Mithika Mwenda among 100 Most Influential People in Climate for 2022/23

Dr. Mithika Mwenda, the Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has been named among the 100 most influential people in climate advocacy for the 2022-2023 period. In this installment, Spiked Online Media focuses on the Top 20 as well as International Non-Governmental Organisations. The climate crisis is here. Emissions are still too…

Read More

PAP, church partnership promotes regional integration and stimulates development

The Pan African Parliament (PAP) recognises the important role that the church plays in addressing conflicts in pursuit of promoting peace and development. Addressing a gathering of thousands of Zion Christian Church (ZCC) members led by Bishop Dr. Nehemiah Mutendi in Rayton, Pretoria in South Africa today, Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the…

Read More

PAP Conference: Women demand set parameters for their empowerment

Despite significant progress in terms of gender equality in Africa, more needs to be done to truly empower the continent’s young women. This was one of the key messages on the second day of the 13th Pan-African Parliament’s (PAP) Conference on Women’s Rights held in Midrand, South Africa held under the theme: “Women empowerment and…

Read More

Turkiye Diyanet Foundation awards scholarships to four bright high school students

By Hillary Munedzi The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation has awarded scholarships to four bright high school students from the Muslim community in Zimbabwe to study in Turkiye up to the university level. The students were urged to bring their skills back home after finishing their studies. The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation was established on 13 March 1975….

Read More

Botswana to host high-level roundtable and luncheon at COP27

By Baboloki Semele President of Botswana, Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi is scheduled to host a high-level roundtable and luncheon during COP 27 at Sharm El Sheikh Convention Centre, Blue Zone, Africa Pavilion on 7th November 2022. Scheduled for 13:15 hrs, the luncheon will serve to reshape the conversation about climate diplomacy and empowerment in…

Read More

Address twin challenges of women oppression and poverty: SA Parly Speaker

Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Ms. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has called on stakeholders to collaborate to ensure the challenges faced by the continent’s women and girls who have suffered the twin obstacles of oppression and poverty are addressed. She made the remarks today at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Women’s Conference on women’s rights…

Read More

Gonarezhou the Movie takes wildlife conservation issues to the global stage

The critical issue of wildlife conservation issues has been brought to the fore on the international scene through the exhilarating yet educative Gonerezhou the Movie. The Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry Hon Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovu officiated at the premiere of the screening of Gonarezhou the Movie yesterday in Nairobi, Kenya. In his…

Read More

History in the making: PAP amends Rules of Procedure

History was made when a motion on the amendments to the Pan African Parliament’s (PAP) Rules of Procedure was moved, seconded, and adopted in the First Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) held in Midrand. The long-awaited process effectively addresses loopholes and legal ambiguities contained in the Rules of…

Read More

13th PAP Women’s Conference: NEPAD pledges support for gender mainstreaming

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) has pledged to give its support to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in advocating women’s empowerment and gender equity and equality. In a statement delivered on her behalf by Mrs. Estherine Fotabong, the Director of Programme Innovation and Planning, Madam Nardos Bekele-Thomas, the Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD during the…

Read More

Making the schools’ sanitary wear budget work for girls

By Theresa Nyava-Machadu In 2020 there was a landmark development in the menstrual health management space, following the signing of the Education Amendment Act into law by President Mnangagwa. We celebrated Section 4(1a) of the Act which requires the State to “ensure the provision of sanitary wear and other menstrual health facilities to girls in…

Read More

Karoi Council pushing for water kiosks

By Nhau Mangirazi Karoi Town Council is pushing for an ‘ambitious project’ aimed at easing the precious liquid affecting residents through water kiosks. Town acting finance director, Fred Mumiriki, told stakeholders recently that the council is looking forward to drilling solar-powered boreholes at strategic points in some wards. ‘‘Part of short-term plans from our next…

Read More

UNESCO calls for renewed commitment to protecting journalists

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is calling for a renewal of commitment to protecting journalists everywhere. This was revealed by Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO in…

Read More

United Nations thanks Zimbabwe for its contribution to peacekeeping

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix thanked Zimbabwe for its strong support to United Nations Peacekeeping and for the service and sacrifice of its military and police personnel deployed in missions around the world. Zimbabwe is a longtime contributor of peacekeepers to the United Nations. It currently provides 72 military and police personnel, including 41…

Read More

COP27: ICIEC, CIB on Bankability of Climate Adaptation Projects Focused on Food Security

The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) (https://ICIEC.IsDB.org/), the insurance arm of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, in cooperation with Commercial International Bank (CIB), Egypt’s largest and leading private sector bank, is organising an important Panel Discussion on 9 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh during COP27. Two important…

Read More

COP27: Ensuring transition minerals don’t undermine just, equitable energy transition

The world needs to stop burning fossil fuels. Climate change is already happening and to prevent the worst impacts we must accelerate the just transition to cleaner, safer energy. In moving to renewable energy technologies, the world will be swapping reliance on one set of natural resources for another. An estimated sixfold increase in the production…

Read More

Participation of children in climate change, green initiatives pertinent

By Elvis Dumba Harare – Stakeholders are calling for greater involvement of children and young people in strategies and actions meant to counter climate change-induced challenges. Various stakeholders from the government, environmental organisations, and UN agencies met yesterday during a high-level dialogue on climate change ahead of the 27th Conference of the Parties of the…

Read More

Hon Stars Mathe has confidence in the PAP to deliver on its mandate

Hon Stars Mathe-Thebe, the Member of the National Assembly for Nkayi South Constituency in Zimbabwe has expressed confidence in the power of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) to deliver on its mandate. She revealed this to Spiked Online Media on the sidelines of the ongoing First Session of the Sixth Parliament of the PAP. “We…

Read More

Pfumvudza inputs inadequate: Banket peri-urban farmers

By Elvis Dumba Banket – Smallholder farmers practising peri-urban agriculture who receive free inputs under the Presidential Climate Smart Agriculture Inputs Scheme commonly known as Pfumvudza/Intwasa, are crying foul after the government reduced the number of inputs being distributed. Peri-urban farmers are being offered 2kg of maize seed per farmer whilst three people share a…

Read More

The unknown side of food processing and value addition in African countries

By Charles Dhewa There is no shortage of abandoned small to medium-scale food processing plants in many African countries. After getting into a community and seeing abundant tomatoes, mangoes, pineapples, and many other types of fruits, some development agencies and government departments have been compelled to mobilize resources for setting up a processing plant. However,…

Read More

Unsung community heroines at the centre of COVID-19 response

Community-based organisations and individuals living among the public played a critical role in ameliorating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this installment, Spiked Online Media casts a spotlight on these champions. Kumbirai Mahaso, an activist in the HIV sector She carries the Batanai HIV Aids Support Organisation, (BHASO)  legacy. Born in Masvingo, Mahaso is…

Read More

Nature-based solutions: another way to obstruct food system transformation?

By IPES Food   With international climate negotiations in Egypt fast approaching (COP27), and food systems high on the agenda for the first time, the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) is warning that a growing number of green buzzwords are being used to obstruct food system transformation.  Our new briefing, ‘Smoke…

Read More

African Lead Negotiators map out strategy for approaching COP27

The African Lead Negotiators are currently meeting in Sharm El Sheikh to map out a strategy to approach the negotiations at COP 27 focusing on the need to accelerate action for climate adaptation and mitigation solutions. Mr. Washington Zhakata who is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) focal person for Zimbabwe and…

Read More

Celebrating COVID-19 response’s media unsung heroines in Zimbabwe

By Catherine Murombedzi The Zimbabwe Covid-19 response would be incomplete without mentioning the media, an integral part of the correct communication channel and the bridge for the information divide. With myths and misconceptions rife, set to derail the Covid-19 response, the media rose to the occasion by dispelling infodemics. Misinformation became a pandemic that required…

Read More

Zimbabwean youths issue statement on climate change in lead-up to COP27

BY ZIMBABWE YOUTHS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE Appreciating the support from the Government of Zimbabwe Ministry of Environment Climate Tourism and Hospitality Industry (MECTHI), ACT alliance, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Zimbabwe Youth Environmental organizations for organizing the first Local Conference Of Children and Youth in Zimbabwe. Acknowledging…

Read More

Campaigners call on Zimbabwe to adopt landmark disability law

Zimbabwe is on the cusp of becoming the first Southern African country to ratify the African Disability Protocol (ADP) but action is needed to push it across the finish line. This is why today (October 29), Sightsavers’ Equal World Campaign, in partnership with the African Union and the African Disability Forum, is urging governments and…

Read More

Pan African Parliament working on Model Law on Nationality

The Pan-African Parliament’s (PAP) Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict is gathering further important information and data in preparation for their presentation of the Model Law on Nationality before the Plenary on 1 November 2022. The sixth parliament of PAP is sitting for its first ordinary session in Midrand South Africa from 24 October…

Read More

Chinese investors have created over 100,000 jobs in Zimbabwe: Spokesperson

Chinese investors have created over 100,000 jobs in Zimbabwe, a spokesperson for the Asian nation has said following what he termed groundless accusations in a press release by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) on October 25. “The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe has noted the press release by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions…

Read More

Celebrating COVID-19 response unsung heroines: Part 2

By Catherine Murombedzi The COVID-19 response was quite immense and as we continue to celebrate unsung heroines, we spotlight healthcare workers whose contributions made a positive impact. Dr Harunavamwe N Chifamba, Specialist Anaesthetist Intensivist and Clinical Epidemiologist “For some must watch, while others must sleep,” that’s Dr Harunavamwe’s space in Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. She…

Read More

Zimbabwe, Malawi exchange notes on curbing child marriages

By Nhau Mangirazi A Zimbabwe delegation was in Malawi this week exchanging notes on curbing child marriages in a move aimed at empowering female politicians and women in general. The tour was held in Zomba, a five-hour drive from Lilongwe where they conducted a transformative feminist leadership learning and exchange visit in Malawi from 23-…

Read More

Leveraging just transitions for a climate-resilient Africa: challenges and opportunities

By Dr. Claude Kabemba (Executive Director of the Southern Africa Resource Watch) Africa finds itself at a crossroads in the climate change discourse. On the one hand, Africa has polluted less than any other continent and it is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change; on the other hand, it lacks the finances and…

Read More

African Ambassadors affirm commitment to working with the PAP

Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the Pan African Parliament has commended the African Ambassadors based in South Africa for affirming their commitment to working with the continental lawmaking body. In his address during the meeting with the African Ambassadors at the PAP Headquarters in Midrand, Johannesburg today, Hon Charumbira said the collaboration will…

Read More

PAP joins progressive forces denouncing sanctions against Zimbabwe

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is among the progressive forces denouncing the illegal sanctions imposed on the Republic of Zimbabwe by some western countries. The 25th of October is now known as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Anti-Sanctions Day. In a speech read on his behalf today by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, President Mnangagwa paid…

Read More

World Food Day: Regenerative agriculture topical

By Hillary Munedzi Food giant Nestle has championed regenerative agriculture as the panacea to domestic food price inflation, a development that has cushioned household food security as the world commemorates World Food Day. Zimbabwe is leading the world’s top ten countries worst affected by domestic food price inflation, all because of supply chain disruptions fuelled…

Read More

Mobile tax should fund SRHR: Parliamentary Caucus

By Nhau Mangirazi The Women Parliament Caucus (ZWPC) has recommended the mobilization of resources towards the sexual and reproductive health rights affecting women and girls in most marginalized communities. ZWPC chairperson, Hon Goodluck Kwaramba made the presentation last week during a prebudget seminar saying the proportion of the 5 percent mobile airtime levy, introduced in…

Read More

Chief Charumbira sets motion for PAP Review of Rules of Procedure

Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) has set the ball rolling for the continental parliamentary body’s Bureau and Regional Caucuses to come up with a roadmap for the review of the Rules of Procedure. Chief Charumbira revealed this while officially opening the First Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament…

Read More

Women’s Parliamentary Caucus urges Mthuli Ncube to help on water issues

By Nhau Mangirazi The Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus has urged finance minister Prof Mthuli Ncube to set aside money to improve water and sanitation in mostly rural and marginalized communities. The parliament caucus chairperson, Hon Goodluck Kwaramba made the presentation last week calling on Prof Ncube to consider setting aside funds that will help improve…

Read More

Zimbabwe Robotics team wins 2022 Innovator Award Gold Medal

By Godwin Mungwadzi Zimbabwe’s Robotics team won the XPRIZE Gold Medal Innovator award, at the 2022 FIRST Global Challenge games – an Olympics-style, international robotics competition for high-school students from around the world that aims to celebrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics — also known as STEM in a similar way to how Athletics and Sports…

Read More

Zvimba robbed of environmental steward Chief Chidziva

By Elvis Dumba Mutorashanga – Environmentalists and the Zvimba community have been plunged into mourning Chief Chidziva as news of his death filtered through. 92-year-old Chief Chidziva born Johannes Jenami was one of the three paramount chiefs in Zvimba. Chief Chidziva who was an advocate for stiffer penalties on perpetrators of environmental crimes such as…

Read More

USAID, WFP food assistance partnership targets 700 000 needy people during lean season

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has today contributed US$36.7 million on behalf of the American people to help the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) provide food assistance at the peak of the lean season between October and March next year. In a year marked by COVID-19, climatic shocks, food and fuel…

Read More