Tatenda Shunyai

MASVINGO -The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) Southern Region chairperson, Zendakwaye Zendakwaye (pictured) has called for civil society to actively participate in Nango activities for the survival of the association.
Zendakwaye was speaking to representatives of various organisations that make up Nango at Alpha Cottages children home last week.
“The civil society should belong to Nango because it is responsible for the well-functioning of the association. We cannot have a vibrant Nango without vibrant stakeholders,” said Zendakwaye
Zendakwaye expressed concern that the organisation was performing poorly in the province because of lack of funding and appealed to all concerned stakeholders to do their part for the welfare of the organisation.
He also urged organisations to pay their annual subscription funds to enable the efficient running of Nango’s operations.
He encouraged members from the province to attend the 2016 Nango Annual General Meeting (AGM) and expo on September 30, describing the events as important platforms where people can express their views and share their visions.
Nango is the umbrella body of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that are predominantly into social welfare and was formed back in 1962.

Isabel Ndlovu

GWERU – Formalising small to medium businesses is not an attractive option for prospective entrepreneurs because of the bureaucracy and corruption that haunts anybody who does that, Small to Medium Enterprises Development Minister, Sithembiso Nyoni has been told.
The minister heard this while on a meet-the-minister programme with small and medium business owners from the Midlands province in Gweru last week.
Allegations of corruption and parasitic revenue collection tactics were levelled against the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), National Social Security Authority (NSSA), National Employment Council (NEC) and Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (ZIMDEF).
Zimra is generally considered the most corrupt institution among the pack, with the country’s borders being havens of shady dealings by officials.
Small and medium business owners raised issues about what they called government institutions’ habit of preying on SMEs.
Nyasha Moyo, who is into small scale agriculture, complained that formalising one’s business comes with no incentive as government systems makes it very expensive and financially burdensome.
“It seems formalisation of a business has become a crime because the moment you register your business you will be exposed to many revenue collectors,” said Moyo.
Other participants also complained of high levels of corruption by town councils in the allocation of land.
Small business owner, Trish Gove said it was difficult for housing cooperatives to do business because it has been five years since they were last allocated land with only those who are well-connected to council officials being given land.
“The problem with our town councils is that they are corrupt that is why they are failing to allocate the land to the rightful people,” said Gove.
Recently, it was reported that the cash-strapped Gweru City Council will lose US$5 million if it commissions the River Valley stands that were irregularly developed on the city's dump site.
Members of the artisanal miners also complained of police harassment and called on the minister to engage with the mines ministry to make their activities legal and avoid illegal gold panning.
Nyoni promised to look into the grievances of all SMEs so that a solution that is beneficial to both businesses and the government could be found.
Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce in Midlands, Bigboy Murenga acknowledged the grievances and expressed optimism Nyoni will work to find solutions.
A resolution was also made to formalise the Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCO) so as to know how much is in circulation.
It was also revealed that US$10 million was availed by the treasury to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to fund the SMEs nationwide.
Earlier this week, the RBZ also revealed that it had secured US$20 million to support production by small-scale miners amid a push to reach a 24 tonne output, close to the country’s historical peak.news

Chiredzi residents have blasted council proposals to introduce prepaid water meters which, if passed, will see residents buying coupons in order to access water.
United Chiredzi Residents and Rate payers Association (UCHRRA) chairman, Josphat Tizirai criticised the proposals saying they will create more unnecessary expenses for residents who are already financially burdened.
“The plan is appalling and we cannot accept it. It cost $400 to install a prepaid meter, so if council affords that why not invest the money in water infrastructure maintenance so we can have enough water? If they mean to say residents will foot the bill of the installations, how would we manage since we are already struggling to pay our current water expenses?” Tizirai said.
He said prepaid water meters would undermine public health since poor families would be forced to reduce their daily water consumption to levels that are lower than those recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“Studies that have been carried out show that using prepaid water meters leads to higher chances of outbreak of diseases such as dysentery and cholera and the poor are the most affected as they cannot afford to pay for the required units,” Tizirai said.
Other residents from wards 5 and 8 condemned the suggestions, saying prepaid water meters would increase inequality and poverty in the society.
“Prepaid meters mean water will become a commodity for the privileged and wealthy despite the fact that water is a basic commodity while access to it is considered a human right,” said one resident.
No comment could be obtained from town engineer, Wesley Kauma by the time of going to print.news

Moses Ziyambi

MASVINGO – The Zimbabwe Liberators Platform (ZLP) has decried the lack of engagement between local authorities and the public saying stakeholders need to open communication channels to improve service delivery.

This was said by ZLP Director Wilson Nharingo while giving an update of the many engagement meetings his organisation has facilitated in the southern parts of the country.

ZLP is a community-based organisation with a special interest in matters of governance at local level and was formed in the early 2000s by veterans of the country’s liberation struggle who had become disenchanted by bad governance.

The aim is to improve local governance by facilitating dialogue between government and the public. The organisation has so far facilitated many engagement meetings between councils and residents in Chiredzi, Gwanda and other areas.

“We are an organisation formed by genuine war veterans that had seen how the government had abandoned liberation ideals so as to protect their selfish-interests. We had seen how war veterans had been manipulated to become partisan shock troops of the ruling party.

“The result of that bad governance is a state of paralysis is all areas of our life, with local governance suffering the most as there is rarely any dialogue between the public representatives and those they serve,” said Nharingo.

He also said ZLP was a project meant to rescue the war veterans brand which has been tarnished by divisive politics presided over by Zanu-PF.

“We wanted to clear the air that we were a violent lot that was invading farms and callously getting rid of white farmers and their workers. Genuine war veterans who experienced the pain of war and saw how its goals were betrayed will not engage in any form of violence.

“We also strive to spearhead peace projects in rural areas as they are most vulnerable to the shenanigans of unscrupulous politicians. We are running projects aimed at educating people on their fundamental human rights, and to lobby councils to articulate issue that affect residents,” Nharingo said.

Currently, ZLP is being funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) through the American International Republican Institute (IRI) for all its activities in Chiredzi and Gwanda.

The organisation intends to scale up its efforts to educate the people on their rights as enshrined in the constitution.

In the past some of the group’s work has been supported by German group GIZ.

“We are working to achieve five fundamental issues: freedom, democracy, social justice, peace and respect for human dignity,” Nharingo said.news

It’s very difficult to make me regret certain things that happen in life. I have been hiding this all the time – it has been my secret which I did not want to tell anyone, not even my future wife kkk neniwo ndototi future wife sekunonzi kune angadawo mupengo wakaita seni kudai. But honestly I did not want to tell you how I have grown to hate my country. In fact I have all the reasons to also think that even God hates Zimbabwe too.
Chinyika chino chakasekwa wena, this must be a cursed country, I wish I was born in Malawi or any other country because this country has made me the mad man that I am not. I think, I mean it’s my own thinking ladies and gentlemen. There are some moments that the owner of this country, I mean the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zimbabwe …. kkk whether private limited or unlimited, must be a bit more serious. I mean if you are dealing with people with genuine concerns you have to relax a little bit and listen to their demands and not just threaten them and go to some summits. We appreciate the need for our President to be attending these ‘crucial’ meetings but it becomes a problem when isuwo vana Mapombi get to realise that we have more of a visiting President than a resident President. This might be the reason why some of the ministers, I mean ivozve vana Tyson have the temerity and courage to grab all the land and sell it to some prophets. Ummmm but Kasukuwere nyarawo vamwe shamwari. How can you move around, going to all towns grabbing land for yourself and some few Zanu PF youth? Kasi ndikoka kuya kunonzi kugoverana pahukama. Mava kungodya rifa, abusing our resources in a broad day light.
But this is unfair, did I tell you that I spent the past week ndichingodya zvangu rotten bananas because I don’t even have money to buy maputi but vamwe I hear they are busy looking for US500 000 yekuzodya zvavo vari mushow grounds medu come December?
You are not even ashamed? Ndati shuwa shuwa hamunyari varume imi vematumbu! Zuro ndizuro makadya makeke paDzimbabwe apo takatarisa, and you spent almost one million dollars on the President’s birthday while the nation starved. I don’t want to talk about Chingwizi. You know what, as leaders – I mean if you want to pretend to be one, there is need for you to pretend kungonyarawo vanhu so. Are you not able to look at how things are – kungotarisawo mamirire ekunze. Things are tough, everyone is crying and of course I know you are quick to say masanctions – haa tibvirei netuma execuses twenhema. You just need to work hard in changing attitude and start to respect others and see people as people – kuona vanhu sevanhu. You must ask yourself kuti sei vanhu – povo, sei ichipembera after receiving news that the President is dead – is it that they want the President to die kana kuti panenyaya apa. The way you treat isu vana Mapombi is not good at all and I promise that one day kuchamuka kuine makore isu mipengo mukatadza kutidzora. This is the time for the President to listen to the concerns being raised by the people – flying away is not always the solution especially at this moment when the nation is burning.
Mboko akazobva here pa Mboko village apo? Kkkk. Mukadarika nekwaChirimudombo tell them kuti ndirimupenyu kasi ndirikukanga wire.
Mboko imboko!mapombi

Rudo Muchedzi

MASHAVA – A 47-year-old Chivi man will languish behind bars for one month after he was convicted last Friday for bashing his wife accusing her of pledging her niece to another man despite the fact that her husband wanted to marry the niece himself.
It was the State’s case that Shepherd Kaza, residing at Ngongoma village under Chief Madamombe, assaulted his wife, Shamiso Hove (45), with a fist on her forehead accusing her of pledging her niece, Elina Mlilo (19), to another man.
The incident happened on September 14, 2016 at around 06: 00 hours in the same village.
Kaza was charged for contravening the Domestic Violence Act Chapter 5.16 which prohibits physical abuse.
The accused person pleaded guilty to the allegations levelled against him before presiding magistrate Bishard Chineka.
Magistrate Chineka said the accused person acted unlawfully and emphasised that domestic violence is a serious offence that attracts a jail sentence.
Asked why he had assaulted his wife, Kaza told the court that the act was a result of anger, claiming he had wanted to marry the niece himself.
‘Your worship I did this out of anger because I wanted to marry the niece. May you forgive me because I have a family to look after,” said Kaza.
In his ruling Mr. Chineka considered that the accused did not waste the court’s time and was the first offender.
The complainant sustained some injuries but was not medically examined.
Angeline Mujakachi was representing the state.news

Jubilee Mahlamvana

ZVISHAVANE – A jealousy Zvishavane man appeared before magistrate Storey Rushambwa for allegedly beating his wife with fists before stabbing her with a knife on the finger over a suspicious phone call.
Elmon Dube (34), of house number 1023 Eastlea, was charged with two counts of domestic violence to which he pleaded guilty and was remanded in custody to September 19, 2016 for sentencing.
It is reported that on September 13, 2016, the accused had a dispute with his wife over a phone call.
Dube had become suspicious after his wife went out of the house to answer the phone call.
The jealous husband could reportedly not contain himself over this issue and was so angry that he beat and stabbed his wife with a knife as punishment.
On the second count, the respondent was charged for stabbing his wife’s younger sister who had decided to restrain Dube who was now in a serious scuffle with his wife.
The younger sister sustained a deep cut on her upper lip as a result of the attack and a police report was then made leading to Dube’s arrest.
Dube’s wife was however found to have exaggerated the extent of the attack after reporting that she had been stabbed on the finger and on her left butt although a medical report which did not even bear her name showed otherwise.
She was then ordered to go back and obtain a well written report, with the accused being put on further remand as a result of the delay.
Sheila Mupindu prosecuted.

TellZim Reporter

CHIREDZI – Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) Vice Chancellor, Professor Rungano Zvobgo said he is determined to open an agricultural research laboratory in the lowveld to equip sugarcane farmers with tangible skills on how to increase yields.
Speaking during a training workshop which saw almost 40 A2 farmers receiving certificates from the Department of Soil and Plant Sciences of GZU’s Garry Magadzire School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof Zvobgo said there was a need to equip farmers with more knowledge.
“It is important for us as a university to have a research station here and that is one of the things we are currently looking at. We want to bring in our farmers and provide them with sound advice on how to improve their yields,” said Prof Zvobgo.
Professor Munashe Shoko from the university’s Department of Soil and Plant Sciences said the research centre would make a contribution in the growth of agriculture.
“We want to have a success story here in Chiredzi and our focus is to make an impact. We will offer education at both certificate and diploma levels,” said Prof Shoko.
Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA) chairperson, Edmore Veterai praised GZU’s efforts to develop the economy of the lowveld.
“We are very happy with this novel idea from GZU. We have been farmers here for a long time but this is the first time to see stakeholders from the education system actively pushing for the transformation of this sector,” Veterai said.
On the university’s long term plans for Chiredzi, Prof Zvobgo said the objective does not end merely with the opening of an agricultural research centre alone, but would be expanded by the building of a school of agriculture and natural sciences and other critical faculties.news