MOST major dams in Masvingo province are on the verge of drying up as a result of the continued dry spell, with Lake Mutirikwi and Tugwi-Mukosi Dam at below 40% of their carrying capacities.

By Garikai Mafirakureva

According to the dam level statistics provided by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), over half of the major dams in the province are now below 50% with Bangala and Tokwane dams both in Chivi district already drying up.

Lake Mutirikwi is currently at 39% and the recently-commissioned Tugwi-Mukosi Dam which was constructed at an estimated cost of US$200 million with a capacity of 1, 9 million cubic metres currently at 38%, while Muzhwi is at 35%.

Water levels at Bangala Dam, which is the only source of water in Nyajena, has dropped to 9% and Tokwane is at 14%.

However, Manjirenji Dam has significant level of 58%, Siya with 55%, Manyuchi with 50% and Nyajena with 86%.

While the government, through the Social Welfare Department and non-governmental organisations, have started distributing food handouts to people mostly in rural areas – the ravaging drought is also threatening the country’s national herd and wild animals.

Labour and Social Welfare minister Paul Mavima recently disclosed that Masvingo province had already received its share of the 15 tonnes of Chinese rice donated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rural constituencies as part of government’s efforts to avert food shortages.

“All rural provinces, including greater Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan, are going to receive food handouts as part of the government’s strategy to mitigate food deficit,” Mavima said.

“Although the programme is currently targeting orphans and vulnerable children, the destitute, elderly, the chronically ill, and people living with disabilities, the government is exploring all avenues to make sure everyone benefits from food aid. Presently an estimated 760 692 households throughout the country are expected to benefit from the programme, each receiving a 50kg bag per month.”

Director of the Gonarezhou Conservation Partnership, Hugo van der Westhuizen, told Southern Eye that if the drought spell continued it would seriously affect wildlife sanctuaries.

Gonarezhou Conservation is a partnership between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the Frankfurt Zoological Society.

“If the drought spell continues, we will be in a dilemma because pastures are fast dwindling and water bodies slowly drying up. Although every animal will be affected; the most affected will be larger animals like elephants,” he said. A few months ago, at least 100 elephants died in the Hwange National Park and Mana Pools due to starvation caused by drought.

CHIPINGE — Smallholder farmers here have started benefiting more from their cattle after acquiring modern cattle management practices that have seen them destocking old bulls and cows as well as excess oxen to remain with a leaner, more efficient and productive number of beasts.

BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI

Norman Deruko of ward 21 in Deruko village under Chief Mapanzure and his wife, Victoria Pencil, were among farmers that struggled to grow their herds for profit as their cattle largely remained unproductive.

“We had 10 cattle between 2013 and 2016, but we now have 25 and we are just about to sell seven,” Pencil said.

“Back then, livestock production was difficult because we did not have knowledge. We just kept the cattle and drove them to the pastures.”

Their fortunes, however, changed for the better after Pencil had a chance encounter with a team from Feed the Future Zimbabwe Livestock Development Programme at Checheche Growth Point in 2016.

“Although we started rearing cattle in 2003, our herd never grew and the highest we reached was 10 in 2015,” Deruko recalled.

“In 2016, my wife met Feed the Future team at Checheche Growth Point and appealed to Musasa to visit our area.”
Alofonce Musasa, the agricultural extension officer for Lower Chipinge, took heed of the call and visited the village, where he taught communal farmers how they could improve their herds and get the best out of them.
“He taught the whole village to practise cattle farming and grow crops such as sun hemp, sorghum and velvet beans for the cattle,” Deruko said.

Musasa revealed how they empowered the farmers with skills to grow and process their own livestock feed because that is part of the programme’s objectives.
“Many people now want to grow livestock feeds. When we see villagers doing so well like this, we can go and drink to our heart’s content,” he chuckled.

Pencil noted that implementing proper management practices had seen their cattle become so productive that they were able to use them even for personal development.

After pocketing a profit of $16 000 they were able to renovate their ramshackle homestead while Pencil, who had prematurely ended her schooling after Form 3, went back to the desk and wrote her Ordinary Level examinations.

“The relics of my old kitchen are still here and serve as a reminder of where I came from,” Deruko said with pride.
“In 2016, my wife went back to Form 3 and wrote her O-Levels the following year. Without this project, all that would not have been possible.”

Deruko highlighted that they had also ventured into growing feeder crops and sold velvet bean seeds — some to World Vision — and raised enough money to do renovations to their homestead.

“We harvested two tonnes of velvet beans and fed some to our cattle and sold off 750kg,” he said.

“Hay takes longer to harvest, especially during the rainy season, but you can keep velvet bean seed for five years in adequate amounts to feed cattle during drought seasons.”

Pencil, who is also the programme’s lead farmer here, said they learnt that without sufficient stockfeeds, their cows would not go on heat and, consequently, they did not get calves often — maybe just one in two years.

But things have improved for the better after they were taught to prepare low-cost, but nutritious feeds for the cattle, courtesy of the programme.

“We were taught the importance of increasing our female heads and using bulls for commercial purposes and ensure we were able to pay fees, buy food and develop our homesteads,” she observed.

“We started feeding our cattle with velvet beans and calving has increased so much that the cattle have been giving us calves almost every year.”

In Kubatana village, ward 16, Angeline Garwe experienced a similar fate to that of Pencil, constantly recording huge cattle loses. Her cattle never exceeded 10.

But since joining the programme and implementing the recommendations, she has grown her herd to 27 between 2015 and 2019.

“Chipinge West used to be known for livestock deaths due to hunger, but since this programme came, we have not lost any cattle,” she noted.

As part of their homestead development, Deruko and Pencil sunk a borehole and their cattle now have sufficient water, which experts say helps with easy breeding.

Pencil indicated they had also built a feedlot, which they use to fatten cows for the market. As the herd increases, more cattle are set aside for sale and the money would be used to further develop the homestead and meet other household needs.

“Currently, we have 14 cattle in the feedlot, which we want to sell so that we can raise money to purchase a solar system,” she said.

Feed the Future Zimbabwe communications specialist Emelda Takaona underscored that the feedlots were designed in such a way that they would confine the cattle as they are fattened to improve their quality for the market.
“During this time (in the feedlot), which is 40 days, the cattle get primary healthcare. They are vaccinated, get food rations and have their weight measured. The idea is to increase their weight by almost a kilogramme every day,” she said.

Before the programme was introduced in Chipinge, many young men would jump the border into Mozambique in search for jobs and opportunities, but that was a risky enterprise which the programme has helped circumvent.
“Now because there is work to do, our children no longer stray into Mozambique where some have been shot with guns. Now they are part of the cattle business,” Pencil said.

According to the eastern region Feed the Future Zimbabwe provincial supervisor, Clephas Chikanda, they helped to connect farmers under the programme with the markets.

“We use the village aggregation approach, where the lead farmer mobilises people and get a commission from the abattoirs. It’s like a job. They get the commission even if they have cattle on the lot,” he said.

“Some buy motorcycles and fuel so that they are easily able to connect with cattle owners in different villages.”
Besides the market linkages, Chikanda said another critical component was the financiers who provided the farmers with cheap loans to boost their cattle projects.

Farmers here said before the advent of the programme, they used to lose a lot of cattle to rustlers, with extension officer Musasa saying cattle were “stolen like chickens here and are usually taken across the border”.

But the introduction of branding as part of the programme has significantly reduced the rustling incidences, as stolen cattle could now be easily identified and taken back to their owners.

Takaona indicated that they were training farmers to tag their cattle as part of good livestock management practices.
“Some cattle are found and traced back to the owners if the tag contains owner details for identification. It could be a phone number or name,” she said.

Another beneficiary of the programme, Elias Chauke, said cattle branding had hedged local farms against significant losses.

“When a cow is returned, the branding enables us to identify the owner because it has a PIN (personal identification number) and information about the district, which makes it easy to identify the owner,” he said, adding that stock thefts were now rare because of the branding, usually done on the beast’s ear.

The tag is attached using an applicator, so the only way one could remove it was by tearing off the ear. A torn ear would raise suspicion to a potential buyer.

The programme’s herd rationalisation model has allowed smallholder farmers to naturally increase their herds annually through their productive asset ownership, enabling them to dispose of their cattle profitably whenever need arose.

The current cycle of the Feed the Future programme — which commenced in June 2015 in Chipinge, Chirumhanzu, Gokwe South, Gweru, Kwekwe and Umzingwane to provide technical assistance to reduce poverty and increase food security among 1 800 beef and 1 200 dairy smallholder farmers — is expected to end in June this year.

According to Sithole, even when the cycle ends, they are now self-sufficient.

“The knowledge and information they gave us is enough wealth,” she said. “Even if they go now, I can continue managing my cattle well.”

A FEW days ago, I questioned the sincerity of the break-away MDC-T vice-president Obert Gutu’s statement that he was not in Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) for tea and scones, even though it is highly likely that the Polad would be served with as much as they need of those commodities during their meetings.

By Kennedy Kaitano, Our Reader

Previously, Gutu also denied that Polad members earn allowances for attending meetings, but in the first open letter I wrote him, I had reservations about who paid the hotel bills when they go to Nyanga or Kadoma for their meetings.

Now, it is interesting to hear that the unconstitutional Polad’s members are even demanding luxury cars from taxpayers, and it is understood President Emmerson Mnangagwa has approved the purchase of luxury cars for this unconstitutional creation — shame on him for such level of corruption, and also to the Polad members who are demanding these luxurious cars at the expense of the taxpayers.

Where are Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s austerity measures when such drama is unfolding? Polad is unconstitutional and duplicates the functions of Parliament and the Executive and we do not need it to be funded by the taxpayer.

If Mnangagwa is a listening President that he portrays himself to be, he must disband his ugly, unconstitutional creation called Polad henceforth, or let them operate but not on the taxpayers’ money.

Gutu, if you think your colleagues in Polad are not doing it for tea, scones, cash and luxury cars, then you may be in the wrong basket.

The year 2020 opens with increasing foreboding for Zimbabweans: a looming drought, that the United Nations has already flagged, threatens to make dire the complex social, economic and political conditions that the Southern African nation is in.

The social, economic and political problems that Zimbabwe faces are a continuation of the last two decades of suffering that citizens have endured, owing to some well-storied internal and external dynamics.

It is hardly surprising that there is a declining dividend of hope, as a new decade opens: the structures, forms, practices and externalities that have contributed to Zimbabwe’s misery remain intact.

Barring any miracles, which no one is really expecting, it will take a lot of courage and ingenuity for the administration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa to turn things around for the better, a promise that has taken a whole two years of transition from the era of the late Robert Mugabe.

It is trite to mention that many Zimbabweans, in private and public spaces, have been increasingly hankering after the era gone by – for all its own problems that were supposed to go in November 2017.

Alas, things have not turned out the way Zimbabweans, with a lot of goodwill from the outside world, had imagined!
The economic, social and political issues of the past year, which to all intents and purposes appear set to seep into the new year, are telling.

However, there are five things that ED’s administration has to address as a matter of urgency.
A central thought informing this piece is that Zimbabwe’s problems are mainly economic and administrative, as I argued in an op-ed published by a number of South African newspapers on New Year’s eve.

Policy

Zimbabwe’s domestic and foreign policies are, to put it bluntly, a dog’s breakfast. The key domestic issues revolve around economic administration. The economy is in a state of breakdown because there has not been any meaningful development of a programme that stimulates growth, revive industry, expand exports, create jobs and compete internationally. In the absence of the above, government has tended to rely on taxing citizens to the death, eyeing shamelessly the exponential growth of the informal economy. Apart from taxes, the thrust of the government has been trying to cut down on debt and narrowing deficits. The latter has more to do with the absolute superfluity of balancing books, even so badly, rather than deliver impactful changes for the people. Whereas Mnangagwa two years ago preached “jobs, jobs, jobs” as a function of a revived economy, the current state of the economy shows an inconsistent and failing trajectory. At the centre of this is the so-called austerity which must, as government has promised, now be phased out and a new policy come in place. We know we are going to need a lot of luck on that.

On the foreign policy front, that Zimbabwe has hobnobbed with all manner of countries from China to Eurasia to Dubai and courting many a suitor – and with little success – is indicative of the dog’s breakfast alluded to above. Mnangagwa’s foreign policy can be seen to lack character and consistency.

This in turn affects such aspects as foreign direct investment and the economy. In 2020, the administration will have to make a decision of what sort of animal it is.

Corruption

Zimbabwe has blown hot and cold regarding tackling corruption. Addressing corruption is supposed to cleanse and aid the administration of government, while ridding society of thieves and looters. Many suffering Zimbabweans would derive some comfort from seeing corrupt elements go to jail. Very few have. While in places some “bigwigs” have been arrested, they have been let go for reasons that range from inability to prosecute the crimes to a demonstrable lack of political will to pursue the matter. At the end of the day, the current anti-corruption drive is nothing but a joke. Nobody is being fooled, including investors. It becomes worse when officials use, nay, abuse, institutions such as the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to settle personal scores. If criminals, including those in government, are made to account, a new hopeful vibe will be felt.

Political reforms

There is an established correlation between freedom (democracy) and prosperity, as well as free enterprise. The enjoyment of civil and political rights by the people will ensure a society that is more peaceful and stable. Zimbabwean authorities like to throw in caveats regarding enjoyment of freedoms and rights such as assembly, speech and expression. The government appears afraid of the people. The people are afraid of their government. Mnangagwa would do well to change this climate of fear – on mutual sides. It takes real leadership to do that, and if he succeeds to do that in 2020, it will be a positive sign. The proviso being, if the government addresses people’s needs, it takes away incentive for rebellion and its own fear of the people.

Economic empowerment

Mnangagwa did a lot to undo the indigenisation policy of his predecessor. Indigenisation, which Mugabe initiated in the mid-2000s, empowered locals to demand majority stake in the country’s businesses, factories, banks and mines; etc. Certain sectors were set aside for locals as “reserved”. A controversial policy, indigenisation was deemed anti-business and Mnangagwa did not waste as much as a blink to dismantle it, including scrapping the last vestiges that dealt with platinum and diamond mining. That was supposed to be a pro-business routine of the new administration. Only Mnangagwa has not put an alternative policy that addresses the anthropological aspect of empowerment, and its creation of a movement of people who can lay claim on the economy through grassroots and localised initiatives. This is especially key for black people who ought to dream that they can own mines, factories and banks. In Mugabe’s time, people once dared that dream. In the absence of such a smart, revolutionary movement, is it coincidental that we have seen the growth of the so-called Mashurugwi, a made-in-Midlands phenomenon of gangs of young people who move across the country hacking people to death with machetes in search of gold? Mnangagwa must revisit the idea of an economic empowerment drive that will be organic and national in nature, appeal and impact.

Listen … and act!

Mnangagwa has suited himself as a “listening President”. In 2020, he will need a lot of listening, and acting – this time – and address issues that are affecting ordinary people, including issues enumerated above. A key skill will be reading, as well. He should read the mood of the people and read signs of the times. The latter cannot be emphasised enough.

Tichaona Zindoga is an independent writer and communications consultant. He previously worked for The Herald as deputy and acting editor. Email: tichaona.zindoga@gmail.com

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s New Year’s eve speech where he spelt out government’s agenda for 2020 did not inspire confidence in the population as it contained nothing new or indications on how his government plans to tackle the problems bedevilling the country.

NewsDay Comment

What was perhaps most depressing about it all is that he simply rehashed the very same things he has been saying since coming to power, which also have not been fully implemented to be impactful.

Productivity in the country remains very low, economic growth has contracted and there are virtually no jobs to talk about, with the majority of graduates being forced to resort to vending.

Ordinary people’s livelihoods are probably now worse off compared to the time Mnangagwa came to power. Back then, at least people could afford to buy basic necessities while services like public transport were very affordable. Now it’s a totally different story.

It is quite strange that despite the market instability created by the bond note, Mnangagwa continues to insist on a mono-currency that is now virtually not worth the paper that it is printed on.

His insistence that he would continue with the policies to protect vulnerable groups in both rural and urban areas with focus on the provision of affordable transport, maize meal and other basic commodities as well as healthcare is nothing short of a hair-brained hope.

It is quite clear that while the re-introduction of the cheaper Zupco buses has come as a relief to many, the fact that people have to start queueing for the buses at around 4am, and perhaps queue again until 10pm for the return trip demonstrates that this approach is not as efficient as the government would have us believe. A 10kg maize meal pack is still in the region of $100 despite an earlier government order for millers to slash its price.

The President continues to lose the respect of the public, with many people now regretting ever taking part in the march that eventually saw the late former President Robert Mugabe succumb to pressure and vacate office in November 2017. In fact, his leadership thus far has been so disastrous that some are even missing the Mugabe era, tough as it was.

Mnangagwa has a tall order if he is ever to regain the confidence of Zimbabweans, who have increasingly been disillusioned by what they feel is his inept leadership.

CELEBRATED mbira music ensemble Mbira dzeNharira is set to release a new album titled Chivimba naMuyeni early this year.

BY SIMBARASHE SITHOLE

The outfit’s frontman, Tendayi Gahamadze, told NewsDay Life & Style that they were polishing up the new offering — the 14th in their discography — before it hits the market.

“We are working on our 14th album titled Chivimba naMuyeni, which will be released early this year,” Gahamadze said.

The album has seven tracks, although the titles for the songs are yet to be finalised.

The group had its end of year mbira extravaganza on December 27, which featured Mawungira eNharira, their splinter group.

“We ended 2019 in style with a mbira extravaganza on December 27 at Westgate shopping mall, where we also featured Mawungira eNharira, and we are now geared for 2020,” he said.

Despite the split with their colleagues who went on to form the Wilfred Mafrika-led Maungira eNharira, there is no bad blood between the two groups as they sometimes hold live shows together.

Their music continues to address social issues such as love, social justice and the need for people to value their traditions in the face of cultural aggression.

Gahamadze said the group will tour the United Kingdom later this year.

A SECURITY expert says high levels of unemployment and economic exclusion have become a major security threat in Africa over the past decade where thousands of educated but unemployed youths are at risk of being recruited into terrorist groups.

BY NYASHA CHINGONO RECENTLY IN RABAT, MOROCCO

Unemployed youths are the target of these terrorist organisations with statistics showing that since 2013, an estimated 17 000 child soldiers have been recruited in South Sudan and up to 10 000 have been recruited in the Central African Republic.

With Zimbabwe among the countries battling high unemployment rates, experts warn the country could easily slide into political instability.

“Unemployment is one of the root causes of security issues, usually when we speak about security we think about the behaviour of violence … but what lies behind violence is exclusion. Unemployment is a form of exclusion,” Gain Mohamed Ahmed, head of the African Institute for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation told the NewsDay recently in Morocco.

Ahmed said unemployment and economic exclusion had exacerbated security concerns in hotspots like north and central Africa while southern Africa was prone to political instability.

“Terrorism is only one among other issues in Africa. We have hybrid security crisis. We can’t talk about terrorism as an isolated issue. Climate change, political crisis are security issues. We need to do preventative work to curb terrorism, we should correct the wrong mentality,” Ahmed said.

“We should not craft policies that target youth without involving youth. Peace and security issues — sustaining peace goes first through human development — education, vocational training — enhancing civic space, enhancing access to rights — social, cultural, political and human rights. Youth should be at the forefront.”

In Zimbabwe unemployment has led to many graduates doing menial jobs while others engage in criminal activities.

While President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government promised millions of jobs during the 2018 campaign period, people continue to lose their jobs as companies fold under economic pressures.

Ahmed said Africa could encourage the inclusion of youths through opening the democratic space.

“I am optimistic because I feel democratic sphere in Africa is widening through the challenges but it is our role as young people to push for democracy and more inclusion. Youth should be involved, we should be included,” Ahmed said.

TEACHERS are mulling to enlist parents in their fight with the government for better living and working conditions and access to quality education for learners.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure said they were reconstituting the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) as a vehicle for parents and teachers to come together.

Masaraure said the teachers were earning an equivalent of around US$30 per month which was not enough to cater for their dependants, food, shelter, healthcare and transport.

He said on the other hand, parents were also failing to secure learning materials and school fees for their children, hence the need to fight on one front.

“Previously we were working in isolation, the State took advantage and brutalised our members and incited parents against our teachers. We have to close that chapter and unite with parents of our learners,” Masaraure said.

“We will lead the process of reconstituting the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) at national level and build structures down to school level. This will be involved in education management. Teachers of Zimbabwe are earning around US$30 per month which is not enough to cater for their dependants, food, shelter, healthcare and transport.”

“The parents are also failing to secure learning materials and school fees for their children. Learners are traumatised by the brutal economic conditions. We have no other option but to unite and fight back to defend and expand commons in this year.”

Masaraure said they had also resolved that schools would not open later this month until the salary impasse has been resolved.

“We will not pretend to be teaching when we are not. We can’t hazard the future of innocent children by giving them substandard education. We will teach when the conditions are right. The poor performance of 2019 Grade 7 classes is a wake-up call for both parents and teachers,” he said.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president, Takavafira Zhou said the opening of schools would be the subject of discussion at their congress which started yesterday where all teachers’ unions have been invited to attend as guests.

“We cannot say we endorsed the stance not to open schools this January but we will discuss that during our congress which is starting today up to the 5th of January and we have invited all teachers’ unions and a position will be communicated after the congress,” Zhou said.

A ZIMBABWEAN student at Wits University in South Africa, Tawanda Chikasha, will set a record tomorrow when he becomes the first black Zimbabwean to participate in the Cape2Rio 6 000km yacht race.

By Sports Reporter

The race starts in Cape Town and ends in Rio, Brazil, and is expected to last 21 days.

Chikasha said he was looking forward to the race.

“It means a great deal for me to be part of this race. It is the biggest offshore sailing event in the Southern Hemisphere. It is not a race to be taken lightly,” Chikasha told NewsDay Sport from Cape Town.

“Our objective is to win the race at the same time provide a platform to prove that young people are capable of doing extraordinary things and to encourage the youth to take part in great sporting competitions and compete at the highest level.”

Chikasha’s team consists of six students, two from the University of Pretoria and four from Wits University. The other team members are Emma Clark (Wits), Jonathan Ham (University of Pretoria), Hearn Johnson (Wits), Ryan Robinson (Wits) and Michaela Robinson (University of Pretoria).

The team is called JM Busha 54 Sailing Team, named after title partner, social firm, JM Busha 54, an organisation that is focused on fostering peace and unity in Africa.

The founder of JM Busha 54, Joseph Makamba Busha, said he was thrilled that a Zimbabwean student was part of the Cape2Rio Race, adding the race was aimed at promoting peace across the continent.

“They are participating just not as a race, but they are promoting peace through the JM Busha 54 Races for Peace and Unity in Africa. We want to raise awareness about peace and certainly the benefits of having peace because there is no economic or social development without peace, Busha said.

“We want to promote peace in the entire African continent and eventually the whole world. We thought this across Atlantic cross ocean race will be a very good platform for us to carry the message of peace and hope.”

The race is held after every three years.

The JM Busha 54 team came third at the last race.

The JM Busha 54 team will be sailing on a 11-metre yacht called Ciao Bella. This boat has previously been used to compete in two previous Cape2Rio Races.

Highlanders are set to appoint Mark Harrison as head coach following the departure of Hendrikus Pieter de Jongh who has crossed over to FC Platinum ahead of the 2020 Premier Soccer League season.

BY FORTUNE MBELE

Harrison (60) left Harare City last July, having joined the Sunshine City Boys after a stint with Caps United.

He also coached Botswana’s Township Rollers.

He was one of the coaches that Bosso considered late last year when they were looking for a coach until they settled for De Jongh.

Although Highlanders yesterday said they were still going through a number of names that are interested in the job, an impeccable club source confirmed that the Bulawayo giants were tying loose ends into bringing in Harrison.

“Obviously the club is keeping it under wraps until everything is in place, but it is Harrison whom they want. It has not finalised as yet, but he is the frontrunner. They (Highlanders) are still in negotiations with him,” the source said.

Club spokesperson Ronald Moyo yesterday said they were still in the process of coming up with the suitable candidate.

“There are many people who are interested in the job. We are still going through the process to find out who is suitable for the job. Once that has been settled, then the club will go official on who takes over,” Moyo said.

A club supporter in the diaspora has committed to taking care of part of Harrison’s salary with the other part being paid for by the club’s sponsors, NetOne.

Harrison, a Uefa A licence holder, started his coaching career in England 25 years ago and took charge of the Bangladesh national team at the turn of the millennium before heading to South Africa where he coached in the lower division after which he went to Maldives.

He has also been in charge at Mpumalanga Black Aces, Chippa United and Lamontville Golden Arrows in the South African top league.

When he left Caps to join Township Rollers in Botswana, he won the 2015-2016 championship with the side and was named Coach of the Year in a season in which the side was also runner-up in that country’s premier cup tournament, the Mascom Top 8 Cup, losing 3-1 to Orapa United in the final.

He returned to Zimbabwe to join Harare City in 2017 as technical director and as coach the following year.

Sources have said Mandla Mpofu will be retained as assistant with Julius Ndlovu as goalkeepers’ coach while second assistant coach Bekithemba Ndlovu is rumoured to be making his way back to head Bulawayo City if coach Try Ncube who was in charge of the club in Division One, is not exempted to coach in the top league by Zifa.

Ncube does not hold the pre-requisite Caf A licence to coach in the Premier Soccer League.