Black Market – Z$105.00
RBZ – Z$81.34
Annual Inflation – 452%
Coronavirus deaths – 1,079,268⬆️

A LANDMARK deal recently inked between white former commercial farmers and government will make it difficult for the country to repay debts, negotiate fresh lines of credit and ask for debt rescheduling with external creditors, experts warned last week. With a US$10,6 billion debt at the end of 2019, government agreed in August to spend a further US$3,5 billion to compensate white farmers whose land was expropriated during violent invasions in 2000. The deal triggered fears that the country could plunge into further economic chaos, as the current debt represents almost half of its gross domestic product. – The Standard‬‬‬‬

GOVERNMENT has an obligation to compensate all homeowners whose houses were demolished by local councils after they were duped by land barons to build homes in undesignated areas, Zanu PF acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa had said. – NewZimbabwe‬‬‬‬

A CHIEF from Binga District who allegedly tried to rape his 17-year-old subject after she refused to be his fourth wife has appeared in court. Chief Dobola (47) of Mulindi Village in Binga born Edward Munkombwe on Thursday appeared before Binga resident magistrate, Mr Urgent Vundla facing an attempted rape charge. – Sunday News‬‬‬‬

THREE men from Chivi in Masvingo province have been arrested for allegedly teaming up to murder their 72-year-old mother after accusing her of witchcraft. The accused — Duduzile, Bright and Daniel Tizirai of Makuvire village — last week appeared before Masvingo High Court judge Justice Garainesu Mawadze charged with murder. Prosecutor Emmanuel Mathose alleged that on April 5 this year, the co-accused approached their now deceased mother, Nyengeterai Tizirai, and accused her of causing the death of her daughter-in-law. The trio reportedly took the deceased to Nyaningwe dip-tank, tied her hands with a rope and took turns to assault her using a rubber strip and logs. The court heard that a witness, Cathrine Tatenda, assisted the victim and made a police report after discovering that she was struggling to breathe. A post-mortem report showed that the deceased succumbed to hemorrhagic shock, blunt trauma and assault. – Sunday Mail‬‬‬‬

FIRST lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s business partners, among them a ruling Zanu PF senator, are on the list of people meant to benefit from a $600 million (US$25 million) fund to cushion vulnerable populations against the Covid-19 lockdown. Available documents show that Perseverance Zhou, the ruling Zanu PF proportional representation lawmaker for the Kwekwe constituency, was on the list. Senator Zhou is listed with her national identity number (58-045574L48) and her NetOne mobile line, which she meant to use to receive the cash transfers. The lawmaker is also a gold miner and enjoys parliamentary benefits like sitting allowances, a monthly salary, a luxurious vehicle and fuel coupons. Zhou holds shares in a company — PPAC Investments Private Limited — that is jointly owned by Mnangagwa’s wife Auxillia and two other well-known businesswomen, Pinky Sibanda and Cynthia Kangoli, according to information obtained from the Deeds Office. – The Standard‬‬‬‬

ZANU PF has accused its ministers of leaking confidential Cabinet minutes to “hostile” countries such as the United Kingdom amid allegations of a rift between President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s appointees and the ruling party’s heavyweights. Patrick Chinamasa, the acting Zanu PF spokesperson, yesterday told journalists in Harare, that Mnangagwa’s Cabinet had moles that served foreign interests. Chinamasa said the leaked minutes had in the past become part of discussions in the British Parliament. – The Standard‬‬‬‬

ZANU PF is ready for by-elections and is proceeding with its primary elections despite an indefinite ban by the government, ostensibly to curb the spread of Covid-19. The ruling party’s acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa said Zanu PF would continue with its primary elections in all vacant constituencies and council wards. Most of the vacant seats were created after the MDC-T interim president, Thokozani Khupe recalled several MPs and councillors elected in 2018 under MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa. – Sunday Mail