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Waiting mothers’ home for Rujeko Clinic

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Waiting mothers’ home for Rujeko Clinic

Courage Dutiro

Masvingo Urban legislator Jacob Nyokanhete has promised to build a waiting mothers’ home at Rujeko Clinic using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which will see many expecting mothers staying at the clinic before delivering.
At present, expecting mothers can only be attended to when they are due but there is no space to keep them if they encounter any delays.
Nyokanhete’s promise comes as a relief to expecting mothers who travel long distances to deliver their babies at Rujeko Clinic only to be told to go back home because they will be a day or two early.
Speaking to Rujeko residents at a feedback dialogue meeting last week, Nyokanhete said once the CDF is released, it will be channelled towards the development of a waiting mothers’ home at the clinic.
“Rujeko is a big location now and you also deserve bigger services. Our clinic here is at times overwhelmed by the number of people who visit it and we want to capacitate to cope with the demand.
“We know they do not have any shelter for waiting mothers and we say we are going to build it for them. The money is not much but we will do what we can with the resources we have.
“No expecting mother should be send back home when their due dates are delayed. They should stay at the waiting shelter until their time has come,” said Nyokanhete.
 Rujeko Clinic only operates for eight hours a day and residents called for a 24 hour service to cater for emergencies.
This year the government has raised the CDF from $50 000 to $80 000, money which is not enough to develop anything in any constituency.

Councillors in near fist fight over audit department

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Councillors in near fist fight over audit department


Godfrey Kurauone

Brighton Chiseva


Masvingo – A fist fight nearly ensued in the Masvingo City Council chambers when ward 4 and 10 Councilors Godfrey Kurauone and Sengerayi Manyanga engaged into a heated argument over a resolution that council is supposed to create an audit department.
Mayor Collen Maboke had a difficult time trying to quell the two who were sitting next to each other.
The matter arose after Kurauone proposed to rescind a resolution which was made by the last full council, stating that the council was wasting resources and time going to see the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing with a proposal to have a stand-alone audit department.
A heated debate ensued over the issue with the majority of councillors against Kurauone until Manyanga challenged Kurauone to move a motion which could be seconded.
Manyanga started accusing Kurauone of wasting the full council’s time by not making it clear from the start that his question was just a motion.
“Kurauone was supposed to ask his question, like he has done now. He is wasting council’s time and taking us for fools. Your Worship, whenever you give him a chance to speak, give me also,” Manyanga said, seething with anger.
“He thinks he is clever and we are foolish, taking this whole house for a ride,” a charged Manyanga said.
Kurauone then stood up and told the mayor that Manyanga was on his phone during the debate, at which Manyanga interjected saying Kurauone was in South Africa when the issue was resolved and can cannot rescind something that was resolved in his absence.
“We are not fools here, we are councilors. You are the thief that is why you are opposed to a stand-alone audit department,” Manyanga charged.
The two councilors then stood up and started exchanging insults, during which Kurauone told Manyanga that the full council was not a Border Gezi camp.
“This is not a Border Gezi camp. You cannot bully everyone here,” an angry Kurauone said.
It took the intervention of Ward 1 councillor Selina Maridza to stop the two councilors from bickering, after which Mayor Maboke gave an order that the council will stand with the resolution to go see the minister of local government.

Like a diamond in the sky

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Like a diamond in the sky

…Masvingo Christian College’s glitter is unmistakable 

Theresa Takafuma

For Masvingo Christian College head Edison Muresherwa, every child has potential to achieve something in life if given the chance to explore what he or she is good at especially at secondary school level.
Muresherwa believes in a holistic approach to education, with pupils being exposed to the many different options available, but without the rigid expectation that pupils must be identical in performance.
Masvingo Christian College is now known for its non-discriminatory enrolment approach whereby getting form one placement is not determined by strict cut-off units obtained at grade seven.
Muresherwa has always said every child should be given a chance to prove themselves.
“Masvingo Christian College philosophy is clear; we look at what the school can do for the pupil, not only at what the pupil can do for the school. Once a pupil comes here, we make sure that we give him or her education that will lead to the acquisition of skills that are requisite for good livelihoods. We deliberately choose not to focus solely on the grades they would have started with,” Muresherwa said.
He said the school valued the practical side of education as much as it does every other aspect, hence the many income-generating projects being undertaken.
“We do many projects and we take them seriously because when pupils finally leave Masvingo Christian College, their minds will be liberated, and they will understand that there is dignity and wealth in labour. They will also know that there is something out there for each and every one of them, regardless of the dimension of their abilities,” he said.
The school now has a successful piggery boasting over 150 pigs, and has become one of the biggest suppliers of pork to local butcheries and supermarkets.
“The sows (female pigs) produce an average of 10 piglets at a time, and they can give birth at least three times a year which is what makes this project a profitable one. Last year, we had over 200 pigs and we sell them from time to time,” Muresherwa said.
The school uses the pig dung to produce biogas, and it plans to eliminate the use of electricity for heating purposes, the hope being that only gas appliances will soon be used in all departments.
“We are looking at producing enough gas for the whole school departments that need heating and at the moment we are producing 7m3 of gas at any given time.
“The Home Economics department is no longer using electricity as it is now using the biogas that we produce. We want to do something similar in all our departments so that we totally eliminate the use of electricity for heating,” he said.
The school also has five fish ponds and each has over 8 000 fishes, with some having been harvested for sale.
“We have already harvested the first batch and we have plans to start harvesting from other ponds soon because they are almost ready for harvesting,” Muresherwa said.
The school has a solar-powered borehole from which it pumps water for all its projects, including the fishery project.
“When I joined Masvingo Christian College, the monthly water bill was $6000, but with the drilling of the borehole it has been reduced to less than $400 per month.
“We use borehole water for all our projects, and we have three Jojo tanks for domestic use. We also do drip irrigation all year round on the 50x50m plot where we farm maize and other crops,” Muresherwa said.
The school has also embarked on a poultry project with bochsveld and broiler chickens.
Through all these projects, the school is engaging even pupils who may not necessarily be straight A learners.

Masvingo Christian absorbs ballooning enrolment 

Staff Reporter

Long-term planning at Masvingo Christian College has seen the Church of Christ-run high school being able to absorb a steadily rising enrolment over the past decade, with learning standards and the pass rate actually improving when it could be expected to decline.
School head Edison Muresherwa told this publication that the current enrolment stood at 2 300, a huge leap from what it was a few years ago.
“Enrolment follows many things including the laid down requirements and we are the most liberal in that regard and parents’ confidence in our ability to manage has grown, hence the rise in the number of children who are coming to us,” said Muresherwa.
The school has just finished building another block and plans are underway for another block which will be used for woodwork.
“After this block, we will work on a woodwork building. We currently have 10 classes for form ones and twos, which is big number for the staff compliment of 80 teachers that we have. We are, however, managing well and producing good results,” he said.
The school can take up to 30 pupils in a sciences class at ‘A’ level at a time when other can accommodate only 10 for science classes.
The school also maintains litter-free outdoors, with a litter-collection point behind classes from where Environmental Management Agency (Ema) personnel would come and collect recyclables.
“Ema used to collect the litter but it is now being done by council. There is, however, limited capacity in council and you sometimes find the places overflowing and we work hard to keep it safe,” Muresherwa said.
Practical subjects at the school include building technology and design, fashion and fabrics, textiles as well as food technology.
“Many pupils who go to polytechnics have to learn the basics of their courses from scratch but our pupils have an advantage when they pursue professional courses in areas that we cover,” said Muresherwa.

Security threat at council water reservoirs

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Security threat at council water reservoirs

Brighton Chiseva /
Theresa Takafuma


MASVINGO – There is a looming security catastrophe at the city council Kopje Hills water reservoirs as they remain unguarded posing a threat from malicious elements who may tamper with the water the whole city consumes, a full council meeting revealed.
The water reservoirs, which store water from Bushmead Water Works have not been guarded since 2013, and the danger to the water reservoirs is further increased by illegal mining activities around the area.
“Your worship, we have that problem at our reservoirs about the security of our water. I do not know, have we deployed municipal police there to guard our water?
“There is no one guarding the water reserves because someone may be attempted to poison the whole city and we will have a major catastrophe in our hands.
“Water is life and if our water is tampered with we will not survive,” said Ward 8 Against Chiteme.
In his response, Town Clerk Adolf Gusha said the issue would be addressed at committee level not in the full council meeting.
“The issue is going to be answered at committee level. Since it was discussed at committee level, those questions should have been asked at committee level as they involve matters of a sensitive security nature.
“The full council deals with legislative issues, while the committees deal with issues of an executive nature,” said Gusha.
Ward 5 councillor Daniel Mberikunashe then said while he agrees with the town clerk on the procedure, the question should have been answered whether municipal police have been deployed to the reservoirs or not as agreed in the previous full council meeting.
“If you see us asking in full council like this, we need the issue to be answered as we had agreed. I think the question councillor Chiteme asked is pertinent, and should have been answered with a yes or no,” Mberikunashe said.
Chiteme further added that as much as he acknowledges that the council is the full body, he was just following up on an issue that was raised at full council because the security of the reservoirs is flawed, and with people coming from various political parties, with different intentions it is imperative for the council to have its own security.
According to the minutes from the Health and Housing Committee meeting held on February 6, the committee raised concerns on the poor performance by the municipal police. It was however explained the municipal police section is operating below capacity.
There are reports that a municipal police officer once deployed at the reservoirs who used to reside near the tanks with his family left after his wife was assaulted while he was downhill, making it impossible for one officer to guard the place singlehandedly without a firearm.
The Public Works and Planning Committee has before reported to council the threat posed by illegal mining activities at Target Kopje hills and the likelihood of damage to council water infrastructure which involve the reservoirs.
Mining activities at the site were discontinued 40 years ago after the realization that the city’s boundaries had expanded and the mining site fell within the surveyed limits of the city, and secondly mining operations would affect the water pumping storage and distribution network.
Gusha told the full council that the issue was under control and once they have dates on which they were going to take action on the matter, they are going to let the full council know.

Orientation for new staff members

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Orientation for new staff members

with Cabnson Magaya


The above signs are usually erected at the school entrance. These are the signs that a new member of staff reads as he / she first enters into your institution.
As the head of an educational institution, you will always find yourself receiving new staff members into your school. This applies to both teaching and non-teaching staff. These new staff members will have been interviewed, recruited and deployed by your employer, that is, the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Ministry of Education or the Responsible Authorities in the case of non-teaching members of staff.
The new staff would have had very little chances, during the interview, to find out more about the organisation and the job that he/ she will be expected to do. When he/she arrives at the station, the new member of staff will have a small idea (basing from his /her training) of what the job involves and how he/she is expected to tackle it.
The new staff member will not be aware of the new knowledge and skills that he will have to develop. The new member of staff will not be aware of the results that are expected from him/her by the institution he/she will not be aware of the problems that he will come across and how he will be expected to solve them. The member will not be aware of the people to turn to for any help he may require. The member will also be wondering about his/her colleagues` attitude towards strangers. The new member will have very little or no knowledge about the geography of the area. He/she does not know what happens here or there, who does what and why that happens here or there, who does what and why and when. The new staff member has to find out more about the school’s rules and regulations. The new member will also be unaware of the traditions in the area (this is very important issue in rural areas). The member will also be ignorant of the politics and pressures in the area. The new member will not be aware of the sort of behavior that the community expects from him / her. This is the new member who comes into your office for the first time and hands an introductory letter form the employer. He/she will be in a new and strange environment.
New members of the staff will need some thorough and well-planned orientation so as to make them competent and confident members of your team.

Do not underestimate the importance of orientation
Heads often underestimate how much a new member of staff has got to learn. The new member will have a heavy learning load during the first few weeks and months at the station. The following suggestions will attempt to highlight the important issues that the new staff member should be made aware of. The head may assign his/ her deputy or a very senior member of staff to help the new recruit.
The most important aspects that the new member of staff should know about involve the job that he/she is expected to perform. The new member should be made aware of the Vision and Mission of the institution. He/ she should be able to answer this pertinent question.

The member should be made aware of the strategic objectives of the organization and what he/she is supposed to do in order to achieve these objectives. He/ she should be made aware of the core values of the institution. Once this is done, the new member will have been shown the way. Proverbs 29:18 states, “where there is no vision, people cast of restraints.” This clearly means that if the new member is not aware of the vision of the vision/ mission and objectives of the organisations he will be like a bus driver whose bus has no destination. He/ she will be a demotivated person. The new member should be made aware of what role he/she has to play in order to produce the expected results. If the new staff member is a teacher, he/ she will have to show how to draw up schemes of work and prepare lesson plans. The head can assign the head of the department or senior teachers to assist the new member. The member should be made aware of the departmental requirements. The member should be made aware of the quality and quantity of work expected from the students. The new member should be made aware of the duties he has to perform and how the fit in with what other people would be doing. He/she should be made aware of what skills to be developed in the students. There is also need for the new member to know more about the equipment he/she will be using, if any.
In the science laboratory, there is a lot of equipment to be used. Some schools have lap tops, film projectors, cameras etc. The new member should be trained in the use of such important equipment. This will safeguard the new member and students from danger and will also ensure that the equipment is not easily damaged. The new member should be made aware of what decisions they should take and to whom to go for specific decisions. The new member should be made aware of what goes on in the department where they will be working.
The new member of staff should also be made aware of what the head expects from him/her. There is also need for the new member to know how to approach the school head and how he/ she should address him/her. The new member should also be made aware of the interests and attitudes of other members of staff. There is also a need for the new member to know the senior members of the institution and how to approach them. He / she should be made aware of the kind of interests they have and how they would expect the new member to behave and act towards them. The new staff member should also be made aware of what they can contact their seniors for. It is also important that the new member know the top managers in the institution, their names and positions and where they are stationed. There are some teachers who do not know the names of their Schools` Inspectors, Districts Education Officers, Provincial Education Directors, Permanent Secretaries, Ministers of Education and their deputies. It is the responsibility of the head to acquaint his new staff members with the names of key persons in the organisation. The new staff member should know how to recognise and address them.

Professional associations
The new staff member should be made aware of teacher associations and unions like ZIMTA, PTUZ and others. In the case of non-teaching staff, the member should be made aware of the existence of Workers Committees and the National Employment Councils. The new member should know the representatives of these associations and unions and what they are interested in. The new member should be made aware of the powers of these organisations and their relationships with other staff members and the employer. The new member should be made aware of the issues on which these unions can be contacted for. The new member should also be made aware of the grievance-handling procedures in the organisation and all the channels of communication in the organisation.
The new staff member should also be acquainted with the image of the organisation and how it can be upheld. There is, therefore, a need to make the new member aware of the policies and ethics of the organisation. The new member should be made aware of the standards of dress required and how the member should deal with the public and even the media in order to maintain the good image of the institution.
The new member should also be made aware the condition of service that affects them. They should be made aware of the various types of leave that a member may apply for. They should also be made aware of other benefits that the organisation may offer its members for example housing benefits, medical benefits and car loans. The new member should be made aware of how they can be promoted in the organisation and the various promotion posts available to them.
It is very crucial that the new member be made aware of the rules and regulations of the organisation. The member must be aware of the behavior expected of him/her. If this is not done, the member may find him/herself in a very difficult situation.

A career comes to ruin
When I was a District Education Officer in one of the districts, we deployed a young and very intelligent university graduate teacher to one of our secondary school. In an introductory note to the head it was stated that they young teacher be oriented. We later discovered that the head had not been properly oriented. During the second term, this young teacher fell in love affair with a Form 3 student. When this love affair was discovered, the young teacher was charged for misconduct. When he appeared for disciplinary hearing, he was asked why he had proposed love to a school girl. He told the disciplinary committee that he loved the girl and was prepared to marry her. He told the committee that he was unaware of the fact that he had already violated the regulations and that he had committed an offence. He told the committee that he really loved the girl and that he was prepared to suffer. The disciplinary committee found him guilty and recommended that he be discharged from the service. His career was ruined at its infant stage. Ignorance has no defense!
The head was responsible for the suffering of this young man; the career of this young teacher. In the book of Ezekiel 33:7-9, the word of the Lord states quote, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear that I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘you wicked person you will surely die’, and you do not speak out to dissuade them their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sins, though you yourself will be saved.”
The heads should, therefore, be proper watchpersons for the subordinates so that their sufferings are not blamed on them. If the head had oriented the young teacher on the Public Service Regulations, the career of this young person could have been spared. The new staff member should be shown around the institution so that he/ she is aware of the different offices and the people who work there. He/ she should be able to find his/her way to these places.
The new member of the staff should be made aware of where he/she can get some medical attention. He / she can also be advised of where they can buy groceries at reasonable prices. It is also important for the new member to know where and how to get essentials like water. The member can also be made aware of the modes of transport used in the area and when and where they are available.
It is very important that the new member be made aware of the customs and norms of the people around the institution. There are some places where a male cannot just shake hands with any female he meets along the road. In certain areas, some types of dressing are not recommended. Induction on such issues will go a long way towards the limitation on necessary clashes.
Induction cannot be completed in one day so it should be on going. Learning by accident will not be good for the new member. It is the poor manager who expects the newcomers to pick out things for themselves. Induction should be systematic and well-planned. In the final analysis, the head is responsible for the new subordinate’s induction.

The writer is a retired educationist who served in the Ministry of Education for over 40 years. He was a teacher (1966-1974), school head at Nhamwi St Stanislaus School (1975-1984), DEO Chivi North (1985-1987), Chivi District Staffing Officer (1987-1993), Zaka Education Officer (1993-1996), Chivi Education Officer (1996-1999), Gutu DEO (1999-2008) and Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) Education Secretary (2008-2015).

The writer can be Contacted on 0784 949 878

Lit-Fest Poetry competition reveals raw talent in Masvingo

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Lit-Fest Poetry competition reveals raw talent in Masvingo


Ngonidzashe Paradza

Perseverance Muhoma

Another edition of Lit-Fest (Literature Festival) Poetry competition was held at Charles Austin Theatre last week, with organisers saying they were hopeful the event will grow by leaps and bounds.
Literature Festival Poetry is an outreach project to reach out to cities targeting budding writers and poets.
Festival administrator, Robson Lambada told TellZim News he was pleased with the success of the event and was looking forward to the final competitions to be held in Harare this coming November.
 “The activities outside of Harare are part of the outreach project by which we reach out to other cities targeting budding writers. We will have the annual festival which is a three-day-long event in Harare where we will be celebrating Black history,” said Lambada.
The local event, at which eight local poet stars and three guests from Harare participated, saw Ngonidzashe Paradza of Rhodene coming out ahead of everybody else to win for himself $60 in cash and a book.
Paradza said entering the competition was not about money or victory alone but to put himself and his work on the market.
“It was not about the prize but marketing myself as an artist as well as protecting my Poetry is Life brand. With myself being the best among the rest, it felt so humbling. Victory will come the day I will make Masvingo the home of poetry, the day my fellow poets will make a living out of their talents,” said Paradza.
With many years of experience in the industry, Paradza now eyes a successful career in poetry and at national level.
“I have been a poet for a solid nine years and now I look forward to becoming a successful poet in Zimbabwe while promoting poetry in all corners of the country,” Paradza said.

New council sports team on the cards

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New council sports team on the cards




Clayton Shereni

Masvingo City Council will soon engage in staff games and also join the local authorities’ national league of various sporting disciplines, it has been resolved.
The move comes at a time when other teams have already joined the national group of local authorities participating in annual staff games.
In recent council minutes, director of housing Levison Nzvura is instructed to expedite the new plans.
“The introduction of staff wellness sporting programmes in the city of Masvingo be granted and the Director of Housing and Community Services be instructed to facilitate joining the national group of local authorities on same,” read the minutes.
City fathers also resolved to buy three soccer balls and a soccer kit for the new Bushmead football team, with Nzvura being directed to present a detailed budget in the next full council meeting.
“The request was approved and the Director of Housing and Community Services was instructed to submit a budget to the next meeting on the cost of introducing sporting wellness programmes across council,” the minutes further read.
Council is also considering sponsoring a team in Division One in response to public requests to do so.
After a recent full council meeting, Mayor Collen Maboke promised that council will soon make consultations on whether to partially or fully bankroll a football club in the city.
“I raised the motion in our Monday full council meeting which the deputy mayor Councillor Wellington Mahwende seconded and we are making consultations on whether to fully bankroll a new club or one of the existing teams because we are lagging behind since other cities like Harare have their own teams,” said Maboke.
In 2017, the local authority tried to bankroll a football club in a bid to bring topflight league action to Masvingo but the then Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere shot down the plans saying they were not a service delivery priority.

Young spirit medium unsettles Chief Munyaradzi

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Young spirit medium unsettles Chief Munyaradzi

Precila Takabvirakare
GUTU – Intriguing
claims by a 24-year female spirit medium that the Munyaradzi chieftainship is
in wrong hands could see Urayayi Munyaradzi losing his position as chief.
The
Munyaradzi chieftainship has of late not been without controversy, with Urayayi
only being installed in 2016 after years of wrangling.
A
new controversy has now started with the emergence of Elizabeth Fadzanai, who
claims to be the spirit medium for Karivari Marumbi who is the great matriarch
of what is now known as the Munyaradzi chieftainship.
At
the Chiefs’ Hall in Mpandawana on Tuesday, an entranced Fadzanai recited the
oral tradition of the Munyaradzi chieftainship to a bewildered audience which
included current Chief Gutu, Edmund Masanganise and members of the Munyaradzi
royal family.
Fadzanai
claimed that Karivari Marumbi’s spirit was not happy that the chieftainship
created for her by Chief Chinomukutu (now Chief Gutu) over 200 years ago was
now being held by descendants of her husband’s children with another
woman. 
Fadzanai
said in the 18th Century, Karivari, a seer with rainmaking powers, came
with her husband Wanonoka Mushoriwa Nyashanu from an area in the present day
Mozambique and travelled to an area in the present day Bulawayo.
While
in Bulawayo, they received a message that a seven-year drought was devastating
Chinomukutu’s land.
They
left Bulawayo for Chinomukutu where she managed to bring rainfall thereby
pleasing the then Chief Chinomukutu who then gave her some land to be chief.
The
new chieftaincy stretched from Manjerenje to Rasa and from Dewure to Sote but
as time went by, old age caught up with Karivari and she delegated her son
Chinemasahwi Nyashanu to perform leadership duties on her behalf as she could
no longer do that herself.
Karivari
died in 1814 in Mazizi, Zvavahera area of present day Gutu district and
Chinemasahwi carried on as chief. When Chinemasahwi died, the throne was
tempered with by other power-hungry people and it ended up in the hands of
Zingwena Munyaradzi, Chinemasahwi’s half-brother.
Marumbi
claimed that it was that injustice that led to endless misfortunes for the
Munyaradzi chieftainship including complex succession wrangles.
She
said that could only come to an end if the royalty is restored to Karivari’s
own descendants most whom can now be found among the Rasa clan.
Representatives
of the Munyaradzi family seemed to agree with Fadzanai’s representations and
suggestions that the chieftainship be suspended until the new issues are
resolved.
There
are, however, reports that some of the royal house members want to apply for a
court interdict against Fadzanai whom they regard as a threat to their
legitimacy.

Teachers resist Govt’s ‘malicious’ TPC

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Teachers resist Govt’s ‘malicious’ TPC

…we will not be silenced
Upenyu
Chaota
The mooted Teaching Profession
Council Bill which would give birth to the Teaching Profession Council (TPC)
has been resisted by the Progressive Teachers’ Union (PTUZ) which sees the move
a dangerous experiment with educators.
PTUZ
has challenged the composition of the TPC saying the government was trying hard
to make sure it controlled teachers by trampling on their rights and freedoms.
The
Bill proposes that the profession be regulated by an 18-member council,
consisting of one representative from the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ),
Association of Trust Schools, Public Service Commission (PSC), Correspondence
and Independent Colleges, two members recommended by the Higher and Tertiary Education
ministry, from the Department of Teacher Education and Zimbabwe Council for
Higher Education, five registered teachers through an elected criteria set by
council and five registered teachers from teachers’ unions, among others.
If
established, the TPC would require teachers to seek an annually renewable
teaching practicing certificate which the council can either approve or reject
on its discretion.
PTUZ
president Dr Takavafira Zhou said they did not have anything against the TPC
but they wanted it to be run by teachers themselves without outside
interference.
“The
TPC should be run by teachers and the teachers should elect their own
chairperson. We do not want a situation where the TPC will be used to abuse
teachers. We are also against the issue of annual renewal of teaching
certificates but we are OK if it is done after five years. How can we have a
TPC without teachers?
“It
should be a teacher’s council by teachers. When journalists want to have their
own union, they do not go to the Ministry of Information to be told how to run
the union. This is what we want as teachers.
“The
government is trying to silence teachers that if they demand better working
conditions and embark of industrial action, they would have their certificates
revoked,” said Zhou.
PTUZ
secretary general Raymond Majongwe said the government must not appear as the
prime movers of the initiative as they are the ones who came up with the idea
back in 2015.
“In
2015, the PTUZ extensively interrogated the TPC issue but the government
ignored our submissions and suddenly they want to appear as the prime movers of
this initiative. The TPC must remain an autonomous self-regulating entity.
“Our
position is very clear, government must be miles away from the TPC. Teachers
should lead the way without any interference,” Majongwe posted on Twitter.

MDC Alliance congress template out

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MDC Alliance congress template out

…five-year threshold raises eyebrows


…independent candidates shut out

Upenyu
Chaota
It is all systems go for the MDC Alliance 2019
congress as its guiding template which spells out the rules of the game has
been released with many questions being raised on the five-year membership
limit to enable members to contest from ward to national posts.
According to the template, a candidate is eligible to
contest for any position from ward up to national levels if they have served in
the party for at least five years while branches have a minimum of two years.
This clause has raised many questions on the fate of
those who joined the alliance from other opposition political parties but party
spokesperson Jacob Mafume defended the move saying it was done to plug
infiltration.
“The five-year period does not shut anyone out. We are
not saying five years with the MDC but five years serving in their former
parties before they joined the alliance.
“We do not want people without any history to come and
contest for posts because we want to avoid infiltration. We know there are people
who want to sneak into our processes but we will not let them get away with
it,” said Mafume.
Asked what would happen to former Zanu PF members and
those that joined the alliance from parties that are not yet five-years-old,
Mafume said the congress will not shut out genuine members.
“The congress is not there to shut anyone out. We all
have a history in politics and we will look into that before we let people run
for positions,” said Mafume.
The MDC Alliance congress is going to start at branch
level with all branches across the country going for the polls between March 22
and March 24 while districts will vote between March 29 and March 31.
Provincial congresses will be done between April 5 and
April 27 setting the stage for the national congress to be held from May 24 to May
26.
 “If
for any reason, one stood as an independent candidate, they are automatically
disqualified from contesting and participating in the congress processes.
“Candidates will be
disqualified if they promote factionalism or if they campaign as a slate.
Malicious gossiping is strictly prohibited,” the template reads.
It prohibits members
from campaigning in provinces where they do not reside except for national
positions.
“No one is allowed to
campaign in a province where they do not come from except for national
positions.
All candidates shall be
given a formal platform (caucuses) at various levels to present their
credentials and programmes as justification for suitability to be office
holders.
“Districts shall
convene caucuses for provincial candidates to present their manifestos.
Provinces shall convene caucuses for national candidates to present their
manifestos. The youth assembly shall convene a youth caucuses for candidates,”
reads the template.
On the national
nomination procedure, the templates states that, “The nomination process for
national positions shall be presided over by an Independent Board appointed by
National Executive.
“For one to be elected
he /she must have at least have one nomination from Province to National. According
to the constitution there are 13 provinces in the party, 10 in Zimbabwe and 3
outside Zimbabwe.”
The party’s security department will do the vetting
process working with the organising department.

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