Home Blog Page 638

Jerera GMB corruption: DA summons manager

TellZimNews
-
0
Jerera GMB corruption: DA summons manager

Ndeya Nyede


Brighton Chiseva

ZAKA – The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Jerera depot manager Wellington Shumba was recently summoned by the District Administrator (DA) Ndeya Nyede following a public outcry over alleged corruption at the depot.
Many farmers intending to sell their produce to the State-owned grain buyer have been complaining that they face severe difficulties being served unless they paid bribes to senior official at the depot.
The complained of unnecessary delays that were deliberately being done to frustrate them so that they could pay bribes for the process to being expedited.
TellZim News first reported about the issue a few weeks ago and later gathered that Nyede had then called Shumba to his office to discuss the matter and many more issues that had arisen.
When contacted for comment, Nyede confirmed meeting Shumba over the issue but added that meetings were a regular thing between them.
“We do regular meetings with the manager. I called him after the issue was raised and he told me his side of the story and everything is going on well now. People tend to think that some of the delays they experience are deliberate and malicious, but power cuts also cause delays there,” said Nyede.
“Because of the good prices that GMB is offering this year, some people are bringing last year’s grains most of which, unfortunately, fail the quality tests leading to the farmers being turned away,” he added.
Inside sources, however, maintained that bribes were being demanded by a coterie of corrupt officials who would then direct that only those who complied with the bribery terms and conditions be served expeditiously. The sources also said the power cuts argument did not hold water as there were generators on standby.
When Shumba was contacted for comment when TellZim News first wrote about the issue, he refused to comment saying all communication matters were handled in Harare.
Repeated efforts to get his comment this time around also failed as he neither picked nor returned the calls.
It was, however, learnt that the depot was recently involved in more controversy after initially refusing to release some inputs of the Presidential Input Scheme to farmers outside of such irrigation schemes as Fuwe-Panganai.
Sources said senior management at the GMB depot thought it was a waste of resources to give the inputs to farmers who practiced rain-fed agriculture.
Nyede, however, rubbished the allegations saying the scheme was benefitting all farmers in a fair manner.
“The Presidential Input Scheme and the Command Agriculture inputs distribution is being done fairly. We did wards five and nine before breaking for the elections but we are now carrying on with the work,” said Nyede.local

Business magazine for Zvishavane SMEs

TellZimNews
-
0

Image result for Bigboy Murenga

Bigboy Murenga


Patience Muzhingi

ZVISHAVANE – Local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) will publish their first magazine September 15 as a way of marketing themselves to a wider base of prospective clients.

The magazine will include advertisements by SMEs that have a considerable foothold in all sectors of the economy.

These include engineering, confectioneries, motor spares, hard wares, construction, law, financial institutions, boutiques, retail shops, butcheries, book shops, saloons, home industries, transport, car washes and car sales, debt collectors, gold miners and night clubs.

Zimbabwe Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises Zvishavane Chapter secretary general, Bigboy Murenga told TellZim News that the magazine will seek to empower the SMEs and help them improve their competitiveness.

"It’s our pleasure to introduce the Zimbabwe Chamber of SME's Business Magazine. As the Zvishavane chapter of the organisation, we will be producing our first ever business magazine on 15 September 2018 with the objective of empowering all SMEs towards global competiveness,” said Murenga.

He said the printed copies will be distributed to the Zvishavane business community and called for support from prospective sponsors especially those in big established corporates.

He also said the SMEs magazine would look for paid advertisement from big businesses in order to sustain operations should no willing sponsor be found.

"We call for support from different organisations through sponsorship or paid adverts on our pages so that we will be able to carry the work forward,” said Murenga.business

SZCC attains Quality Management System certification

TellZimNews
-
0

…as company plans to open brick & tile plant

Tinaani Nyabereka.

GWERU – Sino Zimbabwe Cement Company (SZCC) was recently presented with the ISO 9001-2015 Quality Management System (QMS) in recognition of its commitment to provide high quality products and excellent customer service.

Speaking at the certification event held at Village Lodge recently, Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) director general, Dr Eve Christine Gadzikwa said global best practises implied operational efficiency and customer service excellence through the implementation of management systems accepted worldwide.

“It is indeed an honour to have been invited to hand over the ISO 9001 2015 Quality Management System to Sino Zimbabwe and I say congratulations to the institution for attaining certification to the requirements of the ISO  as this underlines the continued determination, and commitment of the management and staff in providing high quality customer service.

“As you all know, the global best practices imply that operational efficiency and customer service excellence through implementing management standards is accepted worldwide as the standards that define quality,” said Gadzikwa.

She said SAZ will continue to monitor the company’s performance against the requirements of the three standards system through periodic surveillance visits.

“The Standards Association of Zimbabwe will remain committed to monitoring the operations of the company. It is thus paramount that the company adheres to the principles of its certification by maintaining and improving quality management. As a national standards body, we adopted the ISO 37001 as a standard to fight corruption and we encourage organisations to put measures against corruption.   

“I urge the SZCC to actively seek to better its processes and procedures that have served the company over the years. I would also like to thank the company for choosing SAZ which has over 60 years of experience in the certification of business…SAZ has published over 2000 standards and represents and sells 150 standards,” she said.

SZCC is a joint business venture between the China Building Materials for Foreign Econo-Technical Corporation (CBMC) and the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe (IDCZ).

It is one of the three cement manufacturers in the country and has a capacity to produce 300 000 tonnes of cement per year.

With a workforce of 200 people, the company is expected to commission its brick and tile manufacturing plant next month.business

 

Sessel Zvidzai’s garden boy now Gweru Ward 3 Cllr

TellZimNews
-
0
Sessel Zvidzai’s garden boy now Gweru Ward 3 Cllr

Cllr Doubt Ncube


Itai Muzondo

GWERU – In a notable tale of grace to grass, former MDC-T Gweru Urban MP and senior official in the MDC Alliance; Sessel Zvidzai’s gardener is now City of Gweru Ward 3 councillor.

Doubt Ncube, who is 35 years of age, took his oath of office alongside other councillors on Tuesday following his victory over five other candidates in the July 30 elections.

He told TellZim News that though his social status has improved, he will continue to serve as Zvidzai’s gardener.

“I met Zvidzai after I had just joined the party in 2002. He is like a father to me and has been pivotal in my steady growth in politics. I will not leave him unless he decides to wean me off,” said Ncube, who still stays in the cottage at Zvidzai’s Delisford home.

He said he was grateful to the opposition alliance for affording him a chance to rise through the ranks.

“I am happy with how the MDC Alliance has supported me until I got to this stage today. I am a person many people may not know but I have risen through the party ranks in a transparent manner.

“I joined MDC-T in 2002 as an ordinary member and in 2003 I was elected youth chairperson for Ward 3. It was in 2010 that I got elevated to be district deputy youth chairperson for the party’s main executive. Promotion came again in 2012 as I was made a district portfolio member; a position I still hold to this day,” Ncube said.

He said his experience was a clear testimony that limits only existed within one’s imagination and that with focus, humility and hard work, anything could be done.

“Positions are not for the elite, everyone has potential as long as they have a vision. Being elected from the grassroots gives me confidence that I will deliver. Those in power are there to serve the interests of the grassroots.

“Women, in particular, are fearful of contesting for decision-making positions and I think there must be a shift in focus. Of late, the youth have done much for themselves so women should do the same,” Ncube said.

Contacted for comment, Zvidzai was full of praise for his employee.

“People from the ward elected him through the capability he showed them. I am confident of his abilities, the ward believes in him as well and we wish him well. He has a lot of potential as a leader,” Zvidzai said.local

 

 

New Gweru council now in place

TellZimNews
-
0
New Gweru council now in place

New City of Gweru mayor Josiah Makombe


Itai Muzondo

GWERU – Ward 2 councillor, Josiah Makombe on Tuesday emerged as new City of Gweru mayor following the swearing in ceremony for the new councillors at town house.

Makombe, who won the post uncontested, replaces Charles Chikozho and will work with Ward 5 councillor, Cleopas Shiri as his deputy.

Ward 13 councillor, Catherine Mhondiwa is the only female in the 18-member all MDC Alliance council.

Speaking to TellZim News, Makombe said he wished to make a difference in addressing traditional issues that have always plagued Gweru.

“I am not going to implement any new idea before solving the traditional problems that have always affected the city. My main goal is just to make sure that council delivers.

“The old problems I am talking about are roads, water woes, malfunctioning traffic lights and broken street lights. To solve this, I will always seek the advice of my predecessors and will encourage team work among councillors so that everything we agree on is beneficial to residents,” he said.

This publication also caught up with Shiri who said he wished to help council block revenue leakages that are hindering better service delivery.

“There are several leakages that I wish my fellow councillors to unite and close for the benefit of residents. These are mainly found in the billing system.

“Besides these, it is my wish that City of Gweru attracts foreign and local investment. Partnerships should be built with organisations that can help us to improve service delivery,” Shiri said.

Also present at the swearing-in ceremony was Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) chairperson, Cornelia Selipiwe who called for transparency and hard work from the new councillors.

“We hope these councilors will be there for the residents. We want to see fruitful debates in the chambers and we want to see resolutions coming to fruition. As residents, we no longer want a council that puts selfish interests ahead of the city’s common good,” Selipiwe said.local

Masvingo’s broken pumps are only 3-years-old

TellZimNews
-
0
Masvingo’s broken pumps are only 3-years-old


Picture: The new Indian-made pumps that have since broken down


Moses Ziyambi

The water pumps that broke down on August 22, leading the ongoing severe water shortages in the city are only three years old, TellZim News can reveal.

The pumps were commissioned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was then vice president, on Friday April 24, 2015 after the completion of upgrades at the Bushmead waterworks.

The upgrades, which also extended to the sewerage works in Eastvale as well as the Rujeko sewer pump station, were made possible through money raised by the Zimbabwe Multi-Donor Trust Fund which was being managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The donors were wealthy Western countries that included Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Australia.

At the Rujeko sewer pump station, a massive generator was put in place to make sure that the system is never deprived of power even during load-shedding, thereby ensuring that no untreated effluent flowed into Mucheke River at any given time.

People were also told that efficiency had also been improved at the sewerage works through upgrades and capacity expansion.

At Bushmead, two brand new Indian-made pumps were installed to replace the old Rhodesian pumps that were reportedly put in place way back in 1967, meaning the old pumps had served the city for 48 good years.

A whole new Indian-built electrical system was also installed to power the ‘better’ pumps that had just been installed.

On the day of the commissioning of the new upgraded systems, City of Masvingo engineer Tawanda Gozo led the tour of Bushmead, telling Mnangagwa and his delegation of ministers that the water situation in the city was never going to be the same again.

He said a third reserve pump had also been installed at the intake tower for use only in emergency situations.

It is against this background that many people were outraged to learn that what they had hoped to be a long-term improvement of the water situation in the city was somehow a farce.

Outgoing City of Masvingo town clerk, Adolf Gusha communicated last week that the new pumps had broken down unexpectedly, hinting that the equipment was substandard.

“The broken down pumps are fairly new; less than five years against a design lifespan of 20 years. At the moment, we are focusing on repairs. Getting a new one will take much longer. It’s an option on the horizon. A new pump could cost anything north of $300 000,” Gusha said.local

 

 

 

I’m not moved by tribalism, says Byo’s Cllr Batirai

TellZimNews
-
0
I’m not moved by tribalism, says Byo’s Cllr Batirai


Moses Ziyambi

Newly-elected Bulawayo MDC Alliance Ward 24 councillor, Arnold Batirai Dube has claimed that he was threatened by members of the secessionist Mthakazi groupings soon after being sworn in as councillor last week.

He however said he would not be moved by ‘the shenanigans of people who did not vote for me’, but would instead focus to effectively represent the people of Nketa who elected him.

Dube triggered a commotion in council chambers when he recited his oath of office in Shona, in front of an audience presumed to have been predominantly Ndebele.

Videos of the squabbles, in which Dube could be seen citing the country’s 16 official languages to defend his conduct against hordes of agitated activists, were widely circulated on social media.

“I am not at all moved. Those are not the people who voted for me so my focus now is to work for the people of Nketa who chose me to represent them in council,” said Dube, who originally hails from Masvingo South.

He said the incident was staged and blown out of proportion by Gideon Mangena, a fellow MDC Alliance candidate whom he defeated in the July 30 elections. Serious intra-MDC Alliance disagreements in the ward saw the opposition coalition fielding two candidates to contest for the council seat.

“What happened is that Mangena had hoped that I was not going to be sworn in before the conclusion of the two spurious criminal cases he laid against me before the elections. When he heard that I had been invited to the swearing in ceremony at the very last minute, he hired the Mthwakazi guys who booed me and made distasteful tribal remarks as I entered the gallery. They had planned it in advance but I stood my ground.

“After the event, they accosted me outside and threatened to kill me. They even told me the day they would kill me, claiming that they knew I and some councillors wanted to vote for a Shona mayor,” said Dube.

The 32-year-old councillor, who is the Tendai Biti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) youth leader, contested for the ward despite the alliance having endorsed Mangena – who belongs to Welshman Ncube’s MDC – four days before election day.

He won by 2 237 against Mangena’s 2 104 and Zanu PF’s Justice Bango who scored 1 752. The other eight candidates scored just below 200 votes each on average.

Dube went to Shonganiso Primary School before proceeding to Berejena Mission for his secondary education. He did his ‘A’ levels at Masvingo Christion College and is currently studying for a marketing degree with a South African institution.politics

 

 

MDC Alliance councillors donate deputy mayoral post to ruling party

TellZimNews
-
0
MDC Alliance councillors donate deputy mayoral post to ruling party


New Masvingo mayor Collen Maboke (left) with town clerk Adolf Gusha soon after the mayoral election

…MDC Alliance beds Zanu PF in awful Faustian bargain

Upenyu Chaota

The mayoral and deputy mayoral elections in council chambers on Wednesday evening produced shocking results, with some of the MDC Alliance councillors voting for a Zanu PF councillor to be deputy mayor.

This was said to be in complete defiance of a party directive which had reportedly wanted Ward 1 councillor Selina Maridza to deputise Godfrey Kurauone of Ward 4.

In a shocking turn of events however, Maridza ganged up with three other MDC Alliance councillors and the three Zanu PF councillors to vote for MDC Alliance’s Collen Maboke (Ward 2) as mayor and Zanu PF’s Wellington Mahwende as deputy mayor.

This threw into complete quandary the decisions of the opposition coalition with regards to leadership of the city council for the next five years.

After the results went public, angry MDC Alliance supporters thronged the Civic Centre baying for the blood of the councillors suspected of throwing their lots with Zanu PF.

In the chambers, there was some quarrelling over the voting method, with Kurauone moving a motion for a candidate to be first nominated and then have them seconded, while Town Clerk Adolf Gusha suggested a secret ballot which was then thrown out of the window.

The plan was to nominate Kurauone and Maridza and let them sail through unopposed, but Mahwende pulled a shocker by nominating Maboke out of the blue.

Maboke then accepted the offer, much to the shock of Kurauone who had expected an easy sail-through. Kurauone was to be shocked even more when results came out showing Maboke had won by seven votes to his three, confirming his worst fear that Zanu PF’s three councillors had struck a deal with four MDC Alliance councillors rabidly opposed to him.

Musekiwa and Ward 5 councillor Daniel Mberikunashe were fighting from Kurauone’s corner while the other councillors were rallying behind Maboke.

The whole conspiracy came to light when councillors voted for the deputy mayor, with Kurauoke –  despite having already been betrayed – sticking to the original script of nominating Maridza as deputy mayor, with Mberikunashe seconding.

Zanu PF’s Ward 8 councillor Against Chiteme then nominated Mahwende who accepted and won the vote, with Maridza being suspected of having voted against herself.

Rumours are that Mahwende used his vast financial muscle to secretly capture the four MDC Alliance councillors opposed to Kurauone. These are Maridza, Maboke, Tarusenga Vhembo (Ward 3) and Babylon Beta (Ward 9).

Kurauone, Mberikunashe and Musekiwa were reportedly kept completely in the dark and were misled into believing that the original script would succeed.

“How can they do this? We campaigned for our party and the people we voted for are supping with the enemy,” screamed one visibly angry supporter.

Municipal police officers had a torrid task trying to restrain the angry mob from storming the council chambers.

“It is better to be arrested for beating up all of these sell-outs because they seem not to understand our struggle. We are fighting Zanu PF and our councillors are busy voting for them. We will demand an emergency provincial meeting to have all the sell-out councillors recalled. These people have no principles at all and they have given Zanu PF space to infiltrate,” said another irate supporter.

MDC Alliance provincial chairperson James Gumbi could not be reached for comment by the time of going to print.top news

Burglar bars trap burglar

TellZimNews
-
0
Burglar bars trap burglar

Darlington Kanyongo

ZVISHAVANE – A Mberengwa man was arraigned before magistrate Shepherd Mjanji facing unlawful entry charges after he broke into Tembani Ndlovu’s house and got trapped between burglar bars as he tried to flee.
Believe Mangena (27) pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment.
It was the State’s case that on July 30 at around 02:00 am, the accused broke into Ndlovu’s house in Madhora village under Chief Mataruse.
Mangena successfully squeezed himself through the burglar bars and gained access into the house. As he was squeezing himself through the burglar bars, his trousers got hooked and he decided to remove it.
When he gained access into the house, and before he could put his trousers back on, Mangena pushed the sitting room door which made a quirking sound and alerted Ndlovu who was sleeping in the next room.
Ndlovu woke up to check on the noise and found Mangena without his trousers and he tried to escape through the same window only to be trapped.
Ndlovu screamed and the neighbours rushed to the scene only to find Mangena, who was also screaming for help, stuck on the window.
The police were called to the scene leading to Mangena’s arrest.local

Man arrested for possession of three hyena legs

TellZimNews
-
0
Man arrested for possession of three hyena legs

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A 65 year old Beitbridge man who trapped a hyena and was found in possession of the animal’s three legs was recently arrested and arraigned before the Mwenezi Magistrates Court.
Kaison Meke pleaded guilty to the offence and was charged for contravening Section 5 of the Trapping of Animals Control Act Chapter 20:21.
Magistrate Honest Musiiwa sentenced him to 10 months imprisonment of which four months were conditionally suspended.
The remaining six months were set aside on condition he performs 210 hours of community service at Makombe Primary School.
Presented by prosecutor Willard Chasi, the State’s case was that sometime in February this year, Meke went to Zimbabwe Bio Energy (ZBE) game section where he set a wire snare.
He caught and killed one male hyena.
Upon discovering some of the hyena’s remains, ZBE game scouts traced the footprints which led to Meke’s homestead.
Upon arriving and searching at Meke’s homestead, the game scouts found Meke in possession of three hyena legs. The value of the killed hyena was put at US$1000. 
A police report was made leading to Meke’s arrest.local

1...637638639...975Page 638 of 975