Mnangagwa’s main challenger and opposition Citizens for Coalition Change (CCC) leader, Nelson Chamisa, secured 1,967,343 votes or 44 per cent of the valid votes cast, Chigumba said…reports Asian Lite News
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been re-elected after securing 2.6 per cent of the total votes cast in the August 23-24 elections, country’s poll body announced.
As per Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Priscilla Chigumba, Mnangagwa beat 10 other presidential contestants after polling 2,350,711 votes, Xinhua news agency reported.
Mnangagwa’s main challenger and opposition Citizens for Coalition Change (CCC) leader, Nelson Chamisa, secured 1,967,343 votes or 44 per cent of the valid votes cast, Chigumba said.
“Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo of ZANU-PF party is declared duly elected president of the Republic of Zimbabwe with effect from August 26, 2023,” Chigumba said.
According to the ZEC, Mnangagwa’s ruling ZANU-PF party has won the majority of the 210 parliamentary seats.
Zimbabweans voted on Wednesday and Thursday, with a voter turnout of 68.9 percent, to choose a new president, members of parliament and representatives of local governments.
At 31 years old in 2005, he declared his retirement, and even now, at 49, Heath Streak stands alone as the sole Zimbabwean bowler to have secured over 100 Test and 200 ODI wickets…reports Asian Lite News
One of Zimbabwe’s proudest cricketing sons, former captain Heath Streak passed away at the age of 49 on Wednesday.
Streak’s bowling partner Henry Olanga took to X (formerly Twitter) to express grief over the passing of the legendary bowling all-rounder.
“Sad news coming through that Heath Streak has crossed to the other side. RIP @ZimCricketv legend. The greatest all-rounder we produced. It was a pleasure playing with you. See you on the other side when my bowling spell comes to an end,” Olonga posted on X.
Streak, who was known for his prowess with the ball, was undergoing treatment for cancer under one of the most respected oncologists in South Africa.
The 49-year-old announced his retirement at the age of 31, in 2005. Streak still remains the only Zimbabwe bowler with more than 100 Test and over 200 ODI wickets.
He captained Zimbabwe in 2000, at a time when a number of players withdrew from the national side as relations between the board and the team hit a rough patch.
In his decorated career Streak played 65 matches and picked up 216 wickets with an economy of 2.69.
In the ODI format, Streak featured in 189 matches, scalping 239 wickets at an economy of 4.51. His best bowling figures were 5-32.
With the willow, Streak amassed 1,990 runs in the red-ball format, at an average of 22.4. He featured in 65 Tests for his country.
In ODIs, Streak aggregated 2,934 runs at a strike rate of 73.4 and an average of 28.3.
In 1993, Streak marked his arrival in the world of cricket with a stellar performance against Pakistan.
He established himself as a player to watch out for, picking up 8 wickets in only his second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
Seven years later, Streak was appointed as the Zimbabwe captain but he ended up resigning as the responsibilities and tension with the board over the pay started to affect his form.
Though he was reappointed skipper in 2002, there was increasing pressure on him to take a political stand at the height of a civilian uprising against the then regime under long-time President Robert Mugabe.
Streak was criticized for not taking a political stand and decided to step down as captain in 2004.
After hanging up his boots in 2005, Streak returned to cricket as the captain of Warwickshire for the 2006 season after signing a two-year contract. But he ended up stepping down as skipper of the county side after just one game in the 2007 season.
In 2007, he signed up for the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), marking the end of his journey in international cricket.
Streak, however, remained connected to cricket, taking up coaching roles with Zimbabwe, Scotland, and Bangladesh, as well as the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders.
His legacy, however, was called into question in 2021 after he was handed an eight-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching Anti-Corruption Code.
Streak maintained that he was not involved in “any match-fixing, spot-fixing, or attempts to influence a game or share information from a changeroom during a match at any given time”. (ANI)
EU flags are seen outside the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 6, 2023.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/IANS)
Several foreign observer missions and international organizations are observing the electoral process at the invitation by the Zimbabwean government, and the EU is among the foreign observer groups…reports Asian Lite News
The head of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) on Saturday denied that the mission is interfering in the electoral processes of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweans will head to the polls on Wednesday to choose a president, Members of Parliament and representatives of local governments.
Several foreign observer missions and international organizations are observing the electoral process at the invitation by the Zimbabwean government, and the EU is among the foreign observer groups.
However, Zimbabwe’s leading daily newspaper Herald reported on Friday that the EU EOM was allegedly bribing some local Zimbabwean journalists to report negatively about the electoral process.
But upon touching down in Harare on Saturday, head of the EU EOM Fabio Massimo Castaldo denied the claims of interference and improper conduct.
“The EU EOM is astounded by the defamatory and malicious accusations made in an article, published in local Zimbabwean media yesterday (Friday). These allegations are based on unsubstantiated rumors and entirely fabricated,” Castaldo said in a statement.
Castaldo said the EU EOM has taken note of previous attempts to discredit the mission, adding that the articles reflect a continued effort to undermine the mission and credible election observation.
“The EU EOM adheres to a strict code of conduct. The EU EOM continues its work, according to its mandate and methodology based on the principles of independence, impartiality and non-interference,” Castaldo said.
The EU EOM is set to deploy its short-term observers to various parts of Zimbabwe on Aug. 20, joining their long-term observers that were deployed in the country last month.
India and Zimbabwe have a long history of close and cordial relations….reports Asian Lite News
Minister of State for External Affairs (MoS) V Muraleedharan on Friday met Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Musabayana, the two discussed various aspects of India, Zimbabwe bilateral relations and means to enhance them further.
“Delighted to interact with Dy. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Zimbabwe, H.E @DrMusabayana on the sidelines of CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Growth Partnership in New Delhi. Discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and means to enhance them further,” MoS Muraleedharan tweeted on Friday. Vice President of Zimbabwe Constantino Chiwenga has arrived in New Delhi, informed the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday.
He came to India to attend the CII-EXIM Bank Conclave.
His visit will boost the development partnership and trade and economic ties between the two countries.
“Warm welcome to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga of Zimbabwe as he arrives in New Delhi for CII-EXIM Bank Conclave. The visit will give boost to India-Zimbabwe development partnership and trade & economic ties,” tweeted Arindam Bagchi, MEA official spokesperson.
India and Zimbabwe have a long history of close and cordial relations.
India and Zimbabwe are members of the G20 in WTO and have a common position on IPRs and agricultural subsidies. Zimbabwe generally supports India in most of the elections in the multilateral fora and our Resolutions in the UN.
The CII- EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership was launched in the year 2005 with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Government of India, according to CII-EXIM Africa Conclave’s official website.
In the last sixteen editions, the Conclave has played a pivotal role in encouraging Indian companies to establish and grow their footprints in Africa.
According to the website, the level of economic engagement between India and Africa has grown multi-dimensional and to reflect the changing contours of this dynamic relationship, the Conclave is being rechristened as “CII EXIM Bank Conclave on India Africa Growth Partnership” expanding the earlier focus on “Project Partnership”.
The upcoming edition focussed on project exports, trade, investments, and exchange of knowledge and expertise creating shared value for business and industry at large between India and Africa. (ANI)
In the run chase, Thailand put on a 76-run opening stand with Nannapat Koncharoenkai and Natthakan Chantham playing some crisp strokes and giving Thailand a strong platform…reports Asian Lite News
Zimbabwe beat Thailand by seven runs in a close game while UAE and USA played out a thriller, with the former winning off the last ball in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022, here on Sunday.
Put in to bat, Zimbabwe’s top four got starts, but couldn’t go big as Zimbabwe posted a below-par total on board.
Sharne Mayers and Kelis Ndhlovu put on an impressive opening stand of 46 runs before the former was dismissed. Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano gave Zimbabwe some much-needed acceleration with a 27-ball 39. Zimbabwe put on 118/6 eventually, a total that proved to be less than sufficient.
In the run chase, Thailand put on a 76-run opening stand with Nannapat Koncharoenkai and Natthakan Chantham playing some crisp strokes and giving Thailand a strong platform.
Ndhlovu eventually broke the stand by dismissing Chantham, and added two more wickets to her tally to put pressure on Thailand. Reduced to 92/4, the onus was on skipper Naruemol Chaiwai to take Thailand home with the required run rate soaring.
In the end, the target proved to be a bit away as Zimbabwe won by seven runs after a good final over from Nomvelo Sibanda.
UAE v USA
Chasing 118 for a win, UAE openers Esha Oza and Theertha Satish put on a half-century stand, but the duo was dismissed in quick succession as USA came back into the contest.
With the middle-order unable to keep up with the rate, USA were in with a chance to register their first win in the tournament.
Khushi Sharma was run out for 23 in the penultimate over and USA were favourites to win the contest, with UAE still more than 10 runs away from a win. But Natasha Cherriath and Samaira Dharnidharka held their nerve in the final over as UAE made 11 runs to win the game and the tournament on a high.
Brief scores:
ZIMW 118/6 in 20 overs beat THAIW 111-6 in 20 overs by 7 runs
USAW 117/3 in 20 overs lost to UAEW 118/5 in 20 overs by 5 wickets
Opener Nannapat Koncharoenkai continued to push Thailand towards the target and remained unbeaten on 34 as they completed a dominating win on day one of the qualifiers…reports Asian Lite News
Zimbabwe beat PNG while Thailand registered a commanding victory against UAE on Day 1 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier, here on Sunday.
In the first match of the day, UAE were reduced to 7/3 with the top three making 0, 2 and 1 after winning the toss and opting to bat first,
A promising half-century stand between Kavisha Kumari Egodage and Natasha Cherriath revived the innings for UAE, but Nattaya Bhoochatham returned to scalp the wicket of Natasha to break the partnership.
The innings seemed to be meandering towards a very ordinary total, but UAE managed 24 runs off the last two overs with Samaira Dharnidharka and Kavisha, in particular, upping the ante to take their team to 92/5 at the end of 20 overs.
The target was very short and Thailand piled on their agony by putting on 32 for the loss of no wickets in the Powerplay. Natthakan Chantham was the aggressor-in-chief for Thailand, racing away to 39 off 37 balls in an opening stand of 55. The partnership was eventually broken by Indhuja Nandakumar in the 10th over.
Opener Nannapat Koncharoenkai continued to push Thailand towards the target and remained unbeaten on 34 as they completed a dominating win on day one of the qualifiers.
Match 2: Zimbabwe v PNG
In the second match of the day, a three-wicket haul from Kelis Ndlovu and good spells from Nomvelo Sibanda and Precious Marange helped Zimbabwe bowl PNG out for 83 after being asked to bowl at the Tolerance Oval.
Tanya Ruma top-scored for PNG with a 25 off 35 balls from No 3, but none of the other batters managed to cross single digits as PNG struggled against some top-quality bowling.
In the run chase, Zimbabwe came out all guns blazing, the openers racing to 57 inside nine overs. Ndhlovu completed a brilliant all-round performance with her opening partner Sharne Mayers making an attractive 28-ball 33.
Zimbabwe sealed the run chase with eight wickets to spare with Ndhlovu unbeaten on 25 off 33 balls.
Brief scores:
UAE Women 92/5 in 20 overs (Kavisha Egodage 40 not out, Natasha Cherriath 26; Nattaya Boochatham 2/17) lost to Thailand Women 96/3 in 16.2 overs (Natthakan Chantham 39, Nannapat Koncharoenkai not out; Suraksha Kotte 1/4) by 7 wickets
Papua New Guinea Women 83 all out in 18 overs (Tanya Ruma 25; Kelis Ndlovu 3/18; Nomvelo Sibanda 2/9) lost to Zimbabwe Women 87/2 in 14.4 overs (Sharne Mayers 33, Kelis Ndlovu 25 not out; Kaia Arua 2/21) by 8 wickets.
Mining is strategic to the Zimbabwean economy, accounting for more than 60 per cent of foreign currency receipts annually and 13 per cent of GDP…reports Asian Lite News
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said his government’s target to achieve a $12 billion mining industry by 2023 is achievable given the growing momentum in the industry.
He added on Thursday that it was encouraging that 2021, and despite the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the mining sector’s performance amounted to $5.2 billion from $2.9 billion in 2017, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Well done to the sector stakeholders for a commendable performance,” he said while opening the annual mining exhibition in the second city of Bulawayo on Thursday.
He added that since assuming power in 2017, he had commissioned various signature mining projects in the areas of exploration, extraction and expansion covering minerals such as lithium, platinum and gold, adding that more projects will be coming on stream between the next 20-24 months.
“The $12 billion target is, therefore, within reach and set to see the realisation of a diversified, integrated, modern and industrialised economy synonymous with a prosperous society,” Mnangagwa said.
Mining is strategic to the Zimbabwean economy, accounting for more than 60 per cent of foreign currency receipts annually and 13 per cent of GDP.
Mnangagwa pledged more incentives to mining sector investors and called for the efficient organisation and syndication of the artisanal, small to medium-scale miners in the mining sector.
“Going forward, I call upon the sector to rally its players to adopt contemporary and appropriate mining technologies across the mineral value chain. This must result in the efficient extraction and guarantee realisation of the maximum value from our God-given endowments,” the President said.
He also called on the sector to venture into local production of quality and competitively priced mining consumables in line with “Buy Zimbabwe; Made in Zimbabwe; Build Zimbabwe” initiative.
“Riding on increased capacity utilisation of the various mining houses, there is no excuse for the continued importation of mining consumables and related accessories such as mill balls and conveyor belts, among others,” Mnangagwa added.
Preparing for the T20 World Cup and striving for 2023 Cricket World Cup qualification, Zimbabwe will certainly be battle-hardened, also taking on India and Australia in the next two months after Bangladesh’s visit…reports Asian Lite News
Bangladesh will look to carry on from where they had left off on the West Indies tour when they take on Zimbabwe in a limited-overs series beginning in Harare on from July 30.
While Bangladesh lost both the Tests by big margins and also suffered a T20I series defeat against the West Indies, the tourists clean-swept the One-day International component of the tour and are currently in Zimbabwe for a white-ball series that includes three T20Is and an equal number of one-dayers.
Zimbabwe meanwhile are buoyant following the qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, winning the all-important Qualifier B semifinal over Papua New Guinea to secure they place in the showpiece event later this year. Zimbabwe then capped off the campaign with a win over the Netherlands in the tournament final.
Sikandar Raza claimed the ‘Player of the Tournament’ honours at the qualifier, though the entire playing group, led by skipper Craig Ervine, contributed to the success. Sean Williams made an impressive return with the bat, while a number of players contributed in a strong bowling effort, spearheaded by quick Blessing Muzarabani.
Preparing for the T20 World Cup and striving for 2023 Cricket World Cup qualification, Zimbabwe will certainly be battle-hardened, also taking on India and Australia in the next two months after Bangladesh’s visit.
India return after a six-year gap, with their three ODIs part of the ongoing Cricket World Cup Super League. Zimbabwe’s matches against Australia in August and September are part of the same competition, where they lie in 12th position (35 points) with three wins and a no-result, according to ICC.
For now though, Zimbabwe’s focus is firmly on Bangladesh, not only in terms of preparation, but to maintain strong rankings in both formats.
Zimbabwe sit 12th on the ICC T20I Rankings and are on the threshold of potential automatic qualification for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the US, and in 15th in the ODI format, behind fellow Super League contenders Netherlands.
China to hand over completed new parliament building to Zimbabwe … a special report by Gretinah Machingura and Tafara Mugwar
Zimbabwe’s new parliament building, constructed and fully funded by China as a gift to the southern African country, is now complete and ready for occupation. It took 42 months to complete the project, instead of the original 32-month timeframe due to COVID-19 disruptions. Construction began in November 2018.
Sitting on the historical Mount Hampden Hill, about 18 km northwest of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, the six-story building is a fine piece of magnificent architecture that fuses both Zimbabwean and Chinese characteristics.
Shanghai Construction Group Company, the contractor, on Wednesday conducted a guided media tour of the building ahead of its official handover to the Zimbabwean government in the near future.
SCG project manager Cai Libo said the completion of the project was a major milestone for the China-Zimbabwe friendship which continues to blossom.
“There will be no doubt that the new parliament building will become a landmark building in Zimbabwe and even in the whole of southern Africa,” Cai said. “The project commenced on Nov. 30, 2018, and was completed on May 27, 2022, and we spent 42 months completing this project. From 2020 we faced a lot of challenges due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. We were supposed to complete this project last year but we were delayed because of the COVID pandemic but now, we have come to the end and are waiting to hand over this building to the Zimbabwean government.”
The new parliament building was one of the most important projects in China-Africa cooperation, aimed at strengthening friendship and solidarity between the people of Zimbabwe and China while improving facilities in parliament for better service to Zimbabwean people, he said.
“The project strongly supports democracy in Zimbabwe while boosting the country’s image,” Cai said.
Completion of the new parliament building, which borrows heavily from the iconic Great Zimbabwe ruins, also heralds the start of a new capital city as the Zimbabwean government plans to put up off-site infrastructure such as residential areas, shopping centers and access roads to establish a self-contained new city to decongest the capital Harare.
The government also plans to put up structures for two other arms of the state — the executive and the judiciary in Mount Hampden.
The imposing building has a combined floor space of 33,000 square meters, with two main sections — a six-story office building and a four-story parliament building. The office building and parliament building are connected by three bridges on each floor.
With the current parliament building having been built during the colonial era and now old and small to accommodate parliament business, the National Assembly at the new parliament building has more than enough space, with a capacity of 400 seats against the 270 House of Assembly members. The new Senate chamber has a capacity of 150 seats, against the current 80 Senate members. The new structure has extra facilities for conferencing, 15 committee rooms and adequate space for office staff and parking.
The office building contains 600 rooms, including offices for VIP, Members of Parliament and parliament officials. In total, the building has the capacity to accommodate 1,000 people.
Cai said skills sharing and transfer were one of the hallmarks of the project.
“This building is a landmark building in Zimbabwe. This is a show of solid friendship between China and Zimbabwe. This is a gift from the Chinese government to the Zimbabwean government. It was funded by China Aid funds, it’s a grant to Zimbabwe and not a loan so there is no payment to be made in the future. All Members of Parliament will use this building and parliamentarians serve the whole nation and therefore this is a gift to the whole nation,” Cai said.
Zimbabwean president defends Chinese investment in Africa against Western incitement
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has praised Chinese investment for changing the economic landscape in his country and other parts of Africa, while blasting the West for plundering African resources for decades.
In his weekly column for the government-run The Sunday Mail newspaper, Mnangagwa said that the Chinese investment’s late entry into Africa had made a telling difference over a short time.
“They have brought value and employment to our economies and societies, enabled through mutually painful partnerships never experienced before in our troubled history as a continent,” he wrote.
“We have seen Chinese capital supporting landmark and iconic infrastructural projects across the African continent,” he noted, adding, “Here in Zimbabwe, China has helped fund and implement several projects in the sectors of energy, air transport, water, real estate, industrial value addition, mining and defense.”
“All these have secured and bolstered our independence while changing the structure of our economy in this season of punitive Western sanctions,” the president said.
However, the West, Mnangagwa said, has been unhappy about the Chinese footprint on the continent and advising African leaders to be wary of the Chinese, as well as the Russians, Indians, Brazilians and Arabs.
“Apart from generous grants, interest-free or light loans, they have now come back to the continent they helped liberate as new, non-traditional investors. Read against time and historical circumstances, they are new and latecomers in this domain, unlike Western interests which have been exploiting our continent even well before its formal occupation,” he said.
“Including here in Zimbabwe, we have seen some Western governments sponsoring several false environmental and mining advocacy groups which seek to agitate communities against non-Western mining interests,” he said. “Their advice to us is false and cynical; we reject it with utter contempt it deserves.”
Citing as an example Bikita Minerals, situated in the Bikita hills of Masvingo province in Zimbabwe, he said it is the West that sponsors the opposition to protest against the presence of Chinese miners in Bikita as the community’s claims are old ones traced back to when the mine was run by the Western owners.
“Ironically, Bikita Minerals was only taken over by a Chinese investor earlier in the year, after being owned and exploited by Western interests for many years since the resource was discovered back in colonial days.”
“While those mining properties were in Western hands, both long before our independence and after, not once did the host communities benefit. Nor were host communities incited, mobilized and sponsored to defend their depletable resource and environment,” he said.
The mine was on the brink of collapsing until the new investor rescued it and expanded its operations with fresh capital, thus securing jobs for Zimbabweans, he said.
