Category: zimbabwe

 Fungi Kwaramba in Mt Darwin 

A CHOPPER flying low in the skies of Mt Darwin had thousands of onlookers heading to Mt Darwin Secondary School to witness soldiers in gravity defying rehearsals. 

Expectedly, it was children who formed the biggest group that ran to the school grounds to watch and marvel at the rehearsals that will be on display tomorrow as Zimbabwe marks 43 years of independence. 

But before that, President Mnangagwa will today host a Children’s Party that will be attended by no less than 7 000 children drawn from the country’s 10 provinces, plus another 400 each from Mashonaland Central’s eight districts. 

It’s an Independence Day with a difference, as it is being taken to the people in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision of leaving no one and no place behind. 

In line with Government’s devolution and decentralisation thrust, the 2023 Children’s Party celebrations will be held at Pfura Stadium and this year Independence Day is being celebrated under the theme “Nyika Inovakwa nevene vayo; Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo”. 

The helicopter certainly elicited different emotions; for the young it was exciting but for the elderly it likely evoked painful memories of the Rhodesian enemy forces during the liberation struggle, who bombed innocent civilians with reckless abandon. But that of course is now all history, thanks to the gallant efforts of the country’s liberators, some late and a few like President Mnangagwa who still stand among us.

Therefore the excitement that was palpable at Mt Darwin Secondary School is because Zimbabwe is now free and its children enjoy these liberties without let or hindrance. 

In front of scores of onlookers, the country’s flags, 43 in total, were hoisted high, flapping gently with the breeze, and in their sum total symbolising the 43 years of the country’s independence.

It was no easy walk though to Uhuru, thousands lost their lives, some lost limbs, others their sons and daughters.

A 65-year-old woman, Mrs Martha Mhuriro, was about 23-years-old when the country’s flag was hoisted at Rufaro Stadium on April 18 in 1980. She never had the chance to witness the independence festivities, but her quest has been fulfilled and she said tomorrow she will be among the multitudes who will be at Mt Darwin’s Pfura Stadium.

“We have been honoured as a province, this is the first time in my life to attend the national independence celebrations. I would like to thank President Mnangagwa for taking us on board,” said Mrs Mhuriro.

A teenager of 17 years, who was born long after the country’s Independence, said he is aware of the country’s arduous journey to Uhuru.

“We are celebrating the most important day in the life of Zimbabwe, my grandfather was a war veteran and he always taught us to be conscious of our past. I will certainly be in the stadium to see the President and other heroes of our struggle,” said Tatenda Mayeresa.

As darkness set in, residents of this town left for their homes to sleep the night away and be ready to witness the country’s 43rd independence celebrations that will be preluded by the Children’s Party today.

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said the province is ready. 

“Everything is now in order, we are ready to host the Independence celebrations. Everybody is very excited and I would like to thank his Excellency Cde ED Mnangagwa for bringing Independence celebrations to Mashonaland Central. Mt Darwin has a new look now; roads, grounds, billboards and everything is now in place,” said Minister Kazembe.

As part of the festivities, the country’s two biggest football teams, Highlanders and Dynamos, are now in town for the game that will be played tomorrow in a new look Mt Darwin High School Stadium. As the two teams’ buses made their way to Mt Darwin, they were welcomed by multitudes of people in Mazowe, Bindura and Concession. 

“We had a meeting which was chaired by Minister of Local Government Cde July Moyo. Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Monica Mavhunga was there, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa was there, Minister of Arts and Sports Kirsty Coventry was there, in fact every ministry was represented. Members of Politburo were also there including the Mashonaland Central leadership. We were simply checking progress and everything is now in order. Rehearsals are taking place, members of security forces are doing rehearsals including children that will be participating tomorrow (today),” said Cde Kazembe. 

This is the first time that Independence Day will be held in a rustic setting and it promises to be one to savour and cherish for ages to come.

Flora Fadzai Sibanda

POLICE in Bulawayo arrested nine suspects during a raid at a drug den in Entumbane suburb and seized an assortment of drugs and devices.

 Drugs that include crystal meth, dagga as well as light bulbs, tablets, instruments used to inhale drugs and cigarette lighters were recovered in a night raid last Friday.

The latest case follows increasing cases of drug abuse in the suburb with 17 youths from Entumbane having been rushed to Ingutsheni Central Hospital after they overdosed crystal meth in January.

The drug abuse scourge has become a problem countrywide, forcing police to launch an operation targeting drug peddlers and users.

Most of those abusing drugs in the country are young people.

Last year, Government launched a National Drug Policy to fight the scourge.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube applauded police in Entumbane for the hard work they have been doing in fighting drug and substance abuse.

Insp Ncube identified the suspects as Davison Mvula (21), Albert Ncube (48), Casper Chandiwana (27), Anfile Ndlovu (18), Tinashe Nyamunda (21), Ronald Makuvaza (20), Steven Gwata, (22), Michael Ncube (20) and Ronald Mlambo (27).

Insp Ncube said police acted on a tip off they got from an anonymous person on March 14.

“When the police got to the house they found Davison Mvula who had some drugs on him and was arrested. Upon his arrest he implicated the other eight leading to their arrest on that same day,” he said.

Insp Ncube said residents must continue working with the police to ensure that drug lords are exposed.

“As police, we want to warn all those peddling drugs that we will never rest until sanity is brought back into our country and this suburb. I would like to applaud the police in Entumbane for working very hard in exposing all the drug peddlers. They are able to pick any drop of drug that touches the ground so members should be warned that they will be caught if they try to sell drugs,” he said.

Entumbane residents’ secretary under Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, Ms Khethiwe Tshuma said the majority of people selling drugs in the suburb are women.

Among other effects, she said drug and substance abuse is making youths in the suburb very disrespectful and lose a sense of purpose in life.

“Since 2016 we have been facing a serious challenge with drugs and the majority of these people who are selling are women. They are people we see every day and have to live in harmony with because there is nothing we can do. It would be better if it was children selling to each other but it is rather old people who are responsible for giving our children these drugs. These people I am talking about all have families of their own and children who are very old yet they still go on and do this,” said Ms Tshuma.

She said she was shocked when she discovered the house which was raided is located opposite Manyewu Primary School.

She pleaded with the police to conduct raids periodically at places that they know have a history of selling drugs such as the one that was raided last Friday.

“Since police now have an idea that the place is a drug base they should do constant patrols in that area and make sure they protect school children because once they are done with school they end up visiting that place,” she said.

Another resident, Mr Nkosentsha Mlilo said the house where the drugs were found is popularly known as Migalo to youths and they enjoy spending their time there in groups.

He said the youths, some in school uniform, spend most of their time at corners and houses where drugs are sold.

Mr Mlilo said the fact that the house is opposite a primary school is worrisome because it exposes a lot of young children to drugs.

“Despite all the hard work we are doing the situation here is very difficult. We have neighbours who are known for being drug lords and even if we do campaigns people are still continuing with selling drugs even in broad daylight. 

“We can see the police are working but stricter laws should be introduced in courts that if someone is found selling drugs they get punished without considering the amount of drugs they were found with because that way people will not even think of selling and abusing drugs,” said Mr Mlilo.

Nqobile Tshili

GOVERNMENT is in the process of reviewing the Primary and Secondary Education competence-based curriculum with continuous assessment learning activities (CALA) being retained with possible adjustments.

Under the new curriculum, CALA has been the major talking point which has seen some parents, pupils and even educators resisting it.

Addressing journalists during a curriculum review media engagement workshop in Darwendale, Zvimba, Mashonaland West education authorities said CALA will be retained as it promotes inclusive evaluation of learners.

The competence-based curriculum is being reviewed after its first seven-year cycle came to an end last year after being introduced in 2015.

The curriculum is aimed at tooling pupils with skills to survive in the 21st century that is technologically driven.

 The new curriculum review is expected to conform to national economic blueprint such as National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and President Mnangagwa’s vision 2030.

The Primary and Secondary Education Ministry said curriculum review does  not mean that Government was  doing   away with the competence-based curriculum but finding ways of strengthening it.

Addressing journalists during a curriculum review media engagement workshop, Primary and Secondary Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Mrs Tumisang-Thabela said the review process will assess if the country’s education is delivering the aspirations and development prospects of Zimbabwe.

She said the curriculum should also provide knowledge, skills and values for life and work.

“First, and more importantly, the country has taken a new development trajectory through Vision 2030 which is to be realised through the implementation of the NDS1. With education expected to contribute towards human capital development and innovation, it is imperative that the curriculum is configured to fulfil this goal. Our curriculum must be positioned to provide a sustainable base for the production of critical and skilled human capital that will propel the country into an upper middle-income economy by 2030,” said Mrs Thabela.

She said the country has also been affected by several disasters which affected the delivery of education hence the curriculum review will also cater for any emergencies.

Mrs Thabela said the country had to adjust to disasters such as Cyclone Idai which hit several schools in Masvingo and Manicaland in 2019 before Covid-19 almost putting education to a standstill in 2020, resulting in the introduction of blended learning. 

“These disasters and emergencies entail that new innovations in teaching and learning have to be taken on board to ensure learning does not stop. Then there are issues such as climate change, the transforming education agenda and science, technology and innovation among others which also need to be taken into consideration as we commit ourselves to transforming our education,” she said.

Mrs Thabela said the competence-based curriculum has shifted from focusing on the academically gifted pupils to harnessing skills and talents of pupils both in class and in extra curricula.

She said CALA becomes an important measurement instrument for the competence-based curriculum. 

“The new assessment model takes into cognisance pupils’ different abilities and flairs, including skills, inherent talents, values and other achievements both in and out of class. These soft and hard skills observed over a period of time are then incorporated into the final examination marks,” she said.

“The CALA have thus become a key part of how we accredit the overall performance of a learner as a system. As we review the curriculum, all these aspects will also be reviewed to ensure they are in line with the education aspirations of the country.”

Mrs Thabela said the ministry will be conducting nationwide consultative meeting on the implementation of the curriculum review as it wants an inclusive approach. 

“The Ministry will also avail various platforms through which stakeholders can make their submissions while also holding external meetings with special interest groups. Once all the contributions from stakeholders have come through, the Ministry will produce the 2023-2030 Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education (another seven-year cycle),” said Mrs Thabela.

“A word of caution: We are not changing the curriculum; we already have the general framework in place. We are, however, reviewing it to ensure the curriculum continues to be relevant in the wake of new realities that have emerged since 2015.”

Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) research manager Mr Francis Chirume said CALA is here to stay and its implementation is in sync with international standards.

He said some developed countries  have actually moved away from assessing learners summatively for the continuous assessment. 

 “We are now assessing 21st century skills, team work, time management, unhu/ubuntu, leadership, all those skills will be assessed because they are pertinent and significant in our day to day lives. We focus on peer and self-assessment. The learners should be in a position to judge the work of others so that they can improve,” he said.

“Gone are the days where we teach for competition, we don’t assess for competition, we assess so that we find out what the learners are able to do and what they are not able to do. We assess so that we can tap the talent of our learners.”

Mr Chirume said CALA are not extra work for teachers as this is similar to homework that has always been part of the education system but the only difference is that the work is being standardised within schools.

He said Zimsec was concerned with academic fraud where parents are allegedly paying some individuals to do CALA assignments for their children.

Nqobile Bhebhe

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has revealed that he has exempted Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka from distractions of constituency politics to solely focus on agriculture transformation as the country moves towards food security status.

Dr Masuka will be a non-constituency legislator.

In March, the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development ministry came out as the biggest winner in the 2022 performance evaluation results for Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials, as both the Minister, Dr Masuka, and Permanent Secretary Dr John Basera were named best performers in their respective designations.

Writing in his weekly column for The Sunday Mail and Sunday News, President Mnangagwa said Dr Masuka’s “sole focus” will be on transforming agriculture.

“As your President, my covenant with you has been to banish hunger from our land. That goal is now well in sight, what with the massive investments we continue to commit towards weather-proofed agriculture, and, of course, the sheer hard work of all our farmers, big and small,” said the President

He said this year the country will congregate for the main independence celebrations in Mt Pfura which was renamed Mt Darwin as a food-secure Nation.

“I have released Minister Anxious Masuka from distractions of constituency politics so his sole focus and sole politics relate to this one goal of transforming our agriculture for a food-secure Nation for all times. He will be a non-constituency Member of Parliament, so he has enough time to live, think and dream agriculture only,” he added.

Transforming agriculture is at the epicentre of Government’s Vision 2030, which is aimed at ensuring a prosperous upper middle-income society by 2030.

The vision embraces viability of the agriculture sector, as enshrined in the ambitious Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy (2020-2025), which President Mnangagwa launched in 2020.

The strategy seeks to ensure that by 2025, Zimbabwe is food secure, with limited food imports, a country that has deepened and broadened exports of agricultural products, and created employment of up to one million jobs in the agriculture sector.

On rural industrialisation, President Mnangagwa said the drive should become the next greatest miracle Zimbabwe showcases and shares with the rest of the continent.

“This thrust must strengthen as we move into the future. Rural industrialisation should become the next greatest miracle Zimbabwe shows to, and shares with our African brethren. China did no less, and lifted millions out of poverty.

“Again, I expect more involvement of our tertiary institutions, which must engage in purposeful, community- and local resource-based research for rural industrialisation.”

Rural industrialisation, which is part of the Second Republic’s devolution agenda, involves nurturing agro-processing start-up enterprises in rural areas through financial and technological support via venture capital funding and Government agencies.

Through rural industrialisation, the Government hopes to stem rural-urban migration which saps growth from the countryside.

President Mnangagwa added that the country’s rural industrialisation drive should be a shining beacon to the rest of Africa.

Last week, the Cabinet revealed that Zimbabwe and Ethiopia are the only two African countries to achieve wheat self-sufficiency with the Government having increased the 2023 winter wheat production target to 85 000 hectares from 80 388 planted in 2022 to further solidify gains from the previous year.

Most farming activities are in the rural areas.

“Cabinet is pleased to inform the nation that during the 2022 winter cereal production season, Zimbabwe together with Ethiopia were the only countries in Africa that attained self-sufficiency in wheat, with 375 131 metric tonnes being produced, against a national requirement of 360 000 metric tonnes,” Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa said during a post-Cabinet briefing in Harare.