Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: Zim on cholera high alert | The Herald March 30, 2019

Minister Moyo

Herald Reporters
Government is on high alert to contain any cholera outbreak in the eastern parts of the country following confirmation of the disease in Beira, Mozambique, in the past few days. The outbreak followed the Cyclone Idai disaster that hit Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi recently.

Following the disaster, most water bodies were contaminated thereby raising fears of a potential outbreak of water-borne diseases.

Briefing journalists after a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Local Government, National Housing and Public Works Minister July Moyo said Government was aware of the outbreak of cholera in Mozambique and Government had already taken precautionary measures.

“Clean water yes. We are worried about clean water because boreholes have been damaged and in the towns of Chipinge the water system was damaged,” said Minister Moyo.

“In Ngangu area in Chimanimani and Machongwe area, all these areas where we had water reticulation supplies either by Zinwa (Zimbabwe National Water Authority) or DDF (District Development Fund) damage has been done. That why the Minister of Finance (Professor Mthuli Ncube) in his first $50 million that he gave, he particularly said water must be restored, so $3,8 million was allocated for water restoration. In addition to that, our priority was to drop these pills by Unicef that you can put in your water. We are using helicopters to carry these pills to centres.

“We are aware that cholera can in fact happen. In Beira the declaration of a cholera disaster is already there and as it is we think it might move to our area and we have already taken precautions and we continue to ask for assistance in the area of purification.”

With regards to the national consolidated Cyclone Idai disaster appeal, Minister Moyo said: “After Cabinet we were working on that consolidated appeal which will go in the name of the President and we hope that it will be done as soon as possible. We have already informed all the ambassadors through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade that our consolidated appeal is coming.

“Our consolidated appeal will also be going out because we have been having a lot of people helping us and they been bringing food or other non-food items but in the consolidated appeal we will be able to indicate what are the gaps because of the ongoing disaster that is unfolding.”

Minister Moyo said anyone including political parties was free to come and assist in the distribution of food aid in the affected areas.

Meanwhile, Government has started rolling out the second dose of cholera vaccination, which is expected to reach over one million people in the country’s cholera hotspots.

Director of epidemiology and disease control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Portia Manangazira said the exercise began on Wednesday.

The post Zim on cholera high alert  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Zinara tender backfires for director, CAAZ boss | The Herald

Suspended Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) chief executive David Chawota appears at the Harare Magistrates Courts yesterday. — (Picture by Lee Maidza)

Tendai Mugabe and Prosper Dembedza
Legal director in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development Angeline Karonga and suspended Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) chief executive officer David Chawota yesterday appeared in court on allegations of awarding a company they owned a tender to supply bitumen to the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) before sharing US$1 234 004.72.

The pair formed a company called Akodac Consultancy Services in 2009 which was then awarded a tender in the same ministry which Karinga is a director.

The two appeared in court facing charges of corruptly concealing from a principal a personal interest in a transaction when they appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Learnmore Mapiye.

The prosecutor, Mr Desire Chidanire, opposed bail and asked the court to roll over the matter to April 1. He said the investigating officer in the matter failed to attend court due to illness.

In response, the pair’s lawyer Mr Tinofara Hove told the court that some of the investigating officers had attended court and the prosecution must lead them as witnesses on why bail is being opposed.

Mr Chidanire told the court that the officers that were in attendance were not part of the investigating team and were not privy to the investigations.

Mrs Mapiye gave Mr Hove a chance to lead Mrs Karonga on why she was a proper candidate for bail.
Mrs Karonga told the court that she was a responsible parent and a person of fixed abode.

She further stated that she would abide by any conditions given to her by the court and that she would not flee trial as she owned valuable assets in the country.

Mrs Mapiye said the court can only grant bail after all the accused persons had made their submissions.
She deferred the matter to April 1 for continuation of the bail application.

It is alleged that in January, 2012 the accused persons’ company made an application to the State Procurement Board (SPB) to be on the approved list of suppliers of bulk and drummed bitumen so as to participate in Government tenders.
The application was duly approved.

The accuseds’ company went on to register with ZINARA, a public entity under the MOTID as a supplier of bitumen.
The company went on to carry out transactions for supply of catmix and stable 60 which are products of the manufacturer of bitumen on 24 occasions from February 2 2012 up to August 18 2013.

The court heard that despite the fact that the accused were carrying out transactions in connection with their principal’s affairs — that is supplying bitumen to Zinara a public entity falling within the same Ministry where Karonga is the legal advisor and Chawota is a general manager for CAAZ a public entity reporting to the same ministry.

The post Zinara tender backfires for director, CAAZ boss appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

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