SNEAK PEEK :Precious Chida

UNITED KINGDOM-BASED up-and-coming gospel musician Sharon Manatsa recently had her first performance on home soil at Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre. Dubbed “One Night With Sharon Manatsa”, the event saw her sharing the stage with her father-in-law, veteran musician Zexie Manatsa. The 29-year-old Manatsa is married to fellow musician, Zexie Manatsa (Jnr). She said being part of the Manatsa family made her grow into a better artiste. Although she was born in Harare and grew up in Bulawayo, she and her family migrated to the UK when she was nine. NewsDay (ND) Life & Style reporter Precious Chida caught up with Manatsa (SM), who shared her experiences as a gospel artiste in the diaspora. Below are excerpts from the interview;
ND: What made you venture into music?

SM: I started singing in the UK. My church, Forward in Faith Ministries, had opened another branch and there was need for people in the praise and worship team and I decided to give it a try. I enjoyed singing, although I was not a really good singer. However, later, after I met my husband, he helped me to nurture my talent.

ND: You have said the first time you ventured into music, you were not a good singer. What steps did you take to improve your singing?

SM: I went through a lot of practice. I did vocal training and exposed myself to new environments, which helped me to learn music.

ND: How was the adrenalin rush like ahead of your debut performance on home soil?

SM: Epic is an understatement. What can I say? It was the most exciting, yet scary experience, because I was not sure if people would accept me and my ministry. But I thank God for the people who came out to support me. It was an amazing experience.

ND: Tell us more about your music journey?

SM: My initial album was birthed in 2017 titled Friends in Christ. This year, I launched my solo career and released the album, Inyasha, alongside videos for the songs Inyasha and Simukai Jehovah, in which I collaborated with my father-in-law and Rudo, which I did with my husband Zex (Jnr). I will also be releasing a video soon in which I collaborated with (journeyman musician) John Cole.

ND: What can you say you have adopted from your father-in-law and applied to your music?

SM: Dad is a legend. I strive to hold the same veteran musicianship in my own right as a musician.

ND: Do you see yourself becoming a household name?

SM: That is my every day prayer, not for my personal gratification, but for the edification of the body of Christ.

ND: How has working with your husband been like?

SM: My husband is my confidante, my prayer partner and my main support, all of which has helped advance my music career.

ND: What are your impressions about the local gospel industry?

SM: So much talent which surrounds us! I pray we all come together and do the biggest outreach in Zimbabwe and all over the world through music.

ND: As a growing musician based in the diaspora, what is your strategy to penetrate the Zimbabwean market?

SM: Regularly, I visit Zimbabwe and this year I have visited twice. Getting personal with the people of Zimbabwe is a good starting point and sharing my music with them on an open platform.

ND: Are there any limitations you face for being a Zimbabwean musician in a foreign country?

SM: It is a challenge in many aspects, but there are also opportunities that are yet to be explored. The sky is the limit.

ND: Your parting shot?

SM: I have an upcoming video for my song, Tinofamba Munyasha, which was choreographed by John Cole and directed by the talented Andy Cutta. My fans can look out for it.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

CAPS United top goalscorer John Zhuwawo is upbeat ahead of their clash against Harare giants Dynamos and vowed to beat Premier Soccer League (PSL) top goalscorer Clive Augusto to the Golden Boot award.

The bitter rivals face off at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday in a match that is likely to be full of sub plots and might have a huge bearing on the destiny of the championship this season.

Caps lead the league table with 55 points, two ahead of Chicken Inn and FC Platinum, with only three rounds of matches left in the campaign.

And Zhuwawo, who has been the torch bearer of the Green Machine attack in this campaign, having scored 10 goals thus far, four behind leading PSL top scorer Augusto, now plying his trade in South Africa, and two behind Dynamos’ Evans Katema, believes he can catch up.

“We have three more games to go and on Sunday we are playing Dynamos. It won’t be easy because it’s a derby. But we are determined to go all the way as a team. We know what it means to win the league title, so we are focused. It’s possible I can win the Golden Boot at the end. I have been working hard and I hope I keep scoring in the remaining matches, but what is important is to achieve the overall team objective of winning the league title,” Zhuwawo said.

“The Harare derby is self-motivating and there can’t be any other motivation one needs than just playing against Dynamos. We are all looking forward to it as a team,” he added.

After squandering a two-goal lead on Sunday to allow Yadah to force a share of the spoils, Caps will be determined to avoid another setback in their championship bid.

With Dynamos also battling for a respectable finish after another disappointing campaign, sparks are certain to fly on Sunday.

In the reverse fixture, the two teams could not be separated and the match ended all-square at 1-1. The weekend match will be more significant, especially for Caps, who if they win it, will give them confidence going into the final two games. Besides the need to win the championship, there is always the desire to settle the burning issue of supremacy between the two rivals.

There is the issue of pride at stake and Dynamos, who also drew their last league match against army side Black Rhinos, will be eager to bounce back and collect maximum points against their number one enemy.

Fixtures
Saturday: Bulawayo Chiefs v Chicken Inn (Luveve), Harare City v Yadah (Rufaro)
Sunday: Black Rhinos v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Rufaro), Caps v Dynamos (NSS), Mushowani v TelOne (Trojan), Hwange v Herentals (Colliery), Triangle v ZPC Kariba (Gibbo), Highlanders v Manica Diamonds (Barbourfields), Chapungu v FC Platinum (Ascot).

BY SILAS NKALA

THE Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has challenged the government to scale up efforts to address sanitation problems in rural and urban areas amid revelations that 26% of households do not have toilet facilities.

ZLHR, which made the calls as the world celebrated World Toilet Day on Tuesday, also raised concern over outbreaks of preventable medieval diseases such as typhoid.

“On the World Toilet Day, ZLHR reminds government to scale up efforts to address the sanitation problem in urban and rural communities,” ZLHR said in a statement.

Commemorated every year on November 19, World Toilet Day aims to inspire collective action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

This year’s theme, Leaving No One Behind, resonates with current global efforts towards achieving universal access to sanitation.

“Adequate sanitation is a human right and the State has an obligation to ensure that everyone has physical and affordable access to sanitation, in all spheres of life,” ZLHR said.

“The benefits of a functional sanitation system is not limited to restoring dignity, but also leads to saving money that may end up being spent to get treatment for preventable diseases related to poor sanitation.”

“This admission was made during the presentation of the combined 11th to 15th periodic report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights during its 65th ordinary session in the Gambia,” ZLHR said.

“It is a testimony that the scale of the problem of poor sanitation in Zimbabwe is serious. Open defecation remains a deeply-rooted practice.”

The organisation expressed concern that in this day and age, Zimbabwe continues to record typhoid outbreaks; a “medieval” waterborne disease that is largely preventable.

“The outbreaks of preventable waterborne diseases is a terrible consequence of local and central government’s failure to commit adequate resources, and lack of capacity to manage the country’s health care system and provide basic services such as water and sanitation infrastructure,” the statement read.

“ZLHR holds both local and central government accountable for outbreaks of such waterborne diseases. Government has dismally failed to fulfil fundamental constitutional obligations, particularly section 48, section 51, section 73, section 76 and section 77 of the Constitution, which places an obligation on State actors to ensure that citizens’ rights are not compromised, but progressively realised.”

ZLHR called on government to allocate adequate resources to ensure to everyone has a safe toilet by 2030 and provide clean, potable water and sanitary environs to curb the spread of preventable and deadly diseases.

The lawyers also challenged government to increase funding for provision of water, sanitation and hygiene and strive to achieve 15% allocation to health as stipulated in the Abuja Declaration to enhance the quality of life for citizens.

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

PEOPLE from various places in Mashonaland East sat in the shade at Marondera Provincial Hospital to avoid the scorching October sun. The temperatures were so intense that they brought discomfort to many.

Some of the sick groaned in pain, with hopes that a doctor would appear to attend to them, with their health deteriorating with each passing hour.

Inside the hospital, there was chaos, with a few nurses doing most of the work under instruction from a medical superintendent.

There was a hive of activity following word that a doctor had arrived, but the patients’ joy was short-lived when they discovered the “Messiah” had merely come to pick up his mobile phone charger.

This was soon after the doctors had declared “incapacitation” and went on industrial action about three months ago.

“We were relieved to see the doctor arriving, but he left without attending to anyone. They are saying he had come to fetch his mobile phone charger. He left without even talking to any patient,” Maria Nyambuya (56), who had brought her ailing mother from Mutoko, said.

As of yesterday, there was only one doctor — the medical superintendent — out of a possible six on a good day, attending to patients. It was an overwhelming call given the high numbers of patients from the entire province needing attention. The hospital was operating at a very low scale.

The doctors’ strike has crippled the public health sector, raising fears of a spike in hospital deaths across the country.

The government’s heavy-handed response through firing nearly 300 medical practitioners has not helped matters, only piling up more misery on patients desperate for professional medical attention.

According to a circular dated November 17 issued by the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA), there is no going back until government meets their demands and equip the hospitals.

“Our unity has brought us this far. We have overcome all the hurdles coming our way and collectively we continue doing so,” read the circular.

In some cases, mortuaries have exceeded their carrying capacities while those with low incomes at the mercy of fate as they cannot access pricey healthcare costs at private institutions some of which have been charging their fees in foreign currency.

Addressing scores of party supporters during the official opening of Mahusekwa District Hospital in Mashonaland East province recently, President Emmerson Mnangagwa described the striking doctors as unpatriotic.

“Do you see these two doctors who are working here (at Mahusekwa Hospital)? They didn’t do what their colleagues did, turning their backs against the sick. I thank them for they are not possessed by the spirit of legion but by the spirit of Jehovah,” he said as he paraded the two doctors who work at a district hospital that caters for thousands of villagers.

According to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the honourable thing for Health minister Obadiah Moyo was to step down and admit that he has failed the Health ministry.

Apart from the mass deaths at local medical institutions, there is also a massive shortage of medicine and drugs. In a survey conducted in Hwedza district last month, hypertension patients were struggling to secure the life-saving HCTs in rural clinics with most now depending on getting them from central hospitals and pharmacies.

In a Cabinet briefing recently, Moyo said government was seized with the current health crisis and that they would soon buy medicine to restock the empty hospitals.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure, whose organisation has thrown its weight behind the doctors’ strike, said there was need for government to prioritise genuine concerns of the civil service.

“We applaud the doctors for remaining resolute and united pressing for a living wage. The doctors’ actions are an inspiration to the working class in our fight against neo-liberalism.

“We call upon government to prioritise the genuine concerns of our doctors and the broader civil service before the collapse of all public services,” he said.

The noise of the ambulance sirens have lessened, the incinerators are no longer puffing up smoke while the stench of betadine and other strong drugs have since died away.

Today, the hospitals have become habitats of the beetles and spiders. The shadow of the doctor has become an important thing, but his presence is not being felt as the undertakers get down arranging dead bodies in the overloaded mortuaries that are also grappling with power cuts.

BY BRENNA MATENDERE

HEAVY rains and whirlwinds have left a trail of destruction in Matabeleland South province, with key institutions including schools, churches, retail shops and a clinic being destroyed, while a Grade 4 pupil in Umzingwane district was washed away as she crossed a flooded stream.

The downpours, which are accompanied by wind, lightning, hailstorm and flooding, were expected to continue pounding Matabeleland South, Masvingo, southern parts of Midlands, Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces from yesterday until tomorrow, a Meteorological Services Department (MSD) rainfall alert stated.

A Southern Eye snap survey showed that property worth thousands of dollars was destroyed since last weekend in Matabeleland South in the wake of the violent storms.

A Grade 4 female pupil from Nswazi Primary School in Umzingawane was washed away in a stream on her way from school in the company of friends.

“The incident left the community devastated because the stream is not that big and it has no name. Losing such young life was very sad. As she tried to cross the stream when several of her friends had done so, she was unfortunately washed away and her body was discovered later floating downstream,” said Nomore Ndlela, a villager in the area.

At Shashi Secondary School in Beitbridge, two teachers’ cottages, a computer laboratory and a classroom were destroyed by strong winds that came after rains had pounded the area.

“The situation has left the teachers and students stranded. Currently, the teachers have sought temporary accommodation at homesteads of parents with children at the school. Other teachers have sought shelter at their counterparts’ houses at the primary school. Computers were destroyed and there is urgent need for government to intervene in renovating the buildings,” a teacher at the school told Southern Eye.

About 30 electricity power poles were also destroyed in the vicinity of the school, thereby affecting power supplies. Shashi Clinic had a solar field which was also destroyed.

AFM, Zaoga, Lutheran and ZCC church buildings in the Beitbridge ward 8 Maramani cluster area had their roofs blown away.

Lifias Muleya, the Matabeleland South provincial education director, yesterday said he was still receiving reports from district officers.

“Districts are still compiling reports on the destruction done to schools by the heavy rains. The reports will detail damage at specific schools. So it will only be when I have received these that I can issue a comprehensive report. However, I can confirm that there are several schools that have been affected so far,” he said.

Beitbridge West MP Ruth Baloyi called on the nation to assist the Shashi community.

“The destruction was (quite extensive). I am appealing to well-wishers to chip in with materials that can be used to rehabilitate the buildings of key institutions that were destroyed. When I go to Parliament, I am also going to raise the matter so that we get support from government and well-wishers. The school authorities at Shashi Secondary have also reported to their line ministry and so we must soon start to get assistance,” she said.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele said: “I can confirm that we received the report on the destruction of buildings at Shashi Secondary School, shops and clinic. Some homes of villagers around that area were also destroyed. There were no injuries that were recorded on people in that area. It was just destruction to infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, Local Government minister July Moyo has called on the Department of Civil Protection to embark on awareness campaigns following the MSD alert message.

“Accordingly, all provincial and district development co-ordinators are to ensure all civil protection structures at sub-national levels, including schools, are aware of this heavy rainfall alert. Econet is also sending reminders on safety precautions through the SMS messaging platform,” he said in a statement.

Moyo advised people to minimise outdoor activities or travelling in areas forecast to receive heavy rainfall and those who live on river banks, islands and foothills to move to safer places.

He cautioned motorists, pupils and members of the public not to cross flooded rivers and to mitigate lightning strikes by avoiding getting into contact with metal objects and standing under isolated tall trees.

The minister urged communities to work as teams and take care of child-headed families, older persons and other vulnerable groups.
Moyo said mining syndicates should not carry out activities in major rivers and disused mines because the soils were now fragile and could easily collapse.

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

The corruption saga involving three Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) officers at Marondera depot has been concluded with one of the top officials reportedly demoted and transferred.

Three officials including depot manager Munyaradzi Kachere, a J Musosa and a T Maphosa were suspended after they were caught in alleged corrupt activities that saw them issuing people with learners drivers licence without sitting for the tests. Several other officials from the VID depot were also suspended.

However, Musosa died a few months ago in a road accident before knowing his fate.

Transport minister, Joel Biggie Matiza (pictured) confirmed that the matter had been concluded and that he had received the report of the outcome.

He, however, said he would comment more on the issue after reading the report.

VID boss Joseph Pedzapasi could not divulge details saying the matter was being handled by the human resources (HR) department, but confirmed that one of the officials passed on.

“You need to check with the HR department; they are the ones who deal with misconducts. Are you aware that one of the guys passed on?” he asked.

However, according to a reliable source, Kachere was demoted and transferred to VID training school in Belvedere, Harare, while Maphosa is now stationed at the Eastlea depot.

“Kachere was demoted and is now a junior at Belvedere depot despite having been more than 20 years in the industry. As for Maphosa, he went back to Eastlea where he was once deployed,” the source said.

There have been reports of massive corruption at most VID depots, brewing allegations that most drivers being issued with licences were half-baked, thereby fuelling the carnage on the country’s highways.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

VILLAGERS in Lupane, Matabeleland North, are walking several kilometres to access water as most boreholes in the area have dried up in the face of the devastating drought that has decimated wildlife and livestock.

The El Nino-induced drought has left millions facing hunger in the country, while dams and other water sources have dried up due to searing temperatures.

Kusile Rural District Council chief executive officer Christopher Chuma told Southern Eye that the situation was now so dire that in Matabeleland North, 405 boreholes have dried up.
Chuma said the functional boreholes also face constant breakdowns.

“Boreholes are drying up in the area. About 405 of the boreholes have dried up, while those with water face constant breakdowns,” Chuma said.

“People are resorting to streams and other unsafe water sources which they share with livestock. In Gomoza and Nzalikhwa, the situation is really bad, and, unfortunately, we have tried to drill boreholes there, but (they yielded nothing). People are now forced to travel over 20 kilometres in search of water.”

Over 500 cattle have died in Matabeleland South alone, while the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has also reported deaths of over 200 elephants due to thirst.
However, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) yesterday warned of widespread thunderstorms beginning today.

“Widespread thunderstorms are expected in all provinces of the country. Localised heavy downpours cannot be ruled out especially in Matabeleland South, Masvingo and South of Manicaland,” the MSD said in a statement.

“In case of severe thunderstorms, do not seek shelter under a tree or in isolated sheds as these are prone to lightning strikes. Gusty winds may pose danger and blow off insecure roofs and classroom blocks and homes.”

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa says he will go ahead with his public address today but changed the venue to the party headquarters after police blocked the planned Africa Unity Square meeting.

BY BLESSED MHLANGA / MOSES MATENGA

A potentially explosive stage has been set for the central business district after police banned the gathering at the Africa Unity Square fearing the programme could be hijacked and turn violent.

Chamisa wants to present his Hope of the Nation Address, a play on the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last month, with thousands of opposition supporters and diplomats expected to attend together.

This has raised fears of a potential clash between Chamisa, his supporters and the police, who have maintained a heavy presence in Harare ahead of the address.

Chamisa told NewsDay that his address was about bringing hope to a distressed nation and would see him deliver a special message to the people of Zimbabwe.

“We are talking about what needs to be done. We have invited diplomats for the event and police has been advised. They were given notice,” he said.

Last night, MDC spokesperson Daniel Molokele said the address would go ahead in the CBD and urged people to turn in their thousands.

“The president would like to confirm that we will be definitely having our long-awaited Hope of the Nation Address. All concerned citizens of Zimbabwe are duly invited to attend,” he said.

The MDC has accused the police of working as an extension of Zanu PF by blocking party gatherings in and out of Harare.

If it goes ahead, Chamisa’s address comes at a time there is increasing pressure for dialogue between the him and Mnangagwa.

Chamisa has called for mediation from the regional bloc, the African Union and Sadc as a way to end the current crisis Zimbabwe was faced with.

On his part, Mnangagwa has insisted on local mediation from the church and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

Last year, Mnangagwa set up the Political Actors Dialogue platform, where he called all opposition political parties to a discussion.

Chamisa has snubbed the platform, saying dialogue must be premised on conditions he has set.

OPPOSITION MDC deputy secretary for international relations, Douglas Mwonzora, has been accused of consulting for the army during the military coup that led to the ouster of the late former President Robert Mugabe in November 2017.

BY MOSES MATENGA

The former MDC secretary-general was accused of having confided in National Patriotic Front spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire that he (Mwonzora), together with Zanu PF secretary for legal affairs Paul Mangwana, spent time at the army headquarters doing consultancy work for Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, then Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces on the legality of the coup.

But Mwonzora came out guns blazing, accusing the G40 faction of wanting to cause divisions within the MDC.

Mawarire told NewsDay yesterday that he mentioned Mwonzora in the context of the fact that the former MDC secretary-general and Mangwana were not qualified to argue on the legality of the coup because they were consulting on behalf of the army.

“I made the statement in August and I made it in the context that Mangwana cannot argue for the legality of the coup because he and Mwonzora were hired for that purpose. Chiwenga hired them because they are the people who did the Constitution. That is why the duo was called to look at the Constitution closely and he is the one who told me while we were in South Africa,” he said.

“He even said they were given army escort for the two days they were doing the consultancy work.”

Mwonzora and Mangwana, however, denied the allegations.

“When the two of us met, we talked on the impeachment procedure in terms of the parliamentary process, how we were to co-ordinate ourselves,” Mangwana said.

“We were doing the political process while the army was doing its own process.”

On his part, Mwonzora accused the G40, a grouping of former Zanu PF stalwarts who had coalesced around former First Lady Grace Mugabe, of wanting to divide the opposition and create a separate powerful opposition force from their camp.

“The lie by the G40 kingpin is meant to prepare for something evil. They want to create discontent within the opposition so that they weaken it before they either re-join Zanu PF or put their own candidate to lead the opposition,” Mwonzora said

“It is an open secret that the MDC supported Mugabe’s removal. It is a historical fact that the MDC helped organise that historic March in November 2017. Our Members of Parliament actually played a leading role in Mugabe’s impeachment proceedings,” Mwonzora said.