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Masvingo Deportivo netball team qualifies for PNL

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Kimberly Kusauka

Masvingo Pirates (Deportivo) Netball club qualified to play in the Premier Netball League (PNL) which was launched in Bulawayo last month.
The PNL first bubble was launched on October 23, 2021, at Gates Mine in Mashava where 10 teams including Masvingo City Stars, Masvingo Pirates, Green Fuel, ZDF and Gold Free Border Strikers among others competed.
Deportivo team manager Mercy Kanyemba said the team was at number five and proceeded to play for the second bubble on October 30 and 31 in Gweru.
“We played in the first bubble and we were at number five. We went on to play our second bubble in Gweru where we won four games and lost three,” said Kanyemba.
The second bubble consisted of Ngezi Platinum, Gold Reef, Blue Angels, Beitbridge and Masvingo Pirates.
Kanyemba said the season has four bubbles and after completing the bubbles, the team prepares for the next season that will be in 2022 and they are still getting funds from Garikai vendors.
“The season has four bubbles and after we complete the bubbles, we then start preparing for the next season which will be played in 2022 and we are still getting sponsorship from Garikai fruit and vegetable vendors,” said Kanyemba.
Masvingo Deportivo is still training and are eyeing the championship this season.

Gweru council urges residents to report vandalism on water infrastructure

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Tinaani Nyabereka

Gweru- City council has called upon residents to play the social accountability role by reporting vandalism on water infrastructure as adequate supply of water is often disturbed by acts of vandalism.
Cases of vandalism have been on the rise in some parts of the Gweru as hooligans are reportedly vandalising main water pipes and tanks to irrigate their farms and plantations.
Speaking during a Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA)’s social accountability and service delivery engagement with residents on November 2, in Gweru, deputy mayor Cllr Cleopas Shiri said acts of vandalism on water property needs to be reported.
“I want you to know that water is a scarce resource even around the world. No country has enough water to cater for its people, hence there is need for people to preserve the precious liquid.
“So we call upon residents to report any case of vandalism on water infrastructure because sometimes we fail to pump adequate water as most property would have been destroyed,” said Shiri.

He further said council was spearheading the installation of kiosk boreholes to eradicate water challenges in the city.
“We are also spearheading the project of kiosk boreholes in our communities as water problems have greatly affected the wellbeing of residents. The project is set to start anytime soon and we want all communities to be well furnished with these facilities for easy accessibility to water.
“These boreholes are going to be manned by the residents themselves and we need them to be responsible in taking care of the facilities. The boreholes are going to serve people always and even generations to come,” added Shiri.
Buttressing on the aspect of active citizen participation in governance GRRA Programmes officer, Fadzai Kanyai urged young people to actively participate in service delivery issues saying citizen involvement was always a key pillar in development.
“We urge youths to actively participate in service delivery issues as active citizen involvement was good in idea sharing. We know youths are reluctant when it comes to governance issues as they feel excluded.
“As youths we feel we do not own anything because we do not have property, housing stands so we feel we do not have any responsibility hence we remain ignorant when it comes to issues of service provision. Whether we have something or not we need to have a sense of ownership because development comes for us. If we are not involved, no one will speak for us. We are the council, the ones who elect ward leaders to represent us, so they are our servants,” she said.
Gweru has in the recent past suffered acute water shortages owing to the old infrastructure resulting in persistent water pipe bursts.

Sexual abuse in tertiary institutions reaches alarming levels

…GZU VC sternly warns lecturers who sexually harass students

Fredrick Moyo/ Kimberly Kusauka

Sexual abuse in university students has reached worrying levels, prompting the Parliament of Zimbabwe to do consultations in tertiary institutions to ascertain the major causes.
Joint Parliamentary portfolio committees on Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development and Women Affairs, Community and Small Medium Enterprises Development recently visited Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) at Herbert Chitepo Law School on November 3 for consultations.
GZU Vice Chancellor Professor Rungano Zvobgo said he would not tolerate a lecturer who asks out a student or sexually abuse them.
“I would not forgive a lecturer or member of staff who goes after a student and I take that offence as deserving capital punishment and I advise female students to record the conversations they would have with the perpetrators as part of evidence.
“Lecturers should stay away from our female students even when they are dressed in the way they please because if you go at Ritz night club you would find ladies who are willing to give you company. For the benefit and credibility of our institution, I would like to warn any staff member who was sexually harassing students to desist from such behavior that tarnishes our image,” said Prof Zvobgo.
GZU Dean of Students Sarafina Mudavanhu said female students are often sexually abused by politicians especially during Student Representative Committee (SRC) elections and are threatened when they vie for different posts.
“Female students are often sexually abused by politicians during SRC elections especially when they campaign for posts.
“Our students are offered money for campaigns and sometimes provided with cars so that they can move around. They are sometimes beaten when they lose elections. Female students are mostly victims of sexual harassment because of the harsh economic conditions prevailing in the country.
“They are abused by insiders and outsiders as well and getting paid in cash, with most of them ending up being abused so that they could survive on campus,” said Mudavanhu.
A male lecturer from the university said female students are sexually harassed because of money since there are many expenses incurred at institutions of higher learning and suggested that government puts in place grants for students.
“Students especially females are being sexually harassed because of the poor standards of living they find themselves in and cannot pay for all expenses they incur during their learning process.
“It would be better if government consider bringing back the system of grants so that both parents and students are relieved of expenses they incur along the way,” said the lecturer.
GZU Registrar Sinikiwe Gwatidzo said they receive reports of students being sexually abused but the main challenge is lack of enough evidence to get to the perpetrator.
“We get cases of students being sexually harassed; however the main challenge becomes lack of evidence since most of the students are afraid to open up.
“We have come up with a policy to deal with sexual harassment and it is called Gender Based Violence Policy (GBVP) which include issues to do with dress code so as to deal with the persistent challenges at our institution,” said Gwatidzo.
A student however said she disagreed with Gwatidzo’s remarks saying that a few students know about the policies and that the people that they are supposed to report to also harass them in the proses of reporting.
“We have policies and facilities where one can report if he or she is sexually harassed but a few know it and the other issue is that no action is taken after reporting.
“Even if you report that a lecturer asked me for a thigh for a mark there is no response and those who we are supposed to report to are the ones that harass us again,” said the student.
A lecturer said the students are too relaxed and playful such that they do not concentrate on their studies and end up paying lecturers in form of sex to get marks and pass their modules.
“Our students are sometimes too lazy, they are always looking for an easy way out and they go to lecturers and ask them for marks while they pay in kind.
“Some of our female students go around half naked and they are so cunning to and extent of going to lecturers and offer them sex in return for better results,” said the lecturer.

Stakeholders walk away from budget consultative meeting

Rutendo Chirume

Masvingo residents associations and businesspeople who had attended the budget consultation meeting on November 2 2021 at Masvingo Civic center abandoned the venue after council officials turned up an hour late from scheduled time.
The meeting was scheduled to start at 1400hrs but council officials including Masvingo Mayor Cllr Collen Maboke turned up for the meeting at 1500hrs.
The stakeholders who waited for an hour left the venue infuriated by the officials’ lack of communication and incompetence, saying they were not taking them seriously.
The meeting ended up being postponed due to low turnout as most of the stakeholders had walked out.
Masvingo Residents and Ratepayers Association (MURRA) spokesperson Godfrey Mtimba condemned the attitude exhibited by city council officials saying it’s not the first time council officials have done something like that.
“There is no excuse for the attitude exhibited by council officials to arrive an hour late because they will be sitting in their big air conditioned offices drinking tea with a lot of milk doing nothing while we wait for them to attend a meeting which theywould have invited us to. The authorities do not take these meetings seriously, for them it’s a mere formality which they need to fast track because they have their own budget which they need to cover up for because they know we will shoot-down the proposal.
“We respect the council and they should not take us as fools otherwise they are pushing us to do something which we would not want to do,” said Mutimba.
Masvingo Service Delivery Residents and Rate Payers Association (MASDRA) secretary general Moses Mavhusa said the meeting was a flop and the city officials deliberately decided to come late without giving any update.
“Most of the people left and after waiting for a whole hour I do not blame them, those guys should have at least communicated if there were any delays rather they do not take us seriously,” said Mavhusa.
A local business person, Oscar Chayipa who attended the meeting said he arrived late at the meeting and noticed there were very few people.
“I arrived very late at the venue and the meeting was postponed because there were very few people.
In wards 1, 2 and 3 residents have been long complaining about the city council official’s way of doing things.
Most of the meetings have been reported to flop because the city council officials fail to include stakeholders in planning rather they would present their proposals and pretend to be in a hurry.

…as residents boycott consultations

Priviledge Muchadenyika

Masvingo City Council 2022 budget consultations have been characterized by low turnout on the part of residents as was evident during the meeting held at the Building Brigade in Majange location on October 31, 2021.
Council failure to bring projected income expenditure has been attributed as the reason why few residents turned up as they were not informed of the meeting in time hence their decision to boycott.
Speaking to TellZim News Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) director Anoziva Muguti said residents did not attend the meeting because their input have not been included into the final draft over the previous years.
“This might be the reason why residents feel that their input have not been included into the final draft over the previous years,” said Muguti.
Another resident James Moyo said residents were likely to refuse to attend council meetings in protest because council did not bring the projected income expenditure draft that was required.
“Masvingo City Council produced a null and void budget proposal without details like the projected income and expenditure that include wage bill, creditors, debtors list and expected revenue to be collected and that means the rates increases were not justified and ward five rejects that piece of paper with all that it contained in its entirety,” said Moyo.
Patience Muza said what council did was illegal and should reconsider their decision.
“Everything that the council did cannot have a standing legal wise because it is a nullity. Council should prepare a proper budget proposal for 2022 and start consultations based on that other than the short notice for consultations given to wards five and six.
“We requested they use a hailer to inform the residents 14 days before budget consultations. Council should operate within the prescribed laws in the process and reschedule the proceedings failure to do will force residents to either approach the courts for judicial review or write to the Minister of State or Ministry of Local government about such irregularities,” said Muza.

Wheelbarrow bound Zaka pupil to get wheelchair

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Kimberly Kusauka

A handicapped pupil from Chimedza Primary School in Zaka, Mufaro Mushonga (11) has been offered a wheelchair by a United Kingdom (UK) based nurse Barbara Nyagomo after her grade six teacher Gloria Bundo sought assistance through the media that the learner was using a wheelbarrow to school.
Bundo said Mushonga was having problems since she was still a baby and she could not sit properly then it was discovered that she could not walk when she reached the walking stage.
“Mushonga’s grandmother who took care of her since she was still a baby said the girl could not sit properly and they later on discovered that she could not walk when she reached the walking stage.
“Both her legs and hands are crippled and she also finds it difficult to talk,” said Bundo.
Bundo said Mushonga is receiving better care at school but the standards do not match her special needs and is in need of toiletries.
“The girl is trained and communicates whenever she wants to visit the toilet but does not visit the toilet regularly while at school and she needs toiletries hence I call upon well-wishers who can assist her.
“The wheel chair is going to help her move around easily whilst relieving her elderly grandmother who accompanies her to school in a wheelbarrow,” said Bundo.
Nyagomo who donated the wheelchair that is yet to be delivered to Mushonga said she is a philanthropist and does a lot of charity.
“I am a philanthropist and I do a lot of charity works hence when I saw a publication about this girl who was in need of a wheel chair I was moved and decided to help her and I have helped a lot of people you can check on Google,” said Nyagomo.
Mushonga’s old wheel chair wheels were torn and left with rims only and her grandmother had to push her in a wheelbarrow to school.
The pupil’s parents separated and the mother remarried.

Close to 40 Gokomere pupils detained

Princess Masiiwa

At least 40 pupils from Gokomere High School are currently (November 08, 2021) detained at Masvingo Central Police Station for allegedly attacking two police officers who had gone to question them for an alleged theft of food items in the school Dining Hall.

Sources privy to the incident said some food stuffs went missing in the Dining Hall and authorities at the school believed the suspects to be school pupils.

Two police officers were called to investigate but they were attacked by the pupils.

It is further alleged that more police officers were called in to quell the riot.

They are further alleged to have stoned the DH window panes as well as the school head Acquanos Mazhunga’s vehicle.

The school head and other top members of the responsible authority of the Mission Schools including the Priest in Charge James Magadzire are currently on bail pending trial over massive gross mismanagement of school resources. Parents have been up in arms with the school authority over the mismanagement resulting in auditors being called and they found a number of anomalies.

The school reportedly ran without School Development Committee (SDC) for three years since 2018 subsequently leading to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) dragging the school leadership to court and they have since been granted bail while awaiting judgment.

…. More to follow

Man kills lover, commits suicide

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Fredrick Moyo

A jealousy man from Chivake village under Chief Serima in Gutu allegedly killed his girlfriend over infidelity before committing suicide a few days later.
The unfortunate incident took place on October 28, 2021, at around 20:00 hours, when Shepherd Zivakwa (age not given) allegedly visited his girlfriend Rachel Mudonzvo (32) who lives in the same village.
Masvingo Provincial Spokesperson, Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed the incident and urged members of the public to solve their problems without taking lives.
“We encourage people to solve their disputes or misunderstandings without taking one’s life,” said Dhewa.
On the fatefull day the two lovebirds reportedly visited Rachel’s friend Eugenia Mlambo (27) at around 2100 hours in the evening in Mpandawana village under Chief Mutukwa and proceeded to a bar called Pass Time Special bar for beer drinking.
After some few drinks, they all went home and along the way Zivakwa started accusing Mudonzvo of infidelity leading to a misunderstanding between the two.
Zivakwa then took a stone and hit Mudonzvo thrice on the right ear before disappearing into darkness.
Mudonzvo then went home before reporting the matter to police the following day.
Mudonzvo sustained a swollen right ear and went to Gutu Mission Hospital where she was admitted while waiting for the doctor.
Her condition deteriorated at around 2pm on October 29 and she was transferred to Masvingo Provincial Hospital where she died the following day.
The accused could not be located, and on October 31 he went to Lonister farm where he resides with his eight-year-old son and worked as a domestic worker.
He then left on the same day and never returned while his son went to their neighbours to notify them that he was alone at the house.
On November 1, the son went to check if his father had returned and found the kitchen door slightly opened only to find his father hanging from the beam of the roof before running to inform their neighbour Stephen Muchabaiwa and a report was made at Chatsworth police station.
Meanwhile, police are investigating a suspected murder case that occurred in Muungani village, Headman Ndahwi, Gutu on October 25 at around 10am.
56-year-old Pianos Muungani was found dead in a deep well a few metres away from his homestead.
Tashinga Muungani (32) left his father at home before going on his personal errands but when he came back home, he found out that his father was not around and thought he had went for beer drinking.
On October 27, Tashinga made a follow up search asking villagers if they had seen Pianos. The search continued the following day and Pianos could not be found.
Later in the evening Tahsinga went to the well to fetch some water and he found his father floating and a report was made at Gutu Police station.
Upon retrieval, deep cuts were observed on the back of the deceased’s head and later bloodstains were seen on his bed.

Worry over incompletion of Zaka’s Mbuyamaswa clinic

Melinda Kusemachibi

Ward 9 villagers from Zaka Central have raised concerns of neglect by council over the Mbuyamaswa clinic project as they feel the local authority has abandoned the health facility that they expected to have started offering services now.
The clinic whose construction started two years ago stalled prompting villagers to raise eyebrows alleging the project was likely to take ages to complete.
Construction works on the facility have been on hold since last year owing to Covid-19 lockdown and non-payment of wages to workers though works are reported to have resumed.
A villager, Eddison Chaibva said council is taking ages to finish constructing a clinic.
“Since last year the local authority has been saying the same thing over and over. We are tired of walking long distances to access health facilities. They should do something about this,” said Chaibva.
Another villager, Felix Mugadha said the local authority should do something about the completion of the clinic since people have to endure long distances to access health facilities
“It’s now close to two years since the construction started. In our village we have no access to health facilities, we walk a very long distance to the nearest clinic,” Mugadha said.
The project initiated by the community got funding from government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care and Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.
Efforts to get a comment Zaka Rural District Council (RDC) Ward 9 Councilor Moses Mutandavari were fruitless by the time of publication as his mobile number went unanswered.
Zaka Central Member of Parliament Davison Svuure said villagers are not complaining about this.
“Villagers know where they report their issues, and they know where we are. We held a meeting on October 31, 2021 and I addressed them on the issue and gave them feedback about the clinic. The contractor will be in a position to give a feedback on when it will be complete,” said Svuure.
Zaka District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr Mutero Mupereki told TellZim News that there is progress on Mbuyamaswa clinic.
“Construction of Mbuyamaswa Clinic is now through Public Sector Investment Program (PSIP) a capital component of the National Budget releases from government of Zimbabwe through Ministry of Health. So far, we received PSIP release for roofing and the roofing is almost complete. We await another release that is expected soon, so there is progress,” said Dr Mupereki.
Prior to this new development, Mupereki last told TellZim that the Ministry of Health and Child Care could not provide new funding unless the Department of Public Works specified what was needed at every stage of construction.
“We do not work alone as a ministry. We work with government departments in other ministries, and in this case, we work with the Public Works department that knows what is needed. Our job is to procure what would have been recommended by the department,” said Dr Mupereki.
When the clinic was under construction, 500 bags of cement dried up due to what many feel to be a case of negligence and poor management.
The bags of cement kept in a bar at Mbuyamaswa business centre were bought using money allocated under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) disbursement programme in 2018.
However, Ward 8 Councilor Tererai Tererai indicated that Four Miles clinic (whose construction started at the same time with Mbuyamasva) is nearing completion.
“We are now done with roofing, we are plastering and we expect it to be complete by February 2022. We asked for assistance from well-wishers who stay in South Africa for money to buy tanks and they promised to give 10 000 litres tank and stand,” said Tererai.
Zaka district is one of the most underdeveloped districts in the province where many people still travel more than 10km to the nearest health facilities and schools.
Ward 13 Councilor Manfred Mada said Tovane clinic is also at roofing level, nearing completion.
“We are targeting to complete our clinic by March 2022, so villagers have to be patient with us. Soon it will be complete since it is now at roof level,” said Mada.

Councilors grill council management for not implementing resolutions

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Emmanuel Chitsika

Masvingo city councilors are up in arms with council management over non-implementation of resolutions that would have been made during council meetings, thereby affecting service delivery.
Councilors accused top council management of gross insubordination saying it would be meaningless for them to waste time discussing and coming up with resolutions that would not see the light of day.
In a full council meeting held on November 1, Masvingo Mayor Cllr Collen Maboke said they have passed a number of resolutions but nothing has materialized and management is answerable.
“We discussed quite a number of issues but surprisingly nothing has been done to that effect. It is a serious case of misconduct for an employee to fail to implement a resolution.
“We discussed long back that there is need for council to engage the services of a legal mind who can be incorporated into council’s payroll to handle the legal desk than hiring services of lawyers which are expensive after all. The resolution to employ a lawyer was passed long back, but as of now no interviews or advertisement for the post have been done,” said Maboke.
Alderman Selina Maridza also said failure to employ a full time lawyer to handle council affairs is a way of indirectly fattening the pockets of established lawyers through whose accounts the debts go through during the collection processes.
“The fact that the collected debts go through the accounts of lawyers engaged as debt collectors translate to fattening the pockets of the hired lawyers. It would have been wiser to employ a lawyer meant to deal with legal issues arising at council so that rate payers’ resources are saved as it would be cheaper to go it that way,” said Maridza.
Ward 10 councilor Sengerai Manyanga also weighed in saying it was uneconomical to splash council money on debt collection instead of employing a full time council employee to serve the purpose.
“These employees are answerable to us as councillors and thus should abide by their codes of conduct and adhere to the requirements of their positions. Your worship can you please set dates for the implementation of this resolution like November end as being the latest.
“At times we have to weigh the options available for us like how much are we paying for example ZW$ 300 000 to a lawyer and how much will a lawyer earn on a monthly basis, then it defies logic if management opt for an expensive option when a cheaper alternative is there,” Manyanga said.
He also added that there was need for management especially through the chamber secretary to ensure resolutions are passed within the stipulated timeframe to avoid inconveniences associated with the delays.
“It is therefore imperative for management to implement the resolutions we would have passed so that next time when we sit down as councillors, we do so in good faith that the programmes would be implemented other than coming back to the same issues,” said Manyanga.
He also expressed concern over failure by council employees to be at their workplaces in time.
“Your worship, if it is possible just try to be here and check on the times at which employees arrive at their work place. You would be shocked to realise that some come at 9am while others would be here by 0930hours,” he remarked.
Responding to the issues raised, chamber secretary Vitalis Shonhai said the issue of implementing resolutions was still in the pipeline though management is yet to follow the procedures required in recruiting the needed employee.
“Council is working on the issue and we shall try to make sure the issue is looked into,” said Shonhai.

Maize seed prices threaten Masvingo province food security

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Rutendo Chirume

High cost of farming inputs for the upcoming cropping season seem to be threatening Masvingo province’s billing as guardian to national food security, with most rural-based farmers crying foul over the ever-increasing prices which have gone beyond the reach of many.
Just a few weeks before the new cropping season that usually starts in mid- November, the soaring prices of seed maize is likely to result in reduced hectrade of the nation’s staple cereal.
An average 25kg of maize seed now costs between US$ 19 and US$25 that translates to between ZW$ 3000-ZW$4500 when converted along the parallel market rates.
A farmer who owns a plot in Masvingo rural at Beza spoke on condition of anonymity to TellZim News saying maize seed price is so expensive and if coupled with the cost of tilling the land that stands at US$100 per hectare, it only shows how expensive it would be for a farmer.
“I usually plant at least five hectares of land at my plot but this coming season I am forced to plough less considering the prices of seeds and all other related expenses needed for planting I have to cover this season,” he said.
Another farmer Tambudzai Zivuchi from Gutu district said maize seed is expensive and is banking on the presidential input scheme for maize seed because she will not afford to buy a 25kg bag of maize seed which she needs for all her fields in the village.
“I am lucky because I am guaranteed at least 10kg of maize seed from the Pfumvudza scheme. Other villagers are already using maize from last season’s harvests as seed because they have no other means to get the seed. I am at an advantage because I am active member of Zanu PF,” Zivuchi said.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) Masvingo Provincial manager Jeremiah Chimwanda expressed concern over the prices saying government should assist farmers with capital and inputs considering the economic hardships and financial hustles in the country.
“The maize seed varies in prices but the majority of farmers in Masvingo province will not be able to buy more than 25kgs of maize seed since as a country we are facing high inflation therefore if possible government could assist our farmers with inputs which are needed,” said Chimwanda.
Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira said the Pfumvudza presidential input scheme is largely focusing on the vulnerable that is the elderly and unemployed individual farmers around the province.
“I do not have the exact statistics of households to receive the inputs, but I am certain it is channeled towards the elderly and vulnerable people in the community. Each head gets a bag of 10kg maize seed as of now,” said Chadzamira.
Masvingo province is believed to have over 10 000 hectares of land used for agriculture but the high cost of seeds are likely to negatively impact on production on the farms.
The majority of people in Zimbabwe earn around ZW$19, 000 per month.
A 25kg bag of maize seed covers at least one hectare that would cost ZW$3, 420 on average and despite that, the farmer would need other inputs like fertilizer and labour.
While the Pfumvudza presidential input scheme is aimed at boosting farmers’ yields, around 150 individual farmers in each district out of the seven in Masvingo province with about 1,485million people, the total beneficiaries’ number falls way below the figure of the needy.
Government tasked the province with ensuring food security because of abundant water resources in its proximity as 50 percent of water in the country lies in Masvingo.
The province has been put under command to boost food security in the country but the prevailing inflation will likely affect the 2022 maize harvest which may trigger serious food shortages.