Home Blog Page 481

Residents want Masvingo to transfer ownership of ‘midhadhadha’

TellZimNews
-
0
Residents want Masvingo to transfer ownership of ‘midhadhadha’

 

Mucheke hostels

Triader Chipunza

MASVINGO –
Tenants of some very old hostels in Mucheke have called upon council to
transfer ownership to them, arguing that they have lived there for several
years and that the local authority was failing to fully improve them.

Residents who attended
a 2020 half year budget review meeting at Mucheke Hall recently said they
wished to be granted a chance to apply for the possession of the dilapidated hostels
that are commonly known as midhadhadha.

“It has been long since
we started renting these flats. Our great grandparents stayed in these premises
and here we are now with our families as tenants still. We wish council could give
us a chance to apply for ownership,” said one resident.

They also lamented the
deterioration of the hostels which they said were now cracked and leaky.

“It is very bad in there.
The overcrowding and the noise are suffocating. 
The hostels have developed cracks and some of the walls are peeling off.
During the rainy season, we find it difficult because the roofs are leaky.

“Council must put more
money towards maintenance of these flats and finally grant us ownership so we
can be safe here,” said another resident.

In response, Masvingo
City Council Mayor Collen Maboke said the local authority was in the processes
of renovating the hostels. He said it was wise for tenants to wait for
completion of the project before they could make their proposals.

“In partnership with a
donor organisation called Dialogue on Shelter, we are already in the process of
renovating the hostels. The work was interrupted by the national Covid-19
lockdown,” said Maboke.

He said residents’ queries
on ownership will be taken into consideration.

 

 

Wild fruit dinner for old, blind Copota couple

TellZimNews
-
0
Wild fruit dinner for old, blind Copota couple

Julius and Oripa Chiwanza

 

Colleen Chitsa

ZIMUTO – An old and blind couple staying at Copota School for the Blind with their five grandchildren have on many occasions had matohwe and masekesa for supper as there is hardly any decent food them.

Julius Chiwanza (60) who is both asthmatic and sugar diabetic, and his wife Oripa Chiwanza (62) look after their grandchildren at the mission compound where they do not receive any social support.

Chiwanza used to work in the school workshop making furniture but he retired in 2018, meaning he has overstayed in the compound as he was supposed leave when he retired.

“The mission has been gracious to me because they have allowed my family to continue using their accommodation. They, however, cannot afford to support my other needs because they too are in dire straits as they mainly rely on scarce donations.

“Life is very difficult for us and I do not remember the last time we had a decent meal. It’s almost like a lifestyle for us to sleep on empty stomachs and it’s bad especially for the children,” said Julius Chiwanza.

He said they used to beg door to door for food around the community but it was becoming harder for other people too.

“People used to help us with food and other small items and sometimes we would move around the community begging but we do not get enough because everyone is also struggling. Sometimes we do not get anything. On many occasions, the children venture into the bush and bring with them matohwe and masekesa that we eat together before we sleep,” he said.

Julius also said he would be glad to leave the compound for his own place he is trying to build on a piece of land allocated to him close by.

“We have run out of the means to complete the rural home that I have started building. We feel like an unwanted person here because my time is up. I must leave whether they still allow me to stay or not but we don’t have anywhere to go,” he said.

On her part, Oripa said it was heartbreaking to fail to provide for the grandchildren most of whom were simply dumped into their care by their barely responsible daughters.

 “Our kitchen is now a bare playing ground because we have sold most of our household utensils to buy food. We would beg for people to take our old stuff in return for food. We are disabled and old but we have capacity to work if given the support to begin a project. We don’t want to be beggars,” she said

Zanu PF sets stage for DCC elections

TellZimNews
-
0
Zanu PF sets stage for DCC elections

Zanu PF national political commissar Victor Matemadanda

 

…no joy for G40 linked members

Upenyu Chaota

The
ruling Zanu PF party has set the stage for its District Coordinating Committee
(DCC) elections in eight provinces with the national political commissar Victor
Matemadanda laying down the rules for the game which will shut out all members
with a tainted history and those with links to the vanquished G40 faction.

Harare and
Bulawayo provinces were the first do their DCC elections and Zanu PF hopes to
conduct the process in the remaining eight provinces on the same day.

A total
of 23 posts will be contested in the DCC elections.

In a
circular from Matemadanda to provincial chairpersons, a 5 year membership threshold
has been imposed on all prospecting candidates.

Provinces
have been instructed to hold inter-district meetings to facilitate the process
of receiving CVs from prospecting candidates.

“Provinces
are requested to hold inter-district meetings to organise and facilitate the
receiving of CVs from candidates intending to contest the DCC elections in
positions of their choice.

“Interested
candidates should have at least five year membership within the district
executive and should have no pending disciplinary issues with the party,” reads
the circular.

The circular
also puts it down that any member who holds a higher office and is interested
in contesting for the DCC positions, should resign first before contesting.

Positions
for secretary for women, secretary for youth and secretary for war veterans will
only be voted for by the women, youth and war veterans respectively.

The
DCCs were disbanded in 2012 to quell divisive factionalism which had ravaged
the party back then as bigwigs were fighting to control the grassroots
structures in the race to position themselves to succeed former president
Robert Mugabe.

Former Vice-President
Joice Mujuru and former Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly led
factions back then which were vying to succeed Mugabe.

The return
of DCCs, according to Zanu PF, will help the party coordinate programmes at the
grassroots level as they drum up support ahead of the 2023 elections.

Remand prison conditions suitable for animals, says Kurauone

TellZimNews
-
0
Remand prison conditions suitable for animals, says Kurauone

 

Moses Ziyambi

MDC Alliance national youth
organiser, Godfrey Kurauone has lamented conditions at Masvingo Remand Prison,
saying they were meant for animal and not as penitentiary for human beings.

Speaking in an interview with
TellZim News after his release from the correctional facility, Kurauone said
the experience has left on him an indelible imprint of grief.

“More often than not, there were
over 30 of us in one small cell at a time and there was never a time we were
less than 20. All those social distancing rules being encouraged are completely
impossible to adhere too because we were overcrowded.

“We were given lice –infested
blankets and horrible food usually sadza and spinach or badly-cooked beans. That
was our daily bread and as I look back, I cannot help but feel sorry for fellow
inmates whom I left behind, some of them wrongly-accused,” said Kurauone, who
spent 42 days in remand prison on accusations of obstructing the free movement
of traffic in relation to the abortive July 31 demonstrations.

Kurauone was acquitted on the
charge on September 10, with another charge of criminal nuisance having been
dropped earlier in the course of the trial.

In an example Kurauone said showed persecution through prosecution, he had been denied bail three times by the Magistrates’ and High courts before his acquittal.  

Kurauone said basic hygiene was
impossible to practice in remand prison, with dozens of inmates sharing a dilapidated toilet and
filthy bathroom.

“They did not allow me to receive
food and toiletries from home citing coronavirus so I had to manage without
such basics as tooth brush and toothpaste. I think the coronavirus excuse was
being abused to deny prisoners their right to dignity because prison warders
and other staff members still live in the usual communities. They commute to
and from work every day without any special arrangement for them. Their
interaction with inmates remains the same so I don’t see the logic of banning
loved ones from delivering food and toiletries to inmates,” said Kurauone.

He said due to the political
nature of his case, he was a sort of an outcast among others as most inmates avoided
being friendly to him for fear of victimisation.

“At one moment, an inmate gave me
his bed sheet to use and when the prison guards came for their routine
inspection and found me with the sheet, they went mad. I felt sorry for that
fellow because they made his life miserable. One prison guard confided in me that
they had received a call from their superiors in Harare questioning why an MDC
person was being given special treatment,” Kurauone said.

He said he will not shy away from
fighting for human rights and a better life for all citizens despite the
attendant risks.

 

Victoria Ranch: A baby with no parents

TellZimNews
-
0
Victoria Ranch: A baby with no parents

City of Masvingo Mayor Collen Maboke

 

Clayton
Shereni

Some people have for long
blamed Masvingo City Council for failing to bring municipal services to the
sprawling high density suburb of Victoria Ranch but the local authority has now
said it currently bore no administrative responsibility in the area.

Victoria Ranch was built by
land barons on Masvingo Rural District Council (RDC) land but with proper
procedures not being followed.

Masvingo RDC Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) Martin Mubviro was recently quoted in a radio programme saying
the local authority did not have an obligation to service the area as it was
built by private individuals without council’s involvement.

This, therefore, means the
suburb is like an orphan with not parental care from any local authority.

Due to its urban nature and
closeness to Masvingo urban, residents tend to blame the city for erratic piped
water supplies, lack of refuse collection, lack of sewer infrastructure and a
barely maintained dusty road network.

The city has always
maintained that the land barons, most of whom have very close connections to
the ruling Zanu PF party, who grabbed huge chunks of land on the peripheries of
the city and sold residential stands should be held accountable and made to
provide optimum services.

The area has about 16 land
baron companies that refer to themselves as ‘land developers’ but that have
barely developed the area besides allowing people to build their houses even
directly below high voltage power lines and very close to a garbage dumping
ground.

Some of the land barons were
last year subjected to serious questioning during the Justice Tendai Uchena-led
Commission of Inquiry into the Sale of Land in and Around Urban Areas since
2005.

Before the government
appointed enquiry, the national government was conspicuous by its deliberate
failure to take action.

The land barons have made
millions of dollars dividing the State-owned land into residential stands which
are still being sold to desperate home-seekers to this very day.

Since 2005, the land barons
allowed the home-seekers to build their houses without first servicing the land
as is standard procedure in urban development processes.

Speaking during the first
mid-year 2020 budget review held at the Civic Centre on September 07, City of
Masvingo Acting Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said the city did not
have administrative responsibilities in the area although the matter was of
great bother to everybody.

“Victoria Ranch is still
under the jurisdiction of Masvingo RDC (technically) although government gave
out land to different developers who then sold pieces of land to individuals.
We are having meetings where we discuss the interests of the city in the area.
Last Friday (September 04), we held a meeting in which we discussed that
issue,” said Mukaratirwa.

He expressed optimism that
the area will be incorporated into the city but only when a consensus is
reached with the ‘land developers’.

“We constantly monitor
progress in the area and also play an advisory role. That area will be
incorporated into the boundaries of the city and at one point, all
infrastructure will be handed over to council. It’s not like we are turning a
deaf ear because from time to time, we engage the developers,” said
Mukaratirwa.

However, impeccable sources
claim that land barons have on many occasions rejected City of Masvingo’s
generous terms to be included into the municipality’s commonage.

“They want to be
incorporated into the municipal commonage free of charge even though they made
millions of dollars selling State land. That’s impunity. The municipality
cannot afford to do that because it is failing to provide standard services in
its current commonage,” said a source.

The city has reportedly
demanded that the land barons who made enormous profits selling State-owned
land to private individuals pay a specified amount of money so that water and
sewer reticulation can be expanded into Victoria Ranch.

 

 

Mwonzora’s province vows to stand with Chamisa

TellZimNews
-
0
Mwonzora’s province vows to stand with Chamisa

 

MDC Alliance members in Manicaland


 Felix
Matasva

MUTARE— MDC
Alliance Manicaland province has vowed to support its leader Nelson Chamisa
despite the current turbulence which has left the biggest opposition movement
facing an identity crisis with structures and supporters alike caught in the
confusion.

 The MDC has been torn
between the Chamisa led Alliance and the Thokozani Khupe ‘T’ which has been
endorsed by the Supreme Court as the legitimate party.

Khupe has managed to get
support from former Chamisa allies among them Douglas Mwonzora, Morgan Komichi
and Elias Mudzuri.

Khupe, through Mwonzora,
has declared war on all Chamisa allies with some being send to the guillotine
for refusing to recognize Khupe as the legitimate leader.

MDC Alliance Manicaland
provincial chairperson and former chief whip Prosper Mutseyami, who was recalled from Parliament by Khupe in May,
said that his province stands fully behind Chamisa and his executive is
implementing programmes to strengthen the party in the province.

“Manicaland is fully
behind president Chamisa. We will not waver on our resolve. We have been
betrayed but we will not look back. We are moving forward with the people’s
movement.

“We have been doing
programmes with our grass root structures and our people believe it is only
Chamisa who has the ability to move the country forward.

 “There are some people
who decided to be bought and betray the people’s struggle but we will not be
forced to work with them.

 “We are rallying our
people to get ready for 2023. We are very clear on our position. Chamisa is our
president and no court can ever impose a leader on us,” said Mutseyami.

He said Mwonzora will
not get any support from Manicaland even though it is his home province.

“Every leader should be
proud to be supported by people from his home but if you do not have that then
u are as good as lost. Mwonzora is from here but we will not support him
because he is lost. We do not follow a blind person.

“They may have recalled
us from Parliament for supporting our president but in the end the people’s voices
can never be silenced,” said Mutseyami.

There is a crisis in Zimbabwe Cde Ramaphosa

TellZimNews
-
0
There is a crisis in Zimbabwe Cde Ramaphosa

 

Dear
readers I hope I find you well and Covid-19 free. Life in Zimbabwe is full of
drama, ups and downs but ukazviteedzera unofa nebp. The only notable thing we
can be happy about is that Covid-19 has shown mercy on us. Kudenga kuna Mwari
and he will not let us walk alone. Imagine if Covid-19 had unleashed its full
wrath on us, taipera tese kuti tsvai. If Covid-19 hits a hungry person who is
being tormented by Zanu PF the end result will be catastrophic kkkkk. But we
have flattened the curve and it is time to remove the curfew and other
regulations which can be abused by Zanu PF for political expediency. People
should now be allowed to move freely and go about their businesses as usual but
knowing that if they are reckless they will pay the ultimate price. We do not
want to see the security forces on our roads on the pretext of enforcing
lockdown when in fact they are protecting one paranoid man who is afraid of his
own shadow. Mapombi can tell you that muchinda anonzi Dambudzo is very paranoid
which is why muchiona the people’s army yabva from barracks and being used on
issues best done by our police. The army will soon lose the respect we used to
give them. The army is the last line of defense and cheapening them by putting
them on our streets and tempting them to be corrupt on our roads will backfire
mirai henyu muone.

Remember
what happened to the police force under Chihuri. They lost all the credibility
and the police uniform was now synonymous to corruption. Regai ndinyarare hangu
ini Mapombi. They say ndiri mupengo but akuruma nzeve ndewako. Let what
happened in Chivhu be an awakening call. We do not want people to have beef
with our brothers and sisters in the military. Some may take the Chivhu
shooting on face value but is vana Mapombi we would like to know what really
happened. Those two guys who shot soldiers inside a police base were not mere
civilians. Ini Mapombi chero mukandipa pfuti I will never point it to a soldier
much less inside a police base, then take their guns and not run away.
Vaitembei vakomana vaya. If it was Mapombi who had in the wildest and
unimaginable of circumstance’s shot at soldiers, I would have walked all the
way across the Limpopo because ndinenge ndichiziva ndarova shumba nembama. The
police tell us their side of the story on how the incident happened but I
believe there is more to the story than they are making us believe. Maybe vanhu
vanga varohwa nemusombodyiya vakafunga kupinda nemwenje mudziva. But why target
the army boys only vachisiya mapurisa aivemo. It seems the shooters were on a
mission. But we will never know because they are not here to tell us why they
did it. They were killed by a joint operation of the army and police. Of course
we knew the military would come out full force and send a statement that their
people are off limits. Musajairira vana mukoma munokuvara kkkk. Chero mabhema
grade rerudzii just know soldiers and police are not punching bags. Munogona
kujairira henyu police but vana mukoma vanorova.

I heard
vamwe vachiti the shooters were shooting at a 45 degree angle but the soldiers
jumped in the way of bullets and got hit kkkk. Zvakamboitika rimwe gore
kuHarare and people died so maybe it’s what happened in Chivhu but again what
do we know zvedu isu vana Mapombi tinorarira maputi nemabanana akaora. In this
country it is difficult to tell between right or wrong and sometimes if you are
wrong you get a lot of praises and if you are right it is the exact opposite.
Vana Hopewell and Chin’ono can testify to this. They languished in remand for
speaking and exposing corruption. There is no freedom after expression but ini
Mapombi havandigoni kkkkk ndiri kutamba hangu. Varume vanotyisa ava. Ndinoswera
ndatsvairwa hangu. At least I am happy Kurauone has been released. 42 days in
remand is not a joke especially uchipomerwa mhosva isina mature ese. Enjoy your
freedom Cde Kurauone. Go back to your wife and kids. A lot of people have
strolled down this path before fighting Zanu PF but they are dead asi Zanu PF
ichingoripo inchingotonga ichingotonga isu tichingotongeka. Rest in peace
Mogiza. Chamatama fought hard against Zanu PF but he paid the ultimate price.
So sometimes it is better to be alive than to be a dead hero. Remember that
Zanu PF is not going anywhere. We may try to do all the gymnastics but as long
as they have the army behind them I am telling you here and now that standing
against them will bring misery and pain to yourself and loved ones. Zanu PF has
so much experience in winning, retaining and consolidating power. Power is so
much more important to Zanu PF than anything else and anyone or anything that
stands in the way between Zanu PF and power will pay the ultimate price.

I hear
a lot of people are hopping that things will change after the South African ANC
high powered delegation visit. Fellow Zimbabweans I am here to tell you that
chakachenjedza ndechakatanga. Rimwe gore kwakamboita yainzi Montlanthe
Commission chaired by the same South Africans but hapana chakabuda. They just
came and had tea with Zanu PF and slept in our hotels and came up with
recommendations which were never implemented. Saka musafarira henyu muchiti
pane zvichabuda. Makudo ndemamwe. To those who listened to the press conference
after the meeting with Zanu PF chefs I am sure you heard that Magashule guy
saying there is no crisis in Zimbabwe. What do you know iwe Magashule? How did
you arrive at that standpoint? You have a one sided meeting and you are already
jumping to conclusions. There is a crisis in Zimbabwe and that’s a fact. What
we are facing are not challenges but a crisis in every sense of the word. We
are in trouble and please go tell Ramaphosa that there is a deep crisis in the
country. Our people are in prison though we are at our homes. We are all under
house arrest. South Africa does not want to see a prosperous Zimbabwe because
that would mean we will no longer be dependent on them. We boost the South
African economy and that’s a fact. They just met with Zanu PF and left
promising to meet the other stakeholders when they come back for yet another
visit.

How
long can we wait for them to come back while we suffer? The ANC would rather
bury its head in the sand and watch Dambudzo destroy our lives. It is naivety
to think that he solution to our crisis will ever come from outside. We are our
own liberators and until we realize that we shall keep suffering. Ini Mapombi
ndakakuudzai kuti I don’t have the guts to stand up to Zanu PF because I am not
yet ready to leave this earth. The only solution to the current crisis is for
Chamisa and Mnangagwa to sit down and have a brother to brother conversation
which will take the country forward. We do not need ANC or anyone to come and
solve our crisis. We do not need Polad to end this crisis. We just have to put
Chamisa and Mnangagwa in one room and lock them in until they resolve their
differences. We need each other despite of our political differences. There is
a crisis in Zimbabwe and ANC cannot come and tell us that we have challenges.
Our crisis needs a home grown solution. Chamisa and Mnangagwa must stop
massaging their big egos and find one another. I have said enough regai hangu
ndinokanga hangu maputi angu for lunch but before I go I want to say good going
to our health minister Generari Chiwenga. No one should go abroad for
medication. Gadzirisai zvipatara zvedu murapwe muno. I hope imi Generari
hatikuoniyi moti tucha tucha makananga China. Mboko imboko.

 

 

Only 37 farms will be returned— July Moyo

TellZimNews
-
0
Only 37 farms will be returned— July Moyo

July Moyo addresses the Zanu PF Masvingo PCC on Sept 06


Upenyu Chaota

The Minister of Local Government and Zanu PF politburo member July Moyo has allayed
fears that there will be land reversal after the government announced that they
will return some farms, which were protected under the Bilateral Investment
Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPA), to the former owners.

Moyo
said that only 37 farms were protected under BIPPA and these will be the ones
to be returned back to their former owners.

The
pronouncement by the government was largely viewed by many as the first step
towards land reversal which prompted Zanu PF to deploy highly powered
delegations to provinces to clarify and iron out the complexities.

Addressing
the Zanu PF Masvingo Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting last
weekend, Moyo said that the gains of the revolution will never be reversed but
they are largely compensating former farm owners while very few will be
returned.

“We
signed agreements with countries we had cordial relations with that guaranteed
that we will never take their investments but during the land reform, we
grabbed all land without putting into consideration the agreements.

“We had
given assurances to other farmers that their investments were safe and
protected but we went on to dishonor our promises. We grabbed the farms. There
are only 37 farms protected under BIPPA and these are the ones we are going to
return.

“This
cannot be reversal,” said Moyo.

He said
they are being guided by the Constitution which he said the whole country
agreed to that there shall be compensation of farms.

Moyo
said if there are people in the 37 farms, the government will relocate them to
other areas.

“We
agreed to this in the constitution and we are simply following what is in the
supreme law of the land.

“Our
people who are in the said farms will be relocated to other areas. We have to
face the problem head on and not sweep it under the carpet.

“The
rest of white farmers are going to be compensated for the improvements and not
on land. That we will never do. If they want compensation for land they should
go to their queen who send them here,” said Moyo.

The
compensation of former farm owners is covered in section 295 of the
constitution of Zimbabwe. There are three categories of farm owners eligible
for compensation in different forms.

Section
295 (1) provides that indigenous Zimbabweans who lost their land must be compensated
for the land and developments thereon.

Section
295 (2) stipulates that those whose land was covered by BIPPAs and bilateral
investment treaties (BITs) are entitled to compensation for the land and
developments thereon.

Section
295 (3) compels the Government to compensate those not covered in Subsection 1
and 2 for improvements on the land only.

 

 

 

Pfumvudza must be embraced early, says Togarepi

TellZimNews
-
0
Pfumvudza must be embraced early, says Togarepi

 

Pupurai Togarepi

Moses
Ziyambi

Gutu South Member of
Parliament (MP) Pupurai Togarepi has said the pfumvudza initiative being
promoted by government and some developmental partners could improve food
security in the constituency and the whole Gutu district if all people
practiced it.

Togarepi recently told TellZim
News in an interview that it was critical for people in Gutu South to adopt the
initiative early so as to be in a good position to reap the rewards.

“This is an initiative
in agriculture that has been proven to be better suited for drought conditions
that we have experienced over the years. We sit in the natural farming region
four which generally receives less than average rainfall per year.

“We are therefore
working with all community leaders including councillors to encourage our
people to adopt the pfumvudza method of planting starting this farming season.
It is commendable that government has come up with an initiative that is
responsive to climate change in order to improve food security in the
communities,” said Togarepi.

Pfumvundza is a form of
zero tillage and dry planting method that requires farmers to prepare holes on
their pieces of land before the onset of the first rains.

Manure is filled into
the holes early and upon the first rains, the manure is mixed with top soil and
seeds are planted. The method, which requires no draught power, helps preserve
moisture and lessen stress on the plants when no rainfall is received for an
extended period.

Togarepi said he was
encouraging people in Gutu South to fully embrace the farming method since
agriculture is the mainstay of the village economy.

“President Emmerson
Mnangagwa has identified agriculture as vital in the quest to achieve Vision
2030. We therefore cannot hope to fully achieve that vision if we do not uplift
rural agriculture in face of climate change which is characterised by
unreliable rainfall patterns,” said Togarepi.

TellZim News has found
that many families in such areas as Chikwanda, Chimedza and Chiwara have made
some progress in the initiative.

 

 

 

Dismissed village head takes on ‘abusive’ Chief Marozva

TellZimNews
-
0
Dismissed village head takes on ‘abusive’ Chief Marozva

 

Fani Mudhodhomera

Ratidzo Munembi

BIKITA – A village head who was suspended by Chief Marozva over
five years ago has engaged lawyers to help him challenge the move and be paid
all the allowances that he has been denied since 2014.

Fana Mudhodhomera, who claims to
be the legitimate Chinoira village head, told TellZim News that Chief Marozva,
whose real name is Phillip Mudhe, had overstepped his mandate by authorizing
his suspension and replacement by Prosper Machingambi.

He recently instructed Mutendi,
Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners to write to Bikita District Administrator
(DA) Bernard Hadzirabwi to seek redress.

“We are informed that the current
Chief Marozva Joseph Phillip Mudhe wrote a letter to our client purportedly
communicating his suspension and the appointment of Prosper Machingambi as the
new village head. We are also aware that from 2014, our client has not been
receiving, from your offices, his monthly allowance as village head.
Furthermore, we are fully aware that the Chief has no powers to unilaterally
suspend, remove or appoint village heads. As such, the suspension and
subsequent removal of our client from office of village head is a patent
illegality,” reads part of the letter to Hadzirabwi.

The lawyers argue that in terms
of the traditional Leaders Act [Chapter 29:17], the power to appoint a village
head rests with the permanent secretary in the Local Government ministry who
endorses a headman’s nomination with written approval of the chief of the area.

They also say that it rests with
the secretary to appoint an acting village head to serve for a maximum of two
years if there is need.

“The Traditional Leaders’ Act
clearly does not give the Chief powers to unilaterally appoint a village head
of his choice…The Chief thus usurped the functions of the headman and futilely
tried to change the wording of the provision in order to justify his unwarranted
usurpation that resulted in the present illegality,” reads the letter.

In his own letter to Mudhodhomera
dated June 12, 2020, Chief Marozva instructs Mudhodhemera to stop practicing
duties meant for a village head.

“You are not village head of
Chinoira village. Therefore, you have no authority to call for village assembly
meetings. Mr Prosper C. Machingambi is Village Head of Chinoira Village,” reads
Chief Marozva’s letter.

However, in his response to the
lawyers, Hadzirabwi appears to take sides with Chief Marozva whom Mudhodhomera
accuses of abusing his power to victimise him and appoint his puppet.

“Chief Marozva did not suspend
Fana Mudhodhomera, he only applied recommended suspension following acts of
misconduct by Fana Mudhodhomera. On the issue of Fana’s allowances, we stand to
be advised by the Ministry,” wrote Hadzirabwi in his response dated August 13,
2020.

1...480481482...972Page 481 of 972