Branton Matondo

This year’s Manicaland commemorations of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) brainchild ‘Culture Month’ will take place in Mutasa district on a date yet to be announced.
Culture Month is an annual feat held during the month of May as a way of celebrating cultural diversity in Zimbabwe.
In an interview with TellZim News, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) Provincial Manager for Manicaland Caroline Makoni said that this year’s celebrations will be held in Mutasa on a date to be pronounced.
“NACZ, which happens to be the brains behind Culture Month dedicated the month of May to celebrations of cultural diversity so for this year’s edition of Culture month it’s running under the theme ‘Promoting cultural diversity, peace, and unity’. The national launch will be in Matabeleland North, Binga and then provinces country wide are going to have their own launches. So ours is penciled for Mutasa district on a date yet to be announced. We rotate these launches in seven districts that we have in the province. Last year we were in Makoni district and the year before, we were in Chimanimani.
“Barring any unforeseen challenges, the launch is definitely on this month but if it’s belated it will be early June,” said Makoni.
Zimbabwean cultural diversity has been commended for standing strong in times of sheer obstacles.
National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) Manicaland Provincial Director Elizabeth Muusha said it is important that Zimbabweans recognizes this day as it primarily reflects on who you are as a person.
“We have our way of living, from food, clothing, language, and lifestyle and we should respect regardless of the uprising alternative cultures. The arts sector is also pivotal in the preservation of our culture because they reflect our culture,” said Muusha.
Manicaland culture driven organizations are also set to join the nation in this year’s celebrations.
In their official statement Mhakwe Heritage Foundation Trust which advocates for the preservation of culture, heritage and the environment cited that though cultural diversity in Zimbabwe has faced hard-core challenges, it has managed to soldier on.
“This year’s celebrations, pinned on promoting cultural diversity, unity and peace comes at an acute time when Zimbabwean culture is surviving through a series of obstacles. Culture has proved to be resilient in the advent of exogenous influences such as slave trade, colonialism, and globalization,” read the statement by Mhakwe Trust.

Brighton Chiseva

MIDRAND – The President of the Pan Africa Council Chief Fortune Charumbira has urged all member states to embrace the tenets of the The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) saying its implementation will remove 50 million people from abject poverty.

Currently underway in Midrand, South Africa, on the side-lines of the ongoing Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament (PAP), the two-day workshop is aimed at discussing the African Free Trade Area and to define the role of the PAP in the effective implementation the trade agreement.

Speaking at the AfCFTA workshop official opening, Charumbira said AfCTA will increase Africa’s imports to the outside world as well as increasing intra-Africa trade by more than 100 percent.

He said the topic was not new since independence and what only changed was the terminology and something was not working well, which is the reason why there has not been changes.

“If we implement this, 50million people will escape extreme poverty.  Africa export to the world would grow, and intra-Africa trade will expand by more than 100percent. We knew since we got independence that we needed to trade amongst ourselves but we were not doing that and that is the reason why this workshop has two days while others are only lasting for an hour. We need to see what has been blocking us from getting there,” said Charumbira.

He urged parliamentarians to contribute towards its success saying it was an important topic that is why the workshop has been given two days unlike other programmes which are given a few hours.

“As parliamentarians, we have been told that AfCFTA will bring prosperity to Africa. So our duty now is to establish the bottle necks and impediments towards achieving the Africa we want and then address them because this is the solution to our economic problems,” said Charumbira.

He said it addresses all African problems like unemployment, energy crisis, and fertiliser shortages in Agriculture will be a thing of the past.

Charumbira also said Africa had a challenge of not being proud of themselves and said once they address that problem, Africa will develop.

Speaking at the same event, president of the Africa Business Council Dr. Amany Asfour said if Africa wants to achieve the AFCFTA and the “Africa we want”, there was need for the private sector involvement.

“If we want to realise the African dream, the Africa we want, a prosperous, integrated, physically integrated Africa, we need the role of the private sector. Are we going to trade amongst ourselves when we are still importing goods from China, Dubai and other states?” she said.

She said African governments were supposed to legislate procurement of goods and services and make sure that a certain percentage of the procured goods and services are from African companies.

“One of our advocacy pillars is about having 40 percent of government procurement going to the African private sector, this is how we can empower the African private sector by this policy because it is not possible to have what is found on the African soil outside Africa, that is why we need at least 40 percent,” she said.

She went on to say there was need for investment in the health sector among other investment opportunities which Africa can explore to make sure that it is fully industrialised which she said was the only way to get the African dream a reality.

“AfCTA without industrialisation and investment will remain a dream but to make it happen and you your excellences present wield the power to make it happen. We as the private sector need your guidance. For instance in the health sector, according to WHO, 80 percent of African people are dying from cancer as compared to 24 percent in the west because we are not investing in health. Our people are going to India and other parts of the world to seek medical treatment and all that could end if we have a public-private sector engagement and deliberate on the matter,” she said.

In his presentation at the same workshop, Mohamed Ali who was representing AfCFTA Secretary General, said as an organisation they were happy and were relying on PAP support after which he urged PAP to continue rendering support which he said was key to making the dream a reality.

Branton Matondo

Mutare Resident and Ratepayers Association (MURRA) has raised concerns over the deterioration of sanitation in Sakubva and Mahalape suburbs as Cholera cases increase in the city.
Manicaland has over the past weeks recorded double figures in suspected cholera cases and as of May 10, 2023, six deaths had been recorded.
An increase in confirmed Cholera cases was also recorded, with 46 new confirmed cases.
In an interview with TellZim News MURRA Programmes Director David Mutambirwa said that the state of hygiene in Sakubva and places surrounding the area is deteriorating while at the same time creating a breeding ground for Cholera.
“Sakubva is the oldest suburb in Mutare. When you visit the suburb, you are greeted with perennial running water in areas such as Old Location, Muchena, Maonde, Chinyausunzi, Matida, Chineta, Old Dangare, Zororo, Magregors, NHB and Murapa. Some of the flowing water is dirty with a punching smell. Clean water is also perennially flowing. The lost clean water is disenfranchising the areas where water is not available,” he said.
Mutambirwa also added that hygiene at Mahalape or Body Slam home to over 800 settlers is in a sorry state.
“Social amenities are not known to the people of Mahalape. There is no refuse collection, no water, no electricity and no road networks. Only God knows where they relieve themselves. Some of the neighbours buy water from nearby locations while others have dug open wells for domestic use,” added Mutambirwa.
A resident of Mahalape who spoke on condition of anonymity said most of the people in the settlement have resorted to bush toilets because there are no proper toilets.
“There is nothing that we can do because there are no toilets. People who live close to the railway line relieve themselves in the railway line. Some of them find a discrete place to relieve themselves. We really are surviving on God’s grace,” said the resident.
Addressing local media recently, Mutare District Health Promotion Officer Sophia Nezandoyi said Manicaland is at risk as surrounding areas are experiencing a rise in confirmed Cholera cases.
“Cholera cases were high in Burma valley from February to March and by April the cases were low. However, there is now an increase of cases in Bocha, Odzi, areas in Marange. We assume that the main cause of an increase in cases in Chishingwi is contaminated water in Odzi River because there are a lot of informal miners (magweja),” said Nezandoyi.
The issue of sewer streams was also raised in a constituency feedback meeting held last year by Mutare Central Constituency Member of Parliament Innocent Gonese at Sakubva tennis court.
On the sidelines of the event, Reverend Muchebve from Church of Christ in Chinyausunzi said the issue of poor sewer systems continues to put people’s lives at risk amid confirmed cholera outbreaks.
“In my area of residence, the sewer pipes are outdated. We do not spend four to five days without a sewer blockage. When council comes, they push the waste to another pipeline. This goes on and on because the pipes are outdated,” said Muchebve.

Perpetua Murungweni

Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has urged its clientele and other stakeholders to make sure they contribute their input when the ministry carries out nationwide 2023 Curriculum Review Consultations set for May 23 and 24.
The ministry’s permanent secretary Tumisang Thabela released a statement dated May 17, 2023 saying they are carrying out a curriculum review where everyone will get a chance to participate in deciding the best education curriculum.
“We will be carrying out a Nationwide 2023 Curriculum Review Consultations with our clients and internal stakeholders on 23 and 24 May. Every school will be a consultation center starting from 0830 to 1700 hours.
“The consultations will give an opportunity for the internal stakeholders to participate in deciding the education we want as a nation and their views are important to shape our socio-economic development,” said Thabela.
Thabela also encouraged all stakeholders to be part of the consultation which she says is meant to improve the competence-based curriculum.
“All stakeholders should not miss out this opportunity to improve the competence-based curriculum in the ministry’s quest of providing equitably and inclusive 21st century quality education, leaving no one and no place behind,” she added.
A curriculum review is a critical examination of academic programmes for the purpose of optimizing student learning experiences led collaboratively by academic staff who teaches within the programme.
Zimbabwe introduced the competence-based curriculum in 2015 on a seven year duration up to 2022 where great strides have and are being made to ensure the education system produces self-reliant learners and is aimed at shifting from the traditional system where learners’ participation was minimal resulting in them not obtaining the critical skills they need in their lives.