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Factional fights derail ZSDA elections

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Factional fights derail ZSDA elections

Edmore Veterai


…bank accounts frozen over allegations of abuse



Beatific Gumbwanda


CHIREDZI – A conflict is brewing in the Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA), one of the biggest indigenous sugarcane farmers’ unions in the Lowveld, with elections that were supposed to be held on March 01 being stopped by a court interdict.
ZSDA is currently chaired by Edmore Veterai who would have been challenged by Elisha Tamirepi had the elective Annual General Meeting (AGM) proceeded as planned.
Tamirepi’s camp accuses Veterai of personalising the organisation and of financial improbity, claiming that the association funds are being abused.
Represented by lawyers from Muzenda and Chitsama Attorneys, Tamirepi’s camp obtained a court stopping the AGM on grounds that the current executive had set unfair conditions that would have disqualified Tamirepi and his followers from contesting.
The rivals also complained that the current executive had sought to introduce lavish retirement packages that would suffocate the farmer.
Bernadette Tamba, who wants to contest for the vice chairpersonship on the side of Tamirepi’s camp, said they sought a court order as the election guidelines did not provide for a level playing field.
“We oppose  section 5.1 of the election guidelines which states that the chairperson must be from Hippo East, vice chairperson from Mkwasine Central, secretary from Hippo West and vice secretary from Chipimbi and treasurer from Mapanza.
“Two other posts are reserved for the council of elders, the president and vice president but we feel that will interfere with the everyday business of the executive and that it is a way of excluding certain members,” said Tamba.
She said it was unacceptable that new guidelines stipulated that all retiring executives shall be entitled to an exit package equalling ten months of their allowances.
When contacted for comment, Veterai denied all allegations of wrongdoing, saying the association could not be personalised. He said he did not wish to comment on matters that had since involved the court of law.
“The association cannot be personalised. It’s just branded. We called for elections and some elements stopped them to get more time to tarnish me and decampaign my executive. You cannot have your cake and eat it at the same time.
“Is that not a very big contradiction when one says, ‘go you have overstayed’ but then put a court order to say, ‘don’t do elections’? I can’t comment further on a case before the courts,” said Veterrai.
ZSDA bank accounts have since been frozen as the other camp, which suspects Veterai of abusing the association’s money, calls for an audit.

Politics threaten to tear apart Chibuwe High

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Politics threaten to tear apart Chibuwe High

…parents claim MDC Alliance has taken over school 

Perseverance Muhoma


CHIPINGE – Some parents with pupils at Chibuwe High are fighting tooth and nail to have the new School Development Committee (SDC) elected on February 09 dissolved on allegations that it is made up of MDC Alliance members who rigged themselves in.
Sources said the February 09 elective Annual General Meeting (AGM) was chaotic and politically-charged, with rival camps singing and chanting both Zanu PF and MDC Alliance songs and slogans.
It was, however, the alleged MDC Alliance camp that went away with the spoils after Themba Gatura won the position of SDC chair after allegedly rigging the election with the help of Ward 20 MDC Alliance councillor, Charles Mugidho.
Gatura is also said to have been deputy head Tawanda Chitombo and senior teacher Dakarai Dhliwayo’s favourite.
“Mugidho used threatening language and moves throughout the meeting and helped his friend Gatura to win. Mugidho has children who owe $1 500 in unpaid fees to the school,” said Shingirai Gapara, a parent from Mutorwa village.
He claimed that the school did not even bother sending invitations for the AGM, and she only got to learn about it through a newspaper article.
“They allowed all their people to get into the election room. Even well-known cattle herders with no children at the school voted,” he alleged.
Another parent claimed that Gatura and another committee member Phainus Bote were conflicted as they had running contracts with the school.
“The tenders were awarded to them with the help of Chitombo without going to tender. We suspect there is corruption happening,” said the parent.
TellZim News contacted Chibuwe High School head Gift Dhliwayo who denied that Cllr Mugidho was active in the electoral process.
“The councillor was just seated at the podium with other respected persons. It was in fact my deputy and security guards who first did the verification process for eligible voters but when people said they didn’t want them to do the job, I and some police officers took over,” said Dhliwayo.
He said he could not promise that only parents or guardians with pupils at the school voted, saying he was still new at the school hence did not new everybody by face or name.
“Some parents helped us with the verification process though no identity particulars were asked for one to be allowed to vote.
“Remember when parents vote, they vote for five people whom they want to be members of the SDC. The committee members are then joined by the councilor, the school head, deputy school head and the senior teacher in a separate meeting where we then vote for chairperson and other leaders from those five. That is how Gatura emerged as chairperson although some people might not have wanted him to be.
“For your own information, former chairperson Edmore Mugwazi had got the most popular votes but when we got into our own meeting, we voted differently and Mugwazi lost to Gatura. We went on to vote for other SDC leaders until we got the final structure that we have now. There is nothing amiss about it, it’s only a matter of sour grapes by some disaffected people,” Dhliwayo said.                         
Parents have, however, appealed to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to suspend the SDC pending thorough investigations.
When contacted for comment, Manicaland Provincial Education Director (PED) Edward Shumba said the matter was no longer in his hands as it was now being investigated by permanent secretary in the ministry, Tumisang Thabela.

MPs are useless: Zivhu

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MPs are useless: Zivhu


Killer Zivhu


….trashes legislature as a waste of time


TellZim Reporter

Chivi South Member of Parliament (MP) Killer Zivhu has disparaged the legislature, calling it a place where ‘useless noise’ is made with no chance of the debates contributing to nation-building.
In a recent tirade on Twitter, Zivhu poured scorn on parliament, saying he would rather go back to his previous days as councillor in Chivi.
“I do miss the time I was councillor I could contribute to nation building but now as MP I have been reduced to useless leader (sic), only to talk as per instructions or wait to make noise in parliament even if the things said make a lot of sense my duty is now to make noise,” the tweet reads.
The tweet was accompanied by a picture taken when he became president of the Zimbabwe Local Government Association (Zilga) in September 2017. By then, he was also president of the Association for Rural District Councils Association (ARDC).
His sentiments seem to mirror the general feeling that most people aspire to go to parliament only to access the perks and privileges.
Most MPs have also been criticised for being backbenchers that are either too incompetent to contribute to meaningful debates or are prevented from doing so by their political parties’ whipping systems that puts political interests ahead of national good.
A former MP who refused to be named said Zivhu’s tweet was either a strong political statement or ‘was just one of the many attention-seeking rants by the publicity-crazed political celebrity’.
“He either meant it or he was just looking for attention. If you follow the parliament hazard closely, you would find that more than half of the MPs finish their whole terms without contributing anything. They simply sit there and wait for the session to end, have their lunch and go.
“Some of us really wanted to make constructive contributions but we were afraid of going against the party line and exposing ourselves,” said the former MP.
A few weeks ago, Zivhu engaged in an expletive-filled Twitter row with Norton MP Themba Mliswa, with the two trading accusations and counter-accusations of corruption and sexual improbity.
Zivhu is also the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Cross Border Traders Association (ZCBTA) and is also director of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Housing Association (Zaha).

Zanu PF packs hundreds of people in goods train for ED rally

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Zanu PF packs hundreds of people in goods train for ED rally

TellZim Reporter

Hundreds of people made it to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ‘Thank You’ rally in at Rutenga last Saturday aboard an old goods train in which the party’s Chiredzi leadership had packed them to boost attendance, TellZim News can report.
Some of the party supporters said they had expected to be ferried in busses but that was not to be as they were told at the 11th hour that they would travel by train.
“Nothing could be more dehumanizing than traveling over 100km in an open goods train. Some people did not care and were actually excited. But a few of us didn’t take it lightly,” said the female party supporter.
Another one said what was more outrageous was that senior party members and their close associates drove all the way to Rutenga in their big vehicles.
“We were packed like sardines. It was not comfortable but there was nothing we could do about it. You want to go wherever other go as that is the system in the party. If you stay behind, you risk being labeled and you then lose out on many things,” said the ordinary card-carrying party member.
Zanu PF has consistently ignored calls not to abuse public resources for partisan gains, and up until now, many of the party’s vehicles do not pay tollgate fees.

Decrease in Masvingo STI cases

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Decrease in Masvingo STI cases

Courage Dutiro

The National Aids Council (NAC) last week revealed that the province recorded a decrease in Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and an increase in condom uptake in 2018, TellZim News can report.
Responding to questions before the 2019 International Condom Day, Nac monitoring and evaluation officer, Munorwei Munyikwa said the organisation had noted a slight increase in condom uptake leading to a decrease in STIs cases in 2018.
He said the figures were encouraging especially with regards to greater efforts to fight new infections this year.
“Cases of STIs have decreased in 2018 as compared to 2017. This year, we are expecting to have a further decrease in new cases and an increase in the uptake of condoms as we are going to introduce condom dispensers to improve distribution.
 “The condom dispensers will be found in all seven districts of the province and they will be monitored by Nac through the use of champion holders,” said Munyikwa.
Munyikwa encouraged youths and everyone who is sexually active to make use of condoms correctly and consistently.
“We encourage youths in tertiary education institutions, youths in schools and everyone else who is sexually active to make use of the condoms correctly and regularly,” said Munyikwa.
As a way of reducing the transmission of STIs, Nac has come up with many programmes in schools to educate pupils about HIV, sexual and reproductive health.

GZU sets new standards in journalism training

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GZU sets new standards in journalism training


Professor Rungano Zvobgo

Staff Reporter

Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) has set new standards in broadcast journalism training in the country after the establishment of a state of the art radio broadcast studio in Masvingo.
The University has since applied for a broadcasting licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), a development that will see the University becoming the first ever media training institution to run a radio station in the country. This ground breaking project will provide media students and students from other Departments in the University with exposure to real-life radio broadcast experience.
At a time when the government is working on opening up the broadcasting sector to new players, GZU Vice Chancellor, Professor Rungano Zvobgo said the campus radio will be a tool that prepares journalism students for the real work environment.
“We are a university that trains journalists and we feel this station is a tool which we will use to prepare the students for the real world out there,” said Prof Zvobgo.
Besides being a training hub, the establishment of a radio station on campus is expected to provide an alternate link between the University and the community.
 “We are raring to go. We have adequate content to immediately go on air once we get the licence from the authorities,’’ said Prof Zvobgo.
The Dean in the Simon Muzenda School of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies Mr. Nicholas Mutami said the establishment of a campus radio will go a long way in linking the university with the community.
“GZU is operating under a multi-campus system and this radio station will be the link between the campuses with lecturers taking advantage of the radio to deliver mass lectures to students in our campuses.
“The surrounding community is also set to immensely benefit from this innovative project as lecturers from various schools and faculties will give critical lessons on issues that directly help the communities for example Agriculture, Health and Legal matters among others. Thus, this radio station will be the ideal medium of communication that educates, informs and entertains,” said Mr Mutami.
The Acting Chairperson of the Department of English and Media Studies, Mr Golden Maunganidze said journalism training will greatly improve as a result of this latest move by the institution.
“In a highly competitive world where the job market demands training institutions to produce competent students, the radio sector already has a good starting point. I can promise you that we are going to be number one in as far as broadcasting training in Zimbabwe is concerned,” said Maunganidze.
Apart from establishing a radio station on campus, the university has already started the construction of television studios.
“The major aim of establishing this campus radio is to come up with professional journalists and presenters who will be able to leave the University and fit well in the commercial, community and public radio broadcasting sector. There is vast potential of our graduates being absorbed by these sectors as the country liberalises the airwaves. We are also doing very well in print journalism training,” added Maunganidze.
The broadcasting sector in Zimbabwe is also bound to directly benefit from this project since the university is going to introduce a radio academy that offers mid-career short courses for journalists already practising. The radio academy will be mainly looking at areas that need improvement and come up with short courses that answer to the needs of the industry.

Small scale sugarcane farmers lose over 1 000 hactares to poor drainage

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Small scale sugarcane farmers lose over 1 000 hactares to poor drainage





Beatific Gumbwanda


CHIREDZI – Mkwasine sugarcane farmers have lost more than 1000 hactares of land since the withdrawal of Tongat Huletts Zimbabwe in Mkwasine Estates as farmers are failing to clean the Jete drainage system leading to sodicity and salinity of their soils.
On the side lines of a field day hosted by the Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA) vice chairperson Elias Nyatowo at farm 27 in Mkwasine, Professor Munashe Shoko of Great Zimbabwe University’s (GZU) Gary Magadzire School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences said farmers are failing to manage sodicity and salinity costing them huge chunks of land.
Sodicity refers specifically to the amount of sodium present in irrigation water. Irrigating with water that has excess amounts of sodium can adversely impact soil structure, making plant growth difficult.
Soil salinity is a term used to describe the salt content within soil. Excess soil salinity causes poor and spotty stands of crops, uneven and stunted growth and poor yields, the extent depending on the degree of salinity.
“Sodicity and salinity is caused by poor water management which is a common problem to small holder farmers especially over irrigation without proper drainage.
“Cane does not require water the way you may think of. When you over apply water, it raises the water table to the extent that when you apply fertilizers they don’t infiltrate through the soil and end up creating a white crystal on the surface,” said Professor Shoko.
Professor Shoko said managing sodicity and salinity at such a stage is costly and takes years.
He said there is need for a complete write off and rehabilitation of the field by bringing in break crops like soya beans then gypsum.
“There is need for a complete write off, so the farmer needs to quickly do what we call rehabilitation and it is very costly.
“You need now to apply bags of gypsum, a lot of them and there is also need to work on the drainage system,” said Professor Shoko.

As ED shuts out Chamisa

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As ED shuts out Chamisa


President Mnangagwa and MDC-A leader Nelson Chamisa

…says dialogue will continue without him 

Upenyu Chaota

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned that he will not be arm-twisted to the negotiating table by MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa, saying the national dialogue will continue without him and will work with those interested in building the country.
Addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters at a rally in Mwenezi last Saturday, President Mnangagwa expressed displeasure that Chamisa snubbed his recent call to all parties to come to State House and discuss issues that he said were aimed at narrowing political differences.
He accused Chamisa as an attention seeker, saying people will soon see him for what he was.
“I called for a meeting with all leaders of the political parties in the country so that we could discuss the future of our country because the election period is now behind us.
“I wanted us to come together and work for the betterment of our country giving them an opportunity to tell us where we make mistakes so we can make amends. Chamisa then said if we meet as leaders who will be chairing the meeting because we are all on the same level.
“I told him there is no problem, you are a president of your own party and I am President of my party so let us find a religious person to mediate but we later discovered that the man of God was a political activist and we dropped him,” said Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa said that they later roped in the chairperson of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), Retired Justice Sello Nare.
“Other political party leaders came but Chamisa refused to come showing his true colours. He is a lost person and does not want to work with others. He cannot ask for special treatment because he lost the election just like others.
“We always tell them to come join others but he is adamant and wants to be left outside. We want people to work together peacefully and build our country because we are Zimbabweans. We will continue dialogue with other political parties.
“We will let Chamisa criticise us from outside but when he makes sense we will take that advice and implement it,” said Mnangagwa.

Knowledge is key to development – Murwira

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Knowledge is key to development – Murwira


Professor Amon Murwira

Diana Gondongwe

The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Professor Amon Murwira has said five senses alone are not what it takes to develop a country, adding that only if a people formulate the best education practices will they stand a better chance of developing .
Speaking at a conference on devolution in Masvingo on Monday, Murwira said for too long, Zimbabwe’s education was not practicals-oriented.
 “As Zimbabweans, our problem is we focus on theories that Europeans came up with and these theories do not apply to our context. We should have an education system which reflects on who we are and be able to create our own industries based on what we have and our cultures thus developing our nation,” said Murwira.
He said students must become creators while tertiary institutions must move away from analysis to innovative and industrial education.
Murwira said the country must use its resources to develop the nation and not focus on exporting raw materials and importing finished goods.
“For devolution to be a success, we must be able to make use of the available resources. We are misusing the raw materials we need for development because we lack knowledge. Resources are not resources unless we know they are resources,” he added.
Murwira said a country cannot develop using imported goods because imported goods entail imported minds and students, therefore, should move from the comfort zone and create goods that do not exist today.
His view was supported by the president of the National Council of Chiefs Fortune Charumbira who said the country could come up with its own developmental model based on its own culture.
“No country can develop by abandoning their own culture, therefore, we must stop the cut and paste practice and we must work to develop our economy,” said Charumbira.

‘Rural girls need nurturing to rise above gender barriers’

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‘Rural girls need nurturing to rise above gender barriers’


The event provided a platform for engargement on how best to uplift young women and girls

Clayton Shereni

Women advocacy group, Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) has urged women of Zimuto community to help young girls discover and shape their talents.
This came up during the belated International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrations in Masvingo Rural Ward 2 on Monday, March 11.
The celebrations were held under the theme #BalanceforBetter, and they drew women and a few men from all walks of life who gathered at the Ministry of Women Affairs community hall where they discussed various gender related issues affecting women in their area.
Speaking at the interactive celebrations which was attended both by elderly and young women, WCoZ provincial coordinator, Belinda Mwale challenged older women to take it upon themselves to guide girls and younger women.
“Our young women and girl children must enjoy freedom and their rights but let us help them to discover their talents so that they don’t stay below boys forever. We should give financial and moral support to our young women and girls.
“Young women should stand toe to toe with young men and do the same work that everybody else does. We don’t want girls to always be at a disadvantage,” said Mwale.
Some participants applauded WCoZ for taking its programmes to their own area, saying the information that was being shared was critical for gender mainstreaming at family and community level.
“We really appreciate these engagements that we know do make a difference in the way we perceive gender matters,” said a participant.
WCoZ initially held the IWD celebrations last week in Masvingo Urban where they did a Young Women’s Forum for women aged between 18 and 35.

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