By Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI- Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe (THZ), a leading sugar and ethanol producer, is calling for an increase in ethanol prices due to escalating production costs.
The company’s concerns which were shared with the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Energy during its visit to the Lowveld recently, come as the government maintains a stagnant ethanol price, sparking fears of reduced production and profitability
The committee was in Triangle to appreciate THZ and GreenFuel which are the sole companies producing ethanol which is used for fuel blending.
Addressing the committee at Triangle Country Club, THZ Managing Director Tendai Masawi said there was need to adjust the pricing of ethanol to meet the cost of production.
“The cost of production is going up almost on a daily basis and we know what has been happening to the two currencies that we are using at the moment. Our concern, which I really would plead, is that for four years we have not had a price adjustment for ethanol and it is clearly affecting our operations.
“We have salaries going up, spares, inputs in terms of energy going up ,sometimes we run with generators and we are still expected to supply the product which has been saving the country a substantial amount of foreign currency,” said Masawi.
Masawi said the company was producing 40 million liters of ethanol every year using infrastructure that was commissioned in 1980.
“We have an ethanol plant which has a nameplate capacity of 40 million liters running in close to 48 weeks in a year. The Ethanol plant was commissioned in 1980 and it is still operational and in very sound condition,” said Masawi.
The committee Chairperson, Vincent Sihlabo highlighted the need to enhance ethanol production industry which he said was saving the country’s foreign currency through fuel blending.
“We are doing an enquiry on the portfolio we are running so we wanted to appreciate these two companies which are producing ethanol which we are using for blending in our fuel.
This is important because we know that we have issues with foreign currency so this step which was taken by government that we sell blended fuel helps us to save,” said Sihlabo.

By Staff Reporter

Masvingo City is grappling with a severe sewer crisis, as rampant vandalism of sewer infrastructure poses a significant threat to public health and the environment.
The city’s aging sewer system, already plagued by frequent blockages and leaks, is further compromised by acts of vandalism targeting manholes and sewer lines resulting in an increase in sewer bursts across various suburbs.
Masvingo City Council recently issued a statement condemning the vandalism and warning of legal consequences for perpetrators.
“The City of Masvingo wishes to bring to the attention of all residents that there have been recent incidents of vandalism targeting our sewer infrastructure. These acts have caused significant damage to sewer lines and manholes, leading to service disruptions and potential environmental and health hazards.
“Vandalism of public infrastructure is a criminal offense and carries severe penalties. Residents who witness any unusual activity or threats to the sewer infrastructure are urged to report to the Municipal Police,” reads part of the statement.
TellZim News recently reported recurring sewer bursts at the Hillside suburb homestead of Zaka South Member of Parliament (MP) Clemence Chiduwa. The issue has been recurring for years without any meaningful intervention from authorities.
Vandalism appears to be becoming a troubling trend in Masvingo. In 2024, residents of Runyararo West and Rujeko suburbs were hit by a bizarre string of thefts in which thieves targeted septic tank covers, an unlikely but dangerous target.
The stolen lids are reportedly being sold to iron smelters who manufacture three-legged pots and other metal products. The thefts have left open pits in residential areas, posing serious hazards to children and pets.
Children also throw stones in the open manholes which promote blockages in the sewer line.

By Beverly Bizeki

In a long-awaited move, the Masvingo City Council has finally allocated 10 stands to families who were perennially affected by recent floods in the city on Davis Mugabe Street in Runyararo West, bringing relief to the affected families who had been living in temporary shelters during rains.
The council’s decision comes after years of getting empty promises and enduring flooded homes and losing property along the way.
A total of 29 families are being affected and the city council said they are allocating the stands in batches starting with the most affected.
Masvingo City Council Spokesperson Ashley Jinjika confirmed the development to TellZim News and said the stands were being allocated in phases starting with the most affected.
“Council has allocated 10 residential stands to the severely affected flood victims in Davis Mugabe Street as part of ongoing recovery efforts. The serviced residential stands are being allocated in phases beginning with the 10 severely affected followed by 15 which are moderately affected and eventually 14 which are least affected,” said Jinjika.
Jinjika said the move was supposed to provide a permanent solution to the long standing issue and restore stability for the affected families.
“The council’s resolution to allocate stands to flood victims is a significant and compassionate step in the ongoing recovery process. It offers displaced families a fresh start and a sense of security allowing them to rebuild their homes and lives,” said Jinjika.
The Davis Mugabe residents had been getting empty promises from responsible authorities for quite a long time with the relocation promise becoming a pipeline dream.
During the 2022-23 rainy season due to fear that the houses may collapse, Masvingo City Council evacuated affected residents to the District Development Fund offices (DDF) as a temporary measure.
Four mayors, namely Femius Chakabuda (the late), Hubert Fidze, Collen Maboke, Shantiel Chiwara, though short-lived came and left the issue unresolved with residents still suffering the same ordeal of flooded homes.
The Alec Tabe led council becomes the first to come up with tangible efforts to assist the affected families as this comes shortly after the local authority had widened the banks of the stream which passes through the wetland on which the properties were built on.
The families were allocated stands at the confluence of two small streams in the area and the situation is said to be worsened by construction activities in Victoria Ranch.
Some sources said at the time when the stands were allocated, in the mid-2000s, an engineer who was working at townhouse advised against it.

By Tatiana Mhararira

Masvingo residents have called upon the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to intensify awareness programmes particularly in rural areas and churches to educate people on coruption effects to promote increased reporting.
The residents complained that information on corruption was not clear to them and most people think corruption only involved people in higher offices.
Speaking at a community engagement meeting hosted by Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) in partnership with TellZim in Masvingo on April 8, 2025 Masvingo resident Sungano Zvarebwanashe said ZACC was supposed to escalate education and spread into remote areas.
“We encourage ZACC to take their education and community engagement programmes to rural areas since Masvingo is mostly constituted by rural areas. People there need to be enlightened on these issues as they are also affected,” said Zvarebwanashe.
She said most programmes mainly targeted the urban population but the rural folk was being abused corruptly by officials and traditional leaders hence the need to take awareness there.
Another resident Pastor David Vurayayi said ZACC should also educate religious and community leaders on corruption so that they cascade the message to their followers.
“As a religious leader I also recommend ZACC to teach pastors as well as community leaders on transparency and corruption so that they educate their followers instead of using the Police, residents are afraid and have no confidence in the police so they won’t listen,” said Vurayayi.
People with disabilities also voiced concern saying the education should also spread to their constituents as they too were affected by corruption.
Prazen Jakata said ZACC as a commission had not organised any programme targeting them and said they only hear about it in the media.
“Have your education as ZACC gone down to PWDs communities? We have never seen you. We actually hear about you from the media and somewhere else.
“We are saying come let’s have a dialogue as PWDs; we have issues that we want to share with you and I can count many issues that we do not know where to refer to because if we go to the police they will say this is not a matter that we should address then we go to the courts which then becomes very expensive for us to start igniting the issue with the courts due to lack of resources,” said Jakata.
Jakata said there was a pending case which involved Masvingo City Council which he said he thought ZACC could look into.
“We have an issue with our council whereby five residential stands were allocated to PWDs and they disappeared within the council chambers and we were told to report to ZACC by the council members but we did not know where to find you,” said Jakata.
On its part, ZACC representative, Masvingo Office Investigating officer Langton Shayanowako said they had taken note of the concerns and said it was work in progress having started by decentralising to provincial offices.
“We have taken note of the concerns, we will recommend to the superiors but I want to assure you that its work in progress and ZACC used to be centralised and now you can see we now have a provincial office, it means we are doing all we can to reach all areas,” said Shayanowako.
TIZ representative during the engagement said they had taken note of the need and with resources permitting, they would engage TellZim and other organizations to facilitate similar programmes in the rural areas.

…family appeals for assistance for corrective surgery

By TellZim Reporter

A family from Mwenezi is appealing to well-wishers for financial assistance to cover medical expenses for their 10-year-old son, who mistakenly drank a cleaning disinfectant at school, severely damaging his digestive system.
Zile Samuel Jazi, a grade five pupil at St Vitalis Primary School, has been out of school since the incident on February 27 and is currently receiving medical treatment at home awaiting corrective surgery.
His father, Leonard Thembani Jazi, confirmed the incident to TellZim News and said the family had already spent US$2,400 on treatment, with an anticipated additional medical bill of no less than US$3,500.
“When we consulted the surgeon, he estimated that we should be prepared to pay up to US$3,500, excluding dressing materials and feeding needs,” said Leonard.
The family is also struggling to afford the special feed Zile now requires, which costs US$18 per 400 grams and lasts only about two and a half days. The boy is currently being fed through a tube, and the surgery to correct his condition is expected to take place after four weeks.
“The water must be purified with lots of dressings and bandages required. He has already gone for his reviews but cannot sit in public transport. He has been using Doctor Manjeya’s (the doctor that has been attending him) family car and support from the family too” said Leonard.
Recalling the incident, Leonard said Zile drank the chemical after he and his classmates asked their teacher for water during a sports session.
“Zile together with his classmates were involved in some sports training at St Vitalis Primary. It was a very hot afternoon. After the training I am told the boy and others were thirsty and consulted with their teacher and were told to find water in one of the rooms.
“Zile together with his friends went into the room and picked up some five litre containers with water. Zile unfortunately picked up a container which contained some toilet disinfectant drank it. He felt the burning effects of the liquid and spat some but unfortunately some went down his alimentary canal,” said Leonard.
The school rushed Zile to Mwenezi Hospital where he was treated and discharged with prescriptions. However, his condition worsened after returning home.
“While at home he kept spitting and later started vomiting. After a week we went back and got drugs to stop vomiting which did not work. We had to seek further medical checks but resources did not permit. On March 27 after getting my salary we sent him to Masvingo where he was referred to a surgeon.
“Diagnosis showed that the whole alimentary canal was bleached and then closed. This was sad for us. The option was to operate him by puncturing the stomach,” said Leonard.
Zile has missed school and exams as his recovery continues.
Anyone willing to assist the family can contact Leonard Jazi on 0776775858 directly or reach out to TellZim News on 0777355808 for more details.