Tinaani Nyabereka

Gweru City Council on July 13 received a major boost towards improvement of their fleet following the delivery of a new ‘Howo’ tipper truck that was purchased using 2021 devolution funds.
The truck was bought at a cost of US$ 102 660 in Harare.
Speaking during the commissioning of the truck, Gweru council public relations officer Vimbai Chingwaramusee said the truck was going to add to council’s fleet and ease work within the community.
“The truck you are seeing was bought for US$ 102 660 at the prevailing rate of the day in 2021. The trade agreement of the truck between GCC and the supplier was entered into on July 9, 2021,” she said.
Gweru council at one point was at the centre of storm with residents accusing the city fathers of failing to prioritise service delivery matters after purchasing luxurious vehicles for top council management.
By then council had bought a Toyota VX Land Cruiser vehicle for the Town Clerk and two Isuzu KB single cab trucks at the cost of US $ 26 200 and US $ 30 500 while residents experienced severe water shortages in the city of progress.

TellZim reporter

Students at Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) run Morgenster Teachers College staged a flash demonstration on July 15, 2022 around mid-day in protest over fees top-up communicated to them by the institution’s administration.

Students who include two intakes that is Intake 25 (third years from Teaching Practice) and 27 (who are first years who started on May 11) reportedly boycotted everything including classes and food served at the college for lunch.

The development came after the college announced a top up of ZW$ 34 000 or US$ 45 and the students were provoked by the hike which came a week before the college closure scheduled for next week.

One of the disgruntled students (anonymous) said the amount is too much considering where they are coming from and also the fact that they are closing next week.

“At first we were asked to pay ZW $ 55 700 before we topped up with another ZW$ 43 00 plus US$ 20. Now as if that is not enough, the college informed us that we have outstanding balances of ZW$ 34 000 or pay an equivalent of US$ 45.

“What angers most of us is that we are supposed to close next week and such an amount is just too much for our struggling parents and guardians and thus our decision to show college administration that we have had enough of it,” said the student.

Another anonymous student weighed in saying the meal that is served at the college is not commensurate with the fees hikes the college is always imposing on them.

“How can we always have to top up our fees when in the dining hall we are served with two slices of bread?” said the student.

After the protest, college administration is reported to have compromised after students boycotted lunch and revised the figure downwards as a way of convincing them to eat the food.

“At first, the college said the fees structure they are working with is the one approved by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and that is what students even at government run teachers colleges are paying.

“If that is so, why then are they making an about turn after the hunger strike by reducing the new top-up from ZW$ 34 000 or US$ 45 to ZW$ 18 000 or US$ 25?” quizzed the student.

Contacted for comment Morgenster principal Otilia Makura dismissed talk of a strike saying it was just a minor case of misunderstanding which has since been resolved.

“There was never a strike anyway. What really happened is that after we relayed the fees approved by parent ministry, students grumbled as they felt the fees were too high but they knew it was coming before.

“No one informed them that they are closing next week. As an institution, we are guided by government on when to close but after we announced the approved fee hike the students thought closing is the only way to run away. I just received the new fees structure via electronic mail on July 14 and that is when I communicated it to them.

“Initially, students were supposed to have topped up those fees long back but we were waiting for ministerial approval and now that it is here, they must pay that. After all we have a timetable and maximum number of hours that are required by the University of Zimbabwe that offers the diploma and if they can’t meet those hours, they would not have fulfilled requirements for the course,” said Makura.

She went on to lash out on a few rogue elements among the students whom she referred to as ‘products of the patriarchal society’ as being behind influencing others into bad behaviour.

“The ill-behaved students need iron fist men may be they can control them. We have some bad elements among our students who do not even pay school fees but are at the forefront of complaining about the increases.

“After they expressed displeasure, we got some names and referred them to accounts office only to realise that they haven’t paid even a single cent. Our main challenge is that the fees are paid in local currency and we cannot afford to buy the basics like enough food items or even fuel. In other words they do not appreciate our efforts in trying to adjust to economic challenges obtaining in the country,” she added.

The development is one of the major highlights on the plight of students in most if not all of the country’s institutions of higher learning where the struggle to make ends meet has been a major feature.

. . . Company wants to pay US$ 0.40 per square meter instead of US$ 4 offered by council

…Council likely to lose US$5m

TellZim Reporter

MASVINGO – Residents in Masvingo are upset with the recent resolution made by council to offer SIMBI Steel Makers Company about 125 hectares (ha) of land on top of the 65 ha the company already has along the Mashava-Bulawayo highway.
The residents are not only fretting about the big size of the piece of land in question, but also the fact that prices involved are way below the commercial rates other companies or individuals are being charged by council.
Council offered the land at a cost of US$ 4 per square meter before the company wrote to the city fathers requesting to pay US$ 0.40 per square meter. If SIMBI successfully bargains, then council is likely to lose around US$ 5 million which it is supposed to get if the land is sold at US$ 4 per square meter. The deal will also see SIMBI acquiring a total of 190 ha, making it probably the only company with such a huge industrial area in Masvingo.
Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) director Anoziva Muguti said as residents they welcome development but there should be fairness and reasonability when council parcels out land.
“As residents we are not happy by the way council want to handle this 125 ha land deal with SIMBI Steel Makers at such a low price. We welcome investment but cannot accept that land be given to potential investors for a song.
“Council should use commercial rates it uses for other companies or individuals otherwise we would be left thinking that someone within council is benefiting from such a deal,” said Muguti.
Council initially rejected an application by SIMBI on the basis that the land demanded was too big and also the company had not fully developed the 65 ha it already has – to at least 70 percent which would then make it legible to apply for land extension.
Sources at Masvingo city council revealed to TellZim News that councillors have been consistently declining to offer the land but along the way, four councillors then suddenly changed and started pushing for the approval of the deal.
“The application was initially rejected; all councillors were against the deal but along the way four councillors suddenly changed and were for it. Now the issue is the company wants the price reduced from US$ 4 to US$ 0.40 and some councillors are saying we cannot give such a big piece of land at a giveaway price,” said the source.
SIMBI Group Company Secretary Louis Karongoma confirmed the deal but declined to shed more light on the price saying they are still negotiating with council.
“I can confirm the offer but I cannot comment on the cost because we are still negotiating with council,” said Karongoma. Four councillors, Sengerayi Manyanga (Ward 10), Selina Maridza (Ward 1), Wellington Mahwende (Ward 6) and Against Chiteme Ward 8)aresaid to have pushed for the approval of the land deal. It has remained a closed secret how the four councillors suddenly changed their initial position and wanted SIMBI to be offered 125ha on top of the over 60ha it already has. Manyanga confirmed that they pushed the deal before the new CCC councillors were in office.
“This is our deal; we concluded it before the CCC councillors were elected,” said Manyanga.
None of the other councillors were however at liberty to explain why they then changed their initial decision.
Masvingo City Mayor Collen Maboke confirmed the development saying council will not be swayed into charging less than the US$ 4 per square meter it offered to SIMBI.
“We offered them 125 ha at a cost of US$ 4 per square meter, so if they are interested to acquire the piece of land they have to make payments. They negotiated for discount and they want to pay US$ 0.40 but that was declined so our resolution still stands,” said Maboke.
Masvingo City Council Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said residents should not worry much since it is not a done deal yet. Mukaratirwa said they are in the process of engaging two more evaluators; one from the Ministry of Local Government and an independent so that they compare the cost with the one they used that was done by a local real estate company.
“I want to assure residents that council will not give that land for a song. We are engaging two more evaluators because we feel the one who gave us the US$ 4 per square meter might have undervalued the land in question. SIMBI has written to us requesting to pay US$ 0.40 and that was rejected by the councillors,” said Engineer Mukaratirwa.
However, Karongoma strongly believe that the massive projects they want to undertake, if the land deal is concluded, will change the face of Masvingo as well as creating employment.
“We want to set up an integrated plant that will convert raw materials into real steel products. There will also be a cement plant, oxygen plant, water treatment plant and a 43 megawatt power plant and this is the major reason we want big piece of land,” said Karongoma.
Asked further why they did not develop the 65 ha to the expected level before they ask for land extension, he said they were affected by various issues then but now the environment is so enabling and they have since acquired all the equipment that is needed for the projects they want to implement.
“We were affected by the micro-economic environment then but now the environment is very enabling and all the equipment for this project were delivered last year but is lying idle because there is no land. The project will be implemented in phases, but some of the phases are interwoven hence the need for more land.
“When complete, the project will employ over 2000 people, produce finished products such as wire for fencing, nails and other steel products which the country is currently importing. The project will also produce at least 300 000 tons of steel per annum; so these are some of the benefits this project will bring to the city of Masvingo as well as well as generating foreign currency for the country,” Karongoma added.
The issue of SIMBI land deal has divided the city fathers as there are some who allegedly want the company to be given the piece of land even for a song, and some councillors are alleged to be dragging the name of the Minister of Local Government July Moyo in the deal in an attempt to silence those who are against the idea.
Some reliable sources revealed to TellZim News that at one point Maboke recused himself in one of the meetings after a heated argument with fellow councillors who were for the deal.
What has left residents with more questions than answers is the sudden turn by some councillors who were initially against the parcelling of this piece of land to SIMBI as they initially passed a resolution to that effect, raising suspicions of underhanded deals between them and the company.

…hospital in dire state

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI-With the sugarcane farming town being popularized as the economic hub of Masvingo province, Chiredzi General Hospital is in a dire state, with shortages of basic equipment which has seen some women delivering on the ground due to shortage of delivery beds in the maternity wing.
The health institution is a referral centre for more than 30 clinics as well as Chikombedzi Mission Hospital and between 300 and 500 women reportedly deliver their babies there every month.
Human resources is also reported to be low as hospital personnel has been having an exodus to the United Kingdom for greener pastures.
This emerged at a recent service delivery meeting hosted by United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (UCHRRA) at Turf Gardens with various stakeholders in the health sector.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care, which was one of the key stakeholders gave feedback on the cumulative Covid-19 cases, the vaccination status as well as major developmental health issues and challenges being faced by the district.
One of the panelists from the Ministry of Health, a Matron Teukai Badza indicated that though Chiredzi General Hospital is a referral hospital to 31 clinics as well as Chikombedzi Mission Hospital, they only have 35 beds for its maternity wing with five sections including deliveries, which has two beds, neo-natal ward with four beds, post-natal, anti-natal and post-surgical wards.
“It is true that we have limited resources such that women are delivering on the ground because we only have two delivery beds though we have an approximate of 300-500 deliveries per month.
“We also have shortages of human resources. From January this year up to now, we have lost a number of nurses as some are going to the United Kingdom, others to Non-Governmental Organizations. So as residents, let’s put our heads together to make our hospital a hospital of choice,” said Matron Badza.
District Medical Officer (DMO) Doctor Brian Dhlandhlara challenged local corporates and sugarcane farmers to complement government efforts towards the refurbishment of the referral hospital as other towns like Zvishavane and Kadoma where there is an abundance of certain natural resources.
“Kadoma General Hospital is one of the remarkable government hospitals together with the one in Zvishavane due to the involvement of the community in the maintenance process. This is because the towns are rich in gold like ours, which is proclaimed to be the economic hub of the province due to the production of sugarcane. Our hospital is in a sorry state and it is the face of our town which visitors first see before anything else when they visit Chiredzi,” he said.
District Development Coordinator (DDC) Lovemore Chisema indicated that there is need for people to be organized in order to develop the hospital.
“We have various companies idling to help, but they can’t just come and render their help where it might not be necessarily needed, they need to be approached in order to yield intended results. As public officials, we should also be endowed with a spirit to serve our community first before anything else.
“UCHIRRA is only there to remind us of our roles in the community, they are not a nuisance,” said Chisema.

TellZim reporter

Residents representative group Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) has written a letter to Masvingo City Council demanding justification over decision by the latter to rebase tariffs in foreign currency failure to which the former will take the legal route for redress.

In a letter dated July 12, 2022 undersigned by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights through Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners, MURRA instructed council to provide proof on the rebasing which they said is illegal.

“In the circumstances, we are instructed to demand as we hereby do, that you furnish us with proof of any legal basis for rebasing the 2022 tariffs for City of Masvingo, failure of which we have been instructed to institute legal action without further notice to you.

“There is no provision for rebasing of a budget under the said laws. Furthermore, our client instructs that the approved 2022 budget does not contain any provision allowing for rebasing and to that extent, the rebasing of 2022 tariffs has no basis,” read part of the letter.

The letter further highlighted the flaws on part of council in the event they demand payment of rates in foreign currency which they feel is against the law.

“We are further instructed that City of Masvingo has been demanding payment from some of its services strictly in foreign currency despite the clear provisions of the law penalizing refusal to accept Zimbabwean dollar tendered as payment for services.

“We wish to advise that the rebasing of the 2022 tariffs in United States dollars is contrary to the clear provisions of Section 288 of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:03) as read with Section 47 of the Public Finance Management Act,” added part of the letter.

Contacted for comment on the matter on July 14, Masvingo Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa declined receiving the letter despite this publication having in possession a copy with a council stamp dated July 14 acknowledging receipt of the letter.

“I have not seen the letter yet,” said Eng. Mukaratirwa.

Masvingo City Council with immediate effect in June took the decision to rebase tariffs in United States dollars as a way of cushioning revenue from effects of inflation, using January 2022 forex exchange rates, when the council 2022 budget was approved.

The local authority cited expenses on necessities like fuel, water treatment chemicals and equipment spares as the main reason behind the move.