Samukelisiwe Ngwenyama

GWERU – Love Trust Zimbabwe is implementing a project aimed at assisting poor rural school girls to remain in class during their periods by availing free sanitary wear to them.
Over the last school term, the Gweru community-based humanitarian organisation assisted 600 female pupils to get sanitary pads and plans are being made to expand the project next term.
The organisation has also distributed bicycles to a number of pupils at Chiwundura Secondary School who have to travel several kilometres to school every day and has also assisted others with stationary.
Love Trust Zimbabwe director Ian Mathole said the organisation was concerned with the general welfare of pupils in poor communities, and wanted to give them not only emergency aid but life skills too.
“We want to lessen the problems that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds encounter daily in their desire to get an education. We are particularly worried that basic items like sanitary wear are not affordable for most rural girls and they are missing school because of that,” said Mathole.
He also revealed that the organisation had run a successful project called ‘Back to School’ which focused on following young school dropouts and giving them the necessary support so that they could go back to school.
“We are also forming active support groups to provide the backing that is needed by beneficiaries. We thank the Ministry of Education, Nac (National Aids Council) and other individuals for supporting us,” said Mathole.local

Elliot Jinjika

CHIVHU – A 32-year-old man from Dziva village under Chief Nyoka in Furtherstone was recently slapped with 15 years jail time for raping a 15-year-old speech-impaired girl.
Magistrate Fadzai Mtombeni found Knowledge Dziva guilty of rape after the State presented evidence that on April 14, 2017, the suspect visited the complainant’s homestead and shared traditional beer with the grandfather’s girl who is blind and deaf due to old age.
Dziva took advantage of the old man who was quickly getting drunk and dragged the girl to the main house where he raped her on a sofa.
However, a villager who had seen Dziva dragging the girl to the main house, alerted other villagers who then gathered around the house, forcing Dziva to come out of the house where he was apprehended.
After apprehending the rapist, the villagers however set him free but only for him to be arrested on May 13 by a Constable Mafaindi who had received a tip-off.
Reasons as to why the villagers did not take appropriate action after apprehending Dziva were not clear but State witnesses revealed that he was caught red handed raping the girl.
Nicholas Mabvongodze appeared for the State.local

CHIVHU – Magistrate Fadzai Mtombeni last week sentenced an 18-year-old man from Mudzvova village under Chief Mashayamombe to eight years imprisonment for sodomising a 38-year-old married woman.
The State,aled by Nicholas Mabvongodze found out that on the night of July 4, 2017, the woman retired to bed with her three children but did not lock the door since her husband was not yet home.
Mudzvova then entered the bedroom, pretending to be her husband and whispering that he wanted to have sex.
The woman, despite not having noticed that the man was not her husband, refused but the intruder insisted.
He then took the children from the floor and put them on the bed so that he could use the floor with her. Mudzova then forced his manhood into the woman’s anus and abused her.
The following morning, the woman asked her husband why he had chosen anal sex, but was shocked when he told her that he was not around the whole night.
She then described to her husband the clothes that the intruder wore and he suspected Mudzvova whom he confronted and got a confession.local

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A 30-year-old Mwenezi man who allegedly attempted to rape a 23-year-old woman will regret the day after he was brutally assaulted by villagers who later delivered him to the police.
With a swollen face and bruises all over his head, Jewel Chauke of Chikadzi village under Chief Neshuro appeared before Mwenezi magistrate Honest Musiiwa facing charges of attempted rape.
Though he was not formally charged, he was remanded in custody after the State recommended that he be examined by doctors after he kept on uttering disjointed statements in court.
The court heard that on August 14, 2017, around 05 00 hrs, Chauke approached the complaint at her homestead in Marryvale Ranch, Village 8, and asked her for drinking water.
While the complaint was on her way to fetch water for the second time upon Chauke’s request, he allegedly attacked her from behind and wrestled with her, attempting to have forced sex with her.
The complaint fought back and screamed for help, forcing Chauke to flee the scene and disappear into the nearby bush. Villagers, however, managed to apprehend him and later handed him over to the police.
Willard Chasi prosecuted.local

MWENEZI – The Mwenezi Civil Court recently ordered Monica Mashawi of Chimame village under Chief Negari to pay US$2 000 damages to Thando Khumalo for stealing her husband.
Appearing before Mwenezi magistrate Honest Musiiwa, Mashawi vehemently denied having an affair with Khumalo’s husband, Tsaurai Zigomwe.
However, Zigomwe’s brothers, his aunt and the village head, all testified against Mashawi and confirmed that Zigomwe brought her to reside in the village after he introduced her to them as his second wife.  
Despite all that overwhelmingly evidence against her, Mashawi denied ever being introduced as Zigomwe’s second wife. She claimed that she had her own husband in Gokwe and had merely visited the Zigomwe family as a relative.
Khumalo, however, said her husband neglected his fatherly duties for almost a year as he had turned all his attention to Mashawi.
“Since March last year, my husband and Mashawi have been living together in Gokwe…they came back in our village this year but my husband did not come straight to our homestead.
“Instead, he went to the aunt’s homestead where he later sent the village headman as the middleman with $2 to inform me that he was now married to another wife (Mashawi). I could not take it because I am legally married to him and our marriage does not allow him to marry another wife,” Khumalo told the court.local

MASVINGO – Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Association (Murra) and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) last week held a mobile legal clinic to educate residents on many areas of interest.
Held at Mucheke Hall, the event sought to explore the role of local authorities and their residents, as well as to educate the public on legal matters so that the law can protect them.
Residents who attended the clinic blamed council for poor service delivery and shoddy workmanship which resulted in burst pipes, disintegrating roads, inflated water bills, secretive land deals and the harassment of vendors.
ZLHR regional manager Blessing Nyamaropa said his organisation was committed to advising people on their rights in matters to do with service delivery.
“We want to advise people on legal issues; things like how to deal with matters of service delivery. We are committed to giving legal advice to those who need it as a way of spreading access to legal services and justice,” said Nyamaropa
He said the 2013 constitution provided for rights to such things as clean water, food and a clean environment but those rights were subject to the availability of resources, making it mandatory for residents to play their part.
Murra programmes officer Esther Nyambiya thanked residents for their participation and opinions, and took time to explain the collaboration with ZLHR.
“We engaged the lawyers so that residents will get legal advice should there be need for that, so that the rights of residents can be protected even through litigation, that is if the need arises,” said Nyambiya.local

Beatific Gumbwanda

CHIPINGE – The shortage of cash in the country is driving local cotton farmers to smuggle their produce to Mozambique where payment is made in cash, although at lower prices, TellZim News has learnt.
Though many cotton farmer are beneficiaries of the Presidential Input Scheme, they would rather sell their harvest in the neighbouring country than to local buyers who oftentimes pay using EcoCash and bank transfers.
Chipinge South Member of Parliament (MP) Enoch Porosingazi said local cotton companies get cash when they export their lint but do not want to pay cash when they buy cotton from local farmers.
“There is rampant smuggling of cotton from Zimbabwe to Mozambique. Revenue is no longer benefiting our government but is going straight to Mozambique.
“Our local companies also have a problem. They receive cash from the lint they sell outside yet they always use EcoCash when transacting with local farmers. They should show us some seriousness on that,” said Porusingazi.
He also said that the border control unit was failing to stop the smuggling due to shortage of resources.
“The border control unit is failing to handle the situation because they are operating on foot; they don’t have even a single patrol vehicle,” he said.
When contacted for comment, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development minister, Dr Joseph Made threatened government action against farmers who smuggle their cotton across the borders.
“Cotton is one of our foreign currency earning crop and we should not sell it outside the country. If farmers continue smuggling cotton outside the country like that, they will lose the five percent import incentive. Cotton companies should work with their farmers and educate them about the benefits,” said Dr Made.local

CHIREDZI – The Chiredzi Regional Court recently slapped a man with a 20-year jail sentence for raping his own daughter and infecting her with HIV.
The 43-year-old man (who cannot be name to protect the victim) comes from Tarusenga village, Chief Nyajena, Masvingo district.
Magistrate Judith Zuyu found him guilty of raping his daughter back in 2007 and gave him the lengthy prison sentence but conditionally suspended three years.
Prosecutor Moreblessing Rusere told the court that the accused started sexually abusing the complainant in 2007 but the case was only reported in July 2016.
The complainant testified that the first time she was raped, Mandivona had entered her room where she was doing her homework and molested her while closing her mouth.
The complainant also testified in court that on the second occasion, her father asked her to accompany him to fetch some firewood in the mountain.
When they got there, her father told her that he wanted to repeat what he had done previously and then raped her before threatening her with death.
The matter only came to light after the victim, who was now married, fell pregnant and tested HIV positive leading to problems with her husband who had tested negative.
She then told her husband that her father was accountable as she had never slept with anyone before marriage except his father who had sexually abused her.local