…Residents castigate government fire tender decision

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI-Residents have castigated the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing for prioritizing a fire tender to Chiredzi Town Council, which has already made payments for its Fire truck using devolution funds instead of upgrading the town’s water reticulation system.
Acute water shortages continue to be a thorn in flesh for the small sugarcane town dwellers.
Chiredzi Residents and Rate Payers Association (CHIRRA) chairperson Jonathan Muusha said the idea was good but not for Chiredzi as residents face water challenges, which is a constitutional right.
“The purchase of fire tenders by government was good, but not in our situation. Chiredzi Town Council had already procured a fire tender and those funds were now supposed to be channelled towards construction of new water works system at Chiredzi River. The town is fast growing and the demand for water is increasing daily.
“I therefore pray that government hears our plea on water situation, especially in ward 5 which has gone for over 35 years with serious water problems. It pains that women and children are suffering, searching for water and they are sometimes raped, have their property stolen while out there looking for the precious liquid,” said Muusha.
Ward 5 is one of the oldest suburbs in Chiredzi and has gone for many years without water.
Chiredzi Low and Medium Residents Association (CLMRA) chairperson Denford Chikanyau also echoed the same sentiments that water is a constitutional right which should always be prioritized before anything else.
“The water issue should have been the first priority before anything else. Water is a right to the people, water is life. In Chiredzi, one fire tender is enough so prioritizing a fire tender is a disgrace to the residents who have never tasted showers in their houses. I think they should have done some consultations first with the residents on which projects to prioritize first.
“This is a very sad story to see residents lining up at a borehole during the middle of the night and women are at risk of being raped on their way to the borehole. If council still has the chance to reverse this, they must do so. Council should have argued their case before government go ahead and procure fire tenders. Our challenges differ by location, ours is of water,” said Chikanyau.
Chiredzi Town Council Acting chairperson Ropafadzo Makumire also highlighted that the decision by the government is like taking residents for granted as they are supposed to be consulted first on what needs to be done but when the money is availed, it is channelled towards what the minister deems necessary.
“Minister called us at his office where we highlighted what was in urgent need at our local authority to be covered by devolution funds which was mainly water and sanitation issues. After those consultations where residents also indicated that water sewer reticulation was an urgent need, which we also highlighted to be covered in our budget, the minister just points that we need fire engines. So we have taken residents for granted and end up being at war with residents. So this is a national crisis as almost every local authority is complaining about it,” said Makumire.
On June 14, 2022, The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, July Moyo directed local government authorities to purchase fire trucks from Belarus on a government to government agreement, where each rural local authority will get one fire tender while urban local authorities and metropolitans will get two and three respectively at a cost of US$ 464 296 each.
Chiredzi Town Council is being served by Tongaat Hulett’s fire tender to deal with its fire problems and is currently anticipating for delivery of one of their own which they bought using devolution funds together with the recently delivered Refuse Truck, which will be sufficient to serve the small community of Chiredzi.
Residents, though they say the idea is okay, thought it was not a priority for government to force local authorities towards purchasing fire tender rather than upgrading the town’s water supply system.

Lydia Koto

ZAKA- A family from ward 24, Zaka West, was recently left impoverished after their entire household property was reduced to ashes after fire razed down their house.

The family is now appealing for help from well-wishers in form of cash, clothing, food and any other household requirements.

The unfortunate incident occurred on Sunday October 2 during the night when they woke up to find the hut they were sleeping in had caught fire and its source is yet to be established.

Ward 24 councillor Stellah Shambira confirmed the incident to TellZim and said Sarah Mapfekedze and her two children were left without anything to eat and appealed for help on their behalf.

“Mapfekedze’s house was gutted by fire at night and everything inside the house was destroyed. The incident happened when Mapfekedze and her children were sleeping inside. When they woke up the roof was about to fall in and they managed to escape unhurt,” said Shambira.

She went on to say she was making efforts to help Mapfekedze and her family and has since contacted the District Development Coordinator (DDC)’s office, Social Welfare and they hope to get help.

“I called the DDC’s office, the MP and the Social welfare department but we haven’t got anything so far but it is our hope that they will help us. I recently mobilized the community and managed to raise US$ 30 and some pledged to help with maize but that is not enough for the family,” said Shambira.

She also added that the family of five has no proper shelter as they are left with a small and unfinished flat which is not yet properly roofed saying they will be in a serious situation if it rains.

“The family was left with a small and an unfinished flat without floor and its roof has holes and if it rains now they will be in a serious situation.” She added.

Those willing to help can get in touch with the councilor on 0784997289 since the family lost their cellphones in the inferno.

Branton Matondo

Mutare City’s Yeovil and Dangamvura cemeteries have gone under scrutiny following expression of worries by Chikanga and Dangamvura residents at large over the expansion of graveyards towards residential areas.
The graveyard talk was brought to the attention of city fathers from stakeholders during a budget consultation on September 28 at Queens Hall.
A concerned resident of Chikanga phase 1 who spoke during the budget engagements said Yeovil cemetery is extending towards the main road and it is disturbing to note that the distance between the much talked about graveyard and the road is just a stone throw away.
“Yeovil cemetery is extending towards Chikanga residential area and residents from that phase are facing challenges each and every day because it’s not easy to be exposed to funeral sessions and coffins daily at close proximity,” said the resident.
She added that children have become ‘captain imitators’ of funeral sessions and it is a problem on how children bear witness to such traumatic experiences.
“Children have become imitators of everything they see happening at the exposed grave yard. Children have even gone to extent of making up their own little coffins and graveyards when playing and socializing. They even take flowers at graveyards as they try to copy in their plays,” she added.
Speaking to TellZim News, Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Association (MRRA) leader Chief Svosve real name David Mutambirwa commented on the troubling situation and said council’s neglect on securing graveyards is undermining the sacredness of death which should be sacrosanct.
“As a culturist and traditional leader, I totally agree with the residents’ concerns. Death by its nature is a sacred occasion and should be treated as such. It is morally and culturally unacceptable to maliciously expose children and even adults to funeral experiences. Urgent attention should be taken to take this unpalatable experience from Chikanga residents,” said Chief Svosve.
The outspoken heritage guru added that council should prioritize construction of a boundary before the problem goes haywire.
“I recommend the erection of a structure to protect members of the public from the happenings at the cemetery and in future, there’s need to consult residents on any initiative which has an impact on their lives including traditional leadership, churches, and other relevant stakeholders,” he added.
Another resident who was also part of meeting pointed out the need for council to construct ablution facilities at graveyards.
She added that the same situation obtaining at Yeovil cemetery is also being experienced at Dangamvura cemetery though the latter’s situation is much worse.
“Do you know that stray cattle come from nearby places like Dora vandalizing tomb stones and graves? As council, you charge a fee for families to set a tombstone but the challenge is not being addressed. It’s now a menace and we call for council to act quickly,” she said.
Council representatives at the meeting however assured Mutare residents that a budget is already in place with figures amounting to over US$ 5 000 for both graveyards.
They also reassured residents that construction of ablution blocks and placement of security perimeters have also been prioritized in the budget.

Emmanuel Chitsika

Teachers’ unions in Zimbabwe have said the role of educators are supposed to play in transforming the educational sector is far from becoming reality if one is to judge by the situation on the ground.
The remark was made by teacher unions as they joined the rest of the world on October 05 to commemorate World Teachers’ Day under the theme ‘Transformation of education begins with teachers’.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure said the 2022 commemoration comes at a time when the country’s education sector has seen its dignity stripped away.
“This year’s theme speaks to the importance of prioritizing the teacher as the first and crucial step towards transforming education for the better. For us in Zimbabwe, this comes at a critical time when the sector has moved from being the pride of Africa to a source of shame for the country.
“The average teacher in Zimbabwe is severely underpaid and incapacitated to effectively deliver and equip students with quality education. The situation is compounded by the underfunding of the sector in general where learning resources and infrastructure is inadequate to ensure effective learning,” said Masaraure.
He went on to say ARTUZ has since improvised to come up with a sub-theme reflective of the state of affairs in Zimbabwe.
“As ARTUZ, we are advancing a sub theme for this year’s celebrations to state that ‘teachers under siege. Save our education’ as a way of speaking the realities of our country and sector specific challenges,” added Masaraure.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Dr Takavafira Zhou said for Zimbabwean teachers, there is virtually nothing to celebrate as educators are going through a lot of challenges.
“There is nothing to celebrate in Zimbabwe. Teachers are mourning their fall from grace to grass with monotonous regularity. Teachers are underpaid and living in squalor. Despite loss of learning time due to Covid-19, there is very little prioritization of pedagogical diversification and embracing of technology and transformation.
“There is no collective bargaining, social dialogue or seriousness on addressing the legitimate challenges faced by teachers. There is prioritization of retention of power and lack of investment in quality public education,” said Dr Zhou.
Zimbabwe National Teachers Union (Zinatu) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Manuel Nyawo however had no kinds for government saying teachers are commemorating their misery, destitution, neglect, enslavement, slavery and impoverishment coupled with dampened hope.
“The president (Emmerson Mnangagwa) has always said ‘no one must be left behind’ but it pains that teachers are actually and as a matter of fact left behind in salaries, allowances, accommodation and self-sustaining projects. We have a life to live after retirement but sadly our salaries do not speak to that and this goes to apply to all civil servants as we have nothing to show.
“How do we celebrate failure to fend for our children, failure to send our children to school while resorting to buying cheap clothes and foot wear as we can’t to do that in decent shops,” said Nyawo.
Government and teachers have been at logger heads when it comes to the latter’s remuneration which has led to threats to and strikes at times as the employer is reluctant to meet the demands of the employee.

Lydia Koto

Masvingo Teacher’s College Pre-school recently launched career guidance for the Early Childhood Development (ECD) kids at the institution’s pre-school in Rhodene suburb.
Speaking at the launch on September 30, 2022, Pauline Ngirazi who is one of the ECD teachers at Masvingo Teachers Pre-school, said their main thrust of organizing the event is based on the new curriculum which is competence-based education.
She also added that kids should acquire the knowledge of different occupations at a tender age as this will help them in choosing the jobs they want to do when they grow up.
“Our main thrust for organizing the event is to educate the kids basing on new curriculum which is competence-based. Education system in Zimbabwe is now starting from ECD so it is important for the kids to acquire the knowledge of different occupations at a tender age as this will help them in choosing which path to pursue when they grow up,” said Ngirazi.
She appreciated the support they got from parents saying they complied when they were asked to prepare for the day.
All the clothes that the kids were putting on came from their homes. Two parents voluntarily came to give career guidance to the kids.
“We want to thank the parents for their support. We sent newsletters some time ago informing the parents about this day and how they should prepare their kids for the big day. The parents complied. All the uniforms that these kids are wearing today, they brought them from their homes. Two parents also voluntarily came here to give these kids career guidance for free,” said Ngirazi.
The programme was meant to align education practically in line with education 5.0 that promotes the use of new technology and providing more humanized teaching with a focus on student’s social and emotional development as well as solutions that improve life in society.
Learners at the Pre-school came to school wearing different uniforms representing different career paths.
Some of the kids were wearing work suits, some with formal clothes and others with sports attire.

Own correspondent

Masvingo City Council (MCC) has presented a budget proposal estimated at US$ 3.5 for the upcoming 2023 fiscal year.
According to part of the city’s 2022 half-year budget review report presented recently by Acting Finance Director Dannister Jori, the local authority expects the said amount to cater for most if not all of their capital or major projects.
“We expect our capital budget to be an average of US$ 3.5 million. We are requesting for input from residents and stakeholder on their needs based on priority areas and other justifiable needs,” said part of the report.
The report also outlined the key areas to which the budget would be focused on among them water supply infrastructure, sewerage infrastructure, markets upgrading and construction of new markets, public lighting infrastructure, Rujeko secondary school, landfill construction, road maintenance, Mucheke stadium repair, ward development projects and health services.
The upcoming 2023 budget whose consultations are now underway is running under the theme ‘Re-tooling for improved service delivery’ and directs its focus towards the acquisition and construction of critical assets for service delivery.
In the past, Masvingo has faced a host of challenges on the service delivery front among them operating with a depleted fleet that saw garbage in residential areas and even the Central Business District (CBD) going uncollected for days before roping in of vehicles from the Central Mechanical Engineering Department (CMED) to ease the burden.
Water supplies also caused headaches for the authority while liquid waste management was also a major challenge either due to vandalism on key infrastructure or breaking down of old pipes.
Financial challenges also coupled by late disbursement of devolution funds from Treasury have derailed progress of the projects earmarked to be bankrolled by the fund.

…Council bosses accused of awarding tender to own company

Melinda Kusemachibi

Heads are expected to roll Bikita Rural District Council (RDC) following allegations by Bikita Residents Association (BIRRA) that council bosses awarded the local authority’s business to a private entity (Hanyanya Private Limited) they own.
The company is allegedly owned by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Chibhi and Executive Finance Officer Never Mavhuna.
The resident association has since written a petition in which they are complaining over the matter.
However, Chibhi denied allegations that he co-owns the company saying it is wholly owned by Bikita RDC
“The company (Bikita Hanyanya) is owned 100 percent by Bikita RDC. We are interim directors, I, council chairperson, finance committee chairperson, human resources chairperson, the CEO and the executive finance officer and the company has a separate administration system.
“For record sake, the company is 100 percent owned by Bikita RDC. Directors sit to consider reports from the company’s management and feedback to council which owns the company,” said Chibhi.
He went on to say the company was formed to become the commercial vehicle for the council to improve efficiency in its operations.
“Bikita Hanyanya pvt ltd is there to be a commercial vehicle for Bikita RDC. This commercial vehicle will see improved efficiency and effectiveness while the local authority will focus on their mandate of service delivery. This is the practice even by Central government. They outsourced services so that they focus on their key mandate of service delivery.
“Bikita Hanyanya as a private limited company is currently carrying out the clamping function and more other functions. In other local authorities, clamping is done by a private company owned by the local authority. In April 2020, Bikita RDC resolved to form a company (Bikita Hanyanya) meant to be a vehicle for income generation projects. However, due to Covid-19, the company could not be fully operationalized,” added Chibhi.
He also said Section 80 of the Rural District Councils Act chapter 29:13 allows local authorities to run income generating projects where Bikita has two in form of Pambudzi Lodge and Umkondo ranch in Save Conservancy which are run separately from council.
However, in a petition letter dated October 4, 2022 addressed to council management, ministry of local government and copied to Bikita District Development Coordinator (DDC), Police, President’s Office among other government departments, BIRRA expressed dismay and their rejection to the arrangement while at the same time calling for action from the authorities.
“We have noted with great concern and suspicion on the existence and operation of a private company called Bikita Hanyanya at our council. What we have gathered as residents is that the company whose directors are council bosses was formed in 2020 and given the mandate to run operations on behalf of council.
“It is said the company, has already taken over collection of revenue from all council commercial entities that include Pambudzi lodge, Save conservancy and vehicle clamping operations contradicting section 276 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe that clearly states that it is the duty of the local authority to collect public funds not private companies,” read part of the letter.
The letter undersigned by Mark Mutengani (BIRRA spokesperson) and Berlina Sithole (president) went to express fear over continued dripping of council resources at the expense of service delivery as they say Bikita Hanyanya is duplicating roles by council at the expense of residents and villagers.
“Plans are there for the company to act as an employment agent for council starting from 2023 taking over the role of councillors (committee on human resources) and technocrats. We are worried all this is done at the cost (commission) from our council coffers.
“The decision to engage the company to run parallel if not duplication to what council employees are doing was reached at without residents’ knowledge. We strongly suspect the move is meant to siphon and loot resources from council. As residents, we are pretty sure the dubious resolution was reached at during the Covid-19 era, when our councillors were ‘coerced and misrepresented’. If this continues, we foresee a situation where the operations of council that is a public entity being privatised for the benefit of few individuals,” added the letter.
However, Bikita RDC chairperson Benjamin Masakadze said all resident representatives that is BIRRA and Bikita Business Association (BBA) are aware of the Hanyanya’s existence as they were informed in a meeting held on October 4 at council boardroom at Nyika growth point.
“We met with the team from BBA and BIRRA on October 4, 2022 in the council’s boardroom. The operation of Bikita Hanyanya which is 100 percent Bikita Council Income Generating Project was well explained to them. They even gave a green light to its operations,” said Masakadze.
Mutengani however refuted the claims by Masakadze labelling his statements ‘a lie’ as he claims BIRRA never attended the so-called meeting saying their association was never invited to it.
“It’s unfortunate to hear such a lie that BIRRA attended a meeting on October 4 at council boardroom. Setting the record straight, BIRRA was never invited to that meeting. We know that because of unearthing the rot in council that include the vehicle purchase scandal where the chairperson is a beneficiary, they resolved to side line BIRRA at all council meetings.
“Now they are at it again and the chairperson is singing the technocrats’ song instead of siding with residents. We are not deterred by that as we will continue to expose and shame corrupt elements as Bikita residents
“It’s very sad that one entrusted with Bikita resources becomes the chief culprit. It is clear Bikita Hanyanya is owned by council bosses with each having 50 percent shareholding. As BIRRA, we totally reject the engagement and operation of the company at our council. We strongly condemn the daylight looting of resources and this self-enrichment programme disguised as enhancing efficiency,” said Mutengani.
Bikita RDC finance chairperson is Ruwaya Taruvinga, while Sarah Mandiki chairs human resources.