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455 | Non-Governmental Organisations in Zimbabwe - ZimFact
administrator
March 13, 2018
There are over 1,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in Zimbabwe across a range of areas. These include humanitarian aid, service organisations, and political governance.
This broad range of NGOs can be identified by their registration or main objectives; but often overlap within the different categories. Three organizational types define NGOs in Zimbabwe and these are Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs), Trusts and Common Law Universitas.
PVOs are registered under the Private and Voluntary Organisations Act through the Department of Social Welfare under the Ministry of Labor and Social Services. These are mandated under the law to conduct humanitarian work, charity, human rights work and legal aid for the benefit of the public, families, individuals and animals. It is mandatory for organisations conducting this type of work to register under the PVO Act. Penalties can be imposed on a group that carries out any of these activities without registration. Foreign organisations working in Zimbabwe are required to conclude a memorandum of understanding with the government.
PVOs however face challenges because of the potential for government control and censorship. This situation is best illustrated with the suspension of the Association of Women’s Clubs (AWC) one of Zimbabwe’s oldest women’s organisations by the government in 1995. On the 2 of November 1995, AWC which had a reported membership of close to 40,000 was suspended under the PVO Act. A government gazette announced the suspension of the Executive Committee and replaced them with those deemed “loyal” to ZANU PF. The organizations funds were frozen until the suspension was lifted by a court ruling in 1997.
PVOs make up the vast majority of NGOs in the country with a 2014 study by the EU and NANGO indicating that there are around 993 registered PVOs. The vast majority of these, according to the Zimbabwe Human Development Report of 2000 are community based NGOs. Trusts and Unions according to the same report make up just five percent of the total.
Some NGOs in Zimbabwe are registered as Trusts by the Registrar of Deeds under the Deeds Registries Act. Trusts may have unlimited objectives and are intended to benefit an identifiable constituency. Charitable trusts have proved to be a headache for the government and there have been several instances where the government has tried to place these types of NGOs under the ambit of the PVO Act. According to a paper by Roselyn Mhlanga of Kanokanga and Partners law firm, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Labor in 2009 issued a “Joint Memorandum re: Amendment to the PVO Act and the Deeds Registries Act”. The memo proposed that trusts which fall within the definition of a PVO must be obliged to register as PVOs.
Universitas are organisations that have members and a constitution, unregistered but with a common-law persona. This type of NGO is not regulated by Statute and are a product of Common Law.
International non-governmental organisations make up 4% of the total number of NGOs in the country. The UNOCHA Zimbabwe Humanitarian Contact Directory of 2012, listed 93 International Non-Governmental Organisations working in Zimbabwe. Intervention areas of these organisations include those working in Agriculture, Food, Health, Nutrition, Protection, Water sanitation and health (WASH) and Education.
Adapted from: www.zimbabweinstitute.net, “State of Civil Society Study 2008”
The growth and development of civil society in Zimbabwe can be linked to the historical period in which they arose from the colonial to the post-independence period. While the various organisations developed at different periods, those from preceding years have continued to operate alongside newer forms of civil society.
The different organisations work on a plethora of issues, with the Zimbabwe Human Development of 2000 report noting that organisations working on education and training made up the majority of organisations, followed by those working on gender and women’s rights.
Sourced from the Zimbabwe Human Development Report, 2000
Today, over 100 women’s organisations operate in Zimbabwe, with the largest coalition (Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe – WcoZ) with a membership of around 70 organisations. Organizing for women started during the colonial period with one of the oldest organisations, the Association of Women’s Clubs (AWC) starting in 1938. The first decade of independence after 1980 saw more women’s groups operating, driven by challenges within the post-independence state. The Women’s Action Group (WAG) for example began operations in 1983 following an operation titled “Operation Clean-Up” that saw women being arrested. Women who were seen in public spaces were rounded up as authorities claimed to be “cleaning” up the streets of “prostitutes”. Other organisations were created in this decade including the Federation of African Women Zimbabwe (FAMWZ) formed in 1985, Musasa Project formed in 1988, Women and Law in Southern Africa created in 1989, among others.
The late 1990s saw a growth in organisations focusing on governance issues. While these made up just 5% of civil society in 2000, the number has since risen with varying statistics indicating that these organisations may occupy as much as 10% of the civic space. Organisations formed from the late 1990s include the National Constitutional Assembly and the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe formed in 1998 and 1999 respectively, focusing on constitutional reform. A Zimbabwe Institute study of 2008 categorized governance NGOs into 10 categories which are:
These varied organisations have formed coalitions around issues of interest which include, the Human Rights NGO Forum, Crisis Coalition Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Election Support Network, the Women’s Coalition, and the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe among others.
The civic space in Zimbabwe continues to change with an increasing trend towards social media activism, the height which was felt during civil unrest in the country in July 2016. These protest movements under various hashtags such as #ThisFlag, #Tajamuka and #ShutDownZim reflect this trend. The longevity of these movements is yet to be tested given the ephemeral nature of social media, which makes their impact, powerful, though short-lived.
Factsheet prepared by Patience Zirima, director of Zimbabwe Media Monitors.
NGOs | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 13, 2018 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/ngo_governmental_organisations_in_zimbabwe/",
"author": "administrator"
} |
456 | No, 2020 O Level exams have not been postponed, as claimed by WhatsApp message - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 31, 2020
CLAIM: Form Four students to repeat in 2021 due to COVID-19. Source: WhatsApp message showing doctored ZBC screen grab.
RATING: FALSE. The government has not deferred the 2020 examination programme.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has dismissed claims, circulating on WhatsApp, that the government has deferred public school examinations for 2020.
The WhatsApp message shows a doctored ZBC television news screen, with a purported scroll which reads: “Form fours to repeat in 2021 due to nCvd19”
“As far as we are concerned, preparations for the June 2020 examinations are underway and if there are any changes, they will be communicated,” the education ministry’s spokesperson, Patrick Zumbo, told ZimFact on March 30.
He added that the minister would soon issue a statement on public school examinations.
COVID-19FEATUREDZIMSEC | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 31, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-2020-o-level-exams-have-not-been-postponed-as-claimed-by-whatsapp-message/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
457 | No, Barack Obama has not told Africans to reject coronavirus vaccines - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 5, 2020
CLAIM: Barack Obama has urged Africans not to accept vaccines from America and Europe
RATING: FALSE. Obama has not made any such comment
A post that has gone viral on social media claims that former US President Barack Obama has urged Africans to reject any COVID-19 vaccines that come from the West.
The post says:
“Barack Obama is asking Africans not to accept the vaccines that will come from America and Europe…
Barack Obama: I’ll be an accomplice if I don’t denounce this evil act white people want to do to Africans, first of all I was born in America but I’m African blood, I’m not going to allow white people to kill Africans with their toxic vaccines, I ask Africans to be smart, and to ensure that coronavirus vaccines do not enter African territories, there is a Machiavellian plan they invent, saying we come to help Africans, or that they will come to kill you, I will let this message be shared everywhere, to awaken African minds so that the vaccines do not arrive in Africa.“
This is false. Obama has not made any such statement.
The post, circulated on WhatsApp and other platforms, has a link to an Instagram post on the account “joelwewotshowadive”. The linked Instagram post does not carry any comments made by Obama, but only has his picture. A reverse image search of the picture used on the post, of a tearful Obama, was actually taken in 2016 when Obama made a speech on gun violence.
There is no record of Obama making any comment against vaccines in Africa. No such posts appear on any of his social media platforms. There is no media coverage of any such comments.
On his verified Twitter account, Obama has in fact urged people to follow scientific guidelines on preventing coronavirus infections.
In a tweet on March 4, 2020, he says: “Protect yourself and your community from coronavirus with common sense precautions: wash your hands, stay home when sick and listen to the @CDCgov and local health authorities. Save the masks for health care workers. Let’s stay calm, listen to the experts, and follow the science.”
There are currently no vaccines against coronavirus. On March20, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated thatthere are 44 COVID-19 vaccine candidates. However, scientists say it willtake around at least 18 months for a vaccine to be developed, approved andready.
A post saying Barack Obama has urged Africans to rejectWestern vaccines is fake. He has made no such comments. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 5, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-barack-obama-has-not-told-africans-to-reject-coronavirus-vaccines/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
458 | No, Beitbridge is not being opened on May 3, as claimed on WhatsApp - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 18, 2020
CLAIM : South Africa-Zimbabwe border to open on the 3rd of May 2020 to the 10th of May 2020 to accommodate Zimbabweans who are stranded in South Africa.
RATING: FALSE. There is no truth to claims that the border will be opened for a specific period
The message running viral on several WhatsApp groups in Zimbabwesupposedly from a news site called The South African news is fake. Thesite is nonexistent.
When Zimbabwe went into a Coronavirus lockdown on 30 March 2020, the government said the borders would remain open to all returning residents, but the returning residents would be subjected to a mandatory quarantine to screen for coronavirus.
The South African Home Affairs Department through its website also announced that: “During the lockdown, except for cases relating to expatriation initiated by another state, all foreign nationals who are currently in South Africa may not depart”.
Zimbabwe, as other States, has continued to accept citizens returning from abroad. However, no special arrangement to open the Beitbridge border for a specific period has been announced.
The South African lockdown which began on 27 March, and was initially expected to end on 16 April, was extended for another two weeks and will end on 30 April 2020, and not in August as claimed by the message.
Zimbabwe Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Deputy Minister Mike Madiro said: “All plans to repatriate citizens will be announced through the formal channels and not through WhatsApp”.
Conclusion
A social media post claiming that the Beitbridge border post will reopen for a specific period are false. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 18, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-beitbridge-is-not-being-opened-on-may-3-as-claimed-on-whatsapp/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
459 | No. Botswana's President Masisi has not tested positive for coronavirus - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 25, 2020
CLAIM: Botswana’s President Masisi tested positive for coronavirus
RATING: FALSE. Masisi has not been tested for coronavirus
An article claiming that Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisihas tested positive for COVID-19 has gone viral on social media networks,including in Zimbabwe.
The report was carried by the little-known website News NT. According to the report: “Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has tested positive for COVID-19, the presidency has said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.”
This is false. No such statement was issued by the Botswana government, on Tuesday, or on any other day.
It had been announced on March 22, 2020, that Masisi had gone into self-isolation after returning from Namibia, which at the time had reported three cases of coronavirus.
On Wednesday, the Botswana government responded through its verified platforms to the fake news. Masisi is yet to take a test, the Government said.
“The public is alerted to misinformation posts on social media and reminded that as announced in the Press release of 22nd March 2020, His Excellency the President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi will only be tested for SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) prior to being cleared at the expiry of the 14 day of self-isolation. His Excellency the President is in good health and continues to work from his official residence but quarantined away from his family. The Office of the President is the only source of official information on this issue and any other media masquerading as having information on the health of His Excellency the President must be ignored.”
Reports that Botswana’s President Masisi has tested positive for coronavirus are false. He has not been tested. He will only be tested at the end of his 14-day period of self-isolation, according to the Botswana government. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 25, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-botswanas-president-masisi-has-not-tested-positive-for-coronavirus/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
460 | No, CNN did not report on Mnangagwa offering to help Nigeria. It's a fake image - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 24, 2020
CLAIM: CNN has reported on Zimbabwean President offering to help Nigeria fight corruption
VERDICT: False. The image in circulation is a meme generated online
An image that has gone viral on social media among Zimbabweans purports to show a CNN report on President Emmerson Mnangagwa offering to help Nigeria fight corruption.
The image is fake.
How can we tell? The image was made using a free online app that allows users to create fake images bearing the CNN logo. The template used in this case is from the website imgflip.com.
The website has a template featuring a blank space at the bottom of pictures of several CNN anchors. A user can then caption the pictures by filling in the black spaces with whatever headline they choose.
They can then generate what looks like a genuine CNN image and share it online.
Here are examples of other fake images made using the same template:
There are many such websites and applications that allow users to create fake images.
We have also reported previously on apps that enable users to create fake tweets and even fake WhatsApp messages. In one recent example, a fake Tweet purported to show that MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa had tweeted that he had requested a meeting with President Mnangagwa.
Conclusion
No, CNN did not report on any offer by Zimbabwe’s President to help Nigeria fight corruption. The claim is made using a fake CNN image generated online. New such news item has been reported by any media.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 24, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-cnn-did-not-report-on-mnangagwa-offering-to-help-nigeria-its-a-fake-image/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
461 | No, Daily Mail – Zimbabwe isn’t ‘the second poorest country on the planet’ - ZimFact
administrator
March 12, 2018
06:35 | 23rd November 2017 (GMT)
Showing what it said was the extravagant lifestyle of Zimbabwe’s wealthy and well-connected young elite, UK tabloid Daily Mail sought to contrast their living standards with those of poor Zimbabweans.
“Even though the country is ranked only second to Congo as the poorest on the planet, these politicians’ off-springs and young entrepreneurs prove that there is still plenty of money floating around the country,” the tabloid’s online version reported on 21 November 2017.
The claim was from a report in the US-based news website Business Insider, Lucy Jones, the online unit’s assistant managing editor told Africa Check.
“In this report, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the listed as the poorest country in the world. However, it appears this report is from 2015 and, as there is a new report for 2017, where Zimbabwe is ranked the 22 poorest country in the world, we have updated our copy accordingly,” she said.
Supporters of Zimbabwe’s incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa, wave Zimbabwean flags from a bus as they arrive at the ruling Zanu-PF party headquarters in Harare on 22 November 2017. Photo: AFP/TONY KARUMBA
It’s not the first time such a claim has popped up. In September 2015, Africa Check found that the widely circulated claim that Zimbabwe was the “world’s second poorest country” after the Democratic Republic of Congo was incorrect.
We had traced the claim to an article by New York-based magazine Global Finance. At the time, data from the International Monetary Fund placed the country 26th lowest of 187 countries when raw GDP per person was considered. (Note: The Business Insider report also cites Global Finance as the source of its story).
Has this changed in the intervening two years?
32nd lowest of the 194 countries with data
The IMF’s most recent comparative data on the world’s economies is contained in its October 2017 World Economic Outlook.
The gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure of the total value at current prices of final goods and services produced within a country in a specified period. It is the most commonly used measure of a country’s overall economic activity, the IMF notes.
Dividing the GDP by the population size provides a sense of how much every person’s income theoretically is. To aid comparison of GDP across economies, a common currency – the US dollar – is used.
Using this approach, Zimbabwe’s 2016 GDP per capita is $1,111, a slight dip from $1,137 in 2015. This is the 32nd lowest of the 194 countries with data.
The DRC and Congo Republic had a 2016 GDP per capita of $467 and $1,855 respectively in 2016.
But what about the cost of living?
The IMF’s figures are given at current prices (those displayed in banks and forex bureaus).
However, this does not reflect the cost of living or other factors, such as when goods and services consumed domestically and not traded on markets form a significant portion of the economy – as is the case in many developing economies.
To account for this, an indicator known as Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) is used to compare the local buying power of currencies. Essentially this is a measure of how many units of country A’s currency are needed in country A to buy the same amount of goods and services that country B’s currency would buy in country B.
Using data from the World Bank-coordinated International Comparison Programme, which has its current reference year at 2011, Zimbabwe’s GDP per capita was $2,006 in 2016. This is the 22nd lowest on the list. (Note: DRC and Congo Republic ranked 2nd and 52nd lowest respectively.)
Experts say that due to the structural weakness of economic data for many developing countries, any rankings should be treated cautiously. While Zimbabwe’s economic struggles in recent years are well documented, debate around the country’s new dispensation should be more nuanced. – Lee Mwiti (22/11/2017)
This report is used courtesy of Africa Check (https://africacheck.org/), a non-profit organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate.
economypoverty | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 12, 2018 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-daily-mail-zimbabwe-isnt-the-second-poorest-country-on-the-planet/",
"author": "administrator"
} |
462 | No, Econet Wireless is not giving away free data to holders of old sim cards. Whatsapp and text messages making this claim have all signs of a phishing scam. - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 3, 2023
ZimFact is advising people to be cautious of fraudulent WhatsApp and SMS messages that are promising rewards from Econet Zimbabwe for Old Sim Cards.
These messages are not legitimate, it is a scam! Hence, you should disregard these messages.
Econet published a statement saying they will never request your personal or financial information through WhatsApp or SMS.
The statement added that, if they are offering any promotions, it will only be announced through authorized channels.
Anyone who comes across this message is advised to alert the Customer Care Team if you receive any dubious messages.
Sources
SCAM ALERT⚠
Beware of scam WhatsApp and SMS messages claiming rewards from Econet for Old SIM Cards.
These messages are fake, and you should ignore them.
Please stay safe and report any suspicious messages to our customer care team. pic.twitter.com/ak1hx4hcwx
Related Content
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 3, 2023 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-econet-wireless-is-not-giving-away-free-data-to-holders-of-old-sim-cards-whatsapp-and-text-messages-making-this-claim-have-all-signs-of-a-phishing-scam/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
463 | No evidence that Masvingo death was linked to COVID-19 vaccine - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 15, 2021
A March 5 report by TellZim on the death of a health worker, a week after he took a COVID-19 vaccine, caused social media speculation over vaccine safety.
According to the report: “A Gutu health worker at Mutema Health Care Centre has reportedly died in Harare days after being vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.”
While the news outlet did not directly blame the death on the vaccine, some online responses to the article suggested that the vaccination may have been the cause.
However, there is no evidence that the vaccine caused the health worker’s death.
Masvingo Provincial Medical Director, Dr Amadeus Shamhu, told ZimFact that there was no evidence to link the vaccine to the death.
What do authorities do in such cases?
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care: “If a potential problem is reported following vaccination in Zimbabwe, a thorough investigation will take place. Investigations involve a thorough examination of the case in question, including medical assessment by experts.
“During these investigations, it is extremely rare that health problems are found to be caused by the vaccine itself. Health events are most often found to be coincidental, i.e. entirely unrelated to vaccination.”
The Cabinet statement of March 2 announced that a committee of health experts was appointed to monitor effectiveness of the vaccine. The government said, at the time: “No major adverse reactions have been recorded to date, except for a single case of a minor reaction which manifested in a rash.”
Sinopharm side effects: What do experts say?
Scientists point out that all vaccines may cause side effects. However, most of these are mild and not deadly.
Peer-reviewed journal JAMA in August 2020 published interim results of two Phase 2 clinical trials of the Sinopharm vaccine, and wrote: “This inactivated COVID-19 vaccine had a low rate of adverse reactions and demonstrated immunogenicity.”
Similar finding were published in October 2020 by The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, which reported: “All adverse events were mild or moderate in severity.”
Below is what Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health advises on all vaccines:
“Minor reactions can occur after getting a vaccine such as a pain or swelling on injection site or a mild fever and irritability in children. These are usually indications that the vaccine has started to work. More serious side effects such as shock and persistent fever are possible, but extremely rare and vaccinators are trained to manage these.”
Conclusion
There is no evidence to suggest that the health worker in Masvingo died from the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the Ministry of Health, such cases are investigated during vaccinations. Deaths from vaccines are rare. Two peer-reviewed studies showed that Sinopharm side effects are mild.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 15, 2021 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-evidence-that-masvingo-death-was-linked-to-covid-19-vaccine/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
464 | No, government has not restored student grants - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 23, 2019
CLAIM: Zimbabwe government has restored grants for students in institutions of higher learning.
VERDICT: False.
By ZimFact Team
The basis for the claim
On July 22, The Herald carried a news story headlined “Student grants are back!”
In the article, the newspaper reported: “Government has re-introduced grants for students in State institutions, which were stopped several years ago due to non-repayment, to boost access to higher and tertiary education and empower people, especially the youth.”
The paper followed up this article with an editorial, on July 23, headlined: “Student grants will bolster education quality.” In that editorial, the daily said the government had “scrapped the grants mainly due to non-repayment by students who had benefited from the grants. The year 2002 saw the government introducing a new financing policy to broaden access and opportunities in higher education”.
The headline’s suggestion that grants have been restored is misleading, as it fails to make the distinction between a grant and student loan.
In the July 22 article, The Herald itself quotes the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister, Amon Murwira, as saying that these were loans that would have to be repaid.
“We are now very strict. This is a commercial arrangement and students will have to pay (back). Government used to have this facility, but it collapsed during the 90s due to non-payment,” The Herald quotes Murwira as saying.
Legal provisions for grants
Grants and student loans are provided for under the Manpower Planning and Development Act. Under Chapter 14 of the Act, “after consultation with the Minister responsible for finance, (the Minister of Higher Education) may make a grant or loan to or in respect of any teachers college, technical or vocational institution, university or university college” for tuition, student accommodation, salaries for teaching staff or for vocational education or training.
The Act says any grant or loan “shall be in such amount and made subject to such terms and conditions as the Minister, after consultation with the Minister responsible for finance, may fix”.
Budget for grants
The 2019 budget, which appropriated $375.8 million for the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, did not provide for grants. Instead, Treasury announced plans for a partnership with a private education fund, Fundi Capital, to launch a student loan facility called Edu Loan.
“The loans target payment of tuition fees, accommodation and educational materials. However, to access the above loans, students need to have collateral security to guarantee repayment of the loans plus interest. The 2019 budget has, therefore, set aside resources amounting to US$8 million to cater for those disadvantaged students without the required security,” the 2019 budget statement says.
Conclusion
The Herald failed to distinguish between a loan and a grant. Whereas a grant is a form of financial aid that does not need to be repaid, a loan requires repayment.
What the Zimbabwe government has announced is a plan to launch a new student loan scheme.
The Herald article is therefore misleading.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 23, 2019 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-government-has-not-restored-student-grants/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
465 | No, govt is not changing school names, list in circulation is almost 20 years old - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 11, 2021
CLAIM: The government plans to rename Government schools, including dropping colonial names
SOURCE: Social media posts
VERDICT: False. A list being circulated of ‘proposed’ new school names is almost 20 years old
A list widely circulating on social media in Zimbabwe claims to show that the government plans to change the names of government schools in Harare. According to the posts, schools such as Prince Edward and Churchill would have new names.
One online post reported: “Imagine the prestigious Prince Edward, which over the years has received perks based on its name will have to settle for ‘Murenga Boys’”.
On social media, the claims ignited some outrage. However, the list being circulated is not new.
It is from 2002, when the then Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, Aneas Chigwedere, made the proposal. Arguing that schools should shed colonial names, Chigwedere had given schools an ultimatum to come up with new names. When the schools did not do so, he released a list of his own proposed names. There was a public outcry against the proposal; some schools said it would be a costly change, others said it was an attempt to change history, while some schools said changing names would cut off funding from private well-wishers, especially old students.
Chigwedere shelved the proposal.
However, it is Chigwedere’s list that is circulating again, almost 20 years later, now accompanied by false claims that it is a new proposal. According to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, there are no such current plans.
CONCLUSION
An image circulating on social media claiming to show a list of proposed new names for government schools in Harare is not new. It is from 2002, when a proposal to change school names was shelved.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 11, 2021 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-govt-is-not-changing-school-names-list-in-circulation-is-almost-20-years-old/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
466 | No, Govt of Zimbabwe is not offering loans online. A social media message making the claim has all the signs of a phishing scam - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 28, 2021
A message circulating on social media claiming that the Zimbabwe government has opened online applications for “youth empowerment” funds is fake and bears all the signs of a scam.
The message is titled “Government Youth Empowerment Fund Application Form 2021 Is Out”. It says: “Government Youth Empowerment Funding Application Form 2021 online for registration is now out for all citizens only who needs helping hands”
The message claims that “the Government Youth Empowerment Funds is vision into giving out 200,000 – 500,000 grant to every Citizen under the age 0f 18-70 years From 2021-2024 (sic)”.
The message is fake and is most likely an internet scam to get users’ details.
A web link on the message does not take you to a Zimbabwe government website. Instead, it takes you to a website with “Sterling Capital” as its header. There, the site asks users to fill in their details, including phone number, names, and country of origin.
ZimFact contacted the Ministry of Sport, Youth, Arts and Culture, which denied sending such a message.
Internet scammers use such messages for the purposes of “phishing”. This is a practice in which fraudsters claim to be a credible organization online, and dupes people into giving them their personal details. They then use these details, such as bank accounts, to steal data and money.
This is not a new scam. ZimFact checked a similar scam impersonating the World Bank in November 2020, and another impersonating the IMF in June 2020. Last year, yet another similar fake post was made, claiming funding was available from USAID. All these posts claimed to offer loans and they also asked for personal details.
Conclusion
A social media message claiming there are loans being offered by the Government of Zimbabwe through an online application is false. It is similar to those sent by internet scammers to harvest personal details.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 28, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-govt-of-zimbabwe-is-not-offering-loans-online-a-social-media-message-making-the-claim-has-all-the-signs-of-a-phishing-scam/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
467 | No, inhaling steam will not treat or cure novel coronavirus infection - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 31, 2020
By W.P Dunlop, AFP Fact Check
The video — a more than 40-minute Facebook live from March 15, 2020 — features a man whose page identifies him as a sound technician and songwriter. He urges people to boil water in a pot with sea salt and citrus peels, then inhale the steam from it for 15 to 20 minutes.
“I’m here today to tell y’all that I have a cure for the coronavirus,” he says, before adding: “Well, I wouldn’t say a cure, but I, yeah, I have something that kills the coronavirus.”
“I’m giving a coronavirus treatment today. I’m helping as many people as I can help. I want y’all to share this, I want y’all to make this go viral — I’m trying to help some people live,” the speaker later says.
A screenshot of a Facebook live video taken on March 26, 2020
The video is accompanied by a disclaimer: “THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE OR A PRESCRIPTION BUT SIMPLY A PERSONAL CLEANSE THAT I USED BASE ON MY CONCLUSION OF THE STUDIES THAT WERE PUBLISHED.”
But the video has inspired other people to believe they can cure the disease via this method. A clip viewed tens of thousands of times, archived here and here, shows a woman inhaling steam from a pot that contains orange peels, onion, garlic and iodine salt.
“She’s doing the steaming method for the coronavirus, and it is actually working,” a person says in the video, adding: “So this is the cure for the coronavirus.”
The person says the treatment is based on another video playing on a phone — the Facebook live mentioned above.
A screenshot of a video taken on March 26, 2020 shows a Facebook live video playing on a phone
But inhaling steam will not cure a novel coronavirus infection.
“At the current time, the only way to ‘kill’ a virus is through antimicrobial cleaning solutions, which should NEVER be inhaled or introduced into the body in any way,” Dr. Jason McKnight, Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Primary Care and Population Health at Texas A&M University, told AFP by email.
“In general, people may find that inhaling steam during any sort of respiratory illness helps with their symptoms, such as cough, nasal congestion and chest congestion. However, this is only symptomatic relief and it is not a treatment for any viral infection,” he said.
And “you have the potential to cause real harm to yourself through burns from the heated water vapor to your eyes, face and airways, which if severe enough could cause serious and long-term complications,” McKnight said.
Dr. Benjamin Neuman, an expert in coronaviruses who chairs the Biological Sciences department at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, agreed.
“The lungs are delicate, and steam is very hot — not a good mix. Hot steam can and does damage the lungs, and the idea that it could fight a virus that also damages the lungs is just really bad advice,” he said by email.
And Dr. Karine Le Roch — a professor of cell biology at the University of California, Riverside — said: “I really don’t think that inhaling steam will treat or cure the infection.”
“There is no miracle cure,” she said by email. “Researchers are doing their best to find something quickly but it will take time.”
Steam inhalation does not appear on the World Health Organization’s page offering advice to the public about the virus, nor on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s page on how to protect against the virus, or its page about caring for yourself if you are sick.
The speaker in the Facebook live video also says that heat kills the virus, and that “I’ll take a blow dryer and put it in my nose” to target it — a method that AFP Fact Check previously found will not treat or cure the virus.
“It’s really SARS — they’re not telling y’all,” the man says at one point. Text accompanying the video refers to the temperature at which heat killed SARS-CoV, but that is another coronavirus that was first reported in 2003.
The novel coronavirus originated in China in late 2019 but it has spread globally, killing 21,000 people, wreaking economic havoc from Asia to Europe and the United States in a public health crisis that governments are struggling to halt.
AFP Fact Check has debunked more than 180 examples of false or misleading information about the novel coronavirus. A complete list of our fact checks on the topic in English can be found here.
CORONAVIRUSCOVID-19FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 31, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-inhaling-steam-will-not-treat-or-cure-novel-coronavirus-infection/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
468 | No, it's not true that you now need a letter to buy fuel - ZERA - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 10, 2020
CLAIM: Zimbabweans now require a letter to prove that they are employed before they can buy fuel
VERDICT: False: The energy regulator says no such regulation has been announced or enforced.
A message circulating on social media claims that a reporton the state broadcaster ZBC announced that only people who can prove they areemployed will be able to buy fuel.
The message, says (unedited): “FUEL ONLY FOR WORKING CLASS IN ZIMBABWE. In a shocking story on zbc news @8 hanzi for someone to get fuel at a service station you hv to produce a letter to prove that ur working and without the proof of that letter you won’t get fuel bcoz hanzi mota dzeMshikashika ndovarikupedza fuel…. hazvisi zvichatowedzera corruption here izvi… is this the solution???”
The message was shared on social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook, generating many comments.
This is fake news, according to the Zimbabwe EnergyRegulatory Authority (ZERA).
“I have seen this message on social media. I have checkedwith the industry. There is nothing of this sort. No instructions have beengiven to the industry to implement this requirement,” Eddington Mazambani, theZERA acting CEO, told ZimFact.
There was no such report carried by ZBC on its website.There is also no mention of the report on the ZBC’s main news broadcasts ofSunday and Monday, which are available on the ZBC Facebook page. In addition,no other media have carried such a report.
A social media post claiming that you can now only buy fuel after producing a letter to prove that you are employed is false. The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority says it has not given any such instruction, and that nobody in the industry is implementing it. No such report was carried by either ZBC or by any other media outlets. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 10, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-its-not-true-that-you-now-need-a-letter-to-buy-fuel-zera/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
469 | No, Kagame has not attacked the WHO over Madagascar 'cure', and neither has he said he misses Mugabe, Gaddafi - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 19, 2020
CLAIM: Rwanda President Paul Kagame has attacked the WHO and endorsed Madagascar’s claimed COVID-19 remedy
RATING: FALSE: Kagame has not made any such comment.
A post has gone viral on social media claiming that Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, has endorsed the Madagascar COVID-19 ‘cure’. The post also says Kagame had said he wished former leaders Muammar Gaddafi and Robert Mugabe were alive to fight against the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The post claims (unedited):
“I WISH GADDAFI
AND MUGABE WERE ALIVE”, Paul Kagame
An African giant leader the president of Rwanda Mr PAUL KAGAME has stepped in to fight against WHO. He said “no one from foreign countries will ever rule or control Africa! We’re united and strong as one! We’ll defend our people and our continent Africa! We are not cheap to be corrupted by WHO or evil people! Let’s support our brother Mr ANDRY RAJOELINA the president of Madagascar in ensuring that the African Herbal medicine becomes the cure for CORONAVIRUS in Africa! We’ll continue depending on GOD and support our African medicine! It’s like you are looking for war! I wish Muhhamad Gadaffi and Mr Mugabe were alive! But we still have enough man power to fight on and defeat the Goriath and kill it! WHO must be careful and watch out!”
Versions of the post have been shared thousands of times on Facebook and have also been shared widely on WhatsApp and Twitter.
However, Kagame has made no such remarks. The quotes are fabricated. There is no record from any credible news site of Kagame ever saying so.
The African Union has not endorsed the Madagascar herbalremedy.
On May 4, the AU stated in a statement: “The African Union is in discussion with the Republic of Madagascar, through its embassy in Addis Ababa, with a view to obtain technical data regarding the safety and efficiency of a herbal remedy, recently announced by Madagascar for the reported prevention and treatment of COVID19.
Once furnished with the details, the Union, through theAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), will review thescientific data gathered so far on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19Organics. This review will be based on global technical and ethical norms togarner the necessary scientific evidence regarding the performance of thetonic.”
The WHO, on May 4, warned against the use of unproven remedies.
Claims that Kagame endorsed the Madagascar cure, and that he said he missed Mugabe and Gaddafi in a supposed fight against WHO, are false.
CORONAVIRUSCOVID-19 | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 19, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-kagame-has-not-attacked-the-who-over-madagascar-cure-and-neither-has-he-said-he-misses-mugabe-gaddafi/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
470 | No, latest Auditor-General's report does not say US$140m diamonds were stolen - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 20, 2021
CLAIM: Diamonds worth US$140 million vanished or were stolen from the state-owned Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC), according to the latest Auditor General’s report.
Sources: Various news and social media posts.
VERDICT: Incorrect. The Auditor General’s 2019 report did not say diamonds vanished or were stolen. The report did, however, raise concern that possible theft may happen due to differences between records of diamond stocks held for sale at the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), which markets diamonds on behalf of miners, and what was on the ZCDC’s book.
What did the Auditor General say?
Various reports by the Auditor-General, covering the period up to 2019, were tabled in Parliament in June by finance minister Mthuli Ncube.
The Auditor-General audited ZCDC’s financial statements for 2018 and 2019, passing adverse opinions on both accounts. According to the International Standard on Auditing (ISA), an adverse opinion is given when the auditor, based on sufficient audit evidence, concludes that the audited organisation’s financial accounts contain significant misstatements.
For both 2018 and 2019, the bases for adverse opinion related to the ZCDC’s failure to adhere to accounting requirements for changes in currencies and exchange rates which took place over those two years, as well as valuations of amounts owed by related companies and the valuation of the company’s shareholding in a subsidiary company.
The Auditor-General does not flag the reported loss or theft of about 350,000 carats, whose value has been put at US$140 million, which would amount to a massive red flag.
However, the audit did express concern over how ZCDC manages and accounts for its diamond stocks.
“The Company (ZCDC) does not prepare a variance report after the diamonds stock count has been held at Sort House. There was no evidence of a documented formal process of reconciling physical stock counted to theoretical stock,” the Auditor General found.
“For instance, the following anomalies were noted in respect of diamond stocks which then necessitated post year-end adjustments to the financial statements which had been presented for audit: In 2019, 297 660.41 carats of diamond stock held at MMCZ was not counted at the time of the stock count. These parcels were packed for customers and held at MMCZ.
“However, at year-end, during the stock count, these stocks were not included in closing inventories; and in 2018, 41 699.85 carats of diamond stocks held at MMCZ were excluded from the stock count. It was assumed at the time that these stocks had been sold to customers. An additional 13 222.85 carats were excluded from the final stock sheet in error.”
The Auditor-General warned that these material variances between physical stock and what was reflected on the ZCDC inventory book “may go undetected.”
“Possible pilferage of inventories may occur and go undetected,” the report says.
“The Company should consider utilising the sales and distribution module in SAP in order to run a variance report between physical diamonds stock counted and theoretical closing stock. Any variances noted therefrom should be investigated and cleared timeously.”
In response, ZCDC management undertook to have the SAP sales and distribution module running before the end of 2020. A diamond stock controller would also be engaged to manage diamond stocks and ensure monthly diamond stock reconciliations.
Where did the US$140 million come from?
The Auditor-General’s report does not mention any US$140 million diamond loss or theft. It is not exactly clear how the widely reported US$140 million figure comes about, but it appears to have been calculated using a sentence in the Auditor-General’s report on the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe’s (MMCZ) financial report for 2019.
The MMCZ is a statutory body that is the sole marketing and selling agent for all minerals, except gold and silver, which also controls and regulates the stockpiling of minerals, including diamonds.
“The Corporation (MMCZ) could not account for five (5) carat diamonds worth USD2 075 belonging to a producer which went missing during a weight verification exercise,” the report says. One reading of this unclear sentence could yield a price of US$400 per carat.
Multiplied by the 350,000 carats or the purported “lost” diamonds, this price produces the reported US$140 million.
This price significantly overvalues ZCDC diamonds, which, according to the company’s latest available financial statement, average US$62 per carat. This is in line with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme’s US$67/carat valuation for Zimbabwean rough diamonds. ZCDC realised US$21 million from the sale of 340,000 carats in 2018.
Industry experts say diamonds from Marange are mostly course, low quality stones, with only about 10% being gem quality stones.
In contrast, the privately-owned Murowa Diamonds, which produces predominantly white, gem-quality diamonds, has realised prices in the US$112-US$122/carat range.
According to Kimberley Process data for the pre-COVID-19 year, industry leaders such as Angola realised US$138 per carat from their production, Botswana pulled in US$145/ct, Lesotho (US$260/ct), Namibia (US$500/ct), South Africa (US$121/ct) and Russia (US$91/ct).
CONCLUSION
Reports that the Auditor-General has reported that diamonds worth US$140 million “vanished” or were stolen from the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company are false. Reports to that effect arose from a misinterpretation of the 2019 Auditor-General’s report.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 20, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-latest-auditor-generals-report-does-not-say-us140m-diamonds-were-stolen/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
471 | No, Nelson Chamisa did not tweet that he wants to meet Mnangagwa. It's a fake - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 20, 2020
Claim: Nelson Chamisa has tweeted that he has requested a meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Verdict: False, the post is a fabrication.
On Thursday 20 August 2020, an image circulated on social media claiming to show Nelson Chamisa posting on Twitter expressing his desire for talks with President Emerson Mnangagwa. It also showed a purported response from MDC Alliance Vice President Tendai Biti responding to the tweet.
The post read:
“Following my engagement with British ambassador@HMAMelanieR yesterday I now firmly believe dialogue among Zimbabweans is thebest foot forward, consequently I have requested a meeting with H.E @edmnangagwaand other Polad members.”
The reply purportedly from Biti said:
“True to expectation you have sold out to the dementedregime, history will never forgive you for this great betrayal.”
Both posts are fake.
A visit to the Twitter accounts of both politicians showed that no such posts were posted. In an interview, MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzai Mahere dismissed the post.
“Nothing of that sort was ever tweeted from those accounts; it’s a photoshopped image. Simple verification will establish this,” said Mahere.
Can people create
fake tweets?
Yes. There are multiple applications that allow people to create fake tweets, Facebook posts, or WhatsApp messages. Using these applications, anyone can easily create a fake tweet in someone’s name, as is the case with the fake Chamisa post.
Conclusion
The post claiming that Nelson Chamisa tweeted saying hewants to meet the President is fake. The post does not appear on his verifiedTwitter feed. The MDC Alliance also dismissed it as fake.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 20, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-nelson-chamisa-did-not-tweet-that-he-wants-to-meet-mnangagwa-its-a-fake/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
472 | FACT CHECK: No new COVID measures have been announced yet, contrary to claims by viral WhatsApp message - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 10, 2021
CLAIM: President Mnangagwa announced new lockdown measures on December 9
SOURCE: Viral social media messages
VERDICT: Not true. No new measures have been announced yet.
A viral social media message claims that President Emmerson Mnangagwa “officially announced today (09/12/21) that Zimbabwe will be under level 8 lockdown as from Monday (13/12/21) and curfew starts at 18:00.”
According to the message, government has ordered the closure of all recreational facilities and borders, and also banned all intercity travel. The message also claims that all non-governmental organisations have been closed.
This is not true. The President did not issue a new order on the date claimed in the message. His last announcement was on November 30. In that address, in which some restrictions were announced, he said the measures would be reviewed in two weeks. That period lapses on December 14.
ZimFact has reached out to the Ministry of Information, who confirmed that the President had not issued any new measures as claimed in the message.
Current COVID-19 measures include:
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing rising COVID-19 infections.
On Thursday, December 9, the number of new cases reached 5189, the highest daily number of infections since the pandemic started. There were three deaths recorded, according to the Ministry of Health’s daily update. There were 257 people hospitalised for COVID-19 treatment. Most of these patients, 235, had mild symptoms.
Conclusion
A social media message claiming that the Government has issued new COVID-19 measures is misleading. As of December 9, the date of the claim, no new announcement had been made. Measures announced on November 30 remain in force for now.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 10, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-new-covid-measures-have-been-announced-yet-contrary-to-claims-by-viral-whatsapp-message/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
473 | No, not everyone arriving in Zimbabwe has to pay US$60 for a COVID-19 test - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 29, 2020
CLAIM: Everyone arriving in Zimbabwe will now have to pay US$60 for a PCR test
VERDICT: Misleading. Only those who show COVID-19 symptoms will be required to take a test on arrival
On Tuesday, September 29, the Zimbabwe government announced that it would charge US$60 for a COVID-19 test for any visitor that arrives in the country showing symptoms of coronavirus.
Social media posts immediately circulated suggesting that all visitors will now have to pay a US$60 fee for the test. This is inaccurate. Only those that show symptoms of COVID-19, and are tested at ports of entry, will be required to pay US$60 for the test.
According to the Cabinet statement on Tuesday: “As a measure to guarantee the safety of travellers, Cabinet further resolved that in line with Statutory Instrument 216(5) Section 8, which requires travellers showing COVID-19 symptoms, whether or not they have a COVID-19-free certificate to be tested, a nominal fee of US$60 be levied on travellers tested at ports of entry, and that the proceeds be used to replenish laboratory commodities.”
Zimbabwe resumes international flights from October 1.
What does Statutory Instrument 216 (2020) say?
On Friday, September 11, the Government gazetted SI216 (2020). It spells out various rules and regulations for travelers entering Zimbabwe.
A citizen or returning resident arriving in the country must have a certificate showing that they had a negative COVID-19 PCR test in the last 48 hours. If they have this certificate, they can be allowed to go home for self-quarantine.
Secondly, a citizen or resident who arrives without the PCR test certificate will be kept at a holding facility until they take a COVID-19 test. If they test negative, they are released. If they test positive, they must be isolated at a facility for 14 days.
According to the SI, a person who arrives in Zimbabwe “presenting with symptoms of COVID-19” will be tested, even if they have the COVID-19-free certificate.
It is this last group of people that, according to Cabinet’s latest announcement, will be charged a fee of US$60 for a test.
Clarifying further, Information Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana: “To be clear, every international arrival needs to have a COVID19 free certificate. You show symptoms, you pay US$60 for a PCR test. You show no symptoms, you are free to go.”
For passengers leaving Zimbabwe, nobody is allowed on a flight unless they have a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate issued within 72 hours of departure, the SI says.
Conclusion
Not everyone arriving in Zimbabwe from abroad will have to pay US$60 for a PCR test. Only those showing symptoms of the virus will have to take a mandatory PCR test.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 29, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-not-everyone-arriving-in-zimbabwe-has-to-pay-us60-for-a-covid-19-test/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
474 | No, nurses at Parirenyatwa have not gone on strike over coronavirus - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 20, 2020
CLAIM: Nurses at Parirenyatwa Hospital on strike over COVID-19
RATING: FALSE. A message circulating on social media claiming a strike over coronavirus is a hoax
A message has been circulating on Zimbabwean social media networksclaiming that nursing staff at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare have gone onstrike to protest a lack of protective clothing to prevent them from beinginfected with the coronavirus.
The message, shared widely via WhatsApp, said (unedited):
“Meanwhile, PARIRENYATWA NURSES said they will no longer come to work with emmidiate effect until the Zimbabwean government has supplied protective clothing to prevent Covid 19 and test kits. This is so because since it’s a parastatal hospital no patient is turned back so you never know has corona and who does not have since there are no test kits to confirm hence putting the poor nursing staff at risk.The interviewed nurses names withold said Parirenyatwa most of it’s time does not have running water from the taps and there is no backup system for water in the wards furthermore they said they do not even have sanitizers for a while now. How can they operate in such a harsh condition”
This is false.
The Public Relations Officer for Parirenyatwa Group ofHospitals, Linos Dhire, said the message is a hoax.
“We have talked to our nurses and they have disowned themessage, they do not know where it came from,” said Dhire.
Enock Dongo, president of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association,told ZimFact: “It’s not true. Nurses are at work at Parirenyatwa.”
However, he confirms that there was inadequate protectiveclothing and training for medical staff. “Government should urgently giveresources to train nurses because they are the front-liners who receive clientsat health facilities,” he said.
On the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) forstaff, Parirenyatwa’s Dhire said not all medical staff would require specialPPE, and that the hospital has since put up new restrictions at the hospital tocontrol traffic into the facility and screen everyone entering the hospital.
Parirenyatwa is not one of the facilities designated to handle coronavirus cases.
Conclusion
The social media message claiming a strike at Parirenyatwa over COVID-19 is a hoax.
__
[Click here to join our the ZimFact WhatsApp broadcast group for factual information. Inbox us if you need any claims checked] | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 20, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-nurses-at-parirenyatwa-have-not-gone-on-strike-over-coronavirus/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
475 | No proof that steaming eliminates COVID-19 virus - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 18, 2021
CLAIM: Steaming kills the virus which causes COVID-19
Source – viral message on WhatsApp platforms
RATING: INCORRECT. Steaming does not kill the virus causing COVID-19 but is home remedy for breathing problems
A message that has been circulating widely on WhatsApp and other social media platforms, citing unnamed “doctors”, claims steam inhalation kills off the virus which causes COVID-19. The message recommends steam inhalation at least twice a day for a week, after which “the deadly COVID-19 will be erased.”
According to The Lancet, steam inhalation is traditionally used as a home remedy for common colds and upper respiratory tract infections, but the journal describes as weak and unproven, theories that the steam loosens mucus, opens nasal passages, and reduces mucosal inflammation, or that the heat inhibits replication of viruses.
There is no cure yet for COVID-19. There is also no evidence that steam inhalation is effective in preventing and curing COVID-19.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), which has warned against self-medication, has also said exposing oneself to temperatures above 25 degrees celsius does not give protection against COVID-19.
A small study (involving 10 people) conducted last year found that while inhalation of steam in the 55-65 degree celsius temperature range could stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the upper airway during the early stages of infection, it is unlikely to work once the infection reaches the deep internal airway, meaning it cannot eliminate the virus from the body.
The researchers also conceded that their study needed to be confirmed by a randomized controlled trial.
“Our observation is only preliminary, it has obvious limitations and the beneficial effects we observed need confirmation in a controlled trial,” the researchers said.
Some relief
Medical experts say steaming might help relieve some COVID-19 symptoms, but it is no cure.
“I have not said this does or doesn’t cure it because there is no science to it, but we are encouraging people to do what relieves the signs and symptoms (of COVID-19),” Dr Agnes Mahomva, Zimbabwe’s Chief Coordinator of the National Response to COVID-19, says.
“We do not have a cure, no one has quite confirmed scientifically a drug or medicine to cure this virus, viruses are very difficult and the tendency to struggle to find a cure is always there.”
She said steam inhalation was just one of many methods traditionally used to relieve symptoms such as congestion.
“We are encouraging people to do what they usually do to relieve their symptoms, that’s where a number of home remedies are coming through, but no one has said there is a cure that if you take lemon you will be cured or if you steam you will be cured,” she added.
Dangers of steaming
Steam inhalation has been associated with serious burns, especially among children. Last year, an article in The Lancet reported an increase in scalding, corresponding to an increase in COVID-19 cases, in the United Kingdom.
CONCLUSION
The claim that steam inhalation can kill off the SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, is false. While experts concede that steaming might help relieve some symptoms associated with common colds and respiratory infections, there is no evidence supporting the claim that it eliminates the novel coronavirus.
It is also important to note the dangers associated with home remedies such as steaming, which has resulted in some serious injuries.
To date, the WHO has not declared any cure for COVID-19.
COVID-19FEATUREDWHO | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 18, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-proof-that-steaming-eliminates-covid-19-virus/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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476 | No. School and company-owned staff buses not required to register under ZUPCO - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 4, 2021
Photo credit: newzimbabwe.com
CLAIM: Company staff buses and school buses not contracted by ZUPCO are no longer allowed to operate.
Source: Various social media posts
VERDICT: Incorrect. Privately owned buses used by schools and company staff are not required to register under ZUPCO. However, companies and schools that hire buses are required to use those registered under the ZUPCO scheme.
Comments attributed to the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s spokesman for Bulawayo province, Abednico Ncube, were widely interpreted to mean that all buses, including those owned by schools and companies to ferry students and staff, would not be allowed on the roads unless they were registered under the ZUPCO scheme.
#BREAKING Police order companies to register their staff buses under ZUPCO
Staff buses and school buses which are not contracted under ZUPCO are no longer allowed to operate. pic.twitter.com/HeSnpT3ju9
In 2019, amid a public transport crisis, the government introduced a scheme 2019 through which private bus owners could sign up to operate under the state-owned ZUPCO.
When the government first imposed a COVID-19 lockdown at the end of March 2020, it only allowed buses registered under the ZUPCO scheme to continue providing public transport services. Thousands of privately-owned commuter omnibuses, which had not signed up to the scheme, were banned.
That ban remains in place, but due to the shortage of buses under the ZUPCO scheme, some schools and businesses have resorted to hiring buses to move students and staff.
Last week’s remarks by the police spokesman sought to address this situation.
“As police we say there is no selective application of law, hence staff buses and vehicles ferrying school children not contracted under ZUPCO are not allowed to operate. Some of these commuter omnibuses are not even contracted by the companies or schools they claim to be serving. This kind of operation is illegal as only those commuter omnibuses contracted to ZUPCO are allowed to operate,” Ncube is quoted saying.
These remarks were misinterpreted to mean that even buses owned by schools and companies to ferry students and staff are now required to register and operate under ZUPCO.
The ZRP has had to issue a statement clarifying the position.
pic.twitter.com/tXLiBGUqSt
“In enforcing the government’s COVID-19 regulations on transporters, the Zimbabwe Republic Police will ensure that company and school owned buses which have requisite documents, proof of ownership and all relevant registration processes are allowed passage at roadblocks and checkpoints,” the ZRP said in a statement on Tuesday.
End of the road for autonomous kombis?
Local Government Minister July Moyo, whose ministry oversees urban commuter transport, says the authorities planned to phase out privately run omnibuses (kombis) long before COVID-19.
“ZUPCO affiliated commuter omnibuses are the only ones allowed to operate, that is the policy in place and it has not changed,” Moyo told the Sunday News last week.
“Anybody who has their own buses and wants to operate must go and register with ZUPCO. This all is to ensure that we manage urban companies through one company but with many owners. All we are saying is that we want to bring sanity to the whole system.”
CONCLUSION
Buses owned by schools and companies to ferry their students and staff are not required to register with ZUPCO. However, if these entities need to hire buses, they have to do so from operators registered under the ZUPCO scheme.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 4, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-school-and-company-owned-staff-buses-not-required-to-register-under-zupco/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
477 | No, South Africa has not reversed its decision to end the Zimbabwe special permit, as claimed in press reports - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 15, 2021
CLAIM: South Africa has reversed its decision to stop renewing special permits for Zimbabweans.
SOURCE: Various press reports
VERDICT: Misleading. South Africa has not changed its decision not to extend the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit. Only a circular to banks has been withdrawn.
A December 13 article by Bloomberg, titled “South Africa reverses plan to send 200,000 Zimbabweans home”, reported that: “South Africa jettisoned a plan that would have forced about 200,000 Zimbabweans to return home, to the satisfaction of critics who said it would have caused a humanitarian crisis.”
NewsDay also reported on December 14 that “holders of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) in South Africa will now have their permits extended after the South African government yesterday dumped its earlier plans to desist from renewing the permits that expire on December 31.”
The reports are inaccurate. Bloomberg withdrew its article.
The November 25 announcement by the South African government that it will no longer extend the ZEP remains in force.
South Africa’s Home Affairs department has only withdrawn a December 7 order – called Immigration Directive No. 10 – that would have seen South African banks closing the accounts of holders of the permits by December 31 this year.
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has clarified that there had been no change to the decision not to extend the permits. Zimbabweans holding that permit – which expires on December 31, 2021 – have 12 months to apply for other permits, during which time they can still keep their bank accounts.
“What we have withdrawn was a circular which was issued by officials in the Department of Home Affairs after the Cabinet decision, a circular which purports to be explaining to the banks what they must do. But the initial decision about Zimbabweans’ exemption permits, nothing has changed, and nothing is going to change. It still stands,” Motsoaledi said on South Africa’s Radio 702.
Conclusion
Reports that South Africa has withdrawn its decision to end the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit are not true. Only an order that would compel banks to close the accounts of holders of the special permit has been withdrawn.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 15, 2021 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-south-africa-has-not-reversed-its-decision-to-end-the-zimbabwe-special-permit-as-claimed-in-press-reports/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
478 | No, South Africa's Massmart's woes not linked to Zimbabwe - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 15, 2020
CLAIM: South African retailer Massmart, which this week announced plans to cut jobs and close some stores, is facing currency problems in African markets such as Zimbabwe.
VERDICT: Incorrect. Massmart has no operations in Zimbabwe. The retailer closed its two Makro stores in Zimbabwe in 2011
A January 13, 2020, report by Reuters on South Africa’s MassMart linked the business’ struggles to Zimbabwe.
“A number of Massmart’s rivals, such as Shoprite, are also struggling in the difficult market conditions, and both retailers have also had to battle currency weakness elsewhere in Africa, especially Zimbabwe and Nigeria,” the report on www.af.reuters.com said.
Commentary on a video posted on the @ReutersBiz Twitter account said:
“Massmart is also battling currency weakness in other African markets, particularly Zimbabwe and Nigeria.”
South Africa’s Massmart is looking to axe up to 1,440 jobs under a plan to close some stores as low growth, high unemployment and a rising cost of living hurt South Africans’ spending power https://t.co/thvUN7VRio pic.twitter.com/3OenCYQOki— Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) January 14, 2020
Massmart operates in 13 African countries, but Zimbabwe is not one of them
Massmart is majority owned by US retail giant Walmart, which bought the South African business in 2011.
At the time, Massmart used to have two Makro stores in Zimbabwe, in Harare and Bulawayo. However, soon after the WalMart takeover, Massmart closed the two stores.
In 2011, Reuters quoted Massmart’s then chief executive officer Grant Pattison saying the company was pulling out of Zimbabwe because of the country’s local ownership laws, which have since been scrapped for most sectors.
“It was sad, but indigenisation law effectively says foreigners are not welcome in Zimbabwe,” Massmart’s CEO Grant Pattison said then at the company’s results presentation.
Conclusion: Massmart has no operations in Zimbabwe, having closed its two stores there in 2011. It is incorrect to link the company’s current problems to Zimbabwe’s currency struggles.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 15, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-south-africas-massmarts-woes-not-linked-to-zimbabwe/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
479 | No, the President has not declared a two-week lockdown as claimed on WhasApp - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 22, 2021
A widely circulated claim that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a two-week national lockdown is false.
According to the report, the President made the announcement at a “meeting in Parliament with cabinet”.
The message claims (unedited): “As from the meeting held today in the late morning in Parliament, the President His Excellence Emerson Mnangwagwa addresses the issue of the rising Covid-19 cases. He says Zimbabwe is at risk but should continue fighting against the pandemic therefore he introduces a fortnight lockdown for the whole country starting from Monday 28th of June 2021 up to Monday the 12th of July 2021. However business will be usual for industrial services, health workers and other official workers. Schools will be officially closed during the 14 day lockdown. They will resume in phases after this...”
This is false.
Firstly, no such Cabinet meeting was held in Parliament on Monday, as claimed by the message. Cabinet typically meets on Tuesday, and meetings are not held in Parliament.
Secondly, the article claims to be sourced from a website called “zimheraldnews”. There is no such website. People who push such misinformation usually use slightly changed names of well-known news sources in order to make their posts more believable.
The message is also filled with spelling mistakes which show that it is not from a credible news source.
The facts
The last declaration on lockdowns from the Government was on June 17. This was an announcement of localised lockdowns in three districts of Mashonaland West; Kariba, Makonde and Hurungwe. This added to a lockdown announced earlier for Kwekwe. These announcements have since been gazetted under Statutory Instrument 183 of 2021.
On June 12, the Government also announced tighter restrictions, among them the banning of gatherings.
No new lockdown measures had been announced as of Tuesday. According to Deputy Health Minister John Mangwiro, Government however continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19.
Conclusion
The message claiming that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a two-week national lockdown after a Cabinet meeting in Parliament are false. No such meeting was held and the article carries a fake website link. By Tuesday, no new lockdown measures had been declared. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 22, 2021 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-the-president-has-not-declared-a-two-week-lockdown-as-claimed-on-whasapp/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
480 | No, the President hasn't suspended rentals during lockdown - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 7, 2020
CLAIM: President Emmerson Mnangagwa has decreed that rentals be suspended due to COVID-19
RATING: FALSE. A message circulating claiming rentals have been suspended is fabricated.
A social media post claiming that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed landlords to stop collecting rent is fake.
The claim is carried in a fabricated press statement, which has been doctored from a letterhead of the Office of the President. The text uses different fonts, contains multiple grammatical errors, and the date at the bottom is visibly superimposed.
George Charamba, President Mnangagwa’s spokesman, confirmed the ‘press statement’ was fake and that no such order had been issued.
“There is a fake Press Statement purportedly bearing an authentic signature of the State President, and purporting to direct property owners on rentals. The Statement has nothing to do with the President or his Office, and actually passes for criminal conduct. Kindly disregard it,” Charamba said.
Conclusion
The message claiming that President Mnangagwa has orderedproperty owners to stop demanding rent is false. No such directive has beenissued. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 7, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-the-president-hasnt-suspended-rentals-during-lockdown/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
481 | No, the WHO has not ranked Zimbabwe highly on COVID-19 response as claimed by Mnangagwa - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 11, 2020
CLAIM: Zimbabwe has been ranked among countries that handled COVID-19 best
Source: A report in the state-controlled Herald
VERDICT: The claim is false. The WHO has not made any such ranking
On October 7, The Herald reported that President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the World Health Organisation had raked Zimbabwe “among countries that instituted better mitigatory measures against the deadly disease (coronavirus)”.
According to the report: “Zimbabwe has been ranked number 102 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The rankings were crafted in such a manner that countries in the single digit category did not do well in fighting the pandemic while those with double digits did better and those with three digits did well.”
The newspaper quotes Mnangagwa, addressing business leaders who were donating towards Ekusileni Hospital, as saying: “Those with single digits didn’t do well. Those with double digits were better than those with single digits but Zimbabwe goes to the three digits. We are number 102.”
The Herald further quotes Mnangagwa saying that the “US was on number 1, Brazil 2, Russia 3, India 4, Britain 5 and South Africa 7” on this claimed ranking.
ZimFact could not find any evidence of such a ranking by the WHO.
The WHO publishes a live dashboard of global coronavirus cases. The dashboard provides an up-to-date tally of coronavirus cases around the world, based on data from governments. It also shows the most affected countries by number of confirmed cases.
As at October 11, the US had the highest number of cases with over 7,583,748 cases, followed by India with just over 7 million cases. Other countries listed among the 12 most affected are Brazil, Russia, Colombia, Argentina, Spain, Peru, Mexico, South Africa, France and the United Kingdom.
The WHO does not, however, rank how countries have handled the pandemic, as claimed by Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa’s claim that Zimbabwe has been ranked among the countries that have responded better to COVID-19 is false. There is no evidence of any such ranking by the WHO.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 11, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-the-who-has-not-ranked-zimbabwe-highly-on-covid-19-response-as-claimed-by-mnangagwa/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
482 | No, these images do not show a 'collapsed' Karanda bridge as claimed online - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 25, 2022
CLAIM: Karanda bridge collapses less than a year after construction
SOURCE: Social media posts
VERDICT: False. Posts claiming to show pictures of a collapsed Karanda Bridge in Mashonaland Central are using images of another bridge
A twitter account, called “Children of Zimbabwe War Veterans Association” posted pictures on January 24 claiming that Karanda bridge had collapsed.
The bridge was commissioned in April 2021 at President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s launch of his government’s Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme.
“Less than 1 year Old Karanda bridge which was official opened by President ED has collapsed,” the tweet said.
The post went viral, with former minister Jonathan Moyo also posting the pictures, with the caption: “Mnangagwa’s destructive touch”.
However, an internet search of the pictures shows that the damage happened in a previous incident in Msane, Matabeleland South. According to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, the picture does not show Karanda bridge, but “a causeway that was washed away in January 2021 in Beitbridge District.”
“Karanda Bridge which was completed last year by DDF (District Development Fund) is still intact,” the Ministry said on Tuesday.
DDF provincial coordinator for Mashonaland Central, Molly Shonhiwa, said the bridge, which crosses the Ruya River, was still standing.
Moyo later deleted his post, and said: “Oops, need to double check this. Not sure this is the Karanda Bridge, source says it is but the protests are too strong to ignore. As you were!”
How to verify pictures?
Assessing features in the pictures is the first step in verifying images. In this case, the designs of the two bridges, as well as the two roads, are distinctly different.
By using reverse image search, you can verify pictures posted online. Upload pictures to Google image search or free apps such as Photo Sherlock or ImageWebSearch. The apps will then search the internet for places where that picture has been published before.
Conclusion
While Zimbabwe has many low-lying bridges that frequently collapse due to flooding, this particular bridge is not Karanda as claimed on social media.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 25, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-these-images-do-not-show-a-collapsed-karanda-bridge-as-claimed-online/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
483 | FACT CHECK: No, these pictures showing a fake US dollar bust are not from Zim, as claimed in viral social media posts - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 25, 2022
CLAIM: A printing shop in Harare is producing fake US dollars and police have arrested a retired army officer over the notes.
SOURCE: Viral social media posts
VERDICT: False. Images purporting to show pictures of arrests over fake US dollars are in fact from Angola, not Zimbabwe.
Pictures have gone viral among Zimbabwean social media users claiming to show police making arrests over fake US dollar notes.
A Facebook page, Zimbabwe Reports, claimed that the pictures show the arrest of a “62-year-old retired colonel and two accomplices” in Manicaland.
However, the pictures are not from Zimbabwe. They are from Angola.
First, the pictures are used widely in articles in the Angolan press over the incident.
Angolan website Angola24Horas reported on April 21 that three people had been arrested for “50 million counterfeit US dollars”. The website said those arrested included a “62-year-old colonel” and two others.
Namibia’s Informante website also uses the pictures in an article about the incident in Angola.
A report by the Lusa news agency of Angola on April 22 says: “According to the deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) in Huambo, Amílcar Belembe…the notes were produced in a printing shop in Luanda with the purpose of being introduced to the market.”
The pictures also show officers with bibs bearing the insignia of the Serviço de Investigação Criminal (SIC), the criminal investigations bureau in Angola.
Social media posts claiming to show a large fake currency bust in Zimbabwe are misleading. The pictures are from Angola, and not Zimbabwe as claimed. The images appear in several articles in the Angolan press, and the arresting officers in the photos are visibly wearing official Angolan police uniforms.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 25, 2022 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-these-pictures-showing-a-fake-us-dollar-bust-are-not-from-zim-as-claimed-in-viral-social-media-posts/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
484 | No, this is not a picture of people who've fallen ill from vaccines, as claimed on WhatsApp - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 26, 2021
CLAIM: People have fallen seriously ill after COVID-19 vaccinations
SOURCE: Viral WhatsApp message
RATING: False. The message is a hoax and uses an old picture from West Africa
A message circulating on WhatsApp claims to show people being treated for serious illness following COVID-19 vaccinations.
This is false.
The picture in the message is in fact from Guinea. A reverse image search shows that the picture was posted by a Guinean website in March 2020. It shows people being treated in a hospital in Guinea, following a violent government crackdown on protests in the West African country.
It has nothing to do with Zimbabwe, and neither does it have anything to do with COVID-19 vaccines.
A voice note accompanying the picture claims vaccines clog blood vessels. The person in the voice note then urges people to spread the message widely and warn people against taking the COVID-19 vaccine, as “this injection is killing people”.
No such incidents have been reported, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
Side effects
While vaccines may have side effects, most of these are mild and not deadly.
A report published in October 2020 by The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, said the tests on the Sinopharm vaccine, which is being used in Zimbabwe, showed that “all adverse events were mild or moderate in severity.”
The Ministry of Health also says to expect only mild side effects.
Conclusion
A viral picture and voice note claiming people have fallen ill after taking the COVID-19 vaccine is a hoax. No reports of serious side effects have been reported. The picture in the message is of an unrelated violence incident in Guinea, West Africa.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 26, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-this-is-not-a-picture-of-people-whove-fallen-ill-from-vaccines-as-claimed-on-whatsapp/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
485 | No, this is not a picture of tractors heading for Zimbabwe - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 6, 2021
CLAIM: An image of tractors on a ship shows John Deere tractors destined for Zimbabwe
SOURCE: Tweet by the “Zanu PF Youth League UK & EU” account
VERDICT: False
An image has circulated on social media, showing John Deere tractors on a trawler near a dock. Tweets by the Zanu PF Youth League UK & EU and by businessman Mutumwa Mawere claimed that the picture showed tractors at tthe Durban port, heading for Zimbabwe. The picture was also shared by other social media users, with similar claims.
This is misleading.
The picture, in fact, shows John Deere tractors being transported in Mannheim, Germany. A reverse image search of the picture shows that it has been posted on many websites before. It was posted on 24 August 2020 by a German company, Kotschenreuther Forst-& Landtechnik, a German dealer for John Deere tractors, with the caption: “New batch of John Deere tractors, heading to us by ship”.
How can you tell that a picture is used wrongly?
To check the source of a picture, you can use reverse image search on either your computer or the mobile phone. On a computer, you can right-click on the image, and it gives you the option to “search Google for image”. You can also free mobile phone apps, such as Veracity, the Google app, or ImageSearch, to upload the picture and let the app search the internet for the image.
Conclusion
Claims that this picture shows tractors at Durban being shipped to Zimbabwe is false. While Zimbabwe does have a contract with John Deere for the supply of agricultural equipment, the picture has nothing to do with Zimbabwe. A reverse image search shows that the image was taken in Germany.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 6, 2021 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-this-is-not-a-picture-of-tractors-heading-for-zimbabwe/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
486 | No, this is not a picture of zebra killed by Chinese miners in Hwange - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 8, 2020
CLAIM: A picture shows Chinese miners have killed zebra in Hwange
VERDICT: False. The image used has previously been used in South Africa after a truck accident
A picture of zebra carcasses has been widely shared by Zimbabwean users on social media, with suggestions that the image shows the impact of Chinese mining in a game reserve.
The picture was shared with the #SaveHwangeNationalPark hashtag, which has been used to raise awareness about reports that Chinese mining companies have been allowed to explore for coal inside the Hwange National Park.
Is the picture of the zebra related to any mining at Hwange? No. The image has in fact previously been shared in South Africa. It was used in reports on a truck that overturned in Kimberly, South Africa. Following the accident, pictures circulated showing zebra carcasses.
Is there mining in Hwange National Park?
On September 1, 2020, conservation group, the Bhejane Trust, posted on Facebook that it had “recently found some Chinese in Hwange Park – we managed to ascertain they were drilling core samples for coal”.
According to the group, two companies have been granted exploration rights in two areas of the park. There is however no mining inside the park yet.
Nick Mangwana, Secretary for Information, said on September 7: “Nobody has a coal mining permit to mine in Hwange National Park. The current event is that under a Special Grant, ZMDC and its partner have a Special Grant 5756 which allowed them to drill 4 scout drill holes. Both Zimparks (Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife and Wildlife Authority) and EMA (Environmental Management Authority) permission for this (sic). This is not mining.”
Conclusion
Reports of Chinese miners being granted authority to explore for coal in the park are credible, even though there is no actual mining yet inside the parks. However, the image circulating purporting to show that zebra have been killed by miners in the park is false. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 8, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-this-is-not-a-picture-of-zebra-killed-by-chinese-miners-in-hwange/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
487 | No, this is not a 'Sinopharm manual' showing groups that can't take vaccines. It's a unique Seychelles govt policy guide - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 18, 2021
Claim: Sinopharm has released production information showing groups that cannot take its COVID19 vaccine
Source: News and social media reports
RATING: Incorrect: A widely circulating pamphlet showing a list of people not recommended for Sinopharm is part of a policy document issued by the Seychelles government.
An image of a pamphlet showing a list of people that cannot take the Sinopharm vaccine has circulated widely in Zimbabwe, where the vaccine has started being used.
Social media posts claimed that this was product information on the company. This raised suggestions that it is not a suitable vaccine for Zimbabwe. The website NewZimbabwe.com said it was from “a pamphlet accompanying the medicine”. The Pindula website described it as “the vaccine’s manual that was seen by Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono“.
This is not true.
The pamphlet is actually guidance issued by the Seychelles government, which has begun using the Sinopharm vaccine.
More importantly, the information given is broadly in line with recommendations on other vaccines.
Governments have adopted their own policies on different vaccines, based on available product information and guidelines given by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other experts.
The WHO’s recommendations for other vaccines such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca are not too different.
Here is a list of people that, according to the WHO, cannot take the Pfizer vaccine or those that must exercise caution.
What about AstraZeneca?
This is what WHO says about this vaccine:
It is from such guidance that different governments come up with different approaches on who gets a vaccine, and who does not.
An example is the UAE, which is using both Sinopharm and Pfizer. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Health Ministry will not vaccinate people with severe allergies, pregnant and breastfeeding women, women who plan to get pregnant in the next three months, or those with a history of severe COVID-19 illness.
Similarly, the government of Cambodia issued its own guidance on Sinopharm, which excludes people with chronic illnesses, children, as well as other groups. That country’s guidance has also circulated widely on Zimbabwean social media.
Conclusion
The Sinopharm information in the widely circulated image is based on recommendations issued on most vaccines. Data is still limited on all vaccines, and the WHO and other experts have issued recommendations that governments are using differently.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 18, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-this-is-not-a-sinopharm-manual-showing-groups-that-cant-take-vaccines-its-a-unique-seychelles-govt-policy-guide/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
488 | No, this is not Makandiwa's mansion, and here's how you can fact check such pictures - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 13, 2021
A picture that has gone viral on social media claims to show the mansion of church leader Emmanuel Makandiwa.
One post said: “Congratulations Pastor Makandiwa for the completion of your house. So proud to lead us by example.”
The post was shared by many on social media, including journalists.
However, a reverse image search shows that the image is not of any property in Zimbabwe. It is a computer-generated image used by a real estate company for a property that was put on sale in Hollywood, California.
According to one internet entry featuring the property: “This spectacular 3/4 acre promontory is one of the largest development sites ever offered in the iconic Bird Streets in the Hollywood Hills.”
A separate post identified the property as Sierra Mar Place and said it offered an opportunity “to build a luxury compound.”
How can you verify pictures?
If unsure about a picture, you can verify it on your own. If you are using a laptop, right-click on an image. You will get the “search Google for image” option. The computer will search the web for websites where that same image has appeared before.
On your phone, you can download the image and upload it to Google Images, and start a search. You can also use free apps, such as Image Search and Photo Sherlock, to upload pictures and check them.
Conclusion
A picture claiming to show Emmanuel Makandiwa’s mansion is misleading. The picture being circulated is not of Makandiwa’s house, but shows an illustration of a property in Los Angeles, in the USA. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 13, 2021 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-this-is-not-makandiwas-mansion-and-heres-how-you-can-fact-check-such-pictures/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
489 | No, this photo of a soldier beating up a woman is not fake. It's real. Here's how to check - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 7, 2020
CLAIM: A photo showing a soldier beating up a woman in Harare is photoshopped?
VERDICT: Not true. Evidence shows the image is authentic.
On August 8, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman GeorgeCharamba, via his Twitter account @Jamwanda2, claimed that a photograph showinga man in army uniform beating up a woman was fake and photoshopped.
“They can’t even photoshop plausibly. They fabricate credits and superimpose them to CERTIFY LIES!!!!!,” he tweeted.
The picture is attributed to photojournalist Shepherd Tozvireva, and has been published by NewsDay.
A ZimFact check however shows that the photo is, in fact,authentic, contrary to Charamba’s claims.
How do we know that the picture is real? By checking other photos of the incident, and also using freely available online tools to check if the picture was not manipulated in some way.
ZimFact spoke to Tozvireva, who said the photo is one of several that he shot on June 2, 2020, in Harare, on the overpass at Simon Mazorodze Road in the capital. This was during a campaign by security forces to enforce the COVID-19 lockdown.
A series of photos that Tozvireva took of the incident, shows the sequence of events leading up to the photo in question. In the photos, the soldier is seen approaching the woman. He is then photographed appearing to interrogate her, before he is photographed using a stick to beat her on the legs.
We publish the photo series below.
There are various ways to check if a photo has been photoshopped or altered. Online, there are various tools one can use. These tools check a picture and see if there are any changes made to it.
The online tool, FotoForensics, for example, uses what is called Error Level Analysis (ELA) to identify spots in an image that have been altered. With JPEG images, the most common picture format, the whole picture should have the same error level. If one spot in the picture is different, that’s a red flag suggesting the photo may have been altered. Running Tozvireva’s photo through this application showed no sign of manipulation.
Another tool, Imageedited, tells you what sort of gadget was used to take the photo, and when it was taken. Using this tool, we found that the picture was an original taken on June 2, 2020, using a Canon EOS 6D Mark II camera. The camera model is also indicated in the properties of the original images provided to ZimFact by Tozvireva.
This is confirmed by a third image forensic tool, Forensically, which indicates the image is an original from the Canon camera, as shown below:
Charamba’s claim that this image of a soldier beating up a woman is photoshopped is false. Using other pictures of the incident for context, and using freely available online tools, there is evidence that the picture is in fact genuine.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 7, 2020 | {
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490 | No, this pic of a rock in a container is not from Zimbabwe, but Malawi - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 26, 2021
This picture showing a large rock inside a container has gone viral on social media. Some posts suggested that it showed a rock sample being shipped from Zimbabwe to China.
This is false.
The picture, in fact, is of an incident in Malawi.
According to Malawi24, in the picture is the country’s Mines Minister, Rashid Gaffar, inspecting a shipment of a rock at a shipping location in Lilongwe. Another report, by Malawi’s Avant Publications, said rocks were confiscated from an illegal miner in 2019.
“After the trial (of the illegal miner), the confiscated stones were sold off, and (the) new owner has to get necessary mineral export permits to export though Manica Containers,” the report says.
The publication added that the ornamental stones are exported in blocks.
A video of the incident posted on Twitter shows a person wearing a Manica Containers bib.
The incident has been subject to various misinformation. One false claim was that: “Malawian government ordered vaccine from Zimbabwe and a huge rock was delivered to them.” As at March 26, the post had been retweeted on Twitter over 2,500 times.
Conclusion
The picture showing a large rock inside a container is not from Zimbabwe. It was taken in Malawi, where a Minister inspected the cargo at the premises of a shipping company.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 26, 2021 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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491 | No, this picture does not show a broken down 'ZUPCO train', but a previous rail service - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 9, 2021
Claim: A commuter train run by ZUPCO broke down in Harare on its first day of service.
Verdict: False. This widely circulated picture purporting to show the broken down train is not recent. It has been used several times before.
On Wednesday, an image of a Facebook post went viral claiming to show a picture of a broken down “ZUPCO” train in Harare.
The picture had the caption: “ZUPCO hombe rafira musango (the big ZUPCO (train has broken down in the bush),The new of the Old Zanu Pf. Unotonzwa tsitsi (Pathetic).”
However, an internet search shows that the picture has been used by various media houses previously, including just days before the launch of the service on Wednesday, September 8.
Using Google reverse image search shows that the picture appears in an article on a commuter rail service by the AFP news agency, republished by outlets such as Bulawayo24 in February 2019.
Other clues: It is also noticeable that none of the passengers in the picture was wearing a facemask, an indication that the picture was taken before the COVID-19 era. There is also green vegetation, unusual for the time of the year.
ZUPCO, the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company, has collaborated with the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) as a way of tackling transport woes in the country. The arrangement has been the subject of much public debate at a time Zimbabwean urban areas are facing a serious transportation crisis.
A picture of a Facebook post, circulated widely on WhatsApp and other social media platforms claiming that a ZUPCO-run train broke down is false. The picture of the train has been used by various media before.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 9, 2021 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
492 | No, US dollar notes do not expire as claimed by some traders and social media posts - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 24, 2020
CLAIM: US$20 notes from before 2017 and US$100 from before 2003 are no longer legal tender in the USA
VERDICT: False. The US Federal Reserve says US dollar notes do not expire, whatever year they were issued
On 26 March, 2020, the Zimbabwe government announced that the use of foreign currency would now be allowed for local transactions. Under further regulations issued on June 17, retailers and other service providers are also required to display prices in both the US dollar and the Zimbabwe dollar.
However, some retailers have rejected some US dollar notes, based on when they were issued. A widely circulated social media post also claims: “Don’t accept US$20 notes from 2015 they are banned in America or US$100 from before 2003”.
But do US dollar notes expire? Are there any US dollar notes that are no longer legal tenders in the USA? No. This is false.
According to the US Federal Reserve, which is America’s central bank, while note designs may change, the notes do not expire. They remain valid.
“Each note includes security and design features unique to how the denomination is used in circulation. The US government periodically redesigns Federal Reserve notes to make them easier to use, but more difficult to counterfeit. It is US government policy that all designs of U.S currency remain legal tender, regardless of when they were issued. This policy includes all denominations of Federal Reserve notes, from 1914 to the present,” the Federal Reserve says through its US Currency Education Program, a platform for information on US dollar notes.
This is not the first time such claims have been made in Zimbabwe. In 2009, when Zimbabwe formally adopted the multicurrency system, there were rumours that US dollar notes from before 2000 were no longer valid. This was also dismissed by the US embassy.
“Members of the public are advised that older series of US currency remain legal tender in the United States and elsewhere. US bank notes do not expire,” the Embassy said then.
There are also no Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe regulations that bar the usage of older series US dollar notes.
It is not true that US dollar notes expire. Once issued, USdollar notes remain legal tender. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 24, 2020 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
493 | No, Victoria Falls has not yet achieved herd immunity - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 26, 2021
By Nelson Banya
CLAIM: Victoria Falls has achieved herd immunity against COVID-19 after 77% of the city’s adult population got vaccinated.
Source: President Emmerson Mnangagwa on his official Twitter account.
VERDICT: Incorrect. Official data shows that by April 25, when Mnangagwa made the claim, 77% of Victoria Falls’ targeted adult population had only received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Given the double-dose vaccines currently in use by Zimbabwe, persons are only considered to be fully vaccinated after receiving their second shot.
Further, the threshold for herd immunity against COVID-19, a new disease that emerged late 2019, is yet to be established.
Victoria Falls has now achieved herd immunity!🇿🇼
Last month, I received my first COVID-19 vaccine in Victoria Falls. I am immensely proud that over 77% of the city's inhabitants have received their second jab.
Thank you to all the health officials who have made this possible.
VicFalls vaccination drive
On March 24, the government launched a mass vaccination programme in Victoria Falls, targeting the city’s entire adult population, estimated at 25,000 people.
According to official statistics, 19,243 Victoria Falls residents had received their first dose by April 21, which also happened to be day 28, when second doses started falling due in the city. That day, 1,514 got their second shot.
Disaggregated figures for the days leading up to April 25, when Mnangagwa made his claim, are not available. However, nationally, 17,567 second doses were administered between April 21 and 25.
Even assuming that all these were administered in Victoria Falls, which is improbable, the city would still not attain the 77% second jabs claimed by Mnangagwa.
Herd immunity
The World Health Organisation defines herd immunity as the protection from an infectious disease that a population gets from previous infection or vaccination.
WHO says it only supports the attainment of herd immunity through vaccination and not through allowing infections to spread unchecked through populations.
The global health watchdog also says it remains unclear at what level herd immunity against COVID-19 can be attained.
“We are still learning about immunity to COVID-19. Most people who are infected with COVID-19 develop an immune response within the first few weeks, but we don’t know how strong or lasting that immune response is, or how it differs for different people. There have also been reports of people infected with COVID-19 for a second time,” WHO says.
“Until we better understand COVID-19 immunity, it will not be possible to know how much of a population is immune and how long that immunity lasts for, let alone make future predictions.”
However, some experts believe herd immunity against COVID-19 can be achieved if between 60-70% of the population is vaccinated. For more contagious infections such as measles, the herd immunity threshold is much higher, around 95%
Epidemiologists monitoring early COVID-19 outbreaks calculated that the virus’ reproduction number — how many new victims each carrier infected — was about 3. So two out of three potential victims would have to become immune before each carrier infected fewer than one. When each carrier infects fewer than one new victim, the outbreak slowly dies out. This then worked out to two out of three, or 66.7%, which became the theoretical range of 60-70% for herd immunity.
“What we know about coronavirus so far suggests that, if we were really to go back to a pre-pandemic lifestyle, we would need at least 70% of the population to be immune to keep the rate of infection down (“achieve herd immunity”) without restrictions on activities. But this level depends on many factors, including the infectiousness of the virus (variants can evolve that are more infectious) and how people interact with each other,” experts from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health wrote this month.
CONCLUSION:
Mnangagwa’s claim that Victoria Falls has achieved herd immunity against COVID-19 is incorrect. The calculation yielding the 77% claim seems to arise from the 19,243 people who officials say had received their first vaccine dose, out of the city’s targeted 25,000 adult population. With the double-dose vaccines Zimbabwe is currently using, one is only considered to be fully vaccinated after the second shot.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 26, 2021 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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494 | No, we are not investigating anyone over use of VPN: ZRP - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 24, 2019
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has said the public should not take heed of any messages posted on social media as coming from its office as it does not communicate through social media or sms.
By ZimFact Staff
A message has been circulating on social media platforms purporting to be from the ZRP. The message indicates that certain individuals would be investigated for the unauthorised use of VPN software during Zimbabwe’s internet shutdown that took place from 15 to 21 January 2019.
Below is one of the many messages in circulation:
Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, said the message circulating on social media is fake.
“That message is not true, that is fake news, we don’t know the intentions of whoever is circulating that,” she said.
Charamba added that as the ZRP, they did not originate that message and they have not arrested anyone concerning the use of VPN.
“We are warning people to be wary of such fake messages, we do not communicate to people via social media,” she said.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 24, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-we-are-not-investigating-anyone-over-use-of-vpn-zrp/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
495 | No, World Bank is not taking funding applications from Zimbabwean SMEs. A Facebook post making the claim has all the hallmarks of a web scam - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 15, 2020
CLAIM: The World Bank has announced $1bn for Zimbabwean SMEs and is taking applications
SOURCE: A Facebook post claiming to be from Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube
VERDICT: False. The post is false and has all the signs that it is yet another web scam to harvest personal details
A Facebook page impersonating Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube claims that the World Bank is inviting Zimbabwean small businesses to apply for funding. The claim is false and appears to be another web scam to harvest personal details.
The poster on November 13 claimed (unedited): “WORLD BANK FRUSTRATED AT LOW UPTAKE OF COVID FUND: The World Bank has complained of low number of ZIMBABWE BUSINESSE’S applying for the Covid fund which was approved all the way in May. The fund was meant to cushion small businesses against shocks caused by the pandemic but most Zimbabweans have shied away from applying. Zimbabweans willing to apply for the fund can do so only through IFC website below.”
The link provided leads to a website, ifcbusiness.org. The site impersonates the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC). An article on the site, dated November 10, says: “The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a $1 billion budget support operation for Zimbabwe, which helps close the fiscal financing gap, while supporting reforms that help advance the government’s inclusive growth agenda, including in affordable housing and support to farmers’ incomes.”
It then asks you to input your details to apply; details include your name, phone number, email, physical address and other details about your company.
This is not a new scam. ZimFact checked a similar scam in June, which claimed that there was IMF funding for SMEs. Earlier, yet another similar fake post was made, claiming funding was available from USAID. This was dismissed by USAID. Both these earlier posts also asked for personal details.
The claim that the World Bank has provided funding to Zimbabwean SMEs is fake. No such announcement has been made by either the World Bank or Treasury. Web scammers harvest personal details to commit fraud or spam users with adverts. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 15, 2020 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
496 | No, you do not need 'exemption letters' to commute during business hours - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 8, 2021
Do you now need an exemption letter to commute under current COVID-19 measures?
No. According to the government, only essential workers who need to move around after curfew are required to show exemption letters.
On Tuesday, the Government announced that there would be stricter monitoring of virus containment measures.
“The nation is advised that the exemption mechanisms which were used during the first lockdown in 2020 will be reactivated with immediate effect,” said Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa the weekly Cabinet briefing.
Although she made no mention of exemption letters, her statement was interpreted in the media to mean that the letters, which were discontinued as measures were eased, would not again be needed.
The Daily News reported that: “COVID exemption letters reinstated as infections, deaths continue to soar.”
However, the Government has clarified to say that this is not the case. Police should not demand letters under current regulations.
Under current measures, businesses are allowed to open between 8AM and 3.30PM. The curfew starts at 6.30PM.
After the curfew, only essential workers are allowed to move around. To do so, they will need exemption letters. Essential workers include people such as health workers, commercial truckers or those in food deliveries.
According to Information Secretary Nick Mangwana: “The three hours between 3.30pm when most businesses must close and 6.30pm, when the curfew comes into effect, is seen as adequate for staff in the general economy to clear their workplace and get home. After 3.30 pm, only essential services as spelt out by the law are allowed to open.”
Conclusion
You do not need exemption letters to commute or move around during working hours. However, during curfew hours, only essential services are allowed to operate. People working in essential services will need to provide proof in order to be allowed to move around.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 8, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-you-do-not-need-exemption-letters-to-commute-during-business-hours/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
497 | No, Zimbabwe did not announce COVID-19 case after WHO pledged US$500m - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 21, 2020
CLAIM: The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that all countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19 would get US$500 million each
RATING: False
A post that has gone viral on Zimbabwean social media networks claims that Zimbabwe announced its first positive case of coronavirus after the WHO pledged money for affected countries. The message was widely circulated after Zimbabwe announced its first positive case of COVID-19 on Friday, March 20.
The message says:
“Three hours after the
World Health Org announces that all countries with confirmed cases of #Covid_19
will get an assistance of US$500 million from it, Zimbabwe announces its first
case of Covid-19.”
This is false.
The WHO has made no such announcement.
In fact, the WHO has issued a global appeal to raise a total of US$675 million between February and April to fight the outbreak. Launching the appeal on February 5, 2020, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said the funding was necessary to support countries that do not have the resources needed to manage the outbreak.
The WHO’s “Strategic preparedness and response plan” aims to protect States with weaker health systems.
On February 5, the WHO said it had released US$9 million from its emergency response fund.
On March 13, a new coronavirus Solidarity Response Fund was launched to raise money from donors to help countries respond to the pandemic. The crowd-funding platform is hosted by the UN Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation. On March 19, the WHO announced that the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund had so far received US$45 million from more than 173,000 individuals and organisations.
As at March 21, the WHO had reported that a total of 182 countries, areas and territories had reported positive cases of COVID-19, with 266,073 cases and 11.184 deaths.
If the claim that the WHO was giving out US$500 million to each of these countries were true, then the WHO would have spent over US$91 billion. No such announcement has been made by the WHO. As shown above, the WHO is actually short of money and is crowd-funding for resources to fight the pandemic.
The claim that Zimbabwe only announced a positive case afterthe WHO announced that it was giving US$500 million to each affected country isfalse. No such money has been disbursed. The WHO is, in fact, seeking to raisefunding to respond to coronavirus around the world. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 21, 2020 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
498 | No, Zimbabwe's COVID-19 cases have not been rising, as claimed by eNCA report - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 22, 2021
CLAIM: Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 cases are rising
SOURCE: eNCA news report
RATING: Inaccurate
On March 19, South Africa’s eNCA television news channel reported that Zimbabwe would not hesitate to impose a new lockdown. The report also said the number of new cases in Zimbabwe was rising.
“Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 infection rate, appears to be increasing again. This is after falling to its lowest level in the past weeks. The country now has over 36 000 COVID-10 positive infections, and over 1 500 deaths, and government says if the people continue to ignore wearing masks, and fail to practice social distancing, another lockdown may be on the cards.”
The report featured the headline: “New lockdown looms in Zimbabwe”.
The report is inaccurate. Official data issued by the Ministry of Information shows that new infections have slowed down since md January, although officials have indeed warned that a new wave is possible.
The rolling 7 day average of new infections has declined from 42 on February 28, the day before lockdown restrictions were significantly relaxed, to 26 on March 21.
On March 1, 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that the government was easing lockdown measures because “the number of COVID-19 cases, fatalities and hospitalisations continue to steadily decrease”.
The numbers of new cases as eased since a post-festive season surge that led to a 30-day lockdown being announced on January 2.
The number of new cases rose from 217 on the first day of the year and peaked that month at 1356 on 5 January. New cases then eased to 160 on 1 February, 50 on 15 February, 26 on 1 March, 20 on 15 March, and 41 on 19 March, the day the eNCA ran its report.
As at March 21, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe had recorded a total of 36 665 cases since the outbreak. Of these, 34 269 recovered while 1 512 died.
Conclusion
While authorities continue to urge Zimbabweans to keep observing measures to prevent coronavirus infections, the eNCA’s report that new cases are rising in Zimbabwe is inaccurate. Official data shows that new infections, as well as deaths, have slowed down since the start of the year. The numbers have also decreased since the government relaxed COVID-19 restrictions on March 1. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 22, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-zimbabwes-covid-19-cases-have-not-been-rising-as-claimed-by-enca-report/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
499 | No, Zinara has not increased licence fees - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 21, 2022
CLAIM: The government has ordered an increase in Zinara vehicles licence fees
Source: Viral WhatsApp message
VERDICT: INCORRECT. The government has not directed Zinara to increase vehicle licence fees. However, the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe has indicated that vehicle insurance premiums will go up from January 25.
A viral WhatsApp message claims that the Zimbabwe National Roads Agency (Zinara) will effect a huge increase in vehicle licence fees, from 25 January 2022.
This is incorrect. Zinara says there are no immediate plans to increase the vehicle licence fee.
“Vehicle licence is not going up, there is no such position. If there is anything to that effect, it will be communicated through official channels,” Zinara spokesman Tendai Mugabe told ZimFact on Friday.
The circulating WhatsApp message also has some red flags that show it is not correct. It states that the fees will be increased to ZW$13 000 from ZW$5 000. There is currently no vehicle licence fee of ZW$5 000. The most common vehicle licence categories, cars up to 1 500kg as well as between 1 501kg and 2 250kg, range from ZW$1 800 and ZW$2 550.
Here is a list of the current vehicle license fees:
Confusion:
The misinformation is likely to have arisen from a notice by the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ), which sent out a circular on 12 January 2022, indicating that third party vehicle insurance premiums would go up on 25 January 2022.
According to the ICZ circular, third party insurance cover for most private cars would cost ZW$13 625 per year or ZW$3 406.25 per quarter.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 21, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/no-zinara-has-not-increased-licence-fees/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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500 | Of hair clippers and HIV infection - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 25, 2018
Going to the barber? What are the thoughts running through your mind? Hoping the appointment will not take up all your lunch break? Yes. Hoping there will be no extra charge for using mobile money to pay? Yes, especially if you are in Zimbabwe today. Hoping the water will be warm? Yes.
Calculating the risk of you contracting HIV or Hepatitis B from that salon visit? Absolutely not.
Researched by Lifaqane Nare
Unless you have read The Chronicle of April 12, 2018, with the headline: BARBER SHOPS POSE HIV RISK. . . National Aids Council issues chilling warning
Claim: People who have their hair cut at salons are at a high risk of contracting HIV through sharing barber clippers, the National AIDS Council has warned.
Conclusion: Incorrect
This claim was said to be corroborating findings from a report that has been published following a study carried out by the Hair and Skin Research Laboratory at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, led by Prof Nonhlanhla Khumalo.
Findings of the Study
The objective of the study was to investigate the prevalence of barber hair clipper contamination with blood, HIV and hepatitis B viruses.
To do this, fifty barbers from three townships in Cape Town were invited to participate. One clipper from each barber was collected immediately after it had been used for a clean-shave haircut.
The conclusion from the study was that there is significant contamination of barber hair clippers with blood and blood-borne viruses, with 42% of the clippers contaminated.
Hepatitis B was detected with enough DNA copies to pose a risk of transmitting infection.
(Blood and virus detection on barber clippers. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324344773_Blood_and_virus_detection_on_barber_clippers [accessed Apr 19 2018]).
HIV infections in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s HIV prevalence rate peaked at 29% in 1999 and decreased to 14.5% by 2016, with 1.3 million people living with HIV.
According to UNAIDS, Zimbabwe had 40000 new HIV infections and 30 000 AIDS-related deaths in 2016. However, since 2010, new infections have decreased by 49% and AIDS-related deaths by 45%.
This has been attributed to strategies that have included prevention methods such as practicing safe sex, sticking to one partner and knowing one’s status, among others.
Can unsterilized hair clippers infect people with HIV?
Director of the AIDS and Tuberculosis unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr. Owen Mugurungi, says the risk of contracting HIV with sharp instruments is high, especially when there is a cut.
“Some 20 years ago we warned people about the risk of transmitting HIV through razor blades and barber equipment and we took a decision that people sterilize using alcohol and now most barber shops use spirit to sterilize their equipment,” he says.
Mugurungi says there have not been studies on the exact time the virus survives outside the body but says “for HIV to survive outside the human body it has to be in the blood or body fluids. It will survive until that blood or body fluid dries.”
The United States’ Centre for Disease Control (CDC) says HIV does not survive long outside the human body (such as on surfaces), and it cannot reproduce outside a human host. The CDC, however, does not specify how long the virus can survive in those conditions.
A 2003 review conducted by Australia’s Sexual Health and Blood-borne Virus Program, Communicable Diseases Control Branch – focusing on discarded syringes – concluded that:
Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can all survive outside the human body for several weeks, with virus survival influenced by virus titer (load), volume of blood, ambient temperature, exposure to sunlight and humidity. HBV has the highest virus titers in untreated individuals and is viable for the most prolonged periods in needle syringes stored at room temperature. However, prevalence of HBV and HIV are only 1-2% within the Australian IDU (injecting drug users) population. In contrast, prevalence of HCV is 50-60% among Australian IDUs and virus survival in needle syringes has been documented for prolonged periods. There have been no published cases of blood-borne virus transmission following community needlestick injury in Australia.
A 1991 laboratory study by Enock Tjotta et al, ‘Survival of HIV‐1 activity after disinfection, temperature and pH changes, or drying’ published by the Journal of Medical Virology, established that levels of virus remain relatively stable in blood at room temperature, and HIV may persist for at least a week in dried blood at 4°C. Blood containing HIV used for laboratory experiments is stored at –70°C without any loss of viral activity, the study found.
However, it also established that HIV is very sensitive to changes in alkalinity or acidity – pH level – with pH levels below 7 or above 8 being unsuitable for the long-term survival of HIV.
On the efficacy of disinfectants, the study found that:
“A solution of iodine and detergent (2% Jodopax) was the only disinfectant examined which removed all detectable HIV‐1 activity. Isopropanol and ethanol were more potent than acetone; however, all three solvents left some viable particles after a 30 min treatment with 70% solutions.”
According to the CDC, Hepatitis B is up to 100 times more infectious than HIV and takes more effort to sterilize and kill than HIV when it’s outside the human body.
“Sterilization has to be more intense,” says Mugurungi.
Mugurungi encourages people to take their own hair clippers to the barbershop, if possible, to reduce the risk of using hair clippers which they do not know if they are sterilized or not.
Mugurungi says there is need for greater awareness of risks of HIV infection in the informal industries like barbershops.
Conclusion
The claim from the National AIDS Council as published through The Chronicle is incorrect in so far as it is based on the research carried out by the University of Cape Town.
The findings of that particular research were that 42% of the hair clippers tested positive for blood contamination. Of those, 4% tested positive for Hepatitis B virus and none tested positive for HIV.
However, this is a major public health issue and there is need for more and bigger studies to be carried out to quantify the risk of HIV infection in barbershops.
In the meantime, treat your hair clippers as you would your toothbrush: Carry your own and do not share.
CDCHIVNATIONAL AIDS COUNCILUNAIDS | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 25, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/of-hair-clippers-and-hiv-infection/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
501 | OPINION: The greatest victim of fake news is professional journalism - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 11, 2021
By Geoffrey Nyarota
The darkest episode of my 42-year long career as a professional journalist, as well as a moment of shame for our then newspaper, the original Daily News, was on Tuesday, 23 April 2002.
The following morning, on Wednesday 24 April, was the occasion of my greatest pride as a newspaper editor. We resorted that day to a time honoured ethical practice in journalism; that of publishing a retraction of an article deemed to have been false, while tendering appropriate apologies to all concerned.
Newspaper readers of that period will remember the infamous Tadyanemhandu catastrophe at a time when the newspaper was riding high on a wave of popularity. The sensational story that graced our front page on the Tuesday appeared under the headline: “Young girls see the head of their mother cut off.”
At that time, this was a sensational headline in the context of the political violence then ravaging the north-eastern regions of Zimbabwe. On the morning of publication, we received a barrage of calls from all over, all of them protesting that we had published a false story. How they knew so early in the morning that a story from rural Magunje, 200 km away, was a falsehood was a mystery.
Efforts to trace the only source of the story, the husband of the deceased woman, were in vain. He had walked into the newsroom in tears while narrating his woeful tale about the murder of his wife. Because of the outcry and our decision not to send a reporter to the violence ridden territory to investigate, we took a decision to retract the story.
We abided by one of the most cardinal of the ethics of journalism. If published information turns out to be false it must be retracted as promptly as possible, with the retraction being accompanied by a sincere apology. The retraction must be displayed as prominently as possible on the same page on which the offending story was published.
While The Daily News rushed, with commendable speed, to retract what was deemed to be a false story, today, sadly, some news outlets are reluctant or refuse outright to publish any retraction. This happens even when it is clear that they have published a damaging falsehood about an innocent individual. I speak from the experience of being a victim of damaging fake news on six occasions, with the falsehoods being motivated by nothing other than malice.
A weekly Harare newspaper, distinguished for its patriotism, accused me at the time of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 of urging the George Bush administration to attack Zimbabwe as well, after dealing with Saddam Hussein. I was supposed to have expressed such weird exhortation as Editor of the Daily News. At the time of the invasion of Iraq I had left the newspaper four months previously and was no longer in any way associated with the newspaper, having been dismissed in painful circumstances. My salvation was that not too many readers took the newspaper seriously.
Not to be out-done, a UK-based Zimbabwean website accused me not long afterwards of having incited Five Brigade to unleash the Gukurahundi massacres on the innocent people of Matabeleland in the early 1980s soon after independence.
In similar vein, a respectable financial newspaper in Harare published an article by a correspondent in which he expressed the view that I was the mastermind of the same Gukurahundi. Apart from that, so the highly respected journalist stated, the Willowgate Scandal was nothing but the enterprise of a young journalist on The Chronicle that I stole and presented as my own enterprise.
To his credit, the editor of the newspaper, who is one of our finest journalists in Zimbabwe, quickly retracted the malicious diatribe.
In between these two damaging fake stories, another UK-based website published a shocking article in which it was expressed as fact that I had been dismissed from The Daily News at the time of my return to Zimbabwe in 2010 because I had helped myself to a substantial amount of donor funds. The donor organisation published a statement to deny this allegation.
Shamed by the statement, the website then published a retraction accompanied by what appeared to be a sincere apology. The problem with digital footprints on social media is that they cannot be effectively erased once published and the reputations of victims of fake stories are permanently damaged.
Finally, in 2019 a well-respected Sunday newspaper published an article in which it was stated that I had been the subject of an investigation by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission for alleged corruption. I should, therefore, not be considered for appointment to the same ZACC as a commissioner. Several prominent people had nominated me for appointment. The commission hastily issued a statement denying it had ever investigated me for any reason.
For some incomprehensible reason, the respectable newspaper in question still refused to retract the story. The matter remains before the courts since then, at great cost to me in legal fees.
If these fake stories were true I would either be in jail today, be stoned by any of the people who lost their loved ones during Gukurahundi or my reputation as an investigative journalist would be effectively shredded.
By the time when former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe of Zimbabwe died in Singapore in September 2019, rumours of ill health had dogged him for some time. His death had been reported repeatedly in fake news accounts on Twitter or other social media over the previous three years. At one point he pointed out with sarcasm that if social media were to be taken seriously then he had died and resurrected several times.
The purveyors of these falsehoods never at any given time published any correction or retraction of their false pronouncements. The multiple alleged deaths of Mugabe no doubt attracted thousands of hits to their respective websites.
One website had the temerity to publish the following: “Rumours have been spreading on twitter and other social media outlets suggesting that President Mugabe has passed away. This is very unlikely. Mugabe is alive. Death hoaxes have been following him for the past three years and we will break the story here if anything happens.”
Fake news is described as false or misleading information which is presented to the public as truthful or genuine news. The aim of fake news is often that of damaging the reputation of the targeted person or entity, or that of making money through advertising revenue. A good portion of advertising revenue has emigrated in recent years from print media publications to the internet and fake news has become a good bait for the hits that attract advertising.
The term fake media has been applied more broadly to include any type of false information, including that which is unintentional or unconscious, especially as applying to any news unfavourable to the personal interests of high-profile individuals, especially politicians, celebrities or business people. In the United States the term was popularised by former President Donald Trump, who engaged with any media outlets that criticised him. He dismissed their content as fake news, even when it was true.
In the politically polarised atmosphere of Zimbabwe, politicians – especially the leaders of both the ruling and opposition political parties – have become the popular targets of fake news, particularly during or as elections approach.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, as well as MDCA president, Nelson Chamisa, and his MDC-T nemesis, Douglas Mwonzora are generally regarded as fair game. Fake news is often created and disseminated by hostile political rivals.
A major problem with fake news is that detailed accounts are written without any comment being sought from the subjects, which is highly unethical. News is often anonymously hosted by fake or unidentifiable news websites. It is, therefore, difficult, if not impossible to identify and prosecute the sources of fake news for libel.
Salacious details about wealthy entrepreneurs as well as celebrities, such as musicians, soccer players or our many self-appointed prophets are guaranteed to attract the greatest number of hits. They, in turn, have learnt to accept their fate while the minutest of details about their private lives are relentlessly paraded on social media as fake news for public consumption. Strangely, some of the celebrities seem to love the fake publicity.
Fake news would never be published if journalists abided by the most rigid of the ethical standards of their profession – publication of the truth.
Another tenet of ethical journalism is that of fairness. Publishing damaging falsehoods about innocent people cannot in any way be regarded as fairness.
While false news was once common in Zimbabwe’s print media, fake news has become more prevalent with the rise of online media outlets and the concomitant emergence of citizen journalists, many of them with no formal training in journalism.
It is difficult to monitor some of today’s citizen journalists, Anyone with a mobile phone can become an instant photographer, and stories, even of horrific accident scenes are crafted around the pictures without reference to any official source.
The greatest victim of fake news is professional journalism.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 11, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/opinion-the-greatest-victim-of-fake-news-is-professional-journalism/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
502 | Opinion: Zimbabwe - Good journalism must rise now. A case for back-to-basics training, mentoring - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 3, 2022
In a world of pandemics, rapid technological advances and unexpected climate shifts, journalists need to rise to the occasion and effectively assist intervention efforts from a position of knowledge and professional skill
By Ray Mawerera
“Our reporters need refresher courses in basic English!”, veteran Zimbabwean journalist Miriam Sibanda declared at the beginning of May. She was venting her observations to peers on a journalists’ WhatsApp social media group platform.
The cause of Sibanda’s distress was the use of the pronouns “he” and “she” in the same sentence in reference to one individual named in a story of alleged conflict between two politicians. There was a spirited defence from a colleague associated with the online publication, but happily the offending sentence has since been corrected.
That does little to detract from the gravity of Sibanda’s observation, which has been the subject of debate among professional journalists, “old school” and “new school” alike. Their chat group in question is a very vibrant platform where debate rages and dissipates and ebbs and flows occasionally, sometimes getting quite heated and emotional. Nothing is sacrosanct and debates revolve around everything from politics and economics to sports, religion, entertainment and anything else in between.
Every once in a while, the journalists train the spotlight on themselves and the “back-to-basics” argument – whenever it comes (and it does so often) – covers everything from good writing to the ethics and standards of the profession. One such debate on ethics culminated in a hastily-arranged workshop to deliberate on corruption in the media — commonly called “the brown envelope” phenomenon – at which leaders in the profession who were on the panel agreed that, since it was difficult to prove, it was a subject left well alone. It is unfortunate that the key debaters who had voiced strong viewpoints during the WhatsApp exchanges were absent from the workshop, which featured mainly young freelancers whose participation was minimal. I hope another workshop to discuss the broader issue of ethics and standards is arranged, this time giving professionals ample leeway to prepare and also opening up the composition of panellists.
The major point of this opinion piece is to revisit the whole thinking around the “back-to-basics” principle. In doing so, I know I am going to traverse areas to do with professionalism and ethics. It is unavoidable but I hope that we won’t, in the process, conflate issues and unwittingly muddy the waters.
“Abbreviation-ism”: A Generational Problem?
Isn’t it ironic, though, that what we think in our journalism profession as a serious problem affecting the way the discipline is practiced these days, turns out to be a problem across practically every other calling? It gets one thinking that it could be a function of generational shifts and technological advancement that has resulted in what some have seen as a cutting of corners and deliberate disregard for just doing things properly. I have given it my own term: abbreviation-ism.
While sharing his frustrations with today’s crop of lawyers during an informal get-together at which I was present a few weeks ago, one Zimbabwean legal guru told the group that many new lawyers were unable to prepare basic heads of argument, and were also simply at sea in writing coherent sentences.
“And that’s before we even get to professional standards!” he moaned.
As if to corroborate, Steve Mintz writes in a 2012 blog titled “New hires fail to meet expectations for professionalism in the workplace” that the problem is evident with workplace-bound college graduates, who may be victims of a social media culture where everything is abbreviated.
“In my opinion what is missing from today’s workplace-bound college students is a strong work ethic… Oral and written communication suffers from the social-media-driven culture. Recruiters tell me all the time that hires can’t write an effective memo,” he writes.
Jack Coulehan, MD, a US medical expert, suggests in his 2015 essay Today’s Professionalism: Engaging the Mind, But Not the Heart that the problem may actually emanate from the classroom. He proposes what he calls a narrative-based approach, which addresses the tension between self-interest and altruism.
There is quite a body of work on the topic of professionalism. The upshot of it is that, as broad as the term is, it tends to affect many other values that fall under that umbrella, resulting in vices that include carelessness, lack of ethics, negativity and a generally prickly attitude towards being corrected.
Worrying ageism trends
This presents a problem especially for those who would want to mentor younger professionals. A colleague told me that he detected increasingly worrying trends towards “ageism”, which is not very helpful and is, in fact, quite discouraging to would-be mentors.
The spectre of ageism, my friend said, has resulted in well-meaning veterans pulling back and withdrawing into shells that only serve to perpetuate an increasing slide into unprofessionalism.
“While creating room for employment for coming generations there is need to retain certain skills and experience,” says my friend, himself a renowned practitioner and trainer of journalists.
As examples he points to global newsrooms that feature a healthy mix of young practitioners with their more experienced counterparts. In today’s reality, however, we are sometimes ill-advisedly persuaded to literally dump skills for convenience, thereby creating yawning gaps in the way specialised subjects are tackled and reported. We see these gaps – in business and financial reporting, in stories on mining and oil exploration, climate change and in general research, the necessary bane of every news report. On the social and humane side, we see worrying tactlessness exposed in the way sensitive subjects are covered, such as coverage and protection of children, such as attitudes towards the socially indigent, marginalised or physically disabled. There is a thin line now between the supposedly professionally-trained journalist and the so-called citizen journalist, where someone thinks having a camera gives license or broadcasting rights for anything and everything.
Says Bruce Tulgan, in a 2018 blog headlined ‘The Soft Skills Gap – The Missing Basics of Professionalism:’ “Communication practices are habits, and most young people are in the habit of remote, informal, staccato and relatively low-stakes interpersonal communication because of their constant access to smartphones and social media.”
These are matters that some senior practitioners, myself included, have tried to address, either privately or through existing vehicles but the initiatives have not been successful. At one point I was advised that the journalist who already has a name and is now regarded as “award winning reporter” might consider it demeaning to take refresher courses, unless the programme was rebranded with fancy-sounding titles!
The case for getting the basics right
I still believe, however, that there remains a strong case for both back-to-basics media training (under whatever guise) and strong peer mentoring by experienced senior practitioners, if concerns by professionals like Sibanda are to be addressed effectively. There is enough interest in the improvement of media skills to make this a reality. In any case, there is a global expectation that all professionals – and journalists are right up there with the most critical of them – should at least get the basics right. Those basics, for the journalist, must today include the new forms of fact checking, verification and basic research that form an integral part of story compilation.
Then, of course, there is the small matter of writing skills. Time was when newspapers were a go-to source of examples on how to write. These days we are assaulted by bad use of idioms, bad spelling, poor grammar and annoying carelessness that all, somehow, pass the scrutiny of editors at every level to become the butt of jokes when they hit the public domain. This must be addressed.
Journalists must also tackle subjects that they know something about, if not thoroughly well then at least well enough to assist the reader. We know from the reality on the ground that our colleges do not offer any meaningful specialisation training, which compels institutions employing media practitioners to invest in programmes to produce their own ideal worker. An intervention at college level may be justifiable, perhaps borrowing and creating an appropriate adaptation from Dr Coulehan’s narrative-based approach (that is, addressing self-interest-based attitudes together with professional standards and ethics).
When faced with global pandemics that may be puzzling to appreciate, good journalism rises and takes up such matters, reporting accurately and faithfully. The current environment suggests this is not always the case, because the individual journalist is not appropriately capacitated. There is a tendency to take the easy way out and this, unfortunately these days, sometimes includes picking up threads from untrained activists on social media. Apart from the damage that that does to social growth and development, it cheapens journalism.
Media must grow in tandem with national growth
These are challenging times with serious paradigm shifts in the way and speed the world is evolving. The media in any country needs to grow as the country grows and it is my strongly considered view that there is a crying need to focus on professional training and mentoring – journalism and the whole sector of the communication and information dissemination industry are the fuel that drives the engines of development and growth.
We must be wary, of course, of the need to balance our world view with how those we think have become less professional also look at the entire subject, as affected as it is by technological advances that have created a completely transformed environment. Getting traction in training and mentoring depends on mutual understanding and appreciation of the common vision and objective.
Tulgan: “Much of what older, more experienced people might see as matters of professionalism – such as attitude, self-presentation, schedule and interpersonal communication – are what young adults are more likely to consider personal matters of personality, style or, which are none of their employer’s business.”
Zimbabwe media needs to go back to basics to improve journalism and its role in society.
Ray Mawerera is a veteran journalist, branding, communications and public relations expert who has worked across Zimbabwe’s media and business sectors from the 1980s. He chairs the boards of a number of organisations.
He wrote this opinion piece as part of his contribution to efforts towards developing the media in Zimbabwe. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 3, 2022 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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503 | Our People - ZimFact
Sunday, 26 May 2024
Leonissah A. Munjoma – Chairperson
Takura Zhangazha – Deputy Chair
Sibongile Mpofu
Aulline Chapisa
Rumbidzai Machingura
Cris Chinaka
Noreen Chiyaka
Rumbidzai Zvinavakobvu
Prisiel Samu
Bridget Mabanda | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | Sunday, 26 May 2024 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/our-people/",
"author": null
} |
504 | Over 100 parties register with ZEC - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 9, 2018
Political parties are sprouting around Zimbabwe ahead of general elections due in the month to 22 August 2018.
Under Zimbabwe law, the constitutional right to freedom of association extends to forming political parties without restrictions, and to registering the same organisations with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for purposes of contesting elections.
How many parties are registered with the ZEC?
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission says by March 15 there were 112 political parties on its register, up from 75 organisations in October 2017 and 35 in June last year.
What is the cost of registering a party?
There are no registration fees for political parties.
Are there registration fees for contesting the elections?
Contesting parties and candidates are required to pay an administration registration fees at the nomination courts to participate in elections.
The fees are determined by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
How much is the administration/registration fees?
As of April 4 2018, the fee levels are:
Aspiring Presidential candidate – $1,000.00
Aspiring Parliamentary candidate – $100.00
What are the other requirements for contestants?
All candidates are subjected to security clearance for criminal records
Aspiring candidates must be legally registered voters
Parliamentary and council candidates must be over 21 years and above
Aspiring presidential candidates must be 40 years and above
What ballot paper is required for dozens of candidates contesting one post?
If Zimbabwe ends up with dozens of presidential candidates, or dozens of other candidates for a single parliamentary or council seat, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission can print a booklet to fit in all the names, pictures or symbols of the contestants.
Coalitions in the election race
New President Emmerson Mnangagwa who assumed state power on November 24 and control of the ruling ZANU-PF movement from former president Robert Mugabe has been declared the party’s presidential candidate for the 2018 elections.
Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF will face a number of coalitions in the 2018 race, including the following:
The MDC Alliance:
Nelson Chamisa’s MDC-T,
Welshman Ncube’s MDC, Tendai Biti’s
People’s Democratic Party (PDP),
Agrippah Mutambara’s Zimbabwe People First (ZPF),
Jacob Ngarivhume’s Transform Zimbabwe,
Multiracial Christian Democrats and ZANU-Ndonga.
CODE includes ZAPU of Dumiso Dabengwa,
Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe (RDZ),
Progressive Democrats of Zimbabwe led by Barbara Nyagomo,
Zimbabweans United for Democracy Party (Farai Mbira),
Democratic Assembly for Restoration and Empowerment (Gilbert Dzikiti),
African Democratic Party (Marceline Chikasha),
Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (Simba Makoni)
ZimFirst (Maxwell Shumba).
Number of parties in 2013 general election
There were 15 parties in the last general election, and five presidential candidates.
Results of 2013 Presidential Race
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (ZANU-PF) 2 110 434 (61.09%)
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (MDC-T) 1 172 349 (34.94%)
Welshman Ncube (MDC) 92 637 (2.68%)
Dumiso Dabengwa (ZAPU) 25 416 (0.74%)
Kisinoti Munodei Mukwazhe (ZDP) 9 931 (0.29%)
Factsheet compiled by Cris Chinaka: Editor-In-Chief of ZimFact
ELECTIONSMDCMDC-TZANU-PFZAPUZEC | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 9, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/over-100-parties-register-with-zec/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
505 | Police say no requirement for vaccination cards at ZRP checkpoints - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 6, 2021
CLAIM: You will now need to show a vaccination card to be allowed to pass police roadblocks mounted on highways leading into Harare
VERDICT: False
On Monday, July 5th, a message went viral on WhatsApp claiming that members of the police force mounting roadblocks on highways leading into Harare have denied passage into the capital for anyone not carrying a COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
This is not true, according to the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
“This is false information. I answered that question to journalists yesterday,” ZRP spokesman Paul Nyathi told ZimFact.
Earlier, Nick Mangwana, Permanent Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, tweeted that the roadblocks had been mounted only because intercity travel had been banned under measures that were announced on June 29.
Mangwana said: “On reports of long queues of vehicles bottlenecked at roadblocks trying to get into Harare. Mazowe and Mutoko are cases in point. The short response is that, intercity is banned fellow citizens. Very few people who are providing an essential service should be travelling.”
As of July 5, a total of 797 715 people in the country had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 571 721 had completed the vaccination programme by getting their second dose. The country has so far authorised vaccines from Sinovac and Sinopham of China, as well as Covaxin from India and Sputnik V from Russia.
Conclusion:
COVID-19 vaccination certificates are not required when entering Harare, according to the police. However, the police are enforcing COVID-19 regulations that restrict travel between cities to only essential services.
There is no legal basis for the police to demand proof of vaccination at checkpoints. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 6, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/police-say-no-demand-for-vaccination-cards-at-zrp-checkpoints/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
506 | Presidential election: What happens if Chamisa goes to court? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 3, 2018
MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa has rejected President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s election victory, saying the results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) early Friday morning were ‘fake’ and unverified by his party.
ZEC declared Mnangagwa winner of the July 30 presidential election, which 50.8% of the vote. Chamisa came second, with 44.3%.
Hours before the presidential results were announced, Chamisa had told reporters he was reluctant to challenge the contested outcome in court, alleging the judiciary lacks independence from the ruling party.
Possible court outcome
In determining a petition or application, the Constitutional Court may
If the Constitutional Court upholds the election result, the declared winner must be sworn in within 48 hours of the court’s decision.
The Constitution says a person elected as president should take the oath of office on the ninth day after being declared winner.
This means, unless there is a court challenge, President Mnangagwa will be inaugurated on August 12, 2018.
Research by the ZimFact team.
FEATUREDOUR PICKS | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 3, 2018 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/presidential-election-chamisa/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
507 | PROMISE CHECKER - Govt admits missing 1.5 million house target - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 29, 2020
By ZimFact
Ahead of the 2018 general election, Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party made a pledge to build 1.5 million homes in the five-year period leading up to 2023.
As part of ZimFact’s Promise Checker series, we checked on progress on this promise.
The government admits it is missing this target, and is revising its plans.
The 1.5 million five-year housing plan would have demanded that the country would build an average of 300,000 houses per year. This target has now been revised downwards.
In The Herald newspaper of Tuesday, January 29, Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe is quoted as saying: “The target that we were given by Government is 100,000 per year, but because of other challenges, if we achieve between 20,000 to 30,000 per year we would have done well.”
Conclusion
The government has already broken its promise to build 1.5 million houses by 2023. Authorities also doubt that they will meet the revised target of building 100,000 houses per year.
FEATUREDMNANGAGWA | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 29, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/promise-checker-govt-admits-missing-1-5-million-house-target/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
508 | PROMISE CHECKER - Zimbabwe misses community radio deadline, renews promise - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 19, 2020
Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa
Promises, promises
In April 2019, the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services promised to license 10 community radio stations before the end of that year.
This promise was broken, as 2019 ended with no such licence having been issued.
New promises
The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has made a new promise, this time saying as many as 40 community radio stations will be granted licences, along with television channels, by August 2020.
This promise was made by Ministry officials during the commemoration of World Radio Day in Gweru on February 12, 2020.
What are the promises?
· At least 6 independent television channels to be licenced by August 2020.
· 6 additional television channels to be availed for ZBC.
· 40 community radio stations to be licenced, 19 of which will be reserved for institutions of higher learning.
In preparation for the call for licensing, government gazetted Statutory Instrument 39 of 2020, outlining the Broadcasting Services (Community and Campus Radio Broadcasting Services) Regulations, 2020.
Definition of terms
The gazetted instrument gives definition of the various licences that will be issued. These include:
Campus radio broadcasting service – means a radio station run and owned by a college, university or other educational institution whose programming is exclusively by students or the community within which the radio station is based and broadcasts mainly educational programmes for training of students in media and broadcasting studies.
Community – for the purposes of licensing, a community means a group of people bound together in nature, with share norms, values and tradition whose control is domiciled in members of that geographical space
Community broadcasting service – refers to a free to air broadcasting service not operated for profit or as part of a profit making enterprise which provides programmes that, among other specifications, do not broadcast programmes or advertisements on behalf of any political party.
Fees
The application fees for the various broadcasting services were gazetted under Statutory Instrument 27 of 2020.
Free to Air National Radio Broadcasting Service
(a) Application Fee Initial $42 500,00 (non-refundable)
(b) Application Fee Public Inquiry $127 500,00 (non-refundable)
(c) Basic Licence Fee for ten years $255 000,00 per annum
(d) Annual licence fees 2% annual gross turnover or deemed turnover payable monthly for the licence period
(e) Frequency Fee $510,00 per frequency per site per month
(f) Broadcasting Fund A contribution of 0.5% of the audited annual gross turnover or deemed turnover payable annually
Free to Air National Television Broadcasting Service
(a) Application Fee initial $42 500,00 (non-refundable)
(b) Application Fee Public Inquiry $127 500,00 (non-refundable)
(c) Basic Licence Fee for ten years $306 000,00 per annum
(d) Annual licence fees 2% annual gross turnover or deemed turnover per annum payable monthly for the licence period
(e) Frequency Fee—
(i) Analogue . . . . . . $1 700,00 per frequency per site per month
(ii) Digital . . . . . . . $340,00 per frequency per site per month
(f) Broadcasting Fund A contribution of 0.5% of the audited annual gross turnover or deemed turnover payable annually
Community Broadcasting Licence
(a) Application Fee $8 500,00 (non-refundable)
(b) Basic Licence Fee for ten years $17 000,00 per annum
(c) Monthly Frequency Fee $510,00 per frequency per month
Free to air Campus Broadcasting Service
(a) Application Fee $21 250,00 (non-refundable)
(b) Basic Licence Fee for ten years $42 500,00 per annum
(c) Monthly frequency fee $510,00 per frequency per month
Conclusion:
The government has already broken its initial promise to licence 10 community radio stations by the end of 2019. It remains to be seen if the new promise, to issue licences by August 2020, will be kept.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 19, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/promise-checker-zimbabwe-misses-community-radio-deadline-renews-promise/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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509 | Promise Tracker - Community radio licencing update - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 25, 2020
On February 20, 2020, a day after ZimFact wrote that the government had missed its own deadline to licence community radio stations, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe invited applications for broadcasting licences.
The call is for 6 free to air national commercial television broadcasting services, 10 free to air community radio broadcasting services and 19 campus radio stations.
The campus radio applications are open to the following tertiary institutions: University of Zimbabwe, National University of Science and Technology, Midlands State University, Women’s University in Africa, Bindura University of Science Education, Great Zimbabwe University, Africa University, Solusi University, Lupane State University, Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Gwanda State University, Arrupe Jesuit University, Reformed Church, Christian College of Southern Africa, ZAOGA Ezekiel Guti University, Catholic University, Harare Polytechnic and Harare Institute of Technology.
Community Radio Licences
The call is for 10 community radio licences and these are for the following areas:
Community Radio Initiatives in Place
Although BAZ only has 10 community radio licences up for grabs, there are way more than that number in initiatives that had been set up in preparation for licensing in the last 20 years. Many of these come under the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (Zacras) and include:
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 25, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/promise-tracker-community-radio-licencing-update/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
510 | Promise tracker: Free education - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 30, 2021
Promise Check: Is government providing free education?
Claim: Government to introduce free-education next year
Source: Sunday Mail
Verdict: There has not been free education in Zimbabwe since 2019 as promised by government when the Education Amendment Act, 2020 was affected.
The Sunday Mail [23/12/2018] carried a banner headline, ‘Free education next year’ and a story headline ‘Government to introduce free education,’. The story claimed that government schools starting the year 2019 will be offering free basic education in accordance with the Education Amendment Act that came into force in March 2020.
The Education Amendment Act 2020 was adapted to align with section 75 of the constitution which provided that every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to basic state funded education.
Under section 27 of the Constitution which is part of the chapter on national objectives, the state “must” take all practical measures to promote free and compulsory basic education for children.
Section 5 of the Education Amendment Bill which promotes ‘Compulsory education,’ reads …. “Every child shall be entitled to compulsory basic state funded education”, complimentary with section 27 of the Constitution, that the state ‘must take all practical measures to promote free and compulsory basic education for children. The Act places the duty on the State to progressively fund basic education within the limits of resources available.
Education in Zimbabwe:
In 1980 Zimbabwe created free and compulsory primary and secondary education, valuing education as a fundamental right. This fundamental right was clearly articulated in the Education Act of 1987.
It is however important to highlight that whilst the education system was meant to be entirely free in 1980, parents had to pay sports fees for buying equipment and material. There were also building fees for developing the schools. After the Structural Adjustment program of 1992 all goods and services were priced at market value and education ceased to be free. Rural primary schools in Zimbabwe presently cost $15 for fees per term whilst a parent will pay an average of $35 for an urban primary school child (Source: higherlifefoundation.com/the-primary-and-secondary-education-system-in-zimbabwe/
Has Zimbabwe provided free education since the Education Amendment Act was put in place?
The Education Sector Analysis Report 2020 summarises its key findings as follows:
Diagrams below illustrate the contribution of Zimbabwe parents to education. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 30, 2021 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/promise-tracker-free-education/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
511 | PROMISE TRACKER: Govt fails to meet Lupane relocation deadline - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 30, 2021
PROMISE: Most government department for the Matabeleland North province, currently operating from Bulawayo, would relocate to provincial capital Lupane by the end of 2019.
Source: Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Richard Moyo, in February 2019.
STATUS: Broken
Most government departments serving the Matabeleland North province are currently housed in Bulawayo, instead of the province’s capital – Lupane. This often means that residents of the province travel long, expensive distances to access government services.
The government is yet to complete construction of key infrastructure that would house various departments. These structures include a government complex, a provincial hospital, staff housing and a water reservoir.
During a tour of these construction projects in February 2019, Richard Moyo, the minister responsible for the province, said progress was being made towards completion and relocation by August 2019.
“From what the people on the ground are saying, the projects are at different stages, but at most they said they would be complete in four months. So we can give ourselves maybe an extra two months so that they can finalise. We are looking forward to moving here in August, all things being equal,” Moyo told reporters on 12 February 2019.
In December 2019, the minister announced a new timetable after the government missed the August target.
“Our Government offices have been completed here in Lupane. The feedback I am getting from the department of public works is that they are only doing final touches in connecting water and electricity. Otherwise my office is ready, departmental offices and civil servants houses are also ready. Our view is that by February we will relocate and start operating from the people instead of operating from another province in Bulawayo,” Moyo told the Chronicle in December 2019.
During this last week of September 2021, ZimFact established that construction work was still ongoing at various stages of completion.
Minister Moyo told ZimFact that the government was now targeting relocation of staff by March 2022.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed down construction work.
“The pandemic has affected a lot of things. Construction companies have to halt some works and some materials could not be procured due to border closures. As a result, this has led to the delay in the completion of works at the government complex, at the staff houses and at my official office as well as residence,” Moyo said.
“Work is at different stages of completion but as we are already entering the last quarter of the year, I can confirm that our civil servants will relocate to Matabeleland North province by the end of the first quarter of 2022, they would be working from our provincial capital, Lupane.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 30, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/promise-tracker-govt-fails-to-meet-lupane-relocation-deadline/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
550 | Qatar exempts the vaccinated from quarantine, but is not shutting out those not inoculated - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 12, 2021
CLAIM: Qatar is barring persons not inoculated with Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines from entering the country.
Source: Various social media posts
VERDICT: FALSE. While Qatar is exempting, from quarantine, persons inoculated with four approved vaccines, but it is not refusing entry to those who are not vaccinated.
So those vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm & Sinovax or Russian Sputnik V,will not be allowed on Qatar Airways or to enter Qatar unless vaccinated again with any one of J & J, Modena,AstraZeneca or Pfizer not withstanding medical effects resulting from taking 2 diff vaccines? pic.twitter.com/C1U2aMVv7Q
A message circulating on Twitter claims that only persons immunised against COVID-19 using vaccines approved by Qatar are allowed to enter the Gulf state.
The claim is based on a notice purportedly issued by Qatar Airways.
“Please be informed, with immediate effect, passengers travelling to Qatar vaccinated abroad should be with one of the COVID-19 vaccines recognised by the MOPH (Ministry of Public Health) as follows: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson,” reads part of the image.
It adds that passengers meeting this requirement would be exempt from Qatar’s mandatory quarantine regulations, which currently require persons travelling into the country to stay at home or in a hotel for a week.
The notice does not appear on any official feed of the airline.
The Gulf state’s COVID-19 travel regulations, updated on 24 January 2021, currently limit entry into Qatar to citizens and permanent resident permit holders. Holders of valid visas may also enter, subject to re-entry approval.
Citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait – are also allowed entry into fellow GCC state Qatar.
Citizens and other returning residents are required to stay in quarantine – either at home or in a hotel depending on the circumstances – for a week after re-entering Qatar. They are also required to take a COVID-19 test on the sixth day of quarantine.
Qatar has recently updated its quarantine rules, which now exempt persons vaccinated abroad from hotel quarantine.
According to current regulations, citizens and returning residents travelling from countries deemed to have high COVID-19 risk, are required to quarantine for a week in approved hotels. This rule has now been changed for those travelling from high risk countries if they have been vaccinated using approved vaccines.
“Persons who received COVID-19 vaccine outside Qatar are exempted from the hotel quarantine if they meet the following criteria: the vaccine received must be approved by the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar, to include Pf izer/BioNTech vaccine, Moderna vaccine, AstraZeneca vaccine and Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” the regulations say.
“A person must have completed the specified doses, such as a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and two doses of the other vaccines indicated above. A period of 14 days must have passed from the date of receiving the single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the same period following the second dose of the other vaccines indicated above.”
While the updated regulations benefit persons returning to Qatar after receiving the approved vaccines abroad, the country is not barring people returning to the country without having been vaccinated.
Qatar still has not opened up its borders and ports to people who are not citizens or permit holders. But citizens and returning residents who are not vaccinated and who travelled to countries not on Qatar’s “green list”, will be required to quarantine for seven days at approved hotels at their own expense.
Qatar’s policy to exempt persons inoculated using approved vaccines from quarantine has been read to mean travellers from countries such as Zimbabwe, which is currently using vaccines from China and India, would be barred from entering the Gulf state. This is not true.
Qatar currently restricts entry by persons other than its citizens, legal residents and citizens from fellow Gulf states.
Qatar has not pronounced its travel policy for foreign travellers in the even that it re-opens fully for international travel, even though there have been calls for a vaccination passport policy in the country.
On 6 April, the state-owned Qatar AIrways operated a fully vaccinated flight, with all crew and passengers having been vaccinated against COVID-19, as the airline did a test run of what the future of aviation could look like. Qatar Airways says it does not have any plans for mandatory vaccination of passengers at the present moment.
Speaking on 6 April, Qatar Airways’ chief executive Akbar Al Baker predicted that vaccination passports might become mandatory for the aviation industry in the future.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 12, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/qatar-exempts-the-vaccinated-from-quarantine-but-is-not-shutting-out-those-not-inoculated/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
551 | QUIZ – Do you know the leaders? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 24, 2022
Factsheet – Zimbabwe political parties rise above 100
More than 100 political parties are now listed by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) under regulations requiring registration of organisations that might want to contest national and local government elections.
Zimbabwe is due to hold its next presidential, parliamentary and local council elections by August 2023.ZimFact’s other factsheets on Zimbabwe political parties are on https://zimfact.org/factsheet-registered-political-parties/
This list of organisations registered with ZEC does not provide names of the party leaders.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 24, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/quiz-do-you-know-the-leaders/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
552 | Reopening Zimbabwe's schools under COVID-19: Factors to consider - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 19, 2020
The Zimbabwe government is looking at how schools can be reopened as safely as possible without exposing students and staff to high levels of contracting COVID-19.
No dates have been given, but Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa says the immediate priority is ensuring that examination classes begin “in the shortest possible time.”
What are the key issues facing the authorities as they consider reopening the schools?
Zimbabwe is still in a partial national lockdown at what the government calls Level 2, where some industries and businesses are allowed to operate under rules requiring the provision of a safe working environment, face masks, social or physical distancing and arrangements for the testing for COVID-19.
Many schools have large classes and crowded conditions, and before schools are opened, the government must spell out how the numbers will be managed to minimise the rate of transmission if there is an infection at any establishment.
In some schools the classes are so crammed that students sit shoulder-to-shoulder, and these will need to be split to implement social distancing.
There are no secure water supplies at many schools and this will need to be fixed for the maintenance of clean sanitation facilities, including toilets, sinks and bathrooms.
Reliable and safe transport,where physical distancing can be implemented, will need to be organised andmanaged for thousands of students who normally travel to school in crowded minibuses mostly from heavily populated townships in Zimbabwe’s major cities.
Beyond the safety of students andteaching staff, schools will need personal protective clothing for otherworkers, including cleaners and gardeners, those managing food and kitchens atboarding schools and working at school clinics.
Below are the teacher-to-pupil-ratiosin Zimbabwe according to the 2018
primary and secondary education annual statistics report | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 19, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/reopening-zimbabwes-schools-under-covid-19-factors-to-consider/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
553 | Second-hand clothes, face masks and hot weather: Your coronavirus myths busted - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 12, 2020
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic on March 11.
“WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.”
As at March 12, the number of confirmed cases stood at 124,518, with the number of deaths at 4,607, according to the WHO’s latest update.
As the virus spreads, so too does fake news.
Here, we look at some of the myths on COVID-19 shared widely on social networks in Zimbabwe, and what the science really says.
For people infected with the virus, wearing a mask can help prevent them from infecting others. However, there is no evidence that wearing a mask will protect you from infection.
The WHO only recommends a mask for people that are already infected. A person who is healthy does not need to wear a mask, and they are in fact wasting it, the WHO says.
“Only wear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or looking after someone who may have COVID-19. Disposable face masks can only be used once. If you are not ill or looking after someone who is ill then you are wasting a mask. There is a world-wide shortage of masks, so WHO urges people to use masks wisely.”
This is corroborated by Public Health England, which says: “Face masks for the general public are not recommended to protect from infection, as there is no evidence of benefit from their use outside healthcare environments.”
There is no science to support the claim that the warm weather in Zimbabwe and Africa prevents the spread of the virus.
“We have to assume that the virus will continue to have the capacity to spread, and it’s a false hope to say yes, it will just disappear in the summertime like influenza,” according to Dr. Michael Ryan, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief, quoted in the New York Times.
According to the WHO, COVID-19 can be transmitted anywhere, “including areas with hot and humid weather”. The best way to protect yourself is good personal hygiene, including washing your hands.
According to studies so far, coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may stay for up to several days on surfaces. However, the science shows that it cannot be spread by second-hand clothes, or any other goods, shipped from abroad.
“The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low,” the WHO says.
For any virus to remain viable, it needs a combination of conditions such as temperature, lack of light exposure and humidity, according to Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, quoted in a report by tech news website Tom’s Hardware.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC): “In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures.”
This is a false claim, widely circulated on social media.
A February 14 2020 article on the site Af.feednews.com, claimed: “Chinese doctors confirmed African blood genetic composition resists coronavirus after student cured.”
“Senou is a young Cameroonian student in China recently infected with Coronavirus he was released from the hospital this morning cured of the virus. Doctors seeking for a cure to treat the dreadful virus were amazed to see Senou still alive and fit,” the website claimed. “The Chinese doctors confirmed that Senou stayed alive because of his blood genetic composition which is mainly found in the genetic composition of Subsaharan Africans.”
“Chinese doctors also said that he remained alive because he has black skin, the antibodies of a black are 3 times stronger, powerful and resistant compared to that of white”, the website said.
Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Agnes Mahomva, described the claim as “a myth with no science to it”.
AfricaCheck asked Omolade Awodu, a professor of haematology at the school of medicine at Nigeria’s University of Benin, whether African blood and black skin made people resistant to coronavirus.
“This is a new virus and very little is known about it,” she said. “However, I have not come across any research that confirms the claim that African blood composition or black skin resist coronavirus.”
There is currently no vaccine for coronavirus, and no science to support any home remedies for COVID-19.
On garlic, the WHO says while it is “a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties”, there’s no evidence that eating garlic can protect people from the new coronavirus. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 12, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/second-hand-clothes-face-masks-and-hot-weather-your-coronavirus-myths-busted/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
554 | Sharing 'SK Moyo' tweets? They are from a fake account - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 15, 2021
Following the death of ZanuPF spokesman Simon Khaya Moyo, posts falsely attributed to him are being shared widely on social media.
However, the tweets are from an account already dismissed as fake by both Moyo and his party.
One of the last posts from the account, posted on November 8, only a week before his death, has drawn close to a thousand responses from users misled by the account.
On June 9 in 2020, Moyo had said in a statement that he was not on twitter. His party also said Moyo had no Twitter account.
What to look for?
Social media accounts that impersonate prominent people are common. However, there are always signs to look for.
In this case, the account posted a tweet in January, saying: “Dear Zimbabweans. It is unAfrican to celebrate death. Let’s mourn with those who have lost their loved ones.”
The tweet was not pinned to the account’s profile before his death was announced on Sunday. However, following Moyo’s death, the account’s user pinned the post to the top of the account’s timeline.
Common shares between other already discredited accounts are usually a sign that a group of accounts is run by the same persons. There are common retweets between another account impersonating another politician, Victor Matemadanda – who has also publicly stated he has no Twitter account – as well as an account impersonating the ZBC.
The fake Moyo account has shared misinformation, including a tweet by the fake Matemadanda account, claiming that armed forces had been given a 600% salary hike.
Other signs include a June 30, 2020 post by the ‘Moyo’ account claiming a plot “to wrestle power from baba Mnangagwa”.
Conclusion
Tweets purporting to have been from late politician Simon Khaya Moyo are from an account already dismissed as fake by Moyo and his party.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 15, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/sharing-sk-moyo-tweets-they-are-from-a-fake-account/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
555 | Sinovac vaccine has 50.7% in Brazil tests. But what does it really mean? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 15, 2021
The Sinovac vaccine showed an efficacy rate of 50.7% in a test study in Brazil, according to media reports.
The report has raised interest in Zimbabwe, where Sinovac is one of the vaccines in use.
What do all these numbers really mean? Does it mean that Sinovac does not give you enough protecion as some social media posts claimed? No.
We asked the experts. Here, we break it down in simple terms.
Of those in the study, conducted in Brazil’s own conditions where there are unique variants, it was found that there is a 50.7% of being infected.
However, the whole point of vaccines is to make sure that, if you get the virus, there is less chance of getting sick or dying. This is where the data is important.
The study found that of those that do get the virus, there was only a 16% chance that they will get “moderate” sickness. That is, in rough terms, a mild illness that needs some assistance.
But the tests showed that the vaccine has a 100% efficacy against severe illness and death. This means that, of those vaccinated in the test group, there was 0% chance of them getting seriously ill or dying.
In other words, the vaccine prevented them from having to be admitted to hospital. It protected them from death.
According to Dr Norman Matara of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights: “It means that against the strain in Brazil, half of people who gets the vaccine can still get infected with COVID. However of the half that gets infected, only 16% will have moderate symptoms and none of those vaccinated will die or get severe disease.”
It is important to note that this test was done on COVID-19 variants in Brazil, which are different from those found in Zimbabwe.
According to the WHO, vaccine efficacy measures a vaccine’s protection against a disease in a vaccine trial. If a vaccine has, for example, 70% efficacy, it means that a person vaccinated in a clinical trial is around 70% less likely to develop the disease than someone in the trial who didn’t get the vaccine.
The WHO considers a vaccine with 50% efficacy as useful.
When you give a vaccine outside a clinical trial, the WHO then refers to vaccine ‘effectiveness’. Compared with efficacy, effectiveness takes into account all the things of the real world, outside of a controlled clinical trial setting. This is why governments and scientists everywhere are activing monitoring how effective vaccines are.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 15, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/sinovac-vaccine-has-50-7-in-brazil-tests-but-what-does-it-really-mean/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
556 | Social media in overdrive with unofficial 'results' - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 31, 2018
ZIMBABWE’S Electoral Act outlaws the announcement of election results polling returns “as the true or official results” by any person before an electoral officer does so.
This has not stopped some party officials, activists and ordinary citizens to take to social media to make their unofficial announcements.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which started releasing results after 1500 CAT on Tuesday, the day after polling, has warned people to wait for official results and avoid speculating.
Here are some of the social media posts:
MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa’s tweet
Chamisa’s fellow MDC Alliance principal, Tendai Biti, also weighed in:
Not to be outdone, ZANU-PF official Nick Mangwana sent out a cautious-sounding tweet:
There were maps, even:
OUR PICKS | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 31, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/social-media-in-overdrive-with-unofficial-results/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
679 | The 2018 Election Promises – ZANU PF Manifesto - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 31, 2018
It is election season in Zimbabwe, and the battle for votes is truly on.
ZimFact provides a summary of the Zanu PF manifesto and fact checks some of their claims.
If the party wins, ZimFact will track the big promises as part of our Promise Checker.
By Lifaqane Nare
Below is a ZimFact summary of the promises by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ZANU PF party as outlined in its 2018 election manifesto.
If you have identified other promises in the manifesto that you want us to track, email us on [email protected] or through our twitter handle @ZimFact.
ELECTIONSFEATUREDMNANGAGWATRENDINGZANU-PF | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 31, 2018 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/the-2018-election-promises-zanu-pf-manifesto/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
680 | The role of international observers in Zimbabwe elections - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 27, 2018
Zimbabwe’s July 30, 2018 general elections, will see the return of Western poll observer missions for the first time in nearly two decades.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has opened the door to observer teams from the United States, the European Union and the Commonwealth, who had been shut out during a lengthy diplomatic stand-off with former President Robert Mugabe’s administration over charges of human rights abuses and electoral fraud.
During the stand-off, Western involvement in Zimbabwe’s elections was limited to diplomatic missions accredited by Harare.
Zimbabwe’s opposition has tabled a raft of electoral reform demands, which include a United Nations supervised election.
However, UN supervised elections are rare and require Security Council or General Assembly resolution.
Here is a fact-file on some international institutions involved in election observation:
The United Nations:
In 1991, the United Nations Secretary-General designated the Under-Secretary for Political Affairs as the focal point for electoral assistance programmes.
Since then, more than 100 countries have requested and have received United Nations electoral assistance.
It is, however, worth noting that United Nations electoral assistance is provided only at the specific request of the Member State concerned, or based on a mandate from the Security Council or General Assembly.
Before assistance is agreed and provided, the United Nations assesses the needs of the Member State to ensure that the assistance is tailored to the specific needs of the country or situation.
During the 1990s, the United Nations observed, supervised or conducted landmark elections and popular consultations in East Timor, South Africa, Mozambique, El Salvador and Cambodia.
More recently, the UN has provided crucial technical and logistical assistance in milestone elections in many countries, including in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Sudan.
Types of UN electoral assistance:
UN electoral support programs are tailored according to the specific needs of each requesting Member State. Although considerable international attention has been given to elections conducted in the context of United Nations peacekeeping missions or other post-conflict settings, most electoral assistance activities take the form of technical assistance in non-mission settings.
The following are examples of some of the various types of electoral assistance provided by the United Nations. These are drawn from several UN electoral policy documents:
Technical Assistance:
Technical assistance is by far the most frequent form of United Nations electoral assistance. It can be defined as the legal, operational and logistic assistance provided to develop or improve electoral laws, processes and institutions. It can cover all, or some, aspects of the electoral process. Technical assistance may be provided on the basis of a request from a Member State, or following a mandate by the Security Council or General Assembly.
Support to creating a conducive environment:
The mandate of Department of Peace-keeping Operations (DPKO) and Department of Political Affairs (DPA) missions often includes provisions related to creating a conducive environment for the implementation of various tasks usually listed in their mandate. In countries where they have such a mandate, they may use their good offices and political role to contribute to creating a conducive environment for the holding of elections. Through their military, police and civilian presences, the DPKO missions may also help stabilise the security situation, which is essential for a conducive environment for elections.
Organisation and conduct of an electoral process:
If the United Nations is mandated to organise and conduct an election or referendum, the organisation assumes the role normally fulfilled by national electoral authorities. In such cases, the UN has full authority over the process. Due to the primacy of the principle of national ownership, this type of assistance is very rarely mandated and is unlikely to be undertaken except in special post-conflict or decolonisation situations, such as Zimbabwe’s 1980 elections, characterised by insufficient national institutional capacity. This type of mandate is only possible via a Security Council or General Assembly resolution.
Certification/Verification:
The term “certification” is widely understood in electoral practice as the legal process by which a national authority approves or ‘certifies’ the results of its own national election. However, on rare occasions, the Security Council or General Assembly may ask the Secretary-General to play a “certification” role. In such cases the United Nations is requested to certify the credibility of all or specific aspects of an electoral process conducted by the national election authority. The United Nations is required to produce a final statement attesting to the election’s credibility. The modalities will vary according to context. UN electoral certification requires a mandate from the General Assembly or the Security Council.
Electoral Observation:
Electoral observation consists of systematic collection of information on an electoral process by direct observation based on established methodologies, often analysing both qualitative and quantitative data. The process of observation usually leads to an evaluative public statement on the overall conduct of the electoral process. UN election observation entails the deployment of a mission to observe each phase of an electoral process and report back to the Secretary-General, who will issue a public statement on the conduct of the election. UN electoral observation, which is very rare, requires a mandate from the General Assembly or the Security Council.
Supervision of elections:
Supervision of elections requires the UN to endorse and approve each phase of an electoral process to attest to the overall credibility of the election. It can require direct involvement in establishing the mechanisms of the election, such as the date, the issuing of regulations, wording of the ballot, monitoring polling stations, counting the ballots, and assisting in the resolution of disputes. Where the UN is not satisfied with the electoral procedures or their implementation in a particular phase, the electoral management body conducting the process is required to act upon UN recommendations and make any necessary adjustments. The progress of the election is contingent upon the UN’s endorsement of each phase. Supervision of elections by the UN is also rare and requires a mandate from the General Assembly or the Security Council.
Panels of Political and/or Electoral Experts:
UN panels entail the deployment of a small team to follow and report on an electoral process. A panel can be an electoral expert monitoring team, composed of experts in such areas as electoral processes or mediation, or a high-level panel composed of eminent persons of political, electoral or mediation profile. Relying on its own observations as well as those of other international and national stakeholders, the panel will provide an independent assessment of the overall political and technical conduct of elections. The assessment is generally provided to the Secretary-General or the UN Focal Point for Electoral Assistance. Unlike observation missions, panels are not necessarily present in the country throughout a process (limiting their visits to strategically important periods) and may not make their findings public. A mandate for such a panel may be provided by the Secretary-General or the UN Focal Point for Electoral Assistance.
Co-ordination of Electoral Observers:
United Nations support to international observers is of two types: (i) Operational Support, and (ii) Coordination of International Observers. Coordination of international observers involves a wide range of activities that can include the provision of logistics and administrative support to the election observation effort and other additional activities such as briefing and facilitation of the deployment of observers, debriefing, etc. This type of support is usually provided to a number of observer groups. This type of support can be provided on the basis of a request from Member States.
The European Union:
The European Union (EU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) sent teams to Harare in March to feel and prepare the ground for observer missions to Zimbabwe’s general elections which must be held by August 22.
The Electoral Observation Mission’s core team, consisting of ten analysts, arrived in Harare on June 6. The team will stay in the country until the completion of the electoral process, as well as preparing a comprehensive final report.
On June 20, the core team was joined by 44 long-term observers who have been deployed across the country.
A further 44 short-term observers will be deployed a few days before election day. A delegation of the European Parliament and diplomats from EU Member States accredited to Zimbabwe will also reinforce the Mission on election day.
When does the EU deploy an election observer mission?
The EU deploys an Election Observer Mission (EOM) at the invitation of the host country.
The European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) selects election observers from candidates proposed by EU Member States.
The European Parliament may also decide to send a separate delegation to observe the elections. This parliamentary delegation is integrated in the EU EOM and works closely with the chief observer and does not issue a separate assessment.
Timing
The EU EOM is normally deployed in country about between 8-6 weeks prior to election day, with long-term observers arriving to assess the preparations for the election at regional level around 5-4 weeks before polling. The short-term observers arrive shortly before election day in order to increase the observation capacities of the mission during polling, counting and the aggregation of results.
A preliminary statement is then presented by the chief observer at a press conference shortly after election day (usually 48 hrs after election day) based on long-term and short-term observations of the entire process.
A final report contains the EOM’s conclusions and recommendations regarding the whole electoral process. It is delivered within a month of the EOM ending its activities on the ground. This report gives guidance for electoral reform and possible future assistance.
Does the mission intervene?
Election observation missions (EOMs) does not interfere in electoral processes.
They only have the mandate to collect and verify information concerning the election process, analyse the observations and then, after the elections, to publish their findings.
As a rule, EU EOMs always operate in a country on the basis of an invitation of the host government.
Key Areas
The assessment of the elections is based on seven key criteria that have been adopted by the European Union in assessing the quality of elections and which are assessed against regional and international standards.
These include:
Any other issue which concerns the democratic nature of the election e.g. campaign violence, rule of law, legislative framework, the conduct of polling and counting of votes.
Long-term observers (LTOs) are ideally deployed around one month before election day and remain after the results are officially announced to observe the resolution of electoral disputes. They are located all over the country and observe the unfolding electoral campaign. They also address particular issues, such as the use of public resources by candidates.
Short-term observers (STOs) are deployed to observe the polling day and the early counting of ballots. They are deployed in teams of two. LTO report regularly and prepare the STOs observation programme in their area.
Observation period
Regular meetings are held with election officials at national, regional and local levels, political parties, candidates, civil society and media throughout the country. The elections are assessed against international standards, regional commitments undertaken by the host country and national laws.
The Commonwealth’s election observation
The Commonwealth’s approach to election observation is rooted in the Guidelines for the Establishment of Commonwealth Groups to Observe Elections in Member Countries, which was adopted at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Harare in 1991.
The bloc was one of the original signatories to the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, agreed at the United Nations in 2005, which is followed by election observers all around the world.
Commonwealth electoral observation missions are composed of eminent persons from a range of fields, including electoral commissioners and parliamentarians, and legal, gender and human rights and media experts.
Larger observer teams, known as Commonwealth Observer Groups, range from between 10 to 25 members. Usually headed by a former Head of Government or senior political figure as Chair, our observer groups are independent and autonomous, with members drawn from all regions of the Commonwealth.
Smaller observer groups, known as Commonwealth Observer Missions or Expert Teams, may only include two to four independent observers. All teams are supported by a small team from the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Commonwealth election observers are given a mandate to observe and consider the factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process as a whole.
Observers will judge whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which the country has committed, including national legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and international commitments.
Before deploying an observer team, the Commonwealth Secretary-General will receive an invitation from a member government or electoral commission.
The observers visit the country ahead of polling day and meet with a broad range of stakeholders, including the electoral commission, major political parties, the media and civil society groups.
After being deployed across the country, Commonwealth observers will assess the pre-election environment, voting, counting and results processes. The observers will then issue an interim assessment after election day and issue a final report which is shared with the government and opposition parties before is made public.
The Carter Centre
The Carter Centre, set up by former US President Jimmy Carter in 1982, is one of the leading election observer groups from the United States. Its missions are often led by prominent US politicians. Former US Secretary of State John Kerry led the Carter Centre’s observer team to the Kenyan general election in August 2017.
The Carter Centre, which has observed 107 elections in 39 countries in Africa, South America and Asia since 1989, plans to observe Zimbabwe’s 2018 general election and sent a preliminary team to Harare late March.
To ensure a meaningful, nonpartisan role for its election observation activities, The Carter Center insists on being invited by a country’s election authorities and welcomed by the major political parties.
Election observation missions start long before election day, with experts and long-term observers analysing election laws, assessing voter education and registration, and evaluating fairness in campaigns.
On election day, observers assess the casting and counting of ballots. In the days and weeks after the election, observers monitor the tabulation process, electoral dispute resolution, and the publication of final results.
Before, during, and after an election, the Center’s findings are reported through public statements.
Guidelines for election observation
To support impartial, credible election observation, The Carter Center, in cooperation with the U.N. Electoral Assistance Division and the National Democratic Institute, produced the Declaration of Principles for International Observation, which established professional guidelines for election observation. The declaration has been endorsed by more than 50 organisations, which now meet annually to discuss key challenges.
Factsheet compiled by ZimFact staff Nelson Banya & Cris Chinaka, mostly from UN, EU and Commonwealth documents.
CARTER CENTRECOMMONWEALTHELECTIONSUN | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 27, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/the-role-of-international-observers-in-zimbabwe-elections/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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681 | TRANSCRIPT: Constitutional Court ruling on Chamisa's election petition - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 28, 2018
Here is a transcript of the August 24, 2018 Constitutional Court ruling delivered by Chief Justice Luke Malaba on the election petition brought by MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa:
This is a unanimous judgement of the court. It must be noted however that it does not at the moment contain the full reasons thereof. These will be issued in due course when a fully-dressed judgement, taking all the legal issues of the law reports, will be considered.
On the 30th of July 2018, the Republic of Zimbabwe held harmonised parliamentary, local government and presidential elections. The applicant and the first respondent participated as presidential candidates along with 21 others.
On 3 August 2018, the 24th respondent, acting in terms of section 110 Subsection 3 paragraph f(ii) of the Electoral Act, declared the first respondent as the candidate who had received more than half the number of votes cast to be duly elected as the President of Republic of Zimbabwe with effect from that date.
The applicant was aggrieved by the declaration of the first respondent as having been duly elected as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
He lodged an application in terms of section 93 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe 2013, which I shall from now on call ‘the Constitution’, challenging the validity of the election of the first respondent as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Section 93 provides as follows:
Challenge to Presidential election Subsection (1); Subject to this section, any aggrieved candidate may challenge the validity of any election of a President, or a Vice President, by lodging a petition or application with the Constitutional Court within seven days after the date of the declaration of the results of the election. Subsection 2; the election of the Vice President may be challenged only on the grounds that he or she was not qualified for election.
Sub section (3) The Constitutional Court must hear and determine a petition or an application under sub section (1) within 14 days after the petition or application was lodged and the court’s decision is final.
The applicant seeks the following relief: 1. A declarator to the effect that; “(i) The Presidential election 2018 was not conducted in accordance with the law and was not free and fair.
(ii) The election results announced by the commissioners of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on the 2nd of August 2018, and the concomitant declaration of that same day by each chairperson to the effect that Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa was to be regarded as the duly elected President of the Republic of Zimbabwe with effect from the 2nd of August 2018, is in terms of section (93) Subsection (4) paragraph (b) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe as read together with section (111) subsection (2) paragraph (b) of the Electoral Act, declared unlawful, of no force or effect, and accordingly set aside.
(iii) That the applicant Nelson Chamisa is in terms of section (93) subsection (4) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe declared the winner of the presidential election held on the 30th of July 2018. Paragraph 2: An order to the following effect; (i) the 25th respondent shall publish in the Government Gazette this order and the declaration of the applicant to the office of the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Alternatively, (ii) in terms of section (93) sub section (4) paragraph (b) an election to the office of the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe shall be held within 60 days of this order and, (iii) cost of this application shall be born by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and any such respondent as opposes it.”
The application was opposed by the 1st, 5th, 6th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 23rd, 24th and 25th respondents.
For reasons that will be set out in the full judgement, the court ruled that the opposing papers filed by the 5th, 6th, 17th, and 20th respondents were, (i) not properly before the court and, (ii), should be expunged from the record with no order as to costs.
The 6th and 18th respondents indicated that they would abide by the decision of the court.
The respondents took several points in limine including that the application filed by the applicant is not properly before the court.
This was so because, although filed within seven days as stipulated by Section 93 of the Constitution, the application was served on the respondents on the 8th day, in violation of rule 23 sub rule (2) of the rules of the Constitutional Court 2016.
The Constitution does not refer to weekdays, but days. This is to be taken to mean seven calendar days and includes Saturdays and Sundays. In terms of Section (23) subsection (2) of the rules, the application shall be lodged with the Registrar and shall be served on the respondent within seven days of the declaration of the result of that election.
The 1st respondent was declared the duly elected President on the 3rd of August 2018. In terms of section (93) subsection (1) of the Constitution as read with rule 23 sub rule 2 of the Constitutional Court rules, the applicant had until the 10th of August 2018 to file and serve the application on the respondent.
The application appears to have been cognisant of the reckoning of days and time limitations prescribed by the Constitution and waited until the last day to file his application shortly before close the Constitutional Court registry on the 10th of August 2018. He was entitled by law to do so.
Having done so, the applicant was then faced with a further obligation to serve the process on all respondents on the same day. The applicant could only do so through the Sheriff of Zimbabwe in terms of Rule 9 sub rule 7 of the Constitutional Court rules.
The applicant indicates that he did so. The sheriff had until 10PM, that same evening, to effect service in compliance with the rules. The affidavit submitted by the respondents show that the applicant had in fact attempted service in their own capacity and without the assistance of the sheriff on the 10th of August 2018.
It is common cause that the application was eventually served on the respondents on the 11th of August 2018, outside the time frames stipulated in the Constitution and contrary to the provisions of the Constitutional Court rules.
The same limitation applied to the respondents who were served with the application on Saturday the 11th of August 2018. The notices of opposition would have been due within three days from that date, being the 14th of August 2018. In terms of Section 336 subsection 2 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe: “Subject to this Constitution, whenever the time of doing anything in terms of this constitution ends or falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday, the time extends to, and the thing may be done on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.”
The dies induciae, having expired on the 14th of August, 2018, a holiday in Zimbabwe, the notices of opposition both had to be filed on the next business day thereafter, being the 15th of August 2018. They were duly served and properly lodged with the central Registrar in terms of the law.
The applicant, however, clearly breached the rules of the court and filed a defective application. However, due to the importance of the matter, and the public interest, the court has the power to condone non-compliance to the rules in the interest of justice. An application for condonation of this non-compliance, albeit opposed by the respondents, was made for the applicant. This court is prepared to, and hereby does, grant the application due to the importance of the matter and the public interest involved.
The other points in limine raised by the respondents will be fully addressed in the main judgment to come.
The applicant alleges that the first respondent did not win the election due to the fact that in the run-up to the election, the 23rd and the 24th respondents were involved in a litany of Constitutional and electoral law violations, all of which had the effect of undermining the just conduct of the election.
Some of the alleged violations relate to: (i) Lack of Independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, (ii) Failure of the state owned media to comply with section 61 subsection 4 of the Constitution, (iii) Conduct of the traditional leaders and rogue security elements. (iv) Failure to abide by general principles affecting conduct of the elections, (v) ZEC’s responsibility to compile voters rolls. (vi) Wearing partisan clothing, (vii) Failure to provide a complete voters roll (viii) Voter education, (ix) Design of presidential ballot papers (x) Fixing of polling station returns (V11 forms) on the outside of polling stations (xi) Postal ballots (xii) Counting of presidential ballot (xiii) Undue influence, threats, injury, damage harm or loss to voters (xiv) Bribery, provision of seed and fertilizer packs.
The court notes that the High Court of Zimbabwe was in recent months seized with and determined issues pertaining to; (i) the conduct of postal voting, (ii) the design of presidential ballot, (iii) the release of voters rolls with voters’ photographs to the parties (iv) The 23rd respondent’s obligation to facilitate voting by civil servants engaged in election duties on election day.
These judgments are extant, and the court will therefore not at this juncture address the applicant’s contentions in respect of these issues. The court will also not, in this abridged version of this judgement, address the totality of the allegations made by the applicant as listed above. This will be done in the main judgment.
In terms of authority of this and other courts the declaration of results in terms of the section 110 subsection 3 paragraph f(ii) of the Act creates a presumption of validity of that declaration. The onus and burden of proof in this application therefore rests with the applicant and it is for him to prove to the satisfaction of the court that there were irregularities in the conduct of the election.
The general position of the law is that no election is declared to be invalid by reason of any act or omission by a returning officer, or any other person, in breach of his official duty in connection with the election or otherwise of the appropriate election rules, if it appears to the court that the election was conducted substantially in accordance with the law governing elections, and that the act or omission did not affect the result.
As an exception to this general position, the court will declare elections void when it is satisfied, from the evidence provided by the applicant, that the legal trespasses are of such a magnitude that they have resulted in substantial non-compliance with the existing electoral laws. Additionally the court must be satisfied that this breach has affected the results of the election.
In other words, an applicant must prove that the entire election process is so fundamentally flawed, and so poorly conducted, that it cannot be seen to have been conducted in substantial compliance with the law.
Additionally, an election result which has been obtained as a result of fraud will necessarily invalidate the election.
From the aforegoing, the court will only invalidate a presidential elections in very limited and specific circumstances if, (1) the results are a product of fraud, (2) the elections were so poorly conducted that they could not be said to have been in substantial compliance with the law.
It is for the applicant to prove to the satisfaction of the court that the election was conducted in a manner which fails substantially below the statutory requirements of a valid election, and that the result was materially affected, warranting a nullification of the result or invalidation of the election.
A significant part of the applicant’s challenge related to the results and figures announced by the electoral commission. Allegations were made that the results announced were incorrect and did not reflect the true will of the people of Zimbabwe.
In so doing, the applicant alleged irregularities relating to vote patterns, polling station returns, inflation of votes, over-voting, ghost voting, among other infractions, which will be dealt with.
In short, it is alleged that there was rigging.
The applicant made general allegations against the 1st Respondent. No allegations of a personal direct manipulation of the process was put forward against the 1st Respondent. All allegations were made without particularity and specificity. This would have been required to prove allegations of complicity by the winner of the election alleged to be the deliberate beneficiary of the alleged improper election.
Nevertheless, if the applicant had proved that the electoral commission has committed irregularities, and met the legal requirement of such a petition to the requisite standard of proof, this alone would have been sufficient to invalidate an election even in the absence of direct involvement by the 1st Respondent.
The Applicant made several allegations of irregularities against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, which were sought to be related to its failure to discharge its obligations in terms of the law.
No proof or evidence was adduced by the Applicant himself of these allegations. The court decides matters based on facts and evidence placed before it. In an application of this nature, it is even more incumbent on an applicant to ensure that he or she exercises his or her rights in terms of the law, to the fullest measure, to ensure that almost no reasonable doubt can be left in the mind of any court that the allegations of malpractice or fraud, as the case may be, are true to justify the court setting aside the election together with every vote cast by the millions of Zimbabweans who exercised their constitutional right to vote.
The best evidence in this instance would have been the contents of the ballot boxes themselves. That is the primary source evidence. Evidence of the contents of the ballot boxes compared to the announcements by the electoral commission, and the evidence within the Applicant’s own knowledge, would have given the court a clear picture of any electoral malpractices, if any had occurred.
No such proof was adduced by the Applicant to support his allegations.
The electoral law is designed to protect the vote. The protection of the ballot cast by every single citizen who participated in the election is fundamental. It is the one that the court should guard jealously. The avenues availed to an aggrieved candidate are meant to ensure that he or she has all the evidence available to him or her to assist the court.
It follows that when the result was declared in the early hours of Friday the 3rd of August, 2018, the Applicant knew then that he was an aggrieved candidate. He may not have known the exact or precise reason why he was aggrieved, but the lawmakers in their wisdom created an avenue for the applicant to ensure that he had all the evidence necessary to prove his case, if he so wished to exercise his rights to challenge the result.
The time was on his side to obtain such evidence from the residue.
The applicant’s remedies to access the ballot and election residue are in the Electoral Act under Section 67 subsection (a) and Section 70. Under Section 67(a), the applicant would have sought a recount of the votes within 48 hours, whilst under Section 70, he would have approached the Electoral Court for an order of unsealing the ballot boxes.
These remedies are designed to protect each aggrieved candidate and to dispose of any doubt whether or not the election itself was properly conducted on the electing day, and whether the true expression of Zimbabwean voters’ will was announced by the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission.
These remedies are for the benefit of the aggrieved candidate.
They are meant to ensure that no unnecessary disputes or litigation relating to the validity of an election are undertaken. They are also meant to ensure that an aggrieved candidate, who then becomes an applicant, has the necessary evidence to prosecute successfully his or her application.
So these are remedies not for the respondents’ benefit. They are meant to protect the rights of those who are aggrieved by the result of a presidential election. Armed with the evidence, either from a recount where the figures are alleged to be incorrect, or analysis of the sealed boxes, the applicant would have had a clear and indisputable picture of the outcome of the election.
He would have been clear whether any irregularities relating to the actual votes and the results could be substantiated. He chose not to exercise this right.
The electoral law protects the voter and the candidate in the process involved. This is from the delivery of the ballot papers to the polling station, to the collation of the results, right down to the sealing of the ballot boxes at the end of the election.
The applicant was at large therefore to extend his polling agents or to send his polling agents to each and every polling station around the country. Observers were also free to participate in the process.
The applicant’s agents observed the voters arriving, being given the ballot papers as applicants for these papers before the presiding officers, going on to vote in secret in the booth and having the votes counted in their presence if they were there.
At the end of the counting, all agents in terms of the law who are present are required to sign, if they so wish, the V11 forms, copies of which are then given to them.
Thus, if the applicant had placed before the court the V11 forms from all the stations that he had a right to have his agents present, a simple analysis of these V11 forms against the V11 forms in the ballot boxes which would have been unsealed would easily have done the following: (a) It would have disposed of any questions regarding numbers of votes for any given polling station or constituency. (b) It would have addressed any question of over voting. (c) It would have debunked allegations of over-voting or upsurges of voters after a particular time, for instance what is alleged to have happened in Mashonaland Central. (d) It would have addressed the issues of differences in voting patterns and numbers of votes for parliamentary and presidential elections. (e) It would also have addressed issues of improbability of similar and identical results at polling stations. (f) It would have addressed questions regarding the accuracy of the result and data provided by the commission.
In essence, the entire challenge to the figures would have been easily resolved, and if there was any irregularity, it would have been easily detectable.
When pressed why that evidence was not adduced, the applicant’s practitioner gave a bald and unsubstantiated allegation that the ballot was tampered with. It was argued by the applicant’s counsel that the ballots were a poisoned chalice. In other words, by the time he would have sought to have them unsealed, they would already have been manipulated.
That was the argument. This exercise therefore, according to this argument, it was argued, would have been futile.
However, this position faces the following counters: The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission contends that the prescribed procedures were complied with. Logic therefore dictates that if the applicant and his agents or any other political candidate whose agent had the forms, had the V11 forms in their custody, they could easily have compared them against the residue and further compared them against the result declared. Even assuming the applicant did not have agents at every polling station, a sample of constituencies could have been used so that the same constituencies where the applicant now disputes the figures would have been compared.
If there were instances where for one reason or another the forms were not recorded as they should have been, specific evidence detailing the gaps and the discrepancies should have been filed before this court.
This could have been connected to the allegations of malpractice against the commission.
In the second incident, the applicant argues that the crux of his case stands even without the primary evidence.
It was argued that an attack on the figures produced by the electoral commission itself would suffice to invalidate the election. Even then, all the allegations made against the commission were debunked to some degree by the electoral commission, specifically and systematically.
On the 3rd of August 2018, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission announced that Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, having achieved the required fifty percent plus one vote from the election, was declared to be the duly elected President of Zimbabwe.
The declaration was made in terms of Section 110 (3) paragraph f(ii) of the Electoral Act. It states (f), subject to paragraph (h), after the number of votes received by each candidate as shown in each constituency return has been added together in terms of paragraph (e), the chairperson of the commission or in his or her absence, the deputy chairperson, or in his or her absence, a commissioner designated by the chairperson shall: 1. Where there are two candidates, forthwith declare the candidate who has received the greater number of votes to be duly elected as President of the Republic of Zimbabwe with effect from the day of such declaration. Or, 2. Where there are more than two candidates forthwith declare the candidate who has received more than half the number of votes to be duly elected as President of the Republic of Zimbabwe with effect from the day of such declaration. Or 3. Where there are more than two candidates and no candidate has received more than half the number of votes forthwith declare that a run-off Presidential election shall be held on the date fixed by the President in terms of Section 38(1) paragraph A (iii) (that is to say a fixed date not less than 28 and not more than 42 days after the polling day or last polling day as the case may be of the original election) provided that the electoral court on the application of the commission may for good cause extend the period.
Now the declaration as set out in these provisions is the legal event.
This is upon any candidate reaching the 50 percent plus one vote threshold. Whether or not a candidate has reached this threshold is a question of fact. It is not a question of figures.
The declaration can only be changed and altered by this court in terms of section 110 subsection 3 paragraph (i) which says: “A declaration by the chairperson of the commission or in his or her absence the deputy chairperson, or in his or her absence a commissioner designated by the chairperson under paragraph (h) shall be final, subject to reversal on petition to the Electoral Court that such declaration will be set aside or to the proceedings relating to that election being declared void”.
Therefore the declaration itself is final subject to requirements prescribed.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission made a critical admission that the exact figures were incorrect and minor adjustments were made after data capturing errors were corrected. It was submitted that this affected the figures relating to the 1st respondent’s win by 0.1 percent but did not affect the result of the election.
It is important to understand what the result of an election is.
The result of an election is the declaration of a winner having reached the 50 percent plus one vote. No other thing. Any votes after that point have no bearing on the result of the election.
The amendment by ZEC has no effect at all on the result of the election and the declaration as interpreted in this case. In fact, an error in counting and amendment of figures is envisaged in the Act itself which makes the provisions of section 110 subject to those of section 67 (a). The law therefore allows for the adjustment and, again, if the applicant was aggrieved by the counting and the figures availed he should have utilised remedies availed to him by the Act.
In this case the applicant in our view needed more evidence than the mere admission by ZEC on the inaccuracy of the mathematical figures.
The applicant made several generalised allegations of electoral malpractices against the electoral commission. He made a startling submission that these generalised allegations would suffice to prove his case of irregularities without resort to the primary source evidence.
The electoral commission nonetheless took time to analyse allegations against it and produced clear and tangible evidence to refute the allegations, making it incumbent on the applicant to discharge the onus which was on him. The onus to prove the case is not on the person accused.
The accused person does not have to prove anything, does not have to prove innocence, and therefore the respondent in this case needed only to respond.
ZEC proved through the V11 forms produced that allegations that some forms had been signed and not populated was false and there appears to have been a deliberate fabrication of evidence with an intent to mislead the court. Without access to the sealed ballot boxes residue, this allegation simply remains as refuted.
The applicant alleged that some 40 000 teachers were denied their right to vote on the Election Day and that this had a direct effect on the results. The allegation, needless to say, was very general and unsubstantiated. It is not clear how the figure of 40 000 was calculated.
There was no evidence from the teachers themselves that they were registered voters who wanted to exercise their right to vote and were posted against their will.
On the contrary, it was shown by ZEC that some teachers had deliberately opted not to vote in favour of being posted to stations where such right could not be exercised.
The Constitution gives every Zimbabwean citizen who is eligible to vote a right to vote. It is not an obligation under our Constitution to vote.
There was no evidence therefore on how many of these teachers were registered voters. There was no evidence of the effect of this allegation, even if it was proven that it would have affected the result. There is also no guarantee that every teacher would have voted for the applicant.
The allegation relating to ghost polling stations or polling stations created at the time of voting lacked specificity and particularity and were in any case disproved by the evidence adduced for the 23rd and 25th respondents. And these are the kinds of allegations that would easily have been proven by access to the evidence in the sealed ballot boxes.
In the final analysis, the court finds that the applicant has failed to place before it clear, direct, sufficient and credible evidence that the irregularities that he alleges marred the election process materially existed. In other words there was no proof of the happenings of these irregularities as a matter of fact.
There would therefore have been no purpose for this court to go further and inquire into the question of whether such irregularities materially affected the election results. As already indicated, it is an internationally accepted principle of election disputes that an election is not set aside easily merely on the basis that irregularities occurred.
There is a presumption of validity of an election. This is so also because as long as an election was conducted substantially in terms of the Constitution and governing laws, it would have reflected the will of the people.
It is not for the court to decide elections, it is the people. It is a duty of the courts to strive, in public interest, to sustain that which the people have expressed their will in.
Therefore the application ought to be dismissed.
In the result, the following order is made: The application is dismissed with costs.
In terms of section 93 subsection 4 sub-paragraph (a) of the Constitution, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is duly declared the winner of Presidential elections held on the 30th of July 2018.
As indicated, there will be a fully dressed judgement in due course on these issues.
We thank all those who have participated. As I said at the beginning, we thank the lawyers. At the end of the day, it is their submissions, regardless of which side they were, that has helped this court to arrive at this decision.
And that is the purpose. Lawyers are not there to win. Lawyers are officers of Court, and it is there as Chief Justice that I look upon our lawyers in Zimbabwe. The integrity lies in your status as a lawyer, and therefore be proud to uphold those principles by which the public looks upon you.
We thank the public as well, for having shown confidence in the judiciary. Whatever views you take, you are entitled to the views. They are your views. However, at the end of the day we are all citizens of Zimbabwe, we have a right to belong. And let it be. I thank all of you.
FEATUREDOUR PICKS | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 28, 2018 | {
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682 | No confirmed COVID-19 cases at UZ, contrary to viral social media 'circular' - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 17, 2020
CLAIM: A viral social media message claims that the University of Zimbabwe has two confirmed cases of COVID-19 and will close this week until April 14, 2020.
RATING: False.
The University of Zimbabwe’s Acting Director of Information, Ndai Nyamakura says the statement circulating on social media and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp is false. The university is not closing on the dates stated on the forged circular.
“We are currently working on a statement to counter that circular,” she told ZimFact.
COVID-19FEATUREDUNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 17, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/uz-coronavirus/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
683 | Website that carried 'fake' Welshman Ncube interview has shared misinformation before - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 23, 2022
On February 22, the website Zim Guardian ran what it claimed to be an interview with Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)’s co-Vice President, Welshman Ncube. In the article, the website says Ncube explained why he did not show up at the party’s star rally held in Harare.
The article carries quotes that it said are from Ncube:
“I was not informed of the rally in advance. Besides, I had already committed myself to other engagements, that’s why I could not make it. I had important meetings that I could not postpone in lieu of the rally. But frankly, of what value was my presence going to add to what appears to have been the usual script against Mnangagwa. Above all, I don’t waste time in meetings that I am sure won’t achieve anything.”
However, Ncube told ZimFact that he never spoke to the website.
“I don’t know anything about this (Zim Guardian) website. Saying I was interviewed by them is utterly false and fake and I’m sure it’s a way of soiling my name and image,” Ncube said on Wednesday.
Red flags in the article include quotes in which ‘Ncube’ purportedly accuses his own party of violence and calling for sanctions.
One quote says: “Real leaders spend their time doing what they and what the country will see to be better than what the others have done. That is what we expect from the opposition. Let them come up with better alternatives besides calling for violence and sanctions.”
An assessment of the website shows that it has published misinformation before.
For example, one September 2021 article on the site claims that South African celebrity Somizi Mhlongo spoke to journalists and “thanked the Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe (GALZ), and the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance for inviting him to Zimbabwe, where he is expected to launch a campaign to promote the rights of gays and lesbians”.
There is no record of Mhlongo making such a comment to journalists. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 23, 2022 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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684 | Were Form Ones and Twos not at John Tallach school during COVID-19 spike, as claimed by official? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 23, 2020
John Tallach Secondary School in Matabeleland North, where more than 100 COVID-19 cases have been reported. PHOTO: Zenzele Ndebele
CLAIM: Form Ones and Twos were not at school during the John Tallach COVID-19 spike.
Source: ZimLive
RATING: INCORRECT. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education says all students were back in school at the time of the reported spike.
John Tallach secondary school in Matabeleland North has reported a major COVID-19 outbreak, which first broke out during the last week of October and spiked early November.
To date, the school has recorded more than 100 confirmed coronavirus infections.
In an article posted on November 17, private news site www.zimlive.com quoted the acting provincial medical director for Matabeleland North, Dr Munekayi Padingani saying not all pupils at the school as of that date.
In line with a government-sanctioned plan, schools have reopened in phases, starting with exam classes on September 28, followed by Grade 6, Form 3 and Lower Sixth or Form 5 on October 26. The last phase saw the rest of the students going back to school on November 9.
Taungana Ndoro, spokesman for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, told ZimFact that all students had returned to school by the time of the spike, contrary to the health official’s claim.
“The school had actually just opened for phase three. So right now it is under quarantine. When this virus came to John Tallach, phase three had already happened, so yes, officially, Form Ones and Twos were there at the school because schools had opened on the 9 of November for everyone else,” Ndoro said.
CONCLUSION:
The acting provincial medical health director for Matabeleland North’s claim that some students – in Forms One and Two – were not at school as at November 17 has been disproved by an authoritative source – the responsible ministry.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 23, 2020 | {
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685 | What does the law say about candidate conduct on eve of elections? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 30, 2018
ZIMBABWE Electoral Commission chairperson Priscilla Chigumba announced that her organ had reported two presidential candidates to the police for violating rules not to canvass for votes within 24 hours of polling.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa both made statements on Sunday, which seemed to violate this law.
Mnangagwa released a video responding to what he termed an alliance between Chamisa and former President Robert Mugabe. Chamisa, on the other hand, held a press conference at which he said Mugabe’s announcement that he would vote against Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF confirmed the current president’s lack of popular support.
What does the law say regarding canvassing?
According to section 7(1) (b) of the Electoral Code of Conduct, parties or candidates are not allowed to “publish, or cause or permit the publication, of any advertisement or statement promoting or opposing a particular party or candidate” within 24 hours of polling day.
Fact sheet compiled by ZimFact team. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 30, 2018 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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686 | What is the state of capital punishment in Zimbabwe? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 28, 2023
Zimbabwe human rights campaigners are pressing the government to remove the death penalty from the country’s statutes — which President Emmerson Mnangagwa also calls “a flagrant violation of the right to life and dignity”.
In March 2023, the Zimbabwe government conducted two weeks of nationwide consultations on whether to abolish capital punishment for people convicted of premeditated murder.
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services says there are 62 inmates on the death row but the country does not have a hangman. Zimbabwe has been on a de-facto moratorium on executions for about 17 years. The last executions in the country were done in 2005.
Section 48 of the Zimbabwe Constitution indicates that the death penalty may be imposed only for murder committed in aggravating circumstances and only on men aged between 21 and 70 years – not on women.
According to Amnesty International, to date more than two-thirds of the world’s countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Amnesty International said 579 executions were recorded in 18 countries in 2021 with China, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria had most known executions- in that order. China remains the World’s leading executioner.
Worldwide the trend is moving strongly towards abolishing death penalty. By the end of 2021, 108 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes, eight countries had abolished the death penalty for crimes not committed during times of war and 28 countries still retained the death penalty but had not executed anyone over the past 10 years. Equatorial Guinea became the latest country to abolish the death penalty when its president signed a new penal code into law.
Of the 16 member states in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), seven have abolished the death penalty completely and only one continues to carry out executions.
Zimbabweans oppose to the removal of the death penalty say Mnangagwa must not impose his personal views and should allow for a truly democratic outcome from the consultations.
Zimbabwean legal pressure group, Veritas has proposed a re-trial of prisoners on the death row in addition to a petition to parliament requesting the legislature to pass a resolution on the matter.
The petition calls for the death penalty to be abolished in Zimbabwe without delay. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs has been asked to present a Bill in the National Assembly providing for the abolition of the death penalty. Veritas stated that, “If the Hon Minister does not introduce such a Bill within six months, any private Member may do so”.
Sources
Amnesty International
Veritas
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services
Related material:
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 28, 2023 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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687 | WhatsApp Advert for Gwanda Nursing School a Scam - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 18, 2019
Zimbabwean trainee nurses
By ZimFact Staff
A WhatsApp user asked ZimFact to check the authenticity of a message that has been circulating on various WhatsApp groups. The message purports to be an advert for nurse training recruitment by Gwanda Hospital Nursing School in Matebeleland South.
After responding to the advert via the supplied email address, they got this response:
Verdict: Scam
Nursing school recruitment in Zimbabwe
After looking at the two WhatsApp messages, ZimFact concluded that the advert was a scam. This was primarily because the Ministry of Health and Child Care announced that nurse training recruitment was being centralised and digitalised, starting with the September 2019 intake.
The Director of Nursing Services in the Ministry, Cynthia Chasokela, said all nursing schools countrywide are now using this platform.
‘Every nursing school in the country will use this method and we want to urge the public to start using our digital platform for recruitment,’ she said.
Another sign that this WhatsApp advert is a scam is that it still uses the old requirements that have since been revised by the health ministry. Previously, an aspiring candidate could have the required subjects from two sittings. However, this has since been revised to a single sitting.
The applications are also being directed to a google email address instead of an institutional ministry address.
The response to the application requires the candidate to send money through a personal Ecocash number registered to Melody Gwande, which should alert applicants to question the authenticity of the whole process as government departments do not normally use personal Ecocash numbers for official transactions.
How to apply
For those interested in applying for nurse training, the e-recruitment process for a particular intake opens on the Ministry of Health and Child Care website until the deadline. When one accesses that website and clicks on the e-nurse button, this is what they should see on the first image below. If it is one’s first time logging in, click to sign up and the system will go to the second image for registration. The application fee is ZWL10 and not ZWL50 as in the fake advert.
How to spot a scam
While it is not easy to always spot an employment or recruitment scam, here are some tips:
In this instance, the email address provided is not institutional. Anyone can open a gmail account. Although a postal address is provided, the advert clearly states that applications should only be sent by email. The advert gives enough detail to almost fool people into thinking it is genuine. In some instances, people can also watch out for misspelt words and grammar mistakes.
Always do a bit of research. In this instance, a simple internet search will show that nurse recruitment guidelines and processes have been revised. A search of the Ecocash number provided will show that it is a personal number and will give you the name. With that, one can phone the hospital nursing school to check whether they have a Melody Gwande on staff or if they even have a nursing recruitment advert circulating on social media.
In this scam, the applicant is being asked to pay an interview fee to secure their spot by 21/08/19 which falls a week before the deadline for the applications provided in the first message as 30/08/19. The details are vague, with promises of further information after providing proof of payment. The sign-off message, ‘By Management’, is meant to lend weight and provide legitimacy, but actually reads like a random phrase thrown in just for that purpose.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 18, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/whatsapp-advert-for-gwanda-nursing-school-a-scam/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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688 | WhatsApp message announcing November 2020 Zimsec results is fake - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 25, 2021
A fake message announcing that the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) November 2020 Ordinary and Advanced Level results, is circulating on WhatsApp.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, which oversees Zimsec, says the November 2020 public examination results are not yet out.
“Members of the public should wait for official communication of results through reputable mainstream media,” ministry spokesperson Blessing Taungana Ndoro told ZimFact on Thursday.
The fake WhatsApp message has a link to a non-existent website “timesportal.com”, a common sign that the information is not authentic.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 25, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/whatsapp-message-announcing-november-2020-zimsec-results-is-fake/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
689 | Fact Check: When can you be arrested for your minor child’s crimes? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 9, 2024
Claim: Following the passing of the Children’s Amendment Act No.8 of 2023, there have been several reports in the Zimbabwe media claiming that the new law will punish parents “who fail to discipline their children” leaving them to commit crimes.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: Misleading
Section 13 of the Children’s Amendment Act outlines the provisions under which a parent or guardian can be arrested for the crimes of a child, these include the following:
The parents or guardians shall be liable to the penalties that could have been imposed on them had they been guilty of the offence that the child committed.
They may also be ordered to pay any damages for personal injury or patrimonial loss proved in the course of trial to have been caused to the injured party by the child.
The above claim is misleading as it does not provide context on the circumstances in which a parent or guardian is liable for crimes committed by their child.
Children’s Amendment Act
Veritas
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 9, 2024 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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690 | Whose road is it anyway? No, this 'peeling road' is in SA, not in Zim as claimed online - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 25, 2021
CLAIM: A viral video shows a new built road in Zimbabwe ‘peeling off’
VERDICT: False. The road in the video is in South Africa, not Zimbabwe
A video showing a road user ‘peeling off’ a section of road and criticising its workmanship has gone viral among social media users in Zimbabwe. In the video, a person is seen taking pieces off the road, saying “this is the quality of road, a you that you can just peel like an orange.”
Some Zimbabwean social media users circulated the video with claims that the road was in Zimbabwe. One person said “Wake up Zimbabwe” while others asked local road agency ZINARA to explain.
However, the road is in fact the President Lucas Mangope Road in South Africa’s North West province, linking South Africa to Swartkopfontein on the Botswana border.
It was first posted on November 9, 2020, by journalist Zinhle Kanyane. Her report was broadcast on Newzroom Africa on the same day and can be viewed on the station’s YouTube channel.
An article by City Press on November 9, 2020, reported: “City Press has established that the department has tried to get the contractor, RoadMac Surfacing, to correct identified defects on the road.”
Conclusion
A road shown in viral videos as ‘peeling off’ is not in Zimbabwe, as claimed by some social media posts. The videos in fact shows a section of a South African road in the North West province, which links South Africa to Botswana.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 25, 2021 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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691 | Why The Chronicle's sensationalist coronavirus banner is misleading - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 31, 2020
On Friday, January 31, The Chronicle newspaper ran a banner with the headline: “Corona virus alert in Hwange”.
A picture of the image has gone viral on Zimbabwean social media, with some users interpreting it to mean that a case of the virus has been detected in Hwange.
This is not true. No case of the coronavirus has been detected in Zimbabwe.
The actual Chronicle story is merely coverage of a meeting by authorities in Hwange to raise awareness on the threat of the virus.
According to the article: “Hwange District is on high alert for Coronavirus with the Ministry of Health and Child Care carrying out sensitisation meetings while strengthening monitoring and surveillance mechanisms at ports of entry and medical facilities.”
In the article, the paper quotes District Medical Officer, Dr Fungayi Musinami, speaking at a meeting of the District Civil Protection Committee held to discuss preparedness.
“Today we are in Hwange meeting with CPC to do a sensitisation meeting regarding the coronavirus outbreak that originated in China but has spread to several countries globally. We have ports of entry in Victoria Falls, Kazungula, Vic Falls International airport and Pandamatenga so we need to be vigilant in terms of monitoring and surveillance while making sure we prevent the outbreak from coming into this country. So, today’s meeting was sensitisation of the CPC and discussing our preparedness strategies in response,” Musinami is quoted as saying.
Musinami, in the article, makes it clear that there have been no suspected cases of coronavirus in Hwange.
“So far we have not heard of any suspected cases of coronavirus but we are screening everybody that comes so that we can isolate those that are suspected to have the condition. That way we contain the virus,” she said.
Zimbabwe action on coronavirus
The coronavirus, whose epicentre is Wuhan in China, was on January 30 declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organisation. Around the world, countries have taken precautions, such as stepping up monitoring at ports of entry and restricting travel.
In Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Health and Child Care on January 24 held an Inter-Agency Coordination Committee for Health (IACCH) emergency preparedness and response (EPR) task force meeting, according to a situation report jointly released by the Ministry and the World Health Organisation on January 30.
As at January 28, 129 people traveling from China had been screened, the report said.
“As of 28th January 2020, 129 travellers arriving in Zimbabwe from countries with confirmed 2019-nCOV (coronavirus) transmission have been documented. None of these travellers had symptoms suggestive of 2019-nCOV infection on arrival. They are all being monitored daily by MOHCC health workers to determine the development of any suggestive symptoms,” it said.
The report also detailed the other steps taken so far:
• The National Microbiology Reference Laboratory provided with WHO issued interim guidance on laboratory testing for 2019-nCoV for the laboratories for laboratory diagnosis of patients who meet the definition of a suspect case of pneumonia associated with 2019-nCoV. Zimbabwe is expected to refer specimens from all suspect cases to regional reference laboratory (NICD) in South Africa
• Isolation hospitals have been designated at Wilkins Hospital and Thorngrove hospitals in Harare and Bulawayo respectively
• All provinces have designated Rapid Response Teams (RTTS). RRTs have been trained in IDSR and contact tracing, and the teams were to be trained on WHO recommendations on detecting and responding to 2019-nCoV
Chinese embassy action
In a statement on January 29, the Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe urged nationals that had travelled to Hubei, in Wuhan, to delay their return to Zimbabwe.
“Those who have returned to the most affected regions in China, such as Hubei, are advised to hold off coming back to Zimbabwe until the situation eases to reduce the risk of bringing the virus to Zimbabwe,” the statement said. A special health task force has been set up by the embassy to work with Zimbabwean health officials, the embassy added.
While there is trade and travel between China and Zimbabwe, there are no direct flights between the two countries, which minimises the risk.
‘Facts, not fear’
World Health Organisation (WHO) director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, this week cautioned against the spread of false information around the coronavirus.
“This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumours,” he said in a statement.
CORONAVIRUSFEATUREDWHO | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 31, 2020 | {
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692 | Women and politics - what are the shackles? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 24, 2024
Published by ZimFact in partnership with Cartooning for Peace – Nardi (Italy)
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 24, 2024 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/women-and-politics-what-are-the-shackles/",
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693 | Is the law protecting women in inheritance battles? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 16, 2018
By Lifaqane Nare
ONE of the big questions that Zimbabwe is facing as it commemorates Women’s Month is: Are the current national laws adequate in protecting women in perennial battles over inheritance?
A highly publicised case, which is still unfolding, involves Elizabeth Macheka, the widow of Zimbabwe’s former Prime Minister, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.
While it is likely to play out in the public eye due to the nature of the personalities involved, it gives an insight into the many private battles fought by ordinary women over inheritance.
What is the obligation arising from marriage?
Standard marriage vows between partners speak to life together until death. There is nothing in these vows committing a deceased spouse to taking care of the surviving one beyond the grave. While some do prepare wills for that eventuality, most surviving spouses especially women, usually find themselves at the mercy of relatives or in this age, at least at the mercy of the law.
What does the marriage and inheritance law say?
Zimbabwe High Court Photo credit: amanderson2, Flickr http://flic.kr/p/JHz4AE
Marriage and inheritance
For purposes of inheritance, Zimbabwean law recognises civil, customary and unregistered customary marriages. All customary marriages whether registered or unregistered are valid for the purpose of inheritance except in situations where a person contracts a registered or unregistered customary law marriage when he is already married to someone else under the Marriage Act (Chapter 5:11). In that case, the customary union is invalid. In a mixed marriage where a woman marries under Chapter 5:11 a man who is already married under customary law to someone else, then the last marriage will be treated as a customary law marriage for purposes of inheritance(www.kubatana.net).
Where does the matrimonial home stand?
The matrimonial home refers to the house or domestic premises in which the spouses or the surviving spouse lived in immediately before the person’s death. This goes to the surving spouse (or spouses) where the deceased died partly or wholly intestate (without a will), if such house or premises form part of the deceased person’s estate.
The spouse of the deceased is also entitled to the household goods and effects, a share in the joint estate as well as a further share in the free residue of the estate.
How is the polygamist’s estate managed?
If the deceased is survived by more than one wife, and had more than one child, a third of his net estate is shared among the wives with the first getting two shares and the rest sharing equally the remainder. In cases where the wives live in different houses owned by the deceased at the time of his death, each gets ownership of that house and the household goods therein. If ownership of that house is not possible, the wife gets usufruct – the right to enjoy the use and advantages of another’s property short of the destruction or waste of its substance. If they lived in one house, they all retain the use of that house.
The courts have ruled that wills cannot contain provisions that seek to disinherit spouses from their legal entitlements to matrimonial property. There are however, differing views with the Wakapila v Matongo ruling HH/71/08 advocating complete testation where a husband with exclusive title to the house, being able to bequeth it to a third party.
However, in the Chiminya v Chiminya case HH/272/15, the ruling was that a surviving spouse can challenge being disinherited even if the deceased husband’s property was exclusively registered in his name.
Where do children come in?
All children of the deceased are entitled to an equal share each from the residue of the estate after the spouse has been given her entitlements, regardless of the status of their parents’ relationship.
Section 56(3) of the Constitution outlaws discrimination of children born out of wedlock: “Every person has the right not to be treated in an unfairly discriminatory manner on such grounds as their nationality, colour, tribe, place of birth, ethnic or social origin, language, class, religious belief, political affiliation, opinion, custom, culture, sex, gender, marital status, age, pregnancy, disability or economic or social status or whether they were born in or out of wedlock.’’ A child in Zimbabwe can not be deprived of rights or discriminated against on the basis of whether their parents were married or not. In the case of minor children, death does not absolve the parent of their responsibilities. Minor children are to be maintained from the late parent’s estate until they reach majority age.
A 2015 High Court judgement made a landmark ruling to the effect that children born out of wedlock have equal status with children born in wedlock and are, therefore, entitled to an equal share of their deceased parents’ estate.
This was confirmed in a 2018 Supreme Court sitting in the case of former Masvingo Mayor Alderman Thomas Zawaira, which ruled in favour of his 10 children born out of wedlock after the High Court had barred the 10 from inheriting in favour of the 6 children born in wedlock.
Under customary law, the heir is only entitled to inherit the name, intonga/tsvimbo or any traditional items of the deceased which under customary law should pass on to the heir.
Conclusion: While one may trust their beloved to protect their interests even after death, human beings being fickle, may decide to strike from beyond the grave with a will disinheriting a spouse. In that case, the law might ensure that the ‘for better’ part of the vows triumph.
About the author: Lifaqane Nare is a Researcher at ZimFact
genderinheritancelawswomen | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 16, 2018 | {
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694 | Yes, neighbourly South Africa helps keep Zimbabwe’s lights on - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 4, 2018
CLAIM:
Zimbabwe continues to import electricity from South Africa
Source: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (September 2018)
CONCLUSION:
Explainer: Zimbabwe imports at least 50 MW of electricity from South Africa every day.
Researched by Lifaqane Nare
“Can you guarantee South Africa, today, that the ANC will not benefit a cent from these deals that you have made in China?” the DA’s Jacques Julius asked in the National Council of Provinces on 11 September 2018.
Ramaphosa responded that it was a “quite insulting” question which “truly does not deserve an answer”.
The ANC’s Mandla Rayi then asked Ramaphosa for details on how a R33 billion loan from China would help Eskom, the country’s power utility, ensure electricity supply in southern Africa.
Ramaphosa said it would go towards developing the new Kusile power plant and increasing the capacity of South Africa’s electricity grid. This would allow the country to keep supplying nearby countries with electricity.
“Zimbabwe continues to import electricity from us,” Ramaphosa said.
Does South Africa supply electricity to neighbouring Zimbabwe?
Africa Check partner ZimFact has asked Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, for the source of the claim, but she is yet to respond.
Prof Anton Eberhard of the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business is part of the board appointed in 2015 to oversee Eskom’s turnaround. He said Eskom exported electricity to seven countries in southern Africa: Zimbabwe, Lesotho, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia.
“Eskom has been adding new power generation capacity – for example, power units at Medupi, Kusile and Ingula that have been commissioned,” he said. “At the same time, electricity demand in South Africa is flat and is actually lower this year than in 2007.”
Eskom’s media department told ZimFact it had a “firm power supply agreement” with Zimbabwe under which the country got 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity a day. Zimbabwe could also ask for more than that, as long as the electricity was available and the request made a day before.
(Note: The Zimbabwe Power Company was generating 1,409 MW a day, as shown in the most recent figures on its website, with its holding company importing up to 450 MW of electricity a day, according to September 2017 figures.)
This arrangement started on 1 April 2017 and will run to 31 March 2022. In Eskom’s 2017/18 financial year, exports to Zimbabwe added up to 2,250 gigawatt hours (GWh).
William Ponela, an engineer and head of Zimbabwean small-scale power supplier Zonful Energy, said Zimbabwe also imported electricity from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s power company and the Cahora Bassa hydropower plant in Mozambique.
“Zimbabwe currently has low electricity demand but at its peak had a demand of 2,200 MW,” he said. “Currently, most of our industries are functioning at low capacity. When our industry kick starts, demand will go up and Zimbabwe will experience a lot of load shedding.”
Ebenhard said it “makes sense” for Zimbabwe to import electricity. “Its own power stations are badly maintained and don’t produce enough electricity to meet local demand. If they did not import from Eskom they would have more blackouts.”
But how long will Zimbabwe be able to rely on South Africa for the imports? Ebenhard said Eskom had extra power it could export – “for now, that is”.
“There are reports that Eskom is struggling to contract enough coal to power its power stations. If those coal stockpiles continue to decline, then there may be problems in Eskom generating enough electricity.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was asked in parliament for the details of a R33 billion loan from China.
He said the loan would help develop a new power plant so that South Africa could continue supplying electricity to the southern African region. He added that neighbouring Zimbabwe continued to import electricity from South Africa.
Zimbabwe imports 50 MW of electricity from South Africa every day, and may import more if extra power is available. This is in terms of a deal with Eskom, South Africa’s power utility.
The deal runs from 2017 to 2022. But if Eskom has difficulty in getting all the coal it needs for its power plants, it may struggle to generate enough electricity. This could cause problems in the arrangement with Zimbabwe.
This fact-check was produced as part of an Africa Check fellowship completed by Lifaqane Nare, a researcher at Zimbabwe’s fact-checking platform ZimFact.
FEATUREDOUR PICKS | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 4, 2018 | {
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695 | Yes, Zimbabwe U17 was disqualified from COSAFA tourney, but this widely circulated pic is not of the team - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 22, 2020
On November 20, Zimbabwe’s Under 17 men’s team was disqualified from the 2020 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championships for including an over-aged player in the tournament.
The picture below was used by news outlet, NewsHawks, and others, as purporting to show the team.
Comments on the picture included users mocking the players in the picture for age-cheating.
One person commented on Twitter: “This is a joke really. Look at the 3rd from right with a whole beard.”
However, this is not a picture of the disqualified team.
A reverse image search shows that this is, in fact, a social team of Zimbabweans based in the United Kingdom. The picture was taken in 2019, when the team, called Team Zimbabwe UK, won a tournament against similar teams made up of other African players also based in the United Kingdom.
Team Zimbabwe UK is not an official Zimbabwean national team.
The jerseys worn by Team Zimbabwe UK in the picture bear a sponsorship logo. National teams do not bear sponsorship logos on their shirts.
The picture below, supplied by COSAFA, shows the real Zimbabwe Under 17 side before the team’s opening game against Angola on November 19.
Conclusion
While Zimbabwe’s Under 17 national football team was indeed disqualified from the 2020 COSAFA tournament, the picture circulating widely is not of the team, as suggested by media and social media users. The picture is from 2019 and is of a team made up of Zimbabweans in the UK.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 22, 2020 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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696 | Yes, Zimbabwe's maize yield among region's lowest, despite increased harvest - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 23, 2021
By Nelson Banya
CLAIM: Zimbabwe’s maize yield is lower than its regional peers
Source: Agricultural economist expert Wandile Sihlobo
VERDICT: True. Zimbabwe’s maize yield lags behind its neighbours such as South Africa and Zambia and is also below the regional average.
Zimbabwe produced 2,7 million tonnes of its staple grain, maize, in the 2020/21 cropping season, according to official statistics. Taking into account the country’s annual maize demand of 2,25 million (1,8 million tonnes for human consumption and 450,000 tonnes for livestock), Zimbabwe will have a surplus for the year.
However, experts, including South African agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo, say Zimbabwe still lags its regional peers in terms of productivity despite the good 2020/21 harvest.
“As encouraging this news is – from a Zimbabwean perspective – a closer look into the data reveals essential insights. For example, Zimbabwe is poised to attain 2,7 million tonnes of maize harvest in a record area planting of 1,9 million hectares. This means that the yields are still meagre, estimated at 1,4 tonnes per hectare,” Sihlobo wrote in June.
Maize yield
Output figures, such as Zimbabwe’s 2,7 million tonnes of maize from the last season, do not tell the full story. Yield, which in the case of maize refers to the amount of the grain, in tonnes, produced in a specific area – normally hectare – gives a more useful picture of how efficient the production is.
Yields vary depending on factors such as seed type, weather conditions, fertilizer use and field management practices.
What does the data say?
According to the Zimbabwe government’s own data, the average national maize yield for the 2020/21 season was 1,39 tonnes per hectare. The agriculture ministry has said this 2020/21 yield is the highest recorded in the country since 2000/1.
In comparison, Zambia’s 2020/21 maize yield was 2,8 tonnes per hectare. Zambia produced its biggest crop ever – 3,6 million tonnes, during the 2020/21 season. Malawi’s average yield is around 1,7 tonnes per hectare.
South Africa’s 2020/21 maize yield is 5,8 tonnes per hectare, with total output for the most recent season being 16.2 million tonnes.
While South Africa’s high yields are often attributed to the use of genetically engineered (GE) seeds and high levels of mechanisation, both Zambia and Malawi still maintain a ban on GE seeds.
Data shows that Zimbabwe has historically lagged behind its regional peers in terms of yield, a factor which predates its land redistribution programme, which started in 2000 and precipitated a decline in farm output, from which the country is starting to recover.
Factors
Experts say several factors, including the use of fertilizer, influence yields.
Data shows that Zimbabwe’s fertilizer use has consistently lagged behind comparable peers such as Zambia and Malawi since the early 2000s, when those two countries introduced input subsidies for smallholder farmers.
A 1991 paper jointly produced by the Zimbabwe government’s Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) estimated that as much as “310,000 tonnes of maize grain was foregone each year because of late planting.” This was an equivalent of 15% of the total output around 1990.
CONCLUSION
Sihlobo’s assertion that Zimbabwe’s maize yields are “meagre” are true, when compared to the country’s regional peers.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 23, 2021 | {
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697 | ZANU-PF's 4.5 million jobs claim false - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 22, 2018
“In the 2013 People’s Election Manifesto, ZANU PF promised to create 2,2 million jobs. Over the past five years, 4,5 million have been gainfully employed in new jobs in both the informal and formal sectors, with agriculture, mining and manufacturing contributing over 80%.” – ZANU-PF 2018 Election Manifesto, page 54.
By ZimFact Staff
Zimbabwe’s jobs data has long been a subject of controversy. While many independent analysts often claim that Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is above 90 percent, the latest official Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) data puts the jobless figure at 6,6 percent.
Even the World Bank, citing International Labour Organisation (ILO) data, puts Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate lower, at 5,2 percent in 2017.
Zimstat uses the International Labour Organisation’s broad definition of employment, which liberally takes into account informal economic activity.
The ILO’s 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) defines persons in employment as:
“All those of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit. They comprise: (a) employed persons “at work”, i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour; (b) employed persons “not at work” due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements (such as shift work, flexitime and compensatory leave for overtime).”
Similarly, Zimstat defines employment as comprising “all persons aged 15 years and above, who during the last 7 days preceding the interview, did some work even for just one hour for pay, profit or family gain, in cash or in kind.”
Zimstat data, while using internationally accepted norms of computing employment, shows that 67 percent (3,75 million) out of Zimbabwe’s economically active population of 5,6 million (according to the recently released 2017 inter-censal demographic survey) are ‘own-account workers.’
The ILO defines own-account workers as those who are self-employed and do not engage employees on a continuous basis.
The 2017 inter-censal demographic survey says Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is just below 7 percent, a remarkable improvement from 11,3 percent in the 2014 labour market survey. The 2011 survey put the jobless rate at 10,7 percent.
Taken at face value, the data appears to show that Zimbabwe has nearly halved its jobless rate in the past four years, despite a marked slowdown in economic growth over the period.
However, closer scrutiny of the data shows a sharp decline in the economically active population between 2014 and 2017.
The 2017 inter-censal survey puts Zimbabwe’s economically active population at 5 611 809, from a total population of 13 572 560. The 2014 labour survey, on the other hand, showed that 7 065 311 people were classified as economically active, out of a total population of 13 447 286.
This translates into a 21 percent reduction in the economically active population between 2014 and 2017.
The data also shows a surge in the economically inactive ranks from 684 122 in 2014 to 2 460 369 in the 2017 survey.
Homemakers – stay-at-home persons who manage households for no pay – have increased to 1 071 944 in 2017, from 125 649 in 2014. Similarly, the number of students has vaulted to 1 037 077 from 331 123 three years ago.
There was a less dramatic change in the number of the retired and infirm, from 227 350 in 2014 to 351 348 in the latest survey.
The ICLS cautions that statistics of persons in ‘own-use production work’ or subsistence such as agriculture, fishing and forestry, who constitute the majority of Zimbabwe’s officially recognised labour force, could distort the data.
“For operational purposes, an important test to verify the subsistence nature of the activity is that it is carried out without workers hired for pay or profit,” the 2013 ICLS resolved.
“For purposes of monitoring conditions of labour market performance as related to insufficient access to, or integration in, markets, or to other factors of production, statistics of this group should be identified and reported separately to serve policy needs.”
Own-account workers account for 64,8 percent of the 5,6 million Zimbabweans deemed to be in employment, the bulk of them in subsistence agriculture. This would also include thousands of vendors who have invaded Harare’s streets and other towns across the country.
The 2017 inter-censal survey shows there are 1 282 489 Zimbabweans in paid employment, against 1 531 633 recorded in 2014. The 2017 statistics do not break down paid employees into permanent and casual categories, but in 2014, full-time paid employees numbered 940 146, while temporary or contract workers were recorded as 561 487.
The level of skills in the job market also indicates the quality of work available.
According to Zimstat’s 2014 labour survey, 83 percent of those in jobs are considered unskilled.
Workers who attained O’Level as their highest qualification accounted for 27,2 percent of the labour force in 2014, making the single largest segment of the labour force.
Those with Grade 7 as their highest qualification were the second largest segment, making up 18 percent of the labour force, followed by Form Twos, with 9,5 percent.
Holders of certificates and diplomas were 7,1 percent of the work force, followed by those with no recognised education at 4,6 percent.
Holders of first degrees and post-graduate qualifications accounted for 2 percent of the workforce
Zimbabwe’s rural areas typically have a high labour force participation rate (LFPR), compared to urban areas. This is because the broad definition of employment used by Zimstat includes communal farming activity.
As a consequence, the 2011 and 2014 surveys reported rural unemployment rate of 3,4 percent and 2,6 percent, respectively. Over the same periods, urban unemployment was recorded as 26,1 percent and 29,5 percent, respectively.
While ZANU-PF claims 4,5 million new jobs have been created since the 2013 economy, official data shows that, as of 2017, just over 5,2 million Zimbabweans were in jobs, according to Zimstat’s broad definition of employment, which includes both formal and informal activity.
This figure is down from the 6,2 million jobs recorded in the 2014 labour survey.
Official data, therefore, shows the labour market has actually shrunk, dramatised by the increase in homemakers and students.
ZANU-PF’s claim that the economy has added 4,5 million jobs since the last election is demonstrably false, when scrutinised using government’s own data.
The statistics show that about 1 million jobs – broadly defined by both Zimstat and ILO – have been lost between 2014 and 2017.
FEATUREDILOWORLD BANKZANU-PFZIMSTAT | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 22, 2018 | {
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698 | ZESN disowns 'missing' v11 forms claims - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 1, 2018
CLAIM: Opposition officials, citing a report by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), say 21% of the nearly 11,000 polling stations used for the July 30 general election did not post presidential election results (v11 forms).
CONCLUSION: False. ZESN’s preliminary assessment report does not say 21% of polling stations did not display the presidential results form. The ZESN report, based on a statistical sample of 750 polling stations out of the total 10,985 used for Monday’s election, said party polling agents present at 93% of the surveyed polling posts got copies of the presidential election results.
What does the law say?
Section 64 (1) sub section (e) of the Electoral Act requires the presiding officer to, without delay and in the presence of candidates and election agents present, “affix a copy of the polling station return on the outside of the polling station so that it is visible to the public and ensure that it is there so that all members of the public who wish to do so may inspect and record its contents.”
ZESN’s methods
ZESN is Zimbabwe’s largest independent election watchdog. It deployed over 6,500 observers across the country for the July 30 polls.
For its preliminary report, ZESN took a sample of 750 polling stations (just under 7% of total) “to provide truly representative information on the conduct of voting and counting in near real time.”
By the time ZESN published its preliminary statement on July 31, observers in 739 out of the surveyed 750 polling stations had reported back.
Key findings
Asked about the supposed 21% of polling stations where v11 forms were not posted as stipulated, ZESN director Rindai Chipfunde Vava, said: “We did not produce a report that states those statistics.”
By ZimFact staff
OUR PICKS | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 1, 2018 | {
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699 | ZESN targeted in misinformation campaign - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 20, 2018
THE fallout from the disputed July 30 general election has not spared the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), the country’s largest non-governmental poll watchdog.
Targeted for criticism by opposition supporters over its sample-based survey which was consistent with the official presidential poll results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), ZESN has faced unsubstantiated accusations of bias.
Now, the watchdog appears to be the target of a misinformation campaign.
On 19 August 2018, ZESN had to issue a statement disowning a notice of an emergency meeting of its board, which was circulating on social media, chiefly WhatsApp.
According to the fake ‘notice’, it had come to the ZESN board’s attention “that members of the secretariat and the Director, Rindai Chipfunde Vava have been working with state elements to cover up election fraud committed by ZEC.”
“We further have credible evidence that Ms Rindai Chipfunde Vava has been promised to be substantive Chief Elections Officer (CEO) at ZEC after Mnangagwa’s inauguration,” read the fake notice.
Andrew Makoni, who chairs the ZESN board, told ZimFact that the purported notice of a board meeting to be held on 23 August 2018 were false.
“There is no such meeting at ZESN, that was a fake news item, when we are calling for a meeting we use official channels we don’t do that via press statements,” he said.
Below is the text of the fake message and ZESN’s response:
*PRESS STATEMENT*
FOR URGENT RELEASE
19 August 2018
On behalf of the board and all members of Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), I hereby call for an Extraordinary General Meeting on 23 August 2018 to among other things consider the controversial report on the 30 July 2018 harmonised elections. It has come to the attention of the Board that members of the secretariat and the Director, Rindai Chipfunde Vava have been working with state elements to cover up election fraud committed by ZEC. We further have credible evidence that Ms Rindai Chipfunde Vava has been promised to be substantive Chief Elections Officer (CEO) at ZEC after Mnangagwa’s inauguration.
The agenda is as follows:
Date: Thursday 23 August 2018
Time: 9am- 3pm
Venue: ZESN offices
By;
Board Of Trustees
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 20, 2018 | {
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700 | eNCA incorrectly reports that Zimbabwe has a confirmed COVID-19 case - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 18, 2020
CLAIM: Zimbabwe has confirmed its first case of COVID-19.
Source: eNCA, a South African 24-hour television news channel (March 16, 2020)
RATING: FALSE
On Monday, 16 March 2020, South African new channel eNCA reported that Zimbabwe had reported its first case of COVID-19.
“A lady who travelled from South Africa to Zimbabwe has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in quarantine in that country,” eNCA anchor Shahan Ramkissoon announced.
As of Tuesday, March 17, Zimbabwe had no confirmed case of coronavirus, according to both President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the health ministry.
eNCA misinterpreted and misreported a case whose details were presented by the Minister of Health, Obadiah Moyo, during his media briefing on March 16.
Moyo announced that the health ministry had been alerted, on March 15, about a Bulawayo woman who had travelled from South Africa on Monday, 9 March.
She had gone to seek medical attention for other reasons from a general practitioner in South Africa and was later informed by public health officials in South Africa advising her that her doctor had been put in self quarantine. This was after one of the patients the doctor had attended to tested positive for COVID-19.
Minister Moyo added that the woman was now under self-quarantine, together with those who stay with her.
“We are now awaiting the test results on this family, we’re going to test all of them to make sure that we know their status. At this stage, your guess is as good as mine until we get the test results,” health minister Obadiah Moyo told reporters on Monday.
The latest COVID-19 update from the health ministry, issued on March 17, said Zimbabwe still had no confirmed COVID-19 case.
CORONAVIRUSCOVID-19FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 18, 2020 | {
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701 | Is Zimbabwe introducing a diaspora tax? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 6, 2018
CLAIM: Zimbabwe’s government plans to introduce a diaspora tax and generate revenue from non-resident citizens.
Source: Online news site www.thezimbabwenewslive.com
VERDICT: False. A government spokesperson has said there is no such tax proposal. A fiscal policy statement issued by the Finance Minister on Friday, October 5 2018, the same day the article was published, makes no reference to a diaspora tax.
By ZimFact Staff
Online news site, www.thezimbabwenewslive.com was alone in publishing a story headlined: Zimbabwe Government to Launch Diaspora Tax Targeting More Than 4 Million Citizens.
The article quickly went viral and was reproduced on social media platforms Twitter and WhatsApp, stoking public outrage already inflamed by another tax on electronic transfers.
Government adjusted a 15 year old tax on electronic payments from 5 cents per transaction to 2 cents per dollar transacted, for payments above $10. Payments above $500,000 will attract a flat $10,000 tax, while a range of business payments, including salary disbursements, are exempted.
Citing unnamed senior government sources, www.thezimbabwenewslive.com reported that “the government has started working on modalities after Finance Minister presented his budget review last week to make sure that each member of the Zimbabwean Diaspora community pay between US$25 to US$100 per month depending on where they are based.”
‘NO SUCH PLANS’
On Friday, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube presented a detailed 388-page economic policy document, covering October 2018 to December 2020.
Ncube’s raft of revenue measures does not include taxing non-resident Zimbabwean citizens.
Information Ministry permanent secretary Nick Mangwana also took to Twitter on Saturday morning to set the record straight.
“Having received many messages from the good Zimbabwean people living in the Diaspora asking about some alleged “Diaspora Tax”, I spoke to my bro Perm Secretary for Finance Mr George Guvamatanga who confirmed there is no such a tax and no thinking along those lines,” Mangwana tweeted.
CONCLUSION:
www.thezimbabwenewslive site’s article has been proved to be false by both a government spokesperson and the Finance Minister’s official policy document for the next two and a quarter years.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 6, 2018 | {
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702 | Is Zimbabwe getting uninterrupted power from Eskom, despite SA’s load-shedding? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 11, 2019
CLAIM: Zimbabwe is receiving uninterrupted electricity supplies from South Africa’s Eskom, despite shortages and power-cuts in that country. Sources: www.sabcnew.com and www.thesouthafrican.com
VERDICT: Incorrect. Zimbabwe’s power import agreement with Eskom is conditional. South Africa’s electricity exports to Zimbabwe depend on Eskom’s ability to meet its domestic demand first. When South Africa undergoes load-shedding, as is currently happening, Eskom reduces supplies to Zimbabwe.
As South Africa grapples with load-shedding, the South African Broadcasting Corporation ran a December 11, 2019 story on its website claiming that “Zimbabwe says it is still receiving an uninterrupted power supply from Eskom despite increased load shedding in South Africa.”
Another online news site, www.thesouthafrican.com went further, dramatically invoking Christmas:
“Of course, Christmas is a time for giving. But that really shouldn’t be the case when there’s nothing left to give. Zimbabwe’s Energy Minister Fortune Chasi has revealed that Eskom are continuing to supply the country with electricity, despite entering into an unprecedented round of load shedding this week.”
The articles drew angry responses from some South Africans on Twitter:
Both articles are based on a report from Zimbabwe’s Herald newspaper, which quoted the country’s energy minister Fortune Chasi saying the Eskom power supply agreement remained in place despite South Africa’s ongoing power shortages.
Asked if South Africa’s recent electricity shortages would affect the power import agreement, Chasi told Tuesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing that nothing had changed.
“Should there be challenges in that area, I am sure our South African brothers and sisters will communicate that to us that they are unable (to continue supplying power), but as of now we have not received such communication and we are continuing to receive power in terms of the undertakings that were made in our contract with them.”
What are the terms of the contract?
In terms of the agreement, Zimbabwe can access up to 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity from South Africa, but only 50MW of that is on a firm basis. The balance, 350MW, is subject to availability during South Africa’s off-peak periods. According to Eskom, South Africa’s off-peak period runs between 10pm and 6am. The power utility’s current rotational load-shedding programme is being implemented up to 11pm.
Zimbabwe pays US$0.28 per kilowatt hour for the firm contract 50MW of power imported from South Africa. The balance, 350MW, is accessed on an ad hoc basis.
The average electricity tariff for South African users is about US$0.07 (102,62 rand).
An August 6, 2019 statement by Eskom made it clear that power supplies to Zimbabwe depended on the utility’s ability to meet domestic demand in South Africa.
“Eskom and ZESA are at the late stages of concluding an agreement. Once approval is obtained and payment guarantees lodged, we will supply ZESA as contracted,” Eskom said.
“We will revert to a 50MW firm contract and up to 350MW on a non-firm basis, meaning that when we have load-shedding in the country, any non-firm exports are reduced to zero and firm exports are reduced proportionally in accordance to the load-shedding stage.”
Zimbabwe reels from depressed regional power generation
On Monday, just as Eskom escalated its load-shedding in South Africa, Zimbabwe’s Zesa announced deeper cuts, citing “loss of power imports from the region.”
Conclusion:
The two articles incorrectly interpret the Zimbabwe energy minister’s assertion that the country’s power supply agreement with Eskom remains in place to mean the country was getting “uninterrupted” electricity supplies from South Africa, even as that country implements lengthy load-shedding.
The agreement stipulates that when there is load-shedding in South Africa, all non-firm exports (up to 350MW in Zimbabwe’s case) are stopped, while firm exports (50MW for Zimbabwe) are reduced in proportion to the load-shedding stage Eskom will be implementing at the time.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 11, 2019 | {
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703 | FACT CHECK: Has RBZ banned forex cash withdrawals from FCAs? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 26, 2019
CLAIM: On June 25, the website The Tabloid Zim reported that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) had ordered an end to withdrawals from Foreign Currency Accounts (FCAs).
According to the website: “The accounts will not be closed, but however no cash withdrawals will be allowed,”
VERDICT: FALSE
By ZimFact Staff
Basis for the claim
On Monday, June 25, the Ministry of Finance, Mthuli Ncube, issued Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019, which ended the use of multiple currencies as legal tender. Following the notice, the Zimbabwe dollar became the sole legal tender for all local transactions.
On Tuesday, June 26, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued Exchange Control Directive RU102/2019 to banks, which gave directives on the implementation of SI142/2019. One of the major directives relates to withdrawals from FCAs.
According to Section 4 of the directive, which relates to Foreign Currency Cash withdrawals, the withdrawal of foreign currency cash by corporates, which was previously unconditional, would now be subject to banks’ internal authorisations.
According to Section 4.1: “Authorised Dealers are advised that unconditional authorization for foreign currency cash withdrawals by corporates has now been removed. However, withdrawals by the same on deserving cases such as road toll fees are now permissible only on a case by case basis subject to the application of Know Your Customer (KYC) and Customer Due Diligence (CDD) principles on the withdrawer. These principles to be applied should be in line with Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Finance of Terrorism AML/CFT regulatory requirements and best practice.”
This clause was widely interpreted as a ban on cash withdrawals by holders of all FCAs. This is false.
Under Section 4.3 of the directive, the RBZ states: “For individuals, the current policy shall remain in force with Authorised Dealers also required to apply the usual KYC and AML/CFT standards.”
On June 26, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, John Mangudya, told ZBC that there had been no change to the policy of allowing individual holders of FCAs to withdraw foreign currency cash from those accounts.
Are remittances being paid out in Zimbabwe Dollars?
A further claim that remittances are now paid out in Zimbabwe Dollars is also false. Under the directive, a recipient can receive their remittance in foreign cash, sell it to Bureaux de Change or a bank, or deposit it into an individual FCA.
Section 15.1 of the directive states: “In order to encourage and facilitate the flow of foreign currency, diaspora remittances shall continue to be received in foreign currency. The recipients shall have the option to receive remittances in cash or sell their remittances on a willing seller willing buyer basis to Bureaux de Change and Authorised Dealers or deposit into Individual Nostro FCA.”
Remittance outlets, Western Union agent Homelink and Mukuru.com, announced on their official Twitter accounts that they continued to pay out in foreign currency.
CONCLUSION
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has not banned foreign currency cash withdrawals from individual FCAs. Withdrawals by corporates from their FCAs are now subject to authorisations by their respective banks.
FCAFEATUREDFOREXMTHULIOUR PICKSRBZZIMBABWE | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 26, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimbabwe-foreign-currency-accounts/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
704 | ZIMBABWE FOREIGN CURRENCY BAN
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 24, 2019
On Monday, 24 June 2019, the Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube issued new currency regulations which effectively ended Zimbabwe’s use of multiple currencies as legal tender. Media reports suggested the new regulations amounted to a ban of foreign currencies. What exactly do the rules say?
By ZimFact Staff
Zimbabwe dollar as sole legal tender
The effect of the Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019 is to designate the Zimbabwe dollar, defined as made up of electronic deposits (RTGS), bond notes and coins, as the sole legal tender for all domestic transactions.
The United States dollar, British pound, South African rand, Botswana pula and any other currency previously designated as legal tender since 2009, will now no longer be considered as such.
Do the new regulations render foreign currency accounts (FCAs) useless?
According to the Government Notice, the new rules do not affect foreign currency accounts.
“Nothing in section 2 (of the regulations) shall affect the opening or operation of foreign currency designated accounts, otherwise known as ‘Nostro FCA accounts’, which shall continue to be designated in the foreign currencies with which they are opened and in which they are operated, nor shall section 2 affect the making of foreign payments from such accounts,” reads the notice.
Is duty still payable in forex?
Import duty on selected goods, payable in foreign currency in terms of Statutory Instrument 252A of November 23, 2018, will continue to be collected in foreign currency.
“Nothing in section 2 (of the regulations) shall affect the requirement to pay in any of the foreign currencies…duties of customs in terms of the Customs and Excise Act that are payable on importation of goods specified under that Act to be luxury goods, or, in respect of such goods, to pay any import or value added tax in any of the foreign currencies.”
CURRENCYFEATUREDZIMDOLLAR | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 24, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimbabwe-foreign-currency/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
705 | Zimbabwe media and the elections - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 27, 2018
Zimbabwean opposition parties are complaining that the public media is not covering them fairly ahead of the July 30 general election.
How are journalists and the media expected to work in helping to deliver a free and fair election?
What are the expectations around issues of fairness and accuracy, the right of reply, diversity and confidentiality of sources?
What rules govern the conduct of the media during elections?
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Media Coverage of Elections) Regulations SI 33 of 2008 is the primary instrument that is used in regulating and monitoring the conduct of the media in covering elections.
The Southern African Development Community ( SADC) has Guidelines on Media Coverage of Elections in the SADC Region document (http://infoaccess.misa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/06/Guidelines_on_Media_Coverage_of_Elections_in_the_SADC_region_.pdf).
The SADC guidelines were inspired and drawn up from several protocols and agreements such as The Windhoek Declaration on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press (1991), The African Charter on Broadcasting (2001), The SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2004), The Southern African Broadcasting Association: Guidelines and Principles for Broadcast Coverage of Election in the SADC Region (2005) and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007).
Provisions for Media Coverage
Some of the parameters and standards set out by The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Media Coverage) Regulations SI33 of 2008 are:
Public broadcasters
Print publications
Verdict on Coverage of 2013 election
After the 2013 general elections, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZMC) released a report detailing the media coverage of the elections highlighting the following:
Factsheet compiled by ZimFact researcher Lifaqane Nare, with information drawn from the Southern African Development Community’s Guidelines on Media Coverage of Elections and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s 2013 election report.
ELECTIONSSADCZBCZEC | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 27, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimbabwe-media-and-the-elections/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
706 | Yes, Mnangagwa’s rally violated the government's COVID-19 measures - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 19, 2020
President Mnangagwa addressed a rally in Nyanga on March 18, a day after he announced a government ban on big gatherings in a bid to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic
CLAIM: President Emmerson Mnangagwa did not violate his government’s measures against COVID-19 by addressing a political rally in Nyanga on March 18.
RATING: FALSE. Mnangagwa’s Nyanga rally did violate his own government’s anti-coronavirus measures which he announced on March 17.
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed a rally at Bumhira Secondary School in Nyanga. The rally, attended by hundreds of people, came just 24 hours after the president announced several new measures to help head off the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the measures announced by Mnangagwa is a ban on gatherings of more than 100 people for the next two months.
Perhaps mindful of the widespread criticism his decision to hold the rally was drawing, Mnanagwa sought to defend it, saying:
“Today is 18 March, tomorrow is Thursday the 19th, Friday is the 20th, so my decree will come into effect on Friday. Right now, you have the right to gather as you have done, you have broken no rules.”
What do the new measures say about big gatherings?
The rules Mnangagwa and his government announced on Tuesday show the suspension of big gatherings was with immediate effect.
“Gatherings of more than 100 people, including those for purposes of worship and weddings, stand suspended for the next 60 days, after which the suspension will be reviewed,” Mnangagwa announced on Tuesday.
Soon after Mnangagwa’s address, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa reinforced the Cabinet’s position on the matter.
“Furthermore, a number of measures have been put in place to deal with the outbreak, chief among which are the following: Immediate suspension of all gatherings of more than 100 people, such as (the) 2020 independence anniversary celebrations, church gatherings, weddings and burial ceremonies for a period of 60 days,” Mutsvangwa announced.
Conclusion
Mnangagwa’s claim that his Wednesday rally did not violate the suspension he and his government announced just the day before is false.
The measures announced by Mnangagwa and information minister Mutsvangwa left no doubt that the suspension of gatherings of more than 100 people were with immediate effect. Mnangagwa’s speech said the suspensions would be in place “for the next 60 days”, leaving no doubt that the effective date was the day of his announcement, not March 20 as he sought to explain on Wednesday.
Mutsvangwa’s post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday also made it clear the suspension was “with immediate effect.”
From Mnangagwa’s speech, the March 20 reference was to the government’s efforts to dissuade travel to and from high-risk countries for a duration of 30 days.
COVID-19FEATUREDMNANGAGWA | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 19, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimbabwe-mnangagwa-coronavirus-rally/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
707 | Zimbabwe social media awash with false election results - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 31, 2018
CLAIM: Social media is flooding the market with what are purportedly results of the 2018 elections from thousands of polling stations around Zimbabwe.
How many of these are the correct results?
CONCLUSION: Many are fake and misleading.
The official results have to be tallied and verified by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) even where these have been posted outside polling stations.
ZEC says it will start announcing results from 1500 (CAT). | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 31, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimbabwe-social-media-awash-with-false-election-results/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
708 | Zimbabwe: The Challenge of False News and Disinformation - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 18, 2019
The following is a paper presented by ZimFact Editor-in-Chief Cris Chinaka at the Zimbabwe New Media Summit, hosted by the NUST American Space at the National University of Science and Technology on July 18, 2019:
By Cris Chinaka
On the eve of a big battle with Afrikaners in 1876 over land, one frustrated but still hopeful African warrior chief woke up in the dead of the night and prayed:
“Oh Lord!
Despite many prayers to You, we are continuously losing our wars.
Tomorrow we shall again be fighting a battle that is truly great.
With all our might we need Your help and that is why I must tell You something:
This battle tomorrow is going to be a serious affair.
There will be no place in it for children.
Therefore, I must ask You not to send Your Son to help us. Come Yourself.”
(Quotation from the novel, Another Day of Life, a tale of the birth crisis of independent Angola by Ryszard Kapuscinki)
The spread of false news and information largely through digital platforms has become an overwhelming global crisis.
The phenomenon of false news and information that many today simply call “fake news” arises from the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation by individuals or organized groups seeking to advance some agendas.
The information landscape gets polluted daily by people committed to subverting facts in order to influence audiences in certain directions.
The news and information ecosystem gets polluted by people who have little- to no- care on whether they are disseminating verified or false information.
The problem has been heightened by a fall in public trust in the mainstream media globally, the use of and increasing reliance by many people on social media as their main source of news and information – including platforms where this information is unverified.
Low quality journalism is not helping the case.
The fall in trust in the media by the public invariably extends to lack of trust in politicians.
A 2018 annual survey by Ipsos MORI shows that people don’t trust politicians, ranking them second from bottom just above advertising executives in the public’s trustworthiness of professions. The politicians were associated with negative perceptions and words such as contemptible, disgraceful, parasitical, sleazy, traitorous.
This is telling as politicians and public officials are internationally regarded as the major sources of news and information given to problems of distortions.
The British weekly Economist magazine recently commented that: “Regardless of their abilities, political leaders have to perform before an increasingly hostile audience which routinely questions their motives and trashes their achievements.”
It argued that this loss of confidence in leaders has sparked a surge of “know-it-all cynicism” and “the politics of resentment” on the one hand, and on the opposite, “inchoate enthusiasm” by followers who don’t doubt or question their leaders.
Where are we?
Zimbabwe’s media space is largely a political battlefield.
It is a frontline where fierce fighting is taking place between rival politicians, backed by both enlisted and volunteer forces of media trained and untrained supporters.
The criticism that we collectively face in the media is that we lack a sense of balance and fairness in our coverage of issues.
The general observation is that our highly polarised national politics feeds into a media space where there are sadly slavishly pro-government anti-opposition players and rabidly anti-government pro-opposition media activists.
Many people believe that our media is sucked in sledgehammer political propaganda in which factual reporting takes second place to pushing opinions dressed as “news stories.”
Outside these, both the governing ZANU-PF party and the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) organization have cyber-warriors in their ranks churning out propaganda through commentaries on “real news stories”, gossip and planting misleading information.
Studies around Fact-Checking a society and sector where people have taken hardline political positions is hard because in most cases there are more opinions and false information circulating in silos and echo chambers occupied by people who already share common beliefs.
It has also been proven that some people are uncomfortable about seeking information that challenges their beliefs.
So beyond fact-checking in a manner that is neutral and even handed, the global challenge is to promote media literacy for the public to appreciate the dangers of false news and disinformation and to find easy ways for people to identify the false stuff.
It’s not that easy!
In Zimbabwe’s case that danger lies in:
1. Hyper-partisan and hyperactive cyber warriors peddling opinions and political propaganda with absolutely no sense of balance and reasoning;
2. Hyper-sensationalisation and hyper-personalisation of issues.
We have to find a balance between managing fake news without stifling freedom of expression. We do this by separating Fact from Fiction, separating Opinion from Fact.
People need Facts, Correct Information to make correct decisions and to relate to issues in a balanced way.
In a world overwhelmed by social media, the value of mainstream reporting and journalism is to give meaning to news and information.
It is to demonstrate why the news and information is important to the various audiences, to Connect and Empower the people. The value is in Interpretation and Analysis. Why is this important? Where is this going? Where is it coming from?
In my view the value of professional journalism and reporting has been enhanced rather than devalued by the emergence of social media, and the mountains of information and “news” dumped on us every second.
But this requires that all of us — from our different stations in life — should support the growth and eminence of quality journalism over low-value “pedestrian grade reporting”, the “second-hand-type” of journalism that we have to deal with daily.
In our situation here in Zimbabwe, I see three practical ways in which this can done:
Firstly, as consumers of news, we must promote quality journalism by challenging falsehoods and blatantly biased reporting through the same or alternative information platforms.
Secondly, as experts, commentators, information providers, potential news sources or “newsmakers”, we must become sources of public interest and verifiable information and not the sources of shameless propaganda, misleading, false or fake news. The information should be provided in a way that is easily understandable, including in terms of the language used.
Thirdly, alongside promoting media literacy, the media itself needs continuous education to appreciate deeply some of the issues they would be reporting on.
Besides the dangers around false news and information around our politics, the other major challenge is on how the media — both mainstream and social — are reporting the economy.
How is our media covering the economy?
And to what level is the reporting based on a clear understanding of the economic fundamentals?
It is very clear that most of the economic reporting that we currently have is based on “talking heads”, on speeches, statements and commentary that make little reference to economic fundamentals or to facts on the ground.
There is a plenty of misleading news stories around the Zimbabwe economy.
Some of the make little reference to economic indicators, context and other relevant information.
While there is also some very commendable reporting around the economy, there is clearly room for more considering its importance- that economic reporting is about our welfare, our food, our bread and butter!
In simple terms, Economic Reporting is about how People are Living and how they are earning their living.
The economic fundamentals are important because they measure all these elements, but the context and background is equally important.
Our experience at ZimFact (www.zimfact.org) is that alongside capturing the economic issues and relating them to the fundamentals, the media has a responsibility to present them in a digestible manner, to break them down (to demystify), and to put them in context.
The media has a responsibility to communicate clearly and accurately, without fear of breaking down the numbers:
There is a general belief that many journalists have an inherent fear of numbers: Arithmophobia – the fear of numbers.
On the other hand, many potential news and information sources suffer from Journophobia, the fear of journalists.
Both these fears have a negative impact on reporting and journalism, the omission of critical data and information from stories.
Zimbabwe media needs to systematically include critical data and relevant information in its reporting of the economy. This requires Knowledge, Skills and Ethical Application, including investment in Financial Reporting and Data Journalism.
On the part of potential news sources, like colleagues at this Dialogue, this requires investment in media skills training.
In both cases, we need leadership.
The question of leadership is a critical issue across sectors, a hot point across the globe.
But because the media sits at the centre of other activities and is crucial to understanding daily what is happening in politics, in business and finance, in industry and commerce, in entertainment, in education, in health, in science and technology, in social life and culture, the media requires a leadership with greater skills than we generally believe.
These are skills that go beyond, but can be built on, sound academic education and technical training, to include a judicious temperament and disposition and a strong commitment to ethics and public accountability.
The challenge for Zimbabwe is to build a media leadership with a “Triple A” rating of great Aptitude, great Attitude and great Application in terms of knowledge, skill and ethics.
There are many people who argue that the media has been emotional in its approach to the Zimbabwe story, obsessively focused on partisan politics at the expense of other issues, with editors and their masters deciding almost dictatorially what the public must read or not read, hear or not hear, see and not see!
The question is how do we get a balance, and develop a system that serves democracy?
I take it that the concept of democracy in its broad sense is now universally accepted except by the most patronising or those who want to qualify it for reasons of partisan politics.
The media serves democracy when its leadership – its editors — are aware and awake to their responsibility to provide people with news and information that help them to make choices.
The leaders in Zimbabwe’s media industry must be skilled enough to deal with political and business pressure, with “masters of spin” dominating the sector and with the dangers of “brown envelope journalism”.
While social media has shifted the locus of power of news corporations, industry studies and surveys suggest that ordinary people still rely on the traditional or mainstream media for interpretation of politics, business and financial news.
People have a right to a diverse form of news and information on what is going on around them, what is not happening and why, policies, plans and programmes around their lives.
The media has a responsibility to meet this right, and that responsibility becomes almost mandatory in a country where the media industry is small, and national hopes and expectations have been undermined by both politics and the press.
That responsibility is greater on a media sector which, for years, had become a hostage of politics, and it is also greater on news makers and generators who are in other social fields.
Journalism is a key part of the knowledge industry, and its leaders must play their part and be ashamed to be associated with mediocrity.
The challenge for Zimbabwe’s media leaders and Zimbabwean journalism is to tell a full story, and failure to do so is bad journalism.
Bad journalism is failure to report accurately, fairly, comprehensively and credibly what is going on across the sectors. It is a journalism that is not creative enough to find diverse ways of conveying news and information.
The net cost of bad journalism is an uninformed or ill-informed public.
But the cumulative costs are much, much higher.
Bad journalism misinforms and misinterprets. It can undermine the credibility of organisations, programmes, plans, policies and personalities; it can breed suspicion, raise anxiety, drain public support and confidence, invite unwelcome focus on trivia or secondary issues around institutions and can cost money and development.
Bad journalism can incite conflict, create misunderstandings, and exacerbate problems.
For those of us in the media, let us help stem the flow of fake news by:
remembering that our information ecosystem is dominated by hyperactive and hyper-partisan cyber warriors pushing political propaganda which needs to be fact-checked. This includes us not becoming conduits of false news and information.
working to restore public trust in professional and mainstream media by focusing journalism on public interest issues and handling these as factually as possible.
promoting media literacy for the public to help challenge those spreading false or misleading information.
Let us all rally around this.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 18, 2019 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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709 | Zimbabwe’s child and maternal mortality rates - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 12, 2018
Researched by Nelson Banya
CLAIM
A recent tweet by former Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, has re-ignited debate about Zimbabwe’s maternal and child mortality rates.
Former Finance Minister and senior opposition official, Tendai Biti’s, tweet
The two indicators are considered key in assessing a country’s socio-economic and human development level.
Zimbabwe’s mortality rates, across the board, spiked between 1992 and 2002, following the trend of HIV prevalence rates, as AIDS-related deaths rose during this period.
A comparison of the 2002 and 2012 Population censuses shows that mortality rates significantly came down between the two censuses, a factor attributed to the availability of anti-retroviral treatment during the latter part of the first decade of the new millennium.
Accurate statistics are, however, hard to find mainly due to incomplete records which result in the use of estimates to come up with some data.
The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), the official government data collector, acknowledges that the country’s civil registration data is incomplete.
According to Zimstat’s 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS), only 44 percent of births of children under age 5 are registered, with just a third of the country’s children having a birth certificate.
Similarly, Zimstat concedes that maternal mortality (MMR) is a difficult indicator to measure because of the large sample sizes required to calculate an accurate estimate. As a result, maternal mortality estimates are subject to large sampling errors.
Due to the paucity of data, Zimbabwe relies on surveys such as its population censuses and surveys such as the ZDHS to estimate its mortality indicators.
Defining the various mortality rates:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines the neonatal mortality rate, which Biti seems to be referring to when he says “96 children are dying at birth”, as the number of deaths during the first 28 completed days of life per 1000 live births in a given year or period. Neonatal deaths (deaths among live births during the first 28 completed days of life) may be subdivided into early neonatal deaths, occurring during the first 7 days of life, and late neonatal deaths, occurring after the 7th day but before the 28th completed day of life. The commonly available data, however, rarely makes these distinctions.
Live birth is defined as the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother, of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached [WHO].
Zimstat defines infant mortality as deaths between birth and the age of 1 year, calculated out of 1000 live births, while child mortality extends the demographic to five years, also expressed in terms of 1000 live births.
WHO defines the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) as the annual number of female deaths from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes) during pregnancy and childbirth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, per 100,000 live births, for a specified year.
Zimstat calculates the Maternal Mortality Rate by dividing the number of maternal deaths by the number of women aged 15-49 years.
What does the data say?
Ministry of Health data
The Ministry of Health’s National Health Strategy document for 2016-2020 https://www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/National_Health_Strategy_for_Zimbabwe_2016-2020_FINAL.pdf
says the maternal mortality ratio declined from 960 deaths out of 100 000 live births in 2011 to 614 out of 100 000 live births in 2014. The Ministry of Health, while noting the improvement, says the figure “remains unacceptably high.”
Sources: Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys
In terms of child mortality, the government document says neonatal mortality was 29 out of 1000 live births in 2014, while the under-five mortality rate was 75 out of 1000 live births.
Sources: Ministry of Health, ZDHS and MICS
Zimbabwe National Statistics (Zimstat) data
Zimstat’s 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) provides mortality data for the seven-year period preceding the survey. The survey itself was conducted between July 6 to December 20, 2015, with a sample of 19483 people in nearly 11000 households (4341 urban and 6193 rural).
Zimstat’s 2015 ZDHS puts the maternal mortality rate at 651 deaths out of 100000 live births in the seven years preceding the survey (2008-2015). This figure was down from 960 deaths out of 100000 live births reported in the 2010-2011 ZDHS, for the 2003-2011 period. The 2005-2006 ZDHS puts the maternal mortality rate for the 1998-2005 period at 612 deaths for every 100000 live births.
Sources: Zimstat 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey
On child mortality, Zimstat gives the neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates as 29, 50 and 69 deaths out of 1000 livebirths, in the order, for the 2010-2015 period.
Sources: Zimstat 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey
The World Health Organisation
The WHO states Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality rate as 443 out of 100000 live births in 2015.
The same figure is provided by UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank Group, and United Nations Population Division Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency. http://www.who.int/gho/maternal_health/countries/zwe.pdf
In terms of child mortality, the WHO says Zimbabwe’s neonatal mortality was 23.8 deaths out of 1000 live births in 2015, while the under-five mortality rate is given as 59.9 deaths out of every 1000 live births that same year.
Conclusion
It is evidently difficult to achieve a high level of statistical accuracy when it comes to mortality figures in Zimbabwe and other developing countries with incomplete birth and death records.
The statistics culled from various surveys, due to the lack of accurate direct data, amount to estimates used to track useful trends.
Because these surveys are carried out at different periods and capture various time-frames, the mortality figures tend to vary widely among the sources.
However, the varying figures from government departments and various multilateral agencies (who often collaborate) appear to be within the same ballpark, as shown by the table below:
Agency
Neonatal mortality (out of 1 000 live births)
Under-five mortality (out of 1 000 live births)
Maternal mortality rate (out of 100 000 live births)
The available data, from official local and international sources, shows Zimbabwe has high rates of child and maternal mortality. However, Biti’s assertions are not supported by any official agency.
About the author: Nelson Banya is ZimFact Deputy Editor-In-Chief.
BITICHILD MORTALITYHealthMATERNAL MORTALITYWHOZIMSTAT | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 12, 2018 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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710 | Zimbabwe’s national debt: where does it stand? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 29, 2018
Zimbabwe’s national debt. Sources: RBZ/MoF/Multilateral institutions
Zimbabwe’s public debt is a source of debate, with varying figures peddled by the Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the International Monetary Fund.
Here is what we know about Zimbabwe’s debt stock.
As of last December, foreign debt stood at $7.5 billion and was expected to increase to $7.8 billion due to interest and penalties, according to Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa’s 2018 budget. However, the foreign debt stock only refers to the government and parastatals. It excludes private sector foreign debt, which is estimated at $2.5 billion. That puts the country’s foreign debt at a minimum $10 billion.
Still, the figure does not include the $1.5 billion borrowing from the Africa Import and Export Bank (Afreximbank) that was announced by the RBZ Governor John Mangudya in the January monetary policy statement. This increases the country’s foreign debt stock to at least $11.5 billion.
Domestic debt increased from $4 billion at end of $2016 to $6 billion at the end of $2017 and is seen rising further to $6.7 billion this year, according to national budget figures. This is on the back of increased deficit financing through issuance of Treasury Bills and a growing government overdraft at the RBZ that reached $1 billion.
The RBZ figures on the other hand put domestic borrowing by the government and parastatals higher, at $6.9 billion.
Using the RBZ and budget figures, public and private, foreign and domestic debt at the end of 2017 is therefore $18.4 billion, which is 95 percent of the estimated GDP for 2018.
Below is a breakdown of Zimbabwe’s foreign and domestic Debt end 2017:
Total Public and Publicly Guaranteed Debt (US$m) $8,978
Bilateral Creditors $4,183
Paris Club $3,041
Non-Paris Club $1,142
Multilateral Creditors $3,913
World Bank $1,402
AfDB $642
Afreximbank $1,500
EIB $250
Others $471
RBZ external debt $530
Private Debtors $2,500
Total Foreign Debt $11,478
Domestic Debt (RBZ data) $6,900
TOTAL NATIONAL DEBT $18,378
Factsheet compiled by ZimFact Correspondent
AfDBAFREXIMBANKCHINAMASAIMFMANGUDYARBZWORLD BANK. PARIS CLUB | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 29, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimbabwes-national-debt-where-does-it-stand/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
711 | Zimbabwe's school dropout crisis: How many children have left school under COVID-19? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 19, 2022
How many Zimbabwean children have dropped out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The data given by various sources has been varied.
On March 31st, NewsDay, citing the Family Aids Caring Trust ZIMBABWE (Fact), reported that the number of schools dropouts since pandemic began in 2020 has reached 20 000. The newspaper report cited marriages, early pregnancies and HIV/Aids as major reasons for children, especially girls, dropping out of school.
In its 2021 Human Rights Report released on April 13, the US government had an even higher figure. The report said: “Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) estimated 840 000 children dropped out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
However, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, although confirming the dropout crisis, says the reported data is incomplete and may be inaccurate.
Communications director, Taungana Ndoro, told ZimFact that his Ministry is still collecting data for 2021. He also said some children who were considered dropouts had in fact returned to school.
He said: “The only relevant statistics we have are that of 2020. We can only release last year’s figures when we are certain that the children really dropped out; some actually came back to school.”
According to Ndoro, 2020 figures indicate that 290 children left school because of various illnesses while 5331 dropped out due to marriage. Pregnancy led to the dropout of 4676 children, bringing the total of dropouts countrywide to 10 297 for that year. This would be half the number reported by the Family Aids Caring Trust.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 19, 2022 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimbabwes-school-dropout-crisis-how-many-children-have-left-school-under-covid-19/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
712 | Zimbabwe's US$3,5bn farmer compensation plan - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 29, 2021
Zimbabwean commercial farmer Tommy Bayley rides an old bicycle ahead of war veterans and villagers, who invaded his farm at Danbury Park outside the capital Harare. REUTERS/Howard Burditt/Files
On 29 July, 2020, the Zimbabwe government and two unions representing white farmers signed an agreement to compensate farmers dispossessed under the land redistribution programme for the loss of their assets, but not the land.
In terms of the agreement, the farmers would receive US$3,5 billion spread over five years, starting from July 2021.
Half of the US$3,5 billion was supposed to be paid by the end of July 2021.
With that deadline fast approaching, the Zimbabwe government has asked for an extension by another year, Commercial Farmers Union president Andrew Pascoe told Bloomberg on June 23.
That same day, 23 June 2021, a government-controlled mining company, Kuvimba Mining House, paid out US$1 million towards the farmer compensation fund. The payment was part of a US$5,2 million payout to shareholders collectively holding 65% of Kuvimba.
Here are key details of the farmer compensation deal:
Who signed?
The agreement was signed by the government of Zimbabwe and two unions representing dispossessed farmers – the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) and the Southern African Commercial Farmers Alliance.
According to the CFU, the agreement had the support of 2759 farmers out of 2896 who voted before it was signed, amounting to 95%. There were 137 votes against the deal.
What is being compensated for?
In terms of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, adopted in 2013, the government is liable to only pay for farm improvements and not the land seized from white farmers.
How was the US$3,5bn arrived at?
In the beginning, there was a wide gap between what the government was prepared to offer and what the farmers wanted.
In 2019, the government said it was willing to pay US$1,2 billion, while farmers held out for US$5,4 billion.
Eventually, with the help of World Bank valuation experts in a programme funded by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme, a compromise figure of US$3,5 billion was reached.
Where will the money come from?
Zimbabwe clearly does not have the money to compensate the farmers. The government hopes to team up with white farmers to mobilise international financial support for the scheme. However, key financiers such as the World Bank have made it clear they do not intend to pick up the tab.
Part of the government’s plan is to borrow on the international capital markets, using debt instruments extending to as much as 30 years. It remains to be seen how the markets would respond to this.
In the meantime, the government has created a special purpose vehicle with a 12,5% interest in diversified mining company, Kuvimba. From this, the government made a US$1 million payment to the farmers, following a dividend payment by Kuvimba.
Kuvimba’s assets include six gold mines, a nickel producer, a ferrochrome processor and a 50% stake in a platinum mine being developed on the Great Dyke.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 29, 2021 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimbabwes-us35bn-farmer-compensation-plan/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
713 | ZimFact Bulletin 3: Women, Chamisa & Mutodi - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 25, 2023
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 25, 2023 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimfact-bulletin-3-women-chamisa-mutodi/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
714 | Zimfact Bulletin 4: Voting, polling stations to results - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 22, 2023
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 22, 2023 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/zimfact-bulletin-4-voting-polling-stations-to-results/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
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