MWENEZI – A homeless mentally-challenged man who had been squatting at Neshuro growth point for many years died last week after his clothes caught fire, causing him severe injuries that killed him two days after being admitted at hospital
Paradzanai Shonhai is understood to have been suffering from mental health problems for decades and had had no decent abode since the 1990s.
He was laid to rest at his rural home in Mukachana village under Chief Chitanga.
Ward 5 councillor, Master Makope confirmed Shonhai’s death saying the injuries that he sustained had caused his death.
“People found his burnt body in the morning and he was rushed to Neshuro Hospital but he died two days after admission and his death was necessitated by injuries caused by the fire,” said Makope.
He said Shonhai was given a decent burial after the community around the growth point mobilised resources.
It is suspected Shonhai’s clothes could have caught fire after crawling too close to a fire he had started to keep warm in the night.
His burial was attended by council representatives, Neshuro District Hospital Staff, representatives from various political parties, various church denominations and ordinary people among others.local

CHIPINGE – Zanu PF councillor for Chipinge ward 26, Misheck Busangabanye has denied reports by some villagers that he makes money from a Family Aids Caring Trust (FACT) relief programme in his ward.
Speaking to TellZim News, Busangabanye blamed infighting in his political party for the reports, saying those who wanted to take over his position were responsible for spreading falsehoods against him.
“I know who did it, it’s the people who are interested in my position seeking to put my name into disrepute. They only want to tarnish my image now that 2018 elections are around the corner. It’s just a game of politics.
“I am not a beneficiary of FACT so how can I involve myself in things that do not concern me. I want to know who is behind all this and I will order my security to investigate more on the issue. I am interested to know the culprit who sought to tarnish my image,” said Busangabanye.
FACT has been running a relief programme in Chipinge by which it provides US$50 to needy villagers as part of fighting hunger but there are complaints that the programme was being abused especially in ward 26.
Some villagers, however, alleged that Busangabanye was ordering potential beneficiaries to pay him US$10 each for them to be included and a monthly US$1 to stay on the scheme.
Meanwhile efforts to get a comment from FACT were fruitless by the time of going to print.local

MASVINGO – Zanu PF has roped in popular gospel musician Reverend Togarepi Chivaviro of the Ebenezer fame to perform at the Masvingo youth interface rally at Mucheke stadium tomorrow.
Rev Chivaviro, who is currently in South Africa, will fly into the country today ahead of tomorrow’s youth rally which is part of President Mugabe meet the youth rallies across the country.
Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Shuvai Mahofa confirmed the coming of Rev Chivaviro saying she will host him until he performs at the rally.
“The song Ebenezer is played frequently on Zanu PF events and this time I have talked to Rev Chivaviro to come perform at the youth interface rally and he assured me he is coming.
“He is in South Africa but said he would be pleased to be part of the entertainment and I will take care of him during his visit,” said Mahofa.
Rev Chivaviro becomes a second well recognised artiste to perform at the rallies after Soul Jah Love performed at the second leg of the rallies at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare.local

File pic

Itai Muzondo

MASVINGO – Regency Group of Hotels director Edison Zvobgo Jr says the company was moving swiftly to restore all services at Chevron Hotel, which was gutted by fire last week, back to normal.
Part of the hotel caught fire due to a suspected electrical fault last Thursday night, leaving the kitchen and pantry extensively damaged.
“The fire was a big blow to us because a lot of equipment was burnt. However, the mishap didn’t deter us from moving forward as we are working to restore our services by having the kitchen renovated. We have since had people bringing in quotations to repair the damages done to the buildings,” Zvobgo said.
He further told TellZim News that he was happy guests were still getting the same quality services despite the setback.
“When the mishap happened, we offered most of our clients alternative accommodation at our sister hotel, Flamboyant, but they said they were good being at Chevron. This then prompted us to make use of our emergency kitchen and we also transformed one of the rooms into an impromptu kitchen so that we could keep giving them quality service,” added Zvobgo.
He revealed that the company was yet to get a formal report on possible causes of the fire, adding that a forensics team had since visited the hotel for investigations.local