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Disabled woman murdered over food

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Disabled woman murdered over food

Princess Masiiwa

A suspected mentally ill man from Chiitani village under Chief Mupapa in Chiredzi allegedly murdered his disabled sister for refusing to give him a third serving of food.

The incident took place on January 2, 2022 at around 0130 hours when Jonathan Chiitani (27) came home drunk and woke up his sister Esnat Chiitani (35) who was sleeping in the same house with their mother Maria Chekani (50) to serve him food.

Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa said they encourage people living with mentally-challenged relatives to always make sure they do not default on their medications.

“We encourage members of the public that if they have relatives who are suffering from mental challenges not to stop taking their medications,” said Dhewa.

Circumstances are that Esnat complied with Jonathan’s order to be served food, but Jonathan kept on demanding for more after which she served her for the second time.

Jonathan demanded a third serving to which Esnat refused to serve him irking the former who then started shouting before their mother woke up, intervening by taking him to his room.

After their mother left, Jonathan followed Esnat demanding more food and he took a Mopani stick from the granary threatening to beat his sister.

Sensing danger, Maria then instructed Esnat to crawl away from Jonathan.

The accused started beating his sister on the face several times with the stick. Maria then ran to their uncle Jephat Chiitani (50) but when she came back with Jephat and nine other neighbors, she found Esnat bleeding profusely, lying unconsciously on the floor with multiple cuts on the head and they reported the matter to Chikombedzi police station.

Reports were also that sometime in 2013 Jonathan Chiitani reportedly went to South Africa to look for a job but later in 2014 came back home mentally sick.

Maria sought treatment for him from traditional healers and his condition had improved when the unfortunate incident occurred.

Masvingo province starts administering Covid-19 booster shots

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Masvingo province starts administering Covid-19 booster shots

…first and second dose vaccination still in process

Kimberly Kusauka

Masvingo province has started administering Covid-19 booster shots to fully vaccinated individuals following a scare from the new variant Omicron which hit hard the country in the last days of 2021.

Masvingo Provincial Medical Director (PMD) Dr Amadeus Shamhu said they received guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) to give a Covid-19 booster shot to those who are fully vaccinated.

“We received guidelines a week ago to start giving Covid-19 booster shots to fully vaccinated members, so we are starting to receive the doses now and they are available at all vaccination centres,” said Dr Shamhu.

He said they are not yet aware of the number of people coming for the Covid-19 booster shot as they continue focusing on giving first and second doses.

“We are not sure about the turnout because we are still concentrating on first and second doses,” added Dr Shamhu.

Masvingo Covid-19 taskforce spokesperson Rogers Irimayi said they are allowing anyone to get a booster shot at nearer vaccination points and frontline workers are encouraged to get a shot since they are the ones directly involved.

“The situation in the province at the moment is that those who are interested in getting the booster shot can visit their nearest vaccination centres and we are not using any criteria hence, it is open to everyone.

“Many people are receiving their booster shots and we are of course encouraging frontline workers to get their booster shots because they are the people who are at risk,” said Irimayi.

He added that they are still carrying out campaigns but they do not have actual statistics on the people who have received booster shots.

“Campaigns are on, we have not stopped and in terms of turnout, I cannot actually give updated statistics at the moment,” added Irimayi.

As at January 3, 2022 a total number of 4 136 295 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Zimbabwe.

Women more vulnerable to violence, torture during protests

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Women more vulnerable to violence, torture during protests

Kimberly Kusauka

Organised violence and torture in Zimbabwe affect women during protests more than any other civilian, hence they end up not participating in peaceful protests.
This came out during a Zoom meeting organised by the Research Advocacy and Unit (RAU) on the launch of a report on organised violence and torture in dealing with protests in Zimbabwe.
Senior Researcher at RAU Tony Reeler said women are the most affected gender when it comes to protests in Zimbabwe, where they are physically tortured, unlawfully detained and abducted together with their family members.
“From a report on OVT against women, they are abused through unlawful detention, abductions of self or family and they are physically tortured,” said Reeler.
He said that organised violence and torture (OVT) against women is allegedly perpetrated by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) who include Riot Squad, uniformed branch as well as Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
“The perpetrators who take the lead in the harassment of women during protests are police, the Army and politicians.
“It is sad to note that the police and the army are the ones on the forefront of torturing women when they are supposed to be protecting citizens by allowing them freedom to exercise their constitutional rights to protest and demonstrate.
“We focused on women because they join men in protests and their participation is a symbol that the protests or demonstrations will be peaceful since women are not violent in nature,” said Reeler.
He went on to say that the number of people who are willing to protest is decreasing with each year as a demonstration is a sign of hostility in Zimbabwe.
“The right to demonstrate is viewed as being hostile to a certain extent, to be an activist is to be a victim of violence and torture and you take risks of being unlawfully harmed,” said Reeler.
The report recommended that the right to demonstrate and protest must be honoured as well as the right to assembly and association. It also recommended that ZRP should provide protection for citizens during and after protests.

Red Cross donates to heavy rains victims, vulnerable people

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Red Cross donates to heavy rains victims, vulnerable people

Melinda Kusemachibi

The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society recently donated an assortment of goods to vulnerable groups in Bikita ward 18 and 31 under Chief Budzi in Masvingo province as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of those affected by heavy rains last month.
The consignment of 404 tents, 115 blankets, 202 water jerry cans, and 202 mosquito nets were delivered to families who were affected by heavy rains that swept through the district in November this year and other vulnerable families.
Isaac Chiramba whose family benefited from the donation said they are really happy about this donation which was given to them by the Red Cross Society.
“Red Cross helped us as we received a tent, two 20 litre-jerry cans, one blanket, two mosquito nets. As a community we really want to thank Red Cross Society for the help they gave us during this difficult time we were in,” said Chiramba.
The families which were left homeless were given three tents per family.
Bikita District Development Coordinator Bernard Hadzirabwi said that as a district they are grateful Red Cross Society intervened when the district was in a dire situation.
“We are very grateful because of the Red Cross Society intervention towards storm damaged homes in Bikita wards 31 and 18. The tents, water jerry cans and blankets donated by Red Cross Zimbabwe will go a long way in bringing life back to normal,” said Hadzirabwi.
He confirmed that the heavy rains destroyed 88 houses in Bikita district following a hailstorm leaving affected families in a dire situation in need of urgent assistance.
In 2020 Bikita was again one of the districts which were affected by heavy rains which destroyed many schools, while Cyclone Idai the previous year also had some devastating effects in the district.

National Tree Planting Day: An overlooked essentiality

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National Tree Planting Day: An overlooked essentiality

…Chiredzi’s Mopani tree under threat of extinction

Beatific Gumbwanda

With about 62 percent of energy used in Zimbabwe being drawn from wood-based sources, the South-Eastern Lowveld, which is rich in drought-tolerant Mopani trees supplies almost a third of the percentage as tones of firewood and charcoal are being transported to Harare to address the energy challenges currently experienced in the country.
As a result there are calls for geo-engineering and agroforestry which the National Tree Planting Day is trying to address through encouraging citizens to plant more trees.
Government of Zimbabwe introduced the National Tree Planting Day (NTPD) annual commemorations that are done on the first Saturday of every December seeking to encourage every citizen to plant more trees, though the concept is overlooked by most people.
Even the organizers, are not making follow-ups on the growth and maintenance of trees planted on this particular day.
The NTPD is a day that seeks to raise awareness on the importance of trees and forests for socio-economic development, human livelihoods and health, well-being of the environment and its living components.
Addressing stakeholders during the district’s NTPD commemorations at Chiredzi’s Zimbabwe Republic Police Headquarters recently, Forestry Commission Board Member Professor Munashe Shoko highlighted that trees and forests serve as carbon sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide.
“Trees and forests serve as carbon sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide which is a component of greenhouse gases causing the depletion of the ozone layer. The high concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes global warming and exacerbates climate change.
“The effects of climate change are the observable extreme weather events such as cyclones, droughts and floods that we are witnessing in Zimbabwe and the world over,” said Professor Shoko.
He also said there is need for action in as far as agroforestry and reforestation is concerned in order to serve the earth’s surface from the wrath of climate change.
“We also know that trees and forests are a significant sink for the carbon based pollutants, which they can absorb through the process of photosynthesis, hence ridding the atmosphere of the pollution, release oxygen which our bodies require for respiration, and bring about stability in the atmosphere.
“It follows therefore that by increasing forest cover through tree planting and forest conservation, we are capacitating the earth with the ability to reverse the negative climatic forces and bring normalcy, we experience predictable seasons where we can plan our agricultural production with certainty and improve food security,” added professor Shoko.
In the just ended COP26 summit held in Glasgow, more than 100 countries signed a pledge to end deforestation by 2030 as well as overarching goal to keep ‘1.5’ degrees Celsius alive which refers to the global warming limit that the Paris Agreement aspires to.
Scientists are projecting that average surface temperatures have increased by 0.9 degrees Celsius since 1900 with the greatest warming occurring since the 1980’s.
The southern and south eastern parts of the country have the greatest decline of up to 10% for best and worst case scenarios.
Trees are very vital for carbon sequestration, which is the process by which trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen and store carbon, which together with methane constitute some of the greenhouse gases that trap the heat in the atmosphere leading to climate change.
Climate change includes major changes in the temperatures, precipitation or wind patterns, among others, that occur over several decades or longer-leading to global warming.
Southern Zimbabwe will experience greater frequency of severe droughts. Longer and more frequent heat waves are projected to occur in the country, with the South Eastern lowveld experiencing higher temperatures between 40-45 degrees Celsius.
Therefore, there is need to be serious in as far as reforestation and afforestation is concerned in Chiredzi, where huge chunks of trees are being destroyed in order to meet the energy demand in Zimbabwe.

GZU film scoops top award

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GZU film scoops top award

Melinda Kusemachibi

Just a week after winning the 2021 International Red Cross Humanitarian National Moot Competition, Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) hogged the limelight once again after one of its films titled Umshado Wethu was voted the best film at the inaugural edition of the Varsity Film Expo which ran from 6-11 Dec launched by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Bulawayo.
The event was done in partnership with the Film and Television Resources led by Kwanele Hlabangana and Kudzai Chikomo in conjunction with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education.
Vice Chancellor Professor Rungano Zvobgo described GZU’s latest achievement as overwhelming and a testimony to the transformative work and leadership role that GZU is taking in higher education in Zimbabwe.
“I am simply overwhelmed and speechless. These awards are a testimony to the transformative work and leadership role that GZU is taking in Higher education in Zimbabwe. I can congratulate staff, students and leaders of this amazing institution for always leading with never ending humility,” said Prof Zvobgo.
The film written and directed by award winning film and television practitioner, Charles Munganasa and produced by Julia Yule and Shadreck Dzingayi is about the marriage of Robert and Nakai that comes under siege as both cannot cope up with each other’s aspirations.
The three teamed up with students who made up the entire cast and crew.
This is the second film to be produced by GZU after another successful production titled ‘Solo na Mutsai’ in 2016.
More than 10 colleges showcased their productions with Great Zimbabwe University, National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and Midlands State University( MSU) occupying the top three posts respectively.
Speaking at the event President Emmerson Mnangagwa was quoted urging film practitioners to be patriotic and use their talents to tell the true Zimbabwean story, after which he castigated those who are using their skills to diminish the country’s image.

Residents lament council water bills increase

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Residents lament council water bills increase

Fredrick Moyo

Masvingo residents have cried foul over increases on the current water bills that the city council have pegged for the month of December.
Council is alleged to have increased their water charges with around 290 percent, a charge residents claim could have been drawn from the 2022 proposed budget that is yet to be approved.
Masvingo Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) spokesperson Godfrey Mtimba said the move by council is ‘evil and diabolic’ and residents are angry and concerned with the move by council.
“As residents’ representative board, we are actually angry, furious and very much concerned with the way council is handling its affairs.
“A lot of reports have been made at our offices from residents saying they have received huge water bills on their current bills, some ranging between ZW$ 10 00 and 11 000 while some would even rise up to ZW$ 15 000, where they have been paying below ZW$3 000.
“After a bit of analysis we have realised that this might not be a mistake by the council but a deliberate increment in line with their percentage in the 2022 proposed budget, because in the 2022 budget council is proposing to increase service charges by almost 290 percent and so if a resident today receive a ZW$11 000 bill up from ZW$3 000, it means they have effected that proposed percentage without the knowledge of residents and also without even waiting for the government to approve that budget.
“What we know to be normal and procedural is that when they do their budget, they have to send it to the minister and wait for approval in January next year. We are not yet in January, still in 2021 but the rates have skyrocketed and ballooned beyond the reach of many residents,” said Mtimba.
He also said that residents are struggling, facing serious economic challenges in the country hence MURRA is giving council an ultimatum to rectify the current bills so that they come back to the normal rates residents have been paying.
“Remember residents are struggling make ends meet. They are struggling to fend for their families because of the serious economic challenges that our country is facing and we feel that is evil and diabolic for city council to make such a decision without even following the procedure.
“We want to give council an ultimatum to rectify if it is a mistake or a deliberate move they have to rectify and they have to reverse all those bills so that they come back to our normal rates that we have been paying over the past three months.
“This is a serious issue that we are closely following and engaging council from deep down our hearts. It is very serious and we are following this,” said Mtimba.
Contacted for comment Masvingo Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said that he has no comment on the issue.
Masvingo Town Mayor Cllr Collen Maboke denied the allegation that they increased the bills in-line with the 2022 proposed budget, but however said the current charges are in-line with how residents used their water.
“I received those complaints but it is not correct that we made the increment in-line with the 2022 proposed budget. The budget should be approved by the minister first, that is what we are waiting for. The issue of these charges depends on how the people use their water, if they use more obviously the charges will be high.
“If residents think that they have been overcharged they should go to the offices and get assistance. Their problems or queries will be solved there and if there have been mistakes that can be rectified,” said Maboke.
Stakeholders have raised concerns asking for clarity over council’s proposed ZW$160 million furniture and equipment in the 2022 budget after it was allocated the third highest amount on the budget.

Masvingo City shoulders blame on sewer spillage into water bodies

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Masvingo City shoulders blame on sewer spillage into water bodies

Kimberly Kusauka

Masvingo City Council (MCC) has said it is the one to be blamed for disposal of raw sewage into Mucheke and Shagashe rivers that feed into Lake Mutirikwi, Masvingo’s main water source.
The issue was raised in the 2019 Auditor General Mildred Chiri’s report on local authorities where Masvingo was rapped for contaminating water bodies.
Masvingo Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said council is to blame for water pollution where raw sewage will spill into water bodies when pipes are not working.
“In terms of pollution, we ourselves as local authority become the chief culprit. We would dispose raw sewage into water bodies whenever our pipes are not working,” said Eng Mukaratirwa.
He said they have attempted to make sure that pipes are in good condition when they bought equipment, which however wears out quickly and require changes every year.
“We bought new equipment but it wears out quickly and we are changing pipes every year. We are trying to find a lasting solution so that we do not continue discharging sewage into water bodies,” he added.
He said the second source of discharge is sewer blockages by people who intentionally block sewer water to irrigate their gardens.
“We have sewer blockages caused by deliberate vandalism and some caused by normal use of the network. We have seen a number of people deliberately blocking the sewer lines in order for them to irrigate their crops and in the process the sewer turns into water bodies,” said Eng Mukaratirwa.
He said the city council has trained people whom they have equipped with expertise to attend to any blockages.
“We have trained personnel with the help of Environment Management Agency (EMA) whom we have equipped and they will be frequently visiting hotspots so as to minimise vandalism.
“For blockages caused by day to day use of the sewage network, we want to increase the number of reaction teams and correspondently equipping them with right tools so that volumes discharged are minimised,” said Eng Mukaratirwa.
Council is going to make sure that pump stations are efficiently operating, frequent patrols on hotspots and increasing number of teams that repair blockages so as to avoid discharge into water bodies.

SWIFT ploughs back to communities, donates wheelchairs and food hampers

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SWIFT ploughs back to communities, donates wheelchairs and food hampers

Fredrick Moyo

The country’s leading logistics company SWIFT has donated 75 wheelchairs in 12 towns around the country while celebrating its 75th anniversary campaign under their “Together in Motion” campaign, a corporate social responsibility programme.
The campaign, which started in August 2021 at Swift depot will see 75 people who are in need of wheelchairs benefiting from the programme.
Speaking in an interview, Swift Marketing Manager, Lee Gibson said they started brain-storming about how they will celebrate their 75th anniversary after which they came up with the idea of helping the needy for their big milestone.
“We started brain storming on our 75th celebration last year because obviously it was going to be a whole year of celebrating this milestone,” said Gibson.
She also added that they are so much involved in many social activities around the country and they thought that giving back to the community will be a kind gesture to the disabled communities.
“We are so much involved in Corporate Social Responsibility. It is something that we are engaged in every single day, so the greatest gift that we thought we could give back is the gift of Motion, and that is when we thought about giving back to the disabled communities in Zimbabwe and the need is huge.
“They have evaluated to us that 25 000 disabled people in Zimbabwe are in need of wheelchairs. So our 75 is a very small, small target that we managed to distribute, but it is our part and we wanted, we have managed to reach 12 towns to distribute the 75 wheelchairs we have purchased,” added Gibson.
Chief Executive Officer of Unifreight Africa Limited, Swift’s parent company, Rob Kuipers, said that they looked at how they can be agents of motion and started with donating wheelchairs to the disadvantaged communities and he also encouraged other corporates and individuals to join the initiative.
“As a logistics company, enabling movement from point A to B is our highest priority. We looked at how we can be an agent of motion to some of our most disadvantaged community members and started at wheelchairs. We are rallying individuals and corporates to join this initiative across the nation,” said Kuipers.
Public Relations officer and Marketing Director for Unifreight Africa Limited, Kerne Mackie added that the leading logistics company in the country have been involved for many decades in donations.
“SWIFT Transport has been assisting with the distribution of wheelchairs throughout Zimbabwe for many decades, coming to the aid of numerous charities. Having seen the need first-hand as a company, we wanted to contribute and give back to the communities that have always supported us,” added Mackie.
Grace Kamanga, Jairos Jiri’s Resource Mobilisation Executive said that the life of children living with disabilities has been difficult especially in this period of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The need to assist children with disabilities has been heightened in this difficult Covid-19 pandemic era. We had a specific challenge that some of our Grade 1 and Form 4 students had no wheelchairs and the timing of this donation could not have been more precise,” said Kamanga.
Stella Jongwe, a Jairos Jiri student representative who received a wheelchair thanked SWIFT for the kindly gesture and the support they give them in many activities.
“It is heart-warming that Swift continues to support us through many activities. I am particularly elated with the wheelchair gesture as it really makes a huge difference when you have disability,” said Jongwe.
The transport and freight service provider has ploughed back to the community through donating wheelchairs and food hampers to people living with disabilities.

Renco mine musician seeks sponsorship

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Renco mine musician seeks sponsorship

42-year-old Renco mine based gospel musician is looking for a sponsorship package that would enable him to record a new album. Fanuel Masukuse who is visually impaired says lack of funds is hampering his ambition to spread the word of God.
Masukuse said he started composing songs way back in 2004 when he recorded his album titled ‘Vimba NaJehovah’ with Verenga Empire studios in Zvishavane.
“I started composing songs sometime in 2004, but to date have released one album.
“Lack of a sponsorship package is hindering me from recording and releasing more albums, though I have released a single album.
“I have quite a number of songs that I would record if funds permit to do so,” said Masukuse.
He also said he was inspired by spreading the word of God to all generations.
“My main inspiration is spreading the word of God so that people from all walks of life can get to know something about the kingdom of heaven,” he added.
As is synonymous with the economy of the country, his career was not spared by the Covid-19 pandemic as he could not do shows for his 2019 album.
“Covid-19 also affected my album. After its release in 2019, I thought I would do some shows to promote it but that did not work out,” he remarked.
He can also repair doors and radios should he get the tools.
Well-wishers can contact him on 0777 172 803 or 0717820472

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