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People to People: 15-year-old paraplegic gets wheelchair

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Ratidzo Munembi

A 15-year-old disabled boy from
Mucheke in Masvingo was last week given a new lease of life by the People to
People Organisation Zimbabwe which bought for him a brand new wheelchair.

Anesu Nyasha Zvinake, who was
born paralysed on his lower body and has speech difficulties, beamed with
delight when City of Masvingo Town Clerk Edward Mukaratirwa presented him with the
wheelchair.

Mukaratirwa also serves as patron
of People to People Organisation which has of late been involved in a number of
charitable activities.

Anesu’s mother Mary Tungamirai
said her son had never missed a chance to remind her that he needed a wheelchair
so that he too could move around more freely like other children of his age.

“Anesu wanted a wheelchair so
much that he would try saving a few coins he got from well-wishers towards the
cause. He wants to be free and adventurous but he faces serious limitations
since he could only do that when I carried him out of the house and walk around
with him,” said Tungamirai, who got widowed a few years ago when her husband
died in a vehicle traffic accident.

In his remarks, Mukaratirwa said it
was through acts of kindness and compassion towards others that people could become
really free.

“These are the kind of cases that
should jolt all of us into action. As People to People Organisation Zimbabwe, we
could not simply sit back after learning about the condition of Anesu. Many people
and organisations put their heads together and made contributions that made the
purchase of this wheelchair possible,” said Mukaratirwa.

He thanked Profmed, a company
which specialises in the sourcing and distribution of medical consumables and equipment
as well as rehabilitation and physiotherapy equipment, for taking a lead in the
initiative.

Meanwhile experts have
recommended that Anesu be sent to St Giles School for the Disabled in Harare but
he has remained in Masvingo because his mother cannot afford the costs

 

 

 

Mwenezi School gets 1st classrooms after 17 years

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Turf Primary School

Cephas
Shava

MWENEZI
Turf
Primary School, which is located in Ward 15 Mwenezi West, now has its first
classroom block after 17 years, thanks to an intervention by the United Nations
Children Emergency Fund (Unicef).

The satellite school
began offering classes in the open back in 2003 at the height of the Land
Reform Programme and has constantly registered zero percent pass rate in grade
seven exams.

Many pupils had been
sitting on the ground under makeshift structures built of wooden poles and
dagga with thatched roofs while several others conducted lessons under trees.

TellZim first reported
about the dire state of affairs at the school on February 10 this year, much to
the embarrassment of provincial education authorities, and to the dismay of
children’s rights groups.

The community then
mobilised itself and began molding bricks that are being used to construct a
single block with two classrooms.

Turf Primary School
Teacher-in-Charge (TIC) Benard Chauke confirmed the developments in a phone
interview with TellZim.

“Community members
mobilised themselves to build the classroom block which is now nearing
completion at roof level. This is a milestone for us because we had not expected
it. The development shows what can be achieved if ordinary community members
work together,” said Chauke.

He also said the school
still faced many infrastructural deficits as the block will not be enough to
accommodate all pupils.

He said some new pieces
of furniture were bought by money availed through the Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education by Unicef under its School Improvement Grant (Sig) programme.

“We have been the
receiving money under the programme for some years and this time we used our
share to buy 42 chairs and 43 desks that will be used in the new classroom
block,” said Chauke.

Mwenezi Ward 25 Cllr
Samuel Kwinika praised the local community for coming together in the name of
development, but called for more assistance from those capable of intervening.

“The level of
commitment displayed by locals towards this project is awesome. We are also
grateful for the funds donated by Unicef,” said Kwinika.

The school has only
five teachers for its 385 pupils with shortage of facilities meaning that many
classes are combined. Mwenezi has 102 satellite schools that are
poorly-equipped and severely understaffed.

The original story that
TellZim wrote on Turf primary School can be accessed on;

https://tellzim.com/2020/02/17-years-of-waiting-for-classroom-block.html 

STIs, porn ruining the youth in lockdown: ZNFPC

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Herbert Chikosi

Progress
Chaya

The
Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) has said the Covid-19 induced
national lockdown had resulted in increased consumption of pornographic
material leading to higher STI infection rates especially among the youth.

The
organisation said the development was militating against its efforts to reduce
unwanted pregnancies by the end of this year.

Speaking
at a recent community stakeholder engagement meeting organised by MyAge
Zimbabwe, ZNFPC Masvingo provincial education and marketing officer Hebert
Chikosi said the lockdown had presented its own challenges regarding sexual and
reproductive health.

“ZNFPC
had set targets to reduce unwanted pregnancy from 24 to 12 percent by the end
of this year but we are now faced with new challenges that may make that
impossible due to many factors including the lockdown,” said Chikosi.

He
said the lockdown had in many instances led to idleness and subsequent sexual
immorality among young people who had hitherto spent their time occupied in
productive sectors of the economy.

“Our
studies show that the rate of STI infection among the youth has risen since the
beginning of the lockdown due to an increase in unprotected sex partly
attributable to the use of pornography,” he said.

Chikosi
said ZNFPC had since resumed distribution of condoms in public toilets and
health institution to ensure increased access to sexual health.

He
said the organisation had also started a home delivery programme which could be
ordered on phone number 039 262237 for those who wanted ZNPC products to be
delivered to their doorsteps.

The
meeting was attended by representatives from the National Aids Council (NAC), Ministry
of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Disability
Amalgamation Community Trust (DACT) and representatives of sex workers.

 

 

Dear soldiers, police

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Uya akati nyika ino inenge yakanokorwa tsoka aripi. Kunonzi
kutanda botso chaiko. I hope the Lord upstairs will have mercy on Zimbabweans
as we have had our fair share of hell on earth. But dziblaz ED zvimwe
zvadzinombotaurawo sometimes is what makes us suffer like this. How can you say
the Lord upstairs referring kuna Mwari Baba nhai iwe ED? This is the same man
who said his government is so good that chero kudenga hakuna yakadaro. Some of
the problems we are facing today as a country are largely caused by these
zealots who speak with their foot in the mouth kana vagutisa havo nyemba. Isu
takungofira zvivi zvavo, dai Mwari watinzwira ngoni. Mapombi will pray hard for
this country. I will be embarking on a month long dry fasting for this country.
I hear vamwe vachiti Mapombi talks too much does she not fear to be beaten,
tortured or killed but kusiri kufa ndekupi. Mwana asingachemi anofira
mumbereko. Ndinobviro taura chokwadi kkkk. But that guy called Van Choga mukati
dzakanatsa kuti kwesere here. Anhu arikuona moto arikuona ndondo. This is the
legacy Zanu PF is leaving behind. A trail of destruction. The whole country is
going mad and Van Choga is there for everyone to see kkkk.

Mapombi’s diet is difficult to come by these days with
the closure of Chitima market. Hakuchina mabanana akaora and Mapombi is on the
verge of starvation. Where did we go wrong fellow Zimbabweans? Inga ivhu
takatora wani and we are now in control of all the farms. Zimbabwe used to be
the bread basket but now rangova bhasikiti ratizirai. Kudakwashe Bhasikiti
uriko here uko. This guy used to be powerful mhani. But unfortunately he found
himself in the wrong basket and has now joined the bitter losers in the
opposition basket kkkk. Mapombi misses you Bhasikiti and I hope mabhuru mango
arikuita kupurazi rawakabvuta kuMwenezi uko. I am not the one who coined the
term mabhuru mango kkkk. It was the late Shuvai Chikoforo Mahofa. Ko chirungu
chaisatamba paya. Rest in power Shuvai Mahofa. Masvingo and the nation at large
has been left poorer and I wish you were alive today to see how much of a
failure the man you supported has turned up to be. Mahofa was a rare breed of
women to ever dominate the political scene in the country. She was a true iron
lady. Mapombi being a woman, pays tribute to Shuvai. A hero par excellence but
she was again in the wrong basket and history will judge her as the woman who
stood firm for the wrong team which has destroyed this country. The true heroes
we celebrate today are the brave men, women and children who have managed to
survive the Zanu PF maladministration for the past so many years. Vamwe
vatochemebera vasina kana kumbobata pay slip.

It is very difficult to oppose a system that is well
protected by the army and police. I wonder what these brothers and sisters in
uniform are benefiting from supporting and protecting Zanu PF. Vamwe mukoma
ndakaona vane uniform yapera muto ine zvigamba all over neshangu yapera sole.
So I wonder why these guys beat up people who try to better their welfare. The
army and the police should be for the people not political party. Mukai vana
mukoma nana sis. Wake up and smell the coffee. This country cannot keep on this
trajectory. Hanzi naKasukuwere ED is leading this country down destructive path
and the soldiers and police are complicit. I’m sorry if I have offended you
vana mukoma. Ndichiri mwana ndinoda kudzidzawo kkkk but I will tell you the
truth. You can bring your guns and come shoot me. Ndiriko kuChitima I am not
afraid anymore. Grace Mugabe mukati mupenyu here kkkk. I am sure everyone
misses that woman. She was all drama and I am sure the likes of Vharazipi
should rope her in into one of their plays and let her take the role of Mbuya
Mai John. She will carry that role perfectly because she is feisty. Grace
aipenga hake but she was right. People should not fear their army and the army
has no role in politics. Let them defend our territorial integrity kwete
kuswero vhima innocent civilians who are demanding better living conditions
which would even benefit the soldiers and police.

We cannot let the army dictate everything for us. Command
this, command that. We cannot live in fear in our country. Fear to speak out
against corruption. Our people have suffered enough and or lives matter mhani
imi vanhu. Mapombi borrows the following words from the great Charlie Chaplain
in a movie the ‘Great Dictator’. “We want to live by each other’s happiness;
not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In
this world there is room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can
provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have
lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with
hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed
but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives us abundance has left us in
want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We
think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More
than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life
will be violent and all will be lost. The internet has brought us closer
together.

The very nature of this technology cries out for the
goodness in men, cries out for the universal brotherhood and unity of us all.
Even now, Mapombi is reaching millions in Zimbabwe and across the world,
millions of despairing man, women and little children, victims of a system that
makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say
“Do not despair”. The misery that is upon us is nothing but the passing of
greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of
men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people will
return to the people and so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

Soldiers! Don’t give yourselves to brutes, men who
despise you, enslave you- who regiment your lives, tell you what to do what to
think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you
as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men,
with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not
cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don’t hate-
only the unloved hate. The unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers- don’t fight for
slavery, fight for liberty.

In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is
written: “the kingdom of God is within man”. Not one man nor a group of men-
but in all men- in you. You the people have the power, the power to create
machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make
this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in
the name of democracy let us use that power- let us all unite. Let us fight for
a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, which will
give you the future and old age and security.

By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to
power, but they lie. They do not fulfil their promise, they never will.
Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let’s fight to
fulfil that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national
barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a
world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s
happiness. Soldiers- in the name of democracy, let us all unite! Mboko imboko.

Chief orders headmen to join Zanu PF

Chief Nyakunhuwa

                                                                               

Brighton Chiseva

ZAKA – Chief Nyakunhuwa,
real name Courage Mashavave, last week urged all headmen in his area to join
the ruling Zanu PF party, saying it was the right thing to do.

Mashavave made
the call while addressing people gathered for a ground-breaking ceremony to
mark the beginning of a new secondary school in Mudzara village on August 15.

When he was
given a chance to speak, the traditional leader called his headmen to the
podium to introduce them Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and
Devolution Ezra Chadzamira who was the guest of honour.

He went on to
introduce headmen Mudzara, Mutsvangwa and Chipato but Headman Muzvimwe had to
first introduce himself to the chief who seemed not familiar with his face.

Iwewe handichanatsi kukuziva. Ndoziva umwe
uya anosiuya kumusangano.
You must come to meetings; all of you who are not
yet members of the party must come and join. The doors are still open,” said
Mashavave.

Mashavave had
started by asking for permission from the Minister of State to do slogan when
he was called to address the crowd and went on to chant the slogan.

In his address
the chief said he was pleased with the developmental projects in his area
including the construction of the new secondary school.

 “Our area is underdeveloped and our children
are walking long distances to get to school. We now want to develop our area
and this is just the beginning,” said Chief Nyakunhuwa

He praised Zaka
Wests Member of Parliament (MP) Ophias Murambiwa as a hardworking man.

The youthful traditional
leader took the reins after his father Jerera Wafawanaka Mashavave died in a
road traffic accident in 2015.

After his
father’s death, Mashavave was appointed as a regent (sarapavana) for two years as per tradition, but government has not
facilitated the selection of a new chief despite the expiry of his regency.

This means
legally and culturally, Mashavave has basis to be chief and has to know-tow to
ruling party politicians to keep enjoying the privilege of that position.

 

 

 

 

US$40 for refurbished market space in Masvingo

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Mark Chavunduka

Masvingo City Council
has re-opened part of the fruit and vegetable section of Chitima market as well
as part of the informal market adjacent to the Civic Centre Gardens along Leopold
Takawira Ave
.

Council
began renovating part of the dilapidated market stalls at the beginning of the
lockdown and currently, 64 bays at Leopold Takawira Ave and 80 bays at Chitima
markets are ready.

City of Masvingo public
relations officer Ashleigh Jinkika said vendors were now allowed to operate at
the markets if they paid the requisite fees.

“Both markets at
Chitima and Leopold Takawira are now opened but operation depends on payment of
US$40 for a table. Traders had to apply again since allocation of the revamped
space was done anew, with successful applicants signing lease agreements with council,”
said Jinjika.

She said strict measures will be implemented to ensure
that the market places were kept clean.

“We will ensure timeous refuse collection depending
on the availability of resources to do so and we will not allow any illegal
extension of the bays. We urge traders to help keep those markets clean by
keeping their own refuse bins,” Jinjika said.

She said the rental costs were justified as council
had refurbished the market stalls at great cost, meaning traders will now do
business in cleaner and more dignified spaces.

“The markets were
planned in such a way that traders will be able to maintain social distancing
to help reduce chances of the spread of coronavirus,” said Jinjika.

Tanaka Murwidzi, an
informal trader at Chitima market, said he was happy that he had managed a get
trading space at the upgraded market.

“I am now happy after
all these months of struggle. It was very difficult for people who have known
no other work except this. I am also pleased that council has improved
conditions at this place,” said Murwidzi.

However, others
complained that the US$40 needed for the lease agreement was too high a price
for many informal traders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

November exams a non-starter, declares PTUZ

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Triader Chipunza

MASVINGOThe
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) says it opposes government’s
decision to allow the sitting of November examinations even though pupils barely
attended classes this year due to the coronavirus-induced national lockdown.

PTUZ president Dr Takavafira
Zhou told TellZim News that his organization opposed the decision, saying final
exam classes required more time to study.

“The enunciation that
November exams will be written as per tradition is at best a fantasy and at
worst a fabrication of reality. Examinations are not an event but a process
which includes preparing students adequately for such exams and that needs
time. We must remember that learners were last in school on March 24,” said
Zhou.

He said the Ministry of
Primary and Secondary Education should rather engage all stakeholders to map a
way forward.

“The process again
includes guaranteeing the health and safety of teachers, pupils and ancillary staff.
We certainly don’t see how the government could procure, let alone place in 10
000 schools Covid-19 abatement equipment (testing kits, thermometers, sanitizers
and other PPEs) in schools and test millions of students and 136 000 teachers and
50 000 ancillary staff in order to ensure opening of schools soon and writing
of examinations in November.

“Without clear
benchmarks as to how this is possible, the enunciation remains mere rhetoric
and homiletic bellicose. The health and safety of teachers and students must
never be taken for granted yet there is virtually nothing that reflects any
serious consideration,” said Zhou.

He said the economic
welfare of teachers had to be addressed before schools are opened as a way of
improving their morale.

“The current scenario
where other sectors with less duties and responsibilities are earning more than
five times the salary of teachers is unviable,” he said, in reference to
security services personnel who are the best paid among ordinary civil
servants.

 

New school for remote Zaka community

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Bricks for the new school are already in place

…as
construction of Mudzara Secondary begins

Brighton Chiseva

ZAKA – The long wait for
a secondary school that the people of Mudzara and Matembudze areas had endured
for all these years seems to be finally over after villagers organised
themselves and engaged the local leadership to work together on a new school
project.

Last
week. the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution
Ezara Chadzamira visited the school site at Chirambabango in Mudzara village
for the ground-breaking ceremony.

Credit
was given to Zaka West Member of Parliament (MP) Ophias ‘Maga-Maga’ Murambiwa
who helped revive plans that were made in 1998 but that had not seen the light
of the day as villagers bickered on the name of a school which had not yet been
built.

This
stemmed from the Mudzara and Matembudze families wrangles over the headmanship
of the area.

Mudzara
village head Daniel Mudzara confirmed that there had been a disagreement on the
name of the envisaged school for over 20 years.

 “I suggested that the school should be called
Mudzara since every other school in this area is named after its host village but
the other side wanted it to be named after a mountain, a neutral name in their
opinion. As a result, we could not find each other.

“We
first talked about the school in 1998 but the disagreements persisted until
2018 when the current MP made a promise ahead of the elections to help people
agree so that the school could be built,” said Mudzara.

He
said it was unfortunate that they had all been petty and had cost their
children an opportunity to find secondary education closer home.

“Children
here walk long distances to the closest secondary schools so many of them have
dropped out after primary school. Those that have gone to secondary school have
not performed well because the conditions are not good,” he said.

Matigimu
village head, Joseph Mutubuki said he was pleased that they had finally put
aside their differences.

“We
could no longer allow the suffering of our children to continue. Nobody goes to
school when the rivers are full so it was only sensible that we work together
for a new school,” said Mutubuki.

On
her part, Cllr Maria Rangwani said the school will be helpful especially to
female pupils who were open to abuse when walking long distances to school.

“The
girls were the most affected as they would be lured into sexual activities
along the way. I am happy that a new school will be built,” she said.

Sitting
on 21-hectare piece of land, the school will serve pupils from 17 villages and
693 households once completed.

In
his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony, Chadzamira told villagers that he
supported the school project and praised Murambiwa for helping to make it
happen.

“This
is the kind of leadership we want. Your MP is a hard worker and we will support
his efforts to bring development to Zaka.

“We
want this project to be completed by next year and it should not be used for
political expediency. There are people who build up to window level and wait
for the next election so that they could use the same project to seek re-election,”
said Chdazamira.

Murambiwa
thanked his fellow MPs, councillors and the provincial authorities for
supporting the development aspirations of people in his constituency.

“People
in this area told me that they would make me MP for life if I helped them build
this school. I appreciate the support I am getting from the minister who is
here on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“The
Constituency Development Fund (CDF) we received from parliament has been
invested in this project and we will continue to do so until the job is done,”
said Murambiwa.

At
the moment, children are walking to Charingeno and Musenyereki B secondary as
well as to Magura High schools which are all more than 10km away.

Others
do ‘bush boarding’ in villages surrounding Rudhanda High which is 15km away but
is the best of all the schools.

 

 

MPs, Cllrs donate towards new Zaka school

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Mudzara village head Daniel Mudzara

Musikavanhu,
Chiduwa lead efforts to build Mudzara Sec Sch

Brighton Chiseva

ZAKA – There was unity of
purpose in Mudzara village, Chief Nyakunhuwa, last week when local leaders and
business people made donations and pledges towards the construction of a new
school in the area.

Some Members of
Parliament (MPs), councillors and business people turned up to support their counterpart
Zaka West MP Ophias Murambiwa during the ground breaking ceremony.

The event was
also attended by the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and
Devolution Ezra Chadzamira and Chief Nyakunhuwa whose real name is Courage
Mashavave.

The Deputy
Minister of Finance and Economic Development, who is also Zaka East MP Clemence
Chiduwa pledged 100 bags of cement while Chiredzi West MP Farai Musikavanhu pledged
to bear the roofing costs of the first classroom block.

On his part,
Musikavanhu said to achieve President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030, it had
to begin at educational level.

“We in Chiredzi
are benefitting from rivers that flow from this side so this is a way of giving
back to an area which gives us water for our cane. We want to achieve the
President’s Vision 2030 and we can do that by promoting education,” said
Musikavanhu.

Masvingo South
MP Claudious Maronge and his Zaka North counterpart Robson Mavhenyengwa donated
10 bags of cement each.

Zaka district Ward
13 Councillor Manfred Mada pledged 10 bags while Masvingo district Ward 5 Councillor
Aleta Makomeke and Chivi Central MP Ephraim Gwanongodza pledged five bags of
cement each.

In his address,
Minister Chadzamira said construction must begin while registration processes
were done ahead of the school’s expected opening in 2021.

“If there is no
complete paperwork here, Education people are here. If anybody from Education
hasn’t done what they should do in terms of this school, they should do the job
now,” said Chadzamira.

He ordered the responsible
authority, Zaka Rural District Council to sink two boreholes as a matter of
urgency so that the water could be used during construction.

 

 

Man ‘hangs’ self at Masvingo Police Station

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Upenyu Chaota

MASVINGO— A Fraud accused
23-year-old man from Nemanwa, who was arrested on August 15, committed suicide
while locked up in police cells at the rural section of Masvingo Central Police
Station.

Promise
Mberi was found dead in the early morning hours of August 16 after he was
locked up the previous day on charges of defrauding unsuspecting business
owners by purchasing goods through fraudulent EcoCash transactions.

Recently,
President Mnangagwa signed into law the Coroner’s Office Act after it
sailed through Parliament in which heads of hospitals, police stations and
prisons now face a five-year jail term if found guilty of destroying or
tampering with vital evidence on the death of a person under their custody

They
will also be criminally-liable for the death of a person under their custody
should it be established that they were reckless or negligent.

Mberi
is said to have used his trousers to hang himself on the cells’ burglar bars.

He was
buried on August 18 in Chikarudzo.

Surprisingly,
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Charity Mazula told
TellZim News she was not aware of the matter.

“We do
not have such a case here. I do not know where it is coming from,” said Mazula.

However,
sources told TellZim News that the
now deceased was picked up by detectives of the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) and Police Internal Security and Investigation (PISI) at
Nemamwa after being busted for allegedly editing old EcoCash messages to make
new purchases.

Mberi’s
alleged accomplices Muchaneta Dengu and Monica Sariri were also picked up for
questioning but were later released after being ordered to return for further
question the following day.

When
Dengu returned the following day, August 16, she was told that Mberi had died.

Dengu
told TellZim News that police officers called to inform her that Mberi had
committed suicide by hanging using his trousers.

“It was
really shocking because he never showed any suicidal thought. I was in denial
so I asked to see for myself and I saw him hanging on the burglar bar window.

“I asked
the police for permission to take some pictures to show the people back home
and they allowed me. I then accompanied the body to the mortuary at Masvingo
Provincial Hospital,” said Dengu.