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Disability and the exclusion of PWDs from public spaces

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Disability and the exclusion of PWDs from public spaces

                                 Masvingo provincial registry


Star Matsongoni

Vimbai,
a vibrant young girl who has just finished her degree in education, wants to
visit the Masvingo Provincial Education Director (PED) but fails to get to his
office because she is wheelchair-bound and the office is on the second floor of
Wigley House.
Stairs
are the only way up so basically the office is inaccessible for her and this
means the PED, Zedius Chitiga, has to go down stairs and meet her there.
The
PED’s office is not the only public office which is not structurally sensitive
as almost all others are generally not user-friendly to people with
disabilities.
Chitiga
told TellZim News that if such disabled people want to seek audience with him,
he has to go down stairs and meet them on the ground floor.
Masvingo
provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Charity Mazula, whose office is
also on the 2nd floor, said in such a scenario, she would also have
to go down stairs.
“It
doesn’t necessarily mean you should always come to my office, because I myself
can go down stairs and meet you at the most convenient place,” said Mazula.
Many
people, however, feel that such an arrangement is not the best since it often
involves some bit of waiting to be done, and for other people to be
inconvenienced since an official would have to leave his/her seat to attend to
one person elsewhere.
Indications
are that only a few organisations are fully accommodative to people with
disabilities and their fully able-bodied counterparts.
The
office of the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs is on the 3rd
floor of Benjamin Burombo building and there is no elevator to cater for those
who cannot use the stairs.
When
the now late Shuvai Mahofa was appointed minister, she had to swap offices with
the provincial medical directorate as she could not climb upstairs due to poor
health and old age
Association
of the Disabled and Elderly Persons of Zimbabwe director (ADEPZ) Bernard Fovera
said they had challenges accessing those offices.
“There
is high inaccessibility of public spaces resulting in maximum exclusion of
people with disabilities. A ramp would be fairly good but is not the most ideal
option because it still requires manpower to push me up the building,” said
Fovera.
Other
activists feel that public institutions like the police and local authority
offices could be made more accessible by building ramps to enable wheelchairs
to be pushed with greater ease.
Both
ends of the Masvingo Central Police Station have stairs that make it impossible
for wheelchair users to have easy access to the offices.
At
work places, the inclusion of people with disabilities remains elusive as most
organisations do not have disability-sensitive human resource policies.
The
education sector is also not accommodative enough since most schools have no
facilities that respond to the special requirements of people with
disabilities.
An
interesting observation to note is that big supermarkets have ramps but these are
not installed in response to the requirements of wheelchair users, but in order
to allow trolleys to be pushed in and out without many hassles.

Inaugural Miss Rutenga modelling show dazzles

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Inaugural Miss Rutenga modelling show dazzles

Cephas Shava
MWENEZI –
As part of efforts to empower the girl child and nurture talent, former Miss
Masvingo 2011, Loren Hama recently organised a modelling contest for local
models.
The
colourful was held at Rutenga growth point on December 14, with seven girls
competing in three categories namely traditional, casual and evening wear.
Thandiwe
Mzembe, a form three pupil at G and N Secondary School, was crowned Miss
Rutenga 2019.
Hazel
Mastilele of Sacred Heart High School won the first princess title while Hilda
Ngwenya was named second princess. Angela Mangoya, a Sacred Heart High form
three pupil, was named Miss Personality.
Event
manager, Chido Muungani expressed gratitude to the Rutenga business community,
vendors and identified individuals for supporting the show.
She
said the initiative was aimed at helping to empower female children by growing
their confidence and the belief they have in their own capabilities.
“The
idea is to make sure that girls especially from disadvantaged communities are
helped to gain exposure. Through modelling, we are communicating that the girl
child has the potential to succeed in life regardless of social backgrounds.
“Through
such initiatives as this, we are sending a message to the girl child that she
can develop herself and contribute meaningfully to community development,” said
Muungani.
Cllr
Albert Mashiri, who graced the occasion as guest of honour, praised the event
organisers for bringing a unique event to the area.
“Since
time immemorial, such educative and informative events have been a preserve for
big urban communities. I am glad that modelling has been demystified and
brought to our own doorstep for the good of our community.
“It
is our hope that the event will grow bigger such that more girls from all
corners of the district can participate,” said Cllr Mashiri.
    

Mbeki visit, much ado about nothing

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Mbeki visit, much ado about nothing

The nation is gripped with a hype after the recent
visit by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. Mbeki was in the country
this week and he met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa, MDC leader Nelson
Chamisa and other opposition leaders who make up the Political Actors Dialogue
(Polad) platform. Most people see the visit by Mbeki as a step in the right
direction towards ‘genuine’ dialogue between chief protagonists, President
Mnangagwa and Chamisa. MDC fanatics were over the moon that Mbeki had visited
their leader and not other smaller parties but were up for a rude awakening
when Mbeki took his tour to the doorsteps of other smaller opposition parties
in Polad. The meeting with smaller opposition parties drew and ire from MDC
supporters who believed that only Chamisa and President Mnangagwa must be the
ones to go to the negotiating table. Mbeki was now facing criticism from the
same people who praised him when he met with their leader. The tragedy in
opposition had begun and they went back to their base to massage their big
egos. The meeting between Mbeki and other opposition parties was a big insult
on Chamisa’s MDC. They felt that their thunder had been stolen by ‘nonentities’.
While we believe that this country can only be moved forward if we put our best
brains from across the political divide to work, there are no basis for a
Government of National Unity (GNU) as many are desperately hoping for. Zanu PF
won the elections resoundingly and they have the majority in Parliament. The
MDC has refused to recognise the Zanu PF victory and have challenged the result
in the Supreme Court. Again they (MDC) lost the challenge and the Justice Luke
Malaba led bench endorsed the Zec results. The country has been in election
mode ever since and the economy has nosedived for the worst. There has been
calls for dialogue across the country and beyond to save the economy but the
leading parties have put their egos above the welfare of the country. President
Mnangagwa created Polad which was largely joined by people who failed to secure
even a handful of votes in the 2018 elections and MDC refused to be a part of
it. The coming in of Mbeki will not change anything because what he suggested
is what has been continuously turned down by MDC. Chamisa will never join Polad
because in his mind he is won the election. He views Polad as a losers’ league.
What Chamisa wants is a special treatment which Zanu PF is not willing to give
to him. Mbeki wants Chamisa to join others in Polad but Chamisa will never
accept that but would rather watch the country burn. There is literally no
solution to the current crisis unless Zanu PF pulls some magic trick from their
bag which will turn the economic fortunes around. We all know that there is
urgent need for dialogue but what is lacking are the basis for the dialogue.
MDC wants power and is banking on the collapsing economy to take a toll on Zanu
PF while the ruling party is making frantic efforts to save the sinking ship.
No Mbeki or any other person can come and tell the Zimbabwean people to
dialogue because we know of its importance but what needs to be addressed is
the egos of the main actors.  

Dry, dark Christmas for Masvingo

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Dry, dark Christmas for Masvingo



…US$20 million stands between residents and water

Upenyu
Chaota
Despite being close to the biggest inland dams in the
country with huge volumes of water, Masvingo city will see a dry festive season
as the water situation remains dire.
Crippling power shortages at Bushmead Water Works and
dilapidated water infrastructure has seen many residential areas like Runyararo
West going for months without tap water.
As part of mitigation measures, Masvingo City Council
has come up with a desperate water rationing schedule which has proven to be
difficult to adhere to owing to power shortages.
Some residents feel that by introducing the water
rationing schedule, council has attended to the symptoms of the problem and
ignored the root cause.
Council blames the water crisis mainly on load
shedding by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa). As a result of
the power shortages, Masvingo is largely dry in the day and dark in the night.
The city has degenerated into a village where women
fetch water from boreholes, fetch firewood for cooking and do laundry on river
banks.
Residents are likely to experience the worst Christmas
in history, as they will be without water and electricity, thereby making it a
gloomy festive season.
Open defecation is on the rise as people often do not
have water to flush their toilets.
Council says the only way out of this predicament is
embarking on a mega project of Water Augmentation Phase 2.
The city gets water from Lake Mutirikwi, which is one
of the biggest water bodies in the country and at no level has the lake run out
of water but the challenge remains pumping and purification.
Much of the water in the lack has traditionally gone
to the low veld where it is used to irrigate sugarcane but the completion of Tugwi-Mukosi
Dam means more water remains in Lake Mutirikwi yet less of it is getting to
residents.
City of Masvingo mayor Collen Maboke told TellZim News
that council applied for borrowing powers to the tune of US$20 million to
implement the Water Augmentation Phase 2 project.
According to Maboke, this is the only permanent
solution to the city’s water problems but the audacious project will not happen
overnight, residents have to endure much longer.
“We have very expensive solutions to the crisis at
hand. We need US$20 million to embark on Water Augmentation Phase 2 project.
The council does not have this kind of money and we seek to borrow it.
“This is the only solution and we hope we will be
allowed to borrow the money so that we kick start the project. Once completed,
Masvingo will be in a position to pump and supply adequate water to its
residents.
“For the time being, we have come up with a water
rationing schedule which we hope will help alleviate the biting water
challenges. Residents should know that their council is very concerned about
this crisis,” said Maboke.
He said the council is proposing to install solar at
the Bushmead Water Works as Zesa has refused to dedicate a powerline for the
city’s source of water.
“We know there is no solution that comes without
addressing power challenges so we are working on installing solar at our water
works. We had considered a generator but it is too expensive and unsustainable.
“Solar is more permanent hence we are going for that.
Again, it is not going to happen overnight. It is a process but we will make
sure it happens as fast as possible,” said Maboke.
Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance
(Murra) said that the city council and Zesa have failed residents and a dry and
dark Christmas awaits.
“When we talk of failure, Masvingo is a perfect case
study. The city council has failed in its mandate to supply water to residents.
They blame Zesa for the crisis but they should have seen it coming and invested
in alternative sources of energy long back.
“Now we will play Christmas without water. How is that
for Christmas? This is the best recipe for disaster and I wonder why some
people are still in offices instead of resigning because they have failed.
“We need new ideas at the council to solve this crisis
because we do not want their water rationing. All we want is a service we are
paying for. What will happen if our people get sick and there are no doctors at
the hospitals?
“The council has to make sure that water is readily
available this festive season because there are a lot of people who will be
visiting the city. It puts us in a bad space,” said Murra spokesperson Godfrey
Mtimba.

Untitled Post

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Sakubva residents grill Cllrs over service delivery

‘…council hostels must be sold to tenants’

TellZim
Reporter
MUTARE
– TellZim
was in Mutare on Friday, December 13, 2019 for a public dialogue between
residents of wards 4 and 5 who are mostly people in Sakubva high density suburb
where service delivery shortcomings are arguably most severe.
Many residents turned
up at Beit Hall to seek audience with Cllr Kalulu of Ward 4 and Cllr Mapuvire
of Ward 5.
Issues that came up
included the delays in the completion of the Sakubva Stadium refurbishments
which many participants felt was inconveniencing their right to affordable
recreation.
Other participants
wanted to know when Mutare City Council intended to sell old council-owned
houses that have been leased to tenants for decades. Most of the houses are
poorly-maintained and are quickly falling apart.
There were also
participants who felt council was not doing enough to ensure a more stable
water supply situation in Sakubva and other high density residential areas.
Some women complained
that council was not taking stern action against reckless disposal of diapers
and other forms of pollutants that are making the streets and open spaces a big
stink.
In response, Kalulu
said he acknowledged frustrations at what appeared to be the slow pace of
refurbishments being carried out at Sakubva Stadium but assured residents that
work will be completed in 2020 without fail.
“Council has put in
place all the materials needed to carry out the work successfully and we can
all see that something is happening there. The bricks are there and work is
progressing well though at a pace we might not be satisfied with. I plead with
you to be a little bit more patient as council is making progress. Recreation
is a right and we understand people’s frustrations,” said Kalulu.
On when council
intended to sell the old houses it has been leasing to tenants for many years,
Kalulu said a resolution was being made to fast-track the process.
“Those houses are in
bad shape and there is an agreement in council that selling them to the
faithful tenants who have been consistently paying their rentals will improve
the situation. If a person buys the house, he will be more responsible with it,
and he won’t hesitate investing his own resources towards its upgrade and
maintenance. Some of those houses are now being sub-leased by people who have
long relocated to their home areas like Murewa. Those people are being paid
rentals every month and that is not right as it is exploitative,” said Kalulu.
In his own words,
Mapuvire said council acknowledged all the service delivery shortfalls being
experienced in the city and was working to improve the situation with the
limited available resources.
“The water situation
has to improve and refuse collection has to improve too. We face a severe
economic crisis as a country and that has a bearing on the performance of the
city council. The problems mean that we need a united front as council and
residents. We urge you to pay your bills in full and in time and, in turn, hold
us to account,” said Mapuvire.
He also said each
resident must be an environmental police officer to make sure those who dump
disposable nappies and other nasty material everywhere are exposed, shamed and
fined.

MP Maronge pledges to pay fees for outstanding pupils

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MP Maronge pledges to pay fees for outstanding pupils

                                               Claudious Maronge (centre)
Star
Matsongoni
Masvingo South MP Claudious
Maronge has pledged to pay next term’s school fees for outstanding pupils from
Grade 1 to Grade 6 at Muchibwa Primary School.
The school head Brian
Gomba expressed his gratitude to Maronge saying many pupils at the school
deserved such kind of assistance and motivation.
“That would be a great
job done for the talented ones and those who are disadvantaged. Such a move
would assist the children to remain in school and to appreciate the importance
of all acts of kindness,” said Gomba.
He said the school had
already compiled the list of names of the deserving beneficiaries and forwarded
it to Maronge.
“Some six pupils will
benefit from assistance. We have picked the best pupil from each stream from Grade
1 to Grade 6 and they have already been provided with stationery;  each receiving 30 exercise books, five pens,
four pencils and a satchel,” said Gomba.
Maronge also donated
$1000 towards Mashapa Primary School end-of-year-the-year 2019 party.
Mashapa Primary School
registered a 95 percent pass rate in the 2919 Grade 7 examinations, making it
the best performing primary school in Masvingo South for the first time ever.
 

Jairos Jiri Masvingo shuts down

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Jairos Jiri Masvingo shuts down

Moses Ziyambi
The legacy built by renowned
philanthropist and humanist, the late Jairos Jiri is crumbling due to neglect
and failure by authorities to support what he so painstakingly built over many
difficult years.
Jiri died in 1982, leaving behind
16 centres that housed and trained people with disabilities but the
association’s training centre in Masvingo is crumbling.
It has been several weeks since
the institution closed down due to many problems including water shortages
caused by a breakdown of the borehole that supplied water for domestic use and
for agriculture.
The institution is now manned by
a few care takers but the normal courses in agriculture and other skills for
people with disabilities have ceased due to the myriad of problems being
encountered there.
Many broken pieces of equipment
lie in the yard, symbolizing the shocking decline of what was once a great
facility which mentored great people like the now late musicians Paul Matavire
and Chamunorwa Nebeta of the Glare Express fame.
A source told TellZim News the
facility was rapidly declining and there was no future for it unless
authorities urgently intervene.
“It’s now an empty shell. Nothing
is happening there. It has been a gradual decline that started long back after
government grants stopped coming or came by fits and starts. Donors are no
longer coming as they used to do because they resent government involvement in
what started as a charitable trust institution started by a private
philanthropist. Jairos Jiri Masvingo is just like Ngomahuru Mental Hospital;
taken over by government and then neglected in the most pressing hour of need,”
said the source.
It also emerged that the problems
were not unique to Jairos Jiri Masvingo as the case was similar throughout the
country where the association has a presence.
TellZim News called Jairos Jiri
Association national director Wilson Ruvere who first insisted that all was
well at the centre before changing tune after being pressed with facts.
“There was a storm which wrecked
the water tanks and we don’t have water there. We are running around looking
for help so that we can resuscitate operations possibly in January 2020. We can’t
operate without water,” said Ruvere.

Lantana Camara elimination commences at Great Zimbabwe

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Lantana Camara elimination commences at Great Zimbabwe

Brighton Chiseva

MASVINGO – Work has begun to eliminate the invasive Lantana Camara
plant which threatens the beauty the Great Zimbabwe monuments.
The project began with the
training of a 16-member team by a South Africa-based plant research council.
The work is being funded through
a US$475 000 availed by the United States Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural
Preservation.
The project involves the
installation of a digital control system as well as the mechanical and chemical
elimination of the unwanted plant.
Speaking to the media at the
heritage site, South African Agriculture Research Council (SAARC) plant
specialist David Simelane said they were training people to control the deadly
plant species as a way of safeguarding the cultural heritage site.
“We want work to start here and
make sure that the local community join hands and eradicate Lantana Camara. We
are also doing similar projects in South Africa and we want the whole region to
take part because if we defeat it in South Africa and leave it here or other
neighboring countries, it will always find its way back to us,” said Simelane.
Great Zimbabwe monuments resident
archaeologist Dr Tawanda Mukwende said they were using an integrated approach
to deal with the plant.
“We are uprooting and cutting stems
of the plant as well as using chemicals which we apply on the cut stems to
completely kill the plant. Depending on the manpower available, we hope to
complete the task within the shortest possible time,” said Mukwende.
Local management committee
secretary Bothwell Mushayi said he was confident of the local community buy-in
as all people acknowledged the negative impact of the plant.
“Our committee consists of people
who live in the surrounding chiefdoms namely Nemamwa, Mugabe and Murinye. We
will mobilise all villagers to take part so that we defeat Lantana Camara. I am
very confident that our people will respond positively as they have always done
when called upon to participate in efforts to preserve the monuments,” said
Mushayi.
He said veld fires from bee
hunters and roaming livestock constituted other threats to the monuments.

Chamisa denounces Chief Ndiweni victimisation

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Chamisa denounces Chief Ndiweni victimisation

…says he will restore dignity of chiefs
Felix
Matasva
MUTARE – MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has says he
is eager to resolve the governance crisis in Zimbabwe by increasing the
autonomy of chiefs so that they become real keepers of tradition values, not
political commissars of the ruling party.
Chamisa said this while speaking during Manicaland
end-of-the-year provincial rally which was held at Chisamba grounds in Sakubva
on Sunday, December 15, 2019.
He denounced government for its recent move to
dethrone Chief Ndiweni who has stood up against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s
excesses.
Chamisa said at the moment, the country is under
authoritarian rule hence the need to address the governance crisis.
“Our country needs a leader because as of now, we
have a ruler. Our country needs a shepherd but right now it is in the hands of
a hunter. Our country needs a father because right now, it is being governed by
murderers.
“I am saying this because of what was done to
Chief Ndiweni. They are now involved in a turf war with traditional chiefs,”
said Chamisa.
He vowed that should he get into power, he will make
sure that chiefs become stewards of Zimbabwe’s traditions.
“In a bid to resolve the governance crisis, we
will make sure chiefs are not victimised and they must not be commissars of
political parties. Chiefs ​must be keepers of our traditional values and
cultural norms in the country.
“In our government, we will not tolerate chiefs
attending MDC or Zanu PF gatherings. If they come, they must use their capacity
to teach people our traditional and cultural values while giving solutions
pertaining where the nation is wrong,” said Chamisa.
He said  many
places that he toured, it emerged that many chiefs were deprived of their
chieftainships due to political influence hence in the new Zimbabwe he will
foster the return of chieftainships to rightful heirs.
“I warned them about what they are doing to Chief
Ndiweni, that they cannot rig the chieftainships as it is passed down from
generation to generation.
“In a number of places I have been touring, there
are many people who complained about being deprived of their chieftainships. I
assure you that in the new Zimbabwe yet to come, chieftainships will be brought
back to the rightful heirs,” said Chamisa.
He urged the government not to act like Ian Smith who
used chiefs as puppets, saying chiefs belonged to the people not the
government.
“I told them to leave people’s Chief Ndiweni
alone because he belongs to the people not government. The culture of abusing
chiefs like what Ian Smith did must not continue in this era. If you take a
position without taking proper procedures, you must know that it will
backfire,” he said.

Makorokoza disrupt water supply in Mutare

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Makorokoza disrupt water supply in Mutare

Moses Ziyambi

MUTARE
–
Activities of illegal gold panners upstream Pungwe River recently caused a
total shutdown of water pumping to Mutare city after council suspected that raw
water was possibly contaminated by toxic chemicals, it has emerged.
The details came out
during a public dialogue meeting between Sakubva residents and their
councillors at Beit Hall on Friday, December 13, 2019.
Participants at the
dialogue had sought answers from wards 4 and 5 councillors Edson Kalulu and
Simon Mapuvire respectively, as to what had caused the serious disruption which
saw their areas going for up to a week without tap water.
The residents
complained that council lacked tact in its communication with them, and that
the services they received was not commensurate with the rates they paid.
Other participants
argued that it was inexcusable for council to let high density residential
suburbs like Sakubva to spend a week without running water given their
vulnerability to contagious diseases like cholera and typhoid.
In response, Mapuvire
blamed the shutdown on illegal gold panners operating upstream the river which
is Mutare’s source of raw water.
“There are illegal gold
panners operating there and their activities were behind the water shutdown.
Council noticed that water in the river had become unusually dirty and upon
investigations, learnt that it all emanated from the panners.
“It was then suspected
that the gold panners had possibly used dangerous chemicals that could not be
treated by our ordinary water purification processes. It was then resolved that
all pumping should be stopped and samples taken to a laboratory in Harare for
testing. After the results came back negative, normal water pumping resumed. We
are sorry that was not clearly communicated to residents,” said Mapuvire.
Other residents accused
council of profiting from desperate tenants occupying its ‘demeaning’ hostels
in the suburbs.
“We can’t continue with
the legacy of Ian Smith who put business ahead of human dignity by building for
us demeaning hostels with no privacy, and with no place for a decent family set
up. We say council should sell those hostels so that the new owners can
renovate and improve them,” said Watson Mafuya.
The councillors
responded to the concerns by saying council had already agreed to dispose of
the hostels to tenants to give room for their improvement.

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