*Morning News: Friday 21 February 2025* *Headlines* *Motorists To Buy Radio Licences Before Insurance Under New Bill* *Zimbabwe Compensating Ex-white Farmers For ‘Developments’ While Ignoring The Africans Who Worked On The Land: Says CCC MP* *Zanu PF Fires 6 ‘Rogue Elements’ From ‘Social Media Unit’ Over Attacks On Leaders* *EcoCash Holdings To Rebrand As Nyambirai Assumes 53,3pc In Steward Bank* *POSB Ordered To ‘Open Vaults’ To Mnangagwa’s Handpicked New Investors* *Congo Army Runaways Loot & Sow Panic In North Kivu Town* *G20 Foreign Ministers Gather Amid Tensions Over Trade, Ukraine* *'I'm Not The Worst': But Is Nunez Too Wasteful For Liverpool?* Join our *Ad-free* News Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VacXkvFJJhzd2UoZYF1F *Stories in Detail:* *Motorists To Buy Radio Licences Before Insurance Under New Bill* The Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill, which proposes mandatory radio licence payments before motorists can obtain insurance cover, is set to be tabled in Parliament next Tuesday. The Bill has sparked debate as it links vehicle insurance with radio licences, a move intended to enhance revenue collection for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). Under the proposed law, only motorists with an exemption from ZBC will be spared from purchasing a radio licence. This includes those without a radio receiver in their vehicles. Additionally, the government is considering introducing a single synchronised disc incorporating radio, Zinara, and insurance licences to streamline regulatory compliance. This development was disclosed during a tour of ZBC and Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) premises by the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, alongside the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media. The delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Omphile Marupi, who was representing Minister Dr. Jenfan Muswere. The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services was chaired by legislator Caston Matewu. Speaking during the engagement, Matewu emphasised the importance of consulting stakeholders such as ZBC as the Bill progresses through Parliament. “We came here because we wanted to have this engagement with ZBC. It is important to hear views from all stakeholders as we go through this Bill,” he said. The Bill is scheduled for its second reading on Tuesday, after which parliamentary debate will commence. It includes several proposed changes aimed at reforming the broadcasting sector. Matewu highlighted that the government is keen on seeing ZBC prosper, citing budgetary interventions that increased funding for the digitalisation project from an initial ZIG30 million to nearly ZIG200 million. Deputy Minister Marupi stressed that sound legal frameworks are essential for good governance. “Our purpose is to improve the working conditions of the media, and that begins with the law. We cannot talk about good governance without adherence to proper legal frameworks,” he said. He further assured that the government remains committed to enhancing media regulations to ensure a conducive working environment for journalists. ZBC board chairperson Helliate Rushwaya welcomed the amendments, stating that increased revenue would help the national broadcaster fulfil its public service mandate. “These amendments will expand our revenue base, ensuring financial stability, which will allow us to invest in high-quality broadcasting infrastructure and content production,” she said. *Zimbabwe Compensating Ex-white Farmers For ‘Developments’ While Ignoring The Africans Who Worked On The Land: Says CCC MP* CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) legislator Darlington Chigumbu has said that the government’s initiative to compensate former white farmers overlooks the disadvantaged black workers who toiled on the farms. The government recently announced that it is disbursing US$20 million to farmers who were displaced as a result of the land reform process aimed at addressing historical injustices in the early 2000s. poster The 94 farmers, hailing from countries such as Switzerland and Germany, are covered under Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (BIPPAs) that Zimbabwe signed with the farmers’ countries of origin. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said that the compensation is for the developments the farmers carried out on the farms prior to their displacement. Speaking in the National Assembly recently, Chigumbu argued that the programme is ignoring the historical injustices suffered by native workers while developing the farms. “It is a good thing that our country is honouring its commitments. I would want to bring to the attention of this House that we need to be cognisant of the fact that there are some historical injustices that happened as these people acquired the land. It is a good thing that the Ministry is saying they are paying these people for the developments that were made on the land that was repossessed around 2000. “However, they should also not be blind to the fact that the developments that these people are now being paid for, actually came as a result of labour practises that were near to slavery and our grandfathers are no longer there to be part and parcel or to also claim with these farmers to say they also contributed to the development of that particular piece of land as well as not being treated fairly. “It is also sad that this whole arrangement seems not to be taking into consideration these people who participated in the development of these particular pieces of land,” said Chugumbu. The government has faced criticism from opposition groups for compensating landowners whose land was forcibly taken from local inhabitants during the colonial era. Chigumbu further suggested that there should be a mechanism to ensure that the native workers who laboured on these farms are also compensated. “The third aspect is that when the land was re-distributed, the big guys are the ones who took parts of the farm land which was properly developed and l can tell that they are not part and parcel of this whole arrangement. “My prayer is that can this arrangement include a model whereby these people who are going to receive the payments of the developments that they have done on these pieces of land also pay the people who worked on these pieces of land, which they were not paid fairly during the time they were working on these pieces of land? “I understand most of these people are no longer alive but is it not also prudent Mr. Speaker Sir, to say that they can give back to the communities where their farms are located so that they can also pay something? The reason would be because they are now benefiting from something they did not pay for in as much as we are talking about the developments that were done on the pieces of land that they are now being paid for,” he said *NewZW* *Zanu PF Fires 6 ‘Rogue Elements’ From ‘Social Media Unit’ Over Attacks On Leaders* Zanu PF employs dozens of internet trolls to attack its opponents, according to a document seen by ZimLive. The trolls are employed under the Varakashi4ED Social Media Unit, with the party’s legal secretary Patrick Chinamasa serving as its executive director. The information was obtained after Chinamasa fired six members of the unit for allegedly attacking senior members of the party. Chinamasa announced the move in a February 11 letter to the party’s national political commissar Munyaradzi Machacha. He wrote: “On February 3, 2025, I met with His Excellency, the president and first secretary of Zanu PF Cde Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa to discuss disciplinary issues within the Varakashi4ED Social Media Unit, which I lead as the executive director… “After reviewing serious infractions by rogue elements who attacked the unit’s leadership and senior party officials, the following recommendations were made: ♦ Permanent removal of Jonasi Mandiwisa Musara, Tafadzwa Mawire, Tinotenda Gachange, Felix Muzondo, Pardon Mangwende and Herbert Mathe from the Varakashi4ED Social Media Unit. ♦ Varakashi4ED Social Media Unit shall be the party’s sole Zanu PF recognised social media affiliate. ♦ Expedited implementation of a party social media management policy by the commissariat, information and publicity and legal departments.” Chinamasa advised Machacha that Norman Mbimbi would now be administrator of Varakashi4ED with Dereck Goto as director of operations. “I kindly request your office to enforce these recommendations as per His Excellency’s directive… I will continue overseeing the Unit in my capacity as executive director,” Chinamasa added. It has long been rumoured that Zanu PF employs social media trolls to magnify its messages and attack rivals, but this is the first time proof has been obtained of their existence. In the same letter, Chinamasa said the unit was established following Mnangagwa’s directive “ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.” One of those jettisoned from the unit, Jonasi Mandiwisa Musara, who uses the name Jones Musara on social media, tweeted on Thursday: “Now back to law school which requires lots of studying, writing assignments and particpating in tutorials. My time on social media will be obviously drastically reduced because of that.” *ZimLive* *EcoCash Holdings To Rebrand As Nyambirai Assumes 53,3pc In Steward Bank* ECOCASH Holdings Limited says it will soon rebrand as Steward Bank is now the only remaining unit under its purview following the takeover by businessman Tawanda Nyambirai. In a joint public announcement by Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (EWZ) and Ecocash informed the market that in April 2024, a Scheme of Reconstruction was entered into whereby all the Financial Technology Businesses except Steward Bank were transferred to EWZ. The units transferred are VAYA Technologies Zimbabwe (Private) Limited, Econet Insurance (Private) Limited, Econet Life (Private) Limited, MARS Zimbabwe (Private) Limited and Maisha Health Fund (Private) Limited. “As a result of this reorganisation, EcoCash Holdings Zimbabwe Limited retained its status as a “Bank Holding Company” with Steward Bank Limited as its only asset. EcoCash Holdings Zimbabwe Limited is in the process of changing its name to remove the reference to EcoCash as the Company no longer owns EcoCash and the other Fintech businesses,” the joint statement said. TN acquired 53.3% of the Bank Holding Company of which 25% was already held in line with Banking Act and Regulations and the remaining 28.3%, is subject to a pending Application to the Registrar of Banks to hold in excess of the permitted 25% limit, before beneficial ownership is transferred. EWZ and Econet Global Limited currently have a shareholding position in the Bank Holding Company of 12.4% and 12.5% respectively and intend to maintain a strategic shareholding in the Bank Holding Company. The Fintech businesses have been operating as subsidiaries of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Limited since April 2024. Their performance was reported in the Company’s public Financial Reports for the half year ended August 2024 under the Mobile Money and Insurance segments. “Mr Eddie Chibi continues as Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Technology Businesses that are now held as subsidiaries of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Limited. All existing Fintech, Mobile Money and Banking services operations continue uninterrupted,” the statement added. *NewZW* *POSB Ordered To ‘Open Vaults’ To Mnangagwa’s Handpicked New Investors* President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ordered the sale of the People’s Own Savings Bank (POSB) to a consortium fronted by Zanu PF-supporting cleric Morris Brown Gwedegwe, against advice from the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency which questioned the source of funds for his Hebrew Investment Group, ZimLive can reveal. The POSB, now under the Mutapa Investment Fund, is one of at least eight loss-making parastatals the government has put up for sale. Instead of a public process to invite bids for POSB, Mnangagwa – through attorney general Virginia Mabiza – handpicked Hebrew Investment Group as the investment partner. Under the terms of the deal, Hebrew Investment Group will take up 70 percent shareholding in POSB by contributing US$70 million of the US$100 million required to capitalise the bank. The government of Zimbabwe will remain with a 10 percent stake financed through existing POSB assets while the other $20 million for a 20 percent stake will come from private individuals. A joint venture agreement signed between Mabiza and Hebrew Investment Group CEO Professor Emile Kue on December 18, 2024, also says Hebrew Investment Group will advance the government of Zimbabwe a US$6 billion loan to be repayed over 30 years. The loan will attract interest of 0.3 percent per annum and it is to be repaid through the government’s dividends from its POSB shareholding. ZimLive understands ZIDA questioned the company’s source of funds and tried to stall the signing of the joint venture agreement, but Mnangagwa and Mabiza railroaded it through. *ZimLive* *Congo Army Runaways Loot & Sow Panic In North Kivu Town* The Congolese army called on deserters to rejoin their units on Thursday, as rogue soldiers fired guns and looted parts of the eastern town of Lubero after fleeing nearby clashes with advancing Rwandan-backed rebels. The unrest points to mounting disarray within the Congolese armed forces in the face of the M23 rebel group's ongoing offensive, which has captured eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's two largest cities and stoked fears of a wider war. A statement from a military spokesperson for operations in North Kivu province ordered runaway soldiers around Lubero to return to their posts within 12 hours and called on all soldiers to refrain from theft and other illegal acts. Fighting with the M23 has continued outside the town, in the southern part of the wider Lubero territory, for the past 72 hours, Congolese army spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge told Reuters. On Thursday morning, five residents of Lubero town described chaotic scenes linked to the desertions from the front line, including bursts of gunfire and looting at the central market and in shops selling mobile phones and clothes. "It's complete turmoil in Lubero. Shots can be heard ... The soldiers are running in all directions," said one of the residents, speaking on condition of anonymity out of security concerns. Later, Lubero's military administrator Alain Kiwewa said order had been restored in the town and blamed a group of undisciplined soldiers for sowing panic. Such incidents and a flare-up of fighting with the M23 around Lubero have added to pressure on the army. It staged a disorderly retreat in neighbouring South Kivu province after the M23 advance into the provincial capital Bukavu over the weekend led to clashes between Congolese forces and allied militias, which wanted to stay and fight. The escalation has alarmed the wider region and the international community. On Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on a Rwandan government minister and a senior rebel for their alleged role in the conflict. Neighbouring Rwanda denies allegations from Congo and the United Nations that it supports the M23 with arms and troops. It says it is defending itself against Hutu militias which it accuses of fighting alongside the Congolese military. Congo rejects this and says Rwanda has used the M23 as a proxy to loot its minerals such as gold and coltan, used in smartphones and computers. Congo's finance ministry on Thursday announced the launch of a solidarity fund for the army that allows citizens, companies and organisations to donate directly to the eastern war effort. The initiative highlights the financial toll of the three-year insurgency which has seen the M23 capture unprecedented swathes of Congolese territory and valuable mining areas, renewing a conflict over power, ethnic rivalry and resources that dates back to the 1990s genocide in Rwanda. *Reuters* *G20 Foreign Ministers Gather Amid Tensions Over Trade, Ukraine* Foreign ministers from the G20 top economies met in South Africa on Thursday, amid tensions between members over the Ukraine war, trade disputes and with the top U.S. diplomat staying away owing to a feud with the hosts. The G20 countries, which represent some 85% of global GDP and three quarters of trade, often struggle to see eye to eye, but geopolitical rifts since Russia's 2022 Ukraine invasion have rendered it more fractious than ever. The discord has increased since President Donald Trump took office a month ago and implemented rapid changes in Washington's trade and foreign policies. "Geopolitical tensions and rising intolerance, conflict and war ... threaten an already fragile global coexistence," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who holds the rotating presidency of the group, said in an opening speech of the gathering, which ends on Friday. South Africa sees the first G20 meeting on the continent as an opportunity to get rich nations to heed poorer countries' concerns - worsening inequality, inadequate action by wealthy countries on climate change, and a financial system that favours investment banks over poor sovereign debtors. "Those most responsible for climate change, you have a duty and a responsibility to support those least responsible," Ramaphosa said, while also calling for "debt sustainability for low-income countries." The United States did not attend: Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this month rejected as "very bad" the previously agreed agenda of "diversity, equity and inclusion". Then Trump cut U.S. aid to South Africa in an ideological dispute with the latter's efforts to redress historic racial injustices in land ownership - and over its genocide case against U.S. ally Israel at the International Court of Justice. The gathering takes place as Trump has upended the U.S. policy of solidarity with Ukraine as he seeks to broker peace in its war with Russia. He has blamed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the conflict, and sidelined NATO allies in ending a campaign to isolate Russia. "As the G20 we must continue to advocate for diplomatic solutions to conflicts," Ramaphosa, who has resisted pressure to isolate Russia over the invasion. The U.S. absence is an opportunity for China, which has the world's second biggest economy, to expand its influence. Such efforts by Beijing are normally focused on the Global South but China has quickly sought to capitalise on the cracks in the transatlantic alliance. Its foreign ministry said on Monday that "healthy and stable" China-EU relations are needed now more than ever. *Reuters* *'I'm Not The Worst': But Is Nunez Too Wasteful For Liverpool?* "I wasn't the best three weeks ago, and I'm not the worst now." That is how Darwin Nunez framed the disappointment he experienced as Liverpool missed the chance to go 10 points clear in the Premier League title race in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Aston Villa. The Uruguay striker's wastefulness in front of goal, a persistent concern since he joined for an initial £64m in 2022, again reared its head as he blazed over from six yards with the target gaping at Villa Park. It is only one month, though, since Nunez produced stoppage-time heroics with a late double to clinch a 2-0 win at Brentford and strengthen the Reds' grip in top spot. But his miss, which had an expected goals value (xG) of 0.75 - meaning he would be expected to score 75% of the time in that scenario - was described as "one of the worst we've seen this year" by ex-Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler on TNT Sports. It also left head coach Arne Slot with his head in his hands as he later lamented the loss of two points. For Slot, however, this was less about Nunez's miss and much more about the impact it had on the player. "I can accept every miss, especially from a player that scored two very important goals against Brentford," he said on Thursday. "What was a bit harder for me to accept was his behaviour after that chance. I think it got too much in his head and he wasn't the usual Darwin that works his ass off and helps the team. I think he was too disappointed." It all means Arsenal can cut Liverpool's lead to five points when they host West Ham on Saturday. Slot's side, who have played one game more than the Gunners, visit Manchester City on Sunday, before hosting Newcastle United in midweek. On Thursday, Nunez posted on social media: "If I fall, I get up. You'll never see me give up. I'm going to give it my all until the last day I'm here in Liverpool. Resilience!" But do the numbers suggest the Uruguay international can still play a pivotal role for Liverpool going forward? Nunez, who was heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League in January, is now in his third full season at Anfield since joining from Portuguese side Benfica on a six-year-deal. Liverpool signed Nunez following an excellent 2021-22 campaign in which he scored 34 times in 41 appearances for Benfica, including against the Reds in both legs of their Champions League quarter-final. But that remains an outlier in the 25-year-old's career to date as the only season in which the striker has overperformed his xG in league competition. In terms of his performance compared to other Premier League strikers this season, Nunez ranks outside the top 20 in a number of key areas. His shot conversion rate of 15.4% ranks tied 22nd and he is 24th for minutes per goal (223), while 30 players have bettered his xG performance (0.0) following Wednesday's miss. For comparison, Chris Wood is setting the standard with a shot conversion rate of 39.1% and his 18 goals a significant overperformance of his 10.4 xG. *BBC*