by KEVIN MAPASURE

AT the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, Zambia, you use an elevator to access the VVIP enclosure and the Press boxes from the ground flow.

The 49 000-seater facility built by the Chinese and opened in 2012 is a magnificent piece of architecture that got the residents of Ndola bragging and would leave Zimbabweans envious.

Lusaka is home to another giant multi-purpose sports facility which the authorities named National Heroes Stadium in honour of their national football team that perished in a plane crash in 1993.

With these facilities, Zambia has been touted as a potential host for the Africa Cup of Nations, but of course they will need more stadia of such standards if they are to win any bid.

Zambia bid for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations but the hosting rights were awarded to Cameroon, who later lost their rights after they fell behind schedule in preparations.

Egypt hosted this year’s edition while Cameroon will host the next edition.

After losing the 2019 bid, Zambia were given the Under-20 version as a consolation and having successfully hosted that. President Edgar Lungu stated that they would go for the big one once again.

Zambia are vying to host the 2025 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Zambia’s example paints the picture of how Zimbabwe has fallen behind other African countries in terms of sports facilities, particularly football stadia.

Since the National Sports Stadium was constructed with the aid of the Chinese, opening its doors in 1987, there has not been any other stadium worth mentioning that has been put up in the country.

Mimosa Mine improved Mandava Stadium while the Baobab Stadium in Mhondoro Ngezi got a facelift after Ngezi Platinum Stars won promotion to the Premier Soccer League and that’s about it.
Even after gobbling millions of dollars in refurbishments, Mandava Stadium has failed one Caf examination after another.

Harare City Council’s Rufaro Stadium, which is the second largest stadium in Zimbabwe, was closed after the end of the 2016 PSL season to allow for renovations that included the removal of the artificial turf to replace it with a grass surface as well as the refurbishment of changing rooms.

But when it was re-opened, very little had improved in the facility.

The changing rooms had barely been touched, with not even a coat of paint.

The council had promised bucket seats but only the VIP enclosure had been decorated with the more comfortable plastic seats.

Everywhere else in the stadium, it’s still concrete seating despite further pledges by the Harare City Council to improve the seating areas.

Rufaro’s problems are not confined to the seating area as even the grass itself often looks thirsty and teams have been complaining.

This has seen Caf banning both Rufaro and the National Sports Stadium until improvements are made on the playing surface, changing rooms that were described as substandard, media and medical rooms.

Only Barbourfields Stadium has been certified fit to host international matches with the threat of Zimbabwe’s national teams playing their home matches outside the country looming large, because the Bulawayo stadium has its own limitations.

The Harare City Council has got an ambitious plan to construct a 45 000-seater High Glen Stadium, whose design and drawing of the plan had been a promise for this year.

But the same council has been struggling with Rufaro Stadium while, Gwanzura Stadium, the third biggest in Harare has been closed for the last three years which has made it barely believable that the same council has the capacity to put up a 45 000-seater facility.

The same council is failing to construct toilets at Gwanzura Stadium.

The local authority is also struggling to provide basics such as clean water and refuse collection, making it the more unbelievable that it can fund the construction of a stadium that would cost no less than US$40 million.

Council’s housing director, Addmore Nhekairo said the local authority was still waiting for Caf’s inspection report on Rufaro Stadium, but bemoaned economic challenges which he said were derailing their programmes.

He said while they were on course in plans to erect a new stadium, refurbishments at Rufaro Stadium and Gwanzura had been stalled by budgetary constraints.

“We had planned on improving the playing surface at Rufaro but the main challenge has been water supply. We wanted to drill an additional borehole so that we can improve water supply and the other issue is the unevenness of the surface and we need to address that,” he said. “We had budgeted for these improvements but a lot changed over the course of the year. We know we need to revamp the changing rooms as well but we have not been able to realise our intentions due to economic challenges.”

He said the planning for High Glen Stadium had progressed smoothly and preliminary designs were already in place.

“On the High Glen Stadium we are spot on. The preliminary designs have been done and the proposals have go to the relevant committees. We have to sit down with the users of the facilities like Zifa and PSL to get their input on what they want to see at the stadium.”

With the government struggling with essentials such as paying doctors, equipping hospitals and the maintenance of roads among a plethora of challenges, its unthinkable that establishment of stadia will get onto their priority list.

After decades of bragging about having good stadia in the country, Zimbabwe faces the embarrassment of failing to host its own teams.

When the National Sports Stadium was put up three decades ago, it was a marvel at that time, but other African nations have since moved on to erect modern facilities.

Never mind South Africa who boast world class stadia all over their country, even Botswana have since overtaken Zimbabwe in terms of modern sports facilities.

The Botswana National Stadium had a facelift that saw the installation of bucket seats, improvements of changing rooms and a host of changes.

It’s now refreshed and modernised.

In Zimbabwe, corruption has hampered the development of sporting facilities over the years.

An audit report for the 2015 Region V Youth Games by Deloitte revealed that service providers were paid handsomely even after providing shoddy jobs.

Some companies were contracted to install heating in swimming pools, they took the money and never did the job they were paid for.

It was reported that the athletics track installed by one company needed to be ripped off as it is substandard.

The government has watched over the years as stadia and other sporting facilities degenerated into eye sores.

At the start of the Premier Soccer League this season, the league management struggled with fixtures after a host of stadia failed to pass local tests.

Maggot breeder Josphat Nyika at work

BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI

WHENEVER Josphat Nyika (34) told people what he did for a living, the revelation often elicited expressions of surprise and shock.

In the most extreme cases, his hearers thought the young man had lost his marbles. While it is normal for one to be passionate about farming and agriculture, what made Nyika’s line of farming a curiosity is his choice – aquaculture – in which he breeds flies and use their maggots to produce stockfeed.

Those who know him call him murimi wenhunzi (fly breeder), something he said often stoked the flames of curiosity in strangers, affording him the opportunity to preach his gospel of aquaculture to them.

“When I was just starting, some thought that I was no longer in my normal senses,” he quipped. “But now they can see that there is money in trash.”

Nyika received his first award from Gi Hub Phase 111 — under the auspices of SNV — of US$5 000 before becoming the second runner (start-up category) in this year’s edition of the CBZ Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (YEP) which came with $10 000.

For many people, flies are a nuisance and they invest a lot in insecticides and such other chemicals to get rid of all manner of flies from their homes.

But Nyika has something to share with them: “I always say to them, the future is the fly and the future is now.”

For the up-and-coming entrepreneur, breeding flies has become big business just three months after venturing into the farming enterprise. This was after he imported the black soldier fly (BSF) from South Africa following the processing of the required documentation.

Described by the Forbes website as “superstar larvae”, the tiny creatures have been trending in the international aquaculture industry because of their high protein value as high quality but cheaper feed, which is sustainable on the market.

Nyika told NewsDay Weekender this week that he decided to breed the BSF — which is not associated with the transfer of disease like other species of flies — to help communal livestock farmers battling to access stockfeed.

“I was inspired by the zeal to find solutions to challenges faced by smallholder poultry, fish and pig farmers to access stockfeed due to its high cost,” he said.

In other countries such as the United States, the larvae of the BSF are harvested and sold as food for exotic pets such as lizards, birds, even hedgehogs and maggot farming has become part of a burgeoning industry.

Scientists have also established that the BSF larva has a rare ability to transform organic waste into high-quality protein.

According to Nyika, the BSF could also play a critical role in environmental conservation “as recycling of organic waste would reduce greenhouse gases emitted into the environment by decomposing organic waste”.

Nyika acknowledged that there was a huge market for stockfeeds produced from the maggots because every household in Zimbabwe and beyond with poultry needed them, adding that he had received enquiries from as far as Mozambique, Tanzania and Botswana.

The emerging entrepreneur established a business called Zim Maggot Producers (Pvt) Ltd, which currently employs five workers. He, however, said given the demand for his produce, his target was to grow the business to employ at least 15 people by July 2020 once the construction of his factory was completed.

He indicated that he used a small portion of his plot at Zvakwana Farm in Bindura for his business.

“I have a breeding section where the larva will be allowed to progress to the next stage and become adults. This process repeats continuously. I also have a section where the larva will be harvested and processed into stockfeed,” he said.

Nyika has used the innovative project to help improve standards of living for marginalised rural communities through training communal and small-scale farmers in Bulawayo, Chegutu, Harare, Masvingo and Gweru.

With a first class Bachelor of Education (Hon) Degree in Agriculture, Nyika said plans were underway to take the project to other parts of the country, with training workshops lined up for Bindura and Chinhoyi in January next year.

“I am training them on rearing of BSF and stockfeed formulation. As they will be able to raise more chickens, their income will be improved,” he said, adding that he would use the workshops to impart the knowledge he received during training in maggot farming in South Africa.

Nyika noted that although maggot farming was still at a very low scale in the country, it had found a significant number of takers — some of whom were actually using houseflies to produce maggots — but he had been supplying them with the BSF larva to do away with houseflies which are vectors of diseases.

After harvesting the maggots, Nyika said they could be fed as live larva to livestock or alternatively killed using steam, dried in solar dryers and processed into stockfeed “through three stages which is crushing, mixing and pelletising”.

He underscored that although he had always been experimental while growing up, he had never imagined himself in this type of farming.

“In this current situation, entrepreneurs will make a living. It is under this situation that farmers will be tempted to make trials with new innovations, when all is well, farmers will be having no reason to test new things as they will be affording their regular supplies. An entrepreneur is one who sees an opportunity out of a problem in the society,” he said.

Nyika — who has been working with the Youth ministry and the Zimbabwe Youth Council as well as the Agriculture ministry — urged the government to promote up-and-coming innovators through helping young people to access services from the government and consider tax cuts for such innovations.

He highlighted that participating in the CBZ YEP programme afforded him the opportunity to receive mentorship and coaching that would help him improve the way he had been running his project.

He said apart from producing stockfeed from maggots known as MaggFeeds, he also sold live larva to those who wanted to start a similar project.

Nyika said he was currently awaiting the issuance of a stockfeed manufacturing licence from the Agriculture ministry to scale up his business.

BY MOSES MATENGA

IN 2010, Zimbabwe joined more than 122 nations at the United Nations General Assembly in overwhelmingly adopting a resolution calling on member States and international organisations to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.

Concern was expressed over the failure by some States to provide the precious liquid to their citizens and that close to 884 million people were without access to safe drinking water.
According to the United Nations, the vote confirmed access to clean, potable water as a human right.

Close to a decade later, Zimbabwe is faced with a deeper crisis as millions across the country and at least two million people in Harare alone are faced with a serious water crisis and ultimately a potential health hazard reminiscent of the 2008 cholera outbreak that left about 5 000 people dead.

Citizens as a result of the crisis have resorted to shallow wells and unsafe boreholes, risking lives in the process.

Government and council have effectively failed to address the water crisis and their proposed solutions have proven a pie in the sky.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa this month revealed that government would avail funds to draw and treat water from Manyame Dam for Harare, dumping the contaminated Chivero Dam to reduce the cost of treating water as efforts to provide clean water remain on the radar.

But the process will take long, and in the meantime, the country’s largest city risks another cholera or typhoid outbreak.

Town clerk Hosea Chisango blamed ageing infrastructure for the water shortages.

Harare’s main water treatment plant Morton Jaffray was constructed in 1952 to cater for a population of 300 000, but the city’s population has now shot to over four million people.

Community Water Alliance director Hardlife Mudzingwa said the solutions to the water crisis were in three parts that stakeholders must explore.

“Firstly, the solution lies with rehabilitation of current infrastructure. This encompasses replacing obsolete infrastructure to ensure water that is produced is not lost through leakages. It also entails rehabilitation of sewage and water treatment plants. Sewage plants are currently polluting raw water,” he said.

His comments came days after the MDC shadow minister for local government, Elias Mudzuri, himself a former Harare mayor, led a delegation that included his deputy Clifford Hlatshwayo, current mayor Herbert Gomba and councillor Kudzai Kadzombe on a tour of the plant.

“The infrastructure has decayed. Council has put in place steps to replace and put new sewage pipes, but the project is half way through because of lack of foreign currency to import equipment. The contractor had targeted December 31, 2019, but the economic situation in the country has made them fail to meet the target,” Hlatshwayo said after the tour.

“There is need to build new water sources. Morton Jaffray and Prince Edward cannot meet the current daily demand of 1 200 megalitres per day,” Mudzingwa said.

Last year, there were reports that government had secured funding for the construction of the $680 million Kunzvi-Musami Dam and for its incorporation into Harare’s water supply system, but it remains a pipedream.

He also said there was need for good financial resources management to address loopholes highlighted by various audit reports commissioned by the city authorities.

The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), in its message to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, highlighted that the water crisis was a form of “violence” against women, adding that government must immediately address it.

“CHRA is, however, concerned over the erratic water situation in Harare that has led to victimisation of women and girls. Due to their societal roles, women and girls bear the brunt of water shortages and quite often have to walk long distances, and sometimes during the night in search for water,” the residents association said.

“This has exposed them to physical as well as verbal abuse at water points such as boreholes where there is a sharp increase in water wars.”

The residents group said government must invest in restoring Harare’s water infrastructure as well as in the building of more water sources since Harare’s main water supply, Lake Chivero, has been overwhelmed.

“We take note of the government’s commitment to build the Kunzvi Dam, which is supposed to augment Harare’s water supply but we, however, would like to point out that the $259 million allocated for the project in the national budget is a paltry amount.”

“Dam building is a capital project that requires serious investment and commitment from duty bearers.”

“Government should declare the water crisis a national disaster and open up to humanitarian assistance. There is need for the prioritisation of construction of water sources for example Kunzvi and Musami dams,” the residents said.

On its part, government said: “In light of the water supply challenges affecting Harare and its satellite towns, it will be recalled that Mnangagwa recently visited Morton Jaffray to assess the situation obtaining thereat. Local Government and Public Works minister (July Moyo) reported that water supply capacity at Morton Jaffray is limited due to the poor quality of the raw water in Lake Chivero.

“An assessment of Manyame and Warren control pump stations revealed that pollution of water at Lake Chivero is worse compared to Manyame. Cabinet concurs that pumping water from Lake Manyame reduces the usage of aluminium sulphate by 26,8%. This will consequently reduce the cost of treating water as aluminium sulphate is the main chemical,” he said.

Government resolved to have Harare draw water from Lake Manyame and the Treasury availed US$9,3 million for urgent works at Manyame and Warren control pump stations, which are to be completed in two months.

In its $4,5 billion budget presentation this week, Treasury did not present a clear picture of its strategy to address water challenges and said the budget may be affected by the current hyperinflationary environment.

Council’s finance and development committee chairperson Luckson Mukunguma said the local authority had decided to raise water charges from $5,10 to $20 per five cubic litres, in a bid to improve water delivery.

The water crisis in Harare has been there for too long and proposed solutions have been given but the situation remains dire.

Gemma

BY FREEMAN MAKOPA

ACOUSTIC song writer and singer Gemma Griffiths — after years of charming some of society’s elitist music circles — sang her way into the limelight following her hit duet with dancehall chanter Winky D, Mugarden, and shot to stardom almost overnight.

Gemma, who is single, has continued to dominate the music arena after attracting a huge following, with people fascinated by her Shona lines on the duet. Some even thought she was just mimicking.

Shona fluency

Having studied Shona at school, Gemma believes she has mastered enough to pass as a fluent Shona speaker.

“I remember my Shona lessons clearly,” she said.

The constant correction by those who pick on her grammatical errors is a reminder that perhaps the songbird still needs to work on her language.

“I want to be fluent (in my head, I’m fluent) but when other people constantly correct my grammar, it’s a reminder that I’m not,” she said.

Sadza as a reminder of home

Gemma is a globetrotter, but nomatter where she goes, there is always a pull for home in Zimbabwe’s staple meal.

“I love sadza,” she told NewsDay Weekender Life & Style. “It just reminds me of home.”

But can she cook sadza?

“Yes, I do cook it but I love to go out to Gava’s (Restaurant) to eat it as a treat. I also go to a place right on my road, so it makes it quite easy. I eat Sadza maybe a few times a week; it depends on whether I am busy or have lots of time.”

“My favourite places? I love Victoria Falls. How can you not fall in love with that place? I also really love watching the sun set in Domboshava. I also love London.”

Wanderlust

Gemma said she was a traveller at heart —almost always on the road, making music.

“There’s no such thing as a normal day for me. I’ve been on the road making my album. It’s been such a wonderful experience and over the last few months, I’ve been to Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa and Kenya, just travelling, making music, connecting with people and also having life experience.”

Dealing with manager via WhatsApp

Gemma’s manager, Taponeswa, is based in London, but the two have found a way to work together effectively despite the distance.

“Taponeswa and I met a few years ago. She has just moved back to London from South Africa where she had been working for MTV, but pretty much we developed a relationship that built the framework for today,” Gemma said.

“We speak every morning, whether on WhatsApp or in voice, but it’s a really solid relationship. There are challenges with the distance but we make it work.”

BY HENRY MHARA

SECURITY forces could have helped themselves to huge sums of money meant for the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games that were hosted in Bulawayo in December 2014, a forensic audit has revealed.

As was first reported by NewsDay yesterday, the forensic audit by Deloitte on the games has unearthed massive financial impropriety involving over US$5 million, through poor financial management, excessive pricing, contract incompetency, non-delivery of goods and services, fraud, and other various corrupt activities.

The audit report is dated March 13, 2018.

Senior government officials and members of the games’ local organising committee (Loc) have been fingered in the embezzlement.

The audit noted that members of the security forces could also have been involved in the corrupt activities, as they allegedly collected over US$100 000 whose claim forms were not adequately completed.

The audit shows that US$105 899,50 was paid to the security forces and other security companies believed to have links with officers from the army and the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), in the period between November and December of 2014.

This was in addition to them receiving accommodation, food and subsistence allowances from the organisers for the duration of the games.

“We examined Loc payment vouchers and noted travel and subsistence payments to security forces (the army, police and OPC) personnel amounting to US$105 899,50 whose claim forms were not adequately completed. These allowances were claimed and collected by a representative of each of the groups. This made it difficult for us to verify the actual beneficiaries and the authenticity of the claims,” the report read.

According to the report, the OPC received US$36 105 which was collected on five different occasions by one M Machingura and P Chikadaya. Interestingly, there is a security company named P Chikadaya that also received payments on different occasions, for US$30 067. P Chikadaya signed for the money.

The Presidential Guard received US$14 790, while the Zimbabwe National Army was given US$7 395, which was signed for by a Major Zireva. Airforce security and Airforce VVIP security got US$2 379 and US$1 326, respectively.

Other security companies paid for rendering security services were listed as A Nyoni Security personnel (US$11 497), C Mabika Security (US$8 480) and L Mushamba Part T and S Security Team, which got US$1 000.

According to the document, some of these companies were given contracts to provide security without meeting minimum tender requirements.

The companies failed to provide details such as company profiles, qualifications and historical financial records.

Officials from the Defence ministry held key posts in Loc, the report shows. Loc chief accountant David Mubariki, procurement officer Phindile Mpofu and transport and logistics manager Regis Mangezi were all members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

The audit report showed that the government, through Treasury, released US$17 733 566 for sport infrastructure refurbishment and other operational expenses for the games.

The hosting required refurbishment of facilities such as Barbourfields, Luveve, White City stadia, Bulawayo Athletics Club, Bulawayo Swimming Pool and the Games Village at Hillside Teachers College, as well as the procurement of ancillary equipment, goods and services.

The report says over US$3 million was paid to contractors and service providers who either completely failed to execute their given tasks, overstated claims or did substandard work.

Some government officials also allegedly diverted US$1 million from the budget to projects not related to the games, money which was never recovered.

Government in May 2016 ordered a forensic audit after smelling a rat in workmanship vis-a-vis the amounts paid and owing to contractors.

BY Harriet Chikandiwa

FORMER Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko yesterday applied for his case to be referred to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) where he wants to argue that his rights are being trampled upon because he still has presidential immunity which protects him against prosecution.

Mphoko wants the highest court to rule on whether or not he was still entitled to presidential immunity as stipulated by section 98 of the Constitution.

Mphoko’s lawyer Advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara submitted that they wanted legal clarity so that the court could deal with facts.

“Whether presidential immunity as set out in section 98 of the Constitution extends to acts and or omissions by the Vice-President (and former Vice-President) who alleges and intends to prove that such acts or omissions during the discharge of his or her duties were actuated in accordance with section 99 of the Constitution,” Zhuwarara said.

However, the State, represented by Lovack Masuku, submitted that the court has to form an opinion as to whether the request is frivolous or not.

Masuku told the court that if the facts are not disputed, no issue would have arisen in the matter and the defence of good faith can be heard in the trial court not in the ConCourt.

The State argued that Mphoko’s request for referral does not raise an issue of fundamental human rights, therefore, the issue of immunity does not exist since he is now out of office.

But Zhuwarara insisted that his client was entitled to immunity.

“Whether the defence of good faith as enunciated in section 98 (4) of the Constitution is available to a Vice-President (and former Vice-President), who alleges and intends to prove that such acts and or omissions were actuated during the discharge of their duties in accordance of section 99 of the Constitution,” Zhuwarara said. Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya will make a ruling on December 16.

Opinion: Paidamoyo Muzulu

DEAR Dad

Dad, life has been a roller-coaster since you left us that day (December 7, 2017) without as much as a good-bye due to the shock asthma attack and failure to get you to hospital just in time for resuscitation. Then, dad, it was a combination of a bad road and the poor communication at the farm and we still live with the guilty that we could have done better.

Your promotion to glory just came a mere two weeks after the political seismic change, when founding Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe had been deposed in a coup that many Zimbabweans celebrated. Many saw it as a new dawn, but my trepidation over the military counselled me otherwise. It is very funny to think of it now that you dissuaded me from enrolling at Zimbabwe Military Academy as an officer cadet in 1998 because you feared I could have been rushed to the Democratic Republic of Congo then and died in a war you never understood why it was being waged.

Deep down I loved the military uniform dad and hoped I could have served my country just as much as Uncle Itayi had done during the liberation struggle and after Independence. Let us just put that aside for now and rush to fill you in about developments since then.

My three princesses have grown up fast and sometimes they reminisce about our visits to the farm. They are doing well in school and I am proud that you taught us the value of education. Sometimes when we sit in the lounge, particularly soon after schools close like this week dad, they are restless to show their results and dream of the old days when you would give them presents for doing well.

I hate to say this dad, but I guess I should confide in you that I look into the future with trepidation as things are going south very quickly. The festive season no longer has the merry, not only because you are not there, but the economy has tumbled.

Inflation for the past six months has been galloping and there seems to be no taming as the government looks clueless except for their copy and paste solutions from the Bretton Woods institutions. The last time they tried that during Bernard Chidzero’s time, you remember the chaos that followed.

Today’s misery is worse than the 1992 Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (Esap) phase or 2008 when the economy dollarised on its own. We have a new Finance minister, a don straight from Oxford dad. He has many theories about economics and is implementing a new version of Esap only that they changed names for it. These days they interchangeably use the term austerity or staff-monitored programme. If you ask me, the difference is the same. The poor are carrying the cane for the rich. I did not tell you, the minister still stays at Meikles Hotel and frequently visits his family in Switzerland. We can say he is a visiting Treasury boss or in their terminology a professor on sabbatical and taking a summer class at a foreign university.

He recently even had the audacity to remove subsidies on maize-meal and wheat. That was a callous decision dad, a kick in the teeth for the poor, considering the stagnant salaries and a ravaging drought we experienced in the 2018/19 agriculture season.

Sadza, dad, is now a prized commodity. They are teaching us to be capitalists. We can no longer share freely when visitors come or even make tea for guests as we chat.

Unfortunately, he is experimenting with people’s lives. As I write to you dad, doctors have been on industrial action for more than three months. Many people have died from preventable causes as the doctors hold out for a living wage. You can imagine when they do this to professionals such as doctors dad, most workers can actually be tossed without a second thought.

Harare has changed; it now resembles some rural settlement and your grandchildren no longer know what showers are for. We now have wells, they can’t watch television because we have rolling power cuts lasting 18 hours a day. And cash is now a commodity that is being traded at every corner at a premium.

In all this economic and social madness dad, speculations within Zanu PF circles on succession and power are raging. Next week, they are having their annual political jamboree at Goromonzi High School. They will be talking about 2023 elections dad, when I can’t contemplate January 2020. Yes, dad, they are even seeing themselves in power in 2030 and by then my guess is most of the working poor would have been moved out of Harare not by Murambatsvina like in 2005, but by biting poverty.

For now dad, we will keep hoping, seeking inspiration, working harder like Boxer in Animal Farm. No, dad, I should have quoted your favourite, Hard Times by Charles Dickens. They are incorrigible as you would say.

Till then Chirandu, keep looking after us. I can’t email this because there is no electricity, so it’s back to the Post Office. They now call it Zimpost, so it may take ages to get to you. Your Son,

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

BY Phyllis Mbanje

Health minister Obadiah Moyo is taking the heat from an audit report which exposed massive corruption at Chitungwiza Central Hospital during his term at the helm of the institution.

But Moyo yesterday dismissed the report, dated October 24, 2017 and addressed to the then Health secretary Gerald Gwinji, claiming its authors had “ulterior motives”.

Of concern in the report done at the behest of Gwinji, was the fact that the hospital had lost a lot of revenue due through opaque public private partnerships (PPPs) contracts.

“Revenue collected by the hospital declined from a monthly average of $315 740 in 2013 to $75 090 in 2017. As a result, the hospital was failing to pay its suppliers of goods and services, thus compromising service delivery,” the report read.

The report said the hospital had entered into six PPP contracts from 2013 for provision of, pharmacy, radiology, funeral pallor, hospital mortuary, catering, pathology laboratory and outsourcing of a coffee shop and kiosk.

But a review of the contract documents revealed that the hospital executive lacked legal advice in the formulation of the agreements.

The auditors noted that the hospital surrendered its premises, equipment, staff and entire operations to the PPPs in return for a percentage of the profit generated from provision of services to patients. This posed a risk of improper safeguarding of assets and compromise service delivery.

Another example of corrupt activities included a contract between the hospital and BIG Diagnostics (Pvt) Ltd which allowed the partner to evaluate the hospital equipment in radiology, but there was no provision for involvement of technical personnel from the hospital or Ministry of Health.

“This posed the risk of unfavourable and biased evaluation against the hospital. The partners evaluation concluded that there was no guarantee for the continued use of the hospital equipment,” the auditors noted.

Another issue of concern was the conversion of the hospital mortuary into a funeral parlour, resulting in storage charges being levied for dead bodies contrary to the ministry’s standard policy that provides the services for free.

As part of their recommendations, the auditors said the ministry should institute a board of investigation to evaluate the establishment and operation of the PPPs at the institution.

However, Moyo rubbished the report, saying the partnerships were beneficial and other public hospitals were actually looking into similar arrangements.

Speaking during a Health Professions Authority annual congress in Harare on Wednesday, he said those behind the leaked report had ulterior motives.

Moyo has been under pressure from the restive doctors who are agitating for his resignation blaming him for running down the country’s health system.

Devotion Column: Erasmus Makarimayi

THE grace of God has brought us to adoption as sons and daughters. We are not servants but we belong to the inner circle of liberty. Believers are not a community of miserable and helpless people. Salvation came at the price of the blood of Jesus, an investment whose dividends Christians have to know and fully partake of. Salvation means that we are saved from sin and its effects. We are redeemed, free from death. The joy of salvation permeates through us and we are not sullen and dejected. We rejoice and rejoice according to the persuasion of the new covenant.

Sometimes believers fail to express themselves joyfully fearing that God may withdraw His mercy. Naïve believers are lied to by the devil and fear instilled in them to the point that they end up in false humility, which is pride in itself. You’re bought with a price not to lose you, but keep you. Trust the Lord for your salvation, you’re safe in His hands. We’re not outcasts roaming the earth scavenging but rather we have an inheritance among the sanctified.

We don’t live as if we’re on probation. We’re certain of God’s sure salvation. In John 6:37, Jesus assures us: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” God gave us to Christ and we have come to Him and He will not cast us out. The comforting and assuring thing about this is that no limit is set to the duration of this promise. The moment you get into Christ, He makes sure you are not cast out from that moment onwards and forever. In the original manuscripts it reads, “I will not, not cast out,” or “I will never, never cast out”. This means that Christ will not at first reject a believer; and that as He will not do it at first, so He will not to the last.

One major concern for believers is fear of sinning. There are people, who are so pessimistic, that even if everything is pointing to success they see themselves failing. When negativity floods your mind, please dare think positive. Reconsider to ask yourself: “In case I win instead of in case I lose?” I always emphasise and repeat that victorious Christians are Christ conscious not sin conscious.

You’re the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. 1 John 2:1-2 teaches: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Jesus took care of our sins and His blood always speaks mercy not vengeance.

Don’t crowd yourself with fear of backsliding. Please confess Hebrews 10:39, “But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” The devil will always threaten you that you are not thinking soberly when you assert your salvation. When he does that retort and tell him to be sober instead and get behind you.

Here’s the advance cure for backsliding. Hosea 14:4 declares, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” God loves you, His anger is turned away from you in Christ Jesus. It’s not our effort, good deeds or works but the finished work of Christ. Always embrace Him, He never leaves you nor forsakes you.

Please never allow Satan to steal your joy. When temptations are thrown at you, you won’t succumb. 1 Corinthians 10:13 assures you: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Your confidence is that once in Christ, always in Christ. He will not cast you out. Don’t live in fear but live in hope and confidence. Romans 8:15 encourages: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” No fear but security as a child.

You’re eternally in Christ. John 10:28-29 assures, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” You have eternal life. Moreover you shall not perish and you cannot be pulled out of God’s hands. Grace and peace be multiplied to you through knowledge.

All Bible quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise stated.

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