Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Debra Matabvu

THE e-passport centre in Johannesburg is now complete and will start offering services to Zimbabweans in South Africa next month, as the Government continues to push through its plan to make civic documents readily available and easy to access.

An e-passport centre will also be opened in Gokwe South in the next few weeks as part of decentralising the services countrywide. Further, five passport offices abroad, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, will begin offering the same services to the Diaspora this year.

Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa, Mr David Hamadziripi, told The Sunday Mail that the Johannesburg centre is now training staff before commencing services.

“The e-passport processing centre in  Johannesburg is complete and ready to operate. What remains is the training of our staff, which we are currently working on,” he said.

“Once our staff is trained, we will be in a position to deliver this much-awaited and anticipated service. We will announce at the appropriate time.”

Added Amb Hamadziripi: “The centre has the technical capacity to process 18 passports at one go.

“Expected turnaround time with one client is expected to be less than 10 minutes. We are capable of clearing at least 360 people in a day.”

In an interview last week, Registrar-General Mr Henry Machiri said final touches are being made at the centre in Johannesburg.

“We are working on the final stages of the centre,” he said.

“We do not have a date as yet. However, the month of April might not be convenient for launching the centre, but as soon as we get the dates, you will be advised. Locally, we are still going ahead with decentralisation of e-passports in Zimbabwe and we are now working on setting up another centre in Gokwe South.”

In a statement last week, the Zimbabwe consulate in Johannesburg said preparations for the launch were at an advanced stage.

“The consulate wishes to inform Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa that it has not yet rolled out the e-passport system. It, however, confirms that preparations for the launch of the passport centre and e-passport processing system in Johannesburg are at an advanced stage and the programme will be rolled out soon,” the statement said in part.

“The consulate is in the process of finalising logistical arrangements in preparation for the official launch of the programme.”

Presenting the 2024 National Budget, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said funds had been set aside to upgrade the country’s embassies across the world.

“Government will continue to upgrade and construct the country’s chanceries and embassies in key areas that promote engagement and re-engagement. Efforts will also be made to collaborate with the private sector through private-public partnerships in this programme,” he said.

At least 14 passport offices have been set up countrywide, with more than 100 000 travelling documents having been issued since the introduction of e-passports in January 2022.

E- passports are now being processed at the Harare passport registry and provincial and district offices in Bulawayo, Gwanda, Gweru, Lupane, Marondera, Beitbridge, Chitungwiza, Hwange, Mazowe, Murewa, Zvishavane, Chinhoyi and Guruve.

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Nokuthula Dube

Harare City Council has been given up to April 19 to resubmit its proposed 2024 budget after initial submissions were rejected a fortnight ago for failure to comply with guidelines meant to enhance service delivery, which were outlined by President Mnangagwa last year.

The city’s initial budget submissions to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works were red-flagged for failure to align with the President’s blueprint, “A Call to Action, No Compromise to Service Delivery”.

Addressing Harare city councillors and management during a feedback meeting last week, Local Government and Public Works Minister Winston Chitando directed the council to resubmit its budget before the end of next month.

“The 2024 budget, which we are all aware of, was not approved; and that was not just for the City of Harare: There are other two local authorities — Gokwe and Hwange — whose budgets were not approved,” he said.

“There was a blueprint, which was launched by His Excellency, the President, on November 1, that outlines issues which are being taken into consideration when approving all 92 local authorities’ budget proposals.

“All local authorities were expected to draft their 2024 budgets in alignment with the blueprint on service delivery.”

In analysing the budgets, he said, the Government engaged technocrats from local institutions of higher learning to assess whether or not they were in sync with the blueprint.

“The budgets were thoroughly reviewed in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, in compliance with the blueprint,” he said.

“After assessing the budgets, those that did not meet the standards were rejected, and for them to qualify, they have to redo them to align with the blueprint before April 19.”

Minister Chitando said some of the approved budgets had weaknesses, which were, however, not too serious. “There are quite a number of budgets which were approved with conditions after it was agreed they were partly in compliance with the blueprint,” he said.

But the main reason Harare’s budget was rejected, Minister Chitando said, was the absence of audited accounts.

“They have not audited accounts from 2017,” he said. There is also the absence of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for revenue collection, which we discussed.

“We agreed as a way forward that the city, by April 19, should come up with a roadmap to address some of the major issues.”

Harare mayor Jacob Mafume said the meeting with Minister Chitando was constructive.

“The discussions were forthright and we found areas of conjunction,” he said.

“We will make sure that our staff deliver a budget to the residents and to the ministry that can take the city forward, in line with the development trajectory that was articulated by the Government.”

In rejecting Harare’s budget, the Government cited the absence of a functional computer-based organisational system, over-staffing and unaudited accounts, among other infractions.

The Government stated that Harare has continuously failed to procure an ERP system for the past five years, contributing to low revenue collection and consequently poor service delivery.  The city’s budget proposal was, therefore, an inaccurate reflection of the council’s revenue generation capacity.

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Theseus Shambare

SIXTY-ONE entities involved in hemp production, trade and research have been registered with the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) since the promulgation of legalisation greenlighting production of the crop for medicinal and scientific purposes in 2018.

AMA oversees registration and licensing of hemp cultivators, merchants, researchers and breeders.

Zimbabwe has so far exported over 8 000 tonnes of hemp, primarily to Poland, Switzerland and Germany, demonstrating a growing international market for the commodity.

Hemp is a variety of the cannabis plant known for its industrial uses and low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana.

It can be used to manufacture a variety of products, including textiles, building materials and biofuels.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail, AMA agribusiness director Mr Jonathan Mukuruba said Zimbabwe was poised to be a regional powerhouse in hemp production.

“The future of industrial hemp in Zimbabwe is very promising and poised for significant growth and development. With a notable surge in registered players along the value chain and a growing interest in the sector, Zimbabwe is on track to emerge as a regional leader in industrial hemp production,” said Mr Mukuruba.

The opening up of the sector, he said, has led to growth in the number of new players.

“The number of industrial hemp players has steadily increased in the past three seasons,” he said.

“As of December 31, 2023, AMA had 61 registered hemp players — cultivators (31), merchants (13) and researchers and breeders (17).”

In Africa, about 10 countries, including Ethiopia, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, have legalised industrial hemp production. “Last year, AMA partnered with a Polish company, Plantiqua Hemp, to help local cannabis farmers produce quality hemp that would fetch good prices on the international market,” added Mr Mukuruba.

“Plantiqua agreed to buy hemp from our cultivators because they already have their markets, and this is meant to help us increase production and productivity since they have factories and processing plants back home.”

Kutsaga Research Station (formerly Tobacco Research Board) is presently undertaking extensive research to come up with seed varieties suitable for Zimbabwe.

The research station’s chief executive officer, Dr Frank Magama, said it had expanded its focus to include researching on alternative crops, apart from tobacco.

“Regarding alternatives, we will introduce new and profitable crops such as hemp. Industrial hemp is an alternative because it grows in areas where tobacco does well, too,” he said.

“Therefore, we have embarked on a project to determine the best variety to grow in the country and also to look at the agronomic practices that work well with growing industrial hemp locally.”

He said most varieties that are available locally are illegal to produce.

“We are now looking at them as varieties that will give us a basis for genetics that can be adapted for use in our country.

“We will be appealing to the authorities to allow us to work with some of these varieties strictly for research purposes so that we use material that is locally adaptable and then breed them with international varieties to come up with a variety best suited for local production.”

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Sunday Mail Reporter

THE Government has mobilised over 14 000 tractors and 300 combine harvesters to lease to wheat farmers during the forthcoming winter cropping season.

The equipment will be used for land preparation, transportation and harvesting.

Twenty-two mechanisation hubs, from where farmers can lease the machinery, have been established throughout the country under the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) Leasing Company and collaborating agents.

Authorities plan to put 120 000 hectares (ha) under the cereal, a significant increase from the record 90 912ha planted last year.

Data from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development shows that the CBZ (CBZ Agro-Yield) will contribute to production on 11 500ha, while AFC Bank will support production on 16 000ha.

NMB Bank will fund production on 2 500ha, while the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) will manage 45 000ha through its joint ventures.

The Food Crop Contractors Association has set a target of 25 000ha, while individual small-scale farmers are expected to cultivate at least 20 000ha. Planting is expected to commence on May 1. Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri said the Government was expecting a smooth transition from summer to winter cropping this year.

“The Minister (Dr Anxious Masuka) announced the revised target for winter wheat production to 120 000ha,” he said.

“The country has 137 000ha irrigable area available for winter cropping and farmers are expected to plant from May 1, 2024.”

This year’s target, he said, calls for robust mechanisation to enhance production and productivity.

“The estimated number of tractors in the country is 14 285 with a capacity to cover more than one million hectares, hence timely land preparation is assured,” said Prof Jiri.

“The Government also formed a special purpose vehicle under AFC Holdings, namely AFC Leasing Company, for the provision of farm mechanisation services.

“The company was capacitated with more than 600 tractors, which are accessible by all farmers in Zimbabwe, and has formed 22 cluster centres across all provinces within the reach of all farmers.”

The Government, Prof Jiri added, capacitated its institutions such as the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service, Arda and the Institute of Agricultural Engineering with more than 500 tractors.

“To add on to that, there are also various private players who are involved in the provision of mechanisation services,” he said.

“The estimated number of combine harvesters in the country is more than 300, with a capacity to harvest close to 200 000 hectares per season.”

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Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor

WITH Bulawayo grappling with one of its worst water crises in recent years, there are indications that the city council is losing almost half of its treated water before it reaches residents because of obsolete pipes.

This comes amid revelations that the Bulawayo City Council needs more than US$200 million to address some of the challenges that have seen it lose the bulk of its treated water before it reaches consumers.

With most suburbs enduring more than a week without water, the city’s old piping system stands as a formidable obstacle in the quest for reliable water access.

The predicament is further compounded by the region’s below-average rainfall due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.

The council’s corporate communications manager, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, told Sunday News that the city was losing 47 percent of its water, which they classify as non-revenue water, through physical leaks, unauthorised consumption, metering issues and billing errors.

“As of 2024 the City of Bulawayo water balance conducted on non-revenue water was 47 percent and in the break down 30 percent of that was due to leaks and bursts of water pipes along the distribution network and service lines (physical losses), 17 percent translates to the commercial losses (apparent losses).

“The city plans to do a swift repair of bursts and leaks through the provision and adequate availability of plumbing consumables, transport and labour. The current approach is to speedily attend to the above-ground water leakage backlog, with a plan to implement leak detection to tackle leakages before surfacing on the ground thus minimising on the non-revenue water,” said Mrs Mpofu.

She noted that the local authority was working on developing a strategy that would act as a roadmap to systematically reduce water losses and improve the overall water system efficiency.

The council spokesperson said the strategy would help prioritise interventions based on their cost-effectiveness and potential impact, thus ensuring resources were directed towards areas with the most significant non-revenue water reduction potential.

“It should be stressed that all the non-revenue water strategies require funding, of which an estimate of over US$200 million is required to fund capital reinvestment projects, data and billing improvement initiatives,  communication and awareness campaigns as well as focused NRW institutional capacity,” said Mrs Mpofu.

She further noted that the council was also in the process of drafting a metering policy and working on a meter replacement programme to improve the billing accuracy which will act as a preliminary indicator of leakages within the system.

“Currently, the city is planning to replace about 5 000 meters of the non-functional meters. Further to this, the city is exploring advanced metering infrastructure for real-time data collection. The city also plans to reduce water loss through reservoir overflows by installing level control mechanisms in the six service reservoirs.

“The city has also set up an online meter reading submission service where customers send their meter readings monthly to reduce the levels of commercial losses. 

“There are strides toward managing and regulating the network pressure since high system pressures increase the likelihood of water bursts and leaks. Eleven pressure-reducing valves are to be installed in the high-density suburbs to regulate pressure and also reduce bursts,” said Mrs Mpofu.

The council spokesperson said they were also developing a water distribution system hydraulic model, which was crucial in the reduction of non-revenue water. 

She said the hydraulic model will also improve leak detection, aid the prioritisation of repairs and assist in the development of pressure management strategies as well as in planning for the future growth of the city.

“Focus is on district-metered areas to understand what is happening in our network at a micro-level. The city’s water distribution system is divided into 54 discrete district metered areas zones which help pinpoint the location of leaks within a specific district metered areas, allow for targeted leak detection, ensures minimised response time and repair of bursts and leaks and there is optimised pressure within each district metered areas.

“This improves efficiency, allows for a phased implementation approach and involves lower upfront costs compared to a network-wide approach. To further realise these benefits, the city is planning to add three more discrete district-metered areas to its system,” she said.

On illicit connections, water theft and illegal connections, Mrs Mpofu said they were enforcing heavy fines and disconnecting services to properties found flouting regulations.

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