Mapombi is not a radical feminist but always supports fellow women, handidi kunzwa anoshungurudza vakadzi especially in politics. It really hurts me when fellow women like ana Johanna, Chimbiri, Marry Mubaiwa, Linda Masarira locally kunana Mai Muchuchuti kuward 4, Everjoy Chidhindi kuward 7 being victimised. Stop victimising women in politics despite their political affliation. Whether ndewekwaMwonzora or Khupe kana LEAD. I hear Chidhindi is being victimised nana Musekiwa and this other guy from Zanu PF. I know with the nature of our voters, Musekiwa stands a better chance but that doesn’t mean he has to bully women. Regai vapinde mugango mune vamwe then adyiwa adyiwa. However, ini segentruman handivanzi, Thokozani Khupe aakurashika vasikana takatarisa. I think someone is ill advising her ini. I really don’t care about her relations naDhagi etc. As a fellow woman, I really support her for taking a bold decision of standing alone, It’s really encouraging though I know she won’t win in any election. Who advised her on the slogan yekurova poto iya, does she have any advisor? What nonsense is that? Vanhu vangasabva paRally vaakunzwa nzeve here nenoise yepoto. Whats the significance anyway? Does it have any meaning or its just stupidity. Hakusi kutsvaka kutishoresa here sevakadzi uku?
But ladies and gentlemen, Mthuli takamudyirei chaizvo? What sin did we commit against this guy to deserve this? I am not a teacher or civil servant but mmm this is a disgrace to humanity if not an insult. I told him to stop whatever he is smoking long ago but he doesn’t listen. I thought ED who claims to be a listening President told his ministers but alas. These guys should stop mocking our teachers and give them something better than peanuts. He is speaking English because of a teacher. He is not alone in this nonsense. I used to think that only men are ruthless but I can see there are other female leaders who have joined Mthuli. This lady anonzi Tumisang Thabela Perm Sec wePrimary and Secondary Education? She has the guts to threaten teachers who are incapacitated with dismissal. Everyone knows that the once noble profession has been reduced to rubbish. I am told even kumamisha uko no one wants a teacher muBeef committee even yemombe dziri kudai kufa neJanuary disease, hanzi they won’t be able to pay kkkk. Iwe Thabela as a woman you ought to have a heart, where is that motherly love heee. Instructing maHead of stations to charge teachers who did not report for duty kudii. Hee are you their employer? If my memory serves me right, civil servants are employed by the public service not the ministry. Iwewe you are also an employee yePublic service, so why are you threatening your workmates? If you are really worried about the children’s right to education, why not lobby for teachers’ salaries vana vadzidze. Are you forgetting that the constitution allows for peaceful industrial action? Vatuka munhu here mateacher aya. They are just demanding what they are owed and stop bullying them.
Your job sisi Thabela is just to advise the employer about the situation in schools not intimidating them or generating a nonsensical circular to intimidate teachers. Give recommendations to the employer aone zvekuita nevashandi vake, simple. I used to believe that women have motherly love but I am beginning to doubt that. If it was true then Mopse was supposed to be the best, Perm Sec Mukadzi, Minister Mkadzi, they could be advocating for the increment in teacher salaries than intimidating them.
Did Mthuli really increase the civil servants salaries or he just gave them their salaries in US at bank rate. Hanzi teachers to import cars duty free, what nonsense is that. How do you expect them to buy cars when they have no meaningful salaries? It’s the same nekuti vakadzi vese vaakugerwa ndebvu mahara kkkk. Vanodzitenga nei, after all they can ask their relatives to use the facility but the challenge now is bureaucracy, even if a teacher has some side hustles and afford to buy one, haa the channels that he /she has to follow kuti zviite are so monotonous zvekuti I don’t think they would be patient enough, imagine munhu ari kwedu kwaChirimudombo he has to endure a lot of costs to Harare to prepare all the paper work apa pane a lot of back and forth. Ndokunonzi kutengeswerwa dummy uku hapana hapana.
I hate people who say uncle Bob was better but sometimes you will be forced to believe kuti pamwe Isure. At least takambo enjoyer, teachers once enjoyed and they could get up to US$500. Now hakuna kana.
Before I go hangu kunokanga maputi angu for lunch, ko chaitemura change chava kuseva now choda kutemurazve kkkk, vanhu havana tsitsi naRugeje sure. He was bubbling with confidence last week apo achiti kubirwa kwakaitwa musarudzo, the politburo endorsed it and no one was going to reverse that. Zvino after a week, the Croc as usual intervened to the rescue of its faction in Masvingo. The Croc had lost control to Chiwenga but it has proved that it’s still in the game kkkk. But Zanu soo ka, ma1. They deny rigging elections but from how they rig each other in the primaries you can see kuti zvibaba paRigging. Let me warn my brother Robson Mavhenyengwa, please be careful, the Croc still has teeth, and please make sure you handle the by-election well, ukasadaro unonyura, remember Rugeje akaenda after failing primaries. Don’t say handina kumbotaura, the axe is hanging lower over your head. Hanzi tichaona kuti makavhota sei and we will then use that to fire you. Zanu haina tsitsi. That’s Zanu for you. Inini handisati ndawana party yekusuppoter hangu, CCC yachowo haina kurongeka haa unoshaya woendepi chaizvo.
Just another quick one, let me warn the thieves who are surrounding Chamisa. Please stop influencing our young boy to make silly decisions. Look now he has failed to solve the Masvingo urban ward 4 issue. He did the same with Maboke. He gave him seven days to withdraw but he is still the Mayor kkkk. Manje if he is failing to deal with isolated cases like his kuzoti next year when the whole country will be doing primaries kkkk.
Has anyone ever heard of Mboko, if anyone has his contact please ngaandipe, I want to ask him to politely talk to our beloved sister Thokozani asiyane nekuridza mapoto atsvake zvimwe zviri nani. I don’t want to sound tribalistic, but I think he is the best person to explain to her, achimuudza netsumo nemadimikira eNdebele maybe she can understand better. Mboko imboko !!!!
Mthuli, stop mocking teachers
ED, Chiwenga battle to control Masvingo continues
. . . As Mnangagwa orders removal of 28 from PCC
… Machacha rates Masvingo elections rigging the worst
Brighton Chiseva
MASVINGO – The battle to control Masvingo province between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga continues to escalate taking dramatic turns after the former ordered removal of losers who had been smuggled into the Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) by the new executive.
The new executive chaired by Zaka North MP Robson Mavhenyengwa had replaced 38 members who won the December 28, 2021 elections with some losing candidates from their faction in a bid to strengthen their faction against the rivals aligned to former chairperson and resident Minister Ezra Chadzamira.
Lt. Gen (Rtd) Engelbert Rugeje had assured that there wont be changes to the new executive when he addressed the last PCC meeting, a decision which was overturned by Mnangagwa barely a week later when he sent a delegation led by Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology principal director Munyaradzi Machacha to kick out the 38 members who were sneaked into the executive despite losing.
Speaking at the PCC meeting, Machacha said Masvingo had recorded the worst rigging antics out of the 10 provinces saying the President will send another team to investigate the alleged rigging.
“The President does not want to work with people who rig elections that is why he and the politburo have assigned us to address the irregularities. We have come to make sure that those who won are in the executive and those who lost must not be part of PCC.
“Another team will be coming down soon to deal with other outstanding issues. If that team comes and discover that you went into the bush and voted for yourself, then you can be fired from the executive. Masvingo is the worst in terms of rigging compared to the other provinces but everything will be corrected to make sure that the right people are in these positions,” Machacha said.
Chadzamira team won 77 posts while Mavhenyengwa’s side got 43. The recent reversal by Machacha left Mnangagwa firmly in control of the province through the Chadazamira team which now has the majority in the PCC.
The Chiwenga faction led by Mavhenyengwa allegedly smuggled in some of its losing candidates in an attempt to strengthen its control of the province.
Mavhenyengwa told TellZim News that the changes made by Machacha are likely to cause disunity in the province. Mavhenyengwa castigated the Machacha team saying the members who were kicked out of the PCC were the ones who won the elections.
“The members who were removed are the ones who were in fact elected by the people. I am confused by the decision and this might affect unity in the province. However, I have to follow the party’s decision and accept the changes made,” said Mavhenyengwa.
Sources within the party told TellZim News that out of the 38 members who had been replaced by losing candidates from the Mavhenyengwa faction, 28 have since been reinstated and 10 are yet to be included.
The 10 are Energy Mutodi, Godfrey Mukungunugwa, Felix Gwara, Josphat Zendera, Plaxedes Mhlambi, Tichagwa Chengeto, Machara Hove, a Chauke and Mahiya.
Energy Mutodi won with more than 300 votes against Bikita South MP Josiah Sithole with 281 votes but they went on to include Sithole ahead of Mutodi who they say had not completed his transfer from Mashonaland East and Mutodi is said to be eying Sithole’s seat in 2023.
Mukungunugwa won uncontested in Chivi North but Mathias Tongofa later appeared on the winners’ list with only four votes and Mukungunugwa with a zero – meaning only four people in the whole constituency managed to vote. Mukungunugwa is also said to be positioning himself for Chivi North seat in 2023 general elections.
Other losers who had been smuggled into the excecutive include Mavhenyengwa’s right handman John Chikomo who is tipped to take over the Zaka North from Mavhenyengwa. Chikomo had lost to a Chipato but he was given a post in the executive.
In Masvingo West Felix Gwara had been replaced by Todd Nyengerai despite garnering 352 votes against Gwara’s 88.
Chengeto Tichagwa won with 357 votes against Jairos Tandiwe but the latter found his way into the executive and now they are claiming that Tichagwa did not submit her CV and there is no record and this corresponds with what Machacha said on Masvingo having no records.
In Chivi Central, the incumbent legislator Ephraim Gwanongodza who is a close ally to Mavhenyengwa was walloped by Dr Tapiwa Murambi but was included in the executive after Murambi was accused to have ties to the opposition parties.
Chiwenga promises peace ahead of by-elections
Melinda Kusemachibi
As the long awaited March 26, 2022 by-elections draw near, Zanu-PF claims that there will be peace in the run up to the elections despite the party being ‘historically known to employ violence’ during polls.
Acting President Constantino Chiwenga who was guest of honor at this year’s World Wetlands Day celebrations at Njovo in Zezai village in Masvingo Central declared that peace will reign before the elections before accusing opposition parties of resorting to violence during campaigns.
“Those who think a country can be built by foreigners or opposition parties use violence thinking that outsiders will come and rescue them. We do not want to hear that. All campaigns in the country should be peaceful up until March 26, 2022, but we are going to win the elections in all the seats and build a Zimbabwe we all want,” said Chiwenga.
However, Chiwenga briefly turned the commemorations into a mini-rally before claiming victory for Zanu PF ahead of by-elections.
“In all districts which are being contested by oppositions who calls themselves ‘Chete-chete’, we are going to do something which has never happened before.
“Unogoita chete-chete pakuitasei ndiwe wega urimunyika here? (How can it be only you as if you are the only person in this world)? There is no such thing. We want to build a Zimbabwe we all want,” said Chiwenga.
Masvingo province will have nine by-elections on March 26 this year, with seven local authority elections and two national assembly ones.
Masvingo Urban has four vacant wards, with two in Chivi and one in Bikita.
For national assembly, there is Chivi South and Mwenezi East.
ZEC’s inadequate information erodes voter enthusiasm
Fredrick Moyo
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) reluctance to fully inform the public has eroded voting enthusiasm, with the commission being accused by Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) of inadequately advertising nor placing signage on voter registration sites.
Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development (COTRAD) Programmes Officer Ishmael Kupfuwa said the low turnout of people visiting registration centres is because of inadequate information about the registration blitz while some have no required documents.
“The low turn-up of people going to register as voters is notably due to lack of information about mobile voter registration centres and also failure to have national identity cards especially to those who recently reached the voting age. Many people especially those in rural areas who do not have access to social media platforms have not been reached with adequate information,” said Kupfuwa.
He added that ZEC should strengthen their access to information using the media and also place posters in public places and in constituencies where the blitz is taking place and providing voter education as stated in section 239 of the constitution.
“ZEC should intensify access to information through the mainstream media, local radio stations, roadshows, adverts through local media houses and putting posters at public places in constituencies where mobile voter registration is taking place.
“It is the role of ZEC to provide voter education and register voters as enshrined in section 239 of the National Constitution and various actors should be allowed to compliment ZEC in voter education without stringent conditions provided in section 40C of the Electoral Act,” he added.
Election Resource Centre (ERC) Legal and Advocacy Officer Takunda Tsunga said lack of information about the blitz is leading to low turnout.
“The low turnout can be attributed to amongst other things lack of awareness on the blitz. There was insufficient information provided on the location of the mobile BVR kits and the blitz itself.
“There has been an increasing apathy brought about by disputed 2018 elections and the resultant lack of the implementation of electoral reforms necessary to build public confidence in electoral processes which will increase participation. Failure to implement reforms is impacting on participation levels and ZEC must carry out a robust awareness campaign working with all relevant stakeholders,” said Tsunga.
ZEC launched 287 registration centres in Masvingo province in the current blitz which will run from February 1 to 30, 2022, followed by the next that will run from April 11 to 30, 2022.
Is Zimbabwe prepared for natural disasters?
Melinda Kusemachibi
The year 2019 remains a painful memory in the history of Zimbabwe after Cyclone Idai swept through Manicaland and parts of Masvingo province resulting in the death of many.
In 2014, many villagers in Zunga area of Chivi district of Masvingo were left homeless and were subsequently displaced to Chingwizi area after Tugwi-Mukosi dam flooded.
The situation at Chingwizi when the evacuation centre was established following the flooding of Zimbabwe’s biggest inland dam was so dire, with both government and donors having a hard time trying to meet the needs of the desperate villagers.
Tropical Storm Ana made a landfall in the last few days leaving a trail of destruction in some parts of the country, and before the country takes a sigh of relief, Cyclone Batsirai is bellowing in the Indian Ocean threatening to change lives for the worse in early February.
Questions have been raised on preparedness of government through Civil Protection Unit (CPU) to handle such natural disasters as in almost every occurrence of a natural disaster, the country has been caught off-guard, putting many lives at risk.
In the wake of the past disasters, the country may have learnt a thing or two in disaster preparedness, but huge gaps still remain.
The CPU in Masvingo recently said it is ready to combat disaster which might be caused by the spilling of Tugwi-Mukosi dam.
Masvingo Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Dr Jefter Sakupwanya said relaying of information to the target community is the only way to go for now to avert the likely problems to people living downstream Tugwi-Mukosi dam.
“We are sending warning so that people stop activities they were doing along river banks since the dam spilled,” said Dr Sakupwanya.
Chiredzi CPU chairperson, Lovemore Chisema said they have incorporated opinion leaders at Chilonga to help in the campaign to encourage people not to cross flooded rivers.
“We are doing campaigns to educate villagers to desist from crossing flooded rivers and we have also incorporated village elders and other opinion leaders at Chilonga Business Centre to help in campaigns. In case the dam burst, we will evacuate people but currently there are no people who live near rivers but carryout activities like gardening near river banks,” said Chisema.
A situational report by United Nations International Children’s Educational Fund (UNICEF) estimated that 270 000 people, including 129 600 children were affected by Cyclone Idai across the country.
Everyone has right to shelter, but to date, many people are still living in tents as evidenced by both the Chingwizi and Chimanimani situations. Survivors are experiencing the worst living conditions as they do not have enough resources for survival.
The United Methodist Church (UMC) intervened in the dire humanitarian situation by building proper houses for four Bikita families that have been living under deplorable conditions since March 2019 when Cyclone Idai hit their area.
Again, Save the Children invested over US$2 million for Cyclone Idai victims in Masvingo and Manicaland. This initiative is there to help and save affected children in the two provinces.
Women and children are often at the receiving end of the vulnerability posed by lack of preparedness in the face of disasters, with gender based violence, child marriages and teenage pregnancies being the direct result of this vulnerability.
Musasa Project Advocacy and communication officer Rotina Musara said emergency response systems to child marriages need to be deliberated in those areas after cases of child marriages rose due to children not going to school as a result of destruction of infrastructure.
“Cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and child marriages increased in emergency areas such as the cyclone Idai affected areas that are Chipinge and Chimanimani. Musasa in 2021 assisted 990 GBV survivors in those areas of which some were incidences of child marriages.
“It is important that emergency response systems to GBV be deliberate in those areas. Referral systems need to be strengthened while various institutions become important to ensure quality service provision.
“Musasa has been providing shelter services, counseling, medical support, transport assistance, legal support through the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project support by World Bank, United Nations Office for Project Service( UNOPS), United Nations Population Fund( UNPF),” said Musara.
A cyclone idai victim who resides in Chingwizi camp said they are living in tents and other makeshift structures which is difficult especially in rainy season.
As of March 21 2019, a total of 250 000 people were reported to have been affected by floods in nine districts. An estimated 48 percent of the affected population is under the age of 18.
What is worrying is that despite government reporting budget surplus, it seems to focus more on political programmes while relying on the benevolence of donors whenever a natural disaster strikes.
In earlier disasters, it is conceivable that schools could have been closed earlier and children sent home if the country had adequate information for example instruction to ‘move to higher ground’ should have been part of evacuation process.
The situation at St. Charles Lwanga High School, where 200 children, teachers and support staff were stranded for two days and left to face the cyclone three school children died.
The fact that Cyclone Idai struck at night made the situation worse, and with no adequate preparedness, Zimbabwe had no designated evacuation centers. Chimanimani Hotel led the way when it provided refuge to 200 families, a number that reached 500 over two months.
Poor infrastructure still rings at places where the cyclone happened and to date only few roads affected by Cyclone Idai are functioning, a situation likely to be worsened by the coming of more flooding associated with tropical storms and cyclones every rainy season.
Council maintains ‘open door’ policy at full council meetings-Mayor
Kimberly Kusauka
Masvingo city council has reiterated that council always maintains an ‘open door’ policy to every stakeholder interested in attending full council meetings.
Responding to questions on why some key stakeholders like the District Development Coordinator (DDC), Environmental Management Agency (EMA) among others are not attending full council meetings on January 31 at Town House, Masvingo Mayor Councilor Collen Maboke said the Urban Council Act is clear and everyone is welcome.
Mayor Maboke said that all stakeholders are free to attend full council meetings as they do not give any formal communication regarding the attendance.
“The act is very clear on who is supposed to attend the full council meeting, it is supposed to be attended by councilors, and members of the public. So whoever is eager to know what will be happening in full council meetings is welcome.
“We cannot move around telling stakeholders to attend. If I may ask who invited you when you (press) to come?,” said Maboke.
Contacted for comment Masvingo DDC Roy Hove said he had been attending full council meetings ever since but he was not aware of the first full council held on January 31, 2022 though he had not been attending even in 2021.
“I have been attending full council meetings. As of yesterday, I heard there was a committee not a full council meeting.
“I always send analysts who have been attending those meetings,” said Hove.
Some observers have questioned lack of attendance to full council meetings by other stakeholders who are an integral part in implementing developmental projects, which sometimes puts in jeopardy council resolutions.
Safety in schools should be a priority
As ‘Back to school’ fever grips the whole nation when the 2022 educational calendar gets underway, safety of the various stakeholders who take part in the school environment should be a cause for concern. The delays to the first term initially set for January 10 before postponement due to rising cases of Covid-19 as government put it, might mean that administrators could have utilized on the available time to adequately prepare for the opening of schools and thus safety must be guaranteed in schools.
The previous scenario witnessed upon resumption of lessons after long periods of absence from schools that culminated in high cases of the pandemic in schools should be a thing of the past, hence stakeholders should have learnt something while at the same time forgotten nothing.
The state of preparedness of schools to entail relevant safety measures being put in place for learners to learn in a risk-free environment that include presence of Covid-19 combating measures like hands washing zones incorporated.
Government as a responsible authority should therefore ensure that national and international Covid-19 rules and regulations are strictly adhered to so as to protect the young, innocent souls if they are to live up to their billing of ensuring safety.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and parents as well should join hands to ensure safety of the travelling parties especially on the roads to ensure precious lives are not lost to road carnage either out of negligence or ‘silly’ human errors which have become prevalent on the country’s major roads.
This demands the policing authority to ensure unauthorized transporters are kept off the roads so as to keep the occurrence of accidents under check. Also there is need to ensure conformity and adherence to set traffic and road rules in the fight against road carnage.
What this means is that there is need to make sure that offenders are brought to book and corrupt tendencies as ‘a ghost’ on the roads should cease to exist or just sink into oblivion while ensuring safety. As such ethical practices and sincerity should be on the fore to arrest the marauding fire that has haunted policing on our roads.
Beer binge turns sour as two die in row over girlfriend
Tinaani Nyabereka
Silobela –What seemed to be a jovial beer drinking spree among patrons ended tragically after two men were stabbed to death by their drinking mates following a dispute over a girlfriend.
The incident occurred at Cross roads Business Centre, Silobela on January 29, 2022 at about 0030.
Midlands Provincial Police Spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the incident and said the suspects were already in police custody.
“Police once again appeal to members of the public to always prioritize settling disputes through dialogue.
“We received a report where three men, Blessed Sibanda (25) of Madhambi village, Nqaba Ndlovu (21) from Simangeta village all under Chief Malisa, Silobela and Hillary Maphosa were injured and rushed to Kwekwe District Hospital where Sibanda and Maphosa were pronounced dead upon arrival.
“Ndlovu is still admitted at the hospital and receiving treatment. The two suspects have since been arrested and are in police custody,” said Mahoko.
Sources privy to the incident said on the fateful day, the now deceased were drinking beer at Cross Roads Business Centre together with the two suspects.
The suspects Talcott Mupasi (25) and Agape Munashe Mupasi (21) are alleged to be brothers and resident at the business centre.
After some time of drinking, a misunderstanding arose between Sibanda and Talcott over a girlfriend. The argument immediately degenerated into a fist fight between the two.
Talcott brother’s Agape intervened and started beating Sibanda. Talcott produced a knife and stabbed Sibanda at the back and he fell down. Maphosa intervened trying to stop the melee but was also stabbed.
After seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, Ndlovu tried to intervene to stop the fight but was stabbed again on the chest by Talcott. The two accused persons fled leaving the three lying in pools of blood.
Council management under fire over Cambria Farm landfill progress
Kimberly Kusauka
Progress at the recently commissioned landfill at Cambria Farm has been slow, with Masvingo councilors blaming management for failure to meet the target they had agreed on.
In a recent full council meeting, councilors accused the engineering department of being incompetent, saying they deliberately misled them on progress at the site.
Mayor Cllr Collen Maboke took the engineering department to task for misleading him in 2021 when they told him about progress at the landfill.
“You lied to me last year when you said that the new land fill will be ready for use by September. I told the media and they are here so you should tell them the truth.
“Right now you are proposing that you will finish work after rainy season, you do not know when the rains will stop and from my own point of view you have failed to that end,” Cllr Maboke said.
Maboke’s sentiments were echoed by Deputy Mayor Cllr Wellington Mahwende who said the state of the old dump site is not pleasing as it presents a likely health disaster to the residents nearby.
“Refuse situation is worsening at the old dump site, it is getting into people’s houses,” said Cllr Mahwende.
Masvingo Acting Town Engineer Kudzaishe Mbetu however stood his ground and convinced the councilors that the situation was under control.
“We cannot do any work as of now since we are in the rainy season. Our tippers will sink in the mud. We are also having financial challenges, but we promise that we will finish work in two months’ time after the rainy season. In terms of progress we are 80 percent complete,” said Eng Mbetu.
The time that the engineering department is suggesting that they would have finished the work at Cambria farm was however said to be unrealistic basing on the fact that they were supposed to have started using it last year.
Council had targeted to finish two cells out of 16 and completing the whole project by 2025.
By–Elections: Teachers battle for Mwenezi East
Cephas Shava
Mwenezi –Three teachers from Mwenezi East are going to battle it out at the March 26 by-elections to replace the late Zanu PF legislator Joosbi Omar who left the seat vacant in 2020.
All the three candidates are long time serving teachers in the district and the winner, above all else is expected to address education related issues in the constituency.
Zanu PF will be represented by Master Makope while Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) will be represented by Tendekai Mandizvidza. Joseph Busha’s Free Zimbabwe Congress (FZC)’s will be represented by Turner Mhango.
If experience in governance is anything to go by, Makope is the best candidate for the seat having served as a councillor for quite a long time. The 46 year former Mwenezi RDC vice chairperson is a holder of BA General Degree from University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and BSc Honours degree in Geography and Environmental Science from Great Zimbabwe University (GZU).
Born and bred in Zvirikure village’s ward 5 under Chief Neshuro in Mwenezi, Makope later became councillor between 2013 and 2018.
Makope taught at Mwenezi Government High School for 18 years and held various positions of leadership in the schools administration and sports before he was promoted to head Avhunga Secondary School in 2020.
In Zanu PF he held a position of secretary for education for Chidzine District from 2002 to date and is the current district political commissar.
During his tenure as ward five councillor, he spearheaded a number of developmental projects including the construction and rehabilitation of dams and boreholes.
As the current Zanu PF Mwenezi District Political Commissar (PC) and confident of victory, Makope told TellZim News that having already ignited the district’s development agenda, he is well-versed with the problems and have credible solutions to the electorate’s plight.
“As a son of Mwenezi, I know our problems and possible solutions. I am looking for Mwenezi East at a bigger picture. During my tenure as ward 5 councillor, I initiated the construction and rehabilitation of several dams. I managed to increase the number of functional boreholes from 36 to 73 in ward 5 and as an MP I will work to increase the number in the province.
“My major target is to quickly address real concerns of the people of Mwenezi East. Rehabilitation and drilling of boreholes is an ongoing process which I started way back and have been covering the entire district. Road maintenance, improving social amenities, fighting corruption, youth and women empowerment are among my priority list,” said Makope.
Though Mwenezi has been regarded as Zanu PF’s traditional powerhouse, humble as he is Makope is likely to garner additional votes from people of diverse political groupings, not because they like his political party but they seem to believe in the ‘Man himself’ and are seemingly convinced he is among the best locals to take the post.
The Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidate Mandizvidza (59) is a long time teacher who is a holder of a BA Honours from University Zimbabwe. The man is well known in the district as before his retirement from teaching in 2015 since 1982, taught at several schools among them Hebron, Neshuro, Batanai, Masvitsi and Nikita among others.
Mandizvidza who is the current party’s district treasurer joined politics during his days at UZ where he engaged in student activism.
He told TellZim News that he is confident and if given the mandate to represent the people of Mwenezi East, he has the ultimate solutions to the long forgotten people of the constituency.
“I am confident of victory. The electorate is tired of empty promises that the ruling party has been promising since time immemorial. If elected, I will expeditiously work on the district’s roads, clinics and schools which have been in shambles for too long especially those in resettlement areas.
“We have a lot of resources in the district which are underutilised notably Manyuchi Dam. My immediate plan is to ensure that locals reap tangible benefits from the water body,” said Mandizvidza.
Another Mwenezi East aspirant FZC’s Mhango born at Matibi Mission Hospital on May 16, 1978 has also been into teaching since 2003.
A holder of a diploma in education from Morgenster Teachers College, Mhango taught at Matande Primary School before transferring to Masogwe Primary School where he is currently stationed.
He joined active politics soon after the formation of the MDC in 1999, occupying the position of youth district treasurer until towards 2013 elections.
Although Mhango remained in the MDC-T after the 2005 split, subsequent disagreements in the party made him leave the party in the run up to the 2013 harmonised elections. He later on came back to active politics under the FZC banner.
Having contested in the previous by-elections to replace the late MP Joshua Moyo who died in 2016 and garnering a few votes, Mhango is still confident to win the right to represent the constituency in the National Assembly.
“I am a man of action who is well-versed in district’s needs and I have the solutions. I hope people across the political divide will vote for me because I am a man of action. People are tired of being tossed around by Zanu PF and other opposition parties who seem to have no solutions,” said Mhango.
Mhango owns a company, View World Installations, which deals with installing satellite dishes and other related services.