By Joyce Mukucha In the pursuit to significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer, encouraging its prevention, detection, and treatment, Zimbabwe yesterday joined the rest of the international world in commemorating World Cancer Day (WCD). Through an online meeting hosted by the Zimpapers Television Network, the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe(CAZ) in partnership with the…
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party MDC-Alliance legislator Joanna Mamombe and her co-accused Cecilia Chimbiri have been denied bail by a Harare Magistrate who remanded them in custody till 18 February, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has revealed. In a tweet, ZLHR said, “Harare West MP Hon. Mamombe & Chimbiri return to Chikurubi Maximum Prison after…
By Joyce Mukucha The prolonged power outages currently occurring in the country are due to the incessant rains, a government official has said. In an interview with the state media, the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Honourable Soda Zhemu said currently the country was producing adequate power and blamed the prevailing rainy season for…
By Kavit Majithia The smartphone market returned to familiar ground in Q4 2020, with figures from a quartet of analyst companies indicating a recovery for the segment, fuelled by 5G and mid-tier devices. IDC placed shipments at 385.9 million units, up 4.3 per cent year-on-year, driven by a record period for Apple. The company noted the…
By Staff Reporter The government has acknowledged and appreciated the support from Development Partners towards the Covid-19 pandemic response in Zimbabwe. The nation is in the middle of fighting the second wave of the pandemic which witnessed increased infection rates resulting in an increased number of deaths as compared to the first wave. The cases…
Brienne Prusak As a highly infectious new strain of COVID-19 spreads through Southern Africa, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling for COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed equitably, prioritizing frontline health workers and people at highest risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. Health workers in Mozambique, Eswatini,…
By Grace Goodrich With fertile river valleys, expansive coastal lowlands and the prolific Zambezi River as a source of irrigation, Mozambique is considered a mecca for crop cultivation, with climatic conditions catering to a diverse range of agricultural products. Agriculture represents the second-largest sector of the Mozambican economy – accounting for more than 25% of…
Since its inception in 2016, hosted as a prestigious gala event, the FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit (LeadingWomenSummit.co.za) has been a platform bringing together a unique collection of female leaders and trail-blazers from across Africa and the world. Held a year after the first reported COVID-19 case in South Africa in March 2020, the…
Nigerian content creator Adekola ‘McKennie’ John Kehinde has been voted the first monthly winner of Sasai’s #ThisIsMyAfrica campaign and is set to pocket US$2 000 in prize money. The campaign, which is being run by Cassava Fintech International (CFI), the developers of the Sasai super App, comes on the heels of the successful #African&Talented online promotion,…
By Joyce Mukucha In pursuit of ending gender-based violence (GBV) in communities during the lockdown, Someone Always Listens To-you (SALT) Africa, a local organisation that focuses on mental health, is making huge strides in offering assistance to GBV victims and survivors through a cocktail of measures to ensure that this scourge does not escalate. SALT…
By Kunashe Mukande Land barons are wreaking havoc in Harare’s Budiriro high-density suburb and they recently invaded a space earmarked for Johane Masowe Nyenyedzinomwe apostolic members’ housing co-operative. A handful of the church leadership’s representative council (Vadare or Vatariri) were ordered to vacate their worshipping site and threatened with death. Narrating the horrific encounter with the…
By ZELA Information The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) joins other countries in celebrating World Wetlands Day. The day comes at a time when the second wave of COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the globe. There is a misperception that nature is getting a break from anthropogenic activities during this COVID-19 era, instead, the state…
By Veritas On 22nd January 2021, the Zimbabwe Media Commission published Access to Information and Protection of Privacy (Registration, Accreditation, and Levy) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021 (No. 1) [SI 22 of 2021]. These regulations purport to set out new fees for accrediting journalists and registering news agencies and media services under the Access to Information and Protection of…
Africa with is elephants or rhinos and a host of other wildlife, fauna, and flora. This landscape is Africa’s brand; it is what makes it Africa. If that is not enough of a reason to conserve our wildlife, basic economics should serve as a further impetus. After all, Africa’s wildlife is one of the primary…
By a Special Correspondent With smartphone penetration in Sub Saharan Africa set to grow by 67% by 2025 buoyed by increasing internet penetration, the opportunity to lead the digital revolution, drive inclusivity and uplift people’s quality of life through technology has never been better. Sasai, Africa’s first all-in-one super app developed by Cassava Fintech International,…
By Kumbirai Mafunda On World Wetlands Day, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) calls upon policymakers, local and central government to take concerted and coordinated efforts to develop and implement action plans to stop the ongoing degradation of wetlands and protect, preserve and restore them. World Wetlands Day, which is commemorated every year on 2…
By Charles Dhewa Detailed comparative analysis of existing economic drivers in a community avoids cases where, for example, development organizations focus on small grains when indigenous chickens and goats may be major economic drivers in particular communities. Existing commodities, economic drivers, knowledge and information have to be discovered and captured using appropriate frameworks and tools…
By Joyce Mukucha As the month of February begins, heavy downpours are anticipated starting off in the south-west and spreading north-eastward to cover much of the country, the Meteorological Service Department has revealed. The department advised the public to be vigilant of their immediate environment as flash-flooding is probable in low lying areas and wetlands….
Realness Institute’s newest program, Episodic Lab, created in partnership with Netflix, has received an overwhelmingly positive response from members of the industry online and offline. The deadline has thus been extended for submissions. Online submissions will now close upon receiving 150 additional applications or on the 8 February 2021, whichever comes first. The Episodic Lab offers…
By Staff Reporter Following a strategic decision to establish the Government Employees Mutual Savings (GEMS) Fund in order to mobilise mutual savings for government employees, the Government has appointed a Steering Committee aimed at monitoring and ensure that the GEMS Fund achieves its objectives. In a statement yesterday, the Public Service Commission (PSC) communicated that,…
By Joyce Mukucha More than half of people with mental illness do not seek help for their disorders, they even avoid or delay seeking treatment due to concerns about being treated differently or fears of losing their jobs and livelihood. Worldwide, stigma, prejudice, and discrimination against people with mental illness still remain a problem that…
We live in a world of prescription medicines. How much are we aware of the impact of powerful herbs on humans? Medicinal plants are an alternative approach to healing and boosting physical and mental well-being. At the beginning of the 21st century, WHO recognized 11 percent of the 252 essential drugs of flowering plant origin….
Africa50, in partnership with US based Foreign Policy magazine, has launched an exciting new podcast series called Africa Forward. Africa Forward tells the largely untold story of how infrastructure is transforming the lives of people in Africa. The four-part series, which begun on Tuesday 26 January 2021, brings major African infrastructure projects to life. It highlights…
On 28 January 2021, US President Joseph R. Biden signed an executive order repealing the harmful U.S. Mexico City Policy, more commonly known as the global gag rule. President Biden lifted these restrictions by signing the “Memorandum on Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad.” “IAS – the International AIDS Society – welcomes the end…
By Professor Arthur G. O. Mutambara Clearly, it is not sufficient to merely articulate the lack of collective agency facing the African continent and its diaspora with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. We must proffer solutions that address both ‘what’ should be done and ‘how’ it could be accomplished. The Work to be Done on…
By Habakkuk Trust Villagers in Huwana, Bulilima Ward 8 have lost their property and shelter after a lengthy spell of heavy rains that have hit Bulilima District, South West of Zimbabwe. The heavy downpours that are in some cases accompanied by strong winds are ripple effects of tropical storms that have hit inland Mozambique, Manicaland, and…
By Veritas The current tight lock-down has been extended until the 15th February. The lock-down was to have been lifted or relaxed at the beginning of February, but in a statement broadcast last Friday the Acting President, who is also exercising the functions of Minister of Health and Child Care, announced the decision to extend…
Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa, who turned 60 on Friday (Jan 29), has spoken of how touched he has been by the thousands of messages he received from around the world on his birthday. The Zimbabwe-born business leader and global influencer took the time to thank everyone – from friends, relatives, Presidents, business associates,…
By Transparency International On 28 January 2021, we released our Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020, and the results make one thing clear – corruption kills people. COVID-19 is not just a health and economic crisis, but also a corruption crisis. Our research shows that countries where corruption is more pervasive are less able to provide health care for their citizens and…
A new project by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the International Agroforestry Agency [ICRAF (www.WorldAgroForestry.org)] would bring relief to two Ivorian smallholder cocoa farmers’ communities in Soubre and Vavoua currently grappling with declining yields caused by climate change and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Without help, some 800,000 Ivorian smallholder farmers, who produce the largest…
By UNWTO Global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by 74% according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Destinations worldwide welcomed 1 billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year, due to an unprecedented fall in demand and widespread travel restrictions….
By Kumbirai Mafunda A Beitbridge couple has been released from prison after Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) members arrested and charged the duo with publishing or communicating falsehoods by sharing a message on a WhatsApp group stating that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had died after being administered a vaccine to treat him of coronavirus. The couple, Vongai…
The Brave Generation Academy (www.BraveGenerationAcademy.com), a disruptive approach to education that will change the course of schooling, is now looking for people with the passion to make the difference to become partners in opening new educational Hubs across Africa. With an online curriculum that is recognized by the world’s leading universities as the gold standard…
By Joyce Mukucha As the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is just around the corner, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN Women, and other UN agencies have urged for commitment to bring and recognize the critical role women and girls play in science…
By Joyce Mukucha In an effort aimed at combating the spread of the COVID-19 virus and at the same time striving to raise global awareness about the high importance of wetlands for people and the planet, the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry is set to commemorate the World Wetlands Day (WWD) online….
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), has been ranked as Africa’s #1 mandated lead arranger in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Bloomberg’s 2020 full-year “Capital Markets League Tables”. This assessment of the Bank’s transactions recognizes the institution’s leadership role in mobilizing capital from both within and outside of the continent from a diverse range of investors and stakeholders for…
The African Union Special Envoy on the COVID crisis, Strive Masiyiwa, has said that Africa will get more than 1 billion doses of vaccines by December 2021. He said international donors had already pledged 700 million free doses this year, using a global finance initiative called COVAX. This would be enough to vaccinate at least…
Rising gospel musician – Minister Lee Mugadza – is set to take the music industry by storm when he launches his third album titled ‘Jesu Aripo’. Minister Mugadza who is known for hits such as Chikwee, Adonai, Munoenda Nesu and many more will launch his new project ‘Juse Aripo’ virtually over the weekend. The South…
A renewed partnership agreement signed by Novartis and the World Health Organization (WHO) will drive the global push towards making leprosy history. The five-year extension of the partnership – which was first signed in 2000 – will see Novartis continue to donate multidrug therapy (MDT) medicines to treat leprosy up to the end of 2025….
By approaching the High Court seeking resolution of employment disputes and unfair labour practices, embattled former Chief Executive Officer of NetOne, Lazarus Muchenje wants to be reinstated to his former position through the back door, Justice Esther Muremba has ruled. Muchenje had approached the High Court on the basis that the letter of termination of…
By Joyce Mukucha Following Zimbabwe’s ratification of the Minamata Convention banning the use of mercury in mining and regulatory measures for its release from industrial equipment, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) said it will continue to fully monitor the use of the substance as a way to reduce or even phase out its usage and…
By Nkateko Mabasa in South Africa Millennials are facing an existential crisis of purpose. Growing up will mean taking leadership responsibility for our own communities. Unbeknownst to most of us, this is the future we are the leaders of! It is clear to all of us that Millennials are struggling as grown-ups. We are adulting…
By Chido Pamela Mafongoya The long-awaited trading within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) finally began on 1 January 2021, marking a very important milestone for African trade. The AfCFTA creates a single continental market for goods and services, with the aim of increasing intra-African trade by reducing tariffs by approximately 90 percent and harmonising…
By Chris Donkin Huawei issued a strenuous denial of media reports claiming it was in talks to sell its flagship smartphone brands to a consortium backed by the regional government in Shanghai. In a statement, a representative for the smartphone manufacturer said the claims were unsubstantiated: “There is no merit to these rumours whatsoever. Huawei…
By Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary Gerneral We begin this year with a heightened awareness of the importance of resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that we cannot afford to ignore known risks. Climate disruption is a risk we are well aware of. The science has never been clearer. We are facing a climate emergency….
