Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

TROPICAL Cyclone Idai, which is brewing in Mozambique, is expected to hit Zimbabwe over the weekend with strong winds and thunderstorms likely to leave a trail of destruction in Manicaland, Masvingo and Matabeleland, the Meteorological Service Department has said. Reports say the cyclone, which will hit the coast of Mozambique on Thursday, will become a category three cyclone as it moves

MDC Manicaland provincial chairman David Chimhini has come out guns blazing, accusing bussed supporters for causing disruptions at the party’s weekend thank-you rally in Mutare, saying the actions dented the reputation of party leader Nelson Chamisa.   During the rally in Sakubva, Chimhini and party secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora had to endure booing by a group of party supporters, who

Source: 'Filling potholes with soil worsening road conditions' | Daily News

Environmentalists in Mutare have raised a red flag over the use of loose soil to fill potholes arguing that it was worsening the conditions of roads by choking drains and increasing road surface run-off.

Moses Chimedza, a local environmentalist and director of Sustainable Environmental Conservation Trust (Sect) said the practice was not only costly due to its lack of permanence but that it was corroding the eastern border city’s already dilapidated road infrastructure.

“Come to think of it, how much is put into the frequent repairs they do using gravel? Why not do something permanent using tar which will allow them to take longer before revisiting the same spots? The use of gravel may appear cheaper but cumulatively the costs surpass application of tarmac.”
Mutare mayor Blessing Tandi, while acknowledging that soil filling of potholes was not ideal, said the high cost of tar was not giving the local authorities any options.

“I don’t think we have any other alternatives. The option of filling with sand only came up as a result that bitumen is expensive and time consuming in terms of repairing these roads. So gravel is a quicker way to do it.”

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Source: $150m for student accommodation | Herald (Top Stories)

Bulawayo Bureau
GOVERNMENT has secured $150 million for the construction of students’ hostels at three local universities to ease accommodation challenges, a senior official has said. Lupane State University, Gwanda State University and Marondera State University will each get $50 million for construction of students’ hostels.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Permanent Secretary Professor Fanuel Tagwira told our sister paper The Chronicle that his ministry was engaging the private sector in construction works for higher and tertiary institutions.

He said Government was concerned at inadequate accommodation facilities at universities affecting students.

“What the ministry is doing is that we have taken a totally new approach to the issue of student accommodation. We are now saying let industry come and partner with us on a Public Private Partnership (PPPs) basis to create student housing. I am glad that a number of industries have come forward. We have received a lot of support from CBZ, which we have channelled to Gwanda, Marondera and Lupane universities ($50 million each),” he said.

“We are very much concerned about the fact that most of our students stay in communities they do not know. We do not know the conditions under which they are living. Many parents, we know, are very concerned. They want their children to find a place to stay on campus and we are working hard to make sure that this happens.”

Prof Tagwira said Government was in negotiations with another company for the construction of students’ hostels at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust).

Most students in local universities are living in unfavourable conditions due to a shortage of on-campus accommodation.

Prof Tagwira said a similar approach is being adopted to complete unfinished buildings at local universities such as NUST.

He said the ministry is impressed that universities have embraced their innovation and industrialisation role as required by Government.

“Our minister (Professor Amon Murwira) has been a very good ambassador for innovation and industrialisation. He has taken the message to most of our universities. Many of them have caught up with the vision, especially the big universities -University of Zimbabwe, Nust, Midlands State University and even private universities like Africa University have caught up with that vision,” Prof Tagwira said.

He said as innovation hubs are nearing completion, students should be ready to express their creativity for economic transformation.

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Source: Govt to demolish ‘inhabitable’ Harare prisons | Newsday (News)

BY XOLISANI NCUBE

Government is planning to demolish Harare Remand Prison as well as Harare Central Prison and construct new facilities because the current structures cannot be renovated and are unfit for human habitation.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi last week said Cabinet had approved the demolition of the two dilapidated prisons and plans are in place to construct new ones.

“I have been advised by the team from Public Works that we cannot do any refurbishment on them, so we shall be demolishing and building new ones,” Ziyambi said.

“So we are now looking at ways to deal with the issue. We shall either take the current inmates housed at these prisons to Chikurubi or open something in Marondera. The facilities are now old and no rehabilitation can be done there.”

A recent report by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum showed that overcrowding and food shortages, among others, were rampant in the country’s prisons and that inmates were being deprived of their liberty and right to dignified cell conditions and sanitation.

Disease outbreaks and spread were high due to overcrowding.

Harare Prison has been identified as the worst with inmates using buckets to flush human waste either because of water shortages or because the flushing system was not working.

Ziyambi also said Cabinet had approved the repeal of the Prisons Act in a move that will see more open prisons being constructed.

The post Govt to demolish ‘inhabitable’ Harare prisons appeared first on NewsDay Zimbabwe.

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