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VP Mphoko downplays Gukurahundi again

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VP Mphoko downplays Gukurahundi again
… says Mugabe’s hands are clean … refused to entertain questions
 Tell Reporters
Vice President (VP) Phelekezela Mpoko has downplayed the Gukurahundi massacre for the second time this year saying the only planned Gukurahundi he remembers took place before Independence as President Robert Mugabe was fighting for the liberation of the country.
While delivering his public lecture at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) on National Healing today, Mpoko reiterated that the much talked about Gukurahundi which killed over 20 000 people in Matabeleland in early 80s was a British conspiracy targeted at dividing Zimbabweans.
“The Gukurahundi that I know ended on 18 April 1980. The disturbances which rocked Matabeleland in the 80s were not the original Gukurahundi but a British conspiracy targeted at dividing Zimbabweans,” said Mpoko.
Although he acknowledged that there were ‘disturbances’ which rocked Matabeleland after Independence, Mpoko did not go into detail in explaining how it happened. He also did not disclose the names of the people who masterminded the killings but insisted that Mugabe was not involved.
“President Mugabe’s hands are clean on that one… he was never involved,” said Mpoko.
However, people who attended the supposed lecture said they were not satisfied by the VP’s address.
“He failed to articulate his facts…it was all disjointed,” said one lecturer.
Soon after his lecture, a lot of people, including students and university staff wanted to ask questions but they were denied the opportunity.
Only GZU Vice Chancellor Professor Rungano Zvobgo’s wife Ellen who is also director of the School of Gender Studies at the university and one Zanu PF youth were allowed to ask questions.
“We wanted to ask questions but it seemed everything was stage managed. How can you call us for a lecture and deny us the opportunity to ask questions. He was lying and they thought we would embarrass him if we asked questions,” said another lecturer who refused to be named.
                                                 VP Mphoko
In February this year, Mpoko told the state run Sunday Mail newspaper that the disturbances that rocked Zimbabwe in the early years of Independence were part of a region-wide conspiracy to destabilize Southern Africa and not of any anti-Ndebele agenda by Shonas.local

Zanu PF now led by uneducated old people – Mahofa

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Zanu PF now led by uneducated old people – Mahofa
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MASVINGO – Minister for Provincial affairs for Masvingo, Shuvai Mahofa (74) who  replaced Kudakwashe Bhasikiti (54) shocked hundreds of people at Nemanwa Growth Point recently when she confessed that Zanu PF is being run by too old people.
Mahofa made stunning revelations while addressing people at a farewell party for the former Masvingo Rural District Council (RDC) chief executive officer Clemence Makwarimba on Friday.
She said her ascendancy to a ministerial post had nothing to do with her educational qualifications.
 “Zanu PF and government yava kutongwa nechembere dzakaita sesu vana Mahofa (Zanu PF and the government is now being led by old people like me). I am not learned but politics has nothing to do with education but loyalty. I want to tip those youths who wish to be leaders one day to remain faithful to the aged leaders,” said Mahofa.
As if she was confirming that only old people will continue to be appointed in government, Mahofa  said Makwarimba is going to get a top government post.
“I want to thank you Makwaramba for remaining faithful to the party, you will be surely rewarded. We are going to politburo meeting next week where we are going to fire more people and people like Makwarimba will replace them,” she added.

          Shuvai Mahofa who recently failed to read Independence speech fluently
The country’s economy has continued to take a nose dive since the July 31, 2013, harmonized elections and Zanu PF has been accused of appointing too old people in government who no longer have the energy and new ideas to bring development.
The majority of government ministers are over 70 years of age. About 17 youthful ministers were, however, expelled from government recently for allegedly being aligned to the former Vice President Joice Mujuru.

When Mahofa became Minister for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, she immediately moved her office from the second to the ground floor because she could not  climb the stairs owing old age.
Government  incurred unplanned costs to renovate the new office while civil servants are now inconvenienced as the office of the Provincial Administrator (PA) is now a distance from the Minister of State’s office.politics

Masvingo Senator says government not willing to reform media laws

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Masvingo Senator says government not willing to reform media laws
By Tell Reporters

Media reforms will never see the light of the day since the government has displayed that it lacks motivation to reform media laws, Masvingo Senator Misheck Marava has said.
Speaking at a belated World Press freedom commemorations on Saturday at Charles Austin Theater in Masvingo, Marava said the executive is sitting upon bills submitted to them a long time ago thereby blocking the realignment of almost 400 laws to the constitution.
Marava said the Executive is responsible for the delay in the realignment of these laws, and parliament cannot do anything since it can only operate under the dictates of the executive.
“The executive is not serious enough about the realignment of the several laws to the constitution, and parliament cannot do anything since it can only nudge from behind,” Marava said.
“The parliament has been on leave and only resumed last week, yet there is so much work to be done, but the executive has to release those bills first,” he said.

                    Misheck Marava
Marava also said the work of journalists in Zimbabwe is very hard due to the repressive media laws which look like they were made to muzzle the press.
“Journalists in Zimbabwe are very strong in the way they are doing their jobs considering what they have to go through in their daily activities,” Marava said.
“In a normal situation, a journalist does not have to go to court to prove his point. Protection of journalists should be enacted according to the constitution,” Marava said.
Speaking at the same event, prominent Masvingo lawyer Martin Mureri said the constitution grants media freedom with the right hand and takes back with the left, as some of the repressive media laws are still prevailing over the constitution.
“Until such a time when government revisits the media laws, some of which have to be repealed, that when we will have media freedom,” said Mureri.local

GZU BOOST ENACTUS PARTNERS DELTA TO FIGHT ALCOHOL ABUSE

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GZU BOOST ENACTUS PARTNERS DELTA TO FIGHT ALCOHOL ABUSE

BY TINASHE TIRIVAVI
Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) Building Opportunities On Student Talent(BOOST) ENACTUS team in partnership with Delta Corporation has engaged the Masvingo community in an intensive campaign to try and flash out underage alcohol abuse.
The Corporate Affairs manager for Delta Corporation TsungieManyeza said in her presentation at the launch of the 2015 Delta-BOOST Ethics transparency initiative, that the company’s 88% market share calls for the need to educate the community about risks involved with abusing alcohol.
“Delta holds a market share of 88% percent in Zimbabwe and whenever there is an alcohol related accident people usually blame Delta, because of this we have seen it necessary to partner up with organisations like BOOST ENACTUS who work with students where these cases are common in our campaign against alcohol abuse” she said.
Munyeza expressed that underage drinking and consumption of alcohol whilst driving has affected many people’s lives thus there was need to encourage it’s wise consumption and prohibit youngsters from doing so in any possible way.
Monitoring and Evaluation officer for GZU’s ENACTUS team Graham Kembo said they have welcomed the opportunity to partner with the company since they were also making efforts to address this issue.
“We are pleasedby Delta’s initiative since it taps into current challenges that we are facing as youths which include underage drinking of alcohol,” he said.
“We believe it will change many lives,” he added.

In its efforts the ENACTUS team came up with a Facebook page “GZUABOVETHEINFlUENCE’ which received an appeal from a lot of people particularly students.
However in defiant to this some students based at the university’s Mashava Campus said they will continue consuming alcohol especially the one being brewed in the surrounding villages.
“We usually go to the community particularly “KwaPeter” where we buy 5litres traditional liquor for $1,” said a student identified himself as Djaboski
This is the second year DELTA -BOOST ethics are running under the theme above the influence – campaign against alcohol abuse.local

HIP-HOP SENSATION ‘THE MONKEY NUTS’ HITS SOCIAL MEDIA BY STORM

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HIP-HOP SENSATION ‘THE MONKEY NUTS’ HITS SOCIAL MEDIA BY STORM
By John Mubayi

A Zimbabwean hip-hop group ‘The Monkey Nuts’ which is based in UK took social media by surprise after launching their debut album Boom Bap Idiophonics on the 1st of May, at the just ended Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA).
The hip-hop sensation stormed social media as they got 400 likes on Facebook on the day of the album release and increased to over 2000 views and 4000 followers on You Tube and Twitter respectively.
The trio comprising of Joshua Chiundiza, Tinotenda Tagwirei and Impi Maph have a record deal with a UK record label Barely Being Even (BBE), released their album that features French producer Lionel Corsini (DJ Oil) and mbira songstress Hope Masike.
Born and raised in the capital, the group has been on the local hip-hop scene since 2011 and have been trotting towards the international arena.
Boom Bap Idiophonics their album was produced by Sam Monro (Comrade Fatso)one of Zimbabwe’s leading poets and stand-up comedian and Tongai Makawa (Outspoken) also a poet and emcee.

Speaking at HIFA, one of the group members Chiundiza acknowledged that “ironically Boom Bap Idiophonics was created when The Monkey Nuts, DJ Oil and Hope Masike met at HIFA 2013”
Chiundiza also added that “they were preparing live shows to be held in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the UK later this year”
The album is available for pre-order worldwide and the purchase can be done online via iTunes making use of social media to capture both local and international audiences.
Social media has been helpful towards the popularity of The Monkey Nuts since their formation in 2011 and the release of their debut album has led them to go viral.
Zimbabwean hip-hop has been fading away as the dancehall genre has been catching the attention of many but artists like Outspoken,Shingirirayi, ExQ, Stunner and The Monkey Nuts have been holding on firmly.Entertainment

Masvingo shines at ZITF, scoops display award

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Masvingo shines at ZITF, scoops display award
 
By Moses Ziyambi
The City of Masvingo, which took part at the just ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo, put on a sterling performance at the prime trade show case that saw the city winning second position in best display among other councils.
The award came at the back of another prize the city received from the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing in recognition for its efforts to combat pollution.
Speaking on the ZITF award, Mayor Hubert Fidze praised the good team spirit in the city for the award.
“We owe this to the good working relations that exist among the people of Masvingo; from councillors, management and their employees to ordinary residents of this city. We achieved this in face of stiff competition from big municipalities such as Bulawayo and Kwekwe,” said Fidze.
He commented the progress that council is making in maintaining optimum service delivery.
“We have managed to get this recognition despite challenges we have with regards to rate collection. It proves that the rate payer’s money is being put to good use,” he said.
The mayor also said the second prize on pollution prevention, which came with a shield and certificate, showed the city’s commitment to a clean environment.
“I personally have championed the issue of proper dumping of diapers to prevent them from getting into our water bodies and there has been a marked improvement ever since. We are also happy that all our sewer water is going to Standard Farm and none is going into the river in its raw state.
“Our aim is to surpass the level that has been reached by Kigali and Windhoek which are rated among the cleanest cities in Africa. We value the perfect working relationship between us and other stakeholders like EMA in achieving that,” said Fidze.local
 

RCU, City of Masvingo Scoop Silver at ZITF 2015

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RCU, City of Masvingo Scoop Silver at ZITF 2015
The Reformed Church University (RCU) and the City of Masvingo shrugged competition from various exhibitors to earn a Silver Medal in a remarkable co-exhibition display at the recently ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) which was held in Bulawayo.

Prof Magwa (left) and Masvingo Mayor Hubert Fidze (right)

The ZITF exhibition partnership between the Reformed Church University and the City of Masvingo which has been running since 2013, is only one of the various partnerships that the University has had with the City of Masvingo as it consolidates its key strategic area of Community Engagement as outlined in the RCU Strategic Plan 2015-2019.
Commenting on this remarkable achievement, RCU Vice Chancellor Professor Wiseman Magwa noted that, ‘this milestone of winning a Silver Medal at an international exhibition such as ZITF is testimony that the RCU is on the right path with regards to growth and the provision of quality Higher Education at both local and regional levels.’
In 2014 the Reformed Church University and the City of Masvingo in yet another successful partnership held a clean-up campaign where the University and the City of Masvingo, cleaned littered places across the city, advocating for a change in mindsets, attitudes and habits towards non-littering and illegal dumping.
Professor Magwa hailed the partnership between the Reformed Church University and the City of Masvingo, highlighting that the RCU shall distinguish itself in both the academic fraternity and the community by creating synergies that will increase its visibility, brand recognition and brand equity and its resource base to ensure its growth and sustainability in strategic terms.local

Media practitioners continue to cry for press freedom in Zimbabwe

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Media practitioners continue to cry for press freedom in Zimbabwe
 By Itai Muzondo
“I wonder what reporters are doing here when what they shoot is never published or if published the beat is fine tuned to suit someone’s interests,” were the words of MDC – T leader Morgan Tsvangirai attacking a team of reporters who were covering his rally recently in Masvingo.
“Are you not ashamed,” he further questioned.
Tsvangirai highlighted a major setback towards media freedom, let alone media credibility which really need those who see beyond human scope to interpret as the question whether press freedom in Zimbabwe is progressing or regressing remains unmasked to many.
As Zimbabwe celebrates with fellow journalists globally the World Press Freedom Day today (Sunday May 3), many media practitioners have highlighted that the media in Zimbabwe is rather facing a regression than progression especially towards the situation that media houses are closing down and government reluctance in aligning the new constitution to the media laws that have for long been expressed as repressive and draconian.
Moreso, though Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe’s (MMPZ) media credibility index has shown an improvement of balanced and fair coverage, as of the 1 093 stories taken under research, 800 were good though media have been blamed of reportage that are  biased to the interests of the powerful.
The negatives towards press freedom however set aside from the MMPZ research that which states that digital media has advanced media freedom via digital media to a considerable level as they argue that the online platforms have channeled balanced feedback which is not questionable to the gate keeping processes.
In their research report, MMPZ said, “The internet has played a big role in democratizing the access to information and the participation by the Zimbabwean public, particularly ordinary citizens in public debate. The emergence of internet technology has undeniably broken down many boundaries that hinder media freedom in terms of participation
Rather than being limited to a few selected comments on the ‘letters’ pages of newspapers, or commentators on current affairs or phone – in programmes on radio and television, social media does not restrict the number of commentators and rarely limits the number of words one wants to use (with the exception of Twitter, which restricts tweets to 140 characters),” revealed the research.

MISA national chairman Kumbirai Mafunda
Veteran journalist and producer, Tafuma Machakaire said the country is still lagging behind in terms of media freedom though he applauded the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) for bringing more players in the broadcasting fraternity.
“Basing on the current IMPI document, our media is still a lap behind when it comes to media freedom. I therefore urge the government to take the document seriously as it has since been submitted to them from the media practitioners themselves. At this point, the whole media fraternity actually pins their hope on them that necessary recommendations will be taken to improve the media environment from which we operate from.
“I would however want to acknowledge and thank BAZ for granting more licences to radio stations bringing more players to the broadcasting fraternity,” said Machakaire.
The national chairperson for Media Institute for Southern Africa, Kumbirai Mafunda said the state of press freedom in the country is disturbing as he blamed the government for failing to align the laws to the new constitution which saw the survival of the much criticised media laws survive to this time.
“The state of media freedom in Zimbabwe is quite worrying. I say so because government has failed to align the media laws to the new constitution which is a clear point that the environment we operate under as media practitioners in Zimbabwe is still harsh and unfriendly.
This has consequently led to the closure of big players in the print media industry being the Southern Eye and Zimbabwean Mail. Such setbacks which are caused by draconian and restrictive laws further makes the nation’s unemployment rate exceed existing numbers as graduates will continue roam the streets as because jobs will not be readily available. Besides the employment situation, access to information is limited as channels of information decrease by the wake of each day,” said Mafunda.
Meanwhile, UNESCO is running this year’s world press freedom day under the theme, “Let Journalism Thrive! Towards Better Reporting, Gender Equality, and Safety in the Digital Age”.local

Masvingo public hails Youth Forum consultative meeting

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Masvingo public hails Youth Forum consultative meeting
By Moses Ziyambi
Several youths who attended a Youth Forum consultative meeting in Masvingo on Thursday praised the youth group for its commitment to the advancement of young people who remain hardest hit by the current difficult economic conditions in the country.
Held in conjunction with Youth Agenda Trust, an affiliate of Youth Forum, the meeting served as a data-gathering exercise meant to appreciate the situation of youth for efficient policy formulation.
“I am happy that our country still has organisations like Youth Forum who are genuinely concerned with our plight at a time when the problem of unemployment has seen us losing hope. To have somebody who sympathises with you and who is prepared to hear your side of the story is a privilege,” said Mercy Taonezvi who attended the workshop.
Masvingo Residents Trust (MRT) Chairperson, Prosper Tiringindi  commented Youth Forum for engaging young people on all issues that affect them.
“We are happy that Youth Forum has continues to engage the youth on the ground so as to gain an understanding of the socio-economic challenges that they face,” said Tiringindi.
“We however would like to encourage the organisation to map the way forward and take action on all the problems that have been brought forward,” he added.
The youth group’s National Deputy Chairperson, Fadzai Tayengwa said the meeting was part of a series of country-wide data-gathering exercises on youth.
“We are aware that youth in different communities may face different challenges that require unique solutions hence our resolve to do wide field work. This gives us an opportunity to gain practical knowledge that will help in policy formulation,” said Tayengwa.

Godfrey Kurauone Youth Forum Chairperson for Masvingo
Of late, the group has been vocal in youth activism work; lobbying the government to adopt a more friendly national youth policy.
Recently, the organisation also distributed snooker tables to various districts in Masvingo province to be used for income generation by its members.local 
 

Chinamasa begs Western donors to rescue broke govt

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Chinamasa begs Western donors to rescue broke govt
By Moses Ziyambi

MASVINGO- The Minister of Finance and Economic Development Patrick Chinamasa has recently extended his begging bowl to Western donors, contradicting President Robert Mugabe’s pronouncements that his government does not need Western aid.
President Mugabe is fond of attacking Western donor countries, and was quoted late last year saying Zimbabwe does not need Western aid.
“Europe and America, when they give little funding assistance to countries, they always attach conditions, and that is our objection,” he told Guangdong TV on his State visit to China last year.
However at a gathering for the commissioning of rehabilitated sewer and water infrastructure in Masvingo on Friday last week, Chinamasa, who was flanked by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other senior government officials, made passionate pleas to for Western donor aid.
“I appeal to the development partners to scale up their support and I hope that this appeal will not fall on deaf ears,” said Chinamasa.


  VP Mnangagwa chats with Minister Kasukukuwere at Bushemead last Friday

The refurbishment of water and sewer equipment in Masvingo was carried out to the tune of millions of US dollars through Zimfund, an initiative administered by the African Development Bank (AfDB) but entirely bankrolled by such countries as Australia, Britain, Sweden, Norway, German and Denmark.
“I want to say to our development partners, we value their support and the complementary role that they are playing in the restoration of our economy,” Chinamasa said while addressing the co-chair of Zimfund, Lars Ronnas, who is also the current Swedish ambassador to Zimbabwe.
Recently Chinamasa was publicly rebuked by the President for making an ‘unsanctioned’ decision to suspend bonuses for civil servants.
Since its fallout with the West over a decade ago, the government has tried to maintain a brave face, with President Mugabe persistently chiding the West and telling them to keep their money.
“Zimbabwe shall recover by her wits and resources. Zimbabwe will not be saved by any country or organisation, least of all Western,” the president was quoted as saying back in 2010.local
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