BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

THE Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) has chosen to forego US$12 million in potential revenue at its flagship Rainbow Tower Hotel in Harare to allow for refurbishments.

RTG closed its bookings and hotel rooms from December 18, 2019 to January 31, 2020 to complete a refurbishment of the hotel’s rooms at a cost of US$3 million to bring it to international business standards.

“We are traditionally in our low season. From mid-December to even end of January to mid-February, city hotel occupancies come down. It picks up in resorts, but obviously, it’s for a couple of days such as Christmas and all that,” RTG operations director Tichaona Hwingwiri told journalists during a media tour on Tuesday.

“So we took advantage of that low season to say why not close in and commit to giving the contractors space. On an average, this hotel makes about US$14 million a month in terms of RTGS value, so I would say, on average, we are foregoing about US$12 million for the refurbishment period.”

This comes as part of a wider strategy to refurbish other properties under the RTG group ahead of the new year, as it seeks to boost its occupancies.

However, during this period, the hospitality group expects to leave its restaurants and conference halls open.

Currently, hotels are dealing with low occupancy rates as a result of shrinking disposable incomes resulting in hospitality firms seeking to upgrade their establishment to boost bookings.

“Next year, we will be able to finish Kadoma (Rainbow Hotel) and we will also start on the New Ambassador Hotel (Harare). Again, it will be in phases, whereby we will not necessarily need to close the hotel down, at least the other hotels that we are looking at,” RTG spokesperson Pride Khumbula said.

“You will be aware that in the first quarter of the year, we did the plumbing of Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel, which was done from January to February. And more recently, it was Victoria Rainbow Hotel … Obviously, what is critical is to minimise any inconvenience to our guests so we will try to be very strategic in terms of the placing of when we actually do the refurbishments.”

Guest Column: Paidamoyo Muzulu

Santa Claus the mythical Northern Hemisphere man who brings presents at Christmas is now world famous. Every year, each Christmas, the young and the old look forward to the exchange of gifts, but for Zimbabweans — Santa has forgotten the forsaken land. In my travels, I saw desolation, blank stares and empty begging bowls. A few diaporans made a cheap imitation of the merry festivities; a braai here, some dancing there, but generally the spirit was long gone.

The year that began with the shock deployment of the military to quel civil unrest comes to an end with people bereft of hope, their souls crashed.

We saw the price of bread spiral, the cost of meat and mealie-meal skyrocket. Fuel became scarce, and even service stations selling the commodity in forex have intermittent supplies, causing many to draw and redraw their festive season plans.

The rolling power cuts have not ceased and potable water is still not available to most urban residents. They now survive by drawing the special commodity from some backyard wells. Many look up to the unyielding skies, hoping the storm clouds would gather, but the scorching heat is withering their hopes and heightening their trepidation about the future.

Somewhere, the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa gave the aged and less fortunate some temporary respite by cleaning the houses of a luck few and giving them a decent lunch cooked over open fires. They danced and ululated, but today, Christmas Day, they are as desperate as they were before the hour the First Lady came.

It touched the hearts of many who read the State-controlled newsoapers and watch Zbctv. She got the best optics, endeared herself to the masses and bagged some 2023 votes for her husband, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The crude joke was missed by many that Zimbabwe has been reduced to a country of two tenses — the past and the future. Zimbabwe no longer has a present tense. It is just one big void no leader is willing to fill. In short, no leadership for today exists.

Yesterday, State media led with Mnangagwa going through the motions of Santa Claus in his home town of Kwekwe. He visited the vending sites and the main bus termini. One lucky lady sold the President some groundnuts, maize and matohwe.

We hear Mnangagwa was told about the hardships citizens are going through. Just like the people — and probably in the sense of Chinua Achebe’s Man of the People — Mnangagwa used crispy Zimdollar notes to pay for the goods.

And for good measure he received some change. I wonder what the change was, considering the lowest note is $2 and the highest is $5. If he got 50cent coins I wonder where he would use them next, seeing the market has since demonitised coins.

For Kwekwe, their most eminent son had returned triumphantly — riding his highend motorcade, sirens and armed soldiers in tow. He saw and heard their problems, smiled with understanding and empathetic face, but the most he could do was promised to look into their issues — no immediate (now) solution.

It goes without saying that a week from now it would be New Year, a year that starts with Mnangagwa on his annual leave and citizens scratching their heads about how to pay schoolfees, commute to work if they are luck to have a job. These are people with incomes Finance minister Mthuli Ncube says are too low to be taxed Paye. However, they are not too poor to be spared paying 2% mobile money transactions and 14% Vat for their daily purchases.

Santa, Mnangagwa, came to Kwekwe, but forgot the goodies — for now the people have to survive on hope for a good future just like all other citizens across the country.

Maybe 2020 will restore the elusive present tense into our collective lexicon — yesterday and tomorrow are short of making us complete citizens like other nations. Hoo-Hooo Merry Christmas.

Paidamoyo Muzulu is a journalist and writes here in his personal capacity. He can be contacted on muzulu.p@gmail.com

By Rex Mphisa

BEITBRIDGE East legislator Albert Nguluvhe (Zanu PF) says he will approach government to stop the eviction of more than 100 families from Kwalu high-density suburb.

The families were given notices to vacate their modern houses because they were built on unserviced stands, where there was no water and sewer reticulation.

Addressing guests at a Christmas party he hosted for Beitbridge’s elderly and those living with disabilities, Nguluvhe said he would ensure no one was evicted.

“We will try and have the local authority get funding to put sewer and water facilities. We have to think of where these people will go if evicted,” he told about 130 elderly people present at the function.

“We know the local authority (Beitbridge Municipality) has no money, but that is not reason enough to evict families.

“I have asked government to consider allocation of 0,001% of Beitbridge revenue earnings towards development of Beitbridge, which is the window of Zimbabwe.”

The Beitbridge Municipality ordered the more than 100 families out of the houses by February next year because they lack sewer and water reticulation.

It is, however, understood the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) ordered the evictions, citing the flouting of environmental impact assessment requirements.

Beitbridge town clerk Loud Ramakgapola referred questions to the engineering department and refused to discuss the order from EMA which prompted council’s decision.

Kwalu residents association chairperson Abel Hindi said for the last three years, Beitbridge Municipality has been promising to connect water to their homes.

“We pay for services, but we have never seen refuse being collected. We have been promised water and sewer connection, but nothing is forthcoming,” Hindi said.

He said most residents had fully paid for their stands.

The Kwalu residents are contemplating staging a demonstration against council and making a High
Court application to compel the local authority to connect water and sewer facilities.

“We offered to pay US$100 per each family to have the facilities provided, but council promised to come back to us, but have not in three years,” Hindi said.

At the party, the elderly danced and made merry after being treated to a sumptuous lunch. Nguluvhe slaughtered a beast.

“Two other businessmen assisted me and I appeal to the business community to extend such gestures to the elderly,” the Beitbridge East legislator said.

A representative of the elderly, 82-year-old Olinah Mbedzi, showered Nguluvhe with praises.

“This is selfless, we have never seen this before, it’s a first. It is hard to believe that in these trying times, elderly people have someone who thinks about them and this is commendable,” she said.

BY REX MPHISA

GOVERNMENT officials in Matabeleland South province allegedly allocated themselves cattle under the Command Livestock programme at the expense of smallholder farmers targeted by the multi-million dollar State project.

The project is designed to rebuild the dwindling national herd and reinvigorate the ailing beef industry, once one of Zimbabwe’s economic pillars.

The allocation on November 30 this year raised eyebrows, with farmers calling for a government probe.

“The entire list of beneficiaries must be looked at. It is fraught with favouritism and corrupt
distributions from the beginning,” a villager from a resettlement farm near Zhovhe Dam in Beitbridge West alleged.

“The few farmers given those cattle during the launch by President Emmerson Mnangagwa were just to hoodwink the Executive. What was done after their departure is something else.”

His statement was corroborated by some civil servants who alleged that officials largely benefited from the allocation.

Some senior Zimbabwe National Army members supervising Command Agriculture expressed their displeasure about the beneficiaries list, saying the common man had been robbed.

“We queried this list, it’s a public fact that we did,” one of the members, a high ranking soldier, said.

Beitbridge senior Agritex officers, an officer of an non-governmental organisation called Progress, a council worker whose father works in Vice-President Kembo Mohadi’s office, a disc jockey, a groundsman at the district development co-ordinator (DDC)’s office, resettled farmers Netsai Gumbo, Ophias Ndlovu, a retired clerk from the DDC’s office, Alfred Moyo, and Elphas Siziba are some of the 23 farmers known to have benefited.

Selected senior government officials and individuals got six beasts each on the poorly advertised distribution date, attended by a handful of people.

Matabeleland South provincial livestock officer Hatitye Zondai, whose office was tasked with distributing the Matabeleland South cattle, said there were no anomalies, but denied NewsDay sight of the November 30 list.

“Do you have the master register/waiting list of all beneficiaries on the register as to who qualifies? You should get the programme document and understand it. Everything was done above board by the district command committee. The programme can give up to 10 (cattle) per beneficiary,” Zondai said.

“You have already fingered those two. Are there any other names that you want because honestly, will it be right for someone to see his or her name in the paper without his or her consent?

“The programme does not restrict anyone. It has some guidelines and requirements to follow as long as you meet those requirements as a farmer. Whether you are a civil servant or from any organisation or political party, it doesn’t matter. What we want is production and potential even journalists’ institutions benefited.”

Villagers, particularly in Beitbridge, where over 2 000 cattle have succumbed to a punishing drought, are unhappy that civil servants allegedly distributed cattle to themselves, defeating the purpose of the noble exercise.

“(Officials) claim that some farmers from as far as Chikwarakwara failed to come, and the cattle had to be distributed,” one farmer said.

Beneficiaries were issued with permits to drive cattle to red zones since the farm at which the cattle were kept was under quarantine.

Provincial veterinary officer for Matabeleland South, Enat Mdlongwa, refused to talk about the beneficiaries, electing only to speak about his departmental role.

“We have issued permits for the cattle to go to red zones area. No cattle should be moved to the green zone,” he said.

“I don’t want to say anything or be involved in who benefited. That is not my area,” he said when asked why civil servants allocated themselves and their friends cattle.

He said pressing shortages of livestock feed forced the farmer keeping the cattle to ask for earlier distribution.

“I do not want to be involved in the distribution issues. That is not our area and let’s keep it there,” Mdlongwa stressed.

Mnangagwa launched the Command Livestock programme in Gwanda in June last year.

Initially, he handed over 660 heifers to 151 beneficiaries from Matabeleland South’s seven districts.

Several factors, including animal diseases, restricted the distribution of cattle soon after the launch.

Under the programme, a farmer is supposed to receive three bulled heifers which they pass on after two years.

BY FORTUNE MBELE

CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League side Chicken Inn have honoured veteran midfielder Clemence Matawu for graduating with a degree in sports science from the National University of Science and Technology last month.

Matawu, who turned 37 last month, was honoured with the chairman’s award which went with a cash prize of $2 000 and the veteran midfielder said he was yet to decide on his future.

He was honoured at the club’s player of the year awards at a lodge in Bulawayo.

Club chairman Juta Tshuma said as Chicken Inn they were proud of Matawu as the club encouraged its players to invest in education.

“Chicken Inn looks after its players and encourages them to develop themselves. In that regard, we have one of our legendary players Clemence Matawu who we encouraged to pursue a sports science and coaching degree which he completed and graduated last month. For us, it is a great achievement.
Players should be aware that they will not last long in football. They should be prepared for life after the game; that is why we encouraged and helped Matawu in that regard,” Tshuma said.

Midfielder Tichaona Chipunza and defender Xolani Ndlovu shared the player of the year award that carried $15 000 with the latter also claiming $10 000 after he was voted players’ player of the year.

Golden boot winner Clive Augusto got $5 000 for his efforts.

Augusto left Chicken Inn to join Maritzburg United in South Africa in August after scoring 14 goals.

The most exciting player of the year award went to striker Obriel Chirinda, who walked away with $3 000 which was also awarded to the most improved player, left back Nyasha Gurende.

Goalkeeper Pride Zendera won the most disciplined player award, picking up a prize of $3 000.

Striker George Majika got $2 000 for his wonder goal against Hwange at Luveve Stadium on November 16.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

BULAWAYO municipal police are reportedly making a killing from commuter omnibus operators who pick and drop passengers at undesignated points.

The picking and dropping of passengers at undesignated points is an offence under council’s by-laws.

In the past, municipal police would clamp and tow away vehicles operating from these areas, with offenders paying fines.

However, of late, it is now free for all with even unregistered kombis allegedly operating freely after paying $5 to corrupt municipal police.

“The municipal police are now like our new rank marshals, where for one to be allowed to load passengers, they must have paid a fee of $5 to them,” Nkosi Ndlovu, a kombi driver, said.

A number of undesignated pick-up and drop-off points mushroomed in the central business district (CBD) after the closure of the Basch Street terminus, popularly known as Egodini.

South African civil engineering firm, Terracorta, was awarded a tender to develop Egodini into a state-of-the-art regional transport hub and mall at a cost of $60 million.

“I used to rank at Egodini, but after its closure, I now look for passengers outside Tredgold Building, but after paying the $5 to the municipal police,” one of the kombi drivers, Richard Moyo, said.

Bulawayo City Council director of security and enforcement, Sikhangele Zhou, recently said council was not aware of the shenanigans by municipal police and urged people to report to council.

“If any allegations are brought forward, they will be investigated and anyone found to be taking bribes will be brought to book,” she said.

However, this is all happening despite the council having a public transport policy that regulates the services of commuter transport operators in the city.

Under the policy, only vehicles registered under a company are allowed to provide public transport in the city to guarantee a controlled and organised transport system that ensures the safety of residents.

It was unveiled in 2011.

The public transport policy (PTP) calls for among others, having timetables and properly designated pick up and drop off points to ensure an efficient and reliable public transport system.

Currently, three commuter omnibus companies Tshova Mubaiwa Cooperative, Bulawayo City Transport Trust and Bulawayo United Pubic Transport Association are registered under BCC’s PTP.

Editorial Comment

YESTERDAY, Christmas Eve, was reminiscent of the 2008 version when thousands of citizens woke up in the early hours of the morning to join long meandering queues to access their trillion Zimbabwe dollars stuck in banks. By the end of day on that 2008 Christmas Eve, citizens across the country left banking halls dejected after only a few had managed to withdraw bundles of dollars that were not even enough to board a commuter omnibus back home as the Zimbabwe dollar made its last frantic kicks before it succumbed to marauding hyperinflation in the new year.

And yesterday, as the sun set thousands of citizens left banking halls empty handed and headed back home for a gloomy Christmas after failing to access just $100 of the resuscitated Zimbabwe dollar in a cruel repeat of the 2008 ordeal. Also queuing elsewhere were other citizens waiting for fuel supplies at service stations that have been perpetually dry for months. This was despite Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube having promised the nation a Christmas box full of enough fuel and food.

“We are doing everything we can to make sure that there is more fuel. You know we import the product so we will be allocating as much foreign currency as we can through the lines of credit.
Of course, the queues are long, but you know what is happening with the queues as well. Everyone gets afraid and then they queue even if they don’t have to, to make sure that their three or two cars have fuel so there is a sharp increase in demand for fuel,” so said Ncube.

But today, many will be celebrating Christmas on empty tanks and stomachs simply because Ncube delivered an empty Christmas box to the nation. There was no fuel in the box, serve at some isolated service stations. Neither was there the promised food, in whatever form he had envisaged to deliver it to more than seven million people staring hunger in the face.

It is also quite unsettling to note that the Finance minister is convinced that people park in fuel queues for the kicks. The minister also believes that everyone in this country has more than one car, which has given rise to the prevailing fuel crisis. Ncube’s attitude clearly shows that his life is worlds apart from that of the majority of Zimbabwean who barely managing to keep their noses above the water. It is now evident that he has never parked his car in a fuel queue, even for just five minutes. Neither has he ever experienced what it is like to sleep on an empty stomach, because if he ever did he would not even have made the empty promises to a hungry and immobile people who are fast forgetting what Christmas entailed. The same applies to his principal, President Emmerson Mnangagwa who keeps rambling on about the good times ahead despite evidence to the contrary.

BY TERRY MADYAUTA

Despite leading FC Platinum to their third Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title on the trot, interim coach Lizwe Sweswe has not passed the test and is set to revert to his position as assistant coach with the club on the hunt for a substantive coach to fill the void left by Norman Mapeza.

FC Platinum defeated Caps United last Saturday to clinch the title and many expected that Sweswe would be elevated to the top post, but the hierarchy at the platinum miners is not convinced he can take them where they want.

NewsDay Sport is informed that Dynamos and Highlanders coaches Tonderai Ndiraya and Pieter de Jongh have been sounded over the job in the last few months.

De Jongh’s contract with Highlanders expires at the end of this month.

FC Platinum spokesperson Chido Chizondo said that Sweswe still had a contract as an assistant coach that runs until next year.

“We are still participating in the Champions League and coach Sweswe has a running contract until 2020. If there are any changes, we will advise,” she said.

While in the domestic league he passed the test by winning the title, it is in the Caf Champions League where he appears to be falling short with the team struggling in the group phase where they are yet to regitster at least a draw after two matches.

FC Platinum kicked off the group stage with a 2-1 defeat to Al Hilal of Sudan before being pummelled 3-0 by Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel at Barbourfields Stadium two weeks ago. The Zvishavane-based side had set its sights on improving from their previous outing last year.

They wanted to step up and at least progress to the knockout stages of the tournament, but from the way they have fared so far they are likely to fall by the wayside.

While they sought improvement the results so far have shown that they have regressed after shipping in five goals and scoring one in the two matches.

To his credit though, it was Sweswe who led the team to the group stage of the premier continental club showcase, yet doubts over his capabilities still remain.

He will preside over the team in their next Champions League match against Egyptian giants Al Ahly next Saturday.

After that they will host the eight-time continental champions on Valentine’s Day.

Meanwhile, FC Platinum has signed Manica Diamonds midfielder Stanley Ngala as they make their first step towards fortifying their squad for next year.

Triangle’s Ralph Kawondera will also officially become an FC Platinum player once his contract runs out at the end of this month.

More arrivals are expected in the next three months as the platinum miners look to beef up their squad considering they lost a number of players this year and that they will be playing in the 2020-21 Caf Champions League that kicks off in August.

BY VENERANDA LANGA/PHYLLIS MBANJE

HEALTH minister Obadiah Moyo has told Parliament that Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) drugs, whose side effects cause abnormal fat distribution in patients’ bodies, were no longer in use in the country as more effective regimens were being administered.

Moyo revealed this in a ministerial statement issued on his behalf in the National Assembly on Thursday last week by Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation minister Kirsty Coventry.

The Health ministry has over the years successfully rolled out the ART programme with over 1,1 million people receiving the life-prolonging medication.

The Health Committee had demanded that the minister issue a statement in the House on anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs shortages and alleged issuance of expired drugs.

“We select the best available ARV regimens for people living with HIV in Zimbabwe, based on their safety, availability in the global market and cost,” Moyo said.

“We have abnormal distribution of fat among people living with HIV as one of the side effects of some ARVs that were used during the earlier years when the ART programme was introduced in Zimbabwe and these medicines that include stophavine and donus were phased out of our national programme some years back and, therefore, we stopped buying these drugs,” he said.

Moyo said the Health ministry had introduced a new drug called dolutegravir (DTG), which has fewer side effects.

“DTG is effective and causes a rapid treatment response with evidence of viral suppression. The ministry will continue to mobilise resources to ensure that the best ARV medicines are available to all that are in need of them. The ministry advises lifestyle changes including low fat diets, regular exercise and cessation of smoking,” he said.

“We normally adapt treatment recommendations from the World Health Organisation as advised by the multi-disciplinary team of experts from our own Zimbabwe National Medicines and Therapeutic Policies Advisory Committee.”

Norton MP Temba Mliswa demanded that Moyo must personally avail himself in Parliament so that MPs can ask follow up questions instead of sending Coventry to issue the statement on his behalf.

In a related matter, Indian pharmaceutical firm Cipla has come up with a strawberry-flavoured, four-in-one ARV drug for pediatrics which costs less than a dollar per day.

Treating HIV in children has been a challenge because the drugs come as hard pills or bitter syrups, which have proved to be kids and babies unfriendly.

However, quadrimune, a pleasantly tasting, heat-stable medicine is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in children between 3kg and 25kg bodyweight.

Commenting on the development, director for the AIDS and TB unit in the Health ministry Owen Mugurungi said it was the ideal option.

“This is what we have always preferred. A dispersible tablet which makes it easier for the young ones to take. We welcome this development,” he said.

The quadrimune was developed in partnership by Cipla and the not-for-profit Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) with financial support from Unitaid and other donors.

If it receives FDA tentative approval in 2020, the drug will represent a major improvement in the treatment of HIV in young children and will replace older, bitter-tasting medicines, medicines requiring refrigeration, or regimens that are no longer recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Bernard Pécoul, executive director of DNDi said: “Mothers were often forced to bury the syrup in the sand to keep it cool, because it required refrigeration.”

It is estimated that 1,8 million children are living with HIV, almost 90% of them living in sub-Saharan Africa. Only an estimated 54% of these children have access to HIV treatment and over 300 children are dying from the disease every day.

“We still have challenges in access to treatment for some children. Their guardians or foster parents may not be forthcoming in presenting the children to get tested and be out on treatment,” Mugurungi made an impassioned plea for guardians to seek treatment for the children.