*Morning News: Wednesday 19 February 2025* *Headlines* *Zanu PF Dumps 2030 Campaign* *Harare Council Executives Spending US$120,000 A Year On Holidays; US$1 Million From City Parking Used To Purchase Posh Cars Amid Poor Service Delivery* *Kariba Water Levels Rise, But Energy Crisis Persists* *Mafume Convicted, Fined For Lying To Commission Over Home Address* *ARTUZ Calls On Govt To Scrap Two Examination Boards For Ordinary, Advanced Level* *Man Murders Wife, Uncle, Cousin & Buries Bodies In Rubbish Pit* *Burundi Troops Withdraw In Eastern Congo As M23 Rebels Expand Reach, Sources Say* *Musk's xAI Unveils Grok-3 AI Chatbot To Rival ChatGPT, China's DeepSeek* *Curran Hits Maiden Ton As Zimbabwe Clinch Ireland ODI Series* Join our *Ad-free* News Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VacXkvFJJhzd2UoZYF1F *Stories in Detail:* *Zanu PF Dumps 2030 Campaign* In a significant development, the ruling Zanu PF party has dropped its much debated push to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s stay in office beyond 2028. In an interview with the Daily News, Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa confirmed last night that the party had ended its bid to keep Mnangagwa in power until 2030. In this regard, the former liberation movement will now allow its structures to decide who will succeed Mnangagwa when it holds its elective Congress in 2027. This comes after Mnangagwa reiterated on Monday that Zanu PF had no chance of persuading him to stay in office beyond 2028, when his term expires. This decision marks a significant shift, as the party had been pushing for Mnangagwa to stay in power beyond 2028. The 2030 campaign had been met with internal divisions within the party, with some members expressing reservations about the push to extend Mnangagwa's term. However, with this new decision, Zanu PF appears to be charting a new course, one that prioritizes the party's internal democratic processes. *Harare Council Executives Spending US$120,000 A Year On Holidays; US$1 Million From City Parking Used To Purchase Posh Cars Amid Poor Service Delivery* HARARE Mayor Jacob Mafume has exposed a can of worms regarding how Council executives embezzled over US$1 million to purchase the latest vehicles in an inexplicable scheme. Mafume made these revelations on Tuesday as he concluded his testimony before the Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating the operations of the Harare City Council. In 2023, the Harare City Council (HCC) executive, led by the then Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango, purchased Toyota Fortuners using remittances from Harare City Park—a subsidiary of the HCC. Mafume revealed that the vehicles are being used by top officials, and no action has been taken to explain the purchase, which was made without the Council’s approval. “That is one of the biggest challenges because last year City Parking brought to the City Council about a million. When we started asking where that US$1 million went that is where the problem began and I am told that the US$1 million was used to purchase executive cars or Fortuners and so forth,” said Mafume. Mafume told the Commission, led by retired Justice Maphios Cheda, that the purchase of the top-of-the-range vehicles was made when the Council was dissolved ahead of the elections. “It happened towards 2023. Towards the elections. City Parking used to enforce one by-law which is the parking by-law then we made a resolution for them to enforce another by-law to give them two. “The sharing of the revenue was that they collect the revenue and we get 50 percent of that. Now because it was the first time they implemented that by-law, it raised US$2 million and the US$1 million was then remitted to the City Council. “We were going to the elections and the City Council dissolved. When we came back we said what happened with that US$1 million because we had earmarked it for doing the parking and all that. We were told that it was used. What it was used for and how it was used and we then learnt that purchases of vehicles for the Executives had been done in the time whilst we had the electioneering,” he said. The chaos currently reigning at the Town House has been attributed to the lack of a functioning Electronic Resource Planning (ERP) system. The absence of an ERP system has resulted in financial mismanagement and unaccounted leakages of funds by the City Council. The Commission of Inquiry’s evidence leader, Thabani Mpofu, revealed that executives at the Council are spending US$125,000 per year on holidays. The Town Clerk is entitled to one international trip per year, while other executives are entitled to a regional trip. These holidays are paid for using ratepayers’ money, which the Council has claimed it does not have, hence the poor service delivery in the city. When questioned about the astronomical figures, Mafume professed ignorance, stating that he was shocked by the amounts. “From the figures, I will have no right to dispute those figures they do not come through me. I have no access to that. I am actually shocked at the figures and the information because they come at a time when we as Councillors are being asked and everybody is being asked to tighten their belts. Others are loosening,” said Mafume. Meanwhile, the Commission of Inquiry has completed its public hearings. The Commission will compile a report, which will be presented to President Emmerson Mnangagwa upon finalisation. *NewZW* *Kariba Water Levels Rise, But Energy Crisis Persists* Water levels at Lake Kariba are gradually rising due to ongoing rains, raising hopes for improved hydroelectric power generation later in the year. However, the reservoir remains significantly lower than last year, according to the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA). As of Monday, Kariba’s water level stood at 476.41 metres, compared to 477.84m at the same time in 2024. While the lake’s operational range is between 475.50m and 488.50m, the current usable live storage for power generation is critically low at 4.09 billion cubic metres (BCM), compared to 10.54 BCM last year. This translates to a mere 6.3 percent storage level, down from 16.38 percent in 2024. The reduced water availability has severely impacted power generation at the Kariba Dam, which supplies a combined 2,100MW to Zimbabwe and Zambia. Zimbabwe, allocated 1,050MW, has already implemented power cuts due to limited electricity production, affecting industries, households, and economic activities. The crisis highlights Zimbabwe’s vulnerability to climate change and the urgent need for diversified energy sources. With a total installed electricity generation capacity of 2,540MW, Zimbabwe still faces a power deficit. The country’s energy mix relies heavily on coal and hydropower, but aging infrastructure and equipment failures continue to hinder output. Despite the commissioning of 600MW at Hwange Power Station in 2023 and 300MW at Kariba Power Station in 2018, the nation struggles to meet peak demand of 1,900MW. This has led to extended power outages of up to 14 hours a day, a situation mirrored in neighboring Zambia and South Africa, highlighting regional power insecurity. *Mafume Convicted, Fined For Lying To Commission Over Home Address* Harare mayor Jacob Mafume was Tuesday convicted and handed a wholly suspended sentence for lying about his residential address when he appeared recently before the Commission of Inquiry into the Harare’s administrative affairs. The Justice Maphios Cheda led Commission found the opposition official guilty of lying under oath. While under questioning by the Commissioners recently, Mafume claimed he was temporarily residing at number 110 Coronation Road in Greendale, Harare. He had told Commissioners he moved out of his private family home in Belvedere to allow renovations on the property to make it suitable for a student accommodation facility. However, when Commissioners visited his said residential address, they found an undeveloped property belonging to one Peter Pfukwa. The decoy home was being used as a vehicle auction site. The Commission found the CCC official guilty of breaching Section 13 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act following the misleading information. He was sentenced to pay a fine of $300 or serve 3 months of imprisonment with labour. The sentence was wholly suspended on the condition that he does not commit the same offence again within the next 5 years. “The Commission imposes the following sentence on you; that you Mr Jacob Mafume you are sentenced to pay a fine of $300 or three months in prison with labour which is wholly suspended for 5 years on condition that during that period you are not convicted of contravening sections 13 or 14 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act which upon conviction and sentence, you are sentenced to a period of imprisonment not exceeding US$300 or three months imprisonment,” the Commission said. In mitigation, Mafume had proffered his “heartfelt apologies to the Commission for the misleading information”. He prayed for a reprimand instead which he said will serve the justice of the case. Mafume said he is a “lawyer of standing”, a family man with two children, and has served the city for a considerable amount of years as both councillor and mayor. He also said he owned two vehicles, a property which he co-owns with his wife. In pronouncing sentence, the Commission said it had taken his mitigation into consideration. *ZimLive* *ARTUZ Calls On Govt To Scrap Two Examination Boards For Ordinary, Advanced Level* THE Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has implored the government to scrap the current set-up of two examination boards for Ordinary and Advanced Level students arguing that this is increasing inequalities among learners. Students in the country can sit for their examinations under the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) board while those who can afford can opt for the University of Cambridge exams board. However, the teachers’ group contends that some learners have enjoyed the prestige of the foreign examinations board, diminishing the value of equality in education. “ARTUZ reiterates its demand for a single examination board that serves all candidates, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The current system, which favours elites who can afford Cambridge examinations, is discriminatory and perpetuates inequality. “It is deeply concerning that duty bearers, including government officials, continue to neglect ZIMSEC while their own children sit for Cambridge examinations,” the union said. In the wake of ZIMSEC exam registrations, the teachers’ group bemoaned chronic underfunding of the local exams body and called for the urgent availing of resources by the government. The teachers union castigated ZIMSEC’s higher fees for private candidates saying they are unjust and exploitative and warned that the excess funds collected from private candidates are likely to be lost to corruption, further undermining the integrity of the examination system. The lobby group said the gazetted US$11 and US$24 to be paid subject to payment by O and A’Level students is way beyond affordability and brings to question whether the government’s subsidies towards basic education still exist. “ The government’s claim of covering 55% of the fees is a fabrication designed to create the illusion of support while shifting the burden onto parents and guardians,” added ARTUZ. *NewZW* *Man Murders Wife, Uncle, Cousin & Buries Bodies In Rubbish Pit* Police are investigating three murders in Hurungwe, Mashonaland West, believed to be the work of a suspect who is now in custody. Trymore Tore, 37, of Mubairacheni Village under Chief Chundu is accused of burying at least two of the bodies in his rubbish pit. A third was found covered with tree branches. Police were called to the village on February 17 after a woman reported that Tore had attempted to rape her. The police investigation quickly turned into a murder probe after three bodies were found. Police said Tore, who had a history of abusing his wife Moline Chibayanzara, 21, got into another heated argument with her on the evening of February 15. Tore’s uncle Kuwesi Masau, 53, visited the couple on the following day and tried to counsel them. According to police, sometime that afternoon Tore asked his 13-year-old cousin who is a neighbour to go to several homesteads in the village and borrow a shovel, but he was unsuccessful. When the boy returned, he found Tore filling up his rubbish pit with a hoe but thought nothing of it. At around 5PM on February 16, another of Tore’s cousins and neighbour Anety Nabwalo, 17, visited him intending to watch movies and was never seen again. Villagers began searching for the missing trio late that night into the morning of February 17 when a female villager confronted Tore and accused him of having knowledge of their disappearance. Pleading his innocence, Tore asked the woman to accompany her to see a prophet. On their way, he allegedly attempted to rape her and she escaped before calling police. A police statement said: “On the same day ZRP Chundu Base attended the scene and searches were conducted in the village. “Nabwalo’s body was found covered with branches in a bush about 60 meters from her homestead and beside the body was a knife and a pair of black panties.” The rubbish pit was dug up and the remains of Tore’s wife Chibayanzara and his uncle Masau were uncovered. Tore faces three counts of murder. *ZimLive* *Burundi Troops Withdraw In Eastern Congo As M23 Rebels Expand Reach, Sources Say* Burundi is withdrawing its forces from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where they had been fighting against M23 rebels, four sources said on Tuesday, in a further blow to Congo's army as it struggles to halt a rebel advance. But a spokesman for the Burundian military dismissed reports of the ongoing pull-out as "fake", and said in a post on X that his country's soldiers were "continuing to execute their missions in their areas of responsibility" in Congo. The pull-out came as the United Nations human rights office accused M23 rebels of executing children in eastern Congo during their advance, which has seen the group seize the region's two largest cities. "A number of trucks filled with (Burundian) military arrived in the country since yesterday" through a border post, a Burundian army officer said, confirming movements also described by two U.N. sources and an African diplomat. Burundian soldiers fought alongside the Congolese to try to defend Kavumu, home to the airport that services Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, which fell over the weekend. It was the rebels' most significant prize since they seized Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo, in late January. Burundi has had soldiers in eastern Congo for years, initially to hunt down Burundian rebels there, but more recently, to aid in the fight against M23. The well-equipped M23 is the latest in a long line of ethnic Tutsi-led rebel movements to emerge in Congo's volatile east. In their march south, the rebels on Tuesday entered the town of Kamanyola, some 50 km (31 miles) south of Bukavu, according to two residents and an M23 source. A Congolese army spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Fighting between rebels and the Congolese army also took place on Tuesday in Lubero territory, north of Goma, local official Kambale Vighuliro and army colonel Alain Kiwewa told Reuters. Congo President Felix Tshisekedi met his Angolan counterpart Joao Lourenco in Luanda, the Angolan capital, to discuss the accelerated deterioration of the security situation in eastern Congo, the Angolan presidency said in a statement posted on Facebook. Rwanda rejects allegations from Congo, the United Nations and Western powers that it supports the group with arms and troops. It says it is defending itself against the threat from a Hutu militia, which it says is fighting with the Congolese military. Congo rejects Rwanda's complaints and says Rwanda has used its proxy militias to loot its minerals. On Tuesday evening Rwanda said it was suspending development cooperation with Belgium over what it called an aggressive campaign to sabotage Rwanda's access to development finance, including through multilateral institutions. Various militias are vying for control of the region's abundant mineral resources such as tantalum and cobalt, key components of electric vehicles, mobile phones and other technological products used across the world. Congo is also the top supplier of copper to China. In Geneva, the U.N. Rights Office said conditions were deteriorating sharply for civilians caught up in the fighting in eastern Congo, with reported abuses including summary executions and sexual violence. "Our office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week," spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a press briefing. Three boys likely no older than 15 were killed during an altercation with rebels after they refused to give up weapons they had taken from an abandoned military camp, she said. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people have crossed into Burundi from around Bukavu in recent days, straining resources and leading to overcrowding, Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency, said. Some have drowned in the Ruzizi River while trying to cross, he said. "(Refugees) are exhausted and traumatised. Many of them have been separated from their families with little information on their whereabouts," Saltmarsh said. Boat traffic returned to Lake Kivu on Tuesday as ports re-opened in Goma and Bukavu, which the United Nations said could facilitate access to humanitarian aid after weeks of fighting and looting. However, the airport in Goma, which the U.N. describes as a lifeline for aid, remains closed. North of Goma, Uganda's army said it had entered the eastern Congolese city of Bunia with approval from local military authorities to stop militia killings there. *Reuters* *Musk's xAI Unveils Grok-3 AI Chatbot To Rival ChatGPT, China's DeepSeek* Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has introduced Grok-3, the latest iteration of its chatbot, as it looks to compete with Chinese AI firm DeepSeek, Microsoft-backed OpenAI, and Alphabet's Google Grok-3 debut comes at a critical moment in the AI arms race, just days after DeepSeek unveiled its powerful open-source model and as Musk moves aggressively to expand xAI's influence. The chatbot is being rolled out immediately to Premium+ subscribers on X, the social media platform owned by Musk. xAI is also launching a new subscription tier, SuperGrok, for users accessing the chatbot via its mobile app and Grok.com website. "Grok-3 across the board is in a league of its own," Musk said during a livestream alongside three xAI engineers late on Monday, adding the model outperforms its predecessor, Grok-2. "The introduction of Grok-3 puts xAI back in the race for leadership in open-source LLMs. It outperforms the current state-of-the-art models on some benchmarks, which makes xAI relevant again" said Gil Luria, managing director at D.A. Davidson. As competition in AI intensifies, xAI is ramping up its data center capacity to train more advanced models, by raising billions of dollars. Its supercomputer cluster in Memphis, Tennessee, called "Colossus", is touted as the largest in the world. However, Luria said improvements over the Grok-2 model appear to be too small to justify the enormous resources used to train it. The latest release introduces a smart search engine, called DeepSearch, which xAI describes as a reasoning-based chatbot capable of articulating its thought process when responding to user queries. The tool, demonstrated during the livestream, offers functions for research, brainstorming, and data analysis. Last week, a consortium of investors led by Musk offered$97.4 billion to acquire OpenAI's nonprofit assets, an offer the ChatGPT-maker rejected. *Reuters* *Curran Hits Maiden Ton As Zimbabwe Clinch Ireland ODI Series* Ben Curran struck a one-day international career best 118 on Tuesday to steer Zimbabwe to a nine-wicket triumph over Ireland in Harare, and a 2-1 series victory. The son of former Zimbabwe cricketer Kevin Curran and brother of England internationals Tom and Sam Curran faced 112 balls, and his knock included 14 fours. Curran could not hide his pride after the innings as he became the first player in Curran family to score a century in international cricket. It was a dramatic improvement in form by the 28-year-old, whose previous highest ODI score was 28 runs. He reached his maiden century from the third ball of the 36th over, hitting offspinner Andy McBrine for four. Replying to 240-6 by Ireland, Zimbabwe reached 246-1 with 63 balls to spare at Harare Sports Club, where rain delayed play for 30 minutes during the afternoon. “Congratulations to Ben for a magnificent innings. I have sensed for some time that we were going to put on a performance like this,” said Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine. “I have said many times that there is a lot of talent in this squad. Beating Ireland by nine wickets proves that.” Curran and opening partner Brian Bennett (48) put on 126 for the opening wicket before the latter was trapped leg before by Graham Hume when attempting to flick the ball through midwicket. Ervine then joined Curran in the run chase and excelled, hitting 69 off 59 deliveries, including three sixes and five fours, as the pair added 122 runs. The win was a huge relief for Zimbabwe, who recently suffered white-ball series losses at home to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ireland, who began the ODI series fresh from a 63-run victory over Zimbabwe in a one-off test, suffered an early batting blow when captain Paul Stirling departed for nine. Looking to slam a Richard Ngarava delivery over the covers, the skipper looped it straight to Johnathan Campbell. Curtis Campher was next to fall cheaply, out for 11, before Andy Balbirnie (64) and Harry Tector (51) put on 86 runs for the third wicket in the most profitable Irish partnership. A poorly timed ball struck to midwicket spelt the end for Balbirnie, and Tector paid the price for a reckless shot. Wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker (61) was the third Ireland batter to score a half-century. His innings ended with the bails flying after a wild swing. Brief Scores Ireland 240 (A. Balbirnie 64, L. Tucker 61, H. Tector 51; R. Ngarava 2-42, T. Gwandu 2-44) v Zimbabwe 246-1 (B. Curran 118 not out, C. Ervine 69 not out, B. Bennett 48) *AFP*