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Syngenta urges farmers to buy seeds from reputable shops

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Syngenta urges farmers to buy seeds from reputable shops

                                                       Norman Chihumo
Courage Dutiro
As
the rainy season approaches, Syngenta Seed Company has warned farmers in
Masvingo against buying fake maize seeds as that will result in below-average
yields and outright losses.
Speaking
to TellZim News during the just-ended Masvingo Agricultural Show, Norman
Chihumo of Syngenta sales support urged local farmers to buy seeds only from reputable
shops.
“We
know that every season, farmers are duped by fake seed dealers who sell fake
maize seeds at low prices. We encourage farmers to buy seeds from reputable shops
and seed outlets. We also have agronomists who move around many wards selling
our branded maize seed.
“Most
of these fake seeds are sold on the streets and by uncertified dealers and
prices are usually low. So we urge farmers to be careful when buying seeds and to
buy from established agro-dealers only,” said Chihumo.
He
said Syngenta had seeds that were adaptive to local weather patterns
characterised by intermittent droughts and unreliable rainfall.
“As
Syngenta, we make drought-tolerant seed varieties that adapt to different
weather conditions. We urge farmers to buy those seeds in order to produce
better yields,” he said.
Chihumo
said due to the current sharp rise in prices, farmers were being tempted to
look for fake seeds as a more affordable alternative but he warned that such a
move would not be a solution.
“Buying
fake seeds will not help because it will result in losses. You better buy
original seeds at a higher price and be guaranteed of good results,” said
Chihumo.
In
most shops a 10kg bag of maize seed is now selling at prices of between $250
and $354.

Maranda High under 17 volleyball team shines at NBVC

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Maranda High under 17 volleyball team shines at NBVC

…school
takes pride in transformation drive
Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – Maranda
High School’s talented Under 17 boys’ volleyball team has yet again raised
Masvingo province’s flag higher after finishing at second position at the
recently-held National Beach Volleyball Competitions (NBVC).
The
tight national contests, hosted by Dewure High School in Gutu district from September
27 – 29, saw Maranda High’s skilful boys progressing from group stage up to the
finals.
Under
the mentorship of Samuel Chatunga, popularly known in the volleyball circles as
‘destroyer’, the Maranda High team succeeded against tough competition from such
high schools such as Chibi, Churchill, Munene and Murambinda.
The
Maranda High squad managed to secure a clean ticket to the finals after
defeating Murambinda 2-0 in the semi-finals. They however, suffered a 2-0
defeat in the finals where they played Bulawayo-based Luveve High School.
Maranda
High School head, Henry Mapira praised the team for the superb performance, saying
such an achievement reflected the school’s capability to achieve greater
results.
“The
boys’ triumph is a landmark in the school’s history and we dedicate this to
God. This is our second time in a row participating in the same games at
national level. This time around, we exceeded our previous performance and this
was made possible by our dedicated and hardworking staff.
“Owing
to the unwavering support rendered by our committed SDC, parents and business
community, our volleyball team has made us proud,” said Mapira.
He
also told TellZim News that the school’s strategic position in the entire
Mwenezi West had given them a challenge to turn it into a boarding school.
He
said he was happy that the school had recorded a steadily rising pass rate over
the years, leading to parents from the most unlikely places coming to find
placement for their children.
Maranda
High, which is one of the leading schools in the whole Mwenezi district, is on
a transformation drive which involves the upgrading of facilities and the
construction of a perimeter wall to improve security.

The retrogressive nature of Zimbabwe’s power politics: 2008-2018

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The retrogressive nature of Zimbabwe’s power politics: 2008-2018

Tatenda freeman Murenjekwa
This
article seeks to highlight the bad side of power politics drawing examples from
two major political parties namely the Zimbabwe African National Union for Patriotic
Front (Zanu PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The period
covered has been characterized by tense political and economic situations. The
article will also delve into the implications of power politics towards the
welfare of the generality of Zimbabweans. The old adage which says “When two
elephants fight grass suffers rang true to the writer in as far as the period
from 2008-2018 is concerned.

The writer is also going to pin point the
consequences of controversial elections in Zimbabwe as well as comparing the
holding of elections during the two epochs thus during the Mugabe  and Munangagwa era. The need for Zimbabwe  in the post Mugabe to alienate itself from
power politics and went a step further even to imitate Mugabe and Tsvangirai
and Mutambara’s initiative for a power sharing deal which managed to provide
relief to Zimbabweans is also going to be discussed. The significance and
stumbling blocks towards a union of convenience between Munangagwa and Chamisa
are also going to be unveiled.
The writer noted political turmoil aftermath the
controversial 2018 elections and economic crisis taking a center stage in the
day to day basis.  The economic crisis
manifested itself through petrol queues, cash crisis, price hikes and inflation
and the writer depicted the retrogressive nature of power politics towards the
prolonged suffering of the Zimbabwean populace.

A PRELUDE TO POWER SHARING DEAL
In
2008, elections were held in Zimbabwe with two main warring political parties at
loggerheads that is the MDC –T led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zanu PF led by
Robert Mugabe. The political and economic crisis that bedeviled Zimbabwe during
2008 gave an impetus for Zanu PF and MDC-T and MDC-M to engage in an endeavor
to ease people’s lives.
Raftopolous (2013) notes that the economy was in a worst
condition of the post-colonial era with hyper-inflation, unemployment, failure
of state services, massive human displacements serving as major indicators of
this crises. Raftopolous and Mlambo (2009) noted that hyperinflation reached an
official level of 230 million % by the end of 2008, devaluing both earnings and
savings.
Mutambara (2018) notes that under Mugabe’s rule, inflation has soared
and basic commodities have disappeared from the market. Edwin Tsvangirai cited
in Newsday May 6 2019, pleaded with the two political protagonists to talk in
the interest of the nation. He said, to save the country from further collapse,
opposition leaders must draw lessons from Tsvangirai who between 2009 and 2013
worked hand in glove with his rival Mugabe in a coalition government.
Setting
aside power politics and dialogue in the interest of the generality of people
proved to be the remedy towards resolving crisis in Zimbabwe.
According to
Paulo Freire (1968), the object of dialogical action is to make it possible for
the oppressed by perceiving their adhesion, to opt to transform an unjust reality.
The extreme nature of the growing political, economic and humanitarian crisis
in Zimbabwe in 2008 exacerbated by the contested June 2008 Presidential
elections added new urgency to the mediation discussions and on 21 July a
Memorandum of understanding was signed by three parties (Raftopolous 2013).
Alexander Jocelyn et al (2014) state that despite winning the 2008 elections,
the MDC agreed to a power sharing deal in which they were in practice subordinate
partners.
Masunungure (2009) notes that between March and June 2008,
Tsvangirai’s party had its electoral support base broken by all-night
indoctrination vigils, intimidation, public beatings and displacement. On
Tuesday 20 March 2007, the Zambia’s Levy Mwanawasa likened Zimbabwe to a
sinking titanic whose passengers are jumping out in a bid to save their lives. The
Global Political Agreement (GPA) in 2009 has managed to be a short- term
panacea for the country’s economic woes and political crisis.
Tatenda Freeman Murenjekwa is a
holder of Bachelor of Arts Honors Degree History and he writes articles for
educational purposes.

The views expressed here are expressly his and do not in any way reflect the standpoints of TellZim Newss

Mutare villagers march against ritual murders

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Mutare villagers march against ritual murders


Munyaradzi
Goche

MUTARE
–
Scores of angry villagers last week filled Chitakatira Police Base demanding
local police to take action against the increasing numbers of ritual killing of
people in their area.
Many people have been
killed by a suspected group of human slayers (mabhinya) since mid-August 2019.
A member of Mugodhi
Apostolic Church John Muponda went missing on Monday last week and family and
church mates found his remains dumped partially decayed at Makuti Farm in Vumba
on Saturday.
A church congregant who
refused to be named for own security reasons suspects that Muponda was murdered
even though post-mortem results were not yet out by the time of writing.
The female church
member also expressed her concern about what she considered to be lax policing
and investigative work by authorities.  
“John was someone close
to me. It’s so sad that he is no more. I am here out of anger. Why they are
killing others like chickens,” said the congregant.
Local traditional leaders
were also amongst the villagers who took part in the demonstrations.
One of them is Headman
Simon Chigodora who described the situation in the area as a very weird
one.           
“We
have not come here to damage police property. We just want to express our
worries. Most of these people has relatives and friends killed by those
criminals. More than three people were killed since the end of August. The Chigodora
community needs police attention,” Headman Chigodora told TellZim News.
Manicaland
provincial police spokesperson Assistance Inspector Luxson Chananda confirmed the
rise in cases of murders saying authorities were doing their work to fight all
forms of crime.                
         
   

‘Abundant but underutilised resources in Mwenezi’

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‘Abundant but underutilised resources in Mwenezi’

Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – The district of Mwenezi is potentially one of the country’s richest, with capacity to support livelihoods for millions of people if its abundant natural resources are fully exploited and managed.
This was said by the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira while addressing Zanu PF supporters who gathered at Rutenga for victory celebrations hosted by Mwenezi East Member of Parliament (MP) Joosbi Omar.
Chadzamira pointed at the district’s vast unharnessed opportunities that include land, forests, wildlife and sunshine.
“Mwenezi district is blessed with vast God-given resources. In the entire province in particular and the whole country in general, Mwenezi is the district with many cattle. The district has fertile soils, diverse minerals, several game conservancies and many big dams like Manyuchi which are not being fully exploited for the benefit of locals,” said Chadzamira.
He warned against corruption at all levels of communities and called upon the people to work hard and make a success of the district.
With the prospect of a dry port being established at Rutenga, Chadzamira said there was a chance for the growth point developing into a large urban area, bigger than City of Masvingo.
Omar’s victory celebrations were held under the theme ‘Celebrating Loyalty and Faith in Developing Mwenezi East Together as One Team’.
The event was attended by Zanu PF politburo member and senator for Chivi-Mwenezi Josaya Hungwe, other MPs and various government heads of departments.

   

Chivhu man cuts self to death in butchery

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Chivhu man cuts self to death in butchery

The late Jasper Nyamande
Elliot Jinjika
CHIVHU – In a stranger than fiction
case, a 29-year-old man recently left the small town shocked and baffled after
he killed himself by cutting his throat using a knife at a butchery at Old
Location shopping centre where he worked.
Sources
who spoke to TellZim News said Jasper Nyamande had spent the day asking his
co-worker Persuade Kasekudzwa and other people around to cut him to death but
they took it lightly as a joke.
They
later on went into the butchery after being suspicious of events only to find
Nyamande on the ground and in a pool of blood, with a knife on his side.
“He
persisted that he needed someone to cut him on the throat but we all thought
that he was joking but we were later on shocked to realise that something was strange
had happened in the butchery. We saw him lying in a pool of blood and he had
already killed himself,” said the source.
Efforts
to get a comment from Kasekudzwa – the co-worker – did not succeed as he could
not be reached on the phone.
The
butchery had also closed early in response to the grisly act of alleged
suicide.
Mashonaland
East provincial police spokesperson Tendai Mwanza confirmed the incident but
could not shed more light on the details.
He
however said there was always a solution to life challenges and urged people to
never contemplate suicide even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Gweru suspends ‘incompetent’ town clerk

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Gweru suspends ‘incompetent’ town clerk

Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru
City Council on Tuesday, October 15, confirmed the suspension of town clerk Elizabeth
Gwatipedza saying the move was necessitated by deteriorating service delivery
standards and her failure to effectively carry out her duties.
Mayor
Josiah Makombe said the suspension was due to the failure by Gwatipedza, as the
accounting officer, to effectively run council operations.
“We
are coming from a special council meeting were deliberations on the suspension
letter have been made. The letter was issued yesterday and councillors have
harmoniously adopted the move.
“So
she is now suspended pending necessary processes which need to done according
to the law. So it’s just a suspension whereby she must answer to the charges.
“Being
the accounting officer, she was supposed to act and implement service delivery
operations to the expectations of residents. Roads are bad, refuse is not being
collected and water issues – all those are not well. We want to make everyone
understand that we mean business. This is council’s decision and six charges
are being levelled namely gross incompetence and failure to manage departments
amid others,” said Makombe.
He
said the suspension was not politically-motivated but was meant to point out
the direction that the city should take.
“This
is purely on employment basis where one is supposed to be accountable. It’s not
a political decision; we are declared politicians as councillors but our staff members
are not politically-enclosed. We cannot use politics on our staff. Mrs
Gwatipedza was employed on merit,” Makombe said.
Local
residents groups have of late complained that municipal services are
deteriorating, pointing to a recent service delivery report as evidence of
corruption and mismanagement.
Gweru
Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) director, Selipiwe Cornelia accused
Gwatipedza’s office of deliberately failing to respond to questions arising
from the adverse report.
Among
many other evidence of gross incompetence, the report points to glaring mistakes
by the director of engineering Robson Manatsa, regarding water capacity and recordings at Gwenhoro
Dam and the procurement of an old backhoe loader which the department had
claimed was new.

Mwenezi senator attacks exploitation of district by ‘outsiders’

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Mwenezi senator attacks exploitation of district by ‘outsiders’

 Manyuchi Dam is a white elephant despite widespread poverty in Mwenezi


…as
cotton farmers reject RTGS dollar
Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – People
from outside Mwenezi are reaping ‘excessive’ benefits from the available vast natural
resources in the district at the expense of locals who continue to wallow in
abject poverty.
These
concerns were raised recently by Chivi-Mwenezi Sanator Clara Shumba while
addressing farmers from across the district who gathered at the Rutenga Cottco
Depot.
In
her address, Shumba regretted that locals continued to wallow in miserable
poverty while those from outside the district were becoming rich owing to what
she claimed were inequitable resource allocation priorities.
“I
once asked the minister (the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Ezra
Chadzamira) over these issues. In Mwenezi district, we have vast resources but
unlike in other districts where locals benefit from their own resources, the
people here are poor.
“As
I speak, we are all aware that vast tracts of land here are owned by people
from outside the district yet locals have nothing to show. This is very
retrogressive in as far as promoting the district’s sustainable development is
concerned,” said Shumba to a loud applause from gathering.
On
their part, farmers rejected payment for their produce in the country’s
currency known as the RTGS dollar, demanding that they instead be paid in the
US dollar.
Farmers
attacked what they considered to be discriminatory payment processes, saying
tobacco farmers were being paid in US dollars for their produce.
“The
RTGS money is completely useless such that paying us using it is tantamount to
day-light robbery. We need payment in the form of hard cash and not electronic
money. For us cotton farmers who are paid in local currency, we feel government
is segregating us, given that tobacco farmers are paid in US dollars,” fumed
one farmer.
Mwenezi
East Member of Parliament (MP) Joosbi Omar and Shumba promised to swiftly
forward the farmers’ concerns to responsible authorities.   
 

Mugabe as a benevolent dictator: 2008-2017

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Mugabe as a benevolent dictator: 2008-2017

Tatenda
Freeman Murenjekwa
This article
seeks to reveal the good and the bad side of Mugabe’s rule from 2008 to 2017
though the late nonagenarian ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years.
His tenure of
office was cut short by a military coup of November 2017. During his tenure of
office, Mugabe managed to use his diplomacy to settle down the political,
social and economic woes bedeviling the country leading to the formation of the
Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2009. He was also able to sanction and
control price hikes although the economy continued to decline.
This paper is
also going to showcase the bad side of Mugabe; that is his use of the Machiavellian
philosophy to prolong his stay on power. He was accused of vote-rigging and his
contribution towards economic instability which was accelerated by his cold war
politics cannot be taken for granted. Mugabe’s ‘Look East Policy’ also affected
Zimbabwe’s economic growth. Current President Emmerson Mnangagwa is trying to
move away from Mugabe’s approach by calling for the re-engagement policy in an endeavor
to kick-start the economy. The writer, however, argues that Mugabe did more
harm than good in as far as improving the political, social and economic status
of Zimbabwe is concerned. However, when juxtaposed with Mnangagwa, it can be
argued that Mugabe was better.
A DIPLOMATIC
CADRE
Mugabe used
diplomacy in resolving political and economic crisis affecting the Zimbabwean community.
In 2008, Zimbabwe was plunged into a political crisis emanating from the disputed
elections which Mugabe was alleged to have vote rigged. In an attempt to calm
the tense political sphere, a union of convenience was facilitated by the
SADC-sent mediator Thabo Mbeki. Mugabe agreed to have talks with the so-called
winner of the elections; Morgan Richard Tsvangirai for the sake of political,
social and economic relief. In 2009, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and other lesser
players signed the Government of National Unity. The period post-2009 improved
in terms of the political, social and economic situation in Zimbabwe. Mugabe
refused to let go crucial ministries in order to further prolong his stay on
power. Tsvangirai was mandated to drive the economy in an endeavor to lure
support from European countries. During this period, the multi-currency system
was implemented by the then Finance Minister Tendai Biti proved to have the
solutions to the country’s economic woes.
Mugabe proved
to be a capable leader in the sense that he was able to sanction economic saboteurs
and contain price hikes. On the other hand, Mnangagwa is too soft to contain
price hikes and he is failing to ease the political, social and economic crisis
affecting Zimbabweans. Most if not all Zimbabweans have lost confidence in Zanu
PF’s so-called austerity measures as fuel queues, price hikes, poor water and
electricity supplies persisted. Some Zimbabweans regard Mnangagwa and Mugabe as
‘Siamese Twins’ in their rulership. Over and above, Mugabe was a diplomat.
Despite his shortcomings, Mugabe could stand his ground and use diplomatic
means to coerce economic saboteurs to minimize unjustified price hikes.
MUGABE’S USE
OF REPRESSIVE STATE APPARATUS
Mugabe used
repressive state apparatus in the name of police, army and the Central
Intelligence Organization (CIO) to deal with opposition. Opposition members and
supporters suffered a lot of atrocities in the hands of Mugabe. According to
Jocelyn Alexander and Blessing-Miles Tendi, Zanu PF used the CIO police and
army to intimidate opposition members and their sympathisers. In retrospect,
when Edgar Tekere formed the Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM) in 1989, he was the
first party to pose a real challenge to Mugabe who hoped to run unchallenged
and establish a one party state. Violence against the opposition during the
1990 elections culminated into the shooting of Kombayi who dared to challenge
Vice President Simon Muzenda in Midlands’s city of Gweru. The use of violence
towards opposition party members and their subordinates became part and parcel
of Zanu PF’s strategies to contain opposition.
Apart from
Mugabe’s positive achievements during his tenure of office, Mugabe brutalizes
opposition party members and supporters. Many were left homeless, orphans and
crippled before and aftermath the election period. According to Blair (2002),
Mugabe was a quintessential purveyor of power politics. Bratton (2014), also notes
that Mugabe’s path to the apex of state power, by bullet as well as ballot,
shapes the way he has subsequently governed. However Mnangagwa cannot be exonerated
from Mugabe’s use of Machiavellian philosophy to safeguard his hold on power. Mnangagwa
was Mugabe’s right hand man. Mnangagwa tried to portray himself as a renewed
person who diverted from his predecessor’s path but Zanu PF will always be Zanu
PF as shown by the August 1 incident.
MUGABE and MNANGAGWA
Comparing
Mugabe to Mnangagwa, one can say Mnangagwa managed to divert from his
Godfather’s footsteps by looking at the way he championed democratic space and
his re-engagement strategies. Zimbabweans from all walks of life however have a
nostalgic feeling in the sense that under Mnangagwa’s reign they are suffering
and living below the poverty datum line. According to Southall, there is much
in the transition from Mugabe to Mnangagwa to suggest continuity rather than change.
Southall (2017) notes that Mnangagwa’s cabinet was designed to establish his
authority within Zanu PF, build bridges to potential opponents and re-assert
the ruling party’s alliance with the military. As such it came as a major
disappointment to the mass of Zimbabwe’s who had been hoping against the odds,
that Mnangagwa would separate the wheat from the chaff. According to Thorncroft
(2017), the response of opposition forces to the new government was voiced by
Tendai Biti who denounced it as both ‘betrayal of Zimbabwe’ and a ‘military
junta’. Magaisa argues that Zimbabweans are disheartened by the apparent
failure of the Mnangagwa regime to arrest the deteriorating economic situation.
To him, after Mugabe, the only way was up or so it seemed but the regime looks
and sounds clueless with each passing day. Mnangagwa has so far proved to be a
failure in resolving the economic woes which he and his predecessor created.
Innocent Gonese, the chief whip of the main MDC said “Robert Mugabe was no
good, he was cruel and heartless and in spite of his array of degrees his
appreciation of the law of economics was zilch. I never thought that he could
get someone worse than him. “While others are of the opinion that Mnangagwa
proved to be a failure, his followers are arguing that Mnangagwa has to be
given time to resolve the economy. Their argument being that there is time to
plant and time to harvest therefore they promise Zimbabweans that there is
light at the end of the tunnel. As cited in the Bulawayo 24 news, Trump said
Zimbabweans lived under better conditions during former Mugabe’s tenure of office
than they are doing under Mnangagwa.
Tatenda
Freeman Murenjekwa is a holder of a Bachelor of Arts honors Degree in History
and he writes articles for educational purposes. The views expressed here are
his, and do not in any way reflect the position of TellZim News.

No more free reign at ‘Chitima’, vendors warned

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No more free reign at ‘Chitima’, vendors warned

                                                         Levison Nzvura


….as council moves to
improve conditions at shanty market

Mukai
Musimwa
MASVINGO
–
City of Masvingo Housing and Community Services director Levison Nzvura has
said council will no longer allow free reign at Chitima market, and is designing
a plan to allocate stalls to identified individuals who will regularly pay
rentals to council.
In 2015, council lost
much control of the shanty market following politicised protests by informal
traders who felt council was milking them dry by collecting daily fees without
improving facilities.
In an interview with
TellZim News, Nzvura said council was now moving to regularise business at the
market and come up with a database of people who will be allocated market
stalls.
“We have been unable to
keep track of the exact number of people doing business there because there is
no consolidated database of traders. People come and occupy a stall for a day
or two and then go away. Nobody pays for the bays except for a few so council
is making huge losses there,” said Nzvura.
He said despite not
collecting much in terms of revenue from traders at the market, council was
still providing water, removing refuse and maintaining the toilets.
 “We have done a lot to make sure conditions there
are good but sometimes the people themselves make a mess of their own market.
People use the strangest of objects in the toilets leading to blockages, and
it’s council that has to unblock them despite that most of the very same people
do not pay anything to use the market,” said Nzvura.
He said council
expected to complete the rationalisation of the clothing section of the market
first before moving on to the vegetable side.
“There are about 700
bays there and we want to know who owns which bay so that we can make follow
ups in terms of rentals. We will then use the money collected to improve
facilities and put a good shade starting with the vegetable section. We want a
proper market where people can go and shop with confidence,” said Nzvura.
He encouraged market
users and members of the public to contribute to cleaner surroundings by
avoiding littering and illegal dumping of garbage.

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