ANOTHER massive protest is looming on Wednesday (today) with a view to force President Robert Mugabe to step down.

Coordinators of the protests called #Tajamuka/Sesijikile insists they were going ahead with the massive protests despite police’s heavy-handedness on innocent civilians.

The protests for Wednesday are set to take place in the country’s five mjor cities with the view to make a complete shutdown of business in the capital Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Masvingo.

The #Tajamuka/Sesijikile’s coordinator, Hardlife Mudzingwa, said enough was enough with abject poverty arguing the suffering was being caused by corrupt ZANU PF leaders, disappearance of R225 billion, abuse of power, police brutality and worsening unemployment in the country.

However, the group pointed out the protests would not go violent sincethey believed in peace and stability, but were quick to say when attacked by police would retaliate.

“We are not a violent campaign and we will not involve ourselves in violence,” Mudzingwa said.

He said president Mugabe was expected to step down from power before December arguing no amount of police brutality would intimidate them nor stop the organised protests from going ahead.

Speaking at the same media briefing, #ThisFlower campaign leader Stern Zvorwadza, who came out from police cells following his arrest last week said the coalition would continue piling relentless pressure on the Zanu PF and Mugabe until they relinquish power.

“This day should be historic and be a day that we say enough is enough. As we participate in this process, we should not be deterred by the brutality of the State. We should stay clear in mind and clear in heart that the fight is on and this fight will end the game,” Zvorwadza said.

Meanwhile, war veterans have warned Mugabe from risking eroding his legacy by refusing to step down even when he is old.

The former freedom fighters said Mugabe’s refusal would also expose his wife Grace Mugabe and children when forced to leave office.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) secretary-general Victor Matemadanda said Mugabe’s wife was allowing herself to be used by ‘vultures’ within the ruling Zanu PF to make reckless statements that created many enemies around the country.

“Mugabe is soiling his own legacy by overstaying. There is no need to force things. He is creating trouble for his children by antagonising everyone, we feel for his wife and children,” Matemadanda said.

“Grace is allowing herself to be abused by criminal elements in Zanu PF to create enemies. She is being used by people with an ulterior motive to destroy Zanu PF and she should be warned,” he said.

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Tuesday abandoned the ongoing Sadc summit in Swaziland after his health reportedly deteriorated.

Government sources said Mugabe arrived back in Harare late Tuesday evening and then left the capital just before 11pm. He had travelled to Swaziland on Monday.

The SADC summit was due to end on Wednesday.

“He came back today because of health issues. It has to do with prostate cancer and is due to fly out early on Wednesday to Dubai,” one source said.
Another source added: “He will be treated for urinary tract infection”.

Online flight trackers showed his Zim One Air Zimbabwe plane leaving Harare at 22:45 hours. The plane was last seen above the Indian Ocean, headed towards the Far East.

Mugabe has reportedly been battling prostate cancer and regularly travels to the Far East for treatment although his handlers claim the trips are just for eye surgery.

Pressure has been mounting on the 92-year-old Zimbabwean leader within and outside his ruling Zanu PF party.

Opposition parties and rights activists engaging in protests almost every week demanding that he steps down due to old age.

Veterans of the liberation struggle, a key Zanu PF affiliate, have also rejected Mugabe and declared they would not support him at the next elections which are due in 2018.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has called on MTN chief human resources officer, Nhlanhla Qwabe, to step down in its latest war of words with the network.

The union is set to meet MTN in court on Tuesday after applying for an interdict against the company regarding its outsourcing plan.

Last week, the CWU applied for a court interdict against the network provider following the company's decision to outsource a portion of its call centre facility to a third-party vendor. The union claims that it had not been properly consulted over the move.

CWU president Clyde Mervin said that MTN had been victimising staff members and shop stewards amid threats of strike action.

The union is also calling for a salary increase and the conversion of temporary workers into permanent staff.

"We cannot allow our members to be treated this way. We are going for them. There is a war to come," Mervin told Fin24.

"People say they know us for all calling for people to step down, but that is exactly what we are doing. We want Qwabe to step down," he added.

MTN earlier said it will adopt a hybrid outsource model which would result in retaining some of its call centre facilities, while others would be outsourced to an experienced third party vendor.

This was in a bid to "optimise operations and enhance customer experience."

Meanwhile, MTN and CWU are set to meet on Friday again in a "long over-due" meeting, said Mervin.

MTN confirmed that the meeting with the union was indeed scheduled to take place on Friday.

"We are looking forward to a constructive meeting, where all parties will conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner," Qwabe told Fin24.

The Nigerian economy is in recession, figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics officially confirmed Wednesday.

Although various government officials, notably the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, and the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, had over a month ago said the economy was in “technical” recession, the official confirmation came with the release of the new figures.

The statistics bureau said the second quarter 2016 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined by -2.06 per cent.

Annual inflation rose to 17.1 percent in July from 16.5 percent in June, and food inflation rose to 15.8 percent from 15.3.

“The pace of the increase in the headline index was however weighed upon by a slower increase in three divisions, namely health, transport, and recreation and culture divisions,” the NBS said.

The statistics agency said the onset of the harvest season was yet to significantly impact on food prices, with food sub-index rising by 15.8 per cent (year-on-year basis) in July, about 0.5 per cent points lower from rates recorded the previous month.

Equally, the agency said energy prices accounted for the rise in inflation for the month, with energy and energy related prices recording some of the largest increases reflected in the core sub-index.

“In July, the core sub-index increased by 16.9% during the month, up by 0.7% points from rates recorded in June (16.2%).” the report said

“During the month, the highest increases were seen in the electricity, liquid fuel (kerosene), solid fuels, and fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment’ groups.

Despite the figures confirming Nigeria’s worst economic recession in over a decade, the federal government on Wednesday said it remained optimistic of a turnaround.

In a reaction, the Presidency said although the gross domestic product (GDP) figures released by the NBS in its 2016 second quarter confirmed a temporary decline in the economy, it also indicated “an hopeful expectation in the country’s economic trajectory.”

A statement from the office of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, said beside the growth in the agriculture and solid mineral sectors, the Nigerian economy was doing better than estimates by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Vice President said with the present administration’s policies, there were clear indications the second half of the year would be even much better.

“The Buhari presidency will continue to work diligently on the economy and engage with all stakeholders to ensure that beneficial policy initiatives are actively pursued and the dividends delivered to the Nigerian people,” he said.

In his reaction to the NBS report, Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Adeyemi Dipeolu said “The just recently released data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Gross Domestic Product declined by -2.06% in the second quarter of 2016 on a year-on-year basis.

“A close look at the data shows that this outcome was mostly due to a sharp contraction in the oil sector, due to huge losses of crude oil production as a result of vandalisation and sabotage.

“However, the rest of the Q2 data is beginning to tell a different story. There was growth in the agricultural and solid minerals sectors, which are the areas in which the Federal Government has placed particular priority.”

Mr.Dipeolu noted, agriculture grew by 4.53 per cent in the second quarter of 2016, compared with 3.09 per cent in the first quarter.

Besides, he said the metal ores sector showed similar performance, with coal mining, quarrying and other minerals also showing positive growth of over 2.5 per cent, while the share of investments in GDP increased to its highest levels since 2010, growing to about 17 per cent of GDP.

Although the manufacturing sector was yet truly out of the woods, the adviser said the sector was beginning to show signs of recovery, with the service sector similar improvement.

The inflation rate remains high but the good news is that the month-on-month rate of increase has fallen continuously over the past three months.

He noted the high unemployment rate, which she said was usually the case during growth slowdowns.

“The emerging picture, barring unforeseen shocks, is the areas given priority by the Federal Government, are beginning to respond with understandable time lags to policy initiatives,” Mr. Dipeolu said.

“Indeed, as the emphasis on capital expenditure begins to yield results and the investment/GDP numbers increase, the growth rate of the Nigerian economy is likely to improve further,” he said.

As these trends continue, he said the outlook for the rest of the year pointed at the Nigerian economy beating the IMF prediction of -1.8% for the full year 2016.

“The IMF had forecasted a growth of -1.8% for 2016. However, the economy is performing better than the IMF estimates so far. For the half year, it stands at -1.23% compared to an average of -1.80% expected on average by the IMF.”

A Research Analyst with FXTM, Lukman Otunuga, noted the 2.06 per cent contraction of the economy in the second quarter, saying the signs of an imminent slowdown were already visible with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s foreign reserves falling to $19 billion.

“While Naira’s vulnerability was highly expected following the official floating foreign exchange policy, external risks, such as a resurgent dollar has accelerated the devaluation of the local currency, consequently pressuring the nation further.

“With inflation and unemployment hovering around worrying levels, the CBN has been placed under immense pressure to act, which may weigh on investor sentiment.

“While the news of Nigeria entering a recession may be painful, it should be no surprise as the incessant declines in oil prices have punished heavily oil export nations, with Nigeria being no exception,” Mr Otunuga said.

Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has said the "future of the world" will be built on the African continent.

Zuckerberg made the statement during his first Sub-Saharan visit to Africa in Lagos, Nigeria on Tuesday.

A small group of media were invited to a live-stream of the Nigerian event in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

"The thing that is striking [about Nigeria] is the entrepreneurial energy. I think when you're trying to build something, what matters the most is who wants it the most. This is where the future is going to be built," Zuckerberg said from Lagos.

He said that once the world woke up to the entrepreneurial energy coming from Africa, the continent would begin to change the world.

"You feel that here, as soon as you get off the plane and start talking to people, you feel that passion and entrepreneurial energy," Zuckerberg added.His surprise visit to Nigeria, Facebook's largest African market with over 18 million users, was to learn more about the country with a focus around entrepreneurship and web development.

"If you want to connect everyone in the world then making sure everyone has access to the internet is a really important thing," he said.

During his discussion with Nigerian media, Zuckerberg made mention of Facebook's key projects aimed at connecting developing communities to the internet.One such project, Free Basics aimed at providing people with access to basic services on their mobile phones in areas where internet access may not be as accessible as in more developed areas, is currently being brought to South Africans by Cell C.

"Whether you care about connecting people, friends and family or helping people startup businesses, the internet is one of the most fundamental parts of infrastructure that I think needs to exist," Zuckerberg said.

"Growing small businesses is an important part of communities. So far 60 million businesses have pages have been created on Facebook. We are giving people the same tools that only big companies would have had access to," he added.

Arusha — East African handicraft stakeholders are finalising negotiations with four International organisations to promote handicraft trade in the region.

The Netherlands Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries, Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), the World Fair Trade Organisation and the USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub will jointly promote handicrafts.

That will be done through trade fairs in an initiative known as Source East Africa.

East Africa's geographical location has made it a melting pot of different cultures, resulting in a rich diversity of crafts skills and products.

Trade in handicrafts can create jobs in rural and peri-urban areas and add value to local raw materials.

Besides generating money, handicrafts can contribute to import substitution by providing locally produced product alternatives to imported ones.

"We need to start recognising the handicrafts sector as a key economic sector in the region that requires comprehensive support so that it can unfold its full potential," the CBI programme manager for the Export Coaching Programme in East Africa, Heidy van der Ploeg, said.
 

According to UNESCO, the handicrafts sector is the second largest employer in the developing world behind agriculture. The global crafts sector is valued at $34 billion annually and 65 per cent of global handicrafts exports come from developing countries. "We are delighted to be part of this trade fair as its success and benefits will lead us closer to achieving our objective of increasing the region's global exports," said the chief executive officer for TMEA, Frank Matseart.

He said Source East Africa is an international business platform that will consequently result in the creation of more jobs in the region and especially for women who are a major stakeholder in the crafts sector. Besides the demand on the export market, there is also a growing regional and domestic demand for home décor, fashion accessories and gifts.

A growing tourism sector in the region offers the potential to sell products to tourists through souvenir and gift shops. Many hotels and lodges, besides sourcing products for their own in-house gift shops also look for interior decoration products to decorate their houses in a "local design style" to enhance the experience for their guests.

There is also a growing middle and upper class in the region that appreciates good quality handicrafts. There is also the corporate sector that often sources products from this sector either to decorate their offices or as gifts to customers, especially during the holiday season.

Mbanza Congo — Construction material prices increased in the last three weeks in Mbanza Congo, northern Zaire province, in what the residents decries that such situation hinders the fulfillment of their dreams of having own homes.

In a tour meant to sound out the prices of the construction materials in the local trade outlets on Monday, Angop learnt that a 50km cement bag is being sold at AKz 1600 against the previous 1400 in beginning of August.

A 3-meter zinc sheet stands at AKz 3,800 against the previous 3,000, while a 25 kg tin of paint worth 1200 Kwanzas, 200 more than the previous price.

The 12mm-steel bar went to AKz 2000 and AKz 1700 for 10mm steel bar, eight millimeters (1400), six millimeters (1000), a 14-cubic meter car load of sand (AKz 100 000), gravel (AKz 90, 000).