Category: zimbabwe

Source: Cyclone Idai: Trauma, broken promises – The Standard

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

A year after Cyclone Idai ripped through eastern Zimbabwe, Tsitsi Mungana (65), popularly known as Mbuya Chovha in the Skyline area, is still traumatised.

The two graves about a stone’s throw from her house, reminds her of how she became a widow on March 15 last year.

“I was not at home when disaster struck. I was told that my husband and grandchild were missing after our house was destroyed,” Mungana said.

“The body of my grandchild was found seven days later. Unfortunately, they were both buried in my absence.”

Mungana has since erected a makeshift house made of mud and stones as she waits for a miracle for her to get a decent house.

The makeshift house is situated just a few metres from the one that was destroyed by the floods.

“I pray that one day I will have a decent house,” she said. “World Vision gave me some roofing sheets.

“However, they came back and took them away, saying they had given me the wrong sizes. I am still waiting for the sheets.”

Mungana is one of the thousands of people still smarting from the effects of Cylcone Idai exactly a year after disaster struck in Manicaland and some parts of Masvingo.

Thousands of people died and some bodies were washed away into Mozambique after torrential rains caused flooding and mudslides.

Houses and infrastructure were destroyed with Chimanimani being the hardest hit.

Driving to Chimanimani via the Wengezi route today can be deceiving to many. The first two rehabilitated bridges near Nedziwa can be misleading to those without knowledge of what lies ahead.

But the sad reality is at St Charles Lwanga Secondary School. The signs are visible for everyone to see.

The school has lost its glitter following the disaster, which saw buildings being destroyed and children being forced to go back home before the term was over.

It is at this learning institution where two pupils died after a mudslide tore into the boys’ hostels claiming their lives and injuring some.

Today, it has turned into an ordinary school without boarding facilities, which had in the past attracted parents from across the country to send their children to St Charles Lwanga.

A visit to the school on Friday painted a gloomy picture where rubble from the destroyed boys’ hostel and dining hall is yet to be removed.

Inside the hostels there were various items like clothes hangers, abandoned school trunks and broken bunk beds.

“We plead with the school authorities to consider clearing the rubble as it constantly reminds us of what transpired and how we lost our colleagues.

“It is a bad sight for all of us,” said Blessed, a Form 4 pupil who was tasked to show journalists from The Standard the damage that is still visible at the school.

This year the school opened its doors to both boys and girls and has an enrolment of 147 pupils.

“We all wanted it to be a boarding school as before, but it is now only for day scholars.

“The school is mulling reconstructing at another site in Nedziwa.

“We attended the ground-breaking ceremony sometime back, but construction is yet to commence.”

At Ngangu township where houses were destroyed by the cyclone, victims are still waiting for government to deliver on its promise to construct new houses for them.

A visit to one of the three camps, which still houses displaced residents, revealed that victims of the cyclone had lost hope of being relocated to Nedziwa growth point, about 50km away from Ngangu.

“It is not easy to stay in a tent for a long time. During the summer it is hot inside and in winter, the tents are too cold.

“We are tired of lies by the authorities, who are taking long to relocate us.

“We were given some stand numbers and that is it. Some have left the camps and are renting out the tents to desperate home seekers,” said a woman at the camp.

Most of the victims, who spoke to this paper, revealed that they were still traumatised by the March 15 disaster.

According to the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP), the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and reconstruction of damaged homes will cost between US$548 million and US$622 million.

Over 50 000 households were destroyed, directly affecting 270 000 people, including 60 000 who were forced out of their homesteads and farmland.

The World Bank has since provided a US$72 million grant funding to the ZIRP to reach out to the most affected communities across nine districts.

As time moves, Mungana is not contemplating leaving her small house despite fears of similar natural disasters occurring in future.

For her, being close to the graves of her most loved ones is all that she needs.

Meanwhile, millions of people are still struggling to rebuild their lives a year after Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi in one of southern Africa’s worst ever weather-related disasters, aid groups said last week.

In a new report ahead of today’s anniversary, Oxfam said more than 100 000 remain in makeshift shelters and destroyed or damaged homes across the region; some roads, water supplies and schools are still in tatters; and nearly 10 million people are “in desperate need of food”.

“The people of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi are trying to piece their lives back together in the face of huge challenges,” said Nellie Nyang’wa, Oxfam’s regional director for southern Africa.

“Politicians in the region, and across the globe, need to match their commitment.”

Drought conditions in the region have impacted people’s recovery – as have the torrential rain and flash floods that have struck Mozambique in recent months, destroying cropland.

— Additional reporting by The New Humanitarian

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Source: Govt injects more cash to fight COVID-19 | Sunday Mail (Top Stories)

Kuda Bwititi
Chief Reporter

TREASURY has a $3,2 billion kitty to fund social protection programmes for vulnerable members of society and also bankroll contingency measures against the spread of coronavirus.

The resources were generated from Government’s cash surplus position, as authorities continue ramping up ongoing fiscal consolidation measures.

Coronavirus, known as Covid-19, has been spreading rapidly in different parts of the world.

This has heightened calls for authorities in Zimbabwe to step up preventive measures against the pandemic.

Last week, 24 coronavirus cases were recorded in South Africa and with millions of Zimbabweans living in the neighbouring nation, there are fears the disease could spread into the country.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said Zimbabwe’s finances were on a sound footing and there were adequate reserves to deal with the coronavirus threat.

“The point that I need to make is that Government is in a cash positive situation. I can say with confidence that the fiscus is well run. We are a solvent Government and currently we have a surplus of $3,2 billion in our accounts. We are going to spend $3,2 billion on key programmes such as the health sector. We need to fight the impact of the coronavirus and we need to put some money into that,” he said.

Asked how much would be allocated from the fund to fight Covid-19, Prof Ncube said authorities were still to decide the amounts.

“We need to decide on that. Obviously it’s not me alone who has a say. We have to make an assessment with other colleagues in Government and obviously the Ministry of Health has to be involved,” he said.

Prof Ncube said outside of the fight against coronavirus, Treasury will also spend the surplus on other undertakings to cushion the public from the harsh economic environment.

Sectors identified for social protection include health, education as well as the welfare of civil servants.

“We are going to spend it on the education sector, we are also going to spend it to meet even the salary demands of civil servants,” he said.

In an earlier statement which he presented on Wednesday on the establishment of the currency stabilisation taskforce, Prof Ncube said Government was mindful of the fact that unrestrained increases in money supply were one of the fundamental causes of inflation and the depreciation of the exchange rate.

He noted that hyperinflation prior to 2009 was triggered by failure to achieve fiscal consolidation.

Prof Ncube said fiscal and monetary discipline would be reinforced through maintaining a cash budgeting framework to minimise fiscal deficit so that Government can continue maintaining a surplus to fund its programmes.

To that end, the education sector has already received a boost and on Wednesday, Government said it would pay 53 percent of June and November examination fees for all candidates in public schools following an outcry over increases by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec).

The unprecedented move will see the State forking out 53 percent of all examination fees for candidates at Government, local authority and mission schools for those sitting for Grade 7, O-Level and A-Level examinations.

“Government is releasing $150 million to Zimsec with immediate effect to get the preparations for the 2020 June and November examinations going and will avail the balance to Zimsec once the total candidature from the public schools for the June and November examinations is ascertained.

“I would now like to advise all parents and guardians of schoolchildren in Grade 7, Ordinary and Advanced Levels that in 2020, Government will be contributing 53 percent of the examination fees for candidates in public schools, while parents and guardians will take up 47 percent,” said Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema.

Calls for the enhancement of prevention measures against Covid-19 have been growing and in Parliament last week, legislators advocated for immediate interventions including sanitisers in the August House.

Magunje MP Cde Cecil Kashiri recommended mandatory testing for all MPs and other public officials.

“We as parliamentarians come from different parts of the country. It is prudent that if it were possible through the Minister of Health, we have compulsory testing every week here in Parliament so that we know our status since we sit here three days a week,” he said.

In its update on Covid-19, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said as of last Thursday, 8 700 travellers had been screened at ports of entry and put under surveillance.

The ministry also encouraged people to exercise good personal hygiene and avoid unnecessary travel outside Zimbabwe.

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It’s no surprise to me that the Chinese business Community uses a military handbook from the early years of Chinese history as a manual for Chinese business practice in the 21st Century. We fought a guerrilla war for the Independence of Zimbabwe from about 1962 to 1980.

Source: Lessons from War – The Zimbabwean

Many of us found ourselves in some form of uniform holding a gun. As individuals we learned many things from that experience and I want to remember some of these things and apply those lessons to the struggles we find ourselves locked into today.

The first was how war levelled us in the field. It did not matter who you were or what position you held in civilian life, in the battle lines we were all one. Black, white, rich or poor, war is a great leveller and creates an environment where the only thing that matters is how you react under fire. That is why the Second World War spurred the flag of freedom throughout the world as black and Indian soldiers came back from conflict knowing they were no less human than the white man. In many ways out of that conflict came the struggle for Independence and dignity.

I remember a meeting addressed by Ndabaningi Sithole in Harare in 1974 when he recounted how nervous he was when he first flew in an Executive Jet sent for him by President Kaunda and found it had an all black crew. In the meeting he was asked by an elderly Pastor “what does a young man need to learn to be a pilot?” I will never forget his answer “Mdala” he replied “Independence!” One word and it said it all; only the struggle would bring freedom to be who we are as individuals.

The second lesson for me is one that I use frequently today to explain why I refuse to be defeatist or pessimistic about our situation or our future. It is quite simple really, I think I have a little influence in my society and community and as such I have a responsibility to not only believe in what I am doing but to commit myself to achieving those goals. Who on earth would go into a fight with a Stick of Commando’s under a leader who did not believe in what they were doing or that they were going to do their best, no matter what. No one would, if they did they would be crazy.

That is why all war situations create opportunity for amazing acts of courage and ingenuity which overcome seemingly impossible odds. It is the collective effort of countless such acts that bring victory and peace. In many ways we can all be proud of what our men and women did in war. War is almost always the responsibility of stupid political decisions but it is how we act in response to being drawn into a conflict that is not of our making, that makes the difference.

In Berlin, Germany, there is a memorial to the German soldier in the Second World War. It is not well known but I have been there and watched as German families, most of whom were born after the war was ended, came to remember uncles, grandfathers and others who fought for Germany. It was deeply moving, and every day – even now, 75 years later, the Municipality has to haul away a truckload of flowers. We may not like to think so but the German soldier was one of the most amazing features of German Nazi madness.

I have also been to the Memorial in Washington to the 53 000 men and women who died in the Viet Nam War. Like the memorial in Berlin this is a deeply moving place and watching ordinary Americans lining up to feel the names on that long black wall, even now, so many years later, makes us remember men and women who gave their lives for a cause they believed in. Did not succeed, but the heroism and sacrifice is remembered.

I think we as a Nation need to sponsor memorials to all who were engaged in our war – the Rhodesian Army and Police, the Airforce and the Zipra and Zanla armed forces. We should allow families to sponsor the names of loved ones who gave their all in a fight they all believed in. Not just the victors. I can well remember attending a Service in the Chapel at Plumtree school a few years ago where the Head Boy read out the role of honour mentioning the names of every Plumtree school boy who had lost his life in a battle somewhere, Europe, Malaysia, Zimbabwe. All 600 boys, all black, all born well after the war standing. It was deeply moving. Most white families would find such a memorial a healing experience and somehow we need that as a country.

Then there is the importance of communications. I remember once being in a unit who were expecting to be ambushed in the Eastern Highlands. When we were informed of the intelligence and set off, I was amazed at the clarity of the communications we suddenly had. Every word was clear and audible. I subsequently learned that we were placed on a special system that was used for specialist forces engaged in real fire fights. We were just a Police Reserve Unit on call up and did not usually get such treatment. It was comforting and had we run into trouble (we did not) it would have been very helpful to know that someone knew where we were and what was happening and if we needed help.

Then there is the importance of ground cover and support. Ground cover simply means you have to have boots in the field. The Americans have learned that in many tough places and in our war, it was no less true. Where you did not have people on the ground you lost territory. If you were in a small unit on the ground and ran into trouble against overwhelming odds, then it was essential to know that you could radio for help and that this would materialise in a short period of time. I was once involved in a land mine incident followed by an ambush and we were able to contact a unit nearby who responded and we were able to hand over to them; they were real soldiers and quickly took the initiative.

So what do these lessons from war teach us who are engaged in the struggle for development and growth with stability and peace in Africa. For me there are several, others I am sure would draw many other lessons from their experience. The first is that we must work together, a unit that is not unified in its vision and target, will never get anywhere. This is a struggle that calls for us to work as one nation – our fight is for development and growth in competition with the rest of the world. If our children are going to able to survive and even thrive in this new world they need a decent education – are we preparing them for that role?

Secondly we need leadership, leaders who will sacrifice their interests, even their lives for their fellow employees or people. We need servant leadership that earns the right to lead by example. Thirdly we need discipline. Just look at how the Chinese have handled this new virus – yesterday 8 new cases in the whole of China. No army can win without discipline, not one imposed from above but one given freely and in the interests of the Unit. Our problems as a country stems from leaders who are looking after their own interests first and who totally disregard any need for self-discipline and control.

We need to recognise that we must have good communications – top down and bottom up. We need to know where we are going and how we are going to get there and our leaders need to listen carefully to their people on the ground. Beyond listening to each other we need fast action. Then finally, we need to recognise that in the struggle for development and growth there will be casualties – we are opening up the economy, liberalising our financial markets and this will open up new opportunities but also bring new challenges. When they do, those troops on the front line need to know they have our support and that help is forthcoming.

This is a war we all have an interest in winning. Let’s put aside our differences and fight together for our collective futures.

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Prominent Harare Lawyer, Fadzayi Mahere has questioned the content of a grade 5 textbook under the new curriculum. Taking it to Twitter, Mahere captioned a photo that labels Alick Macheso, Sugar Sugar and Beverly as dancers in Zimbabwe and further label, Chris Brown, Shakira and Beyonce as international dancers with this statement: Grade 5 textbook […]

Source: Honeymoon over for fuel cheats | Sunday Mail (Top Stories)

Brian Chitemba
Investigations Editor

GOVERNMENT has activated high-level systems to deal with corrupt fuel retailers engineering artificial shortages, with strict surveillance and penalties crafted to clean up the  sector.

Chair of the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet (Sacu), Mr Tabani Mpofu, told The Sunday Mail that a full-swing investigation was underway as Government was demanding reconciliations of petrol and diesel collected from the National Oil Infrastructure Company (NOIC) versus consumer purchases.

The Sunday Mail recently exposed fuel cheats who have caused shortages for several months.

Authorities realise the need for a lasting solution to the fuel shortages to ease the burden on industry and the general populace.

Thus, a high-stakes inter-agency meeting was held on Friday afternoon in Harare. It was attended by a team from the Office of the President and Cabinet, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) and  Sacu.

Another such meeting was held a fortnight ago as the fight against fuel saboteurs intensifies.

Mr Mpofu warned that those fished out by the current investigation will face criminal charges in court.

“We want the dealers to submit fuel usage figures. We are looking at charging those who are found wanting,” he said.

NOIC chair Engineer McKenzie Ncube, who attended the high-level meeting on Friday, said the quickest way of arresting the malpractice was to introduce stiff penalties against those caught on the wrong side of the law. The penalties, he said, were discussed at the inter-agency meeting and would be announced soon.

Government is also set to introduce electronic fuel monitoring devices that will be rolled out by Zera at service stations and on fuel delivery trucks.

Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi yesterday said the fuel regulator was working on the project which is bankrolled by Government to the tune of US$300 000.

He referred further questions about the rollout of the monitoring device to Zera acting chief executive officer Engineer Eddington Mazambani, whose mobile phone went unanswered several times.

The system, which is being incubated by the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), is expected to eliminate hoarding of fuel by retailers.

When fully functional, all haulage trucks transporting fuel will be fitted with trackers and volume-measurement technology to enable geo-fencing and monitoring of the vehicles’ movements.

According to fuel disbursement figures obtained from NOIC, retailers are accessing petrol and diesel which at times is higher than the daily consumption of five million litres per day.

This has thus prompted an extensive probe into the shady dealings in the lucrative fuel sector.

There has been concern over the distribution of fuel in the past month as drawdowns remain significantly higher yet supplies on the market are erratic.

A snap survey by this publication at most service stations last week showed that long fuel queues are still a constant feature.

Eng Ncube said Government was concerned about the artificial shortage of the precious liquid given the high drawdowns.

Latest figures from NOIC show that in the past week, dealers accessed 35,7 million litres and in some instances such as on March 7 2020, retailers got 6,2 million litres of petrol and diesel — which is 1,2 million higher than the daily demand of five million litres.

Fuel has been constantly flowing from NOIC to dealers with figures showing that on March 3 2020, retailers received 4,1 million litres while the following day they got four million litres and another 4,5 million litres of petrol and diesel on March 5 2020.

On March 6, NOIC released 4,8 million litres and a further 6,2 million litres on March 7 2020. More fuel was disbursed from March 8 to 11 with an average of four million litres per day.

“The fuel situation is slowly improving although indications are that the problem we have lies at the dealership end. Loadings from NOIC to dealers tell us that there shouldn’t be any long queues. This shows that fuel is being diverted to the black market, thereby shortchanging customers in the process,” said Eng Ncube.

“To solve this problem we have resolved to come up with stiff penalties to deal with those who are diverting fuel and sabotaging the economy. That’s corruption and it must be dealt with decisively.”

Consumer Council of Zimbabwe executive director Ms Rosemary Siyachitema could not comment yesterday saying she was busy.

“I am sorry I cannot comment now,” she said, curtly.

The continued fuel shortages are puzzling given that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has earmarked US$120 million this month to import around 200 million litres of fuel for the general local currency market, with US$18,5 million letters of credit confirmed for immediate drawdowns.

The figures are about 20 percent higher than the normally required US$100 million a month to solve the shortages.

 

 

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