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Well done VP Mohadi

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Well done VP Mohadi

Ichasvika
nguva yekuti kana usina kubaiwa hauverengi Mapombi kkkkk. What a week it has
been. People are being jabbed and others fear the unknown but I do not blame
both parties. Vanoda kubaiwa baiwai and vasingadi please regai. This
vaccination roll out is not compulsory but voluntary but the million dollar
question is how voluntary is voluntary? There is nothing voluntary about it at
all. President Dambudzo, a real dambudzo as his name suggests, let the cat out
of the bag when he said there will come a time when those who refuse
vaccination would not be allowed to access some services like getting jobs or
boarding Zupco buses. Where is the voluntary in all this nhai Cde President?
You are already threatening our people.

Besides,
keep your jobs because isu vana Mapombi takutosvika retirement age tisina kana
kumbobata pay slip. Imagine the hopes and dreams I had growing up ndichiti
pandinosvika 25 kkkk I think nyaya yacho maibata. You will not force us to be
vaccinated with those petty threats Cde President. Keep your Zupcos and we will
keep our Zumbani and Mufandichimuka. By the way, was ED jabbed? The President
should have been the first person to take the Chinese vaccine so that we would
have confidence in it. ED does not even trust this vaccine that is why we have
not heard anything about him getting vaccinated. So unoda kuti mwana waani
abaiwe iwe usina. Please dear readers let us be careful before we make
decisions which have a bearing on how we live the rest of our lives. We all
live miserable lives after all saka kusiri kufa ndekupi kkkk jekiseni kumunhu.

I hear
our listening President has lifted the lockdown. Mapurisa muriko here uko.
These men and women never repent shuwa. The Chihuri syndrome yanga yatorova on
these so called roadblocks and checkpoints. Yanga yongova torai mari united. Please
Cde President we do not want to see the police on our roads. These guys are
poorly remunerated and corruption is the only way for them to make ends meet.
They made a killing during this lockdown but chingaperi chinoshura. Ndakaona
kamweya kacho kaRigiyoni kanga kaita spill over to the coup boys. Hanzi
ukaravidza chembere muto wegwaya inofira mudziva kkkk. The military was joining
to corruption brigade on these road blocks and our people were being fleeced of
their hard earned money. The Nyanda check point was a cash cow for many
officers. Those who did not buy cars or residential stands vane shavi renhamo
or mari dzakaperera muchihure kkkk.

Chihure
chinogona kusunungura nyika ichi kkkk. Mapombi is not against chihure but my
advice to all men and women out there is that please do so muchihwande because
the moment the cat is let out from the bag you will resign from your friends,
families and jobs. I want to applaud VP Mohadi for taking a bold step and doing
the right thing of resigning from the office of the Vice Presidency? It was the
right thing to do and I hope others will follow the same footsteps. Themba
Mliswa uriko here uko kkkk bhuru reNorton. The precedence set by Mohadi could
be what we have all been waiting for. To be honest I never thought Mohadi would
resign especially considering the kind of boss he has. When the story first
broke out, everyone thought that it was the end of Mohadi but the expected
happen. You know this strategy of deny deny deny has a limit. When Mohadi said
he was being framed and or his voice was cloned, I realized kuti baba iyi
hapana kwairi kuenda.

There
was no voice cloning paya. Mohadi dzaicheka madzimai evanhu and that was a
fact. Some people are joking on social media hanzi the VP chose to resign than
give up on chihure kkkkk. Please dear readers let us not joke about this
serious issue. We are talking about the future of our beloved country. At least
VP Mohadi had the decency to save his face by stepping down. The only mistake
he did was to try and be defensive about this whole issue. We all know that VP
Mohadi has no wife and as a man there comes a time when he craves
kumbotsotsonya. That is normal but trying to be smart nekuti unopfeka magirazi was
the biggest mistake. To think you can take isu vana Mapombi for fools was your
undoing iwe Mohadi. Sometimes the truth sets people free. This public relations
crisis could have been easily dealt with by the truth. Being defensive only
fueled the fire and prompted more digging. Now that VP Mohadi has left office
and have all the time to himself outside public scrutiny, I am sure shavi rese
richapera. To all women out there, my message is be careful. Someone has
decided to give up on the second most important and powerful job in the country
to focus on women. Do not be found wanting. Mapombi akurumai nzeve.

What I
do not understand is the fact that people are on cloud nine over the
resignation of VP Mohadi. Mohadi is a nobody and a political nonentity. Other
than zvechihure zvakazongomukawo izvi, Mohadi was just like Perekedza Mboko
ahhh sorry Phelekezela Mphoko kkkkk. Mphoko was a mountain of a man but
politically he was a nobody just like Mohadi. Zimbabwe can only be liberated if
Mnangagwa and Chiwenga decide to one day tender in their resignations. We won’t
even miss Mohadi much less notice that he is gone. Mohadi saw himself as next
in line to replace ED. What many people fail to realize is that Mohadi is gone
because ED wants him gone. This is politics at play and this is how it always
starts in Zanu PF. Do you honestly believe that VP Mohadi’s calls could be
recorded without the approval of a higher office? He was a setup and
unfortunately he fell for the bait. What happened,
removing zvechihure and stuff, was a serious breach of security and someone
should be seriously worried.

Now all
eyes are on who ED will choose to replace Mohadi. I hear a lot of names being
thrown into the ring but let me tell you something, ED will not do what
everyone is expecting him to do. SK Moyo, Obert Mpofu, Thokozanu Khupe, Oppah
Muchinguri, Sthembiso Nyoni, Valerio Sibanda etc are being hyped to take over
from Mohadi but ED will pull a shocker. ED will not do the obvious. I know all
the people on that list will be lobbying to occupy the second most powerful
office in the country. Has anybody ever thought that ED would decide to finish
this term with just Chiwenga as his deputy? There are a lot of possibilities
here and people are too excited to see the bigger picture. All I can tell you
dear readers is that ED will not make the obvious appointment here. Speculate
however you want but I see a shocker coming our way. Remember the case of
Mphoko. How many of you knew the man? Interesting times lie ahead and ED is in
no hurry. I hear someone saying Mapombi is perfectly poised to take over from
Mohadi. Pakuda isu madzimai apa. Mapombi for VP kkkk. I have said enough regai
zvangu ndione the developments ndakati zete zvangu ndichikanga maputi angu for
lunch. I am happy chitima market will be opening soon and rotten bananas are
coming my way. Mboko imboko.

Editorial Comment: Mandatory vaccination good if options are given

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Editorial Comment: Mandatory vaccination good if options are given

Government has indicated that it may soon resort to mandatory vaccination for citizens as part of the fight against the continued spread of the coronavirus pandemic. At the moment, vaccines are being given to those who want them within the categories of the frontline working staff as determined by the government. It is certain, however, that some front-liners are have serious reservations to the available vaccine which is produced by SinoPharm in China. This is a donated vaccine from a highly-secretive and unaccountable government whose intentions are treated with suspicion by much of the free world. China is best friends with mostly third world countries; often basket case countries ruled by corrupt and despotic governments that are not capable of providing much for their largely destitute citizens. Zimbabwe fits perfectly well into this category of basket case regimes that simply wait for donations even from those with nefarious intents as China is widely suspected. To therefore force citizens of Zimbabwe to be vaccinated or lose their rights and whatever other minuscule privileges they may have without offering them a range of vaccine choices is oppressive. There is no doubt that the SinoPharm is distrusted even by those in government and its various agencies. Our interactions with some state actors has shown that many of them are not opposed to vaccines in general, but are opposed to the donated Chinese vaccine which has reportedly not passed rigorous safety, efficacy and effectiveness trials. Those in the know also say that the Chinese government itself is not using SinoPharm on its citizens but is instead using another vaccine called SinoVac. There is therefore need for government to procure other vaccine types from Western countries so that citizens can have a choice. Zimbabwe has enormous resources that would make such a move affordable but only if national resources are put to good use. The decision to use a new vaccine developed hastily to combat a novel virus is a matter of great risk to one’s health such that extreme caution must be taken, and citizens need to be given a choice.

Mistakenly-fired Cllr in restless wait for Mwonzora’s nod to return

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Mistakenly-fired Cllr in restless wait for Mwonzora’s nod to return
File picture: Douglas Mwonzora

 Mistakenly-fired Cllr in restless
wait for Mwonzora’s nod to return

Clayton Shereni

MASVINGO-
Former Masvingo Urban Ward 3 Cllr Tarusenga Vhembo continues to wait for
disputed MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora to write to the Ministry of Local
Government for him to be reinstated.

In
December last year, Vhembo was fired from his position alongside three other
MDC Alliance members who were accused of no longer representing the interests
of the party.

Mwonzora
later told TellZim News in in an interview that Vhembo had been fired by
mistake and steps would be taken for him to be reinstated.

However,
Vhembo’s reinstatement was allegedly delayed as Mwonzora become involved with
more pressing issues ahead and in the aftermath of the highly-divisive and
disputed elective congress at the end of December.

Mwonzora
had said that the Ward 3 councillor would be back at the town house in the
early days of January, 2021, but Vhembo is still to receive formal
communication to resume his duties.

Vhembo
told TellZim News that the party was yet to officially communicate with him
concerning his reinstatement.

“There
hasn’t been any communication to me. I just heard rumors that something is
being done and a letter was written so that I can return to serve as councillor.
I am told there are some protocols to be followed before they communicate with
me,” said Vhembo.

Contacted
for comment, Mwonzora said his office no longer dealt with that issue although
he hinted that a letter confirming Vhembo’s return could have been
written.  

“I
think his letter is ready but I am not so sure where it is hanging because my
new office doesn’t deal with those issues. You can get in touch with the
secretary general or the spokesperson they have a more accurate position,” said
Mwonzora.

Party
spokesperson, Witness Dube said he wasn’t aware of any development relating to
Vhembo’s issue and directed all questions to secretary general Paurina Mpariwa.

However,
Mpariwa could not be reached for comment as her mobile went unanswered up until
the time of going to print.

The other councillors
who were fired alongside Vhembo are Godfrey Kurauone (Ward 4), Daniel
Mberikunashe (Ward 5) and Richard Musekiwa (Ward 7) .

Chimanimani receptive of Chinese vaccine

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Chimanimani receptive of Chinese vaccine
File Picture

Courage Dutiro

While the country has begun rolling out its first phase of the donated
Chinese SinoPharm Covid-19 vaccine targeting frontline workers on voluntary
basis, officials in Chamanimani district have expressed satisfaction with the
way the vaccine was being received.

Chimanimani District Medical Officer (DMO), Dr Godwin Choga told TellZim
News that they have vaccinated about 111 people as at day three of the vaccination
programme.

“The process is moving smoothly here, as of February 24 (Wednesday)
111 frontline workers got their first dose of the vaccine.

“The numbers are still low but they are gradually increasing daily and
we are expecting more front liners to be vaccinated as the program progresses.
We are optimistic that we will reach the target because the response we are
getting is positive,” said Dr Choga.

In a bid to increase the number of people vaccinated, he said they are
mulling a mobilization strategy that will help in informing the people about
the vaccine before the vaccination team arrives.

“We are going to send a mobilization team ahead of the vaccination
team so that by the time the vaccination team arrives, the people will be
having enough information and have their concerns addressed. We are expecting
that as the campaign goes on, the numbers will also rise,” said Dr Choga.

The government is targeting to vaccinate at least 10 million people against
the Covid-19 virus across the country.

Zimbabwe received a
donation of 200 000 Covid-19 vaccines from China last week which has been
dedicated towards vaccinating frontline workers and is expecting another batch
of the same amount.

 

Chiredzi Grass Project: Govt okays eviction of over 1 000 families

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Chiredzi Grass Project: Govt okays eviction of over 1 000 families

…ZLHR
makes date in court

Beatific Gumbwanda

Despite valiant efforts by
Sengwe communal land leaders to reject a multi-million dollar Lucerne grass project
by a Kwekwe based dairy company, Dendairy, which was to take huge chunks of
land and displace thousands of their people, the government has okayed the ‘forceful’
eviction of the families from their lands.

Over 1 000 families from Chilonga and Mutomani areas have
been, through the recently gazette Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021, forced to
vacate their ancestral land together with their property and pave way for the
Lucerne grass project.

Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021 (Communal Land Setting aside
of Land (Chiredzi, notice 2021), published in the Government Gazetted last
week,  Local Government minister July
Moyo said villagers occupying the land should start packing  their belongings in order to pave way for the
grass project.

“The minister of Local Government, Urban and Rural
Development in terms of section 10 of the Communal Land Act (Chapter 20, 04),
hereby makes the following notice: – This notice may be cited as the communal
land (setting aside of land) (Chiredzi) notice, 2021.

“The area of land described hereunder in terms of this
schedule shall be set aside with effect from the date of publication of this
notice for the purpose of lucerne production.

“Any person occupying or using the land specified in the
schedule, otherwise than by virtue of a right held in terms of the Mines and
Minerals Act (Chapter 21,05), is ordered to depart permanently with all of his
or her property from the said land by the date of publication of this notice,
unless he or she acquires rights of use of occupation to the said land in terms
of section (9) (1) of the Communal Land Act (Chapter (20,04),” reads the
notice.

In the Statutory Instrument 51 of 2021 under the Communal
Land (Excision of Land) (Notice 2021), President Mnangagwa ruled that the 13k
ha had seized from being part of Chiredzi Communal Lands.

“His Excellence the President, in terms of section 61
(1) (b) of the communal Land Act (Chapter 20:04), hereby makes the following
notice: – This notice might be cited as the communal land (Excision land)
Notice, 2021.

“The area of land described hereunder in terms of the
schedule shall cease to be part of the Chiredzi Communal Land,” reads the
notice.

The Lucerne grass project will be undertaken on a piece of
land spanning about 13 000 hectares.

Dendairy, a private milk producer, is the major investor of
the project targeting almost 10 000 hectares of arable land for the Lucerne
production project meant for local and international markets.

Villagers had been resisting the project as they fear a
repeat of the 2014 Chingwizi saga, where more than 3 000 villagers from Chivi
and Masvingo villagers were dumped in Chingwizi, while being allocated 1
hectare piece of land for cattle rearing, farming and construction of
dwellings.

Masvingo Provincial Development Coordinator (PDC) Jeftar
Sakupwanya could not be drawn into comment as his mobile went unanswered but
TellZim News is reliably informed that the government is yet to secure land to
settle the affected families.

The Zimbawe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) told TellZim
News that they would be making a court application challenging the legality of
the evictions.

“We are busy making a court application in which we will be
challenging the legality of the evictions.

“In two days we will be ready to present our case,” said
ZLHR lawyer Obey Shava.

Mutare wins big at International Cities Challenge

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Mutare wins big at International Cities Challenge
File Picture

 Felix
Matasva

The City of Mutare has emerged the winner of maiden
Multi-City Challenge Africa competition which was an initiative aimed at
tackling urban life problems affecting African local authorities through
extensive citizen participation.

City of Mutare has made history by being the first local
authority from Zimbabwe and Southern Africa to win the challenge after
contesting against other cities including Kano of Nigeria, Kampala Uganda,
Accra Ghana and Bahir Dar Ethiopia.

Speaking during the virtual award ceremony which was held on
Monday (February 22), Mutare City Council Multi-City Challenge coordinating
committee chairperson Kimberly Sithole commended the competing cities for
teamwork saying Africa has what it takes to be a global giant.

“Congratulations to our fellow cities including Kano,
Bahir Dar, Accra and Kampala for working as a team. That team spirit showed
that Africa as a continent has all it takes to rise and stand as a global giant
in every aspect.

“I implore African cities to implement the challenges
at local and national levels so as to set the precedence that urban challenges
can be solved through citizen participation.

“It’s time for us to draw up the implementation matrix
of solutions that were selected. Local government speaks to the people at
grassroots level hence people from all sectors of the political economy came
out to give ideas be it universities, private and government organisations,
men, women and youths. It was a wonderful journey and learning curve,”
said Sithole.

Mutare City Council spokesperson Spren Mutiwi told TellZim
News that the local authority is on a process of engaging the winners so as to
map a way forward on how to implement their ideas.

“We won in Urban Resilience and Informal Sector
categories. The recognition and selection of Zimbabwean ideas as the ideal ones
in solving the local authority challenges is a cause for celebration.

 “We are now
working on meeting the winners so we can formulate a working template.
Afterwards we will then embark on the implementation process and we hope the
funding will be indicated then,” said Mutiwi.

Project director for Local Authority Database Systems (LADS
Africa), a startup under the Harare Institute of Technology, Tererai Maposa was
one of the awarded city winner for Mutare through a solution dubbed Informal
market analysis using geo-referenced transactions.

Speaking during the award ceremony Maposa said that they
proposed a mobile app for Mutare City that allows nomadic vendors to capture
all their transactions.

“Every transaction captured will be geo-referenced so
that we can do data manning in that application. This will enable City Council
to come up with some intelligence that informs the authority on where to
install markets for a particular segment of vendors.

“The mobile application will be downloadable on Google
Play. In basic terms the idea we are proposing is a tool that will enable the
city council to make informed decisions,” said Maposa.

A 21-year-old University of Zimbabwe (UZ) student Patronella
Mabika was the second awarded city winner through a solution titled policy
reinforcements on wetlands to reduce flooding.

Mabika said her proposal was based on how to deal with high
levels of rain in order to avoid flooding.

“Because of the negative impacts of flooding on the
environment, people and infrastructure, it’s best to find ways on how to deal
with flooding.

“Conserving wetlands is the best way to deal with
flooding. It is our duty as citizens to promote wetlands and also use them in a
sustainable manner,” said Mabika.

On the Multi-City Challenge Winners category, Mutare
dominated after two solutions were voted as the best.

Mutare Green Villages an idea pitched by Farm Community
Trust of Zimbabwe was awarded as the second Multi-City Challenge winner.

“The objective of the idea is to build resilient
communities by facilitating access to safe, clean drinking water and
sustainable waste management through renewable energy technologies and waste
recycling,” said Farm Community Trust of Zimbabwe advisor Paul Chimedza.

Dickson David Mhlanga of University of Zimbabwe under the
Department of Architecture and Real Estate was also awarded as a Multi-City
Challenge winner. His proposed idea was called Urban Space-Time: Merging
Sectors of the Urban Economy.

The Multi-City Challenge Africa, is a build-up to the
fruitful implementation of the Multi-City Challenge model in Latin America, the
US and Europe, which provides an opportunity for African city leaders to work
with others by sharing experiences from communities through robust public
engagement efforts across cities.

The prestigious International Cities Challenge was modeled
by a Singapore-based Governance Lab in 2016 and after being pioneered in South
America it was then transformed into a Multi-city Challenge.

The African version provides a platform for public servants
to establish workable solutions needed to resolve the challenges of urban life
through robust public engagement.

The Multi-City Africa Challenge is a citizen participation
initiative organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Global
Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development, and the
Governance Lab (GovLab) at New York University Tandon School of Engineering.

Zanu PF rubs salt to Chamisa’s wounds

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Zanu PF rubs salt to Chamisa’s wounds
File Picture: Nelson Chamisa

…Chebundo
has always been Zanu PF says Matemadanda

…Mnangagwa
will win by more than 5 million votes in 2023

Upenyu Chaota

While
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa is down and bruised after two officials
defected to Zanu PF, the ruling party has come out rubbing more salt to
Chamisa’s wounds claiming that the top officials have been in the political
wilderness and have returned home.

Blessing
Chebundo, who got famous for trouncing President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the Kwekwe
parliamentary election back in 2000, was joined by former MDC Alliance senator
Lilian Timveous in defecting to Zanu PF early this week.

The
defection has send shockwaves in the rank and file of the MDC Alliance with
Zanu PF savoring the moment saying the duo has seen the light and others should
follow suit.

Zanu PF
national political commissar Victor Matemadanda, after receiving his first dose
of the Chinese SinoPharm Covid-19 vaccine in Masvingo yesterday (February 24),
told journalists that he was excited that the duo had come back home and it was
a huge boost for the ruling party ahead of the 2023 elections.

“Those
were not defections. I call that people coming back home from the diaspora.
Zanu PF is the home. If someone goes to diaspora and then decides to return
home, you do not ask where they were but you take comfort in the fact that they
are alive and well.

“We are
very excited as a party that people of the caliber of Cde Timveous (Lilian) and
Cde Chebundo (Blessing) have come back home.

“For your
own information, before the formation of the MDC, Cde Chebundo was a Zanu PF
district chairperson in Kwekwe and so it just like home coming so we are very
happy,” said Matemadanda.

He said
the move by Timveous and Chebundo will pave way for others who were still in
the political wilderness to come join Zanu PF.

“This
is going to show some people that are still in the wilderness that home is home
and home is best,” said Matemadanda.

He said
President Mnangagwa will gunner more than the projected 5 million presidential votes
in 2023 elections as more people keep coming back to join Zanu PF.

“The
writing has been put on the wall and it is very clear for everyone that we are
going to surpass our target of 5 million presidential votes.

“Our
message to those in opposition is that come home and home is Zanu PF. Many
people are now realizing that they can no longer stay on the outside and are
flocking home,” said Matemadanda.

Stakeholders react to local football resumption, challenges at hand

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Stakeholders react to local football resumption, challenges at hand
Top left corner: Philip Shumba, Right top corner: Terry Madyauta, Centre: Hubert Fidze, Bottom left corner: Joe Kwangwari and  Stephen Alimenda on the right bottom corner.

 

Clayton
Shereni

Resumption of local football,
activities have been received with mixed feelings by stakeholders who are
calling for more action to be done towards assuring the safe resumption of
action and for authorities to weigh options and assess the situation on
the ground before making a final decision. 

Recently, legislators pressed the minister
of Sports, Kirsty Coventry, to initiate an immediate safe return of football
and other sporting activities which have been on a halt for a year.

Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa)
and Premier Soccer League (PSL) have been pressured by stakeholders, and
recently bowed down to pressure and applied for to the Sports and Recreation
Commission (SRC) for a greenlight to resume action.

The proposal will see PSL action
getting the first nod to kick start ahead of other lower leagues and this will
happen from the top league down to junior development but in different stages.

However, various stakeholders believe
there is more to be considered and done to avoid a decision which may cause
more harm than good to the whole fraternity.

TellZim News caught up with stakeholders
who echoed their sentiments for the local football association (FA) to usher in
a smooth and workable bio bubble concept just like in any other country across
the globe.

Terry
Madyauta (Sports Journalist)

From where I stand, I would want to
believe that no one is prepared from clubs up to Zifa. Of cause there might
have plans but these delays are a clear indication that things are not in their
rightful place. I also think that while people advocate for the return of football,
how will they want football to return? How would you want to foster the return
of football when stadiums are in a pathetic state? The country’s stadia are not
being maintained and have been heavily affected by the incessant rains which
are still being received in the country and continue to pose a great threat.

As for the issue of not allowing fans in
the stadia, this has a negative effect on teams. When sponsors venture into
football sponsorship, they want to market their brands and realize a return.
How then will these companies or corporates market their brands without fans
attending matches, without proper broadcasting partners and proper organization
of things? Without these, the advertising and corporate side of football is
closed which will make it hard for football clubs to thrive.

Advocate
Phillip Shumba (Benefactor and Administrator)

We all know that Zifa received a
massive Covid-19 bailout package from Fifa in hard currency. The cardinal
question clubs are likely to poise to Zifa is “Where is the Money?” Zifa
against such a backdrop would be expected to finance the testing of players,
supply all testing kits to all PSL clubs, finance the training  of clubs and pay Covid-19 compliance  officers, pay referees match fees, bail out
clubs financially. Zifa does not have such finances and the moment Zifa fails
to avail money for some of the above mentioned then the return of football in
the country may remain a dream.

The issue of no fans will further
cripple most of the PSL clubs. These clubs heavily rely on gate takings for
survival. In Zimbabwe it is virtually impossible to run a professional club
without revenue generated from gate takings. Surely a number of clubs may
unfold since the clubs do not have alternative income generating sources. ZBC
should not be allowed to enjoy a monopoly when it comes to coverage of these
matches because competition is healthy for football to develop. In the past ZBC
has on numerous occasions betrayed football fans by failing to beam live
football matches due to technical hiccups. On rare occasions football has been
beamed live the picture quality and sound quality have been very disappointing.
Competition brings about qualitative products. Broadcasters should therefore be
allowed to compete for the good of football and for the good of the soccer
starved fans.

The proposed bio bubble concept is
doomed to fail in Zimbabwe because our economy is in a sorry state, teams will
struggle to meet the financial obligations associated with the otherwise noble
concept. Teams do not have funds to book players into hotels overnight, so come
to think of booking players for the anticipated four to five weeks. Lack of
resources to effectively test players is another impediment, including the lack
of laboratories to ensure efficient testing of samples.

Joe
Kwangwari (Coach)

As a coach I know sport is too
demanding when it comes to finances and looking at our economy it is still
bleeding, it needs a long period to recover and considering this pandemic, we
need a conducive environment for players and every stakeholder. From my own
point of view, I think we need a lot of time to prepare financially. When it
comes to the issue of fans, most clubs in Africa depend on gate takings so if
no fans are allowed in the stadium, I can’t see more than 75 percent of the
clubs surviving or going through the whole season, save for clubs which are
financed by big corporates. It’s not going to be a surprise that we will see a
premature end to the bio bubble which we all know demands more finances.

Our country is different from countries
like South Africa where quite a number of companies are pumping funds into
football. Clubs in the neighboring country select a sponsor of their choice,
they don’t just take a poorly funded deal whereas in our country teams take
anything which is put on the table because they have no choice.

Stephen
Alimenda (Former Dynamos Captain)

On clubs it’s a pity that it’s been
long without training as a group but hopefully the players were following their
training program that they were given during this pandemic. On PSL and Zifa, we
hope they have come with plan on paying referees, police and match day venues. If
football is going to be played in empty stadiums, only few teams will manage to
sustain since many teams do rely on gate takings. It would be good for us as
players and fans are starving football so if ZBC can cover all the matches that
will be good for our fans. I can’t comment much on that because I didn’t see
what was written inside the bio bubble proposal, but all I can say is I hope
that it will not dig much into clubs pockets since our clubs doesn’t have
enough monies to sustain or cover that.

Hubert
Fidze (Masvingo United FC Club chairperson)

Preparedness, we are sitting at zero,
hence, there is nothing talk about. We obviously need time to regroup in terms
of the technical team and players’ identification. We are a community team which
has no financial support at the moment and the little money we get is from gate
takings. If football resumes and fans are not allowed to in the stadium then we
are doomed. Unless the local community wakes up to our
immediate and impromptu call for support, which I believe with the Covid-19
affected economy is a mammoth task, it’s a tough hurdle for us when D1 gets the
nod to start training and playing games. This also speaks to the government and
the corporate world to come onboard since financing the costs which come with
the resumption of football is probably unaffordable at our level.

Chadzamira, Matemadanda get first doses of Chinese vaccine

TellZimNews
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0
Chadzamira, Matemadanda get first doses of Chinese vaccine
Ezra Chadzamira

Victor Matemadanda

 

 …say it is up to individuals to save their
lives

Upenyu Chaota

Minister
of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira
together with Zanu PF national political commissar and deputy Defense minister
Victor Matemadanda have rallied the people of Masvingo and Zimbabwe at large to
take the Chinese donated SinoPharm Covid-19 vaccine.

Zimbabwe
has rolled out the 200 000 doses of SinoPharm Covid-19 vaccines donated by
China in a phase one which will target frontline workers on voluntary basis.

Speaking
to the media soon after getting their first jab at Benjamin Burombo building
yesterday, Chadzamira and Matemadanda called on all progressive Zimbabweans to
take the vaccine and save their lives.

Zimbabwe
targets to vaccinate about 10 million people to achieve head count immunity
against the Covid-19 disease.

Matemadanda
said Zimbabweans should disregard messages doing rounds on social media
discrediting the effectiveness of the Chinese vaccine.

He said
there are trade wars surrounding the Covid-19 vaccines with each country
fighting to put their vaccine on top.

“What
we are seeing here are trade wars on the Covid-19 vaccines. The Americans are
not happy that the Chinese created a vaccine and are trying hard to make sure
that hey discredit anything that comes out of China.

“It is
unfortunate that some of our people are the ones being used by the Americans to
do a disservice to our country.

“There
are people who are claiming that once you get jabbed, you begin speaking
Chinese. They are making a mockery of their own lives yet it is them who should
survive. It is quite unfortunate that our people are being caught in the
crossfire,” said Matemadanda.

He said
President Mnangagwa and his government have done everything to make sure that
the people survive.

 “President Mnangagwa and his government have
facilitated the immunization of people that want life. But if people are going
to play around with the process of immunization that is up to them.

“People
must get serious if they want to survive. The whole essence of this vaccination
is to save individual lives,” said Matemadanda.

Chadzamira
weighed in saying the vaccine was safe and called on the people from Masvingo
not to be caught up in the trade wars between super powers.

“We
received our first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and it is safe. We call on our
people to get vaccinated because the life is theirs.

“Vaccination
is an individual decision made by people who want life. The government will
never allow a vaccine that will kill our people,” said Chadzamira.

Masvingo
received a share of 22 000 doses on the Chinese vaccine which is enough to
vaccinate 11 000 frontline workers with each receiving two.

Once
the first dose has been administered, one would wait for 28 days before they
could get their second doses.

Masvingo
journalists were among the frontline workers to receive their first shots of
the Chinese jab yesterday.

 

Flooding: Over a dozen Masvingo houses to be demolished

TellZimNews
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0
Flooding: Over a dozen Masvingo houses to be demolished

 

Runyararo West has experienced heavy-floding this rainy season


…climate change,
unplanned urban development in Vic Ranch blamed

Moses
Ziyambi

Around 13 regularly-built
houses in Runyararo West suburb face demolition if assessments being done by
City of Masvingo are completed, TellZim News can report.

Possibilities of the
houses getting demolished come after several households experienced
unprecedented flooding which laid to waste several household items.

City of Masvingo Acting
Town Clerk Edward Mukaratirwa told TellZim in an interview that the houses sat
on the confluence of two waterways such that they are becoming increasingly
vulnerable to many previously-unforeseen factors some of them related to
climate change.

“We are making our
assessments on the possibility of relocating those families to safer ground.
There has been a lot of flooding and those families lost all their furniture as
a result. The houses are located on the confluence of two waterways and a
solution has to be found as a matter of urgency,” said Mukaratirwa.

He acknowledged that
the houses were built regularly with council approval but many adverse factors
had later come into play over the years.

“The houses have been
there for many years and nothing of this magnitude had happened to them. But
due to climate change-related factors and the increase in the amount runoff
from the many rooftops that came up in Victoria Ranch, those houses now
vulnerable,” said Mukaratirwa.

He promised that
council would pay commensurate compensation to all families affected should a
resolution to demolish their houses be made as is widely expected.

“We would definitely
find alternative accommodation for them. It is our duty as a responsible local
authority to make sure that corrective measures are not implemented with
disregard to the welfare of residents. The people affected would therefore be
provided with alternative living spaces that are safer from adverse weather
conditions,” Mukaratirwa said.

From the mid-200s, thousands
of homes sprouted on Victoria Ranch, an old cattle farm on the south-western
edge of Masvingo city, as ruling party-connected land barons took advantage of
government’s antipathy to opposition-controlled urban councils to irregularly sell
vast tracts of state land to desperate home-seekers.

There are barely any social
services provided in Victoria Ranch which lies adjacent to Runyararo West.

The land barons – despite pocketing
millions of dollars from the sale of state land – now seek to transfer
responsibility to the struggling Masvingo City Council which never benefitted from the
land sales bonanza.

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