By Brighton Chiseva

GUTU – After 22 years of establishment, the only notable development that was registered at Nyashenje Primary School, Chatsworth, Gutu, is its enrolment which rose from 150 in 2002 to 340 in 2024.
The school has been operating as a satellite to Mukwasi Primary School for several years and was only weaned last year when it was registered as an examination center and was allocated a substantive head and deputy, a development which some parents hailed saying could help steer development.
Nyashenje is located in Bath Farm about 12 km from Chatsworth and a few kilometers from AFM’s Rufaro High School
The farm was occupied by locals during the land reform program around 2000 and the first settlers established the school at the farmhouse, which is shared by some of the 12 members of staff, who also used barns as classrooms as well as other teachers’ quarters.
However, since then, learners are still using the barns as classes and the school managed to construct one teacher’s house that the bulk of teachers at the school share as well as two classroom blocks with one completed and the second one still at window level.
The School Development Committee Chairperson Juda Chiwara said there was slow development at the school because parents were struggling to pay school fees and without intervention from others, the school alone could take ages to develop.
“Our learners pay US$25 per term and even if they would all pay, the amount is very little, however, with these climatic and economic conditions, parents are struggling to put food on the table and are also required to pay fees so we are struggling,” said Chiwara.
He went on to say one classroom block was at beam level and they did not know how they were going to raise enough money for roofing material.
“We completed one classroom block and the second one is at beam level, however, the structure is less costly and we are not even sure how we are going to pool resources for roofing.
A visit to the school showed that learners are learning in rooms that are not well-ventilated with some having windows made from boring a big opening on the wall and a piece of security fence used to cover the opening.
Cattle are also seen everywhere as the school has no perimeter fence and learners, especially at the infant level risk being attacked by the beasts on their way to the toilets which are behind the classes.
The issue of cattle in the yard is said to be a bone of contention between locals and teachers with locals seeing the school as a good grazing area whilst teachers feel the cattle were invading their territory.
They also said when the locals come to collect their cattle they then vandalize some of the school property and loot fruits from the school orchard, especially mangoes.
The head’s office is a small storeroom at one of the barns that are used as classrooms and the office has a single window that has missing window panes putting all important documents at risk.
Though the ablution facilities seem to be enough for learners, one of the blocks has a huge opening behind and could fall anytime and one would simply pray that if that is to happen, it should happen in the absence of learners.
The school has potential for development owing to the flat terrain and availability of groundwater as the water table seems to be closer to the surface.
The school used to have electricity but the transformer was vandalized some time back and never replaced shattering prospects of establishing a clinic using some of the farm houses.
The Whiteman’s farmhouse is the only better spectacle at the farm and it currently houses the head and deputy head as well as an Agritex officer.
However, the trio are confined to some rooms at the far end as the rooms at the main house were destroyed by fire believed to have been started by locals who were harvesting honey and has not been repaired.
Though the learners have almost adequate furniture, the school has a critical shortage of textbooks forcing more than required pupils to share the same book.
Nyashenje School is not alone in the predicament as just a few hundred meters away, there is Kushinga Secondary School which has only two classroom blocks, a situation that forces learners to travel long distances to better secondary schools.

By Beverly Bizeki

Great Zimbabwe University received a cash injection of US$20 000 from Old Mutual Group Holdings as seed money for its National Centre of Excellence for Computational Intelligence and Actuarial Sciences launched recently.
Group Chief Executive Officer Sam Matsekete said the seed was a fulfillment of the pledge of commitment Old Mutual had with the university to promote research targeted at specific areas identified by the industry.
“We at Old Mutual pledged to work with Great Zimbabwe University and other universities to promote research that is targeted at specific areas identified by industry and commerce. We believe this is one way to demonstrate that we respect the role that universities and other Institutions of Higher Learning play.
“As we gave our commitment to partner you (GZU) in these collaborative efforts, I am pleased to officially handover to the university a cheque of US$20 000 being seed money to set up the University’s National centre of Excellence,” said Matsekete.
Matsekete said Institutions of Higher Learning play an important role in coming up with new ideas and urged other industry captains to join the group in mobilizing resources required for completion of the centre.
“Whist we run the current machines, we need Institutions of Higher Learning to innovate newer and better machines to develop better ideas, test new thinking and extend the frontiers of knowledge.
“I invite industry captains to join Old Mutual in this noble initiative to mobilise resources required to buid a fully-fledged centre so that we fund the research that can take us forward whilst setting in motion the collaboration between universities and industry.
Speaking at the launch of the centre GZU’s Professor Benard Chazovachii who was acting Vice Chancellor said the centre was an answer to the country’s dying culture of savings which is detrimental to national development.
“GZU and Old Mutual have partnered to establish this national center as a direct response to decades long deterioration of the Zimbabwean culture of saving. This multidisciplinary center will spearhead academic scholarship, research and innovation meant to unlock the value of financial resources and solve the in-country problem of poor savings which has hindered national development,” said Prof Chazovachii.
Prof Chazovachii said the intellectual capital from the centre will help in the cause of industrialization through creation of new products, processes and organisations to strengthen the country’s long term resilience to national and regional economic shocks.
He also highlighted that the university had recruited its initial workforce for a new venture, GZU Mining venture in its commitment to harness resources and intellectual capital to generate tangible economic prosperity.

By Beverly Bizeki

Old Mutual Zimbabwe recently extended its funeral services to Masvingo after opening a funeral services centre in Masvingo which becomes the fourth branch to offer the services countrywide.
Speaking during a media tour of the new branch, Old Mutual Group Chief Executive Officer Sam Matsekete said the group intends to offer a full package to its clients including accessing funeral services hence the opening of the hub in Masvingo.
“We have in our efforts towards serving our customers and thought about how we can make our offering full and comprehensive. When people come and buy our products they have options to cash out and buy services from different service providers but we saw the need to offer the services under one roof. Instead of getting the cash benefit, our clients can now access the services we offer.
“In doing that we are able to serve our customers better and ensure that they get value for money. This parlor and this centre in Masvingo will serve the Masvingo region in Masvingo Town and the surrounding areas. We have clients in this region and they deserve to have a facility here closer to where they are,” said Matsekete.
Matsekete said the facility in Masvingo which is fully fledged and open to customers will be launched after completion of few touch ups at the site.
“It is a fully fledged facility and will accommodate the end to end services associated with how we want to bury our loved ones. There will be consultancy services, counselling and services dealing with post funeral period. Within the core services, there are hearses, transport and logistics all based at this centre in Masvingo.
“The centre is already working and the facilities required to extend service are available, for all practical terms the facility is already there. The official opening will be made later as there are a few touch ups being done and once that is complete and the place is no longer a construction site, we will officially launch the branch,” he said.
The branch will be a fourth hub around the country although there are two more service centres where clients can access services from.
The group is continuing the expansion and distribution of service centres on Old Mutual Funeral services where they will have hubs which will be fuller facilities and service centres although customers can access services seamlessly.

..as council avails lease with option to purchase to victims

Decide Nhendo

Chiredzi Rural District Council (RDC) have availed a development control programme called ‘lease with option to purchase’ which is aimed at helping the victims of the just ended Operation Order No To Land Barons whose business premises were demolished by council.
This move comes in to assist those who were operating businesses on unauthorised land to have their business established on designated areas as they will have to reach agreements with Chiredzi Rural District Council on how they are going to purchase leases while running their businesses.
Chiredzi Rural District Council Chief Executive Officer Ailes Baloyi told TellZim News that the development control was targeting mainly those who had their illegal low income shopping structures demolished to come in groups and agree on leases and payment procedures.
“The development control targets those whose illegal business structures were demolished and council is giving the victims an opportunity to come in their selected groups and agree with council to get leases and start operating as they operate at designated areas,” he said.
Baloyi said Mkwasine, Triangle and Buffalo range were the most targeted areas as they have more people who were affected by the land operation and said most of the affected business people do not have capacity to construct shops on their own hence the need to form and operate in groups.
“Mkwasine, Triangle and Buffalo had more illegal tuckshops that were demolished by ‘operation order no to land barons’ so those are our main targets.
“However, most of the people who were operating in these areas do not have the capacity to build a shop alone so we have suggested that they come in groups and work together to pool resources and construct business complexes,” he said.
Baloyi also said the local authority was very serious and determined to alleviate business challenges being faced by Chiredzi rural district business community without leaving behind youths and women too urging them to take advantage of the programme.
Echoing on the same sentiments, Chiredzi RDC chairperson Aspect Mashingaidze said the development control was a move to assist affected business people to bounce back, run their businesses for community development.
“This development control is a way that we as council implemented to assist the people who were running businesses without leases or licences so that they can return into business putting into consideration their losses to ‘operation order no to land barons’,” said Mashingaidze.
Mashingaidze said the victims who were willing to cooperate with the resolution should pay a fee showing their commitment. After paying the fee council will then go and do layout plans, drafts and drawings and if a group can afford to build a complex they will then start building and then pay back to council while operating.
“People affected by operation order no to land barons with the willpower to do their businesses must come to council in groups and show their commitment by paying USD 100 after which that they will be given a plan and start constructing. After signing agreement forms with council they will then pay the remainder while running their businesses,” he said.
He also said as council they are very concerned and want business people in rural areas to compete with those in urban areas in form of service delivery, standard structures and regulation papers.
“Our main objective is to have rural business people have their businesses progress and at the same time have standard structures like those in towns,” he said.
Mashingaidze added that the ideal complex design they are following is like that constructed by Chamber of SMEs working hand-in-hand with council and Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises on Build, Operate and Transfer model.
“Actual design of ideal complexes we want victims to build is like that at Buffalo Range which is 70percent complete where council partners Chamber of SMEs on Build, Operate and Transfer model,” he said.
These people who lost their business structures were affected by the recent land operation which started on January 10, 2024 up to February 9, with the government saying they wanted to restore order and ensure sanity in land allocation and settlement within the province.
It is a criminal offense in terms of the Zimbabwe Land Commission Act (Chapter 20:29) and the Gazetted Lands (Consequential Provisions) Act (Chapter 20:28), to occupy State land without lawful authority in the form of a permit, an offer letter or a lease.
Over 2000 people were arrested in Masvingo province, with 600 being convicted and in some cases people were evicted, being forced to leave crops, selling their livestock for almost half prices and demolish their own houses and structures like 15 Zvengombe business people who were forced to destroy their own tuck shops.