Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Trust Freddy Herald Correspondent

MORE than 14 000 computers have been distributed to 719 schools nationwide under the ongoing e-learning programme being spearheaded by the Second Republic through the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services.

As part of this programme, over 2 400 institutions have been supported with connectivity and internet bandwidth since 2018, while 400 school laboratories have been set up nationwide.

The e-learning programme, which is mainly focused on rural schools, has equipped them with computer and science laboratories, in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision of leaving no one and no place behind.

Recently, while making a presentation on the contribution of the ICT sector towards achieving Vision 2030, Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Dr Tatenda Mavetera said the Government had injected over $11 million towards e-learning.

“Since 2018, 2 453 institutions have received connectivity and Internet bandwidth support,” Dr Mavetera said.

“14 239 computers have been distributed to 719 schools and 400 school laboratories have been set up under the Second Republic’s e-Learning programme.

“E-learning initiatives under the New Dispensation have been financed to the tune of USD 11 769 917.”

In each of these schools, the Government has equipped computer laboratories with a minimum of 30 computers, providing students with the tools they need for e-learning activities.

To date, Government, has through POTRAZ, distributed over 2 400 laptops to 120 schools in Mashonaland Central.
In December last year, secondary schools in Mashonaland Central which include Horseshoe Secondary School, Mushoshoma High School and Magaya Secondary School received 30 laptops each, a multi-purpose printer, and a projector for their ICT laboratories.

Over 1 000 computers were distributed to schools in Matabeleland North and other provinces also received their fair share.

NDS1 identifies ICTs as a key enabler of economic development and the entrenchment of ICTs across all national development strategies, as critical for the attainment of universal access by 2030.

The ICT labs are part of the ICT Lab per School Programme which is being carried by the Government through POTRAZ.

This comes at a time when the Government is working on connecting more than 3 000 schools to the internet through YahClick, once it pays off its US$850 000 debt to service providers.

The Ministry of ICT is also expected to embark on a mobile digital literacy campaign, which will involve taking digital education and support to the most remote areas and bringing technology and knowledge to the ‘last person’ in the country.

The Second Republic launched the national ICT drive in 2018, in a bid to steer home-grown ICT solutions to the country’s problems.

Under the innovation drive, over 82 innovators have so far received funding from the Government to develop their innovations from ideas to commercial levels.

 Court Correspondent

A Harare man who was convicted of raping two minors after entering into their homes during the night and also stealing valuable property at three different homes has been sentenced to an effective 25 years in prison.

Blessing Mutota was convicted of three counts of rape and two unlawful entries in aggravating circumstances after a full trial by Harare regional magistrate Mrs Fadzai Mthombeni.

For the purposes of sentencing, all counts of rape were treated as the same as those of unlawful entry.

For rape, Mutota will serve 20 years in jail and for unlawful entry 5 years bringing the total to 25 years effective.

On the first count of rape, the complainant is aged 14 and resides at Churu farm in Glen View.

The State prosecutor Mr Kelvin Munyimi proved that on August 24, last year at around 2 am, the complainant was sleeping with her two young sisters when she was awakened by a light torching her face.

Mutota told the complainant not to cry after threatening her with something like a gun which he was holding.

The court heard he dragged her out of the room and dragged her for about 100 metres from the house and threatened to kill her if she screamed or shouted.

Mutota then raped her and after doing so he went on to have anal sexual intercourse with her once.

She discharged some blood and Mutota ordered her to go away.

The complainant narrated the case to her mother who immediately reported the case to the police.

On another count, the complainant is Benevolence Gororo. It is the State’s case that on September 25 last year at around 3 am, Mutota used an unknown object to break Gogoro’s door and stole his cellphone, Lenovo tablet and a satchel all worth US$160.

On the fourth count, Mutota broke into a house at midnight and took a 13-year-old girl who was sleeping outside the house where he raped her.

She was unable to scream as she was threatened with a knife.

The complainant advised her parents about the rape and the case was reported to the police.

In the last charge, Mutota broke into Rudo Chakanyuka’s house (40) on September 25 at around 2 am and stole a 32-inch television, two smartphones and a blanket.

Mutota was seen by Susan Mutematsaka after he pointed a knife at her in the dining room where she was sleeping.

He was eventually arrested on September 28.

Wallace Ruzvidzo Herald Reporter

The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) has announced that those who wish to pay examination fees in local currency can now do so.

The grace period will run from March 13 to March 20, at the prevailing interbank rate.

In a public notice today, ZIMSEC said the interbank rate that was prevailing on March 13, of $17 558 to US$1 would be used to allow for a uniform registration fee during the open period.

“Parents/ Guardians who wish to pay registration fees in Zimbabwe Dollar (ZWL) are able to do so during the window of 13 March to 20 March 2024.

“The interbank rate of 13 March 2024 will be used during this period to ensure that all candidates pay a uniform registration fee. The exchange rate to be applied for payments is ZWL17 558 to 1 USD,” said the public notice.

Yeukai Karengezeka Court Correspondent

Three police officers have been apprehended by the authorities for their alleged involvement in a case where they are accused of taking US$22 000 from two security guards who had picked US$53 000 that was left behind by robbers.

The security guards, Cornellius Chimukange and Nesbert Kachungwe from JP Security, discovered the money at Quest Financial Services in Belgravia, Harare, after the robbers fled.

The police officers, Detective Sergeant Since Asima, Constable Perseverance Chisango and Constable Weston Muzoriwa, are said to have recovered the money from the security guards and then allegedly shared it among themselves.

Asima, Chisango, and Muzoriwa yesterday appeared in court before Harare magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi who approved their warrant for further detention.

They are expected to return to court tomorrow.

Three other police officers, including Constable Paradzai Matubu of ZRP Bindura Rural, Constables Fredrick Moyo and Prosper Chimbumu of ZRP Harare Central, are still at large.

Meanwhile,Muchikange and Kachungwe were on Tuesday, sentenced to an effective two years in jail by Harare magistrate Mrs Ethel Chichera.

Initially, the magistrate had sentenced them to 48 months in prison with a six-month suspension on condition of good behavior.

However, the remaining 42 months were suspended under the condition that they repay US$18 650 resulting in a total of two years in prison.

They shared the money, with Muchikange buying a Nissan Sylphy sedan for US$3 700 and a residential stand for US$6 000 in Eastview, Harare.

He also used US$2 500 to pay lobola to his in-laws.

Kachungwe bought a Nissan AD van for US$6 100 using his share of the spoils as well as building materials valued US$1 000.

Herald Reporter

ZESA Holdings has announced that it experienced a system disturbance that caused its giant Hwange Power Station to go off grid yesterday morning, but it is working flat out to rectify the problem.

In the statement yesterday, Zesa said the disturbance had increased load-shedding.

“Zesa Holdings would like to inform its valued customers that the national grid experienced a system disturbance this morning at 9.38am resulting in the loss of generation at Hwange Power Station. 

“This has resulted in increased load curtailment across the country. Our engineers are working flat out to ensure restoration of service in the shortest possible time,” the power utility said.