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MP Mangwiro letting us down: Chikomba West Villagers

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MP Mangwiro letting us down: Chikomba West Villagers
Dr John Mangwiro


Elliot Jinjika

CHIVHU – When voted into office, some
politicians in the country disappear from their constituencies and reappear at
the next election time seeking support from the same electorate.
This
outrageous trend is common in Chikomba West where the local Member of
Parliament (MP) Dr John Mangwiro has rarely if at all been seen by much of his
constituents.
A medical
doctor by profession currently serving as Deputy Minister of Health and Child
Welfare, Mangwiro stands accused of spending much of his time in Harare doing
little to represent the interests of the people back home.
The
constituency faces many problems that need the attention of the MP but he seems
nowhere to be found, and this has drawn his more criticism than compliments.
One
villager said Mangwiro was battling bad health and had totally neglected the
constituency office where staff has now left for non-payment of their dues.
“We
hardly hear about him and the constituency office he opened to deal with local
issues is no longer giving any service. I heard he is not feeling well and he never
attends programmes in this constituency where many problems abound,” said the villager.
Another
villager said Mangwiro could be doing better job in the Ministry of Health but
was obviously faring badly at local level.
As
chairperson of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Africa Region, Mangwiro
was scheduled to be the guest of honor at the World Diabetes Day held at Garwe
Stadium in Chivhu.
He
however, did not turn up and many of his villagers who had expected to meet him
were further disappointed.
Last
week Mangwiro sent representatives to Northwood Primary to convince parents
that they allow their children to be transported to a neighbouring school for
lessons pending the completion of classroom blocks at their own school.
His
proposals were vehemently rejected by parents who felt the school should have
been long-supported to put in place its own facilities than allow it to open
its doors pre-maturely.
 “We don’t even know him here since we voted
him into office. Instead of chipping in by providing funds or sourcing funds
for us to solve the problems at the school he is making bad suggestions. He is
only looking for political mileage after being quiet for a very long period of
time,” said one parent.
Chivhu
Ratepayers and Residents Association (CHRRA) Chairperson Collen Zvarevashe
lambasted Mangwiro’s record as Deputy Minister of Health, saying the situation
at health institution in his constituency and the larger district was
deplorable.
 “Hospitals and clinics in Chivhu are faced
with very big service delivery challenges and one would normally expect the
deputy minister to do something as this is his own area. Who else can be better
placed to understand local challenges than a deputy minister who comes from
this area?
“He
should have acted upon solar panels donated by UNDP lying idle at Chivhu
Hospital but he did nothing. He never attends to the problems of this
constituency, we are orphans. The MP should be in touch with the situation in
his constituency and he should be seen to be working on the challenges we face,”
said Zvarevashe.
When
contacted for comment, Mangwiro said he had been battling ill-health for some
time but was now fit to live up the expectations of people who voted for him.
“I have
been out of the country for quite a long period of time and I thought it’s
known that I have been battling ill health. I underwent a surgical operation
but I can now confirm that I am fit and raring to go. I have a lot of projects in
my plans. We have a lot to do,” said Mangwiro.

Legal Perspectives with Fidelicy Nyamukondiwa

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Legal Perspectives with Fidelicy Nyamukondiwa



What
is Statutory Rape?
‘Statutory Rape’ is a
misnomer. The correct legal term is ‘having
sexual intercourse with a young person’. There is a bold line between
‘having sexual intercourse with a young person’ and rape. The latter is
committed when a man has non-consensual sexual/anal intercourse with a woman. The
former is criminalised by section 70 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law Code. This
article is a brief analysis of section 70(1) (a) of the Code.
Section 70(1) (a) of
the Code criminalises consensual sexual intercourse with young persons. A young
person is defined in the Code as a boy or a girl under 16 years. Therefore, 16 year-olds
are consequently not young persons. As a result of the foregoing, it is not an
offence to have consensual sexual intercourse with a 16 year old child. The rationale
behind section 70 of the Code is to protect ‘young persons’ from sexual exploitation by predatory adults. The
constitutionality of the Code’s definition of ‘young person’ is questionable in
view of section 81 of the constitution which provides that boys and girls below
18 years have the right to be protected from sexual exploitation.
Whilst our current
criminal law does not criminalise consensual sexual intercourse with 16 and 17
year olds, that does not mean such children can get married. As explained in my
previous article titled ‘Categories of persons who cannot marry in Zim’, the
minimum age of marriage in the country is 18 years. There is a blatant lacuna
in our law. In Latin such a gap is termed a ‘casus omissus’. The lawmaker must
spring to action and align the Criminal law code with the Constitution.
Legally, a child who is
12-years-old or below can never be said to have consented to sexual intercourse.
A man who engages in sexual intercourse with such a child commits rape. If the
accused is a female, the offence is called ‘aggravated
indecent assault’. If an adult has consensual sexual intercourse with a
young person above 12 years of age but of or below the age of 14, the person
must be charged with rape unless there is evidence to show that the young person
was capable of consenting.
It is not an offence
for children under 16 years to have consensual sexual intercourse amongst
themselves. I cannot do more than restate the famous dictum of Justice Ndou in S v 
Juvenile(RPS) HC 18/03; “Whilst it might be a bitter pill to swallow
for parents, youngsters aged under sixteen can freely indulge in sexual
activities outside criminal sanctions…This does not seem ideal in this era of
HIV/AIDS. There is nothing criminal about accused’s conduct although morally
and religiously reprehensible.”
Having sexual
intercourse with a young person is a relatively serious offence.  In Sv
Banda & Chakamoga HH 47/16, Justice Charewa urged magistrates to impose
effective sentences of not less than 3 years for those accused who are
twice the victims’ ages, are married with children of their own, impregnate the young persons
or infect them with STDs. A magistrate can consider community
service or payment of a fine depending on the circumstances. Each case is
decided on its own merits.
Fiat Justitia Ruat
Caelum!
Nyamukondiwa
Fidelicy writes in his personal capacity. Contactable on
nhanyams@yahoo.com/0785827154

We are not trying to make names out of pupils: Muresherwa

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We are not trying to make names out of pupils: Muresherwa


TellZim Reporter

For Masvingo Christian College, the philosophy of giving
every child the chance to explore their potential is what drives the school’s
growth in leaps and bounds each year.
Masvingo Christian College head Edison Muresherwa believes
that every child, if given the chance to prove themselves, has potential to do
something that can help them make living regardless of how many units they may
have obtained at grade seven.
While a lot of secondary schools are on a helter-skelter to enroll
only the straight A pupils, Muresherwa’s mission is to afford every child the
chance to go through secondary education. This has accorded study opportunities
to may pupils who face rejection elsewhere.
“We are not trying to make names out of pupils. We want them
to make names out of us, that is why we do not screen them at enrollment but we
still achieve competitive results.
“If one of our learners one day points at Masvingo Christian College
and say, ‘Had it not been for this school I wouldn’t have been given a chance
to prove myself’, we would have done our job,” Muresherwa said.
Muresherwa says the various technical and agricultural
projects undertaken at the school constituted efforts to give every pupil a
chance to explore their capabilities from a wider pool of offerings.
Practical skills that pupils can learn include fisheries,
piggery and growing vegetables.
“We have various projects that we keep developing at the
school, and our vision is to see every child gaining skills that will help them
in the future. We equally value academic excellence as much as we value
technical expertise in our learners.
“We also do the hard sciences and I can safely tell you that
we have a remarkable number of doctors and engineers who did their ‘A’ level
here. This year, we have already enrolled 50 science pupils in lower six,”
Muresherwa said.
Mashoko Christian Schools chairperson Zebedee Togarepi echoed
the same sentiments saying the major development any school could do for the
community was to include every child.
“We do not have cut-off units for form ones and we try to
give every pupil a chance at ‘A’ level. Nonetheless, our results have proved us
right, that every child, if given the chance, can excel.
“As a Christian school, we give learners a chance to choose
for themselves if they want to lead a Christian life or not. Our duty is to
lead exemplary lives to influence them, but the choice solely lies with them,”
Togarepi said.
Togarepi, who started off at Masvingo Christian College as a
student back in 1970 when it was still a Bible college, said it would have been
a wild dream back then to imagine him as chairperson of the responsible
authority of a group of Christian schools.
He said his current position was a result of him being given
a chance when he could otherwise have been discriminated against.
Masvingo Christian College recently installed a solar system
at the school and is already pumping its own water for practical learning
purposes.
The school also has a biogas plant where pig waste is used to
produce biogas that is used mainly in science labs and in the home economics
department.

21 people under coronavirus self-quarantine in Masvingo

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21 people under coronavirus self-quarantine in Masvingo

TellZim
Reporter
Some 21 people in
Masvingo province have been advised to practice self-quarantine over the next
few weeks after they recently came home back after travelling to countries
associated with the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Masvingo Provincial
Medical Director (PMD) Dr Amadeus Shamu confirmed that local health authorities
had advised the travellers to quarantine themselves.
He, however, said
people should be well-informed on the difference between self-quarantining and
effective monitoring by health authorities.
“There should be no
panic at all as there is no suspected case of coronavirus. These are just
travellers who came back into the country from countries that are associated
with the virus. What happens is that when somebody arrives from such countries and
they exhibit no symptoms of the virus, we advise them to minimise their
movements and mixing with other people in case they carry something not yet
clinically detectable,” said Shamu.
He said the 21 people
were in the different districts of the province, and were not in hospital or
any medical facility.
“They are not in
hospital but are at their own places. These are just precautionary measure
being taken by authorities to keep the people safe,” Shamu said.
He also told TellZim
News that four of the 21 people under self-quarantine arrived from China, where
the virus was first detected on December 31, 2019, while others had just
arrived from such countries as India that share borders with China.
By the time of writing,
latest official statistics from China showed that a total of 2004 people had
died of the virus, most of them on mainland China, while 74 185 cases had been
confirmed worldwide.
Many countries,
however, distrust official Chinese data on the virus as the communist
government there is not transparent on controversial topics or issues deemed
embarrassing.

Musikavanhu criticises English name for new Chiredzi suburb

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Musikavanhu criticises English name for new Chiredzi suburb

Beatific
Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – Chiredzi West
Member of Parliament (MP) Farai Musikavanhu has criticised Chiredzi Town
Council for giving a new suburb an English name, saying an indigenous language
name could have been chosen.
Addressing
crowds that gathered at Tshovani Stadium for a youth-themed service delivery
meeting dubbed ‘Maborn-born’ festival last weekend, Musikavanhu said council
was ill-informed to name its newest residential development Melborne Park.
With
reference to Cllr Ropafadzo Makumire, who was present at the event, and who is
Chiredzi Town Council deputy chairperson, Musikavanhu said an indigenous name
could have been found to protect the district’s cultural heritage.
“These
councillors failed to establish a traditional name for our medium density and
chose an English one, Melbourne Park. Is that really possible? Are they serious
about preserving our cultural heritage?” said Musikavanhu.
When
Makumire was given the podium to give a vote of thanks, he tried to defend the
council saying it was not proper for Musikavanhu to shame fellow elected public
officials in front of the crowd.
“We
were all voted into office MP, it’s never good to mock others in front of the
same electorate which voted you in office,” said Makumire.
Many
people have also criticised council’s naming choices as reflective of mental
colonialism and an ingrained inferiority complex.

Morgan Tsvangirai Street for Mutare

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Morgan Tsvangirai Street for Mutare

Felix
Matasva

Mutare City Council has resolved to rename Second Street in the Central
Business District (CBD) to Morgan Richard Tsvangirai, the former MDC leader who
died of colon cancer on February 14, 2018.
The late Moven
Mahachi, Moris Nyagumbo, Edgar Tekere and Kumbirai Kangai will also have
streets named after them.
 City of Mutare Mayor Blessing Tandi told TellZim News that councillors unanimously agreed
to rename Second Street after the late Tsvangirai in honour of his
contributions to the politics and democracy in the country.
“We are now in agreement with councilor Chabuka and
Nyamhoka’s proposal. We have agreed that Jeff Road be renamed to Edgar Tekere,
Second Street to Morgan Richard Tsvangirai and First Street to Morris Nyagumbo.
“Aerodrome Road
will be renamed to Moven Mahachi. We will deliberate on Kumbirai Kangai later,”
said Tandi.
He said Tsvangirai deserves a special place in the
history of the country and renaming a street after him is not only befitting
but appropriate.
 “No one disputes the contributions made by Tsvangirai
in the struggle for a democratic Zimbabwe. He stood up to a brutal regime when
it was not fashionable to do so.
 “He was brutalised but they did not break his resolve.
His dream for a better Zimbabwe for everyone was more important to him than his
life. Sadly, he did before that dream could be realised. We will inscribe his
name into the history books because he was one of the finest leaders this
country has ever produced,” said Tandi.
 Tsvangirai has also received a similar honour in
Masvingo where the city fathers agreed to rename Hofmeyer Street after the
veteran opposition leader.

Gweru to adopt automated pre-paid parking system

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Gweru to adopt automated pre-paid parking system

Tinaani
Nyabereka
GWERU – The
city council here has moved to adopt an automated pre-paid parking system as a
measure to mitigate financial leakages and corruption allegations levelled
against tolling marshals.
Speaking
during a recent full council meeting, Ward 11 Cllr Albert Chirau said it was
high time the council adopted more transparent and effective methods in its
revenue collection activities.
Chirau
said that before the automated pre-paid parking system is adopted, council had
to rotate the tolling marshals so that they do not get too comfortable with
parking bays.
“The
council is losing a lot of revenue from pre-paid parking. We have received
reports of some tolling marshals who line their pockets with the council money.
“We
have to address this issue by adopting automated pre-paid parking system which
will plug all the leakages. This system will see a positive change in revenue
collection. Every cent should be accounted for,” said Chirau.
Ward
10 Cllr Charles Chikozho urged council to adopt an automated payment system
which was traceable.
“Let’s
do away with manual systems of revenue collection and adopt automated systems
which can be audited or traced. Corruption is encompassed in systems not
individuals because the clerks don’t eat alone,” said Chikozho.
Ward
18 councillor John Manyundwa also weighed in to the motion saying council has
to engage private players with the capacity to supply the systems so that they
can be implemented as a matter of urgency.
“I
propose that a rotational system be put in place as a temporary measure while
we look for other private players to help us establish a proper system,” said
Manyundwa.

Zivhu Foundation in ambitious sanitary wear drive

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Zivhu Foundation in ambitious sanitary wear drive


Moses Ziyambi
The Zivhu Foundation Zimbabwe is
bringing into the country several hundred kilogrammes of female sanitary wear
as part of wider efforts to make the products more accessible to women from low
income backgrounds.
The sanitary pads, which come in
packets of 10, are manufactured at the Zivhu Foundation South Africa’s highly-mechanised
factory in Pretoria.
In an interview with TellZim
News, Zivhu Foundation director Killer Zivhu said the motive of the venture was
completely philanthropic, with the only financial concern being the
sustainability of operations.
“We are responding to the
impossible-to-ignore calls to make access to sanitary wear a basic human right
for all woman and girls. Globally, women’s health issues are increasingly becoming
issues of human rights and we want to fit right into that narrative. Why should
our women and girls still suffer the indignities of period poverty?” said
Zivhu.
Zivhu, who is the Zanu PF Member
of Parliament (MP) for Chivi South, said the programme was also meant to create
marketing job opportunities for women who want to sell the products in their
communities.
“We have set up a distribution
centre in Harare. Our products are selling for just $6 per packet of 10 and
that makes them the most affordable on the market. Women who want to be our
sales persons in communities must go and register. The money raised is ploughed
back into the business to make it sustainable,” said Zivhu.
He also said the foundation was
also campaigning to raise sanitary hygiene awareness among males so that they
better appreciate the need to support women and girls in that regard.
Asked why the foundation had not
set up the manufacturing plant in Zimbabwe to help the cause of formal job
creation, Zivhu cited shortage of inputs.
“It’s harder and much more
expensive to access the raw materials locally. So it’s generally about
operational costs which are not friendly to the philanthropic cause we want to
champion using this programme,” said Zivhu.
The foundation recently donated
some pads to some South African schools with majority Zimbabwean pupils .
The renowned philanthropist also
said the foundation was fully supportive of a recent government decision to
supply free sanitary pads to poor schools beginning in the rural areas.

Biti, Sikhala saves MDC Masvingo executive from dissolution

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Biti, Sikhala saves MDC Masvingo executive from dissolution
Sikhala and Biti in at the Tsavingirai Memorial lecture in Masvingo on Feb 14, 2020

                                 
…as Chamisa settles for suspension
Upenyu Chaota
MDC
vice president Tendai Biti and national deputy chairperson Job Sikhala last
Sunday came to the rescue of the under fire MDC Masvingo provincial executive
which party president Nelson  Chamisa had
moved out to dissolve but had to only be suspended after Biti and Sikhala’s
intervention.
Time
has proven right sentiments by former MDC secretary general Douglas Mwonzora
who lambasted the MDC Masvingo provincial executive when it was elected last
year at the chaotic provincial congress saying they were incompetent and the
party, in the province, was doomed.
The
James Gumbi led executive retained the province at the last year’s controversial
provincial congress presided over by Chamisa but has failed to pass the test of
time with the party becoming dormant in the province under their watch.
Chamisa
told the MDC provincial assembly last Sunday that the province has failed and
showed gross incompetence which has resulted in chaos in the province with some
districts being presided over by parallel structures.
“Masvingo
has a big problem. We have a dysfunctional provincial executive which has
failed the people and the party.
“It
is my duty to dissolve this province because they have shown gross incompetence
and insubordination,” said Chamisa.
Biti
and Sikhala told Chamisa that it was prudent for the matter to be discussed at
the national council arguing that dissolving the province was rather too harsh
before ascertaining all the facts.
Chamisa
gave each provincial executive member the floor to speak for themselves but the
majority agreed to be dissolved saying they have failed but Chamisa went on to
suspend them indefinitely pending finalization of their charges by the national
executive.
Gumbi
was conspicuous by his absence from the provincial assembly meeting and he took
a lot of punches in absentia.
“Where
is Gumbi? Why is he not here? Who did he tell? That is clear insubordination.
This meeting was called for by the party’s leadership and Gumbi decides not to
show up without giving a reason. 
“I
will not tolerate indiscipline in the party. The party has protocol and
hierarchy. If you hold a position you serve at the pleasure of the people. But
if you see that you can no longer deliver as per the will of the people that is
your end,” said Chamisa.
MDC
Masvingo provincial organizer Elton Ziki tried to throw Gumbi under the bus
saying Chamisa must not paint them with the same brush arguing that it was
Gumbi who had a problem and he should be the only one to take the fall.
“We
should not paint everyone with the same brush. Some of us are just caught up in
between when the real problem is with Gumbi.
“Gumbi
is a highly temperamental character and he does not take onboard other people’s
opinions. He gets angry easily and imposes his will on the province,” argued
Ziki.
Chamisa
fired back at Ziki telling him that Gumbi alone would not have destroyed the
province but it was a collective effort by all provincial members.
“The
problem is not Gumbi. You have all failed. Do not try to defend yourself. You
fail as a team. The province has no capacity to work together. Objectively
speaking this province has failed.
“I
told you to deal with the mayor Maboke issue but you did not listen. The party
has become dormant under your watch. We will not have this. There are serious
factions in the province and there are a lot of parallel structures in most
districts and the province is the problem so we are suspending it.
“An
independent team will be put in place to deal with all the problems in the
province,” said Chamisa.
Gumbi
could not be drawn into comment as his mobile went unanswered.

Year 2020 is ours: Bikita RDC

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Year 2020 is ours: Bikita RDC
Peter Chibhi

Brighton Chiseva

BIKITA – Bikita Rural District
Council (RDC) is confident that 2020 will be their year, with many projects
nearing completion while many others are being planned.
The Shumbaimwe
Clinic project in Ward 11, which was constructed by the local authority in partnership
with Bikita Minerals, is one of the major projects that have already been
completed.
The project is
set to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2020, and will lessen the distance
travelled by locals to the nearest health centres.
There is hope
for greater portable water provision in the form of bush pumps as well as
solar-powered boreholes which are to be drilled in the first quarter of this
year in various wards of the district.
Bikita RDC Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Chibhi said he was confident that the local
authority will be able to complete all outstanding projects within the
stipulated timeframe.
“The year 2020
is set to be the year of achieving the results. We want to meet the set targets
and provide excellent service to the people of Bikita. I am confident that we
will commission a number of projects as well as complete those that are still
underway.
“The main focus
is on health, education and provision of safe drinking water. In that regard,
we are set to commission two more clinics namely Odzi Clinic in Ward 3 under Chief
Mabika and Mupamaonde Clinic in Ward 22 under Chief Mukanganwi in the second
quarter of 2020,” said Chibhi.
In the education
sector the local authority is set to commission a double block at Zindove
Primary School in Ward 2 under Chief Mabika and another at Mupakwa Primary in Ward
13 in Mukanganwi area again in the second quarter of the year.
In the third quarter
of 2020, Bikita RDC aims to complete more projects including Chibvure Clinic in
Nyahunda area, Ward 28.
“Our 2020 budget
was approved, and this will now give us room to enforce the tariffs. We want to
maximise revenue collection so that we can meet the set targets,” said Chibhi.
He urged
ratepayers to pay their dues in time to help the local authority to meet its
targets and ensure good service delivery.
“We encourage
all our ratepayers to make sure that they pay in time. This helps us to meet
the set targets. We want to make sure that we provide quality services to our
residents but we can only do that when they play their part,” said Chibhi.
Last year, the
local authority won a number of accolades and awards with Chibhi himself being
named CEO of the Year for the second year running during the Megafest Local
Governance Awards held in Harare.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        

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