CHIREDZI – Sex workers who have been in the industry for a long time say they are pained by the continuing increase of young girls into the sleazy industry.
Speaking to TellZim News, one senior sex worker who chose to be identified as Giant said she was troubled by the proliferation of underage girls on the sex market.
 “These girls have not yet matured and as such cannot really take care of themselves in this tough business. They sell their bodies for a pittance, say $2 as a walk-away price and that is not at all pleasing,” said Giant.
Another one said it pained her to see children young enough to be in form 1 jostling for clients with much experienced older women.
Social worker Atipashe Taruberekera urged government to spread the national social safety net to more people so that the scourge of underage girls doing sex work can decline.
“Most girls are forced into commercial sex work by of lack of resources for them to access education. Government must avail more Beam (Basic Education assistance Module) funds so that the girl child in rural areas can have the means to remain in school even if her own parents cannot afford.
“There is need for government intervention to alert people especially those in remote areas on the dangers of letting their children leave home for the town,” said Tarubereka.
One senior citizen, Godfrey Mabika said children from rural Chiredzi were living mainly in poverty and that was forcing them to leave home for the town where they face the real risk of sexual predation.
 “In 2010, people called them ‘zvijete’, a derogatory name which alludes to the Jete area in Mkwasine where most of them were coming from,” said Mabika.local

Josaya Hungwe

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – Senior Zanu PF members in Masvingo have complained about the existence of an elaborate scheme by people from outside the province to perpetually grab all economic opportunities for themselves while marginalising the local people.
They said the country’s resources in the agriculture and tourism sectors were benefiting people from other provinces.
Addressing Zanu PF delegates at an inter-district meeting held at Chitsanga Hall last week, Zanu PF provincial chairman Ezra Chadzamira bemoaned the deplorable economic circumstances of the ordinary Chiredzi man and woman, blaming their plight on outside influence.
“Chiredzi is the hub of Zimbabwe’s economy but to my surprised you are all still poor, why? Because various people from other provinces come to exploit our resources after making use of a few people in the district for advocacy. We should never be used by individuals,” said Chadzamira.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Josaya Hungwe expressed no less bitter remarks while addressing district administrators and heads of departments of local authority at Hippo Valley Country Club.
He said he curtailed the mooted hijack of Tokwe-Mukosi projects planning by corrupt official from outside the province, whom he said wanted a wholesale relocation of thousands of Chivi villagers to Mashonaland East to pave way for their grand schemes of greed.
“Some people from outside the province would have been brought to benefit from our dam by grabbing plots, but I refused. We need an independent body which will reserve a certain percentage for the people of Masvingo,” said Hungwe.
Addressing a provincial coordination committee meeting at Victoria Junior School in Masvingo two weeks ago, Zanu PF national political commissar Rtd Lt Gen Engelbert Rugeje said economic opportunities in the province must prioritise locals.
“Nyaya yeTokwe Mukosi neBeit Bridge Road zvinhu izvozvo ngazvikasire kuitwa. Tione vana vedu vemuno muMasvingo muno umu varivo vanotanga kuwana zvinowanikwa ipapo. Hatiti vekunze havauyi aiwazve. Kana uriwe watsikwa, unotanga kupakurirawozve vana vako, wozopakurirawo vaeni kana vauyazve.
“Zvino kana tikazoonekwa isusu hatina kana chedu muTokwe Mukosi, hatina kana chedu muBeit Bridge Road, handifungi kuti tinenge tichiita zvakanaka semusangano uye seMasvingo province. Let us make sure that our children benefit from local economic programmes,” said Rugeje.
The issue of lack of equitable distribution of resources continue to spur the devolution campaign, with activist criticising government for deliberately failing to fully implement the constitution which provides for the setting up of devolved systems of governance.local

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIREDZI – The Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Dr Joram Gumbo has urged road authorities to incorporate local Members of Parliament on road rehabilitation programmes and to create private/public partnerships (PPPs) as funds from the fiscus alone are not enough.
Addressing district administrators and local authorities at Hippo Valley Country Club last week, Gumbo urged those responsible for roads maintenance to innovate strategies for resource mobilisation.
He said much of the local road network has outlived its lifespan with US$5.5 billion needed for rehabilitation.
He said the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) annual revenue, which he claimed stood at US$200 million, was inadequate.
“We urge road authorities to pursue innovative strategies like PPPs where applicable. We also encourage them to mobilise funds from local financial institutions. This applies to any other willing individuals and institutions with free funds that can be directed to revamping the road network.
“We have to come up with home grown solutions to our problems therefore I urge you to play your role in making our dream of a world class road network come true.
 “As you come up with your priorities in respect of the rehabilitation of roads in this province, I urge you to consult and involve local Members of Parliament as they play a pivotal role in all developmental projects.
“To strengthen synergies, Zinara is deploying provincial managers to enhance visibility through working together with road authorities and legislators. This, in my view, will avoid a situation where the ministry and Zinara are overwhelmed by different requests for road rehabilitation by legislators and road authorities from similar jurisdiction,” Gumbo said.local

Precila Takabvirakare

12 Jan 2018 – GUTU – Kennedy Mugodhi, who resides in Mugodhi village under Chief Chimombe, was arrested by the police on the January 04 for allegedly killing Energy Mawoyo after a disagreement.
Mugodhi (28) appeared before magistrate Edwin Marecha being charged with the crime of murder as defined in Section 47 (1) of the Criminal Law Codification Act Chapter 9:23.
The magistrate ordered that he be send for mental examination before he could apply for bail at the High Court.
The State’s case, as presented by Samuel Magobeya, is that on the day in question, the accused went to Mawoyo’s place in Tirarami village, Chief Chimombe.
He found the now deceased and his wife in their bedroom and asked him to come out so that they could go to the police station to finalise some issues but Mawoyo refused.
An angry Mugodhi then entered the house and attacked Mawoyo several times with open hands on the face. He then dragged him outside the house where he laid him onto the ground before taking an axe handle from the nearby foul run which he used to hit the victim all over the body, breaking the weapon to pieces in the process.
He also took a stone and struck the now deceased on the back of his head. As a result of the assault, Mawoyo sustained deep cut on the back of the head, another one on the right side of his chin as well as a deformed face.
A post-mortem was done on the corpse and it was ascertained that the death was as a result of the assault.local

Precila Takabvirakare

12 Jan 2018 – GUTU – Tinos Mutukwa, of Magombedze village under Chief Makore, was arrested by the police on December 31, 2017 for the attempted murder of Ranganai Chingangandu of the same village.
Mutukwa (38) pleaded guilty to charges that he struck his father-in-law Chingangandu (42) with an axe on the chest and was remanded to January 18 for sentencing.
It was the State’s case, as presented by prosecutor Samuel Magobeya, that on the day in question, Mutukwa went to Chingangandu’s homestead armed with an axe at around midnight.
He found Chingangandu and his family preparing to go to a church service and caused chaos, demanding that the family must show him his son’s grave.
In the chaos, Mutukwa hit Chingangandu with an axe once on the left side of his chest, seriously injuring him.
As the case was being tried, the victim was still admitted at Gutu Mission Hospital where he was said to be in a critical condition.
Magistrate Edwin Marecha decried the increasing number of violent cases that are coming to the courts every day, saying people must learn to solve disputes amicably.local