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Gweru man rejects freedom, begs court for community service

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Siyabonga Sayi

GWERU – People at the magistrates’ court in Gweru were stunned when a man who was found guilty of domestic violence begged the court to give him community service instead of setting him free.
Tongai Zireni (43) of Mkoba 2 was found guilty of domestic violence as defined in Section 3[1] as read with section 4[1] of the Domestic Violence Act Chapter 5:16.
Zireni, who did not have legal representation, stunned the court when he begged magistrate Judith Taruvinga for community service when his 5 months prison sentence was conditionally suspended in full.
The magistrate however rejected the request and explained to him the implication of community service in light of the fact that he had a family to take care of.
The court heard that on January 2 this year Zireni communicated to her wife via a text message to the phone of his wife’s niece stating that he wanted to commit suicide because he was suspecting his wife of cheating.
His wife’s niece went to talk to him and the two returned home in Mkoba 2 were a misunderstanding between Zireni and his wife Kupurai Vhengere over the cheating allegations arose.
The court heard that Zireni then assaulted his wife with open hands and feasts on the head and stomach.
A report to the police was made leading to the arrest of Zireni.
Christopher Chitambira prosecuted.local

Heavy hailstorm destroys two schools in Gutu

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Chinonga Primary School after the hailstorm

Shumbairerwa Primary School in the aftermath of the hailstorm

Precila Takabvirakare

GUTU – The effects of a heavy, violent and windy hailstorm that occurred on January 09 is still being felt by two primary schools, Shumbairerwa and Chinanga that now have to cope with reduced capacity.
The day started as the other normal opening days but it ended with an unexpected hailstorm that started at around 14: 00 hrs and lasted up to 19: 00 hrs.
At Chinanga, which is in Ward 13 under Chief Mazuru, the storm blew off roofing sheets from two 2 x 2 classroom blocks which housed grades 3, 4, 5 and ECD. Four classrooms out of the available eight were affected, leaving the school to manage with only four classrooms housing about 240 pupils from ECD A up to grade seven.
The asbestos sheets that were sept off the roof hit other sheets thereby creating holes on them.
District Schools Inspector (DSI) Sonny Chirikure said the heads of the affected schools were advised to engage Gutu Rural District Council (RDC) as the responsible authority and the District Administrator (DA) who is the head of the Civil Protection Unit (CPU).
“We have forwarded our report to the PED for the ministry to see what they can do to assist, because as the ministry, we are supposed to follow the right channels,” said Chirikure.
Speaking to TellZim News, Chinanga Primary School head, Ettie Makarudze said the storm was violent and some books in classrooms were soiled.
“I however felt relieved because it happened after we had dismissed the school pupils so there were no any reports of injuries,” said Makarudze.
At Shumbairerwa Primary School, under Chief Munyaradzi, two staff houses accommodating student teachers had their roofs destroyed, leaving furniture to be socked in rain.
Three classroom blocks also lost their roofs and they still pose a danger to learners and staff members alike.
School head Kirion Nzuwa said that his own office was not spared as water found its way through various week points.
“In trying to cope with the situation, the school has allocated one room each to the affected teachers at other houses that were not heavily affected,” said Nzuwa.local

‘Universities should lead to development’

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Permanent secretary in the Higher Education ministry, Desire Sibanda with Prof  Rungano Zvobgo and Prof Amon  Murwira touring the Herbert Chitepo Law School

Clever Taperamoyo

MASVINGO – The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, Professor Amon Murwira on Monday held an engagement meeting with Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) where ideas on more qualitative higher education were shared.
In his keynote address stakeholders at GZU’s Herbert Chitepo Law School, Prof Murwira urged universities to conduct studies that contribute to national development, promising that resources will be channeled towards collaborative research that bring economic growth.
"Universities must now grow the industry themselves rather than producing graduates to be incorporated by industries that do not exist. The ministry will unveil resources where there is opportunity for development not for basic individual researches.
"Let us think about employing people rather than chasing them away but this can only be achieved through high productivity," said Prof Murwira.
The minister also explained the importance academic freedom in building confidence in the local education sector.
"We want to bring new confidence in our education system by allowing researchers to work alone. We want to respect our academia by avoiding too much interference but they should be productive," Prof Murwira said.
He also emphasised the need to construct high standard infrastructure in tertiary institutions and to have partnership with the private sector for the construction of affordable accommodation for the large numbers of students in the country.
He said the ministry already had engagements with banks in an effort to provide students loans instead of student grants.
"We were depending much on philanthropy; packaging our poverty and selling it, busy writing proposals for donations. Let us desist from that and have a culture of selling opportunities," he added.
Speaking at the same event, GZU Vice Chancellor, Prof Rungano Zvobgo said the institution had collaborations with other universities around the country and abroad.
"We are running a viable agricultural programme in the Lowveld which starts at certificate level going up to diploma level. Now we are offering a degree and the university should have a radio station in few months to come," Prof Zvobgo said.education

Businessman Chibaya means business

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A proud Chibaya stands in front of one of his business complex

Bothwell Chabarika

Nemanwa – There are no secrets to success as it is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.
These are the words that Stanford Chibaya, a rising entrepreneur affectionately known by his friends, admirers and customers as Jecksolas, recites every day.
The devout Zion Christian Church (ZCC) member refers himself as a doctor of business, dominating Nemanwa growth point with grocery shops, night clubs, restaurants, saloons, hard wares, butcheries, clothing shops among others.
Currently, he is doing finishing touches on a state-of-art business complex which will change the face of Nemanwa once completed.
Born in 1973, Chibaya grew up in a family of business people. His father, Edson Imbayago Chibaya sold vegetables and farm produce on a bicycle.  He says he is inspired by his paternal grandfather, Salatiel Masa who runs his own businesses in Masvingo rural district.
By 1999, Chibaya was running tuckshops and a bigger business in Harare where he was an agent for Lobels. He was also the chairperson of the Zanu PF Chiedza branch in Glen Norah and worked with the likes of Joseph Chinotimba and Peter Mairesera.
He fell victim to Operation Murambatsvina which drove him out of Harare back Nemanwa growth point where he started off by selling fruits at the vegetable market before moving to a shop at a place called Acurios.
Chibaya later acquired a stand at the growth point where he built his first shop, leading to a successful business venture counting five shops in his name. 
The humble businessman went to Makasi Primary School in Mapanzure and later attended Mapanzure Secondary School. He later moved to Mudavanhu Secondary School where he shared a desk with current Masvingo Rural District Council chief executive officer Martin Mubviro.
After ‘O’ level, he then went to start small businesses.
Chibaya owns several cars and a descend house in the low density suburb at Nemanwa.

Driven by passion and hard work, Chibaya is growing bigger in business but he maintains a humble life style.
He told TellZim News he has no shame selling anything that is profitable no matter however small or basic. TellZim News recently saw him driving his small lorry to Masvingo town to sell mashuku/mazhanje.
The business man also makes sure that his six children and other relatives that he looks after are active in different skills including farming. He is well-known in the area for being a good community leader who has helped many people to find their own footing.
Chibaya is also chairperson of an electricity connection committee in Nemamwa and a Zanu PF branch chairperson who has ambitions to be a councillor.
Givemore Gabarinocheka, a Nemanwa resident, described Chibaya as a hard working fellow who yearns for development. He said Chibaya was a blessing to the community because a lot of people know him for helping others.
“Chibaya is one of a kind; he is a hardworking businessman who is poised for bigger things. He helps a lot in this community and he is a very good man,” Gabarinocheka said.business

Midlands grade 7 pass rate high but quality poor

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Midlands Provincial Education Director (PED) Agnes Gudo

Siyabonga Sayi

GWERU – The 2017 grade 7 pass rate for the Midlands went slightly higher than that of 2016 but parents and teachers in the province have lashed out at the new curriculum which they blame for the drop in quality.
Teachers who spoke to TellZim News said the new curriculum was harming efforts to improve the quality of results blaming, in particular, the introduction of agriculture which they argue had been done haphazardly.
The Midlands province recorded a pass rate of 43.47 percent in 2016 and 45.69 percent in 2017.
Schools like Stanley Primary, which used to produce more than 30 children with four units, only saw five pupils managing five units. Nkululeko Primary, which used to be the best, fell behind Bata, Cecil John Rhodes and Stanley.
Midlands Provincial Education Director (PED) Agnes Gudo said the number of pupils who passed was satisfactory but the quality of the results was not as pleasing.
“Our pass rate was okay as it rose, but the major concern is on the quality of the results. We have few pupils who scored 5 units and are spread across the province,” said Gudo.
Most of the pupils who sat for their grade seven examinations last year scored well above 10 units with the agriculture being the least passed subject.
Gudo said her province needed to do better in agriculture from this year going forward so that future results can be better than those of last year.
“We could have done a lot better than what we did. I don’t want to say agriculture alone caused the poor quality of the results but I would say poor performance in that subject did contribute,” said Gudo.education

Gutu High’s 16-year-old whiz kid now in upper six

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Chitsidzo Dengura

Precila Takabvirakare

GUTU – A highly intelligent Gutu High School pupil who jumped a class at secondary level is now doing his upper six, a notable record by any measure.
Sixteen-year-old Chitsidzo Dengura sat for his ‘O’ level examinations in 2016 when he was only 14-years-old and passed 15 subjects, scoring 14 As and one B.
Most of his age mates are mainly in form four although there are many others who are still sweating it out in form three.
Gutu High School head, Mirirai Mutanda said Chitsidzo’s extraordinary intellect became apparent right from the time he was doing form one.
“While in form one, Chitsidzo would give himself form two work and get better marks than all form two pupils. We then decided to allow him to skip form two because he had already done the work with distinction,” said Mutanda.
He described the whiz kid as a book worm who would go to the toilets to read if he finds the class to be noisy.
“He has always distinguished himself from others students because you do not have to force him to read. You may, instead, need to force him to stop reading.
 “We even advised his parents to monitor him as we thought the child could have developed some mental problems,” said Mutanda, adding that Chitsidzo would resist any call to take a break.
A winner of many book prizes, Chitsidzo is studying six subjects which are Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computers and Business Studies.
He is a beneficiary of the government’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (Stem) initiative, which pays his school fees, and was awarded a Higher Life Foundation scholarship, which foots his holiday lessons fees bill.
He also attends vocational trainings for entrepreneurship and leadership skills courtesy of Higher Life Foundation.
“I am working very hard at the moment. I want to pass all the subjects that I am doing with clean As. I know it’s not easy but with hard work, it is very much possible,” Chitsidzo told TellZim News.education

Baker’s Inn Buy and Win produces winning couple

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Wide smiles at the Baker’s Inn Buy and Win draw

Lawrence Mandava

MASVINGO – A lucky couple that has never missed a chance to participate in the Baker’s Inn Buy and Win is now driving good cars courtesy of two grant draws.
Jerrifanos Musara (48), a teacher at Ndarama High School, last Saturday won an elegant Mercedes Benz C 200 and at the third Bakers Inn Grand Draw.
His girlfriend, Rejoice Mandishona won a Honda Fit in the 2015 edition of the draw and she was there when her other half received the keys for his own lucky win.
An excited Musara said the only secret behind winning was participating and filling as many entry forms as possible.
 “I am so much into betting and I have also tried lotto. You can win if you compete and I am very happy that I have won the car because I expected to win something though I did not know I will walk away with the grand prize,” Musara said.
On her part, Mandishona was the winner of the 2015 grant prize of a Honda Fit and was there last week when Musara won not only his own car but a television set as well.
“I am very excited that my boyfriend has won a Benz. I could not believe it because I was not expecting anything like this and I had already rejoiced when he won the television.
“We are so grateful to Bakers Inn because our lives have been changed. I can’t even explain how happy I am. We are continuing to support them,” said Mandishona.
If anything, the surprising coincident proved that even the least likely or least expected things can happen as there is a chance for anybody to win in a fair and transparent draw like the Baker’s Inn  Buy and Win draw.
Baker’s Inn Masvingo area manager, Admire Vhoko encouraged all customers not to miss a chance in all future draws as every participant has a chance of winning.
“With Bakers Inn, you will always win. Participation and competition is fair and transparent. We note the rare case of the couple and we would like to congratulate all our lucky winners,” Vhoko said.business

Prizes galore at Baker’s Inn Buy and Win Masvingo grand draw

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Kumbirai Madhibhi receives her gift

Lawrence Mandava

MASVINGO – Baker’s Inn last weekend conducted the 3rd edition of their Buy and Win Grand Draw for 2017, an event which saw lucky customers walking away with different kind of gifts and prizes.
The event attracted many people at a place that was cordoned off to vehicular traffic along Leopold Takawira Street where a euphoric anxiety to win gripped the huge crowd.
The biggest highlight of the draw was the winning of a sleek Mercedes Benz C 200 Compressor and an LED television by Jeriphanos Musara, a teacher at Ndarama High School.
“I was expecting to win because I took part in the competition. I participated with my heart so I expected to win though I was not sure of what really was going to come my way. I knew the chance was very small since there were many entrants,” Musara said.
Other lucky customers got prizes ranging from gas stoves, solar geysers and deep freezers to school fees vouchers and bread.
However, the day probably belonged to a local vendor, Kumbirai Madhibhi, who got a surprise of her life when Baker’s Inn made a commitment to change her life by presenting her an impromptu gift of three crates of bread to start a home business.
“I am overwhelmed by what Bakers Inn has done to me. They have indeed changed my life and I was not expecting this at all. I will have money to do other businesses at home now that I have a start,” said Madhibhi.
Baker’s Inn Masvingo area manager, Admire Vhoko thanked customers for making the confectionery company what it is, saying by continuing to buy Baker’s Inn products, they were making possible such plough back programmes as the Buy and Win grand draw.
“I will like to appreciate the people of Masvingo for embracing our great event. It shows that people like the Bakers Inn brand. It also shows that market has a place for us and we feel encouraged.
“Continue supporting us, don’t lose hope if you didn’t manage to win because it’s coming again and what you need to do is just to participate. To our winners, we say with Bakers Inn you will always win,” said Vhoko.business

GZU lecturers Mubaya, Prof Mawere open publishing house

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Professor Munyaradzi Mawere

Brighton Chiseva

MASVINGO – A new publishing house; Africa Talent Publishers (ATP), has been opened in town and is set to begin production by midyear 2018, TellZim News has learnt.
The publishing house was founded by Professor Munyaradzi Mawere and Tapuwa R. Mubaya, who are both lecturers at Great Zimbabwe University (GZU).
The publishing house has Mubaya as its managing director.
Prof Mawere, who is ATP chief executive officer, said enough ground had already been covered such that the first batch of books will be released by June this year.
“After completing all the necessary groundwork, significant amounts of preparation have been made so far. We have, for instance, completed feasibility studies, publishing house registration and review of some manuscripts awaiting publication. We hope to start churning out our first batch of books by June 2018,” said Prof Mawere.
He said ATP aimed to nurture talent as well as give voice to the marginalised people who found it difficult to publish their writings. This, he said, would bridge a critical gap since many books by African writers are unavailable to Africans living on the continent.
“Our main objective is to serve as a cooking pan for the promotion of talent in Zimbabwe, Africa and the world. We seek to promote and nurture especially the talent of the marginalised whose voice has failed to reach the corners of the world due to lack of publicity. Our talented people, as long as they are from humble backgrounds, struggle to have their high quality work published,” said Prof Mawere.
He said the organisation will publish curriculum textbooks and is participating in the writing of the Zimbabwe Updated Curriculum. It will also publish educational textbooks, non-curriculum books like novels, poetry anthologies, autobiographies, and general textbooks.
Mawere is a Full Professor in the Simon Muzenda School of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies at Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe, where he teaches African Philosophy and Thought. He is on record as one of the youngest full professors in Zimbabwe and in Africa, an academic status (of full professorship) he attained in 2015.education