Moses Ziyambi

MASVINGO – Helen McGhie Primary has promised to increase support for the development of tennis in the wake of the school’s stunning performance in the inaugural Mordecai Tournament.
The school’s players bagged a whopping five gold and two silver medals in a tournament which attracted many other primary schools with immensely talented competitors.
Most outstanding was Tinotenda Chipfakacha, a Grade 4 pupil who competed in the Green Ball category and won two gold medals.
Other Helen McGhie pupils who competed and won medals are Edna Mhango (Grade 5) who also played in the Green Ball category and scooped gold, Anenyasha Mukwenje (Grade 3, Red Ball) gold and silver as well as Rachel Mhizha (Grade 4, Orange Ball) gold and silver.
Speaking to TellZim News Helen McGhie Primary School head, Sheila Deve said the results had a motivational effect on the school such that more support will be given to pupils to develop their talent.
“As a school, we are excited by the performance of our children at the Mordecai Tournament. It has served to make us notice the immense talent and potential that pupils at Helen McGhie Primary possess. We pledge to give more attention to the needs of our children for the sake of developing their tennis talent,” said Deve.
On his part, School Development Committee (SDC) chairperson, Tinashe Mutema praised the children who participated in the tournament and called for better training programmes.
“Our school emphasises greater participation of children in all sporting activities because that is good for both their psychological and physiological development. We therefore need to support the exploits of our children in sports so that we can have more of such medals,” said Mutema.
The Mordecai Tournament, which is recognised by Tennis Zimbabwe, is a brainchild of the Simon and Melody Mhizha who are on a drive to promote tennis development among children.
Other primary schools that took part in the inaugural leg of the tournament include Dikwindi, Shakashe, Kyle Preparatory, Victoria Junior and Francis Aphiri.
Meanwhile, Helen McGhie Primary School has announced that it has sought the services of Privy Fanisai, one of the most renowned tennis coaches in Masvingo province.local

BIKITA – The Bikita Minerals boys’ community football team last week put on a determined assault against a similarly stubborn Pamushana Social Club in the finals of the Chief Marozva Trophy to emerge victorious by four goals to one in a tightly contested match played at Lithium Stadium.
In the netball category finals, Gombo humbled Nyika to walk away with the trophy as well as US$200 in prize money.
The tournament was incepted in 2015 as an idea of Chief Marozva, supported by the new Bikita Minerals executive which took over management of the mining company in 2014.
The tournament began as a community project exclusively for teams that fall under the jurisdiction of Chief Marozva (born Phillip Mudhe) but organisers have now expanded it to include teams from the whole Bikita district.
The Bikita Minerals boys’ social club got its four goals courtesy of Ezekiel Nyangaswa, Blessed Marwisa Jefta Mabhugu and Hardlife Chitambu.
For their efforts, the champions walked away with the trophy and got US$300 in first prize money.
Speaking before the handover of the prizes, Chief Marozva praised Bikita Minerals for showing a deep passion for the good of the district.
“The previous owners of this mine would always give us a cold shoulder; they disregarded our needs and requests. They were not at all worried about the community but their own profits only.
“I am however happy that Grant Hudson (company director) and his team has brought a new approach altogether and is investing in our people. We must all work to defend Bikita Minerals because it is our company which is giving us jobs and fighting poverty. You can’t be our friend if you work against Bikita Minerals,” said Chief Marozva.
Speaking at the same occasion, the director in the Ministry of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Kudakwashe Machako urged participants to use the sporting event for greater good.
“We need to take advantage of opportunities such as this to promote downstream industries and create jobs. We should also use the opportunity to fight the spread of HIV and Aids as well as non-communicable diseases. We thank Bikita Minerals for bringing us together in this spirit of togetherness,” said Machako.
Other teams that participated in the trophy are Mufuka, Mukondo, Nyika, Mangondo, Bikita South, Domboshava and Bikita East.
In the netball category, Gombo’s competitors were Bikita Minerals, Pamushana, Mufuka, Nyika, Gombo, Bikita East, Bikita South and Chesuko.local

MASVINGO – The construction of Nyuni Primary and Secondary Schools in Mwenezi is expected to start in January 2018, Primary and Secondary Education deputy minister Larry Mavhima has said.
Speaking at Zimbabwe Building Contractors Association (ZBCA) conference held at the Great Zimbabwe Hotel recently, Mavhima said the project should have started in June this year but was suspended due to resource challenges.
“The country has a shortage of schools and a number of pupils are learning under tree shades and tents. The government is considering building new schools so as to ensure that every pupil is granted quality education while doing away with satellite schools.
“In rural and farming areas, satellite schools have been established to deal with the challenge of pupils walking long distance to attend class. Construction of more schools is expected to go a long way in dealing with shortage of learning facilities in the country.” said Mavhima.
The schools will be constructed under the $20 million grant from the Opec Fund for International Development (Ofid) and the building levies paid by pupils.
Under the Ofid loan facility the ministry will build other 16 world class primary and secondary schools starting January.
This model of construction is said to come complete with all amenities, science and computer laboratories, furniture and standard teachers’ houses.local

Bishop Tawanda Munemo

MWENEZI – Due to inadequate equipment and a fast-expanding Rutenga growth point, the Mwenezi Rural District Council (RDC) is struggling to cope with refuse collection demands and has advertised for private players to come forward.
The RDC has issued a public notice advising interested companies and individuals to submit their quotations at council offices.
Part of the notice reads: “The task entails moving around the centre’s commercial, industrial and residential areas collecting all the scattered heaps of solid waste/refuse and then dispose them off at a dumping site which is located approximately 1 km away.”
The notice says the ideal company or individual should have, among other requirements, a reliable three tonne truck and must be in a position to provide own labour and fuel.
Mwenezi RDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Chivanga confirmed that council needed the services of a private player as the RDC did not have enough vehicles to effectively execute the task of refuse collection.
He said the available vehicle was in a sorry state such that it could no longer effectively service the fast-expanding Rutenga growth point.local

MASVINGO – TellZim last Tuesday conducted a workshop for citizen journalists at the Civic Centre where participants were equipped with skills on election reporting.
The workshop was facilitated by John Mokwetsi who is a veteran Journalist and the online editor at Alpha Media Holdings (AMH).
Mokwetsi encouraged local citizen journalists to take advantage of technology and social media platforms to tell stories that matter in their areas.
“People outside Masvingo depend on citizen journalists for information, so take advantage of you phones to tell stories in your locations. There is no one who can tell the stories that happen in your location better than you,” Mokwetsi said.
He encouraged accurate reporting, saying citizen journalism holds a lot of potential if practitioners do the job as per expectation.
Mwenezi East Member of Parliament (MP) Joosbi Omar, in a speech read on his behalf by his constituency coordinator Knocks Mutsambwa, said citizen journalists were instrumental in creating dialogue between leaders and the public for the sake of development.
 “WhatsApp groups, for example, are helping to relay information throughout the Mwenezi East community. Such platforms are being used to mobilise volunteers to refurbish schools, clinics and to sink boreholes in the constituency,” said Omar.
He also said citizen journalists are helping to report emergency cases as well as to highlight areas that need the attention of leaders.local

CHIREDZI – The Organisation for Public Health Interventions and Development (Ophid) recently handed over a pre-fabricated building worth US$30 000 to the Family and Child Health (FCH) unit at Chiredzi Hospital.
The FCH offers a range of services including Antenatal and Postnatal Care Services, HIV counselling and testing, screening of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Antiretroviral Therapy.
The new pre-fabricated building addresses structural deterioration and congestion at the previous Family and Child Health unit, which had two small rooms for the provision of family and child health services, making it uncomfortable for clients.
The unit is a result of collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Health and Child Care and Face HIV consortium partners Ophid and the J.F Kapnek Trust; with funding from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) and the United Stated Agency for International Development (USAID).
Speaking during the handover ceremony at Chiredzi Hospital, Families and Communities for the Elimination of HIV (Face HIV) consortium chief of party Patricia Mbetu encouraged the Chiredzi community to embrace the family-centred approach to health care.
“We acted upon the request to ensure men, women and children receive a package of services under one roof and avoid missing out any opportunity on comprehensive health,” Mbetu.
The newly installed structure comprises of five spacious rooms to provide confidential and private health care services.
Chiredzi Hospital medical superintendent, Dr David Tarumbwa also encouraged the participation of men in the fight against HIV-related infections.
“HIV is real and we need to examine both parties before child birth so that we avoid unpleasant situations where a child is born infected,” said Dr Tarumbwa.
Chiredzi is the first district in Masvingo to complete the installation of the prefabricated units that are meant to address space shortages.
The Face HIV has also done similar work at Headlands Clinic in Makoni district, Zindi Clinic in Mutasa district and at Rimbi Clinic in Chipinge.local

ZAKA – Sarah Munemo, a renowned entrepreneur, says multi-tasking defines every successful woman because one has to balance all tasks that come with the responsibility of womanhood.
Munemo, who owns Phinies Motel, one of the best hospitality spots in Jerera, says being in business does not relieve a woman of other duties that are expected of her.
“I am a business woman but that does not take away my other duties as a wife, mother, grandmother and as a daughter-in-law. I don’t need to shed any of those responsibilities to be successful in business. I have to balance all the duties,” Munemo said in an interview with TellZim News.
She acknowledges that being a businesswoman excelling in a male-dominated sector comes with immense challenges that one needs to overcome.
“You are called all sorts of names; sometimes by relatives and sometimes by competitors who haven’t accepted that things are changing and women are working themselves up into every male-dominated industry. If you are focused as a person, you got to ignore all that and keep moving forward,” said Munemo.
The soft-spoken Munemo has defied the odds to become a successful farmer, entrepreneur and community leader within Zaka and beyond.
She was born at Morgenster Mission and attended Chikarudzo Primary School before proceeding to Morgenster Secondary School where she completed her secondary education in 1985.
From there, she trained as a teacher but later left to pursue a secretarial course at Foundation Technical College. She also did a computers course at Bulawayo Polytechnic.
In 1994, she did Foundation in Business studies and established Safra (Pvt) Ltd in the same year. Safra Pvt Ltd is the holding company under whose stable Phinies Motel and Munemo’s other investments fall.
In 2012, Munemo opened Pecom Academy, a private high school which is credited for restoring the hopes of pupils who would have failed to obtain good marks in their first exam sittings. The college also admits older pupils and young mothers who normally find it difficult to be admitted into other schools.
It is however, Phinies Motel, situated at Jerera growth point, which rises as a flagship of all her investments. The motel offers quality conference facilities as well as overnight accommodation for people in different income brackets.
Excellent catering services with a traditional touch are what one can expect at the motel which, since its opening in 2012, has grown to be a favourite venue for top-of-the range weddings, parties and workshops.
Munemo also started Saru Pro Chickens in 2015 and went on to form Saru – Pro Development Trust, an organisations which helps rural women to get into indigenous poultry and eggs production. The organisation has so far uplifted hundreds of rural women by getting them into the ‘road-runner’ chicken and egg production business.
She won the 2015/16 SMEs Best Rural Business Person of the Year and was a 2016 Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) AWECA award winner.
She was certified Professional Women Entrepreneur Executive Proweb, Virgine Unite USA and was certified Brilliant Entrepreneur in the Netherlands in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
In 2016, she was also certified Professional Entrepreneur Mentor Proweb-Virgine in USA before being certified SanBio/NEPAD Participant (Southern Africa Network for Biosciences/New Economic Partners for Africa Development).
She is Masvingo province and Zaka district secretary for the Zimbabwe Chamber of SMEs and chairperson of the Federation of National Associations of Women in Business in Eastern and Southern Africa (FEMCOM).
To add yet another feather onto her cap, Munemo is an executive member of Leading Women of Africa, a pan-African organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa. The organisation advocates for women inclusion in influential positions.
Besides being a provincial member for Proweb and a member of Sanbiobiz – SA Innovation, Munemo is also a committee member for the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry (CZI) and is the chairperson of Women of Substance, a women empowerment advocacy group.
With such responsibilities on the shoulders, any person of ordinary capabilities would find the pressure too much to bear but due to her boldness and ability to manage time, Munemo has managed to navigate the waters with remarkable ease.
“The boldness I inherited from my upbringing gives me the strength to move on. I also draw my strength from the business trainings I have received over the years as well as from a very wide network which has given me access to vital information,” said Munemo, who also credits her good interactive skills for her phenomenal growth.local

CHIREDZI – Tongaat Hullet Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station (ZSAES) have joined hands to empower A2 farmers with skills and knowledge on how to turn farming into a viable business.
Tongaat Hullet and ZSAES recently held their second field day in Hippo Valley at Farm 28/1. The event ran under the theme ‘Addressing yield decline through good managerial practices’.
Their first field day was held in Chipiwa, Mkwasine Estates.
Speaking at the field day, Triangle Agric Limited operations executive, Francis Chifombo encouraged farmers to practice good managerial practices for the sake of increased productivity.
“I can’t call this a field day but a business day because we have been discussing business issues all day. The reason why we came to these fields is to see how we can make profits in our businesses,” said Chifombo.
It was heard that the sugarcane crop, if managed well, can last up to 10 years but some farmers were going up to 15 years with the same crop, something which affects the quality of the end product.local