Home Blog Page 597

Gweru water crisis, Germany comes to the rescue

TellZimNews
-
0
Gweru water crisis, Germany comes to the rescue





                                              Hutter speaks to the media after the event
                           

Tinaani Nyabereka

GWERU –
Germany Development Cooperation (GIZ) and Gweru City Council (GCC) have unblocked
and opened up the kopje reservoirs at a cost of US$60 000 to end a
10-year problem of water failing to smoothly flow to the tanks.
Speaking
at the re-commissioning of the tanks in Gweru, GIZ project manager Stephen
Lidsba said the partners had seen that part of the water shortages in the city
could be traced to the problems at the reservoirs.
“We
spent around $60 000 to get  a team from
Germany who spent time with Robson Manase (director of engineering services in
council) digging around and looking at where the pipes were in order to solve
the problem of water not getting into the tanks.
“So
it was a two-month exercise and we discovered that the problem was just a
valve, one valve to get the water back into the tanks. So we opened the valve
and now here we are. We are now using the tanks again,” said Lidsba.
German
ambassador to Zimbabwe, Thorsten Hutter praised the close relationship between
the city and the people of Germany, encouraging the twinning of cities between
the two countries.
“The
twining of cities for partnership and development is a cultural cooperation and
yes it happened between the City of Masvingo and one of the German cities. It
sought to build relationships between Germany and Zimbabwe but as for now, the
link between the Gweru council and GIZ is strong and yielding results,” said
Hutter.
He
was referring to the twinning agreement between Masvingo and Kernen, a
relationship which has brought enormous economic benefits especially to the
people of Masvingo.
“We
had a meeting with the engineer and council staff and council highlighted some
of the major challenges being faced. Since GIZ is in a partnership with
council, some of those problems will be solved,” Hutter said.
He
pledged Germany’s continued support for the developmental needs of the people
of Zimbabwe.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Mutendi pushes for Chamisa, ED deal

TellZimNews
-
0
Mutendi pushes for Chamisa, ED deal


…Chamisa could be a nuisance, but price of ignoring
would be dear
Upenyu
Chaota
Zion Christian Church (ZCC) leader Bishop Dr Nehemiah
Mutendi has challenged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to engage the opposition
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and all opposing voices for the good of the
country.
Speaking in barely veiled language during the Kudzika
Gomo conference at Mbungo which also doubled as his belated birthday, Bishop
Mutendi, who turned 76 on September 15, described the opposition as a
‘nuisance’, but was quick to warn against ignoring that nuisance.
President Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxillia graced the
event which saw members of the ZCC also praying for the rains as the rainy
season approaches.
“You may call them opposition asi muzukuru (President
Mnangagwa), tora zvana ugare nazvo pasi mutaurirane nekuti zvikatorwa nevatorwa
hamuzozvigoni. Rambai muchingotaura nazvo chero zvichiita sepwere, ndozvinoita
vanhu vakuru. Nyoka huru haizvirumi torai mutaurirane muwirirane (Initiate
dialogue with those youngsters. Even though they could be a real nuisance, be
the bigger brother, talk to them and reach an understanding lest they are used
by detractors to make the situation impossible for you),” said Mutendi in
apparent reference to creating dialogue with Chamisa.
He called on President Mnangagwa not to slam the door
on dialogue and listen to the voice of the opposition no matter how silly and
stupid they could be.
“Go and speak to your boys, go and speak to your
people. Don’t slam the door on opposition, you have said you are a listening
President so go and listen to their stories no matter how stupid and silly they
may be.
“Listen, convince them. You are a sacrificial leader
and a great leader must have gone through great sacrifices. You are mature
enough work together the young and the old. Find positions for them in
government and work together,” said Mutendi.
President Mnangagwa, in his response, seemed be both
defiant and open to dialogue by saying he was in office by Devine will
therefore those who disagreed with him were on the wrong side. He, however,
emphasised his usual mantra that he was a ‘listening’ leader.
 “All those who
have seen the light have voted for me because I was chosen by God. All the
leaders here on earth are chosen by God and if you side with the God-chosen
leader, it means you are on the side of God.
“If you voted against me, it means you are not on the
side of God but there is still time to repent and join others.
“I promise to be a listening President. I will go to
the people and dialogue. Things which can be resolved we will resolve but those
that are impossible we will say so. We do not want violence but we have a task
to bring glory to our country,” said Mnangagwa.

SDA UK adultery saga, implicated elder speaks out

TellZimNews
-
0
SDA UK adultery saga, implicated elder speaks out
Staff reporter

The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church elder Tecla
Ponde who made negative waves in the social media circles a few weeks ago for
allegedly snatching the husband of her host when she travelled to the UK some
weeks ago, has said the whole drama was now a closed chapter for her.
Speaking to TellZim News, Ponde indicated that she was
a God-fearing woman, saying all that had happened were trials and tribulations
that she had, however, managed to put at the back of her mind.
“I am a God-fearing person. I did not even respond
when the allegations were circulating and I didn’t want to take the media
route,” said Ponde.
She said she did not want to dwell in the past, saying
life on Earth was all about serving God against the huge odds that the faithful
are definitely bound to encounter.
“I have made peace with the drama and want to forget
it because I think God was just trying my faith and I think I succeeded,” said
Ponde.
The drama started when Ponde visited the European
country on an evangelical mission.
An audio recording later circulated on social media,
with a female voice alleging Ponde had abused her hospitality and slept with
her husband when she went out on night shift.
In the audio, the woman angrily chided ‘Mr Ponde’ for
being husband to a homewrecker whom she accused of betraying her trust.
A few days later, another audio ascribed to the same
woman circulated, this time apologising to ‘Mr and Mrs Ponde’ for the
embarrassment caused, saying she had been fed wrong information.
The drama is still a topical issue in Masvingo where
the Pondes are based.








Devolution must be implemented as matter of urgency

TellZimNews
-
0
Devolution must be implemented as matter of urgency

The country’s
Constitution which came into effect in 2013 after replacing the overused Lancaster
House Constitution of 1979, provides for devolution of State power to the
provinces as a way of empowering local communities to have greater say in the
development of their own communities. This provision is enshrined in Section
264 of the Constitution, which makes it clear that the objectives of devolution
are ‘to give powers of local governance to the people and enhance their
participation in the exercise of the powers of the State and in making
decisions affecting them’, and to ‘to recognise the right of communities to
manage their own affairs and to further their development’, among others. If
anything, this is a clear acknowledgement that resources of the country are not
being shared equitably among communities. We therefore are taken aback that
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has chosen to continue on his predecessor Robert
Mugabe’s intransigent path of boldly ignoring devolution, against letter and
spirit of the Constitution. After controversially winning the 2013 elections, Mugabe
simply chose to ignore the devolution clause and appointed provincial affairs
ministers instead of constituting the provincial councils as required by the
Constitution. That Zanu PF opposed devolution since the time of the Constitution-making
process is not a secret, but it must be noted that Mnangagwa, just as his
opposition rivals in the July 2018 elections, based his campaign on many things
including a pledge to implement devolution. It is therefore surprising that he
has chosen to do a Mugabe and appoint provincial affairs ministers instead of
directing his party, which has a two thirds majority in Parliament, to draft
and pass a law that operationalises provincial and metropolitan councils as
required by the Constitution. While the President and his officials are still
saying the right things about devolution, they are doing the exact opposite on
the ground. As it stands, provincial affairs ministers are unconstitutional
appointments. The flow of the country’s resources as well as decision-making
processes remain skewed in favour of Harare and that is detrimental to national
cohesion. People must have freedom to determine the use of their resources and
to decide on their development priorities. That can only be achieved if
devolution is implemented as a matter of urgency.

Mwenezi teacher manhandles school head for refusing to sign leave forms

TellZimNews
-
0
Mwenezi teacher manhandles school head for refusing to sign leave forms



Cephas Shava

MWENEZI- Jacob Mugwira, a
teacher at Choverere Primary School manhandled his school headmaster, Boy
Chikwavava, by his waist belt after he allegedly refused to sign his leave
forms.
The
case was heard at the Mwenezi Magistrate Court last week where Mugwira was
facing disorderly conduct charges.
Mugwira,
who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was acquitted at the close of State case
after the school head’s side of the story differed with the version of two other
State witnesses.
In
acquitting Mugwira, magistrate Honest Musiiwa expressed dissatisfaction over
the case, which he said was not worthy the court’s time, insisting that both
the accused and the complainant’s conduct resembles child’s play.
Argued
by prosecutor Willard Chasi, the State case was that on March 06 last year at
around 07:20 hrs, the two had a misunderstanding while at work.
During
the squabble, Mugwira held Chikwavava by the belt and tie while pushing him
around.
The
court further heard that Chikwavava managed to flee but Mugwira chased after
him threatening to kill him.
Chikwavava
locked himself in his house and Mugwira, armed with a spear and machete, broke
the door down and the two tussled.
Chikwavava
managed to escape and went straight to file a police report leading to
Mugwira’s arrest.
In
his defence, Mugwira lashed out at Chikwavava saying he exaggerated the whole
incident saying they only had a small misunderstanding which never turned
violent.
“The
truth of the matter is that he is exaggerating. The headmaster is just abusing
his powers at the school. He does not want to see me there and at one point in
time he attempted to have me fired,” argued Mugwira.

New Zimsec regulations, a nightmare for grade 7 exams

TellZimNews
-
0
New Zimsec regulations, a nightmare for grade 7 exams



Kudakwashe Nyamuzinga

The just
ended Grade seven examinations started on a chaotic note following new
regulations from the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (Zimsec) which caused
logistical problems in the transportation of examination materials, it has been
learnt.
Zimbabwe
Teachers Association (Zimta) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sifiso Ndlovu said
in some places, pupils started writing as late as noon.
“In some
schools, due to logistical and transport challenges, exams started as late as
12 pm, a poor practice that Zimbabwe had never experienced before. In my 38
years of service this was the first of its kind and whoever is responsible at
Zimsec must be answerable to this kind of arrangement,” said Ndlovu.
He said the
new arrangement had burdened schools with extra transport costs as the exam
body instructed school heads to build store rooms to secure exam papers in
2017.
“We are
disappointed by the fact that last year, Zimsec instructed headmasters to build
storerooms at a cost to secure exams and this year, they did not put those
rooms into use,” he said.
Progressive
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary general, Raymond Majongwe said transportation
of exam papers on a daily basis was a big challenge.
“The most
disappointing thing is that exams are now being collected and returned everyday
when there is no framework that enables headmasters to do this and the
government did not create any fund that would enable them to do this task every
day.
“There is no
special position that was agreed upon between teachers unions and the
government because everything is just being imposed from the top,” said
Majongwe.
The new
Zimsec regulations stipulate that schools must collect and return examination
materials to and from the cluster centre on the day of sitting to avoid
leakages.

Zimra seeks better relations with business

TellZimNews
-
0
Zimra seeks better relations with business



Shingirai Vambe

HARARE- Zimbabwe Revenue
Authority (Zimra) commissioner general Faith Mazani last week addressed members
of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) on tax policy, saying
businesses were free to engage the taxi authority to negotiate simpler payment
terms.
She said out of
300 registered tax payers, only an estimated 40 percent was fully complying
with their tax obligations.
She encouraged
everybody to pay their taxes, saying she was however well-aware of Zimra’s own
shortcomings in such areas as the inefficiency of some systems, poor public
relations and corruption at the borders.
“Yes many have
criticised me for being stern on the issue of penalties, but we have resolved
to start afresh and give people a breather so that they can come on their own
and prepare a payment plan which is flexible to them,” Mazani said.
Stakeholders
raised serious concerns with the system of engaging whistle-blowers, saying the
practice was in a way damaging whatever goodwill that existed between Zimra and
taxpayers.
ZNCC Harare
branch chairperson, Mike Makamure said whistle-blowing was now a full time occupation
for some people whom he alleged had formed unethical collaborations with Zimra
insiders to share information.
Zimra pays 10
percent to any whistle-blower who gives critical information leading to the
recovery of tax money and custom duty from evaders and smugglers.
“I urge all
those in business to go and engage Zimra, create partnerships and if there is any
query, contact us immediately. We encourage registered tax payers to comply
with tax policies and, if possible, come forward and talk to us before
whistle-blowers pounce,” said Mazani.
She emphasised
that everyone regardless of position in society was required to pay tax and
custom duties as per the law. She said some people were in the habit of abusing
their political connectedness and powerful offices to avoid paying duty at the
border.

‘Mwenezi desires genuine investors not opportunists’

TellZimNews
-
0
‘Mwenezi desires genuine investors not opportunists’

                                                                     Joosbi Omar


Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – As
the country embraces devolution of power, with provinces expected to come up
with their own development strategies, Mwenezi East Member of Parliament (MP)
Joosbi Omar has made it clear that the district requires genuine investors who
will put in their money for mutual benefit.
Addressing
Zanu PF district structures at an inter-district meeting that was held at
Neshuro Growth Point recently, Omar told delegates that in accordance with
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ mantra, Mwenezi wanted
genuine investors.
“Given
the vast resources we have, we have the potential to contribute immensely to
the province’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP. We need to be wary of ‘investors’
who may come and exploit us and loot our resources.
“We
want the people of Mwenezi to have better lives because we own the resources.
We need genuine people who will develop our areas and improve our livelihoods,”
said Omar.
The
Chinese are regarded as some of the worst investors, with people in most of the
areas they operate from not benefitting from those investments.
The
Chinese are best known for environmental degradation, looting and flouting labour
laws and other regulatory rules.
Omar’s
call come in the wake of a recent visit by a South African-based investor who
visited Manyuchi Dam, exploring possible investment opportunities there.
The
investor, who was accompanied by a delegation that was led by Minister of State
for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira showed interest in possibly
establishing a game ranch in the area surrounding the dam.
Mwenezi
has vast game ranching investments, with one of the biggest game ranch being
owned by controversial businessman Billy Rautenbach.
Rautenbach
owns Zimbabwe Bio Energy (ZBE) but he is often accused of ill-treating
employees and deliberately failing to pay salaries and summary dismissals.
His
company is embroiled in bitter legal battles with some stakeholders and former
employees who allege abuse, arbitrary dismissals and non-payment of salaries.

‘New Chief Makore was wrongly appointed’

TellZimNews
-
0
‘New Chief Makore was wrongly appointed’

                                                                         File pic 


Brighton Chiseva                                         


GUTU – Three of the four
houses of the Makore royal family have complained against the appointment of
Johannes Chikonzi Muzenda of the Chihambakwe house as the new Chief Makore, saying
an appointment must have been made from the other houses.
The three
families namely Risipambi, Mugore, and Mazando have since lodged their complaints
with the Provincial Administrator (PA)’s office through a written petition
which was copied to Gutu District Administrator (DA) and chairperson of the
provincial chiefs’ council.
Masvingo PA,
Fungai Mbetsa could not be reached for comment as his phone went unanswered for
several times.
Gutu DA Chiedza
Tafireyi confirmed receiving the letter but refused to give a detailed comment saying
it was not addressed to her.
“I received the
letter but it was not addressed to me, it was addressed to the PA and was only
copied to me,” said Tafireyi
TellZim News saw
the letter which accuses the Chihambakwe house of breaking the rotational rule
of chieftainships by taking the position yet again when the most immediate
previous chief, the late Shonhe Muzenda, was from the same family.
The disgruntled
family members also say they were not involved in the deliberations and nomination
of candidates to the throne.
They complain
that Chief Ndanga, born Wilson Makono, who chaired the deliberations, was
related to the Chihambakwes.
“We were not
given enough time to plan our Chieftainship. We were only given two days and
during the weekend, we complained but we were not given even 10 minutes to
discuss.
“We were
introduced to Chief Neshuro as our chairperson of the Chiefs’ council on the
day but surprisingly, Chief Ndanga took over. Chief Ndanga is uncle to the
Chihambakwe Family where the chief was appointed,” reads part of the letter
They also allege
the Chihambakwe house was in the habit of side-lining others in matters of
mutual interest, claiming they were marginalised during the burial of the late
chief.
“Following all
these unusual events, we appeal to your office to intervene and save the Makore
people and their culture as a dynasty,” the letter reads.
Shonhe Muzenda
died in 2015 after serving for about eight months as chief, with his younger
brother’s son, Jestias Muzenda, taking over on an acting basis.

Women need to be proactive with their health, Zvishavane Lion’s Club says

TellZimNews
-
0
Women need to be proactive with their health, Zvishavane Lion’s Club says

…many dying of cancer, diabetes
due to lack of information

Darlington Kanyongo

ZVISHAVANE – Several members of the Lions Club on October 20
stationed themselves at Pote Central open ground to educate people on how to
fight the spread of cervical and breast cancers.
They shared information with
members of the public on the need for constant screening and blood tests for
early detection of such medical conditions as diabetes.
Lions Club president, Chengetai
Phiri told TellZim News that he had observed that a number of people did not
know their diabetes status as they gave little regard to that.
“We are doing this diabetes
testing for free and women are being given information on some types of cancer
which have claimed many lives. We have realised that people in urban areas
rarely visit the hospital for such services as they are always busy with other
things,” he said.
One of the beneficiary of the
outreach programme was Lisa Mabena who thanked the club for helping her
understand the importance of being pro-active with the health of her body.
“I wasn’t aware that not
getting screened for cancer is directing putting yourself on the line. I am
very grateful for the free services I received here,” she said.
Some 110 people got their blood
glucose level tested while 64 women received information on the importance of
getting breast and cervical cancer screening.
A one-year-old baby also got her
blood glucose level tested, while eight adults were referred to Zvishavane
District Hospital after being found to be diabetic.
Lion’s Club chairperson, Martin
Muserere thanked Nyaradzo Funeral Services for helping them with tents and Zvishavane
District Hospital for providing them with two nurses and three lab technicians
for the exercise.

1...596597598...958Page 597 of 958