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Command Agriculture farmers cry foul

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Command Agriculture farmers cry foul

Stephen Ephraem
CHIPINGE – Farmers who were contracted
under the Command Maize Programme in Chipinge East are crying foul over
exorbitant charges by transporters and mobile money agents when they deliver
their produce to Chipinge Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depot.
This came out at
an area agricultural show that was held at Muzite Primary School where a record
of over 76 communal farmers from Muzite and Gwenzi communal lands exhibited
their agricultural produce.
“We are being
fleeced by transporters who are charging between $7 and $15 per 50kg bag of
maize from here to town. The charges are too high considering that people here
do not have enough resources owing to Tropical Cyclone Idai which affected us
in March this year,” said one farmer Simba Mahaka.
Nancy Tafataona indicated
that farmers were also being swindled by mobile money agents who are charging
30 percent to get access to cash.
“This area is so
remote that whenever one tries to get cash, mobile money agents deduct
additional charges. We wish if GMB could consider paying us with cash,” said
Tafataona.
Chipinge East
Agritex Supervisor one Musinaki expressed concern over the high transport costs
and percentages in accessing cash.
“It’s true that
transporters are charging high prices to ferry maize to GMB. They cite poor
roads from Gwenzi and Muzite as well as black market fuel prices as factors
that makes them charge high fares.
“As for mobile
money agents, they are taking advantage of the cash crunch in the country so
whoever has hard cash dictates the pace.
“The exorbitant
charges have a negative effect on maize deliveries to GMB. If unregistered
buyers come and flash hard cash to the farmers, they might be tempted to
deliver the Command maize to them since the farmer would do away with transport
charges and mobile money charges. Something must be done as soon as possible
before the situation goes out of hand,” said Musinaki.

Negovano School in severe water rationing

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….MEDRA
pledges to help find solution
Anymore Magawa
BIKITA –
Negovano Primary School in Bikita South is experiencing a severe shortage of
water which has seen teachers at times sharing a bucket of water per day,
TellZim News can reveal.
Speaking
at a ceremony held at the school to handover furniture donated by Methodist
Development Relief Agency (Medra), Negovano Primary School head Stanley Pepukai
said the water shortages were affecting teaching and learning.
“Due
to continuous drought in this area, we are experiencing critical water
shortages for domestic use. We have got only one borehole here at school and it
cannot provide enough water for our staff members.
“We
are now practicing water rationing. We have 37 teachers here but the borehole
produces 30 buckets in the morning and another 30 in the evening. This is
having a severe negative impact on our quest to improve the teaching and
learning experience,” said Pepukai.
In
response, Medra promised to work with the school and the community in order to
improve conditions for both teachers and pupils.
This
organization donated 200 chairs for pupils, one rocking chair for the school
head, desks, five chairs for teachers, 1 530 A4 exercise books, 200 A5 exercise
books, 536 pencils, 150 rulers, 407 ever sharp pens, 35 infant school beds and
junior satchels among other things.
Medra
national director Clever Tavaziva said their wish was to help the needy as a
way of spreading the word of God.
“We
are involved in many developmental projects which include borehole drilling to
secure clean water, and toilet construction to avoid diseases like cholera.
“In
our next visit, we are going to spend some days here painting some structures
at this school and doing some renovations if possible,” said Tavaziva.
In
an interview with TellZim News, Bikita District Schools Inspector (DSI) James
Mahofa said they had approached various stakeholders to help schools affected
by Cyclone Idai in the district.
“We
have approached various stakeholders like the Infrastructural Development Bank
(IDBZ), Medra, Fenix Trust,” Mahofa said.
He
encouraged parents to contribute towards improving learning environment for
their children.
“We
urge parents to play their role and help develop the school so as to create
better learning conditions for the pupils,” said Mahofa. 

Man fatally stabbed at church all night prayer

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Man fatally stabbed at church all night prayer

Diana Gondongwe

An
all-night prayer turned into an all-night of mourning and anguish for the
Guuriro family after their relative Clever was fatally stabbed to death over an
argument of poorly prepared food.
Clever
Guuriro was stabbed by Tinos Madyenembwa after Guuriro and his friend
Simbarashe Gumbochuma complained about poorly prepared food.
Masvingo
provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Charity Mazula confirmed the
incident and urged people to always seek a third party when they are having a
misunderstanding.
“I
can confirm that a man was stabbed to death in Muchakata at a church gathering
and we urge people to solve their differences amicably and find an elderly
person to intermediate in order to save lives,” said Mazula.
Guuriro
and Gumbochuma went to an all-night prayer at Mutupo Madondo’s homestead in Mutumwapavi
Village under Chief Shumba.
Gumbochuma
and Guuriro were served food by a 14-year-old boy and they complained about the
poorly cooked relish saying it looked and tasted like cooked human hair.
The
boy went on to tell the people who had cooked the food and they were not happy
about the comments that were made by the two.
Upon
realising that the boy had reported them to the cooks, Guuriro and Gumbochuma
went after the boy and started beating him.
The
boy managed to flee and reported to his elder brother Moses Gundiro who was
with Madyenembwa who then confronted Guuriro and Gumbochuma.
The
four got into a heated argument and a brawl ensued resulting in Madyenembwa
drawing a knife and stabbed Guuriro on the left side of the abdomen.
The
wounded Guuriro ran managed to run to his father whom he told what had happened
before collapsing and dying.
The
case was reported to the police and Madyenembwa was arrested and is in police
custody.

Chivi villagers mull demo against Murowa Diamonds

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Chivi villagers mull demo against Murowa Diamonds

                                               
…mining company accused of flagrant
violation of villagers’ rights
Diana
Gondongwe
CHIVI
– Villagers in Chivi
Rural District Council (RDC) Ward 20 are not happy with Murowa Diamonds’
operations which they say are extending to school grounds and other unsuitable
places thereby creating a big hazard in the community.
Villagers say the company is violating their rights
through its ‘grossly irresponsible’ diamond prospecting and mining work.
Many people in the area claim that when the company
arrived in March 2018, villagers were told that only feasibility studies to
determine whether or not mining was sustainable were being done, nothing more
and nothing less.
“When they came, Murowa’s people never engaged the
community in an honest manner and there is a lot that they are hiding. We were
told they will only be taking samples for six months or so but now they have
been mining for over a year. The reality is they are already mining and the
community is not benefiting in any way.
“As a matter of fact, their mining activities
disrupted our way of life and now we have to live with many health hazards. As
a community, we want a meeting with the company so that they clearly explain their
operations and how they intend to involve us and deal with the risks they have
created for the community,” said Tinashe Mkandi, a villager in the area.
The Zimbabwe Environment Lawyers Association (ZELA)
held a meeting with villagers and advised them to desist from signing any
papers they did not understand as they could be tricked into signing agreement
forms with the mine.
During the meeting, villagers stated that Murowa
Diamonds’ main operations were situated barely 50 metres from St Simon’s Zhara
Primary School classrooms. They said they were not happy with this because the mining
activities were noisy and distractive to school pupils.
“The mine is barely 50 meters away from our primary
school. How will our children concentrate in all that noise from the drilling?”
said one villager who refused to be identified.
Residents also lamented that the company was now
mining in school grounds and was using the school’s boreholes.
Some villagers said they suspected that the school
head, Lazarus Ivhurinosara could be working in cahoots with the diamond mine in
return for favours known only to him.
Ivhurinosara was given a letter from the residents’
lawyers stating that parents wanted to know if he had any agreement with Murowa.
“Our clients told us that Murowa Diamonds is mining
on school grounds (and is) making a lot of noise to pupils thereby making their
learning difficult. Our clients instructed us to demand to know from you what
type of arrangement you have with Murowa Diamonds,” reads part of the letter
from Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners.
Villagers also claim that some of their domestic
animals (turkeys and cattle) died after they 
drank waste water from the mining operations.
Ward 20 Councillor Alec Nhundu said that the
community had engaged lawyers and was now waiting to be advised on the way
forward.
The community was supposed to have a meeting with mine
officials on July 17 but mine officials later called the community’s lawyers
asking for a postponement. They, however, did not give any reason why they
wanted a postponement and neither did they suggest a date more convenient to
them.
The villagers say they are ready to demonstrate if
that is what it will take to force the company to the negotiation table.

Another empty threat?

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Another empty threat?





…We are going to flood the streets: Sithole

..MDC
youth leader defends Sikhala

…says
streets will be ‘our second home’

Courage Dutiro

The
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) national youth leader Obey Sithole has
said young people in the party will soon flood the streets in protest against
bad governance which he claimed had resulted in the current severe economic
difficulties.
Speaking
to TellZim News after MDC vice chairperson and Zengeza West MP Job Sikhala was granted
bail by the Masvingo High Court on Monday July 14, Sithole said the party’s
youth were going to ‘make the streets our second home’ in order to send a
message to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Sithole
strongly condemned Mnangagwa’s government which he said understood no other
language but street demonstrations.
“It
is indeed true that as a party, we are going to flood the streets; accepting
the streets of Zimbabwe as our second home because it is time for us to utilise
our constitutional rights as enshrined in the constitution.
“We
are going to simply put that constitutional provision into practice. So as a
party, we are going to stage several massive demonstrations to send a clear
message because we are sick and tired of the poor governance we face at the
hands of Zanu PF,” Sithole said.
He
said government would be making a big mistake to assume that people were afraid
of demonstrating.
“We
have rights and we will make use of those rights as given to us by the
country’s constitution. No repression will defeat the people’s lawful rights,”
said Sithole.
Zanu
PF national political commissar Victor Matemadanda recently warned that violent
protests will be met by deadly force from the army.
On
Sikhala’s RTGS5000 dollar bail, Sithole said it was clear that the state was
out to intimidate people through unjustifiable arrests.
“Sikhala
did not commit any crime. What he only did was to amplify the voice that resonates
with the people of Zimbabwean,” said Sithole.
Sikhala
was arrested in connection with statements he made in Bikita to the effect that
the opposition will overthrow Mnangagwa’s government before the 2023 elections.
.

A Level question and Answers

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A Level question and Answers


Mhuri Muneni
Question: Discuss the
characteristics of prophets in Islam.
Belief in
Allah’s messengers is one of the articles of the Islamic Faith. This means that
Muslims strongly believe in the existence of Prophets as stressed in the Quran.
There are specific characteristics expected of a true Muslim prophet as
discussed in the paragraphs hereunder.
A true Muslim
prophet must be a monotheist. R. A.B Ewbank posited that a monotheist is
someone who believes, worship and preaches about the one and only true God. Muslims
believe in Allah and his Oneness, therefore all Muslim prophets are
monotheists. In Islam every prophet shares the same core beliefs about Allah,
Day of Judgment and they all castigate idolatry. Muhammad the last prophet of
Allah taught that all prophets who came before him taught about the same God
who gave him the revelations, Moses also taught about the Oneness of Allah. Many
prophets of Islam serve as vessels to inform human beings about the
eschatological consequences of falling to adhere to Allah’s message.
In addition to
the above, an Islamic prophet must be morally upright. J. Hayes posited that
moral obligation is an attribute for every prophet of God. This means that
every prophet of God must be morally good. Islam as a religion is said to be
the perfect way of life in which every believer must surrender or submit
themselves to Allah. This logically implies that they must be morally
acceptable. Prophets have to live an exemplary life; they are compelled to have
compassionate and tender hearts like Ibrahim.
Moral
uprightness is a characteristic that every Muslim prophet must have. Jesus (Isa)
is a very good example of a prophet who lived a life of moral uprightness.
Another
characteristic of a Muslim prophet is righteousness. True Islamic prophets are God
fearers. They have to leave a life free from sins and other satanic practices.
Ibrahim is such an example of a righteous man. Allah’s messengers are supposed
to be clean in terms of evil practices. Islam teaches that prophets are
protected by Allah from committing sins as shown in Quran surah4,ayah69 .They are
unlike ordinary human beings in the sense that they live under the will and
command of Allah (Bajapai, N: 2017).
Prophetic
typologies shared by all prophets include prophetic lineages. Ibrahim was the
great messenger of Allah and from his lineage Allah chose his prophets, the
Qur’an teaches that Allah is all knowing thus he chose His messengers from the
Ibrahimic lineage. Prophets like, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, Aaron and Muhammad were
from the same lineage of Ibrahim, therefore, their prophetic lineage is one of
the characteristics of prophets in Islam.
More so, a
prophetic call is another characteristic of the Islamic prophets. Marara
postulates that a call is an important signature of a true prophet. This means
that real prophets have to receive a call from God. Islamic prophets are
supposed to receive a call or a revelation from Allah (Rapoport,Y: 2005).One
good example being that of Muhammad who received his revelation at the age of
40 years at the Hira caves and he even tried to resist the call but the will of
Allah was fulfilled, logically one can infer that a call is another
characteristic of the Islamic prophets.
Another
characteristic of an Islamic prophet is that they should be able to perform
signs and wonders. Muslim prophets according to Sayyid, M (2017) performed
several miracles a characteristic that differentiated them from ordinary
people. They did this through the inspiration of the spirit of Allah. It is
stated in the Quran that throughout their lives, Moses(Musa) and Jesus (Isa)
performed a lot of miracles. Moreso they had Divine books attributed to them, Jesus
had the
Injil (gospels), Muhammad, the Qur’an and
Moses the Tawrat (Torah)
Another
important attribute of an Islamic prophet is that of being faithful. As
servants of Allah, Muslim prophets are supposed to be faithful to their Master
and the subjects they serve (Shaurya. S 2017). They are Allah’s messengers hence
they need to be reliable people. Muhammad was such a character just like Isaac
and Aaron as revealed by the Quran. More so an Islamic prophet is supposed to
uphold social justice in the communities they serve. Islam claims to be a
peaceful religion which is against any form injustice upon Allah’s creation
therefore Allah’s messengers need to have such traits. They should be all
loving, avoiding segregation as well as assisting the need.
The prophets are
the best creatures with the best manners including truthfulness, honest and
extreme intelligence. It is impossible for Muslim prophets to lie, betray and
be stupid. They are preserved from repulsive diseases and they are against
blasphemy. They are protected to vileness, lustfulness and foolishness.
However,
prophets remain human beings they should be respected, believed in but they
should not be worshiped or be compared to Allah because Allah does not share
the same attributes with His creation.
The
author is a teacher at Errymaple High school Zvishavane. He holds a Bachelor of
Arts Degree in Philosophy and Religious, Post Graduate Diploma in Education.

Shungu na Mutitima (Mosi oa Tunya) – The Smoke that Thunders

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Shungu na Mutitima (Mosi oa Tunya) – The Smoke that Thunders

Elizabeth Duve Dziva
Among the most essential African natural heritage which we have
benefited from despite our cultural narrowness is Mosi Oa Tunya, widely known
with the colonial name, Victoria Falls. The renowned waterfall is one of the
most awe inspiring views on planet earth and   the
largest waterfall in the world which is located on Zambezi river, the fourth
largest river in Africa and on the boarders of Zambia and Zimbabwe named after
Queen Victoria of England by a Scottish missionary and famous explorer David
Livingstone who is said to have “discovered” the falls in 1855.
Of course the latter was probably the first white man to
publish about the mighty falls to the outside world, but it is rather biased to
agree to the fact that he “discovered” the falls. Apparently, before Livingstone‘s
encounter, the majestic falls had always been a religious centre for the people
native to the area. This is despite the Euro centric ideology that Africans had
sacral fear of the falls hence would only worship from afar. The Tokoleya (Tonga
or BaTonga and the Leya or Baleya) people of Bantu origins, the Lozi, Makololo,
Nambya and the Ndebele are native to Victoria Falls.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the area has been
occupied from around 3 million years ago. 
The falls, fondly called Shungu Na Mutitima by the Tonga and later
aManzaThunqayo by the Ndebele migrants from Zululand is a roaring machine. Apparently,
the noise of the falls can be heard from a distance of 40kilometers, the mist
from the falling water rises to over 400meters and the falls can be seen from a
distance of 50km.
Before the dawn of overpractised and exaggerated modernization
and Christianity which turned the shrine into a plain park, the area was a
sacred and essential element of the Tokoleya culture. Victoria Falls formed an integral
part of their religious life. The most important religious aspect of the
Victoria Falls is that of the Chekausiye (Insikautshiye) which is also called
the Nyami Nyami by other ethnic groups associated with the falls. The snake was
believed to be the Zambezi River God or the Zambezi snake spirit which had a
direct link with the BaTonga Gods (Barimo).
The BaTonga often depict the snake as male and according to
oral tradition, it had a strong relationship with the inhabitants of the
valley. Long ago, the inhabitants of the area would go and worship during
difficult times like drought, famine and. However, due to the modern custody of
such natural heritage sites, the custom of using the falls as a shrine has
since vanished. Most probably, the slow bleeding of every aspect from socio
economic to political system is due to the demise of such norms.
It is beyond reasonable doubt that Shungu Na Mutitima (Mosi
Oa Tunya) is African heritage and needs not only to be enjoyed and devoured by
both indigenous and foreign tourists but also to be safeguarded. There is need
to cherish such natural wonders, the history and the romance as sacred
heritage, for our children and our children’s children. An intensive effort to
preserve our heritage is an essential link to our cultural, educational, aesthetic,
inspirational and economic legacies, all of the things that factually make us who
we are.
The striking Victoria Falls is a legendary site, apart from
being the world’s greatest sheet of falling water; it’s got exceptional
geological and geomorphological features and active land formation. It is also
a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Victoria
Falls mist sustains a perennial rain forest. Victoria Falls lies along the
Zambezi River, one of the largest rivers in Africa which flows 1,687 miles across
Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique until it reaches the
Indian Ocean.
The falls are also located within and close to some major
national parks namely the Mosi Oa Tunya National Park, the Victoria Falls
national park, the Zambezi national park, Matetsi Safari area, Kazuma pan national
park and the Hwange national Park. It also has the moon bow which is the
reflection of the moon on the waters of the falls which can be enjoyed at
night. It also has the lunar rainbow, and the devil’s pool, more so tones of
water which have been estimated to 6million cubic liters fall to the ground
every minute. Above all, According to David Livingstone, the breathtaking falls
are a majestic sight, extraordinary enough to be “gazed by angels in their
flight”
Our nation has diverse and extremely rich cultural heritage.
It is a source of pride for us as Africans. We need not look any further for inspiration,
communication and an opportunity for self identity than natural wonders like
Mosi Oa Tunya
Elizabeth Duve Dziva is an Archaeological
and cultural heritage practitioner presently teaching at Errymaple College in
Zvishavane, the views in this article are solely those of the author in her own
capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization. Email:
duveelizabeth@gmail.com

Tense scramble for water in ‘dry’ Masvingo

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                                              Struggle for water in Rujecko, Masvingo
Panashe
Nchenamilo
Water has become one of Masvingo’s most prized commodities with
wealthy suburbs like Rhodene going for three days without any drop while
low-income suburbs like Rujeko being the worst off,
Long lines of buckets and water containers can often be seen
at community boreholes as boreholes have become the only source of water for
all communities.
There have been stories of physical fights breaking out in
the tense struggles for water and according to witnesses, police officers have
had to step in to restore order on a number of occasions.
Even though the situation is tough, some people have started
to make a living out of this crisis by manually pumping water into buckets and
selling it.
“I sell water to people who are not able to wait in the
queue. I can earn about $12 or more per day. I am able to take care of my
family with that money but the only challenge is I have to get to the borehole
at midnight to secure a place in the queue” said man makes a life out of the
water shortages.
TellZim News interviewed a woman who shares a house with her
extended family and she expressed her frustration.
“It’s reality, but a painful one. We are used to living
without running water. My husband, my two children and I use only two rooms at
the back of the house. We have 15 plastic buckets and one 200-litre water
container.
“My sister and her family has six buckets, 11
containers and two 200-litre drums. My children don’t know what it’s like to
take a shower. The city council has not done enough to solve this crisis,”
she said.
Masvingo experiences regular water shortages because the
public supplier lacks funds to treat water and has also been unable to maintain
its water pumps at Bush Mead abstraction station.
The pumps often break down and the aging pipe network
experiences intermittent bursts, leading to treated water getting lost.

Mwenezi man begs court for protection against abusive wife

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Mwenezi man begs court for protection against abusive wife

Cephas Shava
MWENEZI –
A Mwenezi man who claims to be a victim of domestic violence has approached the
Mwenezi Civil Court seeking a protection order against his wife whom he claimed
to be abusive.
Self-employed
electrician Munyaradzi Mungawau pleaded with magistrate Honest Musiiwa to save
him from his wife Vonai Mapingire.
Mangwau
explained his troubles and showed the court the scars he claimed were a result
of the abuse.
“Your
Worship, one day I came back home a bit late after spending some time at my
second wife’s place. Though I was a bit drunk, I understood what was happening.
She beat and attacked me with a half-brick on my face.
“I
beg this court to intervene so that my wife does not beat me and we refrain
from fighting as has become the norm. I also ask the court to order my wife to
return my cell phones and work tools which she forcefully took after the
scuffle,” Mangwau said.
On
her part, Mapingire claimed it was Mangwau himself who was very abusive and had
once assaulted her in public before leaving her for dead.
“I
just took his cell phone but I never beat him, he is lying. In fact, he is the
one who is very abusive. On that day, he beat me in public and there are many
eyewitnesses. I was left severely bleeding and I filed a police report.
“When
I came back to him for some money for medical treatment, he refused. He beat me
and this affected a surgical operation I have on my body,” she countered.
Musiiwa
took his time to counsel the couple and advised them to always observe peace
and refrain from fighting.
   
   
 

Chiredzi MPs, Cllrs clash over devolution funds

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Chiredzi MPs, Cllrs clash over devolution funds

                                                  Roy Bhila
Beatific
Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI-
Leadership here is at logger heads over the stewardship of the $610 000
devolution money given to the Chiredzi Rural District Council (RDC) with the
local authority resolving to construct their new offices while legislators in
the district demand that the money be channeled towards projects that benefits
people.
A few weeks ago, Chiredzi RDC
councillors resolved to use the $610 000 to construct new offices but Members
of Parliament Roy Bhila and Farai Musikavanhu have castigated the council
saying the money should be channeled towards people project.
Chiredzi district is one of the biggest
and poorest districts in Masvingo Province with poor health facilities,
infrastructure and educational facilities and it got a huge chunk of devolution
funds owing to the high poverty index.
Chiredzi RDC chairman, Edward Matsilele,
said they made consultations over the use of the devolution funds and have
shelved the motion of constructing their offices and channel the money towards
development projects.
“Considering that we do not have
offices as a local authority, we had thought of constructing our offices but
through various consultations from stakeholders, we have redirected the funds
towards improving our rural health facilities,” said Matsilele.
ZANU PF Secretary for information,
Ronald Ndava reprimanded the local authority for failing to realise the
importance and use of devolution funds as he called construction of council
offices using devolution funds as pagan.
Ndava said devolution funds are aimed at
improving lives through upgrading health systems, infrastructure (roads and
bridges), irrigation schemes as well as educational facilities.
“Devolution funds should just
target life changing projects like irrigation schemes such as Chilonga and
Rupangwana.
“The grassroots should feel it, the
devolution thrust is not aimed at benefiting local authority but constituencies
they serve. Construction of local authority offices using devolution money is
nonsensical and rubbish,” said Ndava.
Chiredzi North MP, Roy Bhila said council
was not supposed to make resolutions before consulting stakeholders as
devolution money was supposed to target life changing projects, which they will
identify rather than diverting all the money on the construction of offices.
“Devolution funds should devolve to
the wards. We wrote to the council chairman and minister complaining over
directing all the devolution chunk to the construction of their offices as if
they do not have anywhere to use, the money should cascade to life changing
projects in wards, not only my wards but wherever there is need,” said
Bhila.

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