MWENEZI – The Mwenezi Rural District Council is implementing tough measures to rid the streets of illegal vendors and unregistered taxes commonly known as mishikashika at Rutenga growth point.
The exercise has seen vendors who used to operate day and night along the main highway to Beitbridge being ordered to demolish their structures and leave.
Mwenezi RDC chief executive officer (CEO) Albert Chivanga told TellZim News there was sufficient designated space for all those who want to do their business legally.
“We are definitely going to succeed in driving vendors to designated points. We are not alone in enforcing this operation. We have the support of other stakeholders from the security sector.
“Transport operators should operate from the official terminus. For vendors, we have also enough proper markets to accommodate all of them,” said Chivanga.
Many informal traders, however, slammed the operation which they said was inconsiderate to their plight.
“We have been making good business here but we are now being forced to go to less lucrative market places. Our clients are mainly the travellers using this road so I don’t see how we will survive selling our products away from the road,” said one informal trader.local

MASVINGO – Some members of the National Association of Secondary School Heads (NASH) in the province are fuming over what they say were controversial elections held during the organ-isation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Civic Centre last week.
The elections were presided over by the organisation’s counterpart; the National Association of Primary School Heads (NAPH) and the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) to choose a new executive.
The process, however, nearly stalled after representatives from some districts raised objections and protested that the nominations were improperly done, leading to the disenfranchisement of many prospective contestants.
Such districts as Masvingo, Chivi, Zaka and Gutu appeared to be totally unhappy, with indica-tions that they were given insufficient time to fill nomination forms and submit their nominees.
The anomaly meant that there was little, if any real opposition to the current executive, led by Cuthbert Chuma of Mwenezi High School, which won back power uncontested.
TellZim News later caught up with Clapos Chauraya of Mapanzure Govt High School, Masvingo district, who admitted that the elections had left many people unsatisfied.
“We were only given three days to collect and fill the nomination forms. It was hard to get offi-cial information on the process so everything was like guess work.
“People feel they have been denied their rights as Nash members to contest in the election. How come the whole board could be elected back into office without any contestation?” Chiuraya quipped.
Emmanuel Chavarika of Zaka blamed the NASH constitution for the anomalies, saying it was silent on many critical areas thus giving people the latitude to act the way they want.
“This is what we have now and we have to go with it. Some people are definitely not happy but the problem is in our constitution which is weak and silent in many respects. That would have to be corrected if there is to be greater consensus and harmony in the future,” said Chavarika.
Other heads from Chivi said the nomination process was rigged in favour of the sitting execu-tive and all prospective contestants were shut out of the official communication channels.
“That was not a credible election at all. The nomination process was opened on Wednesday and quickly closed on Friday before some people had even had about it. Our presence at the elec-tions was just used to provide a façade so that it appears everybody was involved when in actu-al fact, the process was exclusionary. It’s difficult to see how these guys can claim legitimacy based on such a defective process,” said one head.
In his remarks after the elections, Chuma, however, said he was satisfied by how the process was ran.
“We would like to thank you for the support and we appreciate the confidence that you have in us. I can assure you that where there are issues of disgruntlement and we will attend them am-icably,” Chuma said.
He later told TellZim News in an interview that in every process of that nature, there is bound to be some disagreements.local

Ndeya Nyede

Exsto Makunzva

ZVISHAVANE – The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in the Zvishavane policing district say they will continue with their operation against pirate taxis until total order is achieved.
Speaking during a campaign organised in partnership with Zvishavane Town Council, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the traffic section, Assistant Inspector Brighton Nzima said police wanted all cars in the passenger business to be registered.
“As traffic police and the responsible authority of Zvishavane town, we are not going to tolerate any mushikashika in town. The council has allocated you proper pick up points for different destinations.
“Make sure your cars are registered to do the job and make use of the designated pick-up points you have been allocated. Whoever is going to be found wanting in this regard will face the wrath of the law,” said Ass Insp Nzima. 
The town council has come up with six different pick-up points for passengers from different destinations.
Machipisa was named the official pick-up point for Zvishavane – Rutenga travellers and touts were warned to observe orderliness by not to invading the road to look for passengers.
Macarios was officially pegged as another pick-up point and the necessary signs are set to be put in place.
Number 1 was deemed the most suitable pick-up area for passengers travelling to Mberengwa.
Taxis plying local routes were allocated Madeira as their pick-up point and were urged not to invade the road as it would lead to disorderliness and accidents.local

Nyasha Marumbi

MASVINGO – Roy Ndlovu, a pastor from Oasis of Life International Ministries based in Harare, on Wednesday appeared before magistrate Peter Madiba to answer charges of culpable homicide in connection with a car accident which led to the death Philemon Vambe.
He was sentenced to 90 days in prison with an option to pay US$500 fine.
It was the State’s case, as presented by Fidelicy Nyamukondiwa, that on December 12, 2017, Ndlovu was driving a Toyota Noah registration number ACP 4202 towards Harare with five passengers on board.
Upon reaching Mushagashe business centre, the pastor lost control of the vehicle, swerved to the left and veered off the road.
The vehicle hit a culvert and rolled twice before landing on its left side.
The now deceased was thrown outside of the vehicle and he sustained a swollen face and painful ribs and was rushed to Masvingo Provincial Hospital where he died on admission.
Ndlovu was asked to pay the fine after the magistrate had considered that after the accident, he bought a coffin for the deceased and he also ferried his body to Bindura for burial.
The accused also bought Vambe’s family groceries and he gave them US$180 to pay rentals.local

GWERU – The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Phillippe Van Damme has warned civic society organisations (CSO) against what he called was a tendency to wait to be spoon-fed by donors without making any initiative of their own towards self-sustenance.
Speaking to representatives of many civic groups during an EU – CSO Roadmap meeting held at Gweru Memorial Library American Corner recently, Van Damme said the EU did not wish to have organisations that work only to please the union but wanted them to formulate good ideas for the benefit of the country.
“Civil society mustn’t be dependent. They should have self-sustaining programmes or initiatives that will help the nation to develop outside funding. We also don’t encourage people to come here and try to please us instead of generating ideas that have a long term life span.
“We don’t want and won’t accept a dependent civil society but would accept that which eman-cipates itself from dependency and improve the society,” Van Damme said.
He also said the donor community was trying to harmonise funding processes in a bid to redirect funds towards sustainable projects.
“A situation by which one organisation gets funds from different donors for different pro-grammes has also been a challenge when it comes to accountability. I will accept that harmonis-ing donor processes will be hard but donors will try work on that.
“Once this challenge is dealt with, it will help improve CSO technical capacity and deal with in-ternal governance challenges,” he added.
Van Damme who also spoke on how the EU was looking forward to a free and fair election, condemning political violence at all levels.
“We know Zimbabwe is currently in a transition and is going for an election under a new admin-istration. It is our hope as the EU that the political landscape is made free and fair before, during and after election.
“We also condemn intra and inter-party political violence at all levels and political parties should really work hard to achieve a violence-free election in few months to come. We have seen what has been happening in the MDC-T and we condemn that,” Van Damme said.local

MPANDAWANA – Gutu magistrate Edwin Marecha recently remanded boy (18) from Hwicho village under Chief Gutu in custody to March 26 on charges of raping his two years eight months-old sister.
He was charged for contravening Section 65 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
It was the State’s case that on March 09, Chevecheve was left in custody of the child as her mother had gone to Gona School to attend a meeting.
He then took the child to his bedroom, removed her pant, lied her on his bed and raped her.
The matter came to light when the mother found a discharge on the child’s private part whilst bathing her.
The mother managed to get the child to speak about the alleged rape and she made a police report, leading to the arrest of the accused.local