…teacher transferred, pastor forced away

Itai Muzondo

CHIVI – There was commotion last week at Mudadisi High School after parents rose against a school teacher who was being accused of leading a satanic cult, forcing his immediate transfer from the school.
Sources said a local AFM pastor, Happiness Maidza called for a late night intercession to pray for a woman (name supplied) who was not feeling well.
It was during the prayer session that the ailing woman reportedly confessed that she was suffering due to acts of Satanism in which she was indulging together with a named teacher at the school.
“During an interlude, she confessed that she was dabbling in Satanism and claimed that she was initiated by the teacher. She also confessed that the two of them were responsible for several miscarriages including one that another teacher’s wife had suffered.
TellZim News was also told that the school head was recently involved in a ‘mysterious’ accident while driving the teacher and his wife to their rural home in Sese.
District Administrator (DA) Wafios Hlavati, however, said investigations by the police, District Schools Inspector (DSI) and Headman Madyangove had shown nothing sinister against the teacher.
 “The issue just got out of hand and we had to ask the teacher if he was comfortable with having a transfer and he agreed because there was a protest against him.
“The issue didn’t sound realistic at all and we suspect that Pastor Maidza could have set up the teacher so we asked the AFM church to take him out of Chivi,” Hlavati said.local

GWERU – Residents have raised strong objections against the City of Gweru’s proposal to purchase a Ford ranger vehicle for town clerk, Elizabeth Gwatipedza.
The proposal comes a few months after another council resolution to spend a whopping US$38 000 on curtains for the executive’s new residence.
Residents, however, point to the council’s depleted revenue coffers and the city’s deplorable service delivery record as reasons for the need to avoid profligate spending.
Gweru Residents Forum director Charles Mazorodze described the move as misplaced due to the acute service delivery backlogs the city was grappling with.
 “There is no justification whatsoever for spending money on non-service delivery issues while ignoring the deteriorating service delivery framework in this city,” Mazorodze said.
The council recently caused a storm after deciding to buy new expensive curtains and to make extensive renovations on the 20-roomed mayoral house in Kopje, Gweru, before Gwatipedza could move in.
Gweru Residents Association (GRA) chairperson Cornilious Seliphiwe added his voice, saying residents will not allow a cash-strapped local authority to spend outrageous amounts of money while failing to cater for the needs and rights of rate-payers.
City of Gweru mayor Charles Chikozho could neither deny nor confirm that there were plans to buy the expensive car for the town clerk but was quick to accuse the residents’ association of trying to incite a rate boycott.local

Beatific Gumbwanda/
Cephas Shava

CHIREDZI – The Minister of Rural Development and Preservation of Culture and Heritage, Abednico Ncube has praised the Great Limpopo Cultural Trade Fair initiative but blamed tattered roads in the district for stunting development.
In a speech read on his behalf by George Magosvongwe, who is the permanent secretary in the ministry, at Mhlanguleni at the close of the fair recently, Ncube said good road networks were the basis for infrastructure development.
“We should engage in practical programmes of farming, irrigation, mining and infrastructural development facilitated by good road networks which are key to development.
“When I was coming here it felt like I was dancing mbakumba and muchongovoyo due to bad roads. If we are talking about culture, we are talking about constructing good road networks, connecting water and electricity in order to upgrade our living conditions,” he said.
Ncube thanked the Great Limpopo Cultural Trade Fair organisers and local leaders for facilitating the cross-country cultural festival.
“We thank the growth of the trade fair and the government has joined to make it a national cultural fair and ultimately an international cultural fair being joined by our brothers in South Africa and Mozambique. This has given us a platform to attend to the welfare of other communities countrywide,” he said.
In Mwenezi, meanwhile, artists converged at Rutenga growth point and agreed to come up with a cultural festival as is happening in other districts.
Culture officer from the ministry, Kenneth Madziva urged artists in the district to speak with one voice so that they can match other districts.
“You need to come up with a cultural festival like what is happening in districts like Chiredzi. Such a platform would present an opportunity to showcase Mwenezi talent so you need to have your own area of specialisation as an artist,” said Madziva.
The meeting was attended by groups like the Musaverema traditional dance group, Matande Black Spirits, representatives from Mwenezi Rural District Council and the Ministry of Education as well as representatives from Regai Dzive Shiri.local

MASVINGO – The Margaret Hugo schools for the blind, commonly known as Copota, celebrated their 90th birthday in Zimuto on Saturday last week.
The event was preceded by the unveiling of Helen Hugo’s tombstone at Morgenster Mission earlier in the day.
Hugo, who was born in 1909 and died in 2002, played an instrumental role in the establishment and later growth of the schools together with her parents Margaret Hugo and Reverend Hendrick Hugo.
The history of Copota dates back to 1915 when it was formed by the Dutch missionaries at Chibi Mission and was formally registered as a school in 1927 with eight learners and it relocated to its present site in 1939 under the tutorage of Helen.
The institutions now run under the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ), championing the educational rights of the visually impaired who are taught such skills as chalk-making, cane-weaving, agriculture, music and home economics.
In the speech read on his behalf by Rev Josphat Zambuko, RCZ moderator Rev Rangarirai Rutoro praised the work being done by the schools.
“Copota grew to become a large mission station with grade seven, form one to four in 1976 and advanced level in 2008. At present, the enrollment is above 350 learners.
“Copota has managed to produce several skilled workers, college and university graduates and it saw the development of the Maranatha Choir which travelled throughout the country and abroad,” Rev Rutoro said.
The schools, however, celebrated their birthday amid a myriad of challenges ranging from electricity arrears to a tight budget and lack of specialised learning equipment.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through the Provincial Education Director (PED)’s office, said it was concerned with the lack of activity in the schools’ workshops.
Cosmas Tapiwanashe Musasa, who spoke on behalf of PED Zedius Chitiga, pledged continued support for the schools.
“We are worried about the under performance of the workshops and we encourage authorities to engage in research about dustless chalks and other productive projects so as to revive the workshops. We will continue to support Copota school for the Blind,” Musasa said.
Hospitality services group, Holiday Inn donated duvets, forks, blankets, knives, sheets and others goods to the tune of US$5 000.local

MWENEZI – The Lutheran Development Service (LDS), a developmental arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, has intervened in a gardening project in Mangezi village under Chief Neshuro by installing modern equipment and irrigation facilities.
The Hungoidza garden project now boasts a solar-powered irrigation service and is sustaining the livelihoods of people in 57 households of ward 5.
The one hectare collaborative scheme achieved a turnaround after LDS secured funding from the Dan Church Aid to procure the requisite equipment.
Speaking during the official opening of the upgraded garden last Tuesday, project chairperson, Timitia Dziva said after the LDS partnership, the project had seen major improvements taking place.
“Hungoidza garden came into existence around 1992 and we used to cover the garden with tree branches. When LDS came with solar-powered irrigation material in 2015, our garden became vibrant. We are now able to generate produces for family consumption and surplus for sale,” said Dziva. 
LDS board member, Reverend Tawanda Chovere encouraged Hungoidza garden beneficiaries to remain united and continue working hard so that the garden can keep on flourishing. 
Speaking at the same occasion, Dan Church Aid programmes officer, Diego Matsvange said irrigation schemes like the Hungoidza garden were a critical development in face of the unreliable rainfall patterns in low lying areas.
Mwenezi Assistant District Administrator (DA), Martin Musakanda expressed gratitude over the work being done by LDS in improving livelihoods and self-sustenance among people.
The official opening of the garden was attended by various dignitaries and stakeholders among them LDS director Simangaliso Hove, LDS staff, Chief Neshuro, ward councillors, village heads, civil servants and ordinary people.local

Shumirai Zhou

GWERU – A 42-year-old man from Lalapanzi was recently sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping, impregnating and infecting his neighbour’s 14-year-old daughter with a sexually transmitted infection.
Christopher Mamvura had pleaded not guilty to the rape charges but Gweru magistrate Morgan Nemadire found the evidence presented against him adequate to merit a conviction.
Appearing for the State, Fred Kadodo told the court that the accused saw the complainant on her way to school and followed her.
He then grabbed her by her waist, dragged her into a bush were he forced her to lie down facing upwards and raped her. He then gave her some sugarcane to buy her silence.
The complainant went on to report the case to the accused’s wife Faith Mugwise who then questioned her husband but he denied the allegations.
The accused and his wife escorted the complainant home where she was examined by her mother who noticed some discharge on her private parts and a police report was made leading to the accused’s arrest.
In passing sentence, Nemadire said Mamvura deserved a lengthy period in prison because instead of behaving as a father figure, he had abused a vulnerable girl.local