*Lunchtime News: Wednesday 11 June 2025* *Headlines* *𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 A𝗻𝗱 T𝗵𝗲 G𝘂𝗻... 𝗜𝘀 𝗭𝗶𝗺 N𝗼𝘄 "C𝗼𝘂𝗽-P𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳"?* *Businessman Loses Firearm, US$184,9k At Lover's House* *US$ 250 000 Windfall For Bosso From Sir Wicknell* *State Withdraws Case Against Chimombe, Mpofu* *UZ Lecturers Strike: Parliament Demands Urgent Action* *Serial Rapist Who Preyed On Female Job Seekers Jailed 80 Years* *Dog Eats Newborn Baby In Kwekwe* *Susan Mutami Asks Mliswa For Another Child* Join our *Ad-free* News Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VacXkvFJJhzd2UoZYF1F *𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 A𝗻𝗱 T𝗵𝗲 G𝘂𝗻... 𝗜𝘀 𝗭𝗶𝗺 N𝗼𝘄 "C𝗼𝘂𝗽-P𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳"?* By Tich Zindoga Look away now if you are not a student of politics. A few days ago President Mnangagwa promoted Major General Walter Asher Tapfumaneyi from being a deputy director at CIO to Zimbabwe National Army chief of staff, a return to military fatigues. In his "civilian" life, Tapfumaneyi had also held some senior positions in government, including being Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs. His recent assignment came after another huge shake-up, that of Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe from the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) being reassigned back to "civilian" life, to lead the Ministry of Sports. It will be recalled that Sanyatwe, a former Presidential Guard commanding officer under Robert Mugabe had been made Ambassador to Tanzania in 2019 before bouncing back to the barracks in October 2023 where his tenure as army commander lasted a short 17 months. These prominent moves are worth studying as they reveal an intricate process of political-military interplay that is unraveling before our very eyes. One may argue that, post-2017 this interplay between the politics and the military - or more appropriately - the President and the military - has become a much more complex, and sometimes - according to some fears - a dangerous game. *𝑨 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒁𝒂𝒏𝒖-𝑷𝑭* In Zimbabwe, there used to be a time when it was generally accepted that, "Politics leads the gun", a principle adopted from China where the military is subordinated to the Party, a supposedly civilian institution. The only anomaly is that - and I am making this bold declaration for the first time - Zanu-PF has ceased to exist as a governing party and institution capable of directing anything. The erstwhile power it held is now concentrated solely in the hands of the President, who is now a grand chess master, owning the board and the pieces. This has proven and deepened in recent times. One can hazard to state that President Mnangagwa is in control of both the Party and the military, and his position is almost impregnable because of his consolidated hold on the levers of power. As for Zanu-PF which previously claimed superiority over the Government and the military, it is a veritable shell that neither directs or checks Government [economic decisions and the authoritative allocation of resources are made and directed from elsewhere] and has zero power over the military. By contrast, in China, for example, the subordination of the military to civilian authority through the Communist Party of China's (CPC) leadership is a system where the military is under the absolute leadership of the Party, ensuring that the military's loyalty and obedience are to the Party rather than the state or government through various mechanisms such as the Central Military Commission (CMC), Party committees , Political commissars and Loyalty tests (whereby military officers are required to demonstrate their loyalty to the Party and its leadership). Zimbabwe may have previously enjoyed a similar set up decades. Notwithstanding, lessons from the 1970s show us that the military still held latent power over the politicians and Party. It is widely discussed in the media that in 2008 the military actually performed a coup, by forcing former President Mugabe to stay on after he had allegedly conceded electoral defeat to the opposition. Back in 2002 military chiefs had also declared that they would not salute someone who had not gone to war, a reference to then formidable opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. *𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒑-𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒇, 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚?* In 2025 Zimbabwe, President Mnangagwa has managed to (out)maneuver the party and military, or is close to achieving it. This is not a discussion of whether this is good or bad: it is a reality and a brutal assessment of the political system in a much evolved space, and a lot of moving parts. That said, the recent movement around Tapfumaneyi [and Sanyatwe] is interesting in that it signifies and symbolises the extent of political engineering that could have far reaching implications on the local political system. Soldiers are sent to civilian roles for their skills and discipline and to consolidate governance. What does it mean when the soldiers are moved around back and forth? It's strategic! One can only speculate the role Tapfumaneyi will play on his return to the barracks after acquiring civilian skills in the Office of the President - the CIO. As chief of staff - the key administrator and head of operations in the institution - a person in this role in the military set up holds immense power, like the CEO. Major General Tapfumaneyi is one short rank away from being the ZNA commander, and already observers are counting on the fingers of one hand the number of days left for the incumbent. What will Tapfumaneyi do now and in the future, and how does that fit in with President Mnangagwa’s vision, designs and ambitions? At the same time, can we confidently say Zimbabwe is now "coup-proof"? From a game theory perspective, what's next for other political players? *Businessman Loses Firearm, US$184,9k At Lover's House* A LOCAL businessman lost his firearm and US$184,900 in cash at his lover’s house in Ruwa. Joseph Maruta, 40, collected US$181,000 cash from a farm where he supplied potato seeds in Kwekwe that day. He went home to Kambuzuma, collected his pistol and went to his girlfriend Leoba Hunda’s place in Springvale in Ruwa. He took the bag containing the cash and the firearm, which was loaded with two magazines of 15 rounds each into the house. His girlfriend locked the door and they proceeded to the bedroom and retired to bed. At around 2am, Joseph heard an alarm sound and his girlfriend proceeded to check. She returned to the bedroom and told him the alarm had gone off at her neighbour’s house. When Maruta woke up in the morning, he noticed that the bag containing the cash and the firearm was missing. Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed the case. “Police are investigating an unlawful entry and theft case in Ruwa. “They noticed that the complainant’s rear windscreen was damaged. “The complainant lost his firearm and a total of US$184,900,” said Insp Chakanza. *US$ 250 000 Windfall For Bosso From Sir Wicknell* Bulawayo Giants, Highlanders are set to receive a whooping US$ 250 000 as part of of a US$ 1 million sponsorship deal from businessman Wickenel ‘Sir Wicknel’ Chivayo. “In recognition of my beloved Uncle’s last wishes and my PERSONAL love for the game of FOOTBALL, it is my GREATEST PLEASURE to avail sponsorship worth US$250,000 in cash to Highlanders FC, as my small token to assist the Club in its various administrative requirements. “This is just but part of a broader SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE of US$1 MILLION that will run over the next YEAR to help the Club to secure NEW TALENT and cover player sign-on fees in order to foster a more competitive 2025 Premier Soccer League,” wrote Sir Wickenell on his official Facebook page. *State Withdraws Case Against Chimombe, Mpofu* The State has withdrawn fraud charges against Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe, who were accused of illegally obtaining a lights tender from the Harare City Council. The withdrawal came just as the trial was scheduled to begin. Mpofu, a businessman, and Chimombe, a ZANU-PF Central Committee member, had been held in remand prison for over 11 months on fraud charges. The State did not provide reasons for the withdrawal, which effectively halts proceedings in the matter involving the Harare lighting contract. Despite the development, Chimombe still faces one pending case involving allegations of fraudulently securing a US$87 million goat supply tender, while Mpofu has two remaining cases—the goat tender and a separate matter related to a bio-gas deal with Harare City Council. Both cases remain before the courts. Meanwhile, the goat tender case, which is being heard before Justice Kwenda, also appears to be faltering, raising questions about the overall strength of the prosecution’s cases against the two accused. *UZ Lecturers Strike: Parliament Demands Urgent Action* HARARE – Parliament has demanded a ministerial statement from Higher and Tertiary Education Minister, Frederick Shava, as the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers’ strike reached day 58, with CCC chief whip Charles Moyo accusing Shava of routinely snubbing Parliament amid worsening campus chaos. Raising the matter in the National Assembly yesterday, Moyo described the situation at UZ as “chaotic” and a “sheer waste of time” for students, warning that dissertations are going unsupervised, exams are not being written, and even newly recruited adjunct lecturers are not showing up. “Yesterday, there were demonstrations from the lecturers, yet other students are to go for attachments. It seems this semester is a sheer waste of time to students as well as a loss to parents' hard-earned money," Moyo said. He added: "There is chaos and uncertainty at our institution. If it pleases you Hon. Speaker Sir, I request the absent Hon. Minister of Higher Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, to come only once and give us a Ministerial Statement on the negotiations, deadlocks or practical police intervention to bring normalcy to our tertiary institution. I thank you." Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda accepted the request and pledged to alert the Minister, saying he would be advised to issue a Ministerial Statement explaining the deadlock and outlining any planned interventions. The crisis has escalated in recent days after the university withheld salaries for striking lecturers in an apparent retaliation for their continued industrial action. The lecturers are demanding a return to pre-2018 wage levels of US$2,250 per month for junior staff — a steep increase from the current US$230. Obvious Vengeyi, spokesperson for the Association of University Teachers (AUT), slammed the move as an attempt to intimidate lecturers back to work. “Of course, it is an act of trying to force our members to return to work for the US$230 they initially rejected. It's a way of arm-twisting certain members of our community to resume teaching,” Vengeyi said. He added that the salary cuts had only strengthened the lecturers' resolve. “Many here who have not been paid have resolved that, whether they receive the US$230 or not, they will not return. Until junior lecturers get US$2,250, we will not go back to class.” The university has remained officially silent on the strike but has hired adjunct lecturers in an attempt to fill gaps left by striking staff. However, the AUT has dismissed the replacements as largely unqualified and ineffective. “There is no teaching happening at the university. No supervision is taking place. A few scabs have been hired to replace — sort of — the lecturers on strike,” Vengeyi added. *Serial Rapist Who Preyed On Female Job Seekers Jailed 80 Years* A rapist who targeted female job seekers has been convicted and sentenced to 80 years imprisonment on four counts of rape. Aaron Sanyamahwe (36) of Unit N, Seke, Chitungwiza appeared at Chitungwiza Regional Magistrates Court this week. In passing sentence, the court imposed a severe penalty of 20 years per count, with the sentences to run consecutively. It was the State’s case that on diverse occasions, the offender targeted vulnerable young women seeking jobs, posing as an employment agent in order to gain their trust. Court heard that Sanyamahwe would lure his victims to secluded locations in the Dema area, where he would blindfold them before moving them to another location, strangulating and violently sexually assaulting them. In a statement following Sanyamahwe’s sentencing, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) noted that the jail term sends a clear message that sexual violence will be met with the full force of the law. NPA further highlighted the devastating impact of rape on survivors while urging job seekers to be vigilant and desist from putting their trust in strangers. *Dog Eats Newborn Baby In Kwekwe* THE Mbizo 19 community in Kwekwe is in shock after residents this week stumbled upon a stray dog feasting on the remains of a new-born baby. Residents told Southern Eye that the chilling discovery was made near a church under construction. Circumstances surrounding the baby’s abandonment are unclear, and it remains unknown whether the it was dead or alive when it was dumped. “The police took the remains of the baby to the mortuary and authorities are working to uncover the details behind this devastating situation,” said a resident. Recently, there was a public outcry over dogs that attacked human beings after several cases were reported of pitbulls that mauled people. Midlands provincial police spokesperson Emmanuel Mahoko could not be reached for comment. *Southern Eye* *Susan Mutami Asks Mliswa For Another Child* Controversial socialite and whistleblower Susan Mutami has ignited fresh headlines after publicly requesting her ex-lover, former Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa, to father another child with her — this time a baby girl — for the sake of their son, Tino. In a dramatic and emotional message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Mutami addressed Mliswa directly, writing: “Your son has asked me countless times if he can have a baby sister… whatever Tino wants Tino gets, now I don’t know what to do Baba Tino.” Mutami explained that their son had been saddened by comparisons at daycare where other children had baby sisters. Despite being told he has many sisters in Zimbabwe, the child insists he wants a baby sister “in the house.” The message took an even more personal turn when Mutami revealed she had “unblocked” Mliswa to allow him to reconnect with their sons and extended an olive branch by requesting that former ZANU PF Minister Saviour Kasukuwere mediate peace between the estranged parents. “I would also appreciate we have a mediator someone like @Hon_Kasukuwere… hopefully he might assist us in ironing out our differences for Tino’s sake.” Mutami described how the boy frequently searches for Mliswa on a world map and is being taught by his older brother how to navigate back home — a poignant image of longing and loss. The public appeal has shocked social media, given the tumultuous history between Mutami and Mliswa, who previously exchanged bitter accusations in the press and on social media. Their past feud involved explosive claims ranging from political sabotage to personal betrayals. While Mliswa has yet to respond to the latest call, the post has already sparked widespread speculation about a possible reconciliation — or at least a co-parenting truce — between the two fiery figures. This is not the first time Mutami has used public platforms to air private grievances or make intimate appeals.