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Masvingo MP Nyokanhete forks out $2000 to pay agents

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Masvingo MP Nyokanhete forks out $2000 to pay agents



Derrick
Shava

Masvingo Urban Member of
Parliament (MP), Jacob Nyokanhete has used his own personal resources amounting
to $2 000 to pay 220 election agents who worked for the MDC Alliance in the
July 30 harmonised election.
Each ward in the
constituency had 22 election agents protecting the presidential, parliamentary
and local government votes.
The youthful MP said at a
time when other parties were letting down their election agents, he deemed it fit
to reward the people who worked hard to protect the party’s vote against
possible rigging.
“I appreciate our
hardworking election agents. They guarded our votes and Zanu PF failed to steal
Masvingo Urban votes. If l afforded, I would have paid them even more,”
said Nyokanhete.
In Masvingo Urban, Nelson
Chamisa got over 23 000 votes against Emmerson Mnangagwa’s 11 000, with
Nyokanhete getting 17 000 votes against closest rival; Zanu PF candidate
Benjaman Mazarire’s 12 500.
In the run up to the
elections, Nyokanhete slaughtered a beast to feed the election agents and also
gave each ward 20kg mealie meal, cooking oil, vegetables and other food stuffs.
The party’s then sitting
councillors and council candidates also contributed different foodstuffs to
feed election agents.
“I am pleased by the hard
work done by our election agents and all our council candidates. We all have a
close working relationship and that helped us to increase our councillors from
six in the previous council to the current seven,” said Nyokanhete.
He said he will continue
to work closely with councillors to make sure the city continues to improve
service delivery.
“We won in Masvingo Urban
and we must therefore deliver. We thank the previous council led by Cllr Hubert
Fidze for being named the best-run municipality at our party’s 19th
anniversary at Gwanzura,” said Nyokanhete.
He said the party’s
Masvingo Urban district was embarking on ward-based ‘Thank You’ meetings to
thank the people for entrusting their votes with the MDC Alliance.
“Our district chairperson
Murangamwa Chanyau is leading the meetings for the purposes of showing our
supporters that we are still together. We appreciate the support that they gave
the party in the elections. The party district also won an award as the best
performing district in the province,” he said.
Nyokanhete, who is a
chartered accountant by profession, now sits on two parliamentary portfolio
committees; Public Accounts as well as Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs).
Commenting on the
appointments, Masvingo provincial chairperson James Gumbi said it was
remarkable that the party’s only MP in the province had some skills to offer.
“We appreciate the
commitment that Honourable Jacob Nyokanhete has shown and we also thank our
president Nelson Chamisa for appointing him to two parliamentary portfolio
committees,” said Gumbi.
The ‘Thank You’ meetings
started in wards 1 and 2 and they will soon proceed to ward 3 and 4 going
forward.
In his remarks, Chanyau
said the meetings were important in that they helped the leadership to remain
in touch with the community.
“The meetings will
be held in all the 10 wards and we want the people to see that they have
hands-on leaders. The meetings are also a build up to a big ‘Thank You’ rally
that will be addressed by president Nelson Chamisa in Mucheke Stadium on a date
to be announced,” said Chanyau.

Parliamentary portfolio committee hears sad tales of health delivery collapse

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Parliamentary portfolio committee hears sad tales of health delivery collapse

                                             The long-abandoned Lupane Hospital project
                                              
Shingirai Vambe

BULAWAYO – The people of
Eskhoveni in Umzingwani district last week spoke at the Health and Child Care
2019 consultative meeting saying their hospital building was just an old farmhouse
built in 1925 and now converted to a medical facility in response to the dire
need.
They made it
clear they were not impressed by the service delivery levels in the area,
saying like most parts of Matabeleland province, their area was marginalised.
They said they
had been making calls for a decent hospital and ambulances but nothing had been
done for them.
Others said the
amenities in the district were inadequate for a population of over 65 000
people, most of them being 45km from the nearest health centre.
District Medical
Officer (DMO) Dr Simbarashe Sanyamandwe, told the 10-member parliamentary portfolio
committee on health that much of the few available ambulances in the district
were donated by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). He also said the types
of the vehicles were expensive to maintain.
“During holidays
and festive seasons we get so busy that even the available staff become overwhelmed.
The hospital mortuary is not in the best of conditions and many people cannot
afford the services of private funeral services providers like Nyaradzo.
“The district’s
health amenities are short-staffed so we appeal that the training and
recruitment of nurses and nurse aides be done at local level. Locally-recruited
staff would be better positioned to care for their own people and the
understanding would be greater. The general feeling for now is that many of the
staff members are from Mashonaland provinces, and they are not well-conversant
with local languages,” he said.
The parliamentary
portfolio committee proceeded to Lupane where similar grievances were heard. Blame
for most of the service delivery shortcomings was laid on the government
doorstep, with many participants saying election promises were never fulfilled.
The Lupane
General Hospital project, which was initiated back in 2006, still remains
incomplete at foundation level, with other structures that are at an advanced
state of completion already showing signs of decay.
“The situation
of the hospital is similar to that of Ekusileni Hospital which was built by our
father Dr Joshua Nkomo. It was completed more than 15 years ago but up to now,
it is still closed because of selfish political reasons,” one Lupane resident
said.
It was also
revealed that St Luke’s Hospital was not only serving people of Lupane but
others from such malaria-prone areas as Inyati and Tsholotsho and Binga.
In all six
centres visited by the portfolio committee, local authority executives
complained that government had largely neglected the health sector, with
council clinics having to sustain themselves on the meagre Result Based Fund
(RBF)
Umzingwani Rural
District Council (RDC) Chief Executive Officer, Ndumiso Mpofu said much needed
to be done to fight diseases in light of the proliferation of septic tanks in
highly populated areas.
It was clear,
however, that most people were worried by the unavailability of medicines, inadequate
manpower in hospitals and lack of proper equipment in hospitals.
Others also
lamented the new US dollar payment demands being made by pharmacies, saying many
people could no longer afford critical medication as a result.
At Mpilo
Hospital, a participant said the 2019 budget should channel as much resources
towards the fight against diabetes as towards the fight against HIV and Aids.
It was also
noted that the government directive for free maternal health services was
putting severe strain on the hospital, with many pregnant mothers running the
risk of infections as they have to sleep on the floor due to shortages of space
and beds.
People said insufficient
staff also meant more strain on the available nurses and doctors, with patients
receiving below optimum care as a result.
The portfolio
committee’s acting chairperson, Dingilizwe Tshuma later told this publication
that government ought to meet the 15 percent budgetary allocation target for
the health sector as espoused by the Abuja Declaration of 2001.
Government has
been giving an average of between six and seven percent of the country’s money
to the health sector. Many of the country’s public health facilities are
rundown as a result, with overburdened nurses and doctors having to do with
little or no medicines.
Government
officials and other rich people do not use the country’s hospitals, choosing to
fly to South Africa, Asia and Europe for their treatment.

Man assaulted for paying wage in bond notes

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Man assaulted for paying wage in bond notes

Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – A
man was arrested recently for assaulting a colleague who had refused to receive
payment in bond notes and demanded rands.
Johan
Mugwari (49), of Bukuvani village under Chief Neshuro, appeared before
magistrate Mandlenkosi Ndlovu and pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting
fellow villager Kaurai Chauke.
Ndlovu
sentenced Mugwari to three months behind bars but suspended two months on
condition that he will not commit a similar offense over the next five years.
The
remaining one month was suspended on condition that he performed 105 hours of
community service at Chikadzi Primary School.
Asked
why he committed the offence, Mugwari said he was angry with the complainant
who was refusing payment in bond notes and demanding South African rands.
“After
we had finished a brick moulding piece job together, Chauke refused to be paid
in bond notes. He was insisting that the bond notes are useless papers, hence
he began to demand payment in rands,” Mugwari told the court.
The
State, through prosecutor Caroline Pasipanodya, convinced the court that on
October 10, Mugwari received payment of the job he had done with Chauke.
He
then went to his workmate’s place to give him his share, but a dispute arose
after Chauke demanded that he be paid in rands.
Mugwari
then assaulted Chauke with fists all over his body. Immediately after the
assault, Chauke rushed to the police where he filed a report leading to
Mugwari’s arrest. 

Two percent tax daylight robbery, says Chamisa

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Two percent tax daylight robbery, says Chamisa


…Mngangagwa will not
survive economic meltdown

Alois
Tafireyi
Movement For Democratic
Change (MDC) Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has labelled the two percent tax
on every electronically-transacted dollar an unabashed robbery of the masses.
The Ministry of Finance implemented
the new tax regime earlier this month ostensibly to widen the nationalfiscal
space but critics have slammed the move as an illegal and unfair way of forcing
the ordinary citizen pay for government profligacy.
Addressing thousands of supportes
who gathered at Gwanzura Stadium for the 19th anniversary of the
party’s formation on Saturday last week, Chamisa attacked President Emmerson
Mnangagwa as an illegitimate leader who was now being rejected by the economy.
“I heard him saying we
want to move forwad but there is no moving forwad unless we all face the reality
of who won the elections. The economy is on its knees.
“The riches of the land
are being helplessly squandered. You saw the money being forked out by the
government, the two percent tax that you have been made to pay for every
EcoCash transaction. It is daylight robbery because it is your personal money
that is being taken from you by the very same people who keep embezzling government
funds.
“What am I talking about?
We saw a deficit of treasury bills worth nine billion dollars, $90 million of
which went towards supporting Zanu PF. Now they want to replace the money
through deducting the two percent tax from every EcoCash transaction that you
make.You try sending money to your relative who has passed away but your money
is taken,” Chamisa fumed
The charismatic leader said
he was sure Mnangagwa will not survice the economic crisis and will soon be
removed from power by popular revolts.
“We are dying of hunger.
You are seeing how patients in hospitals are suffering, in pharmacies BP
patients are expected to pay drugs in US dollars and tell me where one can get
that forex from. We once told them that bond note is not money, give us real
money. If we were in power like now, it could have been a walk in the park. Each
one of you would practically be enjoying their money because an economy like
this is a reflection of politics that is not in proper shape,” he said.
On the debilitating fuel
shortages, Chamisa seemed to agree with the dominant narrative that a powerful
cartel was directing the shortages for selfish gain.
“I heard that there is a
queen bee but I don’t know that person. However, if there is a queen bee, then
there is a king bee who happens to oversee how  things are running in this country.These
people should be brought to book with all the deals that they are doing with
fuel, chrome, gold and diamonds as well as all that they are doing to rob the
children of Zimbabwe of their wealth,” Chamisa said.
He told the people to be
patient as he maps the way forward on how to take power form Mnangagwa.
“Be still people because
we have the programme lined up to go and tell somebody to return what isn’t his
and from next week, I will be travelling from place to place urging and strengthening
the people that it is time to react. I will be taking over everyone to Canaan,”
said Chamisa.      

ZPCS tries ‘traitorous’ prison officer

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ZPCS tries ‘traitorous’ prison officer

… Mahlabera appears before disciplinary
committee for ‘supporting’ Chamisa

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – Zimbabwe Prison and
Correctional Services (ZPCS) has summoned John Mahlabera to appear before a disciplinary
hearing this Thursday to face two counts of contravening Section 3(1) or
alternatively 3(46) of the Prison Staff Discipline Regulation of 1984.
Mahlabera is accused of tweeting in
favour of opposition candidate in the July 30 harmonised elections on April 19.
TellZim News saw the charge sheet
served to Mahlabera for undermining President Emmerson Mnangagwa and attending
MDC Alliance Rally held in Tshovani Stadium on June 10, 2018.
On count one, Mahlabera is accused
for contravening Section 3(1) of the Prisons (staff) (discipline) Regulations
OF 1984 for using ‘traitorous’ or ‘disloyal’ words against Mnangagwa.
“On the 09th day of
April 2018 and at (or near) Chiredzi prison, the said 2929948A C01 Mahlabera
John (Herein referred to as accused). Being a member of the Service, did:
Unlawfully made political comments on his Twitter account after an MDC Alliance
rally that was held at Jerera growth point in Zaka which was addressed by
Nelson Chamisa, the President of MDC Alliance political party,” reads the
charge sheet.
“He wrote the following words on
his Twitter account ‘Come to Chiredzi my President’ thus showing loyalty to the
opposition party president thereby exhibiting disloyalty and disgraceful
contact to the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” reads the charge sheet.
On the second count, Mahlabera is
accused for contravening Section 3(46) of Prisons (Staff)(Disciplinary)
Regulations 1984 for being guilty of any other act conduct disorder or neglect
of duty to the prejudice of good conduct or discipline as read with section
19(a-g) of staff general regulations 1968.
“Being a member of the Service did:
Unlawfully and intentionally participated in active politics when he attended
MDC Alliance Rally which was held at Tshovani Stadium in Chiredzi on 10 June
2018, where upon the accused was invited to the podium by MDC Alliance
president Nelson Chamisa who then introduced him to MDC Supporters.
“The member was then promised
promotions or work as a security detail if Nelson Chamisa wins the harmonised
elections that were held on 30 July 2018 for showing a partisanship with MDC
party,” reads the sheet.
It is reported that while in ZPCS
cells, Mahlabera was manhandled and tortured by ZPCS intelligence officers and
he is said to have reported the matter to the police.

‘The people seeing us through’

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‘The people seeing us through’
…Jadecon forges ahead despite crises,
bags Megafest awards

TellZim Reporter
At a time of severe crises characterised
by shortages of cement, arguably the most critical component in civil
engineering work, Jadecon Construction and Engineering has credited its smooth
relationship with suppliers and clients for its virtually unshaken capacity to
deliver.
“We are glad we are still here,
moulding bricks and able to deliver any of the products and services we offer.
The people are sustaining us.  We cannot,
however, say we are not at all affected by the economic problems in the country
because like everybody else, we are subject to the same conditions,” said
Jadecon Construction and Engineering director, Stanley Kondongwe.
He was speaking to TellZim News in
the wake of the company’s winning of two accolades at the 2018 Megafest
Business Awards held at Great Zimbabwe Hotel recently.
The first award went to Kondongwe
himself who was recognised as the Masvingo Industrialist of the Year 2018 while
the company as a whole was given the Company Excellency of the Year trophy in
recognition of its quality products and services among many other
considerations.
The company’s name has grown a
provider of quality multi-purpose bricks, quarry and other building materials.
Jadecon Construction and
Engineering also operates a home ownership scheme through which clients can
have their houses fully built and they then pay over an extended period of
time.
Onsite quantity surveying also
ensures that there is convenience for clients who require one-stop services on
their way to full home ownership.
Besides construction of houses,
the company has also done impressive work for schools and institutions of
higher learning, building magnificent security walls and other large scale
commercial and industrial structures.
Jadecon Engineering, as one of
the largest employers in Masvingo, has since spread its wings to the Midlands
province where it has undertaken several housing projects for organisations and
individuals.

Sanitary pads donation to make the girl child’s life easier

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Sanitary pads donation to make the girl child’s life easier

Darlington Kanyongo

ZVISHAVANE – Female learners at the council-owned George Chipadza
Secondary School recently received a donation of sanitary wear from the Helper
International Club on October 25.
The club donated 200 sanitary
pads to pupils in forms one and two on October 25.
Helper International Club
president Prosper Mukombami told TellZim News that the  school was identified by Bethany Project, a
community-based organisation which works with the less privileged.
The school was chosen because it
accommodates a large population of less privileged pupils who struggle to get
basic needs.
“We have realised that urban
poverty is an issue affecting many girls, with parents not affording to provide
their children with proper sanitary wear. There are statistics that only two
out of 10 pupils can afford proper sanitary wear, and the rest use such things
as toilet rolls or newspapers. It is this reality that has spurred us to do
something for the children,” Mukombami said.
The beneficiaries spoke on how
the recent price increases had forced them to improvise odd ways of meeting the
demands of their periods.
“Sanitary pads are now
unaffordable and we end up using newspapers and tissues, or we tear pages from
our exercise books or pieces of clothing,” said one pupil.
Tatenda Rukanda from Bethany
Project demonstrated how to use the pads and spoke on the dangers of using
tissues, newspapers and pieces of clothing as sanitary wear.
“When you are using a piece
of cloth, it is advisable that the cloth should be super clean and ironed
before use,” she said.
Tendai Museva, a health officer
at George Chipadza, thanked the club for helping the school with the
provisions.
“I really appreciate what
the club has done today. I do hope that they will keep on doing the good work.
The school has been providing the sanitary wear but is was now struggling as
the price of the commodity has been rising non-stop,” she said.

RBZ is empty, says prof Murwira

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RBZ is empty, says prof Murwira

Upenyu
Chaota

The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education,
Professor Amon Murwira has endorsed the controversial two percent tax per every
electronically-transacted dollar as recently pronounced by his Finance
counterpart Professor Mthuli Ncube, likening the country’s dire economic
situation to a canoe that everybody had to paddle.
Murwira said the country was in a serious crisis,
adding it would take a collective approach to resuscitate it back to its glory
days.
“Zimbabwe is like a canoe and everyone should paddle
so that we stay afloat. We cannot sink because of one person (who does not want
to pay the tax) and we each have to play our part.
“The country is a helpless being and if you sleep it
also sleeps. The reason why many people cried because of the two percent tax is
because they have not been contributing towards nation-building.
“We need all hands on deck and the two percent tax is
part of the measures to make this country get back onto its feet. You cannot
demand good services when you are not paying,” said Murwira.
Murwira said tax should not be an issue of debate as
is being done in the country saying other countries world over were doing it.
“In countries like Germany, failing to pay tax is a
serious crime which can get you locked up for a long time. Many people have not
been paying their taxes and there is no room for that in the new dispensation,”
said Murwira.
He challenged the business community to be export-oriented
so that they could bring in the much-needed foreign currency since the Reserve
Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) was literally empty.
“The RBZ is empty and you find people queuing for
forex which they did not deposit. Where do you expect the bank to get the forex
from if you are not bringing it in?
“We need businesses to be export-oriented and target
those outside markets. We do not want the situation where people get into the
business of selling money like what we are experiencing across the country,”
said Murwira.
The controversial two percent tax has drawn scorn from
various sectors of the economy even within the ruling party where Ncube is
accused of not consulting.
Main opposition MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa
has come out guns blazing saying the tax was not only illegal but pure daylight
robbery.

Zanu PF bigwigs accused of new land grab in Chiredzi

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Zanu PF bigwigs accused of new land grab in Chiredzi


…vast commercial stands for Matuke, Ndava, Moyo

Beatific
Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – Three Zanu PF bigwigs
have reportedly grabbed council land for themselves where they are planning to
build their own private properties, TellZim News has learnt.
Former Zanu PF chief whip and now
Public Service Labour and Social Welfare deputy minister Lovemore Matuke, party
provincial secretary for information Ronald Ndava and former Chiredzi town
council chairperson Francis Moyo are at the forefront of the alleged land grab.
Residents say the three, without
paying anything, have used their political muscle to take for themselves
non-serviced commercial stands close to the 100 medium residential stands that
the town council has earmarked for development.
This comes as the Commission of
Enquiry in to the Sale of State Land in and around urban areas since 2005 has
unearthed massive corruption in Chiredzi and other areas.
Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers
Association Chairperson (CHIRRA) Jonathan Muusha said his organisation will
write to President Emmerson Mnangagwa about the ‘rot’.
“It is unfair for people to use
their political muscle to grab land without paying a cent. That is the highest
level of corruption. I am appealing to President Mnangagwa to intervene through
the anti-corruption unit in his office so that investigations can be done
before the land is gone,” said Muusha.
Moyo is alleged to be in possession
of an offer letter for a fuel service station and garden flats, Matuke has got
for himself a large stand to build schools while Ndava has got land to build a
lodge.
The trio is allegedly fronting
various housing development cooperatives and selling stands they got for free
at exorbitant prices.
Ndava allegedly facilitated the
land deals during his stint with the interim commission appointed to superintend
the affairs of the town after the July 30 harmonised election and before the
swearing in of the new council.
TellZim News contacted Ndava for comment,
and he admitted he was in possession of an offer letter which he said he got
after making an application.
“I personally applied for a lodge
long back. During our term as commissioners, we had no mandate of allocating
stands or either employing of firing people. As of Moyo and Matuke’s issues, I
have no comment for them.
“I am the one who made this land
deal a success after I approached the minister to approve it, so I will be
extremely happy if my lodge request is approved. There could be someone who is
leaking information that I want a lodge but I can’t hide it because that is the
reality on the ground,” said Ndava.
When contacted for comment, town council
secretary Charles Muchatukwa said he could not disclose names of the people who
got the stands, but promised that every beneficiary would be required to pay.
“We are not at liberty to disclose
who made those private applications but we are going to make sure that whoever
gets that land will pay to the local authority,” said Muchatukwa.

Zvishavane sex workers reject bond note, demand forex

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Zvishavane sex workers reject bond note, demand forex

….you can also pay in cooking oil

Patience Muzhingi

ZVISHAVANE – In reaction to the biting economic crises
characterised by an inflationary bond note, sex workers in the town have now
resorted to foreign currency and basic commodities as forms of payment for
their services.
Zimbabwe has witnessed skyrocketing
prices of basic commodities since the fiscal policies presented by Minister of
Finance, Mthuli Ncube a few weeks ago.
The situation has left sex
workers with no option but to change the form of payment and accept only the US
dollar, South African rand or basic consumer goods.
Speaking to TellZim News, a number
of sex workers said they had changed the methods of payment so as to cope with
the prevailing economic situation in the country.
“We are now charging rands
and US dollars for our services and we also accept basic commodities like
cooking oil and soap.
“Clients are still coming
the way they did before this situation. There is no problem so far because
everyone knows what is happening in country and things are tough for everyone.
We had no choice but to adjust,” said the sex worker.
Clients of sex workers in the
town are mainly informal gold miners working the red soils of the district,
going as far as Shurugwi.
With the current economic
situation in Zimbabwe, life is getting tougher everyday as retail prices are likely
to change any time.

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