Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: SeedCo introduces  2 new maize hybrids | Daily News

ZIMBABWE’S largest supplier of certified maize seeds, SeedCo, has introduced two new climate smart varieties of maize seed known as SC529 and SC649.

The new varieties are coming from a background of an intense breeding effort focused on selecting for heat, drought, foliar and cob diseases response to different agronomic practices and high yielding capabilities.

The SC529 becomes the top yielder in the 500 series maturity group with a high yield potential of 13 tonnes per hectare, while SC649 is the highest yielder in the 600 series group yielding 16 tonnes per hectare.
The new breeds are meant to address most farmers’ challenges related to climate change.

“The two climate smart, high yielding and stable hybrid maize varieties have already changed the lives of some farmers in the past two to three seasons,” SeedCo managing director Denias Zaranyika said at the Rattary Arnold Research Station field day.
From independent trials and demonstrations, the products have proven to be stable across seasons, stable across agro-regions, as well as yielding much more than currently available products within their respective maturity groupings.

“These two new block busters will allow farmers to adapt to the effects of climate change and ultimately to upscale productivity levels, livelihoods and food security,” Zaranyika said.
SeedCo is also working on more varieties that have the potential to yield 20 tonnes per hectare.

“The launch of these two hybrids is a precursor to more exciting efforts arising from the huge investment that we made into research technologies a few years ago.

“The investment is now paying dividends in the form of a healthy pipeline of upcoming and newer products that include SC419, SC555, SC541, SC653, SC657, SC661, SC659 and SC729,” he said.

Despite the availability of these high yielding varieties, Zimbabwe’s national average yield still stands at below one tonne per hectare.

“We obviously need to bridge the gap between potential yield and actual farmer yields,” Zaranyika added.
SeedCo is also working on other vegetables, rice and small grains varieties.

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Source: ED luxury jets torch storm | Newsday (News)

BY VENERANDA LANGA

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube was yesterday grilled in the Senate by opposition legislators over President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s penchant to travel in hired luxurious private jets when the country is saddled with serious problems like shortages of drugs and fuel.

In the 2019 Bluebook, the President was allocated $15,7 million for his foreign travel expenses and $1,4 million for domestic travel expenses.

Matabeleland South Senator Bekithemba Mpofu (MDC Alliance) asked Ncube during the Senate question and answer session: “What is government policy on international travels by the President? Are we going to continue to hire planes or you intend to buy an aircraft for the President in the long run?”

Mnangagwa recently hired three different luxury jets to fly him to Bulawayo, Angola and South Africa at high cost and senators felt the foreign currency would have been better spent paying for scarce medicines.

Ncube defended Mnangagwa’s travels, saying that even if he flew in a hired private jet, the expenses incurred were within the President’s Office travel budget, which was also approved by Parliament.

“The President’s Office has a budget allocated through processes that come through this House and which you endorsed and they are using that budget in a normal way to meet the President’s travel budget,” Ncube said.

“He (Mnangagwa) is an international leader and all his travel is necessary for the good of the country as he has to participate in critical meetings to ensure that our country remains in the international community. These are normal travels and are through the normal budget.

“All I know is that they are within his current travel requirements, and his office is able to live within that budget approved by the President’s Office as well as by you senators,” the Finance minister said.

But Bulawayo Metropolitan Senator Siphiwe Ncube sought further clarification, saying the problem was more to do with the luxurious planes that Mnangagwa hired whenever he travelled than the provided budget.

“The question really is that the country is suffering and there is no money, but the President is busy hiring a $12 500 per hour private jet when there are no medicines. Even the Parliament clinic has no medicines and so what we are questioning is that, it is not proper for Mnangagwa to travel in an expensive private jet when the country has no money? Even former President Robert Mugabe used to travel on Air Zimbabwe, yet the current President is using a $12 500 private jet,” Ncube said.

The minister responded by saying if Mnangagwa did not travel, then there would be no medicines coming into the country.

“The travels that the President was involved in are critical to engage the international community and only then will we have these medicines and other resources. The other week I travelled with the President to the United Arab Emirates and we were offered medicines which came in handy for Cyclone Idai.

“In order to have medicines in the health sector, it is critical for us to engage other nations. Currently, Air Zimbabwe cannot fly long haul aircraft as they are not fully functional and they can only fly domestic routes. Perhaps the call is that we need to resuscitate Air Zimbabwe, and we are working on it so that we can have more options for the President to fly. However, he has stuck to his travel budget very well,” the Finance minister said.

The post ED luxury jets torch storm appeared first on NewsDay Zimbabwe.

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Source: False start for Chivayo trial | The Herald March 29, 2019

Mr Chivayo

Prosper Dembedza Court Correspondent
The trial of businessman Wicknell Chivayo who allegedly transferred $10 000 into former Zimbabwe Power Company chairperson Stanley Kazhanje’s bank account, ostensibly to influence him not to cancel a 100MW solar project tender awarded to his company, Intratrek Zimbabwe, yesterday hit a snag after his lawyer failed to attend court as he was committed at the High Court.

Chivayo is facing bribery charges and appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Lucy Mungwari.

Advocate Sylvester Hashiti who stood in for Advocate Lewis Uriri told the court that his fellow colleague was committed with another matter at the High Court and so could not attend court.

Mrs Mungwari deferred the matter to April 15 for trial commencement.

It is the State’s case that sometime in 2013, ZPC called for bids for the construction of the Gwanda Solar Project plant and Chivayo’s firm applied.

The State alleges that on October 22, 2015, the ZPC board held a meeting where Kazhanje allegedly directed management to proceed in signing a contract with Intratrek Zimbabwe.

It is further alleged that the following day, a contract was signed between ZPC and Intratrek Zimbabwe.

Chivayo, on January 21, 2016 allegedly transferred $10 000 from Intratrek Zimbabwe’s bank account into Kazhanje’s personal Barclays Bank account.

It is claimed that after the payment of $10 000, Kazhanje later influenced the ZPC board to pass resolutions in favour of the accused in connection with the ZPC contract.

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Source: Unicef head jets in to assess Idai | The Herald March 29, 2019

Vice President Kembo Mohadi (right) speaks with UNICEF regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ms Leila Pakkala (centre) while UN Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Bishow Parajuli listens at Munhumutapa Offices in Harare yesterday

Tendai Mugabe and Fidelis Munyoro
THE United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) yesterday despatched its regional director for Eastern-Southern Africa Leila Pakkala to Zimbabwe to assess how the UN body can assist victims of Cyclone Idai.

Ms Pakkala met Vice President Kembo Mohadi yesterday at Munhumutapa Offices in Harare.

“This meeting is about Cyclone Idai the one that has hit Manicaland, Masvingo, Mashonaland East and Midlands.

“The people that you are seeing are coming from our African regional office in Nairobi, Kenya. She has come to assess the situation for herself so that they can assist us to mitigate the problems we have encountered and that the people have encountered in Chimanimani.

“That is why we are having this meeting. They are sharing their experiences with us and we are also sharing our experiences with her and how we have mobilised ourselves to mitigate the situation and how as partners they are also going to chip in,” said VP Mohadi.

“They have been in it for a long time. They have assisted quite a number of such instances world over. Unicef is an international organisation so they are giving that sort of experience. We have agreed on quite a number of areas.

“They shall be meeting our committee on disaster, she will also be meeting country representatives and that she will also get briefs from technical people then chart a way forward on how to resolve the situation that has befallen us.”

Ms Pakkala said the cyclone had serious impact on Zimbabwe.

“It is very clear that the impact of cyclone on Zimbabwe was very serious. Colleagues from the UN family, from Government and civil society organisations are already in a number of locations carrying detailed assessments, but at the same time carrying out support activities in the areas of health, education trying to make sure that communities have access to water, have access to shelter — psycho-social support to those that have been affected is very important. We are here not only looking at the work that is ongoing, but also what more needs to be done and how we can be mobilising inside the country and outside for this humanitarian response.

“It is also important to be looking at longer term development activities, infrastructure has been hurt, agriculture has been affected and how we can be supporting Zimbabwe to move forward not only in the short term, but in the longer term in the best interest of the children and their families.”

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Source: Zim, Namibia to boost media ties | The Herald March 29, 2019

Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Cde Monica Mutsvangwa (centre) talks to Namibian Broadcasting Corporation staff during a tour of the broadcaster in Windhoek yesterday. With her is permanent secretary Mr Nick Mangwana (third from left)

Sharon Kavhu in Windhoek, Namibia
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa  has reaffirmed Government’s commitment to strengthening ties with Namibia.

Minister Mutsvangwa, who is here to engage her counterpart  Stanely Simataa, said the two countries need to consolidate their relations in media and information exchange.

The two ministers are scheduled to meet today to discuss ways of strengthening existing cooperation agreements.

Issues to be discussed include a review of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for media cooperation that was signed between Namibia and Zimbabwe in 2004. The MoU was signed for the two countries to cooperate in areas of broadcasting, print, news, agencies, film-making and cultural exchange among others.

Minister Mutsvangwa and her delegation, which included Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana, visited the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation and NAMPA media stations to exchange ideas.

The delegation was joined by MICT’s executive director Mbeuta Ua Ndjarakana, The Southern Times Newspaper (NamZim) vice chairperson Mr Delma Lupepe, Chief Executive Officer of Zimpapers, Mr Pikirayi Deketeke, who is also a director for NAM-Zim,  and Zimpapers Group financial director Mr Tawanda Matanhire, who also visited the sites.

Speaking during the visit, Minister  Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe was keen on rejuvenating the existing agreement between the countries.

“We understand that a lot has happened in Zimbabwe and now that we are in our Second Republic, we are here to resuscitate all the MoUs that were done in the past and action those which may not have been operationalised,” said Mutsvangwa.

“The mandate that we have from our president is about working together with others and mostly the progressive ones such as Namibia. Namibia and Zimbabwe share a lot of commonalities, we were together in the trenches, there has been some lethargy but we want to resuscitate all those MoU and see how we can make them a win-win situation.  If it was energy which was making all those initiative to go down then we are here to inject the energy.”

She said her visit is evident that there is a political will to enhance the bilateral relations that exists between the Zimbabwe and Namibia adding that the relations should grow into another level.

Mr Mangwana said media cooperation between the two countries and the rest of other African countries is an essence as it give the continent an opportunity to write its own story.

He said: “The issue of regional thrust in our region in terms of news capturing is essential and as Africans we should be able to read, watch or hear about our own stories within ourselves not being reported by the global media platforms such as CNN and BBC. Why should we hear about things happening in Namibia on CNN and not our own media, why should Namibians watch news on floods in Zimbabwe on CNN and not local media?”

“Our visit is meant to inject energy, fuse and the drive for the implementation of the agreements that have been made between the two countries.  We are hoping that next time when we meet, we will not be talking about the same things but reviewing progress. Therefore, we want action from all parties, action from our government, actions from our counterparts here and action from the institutes.”

Despite the several aspects that are encompassed in the 2004 MoU between Namibia and Zimbabwe on media cooperation, so far only The Southern Times (Nam-Zim) is the only project that has come out from the agreement.

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