TellZim reporter

The much-awaited new land fill at Masvingo City Council’s Cambria Farm is set to begin operating in October as revealed by Acting City Engineer Kudzaishe Mbetu.
Responding to questions on the new dumpsite works’ progress raised by Masvingo Mayor Cllr Collen Maboke, Eng Mbetu said the project was now at an advanced stage though they were yet to complete roofing shelter for staff manning the landfill.
“Maybe, if I can ask on progress at Cambria Farm, when is it going to start operating because we have received a number of complaints from residents in Runyararo West and Victoria Ranch concerning pollution emanating from the continued use of the old dumpsite?
“As of now, I don’t know how best we can help residents from the likely health hazard as council while we await the opening of the new site,” said Maboke.
Eng. Mbetu promised that the landfill will start working in October as the project is almost finished except the roofing of the shelter.
“We are moving to the new site this year. Before the end of this coming month, the site would be functional. Right now we are left with roofing the offices for personnel that would mann the site,” said Mbetu.
He said during the next full council meeting scheduled for the end of October, the city’s engineering department would make a presentation that would likely announce that the landfill is operating.
Cambria Farm landfill has missed its September 2021 completion deadline leading to councillors led by Mayor Maboke taking the engineering department to task accusing the latter of misleading policy makers on progress of the project.
The project seems to be stuck at 80 percent which was reported last year up to now.

Beverly Bizeki

MASVINGO City Council run Rujeko Secondary School has been given a lifeline by the local authority following exemptions from paying water bills accrued at the learning institution.
The exemption was outlined in the minutes of Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting of September 23, 2022.
The resolution came after it was considered that the current enrolment could not support the average monthly bill of One Million dollars in local currency
“The Committee considered the report of the Acting Director of Housing and Social Services for exemption from paying water bills by Rujeko Secondary School. It was reported that the average monthly bill was ZW$ 1 000 000 which could not be supported by the current enrolment.
“Council waives payment of water bills for Rujeko Secondary School in line with Council policy granting free use of water during construction of superstructures at council schools and pending increase of enrolment to support payment of bills,” read the minutes.
Recently, council exempted Alfred Walter Hostel which caters for about 150 mentally challenged children from paying water bills since it is a non-profitable organization.
Masvingo United FC was also exempted from paying Mucheke Stadium booking fees as the community owned team suffers from financial challenges owing to lack of sponsorship.

Lydia Koto

A 27 year-old Masvingo Polytechnic student Werb Tasara was acquitted by Masvingo magistrate Phillip Makodo on September 27, 2022 after being charged with unlawful entry and theft of a cellphone which belonged to Lovemore Dube of Mucheke D suburb.
The state represented by Prosecutor Tatenda Dzitiro alleged that on December 25, 2018 at around 2350 hours, Dube left his silver-black tablet on the table to charge in the dining room as he went to sleep.
Tasara reportedly went to the complainant’s house and used unknown means to open the dining window, took the cellphone and went away unnoticed.
The phone was recovered at Tsungai complex after Dube saw it where Tasara was working.
However, Tasara denied the allegations saying he did not steal the phone but a man called Arnold Musariri came to Tsungai complex where he was doing his part time job of repairing cellphones asking for repairing of his malfunctioning phone.
After the repairing service, Musariri then refused to pay the money which Tasara had charged saying he did not have money and that is when the former decided to give Tasara a non-working phone and little money.
“I did not steal the phone but l was given by Arnold Musariri after repairing his cellphone since he said he did not have enough money to pay for my service,” Tasara said.
Makondo asked the accused on the whereabouts of Musariri but Tasara said that he do not know where he was since his number was no longer reachable.
Tasara was found not guilty as there was no tangible evidence.

Lydia Koto

Villagers in ward 3 of Chivi North constituency will have to shelve their health access worries following the September 28, 2022 official commissioning of Bwanya clinic that was constructed using devolution funds.
The construction led by Chivi Rural District Council (RDC) started in 2019.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira who was the guest of honour said around 5 500 people were going to benefit from the clinic.
“Since 2019, through the devolution funds, council managed to satisfactorily complete the clinic block, three clinic staff rooms, expecting mothers’ shelter, public toilets, water reticulation, solar installation, fencing and supply of equipment and furniture. About 5 500 people are set to benefit from the clinic,” said Chadzamira.
He went on to say the health sector is one of the areas that the New Dispensation has made part of their commitment as enshrined in the NDS 1 (National Development Strategy 1).
“It is one of the areas where the New Dispensation has made commitment towards and enormous amount of progress is in health sector. No one and no place is left behind. NDS 1 points out that good health is central to human happiness and well-being,” he added.
Chivi RDC chairperson Godfrey Mukungunugwa was happy with the construction of the clinic since people from the area would walk a distance of about 15 to 20 km to nearest Danhamombe or Mashava clinic.
Mukungunugwa also thanked the government for its support in Chivi district and appreciated the roles ward 3 community and Chivi council played with support and commitment during the construction works.
“We are happy as Chivi district because we are now having a clinic in ward 3. People from this area used to walk a distance of about 15 to 20 km to the nearest medical center. We are happy today because this problem has been solved. I want to thank government, Chivi council and the community for their support towards the construction of Bwanya clinic,” said Mukungunugwa
Member of Parliament for Chivi North constituency Mathius Tongofa was also grateful with the support they got from Chivi council as it managed to sink a borehole at Bwanya clinic.
He also thanked the traditional leaders and community for their contribution towards the construction of Bwanya clinic and asked for medicines to be supplied as soon as possible so that people can start accessing services.
“I want to thank council for drilling a borehole here. This borehole was used during the construction of the clinic. It made our lives easy .
l also want to thank local leaders and community for their support and commitment towards building of the clinic .However, we need medicines so that people start to get services here as soon as possible and also the clinic needs electricity in case the solar system breaks down,” said Tongofa.
Chief Madamombe thanked the government and Chivi ward 3 community for their support towards building the clinic.
He said there was now need for nurses and drugs for the clinic to open doors.
Every staff house has cooking facility, Blair toilet outside, flash toilet and kitchen inside. Bwanya clinic also has waste management area with secured perimeter fence, waste management house, incinerator, placenta pit and bottle crush.
The water reticulation system at the clinic is solar powered and water is also from a borehole. There is also water back up in form of 10 000 liter tank with water being pumped for 24 hours.

Tinaani Nyabereka

Gweru –Bata Shoe Company last week donated an assortment of garden equipment and groceries to Mudavanhu Zimcare School in Gweru.
The donations were done as Bata was celebrating its 128th year anniversary.
The equipment included 10 garden racks, 10 shovels, 10 hoes, 10 garden forks, 2 wheelbarrows, 20 brooms, ten slashers and 10 mops.
Currently Mudavanhu school has an enrolment of 17 students which includes 13 boys and four girls.
Speaking on the sidelines of the donation, Bata Managing Director Simon Mutsiya said Bata was still thriving in providing quality services and employment to the nation.
“Bata started in 1894 in Czech Republic and we’re currently operating in over 70 countries globally with over 5 500 employees. In Africa we’re in 7 countries including Zimbabwe which has the biggest plant in Southern Africa.
“Bata is here to stay and we’re modernizing the factory by acquiring new technologies wherever possible to improve the competitive age and to export in both Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) region and other countries.
“We have plans of having two additional stores every year for the next five years and that we’re going to acquire shops and also partnering with some of the key supermarkets to form synergies,” he said.
He added that the company’s intentions to come up with new designs as an innovation strategy remained relevant in the ever-changing and highly competitive market.
“There are intentions of new designs and our innovation range should be in the range of 15-20 percentage that is out of 100 styles 15 styles should be nil so that we become competitive in the market. For now, we’re hovering on 7-8 styles and we still need to scale up.
“We are stepping in the right direction because we’re starting to see prices stabilizing both input cost and the prices that we’re passing to our consumers.
“I also plead with City council to act on illegal vendors who have been given a long rope highlighting that they are bringing unfair competition to the market,” he added.
Mudavanhu Zimcare School head Susan Ncube said the donation was going to go a long way in helping children with survival skills.
“We are a skills training school and not an academic one and through that we are more focusing on teaching our kids life survival skills so that they can be functional and self-reliant when they go back to the community.
“Life surviving skills is our syllabus and I am thankful for the gesture shown by Bata Shoe Company. Teaching mentally challenged pupils is very hard but I’m glad we’re doing the right thing in developing these kids.
“We have received comments from the community where some of our students are prospering in projects such as poultry and gardening which is earning them some money to survive,” she said.
Bata also pledged to sustain the donation of food stuff similar to the packages handed over during the anniversary ceremony for every month up to the end of year.

Beverly Bizeki

Masvingo City Council has resolved to increase measures to enforce bill payment following a huge closing balance for debtors in August 2022.
Minutes from the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on September 23, revealed that the total debt owed to council as at August 31 2022 was ZW$ 1 306 857 851.43.
Council has resolved to invoke public health by-baws in the event of non-payment or failure to stick to payment plans.
“It was reported that at some educational institutions, water had been disconnected and enforcement of public health by laws would be invoked in the event of non-payment or failure to adhere to payment plans.
“The Committee further noted the need to increase the numbers of assistant debt collectors to ensure timeous meter reading and enforcement of water disconnections,” read the minutes.
In July, council disconnected 1129 properties in the city from water supply over outstanding debts which the property owners are seemingly reluctant to honour.
Last year council management at one point tasked Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa and Mayor Collen Maboke to approach the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira to help them recoup outstanding debts from government institutions and departments.
Failure to pay bills has been cited as one major causes behind poor service delivery as the local authority struggles to fund their projects.
Residents and institutions continue to owe them huge sums of money that would be easily eroded by inflation and become valueless due to the instability local currency has been subjected to.

Tinaani Nyabereka

Mberengwa– A 37-year-old man Edison Zhou on September 30, 2022 appeared in court facing murder charges.

The accused appeared before Mberengwa Magistrate Charity Katonongera for allegedly murdering a fellow tenant at a house the two were lodging.

Zhou was remanded in custody to October 13, 2022 and advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

Elizabeth Mudisi represented the State.

Circumstances given are that the now deceased Luckson Gumbo died after being attacked with a sharp object at Mbare Market in Northwood, Mberengwa on September 27, 2022 at around 10 pm.

Zhou and Gumbo were tenants residing at the same house and the deceased was assigned by the landlord to collect rentals by the property owner.

He then engaged and asked Zhou for rentals upon which an argument started resulting in a fist fight.

Gumbo then overpowered Zhou and withdrew a sharp object and stabbed the latter twice and fled the scene.

The now deceased was ferried to Mberengwa District Hospital by passers-by who found him lying helplessly.

He died the following day and a police report was made leading to Zhou’s arrest.

TellZim reporter

Masvingo Urban councillors have expressed concern over little progress on the legacy Mucheke Trunk Sewer project saying the resolutions city fathers have passed concerning the project are now more than developments on the ground.
Speaking during a full council meeting held on September 26, 2022 at the Civic Centre, Ward 5 Councillor Daniel Mberikunashe said it is disheartening to compare the number of resolutions that council has passed towards the project with the actual work done on the ground.
“Looking at works on the trunk sewer project, one can actually see that the recommendations passed towards the project have been repeated and every time the matter is brought before the committee, similar issues keep on recurring. Taking a look on the ground, one would realize that nothing meaningful is obtaining,” said Mberikunashe.
His sentiments were echoed by ward 7 councillor Richard Musekiwa who asked council management to provide feedback on the resolution earlier on passed that tasked the finance department to approach the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development concerning disbursement of delayed devolution funds.
“Last time when this issue was brought to our attention, we discussed something to do with funding of the project and we agreed to send a delegation led by the finance director (Dannister Jori) to go to Harare. I am not even aware of the position we are at, but we can all see it goes back to issue of funds.
“The other challenge is that despite the late disbursement of the allocated funds, the project would also be affected by the rainy season. Also when council intends to construct bridges, the pipes would have to be shifted again and that means the 78 percent progress we are talking about would be reversed a bit,” said Musekiwa.
Responding to the issue, Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said management had already made the necessary applications needed and are just awaiting the release of the funds from the Treasury into their coffers.
“Like we said during the last full council meeting (August), we have already submitted all the relevant paper work to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works but now we are waiting for the ministry of finance to respond. Officials at the ministry of finance acknowledged receiving our documents and are now waiting for their response,” said Eng. Mukaratirwa.
The trunk sewer project whose works have spanned over more than a decade is yet to be completed with financial challenges hindering progress.