BIKITA – Green Governance Zimbabwe Trust held a mining symposium in Bikita on November 9 where stakeholders discussed ways in which communities that host critical minerals can sustainably keep them for future generations. Dubbed ‘Critical Minerals and Just Energy Transition’, the meeting was attended by members from Bikita Residents and Ratepayers Association (BIRRA) and Bikita Business Association. Explaining the objectives of the meeting GGZT Programs Coordinator Lewis Marowa said communities and key stakeholders were supposed to jealously guard critical minerals as they were sources of energy as the world was transforming towards smart energy sources. He said his organisation aims to ensure sustainable utilisation of lithium and other critical minerals to avoid over utilisation of resources by foreign investors at the expense of the host country. “As communities that host critical minerals like lithium here in Bikita we must remember that the world is moving towards just energy transition and there is stampede for lithium which is a critical source of energy. “There is need to put the pain and the pleasure on the balance and consider whether we are benefiting from the so called investors or we are selling our future for a song”, said Marowa. Ward 12 councillor Brighton Mushekwa said councilors as policy makers had a critical role in safeguarding critical minerals by putting checks and balances to ensure good governance. He however said failure by councils to implement critical by-laws which govern extraction of critical minerals remain a major setback despite the spirited efforts to ensure sustainable utilisation of lithium in Bikita. He called on government to bring back Community Share Ownership Schemes which put communities at the centre of decision making. “As policymakers we have a critical role to play in ensuring sustainable mining, however a lot of key by laws are not being implemented by council due to financial constrains”, said Mushekwa.
Tinashe Mapfumo, a standout sprinter from Shurugwi is trading speed for endurance as he prepares to tackle the 2025 Comrades Marathon, one of the world’s most iconic long-distance athletic competition. With a background in short-distance dominance, Mapfumo says he is now focused on conquering the ultimate test of endurance at South Africa’s revered 100km ultra-marathon to be held in July next year. The 39-year-old speedster is amongst Zimbabwe’s Comrades Marathon qualifiers having recently completed a 90 kilometres marathon from Unki Mine to Zvishavane Town within six hours. Speaking to TellZim News, Mapfumo said he was working tirelessly in preparation for the competition stating that he was honing his technique and building endurance. “I’m feeling strong and focused, I’m analyzing my techniques and visualizing my success, I’m raring to go and ready for the competition, and to make Shurugwi proud,” said Mapfumo. He said after conquering in South Africa, his desire was to support young rural athletes in Shurugwi to make them realise their passion saying there was a lot of talent suffering from lack of exposure. “My goal is to one day support the locals to realise their talent and reach full potential. We have a lot of talent here but they lack exposure and i would want to help the youngsters from here,” said Mapfumo. He however appealed to well-wishers to sponsor him to get necessities in preparation for the 100km Marathon saying he was yet to get a passport and transport money among other basics. “I’m appealing for assistance from anyone who is willing—I need sports kits, shoes for training, money to purchase food, and I need to apply for a passport,” he said. He thanked Chachacha business person Tinos Chitsinho for assisting him with a new smart phone, saying he had promises from others and was looking forward to get more support. Shurugwi Athletics Committee Chairperson Akim Mwale expressed confidence in Mapfumo saying he had what it takes to produce good results. “Tinashe is working incredibly hard, he has the talent, dedication, enthusiasm and physical fitness to compete at the highest level. He is putting us on the map by merely participating in the competition. It is very rare to see a person from rural areas participating at world stages,” Mwale said. Mapfumo holds Tongogara Rural District Council (TRDC) Chairman’s best athlete medal after winning a competition held on June 22, 2024 when he completed 17 kilometres in 55 minutes. Another committee member Tinei Samukange concurred with Mwale saying Mapfumo was from a rare breed of athletes that needed nurturing and could raise the national flag higher. “I’m happy with Mapfumo’s performance; I have never seen a talent like this, He departed from Unki Mine at 05:50 am and arrived in Zvishavane at around 11:45 am, which gives us hope that he will make it in South Africa and raise Shurugwi and national flag high,” said Samukange. The Comrades Marathon is an ultra-marathon of approximately 88 kilometres which is run annually in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world’s largest and oldest ultra-marathon race. In this year’s edition, Masvingo’s Lillian Chivasa participated and successfully completed the prestigious marathon. South African runners constitute the greater part of the field, but many entrants hail from India, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, the United States, Brazil, Australia, Botswana, Russia, Eswatini and Japan.
Masvingo City Council Mayor Alec Tabe has said substandard perimeter walls in the commonage were contributing to home flooding after heavy rains that hit Masvingo last week saw several families and business people losing properties. Tabe said residents in some instances were blocking water pathways with the precast walls that then direct water into their homes. “Most people experienced flooded houses because of poor erection of perimeter walls which at times close waterways redirecting water into homes. We encourage residents to leave weep holes which direct water into the drainage system. “Others in the low density suburbs have also experienced flooded houses because they have installed small culverts so the culverts would be flooded redirecting water into their homes. We are we going to engage them so that they widen the culverts,” said Tabe. One resident from Mucheke A, Lisa Chimombo concurred with Tabe saying the perimeter wall had no holes and advised other to bore holes through the perimeter walls to allow the runoff out of the yard. “I woke up in a pool of water in the house. The water was directed into the house because where I stay the durawall does not have weep halls that direct water into drainages. The following day one of my neighbors then advised me to bore some holes to allow the water out,” said Chimombo. Tambudzai Kuvengwegwa also said her house was flooded due to the same challenge of weep holes. “I came back from work to find my kids in the corner as there was water all over the house, most of my property was submerged in water and some of the electrical appliances are no longer working as they were damaged by water. We were then later advised to poke some holes at the bottom of the precast wall,” said Kuvengegwa. The November 6 flashfloods also claimed the life of a mentally challenged woman who was swept away by the floods and dumped at Dikwindi Primary school where she was found dead the following day. It is alleged that the victim was staying alone and on the day of the incident she was said to have visited some of her relatives in Victoria Ranch.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has urged farmers to start planting with the rains that covered most parts of the country this week. In a statement, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Vangelis Peter Haritatos emphasized the abundance of rainfall and urged farmers to wrap up wheat harvesting swiftly and utilize effective rains for summer planting in order to enhance food security. “The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has informed us that the upcoming season is going to be a very good season; normal to above normal rainfall. What we witnessed around the country is an abundance of rainfall in the past week and we have predicted rainfall this whole week. This means that we are in line with going into a summer season that’s going to be much better. Every farmer in Zimbabwe has to be part of the transformation. We need to ensure that this season we catch up and we ensure our country’s food, fibre, oil, and nutrition are all secure. “This means we need to wrap up our harvesting of wheat. We know that there’s still quite a considerable amount of hectares out there but with these rains we need to now get all combines into the fields and take out as much wheat as we can so that we can get planting into our summer season. As you know, we believe that planting should start with what we deem effective rains. We see most of the country has entered this phase of effective rains and that means that now is the time to start planting as much as possible into the summer crop,” said Haritatos. He said those who still had wheat in the fields had to make use of dryers and deliver the grain to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) “So if you still have a wheat crop, please utilise our grain dryers and the Grain Marketing Board (GMB). There are a few private players that have grain dryers. Let’s utilise that so we can take our wheat off even if the moisture is a little bit higher. Let’s put them through the grain dryers,” said Haritatos. Chief Director for ARDAS, Leonard Munamati said this week, widespread rainfall is expected across the country and they advised farmers to start planting after receiving about 20 mm of rain over three days. “During this week we are going to start receiving wide spread rains across the whole country. We would want to encourage our farmers to make sure that they can start planting as soon as they see that they have received effective rainfall,” said Munamati. He urged farmers to make use of the Pfumvudza farming method and mulching as well as the use of herbicides. “To date we have recorded 9.6 million plots that have been prepared by various farmers in the rural provinces. The initial target was 9 million, so we are excited. That gives an area equivalent to about 601 000 hectares and that has been done slightly with about 3 million farmers that have prepared the Pfumvudza plots,” he said. A survey conducted by TellZim News revealed that some seed houses are now selling a 10 kg bag at a price ranging from US$36 and US$46 up from between US$27 and US$31. A 25 kg bag now costs between US$68 and US1135 up from last season’s price of US$57 and US$76 Speaking to TellZim News, Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) Masvingo District Chairperson Chrispen Chiuswa expressed concern over seed price hike saying that was affecting farmers and many were waiting for government inputs. “Seeds are very expensive this season to the majority and some have resorted to buying in groups while the rest are waiting for government inputs as few afford the high cost. “Despite timely land preparation, the looming seed price crisis may force farmers to reduce their planting areas due to lack of inputs,” he said. He encouraged farmers to buy small grains and also make use of groups to purchase in bulky as that help reduce costs. “I urge farmers to unite, leverage group buying cost efficiency for smaller seed packets that is 2kg to 5 kg and consider traditional grains into their farming. Farmers should resort to the growing of small grains because they are affordable. “By pooling resources and embracing diverse planting strategies they can navigate the challenges posed by unaffordable seed prices and sustain their agricultural activities effectively,” said Chiuswa.
Mberengwa – A powerful rainstorm that hit several parts of the country on the afternoon of Monday, November 11, left widespread destruction across Mberengwa district. The storm damaged roofs at Zvomukonde High School, Ingezi Primary School, Zvomukonde Clinic, and several local shops. Zvomukonde High School head Bernad Sibanda confirmed the destruction to TellZim News, reporting that classroom roofs and several staff houses in the school’s cottage were damaged. “The wind has destroyed classroom roofs and the cottage. We are currently waiting for authorities to come so we can discuss a way forward, as learners cannot use certain classrooms,” said Sibanda. The head of Ingezi Primary School Emeriah Mpofu declined to comment on the damage, directing questions to the Mberengwa District Schools Inspector (DSI). “I can’t comment on that; please speak to my boss, the DSI, Ms. Bhebhe,” she said. However, Ward 7 Councillor Prince Matongo confirmed the incident, stating that two classroom blocks and three staff houses had lost their roofs at Ingezi Primary, while at Zvomukonde High, eight staff houses and ten classroom blocks were affected. Additionally, eleven shops at Poland Business Centre were damaged. “Three staff houses and two classroom blocks at Ingezi Primary had their roofs blown off. At Zvomukonde High, eight staff houses and ten classroom blocks were damaged. Eleven shops at Poland Business Centre were also affected,” said Matongo. One affected business owner at Poland Business Centre, identified only as Moyo, who runs Moyo General Dealer, described the storm as extremely violent. “The wind was so strong that several rooftops, including mine, were blown off. Goods worth about US$300 were destroyed,” said Moyo.
Out of four refuse compactors at Masvingo City Council, only two are operating forcing the local authority to enforce early refuse collection until further notice. Residents have been complaining that the garbage collectors were coming very early in the morning to their inconvenience since bins were being stolen at night as early as 3am. Masvingo City Council Public Relations and Communication Officer Ashleigh Jinjika confirmed the development and said they had resolved to collect early to be able to cover all areas. “We have four refuse compactors and only two are functional at the moment which is the reason why we are starting early,” said Jinjika. In a notice to residents dated November 13, council warned residents of the new development and said the arrangement will not affect the collection days. “Due to unforeseen mechanical issues, our refuse compactors are currently out of service, to ensure uninterrupted waste collection we have arranged for early morning refuse collection until further notice. “Kindly note there won’t be an interruption on refuse collection schedule rather residents should place refuse bins at the curb early in the morning to ensure bins are securely covered,” reads part of the notice. In another notice, the local authority went on to warn residents that council was going to criminalise blocking drains with unwanted stuff. “As part of our ongoing efforts to maintain safe and functional infrastructure we urge all residents and businesses to keep our drains and roads clear of obstacles, penalties for non-compliance will be put in place,” reads the notice.
A local secondary school head is in the eye of a storm after he admitted that he was dating a juvenile but was waiting for the girl to turn 18 before he could get intimate with her. This came out in court during a trial where the 52 year old school head (who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity) was acquitted of three counts of rape by Masvingo Magistrate Innocent Bepura on November 11. Passing judgement, the magistrate said there were high chances of the rape case being fabricated as the case was reported many months after the alleged crime was commited. The state’s case as presented by Liberty Hove was that sometime in November 2023, the head asked the girl’s parents if he could take her in as a maid as she had finished writing her Ordinary Level exams. The girl was to work at his rural home in return for him paying her school fees as she wanted to further her studies. The court heard that in the same month (November 2023), he allegedly raped the girl, claiming that he was exorcising evil spirits which were on her and asked her not to tell anyone about the incident. On the second count, it was alleged that during the month of December the same year one afternoon, the accused approached the complainant who was in a kitchen, making fire and told her that he wanted to brew beer for her cleansing ceremony. He allegedly told her that he had to have sexual intercourse with her for the second time, claiming the sexual act was to work hand-in-hand with the beer ceremony to enable complete exorcism to take place, to which the complainant complied. On the third count in the same month, it was alleged that the accused went into the kitchen where the complainant was and smeared some tobacco snuff on her face and she reportedly started feeling dizzy. The accused allegedly raped the complainant and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. In January 2024, the complainant reportedly left for Domboshava where her aunt had invited her to help with some errands at home. In July, the aunt then allegedly started noticing some changes on her body, to which she quizzed her and she is said to have revealed the alleged rape. The matter was reported to police, leading to the school head’s arrest and appearance in court facing rape charges, which he pleaded not guilty to, although he admitted that they were dating. Through his lawyer Philip Shumba of Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners, the school head also argued that complainant was dismissed from work by the accused’s wife after she became suspicious of the affair. He further argued in his defence that after the dismissal from employment, she then laid false allegations against him, just to spite him. In acquitting him, the magistrate said the delay in reporting further complicated the case, which made the school head’s point strong, that the girl was fabricating the rape case.
A 60-year-old woman from Jerera Village, Guwa under Chief Nyajena recently appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Lynette Mudzingo facing charges of domestic violence for assaulting her husband in a dispute involving paying prophetic services without the latter’s knowledge. She pleaded guilty to having been involved in the fight but said she did not assault him, saying his injury was because he fell during the scuffle. She was remanded out of custody and will be back in court for continuation of trial on November 14, 2024. It was the state’s case as represented by Precious Takuva that on April 30 this year around 1730 hours, the accused Sabina Mandizvidza (60) and her husband Richard Butire (63) were seated in their dining room discussing family issues. A misunderstanding arose when Butire questioned his wife why she had paid a prophet with a goat for cleansing without his knowledge and consent. Mandizvidza got angry and took a metal rod on top of a cupboard then struck Butire twice on the forehead. Butire sustained two cuts on the forehead due to the assault and a medical report produced in court stated that he was struck by a blunt object and sustained a moderate injury. In her defence, Mandizvidza said Butire was the one who tried to assault her but he fell on the ground because he was drunk. She said Butire reported the incident to fix her for asking for maintenance for he was no longer taking care of her since he married another wife.
Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries (PHD) founder and Yadah Football Club owner, Walter Magaya who is eyeing the Zimbabwe Football Association presidency recently toured Mucheke Stadium and promised to refurbish the stadium within three months if given an opportunity. Speaking at the tour, Magaya expressed interest in the project and his preparedness to revamp the stadium that would allow hosting of Premier Soccer League (PSL) games as well as international games. “If time and funds permit we want to go beyond PSL looking at the city structure where a city has five star hotels and an airport. We want to go to that level where we can host international games. I requested Nabioth Magwizi (ZIFA Strategic planning committee member) and his team to put an application so that we can be permitted to refurbish, restructure and re-plan until the stadium meets PSL standards. We are ready to start when paper work is approved by Masvingo City Council,” he said. He added that if given the green light to reconstruct Mucheke stadium he would need about 90 days to complete the project and expressed confidence in the deal. “Since it’s a restart as I was noticing, we did the First Heart Stadium within 48 days and Chawanda Stadium in 62 days, we may need plus or minus 90 days to have a complete project. According to what I’m seeing right now, in 90 days I think we will be fully done if given the chance to start. “The partnership is quite certain of course but we have to go through the legal process of endorsement and the normal process that we can embark on, in the project. Looking at Masvingo, it is the heart of the country and its formation, where people started from, so we would want to make sure that this place has been upgraded in any way possible. “I have been here more than four times having crusades and basically it is my home in a way so I would be happy to see this place renovated to international standards. The Heart Group which continues to be the sponsoring company is on a spree to renovate as many stadiums as possible. “The ZIFA leadership of the Province actually approached me in a diplomatic way and said, prophet have a look at this. I am excited with what the mayor said, that we are not just coming here to take over but to partner with the city council, for it has been in their budget and their plans to have this ground renovated,” said Magaya. Speaking at the same event, Masvingo City Mayor Aleck Tabe said the stadium refurbishment will benefit the locals as it creates business opportunities. “I am happy with the prospects of a partnership with Prophet Magaya to revamp Mucheke Stadium. We can fundraise towards upgrading the stadium. This initiative creates business opportunities for the community, including hotels and beverage outlets. “We are going to generate more revenue from the stadium as it hosts PSL and international games. So we welcome everyone who wants to partner with Masvingo City for development,” said Tabe. Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Association (MURRA) Board chairperson Thomas Mbetu told TellZim News that it was prudent that the partnership remained open to the public to allow the broader community who are the owners of the stadium to contribute their perspectives. “As denizens of this community, we ardently yearn for Mucheke Stadium to once again experience its former glory. In this context, we beseech the Masvingo City Council, along with Mr. Magaya, to forge a substantive partnership aimed at revitalizing Mucheke Stadium. “It is imperative that this collaboration be rendered public, thereby allowing the broader community to contribute their perspectives. This transparency is crucial, given that Mucheke Stadium constitutes public property under the stewardship of the Masvingo City Council hence, any developmental initiatives should be disseminated openly to – the populace,” said Mbetu.
As the first major rains hit Masvingo recently, Runyararo West flood victims said they are feeling short changed as they are yet to get a permanent solution to their perennial problem. The residents said they were tired of promises and called for responsible authorities to act and proffer a lasting solution as they fear for a repeat of last year (2023) when they were temporarily sheltered somewhere where they lived in unbearable conditions. One of the victims, Nomatter Chijaka said council keeps giving them empty promises and doing nothing tangible to help save their situation “Last week’s heavy rains flooded my house and destroyed most of the property; we have been appealing to council for help but they are doing nothing. Council is giving us fake promises. They promised to relocate us a long time ago, and we were told that there were stands prepared for us but nothing has been implemented so far. “We plead with council and other stakeholders to do something with our situation. It’s better for council to allocate us stands on a safer place and we will try our best to develop and build houses on our own rather than implementing provisional measures that do not work,” said Chijaka. Another victim Chipo Chizimba, said they were getting tired of the back and forth with council yet nothing was coming out of it. “We are tired of empty promises from council, every time rains come, council comes with papers for us to sign promising us stands. When the rain season is gone we don’t see or hear anything from them. Most of our property is being destroyed by water, because every time it rains we have to put our soaked sofas and beds outside so that they will dry, and it’s affecting our wellbeing,” said Chizimba. Masvingo City Council Ward two Councilor Benson Hwata concurred with the residents and said the only solution to the problem was to relocate the flood victims to a safer place but said the challenge was that council had no stands at the present time. “These victims are facing the same challenge time and again, but as council we are left with no choice but to relocate the victims. Relocation of the victims is the only permanent solution to this problem. The only thing that is slowing down the process is, we don’t have land so far. We have so far tried widening of the nearby stream and it has reduced the number of flooded houses this time around,” said Hwata.
Masvingo City Council Mayor Alec Tabe said the local authority was trying its best to address the problem and widening the nearby stream was an effort that was proving to be working since council does not have the capacity to build houses for the victims. “As council we don’t have the capacity to build houses for these victims, but what we can do is to relocate them and give them stands with help from government. This is an intergovernmental project, and we have already engaged with government which should come on board to assist with the national development fund which is meant to assist these victims. “Last week flash floods did not only affect Davis Mugabe residents but they affected the whole of Masvingo town; they were beyond our control and despite measures we have put in place, people were still affected. The provisional mechanism of widening of the nearby stream worked to some extent. We are thinking of putting a perimeter wall so that when the water reaches where these streams meet, it does not retreat to people’s homes but hit the wall. Another measure we are taking as council is to maintain our drainage system so that water will properly flow,” said Tabe. However one of the Runyararo West flood victims Julia Makapinya condemned the authority for stream widening initiative saying it did more harm than good. “The council’s solution worsened our situation, exposing us to runoff coming from both sides. Previously, water only came from the front side of our house where the road transforms into a river during heavy rains, but now it flows into our houses from the back where they widened the stream,” said Makapinya. To date, five mayors, namely Femius Chakabuda (the late), Hubert Fidze, Collen Maboke, Shantiel Chiwara, though short-lived, and now Alec Tabe, have failed to resolve the problem and the Tabe administration is taking its first step towards addressing the challenge. The families were allocated stands at the confluence of two small streams in the area and the situation is said to have been worsened by construction activities in Victoria Ranch. Sources said at the time when the stands were allocated, in the mid-2000s, an engineer who was working at townhouse advised against it, which fell on deaf ears, although he had predicted the impending disaster due to the presence of streams nearby.
A stream that causes houses on Davis Mugabe Street to flood during every rain season.
