TheNewsHawks
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Political tensions are fast rising in Zimbabwe over Constitutional Amendment Bill N0.3 which seeks to introduce a raft of far-reaching political, electoral and governance system changes, including elongating the electoral cycle from five to seven years and extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rule by two more years form 2028 to 2030. Government's explanation is that Mnangagwa will after the contentious changes get a new seven-year term, instead of the five years he is currently serving, and do a lengthened second term from 2023 to 2030 retrospectively.
TheNewsHawks28,682 Aufrufe • vor 5 Tagen
Botswana's President Duma Boko, who took office on November 1, 2024, captured singing a Xhosa religious song with fluent rendition. Boko reportedly has South African Xhosa origins and heritage. Xhosa-speaking people and communities are found in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. With a population of about 9.6 million, Xhosas are the second largest ethnic group in South Africa after Zulu-speaking people who are about 15 million. They are mainly found in Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces. Born in 1969 in the Mahalapye area of Botswana, Boko, who is Tswana by nationality, is associated with Xhosa-speaking communities locally and in the region. The Botswana President attended Madiba Senior Secondary School, which carries a name similar to the late former South African president Nelson Mandela's Xhosa clan identity. This highlights Botswana's diverse, multi-ethnic, and multicultural background. Zimbabwe's has a small Xhosa population of at least 200 000 people, intertwined with Ndebeles, mainly found in Mbembesi and Ntabazinduna areas near Bulawayo. Xhosa is one of Zimbabwe’s 16 official languages, half of them found in South Africa; namely Ndebele (a Zulu dialect), Sotho, Venda, Tswana, Shangani, Xhosa, sign language and English.
TheNewsHawks189,532 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
🔴Zimbabwean academic Dr Nkululeko Sibanda, former opposition CCC leader Nelson Chamisa's spokesperson who studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom, says it does not really matter whether a President is elected directly by voters or by the people’s representatives in parliament. Sibanda also says electing a President through parliament does not disenfranchise voters or take away the one man one vote right - universal adult suffrage - because that is just a different electoral system not qualified franchise. He says those arguing the one man one vote principle or the right to vote has been taken away have a "poor" argument that is not correct. The real problem with the current constitutional amendments, he says, is that they seek to resolve Zanu PF internal succession politics using national institutions and dragging the whole nation into the vortex of a volatile party power struggle. That is where is the problem is, but there is a silver lining in the dark cloud.
TheNewsHawks83,562 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
President Emmerson Mnangagwa was stunned yesterday by Zanu PF youths who told him that while his own generational mission was to fight the liberation struggle, as he had said during his address at their national assembly gathering in Harare, theirs was to support Constitutional Amendment Bill N0.3 (CAB3)!
TheNewsHawks37,270 Aufrufe • vor 18 Tagen
Renowned Kenyan Pan-Africanist and lawyer Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, who has a complex relationship with the ruling Zanu PF government in Zimbabwe as he supports some of its policies like land reform and black economic empowerment but rejects in governance model, has fiercely criticised the proposed Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Bill amid ongoing heated debate about the changes to the country's political, electoral and governance systems.
TheNewsHawks21,165 Aufrufe • vor 11 Tagen
#ChivayoInStateHouseMeetingScandal #BarredFromSeeingNigerianBillionaire Prominent and flamboyant ex-convict tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo gatecrashed State House in Harare yesterday in a desperate bid to attend the meeting between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote to sign a US$1 billion investment deal, but was barred from the event. The incident left Mnangagwa's security and protocol teams fretting, and those attending the event bewildered. Chivayo had lied to his hangers-on that he was going to meet Dangote to sign a mega deal and officials were waiting for him at State House. His social media hacks started posting false stories about the issue, with the narrative that he had an appointment with Mnangagwa and Dangote. Chivayo used that false claim to worm his way into State House to try to gatecrash the meeting for a photo opportunity as there was no business deal between him and Dangote. Before that, Chivayo had begged state officials and organisers to attend the event, but was rebuffed. Apart from Mnangagwa and Dangote, the meeting was attended by cabinet ministers, government officials and business executives. Chivayo, who has expressed public ambitions to be a billionaire and always hobnobs with Presidents in Africa and rich people whenever he gets a chance, stormed State House - uninvited - and tried to gatecrash the meeting, but was stopped dead in his tracks by Mnangagwa's aides, including his son Sean, who is part of the close security unit, and turned away. "It was drama; a spectacle. Chivayo was not invited to the meeting. He had spent some time trying to convince the President's protocol and security teams that he should be allowed to attend the Dangote meeting. He begged them for days, but all in vain. He badly wanted to see Dangote and pitch his quick-buck schemes, but, as usual, he had also seen a big photo opportunity for himself. So he contrived to deceive or scam his hangers-on and state officials. All he wanted was to get a photo with Dangote to enhance his status and in the process scam people that he is signing deals with the richest man in Africa, wealthiest black person in the world. Chivayo likes Dangote, but for his own interests. Yes, he truly admires him, but the difference is that one is a genuine businessman, while the other is a tenderpreneur. Their business models, values and ambitions are so different, and not aligned at all. One is building generational wealth, while the other one is looking for tenders, fame and flamboyance for temporary gratification," a senior government official who attended the meeting told The NewsHawks. "Chivayo's plan this time failed. He had plotted this after failing to get invited to the meeting. Under false pretences, he then negotiated his way at the gate into State House, which is a security breach I'm told, and tried to force his way into the meeting, but he was stopped. He was told it was not possible to attend because he was not invited. His attempt to name-drop the President was promptly and curtly rejected. He was told to go away, so he was embarrassed and humiliated." Journalists covering the event say they saw Chivayo walking towards State House offices after parking his car. "I saw him walking from his car coming to State House offices where we were, carrying a brown envelope and thought he had been invited last minute, but it soon became clear he was trying to gatecrash the meeting. This reminds me of the way he manoeuvred to take a photo with Kenyan President William Ruto at Trade Fair in Bulawayo last year. Out of that deft move, he has now become Ruto's friend and has got business opportunities in Kenya. That is his business model - infleunce-peddling; hence he has met many Presidents in the region, among them those from Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Malawi, among others. But this time it failed. It was really embarrassing. After the drama, he walked away with his tail between his legs."
TheNewsHawks297,027 Aufrufe • vor 6 Monaten
While the battle over Zimbabwe's constitutional amendments to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term, lengthen presidential tenure and introduce a raft of controversial political, electoral and governance reforms intensifies across the country, main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has taken a curious position which says "there is no constitution in this country" to defend, meaning there is no need for this fight anyway except on his terms, parameters and front. Chamisa is at loggerheads with organisations like Constitution Defenders Forum led by Tendai Biti and Defend the Constitution Platform convened by Jameson Timba, among several other civic and opposition groups fighting government's bid to change the political, electoral and governance systems.
TheNewsHawks109,645 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
#ChamisaMnangagwaTalksExposed #AudioTellsBehindTheScenesStory 𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ-𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑍𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑, 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝐽𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑦 𝑀𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑟𝑒, 𝑎 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐸𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑀𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑤𝑎'𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 2030 𝐴𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑀𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑏𝑢𝑘𝑎, 𝑎 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑑𝑜𝑚-𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑍𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑦𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑁𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑎, ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑒𝑢𝑣𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑀𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑏𝑢𝑘𝑎 𝑏𝑟𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑥𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑋 (𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑇𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟) 𝑓𝑒𝑢𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦’𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠. 𝑃𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑀𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑤𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑎, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝑀𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑟𝑒, 𝑎 𝑣𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑤𝑎'𝑠 2030 𝐴𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎, 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑀𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑏𝑢𝑘𝑎 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑇𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖𝑡𝑖'𝑠 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐷𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑢𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑀𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑤𝑎'𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑎'𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑢𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 "𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝" 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑡, 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑗𝑎𝑏𝑠, 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑍𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦'𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑠, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑛𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠, 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑎'𝑠 𝐾𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 2023, 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 "𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑎𝑙 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦", 𝑓𝑢𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑀𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑤𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑎, 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑎𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑙; 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠. This audio (short version) is a confirmed record of a conversation between main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, then leading the now defunct MDC Alliance, and First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa's aide Ben Muneri. Chamisa was exploring ways to negotiate with the First Lady and President Emmerson Mnangagwa to become a Prime Minister in the current Zanu PF government in the aftermath of the hotly disputed 2018 presidential poll amid brutal post-election violence and killings on August 1.
TheNewsHawks93,380 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
Talented Zimbabwean media personality Tich Mataz - whose real name is Tichafa Matambanadzo - is relishing his return to the limelight after joining Channel Africa, an SABC international broadcasting service. Mataz will be hosting a talkshow - African Diaries - engaging high-profile personalities from business, political and entertainment, among other spheres of life. Channel Africa broadcasts across the continent in a number of languages, including English, French, Portuguese, Kiswahili, and Nyanja. It is available via DStv and online streaming. Known as "The Midas Touch," Mataz is a legendary figure in regional broadcasting, particularly in Zimbabwe, where he started, and South Africa where he rose to fame in the 1990s on SABC TV - Woza Weekend, a high-energy sport-focused show, and radio stations like 5FM and Metro FM before his dramatic deportation in 1998. Although his life and career have been dogged by controversies, Mataz remains a top talent and still has a lot to offer in broadcasting; getting better with age like fine wine.
TheNewsHawks85,017 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
Paradox: Religion, Politics and Authoritarianism in Zimbabwe Pastor Talent Farai Chiwenga, founder of TF Chiwenga Ministries, seen here pulling no punches posing a critical question on his relative Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga's political activities and religious beliefs. This applies to authoritarian leaders and their repressive regimes. How are politicians are able to run authoritarian regimes, kill people, and still attend church to pray? Literature on what Pastor Chiwenga is asking is available and hugely abundant. The common explanation for the apparent contradiction or paradox is well-documented by scholars. Politicians run authoritarian regimes and commit atrocities in the process while maintaining religious participation through psychological compartmentalisation, selective theology, and calculated weaponisation of faith. By dividing their moral universe, justifying violence through "divine" mandates, and co-opting religious institutions, they legitimiae their rule while masking tyranny behind a veneer of righteousness. How can a leader preside over state violence and sit peacefully in a church pew (bench)? The answer lies in compartmentaliaation — the psychological ability to separate contradictory beliefs or actions into distinct mental boxes. Autocrats, kleptocrats, and authoritarian politicians often view their political actions as harsh but "necessary" means to a greater end, such as preserving national security, economic stability, or social order. To them, the church serves a separate, spiritual purpose. In their minds, they separate the brutal mechanics of statecraft from personal piety, allowing them to seek "divine forgiveness" for political sins without ever ceasing to commit them.
TheNewsHawks15,695 Aufrufe • vor 11 Tagen
The Zimbabwean immigrants crisis in South Africa has now become a domestic policy and urgent issue across the Limpopo River, requiring a regional solution, amid growing social unrest and agitation - a reflection of a tragic failure of leadership and governance in the country ruled by Zanu PF for 46 years now.
TheNewsHawks16,035 Aufrufe • vor 13 Tagen
Prominent Zimbabwean lawyer Nqobani Sithole of Sithole Law Chambers, who handled the Tawanda Muchehiwa abduction case in July 2020 and the dramatic Sengezo Tshabangu seizure of the now virtually captured opposition CCC, has been in the news of late regarding the withdrawn high-stakes Constitutional Court application by Matabeleland pressure group Ibhetshu LikaZulu and its secretary-general Mbuso Fuzwayo's challenging President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s 2030 agenda and a raft of contentious constitutional amendments. Sithole says his client had a genuine and strong case to challenge Mnangagwa’s bid to lengthen his term of office and make changes to the political, electoral and governance systems, but was subjected to vicious and malicious attacks on media and social media platforms without any justification and facts to prove accusations against him. As a result, Fuzwayo, a veteran and determined human rights activist, withdrew the case to protect his reputation, but in the process an opportunity was lost to block Mnangagwa’s political agenda.
TheNewsHawks31,221 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Former Zimbabwe National Team midfielder Esrom Nyandoro, who played for AmaZulu in Zimbabwe and Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa, says the Warriors lost to Bafana Bafana 3-2 last night in the Afcon group stages last match in Morocco, crashing out of the tournament at the bottom of the table, due to "stupid mistakes" and goals given on a silver platter.
TheNewsHawks123,545 Aufrufe • vor 5 Monaten
Zimbabwean radio and television presenter Tich Mataz interviews the late Zanla commander Josiah Magama Tongogara's widow. In this interview, Amai Tongogara shares interesting anecdotes about her life, how she met her husband, built a family, liberation struggle politics and prophecy, including premonition, that he would never make it to see independent Zimbabwe, as well as his relations with President Emmerson Mnangagwa who married his sister Jane.
TheNewsHawks40,668 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐚 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐀𝐮𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐰𝐚 The audio saga linking Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa through her aide Ben Muneri - which has been verified by The NewsHawks beyond reasonable doubt - has further shown that politics is not just what happens in the public sphere, but mostly importantly behind the scenes. While public theatre dominates politics, important decisions are made behind doors, away from the public domain. Supporters of political parties and their leaders are usually left in the dark, and when they discover what has been happening they react with shock, denial and some by being aggressively defensive even when indisputable facts have been placed before them. The backstage environment and manoeuvres allow for genuine negotiation, compromise, and building of trust between opposing sides, away from public scrutiny, which can be essential for making progress on complex issues, yet dangerous as it can lead to cutting personal deals for self-aggrandisement and selling out. Significant deals are often struck in confidential settings, reducing the impact of political theatre and media sensationalism. Lobbyists and mediators often operate in the shadows to influence policy and cut deals without public disclosure. Private meetings are used by politicians to negotiate without fear of backlash from voters or other constituents, allowing for compromises that would be politically fatal in public. Closed-door bargaining allows politicians to engage in dialogue without facing reputational damage if a deal falls through. When not performing for an audience, politicians are more open to practical solutions and concessions. Zimbabwe has had several such arrangements, including four important Governments of National Unity (GNU), including the 1978 Internal Settlement, the 1980 GNU, the 1987 Unity Accord and the 2009-2013 GNU. Relationships between leaders, crucial for long-term policy, are nurtured through confidential, amicable, and trust-building interactions. While democracy primarily aims for transparency, the practical, often messy, processes of negotiation and power-brokering create a strong incentive for politicians to keep key political activity hidden from the public view. The Zimbabwean political landscape, for instance, is often defined by a stark public dichotomy between ruling party Zanu PF and the main opposition, characterised by intense public rivalry and violent repression. However, the emergence of a secretly recorded audio involving Chamisa and Muneri shows a far more complex reality of backroom lines of communication and secret negotiations, bridging the divide after the disputed 2018 and 2023 presidential elections. This situation further explains the capture and deals after the 2023 elections. This saga, which surfaced with recordings of conversations following a social media tiff between political activists Jealousy Mawarire, who is highly critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his 2030 Agenda, and Brighton Mutebuka, a Chamisa loyalist, highlighted backdoor attempts at political maneuvring that stood in contrast to the public rhetoric of a stolen elections. The Secret Negotiations Exposed The audio recordings, which began circulating after the secret talks in 2021 and 2022, featured a conversation between Chamisa, then leading the MDC Alliance, and Muneri, an aide tasked with handling politucal and business interests for First Lady. The context of these discussions was the intense post-2018 election period, marked by brutal violence and killings on August 1, as well as a failed court challenge of the result by Chamisa. The audio shows Chamisa was not merely engaging in public resistance but in secret moves to engage with Mnangagwa, seeking to negotiate a personal deal to become prime minister rather than a broad coalition.
TheNewsHawks52,461 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
Dr Tinashe Hofisi, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer and legal scholar currently serving as a Research Fellow at the Karsh Institute of Democracy at the University of Virginia, recently joined an interesting debate on Constitutional Amendment Bill N0.3 with Professor Jonathan Moyo. The debate was organised by the Southern African Times and run in full by The NewsHawks. Hofisi's work primarily focuses on constitutional law, judicial design, and enforcement of human rights in Africa. He is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Virginia School of Law and the Karsh Institute of Democracy. Previously, he was a Hauser Global Fellow at New York University. Before his academic career in the United States, Hofisi spent seven years as a human rights lawyer with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, specialising in constitutional litigation.
TheNewsHawks27,190 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
🔵As debate on Constitutional Amendment Bill N0.3 intensifies, Zanu PF Treasurer-General Patrick Chinamasa, who has been at the centre of the process since its inception at the ruling party's 2024 annual conference in Bulawayo, explains why he has now changed his position on the referendum, deals with relevant provisions on presidential term limits, length of terms, electoral system and cycle, electing a president through parliament, one man one vote or universal adult suffrage, plebiscite and official reasons for proposed changes to the political, electoral and governance systems. Chinamasa sits down with ZiFM Stereo News Digital Editor Anesu Masamvu for an in-depth interview on the growing debate on the constitutional amendments. The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026, gazetted on February 16, contains 21 key clauses or provisions aimed at amending the country's 2013 constitution. The contentious initiative has divided the nation and public opinion. Authorities say this will bring long-term national stability and progress, while critics argue it is a constitutional coup and will also undermine democratic governance in the process. In this interview, Chinamasa unpacks the legal rationale behind government’s current position that no referendum is required when critics say it is unavoidable, explains why the proposed changes do not amount to a third term, and weighs in on concerns about electoral system changes, parliamentary selection of the president, and democratic legitimacy in local politics.
TheNewsHawks27,088 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
While foreigners commit crime in South Africa and must be held accountable, the narrative that they are mainly responsible for criminal activities is clearly xenophobic, simplistic and false. It is not supported by evidence, but a perception which is largely fed by xenophobic sentiments and whipping up of emotions by vigilantee groups like Dudula led by Zandile Dabula and March and March headed by Zinhle Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma. Dudula and March and March campaigns are largely driven by lack of information, ignorance, exaggerations and falsehoods, as well as scapegoating. While these groups raise real and important issues about illegal immigrants and their activities, they are narrowly stepped in stoking xenophobic hate and scapegoating foreigners rather than helping to resolve genuine issues. More often than not, their facts, information and arguments are wrong. Never backed by evidence. Evidence from the Institute for Security Studies, the Department of Correctional Services, and academic research shows the narrative attributing most crime in South Africa to foreign nationals is unsubstantiated, false and a form of scapegoating. While some foreign nationals are involved in criminal activities, data suggests they are not the primary drivers of the country's high crime rates. Data from the Department of Correctional Services consistently shows the vast majority of prison inmates in South African are locals. Foreign nationals account for approximately 11%–15% of the incarcerated population. Ngobese-Zuma even lies that there are 27 million foreigners in South Africa, meaning almost half the population of the country are foreigners, an obvious lie. Some xenophobic activists like Ike Khumalo claim that there are 100 million people in South Africa due to foreigners, which is also false. Foreigners are between 5%-6% of the population, according to the last census. The last nationwide census in South Africa was conducted in 2022. It began on 2 February 2022 and was the country's first digital one, conducted by Statistics South Africa. It recorded a total population of 62 million people, marking the fourth census of the democratic era. The population was 62,027,503, with 17.8 million households. While the anti-immigrant groups spread ignorance and lies about South Africa's population, the scientific principle is that every person in South Africa on census night is counted regardless of the legal status. A census is conducted by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), typically every 10 years, and aims to count every single person residing within the country's borders on a specific reference night, regardless of whether they are legal or not. The claim that illegal immigrants are not counted is ignorant and false. The most recent census in 2022 was the first-ever 100% digital census, utilising a multi-modal approach. Informed analysis shows that the high rate of crime in South Africa is deeply linked to structural factors, including high unemployment, poverty, inequality, and systemic issues within the police rather than immigrants. No doubt immigrants commit crimes - some of them horrible and unimaginable - but crime is bad no matter who does it. Sometimes criminals both local and foreign collaborate anyway. Official statistics do and must show the role of foreigners in crime, but in the end crime is crime, and must be dealt with in terms of the constitution and the law, not vigilantee and mob rule. Research shows that foreigners are also often victims of crime —including xenophobic violence and extortion, which xenophobes will never mention — than just being perpetrators only. As a result, analysts say blaming foreigners alone is a simplistic distraction from governance failures, institutional corruption and structural issues which are the root cause. The blame-game narrative is often politically motivated, fuelled by xenophobia, mostly used to scapegoat vulnerable immigrants, while not supported by empirical evidence.
TheNewsHawks66,655 Aufrufe • vor 4 Monaten
Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, South African former opposition EFF prominent figure and MP, recently interviewed Zimbabwean lawyer Brian Kagoro on the African Renaissance Podcast, titled "Rethinking Africa's Development". The interview originally aired on 23 March 2026.
TheNewsHawks38,223 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten