Valentine Makufa

Tzu Chi Foundation commissioned two classroom blocks at Murerekwa Primary School on September 14 in Ward 8 under Chief Ndanga in Zaka Central constituency.
The Taiwana-based charity organization (Tzu Chi Foundation) constructed the two blocks as a rescue to the effects of Cyclone Idai which hit the country in early 2019.
Zaka Central Member of Parliament Davison Svuure welcomed all who attended the commissioning and appreciated Tzu Chi Foundation for the two classroom blocks built at the school.
“I welcome you all to this important event as we gather here to celebrate this milestone development that will go a long way in improving the education sector in our area.
“Let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Tzu Chi Foundation for coming to our rescue after Cyclone Idai destroyed our infrastructure and the two blocks will bring a huge sigh of relief to the school as learners get a spacious learning environment,” said Svuure.
Tzu Chi Foundation country director Chin Chai Chu said he was touched when he came to know that the school was affected by the cyclone and did not have enough classrooms and decided to inform the funder to build the two blocks.
“When I heard about the school from one of our volunteers, Volunteer Mutava I paid a visit to the school and I saw the damage inflicted by the cyclone. I informed our funder Master Cheng Yen. I also saw that the second building was about to collapse since the wooden trusses had been eaten away by ants .
I told our funder again that two blocks needed to be built for the safety of children because they are our future,” said Chu.
Parents whose children attend Murerekwa Primary School were very happy for the development and appreciated the work of Tzu Chi Foundation as it offer relief to overcrowded classrooms.
Zaka District Development Coordinator (DDC) Memory Dhliwayo who was standing in for Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira (the guest of honor) expressed gratitude to Tzu Chi saying the foundation had played a role in the President’s vision of ‘Leaving No One and No Place Behind’.
“I would like to express gratitude to our friends from Taiwan for this noble gesture that will go a long way in helping realize the vision by President Emmerson Mnangagwa of leaving no one and no place behind,” said Dhliwayo.
Schools Inspector for Zaka District Jemias Bangamuseve standing in for District Schools Inspector Samson Chidzurira also thanked government for allowing the foundation to help the school as it was struggling to cope with the damage caused by Cyclone Idai.
“We are actually happy at government intervention to allow the coming on board of other partners who have come to our rescue after the disaster of Cyclone Idai in 2019 which damaged two of our blocks and it made our normal operation to a stuck and we could not cope. The involvement of local organizations and the supportive community gives us pride as a ministry,” said Bangamuseve.
Chief Ndanga born Wilson Makono thanked the Tzu Chi Foundation saying it has come as a rescue to Murerekwa Primary School and also challenged ward 13 councilor Manfred Mada to include the school and the Four Miles Clinic on the water project..
“Tzu Chi Foundation has come when we were in time of need due to the disaster we recently faced. We appreciate organizations like these who are ready to help those in need. Now that that the school has more blocks, I am challenging you Councilor Mada as illustrated by the children who performed their play that you provide the school with safe water. When you lay water pipes for the clinic, please extend the project to the school so that children will get clean and safe water,” said Chief Ndanga.
Tzu Chi Foundation is a Buddhist charity foundation originating in Taiwan whose founder is Cheng Yen (76). In Zimbabwe it is headquartered in Harare and has volunteers in different provinces.
Its main aims are charity, providing medicine for the sick and also educating the underprivileged. The foundation has been delivering food relief to alleviate the effects of drought in Zimbabwe.

Branton Matondo

Shadreck Mlaudzi, well known in the football realms for leading the Mighty Warriors to their maiden Olympic games in 2016 at Rio de Jenairo, Brazil is pushing to change physical education and sporting science curriculums in primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions, a project that is already on its foot.
Physical education and sport has been epitomized by ministries in charge of different educational structures from primary, secondary and tertiary as noted by their inclusion in curricular and learning programmes.
The former Mighty Warriors gaffer who is based in Bulawayo told this publication that both physical education and sport science are key to each and every educational structure hence the move to modernize it for the better.
“Physical exercise and literacy is a lifelong healthy habit which will ultimately lead to reduced medical bills in families and the country. Physical education is the base of all national sporting aspirations. It is the springboard for TI (Talent Identification). Through physical education and sports at schools, critical foundations for sports, basic motor functions are embedded which shape professional sports.
“Sport science has emerged as the leading branch of sports performance. It informs and guides models, decision making and in a nutshell, benchmarks have been set by leading nations such as USA, China and South Africa,” said Mlaudzi.
Mlaudzi has already published a piece of sporting literature dubbed ‘Anima Sana In Corpore Sano: Physical Education & Sports For Secondary Schools’ that is the first of its kind to prepare students for sport science related examinations.
The 21 chaptered book narrows down on sporting technical insights that are supported by Blooms Taxonomy (structured typically of CAMBRIDGE/ZIMSEC style).
According to Mlaudzi, the book is categorized into 10 classes that are Foundations of Sports, Body Systems and Performance, Fundamentals of Fitness, Testing, Measuring and Evaluation, Training Methods, Training Programme, Game skills, Sports Clubs and Patenting and finally event management.
He added that the book is available at established literature centers across the country also pointing out that reception of his work has been good so far as it seeks to achieve the leveled goal.
“The book is massive, it equips one with knowledge and understanding of physiological differences between men and women, the difference in mental faculties with huge bearing in coaching. The target is all secondary schools, tertiary institutions as trainers of teachers. Yes, the response has been slow but good. The book is available at Macedonia projects and Heritage Bookshops nationwide,” he added.
The literature covers four sporting codes which is unique in the way it imparts knowledge.
“The book is set out to be the first of its kind in which content coverage is structured to impart new attitudes, values and knowledgeable young learners who in turn value the importance of sports science in elite athlete training and at grassroots levels. ASICS is the premier and ultimate resource book that will aid the learner, teacher, sports practitioners and health practitioners invest less time on research as material brings a breath of fresh air into the teaching methods and approaches to athletic training. The stand out feature of this textbook, is the depth coverage of game skills. Its unique and compelling detail of sampling four sports codes in each game skill sets it apart,” he said.
Mlaudzi who divorced from coaching since 2017 said he will only resume with the trade when a lucrative offer comes.
“When the right offer comes, I will gladly assume responsibilities. Ambitious clubs can always come through for negotiations,” added the former teacher.

…Beneficiaries struggle to access funds as projects lie idle

Emmanuel Chitsika

Devolution funding adopted by the Central government of Zimbabwe to ensure national development through allocation of approved budgets to lower tiers of government has always sounded a noble idea if the approach is holistically implemented.
However, the disbursement of the funds from State to local authorities’ coffers has and continues to be the major obstacle affecting the possible success of the programme.
So many projects earmarked under the funding are bearing the brunt of lack of proper mechanisms that should allow smooth flow of the funds with some already started while others are yet to kick start.
Masvingo City Council has some of its critical projects supposed to be funded by Devolution funds seemingly progressing at a slower pace with missing of completion deadlines becoming a key feature.
The legacy Mucheke Trunk Sewer that started over a decade ago is one of those key projects suffering from late disbursement of funds and so is the new landfill at Cambria Farm being another major highlight for the City Fathers.
During last full council meeting on August 1, the local authority made revelations that of the total ZW$ 253 million, Masvingo city had received only ZW$ 50 million.
Masvingo City’s acting Finance Director Danister Jori confirmed the issue though he pointed out that after a series of meetings with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, they were promised to get another batch of ZW$ 120 million this year.
However, it is the directive by the Treasury Chiefs to councils to revisit their priority areas and adjust that point to the conclusion that no full payments would be made for the year 2022.
Contacted to clarify government’s position on the late disbursements, Masvingo Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Dr Jefta Sakupwanya referred questions to the Economic Development Director for Masvingo Clever Chingwara who said the ministry of Finance and Economic Development could be in a better position to respond since they are in charge of the national.
He said the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works could be another port of call to seek comment since in case of challenges, local authorities may seek redress through parent ministry.
“Concerning that issue, the funds go directly from ministry of finance to local authorities, so the former might have more details pertaining to that. Ideally, the local authorities submit their reports to the Provincial Secretary, but when it comes to when the funds are disbursed, the treasury is responsible.
“What we may have are the reports of projects undertaken and progress from local authorities. The issues are channelled through the ministry of local government because our office was shifted to the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC). We are not privy to the reasons behind the ‘delays’ though we have heard of such delays and thus ministry of finance have the proper answer while the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) may provide details on how the delays may affect their works,” said Chingwara.
A survey carried out by this publication at most local authorities revealed that there was limited activity in terms of progress on devolution funded projects as delayed disbursement of funds stall works with some contracted companies shelving operations due delayed payment of their dues.
Some councils have on a number of occasions deferred projects for a given year to the next because of lack of funds while at times they revert to internal funds to fund the projects.
The development is also seeing most local authorities only engaging in low cost projects since most of them are now relying on the funds rather than internal funds.

TellZim Reporter

Masvingo Rural District Council (RDC) has embarked on a business unusual approach to stakeholder involvement programmes as they target to educate ordinary people regarding key processes that lead to the provision of quality service delivery.

Masvingo RDC is probably the only council in the country that is working closely with traditional leaders to disseminate information on budgetary processes and how non-payment of taxes by ordinary villagers may lead to poor service delivery.

Speaking at Chief Mugabe traditional court where village heads gathered to interact with the council leadership recently, Masvingo RDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Martin Mubviro said the council was committed to the provision of quality service delivery.

Mubviro pleaded with village heads to pass on the message that council performs better if the ordinary people play their part in as far as payment of taxes is concerned.

“We are pleased to be addressing a unique constituency which is that of traditional leaders. Our engagement with you must not end today because we value your contributions towards the development of this district. We are therefore, giving you feedback towards council operations so that you pass on the message to ordinary villagers in your various jurisdictions. At the end, no one must be left behind,” said Mubviro.

Village heads who gathered for the event appreciated the candid discussions as acknowledged that they learnt a lot regarding council operations.

Council Chairman for the district Councillor         Mangena took the opportunity to explain to the village heads the projects that are being implemented by the government in the district under devolution.

Mangena further encouraged villagers to work closely with their elected leaders in identifying areas that need immediate intervention by the council.

“Don’t leave your councillors when planning or coming up with projects that you want council to implement. Involve elected leaders so that they bring your wish list to our chambers for deliberations,” said Mangena.

Chief Mugabe thanked council officials for being ‘brave’ enough to come down to the people and give feedback.

“This was a beautiful meeting…first of its own kind. I will continue to invite you here and have these kinds of candid discussions. The meeting has become an eye opener to everyone and the village heads are going back home empowered with information.

“I also want to urge council officials to take note of all the things highlighted by village heads and address all the things that need your attention. This is how we can develop our area,” said Chief Mugabe.

The meeting was supported with TellZim in partnership with Zimcodd.

…As world celebrates World Contraception Day

Beverly Bizeki

As the world is set to commemorate World Contraception Day on September 26, Masvingo will join the rest of the globe with a unique celebration following a realization of preliminary decrease in teenage pregnancies in three of its seven districts namely Zaka, Bikita and Chiredzi.
The results released by Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) office in Masvingo shows that there is a notable decrease in cases of teenage pregnancies with Bikita that recorded 2085 cases in 2019 reducing to 1200 in 2021, Chiredzi had 1980 in 2019 and 1300 in 2021 and Zaka has seen a decrease from 1329 in 2019 to 1200 in 2021 all pointing to a downward trend for the province.
ZNFPC Provincial marketing and Communications Officer Herbert Chikosi said efforts from ZNFPC and partners like Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, SolidaMed and Ministry of Health and Child Care had helped realize positive results.
He added that this year’s commemorations will be held in Mount Darwin under the theme ‘Contraception: it’s your life, it’s your responsibility’.
“The theme for this year is Contraception: it’s your life it’s your responsibility. We are still placing emphasis on the idea of ‘Kids by Choice not by chance’ and that every pregnancy should count.
“It is our commitment as Zimbabwe to ensure that we stay within the vision that every pregnancy is wanted. It’s our commitment to improve awareness of contraception with more emphasis on enabling young people to make informed decisions on sexual reproductive health,” said Chikosi.
He said the thrust for Masvingo province in terms of the world contraception day is amplifying issues around child marriages and teenage pregnancies.
“As a province, our effort has been to fight child marriages and teenage pregnancies. There is a significant improvement in terms of access to contraceptives amongst young people.
“We were targeting four districts namely Zaka, Bikita and Chiredzi as well as Masvingo from 2021-2022 and based on statistics, there was an improvement in terms of access of Long Act Reversible Contraceptives- (LARCs) with the support from SolidaMed. We have also pushed for the girl child to be in school,” said Chikosi.
Culture however remains a challenge in the fight against teenage pregnancies as unmarried girls have a challenge in accessing contraceptives following myths and misconceptions that girls cannot use contraceptives.

TellZim reporter

Chivi Rural District Council (RDC) is set to commission the recently completed Bwanya Clinic in ward 3 with the community saying they can no longer wait to access services from the health centre as there was no other clinic in the area.
This was revealed at a breakfast meeting organized by TellZim News in partnership with Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) between local leadership and the local authority.
Chivi RDC chairperson Godfrey Mukungunugwa said they want to put more pressure to the authorities so that the clinic is opened as soon as possible to avoid vandalism and theft of infrastructure.
“We were urged by President Mnangagwa to do 80 percent development and 20 or less politics. So we need to apply pressure to the authorities so that the clinic is opened next month because if we fail, termites will eat away the doors and thieves can also vandalise and steal solar panels and or vandalise other materials,” said Mukungunugwa.
He promised to do his best saying the local authority was equally worried by the delays in the opening of the clinic which is set to benefit the entire ward with 22 villages.
Chivi RDC Human Resource and Administration officer Archbald Ncube said all the necessary applications were done and were just waiting for the green light from the responsible authorities to open the facility.
“The clinic has to be opened as a matter of urgency, all registration procedures were done, the issue of manpower was applied for to the responsible ministry and it is our hope that we get feedback soon that is why we are having this meeting here to see how we can prepare for the day,” said Ncube.
He went on to urge the community to continue playing a role to make sure they continue working together until the clinic is officially opened.
“All the necessary work has been done but the yard has shrubs and stones which need to be cleared. And it is your (community) duty. Our engineers will be here grading roads, so we need your cooperation,” added Ncube.
Muzvidziwa village head Charles Muzvidziwa said the community cannot wait anymore for the commissioning saying a number of pregnant women were delivering in scotch-carts on their way to Madamombe clinic which is more than 15km away from the area.
“Work is being done in homes and we want our women to deliver here than going to Madamombe with some delivering on the road,” said Muzvidziwa.
The clinic has been completed and there is running water as well as solar powered energy while staff houses and toilets as well as the incinerator are in place hence only awaits commissioning.
Ward three councillor Lazarus Mauto appreciated the contribution of the community towards the completion of the clinic and said he hopes the unity remains there for sake of future projects.
The clinic was constructed by Chivi RDC using devolution funds with the community providing labour.

TellZim reporter

In what could be a bitter pill to swallow for the Charumbiras, Chief Nemamwa their nemesis is set to be installed in October after the latter’s resuscitation and recognition by government.
After waiting for about five years since 2017, the Nemamwa clan will on October 01 2022 witness the installation of Chief Nemamwa born Tranos Manjiva following the resuscitation of the chieftaincy by government.
In a letter dated September 7, 2022 signed by Masvingo District Development Coordinator (DDC) Roy Hove addressed to the new Chief and copied to the Secretary for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Dr Jefta Sakupwanya, the President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed Manjiva as substantive chief with effect from August 30, 2022.
“Please be advised that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe has in terms of Section 283 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No 20) Act, 2013 as read with Section (3) (1) of the Traditional Leaders Act (Chapter 29:17) appointed you, Tranos Manjiva as Substantive Chief Nemamwa in Masvingo district with effect from August 30, 2022,” read part of the letter.
The letter also urged the new Chief to up preparations for subsequent installation to be held in October.
“Kindly be advised accordingly and immediately start necessary preparations for the installation ceremony. Please also note that this ceremony should be held as soon as possible,” added the letter.
Hove latter confirmed the development in an interview and said preparations were underway for the big day.
“It is true, the chief was appointed and will be installed in October. Preparations are currently underway,” said Hove
The recognition and appointment of Chief Nemamwa is likely to put to an end the power struggles that have marred the district as rival Charumbira clan has been involved in a number of skirmishes with the former as the latter did not recognize the chieftainship saying it was illegitimate and were challenging it at court.
Past encounters between the two rival factions have been characterized by violent clashes often resulting in fist fight as Charumbira clansmen tried to suppress the resuscitation of the Nemamwa chieftaincy.
Public gatherings notably funerals in the contested area have become the two factions’ battle ground with Charumbira clan refusing to recognize the Nemamwa.
Chiefs Council President Fortune Charumbira once called the resuscitation of Nemamwa chieftainship ‘fraud with no legal basis’, irregular and thus illegal at law and vowed to contest it to the highest level.
He however sarcastically said it was normal for a village head or headman to dream about being a chief and the Nemamwas were also dreaming.
The resuscitation of Chiefs Bere and Nemamwa has seen a reduction in the territory belonging to the Charumbira likely to reduce him to a mere headman and probably left with one ward under his area of jurisdiction.
Some commentators have attributed the demise of the Charumbiras to the turn in national politics with Chief Charumbira being aligned to deposed nonagenarian, the late Robert Mugabe while the Nemamwa are allegiant to the new set up whose front man in Masvingo is current Minister for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira.
Chief Bere of Shumba totem was installed in April 2019 years after the White settler regime abolished it.