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Pay only half your arrears this festive season, Chiredzi pleads with residents

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Pay only half your arrears this festive season, Chiredzi pleads with residents

                                                              Charles Muchatukwa



Beatific Gumbwanda
Chiredzi Town Council secretary,
Charles Mushatukwa has said council is giving residents and ratepayers a 50
percent discount on all their arrears to incentivise debt clearance.
The offer, which means one will
need to pay only half of what he owes to council, is valid from 06 December
2018 – 06 January 2019.
Muchatukwa said Chiredzi Town
Council is owed around $10 million in unpaid rates, and the latest measure is
meant to help residents clear their debts and start afresh.
He also said it was a way of
thanking residents for supporting the local authority throughout the difficult
year.
 “We have resolved to give our debtors a 50
percent relief this festive season. We are not just slashing the debt but the
debtor should first pay half in order for us to slash another half.
“We are also not forgetting our
regular paying up residents; we have a bonus for them but they should contact
our management to get the details of the bonus,” said Muchatukwa.
Chiredzi Town Council chairperson,
Gibson Hwende said council was only collecting 30 percent of its targeted
revenue.
“It is worrisome that we are
collecting 30 percent of our targeted revenue and that explains why we are failing
to operate efficiently. This is a clear indication that residents are
struggling to settle their bills so we have come up with the generous discount,”
said Hwende.

African parliament laments Horn of Africa chaos

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African parliament laments Horn of Africa chaos


…attacks West for
‘ill-treating’ African refugees

TellZim
Reporter
Vice president of the
Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Fortune Charumbira has bemoaned the plight of
African refugees seeking sanctuary in the Europe Union (EU) as modern-day
slavery and accused the bloc of treating the refugees who make it to its shores
as animals.
Speaking at the ‘We the
People: Peace in the Horn’ conference in Brussels recently, Charumbira said during
the course of the event, he received shocking firsthand testimony of the
inhuman experiences that refugees suffer on their way to Europe and in their
quest to integrate.
“I have listened to many
refugees; it has been shocking to hear their stories. Their testimonies reveal
modern-day slavery in Africa. Heart-breaking and horrific stories that I have
been hearing here are totally a reflection of the violation of human rights of
highest order. We need to do all in our power to stop slavery on the African
continent,” said Charumbira.
He accused EU of blatant
violation of the rights of the mostly Eritrean refugees, saying the bloc was
abetting their suffering.
“We were told that often,
Europe’s invisible hand is ever present in funding Coastal Guards who
discriminately harass our brothers and sisters at borders. Another shocking
revelation is that of the whole cartel and network of very powerful rich people
who are involved in the human trafficking trade in Europe and in Africa.
“I would like to think
that in the manner that EU preaches the respect for human rights as enshrined
in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), their voices must be
louder in calling for the end of ill-treatment of migrants. Europe which
projects itself as champion and policemen of human rights, risks losing dignity
and integrity if they continue to respect the free movement of goods and
commodities across continents and also respecting the rights of wildlife on the
African continent but at same time contributing to the inhuman and degrading
treatment of African migrants,” Charumbira said.
He said Europe should
take more responsibility for the crisis which he said had its roots in slavery
and colonial dislocations.
“Today, Africans are
being seen as nuisance in the West with many of brothers and sisters perishing
as they try to run away from their countries…. the problems that we have in
Africa at large and in the horn in particular, it’s a creation of the
Westerners who decided to sit somewhere in Berlin in 1884 and divided our
motherland. The rest that followed only worked to brew chaos in Africa.
“The Europeans themselves
were the first to be illegal migrants in Africa and they did it with clear
conscience but today, they are treating our brothers and sisters like animals,”
Charumbira said.
He also took a
thinly-veiled attack against repressive governance systems and security
heavy-handedness in Eritrea.
“The widespread of use of
force, coercion and brutality to achieve political goals has remained indelibly
enmeshed in the Horn of Africa. Such use of violence to quell real or perceived
threats to national security has left deep scars among the communities in
Africa. There is apparent lack of open dialogue on the need to correct past and
on-going threats to peace resulting in the sustenance of both open and latent
strife among the citizens,” Charumbira said.
He urged participants to
come up with a clear action plan for presentation to PAP and African heads of
state.
“As vice president of
PAP, I can assure you that we are going to compile all the sad stories that I
have heard and present them to our parliament so that this issue will be put on
the agenda on our next meeting session in February 2019,” he said.

Gender Based Violence, the disease that won’t end

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Gender Based Violence, the disease that won’t end

Stephen Ephraem/Pamela Hlatshwayo
A
woman sits under the shade of a kitchen hut with her head buried in her palms
while her young daughter looks at her with apparent concern.
After
a short while, the woman shifts focus to the child and wipes tears flowing down
her cheeks. She calls the youngster to her and the two souls embraces each
other.
The
young daughter innocently asks her mother, “Why did father beat you?” to which
the woman replies, “It shall be alright.”
This
account is one of the many Gender Based Violence (GBV) experiences that women
across Africa face, with Chipinge being one of the worst affected districts in
Zimbabwe. The district’s population is multi-cultural with most of the people
identifying themselves as Ndau and Tsonga (Xangani) and Karanga.
Most
productive men in Chipinge tend to cross illegally into neighbouring countries
especially South Africa for greener pastures, leaving their marriage partners
at the mercy of abusive in-laws and relatives.
Concerning
cultural norms, most traditional African communities do not believe in the
socio-economic and political empowerment of women. This leaves the men with the
financial muscle over women.
In
an interview, Chipinge District Aids Committee chairperson, Alex Chimedza said
many cases of domestic violence seem to have an economic outlook, with victims
being women who cannot provide for themselves and rely on men for their upkeep.
“Men
expect women to be reasonable when asking for money, something which is not
practical given the economic hardships the country is currently facing. Another
problem is that men neglect their families and most of them concentrate on
spending the little money that they earn on beer. This ultimately leads to
domestic violence as the men will no longer have money to provide for the
family when the need arises,” said Chimedza.
He
said there was need to eliminate cultural norms that prevent women from working
and earning income to sustain the family without necessarily asking men for
assistance.
“Domestic
violence requires a strong response from communities. It is vital that communities
empower women financially to help them complement the usual male breadwinners’
incomes. This would help reduce tension at home and give everybody some
financial breathing space,” he said.
During
the 16 days of activism against GBV which began on November 22 and ended on December
10, this publication gathered that a larger population of girls in rural areas enter
into child marriages and their communities tend to turn a blind eye on that.
Administrative
officer in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Kudzai Chiripasi said poverty contributed
immensely to GBV at household level.
“Women
are often the ones at the receiving end when people lack basic commodities at
home. Men abuse their wives emotionally and even physically whenever the women
asks for money to buy what is needed in the house,” said Chiripasi.
Chiripasi
said the ministry was making some interventions by coming up with empowerment
programmes so that chances of women getting abused in homes can be lessened.
“In
Chipinge our ministry has helped reduce Gender Based Violence through such
initiatives as the Women Development Fund which required some six women to form
a group and partake in income generating projects. Under the fund, women were
given an egg hatcher and this is helping them to generate income,” Chiripasi
said.
Chiripasi
urged women to join income-generating projects that she said were one way of
protecting them from abusive relationships.
“As
a ministry, we are raising awareness campaigns on Gender Based Violence and hope
that affected women shall be empowered to reduce their chances of being victims
of abuse by men,” Chiripasi said.

Soldier convicted for beating wife

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Soldier convicted for beating wife

Cephas Shava
MWENEZI- A Chipinge-based
soldie recently appeared in the Mwenezi Magistrates’ Court and was found guilty
of assaulting his wife using a belt.
Wellington
Banana (29) of Mativenga village under Chief Neshuro pleaded guilty to
Contravening Section 4(1) as read with Section 3(1) (a) of the Domestic
Violence Act Chapter 05:16 ‘Physical abuse’.
Banana
was sentenced to 20 days imprisonment or to alternately pay a fine of $60. In
addition to that, one month imprisonment was also suspended on condition that
for the next five years, he will not commit a similar offence.
Asked
by magistrate Honest Musiiwa why he assaulted his wife, Banana refused to open
up and maintained that it was a minor misunderstanding.
“I
just beat her out of anger because we had a misunderstanding over something,”
said Banana.
It
was the State’s case that in the early hours of October 26, Banana was at his
rural home together with his wife Belinda Mativenga (20). A misunderstanding
arose between the couple and Banana took his belt and began to assault his wife
several times all over her body. He further used open hands to beat his wife.
According
to State papers, Mativenga was bashed for no apparent reason. Immediately after
the assault, Mativenga went to Neshuro Police Base where she filed a police report
leading to Banana’s arrest.
Caroline
Pasipanodya appeared for the State.  
  

Gutu RDC purchases refuse compactor

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Gutu RDC purchases refuse compactor


Precila Takabvirakare
MPANDAWANA – Gutu
Rural District Council (RDC) has bought a refuse compactor from Dulys AMC in
Harare, a development which will result in a cleaner environment in the rapidly
expanding town.
The RDC spent $156
000 on the purchase which is expected to help improve service delivery in the
area of refuse collection and management.
Gutu
RDC Chief Executive officer (CEO) Alexander Mutembwa said the vehicle will
improve refuse collection efficiency.
“We are glad that
we have managed to mobilise our own resources towards this asset which will be
put to use as soon as the minister has come to commission it,” said Mutembwa.
Gutu
RDC chairperson, Cllr Nicholas Zambara said council had made a wise investment which
will serve the local authority money in the long run.
“The
people we represent in council are the beneficiaries of this substantial
investment. This is the kind of progress we want to see in our council,” said
Zambara.
Gutu RDC has been
battling to keep a litter-free environment in the sprawling new town of
Mpandawana, but low levels of rate payments have meant less money than required
to fulfill that critical service delivery mandate.
The
council has been using a tractor to collect refuse in the whole town.

Gutu district profile

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Gutu district profile

TellZim Reporter
Gutu is one of the largest districts in Masvingo
province, lying some 225 kilometres south of Harare, along the Chivhu- Chiredzi
highway and bordering other districts like Bikita to the south and Chirumhanzu
to the west.
The main business centre, Mpandawana, had been
referred to as a growth point all along until 2015 when it was given town
status in recognition of its massive growth in recent years.
The town offers many investment opportunities in line
with the government`s initiative of opening up the country and improving the
ease of doing business.
The district is made up of 41 wards and Gutu Rural
District Council (RDC), as the local authority, employs 61 people who work hard
to maintain optimum service delivery.
Gutu
RDC prides itself in offering a favourable payment plans and quick approval of
development applications for permits, building plans and trading licences.
Genuine
land developers who are serious about adding value to any suitable piece of
land in the district can do so at affordable cost, and they are assured of
priority attention as well as quick processing of the requisite documents.
The
district is one of a few others that have consistently managed to provide an
efficient sewerage reticulation system and a waste disposal system.
Gutu
RDC has recently moved to improve capacity in waste management by purchasing a
refuse compactor to the tune of tens of thousands of US dollars.
The
local authority is also in charge of hundreds of kilometres of relatively
well-maintained tarred, gravel and dusty roads as well as water infrastructure
which serves Mpandawana residents.
Council also manages Woodlands Dam, which, apart
from providing water for consumption, provides a scenic place for leisure.

Cholera patient escapes from hospital

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Cholera patient escapes from hospital

                                                                        File picture

Beatific
Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – A male cholera patient
recently escaped from Chiredzi General Hospital and took his medication with
him, TellZim News has learnt.
A source who spoke to TellZim News
said nurses were shocked to find the patient’s bed empty when he had not yet
been formally discharged.
The source said three other
patients were still admitted at the hospital following a cholera outbreak which
was first reported some two weeks ago.
“One of our cholera patients escaped
from the hospital and he took away all the drugs. Currently we still have some
three female cholera patients at the hospital who are recuperating well and
they are all from Triangle,” said a source.
The source said the patient came
from Village 11B, Monyoroka in Triangle.
Chiredzi District Medical Officer
(DMO) Dr Brian Dhlandhlara, however, said the patient did not escape but was
properly discharged.
“The patient was properly
discharged as he was in a stable condition. He didn’t escape,” said Dhlandhlara.
Last week, Chiredzi District
mobilised resources from various stakeholders including the Population Services
International (PSI), Plan International, Kapnek and SolidarMed to fight the
cholera outbreak.

Gutu RDC explores Woodlands Dam’s tourism, hospitality potential

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Gutu RDC explores Woodlands Dam’s tourism, hospitality potential


TellZim Reporter
Gutu Rural District Council (RDC) is looking
for investment partners with capacity to help implement various
income-generating project plans that include the harnessing of Woodlands Dam’s
potential to be a recreational and tourism hub.
The plan entails constructing a
state-of-the-art lodge, a conference centre and a fisheries venture at the
scenic Woodlands Dam.
If completed, the projects will have enormous
economic spin-offs for the district and will provide a serene place for
leisure-hunters.
The dam will be a convivial place of recreational
facilities hosting such events as weddings, birthday parties and other dam-side
events.
The Woodlands Dam, which is located in the Mushaviri
area in Ward 29, will be a hive of activity and will provide the local
authority with more revenue to improve service delivery.
A 100 hectare piece of land has since been set
aside for the project which is likely going to start early next year.
Gutu RDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Alexander Mtembwa said once commenced, the project will create employment for
many people in line with the district’s thrust to fight poverty through
bankable, self-sustaining projects.
Mutembwa said in due course, Gutu RDC will be
inviting private players to join them in executing the projects.
“Once the plan is complete, we will be
able to invite private players to partner with us in this venture under the
Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. We are looking at employing a
number of people as well as attracting many tourists to our district which has
vast tourism potential,” said Mutembwa.

Lack of progress at Tugwi-Mukosi annoys Chadzamira

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Lack of progress at Tugwi-Mukosi annoys Chadzamira

Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – The Minister of State
for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira has spoken strongly against
delays in the completion of the Tugwi-Mukosi development masterplan, saying the
province will go ahead and make use of the water body regardless.
Addressing Zanu PF supporters celebrating
the party’s election victory at Chishamiso Stadium, Hippo Valley, recently,
Chadzamira urged economic players to ignore the masterplan, saying those
designing it had unnecessarily delayed finishing the job.
 “We agreed with the Minister of Lands,
Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Retired Air Marshal Perence Shiri that some
sectors must be operationalised before the master plan is out. The province is
now ready to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality and this is envisaged
through the ability to utilise Tugwi Mukosi Dam.
“We will not continue waiting for
the master plan which has stalled development in the province. Tugwi-Mukosi Dam
was officially commissioned in May 2017 and they continue giving reference to
the master plan which they are not completing,” said Chadzamira.
Chadzamira said some developments
at the dam do not even require a master plan.
“The master plan will not stop us
from kick-starting various projects and programmes that will benefit the
people. Does building a hotel on the island require a master plan? The one whom
we are going to give the hotel stand will bring his own master plan. We don’t
need a master plan to kick-start fishing and to generate electricity,”
Chadzamira said.
He said those undertaking the
master plan had delayed the province’s development targets that include plans
to put over 25 000 hectares of land under irrigation.
It is understood the plan is being drafted
by the officials from such ministries as Environment, Water and Climate; Local
Government, Public Works and National Housing; and the Office of the President
and Cabinet.

Chivi Primary School head dies in car crash

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Chivi Primary School head dies in car crash

                                                          The accident scene

…wife survives horror

TellZim Reporter

MASVINGO – Badza Primary School head Edmore Mbizvo died around
midmorning today, December 20, after the Nissan Serena he was driving developed mechanical
faults at the 35km peg just after Mashava along the Bulawayo-Masvingo highway.
He was 48.
Masvingo provincial police
spokesperson Inspector Charity Mazula confirmed the tragic incident and called
for greater caution on the roads.
“We received a report of the car
crash and our thoughts are with the deceased’s family. We urge all motorists to be
more careful on the roads, to avoid speeding and to ensure that their cars are
in good condition before travelling,” said Mazula.
Six passengers in the vehicle,
including Mbizvo’s wife, survived the crash and were admitted at Masvingo
Provincial Hospital but their conditions were reported to be stable.
After developing the problems
while in motion, the vehicle veered off the road to the left side, hit a bridge
pillar and overturned before landing on its right side, killing Mbizvo on the
spot.
He was from Badza village, Headman Watungwa under Chief Madamombe in Chivi district.
One of the survivors, Gibson Bako
told TellZim News after being discharged from hospital that three of the
survivors, himself included, are teachers at the same school.
“We were coming to Masvingo to do
some banking and the car suddenly started to behave weirdly before overturning.
It was a very bad experience,” said Bako.

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