Mismanagement to blame for council’s shoddy service delivery

By Byron Mutingwende   Harare Municipality is facing a myriad of challenges but Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni has put the blame squarely on executive interference and gross mismanagement for the shoddy service delivery.   Speaking during a stakeholder engagement meeting at in Harare on Friday 29 December 2017, Manyenyeni highlighted that the city had no ultimate…

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ARTUZ concerned about placement of CSC under OPC​

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has condemned the recent press proclamation by the Government of Zimbabwe that placed the Civil Service Commission (CSC) under the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC). The teachers’ union said the move undermines principles of good public administration as set out in the constitution and added that…

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Sports drive community development in Mudzi

By Byron Mutingwende   For Magna Mudyiwa, the Member of the House of Assembly for Mudzi West Constituency leadership is a natural calling and the legislator is using sport to unite people for peace and development.   The hardworking legislator is the brain behind the annual Magna Mudyiwa Sports Tournament ever since coming into office…

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Chinese partnership strengthens Zimbabwe’s educational leadership in Africa

By Byron Mutingwende   In a quest to improve the quality of education and consolidate Zimbabwe’s status as the leading country on literacy levels in Africa, a Cabinet minister has proffered a cocktail of measures to improve the sector.   Speaking during the official handover of the Zimbabwe-China Friendship High School in Harare on Thursday…

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ACBF, AUC establish interactive network for strategic partnerships for development

By Byron Mutingwende   The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the African Union Commission (AUC) have established an interactive network to ensure strategic partnerships to tackle development challenges on the continent.   Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the African Partnership Coordination Platform in Harare on 18 December 2018, Emmanuel Nnadozie, the ACBF Executive…

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Highlighting challenges of PWDs towards sustainable and resilient society

By Byron Mutingwende   Caregivers and members of the Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA) held a meeting to highlight challenges faced by persons with disabilities and proffer solutions that lead to sustainable and resilient solutions to this marginalised group.   Speaking at a belated commemorative workshop to observe the International Day of Persons…

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Sport serves as a safe zone for vulnerable girls

By Byron Mutingwende   The girl child is the most vulnerable in the community due to a multiplicity of factors, chief among them gender based violence. In an effort to create safe zones for the girl child against this menace, the Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research (ZICHIRe) behaviour change project has introduced sporting activities targeting…

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CSOs should develop local initiatives for resilience building: ZICHIRe

By Byron Mutingwende and Patricia Mashiri In a bid to shun donor dependence and create home grown interventions that build resilience among communities, the Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research project (ZiCHIRe) has extended a giving hand to an orphanage in Marondera. In his address while handing over the donation of an assortment of goods sourced…

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Analysis of 2018 national budget statement: a mineral resource governance viewpoint

By Mukasiri Sibanda Introduction If you want to know government’s priorities, don’t be swayed by eloquent speeches from politicians, take a close look at the budget. Plans on how government intends to generate, allocate and spend public revenue in a manner that can hurt or protect the poor are revealed publicly. As Zimbabwe is endowed…

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Govt commits $52 mln to irrigation

By Reason Dube GOVERNMENT has committed US$52, 1 million for the rehabilitation and expansion of irrigation schemes throughout the country with 14 irrigation schemes set to benefit in Masvingo province. In his US5,1 billion 2018  National Budget Statement presented in Harare last week Minister of Finance and Economic Development Patrick Chinamasa underscored the need for…

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Manage livestock properly to ensure food and nutrition security

By Byron Mutingwende   Livestock contributes immensely to food and nutrition security as well as to foreign currency generation and economic growth, hence the importance of managing it properly, it has emerged.   In his address at a meeting of the Inclusive Policy Dialogue for Social Development (IPDSD), Abdul Nyathi, the President of the Zimbabwe…

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Going green a pathway to sustainable growth, productivity and jobs

By Byron Mutingwende   Born and bred in rural Marondera where farmers used organic farming to grow crops, Clive Nyapokoto experienced the hard and intense labour involved in the daily farm activities which sometimes he had to do before going to school in the morning. That background motivated him to come up with innovations to…

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Grassroots women mothers of children with disability grapple with adverse effects of climate change

By Byron Mutingwende   The Global Community is living no stone unturned in their endeavour to develop sustainable community responsive strategies to ensure adaptability and resilience in the wake of extreme hunger and severe poverty. Zimbabwe Parents of the Handicapped Children joined the Global Community in making frantic efforts to ensure grassroots women particularly mothers…

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Economist calls for cut in wasteful recurrent expenditures in health

By Byron Mutingwende   Renowned economist, Prosper Chitambara has said the 2018 National Budget contains pragmatic measures to cut unproductive and wasteful recurrent expenditures while scaling up social and capital expenditures, a situation that provides a solid foundation for medium term development if implemented.   Chitambara was analysing the health implications of the 2018 National…

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Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes

Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes   By Byron Mutingwende   Ward 9 and 19 of Chipinge District are role models of successful small-scale farming under the land reform programme. The Food and Nutrition Security Committee (FNSC) initiated programmes saw women in the wards running successful banana, cassava, poultry, dairy and value…

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Livelihoods under threat as Chilonga Irrigation Scheme becomes dysfunctional

By Byron Mutingwende   The drive through Hippo Valley Estates from Chiredzi Town heading towards the south is panoramic and breath-taking. There is a hive of activity as sugar-cane cutters are ferried by huge tractors to and from work. Huge piles of molasses bags are heaped at the Tongaat Hullet Sugar Refinery and in the…

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Resettled communities building resilience on food and nutrition

By Byron Mutingwende   It is just nine o’clock in the morning but despite the air conditioner, everyone on the Toyota off-road vehicle is sweating profusely. We drive past the fence bordering the Marirangwe Game Park along the Chiredzi-Tanganda Highway in the hot Lowveld area and head straight to Village 3 of the Chizvirizvi area…

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Address occupational health and safety hazards and risks: media urged

By Byron Mutingwende   The media has been urged to initiate programmes for accident prevention and elimination of work related illnesses at the workplace in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.   Speaking at a workshop to facilitate appreciation of occupational health and safety hazards and risks in the media industry, Precious Nyika, the Human…

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Youths with disabilities monitor the UNCRPD implementation

By Byron Mutingwende   In pursuit of improving human rights through the participation of people with disabilities in social, economic and political spheres in Zimbabwe, youths with disabilities are monitoring the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD).   Elisa Ravengai, the National Coordinator of the Federation of…

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Youths survive on green economy

By Patricia Mashiri No one has ever dreamt that waste management and recycling would be someones’s passion. Tinashe Manyonga a 29 year-old social entrepreneur started his green economy journey few years back. He studied for a degree in Crop science at the University of Zimbabwe before he turned to waste management and recycling. Manyonga who…

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Industries harnessing SDGs for resource efficiency and low carbon development

By Byron Mutingwende and Patricia Mashiri   Zimbabwe is moving towards embracing a green economy through harnessing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs0 for resource efficient and low carbon development.   Speaking at the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Zimbabwe (BCSDZ) annual conference at Cresta Lodge in Harare, Cecilia Ndwabe, the manager is in…

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ZEC impressed by Habakkuk Trust civic education programmes

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) Matabeleland South Provincial Education Coordinator Mr. Andrew Tlou has applauded Habakkuk Trust for youth oriented programmes on voter registration in Gwanda District. Speaking at a Sports and Arts Coaching Clinic organized by Habakkuk Trust  in Mzimuni, Gwanda Ward 3, Tlou said some weeks ago he met some Habakkuk Trust trained youths doing…

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Standardise and decentralise psychiatric assessment reports: Stakeholders urged

By Byron Mutingwende   Girls and women with mental disability are highly vulnerable to sexual violence and encounter enormous obstacles which impede easy access to post gender based violence services such as health, justice, counselling and shelter. As a result, stakeholders called for standardising and decentralisation of psychiatric assessment reports.   Nobuhle Moyo, the Project Officer…

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Sexual harassment against women and girls rampant in society

By Byron Mutingwende   A Cabinet minister has bemoaned the increasing levels of sexual harassment cases in society, with the scourge rampant in tertiary institutions as the current economic hardhips take their toll on women and girls.   Nyasha Chikwinya, the minister of women affairs, gender and community development made the remarks during the launch…

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Women and girls are givers of life – they need protection and respect

By Byron Mutingwende   “In Shona they say “Musha Mukadzi” loosely translated to: The home is the woman. In Ibbo language they say “Nneka” meaning Mother is Supreme. All these narratives and proverbs are meant to debunk the widely held notion that the African culture is predominantly male-chauvinist,” says sociologist John Maramwira.   From 25…

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PWDs calls for universal accessibility of tourism services

By Patricia Mashiri People with disabilities (PWDs) are calling for universal accessibility of tourism services as the minority group is usually left out in most tourism activities. The 2016 theme “tourism for all: Promoting Universal Accessibility’ calls for tourism and hospitality industry to focus on designing, developing, managing travel and tourism facilities and services accessible…

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Urban local authorities urged to embrace climate change adaptation strategies

By Byron Mutingwende   The ministry of water resources development and climate has introduced the National Adaption Plan (NAP) process to urban authorities to reduce their vulnerability to climate change impacts and facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation into their planning processes.   The National Adaptation Planning is a flexible process that builds on…

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