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BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE A TOP official in the Health and Child Care ministry, Portia Manangazira appeared in court yesterday charged with criminal abuse of office after she illegally facilitated the recruitment and training of 28 family members as community health workers. She also allegedly authorised the procurement of goods amounting to US$280 529 without following due process. Manangazira (52), who is the principal director of epidemiology and disease control, was remanded in custody to today for bail ruling by Harare magistrate Bianca Makwande. She was represented by Harrison Nkomo. Former Health minister Obadiah Moyo was also arrested and later fired on corruption charges last year and the matter is still before the courts. The State alleges that sometime in July last year, Manangazira requested for funding to recruit and train voluntary community workers to assist in raising awareness on COVID-19. An allocation of US$796 675 was availed by the Africa Centre for Disease Control through the African Field Epidemiology Network,a non-governmental organisation to fund the line items and services meant to be used at training workshops for 800 community health workers. It is also alleged that between July 2020 and last month, she identified 1 000 health community workers meant to be deployed throughout the country on a COVID-19 awareness campaign, without involving provincial and district medical directors and officers. The State alleges that the health workers were paid US$600 each for a period of three months and preliminary investigations revealed that 28 of the recruits were related to Manangazira. It is also alleged that between July 16, 2020 and last month, Manangazira acted unlawfully and contrary to or inconsistent with her duties as a public officer and authorised the procurement of goods and services amounting to US$280 529 without following due processes after she showed favour to selected suppliers. Manangazira is also accused of sanctioning the payment of facilitation fees amounting to US$8 835 to undeserving Health ministry staff. She also faces another charge of authorising the issuance of 3 290 litres of fuel coupons to privately-owned vehicles not registered with the ministry. Lancelot Mutsokoti appeared for the State. Follow Desmond on Twitter @DChingarande1
Critics have called it a stunt to invite sympathy. Yet Amuriat says campaigning without shoes is a protest and that those who do not get its symbolism are missing a point.
Uganda is due to hold a general election on January 14. Amuriat and another opposition candidate, Bobi Wine have had their rallies violently dispersed by security forces or been arrested.
In mid-November, scores of people were killed as security forces attempted to quell protests against the arrest and detention of Bobi Wine.
Police has accused the candidates of addressing huge gatherings in contravention of regulations on COVID-19 prevention.
Swollen feet
In an interview with one of the dailies in Uganda, Amuriat said his feet hurt a lot and has to pour cold water on them in between campaign stops for some relief.
Doctors have cautioned him on the potential danger of contracting tetanus from cuts to his feet.
Yet Amuriat remains adamant. He says by refusing to wear shoes, he’s standing in solidarity with people whose wealth and opportunities have been stolen by the country’s longtime ruler Yoweri Museveni.
JUST IN: FDC presidential candidate Patrick Amuriat has been arrested at the border of Rubirizi and Bushenyi districts. The reason for his arrest is yet to be known📹 @MukhayeD#MonitorUpdates#UGDecides2021 pic.twitter.com/xopK4FMoD0
— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) December 4, 2020
Museveni, in power since 1986 is seeking a new term. In 2017, he changed the constitution to remove age limits that would have stopped him from seeking re-election.
FDC is Uganda’s largest opposition party. In 3 previous elections, the party fronted veteran activist and retired army colonel Kizza Besigye for president.
HURUNGWE Rural District Council has been slapped in the face after the Labour Court threw out its application for leave to appeal at the Supreme Court in a case in which three top council executives were fired for misconduct. BY RICHARD MUPONDE/NHAU MANGIRAZI The HRDC had fired the trio comprising chief executive, Joram Moyo, finance officer, Karol Mutenga and another officer Jackson Mashinge for corruption, after they had been arrested by the police and taken to court on the said charges. However, the trio approached the Labour Court seeking a review of the disciplinary proceedings and an order nullifying its dismissal arguing that the local authority did not follow the code of conduct. Labour Court judge, Justice Lawrence Murasi allowed the appeal by the trio, saying the local authority did not follow its code of conduct hence it should conduct a fresh hearing. The court also ordered the reinstatement of the trio. Hurungwe RDC then filed an application before the same judge for leave of appeal to the Supreme Court against Murasi‘s judgment, arguing that the higher court could arrive at a different decision on the same facts. In his ruling of November 20, Murasi said Hurungwe RDC’s application had no prospects of success at the higher court. “. . . Applicant ‘feels’ the Supreme Court is likely to come to a different conclusion on the same facts. No prospects of success exist in the circumstances and the application ought to be dismissed and costs must follow cause. It, the result, the application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court be and is hereby dismissed for lack of merit. Applicant to meet respondents’ costs,” Murasi ruled. The trio was fired following its conviction on charges of misconduct. Murasi said Moyo, Mutenga and Mashinge were not suspended in terms of the local authority’s code of conduct. But the suspension was premised on the criminal charges they faced at Chinhoyi Magistrates Court. Follow us on Twitter@NewsDayZimbabwe
The office of the Zambian President Edgar Lungu has released this photo showing Mr Lungu (centre) meeting the Africa head of the International Monetary Fund, Abebe Aemro Selassie (second from right). Mr Lungu did not release any statement but the meeting comes after Zambia became the first African country during the coronavirus pandemic to default on its debt repayments. A default makes it harder for the country to borrow more funds. In October, it missed a repayment of $40m (£30m) - the country was given a month's grace period but failed to come up with the money. Coronavirus has aggravated pre-existing financial pressures in Zambia. Last month, the IMF said it was in talks with the Zambian authorities about how best to support the country, but its help would depend on the country taking steps to make sure its debt was sustainable.- BBC
It was after midnight in Lagos on 21 October when Elisha Sunday said he got a call from his brother Victor's phone: a stranger told him Victor had been shot dead by soldiers at Lekki Toll Gate.
Hubs in the UK are starting the rollout by vaccinating the over-80s and some health and care staff.
MOBILE telecoms giant, Econet Wireless yesterday announced a 20% hike in voice, data and SMS bundle prices, saying this was important to sustain operations. BY BUSINESS REPORTER “The business continuously reviews its pricing in line with changes in the operating environment to ensure it remains viable, while retaining good quality of service and offering affordable products,” Econet said. The listed telecommunications company earlier said it was transforming itself into a digital service provider and remained “committed to innovative approaches to deliver these (digital) services and ensure our customers get the best quality voice, data and SMS-based products”. Econet last adjusted its voice and data tariffs in September, but since that time, the price of many goods and services that constitute critical costs to business have skyrocketed, putting pressure on the company’s bottom line. In particular, the price of electricity has doubled (gone up 100%) while diesel has gone up by 32% since September. Econet and other telecommunication companies rely on electricity and diesel-generated power to keep their network services up and running. According to the latest schedule, Econet has reviewed its bundle of joy voice bundles from $4,04 to $4,25 per two minutes, while a 20 megabyte (MB) daily data bundle now costs $17, up from $13. A monthly 100MB data bundle has been reviewed upwards from $67 to $84, while the 8GB private Wi-fi bundle has been adjusted from $960 to $1 500. At the same time, subscribers are now be required to pay $0,36 to send an SMS, up from $0,32. Although Econet’s service delivery has been affected by load-shedding like many Zimbabwean companies, streamlining its revenue generation capacity, the group has, however, devised methods of continuing to provide quality service to its subscribers. “We maintained quality of service despite the numerous challenges facing businesses in Zimbabwe. In particular, limited foreign currency and disruptions in power supply continue to put a significant strain on our ability to provide uninterrupted excellent service,” said the company chairman James Myers in a statement accompanying Econet’s half-year results to August 2020. “Our mitigation strategies, which include moving to remote monitoring and operation of our network, as well as reducing our reliance on power from the grid through DPA, were critical to our success,” he said, adding that the company expected at least an additional 18MW of power to be availed by DPA (an Econet group Solar power company) by the end of the financial year.
Burberry Launches Program To Donate Leftover Fabric To Fashion Students In Need
By Victor Trammell Photo credits: Sipa USA via AP Images On Monday (December 7), New York Magazine published an eye-opening article about the COVID-19 public health crisis, which is still wreaking havoc on the American people nearly a year after its arrival. David Wallace-Wells (the writer of the New York Magazine article) suggested in his […]
[Monitor] The Ministry of Health is recruiting 164 specialists to reinforce manpower at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Mulago National Referral Hospital as the number of severe cases rise.
Manchester United star Paul Pogba is \"unhappy\" at Manchester United and should leave in the next transfer window, his agent Mino Raiola said in an interview with Italian media.
The French midfielder of Guinean descent was at one point the world's most expensive player.
Raiola said the World Cup-winning France midfielder, 27, needs a \"change of scene\" after struggling to establish himself under United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
\"Paul's unhappy at Manchester United, he can't express himself any more as he would like to and as we expect of him,\" Raiola told Italian newspaper Tuttosport.
He has to change teams, he needs a change of scene. His contract is up in a year-and-a-half, in the summer of 2022, but I think the best solution for all sides is a transfer in the next window.\"
Pogba returned from a spell at Juventus for a then world-record fee of $118 million in 2016.
\"The club... knows it risks losing him for nothing, as at the moment the player has no intention of extending his contract,\" Raiola said.
It is not known where he will go next but Pogba has also expressed his desire to play for Real Madrid one day, particularly if that means playing under the orders of Zinedine Zidane.
The midfielder's superb strike in Saturday's 3-1 win over West Ham was his first goal in eight Premier League appearances this season.
By COLLEEN LONG and ED WHITE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and his allies say their lawsuits aimed at subverting the 2020 election and reversing his loss to Joe Biden would be substantiated, if only judges were allowed to hear the cases. There is a central flaw in the argument. Judges have heard the cases and have been among the harshest critics of the legal arguments put forth by Trump's legal team, often dismissing them with scathing language of repudiation. This has been true whether the judge has been appointed by a Democrat or a Republican, including […]
The post Trump thought courts were key to winning. Judges disagreed. appeared first on Black News Channel.
If Professor Karim is worried, the rest of us should be too. Our virus expert has conceded that South Africa's second wave 'may already be happening'.
