets made and created by pension insurance contributions must fall into the pot and the insured person must benefit. This must have a retrospective application. 
iv). Insurance companies’ expenses must meet a certain minimum threshold, say not more than 3% to avoid a situation where they use the money for personal enrichment. 
v). Biti also said the Act gives too much excessive power to the Minister instead of giving it to the regulator, IPEC. 
vi). He also said the Act in Sections 80, 81 and 82, speaks about married persons but the Act does not define what a marriage is. He said the silence creates a problem for wives/women or partners in unregistered customary law unions since the normal definition of a marriage is a general law marriage which is now section 5.1 of the Marriages Act.
vii). He also said the insurance policy must be honoured in the currency that it was being paid considering that Zimbabwe has a currency that is very volatile. 
viii). He proposed that there should be a personal liability on bankers because they are handling millions of people’s money.  
ix). <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Insurance_and_Pensions_Commission">Insurance Pensions Commission (IPEC)</a> must be empowered to make Insurance Companies disclose investments that they have made to avoid a situation where they invest in risky businesses. 
</blockquote>
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Tendai Biti Has Condemned The Insurance Bill

Parliamentarians Friday said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) must redo the delimitation process given that many issues were detected from the commission’s preliminary delimitation report tabled in Parliament last week Friday.
The chairperson of the Parliamentary ad hoc committee Pupurai Togarepi (ZANU PF) tasked to analyse the report poked holes in the document when presenting their findings. <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200006122/parly-shreds-zec-delimitation-report">NewsDay</a> quotes him as saying:
<blockquote>
The committee noted that in the spirit of promoting and observing the principles of good governance that encompass transparency, justice and fairness, the report should have provided justifications for collapsing constituencies and wards.
The Constitution, in section 68 provides for administrative conduct or decisions that are both substantially and procedurally fair. Section 9 of the Constitution talks about good governance wherein commissions and other bodies established by or under the Constitution should carry out their functions conscientiously, fairly and honestly. The collapsing of constituencies and wards affects the legitimate expectations of stakeholders who may be adversely affected by that decision.
</blockquote>
ZEC’s delimitation report has also caused some divisions within the ruling party as alleged factions allegedly accuse each other of influencing the outcome of the report for political gain.
Togarepi also said:
<blockquote>
1). During the oral evidence, ZEC claimed that constituencies with fewer registered voters were dissolved to give in registered voters to the Constituencies which had more numbers of registered voters.
2). ZEC was supposed to use census results in coming up with the report.
3). ZEC should ensure that there is an equal number of voters in constituencies or wards as provided for in terms of Section 161 (3) and (4) of the Constitution. 
4). ZEC should maintain constituencies with more voters and collapse those with fewer voters.
</blockquote>
Ad hoc committee member Senator Douglas Mwonzora said the report is unacceptable because it did not consider the voter population.
Mwonzora said Zec must redo the delimitation exercise based on the population census instead of data which was made 15 years ago.
Harare East Citizens Coalition for Change legislator Tendai Biti echoed Mwonzora’s remarks.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Parliamentarians Say ZEC Must Redo The Delimitation Process

Former Finance and Economic Development Minister, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti">Tendai Biti</a>, has said the ruling ZANU PF has over the years been preaching the gospel of violence in Murehwa and Mashonaland East.
His remarks come against the backdrop of reports of <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/watch-zrp-speaks-on-murewa-political-violence-recorded-on-video/">politically-motivated violence meted out on some senior citizens</a> by alleged ZANU PF supporters for supporting the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led by Nelson Chamisa.
In a series of Twitter messages seen by Pindula News, Biti, a co-vice president in the CCC, said it was “time to stop the murders.” He said:
<blockquote>
The recent violence unleashed on citizens in Murewa is completely unacceptable. The right to belong to a different political party is a constitutional right. #ZANU can’t seek to recalibrate Zimbabwe as a one-party State.
#ZANU treats Mash East &amp; Murewa as private property. They preach the gospel of violence in this province. On 22 May 2008, they abducted Sherpherd Jani in broad daylight. His brutalized body was found 2 days later at Chiminya Farm in Goromonzi. He was so tortured &amp; nobody viewing was done at his funeral. 
Over the years houses have been burnt, people killed &amp; displaced. 2008 was one of the worst years against citizens when places like Headlands &amp; Chaona become cites (sites) of bloodshed &amp; torture. It’s time to stop the murders &amp; the entrenched culture of impunity.
</blockquote>
The ruling ZANU PF has denied the allegations that its supporters are the ones filmed assaulting people in videos circulating on social media.
ZANU PF Director for Information, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tafadzwa_Mugwadi">Tafadzwa Mugwadi</a> said there is <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/murehwa-violence-nothing-identifies-culprits-as-zanu-pf-supporters-mugwadi/">no evidence to suggest that the assailants are members</a> of the ruling party.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

"ZANU PF Preaches The Gospel Of Violence In Mashonaland East" - Biti

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti has warned that working families in Zimbabwe will experience severe financial hardships in 2023 due to runaway inflation that will be worsened by government mismanagement of the exchange rate and “unrestrained spending”.
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing three-digit inflation, exchange rate volatility, and a liquidity crunch.
Biti, who is Harare East MP (CCC) predicted that the exchange rate will continue to slide adding de-dollarisation has utterly failed. He said:
<blockquote>
2023 will be a rough and tough year for working families in Zimbabwe. Inflation will remain in hyperinflation mode driven by the total mismanagement of the exchange rate, unrestrained government spending, the printing of money by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and corruption.
End of the year, the Zimbabwean dollar was trading at ZW$1200 to US$1. The rate will continue to slide driven by huge import demands, money printing and a lack of confidence in the ZW$.
For all intents and purposes de -dollarisation has failed and Zimbabwe is largely a US$ cash economy.
As we have argued in Parliament, output will shrink due to excessive lending rates of 200%, the crippling power supply, overregulation and the unstable exchange rate. Zimbabwe’s growth will therefore be less than 1%.
The failure to address the sovereign debt crises is an absolute shame. The debt crisis is placing a development premium on Zimbabwe as same is unable to access huge amounts of capital seating with the IFIs.
Genuine structural reforms are required which are way beyond ZANU PF.
</blockquote>
Biti, who served as the country’s Finance Minister from 2009 to 2013 proposed the creation of a “new Transformation Consensus”. He said:
<blockquote>
Most importantly a new Transformation Consensus is required that will focus on recalibrating the political polity to come up with a new social contract and secondly attend to the developmental and social deficit.
Like the Asian Tigers, Singapore, Taiwan, etc Zim must find a way of bypassing the Industrial Revolution and fast trekking itself into the 22nd Century.
Put simply, how do we build a US$200 billion economy in the next ten years with a per capita income of US$6000?
This is the Great New Zimbabwe Dream. It will happen sooner rather than later.
</blockquote>

2023 Will Be A Rough And Tough Year For Working Families, Says Tendai Biti

FULL TEXT: Biti Submissions For The 2023 National Budget Debate

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti said that the current electricity crisis has exposed ZANU PF’s ineptitude in dealing with the challenges facing the country.
Zimbabweans are enduring at least 18 hours without electricity a day, with little hope that the problem will be fixed anytime soon.
Biti said the power shortages can be addressed through imports, the issuance of licences to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and fast-tracking the commissioning of new Units at Hwange Thermal Power Station, among other measures. Said Biti:
<blockquote>
The power situation has exposed the cluelessness and vacuousness of the regime.
That the regime can’t find an urgent solution to such an obvious crisis is beyond belief.
1) Increase urgent power imports, 2)Issue urgent IPP licenses, 3) Fast trek Hwange Units 7 and 8, 4) Invest in renewable energy particularly Solar and the Manicaland hydro, 5) Work on fresh power generation particularly Batoka, 6) Work on transmission, 7) Deal with Demand Side Management, 8) Converge and professionalize ZESA units, 9) Attend to rural electrification.
</blockquote>
Biti said the 2023 national budget growth projection of 3.8% is not attainable as it is based on an assumption of normal energy supply.
He also criticised President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s plan to disconnect households from the national electricity grid in response to the energy crisis.
Writing in his weekly opinion article published in The Sunday Mail, Mnangagwa said:
<blockquote>
We have a blueprint that targets households to run on solar, so we remove them from the national grid.
In government, we are already incorporating solar systems in packages that public servants enjoy.
Such employer-assisted interventions, across the sectors, will see us speedily migrating more households to solar.
</blockquote>

Biti's Nine-point Plan To Deal With Energy Crisis

Zimbabwe is reportedly negotiating with neighbouring Zambia for additional power imports following indications that the country’s <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Kariba_South_Power_Station">Kariba South Power Station</a> could soon be switched off due to low water levels.
Acting Information minister<a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Jenfan_Muswere"> Jenfan Muswere</a> told a post-Cabinet briefing yesterday that deliberations had been made and Energy minister Zhemu Soda would update the nation soon.
Apart from the Zambia deal, Zimbabwe is banking on the expected coming online of Hwange unit 7 with an additional 300 megawatts (MW) next month.
Tests are reported to have been run although indications are that after the formal commissioning, the plant will run gradually until it optimises.
Zambia and Zimbabwe have a combined generation capacity of 2 130 megawatts at Kariba, which is on the Zambezi River that separates the two countries.
In July, Zambia declared that it had a surplus of about 1 000 MW.
According to the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zimbabwe_Power_Company">Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC)</a> website, Hwange Power Station is generating just 245MW, while other power stations Harare, Bulawayo, Munyati and Kariba are generating 11MW, 0MW, 14MW and 854MW, respectively, to give a total of 1 124MW, against a peak demand of 2 200 MW.
The move to engage Zambia comes after the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) chief executive officer Munyaradzi Munodawafa said Zimbabwe had exhausted its 2022 water allocation necessitating the shutdown of the Kariba South Bank Power Station.
However, former Finance minister <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tendai_Biti">Tendai Biti</a> said Zimbabwe needed a fresh 2 000MW on its national grid to meet rising demand. He told <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200004326/zim-turns-to-zambia-for-power-bailout">NewsDay</a>:
<blockquote>
You should just strike off Kariba, forget about it and look at new projects such as Batoka which can give you 2 000MW split in half between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
</blockquote>
He said the balance comes from alternative sources, including wind, solar and independent power producers.
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