Tatenda Shunyai

ZAKA – A Zimbabwean radio presenter at Wythenshawe FM in England, Philip Sibanda has extended a helping hand to orphans and other vulnerable children at Bopoma Children’s Villages in Zaka by donating clothes and a sewing machine.
The goods were donated recently under the Manchester-based radio presenter’s Phillip Sibanda Trust.
The trust has been on a drive to help disadvantaged people in Masvingo by sourcing various goods from well-wishers in the United Kingdom for distribution back home.
Elson Chigiya who represented the trust during the handover of the goods to the children’s villages said it was good to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.
“I am happy that the little we have has put smiles on the faces of the children who live in this community.
Bopoma Villages director, Komborero Garira expressed joy there were people in far-flung places of the world who have them in mind.
“We thank the Phillip Sibanda Trust for the donation and we are glad they have shown a commitment to improve the conditions of the children we have here.
“The sewing machine that we received is one of its kind and it will help us equip the children with skills that will help them do productive work and fend for themselves in the future,” Garira said.
Bopoma Villages is home to orphans and other vulnerable children in Banga under Chief Ndanga in Zaka.
It was established in 2012 and was registered in 2015 and was decentralised into different homes that take foster care of vulnerable children in that area.news

Increase Gumbo

CHIREDZI – Sugarcane farmers in the Lowveld particularly small scale farmers have embraced the recently introduced command agriculture concept which was introduced by the government in order to mitigate food shortages and stop maize importation in the country, TellZim has learnt.
Speaking during a field tour which was attended by various A2 farmers, Edmore Veterai, an A2 farmer  who is also the chairperson of Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA) said  command agriculture will definitely mitigate food shortages since it has brought Zimbabwean farmer into focus.
“I think this is an excellent move since command agriculture has brought Zimbabwean farmer into focus since a lot of farmers were ignoring and neglecting and vandalising very good colonial irrigation infrastructure so command agric will revive and I think as Zimbabwean we must learn to appreciate sundry cost,” said Veterai.
Veterai also said that command agriculture will generate more income to the farmer compared to the income they were getting from sugarcane growing and it will promote high yields since command agriculture comes with a package of inputs and a strong supervisory team.
“Under command agriculture we earn more income when growing maize compared to sugarcane because we earn a total of 15 tonnes per hectare which is $5 850 per hectare which far much high than what we earn from sugarcane.
We also appreciate that command agriculture have a strong supervisory team which ensures that farmers do not divert inputs to other use and as farmers we  are given hands on for the first time by our  agricultural extension officers.” he said.
Chenesai Magombiro, ward 31 A2 farmer  who had since given five hectares towards command irrigation also hailed command agriculture since it promotes crop rotation which increase yields and farmers no longer have to stick to growing  sugarcane only.
“It is a great move considering that the government will provide us with all the inputs till we harvest the crop. What I like most about the idea is that it promotes crop rotation especially to sugarcane farmer who were only planting sugarcane, crop rotation increases yields and is a good method of pests control,” said Magombiro.
Major Dingani Makwenjere who is the team leader of command agriculture in Chiredzi district also said farmer in the district have embraced command agriculture   though others still have to be educated on the importance of the phenomenon.
“Some farmers have adopted the concept but we hope that farmers with irrigable land will give us more hectrage under command agriculture since the district is highly affected with drought,” said Makwenjere.
He also said some farmers are willing but they do not have irrigation facilities like farmers along Chiredzi River if given pumps to pump water for irrigation they can increase command irrigation in the Lowveld. news

Evangelist Dag Heward-Mills

Zedius Chitiga

BIKITA – Bikita Rural District Council (RDC) is battling to collect US$600 000 it is owed in unpaid levies and has submitted the first batch of defaulters to Mangwana and Partners Legal Practitioners while others have been given up to mid-November to pay up.
Most of the money is owed by government departments which are simply not paying for services including the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa).
Council has proposed a US$3.7 million budget for 2017, a figure which is less than 50 percent of the US$8.2 million for 2016 though council went on to collect only a mere US$1.6 million of that.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Chibi said council was left with no option after exhausting all friendlier ways of recovering the money.
“We know things are hard, the economy is not performing and there is a cash crisis so we opened our doors for negotiations and payment plans but the idea had no takers. People have to honour their obligations because that is what makes the council functional.
“Without money there is no service delivery. We want to be able to provide the best services to the people and that can only be possible if everybody pays.
“We have taken the first batch of heavy defaulters especially government departments and Zinwa to the debt collector but we have given smaller defaulters till mid-November to pay up,” Chibi said.news

…paltry US$1 million for Mpandawana town

Peter Chawapiwa

GUTU – Gutu Rural District Council (GRDC) has approved its 2017 budget which is pegged at US$2.439 million and will cater for both the council and the new Mpandawana Town Board.
The budget was approved by full council last week with indications that the Town Board will receive just over US$1 million of the budget, a development which has drawn the ire of residents who feel the rural council is cheating the town.
Many residents feel the town board must be allocated the lion’s share of the budget arguing that council revenue is collected mainly from Mpandawana residents, and not from the rural areas.
The cost of external auditing was, however, not approved after councillors raised objections saying the report had not been presented to them prior to the full council meeting.
Alexander Mtembwa, Gutu RDC Chief Executive Officer, said the failure to make the audit report available to councillors was an oversight and promised to table it at the next full council in December.
Meanwhile, residents of the new town of Mpandawana said they were not happy that the Town Board had, for a second consecutive year, failed to craft its own budget.
“When the Town Board was put in place last year, we were promised that it would be covered by the rural council’s budget only in 2016 and not beyond that.
“This is the reason why we have repeatedly said Mpandawana’s new town status should be gazetted to enable the town to be weaned off the rural council.
“The interests of the councillors in the rural component of the council and those of the Town Board are poles apart and the new town needs to be separated from the rural council,” said one resident.news

Increase Gumbo

CHIREDZI – Malilangwe Trust has donated equipment worth US$1 800 to Chiredzi Sub Catchment Council, a community based management project, for use in the fight against the spread of lantana camara in parts of Zaka and Chiredzi.
Lantana camara (rukato in Shona) is a wild invasive plant that out-competes crops and vegetables leading to reduced yields for farmers.
The donated equipment included mattocks, axes, picks, hoes and gloves.
Chief Ndanga of Zaka, Chief Tshovani of Chiredzi, CEO of Chiredzi Rural District Council; Isaac Matsilele and various councillors from the sub catchment council witnessed the handover.
Malilangwe Trust general manager, Tendai Hunzvi said most communities in Zaka and Chiredzi were affected the weed.
“We realised that some parts of Zaka and Chiredzi are being affected by lantana camara so the aim to is to help communities to completely remove this weed,” said Hunzvi.
Matsilele praised Malilangwe Trust for being there for the community.
“I am humbled by this gesture from Malilangwe Trust. We find it remarkable to have stakeholders who are always there to help the communities,” said Matsilele.
He said council was having sleepless nights over the spread of the weed and they had since set new bylaws to fight the weed.
Chairperson of the sub catchment council, John Mutomani also praised Malilangwe Trust for its commitment to the eradication of the weed.
“This is not their first time of helping communities but they are always there for the people. At one time, they helped in the mapping of areas that are affected by the weed. We are so grateful,” said Mutomani.news

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