*Evening News Round-up: Tuesday 3 June 2025* *Headlines* *Half Of Zimbabwean Men Unmarried: ZimStat* *Killer Pitbulll Owner Appears In Court, To Remain Locked Up Until Friday* *South African Police Warn Killer Of Female University Student May Be In Zimbabwe* *More Than 4 million Refugees Have Fled Sudan Civil War, UN Says* *Nigeria's Defence Chief Proposes Fencing Borders To Curb Insecurity* *UN Aid Trucks Come Under Attack In Sudan* *Israeli Fire Kills At Least 27 Aid Seekers In Gaza: Health Ministry* *More Than 200 Inmates Escape Pakistan Jail After Earthquake* *Chelsea Pass On Sancho So Pay Man Utd £5m Penalty* Join our *Ad-free* News Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VacXkvFJJhzd2UoZYF1F *Stories in Detail:* *Half Of Zimbabwean Men Unmarried: ZimStat* AT least 45 percent of Zimbabwean men between the ages of 15 and 49 years have never been married, latest data from ZimStat reveals. This came out yesterday during the official launch of the 2023-24 Zimbabwe demographic and health survey report. The latest data released by ZimStat shows that only 48 percent of men are married or living with a woman, while those who have never married account for 45 percent. Additionally, widowed men make up only one percent, while divorced or separated men account for six percent. "In Zimbabwe, significant gender disparities in marital status are evident among individuals aged 15-49," the report reads. "Notably, a higher percentage of women are currently in union (62 percent) compared to men (48 percent). Furthermore, women experience a higher rate of divorce or separation than men (12 percent versus six percent). "Conversely, a substantial difference exists in the ‘Never married’ category, with 45 percent of men having never been married, nearly double the 23 percent of women." A notable disparity in marriage registration has been revealed between urban and rural areas. In urban areas, 16 percent of women have registered their marriages with civil authorities, starkly contrasting with only four percent of women in rural areas. This urban-rural divide is significant, with merely nine percent of currently married women nationwide having formalised their unions. The survey also revealed concerning trends in child mortality rates over the past two decades. Notably, the under-5 mortality rate has decreased sharply from 102 deaths per 1 000 live births in 1999 to 69 deaths per 1 000 live births in the 2023-24 period. However, infant mortality rates have shown an increase, rising from 50 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2015 to 56 deaths per 1 000 live births in the latest survey. Furthermore, neonatal mortality has reached its highest recorded level, with 37 deaths per 1 000 live births in the 2023-24 period. Meanwhile, three percent of men aged 25-49 have had sexual intercourse before age 15, and 25 percent before age 18. By age 20, more than five in 10 men have initiated sexual intercourse (51 percent). Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Aspect Maunganidze who was being represented by the Chief Director Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Stephen Banda said: "This data is very important to policymakers and programme managers as it supports the design, monitoring and evaluation of health and development strategies across Zimbabwe." Dr Maunganidze said the data will also support the review of the process of the National Health Strategy 2021-2025 and the National Development Strategy 2021-2025. Director General of ZimStat, Mr Tafadzwa Bandama said the 2023-24 ZDHS findings reflect notable progress in several areas of health service delivery. "We are encouraged by improvements in contraceptive use, child nutrition, increased use of insecticide-treated nets, and a reduction in maternal mortality. These gains are a testament to the collaborative efforts of the Government, partners, and communities." *Killer Pitbulll Owner Appears In Court, To Remain Locked Up Until Friday* A Harare man, Mike Mupinga, who was arrested after his pitbull fatally attacked a passerby, will remain locked up after his bail ruling was moved to Friday. Mupinga (40) of Blufhill appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa, charged with culpable homicide. He was not asked to plead. The National Prosecuting Authority, represented by Rufaro Chonzi is opposing bail. Chonzi told the court that she will file written submissions by the end of day tomorrow. Mupinga’s lawyer, Steven Chikotora intends to respond on Thursday before the ruling is handed down on Friday. According to the State, on the night of May 31, the accused person, being the owner of four vicious dogs comprising three pit bulls and a Rottweiler, negligently left the dogs unmuzzled in the yard of his rented house. "The accused person then went into his bedroom, leaving the dogs roaming around his yard, which is secured by a short perimeter wall built of bricks and mortar. "The accused person’s vicious dogs then scaled over the short perimeter wall and met the now deceased Samuel Machara, who was walking along a nearby street," said Chonzi. The dogs then bit the now deceased all over the body. Machara sustained some deep wounds on the neck and laceration wounds on hands, legs and the stomach before he succumbed to the injuries. The state said the dogs were positively identified to be the accused’s by both the witnesses and the accused. Mupinga’s white pit bull dog had blood stains all over its body. The dogs were recovered from the accused person’s home by the police and members of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [SPCA] and were euthanised. *NewZW* *South African Police Warn Killer Of Female University Student May Be In Zimbabwe* South African authorities have warned that a suspect in the killing of a female university student may be in Zimbabwe. Bongani Mthimkhulu from Zola in Soweto is one of two men police say are responsible for the death of Olorato Mongale, who told friends she was going on a date before she was found murdered. The main suspect Philangenkosi Makhanya was shot dead by police after being cornered at a residential complex in Amanzimtoti, a coastal town south of Durban on May 29. Before his death, Makhanya confessed to the murder of the Wits University student, according to police citing an account by a man who was harbouring the fugitive. "This guy here (resident at Amanzimtoti flats where Makhanya was found hiding) tells us that when he interviewed the deceased, he told him that one of the suspects said he was going to Zimbabwe. We don’t know about that, we’re still trying to locate him," KwaZulu Natal police commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwananzi said. Oratile Mongale told friends she was going on a date before she was found dead Deputy police minister Polly Boshielo said Mthimkhulu would be found "dead or alive." "We will also not rest until we find Mthimkhulu. We are still searching for him. He and Philangenkosi Makhanya were working together and they were a syndicate that was targeting women in various malls across the country. Our investigation is now standing at 22 cases that they are linked to these two criminals. Women from across the country have positively identified them as the pair that kidnapped and robbed them," Boshielo said at Olorato’s funeral service on Sunday. South African police are believed to have already sent a request for assistance to their Zimbabwean counterparts to be on the lookout for Mthimkhulu. The two countries have an extradition agreement. *ZimLive * *More Than 4 million Refugees Have Fled Sudan Civil War, UN Says* The number of people who have fled Sudan since the beginning of its civil war in 2023 has surpassed four million, U.N. refugee agency officials said on Tuesday, adding that many survivors faced inadequate shelter due to funding shortages. "Now in its third year, the 4 million people is a devastating milestone in what is the world's most damaging displacement crisis at the moment," U.N. refugee agency spokesperson Eujin Byun told a Geneva press briefing. "If the conflict continues in Sudan, thousands more people, we expect thousands more people will continue to flee, putting regional and global stability at stake," she said. Sudan, which erupted in violence in April 2023, shares borders with seven countries: Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Libya. More than 800,000 of the refugees have arrived in Chad, where their shelter conditions are dire due to funding shortages, with only 14% of funding appeals met, UNHCR's Dossou Patrice Ahouansou told the same briefing. "This is an unprecedented crisis that we are facing. This is a crisis of humanity. This is a crisis of ... protection based on the violence that refugees are reporting," he said. Many of those fleeing reported surviving terror and violence, he added, describing meeting a seven-year-old girl in Chad who was hurt in an attack on her home in Sudan's Zamzam displacement camp that killed her father and two brothers and had to have her leg amputated during her escape. Her mother had been killed in an earlier attack, he said. Other refugees told stories of armed groups taking their horses and donkeys and forcing adults to draw their own family members by cart as they fled, he said. *Reuters* *Nigeria's Defence Chief Proposes Fencing Borders To Curb Insecurity* Nigeria's defence chief on Tuesday called for the country's borders with its four neighbours to be completely fenced to curb the entrance of armed groups amid escalating insecurity. Nigeria's military has been strained by widespread security issues, particularly a 16-year insurgency in the northeast led by Islamist militant group Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province. Security forces and civilians have been attacked and killed and tens of thousands of people have been displaced. Defence Chief of Staff, General Christopher Musa, who spoke at a security conference in the capital Abuja, said "border management is very critical," citing Pakistan's 1,350 km (839 miles) fence with Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia's 1,400 km barrier with Iraq as successful precedents. This is the first time a top Nigerian official has publicly suggested such a measure. "Other countries, because of the level of insecurity they have, had to fence their borders," he said. Nigeria borders Niger Republic, Cameroon, Benin, and Chad, which are all grappling with escalating militant campaigns across the Sahel. Nigerian authorities often attribute its prolonged insurgency, including recent attacks on military stations, to foreign fighter infiltration. Nigeria's longest border (1,975 km) is with Cameroon in the northeast, a Boko Haram hotspot. It also shares 1,500 km with Niger and 85 km with Chad, nations that have lost territory to armed groups. Musa warned Nigeria's perceived wealth makes it a target. "It is Nigeria that everybody is interested in. That is why we need to secure fully and take control of our borders," he said. "It is critical for our survival and sovereignty." *Reuters* *UN Aid Trucks Come Under Attack In Sudan* United Nations trucks carrying aid for the war-torn Sudanese region of North Darfur have been attacked, with initial reports of "multiple casualties", a spokesperson for the organisation has said. The Sudanese government said "guards, drivers and civilians" had been killed in the assault, which it blamed on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting the army in a gruelling civil war. However, the RSF blamed the army for the assault, which took place in the town of el-Koma on Monday night. The UN has not said who was responsible, but explained that the convoy was attacked while waiting to leave for el-Fasher, a beseiged city where famine conditions have been reported. El-Fasher is the last major location in North Darfur under army control. Civilians and military personnel there have been under attack by the RSF for over a year. Four members of the UN convoy travelling to el-Fasher were killed on Monday night and two more were injured, RSF spokesperson Basha Tabiq said in a post on X. The el-Koma Emergency Room, a group of local volunteer responders, posted a video of a burnt out truck, loaded with sacks of supplies, on Facebook. They blamed the attack on "Sudanese army drones". El-Koma, which is controlled by the RSF, has previously been the target of frequent attacks in the conflict between the paramilitary group and the army. Assaults on the city have resulted in civilian deaths and damaged key infrastructure. The el-Koma Emergency Room said at least 89 people were killed or injured after Sudanese army warplanes launched airstrikes in the town on Sunday. The army has not responded to this accusation. According to the Sudan Tribune news website, the planes struck a busy market in el-Koma. The war, which began more than two years ago, has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. On Tuesday Eujin Byun, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, said more than four million people have fled since the beginning of the conflict. The civil war broke out in 2023 following a vicious struggle for power between the army and the RSF. The two had jointly staged a coup to derail Sudan's transition to democracy, before their commanders fell out. *BBC* *Israeli Fire Kills At Least 27 Aid Seekers In Gaza: Health Ministry* Israeli forces have killed at least 27 Palestinians and injured 90 more as they opened fire close to an aid distribution site in Rafah, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The latest killings came early on Tuesday at the Flag Roundabout, near an aid hub operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). It was the third such incident around the Rafah hub in as many days. Gaza’s authorities report that more than 100 aid seekers have been killed since the United States- and Israel-backed GHF started operating in the enclave on May 27, with reports of violence, looting and chaos rife. The Israeli military said it had fired shots as "a number of suspects" deviated from the regulated routes, on which a crowd was making its way to the GHF distribution complex. The "suspects" were about 500 metres (approximately 550 yards) from the site, the military said in a statement on Telegram, adding that it was looking into reports of casualties. The death toll was confirmed by Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department. A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Hisham Mhanna, said 184 wounded people had been taken to its field hospital in Rafah, 19 of whom were found dead on arrival, and eight others died later of their wounds. Video verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency showed the arrival of dozens of injured people at the hospital. Gaza’s Government Media Office accused Israel of "a horrific, intentionally repeated crime", saying it has been luring starving Palestinians to the GHF centres – controversially opened following an 11-week total blockade to take over most aid distribution from the United Nations and other aid agencies – and then opening fire. It said Tuesday’s death toll brought the number of aid seekers killed at aid sites in the Rafah governorate and the so-called Netzarim Corridor since GHF launched operations to 102, with 490 others injured. The United Nations on Monday demanded an independent investigation into the repeated mass shootings of aid seekers in Gaza. "It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food," said Secretary General Antonio Guterres. "I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable." "We heard from witnesses that there was chaos," said Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting about Tuesday’s killings from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. "The Israeli forces just opened fire randomly, shooting Palestinians … using quadcopters and live ammunition." Health Ministry officials and doctors said most of the wounded have been hit in their chest and head, she added. The bloodshed, she continued, had unfolded in the same way as on the previous two days, amid ongoing chaos around the aid distribution centres. "There’s no process. There’s no system," she said. "You just need to run first to be able to get the food." *Al Jazeera* *More Than 200 Inmates Escape Pakistan Jail After Earthquake* More than 200 prisoners escaped from a jail in Pakistan's largest city following an earthquake in the early hours of Tuesday, police said. Thousands of inmates broke down doors and the locks of their cells and shattered windows after they felt tremors shake the walls at Malir Jail in Karachi. Of those who escaped the prison, police said 80 inmates had been recaptured and searches were ongoing for more than 130 still at large. One prisoner was killed in the operation and two prison officers injured. A prison superintendent told the BBC inmates began shouting from their cells and barracks around midnight as they were terrified the building would collapse on top of them. After the frenzy turned violent, police said they responded with warning shots, firing guns into the air. While many returned to their cells, others stormed the main gate in panic - with 216 inmates using the opportunity to escape the prison altogether. Police are now going door-to-door, visiting past residences to arrest those who are still on the run. The facility in the Malir district is Sindh province's second largest prison, and is over capacity. While it can accommodate up to 2,200 prisoners, there are at least 5,000 inmates there currently. The minister for prisons in the province, Ali Hassan Zardari, has ordered an investigation and warned any officers at fault will be disciplined. The prison's superintendent told the BBC the incident is "not a security lapse, it's all due to a natural disaster". He said security teams at the prison were on high alert, and responded to the incident throughout. Families have been protesting outside the jail's main gates, and police said relatives of other inmates are frustrated that visits have been postponed. *BBC* *Chelsea Pass On Sancho So Pay Man Utd £5m Penalty* Chelsea have opted not to sign winger Jadon Sancho on a permanent basis and will instead pay a £5m penalty to send the player back to Manchester United. However the Blues have expressed their interest to AC Milan in signing France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Sancho moved to Stamford Bridge on loan last summer after his relationship with former United manager Erik ten Hag broke down. United, who signed Sancho for £73m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, are happy for the 25-year-old to leave. Chelsea did not pay a loan fee for the player and covered just half of his reported £300,000-a-week wages. The Blues had agreed an obligation to buy Sancho for a fee of about 25m if they finished higher than 14th in the Premier League, which they did - or pay to get out of the deal. However, the club and the player's representatives have not been able to agree on a contract for Sancho, who would have had to take a pay cut from his deal at United. The England forward has a year remaining on his United contract, and the club still owe £17m to Dortmund. Sancho scored in the 4-1 win over Real Betis on Wednesday to help Chelsea win the Conference League - their first trophy since February 2022 - and ended the season with five goals and 10 assists in 42 games. Although he is under contract until 30 June at Chelsea, he is unlikely to play for them in this month's Club World Cup in the United States. Chelsea have learned that doing a deal for Maignan is a possibility, because the goalkeeper would be interested in a move to Stamford Bridge. The 29-year-old has been a regular for Milan since joining them on a five-year contract from Lille in 2021. He has been first choice for France since Hugo Lloris retired from international football in January 2023. Chelsea have struggled to find a long-term option in goal since buying Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018 for £71m, which remains the world-record fee for a goalkeeper. Two years later they brought in Edouard Mendy, who left for Al-Ahli in 2023, while Kepa has spent the past two seasons on loan at Real Madrid and then Bournemouth. In the past two years the Blues have also signed Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic and Filip Jorgensen but the club appears unconvinced by all three. Petrovic spent last term on loan at Strasbourg while Sanchez and Jorgensen both had spells in the Chelsea team. *BBC *