…As it abandons road prematurely, motorists open unfinished road

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI-Acting Town Council Chairperson Ropafadzo Makumire recently blasted Bulawayo based construction company WRR Master Specialist and Civil, which was contracted by government under the second phase of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2) to construct Inyathi Road, after it left it closed and unfinished for almost a month.
The closure resulted in cutting of link between the Central Business District (CBD) and Hippo Valley estates as well as the Agricultural Show Grounds.
Makumire lambasted the company over its lack of commitment to complete one of the town’s distributor roads, which they have taken ages to complete.
“I am not happy with what this contractor has done to our town. The road is a primary distributor road which link Chiredzi Central Business District (CBD) with Tongaat Hulett’s Hippo Valley Estates and industrial sites.
“The road is very busy, they were not supposed to rip it if they knew that they were not in a position to rehabilitate it in the minimum possible time,” said Makumire.
WRR Masters Specialists and Civil is struggling to mobilize equipment towards the construction of the road and Makumire questioned how the company was awarded the tender without proper equipment to execute the work.
“Í don’t know how the contractor WRR Masters was awarded the tender without equipment and resources to do this project. The contractor is not serious at all,” added Makumire.
WRR Master Specialists and Civil which are incorporated as Civil engineering and public works government contractors, is a company which specializes in civil engineering, road construction, road surfacing and resurfacing, highways, line markings, spots surfaces and driveways was contracted by government to construct Inyathi Road one of the key roads in Chiredzi.
WRR Masters was given the contract under the second phase of the ERRP together with companies including Country Cool, Fossil Contracting, Tensor Systems, who have already completed their works while WRR Masters is still at 40 percent on a single 300 stretch of Inyathi road.
It is alleged that the company might have links with the political big wigs that is why it has been taking long to complete its works without questions being raised from the project initiators.

TellZim Reporter

The 2022 National Population and Housing Census has revealed that Masvingo Province has the highest number of females more than males, with a variation of 111 465 more females compared to males in the province.
In a preliminary report released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency on July 26, Masvingo contributed 18, 5 percent to the national male to female variation of 599 863 followed by Harare province with 108 123 and Manicaland with 106 698 more females than males respectively.
The report also showed that Bulawayo province has the lowest sex ratio of 86 males per 100 females, while Masvingo province has 87 males per 100 females.
“In all provinces, the female population was higher than the male population. The (sex) ratios ranged from 86 males per 100 females in Bulawayo Province to 98 males per 100 females in Mashonaland West Province,” read part of the report.
Masvingo province’s annual population growth rate between 2012 and 2022 was only one percent while Mashonaland West and East provinces were 2, 6 and 2, 9 percent respectively.
The province also ranked sixth in national population distribution, with a total population of 1,638,539 with Chiredzi Districts collectively having the highest number of 343 960 and Chivi District having 172 979.
In Masvingo Urban, ward 7 which covers Rujeko suburb has the highest population of 19,706 while ward 8 has a total of 2,249 people.
The census results will pave way to the mandatory constituency delimitation process carried out once every ten years on a date fixed by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) so as to fall as soon possible after a population census.
Masvingo province was recently rumored to be bound to lose two constituencies in the delimitation process, which will either mark new electoral boundaries or maintain existing ones.

…most loyal to ruling party yet least developed

TellZim reporter

The Ottoman Empire which encompassed present day Turkey and other Balkan states was often referred to as ‘the Sickman of Europe’ during the aftermath of the First World War due to increased population growth as well as massive exodus of peasants due to economic challenges.
Despite an economic boom and surge that saw the big state flourish economically, the state however crumbled due to rise in new ideologies religiously and economically which later earned the name.
Much of the description above may not directly relate to the state-of-affairs in one of Masvingo province’s most loyal (to the ruling party) constituency, but the title of sickness directly applies when it comes to issues of lagging behind in terms of development.
Since independence, the area has seen more than five legislators being elected to represent the constituency in the House of Assembly, but development is lacking to say the least.
From failure to access communication networks to poor road networks among other key components of development, such is the situation currently obtaining in parts of Chivi South 42 after Independence, whose recent theme was ‘Leave no one, no place behind’.
Some villagers who spoke anonymously have rated their past legislators as enemies of development as they did virtually nothing during respective terms of office with some serving more than one term.
“The area is the least developed when compared to other districts in Masvingo province. In some places like ward 23, network is hard to come-by, worse still is the state of roads as some areas have literally no roads.
“One would wonder why legislators chosen by the people would fail to initiate developmental projects in the area. Some of the few livelihoods projects we have witnessed in the area were cattle rearing projects initiated by the Lutheran during the construction of one Mutumbwi dam way back in the late 1990s to early 2000s,” said the villager.
The other community member rued ‘the wasted years’ when people elected former legislator Charles Majange who he said virtually visited. the constituency after elections only to pitch up again during campaigns.
“Of all the legislators to have been elected in this constituency, the era of Majange has been the worst so far as he did nothing to promote development in the area. Some of us (villagers) do not even know him only to come across his name on the ballot papers,” he said.
However some had kind words for the recalled outspoken Killer Zivhu whose short stint was characterised by gospel of intending to improve the area though he left before delivering more of his promises.
“Killer (Zivhu) at least played a better role as he distributed bags of cement to renovate some old building to most schools in the constituency. After all, he would visit the electorate some of the times.
“Maybe of all those legislators who were chosen, Zivhu at least did something though his stay was short lived due to party issues which led to his recall,” said the community member.
The drought-prone Chivi is home to the country’s biggest dam in Tugwi-Mukosi whose precious liquid is now boosting irrigation of sugarcane in the Lowveld in contrast to the local people driving no benefit at all from the waters save for a few who risk fish poaching and cattle drinking water.
The majority of the people have since joined the great trek to South Africa for employment while the few remaining are engaged in gardening, gold panning in nearby Runde River among other income generating ventures.
In terms of fisheries, a few locals benefit in form of employment to such established corporates like Kariba Bream that is already operating in the area.
Of late has been the introduction of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) stood to lose due to lack of representation in parliament before the coming in of incumbent Munyaradzi Zizhou whose promises prior to the March 26 by-elections are yet to take off after he clinched the seat.
With 2023 harmonized polls beckoning, it remains to be seen if or not the constituency would luckily elect a representative who would deliver and answer their calls of development.
A marked shift towards having an MP and local leadership sensitive to their developmental needs is a dream yet to come true and the Tugwi-Mukosi master plan would come up with something meaningful to them after relatives and fellow villagers were displaced by the floods around 2014.

Tinaani Nyabereka

Gweru City Council will on August 2, 2022 conduct a joint operation with other security agents to remove vendors who are trading along the road intersection at Mtapa in a move meant to restore order and sanity in the Central Business District (CBD).

The development was confirmed by Gweru City Acting Town Clerk Douglas Vakai Chikwekwe in a notice which was issued on July 30.

“Gweru City Council will be conducting a joint operation to remove informal traders on the roadsides and intersections at Mtapa.

“The road intersections are not authorized for trading hence it is hazardous for pedestrians and motorist,” read part of the notice.

Vendors have been ordered to remove their wares by August 2, 2022 to avoid any inconveniences.

Those without proper market stalls have also been called upon to visit council for registration of stalls.

TellZim Reporter

The dust seems to have finally settled following the election of a new School Development Association (SDA) on July 30 following a battle for the control of the school that spilled into the courts.

Barely a day after High Court Justice Sunsley Zisengwe struck an application bid to stop the holding of elections by the outgoing executive off the court roll, parents elected a seven member committee though a minority turned up for the process.

Presiding over the elections on behalf of Masvingo District Schools Inspector (DSI) Ishmael Chigaba, Schools Inspector Otillia Maramwidze said the Saturday election was to correct the anomaly that took place sometime in April when a new executive was chosen but later nullified after an appeal at the courts by the outgoing executive.

“Before we start the election process, let me take this opportunity to officially dissolve the current executive to pave way for elections. Today’s election is meant to correct the anomaly that took place in April where a new executive was voted into power but later on challenged at the courts.

“Today we have to conduct our elections using Statutory Instrument (SI) of 1998 paragraph 11 which is the correct one to conduct these elections under,” said Maramwidze.

She went on to challenge the new committee to work with parents for the betterment of the school.

“Now going forward, I challenge you as parents to work together with the new committee, teachers and school administrators (head and deputy) to ensure that teaching, learning and sport development are realized.

“I can see there is good Science laboratory, thus learning of science subjects should also be revitalized. School resources should be channeled towards developing the school,” she said.

One of the new committee members Dr Robson Pahuhwa said the SDA will focus on re-establishing the ‘golden’ tag on Ndarama that has seized to be a thing of the past over the last two decades while at the same time he pointed out the need for an audit of the school accounts.

“The previous court battles, let me hasten to say let bygones be bygones and thus we need to move forward and come with new strategies as well as ways of developing the school. Before assuming full responsibility, we would need to ask the Auditor General on issues relating to auditing of school accounts.

“Issues of audit are like even at work before one starts a new job, there is need for an end-time evaluations that is where negative impacts of the previous management can be seen or identified. Undertaking an audit is not an issue of finger-pointing towards someone but it is an issue of settling down debts or expenditure.

“We have approached several stakeholders like Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and informed District Schools Inspector (DSI) on the matter but as you know the system can take longer to intervene because of protocols,” said Dr Pahuhwa.

Commenting on probability of another legal battle by the former committee, he said they can expect everything because human beings are unpredictable.

“The legal battle can be still on because we don’t know what is in their minds. Human beings are born tabularaser, their rationale entity and they can go to appeal again. The previous battle was all about those who were fighting because we as parents are not fighting. We just need the new committee work hard for the development of the school,” he added.

The new committee comprises of Chairperson Enesia Chekacheka, deputized by Annacoleta Mweneziko, Secretary Grace Danda, and treasurer Pethezake Zinduku while committee committee members are Farai Manyudza, Dr Robson Pahuhwa and Priscilla Makonese.

The ousted executive led by Ray Muzenda has frequented the courts with the latest being his High Court application that was thrown out by judge Justice Sunsley Zisengwe on July 29 in a bid to stop the election with the matter being struck of the urgent matters roll.

The executive has been there for the past 18 years. On April 9, a new executive was elected but challenged by the Muzenda-led executive leading to its nullification.

Tinaani Nyabereka

Gweru– Delays in the disbursement of the 2022 devolution funds by the Central government to Gweru council has been seen as a major setback to the city’s development as a number of projects are reported to be lying idle considering that the mid-fiscal term year has gone by.
Gweru residents expressed worry over the late disbursements of this year’s funds saying the timeframe had already affected the level of development as some projects required enough resources.
Gweru Council Public Relations Officer Vimbai Chingwaramusee said as a local authority they are still waiting for the disbursement of the 2022 funds.
“The planned and proposed 2022 projects have not yet taken shape. We haven’t yet received our allocation as Gweru city. We just hope that the funds will come timeously so that we can execute our planned programmes.
“However as a local authority, we are very grateful to government for these funds because they have given us a milestone in terms of development, we have managed to implement some of the projects and we have achieved a lot as a city,” she said.
Some of the projects which are yet to be implemented by the City of Gweru include the purchase of a refuse compactor which was pegged at ZW$ 34 798 229, rehabilitation of the sewer treatment plant at a cost of ZW$ 36 311196, the new landfill site which requires ZW$ 48 414 928, tower lights which require ZW$ 21 181 531, the construction of two fire stations , the city master plan, Mtapa markets, road maintenance works and purchase of office equipment, traffic lights, water infrastructure, utility vehicles and construction of a classroom block at a local school with the total planned devolution budget amounting to ZW$ 300 million.
Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) director Conerlia Selipiwe said, information regarding the disbursement of the funds was not always availed to residents on time.
“I think we need to understand something regarding the issue of devolution funds especially at City of Gweru. Of late, we had taken council to task urging them to plan with us residents. We want inclusivity and to be on board on all the projects which council is implementing because as citizens we have a critical role to play in the development of our city.
“We have been having a problem with our local authority. Yes, delays are there we understand but as council they don’t tell residents on how the disbursement are going on or even to disclose the amount received. We then end up looking for other means or ways to get that information.
“This year’s funds have indeed been delayed but we believe information dissemination is crucial in development,” said Selipiwe.
He added that the Urban Council Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) was supposed to actively advocate for the disbursement of devolution funds on time to all local authorities.
“We have the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ), if you look at this board it is comprised of councillors. So our plea as residents is for this board to then advocate to the relevant ministry so that money is disbursed early.
“It is then good to have such communication done fast so that the funds can be disbursed earlier for the benefit of the community,” he added.
A resident, Melusi Mpofu of ward 5 however urged council to find ways to seek the remaining balance of the 2021 devolution fund saying they only got approximately a quarter of its last year’s allocation.
“As for this year, we feel we are lagging behind and it’s a major setback to the city. We also want last year’s funds to be accounted for,” Mpofu said.
Efforts to get a comment from the Midlands Provincial Development Coordinator, Abiot Maronge were fruitless as he could not be reached for comment through his mobile phone.
Last year Gweru city council was allocated ZW$ 132 million as devolution funds. The local authority however managed to get about ZW$ 85 million with the remainder yet to be accessed.
The funds saw the procurement of an Ambulance, a Tipper and Backhoe loader among other things.