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Charles Austin Theatre creates roadmap

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Charles Austin Theatre creates roadmap

Decide Nhendo

Masvingo Theatre and Arts Club (Charles Austin) is hosting a workshop for the strategic planning aimed at capacity development of the committee and the strategic plan for Charles Austin Theatre 2024 at Clevers Resort from 9am to 4pm.
The theatre Public Relations Officer Engineer Emmanuel Sakhala said the workshop was a strategic meeting running from October 6 – 7 2023 and the main focus was to create a roadmap for the club and find ways to benefit all the stakeholders.
“We are having a strategic meeting for the Masvingo Theatre and Arts Club on 6 to 7 October the idea is to create a roadmap for the club, to benefit all the stake holders,” said Sakhala.
He said Masvingo City Council and National Arts Council of Zimbabwe will be at the workshop for strategy implementation focused on budget, resources required, and taking corrective action to achieve objectives to establish consolidation and way forward.
The workshop will also focus on how to actualize the activities to be done at Charles Austin theatre to improve professionalism and make people aware of different artists and their different activities as realistic.
The workshop will also look at strategy and formulation which has to do with action plans and a calendar of activities and projects to undertake for one year up to December 2024 to achieve the missions and objectives.
The committee is focusing on strategies and ways to make artists aware of plans and activities that happen in Masvingo making people aware of dates and events that are going to take place.

Residents call for council to find other sources of revenue

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Residents call for council to find other sources of revenue

Decide Nhendo

Masvingo residents have called for the city council to find and maximize other sources of revenue to lessen the burden of financing council activities to on residents.
Speaking during budget consultation meeting at Mucheke Hall recently, residents said the rates were increasing every day and council was supposed to find more ways of raising money including proper leasing of council beer halls and Mucheke Rank among other sources.
A resident from Twizza Hostel said the person renting Farai Beer hall is also subletting some compartments for other uses instead of using the beer hall for its intended use.
“Council is failing to run its bars and is renting them out, however, we feel they are not doing it properly and is not getting meaningful revenue from there, this means council will turn to us on everything they need financially.
Council should lease bars to people with capacity who will transform them into cash cows not what we are seeing right now.
“Farai Beer Hall used to be one of the best beer outlets in Masvingo but now the standards have deteriorated and I am sure council is no longer making money from it this is now affecting us residents greatly as the rates and taxes like refuse collection are increasing while revenue from council bars can be used to cover other costs,” said Gigantic Fudzani.
Another resident said council should make sure they maintain Mucheke Rank properly as it is another cash cow that can raise more money for council and lessen pressure on residents.
“The council have to make use of opportunities like the rank which can be used to generate money to use in other projects if kept up to standard as they will be able to collect money from vehicles that will be operating within the rank to fund other social services programmes,” said the resident
Masvingo City Council is proposing a USD$17 million budget where USD$15 will come from internals sources and the remainder from other sources.
The local authority is proposing to introduce another levy on residents called fire levy where residents are expected to pay US$ 1.50 for residential stands are and US$3 for commercial stands.
Council said the need was necessitated by the fact that it covers the whole province and due to the nature of the operations residents will have to pay a levy towards that cause beginning of January 2024.

Masvingo wheelchair tennis team tops Danhiko games

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Masvingo wheelchair tennis team tops Danhiko games

Bright Zhou

Masvingo based wheelchair tennis senior and junior teams topped the recently ended 33rd edition of the Danhiko Paralympic games held on September 22, 2023 at Danhiko in Harare.
Masvingo team comprised of four categories, the men and women senior teams and then the junior team with the boys’ as well as girls that all topped in their categories.
Masvingo tennis association chairperson Moses Chitombo said the females performed better than men and one female junior player Kudzai Kumbambarika was crowned outstanding player of the tournament.
“Our team made us proud, we managed to top in all categories to get position one. One of our female junior players was crowned outstanding player,” said Chitombo.
He thanked Masvingo Town Clerk Edward Mukaratirwa and the housing director Simbarashe Mandishona for their help in registering the participants to take part in the games.
“I want to thank Masvingo Town Clerk Mr Mukaratirwa for his help to make sure that all players and staff were registered so that the team was able to participate.
“I also want to thank the Housing Director Mr. Mandishona for being with us throughout the tournament, we were together from day one up to the end, with him giving us all the support we needed to win the tournament,” said Chitombo.
Chitombo also applauded support from the members of the public who he said are the reason why they keep working hard saying the unwavering support from the community pushed them forward.

Masvingo City Council struggles with sewer management

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Masvingo City Council struggles with sewer management

Admire Chatindo

Masvingo City Council has revealed that it is still struggling with sewer management both pumping and treatment.
This was revealed in the 2023 half-year budget performance review where the local authority said the major reason was lack of funds
Council said challenges were built on, the non-functional Biological Nutrient Removal, the major sewer treatment, and efforts to fix the equipment were moving at a snail’s pace due to lack of funds since the repairs demands lots of money;
“The Biological Nutrient Removal Plant, which is the main sewer treatment plant has several non-functional components which require repairs. The pace at which the repairs have been undertaken was slow due to lack of financial resources coupled with a high cost involved.”
The report stated that sewer pipes lacked proper maintenance as blockages prevent efficient wastewater drainage and the non functioning high-lift pump, the power outages experienced in the first quarter and the archaic drainage systems including water pipes for transporting water.
“During the period, we also experienced a breakdown on the high-lift pump which pumps wastewater to standard farm for irrigation of pastures.
“These challenges were an addition to the power challenges experienced in the first quarter, and the ageing and increasingly overloaded sewer mains which resulted in an increase in sewer blockages.” Reads the report

The dynamics of church growth

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The dynamics of church growth

By Solomon Chimange

Text: Matthew 16:18-19

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The church and its growth

One of the things we must know about church growth is that a church grows in accordance to God’s will and in His Will. We need to know and understand that the church belongs to God and He does what He wills. The setman is the instrument He uses to carry out His plans for His people. The flock does not belong to the setman, they belong to God. They are His people and not the people of the pastor.
Some wrong perceptions about Church growth:
1. That the church is owned by the set Man

Rom 9:16-17

‘So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
John 15:16,
‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.’
The church is the church of God, it is not owned by the pastor. The calling comes from the Throne of Grace as the Master sees fit to use us irrespective of our background, stature, status, education or family.
His love for his people draws him close to us, so it is not by competence, eloquence, prayers and fasting, educational background or family background but by his mercies. He chooses us to define His purpose and He refines us as we grow in Him to understand His purpose. Then those with the same passion of communion begin to gather to us, His church begins to grow, not by our prayers but by the passion to please Him.

Colossians 1: 18

‘And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.’
2. That the numeric increase of a church shows how anointed the set man is:- This has discouraged so many pastors, even some have closed down their churches due to this wrong mentality. For those who think along this line, when their churches are not growing, they believe something is wrong with them or that there is an attack against them or something or the other is happening. Dear Friends, nothing is wrong, the church is the Lord’s and because of this we do not determine how He will steer things.

This can be addressed in this way:

(a) The church not growing is due to the pastor’s mentality. The way one sees it from the mind’s eye (exposure) is very important, because what we see is what we become.
(b) Secondly, one has to sometimes be open to social exposure in order to know what is happening around. One has to be dynamic and not rigid. For example we cannot choose to remain analogue in our approach in a digital age. With this, you can carve out a pattern and programs to innovate, improve oneself especially in the areas of outreach and in reach to attract, gather and retain the people to JESUS

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

‘For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

Views expressed in this column are solely his, and are not associated with the publication.

Solomon Chimange is the founding member and Senior Pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship. He is also The Director for Southern Africa Carmel Bible Institute. Solomon is a Distinguished Proffessor of Practical Theology at Carmel. He also holds a Doctor of Divinity Degree and a PhD in Systematic Theology. Solomon is a teacher par excellence and is a Chartered Christian Instructor.

Do your job without fear or favor – Journalists told

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Do your job without fear or favor – Journalists told

Faith Duri

Masvingo based lawyer Yolanda Chandata has urged Masvingo Journalist to report without fear or favor to fight against human rights violations.
In her presentation at a workshop organized by the Zimbabwe Union for Journalists to discuss how journalists can help in fighting against organized violence and torture (OVT), she said journalist play a crucial role through exposing cases of violence without fear.
“As media practitioners you should also be in a position to do your work without fear and expose all forms of human rights violations especially during elections as we witnessed in the Province, a number of people were politically victimized,”
“The issues of torture and organized violence have been going on and it is still with us so there is need for you as journalists to make noise to expose and empower the communities to fight against the human rights violations,” added Chandata
She also emphasized the need for accurate sourcing saying the media was a powerful tool which can be used to disseminate information hence there was need for journalists to have reliable sources and fact checking mechanisms so that they avoid becoming accomplices in peddling false information.
“As journalists there is need for you to identify good sources of information, you need to have reliable sources especially on issues to do with violence and torture.
“It is important to go to police and verify if there are any cases that have been reported concerning torture and organized violence, you can also engage our prosecutors and lawyers who will be dealing with cases that we want to report about. So, the source is very important in improving reportage of such cases,” said Chandata
On sourcing she also said journalists can engage the next of kin or family members of victims because they could have first-hand other than other sources.
She also warned journalists against reporting fake news saying there were consequences for publishing falsehoods.

Harvest House International Church to host City Family Fest

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Harvest House International Church to host City Family Fest

Tanyaradzwa Tizora

Harvest House International Church is hosting a City Family Fest on the 7th of October 2023 at Masvingo Sports Club cricket ground.
The City Family Fest is a one-day event that is aimed at bringing back “Ubuntu” by gathering people, from different walks of life in the city together through fun games and social engagements in a family-friendly environment.
Harvest House International Church and the leader of Masvingo City Central Hub Senior Reverend Mugove Chikarakara the City Family Fest will have lots of activities and invited everyone who is interested to attend the great event.
“On the 7th of October we are hosting a City Family Fest at Masvingo Sports Club cricket ground in a verge to bring back ‘ubuntu’ in our city by gathering people from different communities,”
The organizers of the City Family Fest have lined up fun-filled events such as treasure hunt and children’s activities ,auction and garage sale ,360 photo booth ,talent show with lots of prizes to be won, health and drug abuse sessions and live performances by Zimbabwe Gospel artists who include the Harvest House Choir and Snowy from Bulawayo.
“We have lined up so many events like live performances by Zimbabwean Gospel artists ,treasure hunt and children activities ,auction and garage sale, talent show with lots of prizes to be won,360 photo booth, interaction with Masvingo with City Fathers and health and drug abuse sessions to mention just but a few,” said Senior Rev Chikarakara.
Senior Reverend Mugove Chikarakara said that he believes that we all have a role to play in bringing togetherness in the city.
“Everyone has a part to play in making Masvingo a city filled with love laughter and togetherness,” added Senior Reverend Mugove Chikarakara.
The event will also afford people of Masvingo advertising space for companies and space for market stalls to sell their products and services.
“We have sponsorship packages for companies ,individuals and market stalls. We have Bronze going for $50 Silver $100,Gold $150,Platinum $200,”said Rev Chikarakara.
Citizens will have the opportunity to interact with councilors from wards 1-10 and Masvingo CID is going to conduct health and drug abuse session while professional doctors like Dr Gerald Katsamba who is a diabetes specialist will lead the health session.
For enquiries sponsors, companies and individuals can contact the following organizers Tendai on +263772 616 167,Prince on +263777 716 533 and Trevor on +263772 866 081.

Understanding diversity through deaf culture

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Understanding diversity through deaf culture

By Nicholas Aribino

Deaf people do not regard themselves as disabled people. The understanding of Deafness by Deaf people is not that of a pathology but of a difference. People who are Deaf do not believe that there is anything that has broken down anatomically or sensorily that needs fixing. They are proud to be who they are-Deaf people. It is the object of this opinion piece to expand the understandings of the readership regarding Deaf people and Deaf culture.
You will have realized by now that I am using the upper-case D when I write the word Deaf. For Deaf people, the word Deaf with a capital letter D implies a social category of people who believe that being Deaf is not having a medical condition but a cultural difference that stands out in terms of its belief systems and normative practices. The inability to process linguistic information for Deaf people does not warrant the hearing world to define and rule them as objects that are at the mercy of stimulus policies or social protection, rather it is a reminder to the consciousness of the hearing world to realize that there is diversity within the human community. Deaf people are loud and proud of their uniqueness as a linguistic -cultural group that expresses itself through markers of cultural identity like Miss Deaf, Deaf clubs, Endogamous marriages, residential schools, sporting activities and sign language, among others. The source language for Deaf people is sign language which is also sometimes referred to as a manual language. The absence of receptive and expressive language for Deaf people is not at all an occlusion to life’s opportunities because society should accept them just like any other socio-cultural linguistic group of people, like the Tonga, Shangaan, Ndebele. In the light of the above argumentation, any discrimination of Deaf people based on their inability to oralise their feelings, thinking and beahviours is seen by Deaf people as an attack on human diversity. To that effect, those who believe in the Deaf culture would encourage their children to attend residential schools for the Deaf where sign language is the medium of instruction and in the case of inclusive education the apologists of Deaf culture would expect the school system to use their native language (sign language) for teaching and learning purposes. Observably, in the Zimbabwean context where the constitution recognizes 16 languages, inclusive of sign language, it is therefore the duty and obligation of the government of Zimbabwe to embrace and enhance the learning experiences of Deaf children through the combined efforts of ministries responsible for education to ensure that sign language becomes a sine-qua-non for all prospective teachers.
Belonging to the Deaf culture is not just a matter of being Deaf but a matter of identifying with the value systems and normative practices of Deaf people like language differentiation, attitudinal deafness, behavioural norms, endogamous marital patterns, historical awareness and voluntary organizational networks. In terms of language differentiation, it is important to note that membership in the Deaf community is dependent on communicative competence in sign language. Where attitudinal deafness is concerned, it is the credo that is held by members of the Deaf culture that they are in fact culturally and socially Deaf-it is not about one being audiologically Deaf. Behvaioural norms set apart Deaf people from the hearing world in terms of habits that help Deaf people to interact, for example eye contact patterns, rules governing physical contact and touching and facial expressions and gesturing. For example, the absence of receptive and expressive language for Deaf people has helped them exploit their sense of sight to the hilt; sight has become their keen sense for appreciating and understanding the world. To that effect, a male teacher of the Deaf children should not keep a beard as that would interfere with lip-reading. The Deaf culture is also solidified by in-group marriages. History of the Deaf, that has developed from aural -oral to manual communications is also prized in the Deaf culture. On the aspect of voluntary organizational networks, Deaf people romanticize and essentialise organizational networks that serve the Deaf community to maintain the cohesiveness of the group and to provide for the companionship needs of group members.
It is important to understand that from the perspective of the Deaf community, Deafness is not a pathology but a socio-cultural linguistic difference. Deaf people largely prize homophily by cultural identity which is given credence through their language which is sign language. In an environment where Deaf people interact with the hearing world it is important to recognize and prize the need for using signed communication. Deafness does not affect intelligence as evidenced by Deaf academics that are largely found in the USA at the Gallaudet University. America has produced Deaf poets, artists, dancers, academics and writers. The most important thing where Deaf children are concerned is to give them a good start, taking into account that human energies can be released and blocked, stimulated and flattened by individual encounters and ongoing relationships between people.

Dr. Nicholas Aribino : ZIMCARE Trust Country
Director and is writing in his own capacity.
Contact : +263715617095

Power of the media: Masvingo Passport office toilet crisis addressed

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Power of the media: Masvingo Passport office toilet crisis addressed

Brighton Chiseva

MASVINGO registry office hygiene crisis where more than 100 people were sharing a single toilet was recently addressed after TellZim News published a story highlighting the issue.
The complex houses the provincial registry offices, government departments of Labor, Women Affairs, Provincial war veterans’ offices, Education, Justice and Legal Affairs, Attorney General and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services offices and all were sharing the same toilet cubicle.
Workers mainly civil servants who use the government complex were forced to endure inhuman conditions where men and women share same toilet cubicle.
They complained that the Public Works department which is responsible for fixing government infrastructure was notified but failed to act in time to address the problem.
However, following an article by this publication, they went on to fix the non functional toilets as well as fixing other minor challenges at the complex.
“They came and fixed the problem and went on to fix other minor problems that we were complaining but were not urgent.
“We are happy that you exposed our problem, sanity has been restored, we were being forced to hold waste for a long time and women were most vulnerable, we are just thankful that there was no incident of sexual assault ,” said the source
People had devised a plan where men were using the urinary side while women uses the toilet seat. However, it was a challenge when men wanted to use the toilet seat for they were forced to use it and risk women walking in on them and that caused a lot of confusion.
The Public Service department was accused of lacking serious when it comes to fixing problem at government complexes as they should be doing.
Government departments have been accused again of not having proper and functional facilities as well as topping council’s debtor list.

Council proposes US $17 Million 2024 budget

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Council proposes US $17 Million 2024 budget

Perpetua Murungweni

Masvingo City Council is proposing to raise a total of US$17 million in the 2024 financial year budget, with US$15 million coming from internal sources and US$2 million from external sources as indicated in their budget report.
“We are forecasting a 17 million USD budget for the upcoming 2024 financial year; internal sources are earmarked to mobilize and generate 15 million USD and external funding contributing 2 million USD,” reads the report.
Council is going to follow the best practice princeple so that they can implement the capital expenditure rate.
“Following the best practice principle, we are going to observe and implement the 25% capital expenditure ratio, and this will translate to 4.25 million USD.
“Adhering to capitalization will help confer sustenance to the Council as Capital assets help reduce hiring cost, improve efficiency on our plants, reduce maintenance cost and help transform operations of the Council,” reads the report.
The budget report also indicates that revenue will be collected mostly in ZWL$ at the prevailing rate in line with the government policy and will continue to request payment in foreign currency to support service delivery.
“The revenue shall be collected mainly in ZWL$ at the prevailing rates in line with government policy. However, council shall continue to request stakeholders and residents and rate payers to pay for some services in foreign currency to support service delivery, as water treatment chemicals, fuel, gas, motor vehicles, pumping equipment and spares are now being sold exclusively in foreign currency,” reads the report.
The report states that the economy is now trading significantly in the United States Dollars and for council to be able to continue providing and improving service delivery, there was need for guaranteed foreign currency receipts, the council proposed that revenue to be paid in USD and 40% of bills to be paid in USD.
“To be able to continue providing and improving service delivery we proposed that billing of council revenue to be done in USD to preserve value for money that may be lying in debtors.
“The, monthly bills raised beginning 1 January 2024, 40% be paid in foreign currency and the balance of 60% be paid in local currency at the prevailing bank rate on the date of payment and that debtor balances outstanding as at 31 December 2023, be converted to US$ on 1 January 2023 at the prevailing bank rate of 31 December 2023,” reads the report.

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