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Masvingo TC lands prestigious award

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Masvingo TC lands prestigious award

TellZim Reporter

Masvingo Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa has been rewarded for his hard work by being named the Strategic Leader of the Year 2022 Diamond Winner at the recently held MegaFest Business Awards held on March 30, 2023.
The award was in recognition of work from January to December 2022.
Eng. Mukaratirwa said the award meant a lot to him and Masvingo City Council at large.
“The award means a lot to me as an individual, the Management team and staff at Masvingo City Council and council at large. All the strategies applied in order to achieve this award are as a result of the trust and support of colleagues.
“The award gives us energy to achieve more in terms of service delivery to the citizens of Masvingo City,” said Eng. Mukaratirwa.
Barely a year ago, Eng. Mukaratirwa also scooped another individual accolade at the Chief Executive Officers’ Network awards held in Harare alongside Mayor Collen Maboke, Ashleigh Jinjika the Public Relations Officer and then Finance Director Thandiwe Dube.
Eng. Mukaratirwa has worked tirelessly towards turning the fortunes of the local authority around since assuming the post no later than four years ago on Acting Town Clerk basis with Masvingo City having shone in service delivery issues like health provision through construction of clinics, road maintenance as well as liquid and solid waste management.
Cambria Farm landfill is among one of the projects he has overseen their progress while at the helm of the ancient city of Zimbabwe.
Masvingo has also seen an improvement in terms of water provision though of late, persistent power cuts have seen reduced flow of water to residential areas and even the Central Business District (CBD).

Bocha man calls for help as rare skin cancer troubles him

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Bocha man calls for help as rare skin cancer troubles him

Branton Matondo

MUTARE-Life has been a bitter voyage for one Isaac Dube (35) who was diagnosed with an odd skin cancer that has affected his life socially as well as economically.
Dube who has albinism and resides in Chirasika village in Bocha said life is not getting any better as the belligerent cancer has thrown him in a pit of unimaginable stigmatization.
“This condition started in 2010 but I got treatment and felt better but the situation got worse in 2015 and up to date, I have failed to recover because I am unable to buy the sunscreen lotion, sunglasses and a sunhat for myself as I am unemployed,” said Dube.
Adding to the unfortunate turn of events, Dube said it has not been easy getting a job for the past 12 years citing that in most cases his efforts are pushed under the carpet.
“In 2009 I went to seek employment in Chiadzwa at the diamond mining companies and they all rejected me because of my albinism condition.
“The doctors said that I have skin cancer in 2016. My left eye has become slightly obscured although I am still having sight. The doctors have said that they want to remove the growth lodged inside my left eye before it spreads to the right eye,” he added.
The 35 year old Dube has been surviving on hand outs to finance his medication, with his situation however still heading far south.
Dube’s call is an appeal to the family of Zimbabwe to offer a helping hand so that he gets treatment.
Wellwishers who might have any form of assistance for Isaac Dube can contact him on +263776 168 810.

Hard drugs fuelling heinous crimes as youth form majority of suppliers

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Hard drugs fuelling heinous crimes as youth form majority of suppliers

Emmanuel Chitsika

The continued rise in consumption of hard drugs has seen a sharp rise in commission of heinous crimes in Zimbabwe, a worrisome situation considering how the youthful generation is involved.
Speaking during a three day Inter-ministerial Taskforce on Drug and Substance Abuse training workshop for Matabeleland and Bulawayo provinces at Chevron Hotel in Masvingo from April 1-3, Detective Seargent Netty Kundizeza from CID Drugs and Narcotic section said the development is worrisome and hence the need for stakeholders to play roles in eradication of drug consumption.
“If one looks at the way criminals fight back police officers exchanging fire with them during shoot outs while knowing very well that police are trained to use guns, one would wonder where the courage comes from. They (criminals) do not care because they will be under the influence of drugs notably Crystal Meth
“If you ask armed robbers upon arrests, they will confess being high on those hard drugs. We also have heard of these ritual killings or read about such stories in newspapers and one wonders if a normal human being can perform such an act in sober sense or if that is happening in Zimbabwe. These drugs have are drivers of commission of crime in the country,” said Kundizeza.
She went on call upon all stakeholders to play a part in curbing drug abuse and or even help the consumers as the effects can reach out to non-consumers.
“It is better to avoid shunning these people (who use drugs) because it has become a societal problem where the input of everyone is required. Everyone should get involved because the effects of drug abuse are far reaching even to those who do not abuse them.
“Drugs are affecting us as a nation. Imagine one employing someone who is into drugs, he/she ceases to be productive in any way. Young people are dying at a tender age, let us help them instead of playing the blame game and make sure the welfare of youth is well catered for. Fighting drug abuse is everyone’s responsibility from parents, police and other stakeholders,” she added.
Also presenting at the workshop, another police officer identified as Acting Superintendent Chibaro highlighted how statistics show the huge involvement of youth in drug supply chains.
“From January to date, we have managed to make a total arrest of 1 349 accused persons. From that total, 439 drug suppliers were taken to court while 910 paid fines. 1078 were male while the remaining 271 were women.
“385 of the suspects were above 35 years while those below 35 were 964 forming the majority of drug suppliers arrested. 413 were suppliers while 936 were end users. 13 bases were destroyed during the same period,” said Chibaro.
The blitz also netted 22 kg of Crystal Meth, 3 kg of Cocaine, 442 kg of dagga, 761 plants of dagga, 886 Sultan cough syrup and 1 053 (100 ml) of Broncleer.
The total value of the drugs recovered was ZW$ 53 024 000.
The taskforce is made up of various ministries with Public Service Labour and Social Welfare chairing the committee and financing, Ministry of Health and Child Care focusing on harm reduction, rehabilitation and treatment of drug users while Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage focus on supply reduction, Ministry of Youth Sports Arts and Recreation focuses on drug demand reduction strategies and World Health Organization (WHO) chipping in with intervention and strategies to curb drug and substance abuse.
Recently President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched a fund meant to assist in the fight against drug and substance abuse while at the same calling for stiffer measures on drug and substance abuse criminals.

ZIMCODD demands relinquishing of Angel’s post

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ZIMCODD demands relinquishing of Angel’s post

Perpetua Murungweni

Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) has appealed to the Office of the President and Cabinet to immediately relinquish Ambassador At Large for Europe and the Americas, Uebert Angel of his appointment and revoke all diplomatic privileges pending further investigations over gold smuggling accusations.
In a statement issued on April 5, ZIMCODD indicated that there was need to renounce Angel from his diplomatic privileges because of the ignorance or willful misrepresentation of the same person as being the ‘second in command’ to the governance system, which they say is a breach of national constitution.
“To this end, as ZIMCODD, we are appealing to the Office of the President and Cabinet to immediately relinquish Mr Angel (Uebert) from his appointment and revoke all diplomatic privileges pending further investigations.
“It is very apparent that the individual has misrepresented Zimbabwe as a haven of sanctioned criminality, a contrast to ambassadorial roles. The arrogance and boastfulness of one Uebert Angel in the documentary stating how he can easily smuggle national resources is not only a cause for concern, but a mockery of our national security,” said ZIMCODD statement.
ZIMCODD further calls upon the Office of the President and Cabinet to set up a Special Commission of Inquiry to ascertain guilty and hold all implicated officials accountable.
“The Special Commission of Inquiry must suspend licenses of the implicated pending investigations, be headed by a reputable former Head of State or diplomat and a High Court judge, be independent and empowered to fulfil its mandate, broadcast all its investigations, be given the power to subpoena, consist of at least three reputable Members of Parliament from both the ruling and opposition parties.
“There is also need to collaborate with the same investigations which are being carried out in South Africa for the same cause, so as to triangulate facts and findings, have a running time frame of three months, have the legal authority to access any relevant document, have the authority to freeze properties of the implicated persons and give sound and actionable recommendations,” added the statement.
ZIMCODD also called for the establishment of the special Commission of inquiry will enable Zimbabwe to uncover the gold smuggling and its networks.
“The successful establishment of this Special Commission of Inquiry will enable Zimbabwe to unearth the nitty-gritties of gold smuggling, its networks and implications. The findings will also shape court proceedings in a bid to prosecute and recover all lost revenue,” read the statement.
ZIMCODD also bemoaned how gold smuggling impacts ruthlessly to the socio-economic aspects as many Zimbabweans are living in poverty.
“The most ruthless impact of gold smuggling is that it worsens socio-economic challenges that Zimbabweans are facing by stealing an opportunity to robustly generate revenue to address the same. These social and economic ills being encountered by the citizens include but are not limited to poverty,” added the statement.
Qatar based news network Aljazeera has so far published two of the four part series of gold smuggling in ‘Gold Mafia’ episode 1 and 2 while the other two are yet to be published.
The four-episode documentary series exposes alleged gold smuggling syndicates, Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs), money laundering, corruption, state capture, power dynamics and the abuse of diplomatic immunity and privileges.
The broadcast episodes show that Zimbabwe is losing an average of US$ 500 kgs of gold per week to gold smuggling syndicates who claim to have connections to the highest echelons of power. Key public institutions such as the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and Fidelity Printers and Refiners who are custodians of gold production and exportation are all implicated.

Inaugural Miss Independence Chiredzi on cards

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Inaugural Miss Independence Chiredzi on cards

TellZim Reporter

Chiredzi town is set to witness the inaugural Miss Independence Chiredzi beauty pageant which is scheduled for Madokero Gardens on April 15, 2023.
The organiser of the event Faith Mazana of ENDLESS BRAND-A Brand of Faith said the event is open to contestants between 16 and 28 years old.
“Registration is free of charge and the competition is open to people between the ages of 16 to 28, closing date for registration is April 10, 2023.
“The competition will be open only to residents of Chiredzi,” said Mazana.
She also said the event will run under the theme ‘Origin’.
“Theme is ‘origin’-origin is the beginning or the birth of something new. I was born and bred in Chiredzi, so this year a silent partner of the Brand approached me with the support of the community and they requested me to host Miss Chiredzi Independence as a fresh start,” she said.
In February, Endless Brand organised a successful Valentine’s dinner which was held at Flamboyant Hotel in Masvingo City and the event gave the merrymakers in Masvingo City the opportunity to mingle with artist Trevor Dongo.
Mazana promised fireworks in the sugar cane farming area and an ecstatic moment during the event which no one should miss.
DJs on the deck include Empress T, Blakka, and Journalist Vanoyera and a 360 photo booth will be in place.

CCC goes for complete overhaul in Masvingo

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CCC goes for complete overhaul in Masvingo

…all sitting councilors face chop
…Mureri beats Maboke in Masvingo Urban race

Brighton Chiseva

MASVINGO – Though there are reports of violence across the country, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party successfully completed its first stage of the long process of candidate selection for the 2023 harmonized elections in Masvingo which is likely to result in a complete overhaul as all sitting councilors seem to have lost grip.
Though the process was done peacefully and secretly in Masvingo, as the party is hiding information about the nominations, investigations by this publication reveals that all the 10 wards that falls under Masvingo City nominated Advocate Nelson Chamisa as the Presidential Candidate and five nominations were made for Masvingo Urban Seat.
Advocate Martin Mureri garnered seven nominations, which means he was nominated in all seven wards that form Masvingo Urban constituency after delimitation. Fellow lawyer and Masvingo City Mayor Collen Maboke got four nominations.
Other aspirants Sam Chapfudza and Gibson Murinye got one nomination each while another aspirant Kingsley Sibanda failed to get a single nomination.
If the number of nominations is anything to go by, Mureri, who stood in 2018 and lost to Zanu PF’s Against Chiteme in ward 8, is likely to get a chance to represent the party.
Mureri contested for ward 8 council seat in 2018 and lost to Zanu PF’s Against Chiteme. He is a human rights lawyer who has been representing party members facing politically motivated arrests.
Mureri has been loyal to the party and the president and he is likely to pass the second stage of vetting where they are said to be looking for integrity. In terms of morality, Mureri has no known bad record and that can work to his advantage.
He is also reported to be the party president Nelson Chamisa’s favorite.
On the other hand, Maboke a popular lawyer with Ruvengo and Maboke law firm is the current Masvingo City Mayor, a shrewd politician who snatched the mayoral seat in council on the ninth hour from the party President Nelson Chamisa’s favorite and then ward 4 councilor Godfrey Kurauone who had come with an acceptance speech on the Election Day.
While that can work to his advantage, it can also be a disadvantage since his loyalty to the party will be questioned. Chamisa is said to be determined to surround himself with loyalists and Maboke’s defiance of Chamisa’s directives could be his undoing.
He is also alleged to be still loyal to MDC-Alliance leader Douglas Mwonzora since he has never been seen in public wearing yellow.
He is also accused of failing to confront Zanu PF on some decisions in council with the recent incident being the official opening of a council clinic which was opened by Zanu PF under his watch. Though he had vowed to make sure they will do another official reopening, nothing has materialized so far.
In local authorities, ward 1 sitting councilor Alderman Sellina Maridza garnered more nominations ahead of others. Others who were nominated include Challenge Musara, Rungamayi Muzenda, Justin Paradza, Energy Bara, Edie Maruta, Bwanyali Mostaf, Henry Musadaidzwa and Lokhanyiso Ndlovu.
However, Maridza could fail the second stage as people are calling for new faces at the Town House. She has popularity in the ward but her level of education could work against her as well.
In ward 2, Advocate Frank Chirairo and ward 3 sitting councilor Rocky Kamuzonda who was moved to ward 2 because of the delimitation exercise had almost equal number of nominations.
However, Rocky’s chances are slim. Owing to his alleged links to Zanu PF, his integrity would be questioned. He is also being questioned after driving a top range vehicle barely five months after his election.
Other nominees are Linnet Sibanda and Anotida Chiwara.
In ward 3, Maxwell Manduna, one Nyama, Vaida Magomo and Killnorne Gumbo were nominated and Manduna got more votes ahead of others.
In ward 4, sitting councilor Alec Tabe is said to have lost on nominations to Sekwidzai Shayamano. Shayamano has an advantage of being a woman and is a new contestant.
On the other hand Tabe is one of the few councilors who managed to put his ward development fund to good use, having drilled a borehole in KMP. He is also charismatic and talks sense in council chambers.
Other contestants who got nominations are Fidelis Tonhodzai Makumbinde and Vengai Musara.
In ward 5, sitting councilor Daniel Mberikunashe is alleged to have gotten more nominations ahead of Hardwork Mugota, Alexio Mupfugami, Munyaradzi Mhlanga and Admire Mufamba.
Mberi is nephew to Chamisa and that could work to his advantage. However, his major undoing is that he has been in council for two terms. He also scored very little just like his fellow CCC councilors when they were rated by a local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Cotrad.
In ward 6, Peter Mapulanga had more nominations than former provincial member Wilstaff Sitemere who once contested Masvingo North Parliamentary seat and is said to have garnered seven nominations and another nominee Regina Chivanga who is said to have gotten a few nominations.
In ward 7, Struggle Nyahunda could win the contest as he is said to be leading by a bigger margin ahead of Tafara Masimba, Prosper Tingirindi a renowned activist and Chrispen Makuvaza.
Jonah Wakurawarerwa could represent ward 8 if nominations are anything to go by. He got more nominations ahead of ward 7 sitting councilor Richard Musekiwa. There is also Advocate Oman Mafa and Sam Mpofu
Wakurawarerwa manages the party’s provincial Social Media platforms and is said to be a hard worker when it comes to party business. He is said to have offered transport to a number of first time voters in Masvingo.
Musekiwa’s undoing is that he has been in council for two terms and over the period he has amassed a number of properties which people say he thinks of himself ahead of the electorate. He now have a fleet of vehicles, houses and shops in Masvingo. He also had low marks from Cotrad rankings.
In ward 9, sitting councillor Babylon Beta stepped down leaving Thomas Mbetu with an upper hand. Mbetu gannered seven nominations ahead of Bernad Muchokwa and Paul Rimai.
Mbetu is the darling of the people having worked with resident associations like Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA).
Benic Muchokwa is a pirate taxi driver who plies Masvingo Rhodene route and that makes him a bit popular with residents. However, he moved recently from ward 3 where he grew up and is renting in the leafy suburb.
In ward 10, Allan Moyo is likely to go it alone as he went uncontested. Moyo is believed to be an equal match for Zanu PF’s Sengerayi Manyanga who is seeking a second term. However, he could be facing an uphill task since the seat has been won by Zanu PF since time immemorial since it houses Zimbabwe National Army’s 4 infantry brigade.
taking to his twitter handle @nelsonchamisa, the party president said the Citizens Candidates Selection Panel will anounce the list of all nominated candidates in constituencies and wards on Tuesday April 11.

Mapombi’s 2023 Easter Prayer

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Mapombi’s 2023 Easter Prayer

Let me start by wishing every one of you my avid readers a blessed Easter holiday and hopefully you will enjoy it. To those on religious journeys, pliz pray for this beloved motherland especially now that we are in the election mode, there is need for telling the Creator that we need peace. Safe practices during the duration of this holiday are every person’s responsibility and on the roads, human carnage should be a thing of the past. Drink responsibly and remember that it’s Jesus who died and resurrected, iwe ukafa haumuke.
It’s yet another sad Easter Ladies and gentlemen, if we were not celebrating the death and rise of our saviour, I would have appealed for the postponement of this holiday. Chete the guys from Qatari News television Aljazeera dropped another bombshell on the plundering of Zimbabwean resources by the Gold Mafia in Zimbabwe so people have something to talk about even at church conferences kkk. KuMbungo chaiko izvezvi ingori nyaya yegoridhe, regai nditi dhee, I just heard it from my quarters here at Chitima Market. It’s threatening the health and lives of varume vakuru who survived hondo yeChimurenga shuwa. I once spoke of myself not having a gadget that will enable me to get first-hand information and I hope my fans will do a go fund me to buy me a cell phone, inga Chamisa makamuitira wani. Iyo yakazodiiko mota iya kkkk. But believe you me, the documentary yashaker shaker vanhu kusvika kuShake Shake building along Rotten Row Drive and there is some reported movement in the corridors of power though I am worried about the ‘catch and release’ game that has become a common feature and occurrence on the Zimbabwean landscape. Now I am told the Financial Intelligence Unit has moved in to deal with the matter, kkkkk kutungana kwembudzi chaiko, where was this establishment all along only to act now as if the case is novel to them?
This has forced me to make this special prayer as we go for the holiday kudai. So close your eyes as I am about to pray and imi vekuRoma itai yamunosingoita I know you don’t close your eyes. I pray for the release of Job Sikhala who has already missed the nomination process though anga agarisawo ari MP. I pray to God to deal with all those involved in his unlawful incarceration accordingly. I pray for peaceful elections in August and I pray that all who are fond of violence be deleted before the elections come because no one should die or suffer because of a one day event. I pray for all those involved in our suffering to meet their fate at the hands of the Almighty. I pray to God to deal with the Gold Mafias and give teeth to Zacc and the prosecuting authorities. I pray for mild winter this year so that I survive up to election time and see if there is change
I pray for our own bank RBZ which claim to act now when in actual fact its own establishment Fidelity Printers is fingered as the biggest player in the whole act of smuggling and money laundering. I pray they that they people see kuti dismissing Airport staff is just gimmick and the real culprits are still free. I pray for this FIU which all along has lain dormant to be able to question this Mbavhassador at Large. I pray that the nation is not being fooled as we are likely to see another catch and release game for the web is meant for smaller animals and insects and not the bigger animals. I pray that Chidodo, Chirozvi, Dube and Kunaka won’t be just this 2023 Easter holiday’s sacrificial lambs while the likes of Henrietta are untouchable semuzukuru waPresident. I pray for leaders to tell us why they said this documentary is a Western plot timeously targeting the 2023 elections, and why they are now if there is no substance to this documentary.I pray that all the US$240 that is being alleged to have been stored by the Croc for elections be stolen or imunywe zvayo nemujuru, this time we need a free and fair election.
I pray for a peaceful contest in the City of Kings where I am told battle lines are being drawn after CCC on Wednesday did their nomination processes to select candidates for the harmonized elections and the crazy professor of incompetence Mutuvi Ncube will square off with Pengaudzoke Thoko Khupe in Cowdray Park parliamentary seat. It’s an interesting battle, but can I call it battle of Titans? No because the two are not that powerful and command no charisma to attract followers. I know Thoko anogona kudya because of the protest vote by the urban electorate because she has lost the popularity she once had in opposition ranks paakatanga kutamba naScarfomore. I pray for people to punish Crazy Mthuli who is busy promising people Wifi, what nonsense is that?. He seem to think that people Google food or school fees. Like I told you countless times, he is a professor of incompetence mukaramba. I am sure people in Bulawayo won’t betray us paFinal as the people from Muzarabani did pana Soda paya during primaries. Hapanawo chozikanwa and this time he will lose to Thokozane but muZanu everything is possible, he can just be re-appointed minister with no parliamentary seat to justify such.
I pray for people vekuYellow C to understand things quickly sevanhu vakaenda kuchikoro, i am told the process of selecting candidates is even confusing some involved in the processes. The nominated candidates have now gone for further scrutiny by the CCC’s own Politburo but hopefully maResults haazobudi ari zvipenga zvipenga like what happened kuZanu, Amen
Before I go kunokanga maputi angu for lunch, its Easter so let me end this with a biblical verse. I want to urge the wives of these guys who are stealing our Gold and those oppressing the poor Zimbabweans to go and read Amos 4:1, your time shall come. Regai zvangu ndinokanga mhandire dzangu ndigowana kumwa mvura zvakanaka
Mboko imboko!!!

Bullish South Africa dominates medals podium at Troutbeck 2023

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Branton Matondo

A chipper South African side proved too good at this year’s edition of Bonaqua African Triathlon Cup at Troutbeck resort as host Zimbabwe failed to appear on the medals podium in all three age groups.
The much anticipated Bonaqua African Triathlon Cup which took place this past Saturday at Troutbeck resort in Nyanga was yet another South African showdown while Zimbabwe botched any medal.
South Africa, which has been a triathlon masterpiece for the past years, took charge of the junior men, women and elite women groups.
South African Olympic regular Shanae Williams who scooped Gold in the elite women group said the race was tough but credited the biking section for her victory.
“Honestly it was one of the toughest courses that I have done so far. I was really happy that I came out first. Barbra and I managed to work together in the bike section and we managed to break together. I also managed to create some distance in the run and won. Barbra and I have been training together for the past months so it has been really nice to race together and just push together,” said Williams.
Williams who came second in last year’s edition of Bonaqua African Triathlon Cup admitted that Troutbeck course is very hard to work with.
“It’s a really hard course but l am really happy to take the win especially coming from another tournament in New Zealand. The course is really tough and it freely tests you. I am going to get into a solid training block in the coming weeks. I am doing super league next week in London which I’m really excited about and then after that I’m going to train more for WTCS in Yokohama,” added Williams.
Best placed Zimbabwean Anje Van As who participated in the junior women race said the race wasn’t her best.
“I was hoping to be in top five but I’m happy that I finished the race. My race wasn’t the best that I’ve had because I was struggling on the run but I guess we have to move forward and work towards improving everything. Considering how good my competitors are, I’m quite happy with the result. The run was mentally challenging, you just have to dig deep and go a place that you never thought you would go mentally. Mentally I was actually struggling but I realized that I was representing my country so I had to finish,” said As.
Nicole Madya and Inkosinomusa Mthethwa had to pull out of the event.
Winners from the elite group are James Edgar (Gold/Ireland), Dylan Nortje (Silver /South Africa), Jorge Alarcon Familiar (Bronze /Mexico). Elite women winners were Shanae Williams (Gold /South Africa), Barbara De Koning (Silver /Netherands) Romana Gajdosova (Bronze /Slovakia). In the junior men section, winners were Shaun Wolfaardt (Gold /South Africa), Nathan Foster (Silver /South Africa), Kyle Erskine (Bronze /South Africa). From the junior women groups Kadence Ribbink (South Africa) got gold, Lome Gouws (South Africa) took silver while Mia Van Der Veen (South Africa) settled for bronze.

Inconsistent Central Bank Policymaking is Driving Forex Market Instability

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By Zvikomborero Sibanda

Policy inconsistency is one of the major factors affecting Zimbabwe’s economic performance since the attainment of independence in 1980. From the monetary front, policy consistency is key to building the resilience of the financial system and the public’s confidence in the banking sector.
This requires the monetary authority, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), to adhere to its prior commitments or abide by its policy pronouncements. Lack thereof results in an economy making financial decisions that are ultimately based on speculation.
For the RBZ, inconsistencies have become more pronounced post-full dollarization period (2009-2018). In 2019, the government embarked on currency reforms which led to the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar (ZWL).
Starting in February 2019, RBZ dumped the fixed exchange rate regime and introduced the RTGS dollar comprised of electronic balances, bond notes, and coins. On the first day of official trading, the RTGS dollar was going for RTGS/USD 2.5. However, by June 2019, the RTGS dollar had lost about 62% of its value, trading at RTGS/USD 6.6. In alternative markets, the local unit had lost about 61% from an average of RTGS/USD 3.3 to RTGS/USD 8.5.
The massive RTGS dollar deterioration led the finance minister, Prof. Mthuli Ncube, to introduce a full-fledged local currency overnight. This was done through the promulgation of statutory instrument 142 of 2019 (SI 2019-142) which made the ZWL (formerly RTGS dollar) the sole legal tender for all transactions in Zimbabwe.
Since no meaningful economic reforms were implemented to support the de-dollarization of the economy, authorities resorted to the use of force. According to the RBZ, this strategy was working as financial dollarization began to decline.
In 2020, the Bank confirmed that de-dollarization was on track emphasizing that it could take about five (5) years to fully de-dollarize the economy. The RBZ statistics revealed that the proportion of foreign currency (forex) deposits to the total money supply declined to 37% in 2019 while forex loans to total banking sector loans and advances fell to 22%.
Buoyed by the foregoing metrics, the Bank announced that the country was on the right trajectory to de-dollarization. But a few months later, forced de-dollarization began to backfire.
Between June 2019 and February 2020, the local unit shed 63% of its value against the US dollar in the official markets from ZWL/USD 6.6 to ZWL/USD 17.95. In the parallel market, ZWL shaved 78% of its value from an average of ZWL/USD 8.5 to ZWL/USD 38.
In March 2020, the Bank switched back to a fixed exchange rate regime, fixing at ZWL/USD 25, and also allowed the use of US dollars as legal tender under the guise of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the official rate was fixed for three (3) months, the ZWL lost about 53% of its value in the alternative markets. With businesses indexing ZWL prices to parallel rates to reduce exchange losses, price inflation wreaked havoc.
In June 2020, the Bank introduced another exchange rate management mechanism -the Dutch Forex Auction System. This system coupled with sustainable ZWL liquidity growth and fiscal discipline by the Treasury had managed to clamp parallel market exchange rate deterioration thereby reducing inflationary pressures. However, after six (6) months the Bank’s quasi-fiscal operations (QFOs) regained momentum and started to destabilize exchange markets.
Fast forward to 2022, ZWL deterioration and price inflation remained highly elevated. Between January 2022 and May 2022, ZWL lost about 56% of its value against the US dollar in alternative markets from ZWL/USD 220 to 500. This forced the government to announce vast measures to boost confidence and macroeconomic stability.
These measures included the entrenchment of a multicurrency regime into law and tax increases on electronic USD transactions and USD cash withdrawals to stabilize and increase the use of local currency. In all these policy maneuvers, authorities maintained that Zimbabwe was undergoing de-dollarization reform.
However, barely two (2) years after the February 2020 monetary policy statement by the Bank and the May 2022 measures by the government, the economy has rapidly re-dollarized. For instance, the 2023 monetary policy statement disclosed that about 64% of total banking sector deposits in 2022 were made up of forex accounts (FCAs).
Also, ZimStat’s classification of individual consumption according to the purpose (COICOP) survey undertaken in 2022 established that about 78% of transactions were conducted in forex. In addition, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) surveys indicated that about 60% of local companies’ forex was generated from domestic forex sales in 2022. All these metrics show that Zimbabwe is gravitating toward full dollarization.
Many sectors of the economy such as fuel, petroleum products, and housing are now exclusively dealing in forex. Private sector companies are charging exorbitant ZWL prices benchmarked at parallel market exchange rates and awarding discounts to USD sales as strategies to encourage USD transactions. Government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) are also gradually dollarizing their services while Treasury is embracing more USD taxes.
As all economic agents are busy chasing the stable USD, it is the local currency that disproportionately suffers as it gets dumped into the market. This explains why the ZWL exchange rate continues to plunge against the USD.
Last year, the local unit shaved about 84.1% of its value against the USD in the official interbank market from ZWL/USD 108.67 in December 2021 to close December 2022 at ZWL/USD 684.33. Since the start of 2023 to date, the local unit has lost about 25% of its value against the USD in official markets. The unending ZWL decline will continue fuelling the dollarization of the economy.
Cognizant of the foregoing, authorities have now modified their official position. Recently, the central bank through its Governor indicated that it is happy with partial dollarization – a mix of USDs and ZWLs (We will evaluate partial dollarization on another day).
The Bank’s support for partial rather than full dollarization is informed by the costs associated with the latter such as loss of ability to print money (seigniorage revenues) to support and manage general economic activity.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if the Bank will be able to avoid full dollarization (financial and transactional) at a time it envisages the use of US dollars as part of legal tender for the rest of the National Development Strategy (NDS) period.
History shows that de-dollarization only occurs when authorities implement prudent market-driven policies and reforms. Recently, the Treasury announced a reform agenda -economic, governance, and land tenure reforms. It is currently engaging its creditors and development partners to reach a consensus on an arrears clearance framework and debt resolution – a welcome development.
If strictly implemented, these reforms will play a crucial role in reopening blocked concessional external credit lines and overseas development assistance, mesmerizing foreign investors, thwarting structural rigidities which are subduing market competition and innovation, boosting local production and productivity as well as increasing market confidence in the ZWL. This is key if Zimbabwe is to successfully de-dollarize its economy.
While authorities have displayed varying de-dollarization positions since the promulgation of SI 142 of 2019 which shows inconsistent policy-making, rapid re-dollarization being experienced in the economy was inevitable.
This was due to perpetual ZWL fragility and incessant ZWL price growth largely emanating from the prevailing fragile political environment, embrace of command economics, corruption, impunity, fiscal indiscipline, poor exchange rate management, weak oversight institutions, illicit financial flows, and poor social protection.
As such, there is a need for increased political will to rebuke the status quo and implement necessary reforms to redress the aforementioned challenges.

Zvikomborero Sibanda is an economic analyst and an astute researcher. He writes in his personal capacity. He can be contacted via email:

bravosibanda@gmail.com
Twitter: @bravon96

Fish industry workers incapacitated-FFAWUZ

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Fish industry workers incapacitated-FFAWUZ

Fredrick Moyo

Fish industry workers are incapacitated as they are facing a number of difficulties among them non-payment of wages, low wages and also high inflation just like any other Zimbabwean, a workers union has said.
The Federation of Food and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe (FFAWUZ) General Secretary and The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) First Deputy Secretary General Runesu Dzimiri made the remark in Iceland where he presented on issues affecting workers in Seafood industry under the theme: Claiming workers’ Rights: Fighting for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Speaking at the event Dzimiri said fish industry workers are suffering to make ends meet as they are affected by poor protective clothing; low wages compared way below the Poverty Datum Line (PDL), inflation and also casualization of labour.
“Workers in the industry, just like any other Zimbabwean are suffering from high inflation (230percent by January 2023); low wages compared to the Poverty Datum Line; casualization of labour, job insecurity, victimisation for blog to a political party of their choice, lack of maternity leave and benefits; sexual harassment; lack of proper and adequate sanitary facilities and protective clothing; lack of training on Occupational Safety and Health (OSHE),” said Dzimiri.
He also added that workers are also going for several months without receiving their monthly salaries.
“Another major challenge facing workers is the non-payment of wages. Some workers go for several months without being paid,” added Dzimiri.
The fish industry in Zimbabwe falls under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.
The Fisheries department is mandated to carry out research on sustainable fresh water tilapia fish species production, nutrition, health, and conservation of indigenous species.
According to official statistics, Zimbabwe’s fish output averages 18,400 tonnes every year, yet demand is estimated at 60,000 tonnes yearly and the biggest fish processing company in Zimbabwe is Lake Harvest in which FFAWUZ have got 150 members (45 men, 95 women) at Lake harvest processing department.

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