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Women dominate RCU 4th graduation

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Women dominate RCU 4th graduation

RCU Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Obert Maravanyika
                                            
… three people with disabilities
graduate
Diana
Gondongwe
MASVINGO
– The Reformed Church
University (RCU) held its fourth graduation at the main campus on June 28, with
female students forming the largest number of graduates.
The graduation class of this year had 151 students in
total from the university’s two faculties which are the Faculty of Commerce and
Faculty of Education and Social Sciences.
Of the 151 who graduated, 69 were from the Faculty
of Commerce while 82 were from the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences.
A total of 103 females graduated, 33 of whom were from
the Faculty of Commerce, with the other 70 being from the Faculty of Education
and Social Sciences.
A total of 48 male students graduated; 36 being from
the Faculty of Commerce and 12 from the Faculty of Education and Social
Sciences.
The Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ)-run university
which goes with the motto ‘Building a Legacy Through Inclusivity’, saw three
people with disabilities graduating.
The ceremony was graced by the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the Zimbabwe Council of Higher Education Prof Kuzvinetsa Peter Dzvimbo who praised RCU for
the progress it has made over the past few years.
He also urged the all university staff to broaden
their knowledge in order grow the institution’s scholarly reputation.
“The number of professors that the institution has
is qualifies it to be a university and I challenge all lecturers here who are
not yet professors to improve their knowledge and become professors. We have a
crisis in the country and now, universities must change their genetic code. Innovation
is what the university should move for,” said Dzvimbo.
In his speech the RCU chancellor, Rev Isaac
Pandasvika, who tis the RCZ moderator, said the university will continue to do
well in the coming years and will be one of the best universities in Zimbabwe.
“RCU will continue to thrive for the next 100 years
and beyond. He (the Lord) shall be greater, I shall be less (John 3:30),” said
Pandasvika.

‘King Mine to re-open in 2020’

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‘King Mine to re-open in 2020’

… as questions
arise on how $10 million GZU money was spent

Courage
Dutiro
Officials
at King Mine in Mashava say production at the mine will resume in 2020 next
year when the dewatering process and repairs on the mill are done.
The
Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Ezra Chadzamira and his
delegation toured the mine last week and they were told that much dewatering
had been done since the beginning of the year.
“The
process is taking longer to complete because of a shortage of equipment and
foreign currency but we have de-watered a large part of the mine. This process
has seen some of the underground workers being called back to work,” said Luckson
Dziva who spoke on behalf of the CEO.
He
said much of the money to do the work was coming from Great Zimbabwe University
(GZU) which is using some of the mine’s properties on a lease basis.
Chief
Operating Officer (COO) Stephen Nyagura said 93 employees had been called back
to work on the dewatering exercise which he said was expected to be complete by
October.
“We
are expecting to finish the de-watering process by October this year. Repairing
of the mill will be done starting from October up to May next year. After the
process of repairing the mill and other machinery, production of ore will then
resume,” said Nyagura.
Chadzamira,
however, queried the management’s assertion that all the $10 million paid GZU
in rentals had been invested in dewatering alone.
He
ordered that they write a report explaining the expenditure as he suspected
there could be cases of corruption and misappropriation of the funds.
He
told the mine officials that work should be done faster so that the mine could
contribute to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision 2030 of turning the nation
into an upper middle income economy.
Promises
of the resuscitation of Mashava mines are, however, not new but nothing has
materialised to date.
While
campaigning at Mucheke Stadium in the run-up to the 2018 harmonised elections
on June 15, President Emmerson Mnangagwa promise the Mashava mines would be re-opened
by July 31 of that year.
Production
at the mine stopped in 2008 due to financial restraints after the government
seized operations from businessman Mutumwa Mawere’s Shabani Mashaba Mines (SMM).
The
company used to operate shafts at Gaths, Temereire and King, employing
thousands of people.

Chivi DA threatens MDC supporters

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Chivi DA threatens MDC supporters

Upenyu Chaota


MASVINGO – Chivi District Administrator (DA), who is also Zanu PF Chivi Central district chairperson, Vafias Hlabati has rallied the people of the district to stand by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, promising to fight and ‘banish’ all opposition supporters.
Hlabati said it would be abnormal for the people of Chivi to turn their backs on President Mnangagwa whom he claimed to be a child of the district.
Speaking at the Zanu PF victory celebrations in Ward 17 of Chivi Central constituency recently, Hlabati said he was aware of 258 people in the Ward who voted for the MDC and was going to see to it that they will be dealt with by 2023.
“I want to thank the people of Chivi for voting for Zanu PF. You voted Zanu PF from councillors, Members of Parliament and the President.
“I am however disturbed to know that here in Ward 17 there are 258 people who voted for the MDC. We know them and we are going to fight them until they are gone or they join Zanu PF by 2023,” said Hlabati.
Hlavati said President Mnangagwa’s government was the best and people must give it all the support.
“President Mnangagwa’s government is the best. What more can you ask for when you see our President trying to better our lives.
“The people of Chivi, you are blessed to be the district where the President comes from. Everyone should support and defend the President before that is where our future is. If we are going to die doing it then so be it,” said Hlabati.
Hlabati, who is no stranger to controversy, once came under fire from the opposition MDC which called for his resignation because of his direct participation in Zanu PF politics.

I won’t get fair trial in Masvingo: Taxi driver ‘killer’

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I won’t get fair trial in Masvingo: Taxi driver ‘killer’

Tendai Mange

The
man who was arrested a few weeks ago in connection with the brutal murder of taxi
driver Josiah Rimai at Backpackers Rest lodge in Masvingo has requested that he
be tried outside of the city, claiming that it was impossible for him to get a
fair hearing in local courts.
Chakanetsa
Kambarami made the request when he appeared before magistrate Dambudzo Malunga last
week.
He
claimed that no lawyer was willing to represent him and that members of the
public were victimising his relatives who come to check on him.
Kambarami
claimed that his family members were no longer free to attend his trial in Masvingo,
making it difficult for them to render him the morale support he said he
required.
“My
relatives are no longer coming to Masvingo without police protection as they
fear getting harassed by the public. It will not be fair for me to stand trial
without their support,” said Kambarami.
He
said because the case received wide media coverage and that a large group of
protesters had tried to storm the police station on 05 June ostensibly to harm
him, all the lawyers that had indicated a willingness to defend him in court
had hastily retreated.
He
also told the court that he will be glad to stand trial in any other place
outside of Masvingo.
It
is the State’s case that Kambarami murdered Rimai at Backpackers Rest and dumped
his body in the bushy area near The Sundowners lodge.

Tales around the tale: Realities & myths about gomalungundu

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Tales around the tale: Realities & myths about gomalungundu

Elizabeth
Duve Dziva
Ngomalungundu
is believed to be a powerful cultural drum with remains resembling it once
housed in the Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences in Harare. A month ago, Esther
Chipashu a curator of Ethnography at the Zimbabwe Natural History Museum in
Harare presented about the drum in question at an event in the United Kingdom.
Chipashu
said the drum was taken for custody by the Zimbabwean government since it
attracted a lot of attention from varied ethnic groups in Zimbabwe and Jewish
researchers from outside the country. Apparently, the drum is associated with
some intangible spiritual value.
Oral
tradition has it that the drum was used during rainmaking ceremonies and other
important cultural rituals. In fact, the Ngomalungundu is said to have been a
strong magical drum with extraordinary powers. Whatever the myth surrounding
the drum is a cause for interest since it involves our very own country and who
knows the fate or fortunes it carries.
Ownership
of the drum has been a controversial issue among many ethnic groups which want
to associate themselves with it. Among them are the Lemba (VaRemba) people who
a minority group of the zhou totem found predominantly in Maberengwa, the Venda
people in Matabeleland South province and the National Museums and Monuments of
Zimbabwe (NMMZ) which is the current custodian of the drum.
The
million dollar question is who is the rightful custodian of the drum? Is it
national heritage or heritage of a particular group of people with intangible
aspects that need the rightful people to conserve and preserve? Besides, will
the descendants of those who invented the drum and its magic be able to access
and use the drum accordingly? Culturally, it does not necessarily mean that the
drum has ceased to carry its spiritual value regardless of how worn out it has
become. Most people seem to deliberately avoid the subject for, not only
because it leads to more questions than answers but also because it stirs acute
controversy. It, however, still worthy the discussions and literature since ignorance
of one’s distant past leads to stagnation in knowledge accumulation.
The
VaRemba people, also known as the black Jews, claim that their ascendants
migrated to Zimbabwe with the drum in question. There is a hypothesis that the
Ngomalungundu is the Biblical Ark of Covenant which Moses was instructed to
build at Mount Sinai as he led the Israelites out of Egypt.
The
VaRemba, also known as Mwenye people, are an ethnic group that speak Bantu
languages spoken by their geographical neighbours whom they even resemble
physically yet they have some religious practices and beliefs similar to the Biblical
Jews. They observe practices like circumcision; place a Star of David on their
tombstones and many other practices.  The
fact whether these people are really Jews, and even more are the actual owners
of the Ngomalungundu is more apparent than real 
because it seems as if since they are a minority group, maybe they are
only trying to draw attention for the sake of greater recognition in the
nation. Their Jewish ancestry is controversial since the evidence is only
attained from oral tradition which has a number of weaknesses as a historical
source. Research shows that DNA in 2000 people of the society did not support
claims for a specifically Jewish genetic heritage. Somehow, the stories do not
tally, there is something missing and one may ponder their real association
with the Ngomalungundu.
According
to the Jewish hypothesis, the drum was last seen 2500 years ago in Jerusalem.
It was then found by a Swedish missionary, Von Sicard in the early 1940s at
Dumbwi Mountains in Mberengwa. It was taken to the by then National Museums and
Monuments of the colonial Rhodesian government.
It
was rediscovered in 2007 in a forgotten shelf in the Zimbabwe Museum of Human
Sciences in Harare by a British Professor Parfitt. In 2010, an unveiling
ceremony was held in Harare with that government officials, National Museums
and Monuments and some members of the VaRemba ethnic group. The drum has been
taken by NMMZ on tours to other parts of the country but it is queer that it
has never been taken to Mberengwa where it supposedly belongs, where the black
Jews are found today.
The
Venda hypothesis has it that the Ngomalungundu, which in their native language
is known as the drum of the dead, was brought to its present location by the
Senzi people, present day Venda. According to them, the Ngomalungundu was the
drum of Mwali, the ancestor God of the Venda and the Kalanga people. It was the
voice of the great god (Mambo weDenga). The drum was seen and beaten by no one
except the high priest Dzomo la Dzimu and Mwali, the king whom they now regard
as their great ancestor. The Venda say king Thohoyandou disappeared with the
drum and nobody knew about its whereabouts until something with remains that
resembles it was found in Mberengwa.
The
puzzle pertaining Ngomalungundu remains debatable though over and above, there
is need to preserve it. Apart from conserving and preserving the aesthetic and
economic value of cultural objects, their spiritual value should never be
ignored for we should consider that such artefacts have their essential role;
they are our grounding and they make us who we are.
Elizabeth Duve Dziva is an archaeological and
cultural heritage practitioner who presently teaches at Errymaple High School
in Zvishavane. The views and opinions expressed in this article are purely the
author’s in her own capacity and do not necessarily represent any organisation
duveelizabeth@gmail.com

New gender-focused CBO launched in Masvingo

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New gender-focused CBO launched in Masvingo

                                                     Evangelist Mazhara

Precious
Marecha

An organisation concerned with domestic welfare has
been launched in Masvingo with the objective of finding solutions to some of
the most common problems affecting couples and those that lead to gender-based
violence.
The Women on A Mission Organisation (WOAMO) aims to
improve peace in the domestic set-up while offering effective counselling where
it is needed.
Formed by Evangelist Romina Zinyoro Mazhara, the
organisation is working to spread its services to all districts of the
province.
Running
with the motto ‘Women On a Mission Where You Will Never Shed a Tear Again – Stress Free Zone’, the
organisation offers counselling to people who feel burdened in marriage as well
as those facing various other social challenges.
Mazhara
says her personal life experiences in marriage provoked her to work towards
peaceful families by addressing challenges faced by couples, single mothers and
young people.
“I
have faced all challenges in marriage and this inspired the formation of WOAMO.
I prayed and fasted and it worked wonders in my life.
This
is when I realised that there is no situation that God can never change. With
all the experiences I encountered, I realised the mistakes, strengths, dos and don’ts
of marriages. I want to share that rich experience with others,” said
evangelist Mazhara.
She
said marriage was a small entity which however affects a larger space in society.
For people to work effectively, they must come from peaceful marriages and for
youths to achieve greater goals, they must come from stable families.
She
said she believed there was no way one could talk about anything without
factoring in the spiritual side.
“We
are the result of the spiritual world so our problems must be addressed
spiritually if we are to change physically, Hatingatizi
kuti kune varoyi kana vanosundira mhepo zvinogona kuparadzisa dzimba dzevanhu
(we cannot logically deny the
existence of evil spirits that affect the living) and that
is why we must address both the spiritual and the physical life,” said
Evangelist Mazhara
WOAMO,
however, has a broader mandate which spreads to addressing the financial aspect
of people’s lives which arguably is the singular most pervasive source of
instability in marriages.
The
organisation, therefore, addresses financial problems through talent
identification and nurturing financial literacy.
One
of WOAMO members, Tavonga Marumbei said she was pleased with the rate at which
the organisation was growing.
She
said she encountered great changes in her family life through Evangelist Mazhara’s
counselling.
“My
sisters and I have been through a lot of challenges in our marriages but
through Evangelist Mazhara’s counselling, we are seeing changes and it’s true
that WOAMO is a stress-free zone,” said Marumbei.
A
holder of a social sciences degree from Great Zimbabwe University (GZU), Evangelist
Mazhara was born at Mukaro Mission Hospital in Gutu. She did her ‘O’ and ‘A’
level at Mwenezi Government High School.
An Evangelist at Saved to Save Elshadai Ministries, she is married to Aaron Mazhara and
is blessed with three kids.
The
organisation was formed in May 2018 and it operated without offices but is now located
at 7150 Bradburn Extension Road between Chitima market and Printflow. 

Zaka East MP Gumbwanda dies

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TellZim Reporter

Zanu PF Member of Parliament (MP) for Zaka East
constituency, Caston Gumbwanda has died.
Gumbwanda died today at a medical facility in Harare where
he had been admitted after suffering from pneumonia.
Zanu PF Masvingo provincial chairperson, Ezra Chadzamira,
who is also the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, confirmed the
loss.
“We received reports yesterday that Cde Gumbwanda was
admitted at Chiredzi Hospital after suffering from pneumonia.  He was then transferred to Harare where he
died. This is a big loss to us as a party,” said Chadzamira.
Gumbwanda is said to have suffered from the disease after
travelling all the way from Harare at the back of a pick-up truck.
“He had left his car in the constituency and he decided to
hitch-hike back home,” said a source.
Gumbwanda’s predicessor, Samson Mukanduri also died last year before finishing his term.

 More to follow…

Masvingo receives $31 million devolution money

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Masvingo receives $31 million devolution money

…Chiredzi RDC gets lion’s share of funds
TellZim
Reporter
The government has released about $31 million of
devolution money to Masvingo province with Chiredzi and Mwenezi Rural District
Councils (RDCs) getting the biggest chunk of the money, TellZim News has
learnt.
Allocation of the money to districts was done with
close attention to various economic considerations including population indexes,
poverty levels and unpaved infrastructure size.
Of the $31 million, $9 million has been set aside for
the provincial council which is, however, yet to be operationalised.
Masvingo Provincial Administrator (PA) Fungai Mbetsa
said he expected money to improve living conditions through improved service
delivery.
“We have received our second tranche of devolution
money and it was shared amongst all the nine local authorities in the province.
The rationale behind the allocation was largely based on population, poverty
and infrastructure indexes. We appreciate the work being done by the government
and we will make sure that the money is put to good use,” said Mbetsa.
Chiredzi Rural District Council received $3 211 876.51
followed by Mwenezi with $3 044 337.54. Other local authorities received $2 892
547.40 for Bikita, $2 877794.38 for Gutu, $2 931 952.88 for Zaka, $2 726 580.37
for Masvingo Rural and $2 832 894 for Chivi.
Masvingo City Council and Chiredzi Town Council
received $1 779 826.58 and $1 870 792.22 respectively.
Mbetsa said $9 million has been given to the provincial
council so that its operationalization can finally become a reality.
“The provincial council is yet to be operationalised
and the $9 million has been given for that purpose and we hope to see the
provincial council sitting soon,” said Mbetsa.

Chiwenga breaks pre-coup promise to Gezani community

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Chiwenga breaks pre-coup promise to Gezani community

Chiwenga performs a ground-breaking exercise at the site of the intended projects weeks before he staged a coup which overthrew Robert Mugabe
Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIKOMBEDZI
– A
promise made to the Gezani community in Chiredzi South by then Zimbabwe Defence
Forces (ZDF) commander and now Vice president Constantino Chiwenga some weeks
before he launched a coup that toppled Robert Mugabe seems to have been
forgotten.
Chiwenga seconded one of his then
juniors, Brig Gen Trust Mugoba to represent him at the funeral of late Headman
Gezani, Simon Chauke.
During his speech, Mugoba spoke
glowingly about the late traditional leader saying the Gezani family was one of
heroism as his late father had also assisted Chiwenga during the liberation
struggle.
“General Chiwenga is saddened by
the death of Headman Gezani because that’s where he was kept during the
chimurenga time,” said Mugoba.
He said the army wanted to pay
tribute to the contributions made by the Gezani family to the liberation
struggle by constructing a clinic or a school in the area.
“We want the community to
identify two or three projects in this area which the ZDF will undertake for
you. Give us a school, clinic or anything of your choice and we will send our
team of engineers and builders to do it for the community this year.
“We want a team work; we have
partners who we are working with at Dumisa Primary School which are CBZ Bank
and FBC Bank. Even the community, you must be active so that our development
projects will be completed quickly,” he added.
In October of the same year,
Chiwenga visited Makhanani Primary School and participated at a ground-breaking
ceremony for a new clinic project.
“You made two requests, one, for
us to construct a clinic and the need to have mobile networks in this area. I
had to recall your contribution during the war and I then saw it fit to have a
hospital constructed in this area. I know Headman Gezani is no longer with us,
but he would be pleased to see these developments taking place in this area,” Chiwenga
said then.
However, nothing has been done on
the site of the projects and the issue is not even being talked about despite
that Chiwenga is now in government and is arguably the second powerful man in
the country, with even greater leverage to influence government policy.
Auspicious Ndlovu, a social
activist from Chiredzi South, said Chiwenga should urgently move to fulfil his
promises in an area considered to be among one of the most marginalised in the
country.
“We still feel short-changed.
Since he was elevated from army general to Vice President, he has totally
forgotten us and the clinic which he promised is nowhere to be seen,” said
Ndlovu.
Headman Gezani’s phone was not
reachable for comment.
.

First lady in Chiredzi children rehab centre

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First lady in Chiredzi children rehab centre

….
as Govt gets nervous about street demos
Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – First
lady Auxilia Mnangagwa was in Chiredzi this week assessing progress in the work
being done to upgrade Chambuta Children’s Home into a National Rehabilitation Centre
where orphans and street kids will be trained with life skills.
She
urged local companies to invest their own resources towards making a success of
the project; claiming she alone could not afford it.
The
phenomenal increase in the number of children living on the streets has come
with both social and political implications, with some of them reportedly being
used to front demonstrations against the government.
Speaking
during a briefing at Chambuta, Mnangagwa said she was on a mission to decongest
street kids from the streets of Harare.
“We
need to move in about a 1000 street kids and provide them with projects they
can live on. So we are upgrading Chambuta to a national rehabilitation centre. I
am aware that it will be a mammoth task to move street kids as some will refuse
but we will focus on those that are willing,” said Mnangagwa.
Chiredzi
East Member of Parliament (MP) Denford Masiya welcomed the move, saying he was
also working hard to make the project a success.
“We
are really behind your projects and we welcome those children. Let them come
and be kept here since you want to upgrade it to a national rehabilitation
centre,” said Masiya.
However,
a source privy to the developments said the project was part of broader plans
to prevent civil society and the opposition from using homeless children during
demonstrations.
“It’s
all about dealing with demonstrations since street kids are thought to be so
reckless and fearless that they would not mind participating in demonstrations
right from the front,” said the source.

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