#Webster Shamu

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe: The Pentecostal Moonies

▲Johannes Ndanga of the FFWPU and Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe

“Nations are subordinate to religious orders."

—Sun Myung Moon

I don't belong to Zimbabwe as a country anymore. I don't belong to Africa alone. I now belong to the whole world. This is why I am here in Korea today, because I offer myself to become a global citizen, a responsible citizen, an ideal person. Having accepted the teachings and having realized they are biblical, as a responsible citizen and as a leader, I took it upon myself to educate others, so that we can together share the blessing. As we share the blessing, God would view it as an act of restoration. As the True Parents have taught, it's an act of restoration, a return to the garden of Eden.

—Johannes Ndanga

Johannes Nyamwa-Ndanga, founder of Pentecostal Christ Church International (PCCI), founder and leader of the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe, Chairman of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification - Zimbabwe, has had a colorful history before getting involved with the Moonies.

He was a long-time supporter of Robert Mugabe, former President and Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. Mugabe won the hearts of the masses for a time due to his own revolutionary career, believing he was a champion of decolonization, but many leftists in Zimbabwe believed he abandoned his ideals in the midst of the war for independence. Economic crises in Zimbabwe due to western sanctions played a role in pushing Ndanga out of favor. 

▲ On the right: Grace Mugabe, former First Lady of Zimbabwe, greets those at a rally; on the left: Ndanga

In 2013, Ndanga is reported to have said that Mugabe is a king and that people trying to oust him through a peaceful election, like Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangiraiare, were committing a grave sin. Ndanga marched his followers at the time to cheer on the Minister of Information and Publicity Webster Shamu as he declared the “the bullet is mightier than the pen”. Members were ordered to vote for Zanu PF, Mugabe’s party.

President Robert Mugabe is known to have used the church on numerous occasions as a platform for political campaign.

Mugabe resigned in 2017 despite decades in power due to his party threatening to introduce an impeachment resolution against him.

Ndanga's church is a branch of African Zionism, an African Indigenous church tradition that traces its roots to the pre-Pentecostal Christian Catholic Church movement based in Zion, Illinois. This traditional is not necessarily Zionistic in terms of their perspective on Israel-Palestine policy.

In 2017, there was also a mass exodus of members from the ACCZ, many of which expressed being disappointed by Ndanga’s leadership. The former secretary general of the ACCZ, Rev. Mathias Tsine, accused Ndanga of running a one-man show. He allegedly claims he is the “life president” of the council.

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has started investigating Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ) president Bishop Johannes Ndanga on allegations of defrauding more than 20 000 followers of their money in botched housing stands and vehicle schemes. There are no known public reports about this investigation.

Ndanga since at least 2017 has also been connected to the Universal Peace Federation and Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. He has been assigned to bring Christian churches into the Family Federation. Ndanga claims that the denomination he runs includes a thousand churches with a membership of 8 million. Ndanga ran blessing ceremonies since 2017 on his property of 40 hectares of land, which has been dedicated to peace activities and includes a church. In 2018, 4,000 couples from Ndanga's church participated in a blessing ceremony. 

And what motivates Ndanga’s acceptance of Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han as the Second Comig of Christ?

One of the reason we came to Korea is to come and get the blessing for the nation, not my personal blessing. Zimbabwe hasn't got its own currency at the moment; we are using the US dollar. I know the whole world is under pressure insofar as the economy is concerned. Our situation is worse. Even in the banks, there is no money. People living in the rural areas do not even have bank cards. So I have come here to collect the blessing from True Mother. If the blessing is pronounced on the nation, I am sure it will heal. We have so many natural resources -- minerals, gold, platinum, chrome, diamonds, we have everything. Just a few people exploit these resources, because we haven't got the blessing. I am optimistic that once we receive the blessing as a country, as a continent all those problems are going to go. Once the blessing is pronounced and the investors come, Zimbabwe can get back to its feet.

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[africametro]

Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa Sends Minister Shamu Packing

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa Sends Minister Shamu Packing

Webster Shamu’s sacking as Mashonaland West provincial affairs minister suggests President Emmerson Mnangagwa was still too grateful to those who helped him get into power to a point of allowing them to negatively influence some government decisions. Mnangagwa took the bold decision Monday to fire a sitting minister from his government.

Although no reasons were given, Shamu’s name has been…

[nehanda-radio]

By Tafi Mhaka The 21st February movement started by former DJ and former Mashonaland West Provincial Minister Webster Shamu in 1986 slowly degenerated from a misplaced 1980s Zanu-PF fascination with former President Robert Mugabe to a full-blown public mania declared Robert Gabriel Mugabe...

[ericfruits]

A crackdown in Zimbabwe exposes the instability of the Mnangagwa regime

IN THE early hours of August 5th four men broke into a house in eastern Zimbabwe known to be home to activists for the MDC Alliance, the country’s main opposition bloc. They dragged the husband and wife outside before beating them with sticks on their back and buttocks. Two of the assailants took turns raping the wife; the other two raped the husband. All the while the children of the couple watched.

After holding peaceful elections on July 30th Zimbabwe has again descended into violence. At least six people were killed on the streets of the capital two days after the vote. Since then human-rights groups have recorded more than 150 alleged cases of abuse against opposition supporters (including that of the husband and wife above), most seemingly at the hands of soldiers. The true figure is almost certainly many times higher. Hundreds of MDC members have fled their homes, including Tendai Biti, one of the bloc’s senior figures, whose claim for asylum in Zambia was rejected on August 8th.

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For some the violence is not just grim, but odd. Since taking power via a coup last November, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has sought to convince the world that Zimbabwe is “open for business” following nearly four decades of misrule by Robert Mugabe. The culmination of this plan was meant to be a convincing victory in the election, which even if neither free nor fair, would be orderly enough to win him the blessing of foreign governments. They would then encourage creditors to lend the country much-needed foreign currency. Instead there is mayhem. When not shooting civilians in the back, Zimbabwe’s ruling elite seems to be shooting itself in the foot.

Zanu-PF, the party of Mr Mnangagwa, has a history of thuggery. Mr Mugabe once boasted: “We have degrees in violence.” But the recent brutality is probably made worse by the fact that the ruling elite is far from united. Both Zanu-PF and the myriad security forces are fragmented. So while some factions may lose from chaos, others believe they will gain. So goes the macabre struggle for power and spoils.

In his election campaign Mr Mnangagwa tried to portray himself as an all-powerful leader. But his control over his own party remains fragile. The so-called G40 faction, associated with Grace Mugabe, Robert’s second wife, remains influential, well funded and keen for Mr Mnangagwa to fail. At the local level it has been hard for the president to exert authority. There were two dozen riots during the primary elections for Zanu-PF candidates. Some newly elected members of parliament, such as Webster Shamu, have repeatedly clashed with Mr Mnangagwa. Overall only about a quarter of new members are incumbents. No one knows how the newcomers will wield their power.

Neither is there unity between the armed forces and Zanu-PF, nor among the men in uniform themselves. The agitator-in-chief, according to several sources, is Constantino Chiwenga, the vice-president and minister of defence, who is rumoured to want one day to replace Mr Mnangagwa. The former commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) played a pivotal role in the coup last year, but has struggled to adapt to political life. (He tried to fire thousands of striking nurses before realising that was not possible.) It is he, rather than the current head of the ZDF, Philip Sibanda, who is believed to have instigated the crackdown on August 1st, out of frustration that others have been too soft on the MDC. Mr Chiwenga speculates that his critics are high on weed.

The president may be weaker than many assume, but he is not innocent. Mr Mnangagwa reportedly co-ordinated the post-election violence in 2008-09. It is implausible to claim, as his allies do, that he knows little of what is happening now.

The MDC is challenging the legality of Mr Mnangagwa’s first-round win in the presidential race on July 30th. But given the partisanship of Zimbabwe’s judges, defeat looks certain. Therefore Mr Mnangagwa will be sworn in again as president before the end of the month. He will do so amid growing mistrust among foreign governments and would-be investors. And with more blood on his hands.

This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition under the headline "Open for chaos"

[afroinsider]

“Webster Shamu run strip club” turns Harare into Sodom and Gomora?

“Webster Shamu run strip club” turns Harare into Sodom and Gomora?

Former  Mashonaland West Minister for Provincial Affairs Webster Shamu has turned Harare into a typical Sodom and Gomora by running a strip club, Jealousy Mawarire the Spokesperson of National Patriotic Front has alleged.

Mawarire exposed Shamu while responding to a Youth Advocacy For Reform Democracy (YARD) member  who accused Pastors of destroying family institutions through prophecy.

“I…

[algeroth]

IN THE early hours of August 5th four men broke into a house in eastern Zimbabwe known to be home to activists for the MDC Alliance, the country’s main opposition bloc. They dragged the husband and wife outside before beating them with sticks on their back and buttocks. Two of the assailants took turns raping the wife; the other two raped the husband. All the while the children of the couple watched.

After holding peaceful elections on July 30th Zimbabwe has again descended into violence. At least six people were killed on the streets of the capital two days after the vote. Since then human-rights groups have recorded more than 150 alleged cases of abuse against opposition supporters (including that of the husband and wife above), most seemingly at the hands of soldiers. The true figure is almost certainly many times higher. Hundreds of MDC members have fled their homes, including Tendai Biti, one of the bloc’s senior figures, whose claim for asylum in Zambia was rejected on August 8th.

For some the violence is not just grim, but odd. Since taking power via a coup last November, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has sought to convince the world that Zimbabwe is “open for business” following nearly four decades of misrule by Robert Mugabe. The culmination of this plan was meant to be a convincing victory in the election, which even if neither free nor fair, would be orderly enough to win him the blessing of foreign governments. They would then encourage creditors to lend the country much-needed foreign currency. Instead there is mayhem. When not shooting civilians in the back, Zimbabwe’s ruling elite seems to be shooting itself in the foot.

Zanu-PF, the party of Mr Mnangagwa, has a history of thuggery. Mr Mugabe once boasted: “We have degrees in violence.” But the recent brutality is probably made worse by the fact that the ruling elite is far from united. Both Zanu-PF and the myriad security forces are fragmented. So while some factions may lose from chaos, others believe they will gain. So goes the macabre struggle for power and spoils.

In his election campaign Mr Mnangagwa tried to portray himself as an all-powerful leader. But his control over his own party remains fragile. The so-called G40 faction, associated with Grace Mugabe, Robert’s second wife, remains influential, well funded and keen for Mr Mnangagwa to fail. At the local level it has been hard for the president to exert authority. There were two dozen riots during the primary elections for Zanu-PF candidates. Some newly elected members of parliament, such as Webster Shamu, have repeatedly clashed with Mr Mnangagwa. Overall only about a quarter of new members are incumbents. No one knows how the newcomers will wield their power.

[ngchicuong0189]

BHORA MUSO: Disarray in Mashonaland East as disgruntled Zanu members threaten to vote for opposition | Breaking News Please, Like & Subscribe Zim News ^^. Subscribe : https://goo.gl/wMLaFq The chaotic manner in which Zanu PF selected its parliamentary candidates could cost the ruling party in Mashonaland East (Mash East) province where disgruntled supporters have threatened to vote for opposition candidates in the July 30 election. The problem is not only in Mash East, several disgruntled party supporters in various other provinces have openly declared that they will vote for other candidates in protest over alleged candidate impositions by the Engelbert Rugeje-led Zanu PF national commissariat. To that effect, the party held a healing and reconciliation workshop in Harare last month to placate disgruntled officials, where Vice President Constantino Chiwenga urged peace and unity among candidates who contested in the disputed primary elections. He also pleaded with party structures not to throw away the baby with the bath water; saying doing so would open the door for an opposition victory amid fears within the party of the reincarnation of the “bhora musango” phenomenon fomented by losing candidates. But notwithstanding the passionate pleas, in Mash East, for example, party supporters have petitioned President Emmerson Mnangagwa informing him that they will not vote for provincial chairperson Joel Biggie Matiza in Murewa South amid allegations that he fraudulently won in the primary elections held in May. Matiza confirmed to the Daily News that there were disgruntled supporters who were resisting his candidature in favour of Noah Mangondo, who is standing as an independent after he lost in the primaries. “Bona fide Zanu PF supporters know that we already have a candidate … who is myself, so those who are writing their petitions are fake, they are not genuine, they will not succeed, they are just desperate,” he said. In the petition — copied to Chiwenga and Vice President Kembo Mohadi, national chairperson, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and Rugeje, the disgruntled Zanu PF supporters alleged that “voting in the primary elections took place under very unfavourable conditions imposed by corrupted presiding police officers”. “This led to disturbances at most polling stations, resulting in people failing to vote or ballot papers being torn or burnt,” the party members alleged. Responding to reports that his executive was last week snubbed by supporters in Chikomba East and Central where they intended to apologise for the chaotic primary elections, Matiza insisted that all was well in the party structures. “My team never went there, that is not true. It is calm here in the province and everyone is on the ground campaigning. The healing process is going on well and we are getting united,” he insisted. Regional sources, however, said Zanu PF provincial political commissar Herbert Shumbamhini and his team had been humiliated in Chikomba East. “Losing candidates refused to give speeches at the meeting that was not well attended by our standards. They demanded that Shumbamhini should explain why they rigged elections first but he said he was not there to take questions as all he was instructed by Rugeje to do was to apologise and call for unity,” said a provincial executive member who refused to be named. Contacted by the Daily News, Rugeje said “I have no comment” soon after this reporter introduced himself and before even asking a question. Rugeje stands accused of presiding over the chaos that characterised the primary elections amid allegations that he was taking instructions from former party commissar Webster Shamu without approval from Zanu PF. Special adviser to Mnangagwa — Christopher Mutsvangwa — even warned that Mnangagwa may lose this year’s elections as a result. “It is inconceivable that the president will win given that the party’s members have been largely disenfranchised,” he said. “We realised that instead of being in the primary elections to provide peace and a stable environment in which Zanu PF members freely express themselves and choose their leaders, the national commissar, being a political novice, and sought advice from a rehabilitated ex-Gamatox commissar in the form of Webster Shamu to turn police into returning officers.” “The new national commissar, while he is a comrade, lacks the party’s institutional memory and failed to handle this issue well, leading to the disenfranchisement of thousands of party members countrywide,” he said. “The political commissar relinquished his position as chief returning officer of the primary election to the police, who are supposed to be there to maintain law and order.” “Zanu PF’s problem has always been the abuse of the office of the political commissar and we are seeing this again,” he added. – DailyNews Follow @MyZimbabweNews #BHORA #MUSO #Disarray #in #Mashonaland #East #as #disgruntled #Zanu #members #threaten #to #vote #for #oppositio

[seyzi-blog]

Just in: President fires minister amid squabbles in ruling party

Just in: President fires minister amid squabbles in ruling party

The president fired the minister but gave no reasons.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe has fired Minister of State for Mashonaland West Province Webster Shamu, but gave no reasons for the move.

Shamu becomes the first minister to be sacked since Mnangagwa took office last November.

Emmerson Mnangagwa

Shamu, who is the member of Parliament for Chegutu East, was recently caught in the eye…

[lnlnews-blog]

President fires minister amid squabbles in ruling party

President fires minister amid squabbles in ruling party

President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe has fired Minister of State for Mashonaland West Province Webster Shamu, but gave no reasons for the move.

Shamu becomes the first minister to be sacked since Mnangagwa took office last November.

Shamu, who is the member of Parliament for Chegutu East, was recently caught in the eye of a storm following allegations of vote rigging while the ruling Zanu-PF…

[getyourgossip0-blog]

The Brand New And Cheaper H-Metro Reveals The Business Model Crisis Of The Media Business

New Post has been published on https://getyourgossip.xyz/the-brand-new-and-cheaper-h-metro-reveals-the-business-model-crisis-of-the-media-business/

The Brand New And Cheaper H-Metro Reveals The Business Model Crisis Of The Media Business

If you read the Zimpapers’ Herald on hard copy you should have noticed the full paged teaser adverts that didn’t seem to make sense until they revealed a made over version of the popular tabloid, H-Metro. The new H-Metro now costs 50c meaning a 50% slash in the price from the $1 it used to be.

This may be good news for those who are already customers of H-Metro but it signals bad news for the publication, the Zimpapers Group, print media and the media industry collectively. This decision shows how media is in crisis.

New H-Metro?

Here’s how Zimpapers described their hyped new take on Zimbabwe’s leading tabloid:

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H-METRO better than ever!

Our content will be richer and meant to address all your concerns as our readers. For a whole year, we sat down with readers from all sectors of society noting their concerns and what they love about our paper.

Now, from tomorrow, 30 April 2018, we have a product that all our readers will be proud of. And they will be proud of the price too!

With better news, in-depth coverage of critical issues, matters of interest to both sexes, your hot gossip, and as usual the best of entertainment and sport coverage on society’s prominent people, the new look H-Metro comes at an unbelievable price of only 50 cents!

The biggest irony of this new look H-Metro is that disparity between the price and improved stories and design. We have the incredible combination of the best paper in the country having the best price.

Now all our readers can afford the paper and there is no need to borrow or share. We will also do our best to make language and content family friendly and there will be no reason not to get a copy.

The futility of lowering the price

The number one instinct for a business in trouble is to lower the price. However, this is hardly the winning play and history proves it. The last thing you want to do when you are facing problems is to lower your margins (profitability) and your cashflow capacity (your business’ lifeblood). Unfortunately almost every business under threat from competition or some other factor chooses to go down this path.

The alternative rarely explored by in trouble businesses is harder. The way out would be to review your business model and change. It requires bravery and feels more risky than to just lower your margin (by 50% in the case of H-Metro).

The gap cannot be covered

H-Metro cannot hope to double their sales in order to get as much sales revenue as they were getting. If they are hoping to get more than that for this to make sense, I will be brutal and tell them right now that it’s not gonna happen.

Another problem is that increasing sales revenue by increasing number of copies sold after a price reduction is near impossible because each additional copy sold has it’s own marginal cost. A 50% reduction in price therefore results in a more than 50% impact to their bottom line.

This is different for digital publications. The marginal cost is almost zero. It doesn’t cost Techzim anything extra really to have an extra reader. This difference is the biggest and underlying shift in most internet based business models.

Maybe their target is advertiser money…

I know clever readers were already screaming that I don’t realise that H-Metro is going for advertiser money after all this is the predominant business model in media and news: money comes from advertising.

How many more readers does H-Metro need to gain for them to be able to increase their advertising rates or attract new advertiser or both?

The numbers won’t come

Unfortunately the readership numbers they need to make such changes to their advertiser revenue will not be achieved. Their problem is not necessarily that H-Metro was too expensive at a dollar (it might have been). Their biggest problem is that H-Metro content is readily and more efficiently supplied by WhatsApp.

H-Metro stormed Zimbabwe when it was launched in September 2009 and became very topical and popular because it exposed us all to the cheesiest and juciest gossip out there. Cheating husbands exposed, witchcraft accusations… all these tickled the gossip itchy ears of Zimbabweans (mostly Harare folks).

9 years later: by the time it comes out in H-Metro you have already seen it on WhatsApp 5 times yesterday. If for some reason there’s a fresh story that never got viral on social media but appears in H-Metro, you know you’re not gonna miss out because your cousin and ten other people in as many groups will share it with you on WhatsApp before the newspaper boy in your area has set up their stall.

Why on earth would you buy the paper now, even if it’s 50c? You already have a WhatsApp bundle that gives you access to all this content and more for $1 for the whole week!

The content doesn’t help

Part of the changes to H-Metro are changes in content. This confirms that they may be going for advertiser dollars. The very content that made and still makes H-Metro popular is content that advertisers are not too eager to put their brand against.

This presents a vicious cycle: if they change their content they may lose their readers which makes them unimportant to advertisers and if they don’t change their content they may retain readers but remain toxic to advertisers at least those who would pay meaningfully. H-Metro is attempting to have their cake and eat it too.

Here’s what they say about their content:

We will also do our best to make the language and content family friendly…

Firstly, doing their best doesn’t mean anything. Secondly, once they clean up their content they will lose their audience: people already have other options for serious news. This may be the reason why the price is dropping, to retain readers who may otherwise want to leave due to change in content. Bad place to be.

Quality content costs more

To move away from the gossipy tabloid stuff to whatever they are calling family friendly content it will cost them more. Good journalists have to be paid more and have to be given more time to work on stories. This then makes the decision to cut the price by 50% an even more terrible decision.

It’s not too late for digital

H-Metro resisted online. At some point they were so poor with their Facebook page that someone created a fake one and it got to be more popular than the legit one. H-Metro quit Facebook at that time because they couldn’t compete with the fake account. When online tabloids started stealing content from H-Metro and pasting it online their response was ridiculous.

Instead of making sure they were always first with their own content online, they started delaying publishing stories online. Further they started uploading stories as images and not text. Unfortunately Google crawlers can’t read images hence the pages would not be indexed properly to rank on search.

The content stealers were actually empowered by that move: they simply bought the H-Metro and typed in the stories themselves unto their own platforms. As far as search engines were concerned: the pirates were the owners of the content because the actual owner was not online.

All they need to do is just decide to make H-Metro a strictly online publication optimised for that. They already have a strong brand and resources to be big online. Tabloid content thrives online not in newspaper form.

Yes digital business models for media are still not solved but they will be. I hope H-Metro will embrace digital and be part of those that will solve the sticky business model question.

H-MetroZimpapersHerald

H-Metro is a Zimbabwean online and daily social tabloid newspaper. The newspapers is owned by Zimbabwe Newspapers. The tabloid was launched by then Minister of Media, Information and Publicity, Webster Shamu, as a new title in the Zimbabwe Newspapers stable on September 4, 2009. H-Metro… Read More About H-Metro

Zimbabwe Newspapers (Zimpapers for short) is a government-owned newspaper publisher and commercial printer. It is the publisher of daily newspapers The Herald, The Chronicle, B-Metro and H-Metro. It has two Sunday newspapers, The Sunday Mail and The Sunday News. The company also publishes a provincial… Read More About Zimpapers

The Herald is a government-owned daily newspaper published under the Zimbabwe Newspapers (Zim Papers) stable in Harare. It is also the country’s oldest newspaper still in print. Read More About Herald

[mbacall-blog]

Trixie Belden Twilight Zone Fanfic

“Dan, I’m so excited. I wish we could have caught them at home, but it’s great that you got tickets to see the Jets playing near Boston! We might just beat the Patriots!” Trixie Belden bubbled as they disembarked from the bus. “Well, in just a little while, Trix, we’ll be there,” laughed dark-haired Dan, holding open the door to Wimpy’s as his girlfriend passed through. He noticed that the bus passengers were the only patrons in the joint. He took in the diner that had come to embody that small-town feeling for him after leaving the Big Apple: red and white checkered tablecloths, well-worn vinyl booths, posters of ’69 Mustangs and ’57 Chevys hanging on the walls. “You two are just a riot,” Mrs. Wheeler commented. “I hope the bus ride is fine. I hate travelling in snowy weather Matt, why did you schedule this meeting in Boston? The offices at Wheeler here would have sufficed.” “It’ll be fine, dear. We’ll all be fine. You’ve exhausted all of the shops here in New York. Boston might have just what you need for that charity ball. Let’s hurry up and order so we can get back on the bus in time.” The business mogul ushered his wife toward the counter, many of the other passengers following closely behind. Just as everyone sat down to eat, Molinson and Webster strolled in. “Okay, everyone, who all got off that bus?” the Captain demanded abruptly. ,Surprised by the rude interruption, the diners stared at the policemen for a moment. Trixie recovered first and raised her hand. Dan, the Wheelers, Regan, and Diana followed suit. Spider chimed in. “What business does the bunch of you have on a bus to Boston in a snowstorm?” “Football game,” chirped Trixie. “Same,” said Dan. “Interview,” Diana offered. Matt answered for both himself and his wife. “Business and shopping.” “Horses,” was all Regan felt inclined to say. Irritated by his junior officer’s intrusion, Molinson continued his interrogation. “Is there anyone here who wasn’t on that bus?” “No, Captain, there isn’t. The driver’s in the bathroom, but otherwise, we’re all here and we all came off that bus,” Trixie answered the irate official’s question, guarded against his gruffer-than-usual nature. “Then how do you explain the footprints, Miss Belden?” “What footprints?” “A fresh set of footprints leads from the pond in Sleepyside Park right up to the very door of this diner. So who’s here? No footprints lead away.” Trixie fought the urge to roll her eyes at Molinson. “I can’t answer that, sir, but I’m sure there’s some explanation.” “Better be. Where’s that driver of yours? I need to inform him of a change in your travel plans.” “What now?” Lester Mundy asked as he exited the men’s room. He took a seat and dug into his burger. “Lester, the bridge over the Hudson is too icy. You won’t be able to cross safely, and the highway department has shut it down until it can be plowed and salted. You’ll have to find an alternative route.” Matthew Wheeler addressed the Captain with his best no-nonsense voice . “Molinson, I have business in Boston, and the nearest crossing is twenty miles out of the way, since the other bridge washed out.” “No-can-do, Mr. Wheeler. Orders are orders,” Lester said through a mouthful of burger. Trixie sipped her shake thoughtfully. “Why’d you notice the footsteps, Captain? Surely you weren’t sent here to count noses.” “In a manner of speaking, I was, Trixie,” he half-sneered at the young detective. “Crazy old Lytell called in some funny lights. We investigated. Are you sure you all got off that bus?” Everyone nodded their assent. “Well, then I guess the bridge doesn’t even matter, does it? I want to know who the footprints belong to, and nobody is leaving until I do!” Molinson announced authoritatively. “But… I have to make this interview! It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!” Diana Lynch moaned. “Shh, Trix, we’ll still make the game,” Dan murmured in response to his girlfriend’s nearly-inaudibly whispered query. “But we could miss our day of sightseeing! I wanted to see Boston, Dan!” whined the melodramatic blonde. “Trixie, you can hop on the Wheeler jet anytime to go see Boston. That’s where I’d be if JFK hadn’t shut down for weather. But, Molinson, I’ve got to get to Boston.” Instead of arguing with Matthew Wheeler, Molinson turned to the Wheelers’ red-haired groom. “So, Mr. Regan, why aren’t you in as much of a rush as the rest of them?” “I’m just seeing a man about a horse. Previewing stock for an auction in a couple of weeks; I can do that pretty much any time between now and then,” came his cool reply. Trixie asked the officers, “Can I help? I’m going to get so bored just sitting here waiting to hit the road!” “This is police business, Trixie,” Spider said in a tone that implied he was getting to be too big for his britches. “I’m a member of the PD,” she countered defiantly. “You’re a dispatcher,” corrected Spider. Trixie began another question, but was interrupted by the jukebox cranking up. The opening strains of “Amarillo by Morning” played, but just as George Strait’s voice came on, the music suddenly cut off. “That’s good,” said Mike. “Real good. Who wants to explain that?” “Aliens!” Mrs. Wheeler gasped. “I watch television! Things like this always happen when there’s an alien!” “Nonsense, dear. You know aliens aren’t real!” “Don’t ‘nonsense’ me, Matthew!” “Maddie, please, be reasonable!” “Everybody just hush!” hollered Spider. “You let me take it from here, Webster!” Molinson insisted. “Quiet, please, and let me call Moms. I need to let her know about the delay,” Trixie requested. Putting the receiver to her ear, she had almost dropped her quarter before realizing that there was no dial tone. “Mike, pay phone’s out!” “Here, try this one.” He slid the phone across the counter and checked before handing it to her. It shocked him to hear nothing. “I’ll be darned. This one’s dead, too.” As he said this, the phone, off its hook in his hand, began to ring. Surprised, Trixie and the counterman sprung away from the offending object. “It’s probably just an electronic glitch.” Diana heard Dan say the words, but she was struck by a more extraterrestrial thought. “Oh my. What if there is an alien among us,” she squealed in much the same manner as Mrs. Wheeler had moments before. Lester spoke up. “How could there be an alien? Everybody here knows everybody else. We’d notice an alien, I’m sure of it.” Her earlier question forgotten, Trixie began to agree with the bus driver. “Yeah, Les, you’re right. Unless… Oh, woe! The alien among us, he’s an imposter!” “Stop the hysteria, Trix—“ Dan’s attempt at placating her overactive imagination was interrupted by her thoughtful look and suspicious tone. “Daniel, if that really is you, where’d that scar on your jaw go?” With a nervous chuckle, he tried yet again to rein in her imagination. “Trix, I outgrew that scar—it faded. You just think you could see it before because you know it was once there. Really, if aliens existed, they’d do their homework. And I’d be a poor person to mimic—my girlfriend is the infamous Trixie Belden: sleuth, shamus, ferret-outer extraordinaire. It’d be hard to pull one over on you.” “I suppose,” she agreed without much conviction. “Matt, your hair, it seems duller.” As she spoke, Maddie surreptitiously slid her chair further from her husband’s. “Maddie, if after twenty-odd years of marriage, you are doubting who I am—“ “Ha! It’s thirty-one this year. You are the alien!” Suppressing a snicker, Regan came to his boss’ aid. “Now, with all due respect, Mrs. Wheeler, to be fair, many men don’t remember their anniversaries. I don’t think that should be the only criteria to determining he’s an alien.” “Regan, your skin’s different. And… and, you haven’t been around the stables for the past few days. Maybe you’re the alien,” Di accused. The groom coughed before replying, “Di, I’m just now getting over a cold. I’m no alien!” Like a mad-woman with a mission, Diana fixed her violet gaze on her oldest friend. “So, Belden, you’ve been unusually quiet for the last few minutes. What do you have to say for yourself?” Shocked by Di’s uncharacteristic behavior, Trixie was struck speechless. “You seem to be taking care of things right now, Diana,” Mr. Wheeler defended. “You!” She wheeled on the businessman. “You started off being all concerned about making Boston. Now why isn’t it such a big deal? Have they given you some sort of special information we should know about?” “Who’s this ‘they’, Di? The aliens? Please, get yourself under control. There aren’t any aliens and you’re making yourself look absurd.” “Mr. Wheeler—“ Di began, but the squawking of the Captain’s police radio on his shoulder drowned out her protest. “Yes, Honey, I hear. A fire out Old Sawmill Road. Got it. Yes, we’re on our way to help secure the perimeter. No, we haven’t found out what this whole fiasco is—“ Molinson responded. ”Hogwash. Nothing but hogwash,” Regan called, loud enough to be heard back at headquarters. “Regan? Is that Regan? What’s he doing out in this weather? He’s recuperating, for crying out loud! Do you hear me, Regan? Go back to your apartment and get warm. The horses can’t stand much longer without you.” Before the redhead could reply, Molinson ordered Honey back to work and cut off the radio. “Finally, a real case. ‘Aliens”,” he harrumphed. Everyone inside exchanged glances. Trixie jumped up. “Mike! You’re the alien! You were the only one of us alone!” “Now just you wait a minute, Trixie Belden! Lester was in the bathroom by himself. Maybe they swapped him then,” he countered. “It’s not me. Now, if everybody wants to get to Boston, I’d suggest we hit the road. Like Mr. Wheeler said, the nearest crossing’ll take us at least twenty miles out of the way. In this weather, that might as well be a hundred.” Quietly, everyone gathered their trash and filed out the door after Lester, suspiciously glaring at their companions for the ride. While they loaded the bus, the radio crackled. “Lester, it’s Honey. Come in, Lester.” “Lester here. Go ahead.” From over the static, they heard Honey say, “We just got word from the Highway Department. The bridge has been plowed and salted. You can take that route after all.” “10-4. Thanks, Honey.” “Well, guys, I guess we’re back in business,” Lester cheered as the engine turned over and the bus rolled out. ***** An hour before the midnight diner closed, someone came up the walk. “Back so soon? I thought you were on your way to Boston.” “I was.” “What changed?” the counterman asked as he wiped the counter before where the lone patron sat. “And what’ll you have?” “Bridge iced back over. Too slick. We slid off into the Hudson. Coffee, please.” The customer closed frigid fingers around a mug when a strange beeping sounded. Mike looked up and was asked, “You don’t mind if I take this?” “Go ahead.” And while Mike watched, a third hand emerged from the customer’s coat, holding a large, square receiving device. Seemingly unfazed by the extra limb, Mike inquired, “So, you made it out alive. How about the others?” “Oh, only just me. Second time tonight I’ve climbed from freezing-cold water. You know, despite the temperatures, this would be a nice place to set up a colony.” The counterman agreed, pushing his cap up his forehead to reveal a large third eye. “Oh, yes. Mars is planning one. They’ve sent me ahead as a scout.” ”That’s too bad, really. We from Venus are already here. If you look out the window, you might just see them.” Mike peered out into the darkness to see an army of redheaded men marched into Sleepyside. The Martian’s heart sunk. “So soon?” “Yep. You snooze, you lose!” Regan’s laughter faded into the darkness. Author’s Notes: My first posting! Woo-hoo! (Or Yeehaw!) Many, many thanks to my lovely (and patient) hostess, Mal! Not only has she made the perfect home (or porch) for my story, but she has improved the text with her editing skill. Thank you, too, for encouraging me to post this first story. *hugs* Any mistakes are mine. Also, Jan deserves a big “thank you” for looking at some of my earlier writing. Any Twilight Zone fans out there? This is a “Sleepysided” version of one of my favorite episodes. “Thank you!” to Rod Serling and the others who made the Twilight Zone possible. I don’t own it (not even on DVD). Same goes for Ford, Chevy, and other things you may recognize (though I do belong to a long line of Ford owners, if that counts). Thank you for taking the time to check it out!

[thezimbabwenewslive]

Shamu back with Cremora praise singing

Shamu back with Cremora praise singing

Reformed former Zanu PF commissar, Webster Shamu, who was recently readmitted into the ruling party’s central committee, last week shocked mourners at the late national hero Peter Chanetsa’s funeral in Chinhoyi, when he waxed lyrical about President Robert Mugabe, describing him as “Cremora”, a powdered milk brand.

BY NUNURAI JENA

Webster Shamu

The Chegutu East legislator has in the past made…

[afroinsider]

FULL LIST: Zanu PF 2018 election candidates announced, ex Minister Webster Shamu survives axe

FULL LIST: Zanu PF 2018 election candidates announced, ex Minister Webster Shamu survives axe

ZANU-PF yesterday announced the final list of candidates who will contest the forthcoming harmonised elections on the ruling party’s ticket. The list includes 210 National Assembly candidates, 60 proportional representation candidates, 60 senatorial candidates and 100 provincial council candidates. Addressing a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu…

[ngchicuong0189]

FULL LIST: Zanu PF election candidate 2018 announced, former Webster Minister Shamu survived the ax | Breaking News ZANU-PF yesterday announced the final list of candidates who will contest the forthcoming harmonised elections on the ruling party's ticket. The list includes 210 National Assembly candidates, 60 proportional representation candidates, 60 senatorial candidates and 100 provincial council candidates. Addressing a Press conference in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu said the ruling party had gone through internal processes of primary elections and re-runs and was n... Please, Subscribe Zim News to help me grow my channel. Subscribe : https://goo.gl/wMLaFq #FULL #LIST #Zanu #PF #election #candidate #2018 #announced #former #Webster #Minister #Shamu #survived #the #ax #Breaking #News

[seyzi-blog]

President fires minister amid squabbles in ruling party

President fires minister amid squabbles in ruling party

President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe has fired Minister of State for Mashonaland West Province Webster Shamu, but gave no reasons for the move.

Shamu becomes the first minister to be sacked since Mnangagwa took office last November.

Shamu, who is the member of Parliament for Chegutu East, was recently caught in the eye of a storm following allegations of vote rigging while the ruling Zanu-PF…

[zim24news]

Desperate Webster Shamu changed name and surname (Charles Ndlovu) after messing up

Desperate Webster Shamu changed name and surname (Charles Ndlovu) after messing up

AFTER spending a few years outside ZANU-PF, Higher and Tertiary Education Minister, Jonathan Moyo bounced back in 2008 and famously declare: “It’s cold out there.” Earlier this year, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa also famously declared: “If you get out of ZANU-PF, your life will wilt like a leaf plucked off a tree branch.” Both men were once victims of ruthless ZANU-PF succession wars. After…