TellZim Reporter

CHIREDZI – The relationship between Tongaat Hullet and the Lowveld Indigenous Business Association of Zimbabwe (LIBAZ) has empowered local business people in Chiredzi, TellZim News has learnt.
LIBAZ, which comprises over 120 companies being run by Chiredzi-based indigenous businessman, entered into an agreement with the giant sugar company to facilitate business between the two sides especially in Tongaat Hullet’s supply chain.
The idea is to create synergies that allow indigenous small to medium enterprises to be given priority in all areas that Tongaat Hullet chooses to outsource.
Speaking to TellZim News recently, LIBAZ chairperson Denford Masiya said the agreement came as a boon for enterprises in Chiredzi as they now stand a better chance of doing business with Tongaat Hullet.
“We started our organisation in 2011 and since then, we never looked back. This development has helped us to empower Black-owned businesses. We are happy with the relationship that we have with Tongaat Hullet because as we speak, we are now getting around 20 – 21 percent of Tongaat Hullet’s supply work.
“The percentage might sound small but we are talking of huge sums of money that is now actually circulating in Chiredzi. We have therefore managed to get local people into local business opportunities. It is our goal to make sure that our district is given priority when spreading available economic opportunities,” said Masiya.
Masiya said his organisation will continue to explore for various ways they can help their companies to remain viable.
Following the completion of Tokwe Mkosi Dam, Masiya said LIBAZ expects its members to also benefit from development.
“We have organisations that are professional and it is our hope that LIBAZ will also get a fair share of business out of the initiatives being planned around Tokwe Mkosi Dam,” added Masiya.local

CHIREDZI – The district has been identified as a leader in HIV prevalence rate as well new cases of infections due to the sugarcane industry which remains the only vibrant economic sector with the biggest number of employees at the same place.
This was heard last week at a National Aids Council (Nac) – organised provincial Aids day held at Gibbo Stadium.
Masvingo Provincial Administrator (PA) Fungai Mbetsa said although there was a notable decline in HIV prevalence, it was still worrying that the figures were still very high.
“We noted with pleasure that the new STIs infection rate has taken a downward trend and this need be maintained. There is need for continued community mobilisation on condom awareness, HIV testing and STIs awareness and screening.
“The provisions of HIV and Aids information and deliberate targeting of key populations like in and out of school youths remain critical. This should remain critical,” said Mbetsa.
He encouraged Nac to be pro-active in fighting the spread of HIV and other STIs among employees who will be working on the dualisation of the Harare – Beitbridge highway.
“With the dualisation of Harare to Beitbridge highway on the table, we need to be pro-active and be in a position to combat the spread of HIV infections among the would-be workers and their sexual partners. HIV prevention services need to be availed to all camping sites and the hosting communities,” Mbetsa said.
Tongaat Hullet corporate communications officer, Adelaide Chikunguru also highlighted in her welcome remarks that the sugar company’s seasonal workers were at high risk due to the high numbers of trucks coming from Mutate going to Beitbridge.
“Chiredzi district has a higher burden of HIV than all other districts in the province and this has not spared our workers. In response to HIV and Aids, Tongaat Hullet runs a vibrant work place programme with peer educators that are supported by the company.
“The seasonal workers are part of the risky groups. The Mutate BeitBridge highway passes through Chiredzi and due to restricted weight for traffic passing through Birchnough Bridge, the volume of trucks passing through the district has increased and this has become an HIV risk factor,” said Chikunguru.local

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A 35-year-old school teacher was severely assaulted by her hubby resulting in her losing some of her front teeth after a misunderstanding over money the husband owed her, the Mwenezi Magistrates Court heard last week.
Appearing before the Mwenezi Magistrate Honest Musiiwa was 41-year-old Tavengwa Chidyamakono, who resides in Chirongo village under Chief Mawarire.
Chidyamakono, who works as a driver, was convicted on his own plea of guilty for assaulting his wife, Aida Chidyamakono, who is a teacher at Chemvana Secondary School.
Tavengwa was sentenced to eighty months behind bars of which two months were conditionally suspended.
The State’s case, as presented by prosecutor Patience Mutsikwi, was that on March 9 this year at around midnight, Tavengwa woke his wife up and asked her about the $100 she had taken from his pocket.
Aida allegedly told Tavengwa that she had taken the money because he owed her money that she now wanted back.
This did not go down well with Tavengwa who began to assault Chidyamakono with fists resulting in her sustaining some wounds and losing some of her front teeth.
Chidyamakono was rushed to Neshuro District Hospital for treatment and a medical report that was produced in court showed that she sustained severe permanent injuries.
Meanwhile, a 21-year-old married sugarcane cutter at Mwenezana Estate who married and impregnated a minor to be his second wife was last week convicted of the offence.
Desmond Horah, who resides at section one Mwenezana Estate, was convicted on his own plea of guilty by Magistrate Honest Musiiwa who sentenced him to ten months imprisonment of which four months were conditionally suspended.
Horah told the court that despite being a married man with a child, he desired to marry the minor as his second wife.
The State’s case, as presented by prosecutor Willard Chasi, was that on May 1, 2017, a 15 year-old girl eloped to Horah’s homestead and got married to him. Between the period from May 1, 2017 to May 6, 2017, the two engaged in consensual sex.
The matter came to light on May 6, 2017 when the girl’s parents went on a thorough search of their child and found her living with Horah as his second wife.
A police report was made leading to the arrest of Horah and the girl was medically examined and it was discovered that she was pregnant.local

Increase Gumbo

CHIREDZI – A police constable was last week exposed in court for alleged acts of subverting the long arm of the law by attempting to broker an ‘out-of-court settlement’ on behalf of his brother in-law who had been caught sodomising a five-year-old girl.
The case against Godfery Muchambo, a constable based at plot 77 Zvidozvevanhu, Buffalo Range, was revealed during the sentencing of Dzingai Gwenzi to 12 years imprisonment, four of which were suspended, after his conviction for attempted rape.
The father of the complainant testified in court that Muchambo had advised them to come up with an out of court settlement to resolve the matter after the father had walked on Gwenzi sodomising the girl.
Passing judgement on Gwenzi, regional magistrate Judith Zuyu said Muchambo had allegedly acted awfully and in a manner that put his position into question.
“What Muyambo did is terrible. How could a policeman like him use his office to negotiate an out-of-court settlement over such a serious matter?” said Zuyu.
Zuyu also ordered the police on duty to investigate Muyambo within the next 14 days.
“I am giving you 14 days to examine the relations between Muyambo and the accused and why he was negotiating for an out of court settlement over such a serious matter,” Zuyu said.local

Dickson Mapuranga

CHIVHU – With mathematics proving to be one of the most key subjects in the Zimbabwean education curriculum, two Liebenberg High School upper six students last Thursday allegedly conspired to have the brighter of the two write an exam for the other.
The subterfuge was however unmasked in the second sitting of the exam, and the alleged culprits, who may not be named since they are minors, were waiting for action to be taken against them by the time of going to print.
It is said the cheating idea of the two pupils worked successfully in the sitting for first examination paper but things turned nasty for them during the second one when the invigilator discovered that the person who was writing was not the actual person who had registered.
The invigilator silently went on to report the case to the Deputy Headmaster without raising eyebrows and the actual candidate, who was busy doing lessons, was detained till the end of the exam to prove that a deception was taking place.
After thorough investigations, it was unearthed that the two had been moving around boasting to other upper six students that the trick had successfully worked on the first exam paper and would work out again on the second.
Chikomba District Schools Inspector (DSI) Emmanuel Kwenda professed knowledge of the incident but said he could not disclose much as he was out of office.
“I have heard of the incident and have visited the school but as for now, I cannot divulge much because there is paper work that should be done before any action can be taken. In due course, I will get back to you,” said Kwenda.local

Elliot Jinjika /
Dickson Mapuranga

CHIVHU – The whole of Chivhu community was left in shock after a woman from Constantine Estate allegedly killed her mentally challenged 82-years-old father following a heated brawl after the woman tried to restrain him from acting violently.
It was heard in the Chivhu Magistrates Court that on May 31, 2017 around 18:45 hrs, Shereni, pulled her father to the ground in a bid to calm him down but the man did not like it and he bit her finger.
Shereni was angered by the reaction of her father and responded by aggressively pressing her father down to the ground hoping that he was going to calm down but he instead died on the spot leading to a police report and subsequent arrest of Shereni.
The accused was not asked to plead but was placed on remand pending trial at the Chivhu Magistrates Courts on June 19, 2017 where she will likely be facing murder charges.
A post-mortem showed that the deceased succumbed to Hypovolemic shock, traumatic haemorrhage, chest trauma and a ruptured liver and the daughter is suspected to have attacked him using an unidentified weapon and inflicted injuries that killed the man.
Shereni is said to have told the police that she had no intentions of killing her mentally challenged father saying she was known for taking good care of him.
It is said the mentally-unstable man would often act violently and the accused would be at pains trying to calm him down.local

BEITBRIDGE – The people of Beitbridge have raised the red flag against abusive touts who disregard council by-laws and make travelling in the border town unbearable by causing confusion at the bus terminus and other pick up points in the border town.
Though touting is illegal, the police seem to have given up on the practice and touts are now plying their trade with reckless abandon, harassing especially female travellers and cross border traders who often lose some of their luggage in the chaos.
The mishikashika pirate taxis seem to have worsened the problem at such convenient pick-up and drop-off points like Total and Caltex service stations.
“Travelling in this town has become a headache. You are either forced to get into a car you do not want or you face the music.
“For ladies, it is totally unbearable because if you refuse to be guided by the touts, you are verbally abused or they can force themselves on your luggage and demand money later,” said one female traveller.
Another victim of the disorder said the police are not reigning in the unruly touts because they are receiving protection fees from them.
 “The touts are also bribing the police officers and that is why most of them do what they want. There was a tout who helped carry my child to cross the road while I carried my bag but I was shocked when the tout demanded R30 for the services.
“He impounded my bag and I had to seek help from other passers-by who threatened him and he gave up,” the woman said.local

Nashe Mahachi

NYANGA – A Nyanga man will spend twelve good years in prison for raping and impregnating his own mentally-retarded biological sister.
The 30-years-old man, whose name may not be revealed to protect the identity of the complainant, took advantage of the mental state of his sister to be intimate with her until she got pregnant.
Though he denied ever committing the crime, he was found guilty and was sentenced to 15 years by Rusape regional magistrate Livingstone Chipadza. Three years were set aside on condition of good behavior.
The court heard that the brother took advantage of his 16-years-old sister’s mental state and proposed love to her and was intimate with her for seven months.
Rusape district prosecutor Tirivanhu Mutyasiri said on an unknown date but in March last year, the man proposed love to the complainant and she accepted his love proposal.
“The accused took advantage of his sister’s mental incompetence and asked her to be intimate with him and she consented. Since then the accused was intimate with her on several occasions,” the prosecutor charged.
The accused was caught on several occasions in the complainant’s bedroom but he will always give excuses. The court heard that on an unknown date but early this year, the complainant’s mother found the complainant dressing up then she opened up that her brother had raped her.
The mother took her and the accused to ZRP Nyanga where she reported the matter. She was later taken to Nyanga district Hospital where it was revealed that she was pregnant.local