TellZim reporter

There was drama at Chitima flea market on October 31, 2022 as traders clashed with the committee overseeing the trading place with the former accusing the latter of misappropriating funeral bereavement proceeds amounting to US$ 162.
The traders accused the committee chairperson Godfree Mudhumo of deliberately delaying with more than three weeks to disburse funds raised following the death of Panashe Tavengwa whose husband MaxWilliam Chizheve is a trader at the place.
However, Mudhumo refuted the claims which he rubbished as part of cheap politicking against his leadership at the flea markets and said the necessary channel was followed though he was surprised to note that the beneficiaries were declining the bereavement fund after burying their loved one.
“As part of our work, we have policies that we follow if one of our members is affected by an eventuality like death in this case. It only happened that by the time our executive finished collecting the funds, the bereaved family had already gone to the deceased’s resting place and we could not give them the contributed money in time.
“However, all those accusations are part of politics against the executive I lead from some traders with hidden agendas. I am a regular traveller who is always away from the flea market but I had to leave the contributed money with my deputy so that when they come back, they can get it.
“To my surprise I was told that the beneficiaries had rejected the funds asking why they were delayed and only released after the funeral. We then made the necessary communication to address the issue but that is when people gathered. I feel there was nothing amiss on the manner we handled the funds,” said Mudhumo.
Obey Marashwa who is a brother-in-law to Chizheve had a different version of the story as he accused the management of deliberately delaying the disbursement saying it was a plot to frustrate the bereaved and diverting the funds to personal use.
“As the bereaved family, we were surprised that the money collected on October 3 had to be surrendered on October 31 after traders had gathered at a meeting organized by one of the losing candidates in the elections that ushered in Majoni-led executive.
“We felt the executive was trying to frustrate the bereaved family by employing delaying tactics so that the case would die a silent death and the funds diverted elsewhere. The family instructed me to collect the money, but the executive declined insisting Chizheve should collect on his own leading to the flash demonstration by traders who demanded their money back,” said Marashwa.
He also alleged that the executive demanded contributions from traders purportedly to buy sanitizers during the peak of Covid-19 era but they never bought anything since traders were restricted from trading.
Tavengwa is reported to have been buried at their rural home in Bikita.

Beverly Bizeki

The 2022 Mayor’s Christmas cheer fund launched earlier this week saw various businesses in the city donating an assortment of goods towards the cause.
Prominent Masvingo real estate agent Great Zimbabwe Realtors donated various groceries towards the initiative.
Masvingo Junior council team also donated various clothing items and OK Zimbabwe also pledged to donate groceries.
Great Zimbabwe Realtors donated 20 kg rice, 20 kg sugar, 20 kg flour, 24 litres cooking oil, 100 rolls of tissues and 18 kg macaroni.
Masvingo City Mayor Collen Maboke launched the programme at Masvingo Civic Centre on November 2, 2022.
Maboke urged the city to give a hand in this donation to show love to the less privileged especially during the festive season.
“Despite the harsh economic conditions, we can be able to put smiles on the less privileged if we work together in giving what we have,” said Maboke.
Other donations were made in cash with the total amounting to US$ 110 and ZW$ 131 000.
Pledges amounting to ZW$ 230 000 and US$ 10 were also made at the launch.

Tinaani Nyabereka

Gokwe- A man was killed by his brother after confronting him for encroaching into his land while ploughing in an incident that took place on October 31, 2022.
It is alleged that Ruyamuro Matsaukirwa (42) of Matsaukirwa village under Chief Chireya was working on his field when his elder brother man Jongwe Matsaukirwa (49) of same village approached him and asked why he was encroaching into his field.
That led to a misunderstanding between the two which degenerated into a fight.
Jongwe snatched a machete from Ruyamuro and struck him once on the chin.
Ruyamuro however managed to disarm his brother and struck him on the back of the head before he died on the spot.
A report was made to the police and the suspect was arrested and will appear in court this week.
Jongwe’s body was ferried to Gokwe North District Hospital.
Midlands Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko has since appealed to members of the public to respect life.
“The police are urging members to respect sanctity of life. This incident could have been avoided by involving third parties,” he said.
Cases of gruesome murders continue on an upward trend in the Midlands province with machetes, axes and knives being the most used weapons in such killings.

…health fears at Whawha complex, surrounding areas

Tinaani Nyabereka

Gweru-The shutting down of the Whitewaters plant due to motor maintenance has left Whawha Prison, Josiah Tungamirai Air force and Athlone areas without water for close to two weeks, a development which has posed health fears for the residents.
The Whitewater works currently operate under the management of Gweru City Council.
Gweru City Council Public Relations Officer Vimbai Chingwaramusee has since confirmed the development saying work was on-going to bring the situation back to normalcy.
She added that due to resource challenges, it took time for council to procure the spares to replace motor.
“At Whitewaters, the motor is down but our mechanical team is on the ground to repair the motor. We expect the station to be working normally by end of this week.
“Whitewaters affects not only Whawha; but other areas such as Harben Park and Airforce base. Due to financial challenges it took us time to procure the electric motor but we have finally done so.
“On another note, we encourage entities to pay their bills as non-payment of bills cripples service delivery. It now becomes a challenge when they want services yet they don’t pay bills.
“We equally don’t have money for repairs, hence we end up taking revenue from residents to support such entities,” she added.
However, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Midlands Provincial Spokesperson Nevson Tagarira said at Whawha they have resorted to boreholes to access water.
“Yes White waters which is our sole provider of municipality water is down.
“We have already resorted to borehole water for drinking water and management facilitated another provision of clean water from Airforce of Zimbabwe whilst waiting for maintenance at White waters.
“The water issue at Whawha Complex is a small challenge after White Waters failed to provide clean water, but as Whawha we do have a borehole that provides clean water to inmates and the community. To meet the demand, we fetch water from the nearby dam, but that is for cleaning purposes only,” he said.
Despite breakdowns on main pumping water points and pipe bursts, the local authority continues to face a plethora of challenges towards efficient water supply.
The major challenge has greatly been attributed to constant power disconnections by the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company (ZETDC) as a result of an outstanding debt.

… teacher accused of initiating kids

Brighton Chiseva

RENCO MINE – There is a satanism scare in Renco Mine with a number of school pupils reportedly falling into trance, acting strangely.
The children are accusing a female teacher from Mashapa Primary School to have initiated three children who are her neighbours into satanism.
The teacher stays in Renco Mine compound and two of the children are learners at Renco Mine Primary School while the other is doing form 2 at Nyabata High School.
One of the affected pupils’ parents who spoke to TellZim News said the children were narrating spine chilling events of what they do.
“I am always called at school since my child always collapses and starts manifesting. I asked her and she narrated how the teacher initiated her, how she will pick them at night going to Nyabata river, Mutirikwi and other places where they will be eating raw meat and drinking blood,” said the parent.
The parent went on to say they could not believe their children at first but the continued collapsing and manifestations and the chronological manner they narrate the events is so convincing.
The ordeal is alleged to have started when one of the kids went to a local Pentecostal church service in Renco Mine and started manifesting mimicking snake movements.
Her mother was then called to witness what her child was doing and when she came out of the trance, she was then asked what happening, after which she narrated how her neighbour had initiated her into the cult.
Contacted for comment, the teacher in question answered the phone before handing it to his brother who said his sister was innocent.
He went on to say the matter was at the chief’s court and they were ordered to consult traditional and faith healers to establish the truth after the initial consultation yielded unclear results.
“The matter is at the Chief’s court. We went there and we were ordered to consult traditional leaders which we did but the healer we consulted just did some trivial magic. He took a plain bond paper and put charcoal powder on it before ordering my sister to rub it away. When she did, some printed words emerged which said ‘I am a satanist and I initiated children’. That was pure magic and the Chief’s court threw it away and ordered us to start afresh which we are going to do,” he said.
Masvingo District Schools Inspector Ishmael Chigaba said they received a report to that effect from parents and said they will ask the school head to investigate saying as a ministry they will not be involved in consulting traditional healers.
“We received a report to that effect from some parents, so we have since consulted our superiors and we have been asked to let Mashapa school head do some investigations and report back. As a ministry, we are not allowed to order people to consult traditional healers and if they are doing that it’s their own choice and we are not involved as such we cannot work with the outcome of their consultation,” Chigaba said.

… Magistrate slashes ZW$3m initial claim

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI-Magistrate Diana Masiya recently slashed an adultery damage claim by Margaret Chivhiko to ZW$150 000 from the ZW$ 3 000 000 she was claiming from his husband’s alleged lover Sipelile Munandangwa.
Margaret alleged that the respondent (Munandangwa) had been in an extra marital affair with her husband of 30 years Jacob Chivhiko while she was suffering in the rural areas of Zaka.
Margaret who has two children with Jacob cited that she lost comfort, companionship and conjugal rights which motivated her to file summons claiming such a huge amount in adultery damages.
“Plaintiff issued summons against defendant claiming the sum of ZW$ 3 000 000 as adultery damages. Plaintiff is married to Jacob Chivhiko in terms of Marriages Act Chapter 5:11 as it then was and the marriage still subsists. As a result of the adulterous relationship, she has lost comfort, companionship and conjugal privilege,” read part of the judgment.
Margaret further ascertained that Munandagwa came in picture as early as 1992 when her marriage was subsisting and blamed the defendant for her husband’s conjugal dysfunctions.
“To her knowledge, the defendant was her husband’s concubine. She went on to further state that the defendant was already in picture in 1992 when their marriage was subsisting and she is the reason why her husband’s manhood became dysfunctional. She told the court that the defendant is the reason why the plaintiff’s husband stopped coming home in Zaka and taking care of her,” continued the judgment.
However, Munandangwa, who brought Jacob as his witness bears that she became intimate with the plaintiff’s husband who was a single man in 1994, where they married each other and lived for three decades uninterrupted.
She further stated that she always met the plaintiff in Zaka at family gatherings as she learnt that the two had divorced at a Dare which was convened by his alleged brother, John Chebanga.
“It was the defendant’s case that she found Jacob Chivhiko a single man. They were customarily married in 1994 and the union has two children with the eldest being 25 years old. She told this court that she saw the plaintiff at family gatherings at Chivhiko’s rural home. To her knowledge, plaintiff and Chivhiko divorced at a Dare in 1992. She denies being the cause of the dysfunction of Jacob Chivhiko’s manhood, loss of intimacy, comfort and conjugal rights,” said Magistrate Masiya in her judgment.
Magistrate Masiya later gave her ruling basing on the contumelia and consortium.
“Therefore the plaintiff is awarded damages in the sum of ZW$ 150 000 for both loss of contumelia and consortium,” ruled magistrate Masiya.

Courage Dutiro

As the province and the nation continues to grapple with drug and substance abuse, Mustafa Football Club (FC) co-director and Masvingo Urban ward 2 councilor Mayor Collen Maboke has said Mucheke Social League is playing a part in fighting the problem.
Mucheke Social league is made up of 20 teams with Chesvingo FC topping the log table followed by Mustafa FC.
MSL is played during the weekends.
Maboke said Mucheke Social League (MSL) is there to deal with the issue of idleness and boredom among youth in a bid to deal with drug and substance abuse in communities.
“These social leagues are a form of entertainment to both the young and elderly.
“Idleness is one of the reasons behind substance and drug abuse among young people. During weekends, youth spend the whole day playing football, this is done to sway them from drug and substance abuse,” he said.
Maboke challenged communities to join hands and play part in the battle against drug and substance abuse among young and adult people.
On June 27, 2022, during a full Council meeting, Masvingo Urban ward 4 councilor Aleck Tabe said most patients at Ngomahuru Hospital suffer from drug-induced mental illnesses.