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MDC-T launches Bereka mwana campaign

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MDC-T launches Bereka mwana campaign

MDC-T Bereka mwana rally launch

Tinomutenda Midzi

GWERU – The Morgan Tsvangirai-led Movement for Democratic Change party (MDC-T) has launched their ‘Bereka mwana’ campaign in Midlands, encouraging parents to make sure their children register to vote.
MDC-T Midlands provincial party spokesperson Munyaradzi Mutandavari said the move will be a major boost ahead of the highly anticipated 2018 elections.
“The MDC-T has never campaigned as it is doing right now. Women from the party have embarked on Mhou nemhuru yayo campaign and now the youth league is doing the Bereka mwana campaign.
“All these campaigns are a major boost ahead of next year elections,” Mutandavari said.
On Saturday last week, the campaign was taken to Shurugwi South, a purely rural constituency where there was massive attendance.
“Youths in the areas we visited have shown that they are eagerly waiting to deliver change. They understand that they make up a great percentage of the suffering Zimbabweans and have, for the past years, done nothing to lift our beloved country out of this economic quagmire because of lack of education. They now seem to be well geared to deliver change after this campaign,” said Mutandavari.
The campaign launch was also attended by national executive members as well as the Midlands provincial executive.local

Mugabe finally visits Tokwe Mukosi

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Mugabe finally visits Tokwe Mukosi

President Robert Mugabe


…Chadzamira faces litmus test
…compensation railroaded to pacify flood victims

Upenyu Chaota

MASVINGO – Since the Tokwe Mukosi flood disaster which left thousands of people homeless in February 2014, President Robert Mugabe has never set foot in the area and will tomorrow pay his maiden visit to the disgruntled victims, a development likely to make it hard for newly-elected Zanu PF provincial chairperson Ezra Chadzamira to mobilise for the event.
The President will be in Masvingo on a two-day visit which starts today with a ground breaking ceremony for the dualisation of the Chirundu – Beitbridge Road at Chaka business centre before he travels south to officially commission Tokwe Mukosi Dam.
In 2014, he declared the floods a national disaster but for a very long time, the people of Chingwizi have been hoping to see him face-to-face for some kind of reassurance on the future.
The President has visited Masvingo province on numerous occasions after the floods but had never put Chingwizi camp, the home for many of the victims, on his itinerary.
The flood victims were promised compensation for their forced relocation but few did receive some compensation and there are reports that the provincial executive led by Chadzamira is worried sick that the flood victims would embarrass President Mugabe by boycotting his address.
The executive is reportedly on its toes, desperately trying to find money to pay whatever is still owed to the victims as a firefighting measure.
In a Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting on Sunday at the provincial showgrounds, it was reported that about US$1.5 million had been raised for the compensation while another US$1.5 million will be available by the end of the week.
The available money, it was said, would be given to the victims before President Mugabe’s visit.
“There is a big challenge in Chingwizi. There are some people who are yet to get their compensation money but we are happy there has been some progress in sourcing the funds which will be given out this week.
“The remaining victims will be given money as it becomes available. We want to make a good impression when the President comes,” said Chadzamira.
Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Shuvai Mahofa also said the relocation of the flood victims to A1 pieces of land was at an advanced stage but slammed the lands ministry for allegedly failing to cooperate.
“Other government departments have been cooperating with us except the ministry of lands who are dragging their feet saying they need travel and subsistence allowances. It should not be about money but ensuring that the people of Chingwizi can be provided for with proper land for settlement,” said Mahofa.
Mwenezi East Member of Parliament Joosbi Omar pushed for expeditious conclusion of all outstanding compensation cases, saying the issue was one of his campaign pledges when he was running for office last month.
“What the people of Chingwizi really want right now is their compensation money. I promised them they would get the money once I get elected and they are expecting that,” said Omar.politics, topnews

Police dismiss “stepmother gouges bedwetting stepson’s eyes” story

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Police dismiss “stepmother gouges bedwetting stepson’s eyes” story

 The alleged victim of the horrific attack as depicted by The Daily Mail website

….analysts bemoan fake news take over

Moses Ziyambi

MASVINGO – Police have dismissed the story which circulated on social media some weeks ago alleging that a step-mother from an unnamed rural area in Masvingo had plucked out her stepson’s eyes as punishment for bedwetting.
The story initially did rounds on WhatsApp claiming that a step-mother from Nigeria had gouged her step-son’s eyes for the ‘offence’ of bedwetting but a modified version of the story soon emerged, claiming that the horrific deed had happened in Zimbabwe.
The modified version claimed that it had all happened in some rural outpost in the province of Masvingo.
Journalists from respectable Western media houses including The Mirror UK and The Dail Mail UK soon fell for the story and splashed it on their pages without doing the necessary verification work.
“Stepmother GOUGES out the eyes of her four-year-old stepson in Zimbabwe because he wet the bed“, boldly reads the headline of a version of the story as published by the UK Daily Mail on March 17, 2017.
“An evil stepmother allegedly gouged out the eyes of her four-year-old stepson as a barbaric punishment after he wet the bed,” the story is introduced.
Provincial police assistant spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa has however dismissed the story as false, saying nothing of that sort had been reported.
“When I heard about the story, I made some enquiries and found out that it was not true. It did not happen in Masvingo and even in Zimbabwe, maybe it is another country not Zimbabwe,” said Assistant Inspector Dhewa.
The Daily Mail story, accompanied by a gruesome image of the said victim, however still appears on the publication’s website, claiming that “The horrific attack happened in the province of Masvingo, Central Zimbabwe” and “It is claimed the woman has admitted the crime and was laughing about carrying out the evil deed when police arrived. Local reports claim the woman was saying: ‘He isn’t my child’ to officers who questioned her motives.“
Digital rights advocate, Natasha Musonza said it was depressing that even what used to be regarded as credible news organisations were now falling for the fake news trap.

“I find it really strange that such big newspapers cannot quote really credible sources and they talk of Masvingo province as if it’s a building somewhere. Surely if they could get their hands on such a graphic image, the person who sent it should have also provided specific location detail..?
“I am afraid that in the quest to be first with ‘breaking news’, newspapers no longer exercise due diligence and often just end up drowning in potentially dangerous obsessions. In this era of fake news, anything is possible especially with advances in technology and Photoshop.
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“It’s unfortunate that the benefits of social media sometimes get swallowed in people’s obsession to share viral graphic images,” Musonza said.
She also lamented the stereotypes that malicious news vest on Africa and its people.
“Furthermore, unverified stories like this being propagated by big media do nothing to expunge the narrative of Africa being this dark and barbaric continent,” Musonza said.
Media analyst Ernest Mudzengi said it was important that all news story get verified before they are published.
“There is need for thorough verification before publishing. Those who published the story should have verified the story first,” said Mudzengi.local

Vic Junior pupil shines in tennis

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Vic Junior pupil shines in tennis

Orlean Mapako

Tatenda Shunyai

MASVINGO – Orlean Mapako, a Victoria Primary School grade three pupil has earned herself the admiration of many after her exploits on the tennis court saw her winning two gold medals at the 2017 Harare Junior Open tennis tournament played earlier this month.
Together with her partner Precious Chiinze, she scooped the gold medals in the under 10 orange ball singles and in the doubles.
Speaking to TellZim News, Orlean’s coach Mark Chinyenyani said he had no doubt the young girl will do even better in the future due to her immense commitment and talent.
“I believe Orlean is an amazing tennis prodigy and one of the most naturally talented players I have ever worked with, she is the fastest developing player I have ever seen.
“She still needs a bit of fine-tuning and obviously the focus now should be advanced tactics and a bit of psychological training. She’s destined for greatness,” said Chinyenyani.
Orlean started playing tennis in the winter of 2015 under the guidance of United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) – trained Chinyenyani.
Within a month of training, she was able to serve, rally and score and she took part in her first tournament; the Astra Paints Tennis Centre Open in Harare where she played five matches, won three and lost two.
She then participated in her first national championship in Mutare at the Manicaland Junior National Open where she literally walked past all her opponents.
A month later she took her second national title at the Harare Junior Open.
Realising her potential, her coach moved her to an older age group where she competed against older players and then transferred from red ball to orange ball.
Nine months into training, she took part in her first orange ball tournament in Bulawayo, playing against older and more experienced girls and managed to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.
Currently, Orlean has four gold medals from the Mantas Open in 2015, the 2016 Harare Junior Open and the 2017 Harare Junior Open orange ball singles and doubles.sport

GZU beats journos, Cllrs

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GZU beats journos, Cllrs

Cllrs Chiteme, Kurauone and Musekiwa who formed part of the Journos-Cllrs team at half time

…Mayor pledges World Press Freedom Day tourney

TellZim Reporter

MASVINGO – A soccer match played at the Masvingo provincial show grounds between Great Zimbabwe University’s (GZU) press club and a combined journalists – councillors’ team as part of World Press Freedom Day celebrations ended with a 6 – 5 win in favour of the media students.
The yearly event will, however, never be the same again after City of Masvingo Mayor Hubert Fidze pledged to sponsor a trophy from next year going forward.
Fidze said he was pleased with the soccer match and called for a four-team tournament next year to improve competition and mobilise more support to the campaign for media freedom.
“This is good. I am humbled by the interaction which is brought about during the World Press Freedom celebrations every year.
“I am challenging the organisers to increase competition by adding two more teams competing for a trophy which I will sponsor form next year onwards,” said Fidze.
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe Chapter Masvingo provincial chairperson, Golden Maunganidze said he was heartened by the mayor’s pledge and will work to make sure any plan which seeks to help the cause for press freedom becomes a success.
“We welcome the support we are being given by our stakeholders and I am pleased that the Mayor of Masvingo, His Worship Cllr Hubert Fidze has demonstrated his commitment to supporting press freedom,” said Maunganidze.
The match seemed to be going against the GZU team in the first minutes but the students were sly enough to turn the tide against the journalists – councillors’ team later on.
The seemingly small GZU boys dubbed “Mabhinya” gave their competitors a run for their money by netting two goals in the opening minutes.
The referee, Energy Bara was in top form, wasting no time to punish unfair play from any side.
John Mubayi, Givemore Nyakuba, Raymond Zarurai and Tinaani Nyabereka played hard to ensure GZU led by five goals with their opponents struggling to add to their two first half goals.
The GZU team, however, began losing steam towards the end of the match after the journalist-councillors’ team coach Tonderai Saharo brought in TellZim News editor Passmore Kuzipa and Upenu Chaota.sport

Graduate alive, students told

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Graduate alive, students told

Peer educators n facilitators from national aids council

Samkelisiwe Ngwenyama

ZVISHAVANE – “HIV/Aids is not a myth, it is real and let us play safe if we are to graduate alive and make a positive contribution to the society that educated us.”
This was the message that dominated discussions during the Midlands State University (MSU) HIV music festival at Zvishavane campus last Friday.
The event was organised by MSU peer educators with the help from MSU Health Services Department and Young People’s Network from the National Aids Council (Nac) under the theme “Closing the tap of new HIV infections on campus”
Hundreds of students came for the event and shared knowledge and words of encouragement on how to beat the negative pressures of university life.
“There is no point in coming to university and getting a good education then lose it all when you get infected by HIV which can lead to Aids. I urge you all to value your lives and the sacrifices that your parents or guardians are making to send you to school by adopting decent behavior,” said MSU peer educators leader Praise Masunga.
Masunga also called upon all tertiary institutions to be more committed in the fight against HIV and Aids through extensive awareness programmes and urged students to abstain from sex or to at least use condoms to prevent STIs and unwanted pregnancies.
Health practitioners who attended the event said female students who get pregnant must get tested for HIV in the early stages of the pregnancy in order to put the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMCT) process into action.
At the same event, tudents were given a platform to get free HIV testing and counselling in total privacy.
Various prizes were also given to students who composed HIV-themed songs in the spirit of spreading awareness.
Meanwhile, on the same day other MSU students held a Sexual Harassment and Gender Based Violence awareness campaign at Gweru main campus.
It started with a march in town as a way of engaging both the Gweru community and MSU students to increase awareness on how to handle GBV cases and know where to report cases.
One of the key issues that were discussed are that GBV is not limited to women alone as there are also men who are victims.
Pylaia Chembe, the SRC member responsible for gender and women affairs, during her speech, said sexual harassment was a vice which must be defeated wherever it exists.local

Masta hits airwaves with new single

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Masta hits airwaves with new single

Masta


Tatenda Shunyai

MASVINGO – Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) musicology student, Wellington Mutigwa is riding high with a new single he collaborated with Faina Gwidibira, also known as Faina Cae.
Titled ‘Sorry’, the track was released last week and is receiving its considerable share of airplay on radio and online music platforms.
Known as Masta in the music circles, the artist is confident his track will soon become a top hit among other hits and is elated by the reception his song has been given by fans so far.
“The track has been well-received by many as it is a song that is inspired by a real love story. I thought it would be something light but I am overwhelmed by the positive responses I am getting on my various social media platforms. The song is receiving good airplay on YaFM where it was officially launched.
“I want to acknowledge the support I am getting from my fellow students and my lecturers in my music journey. I really appreciate their efforts,” said Mutigwa.
He promised to keep fighting his way to the top by releasing a string of hits that will take his career to the top.
Mutigwa won the 2016 rapper of the year award at the Marondera Music Awards and is also part of the GZU band, Team Fusion.
In the past, he released other tracks like Fly away and Welcome to Great Zimbabwe, a song he produced in honour of the university.entertainment

Nama award-winning director produces GZU film

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Nama award-winning director produces GZU film

John Mubayi

MASHAVA – National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) winning director, Sydney Taivavashe has produced a film for Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) titled ‘Solo naMutsai’ which is scheduled to premiere on May 19 at Charles Austin Theatre in Masvingo.
Solo naMutsai traces the journey of two village lovebirds who are given scholarships to further their education at a university and how that dramatically changed their way of life.
It was produced by Nelned Pictures and GZU Films in collaboration with Jubilee Arts.
Taivavashe, who won a NAMA award early this year with his film ‘Seiko’, showed excitement with an opportunity to work with GZU.
“Film is generally not taken seriously because it’s still a growing industry in Zimbabwe so for the university to take their time to commit themselves to the project was very exciting. I realised that GZU has a lot of talented actors who even match international standards,” said Taivavashe.
“I feel humbled to work with GZU and I want to applaud the university’s lecturers and management for coming up with the initiative. I have no doubt that the film will go places and will certainly put GZU on the international map,” he said.
The film stars a number of students among them Nyasha Warinda and Buhle Buyeza Ndhlovhu who respectively star as Solo and Mutsai.
GZU theatre and performing arts lecturer Julia Yule, who is the film’s executive producer, said the film is a must watch as it explores life’s ups and downs, achievements as well as how students respond to external forces.
“We are trying to talk about student life at the university, the ups and downs, the love life, achievements, how they interact and respond to external forces, different classes and how they handle pressure, and above all, marketing GZU,” said Yule.entertainment

Women Breaking Barriers – Montana Carswell Meats grader, J. Nyamande

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Women Breaking Barriers – Montana Carswell Meats grader, J. Nyamande

Charles Maregere

“We take tough decisions every day because the job is about safeguarding the health of the consumer by certifying meat that is safe for human consumption.
“We consider the commercial interest of the farmer who has bring in the cattle as well as the business interests of the abattoir. So if I find that the carcass is not fit for human consumption, I have to tell the farmer and we destroy the whole carcass for the sake of public health,” says Nyamande, who did her training at Mazowe Veterinary College.
 “Some of the factors considered during grading are changes in skeletal characteristics, with advancing age also seen in the change in shape and appearance of the rib bones. A very young animal has narrow, oval-shaped ribs that are red in colour but as the animal matures, the ribs become wider and flatter, and become grey in colour.
The other important aspect is marbling, which refers to the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat within the ribeye. It is the primary determinant of quality grade. Visual evaluations of marbling in the ribeye at the 12th rib cross section are related to differences in eating quality of beef.
“Beef cuts with high levels of marbling are more likely to be tender, juicy and flavorful than cuts with low levels of marbling. Most consumers are familiar with the names of several quality grades and may use them as a selection criterion when buying beef,” says Nyamande.
“Generally an abattoir is a male-dominated working area but with relevant skills, women can do it too and consistence in what you know will gain you respect in any trade of your choice,” says Nyamande.business

Women Breaking Barriers – Elizabeth Chikubwa, driver (Chiredzi – Masvingo route)

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Women Breaking Barriers – Elizabeth Chikubwa, driver (Chiredzi – Masvingo route)

Elizabeth Chikubwa

Charles Maregere

Chikubwa starts her 22-seater Mercedes Benz sprinter heading for Chiredzi as early as 04:45 hrs but she first makes quick errands to town, Mucheke and Rujeko suburbs picking up her passengers who would have made prior bookings.
She then makes a brief stop at Exor filling station to fill up her bus and by 05:30 hrs, she departs for Chiredzi.
Inspired by four of her brothers who are in haulage trucking, Chikubwa says she has never looked back and is encouraged by the fact that most women who are professional drivers are excelling in their work and have gained their customers’ confidence.
Known affectionately as Mai Nyan’a on her route, Chikubwa is a mother of two daughters and she acquired her driver’s licence in 1998.
She holds a class 2 driver’s licence which qualifies her to drive haulage trucks but is comfortable with the 2- seater bus which she says allows her to spend more time with her family.
 “Men always say a lot about women drivers, how they act on impulse on the road and their poor reversing and parking skills.
“Every trip has its own type of new male passengers on board but I can handle anything. I have also had cases whereby passengers disembark and give me compliments….they know we ladies don’t use drugs and alcohol so they trust me more.
All being equal, I complete my 406 km trip to and from Chiredzi by 13:30 so I prepare my vehicle for the next day. If there are no issues with the trailer or wheels, I park the vehicle at 14:30 hrs and spend the rest of the day with my family.
“There are thousands of women struggling to support families yet they have driving talent. Statistics the world over shows that women are the safest drivers,” says Chikubwa.business

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