Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: PWDs suffer exclusion at workplaces -Newsday Zimbabwe

The inclusion of people with disabilities (PWDs) in some workplaces remains elusive despite  Zimbabwe having a National Disability Policy that promotes the employment of all persons without discrimination.

According to the policy, employers are mandated to reserve a minimum of 15% of their vacancies for PWDs as well as promoting the creation of accessible and inclusive workplaces, among others.

The policy also calls on employers to adopt inclusive policies and practices.

Tanatsiwa Tania James, a project officer for Economic Empowerment, said the Disabled Persons Act (Chapter 17:01) prohibited discrimination against PWDs in employment.

James’ organisation falls under the Federation of Organisations of Disabled People in Zimbabwe, an umbrella body for organisations representing PWDs.

“Section 9 of the Act states that no employer shall discriminate against any person with disabilities in relation to the advertisement of employment, recruitment for employment,  classification or abolition of jobs or posts, the determination or allocation of wages, salaries, pensions, accommodation, leave or other such benefits,” James said in written responses to NewsDay.

James said, despite the provisions of the Disability Act, PWDs in Zimbabwe continued to face significant barriers to employment, particularly discrimination.

“The barriers include: Lack of awareness of the Act and its provisions among employers and the general public, negative attitudes towards disabled persons in the workplace, lack of accessible transportation and workplaces, limited  training and support for disabled persons to enter and succeed in the workplace,” she said.

James said the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognised the right of PWDs to work on an equal basis with others.

Article 27 of the CRPD sets out a number of specific obligations for States to promote and protect the right to work of PWDs.

“The obligations include: Ensuring that reasonable accommodation is provided to persons with disabilities in the workplace, promoting the acquisition by persons with disabilities of work experience in the open labour market, promoting vocational and professional rehabilitation, job retention and return-to-work programmes for persons with disabilities,” James said.

“There is a need to prohibit, discrimination in employment on the basis of disability as well as protecting persons with disabilities from forced or compulsory labour.”

She, however, acknowledged that adopting legislation to promote equal opportunities in employment for PWDs remained a tall order.

“Collecting and analysing data on the employment of persons with disabilities is one of the toughest challenges in the country.”

Agnes Chindimba, executive director of Deaf Women Included, weighed in saying the biggest challenge is perception of disability in the community.

“We need the community to realise that PWDs are human beings with rights just like everyone else. Raising awareness remains a big issue. Disability needs to be mainstreamed into all programmes by the government and other players,”

The post PWDs suffer exclusion at workplaces  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Women worst affected by cholera: Unicef -Newsday Zimbabwe

WOMEN are contracting cholera at a disproportionately higher rate compared to men, Unicef Zimbabwe has revealed.

The outbreak, first reported in Chegutu in February this year, has been fuelled by poor sanitation and water scarcity.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Lawyers has blamed the government and local authorities of “dereliction of duty” for failing to stop cholera from spreading across the country.

According to a Unicef report dated December 22, a staggering 51% of confirmed cholera victims are female, with children under 15 accounting for 36% of cases and 21% of deaths.

“Since the onset of the outbreak and as of 19 December, a total of 12 414 cholera cases, 62 confirmed deaths and 217 suspected deaths have been reported from 54 out of 64 districts. All 10 provinces in the country are affected,” the report read.

“Overall, an estimated 51% of cases are female with children below 15 years accounting for 36% of cases and 21% of deaths.”

Unicef said the most affected provinces were Harare and Manicaland, which together account for more than 80% of new infections.

“Increasing cholera trends continue to be observed with a weekly average of 1 000 new cases with over 80% recorded in Harare and Manicaland provinces.”

Chitungwiza, however, has witnessed a decline in recent weeks.

Unicef said it had stepped up its efforts, partnering with local organisations to reach nearly 191 000 people, including over 87 000 children, with safe water since the outbreak began.

“These interventions aim to curb transmission by ensuring access to clean drinking water, a crucial weapon in cholera prevention.

“Unicef provided two additional high-performance tents to expand the capacity of cholera treatment facilities at Zvipiripiri and Chiadzwa health centres. This is in response to the surge in cases in Mutare and Buhera districts in Manicaland province,” it said.

“On 13 December, Unicef and the national Risk Communication and Community Engagement pillar kicked off the nationwide festive season campaign in Manicaland where 200 people in Mutare and Chimanimani districts, including 30 religious leaders and artisanal miners were sensitised on key messages on cholera prevention during the festive season.”

Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike expressed fears that cholera may claim more lives during the rainy season.

“With limited safe and potable water in local authorities the rainy season brings fears of an increase in cholera cases that may further worsen the cholera situation as the unsafe alternative sources of water, the shallow wells get contaminated due to the generally poor drainage system,” Rusike said,.

“Unsafe environments continue to be a health threat, particularly for poor households, although at a less severe level than in 2008 and more focused in rural areas where significant gaps remain in access to safe water and sanitation.”

As of December 18, 2023, 12 287 suspected cases including 1 527 culture confirmed cases had been reported in all the 10 provinces of the country.

The post Women worst affected by cholera: Unicef  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: 8 armed robbers nabbed -Newsday Zimbabwe

FIVE suspected armed robbers were yesterday arrested over a spate of robberies that occurred in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls between May and December this year.

Silence Kwangwa (26), Ayanda Ncube (32), Julias Mugwagwa (28), Douglas Rizani (32) and Edzayi Madondo (38) are being accused of targeting business and residential premises of families and businesspeople who keep large sums of money at home.

In a statement yesterday, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said last Friday, police tip-offs led to the arrest of the five suspects.

On being interviewed, they implicated their accomplices, Wellington Ndoro (26) and Felias Mvula (54), who are already in custody after they were arrested in Victoria Falls for another robbery which occurred on December 14, 2023.

The arrest of the five has so far cleared 11 robbery cases.

“Some of the cases include a robbery case in which the suspects attacked a milling company in Bulawayo on September 23, 2023 and went away with a chubb safe containing US$40 000 and another robbery case that occurred on November 2, 2023, in which they allegedly attacked some security guards on duty at a company premise in Belmont, Bulawayo, before breaking into offices, where they stole US$19 204 cash, 2,2kg of gold, two laptops, CCTV DVR, various cellphones and other valuables, all worth US$154 304,” Nyathi said.

He said investigations led to the recovery of a blue Honda Fit vehicle registration number AEQ 3032, a 9mm CZ pistol with erased serial numbers, Cash safe, CCTV DVR, Asus Laptop, HP 255 laptop, MAC Book, Huawei 8i cellphone, Samsung Tablet SMT560, Infinite Smart 6 cellphone, two Huawei cellphones, three Itel Smartphones, Samsung A34 cellphone, KG Tel cellphone, an iPhone, Samsung 20 smartphone, 2000 Pakistan rupees from Silence Kangwa’s place of residence in Trenance, Bulawayo.

In a related case, Nyathi said the police arrested Willium Dhumukwa (34), James Zawi (29) and Chishamiso Muganiri (30), who were part of a 15-member gang which pounced on a mine in Kadoma and went away with a Toyota Hilux vehicle, three cellphones, 17 bags of carbon, among other valuables, last week on Sunday.

The suspects, who were armed with two pistols and two .303 rifles, escaped after having been involved in a shoot-out with the police at the mine and they dropped the two rifles at the scene. Detectives tracked the suspects to Mbare, Harare, where the suspects were arrested after a shoot-out.

Dhumukwa was shot on the thigh.

Further investigations revealed that the recovered .303 rifles were reported stolen in Harare during a robbery early this month.

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Source: Accidents claim more lives -Newsday Zimbabwe

SEVEN people died in two separate head-on collisions on Friday, bringing the festive season death toll to more than 20.

On Friday, four people died in a head-on collision at the 343km peg along the Harare-Bulawayo Road.

Three other people died in a head-on collision at the 239km peg along the Harare-Masvingo Highway.

On Saturday, a CAG bus was involved in an accident around Mavhuradonha and 15 passengers sustained injuries, according to the police.

As of Wednesday, 20 people had been killed in traffic accidents recorded during the start of the festive season.

Most traffic accidents are blamed on human error and poor roads.

According to the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (ZimStat), at least 604 people died in accidents recorded during the third quarter of 2023.

ZimStat said the country witnessed a 15% increase in fatalities during the third quarter of 2023 despite a slight decrease in overall road traffic accidents.

While the total number of accidents decreased by 3,2% compared to the second quarter, fatalities increased.

“Road traffic accidents decreased by 3,2% compared to the second quarter 2023.  Of the 12  564 road traffic accidents reported in third quarter 2023, 460 were fatal,” ZimStat said in its situation report on accidents released last week.

“A quarter-on-quarter comparison shows a 15,0% increase from 400 fatal accidents reported in the second quarter 2023.”

Passenger Association of Zimbabwe president Tafadzwa Goliath urged motorists to exercise caution and stay safe on roads this holiday season.

“We urge motorists to exercise caution and not to speed, especially on hazardous rural roads. We also urge operators to give their drivers sufficient rest, and when drivers are given time to rest, they should accordingly utilise this time,” Goliath said.

World statistics on road accidents have ranked Zimbabwe as one of the world’s two countries with the most unsafe road networks.

According to the World of Statistics, 41 per every 100 000 people die of road traffic injuries in Zimbabwe.

According to statistics released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency last month, 8 897 people died in traffic accidents between 2019 and 2022.

Approximately 2 079 people lost their lives in 52 585 road traffic accidents recorded last year alone.

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Source: MSD issues floods warning -Newsday Zimbabwe

THE Meteorological service Department (MSD) yesterday warned that heavy rains accompanied by violent storms will hit the country starting tomorrow until December 30, 2023.

In a statement, MSD said there were risks of flooding in low-lying areas.

“Thunder and lightning accompanied by hailstones, and strong damaging winds are anticipated across the country,” MSD said.

“All areas are expected to receive localised rainfall amounts of 50mm or more in 24 hours and flooding is possible in low-lying areas such as Muzarabani, Save and Zambezi Valley.”

MSD warned that places such as “open fields, hilltops, tall trees, and bodies of water should be avoided. Remain indoors during thunderstorms and avoid crossing flooded rivers.”

Meanwhile, heavy rains that pounded Harare and surrounding areas over the past days have caused widespread devastation, with nearly 15 houses in Budiriro 4 flooded in water.

In a statement, police said several people were marooned by floodwaters but were rescued by the ZRP Sub-Aqua Unit.

However, a six-year-old child remains missing.

The ZRP Sub-Aqua Unit was also deployed to Kuwadzana Extension, where 19 families were rescued from their flooded homes.

“The ZRP Sub-Aqua Unit has also rescued 19 families in Kuwadzana Extension where some houses had been submerged (sic)in water.”

Efforts to get a comment from National Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi were fruitless as his number was not reachable.

In October, several urban centres were plunged into darkness after torrential rains destroyed electricity infrastructure.

The heavy rains also saw the death of four children from the same family after being struck by lightning in Wadzenenga village under Chief Nyashanu in Buhera, Manicaland province.

Recently, Parliament quizzed Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and his counterparts over the country’s poor disaster preparedness.

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