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Reprieve for Sese widow who lost cattle to cyanide

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Reprieve for Sese widow who lost cattle to cyanide
Susan Makusha

…
as she gets cattle from well-wisher

Brighton Chiseva

MASVINGO – A
widow who lost five cattle after they reportedly drank cyanide water in a
mining area operated by Murowa Diamonds recently received five cattle from a
Harare-based businessman who was touched by her plight and wanted to help her
recover.

Susan
Makusha, of Mudziwedare Village in Sese of area of Chivi, received three oxen
and three cows worthy US$1900 from Alex Mashamhanda who hails from the same
area.

Makusha
said she was humbled by the assistance, thanking Mashamhanda for redeeming her
from absolute poverty.

 “I am happy that I now have cattle in my kraal
which has been empty since 2018 after my cattle drank poisoned water from
Murowa. I had initially hoped that the mining company will pay for it or
apologise at the very least, but they didn’t,” said Makusha.

The
Murowa Diamond Mining Company which has been prospecting in the area since 2018
is at loggerheads with the community over land degradation and chemicals which
are alleged to have killed the cattle.

Many
people villagers claim that the company is already doing active mining but is
hiding behind the claim of ‘still prospecting’.

Another
Sese resident is alleged also to have lost a number of turkeys which are
alleged to have also drunk water from the Murowa site.

Mashamhanda
has been helping the Sese community with a number of things and is supporting
them against the diamond mining company which many people feel is prejudicing the
area.

Mashamhanda
is paying hospital bills for another widow Vongai Paradza from Chichevo village
in Ward 20 who was beaten and injured by her mentally-challenged son.

He
has provided materials for the construction of a police camp at Sese business
centre, has  funded construction of
Chemakanda Dip Tank and donated dipping chemicals to Chemakanda and Mandizvidza
dip tanks.

Mashamhanda
recently donated around 20 bags to Danhamombe High School for the construction
of a teacher house and a similar number to St Simon Zhara Primary School for
the same purpose.

He
also donated some 210 000 litre-capacity Jojo tanks to both local schools and
has helped setting up of an irrigation in Ward 20.

Chaplin High School scores 100% pass rate at ‘A’ level

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Chaplin High School scores 100% pass rate at ‘A’ level

 

Chaplin High School

… top performing pupil attains 22
points

Tinaani
Nyabereka

GWERU
–
Chaplin High has once again cemented its record as a school of academic excellence,
with a clear 100 percent pass rate in the recently published ‘A’ level results.

The
top performer in the latest ‘A’ level results attained 22 points in science
subjects.

Speaking
to TellZim News during an interview after the release of the results, Chaplin
High head Rosemary Marufu said the school will continue working hard in its
quest for better results.

“I
am proud to be associated with such learners and teachers who have done us
proud. It is because of their hard work that we managed to attain the 100
percent pass rate in most of our subjects.

“I
am also glad that the school is producing remarkable students who have
represented the school well on the world map. We have four pupils who scored
high; 15, 19, 20 and 22 points in Arts, Sciences and Commercials. Previously, we
used to dominate in Arts and Commercials but this time, sciences have joined
the train,” said Marufu.

She
said despite the Covid-19 pandemic, pupils and their teachers exhibited team
spirit and hard work.

“We
have stayed strong despite the challenges we have faced due to the Covid-19
pandemic. I am proud of both our learners and our teachers for this achievement
in the face of adversity.

“We
could not afford virtual learning platforms for all our learners as the
facilities are too expensive for us and for the parents too. We encouraged
self-reading and consultation among pupils,” said Marufu.

She
said that in the recently-introduced practical subjects, students also attained
a 100 percent pass rate.

“We
attained 100 percent in practical subjects for which our students sat for the
first time, and these include crop sciences, sport management, technical graphics,
physical education and mass displays.

“I
urge every other class that will sit for their examination starting this year
to follow suit. As Chaplin we are the best and we will continue to do
everything with honour and integrity just in line with our motto,” she
said.

Women’s rights advocacy groups engage VFU on GBV awareness

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Women’s rights advocacy groups engage VFU on GBV awareness

File Picture

Clayton Shereni 

MASVINGO– The Covid-19 induced lockdown has caused many socio-economic problems, with Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases spiking during this period, it has been established.

Masvingo has not been an exception in these cases and many cases have been reported at various police stations in the province. 

In an engagement meeting between the Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) and local women, Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) provincial chairperson, Joyce Mhungu said they had been some positive developments in their engagement with VFU. 

“As WCoZ Masvingo chapter, since the inception of Covid-19 we held several meetings with women in a bid to monitor rights violations and emergent socio economic issues. Through the meetings, several duty bearers were identified and dialogues held with the different offices to seek redress. 

“Notable improvements were noted but not as expected as we still have service delivery challenges. The last grassroots meeting we held under TRACE led to the engagement with the police and their VFU department. VFU public relations have improved as they now accommodate our calls anytime,” said Mhungu. 

VFU Masvingo district coordinator, Inspector Tawanda Tongofa said they were swiftly addressing GBV cases and that they had increased VFU officers who are dedicated to dealing with GBV issues only. 

“We received some cases from our previous meeting with people from Manyama area and the issues have been addressed. We have VFU officers at some of our bases especially in town and other bases in rural areas have these officers. Those who have GBV cases must go and report those cases to VFU,” said Insp Tongofa. 

Masvingo police force has increased their VFU presence who are dedicated to deal with GBV issues and sexual harassment victims. 

Cases of sexual harassment and GBV have been rife in the province and one of the areas where this is rampant are mining areas including Manyama, Bhuka and Bhani. 

‘Menstrual challenges must be addressed to empower girl child’

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‘Menstrual challenges must be addressed to empower girl child’
Ezra Chadzamira

 Believe Mpofu

Zimbabwe
National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) Masvingo provincial marketing officer Herbert
Chikosi has said that young girls are facing challenges during menstruation
owing to a number of reasons.

This
was discussed on menstrual health management dialogue meeting held on May 19 at
Chevron Hotel.

Chikosi
said many girls were missing school, work and journeys as they do not have the
means to control their menstrual flows.

He
also said myths and taboos that evolved around menstruation were silencing the
girl child; leading to the abuse and the marginalization of women. Chikosi said
some myths and taboos exposed some young girls to unprotected sex as they
believed they will be healed of period pain.

“Myths
and taboos are leading to the abuse and marginalization of young girls since
they are being told by some malicious individuals that if they give in to unprotected
sex, they will not suffer from period pain,” said Chikosi.

He
encouraged companies and other organisations to have clean toilets available so
that girls and women could feel comfortable.

“Toilets
must be comfortable for the girl child for her to change pads or sometimes bath
if necessary. Disposal bins are also required for her to dispose of whatever
needs to be disposed of thereafter.

“We
are organizing that sanitary wear be found everywhere in
public toilets just like condoms. This will help in giving confidence to girl
child,” said Chikosi.

Speaking
at the same event, the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and
Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira applauded ZNFPC for the discussion, saying it
constituted an important platform of engagement on some of the most neglected
topic in society.

 “I am delighted to say that this dialogue is
held at a time when the world must be filled with information about empowering
girl child. This dialogue is going to challenge responsible organizations to
empower girl child like what The First lady Auxillia Mnangagwa  did when she donated sewing machines to make
washable sanitary wear,” said Chadzamira.

MyAge Zimbabwe trains men, boys on gender based violence

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MyAge Zimbabwe trains men, boys on gender based violence

Terrence Ndowora

My
Age Zimbabwe is implementing Brother2brother programme which aims to train
young men and boys in Masvingo province to curb sexual and Gender Based
Violence (GBV) against women and girl child.

The
organisation’s media and visibility officer, Blessing Godi said the programme
was informed by drastic increase of sexual and gender based violence cases during
national lockdown.

“The
program came in place after we noticed an unsettling increase in occurrences of
sexual and GBV cases against the backdrop of Covid-19 outbreak,” said Godi.

He
said it has created a platform for boys and young men in Masvingo province to
discuss gender-related issues with the aim of identifying the role they can
play in addressing sexual and GBV.

“As
MyAge Zimbabwe, we implemented the Brother2brother programme with support from
Steps for the Future to curb sexual and GBV against women during Covid-19,”
said Godi.

He
said Covid-19 lockdown and the restriction in movement increased GBV cases in
the provinces as victims are exposed to abusers.

He
said the stay-at-home orders affected women and the girl child from accessing
support and help from external organizations.

“It
has also become increasingly clear that many of the measures deemed necessary
to control the spread of the virus are not only increasing GBV-related risks
and violence against women and girls, but are also limiting survivors’ ability
to distance themselves from their abusers as well as reducing their ability to
access external support,” said Godi.

Brother2brother
programme, which started in December 2020, trains young men and boys to become
gender equality activists’ and to increase awareness on Covid-19 through social
virtual platforms.

“The
brothers are not only being allowed a platform to share on their experiences
and values around gender related issues but they are also being trained as
behavior change champions of gender equality.

“One
of the key components of the model is focusing on Covid-19, with champions being
trained on how to increase awareness of the virus through interpersonal
communications,” said Godi.

The
organization use film screening as a method of disseminating information on
Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights issues that affect young people.

MyAge
Zimbabwe has encouraged other related organizations to engage in the programme
in order to curb sexual and GBV.

“It
is critical that all actors involved in efforts to respond to covid-19 across
all sectors take into account engagement of men and boys in addressing sexual
GBV,” said Godi.

Amnesty International launches obstetric fistula report

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Amnesty International launches obstetric fistula report

Theresa Takafuma

Amnesty International on Thursday May 20 launched a report on
obstetric fistula, a maternal morbidity that has been described as the most
devastating birth injury.

The report was launched virtually ahead of the United Nations
International Day to End Obstetric Fistula on May 23.

Titled, ‘I never thought I could get healed from this’, the
report gives insight in the lives of women and girls with obstetric fistula in
Zimbabwe.

It highlights the barriers to treatment and human rights abuses
against women and girls with the condition and lays bare its physical and
psychological impact and the suffering that women and girls with the condition
go through.

Amnesty International Director for East and Southern Africa Deprose
Muchena said Zimbabwe had a high mortality rate and this stems mainly from
failure to access public health care during pregnancy and childbirth, resulting
in either death or maternal morbidities like obstetric fistula.

“Zimbabwe has one of the highest maternal mortality
rates in the world and pregnant women have to gamble with their lives by opting
for home births due to underfunded and under-resourced government hospitals or
because they cannot afford the costs of care.

“Cultural beliefs also mean that some women do not have
a choice but to submit to home births administered by untrained family or
community members,” Muchena said.

Women who narrated their stories with the condition at the
launch said after the injury they could no longer contain urine or faeces, making
them a subject of shame and ridicule in their families and communities.

Memory (not real name), a 50-year-old woman from Bikita and a
mother of six, said she got injured after prolonged labour when she was giving
birth to her first child in October 1995 and only found out about the condition
after bearing her sixth child until a gynecologist offered to help her with
corrective surgery over 20 years later.

“I could not eat if I wanted to travel because I would
soil myself. I was always being told I had a foul smell and that made me lose
confidence until I found help recently,” Memory said.

Another woman, Tariro (not real name) a 42-year-old from
Bikita who suffered from the condition, said she did not
know what was causing her incontinence and she suffered for many years until
she got help for surgery by Dr Takura Kanonge from Chinhoyi.

The report notes that women from low income backgrounds are
most prone to the condition, and data on how many women suffer from it is
difficult to collect because of its nature, as it is mostly associated with
shame.

It also indicates that for every maternal death, there are
about 20 maternal morbidities which include obstetric fistula.

Positive response to Covid-19 vaccine in Masvingo

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Positive response to Covid-19 vaccine in Masvingo
Woman receiving the vaccine in Masvingo
Kimberly Kusauka
Thousands of people continue to get their dosages of various Covid-19 vaccines in Masvingo as the vaccination drive continues to gain momentum, TellZim can report.
 
An increase in the uptake of both the first and second dosage has been recorded across the province’s medical centres since the beginning of the phased vaccination programme in February this year. 
Masvingo Provincial Covid-19 Taskforce spokesperson, Rodgers Irimayi told TellZim that the uptake was increasing as each day passes and that the public were beginning to understand the efficacy of the vaccine. 
“As of today (May 27) a total number of 37 245 received their first dose while 18 236 received the second dose, resulting in the increase since the introduction of the phased vaccination program. We are pleased that people are showing up to get vaccinated in huge numbers,” said Irimayi. 
Masvingo Provincial Medical Director (PMD), Dr Amadeus Shamhu said although the program was not yet open to everyone, they were not denying anyone the chance to get vaccinated. 
 “We are still targeting the elderly, teachers, religious leaders and people with chronic diseases. The programme is still not yet open to everyone but if someone comes to a vaccination center, we will not turn them away.
“We are happy with the progress which we are making especially with the increase in the uptake of the vaccine. We urge those who are supposed to be vaccinated in this second phase to fully utilize their chance, as there are high chances of congestion in the third phase,” said Shamu.
However, contradictory to what Dr Shamu told TellZim News, health officials at Masvingo Provincial Hospital are turning away people who are not classified in the second phase.
Masvingo received its first batch of 22 000 SinoPharm vaccines in February for 11 000 frontline workers and also received a consignment of Sinovac vaccine in April.

Live snake dumped at acting Chief Marozva’s homestead

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Live snake dumped at acting Chief Marozva’s homestead

 

Clayton
Shereni

A sack with a huge
snake was reportedly dumped at acting Chief Marozva, Ishmael Mudhe’s homestead
on Sunday, May 23, as a serious wrangle on who to succeed Phillip Mudhe, who
died of Covid-19 in January, begins to unravel.

The live snake (pictured),
was reportedly dumped by close relatives who are opposed to Ishmael as a regent
and possible successor to the late chief.

The relatives are said
to have sought the assistance of prophets to help them send a clear warning to
Ishmael that they will not accept his reign whether on an acting or fulltime
basis.

When contacted for comment,
Ishmael confirmed that some family members came to his homestead on Sunday purporting
to do a cleansing ceremony.

“Three people came from Harare to my home on Sunday while I wasn’t there, saying they wanted to
perform some cleansing rituals. Nobody suspected they had malicious motives but I now suspect their agenda was to smear me so that I would be accused of witchcraft
and killing family members using witchcraft,” said Ishmael, who is son to
the late chief.

Masvingo provincial
police spokesperson, Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa said he had not received the
report but promised to look into the matter.

“So far, I have not
received that report but I will try and find out about that issue,” said Dhewa.

The snake has since
been taken to Bikita Minerals Police Station where it is being held awaiting
collection by wildlife authority Zimparks.

 

Villager severely assaulted in dispute over politicised presidential inputs

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Villager severely assaulted in dispute over politicised presidential inputs

 George
Chimwayange

A man from Summerton in
Masvingo recently appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Patience
Silaigwana on charges of assaulting a fellow villager after a dispute over allegations
of unfair distribution of the presidential inputs.

William Manenji (38)
and Esnath Sibiya (23) from Barclayfield in Summerton faced charges of assaulting
their neighbour Tracy Manyanye (32).

The case was postponed
to 27 May as some of the witnesses were unavailable.

Circumstances are that on
October 25 at around 09:00hrs, Manenji had a misunderstanding with Manyanye
over the issue of presidential inputs which she felt she too was supposed to
receive.

When Manyanye asked for
the reason why she was being excluded from the inputs scheme, Manenji told her she
was not attending Zanu PF meetings hence the exclusion.

The argument began to
degenerate and Manenji started beating Manyanye with bare hands twice on the
left and right cheek.    

After hearing that
Manyanye had had an argument with her husband Manenji, Sibiya went to Manyanye’s
homestead and started shouting at her before hitting her on the back with a log.

All this happened in
the eyes of Stella Maseko who hurriedly came and tried to restrain them from fighting.

Manyanye sustained
invisible injuries and a medical report was produced in court as exhibit of the
assault. 

Tackling the ritual killings-suicide societal cancer

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Tackling the ritual killings-suicide societal cancer
George Kandiero

 Courage Dutiro

As
the country continues to struggle to deal with the Covid-19 and its socio
economic effects which have made things gloomy and turned the world upside
down, pre-meditated murder, suspected ritual killings and suicides have become
an epidemic in Zimbabwe.

Premeditated
murder is wrongfully and intentionally causing the death of another human being
after rationally considering the timing or method of doing so, to either
increase the likelihood of success or to evade detection or apprehension.

Suspected
ritual killings of children have also been rampant across the country with the
most prominent one being the murder of Murehwa boy, Tapiwa Makore, allegedly by
his uncle and a herd boy.

A
few weeks ago a five-year-old child, Mitchell Musharu disappeared and was later
found dead and dumped in a septic tank behind her parents’ shop in Bikita.

As
if that was not enough, another child Nokutenda Chirandu disappeared on her way
from school in Bikita and is yet to be located up to now.

The
murder of both children and adults for what appears to be ritual purposes in
Zimbabwe has brought a dark cloud over the country, and that needs urgent
attention at both community and national levels.

A
political and social commentator, Hosiah Chipanga told TellZim News that some
old superstitious beliefs were being peddled by fake traditional healers (n’angas)
that killing a person in a particular way and take certain parts of their
bodies for processing creates wealth.

“The
problem is caused by fake traditional healers who advice people to kill one
another as a way to create and maintain wealth. We know the country is facing
some economic hardships that have been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic but
people should learn to work for their own money and to stop coveting what
others have.

“The
public should also note that the size of a well and dam are not equal so they
should not covet those who are still flourishing in this Covid-19 period,” said
Chipanga.

The
Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (Zinatha) president, George
Kandiero distanced his association from the traditional healers who are said to
be fuelling the ritual killings and has urged the community to report such
cruel individuals.

“As
Zinatha, we do not believe in ritual killings (kuchekeresa). People should
learn to work rather than to kill other human beings for financial benefits. I
advise the general public to desist from doing such acts. That stuff doesn’t
work; such killings do not create wealth; it’s witchcraft.

“If
you come across someone who is a member of Zinatha doing such things, we urge
people to report that person to us and we will be more than willing to help to
testify so that the person could be prosecuted to the full wrath of the law
because our constitution and code of conduct does not allow such acts,” said
Kandiero.

Commenting
on the issue of suicide cases that have ballooned during this period of the
Covid-19 pandemic, Kandiero attributed the problem to lack of traditional
counsellors to which people could find advice when faced with problems.

“As
a society, we are losing our morals and culture. Long ago we used to have
traditional counsellor structures cultural decadence has eroded all that. Such
structures have been eroded. People now don’t have anyone to turn to when they
face problems in life. I think as a nation, we need to turn back to our roots
but those who go to church must seek assistance from church leaders.

“The
other factor is the bad financial situation that many people are experiencing
currently. Covid-19 destroyed a lot of businesses and incomes for many people.
Some are failing to handle the economic situation that was deepened by the
pandemic and they end up doing the unthinkable,” added Kandiero.

Apostolic
Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFM) Elias Jinjika said unequal distribution of
resources and the desire for quick riches was a root cause for premeditated ritual
killings and suicide.

“I
think the uncontrollable desire to become rich quickly through the use of
supernatural powers or any evil means is a major force that is causing the rise
of ritual killings. Other issues that are causing the upsurge of these cases
are unequal distribution of resources, poor planning and laziness among the
people.

“I
urge people to work hard and also to learn to wait for God’s time than to spill
human blood. One cannot use evil means to attain good ends. The essence of
being rich is to live a peaceful and enjoyable life,” he said.

Recently
a male tractor driver Grey Chirimo (57), who was employed by Allied Timbers in
Nyanga, was found dead in a suspected ritual murder with eyes missing.

Some
elderly people with mental health challenges (dementia) are also falling prey
to ritualists who take advantage of their loss of memory and disconnection from
reality.

As
each day pass, society is increasingly becoming unsafe for the old as well as
for children who usually depend on others for their welfare.

Suspected
ritual killings, suicide and culpable homicide is now a cancer which is eating
up many communities in the country with no possible cure as many are joining
this band of wrong doings.

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