MDC president Nelson Chamisa said his party will turn on the heat in 2020 to ensure a lasting solution to the current challenges bedevilling the country is found.

BY MOSES MATENGA/NIZBERT MOYO

Chamisa said the socio-economic crisis in Zimbabwe was political and a solution should be found before it’s too late as millions face starvation.

The opposition leader painted a gloomy picture of the situation on the ground saying nothing was functional in the country, particularly in the villages.

“We are called upon to ensure that no one is left behind to make sure that we protect the weak, poor and vulnerable. Poverty should not be used as a tool for oppression. The crisis in Zimbabwe is man-made,” Chamisa said to NewsDay.

“Parents cannot afford to take their children to school. Teenage pregnancies are increasing; crops in the fields are wilting and dying. Food continues to be used as a political weapon to sow divisions, hate and instil fear. Clinics have totally collapsed,” he added, while speaking of his recent visit to the village during the Christmas holidays.

“There is no money and no food. This can’t continue. The solution to this crisis is political. It’s time for real change and reform. We will roll out plans and action aimed at restoring dignity, promoting development and pushing for real change in Zimbabwe, particularly in the rural areas. In 2020 we must leave no stone unturned. We will turn on the heat in the fight for freedom and a decent life for every Zimbabwean.”

Zimbabwe’s problems have been described by many, including the South African government as political and there have been calls for dialogue between the country’s political leaders, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Chamisa.

However, hope for the proposed talks seem to be fading as the key political protagonists continue to clash and making demands on each other.

Mnangagwa wants Chamisa to submit himself to the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) while Chamisa has vowed never to be part of Mnangagwa’s “machine” insisting on the need for genuine dialogue.

Meanwhile, Chamisa has implored fellow countrymen to tell transformative stories by responding to the welfare of the elderly to inspire future generations.

The MDC donated bread, flour, rice and soap among other groceries to Ekuphumuleni Geriatrics nursing home in Bulawayo on Saturday.

Nkululeko Sibanda told NewsDay that recent donations to the needy by Chamisa are influenced by his concern for the welfare of the elderly and underprivileged in society.

“Chamisa is encouraging our country to take its responsibility of providing basic amenities and welfare to those in need. The donation is not about us, the era of giving for a show off must end. He is doing this to inspire our future generations that our primary duty is to serve and to be grateful to those who saved us before,” Sibanda said.

“Chamisa has raised tens of thousands of dollar value donations through appeals to Zimbabweans in the diaspora and other able Zimbabweans in the country. He will be picking a city every year where he will provide his public effort and this year he was putting much emphasis on Bulawayo because this is where he spent the festive season.”

He said Chamisa instructed his teams not to only provide the elderly with food but also to spend “some quality time” such as they did at Ekuphumuleni Geriatrics Nursing and Old People’s Home on Saturday before visiting Cabatsha residents in ward 2 in Bulawayo.

Ekuphumuleni administrator, Sukoluhle Hobe said: They are very thankful. “We received a lot of groceries from MDC representatives. We are a nursing home for those above 65 years if donations prop up we are very thankful we need assistance most of the time.”

LAWYERS representing the incarcerated estranged wife of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, Marry Mubaiwa, have said she was “too ill” and her hands were “too swollen to attempt to kill” the former army general who was admitted at a South African hospital.

BY MOSES MATENGA

This came out during the bail application hearing at the High Court in Harare yesterday where Mubaiwa’s lawyer, Taona Nyamakura said the State was failing to prove its attempted murder case.

Nyamakura said there was nowhere in the State case that proved the accused attempted to kill her husband, adding that the inclusion of a blood-stained T-shirt as evidence was “laughable”.

“The charge is attempted murder but nowhere does the State say the accused intended to kill her husband. What is there is just an allegation that she came to hospital to cause harm,” Nyamakura said, adding that the State case was too weak.

The lawyer said alleging that Mubaiwa dragged “a fully grown man” before trying to flee and disappeared from the scene, given her state, made the attempted murder claims “nonsensical”.

Nyamakura was later asked to withdraw the word “nonsense” in describing the nature of the allegations.

He said there was a medical report to prove that Mubaiwa was sick at the time the offence was allegedly committed and said it was not, therefore, possible for her to drag a fully grown man and disappear from the scene.

When Mubaiwa appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court on Monday for routine remand, her swollen hands were bandaged.

She was remanded to January 14.

Photographs to prove Mubaiwa’s illness were shown to the court.

The lawyer said the provision of a medical report as evidence that Chiwenga was in hospital in South Africa did not show that there was an attempt on his life, as it remained a “notorious fact” that the former army commander was indeed hospitalised.

Mubaiwa denies attempting to kill Chiwenga, saying even after the date she was said to have tried to kill him, they travelled together to China and spent time together, she added that at one point, President Emmerson Mnangagwa facilitated her trip and upkeep while in the Asian country at the instigation of the former top soldier.
Nyamakura argued that given her state of health, it would be punitive to deny her bail as it required that she got constant monitoring.

The State opposed bail saying there was “overwhelming evidence” to prove that the former top model tried to kill the former top soldier.

Asked why there were not providing the “overwhelming evidence” the State said they had no directive from the Prosecutor-General Kumbirai Hodzi to do so.

The State argued that Mubaiwa was a woman of means and had properties outside the country hence there was strong possibility that she could relocate.

Justice Pisirai Kwenda reserved judgment.

On the money-laundering charge, the defence team, led by advocate Silvester Hashiti, argued that it was the company, and not an individual that ought to be charged, if any crime was committed at all.

Mubaiwa’s father, a Harare businessman, offered his properties as surety after it emerged the property she had forwarded for bail was co-owned with the Vice-President.

The former model has been in custody since December 14.

In an interview, Hashiti said: “We had two matters in the court, an appeal against the decision of the Magistrate that denied her bail. The second was a bail application on the attempted murder charge.”

“On the first one, we argued that all charges do not show how she was personally involved. All charges point to a company having been involved so on that basis, there is little that links her to the offence.”

“She is not a flight risk she has personal circumstances that allow her to face trial in Zimbabwe if need be and there is nothing that stops anyone from ensuring her availability for trial. The other matter for attempted murder is a completed matter. The offence as alleged by the State has already been completed. There is nothing that stops her from appearing in court and stand trial over that issue and all the witnesses the State seeks to rely on are high-powered individuals and she will not interfere with them (and) in any event they are protected by the State.”

Justice Pisirai said he would issue judgment soon as currently, most of the court typists were on vacation.

FOR decades, humankind has been under attack, not from physical forces as one might quickly assume, but from stress, anxiety and depression.

BY LORRAINE MUROMO

This is because life situations are increasingly getting in the way of livelihoods as a result of a growing global population against increasingly shrinking resources.

Worsening matters further is the fact that at the start the new decade, people who are dealing with the adverse effects of shrinking resources are mostly bottling up their feelings.

The reason why this is happening is because even if they share their feelings, the harsh reality is it won’t stop global resources from shrinking and Zimbabwe is no exception to this truth.

With the country having faced its worst drought in over a decade in 2019, coupled with austerity measures that have significantly impoverished the nation, unemployment, an increasingly autocratic government as well as fuel, water, electricity, and cash shortages, Zimbabweans are more depressed.

Sure, they attempted to deal with this through comedy from notable characters such as Gonyeti, Mai Titi, Madam Boss and the comic Pastor, but the only problem is autocracy has reduced this space.
As such, Zimbabweans may need to turn to poetry.

First and foremost, it is of the essence to understand what poetry is all about as briefly as possible. It can be defined as a form of writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in a language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound and rhythm.

We currently live in a time whereby everyone claims to be okay but in actual truth, people are not okay. People turn to alternatives to find relief from stress, but there is nothing that beats the world of art.

It is liberating to put words on a piece of paper, poetry is healing, and it is therapeutic.

Poetry has the ability to reach deep down into the soul and restore long-time wounds. It is basically a safe zone, a reservoir of unsaid words, a channel through which one can let out toxic emotions.

It has the ability to let an individual speak to situations, bullies and intangible sensations that we cannot deal with physically.

Renowned poet, Leonard Takudzwa Mukwenga fondly known as Hey Hey in poetic circles seems, to agree.

According to him as human beings we have a common goal despite differing on a lot of things. We are all constantly searching for something be it love, a job, a supreme being or a better life, the point is people are nomadic.

“I look at life as a negotiation and for someone to access the things they need requires one to have a sound and a clear mind which is a challenge as many of us are not aware of our mental state of mind,” he said.

“Some suffer from anxiety, depression and several other mental disorders and they are not sure why they are not being effective, the mind is in pain and definitely needs something to distract it from whatever it is going through.”

Mukwenga said further that buying a journal and start writing poems can come across as a crazy idea but it is definitely healthy to keep a record of your emotional state.

That way the mind becomes relatively fresh and even the human emotional intelligence tends to get a nitrous boost.
Poetry is indeed a powerful tool as an outlet to channel out all toxic emotions and thoughts. For example why is it that most people tend to regret their actions after they have already committed a deed?

If only one would have found a way to deal with it before everything else went out of hand, writing down and expressing oneself through poetry is efficient.

Poetry provides the space to say all the hurtful words and think the most negative thoughts without hurting the next person, isn’t it a beautiful way of tackling verbal abuse?

Isn’t it a wonderful way of escaping reality for a moment and dealing with emotions before coming back to deal with reality?

There is the beauty of sobering up and thinking rationally after expressing oneself through writing down on a piece of paper.

That is how therapeutic it is, it gives one peace of mind and one will find that life is actually easier to deal with if only they could take it one step at a time and learn to express themselves more.

Without a doubt poetry is a powerful form of expression, liberating and a healthy way of living.

Biodiversity — the variation in all living organisms — is one of Africa’s richest assets. As a result, its genetic material is coveted by scientists, biotechnology companies and research institutes globally. For decades, there has been a flow of data and biosamples from the African continent to the global north. This has often been in the absence of legitimate participant consent, community engagement or data or material transfer agreements.

Biopiracy – the act of directly or indirectly taking undue advantage of research participants and communities in global health research – has a long and contentious history in Africa. A recent case occurred during the West African Ebola outbreak between 2014 and 2016 when thousands of biological specimens left the continent without consent. Very often there is minimal benefit sharing.

The issue has been in the news again in South Africa. Accusations have been levelled against the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK for allegedly attempting to commercialise data obtained from various African universities. This has reignited questions around models of consent in research, donor rights, biopiracy and genomic sovereignty.

The latest revelations show that legislation as well as academic research governance bodies have failed to adequately safeguard the rights of vulnerable participants in genomics research.

One missing piece of the puzzle is the limited empirical data on the views of people whose biosamples are taken in the name of research. This would include issues of ownership, future use, export, benefit-sharing and commercialisation.

In 2011 and 2012, we surveyed participants to better understand their views. We recruited participants who had experience with research, the consent process and use of biological samples. They were engaged in studies at academic research units attached to public hospitals and private research centres.

Our findings remain relevant today as many of the issues raised by the people we spoke to have still not been addressed.

The issue of consent

Our study was conducted over a 10-month period from September 2011 to June 2012. We sampled 200 participants in the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces in South Africa. Participants who had already consented to use of their blood for research were asked several questions including the following: how they felt about their samples being stored for future use and about them being sent abroad to foreign countries, as well as the possibility of future commercialisation.

Most participants were supportive of research. But many expressed concern about export of their blood samples and data out of South Africa.

For their part, researchers viewed the biosamples as donations. But participants believed they had ownership rights and were keen on benefit-sharing. Almost half of the participants were not in favour of broad consent delegated to a research ethics committee. Their preference was to be contacted again for consent in the future.

The legitimacy of using broad consent models for genomic research and biobanking occupies a contested space among bioethicists and researchers globally. Broad consent allows researchers to use biosamples and data indefinitely for future research.

Usually, with broad consent, future research must be approved by a Research Ethics Committee (a diverse group of experts from different research, medical, legal and ethics disciplines) and it is then not necessary to contact donors and ask for their permission to conduct research with their samples or data again.

But this type of consent is particularly contentious in resource depleted countries. This is because research participants often don’t understand the complex scientific jargon used in consent documents or processes, especially where use of their samples or data in the future is concerned. This includes commercialisation.

Strong privacy protection legislation and other similar laws require specific consent. This means that individual participants need to consent to use of their data in a specific project or disease category. This makes it challenging to understand how broad consent (delegated to a research ethics committee) for unspecified future use can be legally obtained in research.

This is particularly concerning where future commercialisation may be included in broad consent models without being explicitly discussed with participants. The language used to explain commercialisation is often vague and not fully comprehensible by vulnerable populations.
South Africa also has protocols in place. For example, clear, explicit, voluntary informed consent is required for all use of data and samples belonging to research participants. If data or samples are to be transferred to other researchers in South Africa or abroad, participants ought to be aware of this and can then consent or decline. However, this is not always what happens.

In addition, if data is to be shared with another institution, a data transfer agreement or material transfer agreement must be signed prior to the transfer. This too does not always happen.

Reform is needed

South Africa needs to up its game and reform governance around research ethics. This is particularly necessary in the context of international collaborative research. Good governance needs to incorporate transparency, fairness and honesty.

— The Conversation

 Keymanthri Moodley is the director of The Centre for Medical Ethics & Law, Stellenbosch University, SA.

THE Ogygia is a notorious Yemen prison in Season 5 of an American television series Prison Break. In this facility former structural engineer and fictional main character Michael Scofield is incarcerated in a period when there is an impending and inevitable ISIS takeover.

The storyline depicts a failed State whose thin line of military buffer is only holding ISIS a few miles away from the Ogygia where apparently some ISIS kingpins are being held.

All the principles of bureaucracy are already falling apart, typical of failing and failed States. It is at this point when Scofield’s brother Lincoln Barrows is faced with an uphill task to rescue his brother before the total collapse of the Middle East State.

I and my two colleagues were at Chikurubi Maximum Prison a few weeks ago, visiting a friend incarcerated at the super-max facility, the short trip out of the city centre only reminded me of many other signs of a failing State. Cry the motherland.

Just like in Prison Break, where the prison is eventually taken over by corrupt warlords who line their pockets through bribery and extortion, Chikurubi also smells of lots of greedy officers who seek bribes from visitors.

A quick chat with my friends will give you a confirmation that at least three times we were asked for bribe in return for varying kinds of “favours”, including something as petty as permission to handover cigarettes to an inmate. We found this despicable.

Certainly, the officers are not warlord equivalent of the Yemenis, but there are sufficient ingredients of a vigilante takeover in the event of a not-far-fetched implosion.

The corrupt gatekeeper behaviour we saw at Chikurubi, however, is a reflection of a deeper problem; It is indeed a tip of an iceberg. One of the bribes Barrows had to pay included letting go of his US passport, the middleman purporting to broker a deal for the release of Scofield equated the document to gold.

Harare’s Makombe Building aptly reflects a gold equivalent of a document in respect of the Zimbabwean passport.
At the Registar-General’s Office, bribery begets bribery, corruption begets corruption and chaos begets chaos. George BN Ayittey in Africa in Chaos locates this kind of chaos in the failure by the former liberators to reconcile the two Africas, one modern and one ancient.

In the motherland, crocodile liberators are not only dwelling in the past, but they also thrive in chaos, they are like catfish they muddy the waters before hunting for prey in the murky pool.

They look away while chaos continues and pretend to solve the problem by worsening it, half the time tinkering with the deck while the titanic is sinking.

Quack revolutionaries deny any State of fragility yet fragility is already brewing State failure, but who cares the so-called leaders are Swiss bank socialists whose friends were even fingered in Panama papers. If the worst happens they will fly with their diplomatic passports to the safe havens and enjoy their lives sipping the best of wines and tiger fishing off their offshore accounts.

Far-fetched or alarmist or exaggerated some would say, but the benefit of hindsight is the highest level of wisdom.

On November 14, 2017 tanks and guns were brought to the street of Harare. Some would say it was not a military coup, others said it was a military-assisted transition and many rely on what the Generals said, Operation Restore Legacy, while some would rely on Justice George Chiweshe’s pronouncement that everything was done above board.

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and flies like a duck then it is a duck. More importantly, once soldiers bring their tanks and guns to the streets of the capital, it is just a matter of time before they come back again.

Our brothers in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa will confirm this thesis. Coups beget chaos, they breed warlords and eat into the soul of modern civilian civilisation and construct.

In a country like ours where ammunition is uncounted for by the government’s own account, the Libyan crisis is a possible risk, patriotism would mean active policy scenarios of creating a buffer against an implosion.

Just look at how Mashurugwi are wreaking havoc in the motherland, the notorious machete-wielding gangs are a menace, they have just claimed the life of an innocent sacrificial cop (think of his family).

Five poor policemen deployed to contain machete-wielding thugs compared to a whole SWAT-like brigade deployed against unarmed civilian demonstrators. Something is fundamentally wrong with the thinking.

Only a failing State allows a vigilante group of Mashurugwi’s ilk to make consistent headlines of invincibility.

Even worse, what sort of chaos can they breed in the event of an implosion?

The masses are agitated, social indices have collapsed, the centre is no longer holding and the economy is in constant decay. It is a dog’s breakfast and recipe for extremist reaction, a temptation for unconstitutional means of redress. Just like in failed States, there is a shocking over-reliance on donors and international development agencies, it is utter chaos.

The State has been captured by a very dangerous group of people, national institutions are emasculated for personal benefit, serving selfish personal interests some as petty as mere divorce disputes.

The State has been reduced to an arena of self-aggrandisement in which the political elites are using patronage to enrich themselves, their friends and clans at the expense of everyone else just like what Ayittey says.

Bread occasionally disappears from shelves, electricity blackouts are a norm, fuel is usually unavailable, there is a satanic return to days of hyperinflation and living costs have gone beyond the reach of many.

There is a unpalatable suffering of the ordinary folk, a majority are living in abject poverty while the elites continue to fly Swiss jets urging the masses to endure the pain for never to be seen better days.

To all intents and purposes the economy is far from recovery. The underlying assumptions point to the contrary while structural challenges compound the problem.

Inflation is the second highest in the world, there is no plan to resolve the debt crisis both domestic and sovereign, stock of Treasury Bills continue to rise, deficit financing continues — all these are accompanied by an incoherent fiscal policy and a chaotic self-contradictory monetary policy.

Put simply it is a long ball, kick and rush approach to economic management.

One with no respect to principles of public finance management, US$3 billion can just disappear in the middle of a transfer from one ministry to another and nobody takes responsibility neither is anyone arrested.

The rulers are now patrons, everyone else in the system is a client unable to question criminality, in any case they are enablers waiting for their share from the patron’s feeding trough.

There are no consequences of any form, society is lethargic, non-State actors seem radarless, the church is a captured community and the citizen is on retreat, watching while the motherland straddles from one crisis to another.

Think of Somalia, a government just as powerful as the end of Mogadishu, is that not motivation enough to do something, reclaim Zimbabwe from the hijackers or at least hold them to account. When the time comes, our children will spit on our graves for at the very least being complacent, but in the main aiding and abetting State failure in the motherland.

This is 2019 ending on a cusp of fragility and State failure.

 Farai Gwenhure is a journalist based in Harare. He writes in his personal capacity.

Premier Soccer League giants Dynamos and Caps United are embroiled in an interesting transfer battle as the two clash over signatures of some freebies on the market.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

The two have gone head to head for signatures of some of the finest players in the league, who will officially be free agents today.

Marksman Evans Katema, who spent the second half of the season at Dynamos after signing from Mushowani Stars, is a subject of a tug-of-war between the rivals who have also tabled offers for Hwange goalkeeper Taimon Mvula.

DeMbare have, however, stolen the match in the Mvula battle as they are on the verge of sealing a deal.

Caps are also understood to be eager to sign the Hwange goalminder amid reports that goalkeeper Prosper Chigumba is likely to move away, having been overshadowed by Tonderai Mateyaunga in the second half of the season.

The bitter rivals are also targeting Chapungu pacey forward Ian Nyoni and Triangle’s Trevor Mavhunga.

Dynamos chairperson Isaiah Mupfurutsa said they were looking to beef up the squad with quality players and were hoping to retain their best players from last season.

Already Dynamos have sealed deals with former captain Partson Jaure who was on the books of Manica Diamonds, Nkosi Mhlanga – a midfielder, who has been playing for Yadah and two Prince Edward High School products Tanaka Chidhobha and Lennox Mutsetse.

The Glamour Boys are also looking to retain goalkeeper Simbarashe Chinani whose deal with the club has expired, although the player has been linked with a move to South Africa.

DeMbare only have a verbal agreement with the player for him to extend his stay as he waits for other offers that might materialise.

“We are giving our coach all the necessary support. We have sealed deals with some of the players the coach wants and we will be signing more high-profile players in the coming weeks,” Mupfurutsa said.

“Our target is to be done with signing players by mid-January so that the focus shifts to preparations. We laid a base already during our rebuilding in the past year and now we want to add more quality players to our side. While we want to compete next season, we are looking at life after 2020 so we are blending youth and experience. You are going to see a different and strong Dynamos squad in 2020.”

Caps have already signed rising stars Tatenda Tumba from Harare City and Leeroy Mavhunga from Yadah as they seek to emerge stronger again after a largely disappointing campaign which saw them surrendering the championship to FC Platinum despite having been on top of the league table for much of the campaign.

The Green Machine are, however, battling to extend contracts of several players.

Some of the players, whose contracts have run out include reigning Soccer Star of the Year Joel Ngodzo, defender Justice Jangano, midfielder Kudzanai Nyamupfukudza, striker Newman Sianchali, Valentine Ndaba, Dominic Chungwa, John Zhuwawo, Method Mwanjali and Dominic Mukandi among others.

Caps are also understood to be preparing to offload some of the players whom they feel were now surplus to requirements.

THE government has said it can do little or nothing to stop schools from demanding groceries as part of tuition fees, Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

A number of schools around the country are now demanding some groceries as part of tuition fees to beat inflation.

This is at a time when the majority of schools have increased their tuition fees several fold citing the hyper-inflationary environment.

Ziyambi told Senate recently that the Education ministry was aware that schools were also demanding groceries, but said it was the duty of parents and guardians to resist such during school development committee (SDC) meetings.

“The question that he has raised can only be addressed at the SDC meetings because that is where the school and parents agree as to how they will charge to ensure that their children can get adequate education. For me to give a substantive answer on issues that the parents have sat down and deliberated on how to ensure that the school provides a service, I would be lying,” Ziyambi said in response to a question by Senator Chief Clemence Nyabvudzi Nembire on what measures government was taking to stop schools from demanding groceries.

Ziyambi added that the Education Act was clear that the Education ministry’s hands were tied on the issue.

“It (Act) says that schools are supposed to sit with parents and agree on the pegging of fees. Those who sit in the meeting are the school and parents and they are the school development association. The consensus and recommendations is what is taken to the Ministry of Education,” he said.

“The response that I gave does not even require the Minister of Education to come and explain to say that at the school called Chipaga, the parents sat down and agreed that they are going to bring cooking oil for their children to get proper food such as chips, but the Minister cannot come in and say no, that is not right. Children cannot bring cooking oil for the children to get chips, but if he was saying that there is a school that has raised fees without the consent of parents, that is a different issue; we can agree.”

HARARE remains gripped with insurmountable challenges including the water crisis, refuse collection, workers strikes and corruption, but Mayor Herbert Gomba said he was pleased with how the local authority worked under his charge to address the myriad of challenges.

BY MOSES MATENGA

Gomba became Mayor last year after the July 30 harmonised elections and vowed to eradicate graft that had become a scourge in the local authority and work towards addressing staff salary problems among other issues.

Though the water crisis has remained a challenge, Gomba said on Sunday he was hoping central government would act to provide foreign currency needed for chemicals and also push for reliable sources of water.

“We tried our best, we reduced debts and now are concerned with the need to fund our water and roads programmes,” Gomba said on the current state of the city.

“Given a chance, we want to borrow $30 million using City Parking dividends to fund our roads programme, borrow against our budget to fund water rehabilitation.”

Apparently, City Parking has increased its charges from $5 per hour to $10.

On staff welfare, Gomba said the local authority has tried to restore normalcy adding that they now should start working hard for the good of the city.

“We tried to restore to normalcy, the true nature of bonus payment to our employees and hopefully they will work hard,” Gomba said.

He said on the water situation, local suppliers should up their game while also hoping government would provide the much-needed resources to ensure availability of the precious liquid.

His comments follow a protracted blame game between the local authority and government over whose responsibility it was to provide water to residents.

Harare says the city was not operating in a vacuum hence the national economic crisis bedevilling Zimbabwe had also negatively affected them.

The MDC-dominated council claimed that because of government failure to provide employment to millions of people, the revenue collection side had been adversely affected hence there was nowhere the local authority could get money.

“We hope the local suppliers will up their game to ensure consistency in supplying all needed for the provision of potable water,” Gomba said.

Residents endured a dry holiday. Water shortages have exposed Glen View and Budiriro residents to typhoid with 13 suspected cases being treated before the holidays.

Gomba said those who owe council, from residents, government and business should pay their dues to finance the service they are in dire need of.

Harare is owed close to $1 billion by business, residents and government and has encouraged the debtors to pay for them to get the desired services.

Observers say despite criticism from some quarters at times, the city had this year managed to improve its operations, reduced illegal vendors in the central business district, paid staff salaries on time.
The city has also forged a partnership with central government in trying to come up with a solution to the water crisis.

LAWMAKERS have been urged to come up with a whistleblower law in order to promote public disclosure of corporate malpractices in State-owned enterprises (SOEs).

BY VENERANDA LANGA

This was said in a recently published survey by the Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust (Sapst) and the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) on SOEs performance and compliance survey.

The survey used a sample of 31 SOEs in the country and collected data using in-depth interviews.

“The research found that 33,3% of the entities had a whistleblower policy, while the remaining 66,7% did not have any,” the report read.

“Whistleblowing raises awareness on activities that are detrimental to the performance of an organisation. It could be reporting on a case of theft, or it could be a report on an incident of grand corruption, it is part of promoting good corporate governance by organisations,” it said.

Sapst and Zimcodd said whistleblowing was a major aspect of the principles under the Public Entities and Corporate Governance Act which have a provision for the development and implementation of a whistleblower policy by the public entities.

They said in their survey they found that it was the larger companies that tended to have some whistleblowing platforms.

“For example, organisations such as Zimra and Zesa have some hotlines through which they encourage any member of the public to report, for example, on corruption or theft of copper wires. An increase in the practice of whistleblowing concepts could, therefore, lead to enhanced accountability and transparency by office bearers in particular, and the public at large.”

The researchers said for corporate governance to be effective, it should be supported by a comprehensive and effective whistleblowing framework, but the challenges in Zimbabwe were that whistleblowing is not legislated and is left at the level of SOEs.

“Such a framework would have facilitated exposure of misconduct and corporate malpractices. The Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development in 2015 underlined that the protection of whistleblowers who disclose wrongdoing in the public sector was recognised as the core of the public sector integrity framework.”

They said it was essential to safeguard public interest and to promote a culture of public accountability.

“In Zimbabwe whistleblowers do not have protection, with the situation compounded by the Official Secrets Act (Chapter 11:09) which prevented employees of SOEs from disclosing information about activities happening inside their enterprises. This made the public disclosure of corporate malpractices by potential whistleblowers in SOEs a risky endeavour,” the survey said.

BY LORRAINE MUROMO
The music industry was robbed of one of its legends, Oliver Mtukudzi who made history on the arts sector, which saw him being accorded the national hero status for his contribution to the sector.

On a sad note

The year saw the lucky escape of award winning hip hop rapper T-Gonzi, who was involved in a car accident which most claimed was an assassination attempt.

Comebacks

With some artists almost wiped out of existence by the incoming and energetic replacements, 2019 has seen the comeback of some of the industry’s giants such as Alick Macheso who featured on Freeman’s song Ngaibake.

Soul Jah Love also came back with a bang featuring on Queen Vee’s Song, Vavengi and releasing some songs of his own. These songs include Kana Ndafa, Zviri Pandiri Zvihombe and Hokoso which breathed new life into Zimdancehall and saw him reclaiming his throne as the Zimdancehall godfather.

New voices on the terrain

The industry also witnessed the introduction of some powerful female voices such as Gemma Griffiths who has done a runner of songs with Winky D, Charlie Kay and Ammara Brown, to mention a few.

Charlie Kay was also one of the artists who hogged the limelight this year engaging in collaborations with the likes of Trevor Dongo. Plaxedes Wenyika awoke from her long term hibernation to offer her new song Zvekare.

Confused can also be acclaimed to have risen to fame with his song Handichambokufunga featuring rapper T Gonzi. Talking of powerful voices, Garry Mapanzure and Hilzy of the Muroora fame also shone brightly by scooping an R n B and soul award with their song Tv Room.

Hits

The year saw the magical come back of sungura superstar ba Shero nee Alick Macheso through the release of the song Ngaibake, which has been trending on local radio stations, car stereos and various entertainment platforms. The song topped the charts of most radio stations.

Other hits released this year include Sadza Nemuriwo by Jah Prayzah that has captured the hearts of music lovers both young and old. There was also MuGarden by Winky D featuring Gemma Griffiths, who also went on to feature on Tichichema by Ammara Brown. The song is currently topping the charts.

HKD boss Freeman could not be played over and he released his debut album Gango which was well received by fans. The album features songs such as Waimutambisa, Ngaibake featuring Alick Macheso, Musiye and Makanika featuring Soul Jah Love’s estranged wife, Bounty Lisa.

Talking of hits, it would be amiss not to mention Kwandinobva by songstress Tammy would be an understatement. The song, which talks of the Zimbabwean culture, has been trending on social media such as YouTube amassing about 427 000 views.

Nutty O stepped up to the game and was no exception with his songs Vroom, Prove Dem Wrong and dream Team.

Vee Mampeezy featuring Dr Tawanda, famous for cover songs done by other artists, this year also rocked the music scene with a track titled Dhumalana which became a national anthem for children across the country. In the gospel arena, artist Janet also excelled with the release of such songs as Muri Mwari, Nyasha NeNgoni, and Ndimi, leaving no doubt that this woman is unmatched when it comes to gospel music.

Anticipation

Following the sizzling album releases one could think that they have seen it all; however, there is hype all over the country over the release of Winky D’s much anticipated albums, set for the December 31.
This has left fans eager to taste what has been brewing in the cooking pots. Famed for releasing award winning songs, especially at the end of the year like the popular Disappear song a few years back, this album will has generated lots of interest. Does the musician still have what it takes to charm the pants off his fans? That is what we are left to see.

Madness

The year has also been characterised by drama which saw some artists engaged in what can be classified as madness. After too much fame went to their heads they were now taking things to the extreme.

Talking madness of this year, Enzo Ishall is one of the artists who can fit the bill. Since the release of Smart Rinotangira Kutsoka, Kanjiva and Magate, Vanodherera, and Matsimba things seemed to be going well for the artist until recently he released the song Highest Score under the patronage of the much acclaimed prophet, Passion Java.

The song saw much negative flake from music fans who termed it satanic and that the musician had totally lost track of his career. Things couldn’t have gotten worse when he recently released the song Ngoro featuring a Rachel. That was when it was clear that he had completely lost the plot.

Anyway it’s up for debate: Is Enzo Ishall out of his depth? Is he really mad? Or its just creativity gone sour?

Inappropriate attention seeking

Going nude seems to have taken the cake this year with some musicians caught up in nudity scandals. This year saw RnB sensation Trevor Dongo in nude pictures that went viral on social media, but the singer defended the pictures saying they were done as part and parcel of a music video he was working on.

Conclusion

In light of these developments, one can safely conclude that despite the loss of legends such as Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, which was tragic, the sector also experienced some good memories, events that will forever be etched in the minds of music lover across the country.