…use bricks as chairs, laps as desks

Brighton Chiseva

MWENEZI – One will be forgiven for imagining a school with state-of-the-art facilities when hearing the name Turf Primary School which is located in ward 15 of Mwenezi District, about 52 kilometres due East from Masvingo – Beitbridge road but getting on the ground will show you the total opposite.
Having been established in 2003, just after the chaotic land reform programme which saw people flocking to white owned farms in Mwenezi and Chiredzi districts, Nyangambe Turf Primary School has never seen any meaningful development, with pupils still learning under trees with no chairs nor desks.
Pupils from grade one to six endure the scotching summer sun under leafless trees which shed their leaves during winter, using mud bricks as chairs and their laps as desks.
There is no better season for the pupils as they have to endure June and July’s colds, the sun in summer and rains in the wet season.
The school only started showing signs of development in 2020 when the first classroom block opened doors to Early Childhood Development (ECD) level A and B as well and grade sevens, leaving the rest under trees after a story by TellZim News which saw Unicef providing roofing material after parents moulded bricks and contributed money for roof trusses and other material requirements.
Turf Primary School has an enrolment of more than 311 pupils; 150 boys and 161 girls, who in most cases will not go to secondary school after completing grade seven owing to the distance between the area and the nearest secondary school which is 80 kilometres from Turf.
Speaking during a tour by Minister of State in the President’s office responsible for monitoring the implementation of government programme Joram Gumbo, the school heard Bernad Chauke said the school has a plethora of challenges which many would find difficult to believe in this era.
The only two blocks at the school are not fully functional, with the only one being used since 2020 and the second one will be open for use soon if funds permit for its completion.
“During rains, all our pupils will be crowded in the available class, a situation that is difficult for us to deliver lessons. During sunny days pupils are exposed to the harsh summer sun under trees since each class was allocated its tree to do lessons under,” said Chauke.
Chauke went on to say pupils at the school were far behind in terms of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) since the school has no single computer or any source of electricity even if they are to have a computer anytime soon.
“Our pupils do not even know a computer; we don’t have any computer at the school let alone electricity. During lessons, we just show them pictures of computers and in some cases if one of the staff members has a tablet we will show them and that will be the closest thing to a computer they will know,” said Chauke.
Connectivity is another challenge, a development which has seen the school taking time to access communication from the district offices and other stakeholders.
He went on to say they have no security at the school as there is no fence or perimeter wall, a development which has seen both wild and domestic animals frequenting the school premises .
Chauke also said the area had no health facility with the nearest being Mwenezi District Hospital which is more than 100km away.
“There is no health facility near here so it’s difficult to deal with any health emergency at school and even the community around.
“There is no transport to connect us to the main road though the road is in good good shape. We appeal to authorities to avail even a single Zupco bus here so that we can link with other areas when we need services,” he said.
The school has no staffroom and for meetings teachers gather under a thatch shade, a place where they can also connect to the network.

Tinaani Nyabereka

A 15 year-old Dadaya High School learner died after he was electrocuted in an incident that occurred on November 12, 2022 at around 1700 hours at in Zvishavane.
The deceased has since been identified as Tanaka Chihwendo.
Midlands Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko called for close monitoring of electrical appliances.
“We urge institutions and authorities in charge of public infrastructure and facilities to ensure that their implements are safe for the public at all times,” he said.
Chihwendo is reported to have been playing soccer with his friends near the boys’ hostels.
The now deceased learner is said to have accidentally touched a naked wire that was hanging from an electricity pole and was electrocuted.
He was rushed to Zvishavane District Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The matter was reported to the police and investigations are underway.

Branton Matondo

The importation of fish feed from China and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region has weighed down fish farmers in Zimbabwe causing a decline in productivity and demand, an expert has said.
Fish farming is a growing agro-based industry that has both small and large scale players.
Due to the amount of tariffs on fish feed from China through the South African coast and fish meal from SADC countries like Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, Zimbabwean fish farmers have gone to face a tough obstacle of failing to reach audible productivity.
Speaking to TellZim News at a recently held fish farming strategy launch in Mutare, Zimbabwe Fish Producers Association (ZFPA) chairperson Garikai Munatsirei said breeding and commercialization of Tilapia is a fast growing venture in Zimbabwe but the high cost of accessing fish feed is weighing on production levels.
“Among the many challenges faced by fish farmers in Zimbabwe, the chief obstacle is pricey fish feed. It’s very difficult to access standard fish feed for a standard harvest. Shortages of maize and soya beans which can also be used to make fish feeds have also pushed the industry to the edge. In terms of soya beans, it’s taking long to grow enough for the sector but the country ends up importing soya beans from Malawi, South Africa and neighbouring Zambia,” said Munatsirei.
He added that tariffs are a major blow to the effective production of fish farming and aquaculture initiatives since most of the local fish farmers are artisanal.
“The major setback now comes in paying tariffs and border charges making fish feed very expensive. So it’s quite simple, the final product becomes expensive because a fish farmer encounters high expenditure and costs hence reducing the demand,” he added.
Challenges facing fish farmers range from hefty imported fish meal, security and demand.
Coordinator for Spring Glory fish farming Simon John cited the same challenges when TellZim reached him for comment at the farm based in Manicaland.
“The first major challenge is feed then followed by electricity shortages because projects like the one here at Spring Glory farm require 80% electrical charge for standard operation of machinery. This month we lost 240 breeders to power cuts,” bemoaned John.
He added that demand for fish farming produce is low at the moment as they have only two established outlets in Mutare.
However, in a bid to address the issue of hefty fish meal a unique project at Haggai farm in Mutasa constituency managed by one Godfrey Chironda and meant to curb the acute challenges is currently underway.
Chironda said the project is organic, unique and cost effective in its bid to address impending challenges.
“This is a black soldier fly project which we use to produce larvae. It has actually 50 to 60 % protein level and it can directly replace fish meal which is very expensive. The idea is to have a significant fall of feed to have better returns on the market,” said Chironda.
The project at Haggai farm which is a single pilot project in Zimbabwe to produce environmentally friendly fish feed has attracted attention from international organisations.
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) delegation led by Fish4ACP Programme Management Unit Focal Person for Zimbabwe Yaiza Dronkers visited Haggai farm.

Yeukai Munetsi

Gweru-Upcoming Zimdancehall Chanter Tatenda Lawah (18) popularly known as ‘Detective Rhymes Da Depot King’ has encouraged fellow young and upcoming artists to work hard and persevere despite the prevailing economic hardships.
Speaking on the welfare of artists in the face of prevailing challenges, Lawah urged young and upcoming artists to persevere despite the economic meltdown bedevilling the country.
“To all upcoming artists my advice would be for them to work hard and let their success make noise. They should not be deterred by the economy,” he said.
Lawah started singing when he was only 15 and to date has 10 tracks to his name.
Some of the tracks include Madam vePagwazhi, Vakanditeya, Prayer, Attention ft Jah talk and Ndakabatwa.
“I started singing in 2017 but because I had no access to a studio at that time, I only became more pronounced in 2019,” he said.
Having lived in the Souljah Love era, Detective Rhymes said that he was inspired by the now deceased legend.
“I was motivated by Souljah Love to the extent that I felt as if it was me. He was my inspiration and I always admired how he performed when he was on stage.
“His songs contained a deeper meaning about life and I felt we spoke the same language,” he added.
Detective Rhymes has managed to release 10 tracks with Madam Vepagwazhi as the hit song.
His dream is to follow Souljah Love’s footsteps or even surpass him.
Currently Lawah is working on his 11 track project which he said will be availed to the market once it is done.

Staff Reporter

MASVINGO – Harvest House International Church pastor, Reverend Tichavaka Hlomayi recently launched two books titled The Power of Agreement and Surviving the Perils of Leadership.
The Power of Agreement was published in 2019 and Surviving the Perils of Leadership in 2022 but the former’s launch was affected by Covid-19 restrictions prompting the pastor to write the latter and decided to launch the two books the same day.
The launch was held at the local church in Masvingo town and the books are being sold at US$ 10 each.
In the first book, Rev Hlomayi talks about how important it is for leaders and their subordinates to be in agreement and highlight ways in which they can work in unison for the benefit of the church or any other organization.
The book helps leaders to build teams, teaching how important it is for each person to know his or her jurisdiction to allow moving together giving practical and biblical examples of conflicts and how they were resolved.
In the second book, he talks about how challenging leadership is; it warns and prepares would-be-leaders to build the stamina needed in every leader and master the art of survival.
“Leadership is like a jungle and one needs to be prepared before taking any leadership role, so from my life experiences as a leader and lessons learnt along the way, I saw it fit to prepare others,” said Rev Hlomayi.
He said the idea to write books was inspired by a number of reasons informed by the need to reach a wide number of audiences which cannot be reached through preaching in church.
“I have discovered that a year has only 52 weeks and we mainly preach in churches on Sundays and that time is not enough. I was also driven by the need to reach to other audiences who are not our congregants, so books are accessible to anyone,” said Rev Hlomayi.
He also said he was a reader and listener who discovered that people have a reading culture hence he could use books to teach.
“I am a reader and also a listener and with a number of pastors including our Bishop being writers, I decided also to put my teachings into books,” he added.
Rev Hlomayi also said his two books teach about leadership which was informed by his own life experiences and lessons which he said he wanted to share with other leaders and those who aspire to be leaders.
Rev Hlomayi went on to say he was working on two more books which he intend to finish by year end for publishing early next year.
He said he started writing in 2015 but the book he started working on then is yet to be finished and is almost halfway.
“I started writing in 2015 but my first publication was in 2019. I am yet to finish the book I started in 2015 and it’s almost halfway now,” he said.
He added that he has a supportive family and the church was always behind him so it was not hard for him to write and publish books since the church had its own publishing house.
“I have a very supportive family and my second book’s cover was done by my son that is a clear testimony that they support my work.
“The church is behind me since most of our pastors and the Bishop are writers. I used the church publishing house and it was so cheap for me because publishing costs are high out there and it’s not easy to publish,” said Rev Hlomayi.