Mr Kanengoni who served the CIO for more than two decades, is reported to have collapsed at his farm in Concession although his brother Alexander Kanengoni claimed he died at West End Clinic in Harare.

CIO “red brick” building in Harare

In 1990, Kanengoni shot the late former Gweru mayor Patrick Kombayi during the bloody 1990 election. Himself and Zanu-PF activist Kizito Chivamba fired shots six times into Kombayi’s groin. Kombayi had at the time been contesting against the late Vice President Simon Muzenda in the elections in Gweru. Kombayi became partially disabled and never recovered from his wounds, according to his family. He subsequently died in 2009.

Kanengoni’s conviction of shooting the late Patrick Kombai, was squashed after President Robert Mugabe granted him presidential pardon, continuing to work for the intelligence services soon afterwards. He was promoted to the position of Deputy Director General (Internal Services).

He was never prosecuted following these reports and apart from his shooting of Kombai, he was top of the list of state spies reported to the Attorney General by the MDC-T party for killing villagers in Chiweshe in the recent 2008 elections. In 2009, the MDC submitted the list to the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri with the list of the perpetrators of violence but no arrest and prosecution have been made up to date.

The MDC-T party says that Kanengoni terrorised the people of Chaona through murder, arbitrary attacks, rape, burning and “looting property of MDC members after their party had been heavily defeated by the MDC and President Tsvangirai in the 29 March 2008 polls.”

The MDC-T boldly stated that Mr Kanengoni and Cairo Mhandu, the MP for Mazowe North, who is a retired major in the army, spearheaded the massacres in Chiweshe.

In 2011, the MDC parties viciously complained after Mr Kanengoni was elevated to the membership of the powerful central committee of Zanu-PF, sparking protests from PM Morgan Tsvangirai’s party, that a serving CIO chief should not also be a leader in a political party.

He was then forced out of the Central Committee after the issue was raised in a parliamentrary debate.

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The last elections, in 2008, were marred by widespread politically motivated violence committed by President Mugabe’s political supporters in the state apparatus and Amnesty International documented thousands of cases of torture, disappearances, killings and violence.

Zimbabwe: Why Zimbabweans must cast spoilt votes in the elections

This years elections in Zimbabwe will also see severe repression of the political opponents of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF, the Amnesty report says. “Police continued to suppress free expression, association and assembly throughout the year, through arbitrary arrest, unlawful detentions and politically motivated prosecutions … at least 300 people were injured as a result of politically motivated acts of torture or other violence.”

Nevertheless, due to political pressure from both the Southern African Development Community and internationally, ZANU-PF is seemingly intent on manipulating the upcoming elections in a less violent, and more covert, manner than in 2008.

According to a recently published report by non-profit organisation Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, “ZANU-PF is embarking on a more sophisticated and multi-pronged approach to cover its terror tactics in order to re-gain political legitimacy … Hence, political violence in 2013 will not be as blatant and as extreme as in the previous June 27, 2008 ‘election’.”

Not that ZANU-PF will not try to manipulate voters into voting for them, says Crisis in Zimbabwe. But this manipulation will be done primarily by more peaceful means such as “partisan registration of voters, ideologically appealing to popular groups, state financed patronage, control of state media and targeted persecution (devoid of physical harm) against civil society leaders and opposition supporters.”

And such manipulation is bound to increase because Mugabe and his allies have an important reason to be re-elected, apart from the wish to retain power in Zimbabwe, says Crisis in Zimbabwe. “The cost of losing is too high given the allegations of gross human [rights] violations and corruption by the incumbent and those who surround him.”

The pressure on Mugabe is not as high as it ought to be, regardless of his obvious authoritarian tendencies, however. This is due to the fact that“Zimbabwe is not an exception in the world or in the region,”says Crisis in Zimbabwe. “About 55% of all countries outside the Western world do not qualify as either a liberal democracy or at least an electoral democracy.”

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Mr Mugabe, who might be thought to have better things on his agenda what with hyper-inflation and widespread food shortages devastating his country as well as preparing a new constitution ahead of July’s elections, said he was surprised to read of the Liverpool striker’s latest atrocity.

“It was highly unprofessional for Liverpool forward Luis Suarez to bite Chelsea player Branislav Ivanovic as sporting events are contests and not a declaration of war,” President Mugabe said.

Last month Suarez sunk his teeth into Ivanovic’s arm during a match at Anfield, attracting worldwide condemnation. He was subsequently handed a 10 match ban by the Football Association that has caused a lot of mixed reaction especially from Liverpool supporters.

“Contests come at various levels. We have these contests – Dynamos versus Highlanders … those are contests at lower levels. They must train our participants to recognise the reality of sport. Sport is sport. It is not war,” he added.

Mugabe made the remarks after making the Constitutional Bill law, emphasising that politics, like sporting events, were mere contests.

“Rava game rokurumana?(Football has become a biting game?) And quite a professional anosevenzesa mazino?”(Using their teeth) he said.
President Mugabe equated politics to sport saying it was merely a contest and not a declaration of war on political opponents.

“Zanu-PF versus MDC harisi game rezvibhakera(Zanu PF vs MDC is not a fist-fighting game). People make a choice. We are called upon to make choices all the time,” he said.

The political atmosphere is running high in the country as the nation prepares for “harmonised” elections following the signing of the Constitutional Bill (No. 20) into law by President Mugabe on Wednesday.

Could Mugabe who is a self confessed Chelsea fan be jotting down tips on how to tackle his MDC opponent?

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An official representative of mobile phone giant Samsung was left embarrassed on Saturday during a product presentation when she found that the phone devices she was selling were only responding to the eyes of  white people.

The incident took place at Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield in the O2 phone shop section preserved for Samsung phones. The woman (believed to be in her twenties, NAME WITHHELD) had having been assigned to the O2 company, been carrying out a special product demonstration.

She was then questioned by a prospective customer on reasons why people should upgrade from the Galaxy S3 to the latest, the S4. The Samsung official then went through several different features of the phone intended to make the S4 show its comparative worth.

Demonstrating the facility which allows the owner to interact with the phone or control it using their eyes she moved up and down and sideways, she demonstrated that she could open a website nearly by sliding her eyes causing the site page segments to literally flip in fluid visual motion.

After failing again the second time, she took firm grip of the handset and asked the male customer to try again, only to find the phone still and unresponsive.

“I don’t know why it is failing, let me try again,” she said before attempting four more times.

It was at this juncture that the phone remained stubborn and she ended up giving in to the reality.

“I am not sure why it is failing to respond to your eyes,” she retreated quietly.

She failed to communicate the possible cause of the mishap giving the impression that the issue could be inherent in all Samsung Galaxy S4 phones although it was not clear how many other handsets perform in this manner. When questioned once again why this was happening and if this had a relation to race, she remained quiet only stating that she could not understand what was taking place.

Another draw back of the Samsung Galaxy S4 does not give you the memory it says on the box because it comes with a huge amount of bloatware (Bloatware is the name for any unwanted software or apps that are preinstalled onto phones, tablets, or computers.)  Samsung said: ‘For the Galaxy S4 16 GB model, approximately 6.85 GB occupies the system part of internal memory, which is 1 GB bigger than that of the Galaxy S3, in order to provide a high resolution display and more powerful features to our consumers.

The Galaxy S4 was released this year and is meant to perform fluid eye tracking abilities. “Avoid smudging your Galaxy S4 by using Air Gesture. Motion your hand across the screen to answer a call or change music,” are some of the marketing phrases used.

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Aaron is the son of Zimbabwean music royalty, a chip off the legendary musical block that is Zex Manatsa. Launching the original Green Arrows in 1968, the older Manatsa went on to dominate Zimbabwean music throughout the 70’s and 80’s and, through his sons, is now the proud patriarch of one of the country’s best known musical dynasties. Like his five brothers, Aaron was raised on a diet of music and was a proficient player of multiple musical instruments by the time he was a teenager.

Preferring the bass guitar, like his father before him, Aaron’s music is a fusion of Southern African jazz and traditional sounds woven with contemporary indie, rock and pop to create a fresh vibe hung on an uplifting humanitarian message.

As the New Green Arrows prepare to launch at Luton Library Theatre on Saturday 25 May, we caught up with Aaron Manatsa to sound him out on his music.

Preparing to jam…The New Green Arrows

Correspondent: Are you signed to any record label, whether in UK or elsewhere, or do you work currently as an underground band?

Manatsa: We are currently soldiering on as a stand alone band under our own boot-strapped label, Manatsa Music. We hope, in time, to build and strengthen this brand into an established household name. For now, we are simply creating material in my home studio. Over the years, I have worked on numerous projects commissioned by record labels. In my opinion, most of the deals have been bad for the artist. Moreover, I have learnt a lot from my father’s experiences.

One of the most unfair things to blight his career was the injustice of the record label deals that he got tied down into during his days. My dad dominated the 70′s and the 80′s with one hit record after another. But the returns on the deals with the record labels, sometimes, were as low as only 12%. The rest went to the record labels. Furthermore, they would also own his master tapes. Now, tell me if this sounds fair? Surely not!

Working with record labels allows you to march forward and produce good quality material over night as they provide you with capital, resources, marketing and distribution connections, which would take an individual a bit of time to build on their own. But in the long run, most record labels leave you with nothing for yourself. Having said that, and provided the deal is fair, I have no problem working with established record labels.

Correspondent: Are you working on a debut album and if so, when do you plan to release it?

Manatsa: Being a producer, singer and songwriter lands me and my band in a place where material is not a problem. We have a lot of material that is just demo recorded and shelved in my home studio. Boot-strapping and funding ourselves means that we really have to pace ourselves in material production. We don’t want to ‘bite too big a chunk than we can chew’. We are talking 2014 for our first album as the new Green Arrows Band. Between now and then, we have just released a single entitled ‘Get up and go’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuB_J8TwqiA). This is just a simple message regarding the struggles in life that bring us down at times. One has to get up and go, ‘UCHIVHUNDUTSIRA’, ‘KUTI ZVITYISE’. We also have two other hot singles on the way.

(Zvinhu zvese ndezvamwari: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO_WVeT9DW8).

Correspondent: Who is your target audience? Does being based in the UK influence your thinking about which audiences to appeal to?

Manatsa: We carry a humanitarian message with an aim to inspire and entertain through ‘One love’ for a better world. This puts us in a position where we want to appeal to as many people as possible. Being based in the UK has exposed us to what happens when our fellow Zimbabwean musicians fly over for gigs and festivals. The music melody is outstanding, but the message faces a barrier because not everyone speaks our wonderful Shona and Ndebele languages. For this reason, we have learnt that if we are to get the message across to a wider audience, we need to include some common languages in our music. My dad did the very same thing back in the day. He sang in Shona, Ndebele, Nyanja and even English. I would do the same thing even if I was not based in the UK. It just makes good sense from a strategic point of view.

Correspondent: With the West African-dominated Afrobeat sound blazing a trail into the mainstream western fan base and getting wider market acceptance, are you under any temptation to conform your sound and also ride that potentially lucrative wave, or are you sticking to your guns and seeking recognition purely on your own originality?

Manatsa: I am one of those people who are very content and happy with their identity. And I will answer your question just as you’ve put it: sticking to my guns and seeking recognition purely on my own originality. I try to learn principles of success from other people’s experiences but try to remain me. This gives me a unique selling point. And once again, my father got his success from being himself and simply creating a fusion of his own sound. That way, no one can touch you. I respect what the West-Africans are doing. I love their beats and the market is indeed tempting. But going down that road means that I will always be compared against them. Creating my own sound on the other hand, provides me with so much space that the sky is the limit.

Correspondent: You performed at this year’s Zimbabwe Achievers Awards before a full house of Zimbabweans; how was that experience for you?

Manatsa: Performing before Zimbabweans is always a top dollar experience. I love my Zim audience; they are our key and primary audience and understand where we are coming from better than any other. I certainly look forward to future Zim audience performances.

Correspondent: What is your performance schedule like, and where do you play?

Manatsa: We have just launched gigs in Bedfordshire for the year. Folks will be able to see what we are up to through visiting our group (New Green Arrows Band) on Facebook or our website (www.manatsamusic.com).

Correspondent: Are we likely to hear of your exploits at live venues back home in Zimbabwe any time soon?

Manatsa: As mentioned earlier, when one funds and produces material for oneself, it is neither easy nor good to ‘bite too big a chunk before they can chew’. With time we hope to do so, but I won’t promise that it will be within the next few months. I visit home regularly; in fact, I was home over Christmas. And when I am home, I run with whatever the family is working on at the time. For now, the guys have been working on building the Selmor Mtukudzi music brand. I laid down some male backing vocals on some of the tracks on Selmor’s latest hot-selling album ‘Expressions’, which was produced by another one of my younger brothers Freedom (who also played drums). We are trying to clearly streamline and avoid any brand confusion in as far as the huge family gifts are concerned. So, yes, we will be doing some live stuff in Zimbabwe some time in the medium to long term. For now, we are sticking to audio and video material for Zimbabwe.

Correspondent: Your brother Tendai has been busy raising the Manatsa musical flag at home in Zimbabwe. And now that you’ve lit the beacon here as well, are we likely to see a Manatsa family musical reunion on stage on these shores?

Manatsa: (Chuckling) I like that – the flag and the beacon! But once again, as a broken record, we do not want to ‘bite too big a chunk and fail to either chew or swallow’. I’m very proud of my brother Tendai. He has certainly raised the Manatsa music flag for the family. My dad is also a very proud man. Tendai and I have always discussed issues regarding international gigs and have agreed that we will do stuff at the right time. For now we are concentrating on getting Selmor out into the international market. She has already received a good deal with a record company in South Africa. Gigs on these shores need to be done properly. We hate the kind of gigs we have seen here in the past where artists have come over and venues are not proper, P.A systems are dodgy, with the audience ultimately disappointed with the gig. We will be working on this in future, and when we do, I promise you that we will not let our fans down.

Correspondent: Lastly, what can we expect from The New Green Arrows in the next few years?

Manatsa: Watch this space! I like the principle of letting results speak for themselves. Music is a long game. It’s not something that is done or built overnight. Tuku only went up the charts in the 90′s, yet he started his music career much earlier. In other words, the New Green Arrows are here to stay and make music that will stay with you for life. One love!

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baby ‘miracle’ prophet …Prophet Makandiwa

Makandiwa was in the UK recently where he asked the congregation in Manchester if there were any pregnant women in the crowd who wanted to give birth early as he could facilitate instant birth. The crowd uproariously shouted “no” in protest.

According to Harare based newspaper the H- Metro, the baby died due to “dehydration” at the Harare Central Hospital. No further information has been released on the death of baby Emmanuel.

He has since been buried at Warren Hills cemetery where only close relatives are said to be the only ones who were allowed to attend the funeral.

The security details from Makandiwa`s United family Church maintained tight guard as people were not allowed to get within close range.

The reports also state that the baby`s grave has not been marked to date.

The mother of the baby identified as Mrs Moffat had last year confirmed the birth of the baby after a three day pregnancy and had stated that her belly had ballooned while she was travelling in a commuter omnibus in Chitungwiza. This led her being rushed to Chitungwiza General Hospital where she delivered a baby after Makandiwa’s ministration on her.

The couple are said to have moved houses from Chitungwiza into a five bed roomed house in Kuwadzana bought for them by Makandiwa following the birth of baby Emmanuel.

The story of this miracle baby became viral, attracted a lot of attention and debate as people questioned how and why such a miracle could take place when even baby Jesus was born after a whole nine months.

Some who claim to have faith have defended the miracle passively saying “with God anything is possible”

Others on the on other hand have labelled such miracles as demonic, attention-seeking and self-serving. Some have even questioned whether such ”Prophetic power” was through the hand of God, that of the devil, or that from mere human workings.

COMMENT:

Makandiwa continues to attract followers as people search for marriage, miracle money, miracle pregnancies, miracle weight loss, good health, financial peace, miracle phone top up, miracle fuel filling up of their cars, and many other needs and wants. With such an obvious need, many keep following these modern prophets as they are said to have emerged to solve most of the prevailing social problems of today. Of course, they have not been operating and functioning without questions, ridicule, challenges and trials for authenticity.

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Defending public beheading one of the Jihadist men with blood on his hands – Image from ITV

The Shocking Attack

The assailants bizarrely asked horrified onlookers to film them and take photos of the gruesome scene. The attackers who were in a metallic blue three door vehicle ploughed into the soldier on the pavement, knocking him down. The vehicle registration is N696 JWX.  They then attacked the soldier with knives and  meat cleaver. They then beheaded the man.

Witnesses report that the one of the men shouted “Allahu Akbar!” which is Arabic for “Allah is great”. Footage of the aftermath of the attack showed a tall black man with hands  covered by what appears to be blood justifying the bloodshed. The  suspect spoke with a strong urban London accent and is quoted in the footage saying “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”

The victim whose next of kin are yet to be advised of the gruesome murder has not been publicly named. The victim was reported to be wearing a “Help for Heroes” T-shirt. Help for Heroes is a charity that helps injured British  military servicemen and women.

A nearby school was locked down after a member of the community advised of the security threat.

Swift Police Response

When police responded to numerous emergency calls from shocked residents the attackers reportedly tried to attack the police who opened fire on the two assailants. The two assailants are said to be currently receiving medical care at two separate local hospitals. One of them is said to be in critical condition.

Top-Secret COBRA briefing room – Image Cabinet Office

Government Response 

Due to the apparent Islamist nature of the tragic attack the incident has been treated as a “terrorism “. This classification comes with  a raft of actions that the government is taking to stay on top of the situation.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, held a meeting with a briefing from MI5 head, Andrew Parker (Military Intelligence Level 5)  as well as COBRA members at 1730hrs this evening. COBRA  (Cabinet Office Briefing Room A)  is a committee set up to coordinate the actions of government bodies in response to instances of national or regional crises, or during events abroad with major implications for the Great Britain.

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who was on a state visit to France had to cut his trip short to return home this evening. He is expected to chair an emergency COBRA meeting on Thursday morning.  The Prime Minister pledged  support to the police and security services.

The PM stated that Great Britain “will never buckle in the face of terror”.

Security has been stepped up at all military installations across the the capital, London.

Reaction to the Attacks

The Muslim Council of Britain made this statement regarding the attack “This is a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly.

Our thoughts are with the victim and his family.We understand the victim is a serving member of the Armed Forces. Muslims have long served in this country’s Armed Forces, proudly and with honour. This attack on a member of the Armed Forces is dishonourable, and no cause justifies this murder. This action will no doubt heighten tensions on the streets of the United Kingdom.

We call on all our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim, to come together in solidarity to ensure the forces of hatred do not prevail.”

Going by the footage released, the attackers’ accents suggest that they are British. Right now questions about where these young men were radicalised will top the investigations agenda.

No update on this issue is expected until after the COBRA meeting tomorrow morning.

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Sadly, all the hysteria about the new, upgraded anointed water packaging turned to tragedy on Sunday when a stampede happened at SCOAN Ghana. 4 people were killed and many others injured, according to a police officer at the scene “15 people who were seriously injured, some with broken limbs, many others collapsed but were resuscitated.” (source)

This crush happened because desperate people sincerely believed that the solution to their problems lay in a little bottle of water. Why do they believe this? Because TB Joshua has told them. In a video accompanying the release of the new packaging TB Joshua claims that the water is the solution to your business problems, marital issues, financial constraints, sicknesses and other such issues.

Is there a biblical basis for these claims?

The SCOAN website says there is:

Throughout the Scriptures, we see clear proof that God can use any medium to express Himself:

• In Acts 19:11-12, God used the medium of Paul’s handkerchief and aprons to heal the sick.
• In Exodus 14:16, God used the medium of Moses’ staff to split the Red Sea.
• In Acts 3:6, God used the voice of His servants, Peter and John to raise a crippled man.
• In 2 Kings 5:14, God used the medium of a dirty river to heal Namaan.
• In Acts 2:1-2, God expressed Himself through the medium of sound at the time of Pentecost
• In 1 Samuel 17:49, God used David’s catapult to defeat the giant Goliath.
• In John 9:6-7, Jesus used mud and saliva to heal a blind man.
• In Acts 4:15-16, God used the medium of Peter’s shadow to heal the sick.

But did David start producing anointed catapults? Did Peter start renting out his shadow? Did some enterprising disciple start distributing anointed mud and saliva? No! God spontaneously used these mediums to express himself, but there is zero evidence of a particular medium ever becoming a pattern.

This anointed water is billed as TB Joshua’s anointed water. People believe it is through this medium their breakthrough will come because the water “connects” them to TB Joshua and his anointing. This is has nothing to do with the Christian faith. Christians believe that all mankind is fallen and needs redemption through the blood of Jesus, but that redemption is available to all directly – no man of God, priest or intercessor required.

Perhaps, like Peter’s miraculous escape from prison God will also miraculously grant you breakthrough in an area of suffering, or maybe like James (who was executed) your breakthrough will come beyond the grave. Maybe your healing will come instantly, or maybe like the great Apostle Paul you will be tormented in your weakness, but through it you will learn that His grace is sufficient for you, His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

Four people are dead because they desperately wanted this anointed water. Many others are alleged to have died after naively putting their trust in a little bottle of tap water instead of the medication trained doctors had prescribed.

Don’t put your hope in this water, don’t put your hope in a man who sets himself up as afalse christ.

If you’re still not convinced, ask yourself the following questions:

1. If TB Joshua is a prophet with the track record of predicting disasters that he claims, why didn’t he predict this one?
2. If the anointed water has miraculous healing powers, why did the SCOAN branch in Ghana not bring it out to heal those injured, or to raise the dead back to life?
3. If you believe that Jesus is the healer, not TB Joshua – what is the point in this water?

By Lattez Lucie

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Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara said they were carrying out investigations into the matter that has become one of many in which women are raping men.

On the fateful day, Saturday May 11 at around 8.30pm, the 23- year-old man was on his way home to Manyuchi Farm from another nearby farm along Patchway Road in Kadoma when he saw a blue Toyota Hilux double cab parked by the side of the road.

As he passed he was allegedly called to the car where he found four light skinned, medium built women wearing black suits and weaves and they pretended to ask for directions before pushing him into the vehicle.

“We are yet again dealing with a matter in which a man was kidnapped by four women who went on to forcibly become intimate with him for two days. We are still carrying out investigations into the matter,” he said.

Insp Mabgweazara said while inside vehicle, all the women produced pistols and threatened to shoot him if he tried to resist.

They drove towards Kadoma to an unknown house and he was put into a room with six beds before being given a plate of sadza and chicken.

Soon after the meal one woman came into the room and forced him to be intimate with her and thereafter the others took turns to come in.

He was detained at the house for two days where every night they would take turns to become intimate with him after giving him sadza and chicken.

On May 14 at around 3pm, the weak man was blindfolded with one of the women’s palms and taken out of the room to the vehicle where they drove towards Kadoma along the Harare-Bulawayo Road and upon reaching Ngezi Township he was given $30, two pairs of old blue denim trousers, a new Samsung cellphone and a Buddie line.

He was left there and they drove off.

He reported the case to the police where he was complaining of stomach pains and general body weakness.

Police are still carrying out investigations. – Herald [Pic: Actors in a recent movie portraying the women rapists attackers]

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