Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A family from Mboweni village under Chief Negari is heartbroken after a minor who was doing grade four at Rata Primary School drowned in Zvehubu Dam while fetching water.
The body of Miriam Jerera was found floating in the dam from where it was retrieved and taken to Neshuro District Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Though no comment could immediately be obtained from the police, Chief Negari confirmed the tragedy.
“The body of Miriam Jerera was found in Zvehubu Dam last Sunday afternoon. People who retrieved her body said she was still breathing when they found her but she was announced dead on arrival at the hospital.
“She lived with her grandmother and was alone when the incident happened. They had previously gone to the same dam to fetch water together with the grandmother but she later convinced her that she could go back alone,” said Chief Negari.
The grandmother later suspected something was amiss and she rushed to find out, and that is when she noticed that her grandchild had left her bucket unattended. One of her shoes was floating in the dam.
She immediately alerted other villagers who came and retrieved the young girl.
The tragedy comes a few weeks after another minor, Moreblessing Mbilibgwani of Chitemere village under Chief Neshuro in Mwenezi drowned in Chikwela Dam under similar circumstances.local

Elliot Jinjika

CHIVHU – A 41-year-old man from Musonza village under Chief Mashayamombe in Mhondoro raped his own 12-year-old daughter and infected her with HIV, the Chivhu Magistrates Court has heard.
The accused person, who may not be named to protect the identity of the victim, denied the charges when he appeared before Magistrate Fadzai Mtombeni.
He claimed that his wife fabricated the case to cover up her extramarital affairs and also accused her of having five boyfriends.
“Iwe mukadzi wangu taurira dare kuti inyaya ngani dzezvikomba dzandakakubata nadzo. Kunyepa here kuti une maboyfriends mashanu andakakubata ndikakubvunza ndozvazoita kuti unditi ndakabata mwana wangu chibharo uchida kuhwanda nyaya dzako,” said the man.
The State, led by Nicholas Mabvongodze, says that on August 18 this year, the complainant was in her bedroom while her siblings were playing outside when his father approached her, grabbed, laid her on the bed, undressed and had sexual intercourse with her without her consent.
The complainant could not scream for help because she had been threatened by her assailant and did not divulge the matter until August 25 when she revealed everything to her mother after complaining of chest pains.
The victim’s mother then made a report with the police at Mubaira, leading to the arrest of the accused. Father and daughter were later taken for medical examinations and the results, which were produced in court as exhibits, indicated that both of them were positive.
The case was due to continue in court and judgement is expected to be handed down later this week.local

TellZim Reporter

MORGENSTER – Hundreds of Morgenster Teachers’ College students filled the mission hospital wards to the extent that others had to be attended to in their hostels early this week after they suffered from diarrhoea reportedly caused by stale food they were served in the dining hall.
Sources said on Sunday afternoon, October 15, students were served lunch which included improperly cooked chicken before being served yet another horrible dish for supper.
When contacted for comment, college principal Raviro Chipato refused to comment and referred all questions to the hospital despite the fact that the incident happened at her school and not at the hospital.
“Call the hospital maybe they can answer you for I cannot comment on the matter,” said Chipato.
However, students who spoke to this publication said they suspect that they ate poisoned or stale food on Sunday which resulted in the outbreak of diarrhoea.
“Takapiwa chicken yainhuwa kuora apa yaiva neropa pakati kuratidza kuti yaiva isina kuibva, manheru takazopiwa beans mbishi apa dzakatsva and ndopakatangira vanhu kuita mudumbu usingaperi,” said one student. 
It is further alleged that many students were admitted at the hospital until the beds were full and some had to be treated from their hostel beds.
Another student said the college suspected poisoning and said of all the students who were present on Sunday, very few were spared the illness.
“Over a thousand students had running tummies and of all the people who ate the food, less than 50 did not get sick,” said another student.local

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A 41-year-old woman who teamed up with her son to assault Nyengeterai Gondo after a dispute over Gondo’s husband were last week convicted on assault charges.
Both Sinikiwe Mbuderi and her son Hardley Mbuderi (25), who resides at Lundi business, pleaded not guilty but magistrate Magistrate Honest Musiiwa convicted them nonetheless.
The two were each sentenced to 15 months behind bars but five months were conditionally suspended. The remaining ten months for each were set aside on condition that they will each perform 350 hours of community service at Lundi Clinic and Chitanga Primary School.
Giving her side of the story in court, Sinikiwe admitted having an affair with Gondo’s husband but said she never beat the complainant.
“Murume wake ndizvo ndinodanana naye uye akatondivakira imba, seven rooms. Zvose arikundiitira saka chii chandinozokurovera iye murume chindipa zvose zvazvo zvinondigutsa,” said Sinikiwe.
However, on her part Gondo told the court that mother and son severely assaulted her when she went to Lundi to look for her husband. She Sinikiwe would often assault her despite that she was the one in the wrong, having snatched another woman’s husband. 
Represented by Willard Chasi, the State convinced the court that at around 20:00 hrs on August 3 this year, Gondo, of Helani village under Chief Chitanga, went to Lundi business centre to ask for some money from her husband Tyson Moyo who operates a welding shop there.
As she walked around the business centre, Gondo met the two accused person and they began to scold her. They took stones, logs and assaulted her all over her body.
Gondo later bolted and was taken to hospital for treatment. A police report was later made leading to the arrest of the duo.
A medical report that was produced in court showed that the injuries sustained by Gondo were severe.local

Fr Munyongani

ZAKA –The feud between school heads and the Acting District Schools Inspector (DSI) Beaula Shambambeva is raging on with the peeved heads signing yet another explosive petition accusing their boss of abusing Better Schools Programme Zimbabwe (BSPZ) funds, TellZim News can reveal.
In the latest petition, which is addressed to the Provincial Education Director (PED) Zedius Chitiga, the National Association of Primary School Heads (NAPH) and National Association for Secondary School Heads (NASH), the school heads dispute the DSI’s recent claims that she was ‘financially clean’, implying she was untainted by corruption.
When contacted for comment, Shambambeva said she had not yet seen the petition herself, claiming that the school heads never give her a copy of the petitions whenever there are any.
“Whenever they write their petitions, they do not give me a copy. It happened with the first petition when they forwarded it to all else but never bothered to let me have a copy. I am hearing it from you now that there is another petition against me,” said Shambambeva.
TellZim News, however, managed to have a glimpse of the petition which disparages Shambambeva for a host of alleged misdeeds bordering on corruption and abuse of office.
“In pursuance of the petition against abuse by the Acting DSI Mrs B. Shambambeva sent to you earlier and also in response to the Acting DSI’s statement that she was untouchable because she is ‘financially clean’, we wish to draw the attention of your honourable office to the following ….”
They then go on to list and explain Shambambeva’s alleged transgressions which are intimidation, abuse of funds from BSPZ and elsewhere, abuse of power, and abuse of a BSPZ car.
“It is not clear to us whether the Acting DSI Mrs Shambambeva has accounted for the following NAPH and NASH funds given to her on the understanding that she would attend the NAPH Heads conference in 2016 – Victoria Falls and the NASH Heads Conference – Kariba-2017 because she never attended the two conferences. She was given $750.00 ($250.00 per NAPH circuit) in 2016 and $400.00 in 2017 for the NASH conference,” reads the petition
The heads also complain about alleged abuse of BSPZ funds to compensate Zaka High School teacher (name supplied) whose car was involved in an accident while carrying out official tasks.
“The Acting DSI is on record indicating that policy prohibits the use and repair of personal / private vehicles with public funds and use of private / personal vehicles for official business. We also continue to query the statute which authorized the engagement of Mr (name withheld)’s vehicle for DASSAF and PASSAF activities.
“We as major stakeholders in the BSPZ project seek clarification on the use of BSPZ funds to repair Mr…’s accident damaged Nissan Note ADQ 8249 vehicle following an accident which occurred on 04-07-2017 during the PASSAF activities. Mr… claimed   $650.00 for his accident damaged vehicle,” the petition reads.
DASSAF and PASSAF refer to the District Annual Science Sports and Arts Festival and the Provincial Annual Sports Festival respectively.
In the petition, the heads also seek to know the developments concerning investigations of a break-in which happened at BSPZ offices earlier this year.
We also wait to hear of the position of the break in at the BSPZ centre nothing has been said to us and parents as key stakeholders. ‘Pakambobiwei? Zvava papi?’ We greatly feel that we deserve to be informed of such developments,” reads the petition.
Sources allege that the break-in was swept under the carpet because it is suspected that a person related to Shambambeva was involved.
They also accused the DSI of ignoring the problems at Nhema Primary allegedly because she is friends with school head Georgina Mushauri whom they claim was being used to collect bribes on Shambambeva’s behalf.
“It has become public knowledge that the Acting DSI demands ”chomusha” to all those who do business with the district office, workshops, NAPH and NASH meetings and teacher transfers inclusive. For instance, Mrs Shambambeva was given $50.00 through EcoCash from one Mrs (name withheld) of Masvingo-Ministry of Arts and Culture in July. This did not go down well with her such that she went on to attack the function organisers. “Kundigovera mari yemudistrict rangu? Tingadaro here?”
The tiff between Shambambeva and the heads broke into the public domain after the signing of a petition alleging among other things emotional and verbal abuse by the DSI.
In the wake of the first petition, Shambambeva fired back and told the heads that if she was to be fired, she would take them along as she claimed that for a long time, she had been covering up for their misdemeanors.
The petition was also copied to The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Dr Utete-Masango, Zaka district President’s Office, District Public Service Commission manager Euvencio Hungwe, provincial Public Service Commission manager, a Mr Makuza.
Masvingo Provincial Education Director (PED) Zedius Chitiga could not be reached for comment by the time of going to press as his mobile phone went unanswered for days. Repeated efforts to get comment from his office were fruitless as his office insisted that he was in a meeting.local