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Fired Zanu PF Cllrs allege persecution

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Fired Zanu PF Cllrs allege persecution

                                                                        Cllr Ngwenya
                                                           


Upenyu
Chaota
The ruling Zanu PF party has recalled two of its
councillors while one was heavily cautioned for ‘donating’ the Chiredzi Town
Council chairperson and deputy chairperson posts to the opposition while the
ruling party has a majority.
Chiredzi town has a total of eight wards; four of
which went to Zanu PF, three to MDC Alliance and one went to an independent
councillor in the July 30 elections.
The Zanu PF councillors found themselves in the eye of
the storm when they let the MDC Alliance land the chairperson post deputised by
an independent councillor.
After the debacle, the four Zanu PF councillors were
suspended pending investigations by the provincial disciplinary committee which
deliberated and resolved to recall two councillors whom are believed to have
voted for the opposition.
Presenting the resolutions before a Provincial Coordinating
Committee (PCC) last Sunday, provincial secretary for administration, Ailes
Baloyi said investigations from the disciplinary committee found two
councillors guilty.
“The province has resolved to recall Obert Ngwenya and
Josphat Nzombe from the party paving way for by-elections.
“We found out that these two have worked in connivance
with the opposition and as a party that believes in principles, we cannot
tolerate indiscipline. We would rather go for a by-election than keep people
who have double standards in the party,” said Baloyi.
Zanu PF has also cautioned Liberty Macharaga while
Blessing Mazinyani was exonerated of any wrong doing.
When contacted for comment, Ngwenya told TellZim News
that charges against him were baseless because he did everything that he was
told to do by the party.
“I am yet to get formal communication on the matter
but to tell you the truth, I never betrayed the party. I did all I was told. I
wanted to be the council chairperson and they told me to step aside and pave
way for another and I did exactly that.
“They told me to stand for the chairperson post in the
housing committee and I did and won. All those allegations against me are
false. Maybe, there are other reasons behind but not the ones they are telling
people.
“Is it a crime to mobilise people for a vote? Every
vote comes through mobilisation and I don’t see how that is a crime. I think
there are only a few interested people in our party who don’t want me as the
housing committee chairperson because they know I will block all their land
deals.
“I love my party and I will not defy their directives.
I will not join any other party and will never be an independent,” said
Ngwenya.
An equally similar incident happened in Masvingo urban
where MDC Alliance controls seven out of the ten wards but voted for a Zanu PF
councillor as the deputy mayor.
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has since ordered
mayor Collen Maboke to step down for having defied the party directive and
making a deal with Zanu PF.
Nzombe could not be reached for comment as his phone
could not get through by the time of going to print.

Victorious Triangle ready for the fight ahead

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Victorious Triangle ready for the fight ahead













                                


Beatific Gumbwanda

Triangle United Football Club,
popularly known as the ‘Sugar Sugar Boys’, are now preparing for the hard work
that awaits them in the African Confederations Cup which will be held in August
2019.
The team qualified for the cup
after beating Harare City two nil to lift the Chibuku Super Cup in the final
played at Gibbo Stadium last weekend.
Triangle FC coach, Taurai Mangwiro
became the man of the moment since that was his second time winning the cup;
the first time being back in 2015 when he was still with Harare City FC, the
same team he defeated last week.
“We are pleased with this hard
victory which is a result of tireless work and the support of sponsors and
supporters. We say thank you to everybody and we are now looking forward to the
bigger task that lies ahead,” said Mangiro.
Triangle FC president, Adelaide
Chikunguru, who is also Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe corporate and communications
affairs manager, said she was excited by her team’s display of great
sportsmanship.
“Our players are exhibiting world-class
football and they definitely deserve to play in bigger championships. The likes
of Lameck Nhamo, Ralph Kaondera, Phineas Bhamusi and goal keeper Ronald Mudimu
are amazing.
“The team has benefited a lot from
junior players as well as the more seasoned ones through our Ramangwana Junior
Training Programme. We are excited that the PSL provides national and regional
platforms for our youths to take up soccer professionally.
“Like any other sport, football can
be a lifelong career if taken professionally and this is what we are
encouraging through our sport development programme at Tongaat Hulett,”
Chikunguru said.
She said the company was ready to
meet the needs of then team as it prepares for the continental challenge.
“Our investment into the team is
paying dividends as they will now carry the Huletts sugar brand further afield.
All things being equal, the plan is to get the team playing in the
confederations cup in 2019,” said Chikunguru.
.
 

Respect teachers’ rights to save education sector, Zinatu demands

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Respect teachers’ rights to save education sector, Zinatu demands

                                                                 Livison Maunganidze

Moses Ziyambi
The Zimbabwe National Teachers’
Union (Zinatu) has tabled a list of demands that it says must be met by
government as a matter of urgency to prevent potentially destabilising actions
in the education sector.
Among other things, the union
demanded that teachers be paid in US dollars and that the three months’
vacation leave days removed by government in 2016 be restored.
Zinatu secretary general, Livison
Maunganidze told TellZim News that salaries have to be paid in real US dollars
from now going forward.
He said it was perplexing that
government was ignoring the predicament of teachers and choosing to play
politics by insisting that all teachers’ unions engage in collective bargaining
through the ‘discredited’ Apex Council.
The five main teachers’ unions in
the country; Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta), Progressive Teachers Union
of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) and
Zinatu are divided over the Apex Council.
Zimta argues the only viable
option at the moment is to negotiate through the Apex Council, while the others
– especially PTUZ – feel the council has been captured by State interests and
can therefore not be relied on as a platform for effective collective
bargaining.
In April this year, teachers’
unions coalesced and formed an umbrella body called the Federation of Zimbabwe
Educators’ Union (Fozeu) to push for improved working conditions without the
Apex Council, but government has refused to recognise the new body, triggering
divisions between the member unions.
“We are in a crisis. The buying
power of teachers has massively declined due to inflationary pressures that the
bond note and RTGS are failing to withstand. We are, therefore, making a
request to be paid our salaries in real US dollars,” said Maunganidze.
The Progressive Teachers’ Union
of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) was the first to request that educators be paid in US dollars
but government has ignored the request.
On vacation leave, Maunganidze
said the union was not going back on its demand for government to restore normal
vacation leave days for teachers.
“Teachers are allowed to take
only a month’s leave instead of a full term leave and that is unjustifiable.
It’s a grossly unfair labour practice and we urge Minister Mavhima to expedite
the restoration of our rights,” Maunganidze said.
Government deferred the
three-month’s vacation leave ostensibly to cut costs, arguing that it did not
have enough money to pay relief teachers for the three months when the fulltime
teachers would be away.
“The minister must also revisit the
issue of study leave because we used to have a three-quarter salary when on study
leave but all that has been taken away from us. The ministry has destroyed the
spirit of staff development.
“The ministry is also taking too
much time to debunch teachers. We have been sending copies and copies of
certificates hoping they will do something but nothing is forthcoming except empty
promises,” Maunganidze said.
Debunching refers to the
placement of teachers into different salary grades in accordance with the level
of their qualifications as well as work experience.
“Currently, someone fresh from
college assumes the same grade with somebody who has served the ministry for
more than five years. That is very unfair,” Maunganidze said.

Masvingo shuts out Chiwenga

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…as
ED Pfee 2023 campaign begins
Upenyu Chaota
Barely four months after Zanu PF won the disputed July
30 harmonised polls by a wafer-thin margin, fresh fissures have emerged as the
party now looks forward to 2023, with the Provincial Coordinating Committee
(PCC) meeting here last Sunday resolving to endorse the candidature of President
Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The mover has been interpreted as a calculated move to
frustrate Vice President Constantino
Chiwenga who is strongly believed to be highly ambitious and gunning for the top job.
The PCC met to carry their resolutions to the party’s
annual National People’s Conference billed for December in Esigodini,
Matebelaland South.
Over the years, Masvingo has been seen as the ground
that shapes the politics in Zanu PF and this move means the restive province
has already stirred the hornet’s nest.
It was made clear at the PCC that the province will
not tolerate anyone who will try to derail Mnangagwa’s run for a second term of
office in 2023 regardless of his
current performance.
The move has since thrown the revolutionary party into
yet another campaign mode a few months after the Constitutional Court ruled
that Mnangagwa was the legitimate winner of the July 30 harmonised election.
At the PCC, party big wigs took turns to chant ‘2023
ED Pfee’ slogan with politburo member Josaya Hungwe telling the crowd that
Mnangagwa himself said it was Masvingo that rescued him from potential trouble
in the July 30 elections.
“The President himself was full of joy when he grabbed
my hand. I could see he was happy and he told me that it was Masvingo which
rescued him from potential trouble in the just ended election. Let us continue
to rally behind him in 2023,” said Hungwe.
Zanu PF provincial chairperson and Minister of State
for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira said the party and national
constitutions were clear that a President could serve two terms maximum.
“We hear a lot of reports that there are people who
are working to destabilise the party and we are watching you closely. As
Masvingo, we say that must stop and we want to make it clear
that President Mnangagwa is our candidate for 2023.
“We will not tolerate anyone who tries to derail our
progress. This is our resolution as a province and we have our party
and national constitutions to support us. A President should serve two terms at
most and President Mnangagwa will be our candidate in 2023.
“There are people who will come and tell you sweet
nothings but you should never listen to them. Our resolution is simple and we
will back it,” said Chadzamira who took some punches for the incumbent at the
heat of Zanu PF factional fights between Lacoste and G40.
Another party bigwig, Lovemore Matuke said the party
should remain united under Mnangagwa.
“President Mnangagwa is a man with a vision and we
have to support that vision. The vision is for the year 2030 and that means he
has to be on top until we realise that vision.
“He has proven to be a man of his word that is why as
Masvingo we have seen it only fair to endorse him for 2023,” said Matuke.
Provincial youth league chairperson, Brian Munyoro said the youth were clear on where they stand with regards
to 2023.
“We said and we will always say that President
Mnangagwa is our choice for 2023. We will not move from that position and we
will defend that position with our blood if it comes down to it. Our slogan is
2023 ED Pfee and all the party youths are behind this resolution,” said
Munyoro.
The party also resolved that Chadzamira should
continue as provincial chair, dashing the hopes of those who had wanted him to
resign on account that he was now dangerously powerful as he now had three
positions, the other one being Masvingo West Member of Parliament.

Allegations of malpractice rock Vic Jnr

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Moses Ziyambi
Some
parents with children at Victoria Junior have slammed school head, Rameck
Mashuro and the School Development Committee (SDC) of colluding to make
decisions that are neither in the interests of the school nor popular with
parents.
Parents
who spoke to TellZim News complained they will from next term be paying $115
for day scholars after the SDC and the school head allegedly colluded to
mobilise outsiders to rubberstamp their own decision to increase the fees at
the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the beginning of November.
“They
announced the date for the AGM after making sure what they wanted would pass.
Many people with no children at the school were mobilised and they came to the
meeting and voted for the fees increase. Many genuine parents boycotted the
meeting because they knew that nothing that Mashuro and his SDC want ever fails.
It’s a compromised relationship,” said one female parent.
Another
one said it was unfair to raise the fees when the school recorded several
instances of over expenditure in the previous budget.
“The
money used for meetings this year ballooned two fold from the budgeted $3 000.
How do you justify that? The problem is that the headmaster has captured the
SDC which he is now using to do his own bidding. The SDC ignores all that and instead,
chooses to increase the fees.
“The
salary bill for school employees is too high. They say they are spending $150
000 in salaries for less than 30 workers and only a fraction of the boarding
money is being declared,” the parent said.
TellZim
News established that the school budgeted $3 200 for meetings for the year 2018
but by the end of September, $6 078.76 had already been used for meetings.
Moreover, the 2019 budget has now allocated $6 000 to that area, an increase of
almost 100 percent from the previous budget.
Victoria
Jnr School had also spent $114 162.85 on its 26 workers as on September 30,
meaning each employee gets just under $500 per month on average. The school
expects to raise $33 750 boarding levy from over 130 boarding pupils next year,
each paying $535 total fees.
When
contacted for comment, Mashuro refused to talk about the issues, saying he was
not allowed to discuss such issues with the media.
“You
can talk to my superiors because I am not allowed to speak to the press on
those issues. You are free to go and talk to them,” said Mashuro.
SDC
chairperson Thomas Mbetu, however, said those allegations were being peddled by
people who were using dirty tactics to campaign for positions in the next SDC
elections scheduled for February 2019.
“The
SDC and the school head do not determine school fees. Parents themselves vote
for what they want. Every parent was free to come to the AGM and make an input.
The majority of those who came voted for the new fees and those who stayed away
chose to do so own their own accord. Should the school cease to operate because
some parents have boycotted meetings? We understand people are campaigning for
positions but it’s not wise to make unfounded allegations,” said Mbetu.
He
said $115 per term was reasonable for a school with higher standards to sustain
and more facilities to maintain than any other public primary school in the
city.
On
the issue of over expenditure on meetings, he said the committee could not
withhold funds when there were genuine need to release them.
“For
example, we cannot stop the school head from traveling to a meeting called by
the permanent secretary or the minister. It is not the SDC using that money.
The burden of proof lies on those who allege misappropriation of funds. The
books are open for all to see,” Mbetu said.

Private company comes to Masvingo’s rescue

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Private company comes to Masvingo’s rescue


…as RBZ fails to avail US$4 000 to fix water problems
Upenyu
Chaota
City of Masvingo has recently found itself between a rock
and a hard place after bureaucratic red tapes at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
(RBZ) stopped them from getting US$4 000 needed to import spares for its broken
down water pumping equipment.
The breakdowns have seen most parts of the city going
for two weeks with absolutely no water supplies.
An overvoltage incident resulted in the damage to all
the three interface control units at the intake tower abstraction pump station
at Bushmead, reducing pumping capacity to 70 percent.
Concerted efforts to get government allocate the money
needed to buy the required spares through RBZ failed to endless rules, forcing
the city to engage private companies for help.
Mayor Collen Maboke told TellZim News that the money
has already been paid and pumping will be back to normal by the end of the
week.
“A local company has come to our rescue and gave us
the US$4 000 because we could not get a response from RBZ in time. Our people
have suffered enough and we could not cope with the red tape at RBZ.
“We have already paid for the units and we hope by end
of the week, people will be having water. These parts are only available in
forex and as council, we do not have that currency.
“When we need forex, we have to apply to RBZ and it
takes time to get a response so we want to thank the company that helped the
city. A lot of people blamed the city council for not buying the forex on the
black market but we are not allowed to do so,” said Maboke.
He refused to reveal the name of the company but word
has it that the helping hand came from Montana Carswell Meats (MCM), a local
abattoir business.
The condition of the assistance are yet to be
established but TellZim News will dig deeper to get to the bottom of the deal.
Residents’ organisations have so far given the council
an ultimatum to restore normal water supply or be taken to task.
Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance
(Murra) spokesperson, Godfrey Mtimba said council must lose sleep whenever a
crisis of that nature occurs.
“Our people have gone for two weeks without water and
that is enough reason for council officials to lose sleep. They have to go out
of their way to fix the problem or we will face them head on,” said Mtimba.

Mukungunugwa donates animal feed to villagers

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Mukungunugwa donates animal feed to villagers


Tiyani Hahlani
Chivi
Rural District Council (RDC) chairperson, Godfrey Mukungunugwa last week
donated molasses to villagers of Ward 6 to help sustain the district’s herd of
cattle this dry season.
Mukungunugwa
mobilised the molasses in partnership with the Commercial Sugarcane Farmers Association
of Zimbabwe (CSFAZ) chairperson Admore Hwarare.
In
his remarks, Hwarare said the programme was meant to make sure that livestock in
the district will not die due to lack of feed.
“As
an association of commercial sugarcane farmers, we have agreed to supply the
whole province with molasses so this programme does not end here. We are doing
this for free for the first and second rounds after which farmers who are
interested will buy the molasses,” said Hwarare.
“Our
aim is to help Chivi’s animal husbandry sector to grow and be able to
contribute more in the sustenance of families. People with knowledge of climate
have already predicted a dryer 2019, and given that this district receives
below normal rainfall on average, it is wise to look for supplementary feeds.
We don’t want our farmers to suffer heavy losses simply because there is less
rainfall than we want,” said Mukungunugwa.
He
said cattle was an important resource for rural people as families are sending
children to school through money raised through cattle sales.
Several
villagers brought containers of varying sizes to receive the molasses for their
cattle, with many of them saying they did not have money to buy the feed for
themselves.
“We
thank our ward councillor and council chairperson for mobilising this resource
for us. We know the importance of molasses especially in the dry season. Our
cattle are thin and we hope they will soon recover,” said one villager.
Molasses
improves animal appetite and can be mixed with even dry grass and maize stalks
to make them tastier for cattle.

Gutu man dies in botched illegal power connection at Chisheche

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Precila Takabvirakare

MPANDAWANA –
An employee with the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) Gutu depot
died last week Saturday at Chisheche business centre around 9:00hrs while
trying to illegally connect a shop to the national grid.
Masvingo
provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Charity Mazula although said she had
heard about the case, she did not have finer details.
“I have heard
about the case but I haven’t been able to get in touch with the officer in
charge Gutu district,” said Mazula, warning members of the public of the public
not to attempt illegal electricity connections.
Sources
said Shadreck Mutenheri (37) was invited by his brother and a Joseph Nyangove
to go and assist them to connect the business premise to electricity, claiming
they had been given a tender by a contractor from Rutenga.
It
is said that his brother climbed onto an electricity pole to make the
connections, but Mutenheri later demanded to be allowed to complete the work as
he could do it quicker.
It
is further said that as he climbed up the pole barefooted, he stepped on a live
wire and got burnt, with smoke coming out of his mouth. The other accomplices ran
away but came back later to retrieve the body and rush it to Gutu Mission
Hospital.
The
deceased, who was buried at Chatsworth in Gutu West on Tuesday, is survived by
a wife and three children.

Dismissed ZPCS ‘traitorous’ officer appeals judgment

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Dismissed ZPCS ‘traitorous’ officer appeals judgment

Clayton Shereni
A Zimbabwe
Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) officer based in Chiredzi who hogged
the limelight in the run-up to the July 31 elections when he allegedly tweeted
in support of MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa is appealing his dismissal
from work after an internal disciplinary hearing.
The officer,
John Mahlabera, who is being represented by Advocate Collen Maboke, has since
lodged an appeal to the ZPCS commissioner general Paradzai Zimondi, disputing
the fairness of the verdict.
Mahlabera
appeared before the ZPCS disciplinary committee on Thursday, November 08, where
he pleaded not guilty to both charges but was convicted nonetheless.
On count one,
Mahlabera was being accused for contravening Section 3(1) of the Prisons (staff)
(discipline) Regulations of 1984 for using ‘traitorous’ or ‘disloyal’ words
against President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
On the second
count, Mahlabera was accused for contravening Section 3(46) of Prisons
(Staff)(Disciplinary) Regulations of 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 of 1968.
Maboke told
TellZim News his client was still waiting for a response from Zimondi.
“We have
successfully filed an appeal to Commissioner General Zimondi and we are now
waiting for the response,” said Maboke.
Mahlabera was
dismissed for two counts of using traitorous words against President Emmerson
Mnangagwa and unlawfully participating in active politics.
He was called to
the podium by Nelson Chamisa during his star rally at Tshovani Stadium on June
10, 2018 and promised a job on the Chamisa’s security team if he wanted.
ZPCS argued that
prior to that, Mahlabera had tweeted in a manner that seemed to recognise
Chamisa as the President thereby undermining Mnangagwa.

‘Diabetic motorists behind many accidents’

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‘Diabetic motorists behind many accidents’

Shingirai Vambe

BULAWAYO – People living
with diabetes are more likely to cause road traffic accidents if they are
driving than those who do not live with the chronic condition, the Diabetes
Association of Zimbabwe (DAZ) has said.
Speaking during Parliamentary
Portfolio Committee on Health pre-budget deliberations at Mpilo Hospital recently, DAZ’s Violet
Moyo said there was scientific data pointing to diabetic motorists causing
accidents.
“Our police have
not been able to track the extent of road accidents attributable to
hypertension. They also purport that negligent driving, non-roadworthy vehicles
and sheer human error are the main causes of accidents. There is however
evidence elsewhere that diabetic motorists are at a higher risk of being
involved in accidents than any other ordinary drivers,” said Moyo.
She challenged
people to take a keen interest in their health and wellbeing by getting tested regularly
for the chronic illness.
“When you are
driving and your sugar level gets excessively high, you may feel dizzy so much
that you could fail to control the car. You may also suffer a total blackout
and end up in a serious accident that affects you and other road users. It is
advisable to get tested for diabetes regularly and take your medication before
driving,” said Moyo.
The Traffic
Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) the Ministry of Health and Child care, as
well as the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) have recently been urged to
come up with new mechanisms and strengthen existing ones to ensure that drivers
are physically for the purpose.
     

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