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‘Renco aircraft crash victims threw luggage overboard’

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‘Renco aircraft crash victims threw luggage overboard’

TellZim Reporter
The five
people who were traveling in the doomed Cessna S206 which crashed in the
Chemanjirenji Hills Village in the Renco area of Masvingo South last week
desperately tried to serve the doomed aircraft minutes before the disaster, it
has been has learnt.
Sources
told TellZim News that recordings of the plane’s black box showed that the
pilot and his four passengers threw their luggage overboard as indications that
the plane had developed mechanical problems became apparent.
“They
started to throw their luggage off after realising their plane was struggling.
It is suspected a lot of valuables could have been lost in the process since
security agents only recovered goods on the crash site,” said a source who is privy
to the investigations.
The plane
crashed a few minutes after take-off from Buffalo Range Airport enroute to
Victoria Falls, with the disaster followed by grisly social media images of
broken human body parts mingled with the plane’s wreckage.
All people
on board – two Zimbabweans and three Finnish – died in the crash, with
eyewitnesses saying the plane made strange roaring sounds before disintegrating
mid-air.
The victims’
given names were Partanen Kari Leo Tapana (53), Ojanpaajari-Pekka (52), Vappula
Heikki Antero (51), Harri Hynnimen (50) and Barry Styles; a 48-year-old wealthy
Lowveld-based businessman who is said to have been the owner of the aircraft.

Motlanthe Commission shuts out witnesses: NGO Forum

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Motlanthe Commission shuts out witnesses: NGO Forum


Upenyu Chaota

The
Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence which saw soldiers
gunning down six civilians on the streets of Harare on August 01 has drawn the
ire of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum which claims some evidence and
witnesses are being shutting out.
The
Commission of Inquiry announced that it had completed its process of gathering
oral evidence through public hearings on November 27.
In
a press statement, the Forum slammed the former South African President Kgalema
Motlanthe-led commission for not acknowledging their witnesses and evidence.
“On
the 5th of October 2018, the Forum’s Chairperson Ms Jestina Mukoko wrote to the
Commission giving it evidence on the events of the 1st of August 2018.  In the letter, she promised to furnish
further evidence to the Commissioners and requested that she be called to
testify before the Commission.
“On
October 12, Mukoko wrote again and attached a bundle of evidence which included
affidavits of evidence of 18 victims and witnesses to the shootings as well as
evidence of the relatives of the deceased. 
“The
evidence also contained post-mortem reports of the deceased clearly showing
that they died of gunshots wounds. In the cover letter accompanying this
evidence, the Forum’s Chairperson once again offered herself to appear before
the Commission and give oral evidence as well as to answer any questions
regarding this evidence. 
“Neither
was she nor 15 of the witnesses whose evidence was placed before the Commission
called to testify,” said the Forum.
The
Forum said it is gravely concerned by the lack of clarity regarding
acknowledgement or feedback on evidence submitted before the Commission of
Inquiry and the absence of mechanisms to ensure the safety of witnesses.
“The
key issue of concern is the lack of transparency on procedures of handling the
evidence submitted to the Commission. There was no acknowledgment or feedback
received from the Commission of submissions filed by the Forum and its members
who made individual submissions.
“These
are Veritas, Zimbabwe Association for Doctors for Human Rights, Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights and Zimbabwe Peace Project. The Submissions were filed
via email and hand delivered to the Commission Secretariat at the Commission’s
offices at Cresta Lodge Hotel.
“The
Commission has announced that it concluded the hearings and it is now
consolidating the information received, yet we have no way of establishing
whether our submissions have reached the Commission,” said the Forum in a
statement.
The
Forum  called on chairperson Motlanthe to
take measures to ensure that the evidence submitted has been given due
consideration and that there is feedback to the stakeholders who made such
submissions and that he personally acknowledge that the information has been
received and that it will be considered.

Vaya Lift comes to Mutare

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Vaya Lift comes to Mutare


Nashe Mahachi
MUTARE – Econet
Wireless Zimbabwe subsidiary, Cassava, has launched its new ride-hailing
service application called Vaya Lift in Mutare.
The service offers convenient, affordable and safe
transportation. Vaya Lift’s app is already available on both Android and
IOS. 
The ride hailing service, whose
concept was originally developed by the American company Uber, works by using a
mobile App available for free on the Google and Apple stores which is connected
to the EcoCash mobile money service or to one’s credit card.
Speaking
at the launch held at a local hotel in Mutare, Econet Manicaland general manager
Parshon Muranganwa   said Vaya will
create employment for local people.
“This door-to-door, smart
transportation service will help ease transport challenges in our suburbs. Vaya will create employment to locals. The drivers
are from the community and riders are also from the community. What
makes the Vaya appealing is the fact that it allows for riders to pay using
Zimbabwe’s most dominant mobile money service, EcoCash. It is safe, affordable, and convenient Uber-type
passenger transportation service can be easily booked from anywhere at any time
via the convenience of a mobile application. Vaya drivers can be anyone who has
a car and registers with us to be a driver as long as they meet our
requirements. One can work full time or when they are free,” said
Muranganwa.
He said Vaya
Lift fares were fixed and payment can be done through EcoCash, debit cards and
cash.
The Vaya
Lift pricing is 20 percent lower than traditional taxi fares, with average
waiting minutes of just about five minutes.

Quality furniture in town through youthful expertise

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Quality furniture in town through youthful expertise



…how Pagwaungana is shaping his
Spider Wild Carpentry dream

Moses Ziyambi

MASVINGO – A young man’s desire to use his carpentry skills to make
a living is fast transforming furniture business in the city, with many
individuals and some companies now relying on him for top quality furniture.
Tawanda Pagwaungana, who began
making furniture back in 2012, used to supply only a few customers but he is
now expanding his horizons.
He has since established Spider
Wild Carpentry, a company which specialises in the manufacturing of first class
furniture for the local market and beyond.
The Spider Wild Carpentry workshop,
situated in Hughes Street opposite Agribank, is oftentimes a hive of activity.
The company is capable of doing
any kind of work that involves the use of wood.
“We are a small but highly
capable company of skilled individuals determined to make a contribution to the
development the economy of Masvingo. We pride ourselves in manufacturing unique
furniture without compromising on quality standards. We also find pride in our
capacity to meet any order from customers who want durable furniture and excellent
service,” said Pagwaungana.
The company is also an expert in
upholstery, kitchen fittings, strong teak doors, wardrobe fittings, ceiling
boards and office furniture.
“As we try to grow in this
difficult economy, we have made it a policy to build customer trust and
convenience. We do that through the wide variety of work that we do. Let people
come and see the sofas we make, let them come and place an order for a bed, a
wardrobe or ceilings. Customers are free to describe what they want and we
design that exactly to the dot,” said Pagwaungana.
He said a customers can have
their own distinctive ceiling designs that can follow whatever imagination they
have in mind.
“We have endless designs in mind
but most importantly, we allow customers to live their own imaginative
fantasies. We design the ceiling and we go and fit it for the customer; all
that at reasonable cost,” said Pagwaringira.
He said there were flexible
payment terms including a lay-by system which cushions customers who cannot
afford to pay for everything all at once.
When TellZim News visited the
workshop, it was difficult to take eyes off the elegant leather couches, the
rocking chairs and other beautiful pieces of office furniture on display. There
were also exclusive couches for hire at weddings and other special events.
There were also car seats
undergoing extensive refurbishment, with the tattered cloths being replaced
with new shiny material.
On what he thinks government
could do to boost SMEs in the country, Pagwaungana said it was critical that
small businesses are given exemption from burdensome regulations.
“We have many great ideas. The
SMEs sector has great potential to give many people jobs but importing
machinery and the materials needed for this work is expensive because there is
duty to be paid. Let there be a favourable tax and duty framework to enable us
to grow and employ young skilled people who have no jobs,” he said.

Rotary club donates to Masvingo, Mashoko schools of nursing

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Rotary club donates to Masvingo, Mashoko schools of nursing


Clayton Shereni
The local
chapter of the Rotary Club International on Monday, November 26, visited
Masvingo Provincial Hospital where they donated dozens of text book to the
school of nursing.
A representative
of Mashoko School of Nursing was also present to receive a share of the
donation.
Masvingo
Provincial Hospital School of Nursing has an enrollment of over 100 students
and had been experiencing financial problems which made it impossible to buy
all the books needed for the library.
Speaking on
behalf of provincial Medical Director Dr Amadeus Shamu, Dr Tapera Sarawoye
thanked the club for the good work which he said would go a long way in helping
the institution to produce quality nurses.
“As an
institution, we are very humbled by this generous gesture and we are sure these
books will help us to produce the best nurses. I hope Rotary will continue helping
and supporting us,” said Sarawoye.
Also expressing
her gratitude towards Rotary Club’s donation, the school’s tutor-in-charge,
Rosemary Machuwaire said the donation was a timely intervention.
“This
donation has come to our rescue because we had a book deficit in our library
and we would like to thank Rotary Club for this timely intervention,” said
Machuwaire.
Masvingo Rotary
Club president, Mike Zulu called upon the nursing students to join the club and
also promised to keep working hand in glove with medical institutions.
“We urge
you to use these books wisely to improve your skills and knowledge and guard
the books jealously. We also look forward to have nurses in our club because we
are open to everyone,” said Zulu.
Last year,
Rotary Club in partnership with Book Aid International made a similar donation to
Silveira and Morgenster school of nursing as well as to the University of
Zimbabwe (UZ) library.

Alheit High School choir launches debut album

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Alheit High School choir launches debut album
Brighton Chiseva

GUTU – The Reformed Church in Zimbabwe
(RCZ)-run Alheit High School choir has launched its six-track album called
Inzwi Renyu.
The album, which features Reverend Chivaviro
and Munyaradzi Munodawafa, was produced by Blessing Masanga of Bishie Music.
The songs are Izwi Renyu (title track),
Ndosangana Sei naJesu ft Rev Chivaviro, Nyaya Yerudo, Jesu Mupenyu, Ramangwana
Rakajeka ft Munyaradzi Munodawafa and Ndinokutendai.
Two of the songs namely Jesu Mupenyu and
Ndosangana sei naJesu were taken from the RCZ hymn book.
The choir director and composer who is also the
school music teacher, Yananiso Tagutanazvo said she was happy to complete the
project they started around June.
She thanked the pupils for their commitment, the
school for giving the group financial support and the responsible authority for
the moral support rendered during the production phase of the album.
“We faced a number of challenges but the school
as well as our fund-raising team bailed us out and we made it. The pupils I have
are committed and I think we have the right team which worked hard for the
success of the project,” said Tagutanazvo.
She also said they were working on the videos
for some of the songs, with the video to the title track already done.
“I promise our fans that the video album will
be out soon. We have already done one and we are finalising the rest. On
Ndosangana sei naJesu, we are waiting for Rev Chivaviro to find time from his
busy schedule to do his part of the video and it will be done,” she said.
She also thanked the producer as well as her co
-composer Emmanuel Nyadenga for the effort they put to produce the fine work of
art.
Tagutanazvo said the choir was made up of
pupils from form one to six, some of them doing music as a practical subject.

German energy firm to invest US$13 million at Lake Mutirikwi

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German energy firm to invest US$13 million at Lake Mutirikwi

Clayton Shereni
Droege Energy, a
Germany-based power company, has expressed interest in investing more than US$13
million dollars in a solar project at Lake Mutirikwi which will supply
electricity to new irrigation schemes and contribute to the national grid.
Company Chief
Executive Officer (CEO), Gustavo Droege paid a courtesy call on Minister of
State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira last week and made clear
his company’s interest in setting-up a 10 megawatt solar plant at Lake
Mutirikwi.
After the
meeting, Droege and his delegation toured Lake Mutirikwi to have a firsthand
appreciation of the site.
In an interview
with TellZim News, Droege said his company was committed to helping the people
of Zimbabwe improve their economy.
“We are
happy to invest in Masvingo and as Droege Energy, we are committed to help the
people of Zimbabwe improve their lives,” said Droege.
Asked whether
the project was inspired by the ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ mantra, Droege
said their interest in the country’s energy sector had been warmly received by
government.
“Yes we
were inspired by the conducive business environment and in Harare, we visited
different ministers and all of them were impressed by our proposals,” said
Droege.
In his own
remarks, Chadzamira welcomed the development and said he was optimistic the
project will succeed.
“We welcome
this project as we work towards vision 2030. This is a very big project which I
am sure will transform the lives of the people of Masvingo,” said
Chadzamira.
The Mutirikwi
solar project is Droege Energy’s first major proposed prospective project in
Zimbabwe and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019.

Checheche dislodges Gaza Primary as Chipinge traditional dance champs

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Checheche dislodges Gaza Primary as Chipinge traditional dance champs

                                                 Checheche Primary School dance group

Stephen Ephraem
In a
case resembling the Biblical David and Goliath account, underdogs Checheche
Primary School ended Gaza Primary School’s five-year dominance as district traditional
dance champions during competitions held at St Peters’ Primary School.
Prior
to this year’s competitions, Checheche Primary School had not been known for
making it to the district level.
At the
event, teams danced the Muchongoyo set piece plus one other dance of their own
choice, with the combination of marks obtained in the two categories
determining a team’s overall mark.
In the
Muchongoyo category Gaza, Madhuku, Muzite, Maronga and Checheche were the
strongest but in the own choice category, St Albertina, Checheche and Gaza
outclassed others.  
It was,
however, Checheche who won the best overall prize after a sterling performance
even in the own choice category where they danced to the Chokoto beat. Maronga,
Madhuku, Gaza and Muzite took second, third, fourth and fifth positions
respectively.
Speaking
at the occasion, National Primary School Heads (NAPH) district chairperson, Mr.
Chipongo thanked all teams for according pupils a chance to showcase their
talents.
Chipinge
District Schools Inspector (DSI) Richard Gabaza urged the winning teams to
bring the national trophy to Chipinge.
“Checheche
is now representing Chipinge district so let us support the team with all the
time and resources that we can spare so that they can make us proud at the next
level. 
“The Muchongoyo
dance set piece emanates from Chipinge so you would be doing us great honour if
you bring the trophy where the dance belongs,” he said.

Jilted man threatens to kill self in front of magistrate

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Jilted man threatens to kill self in front of magistrate



Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A man recently
stunned the court when he issued a three-day ultimatum that he would hang
himself unless his estranged wife returned to him.
Lungton
Chibaya of Chibaya village under Chief Chitanga had been dragged to the civil
court by his estranged wife Filda Chauke who was seeking a peace order, citing
abuse as the cause for the separation.
Chauke,
who now stays with her parents in Mafanele village under Chief Chitanga, begged
the court to order Chibaya to stop visiting her.
She
said she would only consider reuniting with him if he paid something towards
her bride price, a condition which angered Chibaya.
“I
have no any other options except to kill myself. If my wife does not return in
the next three days, I will go and commit suicide right at her parents’
homestead. It’s better to die than to be left by my wife. How could she decide
to leave me an orphan?” cried Chibaya.
Repeated
efforts by magistrate Musiiwa to counsel Chibaya fell on deaf ears as he
remained defiant. He later left the courtroom swearing that he stood by his
threat to commit suicide.  

We’re getting poorer: Tugwi – Mukosi flood victims

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We’re getting poorer: Tugwi – Mukosi flood victims



Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – Hundreds of
people who were displaced by the Tugwi-Mukosi floods in February 2014 and were
moved to Chingwizi camp where they stay in overcrowded and unsanitary
conditions have liked their suffering to colonial bondage.
The
people, who fall under Chief Chitanga’s area in Mwanezi East, said they have
suffered immense hardship as experienced by the majority of citizens under
White minority rule.
Those
who spoke to TellZim News said they were falling deeper and deeper into poverty
as their livestock were dying due to lack of grazing.
“Surely,
those that lived in keeps during the reign of Ian Smith’s regime were far much
better than us. Besides limited access to social service, we have limited land
to grow crops and graze our cattle. There is no land for us even to properly
bury the dead,” said one victim.
Another
one complained that government had failed to honour its promises to give them
decent pieces of land but had instead ceded vast tracts of the scarce resource
to controversial businessman Billy Rautenbach to establish his Zimbabwe Bio
Energy (ZBE) game ranch.
“How
is it possible that one man has been given so much land and allowed to fence it
off? Our cattle are starving and we are becoming poorer,” said the resident of
Bongo in Chingwizi.
Others
said the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa was no different from that
of Robert Mugabe as it has ignored pleas for fair compensation.
Ward
13 councillor, Takura Mudavose acknowledged the grievances and confirmed that
people in Chingwizi had been forgotten for too long.
“People
in Chingwizi do not have any grazing land; their cattle are dying at an
alarming rate. I have so far informed the Minister of State for Masvingo
Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira of this and he has promised to deal with
the matter,” said Mudavose.
In
the run-up to the July 30 harmonised elections, MDC Alliance presidential
candidate Nelson Chamisa visited Chingwizi and castigated the government for
being heartless.

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