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Covid-19 lockdown: Bikita RDC bans all gatherings

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Covid-19 lockdown: Bikita RDC bans all gatherings
Nyika growth point, Bikita district

TellZim Reporter
As part of wider efforts to prevent
the spread of coronavirus and the resultant Covid-19 disease it causes, Bikita
Rural District Council (RDC) has imposed a mandatory ban on all gatherings in
the district.
In a public notice dated March
30, 2019 and signed by Bikita RDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Chibi,
the local authority says the measures are necessary in light of the public health
risks faced.
“Following concerns over
coronavirus (covid-19) and in compliance with SI77 of 2020, Bikita Rural
District Council Finds it necessary to reduce the chances of spreading the infection.
To that end, Council has decided to put a blanket ban on gatherings around
nightclubs, bars and beerhalls until further notice.
“Such gatherings including
religious fellowships, weddings, conferences, workshops should not exceed 50 people,”
reads part of the notice.
Council also urges people to
practice social distancing and using online platforms to pay their rates.
The country has so far recorded
seven confirmed cases of the virus, one of them resulting in death.

Mutekwa in milestone Global Teacher prize shortlist

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Mutekwa in milestone Global Teacher prize shortlist
Ticha Muzavazi

Moses Ziyambi
A Harare-based special
needs teacher has made a name for himself after he was shortlisted for the
2020 Global Teacher Prize.
Trust Mutekwa, who works
mostly with visually-impaired children at St Giles’ Special School, was
selected from over 12 000 nominations and applications from over 140 countries
of the world.
The US$1 million-award
Global Teacher Prize was instituted in 2014 by the Varkey Foundation which
works closely with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (Unesco).
It is presented annually
to an exceptional teacher who would have been found to be making an outstanding
contribution to the profession and the wider community.
Reacting to the
announcement, Mutekwa, who is better known as Ticha Muzavazi to his legion of
friends and followers on social media, said he was humbled by the recognition.
“Global Teacher Smile, celebrating something, and
the something is my place in the Top 50 of the Global Teacher Prize 2020. It’s
so real that #TeachersMatter and,
I will always share about my ticha contribution. Congratulations to my new global ticha family, thankful to
all my ticha sources of inspiration.
#GTP2020,”
wrote Mutekwa on Facebook.
With a soft spot for people with visual impairment, Mutekwa
has touched the lives of many people and continues to make a huge difference
through his work.
He is an
accomplished poet and author with contributions in three anthologies studied at
‘O’ and ‘A’ level from 2011 to 2016.
Mutekwa, who is
originally from Gutu district, introduced computer classes for his blind
students at St. Giles’ and has shared his achievements and success stories with
other teachers through several workshops organised by the Ministry of Primary
and Secondary Education.
Through his ‘Computer
Skills for Every Blind Child’ campaign, Mutekwa aims to mobilise resources to
enable children with visual impairment to be proud owners of laptops tailored
to suit their special requirements.
When
he arrived at St. Giles, he established an arts department to teach
visually-impaired and physically-handicapped students how to play such musical
instruments as mbira, which happens to be his favourite.
 Mutekwa
worked with hearing-impaired students in arts and crafts, and he also
facilitated the production of a musical album with his students; earning
themselves spots at such esteemed platforms HIFA and the World Children’s
Festival.

Gokomere High pupil gives birth at school

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Gokomere High pupil gives birth at school

Mark Chavunduka
MASVINGO–
A form six pupil at Gokomere High School has shocked the community, fellow
pupils and the community at large when she successfully concealed her pregnancy
for nine months until she gave birth in the dormitories at the school early
this week.
Gokomere
High School head Aquanos Mazhunga refused to comment on the matter saying he
was seized with other important matters ahead of schools lockdown due to the
Covid 19 pandemic.
Sources
at the school said that Mercy Marimbe managed to fool everyone including her
parents, teachers and friends on her pregnancy and no one even suspected a
thing.
“She
is fat so it became easier for her to conceal the pregnancy. Everyone just
thought that she was getting fat and there was no sign of pregnancy.
“We
were surprised to hear that there is a pupil who has given birth in the
dormitories and everyone was shocked to see that Marimbe had delivered her baby
but no one noticed the pregnancy.
“The
school went on to notify her parents that they had a grandchild and they could
not believe it since they did not see the pregnancy,” said a teacher who
preferred anonymity.
It
is said that Marimbe had stopped eating sadza at the school lying to her
friends that she had ulcers and sadza would make her sick.
Marimbe
gave birth during the night when other pupils were tucked into their beds only
to be awakened by labour sounds.
Other
pupils are said to have switched on the lights and saw Marimbe pushing her baby
out and ran to alert the school matron who came and assisted Marimbe before she
was taken to the clinic.

 

Daring thief steals from police officer

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Daring thief steals from police officer

Cephas Shava
MWENEZI–
A daring thief broke into a Mwenezi police officer’s house and got away with a
Samsung Galaxy J7 smartphone belonging to one Constable Tatenda Shiri valued at
$5 000 and sold it to a fellow villager for $50.
Raphael
Chezhara (45) of village 6 Mufula Ranch Tagarika under Chief Chitanga recently
appeared before Mwenezi Magistrate Honest Musiiwa facing unlawful entry charge
after he allegedly entered a police base and stole constable Shiri’s cell phone.
Chezhara
denied the charges and argued that he got possession of Shiri’s cell phone after
it was sold to him by someone else.
Argued
by prosecutor Willard Chasi it was the State case that sometime in January this
year, constable Shiri who was manning the Mufula police base left his Samsung
cell phone inside a locked house after he was summoned to Rutenga police post.
Upon
his return from Rutenga, Shiri found that his cell phone was missing and his
house’s window was opened. Days later it was discovered that Chezhara was the
one who had committed the offence.
Investigations
revealed that after stealing the cell phone, the accused sold it to another fellow
villager for $50 and topped with a Nokia smartphone.
This
led to Chezhara’s arrest and the stolen Samsung with a net value of $5 000 was
recovered.
The
matter was postponed to a later date for continuation of trial.

Covid-19: Minister Chadzamira cracks whip on business

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Covid-19: Minister Chadzamira cracks whip on business


Star Matsongoni

MASVINGO –
As the country recorded its third case of Covid-19 and one death, the Minister
of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Ezra Chadzamira has ordered all big
businesses to avail hand sanitizers and temperature-checking services at their
door steps.
Chadzamira
said that big corporates which attract huge volumes of people primarily banks,
supermarkets and others have to observe the strictest measures of making sure
that they nip the coronavirus in the bud.
“We
want all big corporates to have hand sanitizers at their entrance as well as
thermometers to test people who want to get into their premises.
“This
has now become a requirement and no one should be found wanting. We have not
yet recorded any positive Covid-19 case in Masvingo and we want to keep it that
way,” said Chadzamira.
He
warned members of the public to desist from sending false information on social
media about the virus, a situation which he says is causing panic.
“People
should take this pandemic seriously and stop peddling false information on
social media. We do now want people who cause alarm and despondency in the
country. The government is working flat out to prevent the spread of this
pandemic and president Mnangagwa has since setup a task force to spear head all
the initiatives on Covid-19.
“People
must support their government during this time by listening and following all
they are told. Now is not the time to be hard headed because the virus is
already in the country and we have to stop it before it goes out of control.
“We
have recorded one death so people need to be responsible and wash their hands
regularly,” said Chadzamira.
There
was panic on Tuesday,  March 24, when a
pregnant woman who recently returned from South Africa surrendered herself to
the Masvingo Provincial Hospital after developing some Covid-19-like symptoms.
In
a statement, the Ministry of Health and Childcare said that the pregnant woman
from Masvingo has been put in isolation awaiting tests.
“The
Ministry of Health and Child Care would also like to report that an adult
pregnant woman presented herself at Masvingo Provincial Hospital with a history
of dry cough, shortness of breath, chest pains but no fever, she was put under
self-isolation at home,” reads the statement.

Masvingo designates Rujeko Clinic quarantine centre

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Masvingo designates Rujeko Clinic quarantine centre

Virginia Njovo
MASVINGO –
The City of Masvingo in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care has
designated Rujeko Clinic as the quarantine centre for Covid-19 patients.
Masvingo acting director in the Department of
Environmental Health, Ngonidzashe Mapamula, said the resolution came after
the council and the ministry of health saw it fit to come up with an isolated
centre designated for Covid-19.
He said they could not set up the isolation
centre to Masvingo Provincial Hospital as many people anticipated because of
the complexity of patients there.
“Rujeko Clinic has been affected by rains, it
has not been fully functioning so we decided to make it our isolation centre,
we have so far equipped with it with 10 beds and we are working to make sure
that it is well equipped,” said Mapamula.
However, residents raised concerns over their
safety in the high density residential area if cases of coronavirus are taken
to Rujeko clinic which is in their midst.
Mapamula however said they were safe as the disease
was not airborne and people could not be affected by merely passing by the
clinic and said security measures will be put in place to make sure that no
patients escape.
“Rujeko residents will be safe since the disease
is not airborne, measures will also be put in place to ensure security so that
patients won’t escape and wander into the location.
“The ministry of health has availed 10 kits to
be used by staff at Rujeko Clinic and one has been used for training,” said
Mapamula.
Provincial Medical Director Dr Amadeus Shamu
said there were only eight beds at the quarantine centre and said they were in
a process of acquiring linen for the beds.
“We have eight beds so far at Rujeko Clinic and
we are in a process of acquiring linen and other essentials. We are going to do
public awareness campaigns to make sure that people have knowledge on Covid-19,”
said Shamu

Mentally-challenged man sodomises homeless minor

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Mentally-challenged man sodomises homeless minor


Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A
12-year epileptic old boy who has been wandering around Rutenga growth point
sleeping in the open for many months was a few weeks ago reportedly sodomised
by a mentally-challenged man, TellZim News has learnt.
The
minor, who cannot be named now for ethical reasons, was allegedly sodomised by
the man who also cannot be named at this moment.
The
suspect was arrested a few weeks ago for assault and was remanded in custody
after the magistrate court ordered that he be examined by two doctors to
ascertain his mental capability before trial.
Though
no docket has been opened at the police station, the minor confided to TellZim
News that he was indeed sodomised. The boy also believed that his alleged
abuser had been arrested in connection with the matter although the arrest, in
actual fact, was in connection with the assault case.
“Zvakaitika.
Akandiitira uko kumagaraji muchimota chakafa, akangoita musi mumwe chete asi
akatosungwa nenyaya yacho iyoyo [The sodomy act indeed occurred once and it
happened in the garage area inside a car wreckage. He was arrested for it,” the
minor confidently said, unaware that the accused was arrested over an unrelated
case.
TellZim
News is informed that the boy was previously cared for by the Mwenezi
district’s Social Welfare department.
Mwenezi
Ward 18 Councillor Albert Mashiri said he was concerned with the minor’s
vulnerability and was looking at how he could best be assisted.
“He
is very vulnerable and prone to abuse. He is scared all over his body due to
his medical condition. I once engaged some stakeholders including child care
workers and the district Social Welfare about minor. A place was found for him
but he resurfaced and found his way into the growth point. My efforts to have
him taken back into care did not materialise,” said Mashiri.
The
minor often suffers bouts of fits and is helped by members of the public when
he falls onto the ground.

European Union initiates life-saving measures in Cyclone-hit districts

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European Union initiates life-saving measures in Cyclone-hit districts



Stephen Ephraem

CHIPINGE
– The European Union (EU) is supporting efforts by the Civil Protection Unit
(CPU) to save lives of learners and communities in areas hit by Cyclone Idai and are prone to other natural
hazards.
A
project called Education in Emergencies- Education Access, Disaster
Preparedness and Child Protection (EiE-APP) is being implemented in schools of
Chipinge and Chimanimani districts.
The
project is being driven by a consortium of development partners namely World
Vision as lead partner, Plan International and Save the Children.
The
partners came up with two teams of members of the Civil Protection Committee at
national, provincial and district level
who visited the two districts for drills aimed at capacitating learners
to use readily-available resources for disaster preparedness. 
Consortium
leader Dr Tapiwa Muzerengi said the purpose of implementing the project was to
inculcate disaster preparedness skills in both teachers and learners.
He
said it was a measure to heighten capacity to respond to emergencies so as to
reduce the impact of natural disasters.
“As
a consortium, we received funding from European Union Civil Protection and
Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) to compliment the Government of Zimbabwe’s bid to
protect children from natural disasters, protect children’s rights in emergencies
and to ensure that education continuity is guaranteed before, during and after
an emergency.
“We
are imparting knowledge, exchange information in an interactive way which is
simple, lively and easy to remember in children so that they are equipped with
life- saving skills in case of any emergency be it floods, gusty winds,
lightning you name it,” said Muzerengi.
“Children
are getting skills on various issues which include, rescue and relief,
communication in emergencies, fire fighting, first aid, physical protection,
health matters and hygiene, child protection in emergencies and road safety. People
should be able to use readily-available resources at their schools, homes and
communities in cases of any emergency. The use of locally-available resources
is both affordable and time-saving,” he said.
The
drills programme was organised
by the Plan International programme area manager Stanley Dawa.
In
Chipinge, disaster risk reduction trainings were carried out in Rutengeni,
Mbire, Christina, Rusitu Valley, Ndiadzo, Samhutsa, Tanganda, Junction Gate,
Foroma, Mapungwana, Chimana, Glassflats, Tuzuka, Nyaututu, Birirano, Chisuma,
Matikwa and Rimai Primary School.
Mapungwana,
Tuzuka and Nyaututu secondary schools also benefitted from the training
sessions.

Mpandawana High aims self-sustenance through projects

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Mpandawana High aims self-sustenance through projects



…school become most successful day
school in Gutu district

Theresa
Takafuma
Mpandawana High is in a sustained bid
to achieve financial self-sufficiency by leveraging its flourishing
income-generating projects which are meant to counter the effects of the
prevailing difficult economic conditions on the school.
The school, which is the biggest
day-school in Gutu district, enrols pupils from all backgrounds without elitist
screening practices.
The school has now reached a
remarkable stage in its attempt to satisfy its resource-based needs by making
wise use of earnings generated from its agricultural and other practical
projects.
Mpandawana High School head Engelbert
Chimbwari says he is confident of the potential of the income-generating
projects to satisfy much of the school’s financial needs.
With the help of its technical staff,
the school is already making its own desks and other pieces of furniture thereby
saving money through the reduction of the cost of outside purchasing.
“We have skilled personnel here who
can do the carpentry. The practice is that we just buy materials and they do
the work. With our big enrolment, we need lots of classroom furniture so making
that on our own eases the burden in a substantial way,” said Chimbwari.
He said the school had a big
enrolment of over 1300 pupils, a development which makes the need for larger facilities
and furniture all the more paramount.
“Our long-term plan is to have our
gardening, poultry, piggery, fishery and gardening projects financing a biggest
portion of our budgetary requirements.


“Poultry is one of our biggest
projects and we do not just keep the common broilers. We have roadrunners, guinea
fowls, ducks, geese, turkeys and rabbits that we breed for sale. We also do
bee-keeping in 20 hives and we harvest the honey at least twice a year.
“Egg-production is done throughout
the year as we have a batch of layers producing eggs all the time,” said
Chimbwari.
The school has arguably one of the
biggest piggery projects in the district if not the whole of Masvingo province,
with one of the boars weighing stunning 300kg or better.
The massive boar has often been
paraded at local agricultural show exhibitions as evidence of the potential of
local agricultural expertise.
“We used to have over 200 hundred
pigs at any given time but we have downsized that to around 60 due to the
scarcity of feed. Maize is hardly available and processed pig feed is expensive
and that is why we downgraded. We do grow maize and beans in our school garden
but then we have to cover other areas,” Chimbwari said.
Mpandawana High School also boasts a
big pond where fish are kept for sale, with waste from the poultry projects
being used as feed for the fish.
To water all these projects, the
school has installed a borehole that uses a submersible pump which feeds big
storage tanks.


“We genuinely want the school’s
developmental plans to be financially-sustainable so we are giving this all the
attention it deserves. The school should be able to engender into pupils a
culture of hard work and meticulous management of projects. Pupils must be able
to replicate what they see here later on in their lives when they have left
school,” Chimbwari said.
He said Mpandawana High aimed to be a
school of excellence by coming up with demonstrable success stories.

Mpandawana High introduces sciences at ‘A’ level

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Mpandawana High introduces sciences at ‘A’ level
Engelbert Chimbwari

TellZim Reporter
MASVINGO – Following impressive passes in the 2019 ‘O’ level science examinations, Mpandawana High has introduced sciences at ‘A’ level this term as a way of developing the school’s huge potential in that field.
Many outstanding pupils who sat for their Zimsec ‘O’ level in 2019 had As in science subjects, opening up the possibility of introducing sciences at ‘A’ level.
Mpandawana High head, Engelbert Chimbwari said the pass rate in ‘O’ level had served to encourage them to explore the feasibility of taking the field a grade higher.
He said the introduction of sciences will help pupils who want to further pursue their studies in sciences closer home.
“We have opened up an opportunity for local children who are gifted in sciences to pursue their studies closer home in an environment that’s familiar to them. This will surely help many to avoid the hassles of trying to find ‘A’ level placement elsewhere,” said Chimbwari.
He added on that the school had produced a number of professionals but had no doctors and engineers owing to the absence of sciences in the previous years.
“We have the capacity here. We have not produced doctors and other science-leaning professionals here because we did not have sciences at ‘A’ level so this is our chance to prove what we are capable of doing,” said Chimbwari.
He said the school was using the junior lab for the science classes at the moment but will move to the state-of-the-art lab whose construction will soon be completed.
Chimbwari praised the hard work by his teachers and pupils, describing them as members of a dedicated team with the best interest of Mpandawana High School at heart.
The school recorded a clean 96.2 percent pass rate in the 2019 ‘A’ level examinations and 54.4 percent at ‘O’ level.
The school enrolment stands at 1 340 pupils that are taken care of by 41 staff members.

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