Zimbabwe 24 Seven News

BBC World Service has announced the winner of the 2012 BBC African Footballer of the Year award. Christopher Katongo, who led Zambia to Nation’s Cup success earlier this year, has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year.
Katongo, who plays for Chinese side Henan Construction, won just over 40% of the vote, holding off Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast and Shanghai Shenhua), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast and Manchester City), Younes Belhanda (Morocco and Montpelier) and Demba Ba (Senegal and Newcastle).

South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani and four other leading officials have been suspended in the wake of a report by football's world governing body, Fifa, into a match-fixing scandal.

Nematandani, new Safa chief executive officer Dennis Mumble, and three others have been relieved of their duties while an investigation takes place in relation to their alleged part in the fixing of four friendlies that South Africa played ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

Robbers pounced at a money transfer agency in Bulawayo and got away with about $18 000 cash.

The two robbers hit Pacific Money Transfer Agency at corner 6th Avenue and Josiah Tongogara Street last Thursday afternoon and got away with $12 000 and R65 000 cash, a lap top and three cell phones belonging to the agency's workers.

ANGLICANS from the Church of the Province of Central Africa yesterday held a cleansing and re-dedication ceremony of the Cathedral of St Mary's and All Saints in Harare.

The ceremony marked the return of the Anglicans to the cathedral after five years following their dispute with Archbishop Nolbert Kunonga's Church of the Province of Zimbabwe over control of properties.

Got word this afternoon from friends of popular actress and Imo State SA on public affairs, Ms Nkiru Sylvanus, that she was kidnapped in owerri this morning. Nkiru was last seen on the set of a movie last night in Owerri. The kidnappers took her early this morning and have already made contact with her family. They are asking for N100million. Please say a prayer for her. More details coming..

A fox was rescued by firefighters after it was found with its head stuck in the wheel of a parked car.
The Volkswagen vehicle was on the driveway of a house in Grays, Essex, when the animal became trapped.

On the street, he's known as "Zombie." But Boca Raton Police know him as 31-year-old Jesse Russell, a man whose face is covered in tattoos and who is now in jail for allegedly selling drugs at a gas station. Two officers first noticed Russell while conducting surveillance at a BP Gas Station at around 6 pm on Wednesday. A blue, four-door Mercury pulled into the parking lot and parked next to a Mitsubishi in front of the station's convenience store.

A Chinese brick maker and building contractor, Sun Yan Ling, was in a quandary yesterday after about 30 workers from his Shanxi Corporation besieged his Mabelreign home demanding outstanding wages and benefits.
The visibly agitated workers spent Friday night outside Ling’s home threatening to manhandle him if he did not pay them.
“He has been lying to us that clients of the company have not paid him for work done. We are now tired of his excuses for not paying what he owes us,” said Philemon Mhembere, one of the affected workers.

A bartender has been sacked and arrested after stealing whisky from his employer to get into the festive mood.
Mongameli Mpofu (36) of Southworld briefly appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mrs Learnmore Mapiye charged with theft.
The circumstances as presented by the prosecutor, Mr Malvin Ndzombe, are that on 24 November at around 6pm the complainant, Mr Mehluli Dube, who is the owner of Southworld Bar was taking stock and he noticed that two 750ml Jack Daniels bottles were missing.

HARARE - One of the world’s most popular chicken franchises, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)’s bid to fly back into Zimbabwe is facing huge challenges.
Indegenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere has slammed Kevin James, the franchise holder for the fast-food giant for opting for South African imported chickens as he re-establishes KFC in Zimbabwe in the New Year.

FIVE people died on the spot while eight others were injured, some seriously, after a Toyota Granvia vehicle they were travelling in burst a tyre and overturned near Insuza along Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road on Saturday morning.

Matabeleland North provincial police spokesperson Inspector Billie Dube confirmed the accident which he said happened at the 147km peg, around 8:10am.
The vehicle, which had 13 passengers on board, burst its left rear tyre and overturned and rolled twice throwing the passengers outside.

ZIMBABWE is not likely to go to the polls next year, but in 2015 as parties in the coalition government still need to align the country’s laws with the new constitution which might take two years, a political analyst Ibbo Mandaza has said.

Mandaza made the remarks last Thursday while addressing a Bulawayo Agenda-organised symposium at the Small City Hall. Mandaza said although the country needed elections because “the GNU has failed” it was not likely the polls would be held next year.

ZIMBABWE Prison Services (ZPS) has been operating without doctors at prison hospitals in the Midlands and Masvingo provinces.
In an nterview, ZPS Deputy Commissioner for Administration, Aggrey Huggins Machingauta, said the service was hit hard by the shortage of medical personnel.
“I can confirm that ZPS doesn’t have doctors at prison hospitals to service Masvingo and Midlands regions which has affected service of the prison hospitals,” said Dep Comm Machingauta.

Gokwe — Two people died while six others were seriously injured when an unregistered Toyota Haice Kombi burst a front wheel and rolled over several times at the weekend.
The Kombi, which was travelling from Gokwe to Kwekwe, overturned on the 80km peg after the driver lost control of the vehicle due to the tyre burst.

A Bulawayo domestic worker who stole his employer's car to go on a joyride with his girlfriend, crashed into another car as he attempted to park it in the garage upon his return.
The unlicenced Smart Ndlovu's joyride would never have been discovered had it not been for the freak accident. Ndlovu's employer, James Kinnard took his family to Botswana and instructed Ndlovu to look after the house.