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Chipinge chief accused of stealing food aid

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Chipinge chief accused of stealing food aid

                                            Chief Mupungu


Stephen Ephraem
CHIPINGE – A Chipinge traditional leader,
Chief Mupungu (born Happison Nxumalo) of the Nguni/Ndwandwe people in Chipinge
South is making headlines for the wrong reasons.
Barely
a month after the youthful leader was in the news for selling a very expensive
Isuzu twin cab vehicle that was allocated to him by government for a few
thousand dollars, Chief Mupungu is now accused of selling tonnes of rice that
was meant for his less privileged subjects.
A
source privy to this development revealed that instead of facilitating the
distribution of the grain to poor people, he sold it to some civil servants in
Chipinge South.
“Chief Mupungu is now at war with people in his territory. He
was manhandled last
week during a rain-making ceremony as people were angry at him for various
reasons
but the main issue was that he sold rice that was meant for the people affected
by drought in his land,”
said one source.
“It is our understanding that each chief was allocated five
tonnes of rice under a Presidential programme but Chief Mupungu took the grain
for himself and started selling it to civil servants in the area.
“We only heard that the chief was selling the rice for R300
for a 50kg bag and some of the bags that were delivered at Garahwa business
centre for sale,”
said a source.
Efforts
to get a comment from Chief Mupungu by the time of going to print proved futile
as his phone could not be reached on voice call.
He
had also not responded to questions sent to him via SMS.

Govt insincerity on devolution appalling, says NGO Forum

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Govt insincerity on devolution appalling, says NGO Forum
Wilbert Mandinde

Upenyu
Chaota

MASVINGO— Section 264 of the Zimbabwean constitution provides
for devolution of power from the central government to provinces but the
President Emmerson Mnangagwa led administration has not passed the law to
operationalise the process yet the ministry of finance has already disbursed
millions in devolution funds, a move which experts say shows the ‘new
dispensation’s’ lack of sincerity to devolve power.
Speaking at the Provincial and Metropolitan Council
Shadow Bill consultative meeting last week, Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
senior projects lawyer Wilbert Mandinde said the government should work on the
devolution law first before they start disbursing funds.
“When we are looking at devolution in terms of
Zimbabwe you take it from the context of the Constitution and our starting
point is Section 264 which speaks of devolution of governmental powers and
responsibilities.
“So it deals with both devolution of governmental
powers as well as responsibilities initially of central government. The section
is clear to say that power should be devolved from national to either provincial
or metropolitan council as well as further down to the local authority, which
is the whole idea,” said Mandinde.
Mandinde said the disbursement of devolution funds
without the law means that the money may be used on other things opposite to
the intended purpose.
“In terms of Section 265 (3), it requires an act of
parliament to provide appropriate mechanisms and procedures to facilitate
coordination from central government, provincial, metropolitan and local
councils. So there is need for a law as a starting point but here we see that
the government has already started giving people money for devolution. The law
is supposed to spell out how the money is supposed to be used so by giving out
money without the law I do not know what the government is trying to do.
“The law is not there at the moment. The aspirations
of both the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) and NGO Forum is then to say let us
discuss a model law so that when money is disbursed people are able to handle
the money as per the law.
“Devolution money should be used in a manner that
benefits the community but the issue is on who determines what is good for the
community. We have a situation here in Masvingo City where the council wants to
use devolution money to drill boreholes to alleviate the water crisis but is
that what the community agreed on because the city council is obliged to
provide water even when the devolution money was not there. I see no link
really to say that the money being given to the local authorities is for
devolution when it is being used for service delivery,” said Mandinde.
He said the government should treat devolution
different from decentralisation as the two are not the same.
“Devolution recognises the right of communities to
manage their own affairs to further their development. It is important to note
that devolution is not decentralisation. Decentralisation is a simple issue in
which you simply say you can have something similar to national government
within provincial or local structures.
“Devolution then goes to the power the people have
within each and every area and are able to make decisions on their own based on
the resources they have.
“I do not understand why the government is taking long
to come up with the devolution law but the conclusion any one person can make
is that the government is not being very sincere.  The government realises the importance of the
particular constitution provision.
“The government further realises that it is obliged to
implement and I think is one of the things that they campaigned with saying they
will devolve power,” said Mandinde.
Sources within Zanu PF said their party never wanted
devolution as it would amount to loss of political capital.
“People should know that the constitution is a
negotiated document between MDC and Zanu PF. This section on devolution is
purely MDC and Zanu PF does not want to devolve power. Devolving power means
losing it and we will not devolve ourselves out of power.
“At some point Mwonzora (Douglas) offered to come up
with the devolution law but we shot it down,” said a Zanu PF source.

Zanu PF youths storm full council meeting, eject DA

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Zanu PF youths storm full council meeting, eject DA

                                         Brian Munyoro

…DA
locked out of office as Zanu PF youths demand loyalty

Precila Takabvirakare

MPANDAWANA –
Zanu PF Masvingo provincial youth leaders recently ejected Gutu District
Development Coordinator (DDC, formerly known as DA) Mellody Jiri Mafukidze from
a Gutu Rural District Council (RDC) full council meeting accusing her of
committing various misdemeanours.
Munyoro
was in company of party colleagues Mafio Baster, Bare Trust and Josphat
Sarukore.
They
accused her of ‘playing games’ in the district influencing councillors not to
respect their local leaders including chiefs and Members of Parliament (MPs).
They
also took the keys from her office and handed them over to Gutu Police Station
saying the police should keep them safe until a new DDC could be found.
When
contacted for comment, Munyoro said that they had several reports from
different wards that Mafukidze was influencing councillors not to respect their
local leaders.
“We
decided to take this action because we have heard several reports that she is
badly influencing our councillors and we do not know maybe she wants to recruit
her own local leadership but that will not happen.
 “We also heard that at her work place, she
has monopolised power and does not allow other administration officers to
perform their own duties. We wonder how such a scenario will help our district
to develop. We are aware she is just new in this district and she does not know
much about the district. In light of that, how will our district develop if she
centralises all functions in her own hands,” Munyoro complained.
He
warned that the youths did not want to use violence but were resolute in their
demands for their concerns to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Munyoro
said they reported the matter to the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial
Affairs Ezra Chadzamira who promised them that the Provincial District
Coordinator (PDC) Fungai Mbetsa will deal with the matter.
When
contacted for comment, Mafukidza chose to play hardball, saying she knew
nothing of the incident.
“What
are you talking about? As you may know, I am in my office right now and nothing
of that sort ever happened. I don’t know about the issue you are talking
about,” Mafukidze curtly responded before hanging up the call.
Some
sources told TellZim News that the police were afraid of arresting the youth
leaders although there were sufficient grounds to prefer criminal charges
against them.
“Mafukidze
is not as pliable as the previous DA whom they used to do all their political
dirty work. The new DA knows her powers and responsibilities as provided for by
her job description so they have become very frustrated by her. On many
occasions, she has refused to be used to further their political agendas and
has worked to restore the political neutrality of the office,” said the source.
Other
sources said Munyoro and company were not alone in their games as they were
only being used by bigger political names not happy with the DDC’s resoluteness.
Though
no charge was laid against the Zanu PF youths, internal police communications
show that the matter had shaken top police bosses and was due to be tabled
before the next Joint Operations (JOC) district meeting.

Embarrassment as anti-sanctions buses run empty in Mutare

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Embarrassment as anti-sanctions buses run empty in Mutare

             Ellen Gwaradzimba (centre) with party supporter at Sakubva Stadium
Felix
Matasva
MUTARE
–
Buses sent by businessman Esau Mupfumi to ferry people from the high density
suburbs to the so-called anti-sanction gathering at Sakubva Stadium last Friday
ran largely empty as residents ignore the event.
Only a handful of
people turned out for the local leg of the national event which was presided
over by the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Ellen
Gwaradzimba.
The train that was
organised to ferry people to Harare for the main event at the National Sports
Stadium reportedly carried very few people some of them only boarding the train
to reach their own destinations.
Gwaradzimba tried to
save face by claiming that the turnout was not bad although the stadium was
largely empty. The few people who turned up showed greater interest in the
available drinks, bottled water and bread than in the official proceedings.
The tents that had been
reserved for VIPs were later occupied by ordinary people as the event turned
out to be a flop.
Gwaradzimba however
acknowledged that many people did not understand the meaning of the anti-sanctions
demonstrations.
“The turnout is
good and not bad for a start because people need more education.  I think as time goes on people are going to
realise that this is a special day.
“This is a sizable
group gathered here at Sakubva Stadium. I cannot really complain as I am happy
that in Manicaland, the call for the removal of sanctions has been a success. Some
people say sanctions are targeted which is not true since they are hurting
everyone across the nation. There is need for awareness through various organisations
including church, social gatherings, political leadership and educational
institutions,” Gwaradzimba said.
 Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator
(PDC) Administrator Edgars Senza said there were plans to gather in future
until Zimbabwe was free of Western sanctions.
“It is our intention
that in future, we will continue to gather and speak with one voice until
illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe are removed so that the country can drive
its economic agenda without impediment,” said Senza.
The proceedings in
Sakubva started late with small kids enjoying music as officials waited in vain
for more people to come.

School children rescue flopped Masvingo anti-sanctions demo

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School children rescue flopped Masvingo anti-sanctions demo

             Masvingo anti-sanctions rally at Mucheke Stadium

Courage Dutiro

MASVINGO – The anti-sanction demonstrations that ended with a rally in Mucheke Stadium were dominated by children bussed in from different schools to make up the numbers after residents largely ignored the event.
Government declared October 25, 2019 a public holiday to rally against sanctions imposed on select Zanu PF individuals and entities that the United States considers to be violating human rights and blocking the path to reform.
The marches were held in all the provinces, with the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Ezra Chadzamira leading the local event.
Both the provincial marches and main national event at the National Sports Stadium in Harare largely flopped.
The failure of the rallies to attract crowds was interpreted as a result of growing awareness on government’s blame-shifting gimmicks in the face of massive corruption, policy inconsistency and general management inefficiencies.
The forced involvement of children in the Masvingo rally was condemned by many people but Zanu PF Masvingo Urban Ward 10 Cllr Sengerayi Manyanga said there was nothing wrong with the move.
“These children came to the march so that they can get to know about the sanctions and their impact on the people of Zimbabwe. This is an initiative to catch them young since they are going to be the next ministers of this country. It is these pupils who will benefit from the removal of these illegal sanctions and it will be in their history,” said Manyanga, who is also the party’s provincial secretary for administration.
Zanu PF Masvingo provincial Youth chairperson Brian Munyoro said buses were used to ferry party sympathiser from across all the districts.
“Buses carried people from all the districts to this venue. Four buses in Gutu ferried people starting from the early hours of this day. Other districts also had buses that carried people to this venue,” said Munyoro.
In the stadium, Zanu PF affiliates including traditional chiefs, war veterans and leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (Zicosu) at the Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) took turns to denounce the sanctions before Chadzamira read the official speech.

Kombi operator threatens to shoot whole TellZim News staff

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Kombi operator threatens to shoot whole TellZim News staff

                                                        Peter Chiware
…says he brought a gun from South
Africa
Brighton Chiseva
ZAKA –
A Jerera based combi operator Peter Chiware recently threatened to shoot the
whole of TellZim News staff over a story in which his girlfriend almost killed
his wife in a brawl over him.
The
story was published last week and Chiware called TellZim News threatening to
come and shoot the whole newsroom claiming that he had brought the gun from South
Africa.
He
went on to send threatening massages on WhatsApp saying the reporter had to
come and apologize or face the consequences.
“If
you had lived in South Africa you would have known what I’m talking about. If
you don’t come to apologize South Africa will come here. You have to choose
between coming to apologize or get revenge,” said Chiware.
Chiware
had an affair with a widow who lives about 50 meters from his home and was
caught by his wife after she came across some suggestive massages.
When
she confronted the widow (name supplied) she was attacked by the mistress who
used a hoe handle and had to be rushed to Musiso Hospital where she was
admitted for a few days.
Chiware’s
mistress is said to be a member of a Madzibaba church sect led by popular prophet
Madzibaba Jairai.
Fellow
church mates said she was putting the name of their church into disrepute by her
behavior which they say warranted her dismissal from the church.
People
close to the family claim that Chiware is a womanizer who was sleeping with a
number of married and widowed women in the area.
He
is said to be in a relationship with a teacher’s wife at Murembwa Primary
School among other women.

Girls substitute sanitary pads with cow dung

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Girls substitute sanitary pads with cow dung

 Tinaani Nyabereka
                                                                                                                                                    
GWERU-
As the economic situation in the country deteriorates with prices of most basic
goods and services meteorically rising to unprecedented levels, the sanitary
pads for women have become unreachable and many are said to be now using cow
dung as an alternative.
Speaking
at the Day of the Girl Child programme recently, Midlands State University
(MSU) Associate Professor, Irene Muzvidziwa, said most women and girls are
facing challenges in securing sanitary pads and have opted for unsafe methods.
“Many
 girls and women are putting themselves at a sexual reproductive
health risk during their mensural period through substituting proper sanitary
wear with cow dung, leaves, or clothes just because sanitary wear has just
become expensive,” said Muzvidziwa.
She
said that the patriarchal classification in the society was at the forefront of
hindering the development of the girl child in all spheres of life.
“Cultural
and patriarchal systems in our society  perpetuate gender imbalances which
then hinders the development of the girl child in all circles hence the
 worth of a girl child is then ignored.  The same fate befalls them
on issues such as early marriage, sexual abuse, right to education and
expensive sanitary wear.
“Young
women are further being sucked into the culture of “blessers” to end economic
hardships but it leaves them vulnerable to abuse .I am calling upon
stakeholders to come together and  strategize mechanism to combat these
issues, men  join in the women’s movement and take lead  in our society.”
said Muzvidziwa.
Young
Women Christian Alliance’s (YWCA) national general secretary, Muchanyara
Mukamuri urged young girls to shun peer pressure and sexual activities before
marriage.
“The
economy is hard and this has a negative impact on the girl child. Most girls
tend to succumb to peer pressure to make ends meet. They open themselves to
abuse just to access the basic needs.
“We
plead with the government to subsidize the prices of sanitary pads to save our
girls and women. The substitutes being used are a danger to women. There are
perverts who take advantage of desperate girls and abuse them. Parents should
be on the lookout,” said Mukamuri.

Engagement vital for community development, says SHDF

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Engagement vital for community development, says SHDF

Simbarashe Muparaganda  

BUHERA
(Pungwe News-New Ziana) – Engagement between citizens and community leadership
is critical in spurring development in marginalized communities, the Self Help
Development Foundation (SHDF) Executive Director has said.
Wadzanayi
Vere said this while addressing a SHDF Community Engagement meeting which was
held at Maneta Primary School; Ward 32
Chiurwi under Chief Nyashanu on Friday last week.
SHDF
is currently running some sustainable livelihoods projects in six wards in
Buhera Central, having started operating in 10 wards of Buhera district in 2013.
This was in response to perennial droughts over the years leaving the populace
especially women in a desperate situation.
Buhera
survives largely on subsistence farming but climate change has not spared the
district, with rainfall patterns deteriorating every year and yields becoming
lower.
Buhera
has a population of 245 878, 90 percent of which is unemployed.
To
mitigate the effects of droughts and climate change, SHDF moved and equipped
local villagers with self-reliance skills.
Besides
solely depending on farming as a survival strategy, SHDF also trained villagers
to run small enterprises.
To
amply the voices of the communities, Vera said SHDF was also running community
engagement platforms in areas they are operating.
The
platform brings together political leadership, critical stakeholders and
communities together to engage and share ideas.
The
platform also gives leadership and stakeholders operating in the area such as
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), government ministries, parastatals and the private
sector an opportunity to give feedback to their respective to local
communities.
Vere
said by improving communication in marginalized communities through engagement
meetings, SHDF was transmitting social and cultural values.
“Community
engagement exercises are very important in developing communities everywhere in
the world. It seeks to bring people together and help advance national
development.
“Research
shows that communities that constantly engage with its leadership and stakeholders
develop faster than those in isolation. As SHDF, we have seen it fit to bring
political leadership, stakeholders and communities together to discuss
developmental issues through this platform.
“We
want to push development agenda in our communities. Such platforms ensure that
our elected leaders are held accountable and also ensure they fulfill pledges
they made during elections campaigns,” said Vere.
She
said the engagement platforms helps local communities to be aware about and
develop a consensus upon important national and international development
issues.
“We
want communities to believe that these high offices are accessible and can be
approached. We are trying to dispel myths that these leaders are too far and
not reachable by bring government and leadership to the community so that they
meet and engage.
“We
hope they will continue to meet in their own spaces. We want to continue to
challenge women and youths to be confident and speak up and be able to raise
their issues,” she said.
Villagers
raised concerns about a poor road network and lack of electricity, making it
hard to start projects such as bakeries.
They
also pointed at the lack of markets for their produce and poor service delivery
at local authority level.
Buhera
North legislator, Dr Matthew Nyashanu said community engagement meetings were
necessary to stimulate development in rural constituencies.
He
encouraged locals to channel their energy towards ensuring the income-generating
projects being implemented by government and its development partners succeed.
“I
would like to thank SHDF for coming up with such an initiative which brings us together
as a community to discuss pertinent issues that matters in our daily lives,”
said Nyashanu.
He
said government was in the process of reviving the rehabilitation of
Murambinda-Birchough of road which is in a sorry state.
“We
are pushing hard so that the road is rehabilitated. We have engaged President ED
Mnangagwa together with Chief Nyashanu over the matter and we got assurance
that the project will be resuscitated.
“As
you can see there is progress in terms of rehabilitation and equipment is now
on site,” said the legislator.
 He also said government was assisting
villagers with food aid to cushion them against drought induced hunger while
waiting for the next farming season.
“We
are happy that affected households are receiving assistance every month from
government and other aid agencies operating in the area,” said Nyashanu.
He
urged communities to embrace the issue of self-sustenance, saying “locals
should wean themselves from donor dependency syndrome.
“Donor
dependency has taken away creativity from human beings and mostly from Africans.
It has taken away our Ubuntu as people. We need to work hard as leadership to
ensure that people embark on self-sustaining activities,” said the legislator.
Villagers
interviewed applauded SHDF for coming up with such an initiative, saying it
will help bring them closer to their community leaders.
“I
would like to thank SHDF for coming up with such an initiative. This is my
first time to engage with my legislator and I am delighted that he spoke of
critical matters that are affecting our community. We need more interactions of
this nurture as they help to clear air about certain issues,” said Michael
Hanyire, a Ward 19 resident.

Strict water rationing to persist in Mutare

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Strict water rationing to persist in Mutare

                                             Mayor Blessing Tandi
Heather
Buzuzi
City
of Mutare will continue rationing water due to challenges in pumping capacity and
supply systems as well as purification shortfalls that are unlikely to end any
time soon, Mayor Blessing Tandi has said.
Tandi
said although the city recently received some devolution funding from government,
the money was simply not enough to buy the required amounts of water
purification chemicals and to replace old, leaky pipes.
Inadequate
water purification chemicals have forced the city to draft a stricter rationing
schedule in an effort to ensure fairer supply patterns in all suburbs.
Tandi
said a solution could lie in increasing rates but acknowledged that residents
will not take kindly any rate increment proposal as they are already facing
difficult economic conditions.
“We
did receive our allocation of the devolution disbursements for this year but
it’s not enough to solve all the problems we face. We have pumping capacity
shortfalls, water purification limitations and old, corroded water distribution
infrastructure that must be replaced urgently but we have no money for all
that.
“People
are not ready for a rate hike
and this is affecting water supply. We would want to
effectively solve the water problems in the city but the resource constraints
we face are enormous,” said Tandi.

Mnangagwa is rightful king— Bishop Mutendi

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Mnangagwa is rightful king— Bishop Mutendi

         Bishop Mutendi attends the Chief Nhema celebrations

Emmaculate
Mukokoromba
ZAKA
–
The controversial Zion Christian Church (ZCC) leader Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi
has busted MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s presidential bubble saying the young
politician is a puppet of the West who are using him as a front to recolonize
the country, while ordaining President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the rightful king
send by God.
Speaking during the Chief Nhema senatorship festival
recently, Mutendi said there is a difference between a king and a rightful king
saying the latter comes from God.
Mutendi, whom
many questioned whether his message was coming from the spiritual realm or his
head, said that Chamisa still has a long road to travel to be the rightful king
for the country as he lacks the merits of a true leader.
“The whites are
still bitter that we took our country from them. They have for long tried to
make their way back into the country but have failed so they have now devised a
new strategy to retake our country using a puppet Chamisa.
“Do not be
fooled with the opposition because they are being used by the whites who have a
hidden agenda. They know they will not be able to have their way in this
country with Zanu PF in power which is why they have chosen Chamisa.
“This is why we
have sanctions and all these problems which are being caused by Chamisa. Do not
blame the government because it is trying to better the lives of its people
though it will not happen overnight,” said Mutendi.
 
Mutendi said the
people of Zimbabwe have faith in the ruling Zanu PF party and have shut out
Chamisa because they know he is not right for the country.
“The people of
Zimbabwe know that MDC is a project of the West which is why they fail to win
elections. The people do not want Chamisa to rule the country because they know
the whites will come back and occupy our land.
“For person to be a right king, he should learn
first the history of the country and appreciate it from those in power. Chamisa
does not know the history of this country and cannot be the right king,”
said Mutendi.
Mutendi said the
reason why the opposition has failed to take over power from Zanu PF is because
no man can fight what God has chosen and be successful.

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