BY PATRICIA SIBANDA/DARLINGTON MWASHITA

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday commissioned 76 Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) buses in Bulawayo and said that the country would receive 1 500 more buses from China “soon”.

Mnangagwa ordered the buses to be deployed to Matabeleland North and South rural areas where residents face persistent transport blues.

“The majority of buses we are commissioning today will ply rural areas in Mat North and South provinces to improve the public transport sector,” Mnangagwa said.

“Improvement of the public transport system is being implemented through the ongoing road and rail rehabilitation programme. These programmes must be collectively seen in the context of facilitating economic activity, industrial development, trade and access to services within our respective communities from the ward level upwards.”

Mnangagwa said more buses were on their way and would, apart from alleviating transport challenges, create employment in the country.

“About 1 500 buses are expected to come from China and 300 of those will come in knocked down parts which will be assembled here in Zimbabwe to create employment,” he said.

Mnangagwa encouraged local authorities to restore and repair transport system infrastructure.

“I urge local authorities to rehabilitate and construct modern, complementary infrastructure such as bus termini, appropriate bus stops among others to ensure safety, timeliness, efficiency and convenience to our commuting public,” Mnangagwa said.

He added: “However, I warn those running rural district councils and urban councils to shun corruption. If you shun corruption, I will shun removing you otherwise those who commit corruption, we part ways.”

Mnangagwa said the government is willing to fund urban and rural communities if they prioritise development.

By Brenna Matendere/Stephen Chadenga

MINES minister Winston Chitando has revealed that government has opened a special department in the Mines ministry to deal with issues relating to small-scale miners, popularly known as makorokoza.

“We are glad to announce that my ministry has opened what we call the small-scale miners desk,” Chitando said at the just-ended Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) annual conference in Gweru.

“This is a department that will have the sole responsibility of dealing with all issues affecting small-scale miners. I am glad that President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa agreed that we open this desk and it will go a long way in improving production by the small-scale miners as their issues will be quickly addressed.”

Zimbabwe currently has about 1,5 million small-scale miners who contribute over half of the country’s gold output.

However, the miners have always complained that stringent laws that criminalise their operations were affecting their operations, leaving them susceptible to black market barons, a situation that was hindering the growth of the industry.

“We are looking towards achieving our goal of hitting the $12 billion milestone in the mines sector. So opening of the small-scale miners’ desk is a great development,” Chitando said.

“We would want to arrange weekly meetings with the leaders of the miners so that all of their concerns are addressed regularly. We look forward to having significant contributions from the gold, chrome and gems sectors.”

Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa told the ZMF conference government would fire mining officials who engage in corrupt activities as they affect efforts in the economic turnaround of the country.

“I hear there is rampant corruption by mining officials who demand bribes to process papers,” Mnangagwa said when he addressed the miners on Thursday.

“We will not hesitate to send them home if they engage in such actions. In fact we will fire them.”

Last month, Midlands provincial mining director Nelson Munyanduri and his subordinate, Alfred Tavengana, were arraigned before the courts facing criminal abuse of office charges.

The matter is still pending at the court.

BY Garikai Mafirakureva

FOUR senior teachers at a school in Chiredzi allegedly connived to write examinations for their partners.

According to a whistleblower, the quartet (names withheld) would open the sealed envelopes after exams and rewrite some papers for their partners, mostly external candidates, before sealing them again and forge signatures and dispatch the exam papers.

The teachers are alleged to have written Geography, English and Mathematics papers for their lovers.

“The teachers are said to have come up with a rendezvous where they would take the extra papers and write the exams while their partners fake sitting for the exam,” a source disclosed.

“After the exam, the signed envelopes would be taken to a room and torn open and their partners’ exam papers would be replaced by the ones they would have written. Extra envelopes would be used before signatures are forged.”

The deal turned bad after one of their (teachers’) relatives discovered that they were rewriting exams for their partners and let the cat out of the bag. The pictures of the torn envelops and exam papers seen by NewsDay Weekender show that they were taken on a bed meaning they were not immediately taken to the strong room as required by Zimsec examination board.

Further investigations by the NewsDay Weekender showed that one of the candidates was a Form Four student at the school who was having an improper association with one of the teachers.

Another candidate is also married to one of the teachers. It also turned out that some of the partners are married and stay in Chiredzi town. The scam is alleged to have been going on since 2017 mainly in exchange for sex.

The matter was reported to Chiredzi district schools inspector Petronella Nyangwe, who dispatched a team to the school, but appears to have died a natural death.

Nyangwe could not be reached for comment as her mobile phone was not reachable.

Provincial education director Zedius Chitiga said he needed to study the pictures before he could give a comment.

Primary and Secondary Education permanent secretary Tamisang Thabela, said she would investigate the matter when reached for comment.

Primary and Secondary Education minister Paul Mavhima said he had not been briefed about the issue, but promised to find out.

Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) public relations officer Nicky Dlamini said investigations were underway.

“Yes, I can confirm that we received a report through our hotline and investigations are already underway. We are going to dispatch a team of investigators to the school to find out what was really happening,” Dlamini said.

The four teachers could not be reached for comment as their mobile phones were not reachable.

BY VANESSA GONYE

GOVERNMENT yesterday fired 211 doctors at public hospitals for going o strike to demand better pay, with another 500 at risk.

Doctors have been on strike since September 3 demanding salaries that are indexed to the United States dollar to escape triple digit inflation that has ravaged wages.

The Health Services Board fired the doctors after holding disciplinary hearings which the striking doctors did not attend and said it planned to hold another round of hearings for at least 516 out of the 1 601 doctors employed in the public sector.

The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, which represents junior and mid-level doctors, has accused government of intimidation to force its members to return to work.

Health Services Board (HSB) executive chairman, Paulinus Sikosana yesterday said the disciplinary hearings were set to continue.

“To date, 279 doctors have been served with charge letters, 213 hearings completed and 211 doctors found guilty of absenting themselves from duty without leave or reasonable cause for days ranging from five or more,” he said.

“The 211 doctors found guilty have been discharged from the health service. Three doctors appeared in person before the disciplinary tribunals and two doctors had their determinations reserved pending verification of their cases.”

Sikosana said at meetings aimed at ending the impasse, doctors had “demanded the pegging of their salaries to the prevailing interbank rate as a precondition for their return to work.”

Zimbabwe is facing its worst economic crisis in a decade, with inflation, estimated at 353% in September, playing havoc with salaries and prices.

Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) executive director, Itai Rusike said the decision by government was very frustrating considering efforts made to facilitate dialogue with hope of reaching an amicable decision that is comfortable for both parties.

“We have been facilitating dialogue for the past two weeks only to wake up to this. How do you negotiate for dialogue when on the other hand you are holding a knobkerrie? The government is not sincere and its attitude is uncalled for and unnecessary,” Rusike said.

“This intimidatory attitude is not the way to go. The Constitution gives them the right to withdraw their labour and firing the doctors in a country with poor health standards will not improve the situation.”

He said they had done their part in trying to get the two parties to dialogue in search of a solution to the impasse.

“We thought that the government was going to set aside the hearings and uphold dialogue. Without human resources we cannot achieve universal health coverage,” he said.
ZHDA executive members said they were not commenting on the latest developments for fear of victimisation.

“Senior doctors remain incapacitated and hospital drugs and equipment remain inadequate. No meaningful service is being offered at central hospitals,” the union said in a statement.

“Training of both undergraduate and postgraduate doctors has been severely impacted by lack of clinical teaching.

“Flexi-hour system remains in place as policy. This has greatly affected quality and continuity of patient care Junior and middle level doctors have been dismissed from work for not being able to report for duty due to incapacitation. Some on maternity leave and others who are training outside the country have also been served with letters accusing them of absenteeism.

ZHDA said the ‘punitive disciplinary hearings’ should stop while the dismissals must be reversed.

“Robust dialogue in good faith should take place with key stakeholders to help direct the capacitation of the workers and the public health institutions. These must be given timelines to yield results,” ZHDA said.

BY VANESSA GONYE

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday reshuffled his Cabinet and expanded his administration by splitting the Home Affairs ministry in his second reshuffle since the election in July last year.

Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu has been moved from Industry and Commerce ministry to the renamed Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and International Trade ministry to replace Prisca Mupfumira who was fired in August as she faced allegations of corruption in court.

He was replaced at the Industry and Commerce ministry by Sekai Nzenza while Paul Mavima moves from Primary and Secondary Education to her former portfolio at the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry.

Cain Mathema replaces Mavima, with Kazembe Kazembe re-assigned to the Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage ministry.

Makoni West legislator Jenfan Muswere, who was deputising Kazembe, takes over as Information Communication and Courier Services (ICT) minister.

Daniel Garwe, the Zanu PF legislator for Murehwa North, was appointed to head the newly-created National Housing and Social Amenities ministry.

Mnangagwa also appointed Zvimba North MP Marian Chombo as Local Government and Public Works deputy minister while David Musabayana was appointed Sibusiso Busi Moyo’s deputy at the Foreign Affairs ministry.

Jennifer Mhlanga was re-assigned to the Women’s Affairs ministry while Yeukai Simbanegavi will deputise Garwe at the National Housing ministry.

Dingimuzi Phuti and Raymore Machingura were appointed as deputies in the ICT and Higher and Tertiary Education ministries, respectively.

Tinoda Machakarika was appointed to deputise in the Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation ministry, while Clemence Chiduwa is set to deputise in the Finance and Economic Development ministry.

Mnangagwa’s first reshuffle in May was to replace ally Joram Gumbo as Energy minister with Fortune Chasi. Gumbo was re-assigned to become a minister in the Presidency.

BY FORTUNE MBELE

ZPC Kariba coach Godfrey Tamirepi is unhappy at what he claims was late announcement of the venue for the semi-final of the Chibuku Super Cup tie against Highlanders which is set for Barbourfields (BF) Stadium tomorrow, but is confident they will progress to the final.

The draw for the semi-final was held on Monday with the power utility side coming out of the hat first and the venues were announced the following day, with the match set for BF.

Tamirepi said despite his concerns his team would continue with their dominance of Bosso.

“My concern is the way things are being done. The venue should be announced well in advance and announcing it late is not fair at all. In any case, we came out of the hat first and we would be at home and not withstanding Highlanders form we have not lost a game against them when we are at home. Highlanders have been our regular customers and we will sail through to the final,” he said.

Tamirepi said only poor or biased officiating could hinder his team’s chances.

“Our concern is how the game will be handled. It is handled fairly, we will sail through.”

ZPC Kariba are without four injured players, including goalkeeper Tendai Hove, Sylvester Appiah, Fungai Chirinda and Samuel Makawa.

Highlanders coach Hendrikus Pieter de Jongh does not consider it an advantage that his side will be playing at BF.

De Jongh said since BF has one of the best pitches in the country, he is praying that they get good match officials for the tie.

“I don’t believe in that playing at home is an advantage because from my experience anything is possible. The only thing that is good is that we are playing on a good pitch. ZPC Kariba is a good team and they play good football and we hope to have fair referees,” De Jongh said.

Highlanders have been on a good run in the Chibuku Super Cup so far, beating archrivals Dynamos in the first round and FC Platinum in the quarter-finals.

Prince Dube has scored in both matches and returns after missing the last two matches due to suspension.

De Jongh said the team’s confidence could carry them to a good outcome.

“ZPC Kariba are challenging for the league title and we are out of the race that is a reality, but we are playing with a lot of confidence and the spirits are high and hope for a good result. We are working hard and I am pushing the players and let’s hope come Sunday we emerge winners and go to the final,” De Jongh said.

By Freeman Makopa

Basketball Union of Zimbabwe (BUZ) has selected a team to represent the country at this year’s edition of 3×3 Young Lion’s Cup basketball tournament in Botswana later this month.

The event, co-ordinated by the International Basketball Foundation (IBF) in conjunction with the Botswana Basketball Association (BBA), is scheduled to run from November 28 to December 1.

BUZ competitions president Yesaya Ignatious expressed satisfaction over the team and was hopeful that they would defend the title they won last year.

“We are confident of the selected team to represent the nation at IBF 3×3 Young Lions Cup. We are very pleased with the preparations at the moment and we are hopeful that we will defend our title. The team leaves on November 25 so that they will had enough time to rest before the games begin,” he said.

Ignatious said the organisers of the tournament had brought in a new component in the games this year which will enable youths to learn different cultures and basketball philosophies.

“Zimbabwe has been winning (both boys and girls) in both the first and second editions of the IBF 3×3 Young Lions Cup ahead of 10 participating countries. Now it’s the third edition and it has a different setup from the previous editions.

“Because there is more to just winning medals and trophies, IBF has brought a new component to the games where we would like to bring the youth from different countries together to enable a better understanding of different cultures, backgrounds and basketball philosophies in other words try to develop a better youth for the society through Basketball. Therefore, all teams will be mixed teams composed of four players from four different countries,” he added.

However, he expressed confidence that the teams would excel in showcasing their talent and ultimately achieve their collective goals.

In the last edition, Zimbabwe scooped the most valuable player awards in the boys and girls categories.

Teams

Boys: Taboyamlimu Mathe, Mthokozifi Ncube, Tomuvonga Musasanure, Shawn Pedzi

Girls: Anna Tadiwa Mabika, Samantha Jemwa, Tsitsi Shantel Mugwagwa, Kudakwakwashe Ruth Mwaudzeni

By Brooks Marmon

At the time of his death, Phineas Ferani Sithole was the earliest (and likely only) surviving leader of a Zimbabwean liberation movement.

Sithole, a prominent trade unionist and pan-African politician from the 1960s to 1980s, briefly served as a MP in the short-lived Zimbabwe-Rhodesia government in the late 1970s. For a decade following independence in 1980, he opposed Robert Mugabe’s efforts to create a one-party State. He was a former president of the African Trade Union Congress (ATUC) and a close colleague of prominent nationalist leaders like Jason Z Moyo and Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole. In his memoir, former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai stated that his attendance at an address by Sithole in 1973 inspired him to become a labour activist. Sithole fell into obscurity after abandoning party politics in the early 1990s.

Sithole was born in 1931 in Selukwe, Southern Rhodesia (now Shurugwi, Zimbabwe). His father was employed as a miner at Shabani Mines. Sithole was educated at Mzingwane Secondary School and was trained as a teacher at Solusi Mission.

His political consciousness was awakened in April 1947 when he was forced to join a greeting party for King George VI and the Royal Family during their visit to Cecil Rhodes’ grave. In 1958, as political tensions across Africa and in Southern Rhodesia were escalating, Sithole switched careers, abandoning teaching and joining a Bulawayo blanket factory, Consolidated Textiles, as an accounts clerk.

He quickly became active in the Textile and Allied Workers’ Union. One of Sithole’s first engagements as a labour activist was to successfully lobby for a minimum wage. When the Southern Rhodesian government declared an emergency in 1959 and banned the nationalist movement, he was one of several hundred figures detained without charge.

In 1962, he became involved in party politics as the founding vice-president of the short-lived Pan-African Socialist Union (PASU). That October, he travelled to New York with party president Paul Mushonga. In an address before the United Nations, Sithole condemned the Rhodesian government as “a vicious minority settler team bent on perpetuating white supremacy.” Upon his return to Rhodesia, customs officials at Salisbury Airport delayed him for approximately 90 minutes and confiscated many of his documents. He was subsequently charged with possessing subversive propaganda material and received a 12-month jail term.

Following Mushonga’s death in a car accident that December, Sithole became PASU’s acting president. In early 1963, alongside Wiseman Zengeni (who subsequently became one of only three non-Zanu PF candidates retained at the 1990 parliamentary election) he toured several west African capitals on behalf of the party. Later that year, he brought PASU into the fold of the newly created Zimbabwe African National Union under the leadership of Reverend Sithole.
Following this merger, he reverted to leadership roles in trade union circles and from which he continued to vigorously oppose white minority rule. As the President of the ATUC, he leveraged his role as a spokesperson for 50 000 black industrial workers to advance the nationalist cause.
Sithole spoke out against the new Rhodesian constitution and Prime Minister Ian Smith’s declaration of a republic in 1970. He resoundingly condemned Rhodesia’s ultimately unsuccessful efforts to reach an independence settlement in early 1972 with the British.

Phineas continued to support Reverend Sithole after the latter was ousted as Zanu’s leader in the mid-1970s. He became the national chairman of the Reverend’s Zanu wing, Zanu-Ndonga, in 1977, a position he held for over a decade. During the short-lived internal settlement between the minority settler government and several black groups, Phineas served in the 1979 Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Parliament, representing Matabeleland North. After independence, he frequently clashed with the new government of Robert Mugabe. He condemned widespread government perpetrated
violence in Matabeleland, the Gukurahundi atrocities of the early 1980s, as “a pretext” to crush opposition. In 1983, he was arrested by the Mugabe government and subsequently imprisoned for over a year. He abandoned party politics following the 1990 election campaign, after he fared poorly in his campaign for the Mpopoma parliamentary seat and had a fall out with Reverend Sithole.

Sithole passed away on October 27 in Bulawayo five days after his 88th birthday. He is survived by his wife and many children and grandchildren. He resided in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo, with one of his daughters.

•Brooks Marmon is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. Follow him @AfricaInDC

BY Richard Muponde

Zanu PF has been fingered in the chaos over the Bindura University of Science Education (Buse) students representative committee (SRC) elections which have been postponed indefinitely.

The elections were supposed to be held on Monday after the suspension of the incumbent executive aligned to Zinasu.

Buse SRC president Nelson Madondo and five of his executive members were recently suspended for undisclosed reasons, three months before the expiry of their term of office.

Reports suggested that university authorities were irked by the hardline stance by the student leadership and its involvement in opposition politics and wanted to replace it with a Zanu PF-aligned Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union (Zicosu).

Chaos reportedly reigned at the university with daggers drawn against university authorities.

Students are reportedly demanding reasons for the indefinite postponement of the elections without involving stakeholders.

They have also challenged authorities to come clean on their siding with Zicosu after reports that the Zanu PF Mashonaland provincial youth league was dictating terms of the polls.

The election is pitting Doctor Mahwata of Zinasu and Cedric Bhala of Zicosu.

Buse dean of studies Retias Makado said he was not authorised to comment, but admitted that the elections were postponed while denying allegations against authorities.

“I am not allowed to speak to the Press, but all are lies. We postponed the elections yes, but we are not in favour of any side. It’s not true. The elections are open to everyone. Anyway speak to James Gutura the director of public relations and protocol, he will give you the university’s position,” Makado said.

Gutura’s cellphone was not being answered.

Mahwata’s campaign manager, Shadreck Shingi said: “They have seen from the campaigns we have done that Zinasu has an upper hand and was going to win and retain the executive. The dean of studies is refusing to give a statement on the postponement of the elections. They are in favour of Zicosu as they view Zinasu as opposition aligned.”

Zanu PF Mashonaland provincial youth league chairman, Ruwizhi Ferenando could be reached for comment.