MNANGAGWA SIGNS INSIDE ‘DRACONIAN’ 10 PAGE PATRIOTIC A Zim ...

GUTI'S UNFULFILLED DREAM OF BRINGING CHAMISA, MNANGAGWA TOGETHER

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New Zimbabwe

Issue 44 16 July 2023 - 22 July 2023

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MNANGAGWA SIGNS

INSIDE

`DRACONIAN' PATRIOTIC

PAGE

10

`Not for the fainthearted': A Zim farmers's

journey

BILL INTO

PAGE

13

LAW

By Staff Reporter

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed into law the muchcriticised Criminal Law Code Amendment Bill, widely known as the "Patriotic Bill".

to page 2

Zimbabwean legend, Thomas Mapfumo retires in exile

PAGE

19

Andy Flower "much more positive" about Zim Cricket's future

ALSO INSIDE Vote ED ? says retired US Boxer Mayweather after State House visit I Page 3

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Page 2 I News

New Zimbabwe

New Zimbabwe Issue 44 16 July 2023 - 22 July 2023

NEWS

Mnangagwa signs `draconian' Patriotic Bill into law...

from page 1

This was confirmed in the government gazette General Notice 1189 of 2023.

"The following laws, which were assented to by His Excellency the President, are published in terms of section 131(6) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe- Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act, 2023. (No.10 of 2023), Labour Amendment Act, 2023 (No 11 of 2023)," read the notice by Misheck Sibanda Chief Secretary to the

President and Cabinet.

The controversial

Bill sailed through the

Zimbabwean Parliament

in June after 99 MPs voted

in its favour and 17 against.

The bill then sailed

through the Senate before

Presidential assent.

Among

other

things, the Patriotic Act

criminalises any actions

considered to be wilfully

damaging the sovereignty

and national interest of the

country.

The crime will have

been committed by a

citizen or permanent

resident of Zimbabwe

who takes an active part

in a meeting involving

or convened by an agent

of a foreign government,

if the citizen or resident

knows or has the reason

to believe, among other

things that the meeting

was to consider or plan

armed intervention in

Zimbabwe by the foreign

government or to subvert

the

Constitutional

government.

Penalties include

a death sentence and

life imprisonment if the

meeting one is convicted

for was to plan armed

intervention.

For subversion, one

will face up to 29 years

imprisonment while if the

meeting is considered to

have been for trade boycott

or sanctions, one will have

to pay a ZW$20 000 fine or

10 years imprisonment or

both.

When the Bill sailed

through

parliament

Zimbabwe Human Rights

NGO Forum director said:

"That law enacted is bad.

It's an unconstitutional law.

It infringes on freedom

of speech, freedom of

assembly, freedom of association, all sorts of civil and political rights are infringed by this type of Bill. In my estimation.

"This Bill is the most draconian law that we have seen in Zimbabwe. Laws like POSA and AIPA given the PVO Bill that is currently on the making, they come nowhere near the infringements that this Bill infringes on the society. If this law is gazetted it will obviously be challenged in the courts."

Guti's unfulfilled dream:

How late revered Zimbabwean church leader tried to bring Chamisa, Mnangagwa together

By Darlington Gatsi

AS an old adage says with age comes wisdom.

This rings true to the late clergyman Ezekiel Guti whose grey hair symbolised the wisdom that the revered Apostle had amassed in his 100 years.

Guti, credited for founding the biggest independent Pentecostal church in the land, Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA) passed on last week in South Africa.

This marked an end to an end of an eight decades long ministry.

His demise led to an outpouring of condolence messages from the political divide.

This is testament to his influence in the political space with nemesis Zanu PF leader President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa apportioning respect on the centenarian.

His death marked a demise of his dream that he

embarked in 2019, months after Zimbabwe held its historic and disputed 2018 general elections.

The country found itself in a fractious position with Mnangagwa and Chamisa, then leader of MDC-Alliance, being at loggerheads as a result of the elections.

Guti, together with other religious leaders sought to bring Mnangagwa and Chamisa to the

dialogue table to iron out their political differences.

Chamisa turned out for the event that was held at a local Harare Hotel with Mnangagwa being represented by his party's fourth influential force, Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri.

Taking to the podium, Guti urged Chamisa and Mnangagwa to bury their political hatchet and put Zimbabwe's interests ahead of their egos.

"At times it is necessary

to lose one's interest to

accommodate another. It is

like in a marriage, couples

give up some of their

interests to stay together,"

said Guti.

Guti's gesture brought

renewed hope to a polarised

Zimbabwean

society

that the two political

heavyweights would smoke

a peace pipe, ushering the

country on a new path.

However four years

after the audacious bid

to bring the political

protagonists on the

negotiating table the two

have failed to acknowledge

each other, deepening

political divisions.

Political

analyst

Lazarus Sauti contends

that the failed dialogue was

a missed opportunity for

Chamisa and Mnangagwa

to find each other.

"All the problems

bedevilling Zimbabwe are

triggered by the political

climate in the country. The

country should deal with

its politics to stimulate

sustainable socio-economic

development.

"In light of this, the

dialogue that was being

initiated by Guti and

company in 2019 between

President

Emmerson

Mnangagwa and opposition

leader Nelson Chamisa

and died a stillbirth, was a

missed opportunity on the

part of the politicians and

the general citizenry. These

two leaders should sit and

iron out issues affecting the

country today," he said.

New Zimbabwe Issue 44 16 July 2023 - 22 July 2023

News I Page 3

Vote ED ? says retired

US Boxer Mayweather

after State House visit

By Leopold Munhende Chief Correspondent

RETIRED American

Boxer Floyd Mayweather

has urged Zimbabweans

to vote for President

Emmerson Mnangagwa,

describing the Zanu

PF candidate as

`unbelievable'

after

visiting him at State

House, Friday.

The statement which

has divided opinion on

social media platforms

confirms that gold-dealer-

cum Zanu PF politician

Scott Sakupwanya indeed

flew the multi-millionaire

boxing legend into the

country to help campaign

for Mnangagwa and

himself.

Sakupwanya took

Mayweather to Mabvuku

Constituency where he

has sunk millions of US

dollars in hopes of making

it to Parliament, including

adopting a road earmarked

for development under

Mnangagwa's Emergency

Road

Rehabilitation

Programme 2 (ERRP2).

Speaking to journalists

after meeting Mnangagwa,

Mayweather

said

Mnangagwa's win would

be a win for the people of

Zimbabwe.

"I am happy to be here,

we have been working on

this for a long time now,"

said Mayweather. "I want to give back to

the people of Zimbabwe and that is what we were talking about today. The President is unbelievable, he is for the people, and I told him he has my support 100%, win

this for a great cause and win this for the people."

Mnangagwa's human rights record has been touted as among the worst, with various political figures and reports equating it to his predecessor, Robert

Mugabe. He heads to the August

23 elections in a race against 10 contestants, among them Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) President Nelson Chamisa, his main contender.

Secret underground abortion clinics thrive in Zimbabwe

By Dalphine Tagwireyi |Scrolla Africa

ZIMBABWEAN health professionals are profiting from the under-the-table sale of abortion pills due to low salaries and blocked migration routes.

Abortion in Zimbabwe is illegal and punishable by up to five years in prison. Only registered medical practitioners can perform terminations and only with court authorisation.

Health professionals are charging from R1,500 (US$85) for terminating a one-month pregnancy, increasing the fee depending on the length of the pregnancy.

Abortion pills. Image source: Abortion Clinic Zimbabwe

A nurse who works at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare said they can make up to R15,000 in their syndicate.

"Most of our clients are unable to visit the hospital

to request an abortion," she said.

She said nurses in the country are struggling as they continue to earn salaries pegged in local currency.

"We have no option. Under these circumstances, we are forced to do illegal things to sustain our salaries," she said.

"Selling abortion pills pays well, and we know it's illegal but we also have clients relying on us."

A pharmacist who is also part of a backyard abortion syndicate said that most clients seek their services and cleaning pills as well.

"We don't only provide them with safe abortion pills, we also give them cleaning pills so that they don't suffer any complications," he said.

Angel Chikohora, a 19-year-old student, said

that she was forced to abort when she discovered her pregnancy.

"I am in my first year of university. I ended up buying abortion pills from a nurse at Parirenyatwa Hospital. It's been four months and I have not suffered any complications," she said.

A representative of nurses at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Allan Nyamupinga, didn't shed light on the illegal dealings, but he mentioned that the economic situation has left many health professionals struggling to make ends meet, with some unable to afford necessities.

Page 4 I News

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New Zimbabwe Issue 44 16 July 2023 - 22 July 2023

News I Page 5

Harare's sex workers become

targets for criminals

By Darlington Gatsi

SAMANTHA GARWE aged 27 sits on a pavement in one of the streets of Harare; head bowed sobbing finding solace in the arms of colleagues.

A sight that on-lookers could not escape, Garwe who was wearing a short dress which had done diligence in exposing her glistening legs, left many men drooling.

She could not fathom what had happened to her, a night of toil in the streets of Harare had turned out to be the ones whose jaws she had escaped from.

As the winter sun sets in Harare, Garwe has a mixed feelings of her fortunes in the biting cold winter that is characterising Harare.

Being a weekday, and the weather counting to her disadvantage, Garwe was hoping lady charm could smile at her.

"I was approached by a man who was driving a Honda Fit car. I thought he was one of the clients who generously threw money at us for a good time," said Garwe.

Garwe found herself in the car looking forward to servicing her client who had offered much `envied night'.

In their street language, a night refers to an offer for one to enjoy sexual privileges for a period that overlaps into the morning of the next day.

With it comes a higher return for female sex

workers, a thought that buoyed Garwe to take up the offer of that unknown man.

"Well he told me that he would take me to a lodge along Samora Machel Avenue. It became strange to me when we passed the lodge.

"Something was off about where we were going. When I asked him where going he raised his voice and I could not escape as the doors were locked.

"We went to a strange place along Bulawayo Road where he parked and demanded the money I had made for my short time before raping me and leaving me there," Garwe said as she fought back tears.

Garwe, who lives in the

high density of Budiriro, leaves behind a two year old daughter and two siblings whose confidence had been placed on her for survival.

It is this background and responsibility that drove Garwe into the night life in the streets of Harare.

According to latest statistics, a staggering 2.7 million Zimbabweans of the working group are currently unemployed.

This has driven women like Garwe into commercial sex work to eke out a living and escape vagaries of unemployment which has been worsened by economic rot.

Zimbabwe Statistics agency (ZIMSTA) end of 2022 recorded that 59.6 percent of women were

are unemployed with the majority resorting to commercial sex work as a profession.

According to an organisation that works towards an end to AIDS, AIDSFONDS around 63 percent of commercial sex workers in Zimbabwe have experienced physical, economic and emotional violence.

Another commercial sex worker Cathrine Chakodzwa, said violence against their trade has been escalating.

"This has become normal to us. Men come here to offer us money for a good time but with hidden agendas. Some have escaped death from some violent men who pick us here," said Chakodzwa.

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