Elliot Jinjika in Chivhu

10 Feb 2017 – CHIVHU – The Chivhu Residence and Ratepayers Alliance (CHRRA) has attacked Chikomba Rural District Council (RDC) for alleged mismanagement and corrupt dealings which have led to poor service delivery.
CHRRA chairperson, Collen Zvarevashe said there was gross mismanagement and misuse of rate payers’ funds in the council.
He challenged council to show residents how money that was generated from the sale of part of Liebenberg High School’s land was used.
“There is lack of transparency in the management of council affairs and there is runaway corruption. We suspect the money was used for personal gain instead of investing it to improve agriculture education at Liebenberg.
“The school lacks standard laboratories and the money must have been used to address such issues” said Zvarevashe.
As a residents’ organisation, Zvarevashe said, they were not afraid to take their fight for good governance forward, saying they will engage the local governance ministry to come and look into how issues were being handled by the council.
 “I’m not afraid to say it out that those officials at the council are corrupt and council business is being poorly run and that has affected our lovely town,” Zvarevashe said.
 “They cannot even repair roads at the most critical intersections of the town and there is a big pothole at the main junction in the CBD. They do not even collect refuse and the few rubbish bins available are always overflowing yet residents are paying for services every month,” he said.
Some members of the residents alliance were arrested last week for conducting a meeting in the town hall without council approval.
Chikomba RDC chairperson, Luckson Mutara confirmed the Liebenberg issue but said he was not in a position to give full details as he was out of office on duty.
Reports of maladministration and corruption have cost Chivhu an official town status and in 2011, some councillors complained that Mutara was employed without meeting required qualifications and was now studying to acquire them at the council’s expense.local

Beatific Gumbwanda in Chiredzi

10 Feb 2017 – CHIREDZI – The Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA) recently held its Annual General Meeting at Polo Cross in Hippo Valley at which the chairman’s report unveiled a theme on ‘specialising in intensive diversified farming’ so as to improve yields by fostering cordial working relations with millers and financial institutions.
The meeting was graced by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Responsible for Irrigation, Davis Marapira.
 ZSDA has empowered farmers by training and giving them new skills in such business ventures as fisheries, cattle fattening, beekeeping, boer goat keeping.
The organisation is also diversifying into cattle rearing and pen fattening but has been looking at how it can engage Tongaat Hullet so that more molasses is made available to local farmers before exports are made.
ZSDA chairperson Edmore Veterai said Tongaat Hullet should consider local molasses requirements first before shipping everything to other countries.
“Tongaat has exported more than 600 trucks of molasses to South Africa but in Zimbabwe molasses that went to Murehwa and Chitomborwizi and other places in 2016 are only 15 trucks. Our cattle are losing 35 kilograms every year between July and December, and they gain 30 kilograms between January and June,” Veterai said.
Farmers were also encouraged to utilise the opportunity to learn that has been made available by the working relationship between ZSDA and Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) which is opening a campus in Chiredzi this February.
About 42 ZSDA farmers applied for the certificate in Sugarcane Agriculture.
“Our partnership with GZU has made the ZSDA to be the brand farmers. We are not just farmers but farmers of the revolution,” said Veterai.
In December 2016, ZSDA successfully held a successful tree planting day during which every farmer was urged to plant a minimum of 100 trees this rainy season.
Bananas gown in drains will also be produced on a commercial scale.
“CABS indicated that if we organise our farmers very well, they will give us loans to begin the banana project. These bananas will be grown in drains so there will be no need to irrigate them,” Veterai said.
ZSDA is on its way to construct its Headquarters in Chiredzi and they are still seeking funds. They are also to purchase a bus that will be transporting farmers and their families to field days, national events and meetings to mention a few.local

Cephas Shava

10 Feb 2017 – MWENEZI – A 41-year-old man went on the rampage destroying window panes of the house of his uncle – his father’s elder brother – after allegedly seeing the elderly man loitering at his homestead in the middle of the night.
Appearing before Mwenezi Magistrate, Honest Musiwa, was Cainos Mhere of Village 2 Beperi, Chief Maranda, who pleaded innocent to the charges of malicious damage to property of 66-year-old Nerian Mhere of the same village.
It is the State’s case that on December 10, 2016, Cainos went to Nerian’s homestead shouting, accusing him of witchcraft and ordering him to come out.
When Nerian refused, Cainos allegedly struck the door handle and smashed some window panes before he was restrained by his younger brother.
The accused however told Magistrate Musiwa that he only went to his uncle’s house to find out what was going on.
“I visited his homestead but I did not smash any window pane. I just ran after him because I had spotted him at my homestead in the night. So I wanted to ask him what exactly was he doing,” Cainos
Giving evidence before the same court, Nerian however said Cainos was armed with a stick when he visited his homestead.
He allegedly smashed his window panes saying he would bury him that day.
He also confirmed that the bad blood between him and Cainos dated back to 2011 when he refused to engage witch hunters because it is not allowed in his church.
The trial continues this week. Willard Chasi appeared for the state.local

Bigboy Madhochi (right) and a farm worker