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CHIVHU district development coordinator (DDC) Michael Mariga yesterday stripped two MDC Alliance councillors of their posts and barred them from attending council meetings after they defied orders to resign from the civil service following their victory in the 2018 harmonised elections. BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA Edwin Maseva (ward 11) and Emmanuel Punungwe (ward 10), who are both primary school teachers, were stripped of their titles just before the beginning of the Chikomba Rural District full council meeting. Addressing other councillors during the meeting, Mariga said Maseva and Punungwe had failed to comply with a directive from the Public Service Commission (PSC), which ordered them to resign from the civil service 30 days following 2018 their electoral victory or stop serving as councillors. According to a letter dated April 15, 2020, written by the PSC secretary Jonathan Wutawunashe, which Mariga read out to councillors, civil servants serving as councillors would be violating the Constitution and the Public Service Regulations Statutory Instrument 1 of 2000 as stated in Circular 10 of November 2018. “Given the fact that it is a misconduct to engage in any other employment or service for remuneration without the written consent of the commission, it is advisable that you act immediately to correct the situation,” the letter read. “For avoidance of doubt, the commission hereby directs that as a civil servant, you should cease to serve as a councillor with immediate effect. Failure to comply with this directive will result in disciplinary action taken against you.” Maseva said Mariga had misdirected himself by relying on an old prohibition order which had been overtaken by events. “We are still in talks with the PSC on this issue and we have also engaged lawyers. As it is right now, the DDC’s dismissal is null,” Maseva said. Punungwe described the decision by PSC to dismiss them from council as part of political persecution of opposition officials. “This is a selective application of the law aimed at pushing certain agendas. I wonder why PSC decided to fire us from council instead of the civil service,” he said. Following the PSC directive, three Zanu PF councillors in Buhera Rural District Council who were also teachers, resigned recently from the civil service to continue serving in council. Follow Florence on Twitter @FloMangwaya
\t On Friday, internet and international calls were cut off across the West African nation in anticipation of the election results, according to locals and international observers in the capital, Conakry.
\t This was the third time that Conde matched-up against Diallo. Before the election, observers raised concerns that an electoral dispute could reignite ethnic tensions between Guinea's largest ethnic groups.
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa is today scheduled to meet Matabeleland traditional leaders in Bulawayo to, among other things, discuss the emotive Gukurahundi issue, marginalisation and development of the region. This is not the first time that Mnangagwa has met traditional leaders from the region to discuss festering issues in the region, but there is a worrying trend that these indabas are becoming empty talkshows. The President has also met members of the Matabeleland Collective (MC) at the State House in the city not once, but more than twice. In all these engagements, regional leaders have been clear that they will not settle for anything less than a sincere Gukurahundi apology and a truth-telling process led by the chiefs and civic society organisations from the region. They contend that this is key towards finding a lasting solution to Gukurahudi. In all the past engagements, Mnangagwa has skirted over the apology part and rushed to facilitate exhumations and reburials of Gukurahundi victims and issuance of identity documents to the survivors. This has left many affected citizens sceptical over his sincerity in dealing with the issue. They still believe that Mnangagwa, as one of the perpetrators, must not dictate the direction to be taken, but allow them to lead the healing process. In short, he should talk less and listen more. That's true statesmanship. The message has been very clear that the President cannot put the cart before the horse. From Mangwe to Tsholotsho, Bulawayo and Nkayi — demands of an acknowledgment, apology and a truth-telling process before reburials are uniform. Why does he now want to fast-track an issue that is as old as the country’s independence? We wonder why Mnangagwa is not doing the right thing. Mnangagwa should listen to the people who were affected in order to make his meetings meaningful. If the meetings fail to achieve anything, the people of Matabeleland will lose confidence in him and those meetings will be a wasted opportunity to resolve the crisis. Mnangagwa should simply own up to the atrocities, apologise and seek the consent of the victims on how they would want the crisis to be resolved. This is a key ingredient of transitional justice.
By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's government and the country's pro-democracy movement appeared no closer to resolving their differences Saturday, as the protesters' evening deadline for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to step down approached. Prayuth's office issued a statement repeating his plea to resolve differences through Parliament, which will discuss the political situation in a special session starting Monday. 'Although the ongoing political situation comprises many opposing views among different groups, we should rather take this as an opportunity for Thais to consult each other on what is best for the nation,' said the statement. Prayuth this […]
The post Thai PM repeats calls for calm ahead of protesters' deadline appeared first on Black News Channel.
THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has reportedly refused to restore water supplies to Binga Rural District Council until the local authority has paid at least $300 000 of its $1,5 million debt. BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE Zinwa cut off water supplies to Binga in September, forcing residents and business operators to turn to boreholes and other unsafe water sources. Binga Residents Association vice-chairperson Samson Sibanda said Zinwa recently met council officials and indicated that it would restore water supplies after the local authority has paid at least $300 000 towards settling the bill. “We met and agreed on the way forward for water to be reopened. Council is the one that owes Zinwa money and not the residents. For water to be reopened Zinwa said they require at least $300 000 from the council,” Sibanda said. “Residents of Masoja area who are affected by the water cut started to protest and demonstrate saying they had been paying council and the issue has to be resolved immediately.” Binga district development co-ordinator Farai Marinyame confirmed that stakeholders met on Wednesday to try to resolve the crisis. “I was not on the ground, but there was a meeting between Zinwa, residents and the council to solve the ongoing water crisis. For now there is still no water as council is still negotiating with Zinwa so that they take that project,” Marinyame said. “The main problem is that residents are not paying up.” Binga RDC chief executive officer Joshua Muzamba said he was still out of Binga. “I am still out of Binga, just look for those on the ground who can give you information,” he said. Zinwa spokesperson Marjorie Munyonga, who previously pleaded with residents to pay up, yesterday said she was out of office and was yet to be briefed on the latest developments.
Last night’s final presidential debate was filled with some facts, a little policy, and plenty of lies and tall tales. A more subdued Trump was on the defense most of the evening, hurling personal attacks and lies that sent fact-checkers into a tailspin. Very rarely was he clear on his policy or vision for America … Continued
The post “Nobody has done more for the Black community than Donald Trump … with the exception of Abraham Lincoln” and other tall tales from the last Presidential Debate. appeared first on Chicago Defender.
Thousands of Cape Town parents are battling to get their children into a public high school next year.
Spokesperson for Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, Kerry Mauchline, says there are 59 761 Grade 7 pupils currently finishing their last year of primary school in public schools within the Cape Town metropolitan districts this year, and only 57 257 Grade 8 pupils who will potentially move up to Grade 9 next year.
Earlier this month thousands of parents in Cape Town received notification from the Western Cape Department of Education (WCED) that their child had not been granted a Grade 8 place in any of up to five schools they applied for, as all the schools were \"oversubscribed\".
One principal at a popular Cape Town public high school, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to talk to the media, said the school had received more than 1 000 Grade 8 applications this year.
Wynberg Boys' High School and Wynberg Girls' High School have sent notifications to parents whose applications were unsuccessful, asking if they would be interested in having their children attend a new online school next year.
The Law Society of Kenya has filed a case challenging the legality of an Executive order issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta that allegedly sought to place the Judiciary, commissions as well as independent offices under ministries and government departments.
Through lawyers Manwa Hosea and Arnold Ochieng, the LSK terms the move as unconstitutional since the executive arm of government cannot restructure or assign functions to other arms and independent commissions.
The LSK claims the disputed Executive order No. 1 of 2020 offends the principles of the constitution, doctrine of separation of powers, democracy and independence of constitutional offices.
According to the LSK, the May 11 Executive Order titled 'The Organisation of Government' can impair the independence of the Judiciary, commissions and independent offices.
The order, the LSK argues, places the various tribunals, constitutional commissions and independent agencies under the control and direction of the respective departments.
Government re-introduction of the forex auction system -- as Zimbabwe effectively re-dollarises - could have disastrous consequences because the country does not have adequate sources of foreign currency, economic commentators have warned.
However, most companies cannot afford the forex auction system and are likely to source forex on the parallel market, fuelling the exchange rate.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance announced the US dollar allowance, while the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya introduced a forex auction system and also directed shops to display prices in both local and foreign currency.
The forex trading system has previously failed and was abandoned in 2005 when then central bank governor Gideon Gono replaced it with the exchange rate float.
Last year, the government introduced a mono-currency system, but self-dollarisation was set in motion because the local currency fast lost value, culminating in the government caving in.
Added on October 24, 2020Press Trust of india SRINAGAR: The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has turn out to be the primary UT within the nation to operationalize Public…
