CHIREDZI – Lindsal-Steen Junior Academy, a new school located near Lyonnais Service station in Tshovani Township, has opened its doors to the public, presenting an opportunity for residents to enroll their children with an institution that can give their children high quality elementary and primary education.

The private school was given the mandate by the Ministry of Education to open facilities for a primary school after tremendous performances by their ECD classes. 

Lindsal-Steen Junior Academy is expected to ease pressure for ECD and primary school places which, of late, has seen many children failing to secure Grade One places at other local schools. 

School Principal, Linda Moyo says the school is enrolling ECD A and B, and grade 1-3 while grade 4-7 will be introduced later.

“Enrolment for Grade One and Three and also ECD A and B is still in progress. Our dream is to nature students until they realise their dreams. We have been operating a pre-school which we started in 2013,” said Moyo.

The school boasts one of the best teacher/pupil ratios so as to enable students to gain as much individual attention from their teachers as possible.

“Each class consists of 25 pupils; and there are qualified teachers who are well trained by registered colleges. Our dream is to become one of the leading schools with high standards of education as espoused by the Ministry of Education,” she added.

Moyo praised the education ministry for its support in making the dream for a high quality primary and ECD school in the area come true.

“We have opened a new school in the suburb because this is where most people live. Our town is growing and we need to make sure that every child has access to education,” Moyo added.

The school also offers clean boarding facilities, transport for children and good meals.news

25 Jan 2017 – CHIREDZI – Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (CHIRRA) has come out guns blazing against the Chiredzi Town Council for shutting down Chigarapasi beer hall, the largest beer lounge in the country.

The beer hall was shut down on December 31, 2016 following a directive from the Ministry of Local Government instructing council to do away with loss-making enterprises.

CHIRRA spokesperson, Jonathan Muusha Mupamombe castigated council for following what he called unreasonable directives from the ministry.

He accused Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere of corruption saying he failed to take action after an audit which exposed gross misuse of council funds that could otherwise have been used to keep the beer hall running. 

“The Beer Hall does not belong to the council; one of the key stakeholders was Nesbit and Partners who left it in the hands of the council to benefit the community. They should have consulted the residents first before taking any steps.”

“As a resident association, we are taking action and we have made an application to the police for clearance to meet the council and discuss the issue. If this fails, we will write to the minister,” said Muusha.

Town secretary, Charles Muchatukwa, however, defended the decision to close down the beer hall saying it no was no longer sustainable to continue operating it.

“Residents don’t decide on everything that council should do although they are our stakeholders. Their main duty is to elect councillors who make most of the decisions on their behalf.

“People were engaged during budget consultative meetings. We incurred losses from running that beer hall and we closed it down as per the ministerial directive. We are still to advertise so that those willing to rent it can do so. All speculations that there are people who have already been given the right to rent it are all lies,” said Muchatukwa.

District Administrator (DA), Ndeya Nyede, also spoke favourably on the closure of the beer hall saying it no longer made commercial sense to run it.

“A lot of losses were incurred and the decision to close it is right because money will be saved for investment in infrastructure,” said Nyede.news

25 Jan 2017- Zaka – A family of 10 from Siyawareva village under Chief Ndanga was last week left homeless after the messenger of court destroyed their home using picks and hammers after they failed to meet a 48-hour eviction notice.

The eviction order was signed at Zaka Magistrates Court after the village head complained that he could not stay with the Chiride family claiming that Lazarus Chiride was failing to keep his cattle while his wife, Noria Muchenjero, stole vegetables from gardens.

Muchenjero said they were shocked to see the messenger of court arriving at their home to serve the 48-hour eviction order.

“I was once accused of stealing vegetables from the gardens and my husband was accused of leaving cattle unattended but it was resolved at the village head’s court and we were never summoned at any other court until I was given the eviction order,” said Muchenjero.

Before the family could act, she said, the messenger of court returned with Jerera rank touts and two police officers and destroyed four houses.

The family has now camped at Muchenjero’s father’s abandoned home in Rashai village where they made shelter out of iron sheets from their destroyed houses.

Muchenjero also said the family had lost property and food during the eviction and their children were no longer going to school.

“As you can see, it is raining almost every day and we have no proper storage for food and most of the maize got spoilt in water but we have nowhere to dry it,” she added

The houses which were destroyed included a five, four and three-roomed gable house and a kitchen hut as well as foul runs and a granary.news

25 Jan 2017 – MASVINGO – In statement that can be seen an indictment on Zimbabwe’s patriarchal justice system, Judge President George Mutandwa Chiweshe has called for Masvingo to consider appointing female assessors to the High Court.

He made the statement while officially opening the 2017 legal year at the High Court in Masvingo.

Currently, the court has four assessors namely Joseph Mushuku, Elphias Gweru, Samuel Mutombwa and Poster Dauramanzi who all concurred that working with female colleagues would be a good development.

“During the course of the 2016 legal year, we learnt with profound sadness the passing of…Mrs Shava who had put in a sterling service in the criminal justice system for many years. Mrs Shava was the only female assessor at the Harare High Court and there is none at Masvingo High Court.

“I hope considerations will be made to appoint more female assessors in line with the Constitution which calls for gender equality,” Chiweshe said.

Assessors are non-lawyers who sit together with a judge to provide either expert advice or guidance on local practices. An assessor's opinion or view of a case is not binding on a judge.

The four Masvingo assessors said they would be glad if the people in authority put more effort in securing the services of female assessors.

Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Shuvai Mahofa also supported the call for gender mainstreaming in the justice system.

“Women want both justice and development at the same time. Inclusion of women in the assessors’ panel would be a boost for gender equity,” Mahofa said.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Officer Commanding Masvingo Province, Propol Snr Asst Comm Martha Mofolo said women’s perspectives must be valued in the justice system.

“If a female assessor is appointed, it will actually be a milestone in the inclusion of female voices in the justice delivery system and will boost women’s confidence in their abilities,” Snr Asst Comm Mofolo said.news

MASVINGO – A squatter in the gum tree area close to Mucheke River was killed during heavy rains last Saturday night after a giant tree fell on top of the shack in which he was sleeping with three others.

Police confirmed that one person had died in the accident while the other three sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Masvingo General Hospital the following morning. 

“It is sad. We urge people to call either the police or fire brigade in time to save lives wherever possible. Locals are also advised to give help where possible as they await the arrival of emergency teams,” said acting police spokesperson for Masvingo Province; Assistant Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa.

Names of the victims could not immediately be unveiled as their next of kin had not yet been informed by the time of writing. 

Ward 1 Councillor; Garcia Mundondo, under whose ward the squatter settlement is located, said he was saddened by the accident.

“I visited the place after the accident and what I witnessed was very sad indeed. I will keep advocating for proper housing facilities for these squatters in council and I hope council will hear my plea as such accidents are not acceptable in an organised society,” Mundondo said.

Locals are however blamed government for failing to ensure that the less privileged are properly housed so as to avoid the emergence of squatter camps.news

MASVINGO – Pamushana High School head, Johnson Madhuku is in cloud nine after his school dominated the 2016 ‘A’ Level Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) results released over the weekend, with eight pupils scoring 20 points and more than 30 with 15 points and better.

Madhuku could not hide his joy when contacted by TellZim News early this week.

“We are still analysing the results but I can confirm that we have about eight pupils with 20 points and above; over 30 with 15 points and better. The results are almost similar to last year’s and we are happy,” said Madhuku.

Ndarama High School also continues to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it is the best day-school in the province after attaining a 99 percent pass rate with five pupils scoring 15 points and 20 with 13 points and better.

Ndarama High School head Shelly Makausi said they were impressed by the results saying they always aim to beat their previous best.

“Our motto is, ‘Aim to beat the previous best’ and that is exactly what we have done. We improved from 97% to 99% this year and the quality of results is satisfactory,” said Makuse.

A total of 101 candidates sat for the examinations at Ndarama and the school only fell one short of getting a 100 percent pass rate.

History was passed with 23 As, 20 Bs and 8 Cs.news

22 Jan 2017 – ZAKA – The Catholic-run Musiso Mission Hospital management is in a habit of detaining patients who fail to pay their bills with some spending more than a week, TellZim News has learnt.

Last week, a maternity patient, Pertunia Gwete from Dahwa in Chekenyere area was detained after she failed to pay US$90 maternity fees.

Gwete was admitted at the Hospital on January 03, 2017 and was supposed to be released on the January 10 but she was detained on bed number 26 in the maternity ward.

Last Saturday, TellZim News managed to contact her at the hospital where she was still detained. 

Gwete said she had no means of the fees while detained at the hospital.

“I do not work; I have no other means of getting the money while I am here. If I go out, I may find other means to get the money,” said Gwete.

The matter was criticised by many including the Provincial Medical Doctor (PMD) Dr Amadeus Shamu who said it was not proper for the hospital to detain patients over hospital bills.

“The hospital should find other means of recovering their money that do not involve the detention of patients,” said Shamhu.

He also said he will call the hospital management for inquiries about the issue saying that has to stop.

A social worker based in Jerera also condemned the hospital for violating the rights of the innocent newly-born baby who deserves freedom.

“What the hospital is doing is a violation of human rights. The baby is innocent and does not deserve to be punished because the parents are poor,” he said.

In November last year another detained maternity patient was immediately released from the hospital after the matter began to receive public attention.news

22 Jan 2017 – CHIREDZI – Disgruntled sex workers have promised to send an ultimatum to Chiredzi Town Council if the local authority fails to comply with their demands to reverse their closure of the popular beer spot.

The sex workers, who said they are now starving, have threatened to go guns blazing against council if the authorities ignore their pleas to restore their source of income.

They said their lives are now very hard and they can no longer send their children to school as the place that used to give them money is no more.

“We will confront council because things are no longer easy for us. We need to eat, pay our rentals and send our kids to school. They should open Chigarapasi with immediate effect,” said one lady of the night called Grace.

Landlords with houses surrounding Chigarapasi area are also facing the same fate as their tenants’ source of income have been disrupted by the closure of what used to be the largest beer hall in the country.

The bar was shut down following a council resolution against loss-making council-run enterprises and a directive from the Ministry of Local Government to do away with unsustainable ventures.news

22 Jan 2017 – MASVINGO – A health time bomb is ticking in the city centre as one of the biggest night clubs, Ritz has been running without water since October 2016 after council stopped supplies in response to the club’s failure to pay bills.

Well-placed sources told this publication that the night club has since shut down its restaurant and, to clean the premises, employees use water drawn from the roofs when it is raining.

The club has also hosted several shows during the festive season in spite of the challenge.

“In October last year, employees were sent to look for water in and around town and they would also get water from civic centre gardens. The rains are a relief as they are now harvesting rain water falling from the roof,” the source said.

The operation of public places without running water is a known risk to community health in light of diseases like typhoid and cholera.

Masvingo City Council director for Health Services; Zvapano Munganasa refused to dwell on the issue but said no businesses should operate without water.

“We have not yet received the report from treasury on that issue but in such a condition, we are usually tasked to close down premises. If treasury communicates the development to us, nothing will stop us from executing our duties,” Munganasa said.news

22 Jan 2017 – CHIVHU – In a stranger than fiction case, a 22-year-old Featherstone woman last week asked Chivhu Magistrates Court to withdraw two counts of rape against a man who raped her, claiming that they were now in love with each other.

Talent Zvenyika, of Plot 1 Tredidon, Featherstone, stunned the court after she asked for the withdrawal of the charge against William Chiocha who allegedly raped her on two occasions last year.

Chiocha (38) of Mudzimba Village, Chief Mutekedza, Sadza, was set free after Magistrate Fadzai Mutombeni withdrew the case after the plea.

Zvenyika claimed that after the rape incidences, she had fallen in love with the alleged rapist as they had enjoyed consensual sexual intercourse on several other occasions and they had asked each other for forgiveness.

It was the State’s case that sometime between February 1 and 29, 2016, Chiocha arrived at Zvenyika’s homestead with his young brothers around 15:00 hrs and proposed love to her but she rejected saying she was married.

Chiocha later returned around 20:00 hrs on the same day and found the complainant asleep with the door not locked as her husband, Billa Luckmore Gijima, had not yet returned from a football match.

He began to pester the complaint again on his love proposal before going to her bed where he allegedly raped her once.

On another day, Chiocha once again approached Zvenyika around 19:00 hrs in her kitchen hut where she was preparing supper while her husband was at a beer drink.

He then grabbed a screaming Zvenyika by the shoulders and pulled her to the back of the kitchen door and raped her.

The complainant waited till early September 2016, when she divulged the rape ordeals to her husband after realising that her husband’s friend, Ozias Dzaramba had not told him as she had asked him to.

On September, 16 2016, Gijima reported the case at Charter Police Base. 

 “I am not the one who reported the case to the police. Although I did not consent on the first and second times, we later on indulged in consensual sexual intercourse on several other instances after we asked each other for forgiveness for previous cases. We are now in love and therefore the case can be withdrawn,” Zvenyika told the court.

Nicholas Mabvongodze stood for the State.news