By Beverly Bizeki

Power has always been at the centre of schools development with different factions vying for control of its resources and influence but at Duma Primary School in Bikita the battle for power has not been resolved, more than a month after the first attempt to elect a new SDC was disrupted.
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) had to be stopped and deferred to a yet-to-be-announced date after chaos with the old SDC accused of busing parents to support their stay at the school helm as they were becoming less popular with parents.
Commenting on the chaotic AGM meeting, Bikita District Schools Inspector James Mahofa said allegations of externals intruding at AGMs at urban and boarding schools were becoming worrying.
“We received the report of the postponement of the election of a new committee at Duma and what worries us is that there were allegations of people who have nothing to do with the school being bused to attend the meeting and causing chaos. This is becoming a challenge as it is fast becoming a trend at big schools in urban areas and boarding schools.
“To address this challenge we have informed the authorities at Duma Primary to come up with a new date for the elections whereby strict modalities will be used to conduct the meeting and our office will be present too to monitor the elections although there are no serious challenges noted so far by the delay in selecting a new committee,” said Mahofa.
Ward 23 councilor Mark Mutengani said he suspected that politics was at play and said they were still consulting relevant stakeholders on modalities that can be employed to avoid repeating the same mistake.
“Most people who attended the meeting had no children at the school and had no clue about the institution, some did not even know the amount of fees that was being paid at the school hence we had to postpone the election.
“This is the only urban primary school in Bikita hence it receives so much attention with factions from politics and personal interests coming into play. For now, we are working with a shadow committee while working towards selecting a new date for the meeting whereby thorough means will be employed in conducting the meeting,” said Mutengani.
School head Thomas Chabata said Bikita Rural District Council had assured them that the meeting would be conducted as soon as schools open for the second term.
He went on to say there was an incident of vandalism at the school that they suspect could be linked to the SDC election and that was quite disturbing.
“What worries us most about the vandalism case is that there were other things that could be stolen by the perpetrator but he only chose to destroy property on the new staffroom block building at the school.
“Three basins, four urinary chambers, and two toilet seats were destroyed at our state-of-the-art infant toilets recently constructed. The matter has been reported to the police and investigations are still going on,” he said.
Another source who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said he suspected that the current committee had hired outsiders to support them back into office.
“The existing committee did not have support at the AGM after people had interrogated the budget and discovered that there were many irregularities. Some parents at the meeting raised great concerns about expenditure. It seems the committee and admin focused on infrastructure development foregoing academic issues.
“This can only be because there are no kickbacks on academic issues unlike on infrastructure development where tenders can be awarded to people linked to some members of the committee. As always, parents tend to support critiques and this is when it all started when one of the critiques was nominated to the committee.
“This did not sit well with some of the members who argued that the selected member had refused to join the BEAM committee but now wanted to be in the SDC, so the meeting had to be adjourned. We are suspecting that there are irregularities which the current committee fears will be picked up when a new committee comes in,” said the concerned parent.

By Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI- There is little hope for the construction of the Chilonga bridge as the government through the Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Joshua Sacco said they had since identified four sites for the bridge and investigations to establish the most convenient one were underway.
Sacco was responding to questions raised by Chiredzi Central Member of Parliament (MP) Ropafadzo Makumire who quizzed him on when the government was going to address the Chilonga bridge issue that was causing the death of people every rainy season.
Makumire probed the minister to explain the delays in the rehabilitation of the bridge, which connects southern rural Chiredzi and Chiredzi Town, and to further explain when construction works on the bridge will resume.
“I want to ask the Minister whether we have a time frame for the completion of Chilonga bridge because it was washed away in 2000, and since then people from communities that are across the bridge find it difficult to access help from the other side,” quizzed Makumire.
Sacco responded saying they were doing investigations on the proposed sites and when done they would then request funds from the Ministry of Finance.
“My answer to Hon Makumire is that we have found proposed sites which we identified at the moment, we are looking at site 4 so that we investigate how much it would cost to put a bridge there.
“Those investigations will look at geological formations which will give us guidance on the amount of money that is needed for that bridge to be constructed. After those investigations, we will come up with an estimated cost and that is when we will look for that money from the Ministry of Finance so that our bridge will be built,” said Sacco.
Makumire also raised the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development to explain to the house the delays in the completion of roads in Chiredzi, particularly the Inyathi Road, and to further state when it is expected to be completed.
Sacco responded saying the contract was terminated after the contractor left the site over payments and showed no interest in coming back when the funds were availed.
“Under the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme Phase 2 (ERRP 2) which is being implemented through our Ministry, and whose mandate is to restore the navigability of roads, works are underway on the completion of Inyathi Road.
“To date the contractor has made significant progress on the project as the works were above 80 percent before being suspended.
“The works were suspended by the contractor who abandoned the site in July 2022 due to delays in payment of outstanding obligations.
“For the past few months the treasury has made significant efforts in clearing the outstanding payments but the contractor was not willing to go back on site, hence the contract was terminated mutually,” said Sacco.
Makumire however disputed that the works were ever on 80 percent.
Makumire asked when the government was going to put in place funds to rehabilitate Chivhu-Gutu/Chiredzi Road as well as the government policy on the deployment of dedicated electrical power lines to essential social services facilities like water treatment plants and government hospitals, in exempting them from load shedding to guarantee efficient and sufficient service delivery.
Chilonga Bridge plays a pivotal role in the development of Chiredzi District as it connects Chiredzi South with the Central Business District (CBD), creating the shortest route from Chiredzi Central to Maputo through Sango Border post in Chiredzi South, where Joey Sithole is the Member of Parliament.
The Chilonga causeway claims at least five lives each rainy season since 2000 when Chipinda Bridge was washed away by Cyclone Eline.

By Staff Reporter

ZVISHAVANE – There are hopes for better service delivery mainly in terms of refuse collection as Zvishavane Town Council recently commissioned two refuse trucks.
The trucks which were bought to the tune of US$276 000 were supplied by a company called Conplant and landed in the town a few weeks ago.
Zvishavane Town Council Chairperson Takarangana Keta said the funds used to purchase the two important vehicles were internally generated and were aimed at maximizing service delivery for the benefit of the ratepayers.
“We are proud of the latest development where we purchased two refuse trucks using internal funds, these trucks will improve refuse collection in the town and we want to make sure that our ratepayers get the services they deserve,” said Keta
He went on to say the town council had only two trucks which made it difficult to meet the demand but now they will be able to offer the service as per schedule.
“Before this delivery, we had two trucks which are old, so with the new development, we are now able to constantly collect refuse daily in town and weekly in all residential areas,” said Keta.
The mining town recently commissioned a fire tender and four other service vehicles that were bought through devolution and the vehicles are anticipated to promote efficiency in service delivery.
The development has brought relief to residents of the mining town some of whom lost property due to lack of fire-fighting equipment.
The fire tender vehicle is among a consignment that the government bought on behalf of the country’s 92 local authorities using part of 2021 devolution funds and it was commissioned together with the service vehicles by the Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Owen Ncube.
Several local authorities were operating with very old or no fire engines putting residents at risk of losing properties in case of fire outbreak.

…as Uhuru celebrations draw closer

By Courage Dutiro

Buhera Rural District Council (RDC) is anticipating that this year’s national Independence celebrations the district is hosting will unlock some economic fortunes for the locals especially those in businesses like food outlets, beverages and the hotel industry.
This year’s main celebrations will be held at Murambinda B Secondary School with Murambinda A Primary School hosting the children’s party and Murambinda B Primary School hosting the independence anniversary Gala.
The Rural District Council Chairperson, Thomas Matsenhura said the influx of visitors during the celebrations presents a golden business opportunity to local people that could leave them counting fortunes.
“We are expecting that local business people will benefit from the event as the whole nation will be here. Some villagers may benefit through selling local delicacies like nyii, mauyu, and other wild fruits found around Buhera,” said Matsenhura.
He also said with preparations for the event now at an advanced stage, they are already witnessing an influx of entrepreneurs setting up markets in Murambinda.
“People are already flocking into the district to look for places to set markets so that they make money during the celebrations,” he said.
The 2024 Independence Anniversary Celebrations will run under the theme “Zim@44: Unity, Peace and Development Towards Vision 2030.”
As usual Highlanders and Dynamos Football Clubs will compete for the President’s Independence Trophy while Manica Diamonds Football Club (Manicaland Province) will take on Simba Bhora Football Club from Mashonaland Central Province after the Children’s Party.

By TellZim Reporter

CHIREDZI – It was a hive of activity at this year’s Annual Career guidance exhibition held at Hlanganani High School in Chiredzi East Constituency on Friday, March 22, 2024.
The event which was attended by over 10 schools both primary and secondary in the constituency attracted a variety of career exhibitors from different walks of life.
Among the exhibitors were those from education, veterinary services, entrepreneurs, agriculture, cosmetology, construction, police and the media.
The hosting school head Alington Matsilele said such events empower learners to make informed decisions about their future careers before they leave school.
“The event is important to learners as it helps them to make informed decisions when choosing career paths in life. I encourage learners to attend such activities as they are important,” said Matsilele.
Entertainment was given by young poets like Lorraine Mujaki and Junior Councilor Nicole Gunda.
Learners from various schools were happy to learn about different career prospects and opportunities.
Among the primary schools which attended were Jekero, Mupinga, Mutapurwa, Machoka, Nyahanga, Muteyo and Mwenje.
Secondary and high schools that participated in the event were Sangwe, Dumisani, Mupinga, Ndali, Save Adventist, and the host Hlanganani High School.