Branton Matondo

As the 16 days of activism against gender based violence (GBV) head towards the 11th hour, men from Mutare have came out saying they also suffer from gender based violence despite statistics indicating more women suffering from the scourge. The period from 25 November to 10 December marks a 16 day period where the world commemorates activism against gender based violence.
Attendants of a recent community meeting in Sakubva, Mutare said that a reasonable population of Zimbabweans thought women were the only victims of GBV.
Mutare Central Member of Parliament Innocent Gonese who attended the meeting said gender based violence was on the rise and men were also falling victim.
“There is a misplaced notion that females are the only ones who suffer from gender based violence. Men have also fallen victim to GBV but in society it is difficult to believe and on top of that men fail to come out of their shells,” said Gonese.
Gonese who is also GBV activist and champion added that the violence has to be tackled on both ends as it affects all genders citing that members of the community should shun delays and report cases.
While contributing to the discussion, a representative from Sakubva identified as John said cases of rape have been on the rise but men are also being sexually abused.
“We hear of rape cases happening and women falling victim every day but men are also encountering sexual abuse on multiple occasions. The situation is not being voiced out but as members of society, we came across people who have experienced such,” he said.
Another resident from Sakubva said violent family interactions between fathers and mothers have led to a new trend of gender based violence.
“In Mutare, we come across cases of children who are exposed to violence at home and those children end up attacking their parents, be it the mother or father. That issue needs to be looked into,” said the resident.
Councillor Alderman Nyamupanedengu who was also part of the engagement added that issues of GBV and related cases also need to be addressed with culture in mind.
Youth led forums including Manica Youth Assembly (MAYA), Zimbabwe Diamonds Allied Workers Union (ZIDAWU) and Manicaland Women Symposium (MWS) also added their voices to this year’s theme on activism against gender based violence which is ‘Unite Activism to End Violence Against Women & Girls’.
This year’s theme received more relevance by the Zimbabwean community following the rape of 9 year-old minor in Matebeland who later on gave birth.
There have been more cases of rape against young girls who have their rights violated in the name of ‘religious practice’ in African Apostolic sects which have gone unabated.

…Sentenced 3 years behind bars for attempted murder

Beverly Bizeki

An act of alleged jealousy emanating from a love triangle has proved costly for a 39-year-old former Masvingo magistrate Victor Muhamadi who will spend the next three years behind bars after he was convicted of attempted murder on Friday (December 2).
Muhamadi was initially sentenced to six years by magistrate Lungile Ncube for shooting Thomas Chadyoka for snatching his girlfriend before three were suspended.
It is the state case as presented by Liberty Hove, that on March 26, 2022 in Gutu, Muhamadi shot Chadyoka once on the left arm near the arm pit after accusing the latter of alleged having a love affair with a lady identified as Lucia Makanga believed to be his girlfriend.
Muhamadi is reported to have asked Chadyoka why he was having an affair with Makanga.
“Ko iwe unodya panodyira vakuru sei (why would you compete for ladies with prominent people?),” is what Muhamadi is alleged to have said to Chadyoka.

Chadyoka who had his phone gone missing earlier on asked Muhamadi which elders he was referring to and asked if this had anything to do with his phone’s disappearance, the state case alleged.

Muhamadi is reported to have immediately produced a pistol and shot Chadyoka on the left side near the arm pit and the victim collapsed.
Surprisingly, Chadyoka told the court that he did not wish to proceed with the case saying he had forgiven the accused whose family had assisted him in settling medical bills while at the same time assuming responsibility of provoking the situation that led to the shooting incident after accusing Muhamadi of stealing his phone.
The complainant also told the court that he did not sustain serious injuries although court documents show that he sustained four deep gunshot wounds on his left arm.
The three years were suspended on condition that he does not commit any offence involving the use of a firearm to cause death.

…team aims to expose abundant talent from Lowveld

Emmanuel Chitsika

Lowveld- based Chisase FC is basking in glory of promotion into the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Eastern Region Soccer League (ESRL) Division 1 after emerging victorious in the play-offs played at Chisase last weekend.
Team Director Wellington ‘Ommo’ Gumbo said the team is on cloud nine and their dream has come true as the community did not expect the team to scale such greater heights where the youthful players would get the opportunity to exhibit their talent.
“People were delighted on the promotion since it is something that is new to the people of Chisase and people have been celebrating since December 3. So far after we played these play-offs on December 3, 2022, we are yet to sit down with the community as a team to map the way forward because we know the task ahead is likely to be tougher than in Division 2.
“After finishing our Division 2 games while awaiting D1 play offs, we joined the Chivi South Sunday League where we are currently playing though we are four or so games to catch up with other teams in that league who have played all the first round fixtures,” said Gumbo.
He went on to express his disappointment on the fact that a team from the area playing in the premiership like Triangle FC will have maybe three or four local players while the rest flock from far away areas like Harare.
“Our team is made of locally-based players drawn from our community unlike a situation whereby we draw players from other areas at the expense of this community. This promotion hopefully would help us present the players with the platform to showcase their talents on a bigger stage because currently the talent is a ‘hidden treasure’ going unnoticed.
“The players should get the chances to impress bigger Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs. If one takes a closer look at teams like Triangle FC, would realize that two or three players are local while the rest are drawn from other parts of the country like Harare or Bulawayo,” added Gumbo.
Currently Gumbo is bankrolling the team with travelling expenses as well as refereeing fees among other basics.

….As Chivi Sunday Super league race hots up

The battle for top honours in the Chivi Sunday Super league has reached another level with the top four teams battling it out for the ultimate prize as the first round of matches have already been played.
The 14 team league has reached an exciting stage with the top teams shuffling each other on that end of the table while the bottom-placed languish in murky waters.
League chairperson Tamuka Dewa also commented on the competitiveness of the league that keeps on growing as shown by the top four teams who are not separated by a wider margin.
“Sunday family league is on the edge of chapter 1 season 2 as the year 2022 comes to an end. As the log standings show, the league is very competitive if one looks at positions 1-4.
“The league continues to grow as we have seen the number of teams increasing from 11 to 15 though one of them (Chippas FC) faced financial difficulties before dropping off,” said Dewa.
He went on to praise one of their teams Chisase for gaining promotion into ZIFA Eastern Region Division 1.
“It is my pleasure to announce the victory of one of Super Sunday League family Chisase FC who played Division 1 promotional games and emerged victorious,” added Dewa.
On top of the log standings are Dare FC with 24 points from 12 games followed by Young Hlez tied on 22 points (12 games) with Chasiya FC though the latter have played a game more. In fourth place is Renco Juniors on 19 points from 12 outings.
At the bottom of the table Sadzangwena anchor with 8 points followed by Shongamiti FC with a similar number of points from 12 games.

…only seven ‘One Stop Centres’ for victims of GBV in whole country

Emmanuel Chitsika

Despite concerted efforts by partners in the Civic Society to bring to an end Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the country, a closer look at government efforts to tackle the ‘elephant in the room’ leaves much to be desired due to the evident lack of facilities to support victims.
The role to fight GBV seems to have been relegated to the Civic Society Organizations (CSOs) while government departments and line ministries mandated with such a task have not put in place mechanisms to curb the ill.
GBV cases have been reported with most notable cases being abuse of minors either in religious sects and other sections of society but sincerity on part of government is questionable due to lack of preparedness.
This year alone two unprecedented cases of impregnating of nine year olds hogged the limelight and the general citizenry wonders where the moral fibre of this society has gone while at the same time the duties and roles of policy makers are also placed under heavy scrutiny.
As if that is not enough, the preparedness of government to fight in the corner of the victims of GBV is questionable judging by the little number of help centres set for the rehabilitation of victims.
During Masvingo provincial GBV annual commemorations for this year held on December 6, 2022 at Masvingo Civic Centre Masvingo Assistant District Development Coordinator (DDC) Kenneth Madziva read a speech revealing that the country only has seven One Stop Centres to cater for GBV victims.
“Esteemed guests, to deal with the rising cases of GBV which has retarted the empowerment drive, the government of Zimbabwe is establishing One Stop Centres to offer counselling, police and health services to survivors of gender based violence.
“To date a total of seven One Stop Centres are operating and we are privileged to have one such in the province. In order to decentralize GBV services especially during the Covid-19 period, the government of Zimbabwe carried out Mobile One Stop Centres to hard-to-reach areas and this has helped in increasing access to GBV services by survivors,” said Madziva.
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) Masvingo chapter chairperson Moreblessing Manenji said as an organization they are saddened by the current happenings which have seen young children taken as ‘child bearing machines’ a situation that does not settle well with mothers.
“This year we are here commemorating the annual 16 Days against GBV but on a sad note where we have witnessed children as young as nine being taken as mothers and it does not go well with us as mothers. What has really gone wrong for us as a nation?
“As WCoZ, we appeal to all stakeholders to come together and play respective roles towards eradication of GBV as a united front. Also exposure of women to violence during elections is another cause for concern that needs attention. The cases of GBV are a clear testimony of a society that has lost its Ubuntu and empathy, morals and values. Economic hardships, gender inequality, unbalanced power dynamics, limited resources to adequately respond to GBV cases and limited implementation of the law has been the driving forces behind this state of affairs. WCoZ commends work done by government of Zimbabwe through Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises and other partners.
“We thus call for unity and solidarity towards ending violence against women and girls. We urge in particular the Zimbabwe Republic Policy (ZRP) to decentralize Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) to remote and hard to reach areas and ensuring victims access services continuously. We also call upon Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to ensure a portion of the national budget is directed towards fighting GBV as a way of mitigating violence against women and girls. Ministries of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Women Affairs to recapacitate and adequately finance the Anti-Domestic Violence Council that sized to be operational long back,” said Manenji.
ZRP Masvingo Central District VFU coordinator Assistant Inspector Tongofa dispelled the notion that some areas lack specialized personnel from the force and urged stakeholders to play their roles.
“I heard some of our presenters calling upon ZRP to ensure VFU personnel are available in hard-to-reach areas, let me tell you that as a force we have already deployed specialists in the GBV area in all such areas.
“What I would like is to challenge everyone present here to be an ambassador of peace and that is by desisting from GBV other than being a perpetrator or fuelling the problem through the word of mouth or any other related action. Everyone should preach peace for the good of our society. Young children have suffered a lot and thus as parents play your part in effectively dealing with the problem,” said Tongofa.
Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) also took the opportunity to launch their organizational gender policy which the presenter said was presented by a male since gender issues are not female issues alone.