Fare thee well Mimosa, fare thee well platinum
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Donald Mazwati Mlambo with one of his innovations
Stephen Ephraem
When a Chipinge father was delegating his young son menial duties in the family’s electronic workshop a few years ago, little did he know that the child was to rock the world with his inventions.
The son is none other than Donald Mazwati Mlambo.
The 25-year-old Mlambo is a Physics, Chemistry and Biology product of Gaza High School in Chipinge and Winhood College in Ruwa. Donald started by inventing an amplifier in 2015 which, however, took him two years to complete due to spare parts challenges.
“I started inventing drones after my successful venture into amplifiers. The initial drawback in making drones was that of heavy parts which could not stay long in the air. I used motors I salvaged from old DVDs and printers. I realised that drones require appropriate parts,” said Mlambo.
He said he was thankful to the ZimDigital team that financed him with circuit boards, etching pens and chemicals for amplifiers.
He also said he had a great vision of starting his own brand of electronic products and making synergies with established brands.
“The vision is not all about myself but about Africans. When I look at Africa, our technology is still very poor so I hope to change the way we perceive African-made technology. The entry point is that we unite together and partner with people from other countries on the continent.
“We need to make simple but strong drones that are exclusive to Africa, especially Zimbabwe. These may be used by power companies, the police for monitoring risky areas and emergencies. Local authorities may use such for surveys and agricultural entities may use such drones for spraying purposes,” Mlambo said.
He thinks young people in Zimbabwe have a good chance of making it in the electronic products manufacturing and assembling sector.
“The making of exclusive drones for Africa will build African economies and teach young people to be more innovative in technology. By the end of day, the electronic engineering industry will be able to sustain itself and later on export to other countries,” Mlambo said.business
Macadamia nuts transform Chipinge
No to arbitrary price hikes, says Chadzamira
Makedenge implicated in Zanu PF politics saga
Chadzamira lays down provincial vision
Upenyu Chaota
“Rome was not built in a day, it took several years of painstaking hardwork and dedication,” said the new Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira as he laid down his vision of transforming the province economically, socially and politically.
Addressing his maiden press conference at his offices at Benjamin Burombo building, Chadzamira said the province had a lot of untamed potential which, if harnessed, would help to support President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision for a middle income Zimbabwe by year 2030.
“I am inspired by the trust bestowed by the people of Masvingo and to that end, I call on us to collectively put our energies towards the realisation of that vision. I shall strive to deliver a diverse and continuously improving the local economy of our province mutually driven by our local people and investors.
“My aspiration is going to be anchored on the devolution of power, adoption of the Special Economic Zones into key traditional and new areas of investment, trade and commerce, a clean public sector, research and innovation, servant leadership, peace, tolerance and patriotism, branding our people and province as an investment destination,” said Chadzamira.
He said the province will thrive in agriculture owing to the giant Tugwi-Mukosi Dam, with the possibility of putting over 25 000 hectares of arable land under irrigation.
“I shall endeavour to pursue a rigorous process of creating an organised and well-coordinated investment space for both domestic and foreign investors on our life-line giving asset, Tugwi- Mukosi Dam, and its environments.
“Areas of importance are the development of irrigation, agro-processing, mechanised production and fisheries, among other activities. Investors should come to this Province with the full knowledge and assurance that their money and property will be protected in line with the thrust of the New Era and Second Republic,” said Chadzamira, adding that he will finalise the resettlement and compensation of the people of Chingwizi.
Chadzamira said there were over 300 000 rural and 25 000 urban people facing acute food shortages in the province, promising to ensure that nobody died of hunger.
He said the reopening of industries like the Cold Storage Commission (CSC), Simbi Steel Makers and Mashava Mines was top on his priority list.
“I am seized with the matter of Mashava Mines, Cold Storage Commission and Simbi Steel Makers reopening and enjoying full capacity production. These matters are top priority for the province.
“It is our strong commitment that these entities be opened for the benefit of not only the province but for the greater nation at large. Dewatering process at Mashava Mine is underway while at Simbi dedicated coal fields have been allocated to the company.
Going forward, my thrust will be on realising the mining, cutting and polishing of diamonds in Chivi and Mwenezi. This will be done through employing the Special Economic Zones Act so as to attract investment in key identified, designated and gazetted areas in the Province,” said Chadzamira.
“I shall engage with the business and local authorities so as to pave a sustainable way for rolling out the Special Economic Zones programme. The province has Tugwi-Mukosi as a pilot zone however, I wish to have more industrial and manufacturing parks in Chiredzi, Masvingo, Chivi and Mwenezi districts.
“Strategic locations such as Ngundu, Rutenga, Mashava among others should be studied for incorporation,” said Chadzamira.
He said institutions of Higher and Tertiary Education and in particular Chiredzi and Makoholi research institutes should come up with real time innovations that are transferable and replicated for development.
“I shall also pursue with cabinet on the dualisation of the Beitbridge- Masvingo-Harare-Chirundu highway national project. This will be done with the appreciation that government has in this province committed a release of $65 million towards road infrastructure development.
“Buchwa-Rutenga – Boli- Sango, Mandamabwe-Chivi, Gutu-Kurai and Masvingo-Capota roads are at various stages of repairs,” said Chadzamira.
He said his office was open for business to advance the interests of the province in an objective, impartial and responsive way.
“Corruption and those who steal what belongs to Zimbabweans have no space in the new administration.
“My oversight role in the administration of this province shall have a deliberate interest to see the extent to which development incorporates the disadvantaged, women and youth as well as other social groups,” said Chadzamira.local
Gutu man beds grade seven pupil in bank
MPANDAWANA – A security guard with the local Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) branch (name supplied but withheld for now) was on Sunday morning, September 23, allegedly caught red-handed sexually abusing a grade seven pupil.
The security guard was busted by the minor’s father who cannot be named here to protect the minor’s identity. The child is a pupil at Gutu United Primary School.
Sources said the father was tipped off that his child had been taken to the bank by the guard and he decided to follow the two. He waited outside for about two hours before his child finally walked out of the building.
It is further said that when the child saw that his father was at the gate, she ran back into the building and locked the door.
The child’s father confirmed the incident in an interview, saying he was tipped off by some friends that his child was having sexual relations with the security guard.
“I was moving around and I met some friends who told me that my daughter was dating (name withheld) and that the two are often seen together. I followed them at CBZ and I caught my own daughter red handed, I saw it with my own eyes,” he said.
The case was reported at Gomo Police Camp.
The security guard’s phone was not reachable when TellZim News tried to reach him as he was said to be on the run.courts
Chiredzi bans building of houses on unserviced land
CHIREDZI – Chiredzi Town Council has announced that it will no longer brook the practice of rushed building of houses on unserviced land.
Some 1000 medium density residential stands are expected to be allocated to deserving residents of the town soon.
New town chairperson, Gibson Hwende said the local authority will no longer allow construction work before the provision of requisite services on the land.
The local authority is battling to collect over US$1.2 million from residents who benefitted from the Makondo Extension Area before roads, water and sewerage systems of the area had been developed.
“As Chiredzi Town Council, we are worried by the state of affairs in Makondo Extension whereby residents constructed houses before council developed roads, sewer and installed water pipes. This has turned out to be disastrous because we now have septic tanks that have mushroomed all over the place.
“We have a new set of medium density stands that will be availed to residents soon but this time, we will not allow beneficiaries to start construction work before the necessary servicing of the land has been done,” said Hwende.
On pressing water challenges in some wards, Hwende said they will soon be a thing of the past as government had availed a US$300 000 loan facility under the Public Sector Investor Programme (PSIP).
“We have already started looking at the pressing issues affecting the smooth flow of business in our council. As a matter of urgency, we are delighted to announce that government has already disbursed $300 000 under PSIP for the upgrading of water purification system.
“Residents in wards 5 and 8 (Magwaza and Makondo) have been hardest hit by current water shortages but I believe this programme will address everything relating to water treatment, storage and delivery challenges,” Hwende said.
The town chairperson said they were going to implement the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa)’s way of installing street lights following the success of a kilometre-long street lighting project along Msasa Road.
“We received a one kilometre donation of street lights from Zesa and we are going to do similar work at some of the darkest spots in town,” said Hwende.local
Zvishavane DA Marweyi arrested over corruption
Zvishavane District Administrator (DA) Shepherd Marweyi has been arrested on allegations of corruption and abuse of office in a case related to dubious land deals in the town and elsewhere.
Midlands provincial police spokesperson Inspector Ethel Mukwende said Marweyi appeared in court for a routine hearing on a case she, however, was not willing to disclose.
“It was a routine hearing for a case that is already there. You can find-out at the court what the case is all about,” said Mukwende.
Sources, however, said Marweyi was fingered in fraudulent land deals done in conjunction with a named land development company linked to a former senior manager in the town council.
The land in question are stands at Mabhula in Maglas, Chiraya stands in Isiah Park and the Kosvoro and Mutonjeni stands located five kilometers along the Gweru -Zvishavane highway.
Other sources said the deals were somehow linked to former Local Government minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, who allegedly sanctioned the fraudulent sale of
Zvishavane DA Marweyi arrested over corruption
…’net closing in on corrupt Zvishavane town managers’the Mabhula stands in exchange for the ground at Mandava turnoff from Masvingo road where he wanted to build a fuel station.
Marweyi’s case comes two days after the arrest of Kasukuwere in connection with other dodgy land deals in Harare.
It also comes a week after a two-day visit by new Local Government minister July Moyo, Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs, Larry Mavhima and Mines and Mining Development minister, Winston Chitando on September 20.
Sources revealed that the net was also slowly but surely closing in on some senior members of the Zvishavane town council management who are suspected of enormously benefited from corrupt land deals.
A son of a traditional leader is also said to be in the firing line due to his association with the land development company at the centre of the scandal.topnews
Chipinge film competition launched
Stephen Ephraem
The local film and television industry will have something to smile about following the launch of a film competition earmarked for junior schools in Chipinge.
The competition has been launched by Visual Audio Centre for Arts Initiates (VACAI) in collaboration with St Albertina Junior School.
According to the director of VACAI, Elvis Nyanhongo, the aim for the competition is to support the new education curriculum through live arts.
“We want to empower school pupils in Chipinge, starting with those in Grade 3 and Grade 5. Our vision is to give our children skills in arts so that they will be able to shape their careers as this dovetails with the new education system which recognises arts as a lifelong skill,” said Nyanhongo.
On how the competition will run, Nyanhongo said pupils shall do filmmaking at each school and produce their own films that will then be judged against what others will have produced.
“Pupils who are good at composition writing will be script writers, those fluent in reading will be narrators, those good at photography will be camerapersons while those good at computers will be editors and so on. We want every pupil interested in the art to get involved.
“School teachers know their pupils better. They are the ones who should help select a school team to compete with others. Teachers should give those talented in arts an opportunity to express themselves well.
“The competition shall act as a feeder for film schools and universities in Zimbabwe since the pupils will need to be certified for the film and television industry. We also aim at televising the competition on the national broadcaster,” Nyanhongo said.
Chipinge has approximately 120 primary and 65 secondary schools.local

