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LACEP in public finance management support drive for Mwenezi

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LACEP in public finance management support drive for Mwenezi

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – The
Local Authorities Capacity Enhancement Project (LACEP) recently facilitated a
two-day public finance management training workshop where the Mwenezi Rural
District Council (RDC) and its stakeholders got an opportunity to engage on
governance and service delivery improvement issues.
The
project is funded by the European Union (EU) to help enhance participatory
development and make the services of local authorities more inclusive,
gender-responsive and pro-poor.
The
event was held at the Mwenezi Development Training Centre (MDTC) premises,
Neshuro growth point on November 25 to 26.
It
was attended by Mwenezi RDC staff, all the councillors in the district, citizen’s
representatives from various wards and representatives from all other
stakeholders.
LACEP
project coordinator, Philip Kundishora said the programme was being implemented
in four other local authorities namely Mangwe RDC in Matabeleland South, Redcliff
Urban Council in the Midlands, Zibagwe RDC also in the Midlands and Lupane Urban
Council in Matabeleland North.
Kundishora
said the programme was born out of the realisation that there was a missing
link between the conduct of local authorities and residents’ expectations.
“We
are supporting revenue collection and public finance management through
engagement of citizens and local authorities. We initiated this programme upon
realising that during processes like budget consultations, residents do not
attend and they are reluctant to pay rates as they lack confidence in the
consultative processes.
“The
idea, therefore, is to facilitate dialogue and cultivate a spirit of trust
between the local authority and its stakeholders so that we can collectively
identify priority areas and actions for service delivery improvement,” said
Kundishora.
The
engagement saw resident representatives raising their own concerns against the
local authority. It was noted that there was need to work on improving and
modifying the communication channels between the local authority and its
stakeholders.
Another
critical concern that came up was the need for modalities to encourage and
accommodate female participation in the political field as currently all the Mwenezi
RDC’s 18 councillors are male.
Speaking
at the meeting, Mwenezi RDC Council chairperson, Jorum Ncube acknowledged the
existence of loopholes in council processes leading to revenue leakages.
Stakeholders
were then asked to, by the end of the year, identify a single project that will
be worked on and assessed meticulously with LACEP support.
In
the past LACEP extended support towards solid waste management to several RDCs
including Mwenezi.
The
project is currently assisting some local authorities to upgrade their information
systems. Among other improvements, the local authorities are being assisted to
transition from old model software like Pastel Partner to Pastel Evolution.   
  
      

Mumbijo Primary School gets aid from Lions Club

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Mumbijo Primary School gets aid from Lions Club

Elliot Jinjika

BUHERA – Australia-based
charity organisation, Lions Club of Angle Vale recently donated equipment to
Mumbijo Primary School as a way of helping the school deal with some of its
operational challenges.
The
donated equipment included solar panels and several computers.
Some
bicycles, books and school shoes were given to pupils taking Early Childhood
Development (ECD) classes as well as those doing grades one and two.
Parents
from the local community went to the school to witness the donation being
handed over to school authorities.
The Lions Club
of Angle Vale, over the last few years raised the needed money to buy a 40ft container
with donated goods for Murambinda Hospital and Mumbijo Primary School.
Representing
Lions Club of Angle Vale was Kennedy Mavunganidze who was the guest of honour
at the function.
Other
dignitaries who also graced the occasion were Chief Nyashanu and 10 of his
headmen, Nyashanu Mission principal Daniel Jeche, Ward 18 Councillor Wisdom
Jiri, health practitioners and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education officials
on district level.
Speaking
at the event, Mavunganidze said the act of generosity had been made possible by
the efforts of the club’s many members.
“I
was sent back to my own area to assist with what the club had put together. The
idea is to bring transformative change to communities by investing in tangible
things that can help build a better future for children and society as a whole,”
said Mavunganidze.
He
said Lions Club had a keen interest in bridging the seemingly small, yet
critical developmental gaps that exist in communities.
In
a speech read on his behalf by a representative, Buhera District Schools
Inspector (DSI) Godfrey Gumbwanda said the donation was going to lead to key
improvements at the school.
“Most
of the pupils at this school are not computer-literate but we have now been
uplifted. There is a big boost in the ICT department which will now be teaching
computers with fewer hassles. This development is in line with the requirements
of the new curriculum. We really thank you for this idea and initiative,” said
Gumbwanda.
Mumbijo
deputy school head, Munyaradzi Nyasha expressed gratitude for the donation,
saying Lions Club had shown unprecedented generosity to the school
Local
community soccer team Mumbijo Community Football Club, affectionately known as
Wafa Wafa, also received a new soccer kit to help motivate the players and its
stakeholders.
Other
institutions that benefited from the outreach were Nechavava Primary School (25
sports tops and 10 chairs), Bika primary School (25 sports tops and 10 chairs)
and Machaka Football Club (10 sports tops).
The
town of Angle Vale lies on the Adelaide Plains between Gawler and Virginia in
the southern part of Australia.
Despite the Lions Club of Angle Vale being a small club with 16 members,
the club members collectively over the past two years worked tirelessly to
collect these donations, raise money and highlight the need for this support to
beneficiary institutions and communities around them.

Lions Club of Angle Vale donates to Murambinda Hospital

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Lions Club of Angle Vale donates to Murambinda Hospital


Elliot Jinjika

BUHERA –
It was all smiles for a Buhera community recently when Lions Club of Angle
Vale, an international charity organisation based in Australia, made donations to
Murambinda Mission Hospital to the tune of US$15 000.
The
organisation was represented by its treasurer, Kennedy Mavunganidze who happens
to be a native of Buhera district.
The
organisation, whose motto is ‘We Serve’, consists of 16 members most of whom
being retired persons.
“We
conducted a research on the useful things that are needed here at the hospital
and we started raising money. We chose Murambinda because it is a referral hospital,
meaning many clinics in the district are dependent on it for medical cases they
themselves cannot handle.
“It
was not easy as we faced a lot of challenges in raising the required money but
we are moved by the need to stretch a helping hand towards different areas of
need,” said Mavunganidze.
The
organisation donated kitchen cookware, clothing for boys, men and women, shoes,
hospital consumables, linen sheets, spectacles, syringe drivers, books, medical
clothing, weighing scales, commodes, examination tables, office chairs, leg
braces, hospital beds, mattresses, tables, plastic and metal stools, IV stands,
blood pressure machines and cuff, medicine cabinets, wheelchairs, dental
electric chairs among other goods.
Many
Murambinda Mission Hospital staff members expressed great appreciation for the
generous gesture, saying the donation will go a long way in helping the
hospital deliver on its mandate.
“The
donation has brought relief, making it easier for us to take care of the
patients and we thank you so much for coming here with a kind heart. You have
filled a huge gap,” said Nzwisisai Mazuru, a tutor at Murambinda Mission
Training School.
District
Medical Officer, Dr Kwiri said the equipment donated by the club was going to
be of great use in surgical operations and other services.
“The
surgical equipment you brought will be of great help. We will pray for you to
do more as we work together to improve health services at this hospital and
elsewhere,” said Dr Kwiri.
Mavunganidze
thanked members of the club for their capability to acknowledge the role they
could play in improving conditions at rural hospitals in Zimbabwe, saying it
was hard to explain the Zimbabwean situation to people who have not been to
Africa.
He
thanked Buhera Central Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Matthew Nyashanu Gijima for
facilitating the movement of the container to its final destination despite
some challenges.

Of opaque deals and unfinished projects

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Of opaque deals and unfinished projects

Acting City of Masvingo Town Clerk Edward Mukaratirwa

 …the story of Masvingo’s stalled US$2
million Mucheke Trunk Sewer project
Upenyu Chaota
The
Mucheke Trunk Sewer project dates back to 2012 when the then Masvingo mayor,
the late Femius Chakabuda, confirmed in one interview that work on the project
was already underway and was expected to be complete by 2013.
The
project is probably the biggest blight on both council management and
councillors who were in office that time because seven years later, the project
remains uncompleted.
The
deep trenches have become a hazard to man and to the environment, and many of
the fibrous pipes still lie unattended in the open veld; some of them being
vandalised.
With
the expansion of the city partly due to the growth of the sprawling peri-urban
settlement of Victoria Ranch, council realised the need to upgrade the sewer
system which last received such attention in the late 1990s.
The
tender was awarded to Mutual Constructions and work on the project started in
2012 but there were numerous twists and turns.
Work
was abruptly stopped in 2013 despite the contractor having received US$2
million upfront to do the project.
The
project was initiated when Chakabuda was mayor, with Adolf Gusha, who retired
at the end of August this year, being town clerk.
Chakabuda
left council in 2013 and was replaced by Hubert Fidze who also left in 2018 and
was replaced by current mayor Collen Maboke.
Fidze
still maintains that the contractor stopped the work as the initial cost of the
project was underestimated by the previous council board.
“Many
things went wrong but chief among them was the underestimation of the project
cost. As you may know, the project was initiated by the council that came
before us in 2013. They were responsible for the costing and deal-making,” said
Fidze.
Gusha
is on record admitting that council had not done the feasibility study prior to
the start of the project, and council had to engage a South African consultant
for the study. This raised eyebrows as to how the tender process was conducted
in the first place.
Latest
investigations, have, however, revealed that council negotiated a bad deal and
agreed to sign a defective agreement which would favour the contractor in case
of a dispute.
“They
negotiated a very bad deal and agreed to pay the contractor all the money at
once. They must have negotiated for the money to be paid in phases depending on
progress on the project. The terms of the agreement were such that council
would be powerless to act should there be a dispute, and that is exactly what
happened.
“Doesn’t
it surprise you that council has made no attempt to recover any of the money
paid to the contractor and hasn’t even attempted to sue in light of the fact
that the contractor failed to deliver on a project he was fully paid to do?”
said a source who is privy to the details.
Mutual
Constructions stopped all work and moved away its equipment after efforts to
‘extort’ a further US$2.5 million using arguments that the project needed more
money due to unforeseeable cost overheads, was rebuffed.
When
Gusha retired, he was replaced by current acting town clerk Edward Mukaratirwa
who has pledged to mobilise ‘internal’ council resources and complete the
project by the end of 2020.
He
has, however, failed to explain how he could achieve that in face of
deteriorating revenue accruals which have seen council collecting, on average,
a measly $1 million dollars per month against a target of $3 million.
In
his recent interview with TellZim News, Mukaratirwa said basing on the
technical advice that council has, the sewer line will be completed in three
years’ time.
“As
council, we resolved to mobilise internal resources for the completion of the
project. We will also use funds allocated by government through devolution to
do the work,” Mukaratirwa said.
“We
also plan to approach Victoria Ranch residents through the land developers to
make them contribute a levy towards the completion of the sewer line since they
are the direct beneficiaries of the project. Whatever happens there (at
Victoria Ranch) affects us so it’s only fair to engage them. We have a council
resolution to that effect,” said Mukaratirwa.
He
said council bought pipes for the project from Turnall in Bulawayo a few years
back, but has not been able to transport them due to the cost, but a recent
disbursement of $624 000 from government will go towards that.
“The
$624 000 we received from government is all going towards the transportation of
the pipes we bought. The tender process has been completed and transportation
will start in November through to December,” Mukaratirwa said.
It
remains to be seen whether or not council will use these funds for the stated
purpose in face of ‘more pressing’ challenges like depressed pumping at the
Bushmead Water Works caused by many factors including crippling power cuts and
frequent machinery breakdowns.
“Work
on the ground will probably start at the end of the rainy season and by then,
we hope all the materials required for the completion of the first phase will
be in place,” Mukaratirwa said.
Assuming
that work on the ground will start early 2020, the project’s completion will be
10 years behind schedule.
In
2015, council advertised in the media its intention to borrow US$1.7 million
for the completion of the project, and after getting the nod to borrow, council
confirmed that work was to commence soon afterwards.
In
a notice published in the Sunday Mail on June 15, Gusha revealed that the trunk
sewer project requires the massive capital injection to be completed.
“Masvingo
City Council has resolved to apply to the Minister of Local Government, Public
Works and National Housing of Borrowing Powers in the sum of One Million seven
hundred thousand dollars (US$1700 000),” reads part of the notice.
The
notice also states that the money is needed for the trunk main sewer
completion, trunk water main and the trunk road.
It
was reported that the National Social Security Authority (Nssa) had agreed to
lend council some US$900 000 to be used for the resumption of work on the
project.
Nssa
reportedly also pledged a further US$1.7 million subject to government
approval, but work on the project has not resumed up to now, with some council
insiders saying the pensions authority had backtracked in light of the
inflationary economic environment which is detrimental to lenders.
Some
residents recently complained that they suspected council had increased bills
behind their backs as part of desperate efforts to raise new funding for the
project.
In
2017, council spent $500 000 on vehicles for deputy directors and what they
termed ‘other uses’, a development which caused serious disagreements between
councillors and management.
Council
minutes dating back to 2017 state that the trunk sewer project is only 68
percent complete due to lack of funds.

Ndanga Hospital laundry machines down for over two years

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Ndanga Hospital laundry machines down for over two years

…ceiling boards curving
in
Moses
Ziyambi

ZAKA
–
Machinery in the laundry room at Ndanga District Hospital has been down for the
past more than two years, and staff at the health institution are using bare
hands to wash even infectious linen, TellZim News can report.
The dire state of
affairs at the hospital was revealed during a tour of the hospital by a team
led by the deputy chief of mission at the United States embassy in Harare,
Thomas Hastings.
The United States
President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), through the Centre for
Diseases Control (CDC), is funding the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision
(VMMC) program at Ndanga District and St Anthony’s Musiso Mission Hospital in
the district.
After being taken
through the facilities and processes involved in VMMC work, the team was
further taken through other ancillary facilities of the hospital so that they
could get a better appreciation of the hospital’s operations.
Zaka District Medical
Officer (DMO) Dr Morgen Muzondo took the team through many critical areas of
the hospital including the storage room for sterilized equipment and the
hospital laundry.
The sterilized room’s
roof is a near-ramshackle, with ceiling boards chipping off and the whole
trussing system threatened by an infestation of termites that are gnawing away
into its joints.
“As you can see, much
of the ceiling has been damaged and we fear the roof might curve in due to termites.
We try as much as possible under the circumstances to maintain high levels of
safety and hygiene in all our facilities but serious challenges remain,” said
Muzondo.
He said the roof could
be attended to before things got worse by conducting extensive repairs onto its
trusses and ceiling.



Muzondo said that work
could only be done if the required materials and other resources are found.
“We would need to
destroy the source of the termites, which has since been identified, first
before we can do repairs on the roof. We will then have to find the materials
needed to enable repair work to begin. We keep critical instruments here and
our wish is for government to provide us with the money that is needed to do
the work,” said Muzondo.
The team was also taken
to the laundry room which last functioned optimally over two years ago, with
the washing machines now standing derelict in a state of utter disrepair.
Muzondo explained that
the equipment was very old and needed to be replaced altogether, rather than be
repaired as that would require trying to find hard-to-get spare parts.
“The hospital laundry
employees are washing the hospital linen manually using their hands. They just
isolate the infectious linen from other linen material so that they are washed
separately. Even material used for VMMC is washed here using the same
technique. We can’t just sit around and mourn about our problems without doing
something about it. We therefore look for other plans if things are not going
the specific way we want them to go,” said Muzondo.
He said he was grateful
that the government had installed a massive solar system that powers the whole
hospital lighting system during load-shedding. In another positive, the
hospital recently completed the refurbishment of its maternity ward
In his remarks,
Hastings said he was impressed by the fighting spirit among the hospital
employees whom he praised for doing their best in face of severe odds.
“We came here to
understand the successes and challenges at the hospital with a special focus on
the VMMC program which is being implemented with United States support. We are
impressed by the work being done in face of the many challenges. It is our
sincere hope that the issues that have been highlighted here are attended to as
a matter of urgency as they involve human health,” said Hastings.
It was also learnt
during the tour that the hospital incinerator no longer worked and medical
wasted was being transported to Kwekwe on occasional basis for destruction.

Devolution funds transparency in question

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Devolution funds transparency in question

                      Fungai Mbetsa

…as minister demands breakdown from local authorities

Upenyu
Chaota.

MASVINGO
– In the 2019
national budget, government allocated a total of $703 million towards
devolution, but questions about transparency in how the money is being used at
local level are already being asked.
The money, government said, was going to be disbursed
to provinces and then distributed down to local authorities through Provincial
Development Coordinators working together with the ministry of Local Government.
Government, however, is yet to come up with an
operational framework which will guide how the devolution process will work and
how the money will be used. This means that the process within which government
is distributing the money could be irregular as the legal guiding framework has
not been established.
Without the operational framework and the absence of
the provincial councils to superintend over the funds, there are a lot of transparency
questions being asked, with some local authorities being accused of diverting
the money from their intended use, or using the money for profligate purposes.
The devolution funds are supposed to be used for
developmental projects benefiting communities, and the communities themselves
need to have a say of priority projects.
Masvingo received its first batch of devolution funds to
the tune of $33 million in February this year and was distributed to local authorities.
Some districts got bigger chunks than others depending
on population and poverty indexes.
Bikita
received $3.2 million, Chiredzi $5.6 million, Chivi $3 million, Gutu $3.8
million, Masvingo RDC $4.6 million, Mwenezi RDC $3.9 million, Zaka RDC $3.3
million, Masvingo City $893 000 and Chiredzi Town Council $394 000.
The
second batch of $31 million came in June this year and Chiredzi and Mwenezi
Rural District Councils received the biggest chunks.
Chiredzi
Rural District Council received $3 211 876.51 followed by Mwenezi with $3 044
337.54. Bikita received $2 892 547.40 for Bikita, Gutu $2 877794.38, Zaka $2 931
952.88, Masvingo Rural $2 726 580.37 and Chivi $2 832 894.
Masvingo
City Council and Chiredzi Town Council received $1 779 826.58 and $1 870 792.22
respectively.
Masvingo Provincial Development Coordinator Fungai Mbetsa
said that the devolution funds have to be used after proper consultations with
the communities but expressed concern over some local authorities, whom he
could not name since they are still investigating, who are abusing the funds.
“We have received reports of some local authorities
who are diverting the devolution funds from their intended purpose. These funds
should be used in a manner that benefits and upgrade the lives of people in the
communities not to build council offices and buy furniture as we are
establishing.
“We are doing investigations into the use of the
devolution funds by our local authorities,” said Mbetsa.
The Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs
Ezra Chadzamira has called on all recipients of the devolution funds in the
province to present their breakdowns on how they used their shares of the
money.
Chadzamira told TellZim News that it was important to
be transparent with the devolution funds which is why they are calling on all
the local authorities who received money for their districts to present their
breakdowns on how they used the money.
“We want transparency with the devolution funds. The
money released by the government to the province has been distributed to the
local authorities and each has to tell us how they used the money.
“The devolution funds have to be used to develop and
improve the lives of our people,” said Chadzamira.
He said that some local authorities were using the
devolution funds to build administration offices and furnish their offices.
“The community has to agree on the use of the money.
It should not be decided in the office by one person or two.
“We have been receiving reports of some local
authorities who have been using the devolution funds to upgrade their offices.
What will our people benefit when a local authority builds an administration
block and buy furniture for their offices?
“We will be getting to know how the funds have been
used when each of the local authorities present their breakdowns,” said
Chadzamira.
TellZim News established that Chiredzi RDC had
resolved to use the devolution funds to build an administration block so that
they can decongest the offices they are sharing with the Chiredzi Town Council.
Chiredzi RDC Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Mikia Majatame however refused to comment on the matter saying he was not aware
of such a resolution but said they had plans to build an administration block
which he refused to disclose the source of funding.
“I am not aware of such a resolution. All I can tell
you is that we have plans to construct a new administration block,” said
Majatame.
Mwenezi RDC has also been accused of using devolution
funds to refurbish their offices and buy office furniture.
Mwenezi RDC CEO Albert Chivanga could not be drawn
into comment but inside sources said that a resolution was made but was quickly
revoked after a public outcry.
“Our offices are in bad shape and they need to be
refurbished. The council does not have money so they decided to take part of
the devolution money to face lift the offices and buy furniture.
“People complained and threatened to report to higher
offices and the council decided to let the storm calm,” said the source.

Over 36 000 get circumcised in Zaka

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Over 36 000 get circumcised in Zaka




…as
US Aids program for Zim exceeds $1 billion

Moses
Ziyambi

ZAKA
– The
United States of America remains Zimbabwe’s most generous ally regardless of
political differences, with support for the country’s health sector now
totaling US$1 billion since 2013, TellZim News can report.
Part of that support is
being directed towards the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) which is
being implemented in 14 districts of the country including Zaka.
The US deputy chief of
mission at the country’s embassy in Harare, Thomas Hastings and his team visited
Ndanga on Monday to get a clearer appreciation of the work his country supports
at the district hospital.
Ndanga and St Anthony’s
Musiso Mission hospitals are the two centres offering VMMC services with US
support in the district.
Hastings was briefed on
how the program had benefitted over 36 000 men since its inception in 2013.
Representatives from
the Zimbabwe Association of Church-related Hospitals (ZACH), which is one of
the implementing partners through ZAZIC, told the team that uptake for VMMC
services had been increasing steadily over the years.
“We have been making
incremental gains since the program began in 2013. We circumcised around 1 000
people in the first year, and I am pleased that as attitudes changed, the
output increased steadily until today. A total of 10 954 were circumcised in
the year running from October 2018 to September 2019,” said ZAZIC program
manager Dr Joseph Hove.
He said communities
were now better informed and were in a better position to appreciate the health
and hygiene benefits of (VMMC).
“We are strongly
encouraged by the cumulative changes in the manner by which societies that did
not practice circumcision as a traditional rite are viewing the practice today,”
said Hove.
He also said random
control trials conducted in East Africa over 10 years ago had indicated that
circumcising four men averted one new HIV infection.
International Training
and Centre for Health national program officer Phiona Marongwe said the VMMC
program in Zaka had averted 9 000 new infections.
“This program has seen
some 36 682 men getting circumcised in Zaka district, meaning 9 000 new HIV
infections were averted, if we are to use those randomized trials as our
yardstick,” said Marongwe.
The random control
trials were a fairly reliable mathematical research model which was used to
estimate the impact of circumcision in reducing the HIV prevalence rate in some
East and West African countries.
In his remarks,
Hastings said he was pleased that the US had proved to be the country’s most
generous friend regardless of some political differences at governmental level.
“The United States is
proud of its record as Zimbabwe’s most committed friend in the areas of health,
education and food security. I am impressed by the work being done with US
support here at Ndanga Hospital despite the harsh economic problems affecting
every sector and every program. As of now, some 9 000 new HIV infections have
been averted courtesy of this program.



“The people here at
Ndanga, and indeed in Zimbabwe as a whole, have proved to be a resilient people
who know how to innovate and come up with Plan B when things get hard. The
United States is there to render support wherever we can,” said Hastings.
The United States
supports many HIV and Aids programs all over the world through the President’s
Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) which was signed by then President
George W. Bush in 2003.
PEPFAR has received
strong bipartisan support in the country’s congress ever since, and it
represents the biggest commitment by any individual country to the fight
against HIV and Aids.
Hastings said the fact
that PEPFAR had survived three administrations (Bush, Barrack Obama and Donald
Trump) with fundamental policy differences of their own was testimony to the
United States’ commitment in the global fight against HIV and Aids.
Funding is channeled
through the US Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) which has so far invested over
US$1 billion in different HIV and Aids-related programs for Zimbabwe alone.
Through USAID, the
United States also provides millions of dollars every year towards food
security for vulnerable Zimbabweans.
In 2019, the US
provided over US$330 million to the country; US$163 of which was directed
towards HIV and Aids programs, over US100 million towards food aid and over
US$10 million towards assisting victims of Cyclone Idai.

Doctors without Borders leave Mwenezi after three great years

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Doctors without Borders leave Mwenezi after three great years

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI-Medecins
Sans Frontieres (MSF) has been praised for its programme called Out of Facility
Community Art Distribution (OFCAD) which involves distributing drugs to people with
HIV within their specific areas of residence.
The
programme has brought remarkable relief to the district’s remotest communities
which are far away from clinics and hospitals.
MSF,
which is known in English as Doctors without Borders initiated OFCAD which is a
unique model by which village health workers are trained and mandated to
distribute antiretroviral (ARVs) right from their homes.
The
international medical humanitarian organisation, whose objective is to provide
medical assistance to communities in need, has been operating in the district
for the past three years.
Since
2016, MSF has been providing treatment, care and support to various patients in
the district. The organisation introduced the OFCAD to improve access to ARVs
by people living in hard-to-reach areas.
The
organisation, which is now leaving Mwenezi district, officially handed over the
OFCAD project on November 22 to Batanai HIV and Aids Service Organisation
(Bhaso) and the Ministry of Health and Child Care at a ceremony held at Neshuro
growth point.
Speaking
at the handover ceremony, MSF project coordinator, Rinako Uenishi said he was
pleased that the organisation’s programmes were patient participatory.
He
said the programme was a great success as it led to many people being registered
for anti-retroviral treatment.
“We
implemented the model in hard-to-reach areas of Mwenezi district and results
show that the initiative significantly improved the ART client retention level
and it also brought drug closer to patients.
“We
call upon health service providers and all other stakeholders including the
donor community to allocate resources so that the OFCAD model can be replicated
in other rural settings throughout the country in order to ease the burden of
accessing ARVs,” said Uenishi.
Nurses
from Chirindi and Mwenezi clinics who serve some of the remotest areas in the
district and the whole country praised the OFCAD programme was a relief for
many rural people.
They
also said they had learnt a lot form the capacity building mechanisms put in
place by MSF.
Miriam
Dzimati, a Mwenezi Clinic nurse said the programme had forced a reduction of
ART defaulting rate in the area.
Moreblessing
Sibanda from Chovele area in Ward 17, Mwenezi West, said she was happy that
OFCAD had established convenient places for her to access medication.
“We
would travel some 70km to the nearest health facility to get our treatment
drugs and that was odious in face of the mobility due to transport costs and
flooded rivers during the rainy season.
“The
setting-up of OFCAD sites means I am now travelling only about 3km to collect
my medication,” said Sibanda.
The
OFCAD handover ceremony was attended by many people including the local
traditional leadership, village health workers, medical doctors, MSF staff, Bhaso
staff and MSF medical coordinator Dr Reinaldo Ortuno.
   
   

Disabled tout shouts for assistance

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Disabled tout shouts for assistance

                                           Kudakwashe Nemera
Tendai Mange
MASVINGO- A
25-year old disabled tout is appealing for assistance in the form of a wheelchair
to enable him to move around easily when doing his job.
Kudakwashe
Nemera stays with his mother’s sister in Mucheke A and he makes money by
touting at old Croco Motors opposite Zuva Kyle fuel station along the road to
Harare.
He
helps to load pirate taxes travelling from Masvingo to Gweru and Zvishavane.
Nemera
is currently using a ramshackle wheelchair which is in urgent need of repairs.
A
close friend to Nemera said he felt for his colleague since the people who used
to help him no longer do so.
He
said some South Africa-based people had been his main source of help but they
were no longer coming.
Nemera
said there was competition at his work place and sometimes he gets pushed around
by colleagues, making it difficult for him to find as much work as his fully-abled-bodied
colleagues.
“I
am facing challenges like being shoved around by other touts when competing to
find customers. If I can get a new wheelchair, my work will be easier and I
will be able to make enough money of my own without relying on other people,”
said Nemera.
He
said people with disabilities should be supported to be self-reliant rather
than to be condemned to destitution and begging.
“I
have the spirit to work and not be a receiver of hand-outs. With the necessary
support, I can stand shoulder to shoulder with any other person who might have
physical advantages over me,” said Nemera.

Chiredzi residents want town engineer fired

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Chiredzi residents want town engineer fired

Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI –
Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (CHRRA) has petitioned Chiredzi
Town Council (CTC) to suspend town engineer Wesley Kauma over what they claim
to be his grossly incompetent handling of the water crisis in the town.
CHRRA
has written to council asking for Kauma’s dismissal, saying the deteriorating
water situation in the town was largely a result of his making.
The
residents organisation’s letter – addressed to council chairperson, town secretary
and councillors – attacks Kauma for the people’s failure to get optimum
services with regards to availability of water.
CHRRA
argues that the town has suffered a lot due to water shortages and calls for
the suspension of the town engineer with full benefits pending investigations
into the water crisis.
“CHRRA
is writing to you and your office requesting the suspension of town engineer Mr
W. Kauma pending investigations with full benefits because of the following
reasons on water crisis in Chiredzi.
“1.
All 8 wards are affected by the unavailability of precious liquid. Residents
are suffering a lot and are putting their lives at risk when they scavenge for
the precious resource. 2. Vulnerable groups like women, the elderly and the
girl child are suffering a lot and are putting their lives at risk of being
raped, robbed and abused. 3. Children are being made to stand in queues for
more than 3-4 hours to access water at boreholes in these high temperatures.
“4.
No water in ministries and institutions serving the public. 5. The engineer is
failing to come up with solutions to water challenges in Chiredzi. 6. The
outbreak of water-borne diseases is highly likely die to the flow of raw
sewage. 7. Tempering with water connections, e.g. a connection done at the
water tanks from a water works’ direct line. No feedback on the power
connection by Hippo Valley following our stakeholders meeting,” reads part
of the grievances.
“CHRRA
is kindly proposing that investigation of the water crisis be done by a
consultant and if the engineer is cleared, he resumes his duties and if he is
found incompetent, he resigns,” the letter reads
Tongaat
Huletts, through Hippo Valley Estates connected its electricity cable at the
water works which later failed to pump water during power cuts as it requires a
transformer.
When
contacted for comment, Kauma defended his record arguing that he was doing his
best to maintain optimum service delivery in the town.
He
attacked the resident organisation for allegedly failing to follow protocol in
expressing their grievances.
“Maybe
the letter didn’t follow procedure because residents go through councillors, so
if they direct it to me, it will be of no purpose as I am also a resident
outside of work. Whenever there are political elections, council management is
the battleground, especially the engineer. It’s unfortunate that people think
that getting someone fired from his job gives mileage with the electorate.He
accused the residents’ organisation of calling him disparaging names which made
them open to ridicule.
“Imagine
a leader of a resident association calling me chikwambo (goblin). Who then will
take such people with reckless talk serious? Do we leave behind a water
infrastructure constructed in the 60s by the Smith regime and expect it to
function for eternity or we start somewhere, put new water works. That one from
1964 is old; the water pipes, asbestos pipes are outdated, they have
carcinogenic risks,” said Kauma.

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