Clever Taperamoyo

MASVINGO – The province put on splendid performance at the National Annual Science and Sport Festival (NASSAF) games held last week at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.
The event saw all the ten provinces convening to participate in more than 42 disciplines under three categories of the new curriculum of January 2017.
The categories were science, performing arts and sports and the province took 17 gold medals for such activities as painting, drawing, printing, and sculpturing.
During an interview with TellZim News, Provincial Education Director (PED) Zedius Chitiga was happy with the performance which saw the province emerging as the fourth best.
“Our children had an opportunity to showcase their talents and they did enjoy themselves and our province outcompeted many others. We were a good crowd puller and our own Mutendi brass band entertained the crowds,” Chitiga said.
Schools Inspector physical education and culture who is also the provincial focal person, Fredrick Matavikwa also expressed satisfaction with how the province performed.
He praised Vinemighty Masendeke, a pupil at Kanongovere Secondary School in Gutu, for designing a stock feed grinder which came first at the festival.
He said he was also pleased with the province’s exceptional performance in the performing arts cluster activities like mass display, wushu, poetry and band.
“Many artists do make money through live performances therefore the new curriculum is focusing on talent identification with the main thrust being Ubuntu,” Matavikwa said.
Under the performing arts cluster, various schools and individuals obtained gold medals among them the Dikwindi Primary School gymnastics team, Victoria Junior marimba band and Margareta Hugo special mbira team.
The poetry prize was won by Lisa Sibanda from Mazambara High while solo was won by Malvin Chidhuza of Silveira High School.
The overall best provinces were Harare with 59 gold, Bulawayo with 26, Mashonaland east 24, Masvingo 22, Mashonaland West 20, Manicaland 14, Midlands 13 Mashonaland Central 11, Matebeleland South 7 and Matebeleland North 5.local

Rtd Brig Matavire standing close to heaps of hay. If wild fires are not stopped, his cattle will starve

…veld fires damaging environment, threaten livelihoods

Itai Muzondo in Gweru

GWERU – Whenever summer approaches, it is sad news for Somabula residents who have to grapple with the menace of raging fires that are often times deliberately caused by illegal game hunters and fish poachers.
Rtd Brig Brave Matavire has a farm approximately 20 km from Gwenoro Dam and he says illegal fishermen start fires that then spread to people’s homesteads especially during the night.
He says game poachers are also starting veld fires in the wild so as to trap animals but in most cases, the fires are getting out of control.
“Often times, we see fires approaching our homesteads from Gwenoro Dam where fish poachers make fire and never put it out when they leave their bases. The most irritating of these people are however those who hunt game by using fire as a trap because in most cases they lose control of the fire,” Rtd Brig Matavire said.
He is a victim of the raging fires himself, having lost stock piles of hay that he had intended to feed his animals in the long dry season.
“What we need is enforcement. We have a village watcher who traps these notorious poachers but we also need visible police presence to deter the poachers once and for all. It’s sad to see them concentrated on roadblocks while ignoring environmental issues,” said Rtd Brig Matavire.
Ward 15 councillor Sibongile Matavire, whose area is regarded as one of the most vulnerable to wild fires, said if the police could complement the efforts of the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), most of those enemies of the environment would be scared away.
“I think the police is not doing enough. If their commitment could match that of EMA, we wouldn’t be facing these challenges,” said Cllr Matavire.
The area’s usually tall grass sustains the livelihoods of many families that cut the grass for thatching purposes and for sale but people of the area say veld fires are destroying it all.
“We survive on grass business. It is the business by which our parents raised us but with these recurrent fires, we have become poorer. Those at the top must find a solution to catch people who start veld fires and give them heavy penalties,” said Priviledge Maburutse.
TellZim News managed to talk to Ministry of Agriculture chief engineer Gerald Chirapa who said a team he leads was on a national tour to see how challenges that threaten the nation’s harvest could be dealt with.
“For now we just advise famers to use available measures to safeguard their environment from veiled fires. Fires cause a lot of losses as far as productivity in the farming business is concerned and that should be stopped,” Chirapa said.local

Siyabonga Sayi

BIKITA – The Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) under the youth department of the Central Zimbabwe Conference recently donated and installed a water pump and equipment valued at around US$5 000 at Hozvi Secondary and Primary schools in Bikita.
The installation of the equipment was done during a two-week super mission community service and evangelistic programme conducted in the Hozvi area by the SDA youth.
During the programme, which ran between September 17 and 30, the young people constructed two tank stands and an electricity switch room to regulate the pump before digging plumbing trenches.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, President of the SDA church in the Central Zimbabwe Conference, Pastor J Manyakara applauded the young people for working together with the church to make a success of the project.
“We are happy to see this project succeed, but what is much more exciting is seeing all these young people coming together and donating their skills to people in this community,” said Pastor Makanya.
The local councillor Sign Mkanganwi expressed gratitude for the project, saying the church had worked to provide one of the most essential needs of his community.
“I am grateful to whoever prayed for us as a community because that prayer has been answered. I am pleased to witness this development which came through the efforts of the Seventh Day Adventist Church,” said Mkanganwi.
The leader of the youths in the conference Pastor Charles Madembo revealed that the project was implemented at a cost of around US$5 000.
“The water project cost covered the procurement of two 5000 litre tanks and a single phase 3 horse power submersible pump as well as all the plumbing, electrical and construction materials,” said Pastor Madembo.
He said the church had learnt of the lack of clean water in the area through a community stakeholders committee that was initiated by Pastor Philemon Majoni who is the responsible pastor for Bikita district.
“The idea of a water project came from a Hozvi stakeholders committee which was formulated by Pastor Majoni after we asked him to identify community needs. This committee is made up of school heads, traditional leaders, the councillor, parents and other community leaders,” Pastor Madembo said. 
An evangelistic programme which ran concurrently with the water project saw 155 people enrolling into a Bible study course with 113 of them graduating. Some 31 people from the local area were baptised into SDA.local

Nyasha Marumbi

MASVINGO – Magistrate Takawira Mugabe recently sentenced a Masvingo man to six months imprisonment for assaulting his mother over food and money for beer.
Clever Rushambwe (24) of Tauramba village was dragged to court for assaulting his mother Chipo Mawuwa after she refused to give him money to buy beer.
It was the State’s case that on September 19, 2017, Rushambwe arrived home from a beer drink to find his mother already asleep.
He then awakened her and asked for money to buy beer but the complainant refused to give him any.
This did not go well with the Rushambwe who went on to break door hinges and entered the room in which Mawuwa was sleeping. He fought her, bit the complainant on the back of her head and tore her skirts leaving her half-naked.
A report was made to the police leading to the arrest it the accused person.
The complainant sustained a visible injury.
However when Rushambwe was found guilty, the magistrate asked him to sentence himself and he gave himself six months behind bars and the court accepted the sentence.
Edmond Mapope represented the State.local

MWENEZI – A group of about 40 men broke into the bedroom of a 64-year-old man whom they manhandled, severely bashed and forced to join their circumcision camp, the Mwenezi Magistrates Court heard last week.
It was also heard that the gang destroyed property worth US$1 872 in the process.
The State, however, found reasonable grounds to charge only Chenjerai Chivarange (38), of Chiwarure village two under Chief Maranda, for malicious damage to property but he pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared before magistrate Honest Musiiwa.
Giving his side of the story in court, the complainant, Lysias Hlaisi of the same village said Chivarange stormed his place in the company of about 40 men.
“Vakauya pamba pangu varikuma 40. Gumi vandinonyatsokuziva ndivo vaindirova uye ndivo vandaka reporter kumapurisa…ndakarobweswa apa vaiva vakandibatirana vamwe vachindidhonza-dhonza zvombo zvangu. Mushure mokundirova uye mokuputsa property yangu vakaenda neni kumurundu (circumcision school).
“Ndakanochekwa ikoko haaa manje mubedroom hazvichaendeki futi. Ndakatozoita zvokutiza ndisati ndapedza course ndokupona kwandakaita. Chakazondirwadza futi ndochokuti ndiri ku murundu iko, sezvo Chivarange aive umwe wamacommander aipota achidzoka kumba kwangu achitorana futi nemukadzi wangu. Mhosva akamboitenda pakutanga akandiripa mombe mbiri asi gare gare akadzoka otora futi mombe dziya,” Hlaisi said.
Appearing for the State, Willard Chasi told the court that one day in September 2010 at around 17:00 hrs, Chivarange arrived at Hlaisi’s homestead with about 20 men, not 40 as was claimed by the complainant.
They wanted to take Hlaisi to a male circumcision camp at Tundunyi Mountain but Hlaisi locked himself into his bedroom hut and refused to open when the group arrived.
Chivarange allegedly took an axe that was on the yard and broke Hlaisi’s bedroom door into three pieces.
He entered the bedroom and went on rampage destroying property worth US$1 872. Some of the property that was destroyed include solar panels, a bed, set of cups and radios.
A police report was made leading to Chivarange’s arrest. The trial was due to continue by the time of going to print.local