*Morning News: Wednesday 11 June 2025* *Headlines* *Zimbabwe To Ban Export Of Lithium Concentrates* *Hospitals In Zimbabwe Face Collapse As Treatable Illnesses Claim Lives* *IMF Wants Zimbabwe’s Gold-backed ZiG To Become Sole Currency* *High Court To Revisit Chillmaster's "Culpable Homicide & Driving Without A License" Case* *Rusape Council Officials Arrested Over Illegal Land Deal* *Some Areas South Of Sudan Capital At Risk Of Famine, Says World Food Programme* *Israel Kills More Than 70 Palestinians In Relentless Attacks Across Gaza* *Warriors Secure 1-1 Draw Against Niger In Friendly Match* Join our *Ad-free* News Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VacXkvFJJhzd2UoZYF1F *Stories in Detail:* *Zimbabwe To Ban Export Of Lithium Concentrates* ZIMBABWE will ban the export of lithium concentrates effective January 2027, as part of efforts to push foreign mining companies to establish processing and refining facilities within the country, cabinet has announced. In 2022, Zimbabwe, which has Africa’s largest lithium reserves, banned the export of unprocessed lithium ore, and since then, only lithium concentrates have been permitted for export. Lithium producers are mandated to process ore into concentrates before export to increase mineral value, create local jobs and boost revenue. Speaking during a post-cabinet media briefing Tuesday, Mines Minister Winston Chitando said the government has moved a step further and from January 2027, exporting lithium concentrates will no longer be allowed; only lithium sulphates (a higher level of value addition) will be permitted for export. "We do have two major players being Bikita and Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe who are in the process of establishing lithium sulphate plants. "These are value addition facilities which will add value from lithium concentrate to lithium sulphate. "We are moving to a stage where we are upgrading our lithium production to lithium sulphate which, among other uses, is a direct input into battery making. "So because of that capacity which is now in the country, the export of all lithium concentrates will be banned from January 2027," Chitando said. Chitando also urged players in the lithium sector to invest in lithium sulphate facilities or collaborate by signing toll treatment agreements ahead of the January 2027 ban on lithium concentrate exports. "So we would like to take this opportunity to call upon the players in the lithium sector to come together and collaborate so that those who are not undertaking investing in lithium sulphate value addition facilities, sign respective agreements for toll treatment because come January 2027 exports of lithium concentrates will no longer be allowed," he added. Many African nations have been aiming to make foreign mining firms increase value to their economies. *NewZW* *Hospitals In Zimbabwe Face Collapse As Treatable Illnesses Claim Lives* Nurses in Zimbabwe have issued a stark warning regarding the deteriorating state of the nation’s public health system, claiming that citizens are succumbing to easily treatable diseases due to a severe lack of essential resources. In a statement on Tuesday, Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) president Enock Dongo highlighted what the association described as a "national emergency," asserting that the continued neglect of public hospitals has led to widespread disrepair and an inability to provide adequate care. According to ZINA, public hospitals are critically short of basic medication, forcing patients to purchase their own drugs and supplies. The association contended that deaths are occurring not due to a lack of medical expertise, but from the absence of fundamental medications, equipment, and resources. "We challenge anyone in denial to visit Harare Central Hospital or any provincial hospital-today. Ask yourself if you or your loved one would receive the care you deserve. "It is only when you or someone close to you falls sick that you fully realise how broken our healthcare system has become," the association stated. "Public hospitals have no medication. Patients are told to buy their own drugs or supplies for things that should be readily available. People are dying from diseases that are easily treatable. "These are not deaths due to lack of medical knowledge or skill-but deaths caused simply by the absence of basic medication, equipment, and resources. "Facilities are deteriorating fast. There are no blankets in many wards as we approach winter. Some hospitals don’t even have proper windows. X-ray departments are not functioning. Diagnostic centres are almost non-existent. "Basic lab services are unavailable. Nurses are unable to conduct essential tests, and the sick are being referred to private hospitals they cannot afford. They remain in public wards, in pain, waiting, suffering." ZINA cited the "impossible conditions" under which nurses are working, forced to improvise daily to preserve lives. The association has urgently called upon the Government of Zimbabwe to prioritise the health sector, equip hospitals, and support nurses to prevent further loss of life. Last month, Youth Empowerment Minister Tinoda Machakaire publicly voiced significant concern regarding the state of Zimbabwe’s public healthcare system, directly implicating President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration for allegedly disregarding "important realities on the ground." Following a personal visit to an unnamed public health institution, Machakaire posted on X, suggesting a profound disconnect between perceived progress and the daily struggles of citizens. He described the conditions he witnessed as "deeply moving" and indicative of the "serious challenges" facing many Zimbabweans, confirming that the increasing public outcry over healthcare accurately reflects the experiences of numerous citizens. Machakaire then directly appealed to the President, urging him to personally visit public health institutions to gain firsthand insight into the dire situation. Zimbabwe’s healthcare system has long grappled with substantial challenges, often attributed to prolonged economic instability, corruption allegations, and administrative shortcomings, consistently failing to meet the Abuja Declaration’s recommendation of allocating at least 15% of the national budget to health. *nehandaradio* *IMF Wants Zimbabwe’s Gold-backed ZiG To Become Sole Currency* The International Monetary Fund said it would like to see the ZiG "fully becoming a national currency," as it weighs whether to place Zimbabwe on a staff-monitored program. The ZiG, short for Zimbabwe Gold, succeeded the Zimbabwean dollar in April 2024 after multiple crashes. It’s the country’s sixth attempt since 2009 to replace the dollar as the southern African nation’s main transacting currency, but is yet to succeed. Several measures will need to be adopted to boost ZiG usage, including deepening the foreign-exchange market to ensure full price discovery, said Wojciech Maliszewski, the Washington-based lender’s mission chief, who is in Zimbabwe to review its request for a new SMP. The nation’s last program ended abruptly in 2019 after the central bank printed money that fueled the collapse of the local currency. "Right now we see good stability in the official market and we also see a convergence between the parallel and official rate," he told reporters Monday after meeting Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the capital, Harare. "Ideally, we would like to see an elimination of this gap, we would like to see one exchange rate." Still, the ZiG’s 43% devaluation in September to narrow the gap between the official and unofficial rate and its inconvertibility has led citizens to favor dollars. The ZiG traded little changed on Tuesday at 26.96 against the dollar and exchanged hands at 32 to 35 on the parallel market. The Washington-based lender said it isn’t pushing for more exchange rate depreciation but for the "two rates to converge" supported by government fiscal discipline. "There is a good chance that these rates will converge," Maliszewski said. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube last month at the annual meetings of the African Development Bank said he expected the SMP to be finalized by the end of June. The program would bring Zimbabwe closer toward revamping its $21 billion debt pile with creditors that want assurances that its authorities are pursuing prudent fiscal and monetary policies. *NewZW* *High Court To Revisit Chillmaster's "Culpable Homicide & Driving Without A License" Case* The High Court of Zimbabwe is set to review the case that saw singer Chillmaster escape jail time after he was sentenced to community service following his conviction for culpable homicide and driving without a license. Chillmaster, real name Gift Hombarume, was fined US$200 for driving without a license and received a two-year sentence for culpable homicide last month from Magistrate Tatenda Mukurunge. Twelve months of that sentence were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offense within five years. The musician had been behind the wheel of the vehicle that took a pedestrian’s life in Harare’s Hopely suburb. His sentence is now set to be subject to a review at the High Court, with Judge President Zimba-Dube set to determine if "real and substantial justice" had been delivered. Magistrate Mukurunge, in her sentencing, also took note of these efforts, alongside Hombarume’s status as a first-time offender and the remorse he showed. What seemed to have decisively swayed the outcome of the sentence was the victim’s family’s pleas on his behalf. Coming to his defense, the victim’s family informed the court that Chillmaster had undertaken to look after his victim’s family following the accident, including compensating them with beasts to stave off avenging spirits. "The family through Lucia Charumbira said he has undertaken to pay some beasts to avoid avenging spirits. "He also undertook to send the deceased’s children to school and also to buy monthly groceries," said the magistrate during the sentencing. *nehandaradio* *Rusape Council Officials Arrested Over Illegal Land Deal* Three senior officials from Rusape Town Council have been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on allegations of criminal abuse of office linked to an unlawful land lease for a solar project. The trio — Togarepi Nerwande, who was Acting Town Secretary and Director of Human Capital and Administration at the time; Morris Tekwa, Director of Housing, Health and Community Services and Arnold Mandizvidza Kutoka, the council’s former engineer — were taken into custody yesterday. ZACC says the arrests stem from a 2022 decision by the officials to revive and process a previously rejected application by Texas Energy Pvt Ltd to establish a solar power plant in Tsanzaguru, Rusape. The proposal had initially been turned down by the Ministry of Local Government in 2018 due to land constraints and the area’s residential zoning. Despite this, between September and December 2022, the officials allegedly circumvented proper legal procedures and revived the project without seeking ministerial approval or conducting public consultations. On 28 December 2022, Nerwande is accused of unlawfully signing a 99-year lease with Texas Energy, falsely claiming the land was designated as open space when it was in fact zoned for housing. The three are charged with criminal abuse of duty as public officers under Section 174 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. They are expected to appear in court today at the Mutare Magistrate’s Court for their initial remand hearing. *263chat* *Some Areas South Of Sudan Capital At Risk Of Famine, Says World Food Programme* Several areas south of Sudan's capital Khartoum are at risk of famine, the World Food Programme said on Tuesday, with need on the ground outstripping resources amidst a food aid funding shortfall for war-ravaged Sudanese regions. "The level of hunger and destitution and desperation that was found (is) severe and confirmed the risk of famine in those areas," Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director in Sudan, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Port Sudan. The U.N. food agency said it had reached one million people in seven localities in Khartoum, after gaining access to the capital. Sudan's conflict between the army and rival Rapid Support Forces has displaced millions and split the country into rival zones of control with the RSF still deeply embedded in western Sudan. In late March the army took control of the capital from the RSF -- which had blocked aid access to the city -- following two years of devastating conflict. Jebel Awlia was an example of a locality cited by the WFP where there is severe hunger. The agency said rations of oil and pulses had been reduced in its food distributions, because it faces a funding shortfall of $500 million for emergency food and cash assistance, as donor states reduce humanitarian funding. "Supplements for young children and pregnant and nursing mothers are out of reach because of a lack of resources ... Without urgent support we will not be able to deliver the food package that the Sudanese need," Bukera added. In April the WFP said rations in areas at risk of famine have been reduced to 70% of a standard WFP ration (equal to 2100 kcal per day). The WFP said it is currently assisting four million people across Sudan. War in Sudan erupted in April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the army and the RSF. *Reuters* *Israel Kills More Than 70 Palestinians In Relentless Attacks Across Gaza* Israeli troops on Tuesday again opened fire on crowds seeking meagre food parcels for their families near the Netzarim Corridor, killing at least 20 people, including a 12-year-old child, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. The child has been identified as Mohammed Khalil al-Athamneh. More than 200 others were wounded. The distribution points are operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israeli-backed drive in Israeli-controlled zones. The aid sites have been branded "human slaughterhouses" as more than 150 people have been killed since GHF started operating on May 27. Nearly 1,500 have so far been wounded, according to the Government Media Office. In a statement on Tuesday, the media office accused the GHF of playing a complicit role in what it described as "lethal ambushes" disguised as humanitarian relief. "GHF has become a deadly tool in the hands of the Israeli military, luring starving civilians into death traps under the pretence of aid," the statement said, denouncing the body’s continued operation despite documented attacks on unarmed crowds at its sites. *‘Theatre for repeated bloodshed’* Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the GHF aid distribution centres have become "a theatre for repeated bloodshed and deliberate attacks on civilians". Witnesses confirmed that the Israeli military attacked them from "multiple directions", Abu Azzoum said, adding that Israeli drones, tanks, and snipers have been deployed to the isolated aid sites. "What’s taking place … is the systematic eradication of the humanitarian response system," he said. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has again sounded an alarm over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, saying on Tuesday the crisis has reached "unprecedented levels of despair". More than 2,700 children under the age of five were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in late May, the agency said, calling for the urgent restoration of humanitarian assistance. Israel has maintained a crippling aid blockade since March 2, allowing only a limited trickle of assistance through the GHF. At the same time, it has barred established humanitarian organisations from operating in the territory – excluding those who have decades of experience in providing aid from hundreds of distribution points to the entire population of Gaza. Elsewhere in Gaza, an air strike in al-Mawasi – an Israeli-proclaimed "safe zone" that has come under repeated attack, east of Khan Younis – killed three people sheltering in displacement tents. Three more Palestinians were killed after an Israeli drone strike targeted a group of people in the Ma’an area, east of Khan Younis. The attacks come as one of the southern city’s last remaining functioning hospitals has ceased operations due to "increasing hostilities" in its vicinity, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. In a post on X, Tedros warned that with the closure of al-Amal Hospital, Nasser Hospital is now the only remaining hospital with an intensive care unit in Khan Younis. Hospitals are overwhelmed and on the brink of collapse, the Health Ministry has repeatedly warned. In Gaza’s north, medical sources reported that four paramedics were killed by Israeli gunfire while carrying out their humanitarian duties in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City. Another three were killed in an air strike on Jabalia. Israeli forces have also stepped up incursions into towns and villages across the occupied West Bank in recent days as part of a months-long assault on the territory. On Tuesday, during an hours-long raid in Nablus, Israeli troops fired tear gas and live bullets towards residents that killed two brothers, identified as Nidal and Khaled Mahdi Ahmad Umairah, aged 40 and 35, respectively. Israeli troops had opened live fire on the Umairah brothers in the Old City of Nablus during the ongoing military raid, preventing ambulance crews from reaching them, the Wafa news agency reported. More than 85 people were injured in the assault, while many others have been detained. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said residents of Nablus’s Old City are "under lockdown". "They cannot leave their homes; they cannot have access to any services," she said. "Even paramedics are telling us they are having a very difficult time reaching those who need their assistance." *Al Jazeera* *Warriors Secure 1-1 Draw Against Niger In Friendly Match* Zimbabwe played out a 1-1 draw against Niger in their second friendly match at Stade Père-Jégo in Casablanca, Morocco, on Tuesday. Following a lacklustre performance against Burkina Faso on Friday, the Warriors started strongly, dictating the early pace and creating their first chance in the second minute through Tinotenda Kadewere. Zimbabwe maintained their momentum, earning several set-pieces in Niger’s half. Their dominance paid off in the 9th minute when Gerald Takwara capitalised on a loose ball inside the six-yard box and scored to give the Warriors the lead. Niger responded by regrouping and retaining possession but struggled to break through Zimbabwe’s defence. In the 23rd minute, they finally penetrated the Warriors’ backline, only for Issa Djibrilla’s low drive to strike the post. Niger continued to apply pressure and nearly equalised on the half-hour mark, but Jonah Fabisch’s timely interception in the box thwarted the danger. Three minutes later, they threatened again when goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze fumbled a catch, but Teenage Hadebe cleared the ball off the line. The first half ended with Zimbabwe under pressure but holding onto their lead. In the second half, Marley Tavaziva replaced Chipezeze, marking his debut for the national team. The Brentford goalkeeper conceded a goal when Niger equalised from a penalty in the 71st minute. Zimbabwe, who had been subdued for much of the second half, nearly regained the lead seven minutes later when substitute Walter Musona’s strike hit the crossbar. The introduction of Khama Billiat and Terence Dzvukamanja in the 79th minute injected fresh energy into the Warriors’ attack as they pushed for a late winner. Despite their efforts, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. *soccer24*