WEEKLY NEWS ROUND-UP

Monday

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has hailed Malawians for overcoming the twin challenges of Covid-19 and voting without observers in a historic election re-run that saw opposition leader Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera defeating incumbent Professor Peter Mutharika.

The President, who is SADC chairperson for the Organ of Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, pledged to work with Dr Chakwera.

Dr Chakwera is Malawi’s 6th President. “Your Excellency and dear brother, may I take this opportunity to commend the people of Malawi for showing great maturity and patience in exercising their democratic right against twin odds of Covid-19 global pandemic, as well as voting in the absence of international observers. Your country has indeed demonstrated that great things can be achieved when people have a common purpose,” said President Mnangagwa.

Tuesday

Mobile money operators have heeded a Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe ( RBZ) directive to suspend agent lines and convert merchant lines into one-way transaction channels. The move allows account holders to cash in and only cash out through banks.

Wednesday

smoothly yesterday with schools following measures set by Government and World Health Organisation ( WHO) to reduce Covid-19 infection. Registered candidates and invigilators showed up for the morning and afternoon examinations on time.

A survey across Harare showed that exams progressed well including at Harare High School where 20 O’ Level students sat for English Language in the morning.

Thursday

Bread prices have dropped to $66 for a standard loaf from between $71 and $80 following an agreement that millers can buy foreign currency to import wheat from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe at the auction rate. In future, bread prices will track the auction rate, making the commodity the first non-subsidised essential product where prices will track the auction rate.

Friday

With most motorists boycotting street parking in Harare city centre yesterday morning and shopkeepers counting severe losses, Harare City Council has reversed the US$ 1 an hour new parking charges and reverted to $20 an hour.

Few vehicles were parked in the city centre in the morning.

City Parking, a private company set up by Harare City Council to manage street parking, parkades and car parks, had unilaterally hiked its charges to US$ 1 an hour.