United Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Trust (UMRRT) has embarked on a community empowerment initiative by opening a sewing club in Sakubva where they donated manual sewing machines to women with disabilities in Sakubva ward 1 as well as several entrepreneurship tools to eight groups comprising of youths and women.
UMRRT Public Relations Officer Tendai Nyamadzi confirmed the initiative spear headed by UMRRT director retired Bishop Sebastian Bakare who took the opportunity to engage women in discussing challenges they face in the communities.
Retired Bishop Bakare said the donation initiative was inspired by expressions of hopelessness from unemployed youths after a tour he did two years ago in Mutare’s oldest high-density suburb.
“Mutare is our home and no one except ourselves can help us come out of poverty and unemployment lines. We should use our hands and skills, which is why we sourced these machines and tools for women, youths and men to use to earn a living,” said Bakare.
He also said UMRRT intends to grow the community’s self-sustaining livelihood empowerment initiatives by sourcing more tools and equipment for more groups.
“I encourage the first group of beneficiaries to effectively make use of the programme and make it successful to encourage benefactors to continue supporting,” he added.
Prudence Sauriri a resident from Sakubva said the tools would help idle youths and keep them off the streets where they are lured to engage in illicit drug abuse such as crystal meth popularly known as (guka).
“In Sakubva, drug abuse by youths is on the increase. The coming of guka is now a problem in our society. These tools for men and women groups will be a stepping stone to get youths organized and engage in work using own personal skills to earn a living,” said Sauriri.
Taurai Chingono another resident from Chikanga praised the residents association for this initiative that will be handy for unemployed youths.
“The initiative shows that you consider the plight of residents. We need more localized empowerment initiatives at grassroots level to empower ourselves as residents and in turn become proactive citizens that contribute towards the development of our city,” said Chingono.
Some of the tools handled over to the groups comprised of electrical sewing machines, carpentry tools such as G-clamps, hammers, planners, chisels as well as mechanic toolboxes.
The tools and machines were distributed depending with the projects intended by a particular group.
HARARE- Hamilton Muto a 28-year-old man is failing to secure accommodation in Harare where he went to seek medical attention due to his health condition.
Muto who hails from ward 8 in Zaka had a cancerous growth on the face and got an operation in September after well-wishers chipped in.
However, he is being denied accommodation at lodges in the city because his wound messes bed linen since it is an open wound.
Sara Phineas Munemo who has been coordinating donations sent towards the welfare of Muto said they are stranded and plead for assistance in form of accommodation.
“We are pleading with any well-wisher who would like to accommodate Muto. Be it at a lodge or house, we will be paying for his rentals and upkeep.
“Muto is no longer welcome at lodges where he once stayed because they say he is an attention seeker and messes bed linen intentionally,” said Munemo.
Muto once stayed with his sister but the property owner had to chase him away due to his condition.
Currently he is staying in Mufakose at one of his relative’s house but fear she might dismiss him soon since she is not fully aware of the state in which Muto is.
“For the meantime he has been offered a place to stay by her mother’s sister, but the two never met before. The woman is not aware of his condition and we are not sure if she will cope when she finds out,” said Munemo.
Muto currently going for blood tests every three weeks is on special diet whilst being monitored by the doctor.
Doctor Mathew Wazara offered to operate and administer chemotherapy to Muto after TellZim News published a story of him seeking financial assistance to have an operation done.
For assistance towards Muto, he can be contacted through Munemo on +263 772 816 260.
CHIPINGE-Embattled town council secretary Susan Dube was on September 29 found not guilty by a Chipinge magistrate on two counts of criminal abuse of office charges she was facing.
Dube, who appeared before Chipinge Magistrate Court on Thursday saw Jeffrey Mwakachiyeyi, another council worker, a water superintendent jointly charged with her in one of the cases being acquitted as well.
In giving judgment Magistrate Frankly Mkwananzi maintained that the accusations against Dube were unsubstantial, hence the acquittal.
In the first count, Dube was accused of illegally offering a residential stand to an intern at the institution.
However, Mkwananzi noted that the local authority’s policy was not clear and open to a multiplicity of interpretations as it spelt out that all employees are entitled to benefits.
“The condition of service says all and the key word there is “all”. Therefore, the intern is an employee of town council. The housing policy of council says permanent workers and does not in any way exclude non-permanent workers. As such, the intern was entitled to benefit a stand because he or she spent two years on industrial attachment,” said Mkwananzi.
On the second count, Dube allegedly took PVC pipes worth US$639 from her employer for personal use at her Kenilworth Farm.
In his ruling, Mkwananzi said proper procedure was followed as she paid the water connection fee and presented a proof of payment.
Prosecutor Thulani Zondwayo stood for the state.
Dube was arrested sometime in February by ZACC (Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission) officials on accusations of corruption.
Excessive alcohol consumption has been cited as one of the major reasons behind failure by drinkers to control themselves and allegedly end up abusing women at both drinking joints and their homes.
The concern was raised during an online meeting hosted by Southern Africa Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA) where different stakeholders gave their experiences in relation to alcohol consumption and regulation.
Mhoze Chikowore from the University of California, Santa Barbara History Department said the inability of one to control his alcohol has been a major driver of women abuse since the colonial period.
“Inability to control one’s alcohol consumption is known as alcohol use disorder. Beer became one of the causes of rape amongst black women, where they would be raped by whites especially at breweries,” said Chikowore.
Another presenter Oliver Van Beemen said beer is causing promotion of sexual abuse on women especially those who work at bars and drinking spots.
“Alcohol is promoting sexual abuse of women when they want to be promoted at work and this is happening in almost every African country.
“Women who work in bars and night clubs are usually regarded as prostitutes and they are sexually harassed by both customers and employers,” said Van Beemen.
One female participant in the meeting employed as a bar tender in Rujeko in Masvingo narrated her ordeal saying she sometimes suffer molestation by patrons and could even sleep with her boss to keep the job.
“Men sometimes touch my private parts as I serve them in the bar and they call me a prostitute but I am trying to earn a living and take care of my two school going children.
“I want freedom at work but these men hide behind beer and abuse me. I end up sleeping with my employer just to keep my job,” said the participant.
On October 5, 2021, Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Teachers Day but Zimbabwean teachers said they had nothing to celebrate, as they accuse their employer of neglecting them and failing to offer a living wage aligned to the poverty datum line.
Teachers representative unions say government is not forthcoming and ignoring their pleas for a decent lifestyle.
In a statement, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Dr Takavafira Zhou said government is continuously turning a blind eye on the welfare of teachers in terms of health and safety amidst the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.
“Government has resisted the testing of pupils, teachers and ancillary staff before re-opening of schools thereby leading to the current quantum leap of Covid-19 cases in schools. Worse still, not a single teacher has benefitted from Covid-19 insurance of US$650 for infection and US$1000 for Covid-19 related death promised by government,” said Dr Zhou.
He also said that this year they were mourning the downfall of teaching as a profession that has left teachers unsettled facing a bleak future.
“As such, instead of celebrating the work of dedicated teachers around the world, we are mourning the demise of teaching profession, with monotonous regularity, from grace to grass. The constant attacks on teachers by education officials, threats of dismissal, government austerity measures and the evil of poverty have cumulatively created anxiety and uncertainty among teachers.
“Teachers are marking the 2021 World Teachers’ Day on empty stomachs, unable to pay school fees for their children, report for work due to incapacitation, wear decent clothes and live in homes with minimal comfort,” said Dr Zhou.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure concurred with Dr Zhou saying teachers in rural schools were living in sub-human conditions because their salaries are poor.
“It is sad to note that government continues to ignore teachers’ grievances. Teachers’ salaries have been eroded to less than 50% of the Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) due to inflation and the rise in cost of living while some of the demands by teachers are basic welfare issues like housing.
“This has proven to be a great challenge especially for those stationed in rural areas who stay in sub-human conditions and are often exposed to risk due to the conditions they will be staying under,” said Masaraure.
In 2017, teachers were earning around US$450-520 but due to inflation, which has hit the local currency, they are now earning an equivalent of US$130-175 on the parallel market.
Meanwhile, speaking during the Rwanda-Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Expo, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame told the Zimbabwean delegation that Rwanda was keen to import Zimbabwean teachers.
“I think Zimbabwe can offer us good teachers, so please work on that with sense of urgency. Since this is what we said. Whatever number of quality teachers you find we can absorb because we need them urgently,” said Kagame.
However, a massive exodus may be looming if the deal materializes since many teachers are living from hand to mouth.
In 2008 the country witnessed a teacher exodus to South Africa after a political and economic crisis, and with the current socio-economic unrest, the Rwanda offer could be a push factor to yet another exodus.
This may have a negative impact on the country’s educational standards if quality teachers are snatched by Rwanda.
Internationally, it is reported that in developed countries teachers are highly paid compared to other workers with an average of US$100 000 annually.
…breast cancer contributes eight percent to cancer cases and deaths
Emmanuel Chitsika/Kimberly Kusauka
Pink October as the annual breast cancer commemorations have been code-named, is the month in which people from all walks of life across the globe carry out activities meant to create awareness to the diagnosis, control and treatment of the deadly disease.
Great strides have and or can be made towards conscientising people especially women on the subject of breast cancer that has significantly a higher number on the total annual cancer deaths in Zimbabwe.
Lovemore Makurirofa Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator at the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe (CAZ) said statistics released in 2017 reflect that breast cancer was a major contributor to both cancer cases as well as deaths recorded at the national cancer registry.
“Breast cancer is a very common cancer in the country, for example in 2017, 7659 cancer cases were recorded of which eight percent of such cases were breast cancer. Of the 2804 cancer deaths that were recorded at the National Cancer Registry during the same year, breast cancer contributed eight percent as well, so you can see that this form of cancer is having a significant contribution,” said Makurirofa.
He however bemoaned the restrictive Covid-19 environment as having a negative impact on intended campaigns thereby reducing the campaigns to virtual ones and mostly in urban centres.
“There are awarenesses that are going on but unfortunately most of them are concentrated in urban areas and also due to Covid-19, you find out that most of the awareness campaigns are done virtually since we are to adhere to the rules and regulations.
“This October we are commemorating breast awareness. However, we also encourage corporates, companies or even churches to have the ‘Pink Day’ campaigns at respective centres whereby they find a day to wear pink color and teach each other on breast cancer prevention, screening and treatment as well as donating to the Cancer association,” he added.
The Cancer association conducts breast cancer examination at reduced prices of US$ 1 as a way of ensuring people come for breast cancer awareness and get screened but the marginalised is left out as well as this focus on the urban population due to geographical proximity.
The plight of the rural communities in terms of accessing the awareness messages is a worrying factor as they tend to be left aside in terms of getting information related to breast cancer and such facilities like screening.
“In the rural areas we hope that these campaigns must be done but as of now, most of these breast cancer awareness events and activities are taking place in urban centres especially Harare and Bulawayo so there are still gaps in terms of reaching out to the rural population,” he remarked.
Zimbabwe Professional Nurses Union president Robert Chiduku also concurred with Makurirofa on awareness campaigns urging government to rope in other stakeholders through various media.
“Government and other stakeholders can help raise awareness through radio, television, social media platforms, outreach programmes including the use of posters and fliers. However, as a union we are yet to come up with a calendar of awareness events,” said Chiduku.
Collaborating civic society organisations in making sure information is disseminated to the marginalized communities has also been noted as a strategy in ensuring that women in such communities benefit something that would stimulate their participation in fighting breast cancer.
Government has been urged to avail resources in from of decentralized initiatives that makes the screening and diagnosis readily available at nearby health care centres even if it means doing them during the month of October and thus once annually.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics in 2020, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 685 000 deaths recorded globally. Approximately 12.9 percent of women were diagnosed with female breast cancer at some point during their lifetime based on 2016-2018 data.
WHO recommends that women who are 40-49 years should start getting mammogram (x-rays of the breast) and start annual screening for breast cancer while women from 55 years and above should switch to mammograms every two years.
MASVINGO- While the #RegisterToVote campaign continues to gain traction, 132 people registered to vote this past month, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) provincial office has confirmed.
ZEC Masvingo deputy Provincial Election Officer (PEO), Maxwell Ncube confirmed that people are answering calls to register to vote ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections.
“Our registration figures continue to rise and we are still encouraging those who are not yet registered to do so at any nearest registration offices in the seven districts or at the provincial office,” said Ncube.
He also said that the increase in numbers is owed to various engagements with stakeholders who have been spreading the word in communities.
“The increase in the number of registered voters is attributed to a scaled-up campaign by other stakeholders as well as stakeholder engagements we started late last month so as to complement our operations as a commission.
“However, there is still need for prospective voters to come and register. We are currently engaging various categories of stakeholders so that they spread registration messages,” he added.
As at August 31, 2021 only 39 registered to vote; nine females and 20 males while from the 132 people who registered in September 29 are females and 103 males.
There were also 56 transfers recorded at the provincial office of which 24 are female and 32 male.
Those who have registered can also confirm their registration status at any ZEC office or on their website bvrinspection.zec.org.zw.
As ERC advocates for adaptation of new voter engagement strategies
… conservative methods are outdated resulting in low voter turnout
Leslie Karumbidza
Election Resource Center (ERC) has called upon the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) to adapt new citizen engagement methods around issues raised in the ongoing voter registration process, as the current methods are outdated resulting in a low turnout among the youths.
The recommendations were raised during a virtual discussion hosted in a TellZim News WhatsApp Group on October 7, 2021 running under the pretext ‘Voter Registration: Where are we?’ in which Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) Masvingo Provincial Elections Officer Zex Zirabada Pudurai and Election Resource Center (ERC) legal and Advocacy Officer Takunda Tsunga were the panelists.
Responding to questions during the discussion, Tsunga said the conversation method of engaging citizens to register to vote have become outdated and ZEC should find ways to engage youths in their spheres of influence and educate them on the importance of voter registration.
“The current conversation method is out dated and the electoral commission should get out of their comfort zone and adopt new methods of engaging youths in their spheres of influence to show them importance of voter registrations. As ERC, we have taken it upon ourselves to use platforms around the entertainment industry as it allows creating sceneries around entertainment and civic duties in terms of voter registration.
“Mobilization of citizens especially the youths should be done on platforms that they are comfortable with and the electoral commission should find ways to harness the use of social media to their advantage in order to register voters.
“Voter registration should be taken to actual sporting activities such as football, rugby where citizens will be engaged directly on the issues around voter registration and this will be a pro active way to engage the youths,” said Tsunga.
Youth participation in Zimbabwe elections and governance processes have been low as statistics show that mostly older people are politically active.
Pudurai said ZEC has been working to enhance access to information in marginalized and hard to reach areas through the use of radio programmes and other traditional methods of information dissemination, as well as engaging political parties.
“We are trying by all means to disseminate that information to all our stakeholders as well as other citizens. We will do the mobile voter registration system and we will go to all the particular constituencies, wards and villages to register before we do the delimitation process,” Pudurai said.
… as government is accused of ignoring calls by critical stakeholders
Melinda kusemachibi/Emmanuel Chitsika
Government insistence on the implementation of Continuous Assessment of Learning Activities (CALA) has created a cloud of confusion on the possible success of the programme as stakeholders in the education system are accusing the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) of ignoring their input before implementing the programme.
Click link to Listen
Under CALA, pupils are supposed to carry out projects and tasks in schools, which will constitute 30 percent as their coursework for the final Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) examinations in each subject area while the remaining 70 percent will be from summative evaluation in form of the traditionally written examinations.
Director of Information and Advocacy in MoPSE Taungana Ndoro said those who doubt the success of CALA will be shocked sarcastically calling them ‘naysayers’.
“The programme is a success already and naysayers will be left with an egg on their faces. We are doing this in order to attain Vision 2030. Continuous assessment is a necessary part of holistic assessment of learner performance under the competence-based curriculum implementation.
“This is an on-going system of monitoring and assessing learners’ progress with the aim of helping them improve their learning as formative assessment becomes part of their routine learning processes done within the school environment,” said Ndoro.
He also said the activities done in schools like quizzes, tests, interviews, projects and observations form part of assessment of the learner.
“This is a daily monitoring of learner’s ability to demonstrate the required competences in carrying out tasks. This covers all the skills and includes assessment for learner profiles.
“Learner assessment will also continue to encompass the more familiar end of syllabus cycle Assessment of learning (Summative evaluation),” he said.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure described CALA implementation in schools as chaotic.
“The CALA initiative is the worst nightmare being endured by learners and teachers. Rural schools are already affected by Covid-19 pandemic and accessibility to resources is very difficult for students in rural areas.
“There is poor network system in rural areas that teachers are not able to research on the topics at hand. Some children live with their grandparents who are not able to read and write which will lead to poor results for this year that will not be a true reflection of learners’ exit profile, but a big lie to mask the crisis in the education sector,” said Masaraure.
A Zaka teacher who spoke to TellZim News anonymously said the implementation of CALA is very difficult in some areas especially to learners in rural areas as they have no access to internet.
“I teach Mathematics and Chemistry which makes it difficult for students to get practical areas to carry out assessments on. There has also been very little training on the exercise which makes the implementation on our part more difficult especially during this pandemic time we are in,” said teacher.
An Advanced level learner who refused to be named indicated that balancing reading, attending lessons while at the same time doing projects is very difficult to the extent that one could not attend lessons to do the projects.
“The pressure is too much as l have to balance reading, attending lessons and doing projects. On every subject we are doing three projects, as for me l do four subjects and balancing them is very hard. From 7-12 am, l attend lessons then from 1-5pm, l do projects at the same time l have to read. I learn here in a remote area where there is poor access to internet making it difficult for us to effectively research on the projects,” said the student.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Deputy Secretary General Munyaradzi Masiyiwa said government do every trick to implement CALA this year when it is not supposed to be done due to limited time for learning.
“We have CALA in a period of exams and where learners did not have enough time for continuous learning. So we can not implement CALA to students who did not have continuous learning for two years. Schools in remote areas do not have access to internet for distance learning while teachers do not have information on CALA and they do not know who should come up with questions. Is it the district or individual teachers themselves,” said Masiyiwa.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Takavafira Zhou said pupils are forced to go into communities as part of the CALA research, where they mingle with individuals from various backgrounds, risking contracting COVID-19.
“The process has been marred with confusion because of limited timescales. CALA is a more like a commodity approach and does not work, resonate with CALA that we know as a product of continuous assessment learning areas. It is something coming from a barbaric militarism and does not commensurate with educational skills.
“The whole essence of CALA is the blending of theory and practical experience. But because of limited time, students have embarked on hiring other people and unemployed teachers to do this for them. Are we assessing pupils? Government must listen. CALA is funded by donors and the Ministry of Education is not reversing it because they want to receive donor funds. The unions were very clear that the government rushed to implement it,” said Dr Zhou.
He further indicated that they are not against the implementation of CALA but it has to done appropriately maybe after two years.
“Our point is very clear that it is not wrong to do CALA, but it is wrong to rushed CALA that seems to serve no purpose. It needs to be done appropriately and in stages starting with workshops, development of assessment tools. We are not against it but it has to be done appropriately,” noted Zhou.
National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH) wrote to the ministry of education in June 2021 advising it to delay the implementation of CALAs until at least January 2022.
“Given that the education system has been heavily affected by Covid-19 national lockdowns in 2020/2021, a lot of catch-up is required. NASH feels that implementing CALA in 2021 is inappropriate and very difficult. NASH is greatly concerned about teacher incapacitation and the current low level of teacher morale and motivation in schools. The level of teaching and learning in schools is low at most schools and the current atmosphere is not appropriate for such a demanding programmme,” read the letter.
NASH also said in the letter that the Ministry should have first addressed issues at hand rather than implementing it.
“NASH is appealing to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to influence the relevant Ministries and departments to urgently address the incapacitation of teachers to help the system recover and function properly. The current environment in schools is deeply disturbing and needs urgent redress,” the letter read.
There are to be two forms of assessment namely formative/ continuous and summative where the former refers to assessment for learning while the latter means assessment of learning.
The Warriors received a major blow to their aspirations towards their maiden World Cup appearance as some of their star players are set to miss the return fixture against the Black Stars of Ghana at the National Sports Stadium (NSS) in Harare on October 12, 2021.
United Kingdom (UK) based players Marvelous Nakamba ( Aston Villa) and Tendai Darikwa are set to miss the return fixture against Ghana due to travelling restrictions set by the British government, barring fully vaccinated players from travelling to countries on its Covid-19 red list zone.
Zimbabwe and Ghana will first clash at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium in Ghana on October 9 before locking horns in the return fixture three days later in Harare.
Speaking to TellZim News, football followers in Masvingo expressed their feelings and sentiments towards that setback of missing key players in such a crucial fixture.
Fungai Jeke a big fan of the game said that they are expecting a good game as Ghana is a big team and they are strong contenders in the group though they currently trail log leaders South Africa.
“Ghana is one of the strongest teams in Africa and this is a big blow to the team as key and trusted players will not be available for the encounter. However, I think we can play a good game with the players that will be available as we expect positive results and anything can happen in football,” said Jeke.
Brighton Chedondo also said the blow really affects the team’s stability and rhythm as they will only feature in the away fixture hence are likely to struggle without our wonder boy Nakamba.
“The thing of playing one game and not featuring in the other really affects the team’s stability and rhythm as there will have to be another first 11 for the return fixture at home, and the team really struggles without Nakamba so I do not see us being victorious and qualify for the global showcase,” said Chedondo.
However, Takunda Sunbeam Mandava shared a different sentiment as he said that the Warriors would win all their remaining games as the problems that the team was facing have already been sorted.
“Definitely we are going to win with or without the UK-based players. As much as they are important we are going to win because what needed to be changed was from using a Paraffin stove (Zdravko Logarusic) to an electric stove (Norman Mapeza), so this is a win for us and we are definitely qualifying for the World Cup,” said Mandava.
Currently The Warriors occupy bottom position on the table with one point from a possible six after playing to a goalless draw against neighbour South Africa before losing 1 – 0 to unfashionable Ethiopia in Addis Ababa in the second game.
A win in Ghana will revive the nation’s hope as it may prove to be the stepping-stone for the turnaround of fortunes getting the campaign back on track.
An uphill task awaits the senior national soccer team after dismal performance under the tutelage of former coach Logarudic.
Collecting maximum points in the next two fixtures will be the only way to go for Mapeza and his troops and only time will tell.
Mutare-Battle for control of council-run Chidzere flea markets in the Central Business District (CBD) by political activists has intensified, with Zanu PF youths recently invading the market armed with a letter purportedly from Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution’s office.
Lucky Bhasopo, the Director in the office of the Minister of State and Provincial Affairs and Devolution said he was not aware of the letter as he was on leave the whole of this week, referring questions to Minister Nokuthula Matsikenyere.
“I am not very sure since I am on leave the whole of this week. What I can confirm is that we agreed with council that they were going to give the youth 160 stalls in the market. I only received a call from the Dispol telling me that they had arrested some youths who were saying they had a letter from our office and had allocated themselves tables in the market.
“You can clarify with either the secretaries or the Minister herself. The youths said they were afraid the tables will be finished, that is why they went there and allocated them amongst themselves,” Bhasopo said.
Contacted for comment, Minister Nokuthula Matsikenyere confirmed writing the letter soon after the 2020 youth demonstration asking council to allocate some of the stalls in the market to them so they could find something to do, saying she was unaware that some youths had used that letter to go and invade the market.
“We wrote the letter sometime last year before the suspension of some of the previous management, and now that it has changed we are currently waiting for a council resolution on that letter. I have not received any report of the youths who went to allocate themselves market stalls in the market stalls,” Matsikenyeri said.
Mutare Mayor Cllr Blessing Tandi said the market was initially controlled by the ruling party, but its reopening was being delayed due to political polarization as Zanu PF is demanding the lion’s share in stall allocation.
“We have 660 tables in the market and we received a letter from the Minister of State demanding an allocation of 160 out of the remaining tables. 240 tables are already occupied by those who were already there before its closure, and now we receive a political letter which is going to give us challenges in the allocation of the tables.
“We have about 690 applications so far and our challenge is that some people want to have the lion’s share while we have a limited number of stalls and that is delaying the reopening of the market,” Tandi said.
Tandi said council was agreeing with Mutare Informal Traders Association (MITA) which had over 500 members on the waiting list, saying everyone must follow the right procedure and apply using the formal channels.
“MITA is our major stakeholder and we are agreeing with them that those who want tables must apply the right way and not just demand for a lion’s share. We have that challenge and I am going to include it in the state of the city address,” Tandi said.
There are reports that some activists from opposition parties are fuming over the alleged agreement between council and Zanu PF over the allocation of 20 percent of market stalls to the latter, also demanding the same for their members.
MITA president Itai Kariparire told TellZim News that the flea market situation had reached boiling point, saying he received anonymous calls from different people threatening his life and his family.
“As MITA we are against any political interference in the running of the market. We are not interested in asking or interviewing any political party but we are fighting the local authority to adhere to Informal Traders Act as by the constitution.
“I have received anonymous calls threating my life and that of my family because I have been labeled a stumbling block for interested political players to get tables at Chidzere. My message remain the same I am not afraid of the threats as I will stand for the rights of informal traders,” said Kariparire.
Kariparire further said MITA would probe the courts to help Mutare City Council interpret the Informal Traders Act, as it seems the local authority has forgotten it.
Brilliant Mpofu, MITA spokesperson said Mutare City Council should follow standard procedure in stalls allocation as they were now drawing informal traders into political battles they had no business in.
“Mutare City Council has not come out clean in terms of allocation of tables in the market. We have over 500 of our members on the waiting list, who followed proper application procedure and we expect everyone to do the same,” Mpofu said.
A full council meeting held on October 2, 2021 recommended that vendor stalls at Chidzere be divided into 50 tables among three political parties to address polarizations in controlling the market, with the local authority maintaining that anyone interested in trading must apply to the housing department.
