MASVINGO – A special council meeting which sat as an appeals committee on July 28, 2016 resolved to dismiss two council Stores workers on charges of breaching Section 5.5.2 of the City of Masvingo Code of Conduct.
They were found to have breached the code of conduct which prohibits “Habitual/ substantial unsatisfactory performance.”
Helper Ncube, a Stores Controller in the Stores Section of the Treasury Department and Allen Pisirayi, a buyer in the same department, were first charged by the Head of Department, Thandiwe Dube, on May 16, 2016.
Ncube was charged of neglecting his duty of supervising Pisirayi who allegedly breached council procurement procedures by issuing a verbal instruction to Errant Management Pvt Ltd and Praymost Pvt Ltd to provide services to council.
However the two appealed their dismissal with the Manpower Appeals Committee, chaired by Councillor Godfrey Kurauone of ward 4.
The appeals committee, sitting on June 27, 2016 controversially reversed the dismissal and substituted it of final written warning valid for 12 months.
Dube then appealed against the decision of the committee citing various inconsistences leading to the convening of a Special Council Meeting sitting as the appeals committee.
The Special Council Committee overruled the decision of the Manpower Appeals Committee and resolved to uphold the duo’s dismissal from council.
City of Masvingo mayor, Hubert Fidze confirmed attending the Special Council Committee meeting but said the dismissal of the two was a collective council resolution.
“The special council meeting overruled the decision by the manpower committee of cautioning the two for 12 months and resolved to dismiss them. The decision was made by the council and no one can challenge it,” said Fidze.
Ward 10 councillor, Lovemore Mufamba said there was no need to caution them since it was proven beyond reasonable doubt that they had breached the Code of Conduct.
“These are the same people who are behind the diesel scandal which happened a month ago. The council did a good job because we have to adhere to the principles. I know there may be other councillors who may have disagreed with the decision but the council ruled to fire them, so it stands. When it comes to these matters, we have to put politics aside and deal with the problem,” said Mufamba.news

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MASVINGO – The Zanu PF Bikita West primary elections to replace incarcerated Munyaradzi Kereke ended in tears for perennial loser, Elias Musakwa after Beauty Chabaya emerged victorious from the crowded primary field last Saturday.
Chabaya will battle it out with candidates from opposition parties in the by-election to replace Kereke who was jailed 10 years for raping his niece at gun point.
Musakwa was initially disqualified from contesting in the primaries for a cocktail of transgressions including perceived links to Joice Mujuru’s ZimPF and refusing to return a party vehicle. He hoped to win the contest to reverse a series of political setbacks.
It was, however, Chabaya who carried the day after polling 1423, a massive 883 votes more than Musakwa’s paltry 540.
Chibaya is now almost certain to take the seat as no opposition party has so far shown interest to contest in the by-election.
Many were however shocked by the results of the primaries as Musakwa had entered the race as the favourite, with others claiming Chabaya did not have as much political clout as Musakwa.
Chabaya is suspected to be in the G40 faction which is embroiled in a bitter tussle with Team Lacoste to influence Zanu PF’s unpredictable succession path. She is also rumoured to be a close confidante of Jeppy Jaboon, the provincial political commissar who has also emerged as the G40 frontman in the province.
The primary field had 10 contestants including Daniel Makusha who took third position with 418 votes and Tichaona Delight Mandebvu who emerged at number four with 382 votes.
Other contenders were Gibson Mashingaidze 212, Wellington Mutisi 123, Douglas Makuku 114, Joshua Dehwa 75, Simon Masosonere 56, Geoffrey Murire 18 votes.
After the elections, some messages circulated on social claiming Musakwa was unsatisfied with the result and was mulling mounting a challenge with the party provincial executive.
Zanu PF Provincial Chairperson, Amasa Nhenjana, however, dismissed any talk of dissatisfaction with the primaries, saying everything was done smoothly.
“We don’t care about him (Musakwa). Is there anything that he has ever been satisfied with in Zanu PF? We told him to return the party vehicle but he refused. What then does he want to be satisfied with now?” said Nhenjana.
Provincial war veterans chairperson, Tendeukai Chinooneka, who is suspected to be fighting in Team Lacoste’s corner, also gave the conduct of the primaries a clean bill of health.
“Of course you are bound to find some instances of dissatisfaction in every contest but the process was generally good as everything went on well. Though I didn’t visit every polling station, the information I have at hand point to a fairly good process,” said Chinooneka.
This becomes Musakwa’s third failed bid to take the seat, after losing by nine votes to the opposition MDC in 2008 and to Munyaradzi Kereke in 2013.news

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CHIREDZI – Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has called for the maintenance of Save Valley Conservancy fence amid reports that people who live in surrounding areas have lost more than one thousand cattle to wild animals this year.
Muchinguri-Kashiri was speaking to chiefs, councillors, conservancy owners at a meeting to explore ways of reducing human-wildlife conflict in the Lowveld.
Muchinguri-Kashiri said the conservancy owners should do a re-fencing of the conservancy so that animals can stay within their bounds.
“During my tour I realised that the Save Valley Conservancy fence is very old and has not been maintained since inception of the conservancy, so you should maintain the fence so that people will not continue losing their animals and crops,” said Muchinguri-Kashoiri.
She lamented reports from parks and wildlife officials that while people continue to lose their crops and livestock to wild animals like lions, there was no compensation plan for the affected villagers.
“I also have many reports of people losing their cattle to foot and mouth diseases which are mainly contracted when cattle mix with buffaloes. This is happening because Save Valley Conservancy is not properly fenced,” said Muchinguri.
Some farmers who spoke during the meeting complained that government was not showing adequate concern for their plight saying it has been a very long time since the problems were first raised with authorities.
“It’s so sad that our government is doing nothing about it. We are not compensated for the losses we suffer. I have many hectares of land now lying fallow because wild animals killed all my cattle. We also have wild pigs coming to destroy whatever crops we would have planted,” said the farmer.
Muchinguri-Kashiri said the government was working to rectify the problem by creating new campfire programmes to limit human-wildlife conflicts while spreading the economic benefits of wildlife to local communities.
The derelict Save Valley Conservancy fence was last maintained in the 1960s enabling wild animals to freely roam into surrounding communities.news

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Davison Marenga

ZVISHAVANE – Former  Shabane Mashava  Mines  (SMM) employee is suing the company for placing the company under reconstruction saying they are now incapacitated to claim their salary arrears and terminal benefits.
Tonderai Zunzanyika through his lawyers Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners sued Shabani Mine with Arafus Gwaradzimba the company administrator as the first respondent while SMM and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa are second and third respondents respectively.
In the afidavits submitted at Bulawayo High Court, Zunzanyika argued that the placement of SMM company  under the ‘Reconstruction of State-indebted Insolvent  Companies Act CAP 24:27 in 2004, incapacitated former employees to claim their salary arrears and other terminal benefits.
A company  under the reconstruction  act is protected  from  losing its asserts and is immune from  being  sued by its former  workers  as stated by section  6 of the act.
During this period, Zunzanyika argued, SMM company started to lease some of its properties to Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) and Midlands State University (MSU) at Mashava and Zvishavane respectively, and some mine workers who have been staying in these premises were forced out.
  Zunzanyika said by so doing, SMM was no longer reconstructing but was now in a different business altogether with top officials benefiting at the expense of the employees.
"I have been employed by the company  for nine year until  I officially  resigned  in April  2014. During the period  of resignation  I was owed salary  and terminal  benefits amounting to over  $4500, but now I cannot claim it since the company is said to be under reconstruction,” Zunanyika said in the afidafits submitted at Bulawayo High Court.news

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Upenyu Chaota

MASVINGO – Masvingo City Council has once again lost the war against disorder in the Central Business District (CBD) and elsewhere with illegal traders having now totally recolonised the pavements and street corners barely a year after it successfully sent them to designated vending sites.
There is also an unprecedented rise in illegal house stores in Masvingo’s high density suburbs as people try to eke out a living in a desolate economy.
Masvingo mayor Hubert Fidze said council was worried by the sharp increase of vendors in the CBD and authorities were trying to negotiate friendly terms with the vendors to map the way forward.
“It is a worrisome problem. The economy is bad hence the continuous influx of vendors onto the CBD pavements. Vending has become the only source of income for many and that is why we have this problem today. There are no jobs and the writing is on the wall for everyone to see. People have resorted to honest means of survival but some of them are selling their wares at undesignated sites,” Fidze said.
“We are trying to come to a negotiating table with the vendors so that we can agree on the friendliest of terms on the way forward. We do not want to apply brute force on the vendors. Our municipal police often run operations to chase them out but they always come back. That is why we need an ever lasting solution,” he added.
Fidze said council will also take action against the house stores which are now a very common sight in all high density residential areas.
“People have also resorted to house stores which operate outside the regulations of council. As the council, we sat and deliberated on the matter and action will be taken soon,” said Fidze.news

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MBERENGWA – The persistent water woes at Mnene Hospital have taken a turn for the worse, with residents complaining the little water the hospital receives now comes virtually untreated, thereby worsening the welfare of patients.
Mnene Hospital is the biggest referral hospital in Mberengwa district, servicing 35 clinics and four rural hospitals and used to be regarded highly as an epitome of excellence in the health services in the district.
Residents who spoke to this publication said conditions at the hospital were now horrible, with services fast deteriorating by the day.
“The water at the hospital is dirty. I wonder how they are operating under such conditions. We have been expecting some intervention to rescue the deplorable conditions there but nothing is being done. We now fear getting admitted at the hospital in case you get sick,” said Taurai Shoko, a resident of Mberengwa.
Another concerned resident said people had become desperate and cannot afford to fall ill because they would be faced with unhealthy conditions at the hospital.
Other residents said they now prefer going to Zvishavane District Hospital where conditions seem to be a whole lot better because they have now totally lost faith in the once glorious Mnene.
The hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr Nyasha Makura was not available when sought for a comment.
In 2011 the hospital was given money which was meant to rehabilitate the water and sewer systems but the money was reportedly misused with a string of corruption scandals which saw some top officials suspended.
The government 2014 granted US$13000 to the hospital for the refurbishment of its vandalised water system but nothing seems to have changed. The hospital draws its water from Diringindi Dam in Ngezi River.news


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Upenyu Chaota

Masvingo – The war veterans who have been up in arms with their patron President Robert Mugabe over the bitter succession issue in Zanu PF have said the revolutionary party is doomed without them as the fight for allegiances rages on with covert operations under way to supplant the veterans’ top brass and replace it with ‘rubber stamps’.
War veterans, fronted by the likes of Christopher Mutsvangwa, Douglas Mahiya and Victor Matemadanda, have been pushing for embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed the nonagenarian.
However their fortunes have been waning of late following the brutal sacking of Mutsvangwa, Mahiya and Matemadanda from Zanu PF with the party carrying out meetings with the lower structures of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) so as to influence them to turn against the Mutsvangwa- led executive.
Mahiya rubbished the claims that the union will have elections soon to replace him, Mutsvangwa, Matemadanda and the rest of the national executive and warned Mugabe that Zanu PF he is nothing without the support of the war vets.
“There is a new initiative being pushed by G40 which is aimed at dividing war veterans. They want to apply divisive tactics so that the lower structures turn against their leaders. We are aware of those machinations. There is mutual dependence between Zanu PF and war veterans. Zanu PF without war veterans is nothing, it is that simple. Mathematically, Zanu PF minus war veterans equals zero,” said Mahiya.
“Zanu PF must work with the leadership of the war veterans not with those being led. They carry out meetings behind the backs of the leadership. We need to be appreciated and be respected but as it stands we are playing the underdog,” he added.
Last week Saturday, a group of war veterans held a clandestine meeting at the open space at Gutu turn off near Roy apparently without the knowledge of the provincial leadership.
Mahiya said G40 members are on a mission to see to it that war veterans’ legacy is destroyed and completely erased from the history of the country.
“They want to erase our contributions from the books of history. They are mobilising some war veterans to turn against the executive chaired by Mutsvangwa because it is vocal in safeguarding and defending the gains of the revolution. We cannot let anyone grab power without proper credentials. This is what G40 wants and knowing that we will stop them, they want to replace us with people they can easily manipulate,” Mahiya said.
Asked if war veterans are not the ones who need Mugabe more than Mugabe needs them and whether they will not be reduced to nonentities if they detach from Zanu PF, Mahiya diplomatically say time will tell who is really a nonentity.
 “We are the ones who nurtured the revolution to be where it is today. So to say we will be reduced to nonentities without Mugabe, it boggles the mind. Mugabe needs us as much as war vets need him. For him to enjoy the power he has today, it is because of us. He should not let the born frees step on us willy-nilly; anyway time will tell who really is a nonentity,” said Mahiya.
On the unsanctioned Gutu turn-off war veterans meeting, Masvingo provincial war veterans’ chairperson, Tendeukai Chinooneka said he stumbled upon the meeting on his way to supervise Zanu PF Bikita West constituency primaries but was unaware of the agenda.
“I passed by the area and saw there was a meeting but I had no knowledge of who organised it and the agenda. I do not even know who was there. The provincial leadership was not notified otherwise we would not have had a meeting in such an open place. It shows something was being planned but for now we do not know.
“Whatever is going on, it will come to light and we will see who has the last laugh. Maybe it was not a war veterans meeting because if it was, we would have been notified and attended,” said Chinooneka.news

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