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Government has withdrawn licences for fuel service stations caught trading irregularly, contributing to serious shortages of petrol and diesel that had rocked the market for several weeks, resulting in long and winding queues and panic-buying.

Addressing a media briefing after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa also said government was concerned by high prices of goods still on the market and failure by companies to respect the Bank Use Promotion Act, which outlaws a three-tier pricing system. Read more

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa is moving to consolidate his grip on the opposition party ahead of its elective congress early next year, which is expected to make or break his political future.

Insiders who spoke to NewsDay said Chamisa’s plan was to build a public swell of support around himself so that it becomes difficult for any potential challengers to get into the ring with him.

“Chamisa is drumming up support and raving his popularity both within and outside the structures of the party, mainly to create an intimidatory fence that will deter other members of the party from challenging him at congress,” a senior official in the opposition party said.

“He knows he can’t stop the elections at congress, so he wants to make it seem like he can’t be challenged.” Read more

MDC Deputy President Elias Mudzuri is reported to be planning to challenge Nelson Chamisa for the party’s presidency at the party’s congress which has been scheduled for next year.

However, Chamisa has appealed to the party’s senior leaders to give him time to accomplish goals which he was given by founding party leader, the late Morgan Tsvangirai. Speaking at the MDC’s 19th Anniversary celebrations, Chamisa said,

I have told my colleagues in the top leadership that none of us should go wayward because it will be akin to a fish taking itself out of water where it cannot survive. Read more

On Wednesday, President of the Zimbabwe Chiefs Council Senator Fortune Charumbira was elected unopposed as vice president of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Bureau, representing the Southern African Region. The elections were held in Kigali, Rwanda.

Charumbira won in the first two rounds until his rival, Malawi’s Alice Ngoma, withdrew her candidature at the last minute. He got 114 out of the 157 ballots cast, with 25 ballots being blank and 18 spoiled. Read more

National Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed 170 illegal foreign currency dealers have been arrested countrywide since last week.

Nyathi also said 58 arrests were made for blocking pavements countrywide. He said the arrests are meant to enforce Statutory Instrument 122A of 2017, Exchange Control (Amendment) Regulations, 2017 (No.5) which criminalises illegal trade in foreign currency.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police, having noted that activities by illegal foreign currency dealers were posing a serious security and economic threat to the country, embarked on a countrywide operation meant to enforce Statutory Instrument 122A of 2017, Exchange Control (Amendment) Regulations, 2017 (No.5), which criminalises the illegal trading in foreign currency.

Source: Herald