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Source: Govt secures US$1m for medical supplies | The Herald March 14, 2019

Dr Moyo

Elita Chikwati Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has secured US$1 million for the procurement of essential medicines and equipment needed in public hospitals.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo told The Herald yesterday that the ministry had also made arrangements with some companies to get medical supplies and pay through RTGs as part of efforts to ensure pharmacies are well stocked and medicines and surgical supplies are available.

This will also ensure doctors work in a conducive environment.

Dr Moyo dismissed claims of a strike by senior doctors at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.

He said he met the doctors who raised concern mainly to do with lack of resources for use at the workplace.

“Doctors have not gone on strike as alleged by some circles of the media. Senior doctors are at work. We had a meeting with them and they raised their concerns that included shortages of surgical supplies.

“They do not have adequate supplies and said the number of cases that they can attend is reduced. I was happy to meet with them and they were also happy because they had met with their management at Parirenyatwa Hospital yesterday (Tuesday) where they had discussed issues regarding shortages of supplies, especially gloves. Surgeons indicated to management problems that they are facing and those can be resolved,” he said.

Dr Moyo said every health care worker should have ownership of the ministry.

“We have already set up various committees like a health assembly that includes consultants and all nursing staff. The health assembly has to meet on a continuous basis and come up with solutions to the problems within the ministry such as drug supply, equipment, medicines and working conditions.

“This is the approach that we are working on. We want everyone to work as one team. We have managed to secure from the Ministry of Finance US$1 million. We want to get a team of the end users to make determinations on what should be purchased,” he said.

Dr Moyo said there were concerns at Parirenyatwa Hospital that end users were not being consulted on what should be purchased.

He urged the concerned personnel to work with administrators so they buy appropriate and needed essentials especially during this time of foreign currency shortages.

Dr Moyo said the administrators will handle the money and get all the various players to choose what to buy.

“We are going to solve quite a lot of issues as a result of working together as a team. My office is open to everyone; health workers, clients and patients and anyone can come and present their problems”.

Dr Moyo said apart from the US$1 million, Government had made arrangements with a company that will bring medicines and surgical supplies with the ministry paying through RTGS.

“From the meeting we asked the doctors to go to NatPharm to assist with the adjudication. The company has a lot of products and once we have finalised the arrangement we will announce the items and quantities that will have been delivered to NatPharm,” he said.

The post Govt secures US$1m for medical supplies appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: A link to Zim-China mega deals | The Herald March 14, 2019

Ambassador Zhao

Kuda Bwititi in Beitbridge
Economic deals signed between Zimbabwe and China are bearing fruit following yesterday’s successful commissioning of the National Backbone Fibre Link that was directly funded by a US$23,6 million facility from China Export and Import Bank (China Eximbank).

This comes as Chinese acting chief envoy to Zimbabwe Ambassador Zhao Baogang revealed that Harare is in line for more funding from the Chinese through a $750 billion fund that the world’s second biggest economy has earmarked for global projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Zimbabwe has over the past few years signed more than a dozen landmark deals with China in which the Oriental State provided financial support for the much needed economic enablers for infrastructure development.

Speaking after commissioning the TelOne National Backbone Fibre Link in Beitbridge yesterday, President Mnangagwa thanked the Chinese government for supporting the project which is in line with the national vision of attaining a middle income economy by 2030.

“Special appreciation goes to the government of the People’s Republic of China represented here by the Ambassador Zhao Baogang for the loan facility which they continue to avail in support of infrastructure development in our country.

“The US$98 million loan facility through the China Eximbank enabled the timely completion of the project,” President Mnangagwa said.

The President said China was a fundamental partner in Zimbabwe’s thrust to revive its economy.

“It gives us comfort to know that we have strategic comprehensive partners and friends who continue to stand by us in our quest for development, progress and prosperity.”

In his remarks, Ambassador Zhao also paid tribute to China Eximbank saying “without them, this project would not have been made possible”.

He said China would remain as a true friend to Zimbabwe by vigorously supporting President Mnangagwa’s economic reform programmes.

“We cannot expect that you can satisfy the need or demand of everybody. Your friends are always your friends and we are here to support you. The enemy is trying to find every means to undermine your efforts to develop the economy

“I want to reiterate that China is always here as your friend, to show our solidarity and support your efforts for development.”

Ambassador Zhao said under the BRI, Zimbabwe was one of China’s strategic partners that was poised to receive “more grants, more loans and more investment”.

“This year in April, we will have the second international forum on BRI so that we can encourage cooperation between China and countries under the BRI. Zimbabwe is one of our partners under the BRI. With this BRI, we will invest more than $750 billion in the coming years.

“So I want to make an announcement here that on the cooperation between China and Zimbabwe, we will provide more grants, more loans and more investment.”

He said future cooperation between Zimbabwe and China “is bright” while noting that the two countries needed to continue engaging for cooperation to be more efficient.

Ambassador Zhao said several projects signed between Zimbabwe and China had taken shape as “great achievements had been made working together”.

“Over the years the Chinese have completed the financing of the Victoria Falls Airport project with the financing of US$153 million from the China Eximbank.

“Then last year we started our groundbreaking ceremony of the RG Mugabe Airport.

“With the joint efforts of both sides, I also expect that Zimbabwe will become the regional hub of power in electricity. Last year we completed Kariba South expansion project worth $533 million, increasing power generation by 300MW.

“Last year President Mnangagwa also launched the ground-breaking ceremony for Hwange expansion with financing of more than $1 billion.

“With the completion of that project, the power generation capacity of Zimbabwe will be increased by 600MW.

“So I can foresee that after 42 months Zimbabwe will have enough electricity not only for domestic demands but also for export to neighbouring countries.

“Now we are also working together to do the feasibility study for the Batoka Project. We encourage the Chinese companies to join you to undertake the project and also normalise the financiers for the project.

When we complete this project, the power generation capacity will be increased by 1 200MW. One day, Zimbabwe will become the regional hub of energy.”

Since assuming office, President Mnangagwa has met his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, a number of times to give impetus to projects signed between the two countries.

The post A link to Zim-China mega deals  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Call to end Tongaat Hulett monopoly | The Herald March 14, 2019

From George Maponga  in Masvingo
Government has been urged to immediately work towards breaking Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe’s monopoly in the country’s sugar industry to engender more benefits to thousands of indigenous cane outgrowers who benefited under the land reform programme.

Chiredzi West National Assembly member Cde Farai Msikavanhu yesterday said it was unsustainable in the medium-to-long term for the Lowveld sugar producer to maintain its vice-grip-like stranglehold on the country’s sugar industry.

The multi-million-dollar industry is currently controlled by Tongaat, which has interests in the entire value chain from cane production, processing and marketing.

This development has made it difficult for indigenous outgrower farmers to fully benefit from their crop, with Tongaat’s footprints appearing on every stage of the sugar value chain.

Cde Msikavanhu said there was need to repeal archaic laws such as the 1964 Sugar Production and Control, Act, which placed the entire country’s sugar industry under the purview of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development.

“One thing for sure is that we cannot continue with the monopoly currently enjoyed by Tongaat Hulett in the country’s sugar industry. Such a situation is not sustainable at all, where the company is involved at every stage from cane production, processing and marketing.

“We need to do something under the new dispensation to make sure that outgrower farmers and the national economy as whole accrue full benefits from the industry.”

“At the moment, sugarcane is the only strategic crop whose whole production value chain resides in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce because of moribund laws such as the 1964 Sugar Production and Control Act,” said Cde Msikavanhu.

The Chiredzi West legislator — in whose constituency Tongaat runs sugar mills at Triangle and Hippo Valley Estates — said there was need to urgently heed President Mnangagwa’s clarion call for the country’s existing laws to be aligned with the Constitution.

“There is need for the field of sugarcane production to reside in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement so that outgrower farmers can get State support and even subsidies like what obtains with other strategic crops. Sugar processing and marketing should remain under the Ministry of Industry and we are looking into that issue as Parliament through the parliamentary portfolio committees on agriculture and industry,” he said.

Cde Msikavanhu said laws governing the sugar industry should be repealed to reflect the new realities in sugarcane production that were engendered by the Land Reform Programme.

There have been calls for Government to allow more players in the sugar industry, taking advantage of new avenues created by the advent of Tugwi-Mukosi Dam, which will irrigate vast swathes in the Lowveld.

The post Call to end Tongaat Hulett monopoly appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Dressed only in her panties and a small cloth thrown unsteadily over her breasts, a woman was dragged away by police from the seat of South African political power, the Union Buildings, on Wednesday where she demanded to see President Cyril Ramaphosa. Hoisting a piece of cloth inscribed with her protest petition, 38-year-old Gugu Ncube […]

Source: Consumer rights group to lobby Parly over data bundles costs – NewsDay Zimbabwe March 14, 2019

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

A CONSUMER rights’ watchdog has launched a campaign against high mobile data costs, after recent reports showed that Zimbabwe had some of the most expensive data tariffs on the continent.

This follows a move by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information and Communication Technology to institute an inquiry into high data fees charged by telecommunication service providers.

The National Consumer Rights Association (Nacora) said it plans to petition Parliament and the Postal and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) to intervene to promote “data trade justice and fairness”.

“Let us not forget that this low cost data campaign is about justice and fairness. We have a lot of weapons we will deploy against this theft and profiteering.

We will do media campaigns, public meetings, engage Potraz, government and service providers like Econet, Netone, Telecel, Africom, among others,” Nacora advocacy and campaigns adviser, Effie Ncube told Southern Eye.

“There cannot be any justification, whatsoever, why any service provider to maintain these exorbitant prices for data.”

The telecommunications regulatory body has in some instances forced service providers to reduce local mobile data and internet charges.

Ncube accused the country’s telecommunications service providers of robbing poor Zimbabweans of their hard-earned money by charging exorbitant prices for data, with “data bundles expiring before use”.

“It is unfair trade and a bad business practice. Data drives economic activity and is critical to the sustenance for security and livelihoods of poor families throughout the country. There can be no justification, whatsoever, why any service provider can resist unused data to roll over and be transferable like airtime.

“Default out-of-bundle browsing is theft of the highest kind. Millions continue to lose their hard-earned money to this monster. Out-of-bundle browsing must only take place when activated by the consumer,” he added.

A research by Research ICT Africa and Pan African financial institution, EcoBank, recently established that Zimbabwe had the third most expensive mobile data in Africa.

Analysts have said reasons contributing to the country’s expensive data have largely been attributed to monopoly.

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