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Hope for Bikita as ENSURE opens dam, irrigation scheme

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Hope for Bikita as ENSURE opens dam, irrigation scheme

Anymore Magawa

There
was excitement in Bikita district Ward 1 last week when Care Zimbabwe through its project called Enhancing, Nutrition,
Stepping Up Resilience and Enterprise (Ensure) handed over Chamanhokwe Dam to
the community and officially opened Chamanhokwe Irrigation Scheme.
The
projects were set up to help improve food security in the area.
The
occasion was graced by many people including Ensure representatives, Bikita
South Member of Parliament (MP) Josiah Sithole, Chief Mabika and Bikita Rural
District Council (RDC) Chief Executive officer (CEO) Peter Chibi.
Ensure
has similar projects in other districts where over 20 dams were built and a
total of 211 hectares of land were put under irrigation for the benefit of over
5 000 villagers.
Speaking
at the occasion, Chibi praised Ensure for what he described as momentous
efforts towards making the district a greenbelt.
“I
would like to express my sincere gratitude for this wonderful work and I feel
so honored to have such development in my district. I am also happy that we
have already begun our move towards Vision 2030. As you may all know, 80
percent of Bikita district is dry land so the land must be turned into a
greenbelt,” Chibi said.
Ensure
programmes manager, Archibald Chikavanga later told TellZim News that the
Chamanhokwe dam and irrigation projects were just among many others that were
done in other districts of Masvingo province.
“We
are celebrating the achievement done here in Bikita district and hand-over
Chamanhokwe Dam and officially opening the irrigation scheme. It is our hope
that we will be able to continue supporting vulnerable communities by helping
to build their self-sustenance capacity,” said Chikavanga.
The
Chamanhokwe projects have helped several families to gain livelihoods from
agriculture in an area with erratic rainfall patterns.
“We
are grateful for this life-changing opportunity. We now have hope and the means
to improve our lives. The irrigation scheme is thriving and the fishery project
is also doing very well.
Ensure
is weaning us off but I must say we have been capacitated enough to manage
these assets. We will work with agritex officers and security guards to improve
performance and protect these projects. We plan to drill boreholes to ensure a
constant water supply even if the dam is to run dry in the course of the
seasons and we plan to build more fish ponds so that we will have fishing
competitions in the future,” said Esau Gwande, who is the asset manager.
Market
facilitator, Dadirai Mawanza said produce will be sold to local schools and the
wider community.
“Access
to the markets for our products is not a problem since we sell our vegetables,
chickens, tomatoes and fish to such school as Mashoko High and to the
surrounding communities,” said Mawanza.

NPRC in community outreach drive

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NPRC in community outreach drive

                       Rtd Justice Sello Nare and other commissioners during the Masvingo outreach

…commission
to set-up peace committees
Anymore Magawa
The
National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) recently held a meeting in Masvingo
to appraise people on the mechanisms and approaches being used to handle issues
of national healing and reconciliation..
The
meeting was graced by the Masvingo Provincial Minister Ezra Chadzamira,
Provincial Administrator (PA) Fungai Mbetsa as well as by NPRC commissioners
including Netty Musanhu and its chairperson, Sello Nare.
In
his address, Nare said the commission was formed to foster peace and heal
victims of political violence in the country.
“The
establishment of the commission was an attempt to address past incidences of
political violence and bring healing to victims.
“I
am here to launch NPRC in Masvingo and this marks the beginning of national
unity and reconciliation. The NPRC was formed in 2013 and it does a conflict
analysis in an attempt to address social cohesion and help citizens to
understand the peace-building processes,” said Nare.
He
said by June this year, the commission will have set up thematic peace
committees from district to national level to quicken the resolution of past
conflicts and healing process.
“We
are launching the outreach programme here in Masvingo and we will do the same
in other nine provinces.
“We
will soon conduct hearings where we will meet the victims. By June this year,
we should have come up with peace committees after which we will conduct hearings
for the victims of violence,” Nare said.
In
her remarks, Musanhu said the organisation planned to do a thorough conflict
analysis that will help shape the way forward, adding that past conflicts
covered the pre-independence era going forward.
“You
may remember that before independence, we had some issues on people’s livestock
which were taken and that was source of conflict. At independence, some
celebrated the new dawn of political emancipation, but there was a lot of
unfinished business.
“On
Gukurahundi, there are still a lot of scars, as we all know what happened.
Lastly, we considered the year 2000 to date where inflation, street protests due
to price hikes and electoral violence happened,” said Musanhu said.
The
core functions of the commission is to promote post conflict, justice, national
healing and reconciliation as well as to facilitate truth telling, rehabilitation,
conflict prevention and the promotion of national unity and cohesion.

Vic High head fights SDC

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Vic High head fights SDC

              Vic High head John Muzamani
….rejects
new committee members on political grounds
Tendai Mange
There
is instability at Victoria High with reports that school head, John Muzamani is
refusing to accept the new School Development Committee (SDC) executive which
was elected in March, TellZim News has learnt.
The
elections were run by Masvingo District School’s Inspector (DSI) Ishmael
Chigaba whom Muzamani is said to be accusing of politicising and manipulating
the outcome.
A
fierce physical clash happened recently with the newly-elected committee
members reportedly manhandling Muzamani after he repeatedly refused to do a
handover-takeover ceremony on four occasions.
TellZim
News learnt that the fight happened at Victoria High on April 29 after the
members of both the old and new SDCs came to school to perform the same duties.
One
of the SDC members who did not want to be mentioned by name for security
reasons said Muzamani was rejecting the new committee because he accuses it of
being made up of MDC members.
Muzamani
reportedly wants to continue working with the old committee which reportedly
comprises his ‘pliable friends’.
“The
head told us that the elections were in favour of the MDC that’s why all
members are from the MDC party. The headmaster has control over the old
committee and he doesn’t want to be challenged,” said the member.
Chigaba
confirmed there was indeed a conflict, but was quick to say he was not in the right
position to talk about it and referred the reporter to Provincial Education
Director (PED) Zedius Chitiga who said he was trying to resolve the matter.
“I
am aware of the matter and we are looking at how we can solve it. We urge
people to avoid conflict and work together,” said Chitiga.
He,
however, professed ignorance on the incident of the physical clash between the
two committees that are fighting to control the school.

Charumbira loses more land as Nemamwa chieftainship is restored

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Charumbira loses more land as Nemamwa chieftainship is restored

                               Headman Nemanwa is expected to become acting Chief Nemanwa until a                                             substantive chief is selected

Brighton Chiseva

NEMAMWA – Chief Charumbira
is set to lose more land to the Nemamwa clan following government’s decision to
upgrade the Nemamwa headmanship to a chieftainship, a move which will leave the
former with only one ward.
The Nemamwa
chieftainship was abolished more several decades ago after the colonial
government classified most of the land as white settler land.
The latest development,
however, comes barely a month after the installation of Chief Bere who took a
large chunk of land from Charumbira. Many people feel Charumbira could be
reduced to a headman as his land is now very small.
Masvingo Provincial
Administrator (PA) Fungai Mbetsa confirmed the development and said it was an on-going
province-wide programme to correct colonial and historical anomalies. He said the
programme had seen the restoration of Neromwe and Bere chieftainships.
“The government
has since written and notified the Nemamwa family about the development and now
Nemamwa will be at the same level with Charumbira who will remain a chief
though his area will be smaller,” said Mbetsa.
He said the
records showed that Charumbira was given land by Nemamwa so Charumbira could
not be the chief while the person who gave him the land is a headman.
He further said
that an acting chief will administer social matters in the area for the mean
time but will not be able to parcel land until a substantive chief is installed
and the boundaries have been identified.
“We are waiting
for funding so that we can start our wide consultations in the resettlement
areas to draw boundaries between the chiefs. So far, only Chief Musara is the
only chief in the province with an area covering a resettlement area and with
power to administer matters of land but once we draw the boundaries, others
will be empowered,” said Mbetsa
Mbetsa also said
there were more chieftainship issues which were being dealt with at the moment
where there are no substantive chiefs.
He said the
chieftainship wrangles in Nyakunhuwa and Bota in Zaka, Ziki in Gutu and
Mukanganwi in Bikita remain unresolved. He said in Masvingo Rural, the Nyajena chieftainship
issues were also being attended to.
He said in the
case of Nyakunhuwa, a team will soon be send to assess the matter since the
last meetings did not yield any results.
“In areas where
chiefs have been selected amicably, we are only waiting for the right time for the
installation of substantive chiefs while in areas where the involved families
failed to agree, we will send another team to review,” said Mbetsa

Corruption-ridden Zinara accused of disrespecting parliament

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Corruption-ridden Zinara accused of disrespecting parliament

                  Raidza (centre) and his committee colleagues during proceedings


Shingirai Vambe

HARARE – Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) board
members led by Michael Madanha on Monday came to parliament unprepared to
answer questions from the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Accounts.
The board members were expected
to give oral evidence to the committee on the 2016-2017 adverse report by the Auditor
General. They, however, angered parliamentarians by failing to answer questions
from the committee.
Initially, the board members must
have presented itself before parliament on Monday, May 06, but they did not go
due to other reasons.
With MDC Harare East MP Tendai
Biti being absent, the committee was chaired by Zanu PF Mberengwa East MP Marko
Raidza who then asked the team to return on May 20 after they failed to respond
to issues raised.
This angered many other MPs who
felt that parliament was being taken for granted.
“They should go back and read the
report then present the case before this parliament,” said MDC Harare North MP
Rusty Markham.
Madanha, who is a Zanu PF member
and former Transport deputy minister, became Zinara board chairperson in
January after the dissolution of the previous board in October 2018.
Responding to other questions
that were raised during the abortive session, Madanha said the board was only
three months old and had not had ample time to study the AG’s report.
MPs, however, accused the board
of disrespecting parliament’s business and wasting taxpayers’ resources by
trivializing the house which uses public resources to organise a session.
Zinara is currently embroiled in
corruption scandals, with executives accused of milking the State-owned company
of millions of dollars for personal use.

Govt releases 5.9 Million for Chingwizi people

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Govt releases 5.9 Million for Chingwizi people

Brighton
Chiseva
Government says it has released $5 906 400
million to compensate the Chingwizi people who were displaced by the floods in
in the Tugwi-Mukosi basin back in February 2014.
Masvingo Provincial Administrator (PA)
Fungai Mbetsa confirmed the development and said the money was already in the
appropriate account.
He said after the verification process, the
beneficiaries will start to receive their money.
“We received the balance which will cover
the remaining 80 percent owed to the flood victims who have been settled in
Chingwizi and we will start doing transfers soon.
On Monday, we will visit Chingwizi to do a
verification process especially on banking details if they are still the same and
making sure that the beneficiaries are still the same,” said Mbetsa
Mbetsa said about 2 000 beneficiaries who
benefited from the initial 20 percent pay-out in 2017-18 were the ones who were
going to benefit from the latest allocation.
On those who died, Mbetsa said the heir or
the estate executor will come forward and get the money on behalf of the
family.
The amount each person will receive will be
determined by the number of property lost when they were moved mainly from
Chivi district to Chingwizi.
Mbetsa said the money was meant to help
victims built their homes while the government finds them more land for
agriculture.
He said the province’s priority was to make
sure that the Chingwizi people get irrigable land because the area they were relocated
to is small and dry therefore not practise farming.
“One of the province’s priorities now is to
make sure that Chingwizi people do not remain social welfare cases where they
rely on food hand-outs. We are looking for land where they can do irrigation
and benefit from the water that displaced them.
We understand that the one hectare they
were allocated to is not enough for them since their families are growing and
also that the land is dry,” said Mbetsa

Zivhu buys fishing boats for Chivi South youths

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Zivhu buys fishing boats for Chivi South youths

Moses Ziyambi
Chivi South Member of Parliament
(MP) Killer Zivhu has bought dozens of fishing boats to enable young people in
his constituency to do commercial fishing in Tugwi Mukosi Dam, TellZim News has
learnt.
Over 20 of the targeted 50 boats
have already been purchased and will be distributed to youth in the
constituency upon completion of a course on how to drive them.
“Twenty of the boats will be
engine-powered so we will take some of the beneficiaries to Kariba for a driving
course which will enable them to safely operate the boats. The whole project
will benefit over 50 youths from Chivi South. As their MP, I want them to have
a chance to change their lives for the better rather than simply cross the
border to South Africa as many of them are doing,” said Zivhu.
He said he expected the project
to contribute to the economy of the area, with more parents being able to send
their children to school.
“There is a ready market for fish
in surrounding areas so there won’t really be a problem in marketing them. The
project will also supply fish to prisons in Chivi, Mwenezi, Chiredzi and
Masvingo districts so that inmates there can enjoy an improved diet.
“We have already applied for
fishing rights from Zimparks and the beneficiaries are expected to hit the
ground running this coming August. They could start even now, but the boat
drivers have to undergo training first. Zimparks also have regulations that
discourage fishing in winter because that’s the time when the fish should be
left to breed,” said Zivhu.
He said he hoped the programme
will expand to more people of the constituency if resources become available to
buy more equipment.
“People voted for me and I should
therefore live up to their expectations or at least be seen to be working for
community development. This is my small contribution towards President
Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030,” said Zivhu.

MSU offers Sign Language courses to civil servants

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MSU offers Sign Language courses to civil servants

    MSU Vice Chancellor, Prof Muzvidziwa and MSULI director, Prof Magwa and others tour the              building where the institute is housed at MSU main campus in Senga, Gweru.
Tinaani Nyabereka.

GWERU –
The Midlands State University (MSU) is set to offer Sign Language courses to
civil servants as a means to help
promote the language’s use and accommodating people with disabilities in public
spaces.
Speaking
at the commissioning of the Midlands State University Language Institute (MSULI)
on Monday, May 06, Professor Wiseman Magwa, who is director of the institute, said he
was optimistic about the future.
He said he was pleased with their work record which includes effectively coordinating the
translation of the national constitution into 15 official languages.
“The
language institute is here and is now a reality. We want it to grow to become a
centre of excellence in language research and consultancy services in the region.
Short courses on offer include teaching of marginalised languages, thesis and
dissertation language editing, Braille and transcription services, document
proof-reading and editing, research in indigenous languages and culture among
other services.  
“The
institute has already made an impact by successfully coordinating the
translation of the National constitution into all our 15 languages including
Sign Language. We are the first country to achieve this initiative internationally.
“We
have partnered the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,
Parliament of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, Ministry of
Health and the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and have been tasked to offer Sign
Language to all nurses, doctors and police officers to improve their areas of
operations in delivering services. We are not limited to them only but also
extending these courses to everyone who want to undergo the courses on offer,”
said Magwa.
MSU
Vice Chancellor Professor, Victor Muzvidziwa said the Institute was going to
help stir national growth and development agenda in all aspects.
“Language
is not an important vehicle only but a crucial cog in realising true national
development. So the commissioning of this centre today will drive the national
agenda of growth and development.
“The
recognition of our national languages should be seen as the core component of
establishing a national consensus that will lead to unity, peace and
development,” said Muzvidziwa.
. 

Gwenhoro Dam fast running out of water

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Gwenhoro Dam fast running out of water

.…‘only
five months supplies remain’
Tinaani Nyabereka
City
of Gweru has rung alarm bells over its precarious water supply situation
following revelations that its main supply dam, Gwenhoro, will run dry within
the next five months.
Addressing
residents at the commissioning of two refuse compactors at council offices
earlier this week, Mayor Josiah Makombe revealed that the dam was only 26
percent full.
He
said the city needed urgent financial support to transfer pumping equipment
from Gwenhoro to Amaphongokwe Dam.
“Let
me advise you that Gwenhoro Dam is now at 26 percent which translates to only
five months’ water supply considering the consumption patterns. Amaphongokwe is
at 75 percent which is enough to take us an additional 12 months but our
pumping facilities there are broken down and we cannot utilise the resource.
“We
need  rehabilitation works at our
treatment plant and raw pump stations (Gwenhoro and Amaphongokwe) which need replacement
of obsolete pumping equipment and the repair of mainlines and major fittings at
a cost of US$10 million.
“The
city’s population of around 200 000 requires 60 million litres of water per day
plus industry demands 20 million litres which all adds up to 80 million litres.
Currently, we have an output of 40 – 43 million litres per day from Gwenhoro
and 1.5 million from White Waters Dam, giving us a total output of 43 – 44
million litres which is not enough for the city.
“So
with the deficit of 15 million litres per day, we cannot fill our reservoirs
and such high-lying areas as Haben Park, Mkoba Village and Ridgemont being the
most affected areas,” said Makombe.
The
Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs, Larry Mavhima commended
Gweru City Council for acquiring the refuse trucks which he said will greatly
help to improve service delivery.
“I
call upon council to ensure the collection of refuse timeously and make sure the
heaping of litter in locations becomes a thing of the past. We don’t want to
suffer from such diseases as cholera again,” said Mavhima.

No congress re-run, declares Gumbi

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No congress re-run, declares Gumbi

Upenyu Chaota

MASVINGO – Disgruntled
MDC members who were left seething with anger after chaotic districts and
provincial congresses in Masvingo will have to live to fight another day after
provincial chairperson James Gumbi has dismissed rumors that there will be a
re-run for 20 districts on Saturday (May 11, 2019).
The
Masvingo provincial congress gave MDC leader Nelson Chamisa a torrid time after
it emerged that the provincial executive led by Gumbi had manipulated the
processes to their favor.
Members
of the Tongai Matutu-led team refused to accept the Gumbi executive and are
believed to be the ones behind the peddling of information calling for congress
re-run in 20 districts in the province.
The
Matutu team is at war with the Gumbi executive whom they say is illegitimate
and have vowed to organise parallel party programmes.
In
a statement, Gumbi said he was aware of some mischievous party members who are
sending falsehoods saying there will be congress re-run in 20 districts in the
province. 
“I
have noted with grave concern that there are some mischievous elements amongst
ourselves who are posting and spreading falsehoods on social media that there
are District Congresses to be re- done on May 11, 2019 in respect of 20
districts.
“I
wish to put the record straight that as the duly elected chairman of the province,
such utterances are not only unfounded but also falsehoods and wishful thinking
bend on misleading our esteemed members.
“Please
note that there cannot be a congress after congress,” said Gumbi.
Gumbi
warned that those found wanting will face disciplinary action.
Meanwhile,
Chamisa has put in place an appeals committee which will look into all cases of
disgruntled provinces after there was an outcry in Bulawayo.
There
has been no formal challenge from Masvingo.

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