There is excitement in the Chipinge arts and culture industry as preparations for the sixth edition of the annual Ndau Festival of the Arts (Ndafa) continue on a smooth sail.
The annual event, which celebrates cultural diversity and artistic expression, will this year be held on September 22 at Paiyapo Arts Development and Heritage Centre in the Bangira area of the district under Chief Musikavanhu.
It started in 2013 and has proved to be one of the biggest cultural events in the region, drawing enthusiasts from such sectors as education, culture and heritage, arts and tourism.
This year's edition runs under the theme, ‘Ndau Culture: Enhancing the Conservation of the Environment and Natural Resources for Food Security’, with the motto being ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Our Concern in the Arts’.
The event will be graced by guests from the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ), Environmental Management Agency (Ema), Zimbabwe Tourism Agency (ZTA), various government ministries, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), tertiary institutions and researchers.
Ndafa founder, Philip Kusasa Bangira, who is a recipient of Alpha Media Holdings’ 2017 inaugural 100 Great Zimbabweans Award in the arts and culture category, said he expected improved turnout this year as the festival continues to grow.
"The Festival has given an enabling platform for improved display of cultural and artistic communication and has also helped to boost cultural tourism to the host Bangira area and surrounding places.
“The Ndau, as an ethnic group, is now more visible in the national arts and culture discourse, thanks to support from the media. We encourage people from all corners of the world to come and experience this unique cultural magnificence in Chipinge," said Kusasa.entertainment

CHIREDZI – Losing Chiredzi North constituency National Patriotic Front (NPF) parliamentary candidate in the July 30 harmonised elections, Joseph Chiturumani says he is yet to know the actual number of votes cast for him.
In an interview with TellZim News, Chiturumani alleged there was collusion between Zanu PF and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to rig result in the constituency.
He said his agents, as well as those from the MDC Alliance were chased from more than 10 polling stations and he was also forbidden to verify results before signing for them.
Chiredzi North, with almost 45 000 registered voters, recorded a massive vote for Zanu PF, with its candidate Roy Bila eventually winning the seat against Chiturumani and Faith Machiva of the Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity (Zipp). MDC Alliance failed to field a candidate in the constituency.
Chiturumani blames ZEC district officer, Hendrina Mukuvare for working in cahoots with Zanu PF to rig an election in Chiredzi North as they failed to deliver names of their agents to polling stations in time, which led some of their agents to be chased away from polling stations, leaving only Zanu PF agents and election officials.
“Most of our agents were sent away from polling stations by presiding officers who said their names had not been submitted but that was not true. I submitted their names on the same day that Zanu PF submitted its own list of polling agents.
“I even contacted district Zec officer, Hendrina Mukuvare who then referred me to Mai Njitimani, who was the chief elections officer for Chiredzi North but she was not even helpful at all,” said Chiturumani.
He said he was denied an opportunity to verify the results before signing for them after being told that the law had changed.
“Presidential and MP results were just declared without us candidates being given a chance to verify them. We were ordered to simply sign for them after Zec officials said it was illegal for us to verify them. I did not see V11 forms from the 13 polling stations where our agents had been turned away.
“After voting day, I sent my people to check the results outside of the polling stations and they found that the results were not displayed outside of the polling stations as required by the law,” said Chiturumani.
When contacted for comment, Makuvare dismissed all the allegations, saying she even went out of her way to accommodate all candidates’ polling agents.
"There was no any agent who was chased away unless he failed to ferry them to their respective polling stations. That is a total lie, we submitted all agents’ names to command centres and we were even soft with them because according to the Electoral Act, agent names should be submitted three days before the election day but for the sake of transparency so we accepted even late comers.
“I even met one of his agents who was claiming his payment from us, meaning he did not even pay those agents," said Makuvare.politics

CHIREDZI – Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (CHIRRA) together with United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (UCHIRRA) and Chiredzi Town Council management have pledged to give the new-elected councillors maximum support in order for them to deliver better services and help the town attain municipal status by the end of their five year term.
Both residents associations welcomed the recent chairmanship elections which were won by MDC Alliance’s Gibson Hwende.
CHIRRA chairperson, Jonathan Muusha said they were happy with the new and young councillors who were elected in the July 30 harmonised elections.
“We are happy with the councillors we have, including the new chairperson Gibson Hwende and his deputy Ropafadzo Makumire. They are young and vibrant, and we promise to work well will them. We promise to support Chairman Hwende’s pledge to restore trust between residents and council.
“I also urge residents to pay their rates in time so as to enable our new councillors to deliver better services in such neglected areas as Makondo and Magwaza,” said Muusha.
UCHIRRA chairperson, Josphat Tizirayi also said residents should give the new council a chance to deliver.
“We expect to move forward with the new council chairperson and we look forward to a more fruitful working relationship between council and all its stakeholders,” said Tizirayi.
Chiredzi Town secretary, Charles Muchatukwa said as the policy makers, the new councillors should deliver on to the challenge of making Chiredzi a better place to live and do business.
“On behalf of council management, we pledge to work with you and follow the direction that you give us. We don’t make policy decisions as workers, whatever we implement comes from you so the success and failure of this council rests with you. All we can do is give advice and it’s up to you to follow or defy the advice,” said Muchatukwa.local

MPANDAWANA – Gutu Rural District Council (RDC) has signed a US$120 million deal with Hive Energy Limited which is in a joint venture with Ridgewell Investments for the construction of 100 megawatts solar energy plant in Chatsworth.
The project will be done on a 300-hectare council farm and is expected to start in mid-October this year.
It will generate power using solar and green technology which will then be sold to large power suppliers like Zesa and other public power distributors in the SADC.
Gutu RDC Chief Executive Officer Alexander Mutembwa said the local authority was excited by the deal as it will create jobs and lead to improved revenue for the local authority.
“We are very excited being involved in such a big project in the district as it is expected to create about 2500 jobs for locals in Gutu and in Zimbabwe at large. It will also help attract investment for the modernisation of infrastructure in the district as a result of an increase in revenue,” said Mutembwa
He said the project was of great importance to the district which will be in a better position to electrify schools, public offices and health centres.local

ZVISHAVANE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has officially opened the Muzvondiwa-Lundi road which was tarred by Bituman Worlds Company.
The official opening was held at Lundi Primary School under Chief Mapanzure two weeks ago.
A lot of developmental projects have been taking place in Mnangagwa’s home area since his rise to the top job in the country.
Besides the tarred road, the Bituman Worlds Company painted Dambudzo Primary School where Mnangagwa did his primary education and also graveled the Lundi-Mataga road.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mnangagwa said the government will embark on massive infrastructural development with the help of other big corporates like the Bituman Worlds Company.
"What Bituman Worlds has done here is commendable. We want to see big corporates and the government working together in making sure that we move this country forward in terms of infrastructural development,” said Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa said his government had secured one billion dollars from China which will be used to construct roads, build schools and hospitals across the country
Mnangagwa was accompanied by Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi while legislators of Zvishanane- Runde and Ngezi constituencies graced the event.politics

SHURUGWI – Government has called upon artisanal miners to get the necessary documentation in order to avoid needless land disputes and violence over mining claims.
Speaking at a meeting with small scale miners in Shurugwi recently, Midlands provincial mining director, Nelson Munyanduri said the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development can only mediate on behalf of miners if they are registered as per the requisite mining legislation.
“The reason why we say you should get title is for us to find a solution in case you are involved in disputes over mining claims. If such disputes are brought to us, we would be in a better position to reconcile you.
“But if you don’t have the necessary documentation to show who the owner of the mine is, then we can’t help you because we wouldn’t know who the rightful owner is. Yes, you may take your disputes to the courts but the courts would simply turn you back to us saying help us with the information of these people so that we can know them, and you would lose money in the process,” said Munyanduri.
He further called upon miners to be registered in order to safeguard their property within the legal and approved terms of the law.
A concerned female artisanal miner said some men were either forcefully or fraudulently seizing mining claims resulting in many unresolved disputes.
“I went to my village head with regards to my father’s land which was taken but the village head told me that the issue was resolved a long time ago. The man who had taken my father’s land then died and I decided to pursue the case once more.
“The late man’s son who was in Harare was then told that the issue was coming up again but instead of coming down so that we could solve it, he went to Mbare and forged papers.
“When I then approached Chief Gonese, he said there were papers which showed that the land rightfully belonged to that other person. People began to mine on my father’s land while I struggled to earn a living,” complained the female miner.business