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Riverton Academy reopens despite lockdown

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Riverton Academy reopens despite lockdown

TellZim Reporter

Reports that Riverton Academy has
opened its doors for pupils some two weeks before the official dates has surprised
many people, with some parents saying the rules were not being applied evenly.

Some Riverton Academy pupils in
examination classes are said to be already settled at the school and are conducting
lessons.

Parents who spoke to TellZim News
said they were concerned that their own children in other private schools were
losing out.

“If Riverton was allowed to
reopen, why can’t other schools do what is required for them to be allowed to
open early? It now feels like I enrolled my child at the wrong school,” said one
parent with a daughter at a different private school.

Another parent, however, felt it
was unwise to reopen the school when everybody else remained shut as it
promoted a culture of impunity.

“I thought the lockdown applied
uniformly to all and sundry so it is surprising that some schools are already
up and running.  It won’t end well if we
are to have an outbreak of coronavirus at the school,” said the parent.

Riverton Academy board
chairperson Philemon Mutangiri, however, rubbished the reports as social media
gossip, saying his school had only allowed children who came to register for
their final examinations.

“Those reports are all social
media falsehoods. We only had pupils registering for their final exams and some
of them met their teachers and asked questions. You can’t expect pupils not to
ask questions and get clarifications from their teachers if they got an
opportunity to do so,” said Mutangiri.

Masvingo Provincial Education Director
(PED) Zedius Chitiga said he had not authorised any school to open outside of
the stipulated dates.

“We expect schools to open on 28
July for examination classes only.  I will
investigate to get to the bottom of the matter,” said Chitiga.

High Covid-19 recoveries ignite hope

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High Covid-19 recoveries ignite hope




 …only two active cases remain in Masvingo

Moses Ziyambi

Only two of Masvingo province’s
53 confirmed cases of coronavirus are still active, after most of them were
certified fully-recovered mostly in terms of the World Health Organisation
(WHO) new guidelines on determining recovery.

On July 08, the province set on
34 active cases, only for the number to drop to two the following day after
government published the cumulative national recovery tally which stood at 306.

The previous day, the national
recovery tally had been recorded at 206.

Other provinces with relatively low active
and high recovery cases as on July 10 are Mashonaland Central (4 recovered and
6 active) Matabeleland North ((13 recovered and 10 active) and Manicaland (13
recovered and 17 active).

Harare remains the epicenter of the
virus with 206 active cases against 76 recoveries followed by Bulawayo with 125
active cases and 25 recoveries.

According to the new WHO
guidelines which were adopted by cabinet this week, those with symptoms will
spend a minimum of 13 days in isolation while those with no symptoms spend a minimum
of 10 days instead of the 21 days following two consecutive negatives PCR
results that are 24 hours apart.

Symptomatic patients are
discharged after a minimum of 13 days which include a minimum of 10 days after the
onset of such symptoms as fever and respiratory symptoms, and an additional
three days without symptoms.

For those without symptoms can be
discharged 10 days after testing positive.

In other words, patients who show
no symptoms 10 days from the day when the symptoms first show, plus at least
three additional days without symptoms including fever and respiratory
troubles, should be considered as having recovered.

For asymptomatic cases, that is
patients who test positive but show no symptoms, recovery is confirmed 10 days
after the initial positive test for Covid-19.

Zimbabwe had been following an
earlier WHO recommendation to confirm clearance of the virus, which saw people
being forced to self-isolate for an average 21 days. This required a patient to
be clinically recovered, that is show no symptoms, and to have two negative
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results on samples taken at least 24 hours apart.

 

Drama at Chamisa mother’s funeral

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Drama at Chamisa mother’s funeral
Chamisa tries to reason with agitated party supporters at his mother’s funeral

…as Starman whips up emotions against Khupe


…Madhuku forced to recognize
Chamisa as president

Upenyu Chaota

Tempers flared up in what should
have been a somber moment when MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa was burying
his late mother in Gutu on Tuesday.

Chamisa’s mother collapsed and
died in her garden on July 06, with her burial on July 08 being turned into a political
battlefield after angry mourners tried to charge towards Khupe’s vehicles as
she arrived to pay her last respects.

The mob blocked Khupe from
entering the gate but allowed Lovemore Madhuku whom they later forced to
address Chamisa as president.

In the wake of the fracas,
Chamisa sent Murisi Zwizwai to talk to the visibly angry mourners who were
throwing vitriolic words against Khupe and labeling her a Zanu PF agent.

Murisi, however, failed to
control the mob and reported back to Chamisa who then sent his national
organizer Amos Chibaya to try and calm the storm but to no avail.

Chamisa then went to the gate and
tried to address the mostly youthful mobsters, telling them to be more tolerant
as the funeral was not a political event exclusive to MDC Alliance
sympathisers.

They paid some deference to
Chamisa’s intervention but only to get re-agitated when Khupe tried to pull
back towards the gate again, and Chamisa had to personally go and talk to her
from outside the yard.

Chamisa addressed mourners who
were largely members of his party and expressed his anger and frustrations over
the manner in which the youths had handled themselves.

“We should be more tolerant
because this is a funeral and not a political rally. We have to come together
during mourning and I am disappointed by the behavior showcased by some of you
towards my sister Thokozani Khupe.

“A lot of people are coming here
to pay their respects to Mbuya Chamisa and you should be welcoming. Even my
brother Emmerson Mnangagwa may come here and there will be no need to heckle
him because this is a time for grief and mourning. Let us show maturity and
love because that is what we stand for as a party,” said Chamisa.

However, Chamisa’s brother
Starman was heard swearing against Khupe and telling mourners that he did not
want her at the funeral.

When Madhuku was given a platform
to speak, he was heckled until he relented and addressed Chamisa by the title
‘president’.

Party youths who spoke to TellZim
News had no kind for Khupe whom they said had showed ‘too much guts’ turning up
at an event she definitely knew would treat her with hostility.

“How dare she comes to the
funeral? That is more than an insult to us after what she did. She has gone to bed
with Zanu PF and still retains guts to come and show her face here. We respect
president Chamisa but on this one, we had to defy him. Khupe is working with
our enemies to destroy the party so why should we accommodate her?

“We were respectful enough to be non-violent.
She should be grateful we did not get physical with her. We do not want
anything to do with Khupe and no one will make us respect her unless she stops
her madness. She did not come here to mourn Mbuya Chamisa but she came to
provoke us into becoming violent with her but we were smart enough to avoid
that,” said one youth.

Working with Douglas Mwonzora and
Morgan Komichi, Khupe has recalled several MDC Alliance MPs, senators and
councillors using a controversial Supreme Court judgment which purportedly gave
her leadership of the party.

She has also moved on to seize
the MDC Alliance headquarters in Harare with the aid of soldiers and police
officers.

 

High Court bail application for Cllr Kurauone

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High Court bail application for Cllr Kurauone
Godfrey Kurauone 

Moses Ziyambi

Masvingo Urban War 4 Councillor and
MDC Alliance national youth organising secretary Godfrey Kurauone is set to
apply for bail at the High Court after the Magistrates’ Court remanded him in
custody for two weeks.

Kurauone is being represented by
human rights lawyer Advocate Martin Mureri of Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners
who is acting on behalf of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).

“The Magistrates’ Court refused
to give my client bail and we respectfully disagree with that decision so we
are preparing to appeal at the High Court. We are convinced that justice will
be best served if he is released immediately,” said Mureri.

Kurauone is being charged for
undermining the authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa after he allegedly
denigrated him in public.

Police barred supporters, relatives
and journalists from entering the courtroom ostensibly to allow greater social
distancing in face of the spread of coronavirus.

Kurauone handed himself to the Law
and Order Section of Masvingo police in the company of Mureri on Monday, July
06, after they had expressed interest to question him.

His arrest came in the wake of
the arrest of his alleged accomplices Ephraim Mutombeni and Godfrey Mtimba on
similar charges.

While Mtimba is waiting to be
informed about his court appearance date, Mutombeni was released on bail on
July 06 after languishing in remand prison for a week.

Justice Neville Wamambo granted
Mutombeni bail after Mureri appealed at the High Court following Magistrate
Mbonisi Ndlovu’s decision to keep him in custody until his next court appearance
date on July 13.

 

 

Masvingo divided over controversial cyber bill

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Masvingo divided over controversial cyber bill
Many people attended the consultations at Mucheke Hall

Ratidzo Munembi

People in Masvingo are divided
over the controversial Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill which government
wants to pass in law in its current state.

At a consultative meeting held at
Mucheke Hall on July 06, and hosted by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on
Information and Communication Technology and Courier Services, residents were
starkly divided in their defence and critique of the bill.

Those who supported the bill
claimed it was critical in the fight against fake news and in preventing political
uprising against the government.

Joel Mukusha, a lecturer at the
Great Zimbabwe University (GZU), said the bill could not have come at a more
opportune moment as the country faced what he claimed were malicious online
activities aimed at fomenting chaos in the country.

“We want the bill to be passed
into law as soon as yesterday. There is nothing wrong with this bill at all
because all its provisions are designed to protect the country from illegal
activities that happen online. Many countries are now in chaos because they
failed to effectively regulate their cyberspace. Many people are using the
internet to instigate violence and chaos.

“Wars are no longer fought using
guns and other hardware alone, but using ICTs too. As a country, we are under
siege and we need to take action,” said Mukusha.

He was supported by others
including Zanu PF youth league member Charles Munganasa who said the cyberspace
was a new frontier for works of destabilization.

“A few weeks ago, America accused
Zimbabwe of using the internet to instigate violent protests in that country.
You can now imagine our own vulnerability as Zimbabwe if a superpower like
America could be shaken by the internet,” said Munganasa.

However, people who opposed the
bill pointed to its many defects including what they said was its utter failure
to protect whistleblowers.

“A law must be designed to
protect citizens and not government. The moment such a role is reversed, repression
takes root. Section 31 of the bill must be redesigned so that it protects
whistleblowers, not criminalize or leave them vulnerable.

“In the name of separation of
powers, which is a key tenet of a real democracy, we also want an independent
cyber security centre and data protection authority which will be accountable
to parliament and not to a minister. PORTRAZ cannot be trusted to play that
role in a neutral manner because it is a state-controlled institution open to
abuse by ruling party politicians,” said Jeffyson Chitando, a member a member
of the opposition MDC Alliance party.

Another resident said, if passed into
law in its current form, the bill would infringe on free expression online and
will be used to persecute dissenting voices.

“The bill wants the government to
play prosecutor and judge at the same time; you can’t be a neutral arbiter in
such a situation because you are both player and referee.

“Besides, the use of such
technology as key-stroke logger and other forensic tools to obtain individual
data for investigation purposes must only be done in clearly-defined situations
and within stipulated limits that respect personal privacy and other rights
enshrined in the constitution,” said the resident.

 

Bad publicity hurting Mutare investment, says Mayor

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Bad publicity hurting Mutare investment, says Mayor

Felix
Matasva

MUTARE
– The mayor of scandal-ridden
Mutare has lamented bad publicity the city has received in recent weeks, saying
efforts to attract new investment were now in jeopardy.

A leaked council document recently went viral on social
media after journalist Hopewell Chin’ono uploaded it on Twitter, accusing council
and the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Dr
Ellen Gwaradzimba of corruption.

The document was a memo by Director of Housing to a
special meeting, recommending council to parcel out  stands to several people in Gwaradzimba’s
office.

Those on the list included Mary M.G Sakupwanya, T. Chikuza
and Engelbert Mhako of the President’s Office, P. Mushuta and Tatenda Sithole,
Mutare High Court Judge Mwayera and chief public prosecutor J. Chigwinyiso.

Many social media commendators have lashed out at the MDC
Alliance-led council saying it was presiding over a deeply corrupt
adminstrative system.

During a WhatsApp chat programme organised by Kumakomo
Community Radio Initiative, Mayor Blessing Tandi said the negative publicity
was scaring investors away from Mutare.

“Media reports accusing Mutare councillors of
engaging in corruption are hurting our local authority’s public image. We end up
losing investors after those reports of mismanagement by city fathers.

“Negative publicity has got nagative implications on
Mutare City such as failure
to attract investors.
The current management is trying to engage partners but negative reportage is
hampering our progress,” Tandi said.

He also sought to clear council of all wrong doing.

 

“We don’t allocate stands on the basis that someone
is a civil servant. As council, we aim to accord everyone affordable accommodation without giving any special favours.

“We consider a lot of things though our stands manual
allows us to allocate land to government officials working in Mutare.  Everyone is free to apply for a stand and
Council will allocate them if land is available,” Tandi said.

He acknowledged that the leaked document was aunthentic.

“Since 2016 after a forensic land audit report,
City of Mutare stopped the
sale of stands
as it was putting its house in order so that the process is done under the
confines of the law.

“From 2016, we have [had] a remarkable number of
people who applied for stands from City of Mutare with police, soldiers,
individuals and companies included. When we resumed sales of stands, the Housing
Director wrote a report
asking council to consider
government officials in the allocation process,” said Tandi.

Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Association coordinator
David Mutambirwa said it was crucial for the local authority make official information
more accessible to promote a relationship based on transparency and trust.

“As long as council is run in secrecy, residents
will not have a sense of ownership and that impacts on revenue collection. As
long as there is no access to information with regards to budgeting,
procurement processes, recruitment and dismissal of staff; then effective and
efficient service delivery will be a mirage,” said Mutambirwa.

Covid-19: Woman endures starvation in self-isolation

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Covid-19: Woman endures starvation in self-isolation



… as caregiver gets quarantined,
stigmatised

Moses Ziyambi

BIKITA – A coronavirus positive woman who was ordered into
self-isolation six weeks ago says she is on the verge of starvation as all her
food reserves have run-out.

Edith Chisirimunhu, a 26-year-old
single mother of two, tested positive for coronavirus in May while quarantined
at Masvingo Teachers’ College after being repatriated from Botswana weeks after
the beginning of the national lockdown.

Being cared for by her
60-year-old mother, Perina Chinyoka, who takes care of several grandchildren
too, Chisirimunhu says morale at the homestead has now hit rock bottom as they
can hardly afford a single proper meal per day.

The family stays in Chirume Village,
Ward 1, under Chief Mabika, an area which did not get much from the 2019-2010
farming season due to below normal rainfall.

“When I first came back from
self-isolation, I received some support from neighbours and other villagers who
were concerned about my welfare. Some would just prepare food at their homes
and leave it at the periphery of our homestead for my mother to go ad collect.
But now they are finding it difficult to keep doing that as they too are poor
people with nothing much to spare,” Chisirimunhu told TellZim News in a phone
interview.

“Health officials who monitor me
instructed that I find somebody to take away my two children saying they were
too young and could not be expected to keep safe. So some relatives took them
away for over two weeks but they have now brought them back saying they can no
longer continue caring for them for a prolonged period of time. We had thought
I will be certified fully-recovered in few weeks’ time and take them back since
I am asymptomatic,” she said.

At the homestead, she stays alone
in her own separate house and is not allowed to mix with other members of the
family including her minor children; one aged five and the other aged three.

Her mother Perina does much of
the household chores including preparing food for her and the other dependent
minors under her care.

The Ministry of Health and Child
Care officials who frequently visit her to monitor progress in her battle with
the virus, have now ordered her mother into self-quarantine meaning her
movements are severely restricted.

“She is not to venture out to
look for means to support our needs because they consider her a high-risk
suspect. They only allow her to go to the garden and to fetch water at the
borehole. I was retested on 17 June and my mother was also tested on that day, with
her results coming back negative. We were tested again on 01 July and we are
waiting for our results,” she said.

She also said another challenge
was that villagers were now severely prejudicing against her family members due
to the fear of the virus.

“The stigma is too much. They
gave an order that my mother could go and fetch water but only by 4am when
everybody else is still asleep but you find queues at the borehole as early as
4am so people run away from her. The same happens at the cooperative garden
where my mother is supposed to get us some vegetables. The health officials say
she must move around with some hand sanitizer but she can’t afford it,” said
Chisirimunhu.

Masvingo Provincial Social
Welfare Department head Stanislaus Sanyangowe said government had no specific
aid programme for people in Chisirimunhu’s situation but advised aid
organisations could help.

“It’s unfortunate that our office
currently has no programme for such specific cases but we remain open to considering
unique cases. Our office at Nyika growth point could record her issue so that
it could be considered at policy level. We also urge leaders in her community
to help get her name to such organisations like World Food Programme which are
running relief operations in rural communities,” said Sanyangorwe.

Bikita RDC Ward 1 Councillor
Teserai Makhado said he had received a report about the family and had informed
Bikita South Member of Parliament (MP) Josiah Sithole.

“I have learnt about the
difficult situation of that family and I engaged our MP who promised to find
some help. I am currently trying to find other ways of getting some relief to
them,” said Makhado.

 

PSC wields axe on Mwenezi political civil servants

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PSC wields axe on Mwenezi political civil servants
Admire Matutu with Zanu PF Mwenezi East MP Joosbi Omar 

…demands that RDC chair, deputy chair resign

Cephas
Shava

MWENEZI
–
The Public Service Commission (PSC), which is in a nationwide drive to flash
out civil servants who hold political office, has demanded the immediate
resignation from council of two teachers who contested in the 2018 elections
and won seats in the Mwenezi Rural District Council (RDC).

The PSC served
dismissal letters to Marinda Primary School head Jorum Ncube, who also serves
as Ward 6 Councillor, and Zvomupungu Primary School teacher-in-charge Admire
Matutu who is Ward 14 councillor.

After winning in the
2018 harmonised elections on Zanu PF tickets, the two went on to be voted
Mwenezi Rural District Council (RDC) chairperson and vice chairperson
respectively.

Repeated efforts to get
a comment from provincial PSC secretary, Tavuyanarwo Makuza were fruitless as
by the time of publication as his mobile repeatedly went unreachable.

One of the letters,
dated April 15, 2020, and signed by PSC secretary Jonathan Wutawunashe reads:

“The Commission
has noted that, following the 2018 harmonised elections, you continue to render
service as a civil servant while you are also serving as a councillor.

“Circular number 10 of
2018 dated 28 November 2018 requires members to resign within 30 days of being
elected. In the absence of your resignation letter, you are deemed to have
elected to remain a member of the civil service…

“The commission hereby
directs that as a civil servant, you should cease to serve as a councillor with
immediate effect. Failure to comply with this directive will result in
disciplinary action being taken against you,” reads part of the letters.

Soon after the 2018
harmonised elections the Nelson Chamisa’s MDC Alliance’s Mwenezi leadership
made several spirited attempts to pressurize the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(Zec) to declare the two council seats vacant but all was in vain.

[read similar story
here https://tellzim.com/2019/02/mdc-alliance-demands-by-elections-in.html
]

This was allegedly due
to political inferences by powerful Zanu PF provincial bigwigs who reportedly
kept shielding the two councillors.

The constitution forbids
civil servants to serve partisan political interests and to hold political
office.

Air Force to build Neromwe Clinic

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Air Force to build Neromwe Clinic


Beatific
Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI –
The Air Force of Zimbabwe is set to construct a new clinic close to Masimbaavanhu
Primary School in Chief Neromwe’s area, TellZim News can report.

There
was a ground-breaking ceremony at the clinic site which was attended by AFZ
Commander Air Marshal Elson Moyo and other officers, members of the Masvingo
provincial leadership as well as Chief Neromwe (born Clemence Madzingo).

The
clinic will be built under the Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe Charity Fund
which was formed in 2011 to mobilise resources for less privileged people and
communities in Zimbabwe.

AFZ
is in partnership with local universities to undertake needs assessment studies
as well as tap into the knowledge of officers in order to identify deserving
people and communities.

The
organisation’s intervention in the Neromwe area was facilitated by Chief of
Staff Supporting Services, Air Vice Marshal John Nzvede who was born in the
neighbouring Zaka district.

In
his address, Air Marshall Moyo said he was glad that his organisation was
involved in a developmental project of that nature.

“Our
main aim is for communities to know about the Air Force of Zimbabwe and our
duties, in order to motivate their children to join our force. This community
was chosen after considering that it is a resettlement area which lacks many
facilities.

“Air
Vice Marshal John Nzvede helped the Air Force of Zimbabwe in selecting this area,
which he said got back its chieftainship recently but lacked proper health
facilities,” said Air Marshal Moyo.

Moyo
also said he was pained to learn that people in Masimbaavanhu travelled more
than 80km to access the nearest health facility.

Speaking
at the same event, the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and
Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira urged Chiredzi Rural District Council (RDC) and the
District Development Coordinator (DDC) to mobilise resources for the construction
of staff quarters and maternity waiting rooms.

“I
am most pleased that the Air Force of Zimbabwe has chosen to support and
empower rural communities around Neromwe, here in Chiredzi district,” said
Chadzamira.

AFZ
is working in partnership with Sakunda Holdings, Beta Bricks, Green Fuel,
Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe and Exodus and Company to carry out the project.

 

 

 

New Chiredzi sanitizer plant delights Chadzamira

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New Chiredzi sanitizer plant delights Chadzamira
Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira is given a feel of the new sanitizer produced by Ngomla

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – The Minister
of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira has
expressed delight at efforts made by a local construction company, Ngomla
Investments Pvt Ltd to diversify its operations towards hand sanitizer
production.

Speaking during the tour of the
company’s newly-procured sanitizer production plant in Chiredzi, Chadzamira
said government was impressed by private players who continue to complement
government efforts in the fight against Covid-19.

“We are very impressed as a
province by the work which we have seen being done by Ngomla Investments here
at their sanitizer production plant.

“As government, we are very
delighted when our own local companies invest in businesses with an immediate
bearing on the wellbeing of the people of Zimbabwe. We know this company has
its very roots in construction and it’s pleasing that they have ventured into
another field which is probably more critical at this point in time,” said
Chadzamira.

The company is expected to
produce enough sanitizers to supply the whole province and beyond.

Ngomla Investments managing
director Tawanda Mangoma said the company was moved by the realisation that
proper sanitizers with an alcohol base remained a rarity especially in rural
communities which are no more or less vulnerable to the coronavirus than any
other community set-up.

“The district of Chiredzi borders
Mozambique and South Africa and given the reality of illegal border crossings,
we thought of people in remote areas such as Davata, Sango, Malipati whom we
felt could be better served if an affordable, locally-made sanitizer is supplied
to them, ” said Mangoma.

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