Tinaani Nyabereka

GWERU – Stakeholders in the Midlands province disability lobby have been urged to scale up their advocacy despite the end of the Young Voices project funding initiative.
Speaking at a project evaluation meeting last week, Young Voice project officer, Juliet Muzondo said as the project funding stream closes, all institutions and stakeholders who have been involved in programmes should continue their work.
“As you are aware, the Young Voices funding from the Embassy of Finland has now come to an end but this should not be the closing down of Young Voices. It’s just the project funding. Here in the Midlands, many stakeholders have been engaged from education officers, district administrator and chiefs to city council and the media.
“We urged them to further utilise the engagements and continue with advocacy work to help educate society on the issues at hand,” said Muzondo.
She bemoaned the discrimination that people with disabilities still face especially in rural areas, saying in terms of information and personal development, they still lagged behind.
“I am glad to say Young Voices in Gweru has also taken disability advocacy to the rural communities such as Chiwundura, Lower Gwelo and surrounding areas. There are however some gaps that still remain because in rural areas, people have less access to information.
“We took the initial steps of engaging the chiefs but we are now able to engage the people directly in their communities. We thank the traditional leadership because it supported the move,” she said.
Muzondo urged the media to help educate society and accommodate people with disability so as to integrate them in all developments since they have rights like anybody else.
The Young Voices initiative, a Leonard Cheshire Disability global initiative, has spearheaded disability advocacy projects across the globe and in Sadc countries.local

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Tiyani Hahlani

All is set for the Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Festival, a tripartite partnership between Delta Beverages, the National Arts Council (NAC) and the Zimbabwe National Traditional Dance Association (ZNTDA).

The festival, which boasts some of the most valuable entertainment franchises on the local arts front, begins on June 02 at Tandarai Bar in Marondera, Mashonaland East.

Several traditional dance groups will compete for the title which was previously won by a Mufakose-based group called Culture Warriors.

On the same day, there will also be another competition in Mashonaland Central at Club Changaz at Cemetry.

Harare province, being the previous year’s winner, will be hosting the festival competition on June 09 in Mbare at Pfumojena Beerhall.

In Matabeleland South and West, the event will also be held on June 16 while in Matabeleland South, Gwanda’s Manzamnyama Beer garden will be the host.

In Masvingo province, the festival will be held on June 23 at one of the biggest bars in the country; Chigarapasi Beerhall, Chiredzi.

In Manicaland and Bulawayo, the festival will be held on July 07 with Neighborhood Tarven Bar and Phekiwe Beerhall being the respective hosts.

In the Midlands province, the event will take place at Mutamba Caravan Park, Gokwe, on June 23 while Matabeleland North will have its turn in Hwange at Jabulani Social Club.

 The finals will be held in August 4 in Mutare at Manicaland Showgrounds.business

Clever Taperamoyo

MASVINGO – Opposition Renewal Democrats Zimbabwe (RDZ) leader, Elton Mangoma has won a High Court challenge he mounted against recent utterances by National Council of Chiefs president, Fortune Charumbira declaring that traditional leaders must continue supporting Zanu PF.

Masvingo High Court judge, Justice Garainesu Mawadze declared that the announcements made by Chief Charumbira in his capacity as head of traditional leaders during the National Annual Conference of Chiefs in Bulawayo 2017 and in January this year at an Indaba in Gweru were unconstitutional in terms of Section 281(2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

The High Court further banned and prohibited Chief Charumbira and the Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs from making further political statements, their involvement or allegiance to Zanu PF on any public forum.

Mangoma was represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) through Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners.

The High Court also ordered that campaigning Zanu PF by traditional leaders was unconstitutional and infringement of the applicant who is not to be treated in an unfairly, discriminatory manner on the basis of political affiliation.

The court also ordered the Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs to initiate processes towards the establishment of the Integrity and Ethics Committee of Chiefs envisioned in Section 287 of the constitution.

Section 280 of the constitution provides the responsibility of traditional leaders that, among other responsibilities, include performing the cultural, customary and traditional functions.

The ruling follows a similar challenge that was mounted by the Electoral Resource Centre (ERC) in the High Court in Harare.

The court ordered that Charumbira retract his statements and issue an apology via the media in seven days.

The Ministry of Local Government was also ordered to take disciplinary measures against Chief Charumbira.politics

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – Chiredzi Town Council last week decommissioned its dumpsite and cemetery in Marinda Road and across Zava Business Centre to pave way for the pegging and servicing of more than 1000 medium density and commercial stands.

In a full council meeting held last week, council declared that it had been resolved to decommission the sites to pave way for new residential areas.

It was heard that new land was being identified for a new cemetery and dumpsite.

Chiredzi Town Council chairperson, Francis Moyo later told TellZim News that the plan was to develop 1000 residential stands.

“There are two places that we have decommissioned which are the existing cemetery and dumpsite in order to pave way for the pegging and servicing of residential stands. We are going to reclaim the site at a later stage to enable it to decompose and peg commercial stands.

“The whole area can give us more than 1000 residential stands that will be pegged in medium density fashion,” said Moyo.

Meanwhile, United Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association (UCHIRRA) is trying to bar council from carrying out the latest development, saying it should be left to a new council which will assume office after the elections since the current council is tainted by many corruption scandal.

Chiredzi has been accused of diverting funds collected from home seekers for the servicing of 2 000 stands at Makondo Extension.

Despite each prospective home owner paying US$900, the stands remain not serviced almost nine years later.

An audit team commissioned by former Local Government minister, Saviour Kasukuwere reportedly unearthed serious corruption and mismanagement although the report was never made public.

Councillors and council management were also accused of selling themselves many stands at discounted prices and reselling them to desperate people at inflated prices.local