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Our councillors have potential to do better : Residents

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Our councillors have potential to do better : Residents
Tell Reporters

Residents from all wards in Masvingo city have described their councillors as hardworking and responsible. Although some said there were areas which need urgent attention, it was unanimously agreed that the current crop of councillors have great potential in as far as local governance is concerned. When these councillors were elected in 2013, residents thought they were going to be the worst in the history of the city, however, they have proved otherwise.
Our team went out to get the views of the people concerning the performance of each councillor in 2014 and residents placed the 10 councillors in four groups.
Group one comprises of Godfrey Kurauone of ward 4, Lovemore Mufamba of ward 10 and Masvingo mayor Hubert Fidze of ward 6. The three were rated the most hardworking this year. The mayor has been described as the most improved politician in the council. When he was elected, he had no idea in terms of public relations and at times issuing statements that would turn against him. Initially people thought that there was a great blunder in voting Fidze to be the mayor. However, 2014 has groomed him to become a mature and fine politician who would be there for the people. In fact, our reporters were informed that Fidze is likely to be the best mayor in the history of Masvingo. Fidze is being praised for being there with the people. ” He is always communicating, he is good in giving feedback, he demystified the position of the mayor because we are always with him,” said another interviewee. Although he is the youngest in council, Kurauone’s performance this year was impressing – his contribution in the debates as well as influence on the final decision by the council cannot be downplayed. Kurauone therefore remained popular in his ward as he constantly engages the youths for feedback – his public relations strategy is not bad. 
Godfrey Kurauone is in Group 1

Councillor Mufamba has remained in touch with his ward. He is always there to assist the people in ward 10. With several projects in his ward and immense contribution in council chambers, Mufamba has remained a true representative of the people. 
              Lovemore Mufamba is in Group 1

Some people were saying Mufamba has a potential to deliver even if given a higher office. They were pegged at 76 %.

Mayor Hubert Fidze is in Group 1
Group two comprises of Councillor Gashia Mundondo of ward 1, Cllr Daniel Mberikwazvo of ward 5, Cllr Richard Musekiwa of ward 7 and Cllr Tasicio Mandava of ward 2. The four councillors have remained fairly visible in their wards. They are approachable and have potential to be in group one but sometimes they are not active in debates in council chambers. The four councillors are still popular in their wards but they also need to come up with initiatives that will see them having more interaction with the people. They were pegged at 65 %.
Group three comprises of Cllr Against Chiteme of ward 8 and Cllr Babylon Beta of ward 9. The two need to improve in making their voices heard in chambers. Residents said the two councillors are people shy since they are hesitant in meeting them for feedback. They are rarely heard in the press. However, they have been described as the only two who are unlikely to be involved in any scandal throughout their term. ” These two act like twins, they are very calm and innocent …however we want them to come to us with feedback,” said another resident. They were pegged at 51%.
Group four comprises of one man of his own class, Cllr  David Chiwara of ward 3. Ironically, Chiwara is the deputy mayor. A survey by Tell Zimbabwe revealed that 9 out 10 people in Masvingo think that the city does not have a deputy mayor. Chiwara remains the least known deputy mayor in the history of the city. His performance is pegged at 30 %. Residents said Chiwara’s new year resolution number one should be that of becoming a true representative of the people. Some said the council should reconsider giving Chiwara a vote of no confidence.

David Chiwara was rated the worst in 2014
“We don’t want placeholders, they must just give him a vote of no confidence and elect another deputy mayor for the city,” said another resident.
Do you want to tell us how you rate your councillor or MP? Send email to editor@tell.co.zw. Local

Farmers plant untreated seeds

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….as GMB fails to pay for maize sold last season

    Thembinkosi Ncube / Sifelani Murambiwa

Farmers in various parts of Masvingo province are planting untreated maize seed since they have failed to raise money for the inputs amid reports that Grain Marketing Board (GMB) is yet to give them money for the 2013-2014 agricultural produce.
A survey by Tell Zimbabwe has revealed that 2014- 2015 farming season is likely to be the worst farming period for communal farmers who do not have any clue on how to get adequate inputs.
 Farmers in Summerton resettlement area said GMB was being unfair to them since they did not have any alternative source of income. Others said they only got a 2kg packet of tread maize seed from donation by Dr Grace Mugabe during her meet the people rally.
“These guys (GMB) are very cruel, how do they expect us to survive? I sold several tonnes of maize last season but I am not paid even a cent,” said a farmer from Summerton.
Some said they relied on the money from the sales of their grains to look after their families but it has been hard for them to make ends meet.
“We have families to support and we hoped that the money from the sales of our agricultural produce was going to help us in fending for our families but right now our children have arrears at their schools because we have not been able to pay for their fees. The worst part is that the people from GMB have not yet addressed us regarding the matter and the silence is killing us”, said Nyaradzai Ezrah.
 “We need to buy seeds, fertilizer and chemicals so that we can have better yields in the end but we cannot do that because the money has not been paid. Right now we have planted seeds from our granaries and we cannot afford to buy enough fertilizer and other critical inputs. We have lost our faith in GMB”, said another affected farmer.
The farmers are calling on the government to intervene and they also hope that the government relief which aims at helping about a million households with farming inputs will reach their area soon.
Most farmers in Summerton depend on farming to send their children to school and for all their needs.

Zimbabwe Farmer’s Union (ZFU) Masvingo provincial director, Jeremiah Chimwanda could not be drawn in to commenting saying he needed to be cleared by his boss who was out of the country by the time of this publication.
 “I cannot comment on that matter unless I get clearance from my boss in Harare but it’s quite unfortunate that he is out of the country”, said Chimwanda.
Meanwhile farmers in Chiredzi said they did not manage to sell their produce for last season since they failed to raise money for transport to the nearest GMB.
Founder and director of Community Initiatives for Sustainable Development Trust  Aspicious Ndlovu said farmers were still stuck with tonnes of maize, sorghum which now rotting due to poor storage facilities.
“Most communal farmers in Chiredzi are running losses because GMB did not honour its promise of paying for grain deliveries hence farmers failed to raise transport fees of US$ 40 per tonne which was being charged by transporters,” said Ndlovu. local 

Villagers fined goats for using bush toilet

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Villagers fined goats for using bush toilet
Tell Reporters in Gutu &Zaka

Days of using bush toilets for villagers in Gutu and Zaka are numbered as some traditional leaders in most parts of the two districts are now demanding a goat from any person caught red handed defecating in the open.
The move which has seen a sharp increase in the construction of blair toilets in areas such as Mataruse and Chiwara areas of Gutu as well as Chipinda in Zaka has been met with mixed feelings with some people praising traditional leadership for the initiative while others condemn the village heads for abuse of power.
Both Sabhuku Chiwara and Chikapwa of Gutu and Zaka respectively, said they did not see anything bad about the initiative. The village heads said they were only implementing what villagers agreed.
” It’s not our idea… villagers who want to promote hygiene in this area approached us and requested us to implement their resolution – we are just implementing. I am proud of my people because they have taken a position in promoting their own sanitation and hygiene,” said Sabhuku Chiwara.

However, Chiwara could not disclose number of offenders fined so far.
A villager from Gutu Mateyo Simango said the initiative helped villagers to see the need for constructing blair toilets.
” I am happy that offenders are heavily fined… thus the only way we can promote hygiene in our area,” said Simango.
A health expect Marasa Hamudi Gutukunuhwa praised the villagers saying before the initiative four (4) out of 22 had toilets at their homesteads but recent survey indicates that more than 70 percent of people had constructed toilets.Local

Bleak Xmas for council workers

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Bleak Xmas for council workers
    …   as workers go for two months without salaries
By Moses Ziyambi

Masvingo City Council employees are in for a bad time this festive season as they have not yet received their November and December salaries, Tell Zimbabwe can reveal.
The City council is currently locked in a legal wrangle against some of its former employees over a $3,5 million debt owed to workers in a salary dispute dating back to 2008.
“It’s true we have not received our November salaries as yet. Most of us can barely survive as  we don’t have enough money for rentals and basic grocery,” said a municipal police officer who refused to be named.
“We are worried that we are approaching the New Year without any money. That means we would be owed two months salaries at the beginning of 2015 if we don’t get paid now,” added the employee.
Earlier this year, it was reported that council had blown nearly a million dollars on hired vehicles for its senior officials within a period of 17 months.
When contacted for comment, Masvingo City Council Mayor, Cllr Hubert Fidze confirmed the existence of outstanding salaries.
“We have always been behind with salaries for some time now. We are one month behind so we are currently working on November salaries,” he said.
He blamed the late payment of civil servants and delays in giving them their bonuses as worsening council’s financial position.
“Civil servants are not being paid on time so they cannot pay for their services and rates on time. This in turn affects our ability to pay our workers on time,” said Fidze.local

Beef producers urged to maximise sales during festive season

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Beef producers urged to maximise sales during festive season
By Upenyu  Chaota
Beef producers were urged to take merit of the festive season to try and maximise the sales of their cattle since the prices will be favourable and there will be high demand of beef on the market.
This came after Masvingo experienced a harsh and difficult year in the history of beef production where there was an outbreak of foot and mouth disease which led to the Veterinary Services banning the movement of cattle in the province and the closure of many abattoirs.
Farmers made huge losses after a cattle sales ban had been imposed for nearly 6 months and the chairman of the Masvingo Beef Producers Association, Robert Makado  is therefore urging all beef farmers to cover up for the losses during the festive season since the prices are high.
 In an interview with TellZimbabwe, Makado said the year 2014 was the worst in the history of cattle production in Masvingo since it was characterised by cattle diseases and a considerable number of cattle deaths were recorded across the province.

“We had one of the worst season characterised with diseases which led to a halt in cattle sales and farmers suffered severely as they could not sale their cattle because there was an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Now I call upon all the beef producers to put their cattle on the market because the price is very competitive”, said Makado.local

Police ban MDC-Renewal clean-up campaign

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Police ban MDC-Renewal clean-up campaign
Tell Reporter
The police in Masvingo have banned MDC-Renewal youths’ clean-up campaign today morning saying the town was too congested.
Speaking to Tell Zimbabwe, one of the organizers and former MP for Gutu Central Oliver Chirume said it was unfortunate that they were banned minutes before the start of the campaign.
                  Oliver Chirume
“We were informed that it was no longer possible for us to hold the campaign because the town was too congested.  They said our campaign was going to block movement in town and we were advised to come up with another day,” said Chirume.
Chirume said the campaign was therefore moved to January  7 , 2015.Politics

St Peters private hospital owner receives death threats

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St Peters private hospital owner receives death threats
Tell Reporter in Zaka

ZAKA – St Peters private hospital owner  Cephas Gwamure is now leaving in fear following death threats messages he received from unknown assailants recently.
The visibly shaken Gwamure told Tell Zimbabwe that soon after receiving the threats, his ambulance was attacked while on its way from Masvingo general hospital. The rear corner lamps were smashed and the body was dented but the driver managed to escape uninjured.
Gwamure said he has since made police report.
             Gwamure has since reported the matter to the police
“I don’t know the reason why I am being persecuted here. I was already thinking of relocating to another district but some senior officials from police told me that they were going to investigate the issue so that the rogue elements are dealt with,” said Gwamure.
St Peters hospital was established last year and it has helped over 10 000 patients so far.
“I assist at least 600 patients per month and I have since become the only source of hope here. People come from all corners of the country. I mainly assist patients suffering from Cancer, high Blood Pressure (BP) and diabetes among other chronic diseases,” he added.Local

COTRAD uses sport to fight violence

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COTRAD uses sport to fight violence
By Itai Muzondo
Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development Trust (COTRAD) hosted a sports tournament in Mwenezi district as a way of commemorating sixteen days of activism against gender based violence.
The tournament which was held at Maranda business centre sporting grounds saw five teams from wards, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 16 battling it out in soccer and netball competitions.

Ward 9 councilor, Gilbert Gondo said the tourney was very important as it reminded the people about the need to stop gender based violence.
 “I want to thank COTRAD for remembering us during this period. I am sure their message has been well received …there is certainly going to be a decline in cases to do with gender based violence”, said Gondo.
COTRAD Information Officer, Brighton Ramusi said that their organization was happy to work with communities for development in key areas such as fighting gender based violence.
Participating teams received balls and sporting kits as prizes.
The 16 days of activism against gender based violence 2014 were commemorated under the theme, Lets challenge militarism and violence against women.local

Time for government to put people first is now

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Time for government to put people first is now
Wezhira wati wahwei  with Golden Maunganidze
I am sure a lot of people are quick to recognise my handwriting because this is not my first time to make my opinion public.
I am sure the year 2014 is going to be remembered for a lot of things. However, to many people, this is the year which they want to quickly forget. I also strongly believe that the people of Masvingo have very disturbing memories about what happened this year. Ironically, when the year started, the people were full of hope thinking that by the end of the year half the population would be enjoying the fruits of our own economic blue print ZimAsset.
ZimAsset became popular to such levels that some of us thought even cats and dogs were able to articulate the contents of this noble solution to our economic woes.
Some of us who were frequenting Chingwizi transit camp for flood victims thought that the government was going to swiftly address the natural disaster so that like any other Zimbabwean, the victims would enjoy the fruits of ZimAsset. When the President declared Tokwe-Mkosi a national disaster, we were quick to conclude that the government was prepared to deal with the problem once and for all. However, the solution has remained a pie in the sky.
I don’t want to remind you Wezhira that the victims went through difficult times to the extent that to date most of the affected families need more counselling than food. It was trauma through and through. I shall not remind you Wezhira about the chaos and riots that took place until the people were forcibly resettled. To date, we still write about these people’s plight.
At some point I persuaded myself to believe that the government did not have money but as time went by, I realised that it was all about priorities.
We were watching when the congress issue started, I mean the ruling party’s recent elective congress Wezhira, we also remember very well the money which was needed and we also know how it was raised.
I will not go into detail but I really believe that we no longer prioritise critical areas. Big people donated huge amounts of money towards the congress and we converted Harare to a flashy city within days. Get me right Wezhira, I am not saying we were supposed  to have a dull congress. No. I am saying that government officials have potential to fundraise when need arises but surprisingly they prioritise protecting their positions in the party and government and end there.
                                             Chingwizi transit camp
We witnessed purging of party stalwarts on a daily basis this year more than any other year since independence. Again, I am persuaded to believe that we no longer have a conscience – let’s prioritise shelter for fellow Zimbabweans.
If we continue to have this kind of governance – then I believe that something is wrong somewhere! Elsewhere in this newsletter, Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Kudakwashe Bhasikiti talks about the need to prioritise shelter. I think minister Bhasikiti is now slowly seeing the light!
For now Wezhira says it’s time to put the people first!!! Wati wahwei? send comments to editor@tell.co.zw   .blog

Government reluctant over Tokwe-Mukosi victims

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Government reluctant over Tokwe-Mukosi victims
…Thousands sleep in the open    …. tents are worn out …  ..Over 100 families back to  flood basin
By Tell Reporter
CHINGWIZI – Over 3000 displaced Tokwe-Mukosi flood victims who were forcibly resettled by government four months ago are living under inhumane conditions, with more than 1000 families living in the open amid reports that the make-shift tents donated to them by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) early this year have worn out.
Investigations by Tell Zimbabwe established that over 100 families returned to their original homesteads at the Tokwe-Mukosi flood basin after government short-changed them and allocated them one hectare per household against the four hectares it initially promised, raising fears that there will be another disaster if the province continue to receive heavy rains.
Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, confirmed the development but he could not ascertain the number of families that moved back to the dam’s buffer zone before he hastened to say government was reluctant to compensate the Tokwe-Mukosi flood victims.
“Over 3 000 families were permanently resettled from the Chingwizi Transit Camp, however, I heard other families have moved back but I believe they are very few. I am very sure the number is very small, maybe 10 families, so it is something that  should not cause alarm.

                      Kudakwashe Bhasikiti
“The situation of Tokwe-Mukosi floods victims is however worrying and needs urgent attention.  Families are living in the open because the tents they received when they were evacuated early this year have worn out. Government is supposed to release $6.8m for compensation and I am going to engage the minister of finance this week. I will continue to appeal to government to release the funds so that people can buy building material and build proper permanent houses.
The minister however, said the province has no form of assistance to give to the flood victims in the event that the government fails to avail the compensation funds in time.
“We have no plan; we have no money and the victims have no money too so they can’t build permanent shelter. We are already in the raining season and we risk losing lives because of poor shelter. It is the cry of my heart that government release the funds so that the victims build proper homes. If we all prioritise the lives of people at Chingwizi, $6.8m is not a lot of money because it will save lives of thousands of people,” Bhasikiti added.
Various reports that were released by human rights organisations said the families endured several human rights violations during their stay at the Chingwizi transit camp.local
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