VIOLENCE, INTIMIDATION OF ZIM OPPOSITION AHEAD OF ELECTIONS PAGE

[Pages:20]VIOLENCE,

INTIMIDATION

OF

ZIM

OPPOSITION

AHEAD

OF

ELECTIONS

PAGE

3

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New Zimbabwe

Issue 43 9 July 2023 - 15 July 2023

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ZIM PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR KUDA TAGWIREI UNMOVED BY MONEY LAUNDERING CLAIMS

By News24

JOHANNESBURG

-

Zimbabwean presidential

advisor and businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei

is unmoved by an investigation unit's expos?

that he allegedly used fronts and fake invoices to

buy nickel and gold mines with a combined value of

R431 million in 2019.

Two US investigation

units, The Sentry and Open

Secrets, released a report

titled "Fronts, Fakes, and

Fa?ades: How South African

and Mauritian Enablers

Helped Move Millions from

Zimbabwe to Britain".

In response to inquiries

by News24, Tagwirei said: "I

know that you already know

that I don't comment on

such distractions."

In 2020, the US imposed

sanctions on Tagwirei

who they referred

to as "a notoriously

corrupt Zimbabwean

businessman".

to page 2

Kudakwashe Tagwirei

INSIDE

PAGE

2

Promoter says Madam Boss complicit in million-dollar e-Creator Ponzi Scheme

Hollywood-based actor Chirisa retraces his roots

PAGE

16

PAGE

19

Darikwa relishing new adventure in Cyprus

ALSO INSIDE Multichoice believes Zimbabwe may prove a better market than Nigeria I Page 9

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Page 2 I News

New Zimbabwe

New Zimbabwe Issue 43 9 July 2023 - 15 July 2023

NEWS

Zim presidential advisor Kuda Tagwirei unmoved by money laundering claims...

from page 1

The sanctions were for

"materially assisting senior

Zimbabwean government

officials involved in public

corruption".

Tagwirei

stands

accused of using his

relationships with the

highest political office to

gain state contracts and

receive favoured access to

hard currency.

The report

According to The

Sentry and Open Secrets,

he moved suspicious funds

from the Reserve Bank of

Zimbabwe (RBZ) using

fronts, false invoices, and

offshore financial fa?ades.

This was done

with enablers from

South African company

directors, a Mauritian

management company

agent and a Cayman

Islands investment fund.

The investigation

reveals how Tagwirei

acquired the mines

for US$29.5 million

(R431 million) from the

bankrupt ASA Resource

Group, managed by British

company administrators

Duff & Phelps, now known

as Kroll.

Documents indicate

Tagwirei used Sotic

International, a Mauritian

company, as his front.

These purchases were

made over the course of

three payments, each of

which involved suspicious

behaviour.

When redeeming a

US$60 million chunk of a

sizable Treasury Bill given

to Tagwirei's business,

Sakunda Holdings, Sotic's

Zimbabwean subsidiary,

Landela Investments,

obtained hard currency

from the RBZ at a

favourable exchange rate.

Landela informed

the RBZ some funds were

required to purchase

Bindura Nickel.

South

African

directors created export

invoices that were not

recorded in Zimbabwe's

official customs records

to move money into

Mauritius from Zimbabwe

for Sotic's second ?12

million payment.

This raised concerns

about whether trade

mis-invoicing, a method

frequently used in trade-

based money laundering,

had taken place.

To conceal the source

of the final ?8.7 million

payment,

Tagwirei

transferred his money

into Sotic via an intricate

offshore fa?ade.

The report also

alleges the president of

Zimbabwe, Emmerson

Mnangagwa, code-named

"HE" in emails, and the

permanent secretary at the

finance ministry, George

Guvamatanga, "took a

close interest in Sotic's

affairs".

Capital Horizons, a

Mauritian company linked

to the money transfers through the formation of Sotic, responded to The Sentry, saying it dealt with Christopher Fourie who once revealed he was hired by Tagwirei to establish Sotic.

Capital, in its response, said it had done its due diligence before including Tagwirei as a shareholder in Sotic.

However, he was classified as a high-risk politically exposed person but passed the vetting test.

"When conducting media searches, Capital Horizons established that Mr Tagwirei and his company were partners of the Davos World Economic Forum Summit; he was involved in a limited number of commercial disputes; and he was subject to adverse comments from the political opposition party in Zimbabwe.

"These results were

mitigated by reasonable

explanations and the

clear unreliability of the

politically

motivated

statements.

"Capital Horizons

addressed the commercial

disputes with Mr Tagwirei

and obtained from his

lawyers an undertaking that

he was not subject to any

criminal or administrative

investigations,"

said

Capital Horizons.

According to it,

Tagwirei did not appear

in the ownership of Almas

Opportunity Fund, which

owns 65% of Sotic.

The News24 Africa

Desk is supported by the

Hanns Seidel Foundation.

The stories produced

through the Africa Desk

and the opinions and

statements that may be

contained herein do not

reflect those of the Hanns

Seidel Foundation.

Socialite Madam Boss complicit in million-dollar e-Creator Ponzi Scheme - says arts promoter Mhako

By Staff Reporter

PROMINENT

Arts

Promoter Plot Mhako

has said Madam

Boss and any media

organisation that helped

prop up the e-Creator

platform which recently

defrauded hundreds of

over a million USD, are

complicit in the fraud.

e-Creator, housed at

fancy Joina City in Harare,

became popular in early

June with social media

posts and reviews of how

people were making a

killing and changing their

lives financially, just by

investing certain amounts

of dollars into its account.

A number of articles

were run on the Ponzi

Scheme, encouraging

Zimbabweans to join it

by depositing different

amounts in return for

double their money.

Madam Boss

Others

however

dismissed it as a scam.

Madam Boss on the

other hand was its Brand

Ambassador, frequently

promoting it on her page,

personally responding to

fans and advising them on

how to go about its process

step-by-step.

Mhako's comment

on the matter came hours

Plot Mhako

after she apologised for her role in the scam, distancing herself from those that gained, adding her team had done thorough background checks before taking up the offer.

"We in most cases deal with the marketing team and not the company directors and this was the case with e-Creator, we

met the marketing team at their offices at Joina City, asked relevant questions to ascertain their legitimacy and we were happy with the work they were doing to over 50,000 people and according to some articles they were one of the leading e-commerce companies in the country," read Madam Boss's apology.

The company released a statement informing its clients of this fraud, urging them to look for a Chinese national Zhao Jiaotong who was said to have vanished with over a million US dollars of their deposits.

Creator has since been trending on most social media platforms, including recently launched Threads.

"When the media and social influencers participate in promoting and propping up platforms that scam people they are enablers and complicit in duping people. Ignorance is no defence," said Mhako.

Madam Boss is a Brand Ambassador for some of Zimbabwe's big companies such as Nyaradzo Insurance, TN Bakery and Hello Paisa.

New Zimbabwe Issue 43 9 July 2023 - 15 July 2023

News I Page 3

Violence, intimidation of Zim

opposition ahead of elections

Zimbabwe opposition supporters feel sharp edge of Zanu-PF knife in segue to elections

By Daily Maverick

HARARE - Zimbabwe's

main opposition Citizens

Coalition for Change

(CCC) party led by Nelson

Chamisa is accusing

president Emmerson

Mnangagwa's

ruling

Zanu-PF of targeting its

supporters in some parts

of the southern African

nation as the country

gears up for the 23 August

2023 general elections.

Prior to the

proclamation of the election

date by Mnangagwa,

Chamisa accused his rival

of gangsterism after some of

his rallies were blocked by

the police and violence was

meted out to his supporters

by vigilante groups aligned

to the ruling party.

In Masvingo Province,

opposition

members

accused the police of

blocking Chamisa's rally

that was set for Tshovani

Stadium in Chiredzi town,

about 430km south of the

capital, where eight of his

supporters were arrested.

Former

deputy

information

minister

Energy Mutodi allegedly

fired live ammunition

towards CCC supporters

who were reportedly

waiting for their leader

to address them at

Baradzanwa

Business

Centre on Thursday.

"Mutodi came to the

venue with two trucks

carrying Zanu-PF members

and started throwing

stones at CCC members.

When the citizens started

to advance towards Zanu-

PF members to question

their motive, Mutodi then

pulled out a pistol and fired

two shots towards the CCC

members and sped away in

his H2 Hummer. He was in

the company of Kumbirai

Ziki, a known FAZ member

in Bikita South," said CCC

activist Farai Chikadzi over

the phone. It could not

be established if anyone

was injured during the

skirmishes.

In Hurungwe district

in Mashonaland West

Province, the opposition's

parliamentary candidate

for Hurungwe West

Constituency, Innocent

Zvarevashe, claimed that

one of his campaign vehicles

was attacked by suspected

Zanu-PF members, leaving

its windows shattered.

"We were at Doro

Business Centre where

Zanu-PF members came

in their vehicle and tore

party regalia that I had

distributed to CCC

supporters. I proceeded

to Ngoresha shops where

some Zanu-PF thugs

ambushed me and attacked

my car using catapults,

resulting in one of the car's

windows being damaged,"

said Zvarevashe who added

that opposition supporters

in his constituency were

now living in fear.

Human rights advocate

targeted

Top human rights

lawyer Obey Shava said he

was attacked by suspected

State Security agents, who

claimed to be potential

clients, a day after the high

court had acquitted three

CCC activists on charges of

faking their abduction and

subsequent torture.

Shava, who is one

of the legal practitioners

who represented Joanna

Mamombe,

Cecelia

Chimbiri and Netsai

Marowa following their

abduction, suffered severe

injuries on his legs after

he was beaten and left

for dead. The unknown

assailants were yet to be

arrested, according to the

police who say they are still

investigating the matter.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for

Human Rights condemned

Injuries sustained by human rights lawyer Obey Shava after being attacked by suspected state security agents. (Photo: Supplied)

Shava's attack: "We believe that this savage attack on Shava is a desperate attempt to silence and deter him from doing his critical work as a legal practitioner. No lawyer should be assaulted, intimidated or interfered with in the execution of his professional duties," said ZLHR spokesperson Kumbirai Mafunda.

Meanwhile, CCC spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere called on police to take swift action before violence spreads to other parts of the country as political campaigns gather momentum ahead of the election.

"We condemn these violent and criminal acts and call for the urgent

arrest of the perpetrators. We expect the police to act swiftly to bring those who are unleashing violence on our peaceful supporters during our lawful campaign activities.

"This demonstrates beyond doubt that ZanuPF is terrified and well aware that they can never win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe. We remain defiant and ready to secure a citizens' victory for change against all odds," said Mahere.

Zanu-PF information director Tafadzwa Mugwadi laughed off the CCC claims saying the opposition party was clueless.

"Chamisa and his clueless and structureless

party have no shame; they

do not have the support of

the people; this is why they

are cooking up all these

stories. They know very well

that they are going to lose

the elections on 23 August.

Assuming that any violence

occurred, they should

approach the police who

will entertain them and

conduct investigations,"

said Mugwadi.

National

police

spokesperson, Assistant

Commissioner Paul Nyathi,

encouraged political parties

to conduct their campaigns

peacefully adding that the

police would not hesitate to

arrest anyone found on the

wrong side of the law.

to page 4

Page 4 I News

New Zimbabwe Issue 43 9 July 2023 - 15 July 2023

Violence, intimidation of Zim opposition ahead of elections...

from page 3

"No one is above the law; we are going to arrest anyone who would be found on the wrong side of the law. As the police we are saying `No' to violence as we approach these elections. We have deployed our teams in all the districts countrywide to ensure that peace is maintained before, during and after these elections. All cases that are reported to us will be dealt with without fear or favour," said Nyathi.

The opposition has also blamed Forever Associates of Zimbabwe -- a shadowy group linked to the country's spy network, the Central Intelligence Organisation -- which

has been accused by the

opposition of interfering

in the electoral process

resulting in the Zimbabwe

Electoral Commission

producing a voters' roll

that has been branded

as "shambolic" by the

opposition.

Political

analyst

Rashweat Mukundu said

the violence being reported

in some parts of the country

was compromising the

credibility of the polls.

"The integrity of the

2023 election is already

compromised. There is no

doubt that the ruling party,

the security structures and

the electoral management

body have all conspired to

manipulate the electoral

process to favour Zanu-

PF so it is not surprising at all that the police are banning CCC rallies and that opposition supporters are being beaten up across Zimbabwe. This is a well-orchestrated political strategy that is intended to instil fear within the generality of opposition supporters," said Mukundu.

He added that the opposition should not give in despite the shenanigans of the Mnangagwa administration. History of censorship, violence

In the 2018 elections, Chamisa disputed the results of the elections alleging vote-rigging by Mnangagwa and his party

but his court challenge

was thrown out by the

Constitutional Court for

lack of evidence.

In 2009, Chamisa's

predecessor and founder

of the Movement for

Democratic

Change,

Morgan

Tsvangirai,

formed

a

unity

government with the late

former president Robert

Mugabe after Zanu-PF

ran a violent campaign

in the 2008 presidential

runoff vote that left dozens

of opposition supporters

dead while others were

displaced.

Tsvangirai

pulled out of the second

round of voting declaring

that "I am not going to go

to State House walking

over dead bodies."

Violent elections and

human rights violations

saw Zimbabwe's top

leadership being put

under sanctions by the

West. However, the Harare

administration claimed

that it was being punished

for embarking on agrarian

reforms that empowered

majority black Zimbweans,

displacing over 400 white

commercial farmers and

leaving thousands of their

farm workers without any

source of income.

Economists blame

the chaotic land reforms

for Zimbabwe's economic

downturn,

while

Mnangagwa and his

cronies are blaming the

restrictive measures for

the economic upheaval.

Human rights watchdogs condemn brutal attack on top Zim lawyer, send solidarity messages

By Mary Taruvinga

LAWYERS

across

the continent have

condemned

the

brutal attack on top

Zimbabwean human

rights lawyer Obey Shava

by unidentified assailants

on Wednesday.

Shava, a founding

partner with Shava Law

Chambers (Rights and

Business Centre) and a

member of Zimbabwe

Lawyers for Human Rights

(ZLHR), was assaulted by

four unidentified men,

who accosted him after

masquerading as potential

clients in desperate need of

legal assistance.

According to ZLHR,

before the assault, the four

men presented themselves

at Shava Law Chambers and

completed the formalities

for new clients.

During that time, Shava

was attending to another

case at Mbare Police Station.

"Shava reportedly

received calls from

these people, who were

pretending to be potential

clients needing legal

assistance and wanted to

meet him. They advised him

that they could not wait for him to attend to them the next day. Shava then met the so-called potential clients ? who were travelling in a Mercedes Benz vehicle with no registration number plates and a Range Rover," said ZLHR in a statement.

Upon meeting them, the four unidentified men briefly presented their socalled case and, without provocation, assaulted Shava, and he sustained injuries.

They also attacked an assistant at his law firm.

"ZLHR condemns this barbaric form of violence against Shava. Shava has a human right to live free from violence and mistreatment.

"Shava has been an untiring advocate for justice and equality and has courageously stood up for the rights of oppressed persons and some marginalised communities.

"We believe that this savage attack on Shava is a desperate attempt to silence and deter him from doing his critical work as a legal practitioner.

"Just like any other

Obey Shava

legal practitioner, Shava has

a right to practice any area

of the law without fear of

retribution for carrying out

his professional duties. No

lawyer should be assaulted,

intimidated, hindered

or interfered with in the

execution of his professional

duties," said ZLHR.

The lawyers said

they should be treated

in a manner consistent

with the provisions of the

Constitution, the United

Nations

International

Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights and the

United Nations Basic

Principles on the Role of

Lawyers.

The International

Commission of Jurists ?

Africa (ICJ-Africa) also

condemned the attack on Shava.

His attack came a day after his clients, opposition members, Joana Mamombe and Cecilia were acquitted on publishing falsehoods charges.

"ICJ is deeply concerned about the vicious attack on Zimbabwean lawyer Obey Shava @obeyshava1 who represented @ JoanaMamombe and @ ceechimbiri2 after their abduction and torture, sexual assault and torture.

"That this attack follows during the same week that Joana and Cecilia were acquitted of criminal charges alleging that they lied about the abduction, torture, sexual assault does not appear to be coincidental.

"A reminder of the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers Article 18: Lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients' causes as a result of discharging their functions," said ICJ in a statement."

The Law Society of Zimbabwe said it is

disturbed by the extent of the attack.

"While we are still trying to gather details of the incident, the Law Society of Zimbabwe is disturbed by the gory pictures circulating on social media and condemn in the strongest terms this arbitrary use of violence."

Southern Defenders, another grouping of rights lawyers, said "violence against defenders of justice is an assault on democratic value," urging authorities to safeguard lawyers and hold perpetrators accountable.

Social media has been awash with solidarity messages with activists demanding justice.

His client Mamombe wrote, "Shava fearlessly represented us after we were abducted, tortured and sexually abused by suspected State agents."

CCC's Tendai Biti said the brutal assault "is a reflection of how low, how fragile the political polity has become in this country. We have truly become a fascist tin pot Republic."

New Zimbabwe Issue 43 9 July 2023 - 15 July 2023

News I Page 5

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New Zimbabwe Issue 43 9 July 2023 - 15 July 2023

News I Page 7

Navigating the publishing

industry as a black woman

Author and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga is propeople, not anti-government, and unfazed by AI

Tsitsi Dangarembga

By Irene Kalulu bird story agency

TSITSI Dangarembga is a

Zimbabwean playwright,

filmmaker and award-

winning novelist who

is vocal about freedom

of expression and

human rights. In 2020,

she was arrested and

later convicted by a

Zimbabwean court for

inciting violence after

carrying out a march

calling for political

reforms. The charge was

later overturned.

Her first book,

"Nervous Conditions",

earned

her

the

Commonwealth Writers

Prize, with the New York

Times calling it one of

the 20th century's most

significant works of African

literature. Other works

include "This Mournable

Body", "The Book of Not",

and most recently, a book of essays titled "Black and Female". Congratulations on publishing your first nonfiction book, `Black and Female', last year! How was the transition from writing fiction to nonfiction? Could you share your experience?

When I came to study film in Berlin in 1989, I came to do a practical course, but some of the things that were part of the curriculum at that time made me wonder why they were in the curriculum. For example, one of the films we were shown was the 1915 film, `The Birth of Gretchen'. I was completely shocked that they were presenting it as a teaching tool because it was deeply racist. Even

when it was released in the US, some states banned it because it was too racist. That experience made me learn what I could about film theory independently.

Since then, I have published a few articles on film theory, looking at feminist film theory from an intersectional perspective. I have published two or three articles, and I do quite a lot of public speaking on these issues. I have been working in the area of nonfiction since the 1990s, but I simply have not put together a volume that contains my work exclusively. `Black and Female' was simply me going back to all this work that I had been doing since the 1990s and the speeches I have given on the continent, especially in South Africa.

In the book, you write, "What writing while black and female does constrain for me is access to publication opportunities, and when I am published, avenues to reputable, professional publishing houses and lucrative contracts, money being the currency of empire." One would think that with your reputation in the industry, you would not face these problems at all. How have you navigated this?

I have not managed to navigate it as such. About 12 companies own all the publishing houses in the world, the big publishing houses. Of course, independent publishing houses go at it on their own. When one sees that power

is accumulated in one area, one can imagine that the policy that flows from this power will be uniform. Whether we like it or not, there are other powers in the world at the moment, but in terms of controlling the narrative of what the rest of the world sees, the global West is still doing that.

So while there is more publishing of black women now compared to when I began and my role models began, people like the late Ama Ata Aidoo. There are now more opportunities, but my thinking is that the narratives allowed by these publishing groupings decide on the same kind of narratives because these are the narratives that suit their purposes.

to page 8

Page 8 I News

New Zimbabwe Issue 43 9 July 2023 - 15 July 2023

Navigating the publishing industry as a black woman...

from page 7

While it is good that more female voices are being heard and that they are diverse in terms of demographics and age, I still think that the content is not as diverse as it could be or should be to introduce more ideas into the world.

Just think of it, there is an emphasis on slavery, and I find this very sinister because it is an emphasis on recalling how one was powerless and became enslaved. It is never happy to recall the moments of your powerlessness, to use those moments of powerlessness as an emblem. There is the whole institution of slavery that the global West instituted beginning with the Portuguese; it was an economic imperative. But it also had philosophical roots in the Enlightenment.

This grouping of publishing houses is coming from that philosophical position, and so for them, slavery is something that is self-aggrandising. There is a psychological play of making people talk about how these people have enslaved them. I would like to ask your opinion on AI technology. How do you think African writers should approach the use of this technology?

There could be a certain type of writer that is using AI to generate material. But it's not the norm for all writers... I do feel that AI doesn't serve humanity; it may serve science and certain groups of people with a vested interest in the kinds of data and ways of analysis AI should do. But a tiny percentage of the human population has any input in any of that. AI is serving a very small percentage of the population, in my opinion. The International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF), which you founded in 2002, is now in its 20th edition and has boosted numerous female filmmakers. Is there anything you wished you could have done for the

festival but haven't been able to yet?

It's been challenging to keep the International Images Film Festival running because moving image content is a very powerful medium as it is primarily visual. This makes film a very potent industry for manipulation and propaganda. Since it's resource-heavy in terms of capital, it tends to be those people who have power and who have that money and use it for their agenda.

I have not had much support for this. Support came from the EU from 2013 to 2015, but immediately after that programme ended, they changed how they do it. My thinking is that they thought this gave too much autonomy to people who were not the people that African governments wanted to be supported. So there was a move to change how this was done.

It's been very difficult. Last year, I had to fund the festival individually, which was such a disaster for me. We were coming back from Covid-19, and there was some interest from others to say they would fund it. But in the end, most of that did not happen. Some people are working in that office, and if that office closes, it means those people are jobless.

This year, so far, we have US$25,000 from the Culture Fund specifically for the festival, which is wonderful. We will do something with that $25,000, but there is definitely not much support for women's voices in film. It turns out that I am probably one of the most highly educated and experienced people in the film industry in the country. Normally, that is of value to people who place value where value is, but not in Zimbabwe. Our values are different; it's not about people telling stories; it's about politics. So those values follow political avenues. Throughout the years,

you've received numerous awards and honours. Do you have any other prizes you hope to win, such as the Nobel Prize or something similar?

I don't write to receive prizes; I write in the hope of telling meaningful stories that touch other people and are beautiful to other people. That, for me, is the most important thing, and it's important for me to strike an encouraging tone in my writing. My writing can be depressing; it can say, `It's really hard, but there is still something that you can do'; for me, it's the core of my philosophy of life. What is your opinion on the extent to which awards shape an author's career?

Awards have an impact in terms of having more visibility and impact and more people buy-in, which is why I was able to fund the film festival last year. If it had been 10 years ago, the festival would have folded, but because of the impact of the prizes, people became interested in my writing. I was able to say to my team the festival must go on to the extent of bringing women from Pakistan and other countries to participate.

The negative side is that one has to fight or resist in some way the effect of the experiences of always being asked to speak, engage with people and remain rooted. That is very difficult in a country like Zimbabwe, where free thinking is discouraged, and people who insist on their right to use the brains that God gave them are persecuted. It becomes difficult to remain rooted, so that is one of the problems I am currently facing. You've led many protests against the government of Zimbabwe, rightly calling for reforms in institutions. What would your ideal Zimbabwe look like?

I don't think my protests are against the government of Zimbabwe.

That is media rhetoric. My protests are individual utterances suggesting what I would like to see. It's really interesting that in Zimbabwe, an individual saying what they want to say is immediately seen as an anti-government protest, which is ridiculous. This should lead to debate.

I see how I live and how other human beings live; I think living standards should be better for the average human being in Zimbabwe. People should live better than how they are living. In this era of social media, many people prefer to air their dissent online. Do you think online activism is as efficient as physical on-the-street protests?

It depends on the country; if you have people who respect people's human rights, opinions, right to life and dignity, then I would say physical activism is more effective. We see that in countries like the US, for all its faults, including the way it is structured politically, which is a compromise on democracy, there is room for people to stand up because the nature of the people allows them to stand up.

There are other countries where people believe the public space deserves to be occupied, so they engage publicly. Unfortunately, we don't have that culture of coming out in Zimbabwe. We have a culture of saying if you go out there, you will get into trouble and lose one day of working for your family, which is a closesighted view. So you work this day for your family, and you earn, let's say, US$3, which will buy, if you are lucky enough to have, sadza (maize meal) and vegetables.

If you did go out, you would suffer, but you could change things to give your family decent food and other social goods for the rest of their lives. It's a way of thinking that we have

that prevents us from going out. There are reasons, and I think the government understands the psychology of the Zimbabwean person and exploits this to the maximum.

I do not actually think Zimbabweans could get to the stage where they could fearlessly go out en mass. I think it would have a positive effect, but I do not think we are at that stage. What are you passionate about lately? Do you have any hobbies or interests besides writing that bring you great joy?

I am also a producer of narratives; I love filmmaking. I'm also trying to establish collaborations in writing scripts; I love the production process, where many people work together to make something, a beautiful story, happen. So really, I like producing narratives and stories. I like to engage in efforts to expand my spirituality, which is something else that is very important to me. What are you currently working on or involved in?

I have this particular script I'm working on alone. It takes me a long time to get into it, but when I do, and the characters start speaking, I feel compelled to write. One of the scripts I'm working on has got to that stage. Then I have a couple of international productions I'm working on, Kenya, Germany and several things going on.

I have another nonfiction I'm working on; it answers how we Shona people came to be who we are and manifest what we manifest. This question led me back to this group of people who are said to be Bantu language speakers. That is my ongoing nonfiction project, while I do these other things; I have a lot to do now. Currently, I am a research associate at Stellenbosch (University); it should take me around five years to finish my Bantu project.

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