Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. Click the appropriate button below and you will be redirected to your Social Media Website for confirmation and then back to Blackfacts.com once successful.
Enter the email address and password you used to join BlackFacts.com. If you cannot remember your login information, click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
BY MOSES MATENGA FOREIGN Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo (60) has died. The former army general, who has been battling a kidney ailment requiring regular dialysis, died after a long illness with close government sources saying he succumbed to COVID-19 at a local private hospital. In a statement, President Mnangagwa said Moyo succumbed to Covid19 at a private hospital in Harare. Mnangagwa said further funeral arrangements will be announced in due course. “His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa regrets to announce the passing on early this morning of SB Moyo, our Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The late Minister succumbed to COVID-19 at a local hospital,” Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said. Moyo became a household name after announcing the military takeover that led to the ouster of the late former President Robert Mugabe via a military coup in November 2017. The then army general, Moyo announced the military coup that toppled Zimbabwe's long time leader, Robert Mugabe in November 2017. Moyo was husband to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission chairperson, Loice Matanda-Moyo. Moyo is the latest top government official to succumb to COVID-19 after last week’s demise of Manicaland provincial affairs Minister Ellen Gwaradzimba.
Many people have been killed since clashes began on Monday. Scores too had been killed in the run up to the vote as protestors marched against Conde's bid for a third term.
[New Zimbabwe] The ruling party Zanu-PF has been angered by the failure of the United States of America's envoy to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols to denounce the recent violent protests at the Capitol Hill in Washington DC, which left six five people dead and scores injured.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, declined the ATM's request for a secret ballot.
BY michelle Munyanduki-Mutungwazi IN the now well-known Intratrek Zimbabwe (Private) Limited versus Zimbabwe Power Company appeal application, the judge highlighted that: “The prejudice, which results from delays in resolving the disputes between the parties by dialogue in terms of the provisions of the contract, is to the public and the country’s development. The parties must, using the provisions for dialogue and dispute resolution provided for in the contract, engage and relate.” The learned judge in this case explains that the prejudice owing to delays in dispute resolution is not only to the parties, but to the public and to the country’s development. This analysis is universally applicable. While others may personalise a national project, the real benefactors and at the same time victims of delay are the public. It is a prejudice to the public and development that the tax payer always pays. The Intratrek matter presents an interesting hypothesis which deserves to be placed into proper perspective. In this particular matter, the implementation and/or completion of 100 megawatts (MW) solar project was delayed because parties subjected the project to lengthy litigation, from 2016 to date. These proceedings were undertaken without exhausting the provisions for dialogue and dispute resolution provided for in the contract. The delay in the solar power project meant less power supply to the national grid. Supply and demand would, therefore, indicate that, if there is less power generation and so a lower amount of power supplied, at the same time as an increasing demand, there would be an increased price for electricity. Ultimately, this results in an increase in production and input costs for other goods, resulting in the price of basics like bread and others also increasing. It is important to recognise, especially in national projects, that the taxpayer bears the majority if not all of the cost and risk in most instances. If the projects are started, they are inevitably the provider/financier of last resort. In the event that parties chose expensive dispute resolution routes like litigation or arbitration, it is potentially the taxpayers’ money on the line. It is untenable that we have standardised and best practice contracts being decorated with clauses on dispute adjudication and avoidance, yet parties insist on litigation or arbitration as a preferred dispute resolution method. What the judge refers to above as “provisions for dialogue and dispute resolution provided for in the contract”, is the referral of disputes to dispute adjudication and avoidance boards (DAABs). Over time dispute boards were adopted as a response to the frequency of disputes detrimental to project budgets and programmes. This is especially the case when dealing with International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) contracts that have as a golden principle and a condition precedent to arbitration, the resolution of disputes through DAABs. According to the Global Construction Dispute Report by Arcadis, early dispute avoidance decreas
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) was founded on April 25, 1944 by Frederick Patterson, President of the Tuskegee Institute, and Mary McLeod Bethune, an advisor to the Franklin Roosevelt Administration, to provide a steady, consistent stream of funding to 27 financially struggling small historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) scattered across the south. It also hoped to support access to higher education for impoverished African American students by an appeal to the national conscience.
Early UNCF supporters included President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The first annual fundraising effort generated $760,000, a sum that would be worth approximately $8.6 million in 2008 dollars. In 1959 Massachusetts Senator (and future President) John F. Kennedy donated the proceeds from his Pulitzer Prize winning book, Profiles in Courage, to the UNCF.
Between its founding in 1944 and 1970, the fundraising efforts of the UNCF were directed primarily by and toward influential whites such as John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who sat on the board until his death in 1960. Only in 1970 with the selection of Vernon Jordan did African Americans gain full control of the UNCF. The arrival of Jordan as president led to a dramatic increase in direct appeals to black Americans including especially graduates of the member colleges. Beginning in 1980, the organization enlisted singer Lou Rawls to lead an annual telethon, initially called the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars to raise money for UNCF scholarships. The annual telethons raised more than $200 million through 2006, the year of Rawlss death.
In 1972, Forest Long, an executive of the Young and Rubicam advertising agency, developed the now nationally recognized slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” The UNCF motto became one of the most widely recognized slogans in advertising history.
The United Negro College Fund is an active supporter of black college attendance. In addition to funding for the now 39 member institutions, it
Title: Victor Trammell for Your Black World | Photo credits: Max Schulte/WXXI News File Photo
THE High Court has ordered Finance minister Mthuli Ncube to publish details of all loans and guarantees incurred by government from January 2017 to December 1, 2020 with the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) and other international financiers. BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA The ruling was handed down on Tuesday by Justice Happias Zhou after Harare North legislator Allan Norman Markham and the Community Water Alliance Trust took Ncube, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and Afreximbank to court in September 2019. The government has signed several loan and guarantee agreements with Afreximbank without disclosing the terms and conditions to Parliament as demanded by section 300 (3) of the Constitution. By keeping the figures out of the public, government could underreport the country’s true external debt arrears, critics say. “The first respondent (Ncube) shall publish in an Extraordinary Government Gazette the terms and conditions of all the loans and guarantees concluded by the Government of Zimbabwe with or in favour of the third respondent (Afreximbank) or any other third party international financiers from January to the date of the this judgment by January 30, 2021,” reads part of the ruling dated December 1, 2020. “The 1st respondent’s failure to publish the terms of any of the loans and guarantees concluded by the Government of Zimbabwe and or in favour of the 3rd respondent or any other 3rd party International financiers from January 2017 to date, within sixty (60) days of their conclusion, is declared to be a violation of Section 300 (3) if the Constitution of Zimbabwe and Section 18 (2) of the Public Debt Management Act.” The ruling also comes when government is pushing amendments to the Constitution that seek to make the Executive unaccountable to Parliament on all foreign debts. Government has been accused of guaranteeing loans from the Afreximbank, in particular, using precious resources such as gold without full disclosures of the nature of the deals. From all the reported Afreximbank loans in the period of January 2017 to December 1, 2020 the government has borrowed more than US$2 billion from the bank. Further, from the US$2,23 billion in fresh RBZ debt accumulated between July 2019 and July 2020, 10% is for services rendered to the government and the remaining 10% represents interest on existing debt owed to international financial institutions. In August, the RBZ accumulated fresh debt of nearly $24,95 billion or US$304,70 million based on the central bank’s economic monthly report for that month. But, there is no public list indicating where the fresh debt is coming from or which creditors were getting repaid, making it unclear whether the RBZ and government are indeed controlling or honouring debt obligations. “I think I would feel the same way as Ncube…scratching his head thinking 'how am I possibly going to keep this under wraps now'? No doubt there will be an appeal,” MDC Alliance treasury general, David Coltart tweeted. Section 300 (3) of the Constitution also states that the Finance Minister must “c
CHENNAI, India—The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu produces madras cotton, the world-famous textile popular in 18th century Europe and the post-World War United States. Celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher and Jessica Simpson have been [...]
by Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his and the Republican Party’s dangerous actions and rhetoric are now causing damage that might not easily be undone. Led by the Proud Boys, whom Trump infamously asked to “stand back and stand … Continued
The post Dangerous rhetoric + false claims = Violence and havoc in cities across America appeared first on New Pittsburgh Courier.
Childhood pneumonia remains the second biggest killer of our children.
New Orleans native and actress Carol Sutton died from COVID-19 complications on Friday, Dec. 11 at the age of 76.... View Article
The post Actress Carol Sutton dies from coronavirus complications appeared first on TheGrio.
By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide. She won past confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate and has emerged as the public face of the state's response to […]
The post Biden picks transgender woman as assistant health secretary appeared first on Black News Channel.
[Premium Times] Apart from the resurgent Boko Haram attacks in the North East, there have been increased cases of killings and kidnappings across Nigeria.
The Boss is back! The album recorded in just five days also includes three renditions of previously unreleased tracks from the 1970s
THE undignified manner in which Mary Mubaiwa was treated by her former husband, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga last Friday as well as the police siege on suspended High Court judge Justice Erica Ndewere on Saturday have brought to the fore the abuse of women by powerful political leaders that should not go unchallenged. On Friday, Chiwenga assigned soldiers to dump his estranged wife’s property taken from the couple’s Borrowdale Brooke mansion at her Eastlea offices in Harare. The property, which included plates, clothes, blankets and kitchen utensils, was left strewn at Mubaiwa’s offices. Mubaiwa was not at the offices when the property was dumped. The two’s divorce is still pending before the courts, which should determine how they aught to share the property. One wonders why the VP rushed to dump Mary’s household goods at her offices before conclusion of their divorce case in court. To make matters worse, this came at a time Mary was hospitalised. Chiwenga was supposed to treat his estranged wife with respect. He is the Vice-President of the nation and should lead by example. President Emmerson Mnangagwa also failed women by withdrawing suspended judge Justice Ndewere’s VVIP security at a time her alleged misconduct case is yet to be concluded. Surely both Mnangagwa and Chiwenga should show respect for women if they want the nation to take them seriously when they talk of women’s rights, gender equality and equity. Zimbabwe is not only a signatory to the Beijing Declaration of 1995, the Protocol to the African Charter on Women’s Rights of 2003 and the Sadc Protocol on Gender and Development of 2008, but it is also signatory to the international human rights frameworks for women’s rights. The country has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of 1991. CEDAW is regarded as the women’s Bill of Rights, compelling States to review their legal systems to end discrimination against women. The law also compels States to establish institutions to protect women. We cannot be a nation which is signatory to such key international conventions that seek to enforce respect for women and talk about gender parity, but have vindictive leaders who have a poor judgment of issues and use emotions and State security arms to trample on women's rights. Mnangagwa and Chiwenga as national leaders are naturally expected to lead by example in the way they perceive women in general. The other time we had Vice-President Kembo Mohadi reportedly wielding an axe against his estranged wife, Tambudzani, as they fought for property during divorce proceedings. Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi is currently embroiled in a messy divorce with his estranged wife, Florence, where he is alleged to be using his alleged lover from the sheriff’s office, to falsify information on returns of service. It would appear our leaders have a negative perception on women and that could probably explain why Mnangagwa has appointed few women into his Cabinet.
Western Bureau: Three hundred students from 17 schools in St James were the grateful recipients of $5 million in school supplies provided by the New Fortress Energy company, which had a somewhat scaled-down back-to-school fair on the grounds of...
[Premium Times] The condemned soldier, according to the court-martial, failed to provide a convincing defence in his testimony.
THE education ministry has warned schools that there must be strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, as some institutions started summer schools yesterday.
BY FORTUNE MBELE/TERRY MADYAUTA FC PLATINUM are eager to sign former Ngezi Platinum star Donald Teguru, who is believed to have fallen out with his Zambian side Buildcon and is yet to get clearance. Although NewsDay Sport could not get an immediate response from FC Platinum regarding the player’s status, the publication is reliably-informed Teguru dumped Buildcon alleging breach of contract by the Zambian side. Coach Hendrikus Pieter De Jongh would not confirm Teguru’s presence at FC Platinum but sources revealed there are only two new players; Brian Banda and Teguru while Donald Ngoma also trained with the side but left. De Jongh only said there was a new player and the club would make an announcement at the right time. The Dutchman said they would be more additions for the Caf Champions League campaign in January in anticipation of injuries and players moving to greener pastures “We signed Brian Banda and another player who is already training with the team since last Monday. The club will make an announcement at the right time. The selection we have for now is okay, but in January may bring in one or two players depending on how things will go. For now I am happy with the squad, but in football you never know how things go. You may have injuries or players are sold to other clubs. That is football,” De Jongh said. Teguru awaits to be cleared by the Football Association of Zambia before FC Platinum can sign him. Banda was a direct replacement for Last Jesi, who was on loan to FC Platinum from Manica Diamonds and has since joined Sudan giants Al Hilal. FC Platinum almost lost Silas Songani to Al Hilal after he only played the Castle Challenge Cup final against Highlanders in March but the deal fell through. Songani is now back in Zvishavane. De Jongh says he is happy with training so far. “We are making strides in terms of shape, conditioning, technical and tactical aspects. It's not easy to bring back the players confidence after seven months of inactivity, not training and no games but we are improving everyday and I am happy with that. The coaches co-operation with players is excellent. The players are working hard and are focused,” he said. Meanwhile the Dutchman has no plans of replacing Lizwe Sweswe this year following his former assistant’s exit from the club a fortnight ago. Sweswe left the three-time PSL champions following a frosty relationship with De Jongh, amid reports that the latter wanted to replace him with Mandla Mpofu. The Dutchman revealed that he was happy with the current technical team and preferred to work with Patrick Mandizha. “I am happy with the staff. The co-operation with this staff is excellent and there is a great work atmosphere. I am very happy. “We are close to end of the year and we will do nothing in terms of appointments except maybe for players. We are happy with assistant coach Mandizha, fitness coach, goalkeepers’ coach and medical staff and team manager. “This year we will do nothing. In January, we will do a evaluation me and the board so that we see the way forward, but fo
