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Masvingo City mounts roadblock on former engineer Gozo

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Masvingo City mounts roadblock on former engineer Gozo

By Brighton Chiseva

MASVINGO – Former Masvingo City Engineer Tawanda Gozo’s bid to return to work after three years in the cold has been delayed as council blocked his return and maintained that he is still fired.
Gozo showed up to work on Wednesday August 14 in the morning armed with a letter signed by his law firm that was rejecting council’s initial proposal for mutual termination of his contract.
Gozo who was fired for alleged gross incompetence three years ago was fighting against his termination and the matter was dragging since then.
He came to work with a letter from his lawyers, Lovemore Madhuku legal practitioners, dated August 7, that argued that the mutual termination of contract proposal was unlawful since the matter was finalized by the Local Government Board.
“Your proposal of an ‘out of court agreement for mutual termination of your contract of employment’ is an unlawful proposal. The matter involving my client was finalized by the Local Government Board which refused your client’s recommendation to terminate my client’s contract of employment.
“By law your client no longer has any power to persist with the position it had before the decision by the local Government Board. Your client is absolutely bound by the decision of the Local Government Board. The aforesaid decision by the Local Government Board is extant and binding.
“My client is automatically reinstated with full salary and benefits with effect retrospectively, from the date of his suspension without pay and benefits.
“My client will be reporting for work at 8 am on Wednesday August 14 2024, as your proposal was a nullity, the issue of “declining” it does not arise,” reads the letter
However, Masvingo City Council through their lawyers Mawadze and Mujaya Legal Practitioners have since responded saying the Local Government Board had no power to reinstate a dismissed council official who would have been dismissed through a disciplinary process.
“The contents of your letter have been well noted and our client has instructed us to respond thereto as follows.
“The provisions of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15) are very clear as far as the mandate of the Local Government Board is concerned in the circumstances of this matter.
“Its mandate is either to decline or confirm the discharge of a senior council official who would have been dismissed through a full disciplinary process and does not, in whatever way, have the power to reinstate a dismissed senior council official. Your client, therefore remains dismissed from employment and if he is aggrieved by his dismissal, he should seek legal recourse and not seek reinstatement through the back door. The contents of your letter are misleading in all material respects as there is no legal basis for your demand that your client commence reporting for duty.
“There is no court order to the effect that your client has been reinstated. Your letter of demand is also not a court order and it is for that reason and all others stated above that our client shall not allow yours to access its premises for the purposes of reporting for duty,” reads part of the letter.
Gozo’s surprise return followed a council resolution of July 23 2024 that proposed for a mutual termination of Gozo’s contract after the two parties agreed on the termination benefits.
Gozo won an appeal against his termination to the Local Government Board which ordered for his reinstatement. Council appealed against that decision at high court and the, matter was supposed to go for retrial.
The council’s decision follows a special full council meeting held on August (15) where council deliberated on the matter.
Sources within the local authority said councilors fumed on why the management allowed Gozo to spend the day at the local authority of which they said they were afraid that he could have brought the media.
“The councilors queried why management allowed Gozo at the premises when they were fully aware that he was fired. The Acting Town Clerk however told them that they were shocked by his surprise visit and didn’t want to raise eyebrows since they suspected that he had brought the media with him,” said the source

SADC: The circus is in town!

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SADC: The circus is in town!

Ladies and gentlemen, I hope very soon we will all be breathing a sigh of relief, especially those in Harare after the departure of our esteemed guests who came for the SADC summit. The ruling cabal is in seventh heaven, amazed at how much they can do when it is time to stroke each other’s ego with the rest of the gang from across Southern Africa. The regional body, which has over the years been proving it’s uselessness when it comes to the will of the people is once again endorsing Baba Two, and I hear they will not be given any small chance to see the other side of the Zimbabwean life. I saw Joji celebrating the Media briefing room at the airport like an impressionable child, hanzi zvidobidobi, kkkk how silly! He himself is even surprised about what the Zanu government can do when it is in the mood. It’s as if they are showing off to other Presidents in the SADC region like primary school kids, all at the expense of the general citizenry. Hospitals are in a dire state, with giving birth becoming more of a death trap. I thought Baba Two’s establishment will at least have some shame after billionaire Masiiwa and wife donated maternity equipment to Pari and Mbuya Nehanda hospitals, especially with the amount, just a quarter million which to them is a drop in the ocean, considering all the natural resources they steal, but they would not flinch, unless it’s concerning power and being made SADC chairman. If it was the government buying that equipment, we will be hearing of tens if not hundreds of millions USD. Nothing else matters to Zanu anymore. They had to attempt to create a little African heaven for people who actually know how bad things are in this country—those who claim not to know among the SADC leaders are simply clowning like they are used to. After all they are such a circus and have been so for a long time. Even the City of Harare, which is known for gross incompetence is in on it, seized with beautifying the city as if they have the capacity to maintain it. Such a bunch of clowns! Harare, a place known to be a huge rubbish bin being beautified, kkkkk, I wish I had bus fare, I would board Sarapavana tomorrow morning to go see how much beautification has happened in the Sunshine city that is no more. At least these days in Harare council meetings they have something of substance to discuss, rather than corruption and making resolutions that mean nothing to residents but just fleecing them of their hard earned money. I bet the heads-of-states will go back to their countries thinking Zimbabwe has become more of a holiday destination, chazongoshota is the beach and a few more things. Cupcake Ramaphosa needed a holiday after the SA elections fiasco, after which he will go back and mock people from other countries like we saw him doing during the Olympics. He might even whisper into Baba MaTwins’ ear to remind him how much his country’s economy is being carried on the backs of Zimbabwean immigrants, yet they are being hunted like rats by his people. To him it’s more like Christmas paruzevha, kkkk haa zvemuTeapot country medu umu zvakaoma. I saw some government workers from Mthuli’s ministry parading a ‘state-of-the-art’ bus, with an interior that looks like that of a home, all meant to drive the visitors around. You could hear by the excitement in their voices that these people have become so used to the bottom-of-the-pit Zim standards they don’t even realize how absurd that is. Varume vakuru squealing like piglets over a bus. Surely we deserve Zanu, at this rate. Even good old ZESA supply improved, as if people can afford having it, with how the tariffs have become so high. Baba MaTwins became so obsessed with this SADC chairmanship to a point where he even locked up voices of dissent, talk of sweeping anything considered as dirt in his delusions under the rug. The paranoia even pushed the cabal to lock up tourists for just saying they couldn’t shave because there was no power nor water. If it was in a country that actually works, the lodge where the tourist was allegedly recording the video from would be investigated thoroughly, even closed for not having such basic things like water, but who cares in a Banana Republic? We have normalized a lot of abnormal things, that’s why Zanu always takes us for granted. Just look at how as a country we have normalized begging—the number of people begging for medical assistance shows you that we have indeed given up on our health system. Yet the government, which a few months ago was also begging for US$2 billion is the same one doing major renovations for a summit that lasted a few days. Unotoshaya kuti zvirikumbofamba sei.  

I hear Gozo is back like musana at council, demanding that he be given yet another chance of chowing residents’ money. I do not know who in their right senses makes those decisions kuLocal Government Board uko, because this looks like daylight robbery on the residents’ part. This is going to cost council an arm and a leg, costs that we all know are transferred to ratepayers by default. Haa munombovadya vagari senge munodya harugwa zvenyu. It all sounds like well-calculated racketeering, but what gets to me is the entitlement to ratepayers funds they have—demanding thousands while service delivery is at its worst to say the least. Apparently it is not only Wicknell who is benefitting from the brokenness of the system, it starts from those we live with, makanzura edu iwaya, and whenever they find a chance they loot. Mapombi once said local authorities are the mother of all corruption in this country. Matownhouse mazhinji if not all, are crime scenes I tell you. I Kanzuro yacho is sticking to its resolution hanzi Gozo hatidi kumuona and in all this fight who sufferes? It’s the grass ofcoz kkk.

Anyway, let me go ndinokanga maputi angu zvangu for lunch, these days the rotten bananas are becoming less and less, ndichatomboinda paTanaiwa apoo. ZiG is still very elusive for us vagabonds, and it seems Mthuli naMshayazano have gone AWOL as well. Shadow finance minister KD muzaya waMafidi is the one we see here and there. Let’s hope General Chandaizment will give us some action before the year ends because I really miss the drama of endless press conferences, when cdes called each other sellouts what not. I am always looking forward to Zanu drama; ko ndiyoka our only hope because opposition is as dead as a dodo. Nero wacho sometimes acts like a flip-flopper or a clown, or both. His cult of followers same same.

Have you guys seen Jonono recently? Netizens no longer fancy him, which has rendered him irrelevant. There is an unspoken rule on the internet that if you want to go irrelevant faster than you ever imagined, support musangano wekuyera uyu, wanaMai Welly. Baba naMai Baby Boy Nevy Mutsvangwa are also missing in action these days, maybe it’s SADC yakati kuuya iyi. Let’s hope they are not cooking something somewhere quietly and cunningly like we saw that other time. If you see VaMphoko my friend ask him how it feels to be on the sidelines vamwe vachidya SADC paHarare apo,kkkk. Until next week, mboko imboko!

DECOLONIALITY- A NECESSITY IN ZIMBABWEAN UNIVERSITIES

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DECOLONIALITY- A NECESSITY IN ZIMBABWEAN UNIVERSITIES

By Aribino Nicholas (Writing in my own capacity)

Colonialism in Africa is not over, rather it is all over. One of the things that has given colonialism this staying power is the education system in Africa that largely mirrors the virtues of imperialists. Before the coming of the Whites in Africa, there was a sound traditional education system that extolled the moral economy of interdependence. The traditional education system in Africa before the 15th century celebrated the communal -self at the expense of individual liberties. There were no formal classrooms before the advent of the whites in Africa, rather education was imparted through families, community gatherings, folklores, inscriptions on caves, traditional leadership and its council. When the whites came to Africa, they found human rights as part and parcel of the cultural properties of Africa. In Africa, human rights were enjoyed through a sense of collectivism, co-creation, co-production and co-decision. The African communities resembled the tapestry of a basket, diverse but coterminous in being mutually constitutive and reinforcing. The whole village would be alive to its collective responsibility of socializing the young ones into socially acceptable adults that would live to promote ideas and ideals of their communities. It is the purpose of this opinion piece to float the polemic that Zimbabwean universities have failed to help Zimbabweans to find themselves as a people, rather they have served as the colonial conveyor belts for the consumption of European and Western epistemological values and aesthetics.
Zimbabwean universities need to be rejigged in terms of their funded mandates, curricula, assessment and evaluation focus. The European and Western epistemic values mark and punctuate the content of Zimbabwean universities at the cost of indigenous knowledge systems. In Zimbabwe quite a number of universities have made foreign languages such as Mandarin, French, Portuguese and German among others, compulsory for students. The 64-million-dollar question is: Is globalization just for Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular? My understanding is that globalization should be a function of hybrid dynamics where good values from both Africa and Europe/ West should merge to represent a panoramic worldview. This way we should also see African languages being taught in the global North. Zimbabwe has gone on to embrace additional foreign languages when locally its own citizens are not conversant with the16 official languages. Some of the official languages in Zimbabwe like Sign Language and Ndebele are not even compulsory in the education system. Universities in Zimbabwe should take it upon themselves to offer these languages and should also influence their acceptance at the lowest level of education through a language policy. I say universities because they are leaders in research and development, they are the torch bearers in the country in terms of knowledge and wisdom, they should therefore, advise the government accordingly.
Psychologists argue that human beings think clearly or form ideas in their minds through their source languages. Source languages are therefore, by extension, the fulcrum of all innovations and inventions. Source languages should pepper the school system from ECD to higher education. To continue putting a premium on foreign languages as vehicles of instruction is to fence out the gains of colonialists at the expense of developing own local languages. Language cannot be separated from development, because it is the means through which thought patterns are developed.
When the whites came to Africa, they attacked our centre of gravity- our languages and indigenous knowledge systems, by creating an education system that pooh-poohed us as a people. They introduced their languages as being key to communication, business, international relations and human relations. African languages and traditions were written out of history, Africans began to be obsessed with speaking French or English through the nose. African universities should rethink their thinking through re-examining their content and assessment procedures. African universities ought to disentangle themselves from quantitative epistemic values that are associated with the West. They should develop programmes that aim to rewire the mindsets of Africans in such a way that Africans take pride in being who they are. Today the spirit of ubuntu is gone, there is more of individualism as compared to interdependence.
The whites hit us where it hurts most by defining and ruling us according to their own tastes that had little respect for our cultural practices like polygamy, seniority and by introducing gender into our psyche, rubbishing our oral history and prizing quantitative knowledge systems. African universities should wake up to cause epistemic violence by defining epistemic truth for Africa. Africans need an education system that would retain the identity of Africans as a people. Although African countries are not a homogeneous entity, they converge on cultural rights that give them a common identity. Cultural rights are enjoyed collectively. African universities should reflect on their educational menus with the view of producing graduates that are proud to be Africans out and out. For example, the complexion complexity that we see of our black sisters with fanta faces and coca-cola legs is not pleasing at all. Everything rises and falls on education; African universities need to work hard to deconstruct coloniality in order to reconstruct epistemic values that are in -keeping with our own values.

WCoZ raises awareness on health issues

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WCoZ raises awareness on health issues

By Perpetua Murungweni

Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe WCoZ is working on an intervention to influence the advancement of women’s rights including maternal, mental, and sexual reproductive health rights, safe abortion, and HIV/AIDS among other pandemics through awareness campaigns.
Speaking to this publication WCoZ Masvingo Chapter Coordinator Blessing Chimombo said on July 25, the organization commemorated World Hepatitis Day to raise awareness and increase knowledge about the disease, STIs, and other health issues that affect women.
“As a women’s rights organization, we recognize the importance of health promotion and disease prevention in empowering women. Through our initiatives, we are working to increase education and awareness of health issues and advocating for increased access to healthcare services,” said Chimombo.
Chimombo said by empowering women with knowledge and resources, as an organization they believe it would help them make informed decisions on their health and wellbeing.
“It is essential that we prioritize the health and well-being of women, and work together to ensure that all women have access to the education, resources, and healthcare services they need,” said Chimombo.
The organization’s Masvingo Chapter Chairperson Rebecca Murau said the awareness campaign on Hepatitis B was meant to equip women with knowledge of the disease and to correct some misconceptions about it.
“The awareness campaign addressed some misconceptions about Hepatitis B like that it is not treatable, also that not everyone is at risk. Most women assumed that only pregnant women can get the infection hence they do not care about getting tested.
“We have noted that some women lack knowledge of what hepatitis B is or how it is contracted. Many women would just notice on their antenatal card results of the test but did not know what it meant,” said Murau.
One of the attendants, Moreblessing Manenji from Runyararo suburb said the campaign was helpful because she did not have a full understanding of what the disease was and how it was treated.
“The awareness is a big deal for us women because most of us did not know what the disease is, and how it is treated. I would see it written on my antennal card but wouldn’t know what it was and how to prevent it,” said Manenji.
Hepatitis B is a liver infection which a person can acquire through blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. As such, a person can get the viral infection through sexual contact and some health experts consider hepatitis B a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Among the different hepatitis variants, the Hepatitis B Foundation notes that hepatitis B is the most common cause of chronic liver infections.

Gutu HPO warns community against fake doctors

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Gutu HPO warns community against fake doctors

By Precila Takabvirakare

Gutu Health Promotions Officer (HPO) Tonderai Chibura has warned communities in Gutu against fake doctors in the district mostly targeting rural communities.
The fake doctors are said to moving around claiming to be from government offering free scan services and asking patients to pay for herbs that one would have been prescribed.
Speaking during a media engagement meeting held at Gutu Rural Hospital on August 2, Chibura said they received reports about a team of fake doctors who were moving around the district claiming to be from the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC).
“We received reports about a team of fake doctors that is currently in the district targeting mainly rural areas claiming to be from the government. The team is allegedly offering free scan services and ordering people to buy prescribed herbs from them but we do not know them as we did not give any one a clearance letter at district level to do such campaigns. This team targeted remote areas such as Chingombe, Muchekayaora, Chepiri, Munyikwa, Mazuru, Magombedze Chitsa and Chinyika,” said Chibura.
He said this was affecting members of the community as people were asked to abandon their prescribed medication from hospital in favor of their often expensive herbs.
“This incident greatly affected us as we faced challenges during our integrated community outreach campaigns. We found out that people were asked to change their prescribed medication from the hospital in favor of the herbs that they would have been prescribed. This is a great challenge as the community lost their money and lives,” added Chibura.
Chibura further said they had communicated with village health workers to raise awareness so that people will be aware of how the government operates and prevent such scenarios.
“We have communicated with our Village Health Workers to raise awareness within their respective communities so that the community knows that government services and medication are for free they are not supposed to be asked to pay for any services and to know that if there is any government program it will be communicated through village health workers and local clinics,” he said.
The meeting was aimed at enlightening members of the media on how they should report health related stories to prevent causing alarm and panic to the public.
Chibura said as part of the Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) the media was very important in circulating information regarding health related issues thus the media should verify facts and report correct information.
“Under the RCCE pillar, the media is very important in circulating health related information by raising awareness and alerts. When doing so I encourage the media to verify facts and statistics with relevant authorities before publishing to avoid causing alarm and panic to members of the public, said Chibura.
He also encouraged journalists to be careful with their headlines when it comes to health reporting and to be careful when dealing with statistics.
“I also encourage you to be careful on the issue of headlines because these may have negative impacts in the community and some may have a negative impact on the country’s reputation. Also you should be very careful when dealing with statistics and names,” he said.
He further urged the media and district health officials to work together to make sure the community gets correct information regarding the particular topic.
The MoHCC is holding media engagements across the province and have so far covered Chivi, Masvingo and Gutu where similar calls were made.

Gweru’s GO Beer Brewery nears completion

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Gweru’s GO Beer Brewery nears completion

By Tiyani Hahlani

Excitement is building in the city of progress as the highly anticipated Go Beer Brewery, a joint venture between Gweru City Council and a local investor, nears completion.
The state-of-the-art facility is currently at 70 percent and is expected to open its doors to the public before year’s end.
The brewery’s operations are expected to create job opportunities and stimulate the local economy.
The City Mayor Martin Chivhoko said the project was on track to meet its scheduled completion date, with the majority of the construction completed.
“The project is advancing as the opening of the brewery is set to be open before December. We anticipate that its opening will create employment for several people,” said Chivhoko.
Gweru Council Spokesperson Vimbai Chingwaramusee expressed joy with the progress that the city was making in developing the economy.
“We are happy about the completion of the brewery as this will ensure economic growth in the city,” said Chingwaramusee.
The local authority is furthering its commitment to sustainability by harnessing the brewery farm to provide raw materials for beer production.
This strategic move will yield multiple benefits, including reduced transportation costs and a minimized environmental footprint.
Cultivating essential ingredients locally will ensure a consistent and dependable supply chain for the brewery thereby supporting its operations and reinforcing the initiative’s focus on sustainability.

Assailant rapes Grade One pupil on way from school

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Assailant rapes Grade One pupil on way from school

By TellZim Reporter

A yet-to-be-identified assailant, two weeks ago, brutally raped a grade one pupil who was on her way from school in a bushy area around Mutirikwi River in Gutu.
The infant, who cannot be named for ethical reasons is said to have been walking alone, along a path that crosses the river from a nearby primary school, when the assailant, believed to be a secondary school learner from a nearby secondary school approached her.
Sources close to the matter revealed that the assailant, whose face was covered in black soot, threatened the little girl with unspecified action, after which he raped her several times.
The perpetrator is alleged to have been caught during the act but managed to flee, leaving a pair of shoes that then led to him being named as suspect.
By the time of writing, the suspect was said to not have been caught yet, as neighbourhood watch police allegedly did not have enough evidence linking him to the crime.
Further information indicated that the girl had been left in the custody of her paternal grandmother while both her parents worked in South Africa.
It is also reported that the girl walked alone to and from school daily, crossing the river as there is no school close to where she lives.
Villagers who spoke to this publication said the teenager linked to the rape is known to be repeatedly truant, as he often skips school and is on record for having severely injured a grade three boy from the same area with a bicycle a few years ago, and hid the infant in the bush until he managed to crawl to a nearby road where he then got help.
“The boy in question has been named suspect in several incidents that happen in this area, and parents now fear for their school-going infants, especially after the most recent case,” one villager said.
Masvingo Police could not confirm the case, saying they were yet to receive the report, while the girl has been taken for medical examinations.

CBAP ends water woes at Morgenster CPS

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CBAP ends water woes at Morgenster CPS

By Virginia Njovo

Masvingo – Community Based Aid Programme (CBAP) drilled a hybrid solar-powered borehole at Morgenster Central Primary School, putting an end to the water challenges that the school was facing.
CBAP Director Samuel Mhungu said as part of their mission to help the community, they had requested proposals for borehole drilling from 26 schools in Masvingo Province, including Morgenster Primary. They recognized the urgent need at Morgenster and decided to consider their proposal.
“We put out a call for proposals from the 26 schools we’re working with, and the urgent response we received from Morgenster CPS showed they were truly in need of the borehole, which we later drilled here for the benefit of the school and the community,” said Mhungu.
The CBAP has other projects at Morgenster CPS, including poultry, gardening, and horticulture, and the new solar-powered borehole has made these initiatives easier to implement.
“The 3,200 kW solar borehole has facilitated the implementation of some of our projects here at Morgenster CPS,” said Mhungu.
Morgenster CPS head Percy Chigumbu said the school had insufficient water supply for a long period since the mission’s water supply was being affected by power outages, leaving the school in a dilemma.
“We did not have a reliable water supply here at Morgenster Primary for a prolonged period due to power cuts affecting the mission’s water system. We could not store the little water we were getting,” said Chigumbu.
During the COVID-19 and cholera outbreaks, the lack of water at the school was especially problematic, as learners required frequent hand washing.
“We had significant challenges during the cholera and COVID-19 outbreaks, as there was a critical need for regular hand washing. We had to go to Morgenster Teachers College daily to request water, which was an extremely difficult situation. We’re grateful to CBAP for coming to our rescue,” Chigumbu said.
In Masvingo Province, CBAP is working with 26 schools (13 primary, 13 secondary) to help the community adapt to climate change. They have also constructed a borehole with a supported irrigation system for the Zimuto community.

Lake Mutirikwi Hydropower station 95 percent complete

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Lake Mutirikwi Hydropower station 95 percent complete

By Virginia Njovo

Masvingo-The USD$14, 6 million Lake Mutirikwi Hydro Power Station located at Mutirikwi dam in Masvingo is now 95 percent complete, government has said.
The power station will generate 5MW electricity power which is going to be fed into the national grid, contributing to Zimbabwe’s overall power generation and Masvingo Province is expected to benefit significantly from this project.
Speaking to TellZim News, Permanent Secretary in the office of Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa said the power plant whose construction commenced in March 2022 at Mutirikwi Dam is now at 95 percent and should be ready by the end of this month (August).
“The 5MW power plant is now at 95 percent completion and we were given by the Great Zimbabwe Hydro Power Company that by the end of August 2024 the plant will be complete and ready for commissioning,” said Dr Pazvakavambwa.
The Lake Mutirikwi power project is being undertaken by the Great Zimbabwe Hydropower Company, which is working with a Danish firm, Frontier Energy, and Old Mutual Life Assurance Company as partners.
In an interview with TellZim News, Great Zimbabwe Project Coordinator Hubert Chifumbu said the project was expected to complete by the end of July 2024 but due to the downstream demands for irrigation in the Lowveld, some water had to be released from Lake Mutirikwi and as per their water use agreement with ZINWA that the power plant is not going to disturb downstream operations.
“We were expecting the project to be complete by end of July 2024 but due to the downstream requirements which were supposed to be met, we had some delays but we are at 95 percent complete now; by the end of August 2024 we will be done and in September the power plant will be commissioned, “said Chifumbu.
Chifumbu said the 5MW power plant was going to cater for 20 percent of required electricity by Masvingo Province but since there is another large inland dam in Masvingo, another power plant could be established at Tugwi Mukosi Dam which generates 17MW.
“The Mutirikwi hydro plant can generate 20 percent of the power needed by Masvingo Province and we are hoping to construct another hydro plant at Tugwi Mukosi Dam which is capable of generating 17 MW,” said Chifumbu.
He also said the generated power will simply be fed into the national grid contrary to what people believe that the power will be used in Masvingo only and said if there was proper utilization of water bodies in the province, Masvingo would later be independent in power generation and supply.
“The power generated at the Mutirikwi hydropower station is not only for Masvingo Province alone. It will be fed in the national grid and ZETDC will be responsible for distribution,” said Chifumbu.
Currently, Masvingo Province is getting power from Hwange and Kariba hydropower stations according to the statistics from the Zimbabwe Power Council (ZPC) together with Ministry of Energy and Power Development statistics, Masvingo Province’s demand for electricity is around 20-25 MW.
Zimbabwe and Zambia have reduced electricity generation at the Kariba Dam to conserve water, leading to prolonged load shedding in both countries. The water levels at Kariba Dam are decreasing daily, as more water is being released than is replenishing the dam, leaving less water available for power generation.
As of July 29, 2024, the lake’s water levels stood at 447.04 meters, a significant drop from 479.69 meters on the same date in 2023. This decline corresponds to a reduction in usable storage capacity, which has decreased from 29.56 percent to just 10.63 percent over the past year.
The ongoing drop in water levels at the Kariba Dam threatens the ability to maintain optimal hydropower generation, posing risks for energy supplies in both Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Rural-based funeral service provider brings hope to Serima

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Rural-based funeral service provider brings hope to Serima

By Rangarirai Shanyurai

Serima Funeral Logistics, a unique and rural-based funeral service provider established in the heart of Serima area in Gutu to offer affordable services to the rural folk in Serima and Gutu District at large is set to bring relief.
The funeral service provider is a brainchild of Gutu’s ward 5 Councillor, Daniel Mutunzi and was established in March 2023 to reduce the challenges faced by mourners before burying their loved ones.
Speaking to TellZim News, Mutunzi said he witnessed the challenges faced by the community during funerals and thought of establishing the service company which he said will offer a wide range of funeral-related services and expressed hopes for expansion from the area to the whole district.
“The funeral cover offers a range of services including financial assistance for travel, utensils for food preparation and storage, tools, cement for grave construction and coffins.
“The organization is currently only serving the Serima area but we have plans to expand to surrounding areas by 2025 and become a leading funeral service provider not only in Gutu,” said Mutunzi.
He said he was running the organization with his peers Alex Chakona, Munyaradzi Chipoterwa and Tonhorai Mutsau and said more than 200 people had already subscribed to the service provider.
“The programme has attracted over 200 members, who are required to pay a US$20 registration fee and US$3 monthly subscriptions.
“Serima Funeral Logistic is poised to make a significant impact in the community, bringing relief and support to those in need,” said Mutunzi.

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