BY STAFF REPORTER

Government has set up a probe team to investigate allegations of corruption and mismanagement at Chitungwiza Town Council following the controversy that surrounded the recent suspension of town clerk George Makunde by mayor Lovemore Maiko.

Local Government minister July Moyo in a letter addressed to the head of the investigation team, one E Seenza, the six-member commission was instructed to complete the probe within two weeks.

The terms of reference of the commission are to look into the corporate governance issues in the town, focusing on management of human resources, spatial planning, allocation of land and general service delivery .The commission was also tasked to look into the circumstances leading to the suspension of the town clerk and make findings and recommendations on procedures.

Maiko expressed hope that the exercise would bring sanity to the corruption-ridden municipality.“I don’t have much to say serve to say let the committee do its investigative work, and it is our sincere hope that its work will help improve efficiency and effectiveness in terms of service delivery,” he said.“Our thrust is to put systems in place and build a strong institution and ensure that we bring law and order in Chitungwiza.”

Makunde was suspended on September 2 by Maiko on allegations of absconding from work, gross insubordination and disobeying instructions.Councillor Kiven Mutimbanyoka, of ward 13, recently called on the minister to intervene, alleging that the mayor had assumed executive authority and illegally taken over the managerial functions at Town House.

“We have a serious case where councillors are busy shredding the Urban Councils Act, which is the rule book that is supposed to guide and give us the mandate to run the council efficiently,” he said.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

WARRIORS coach Joey Antipas believes Botswana are tough opponents who can throw spanners in the works for his team’s bid to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals.
The Warriors are in Group H, which also has the reigning African champions Algeria, neighbours Botswana and Zambia.

Zimbabwe host Botswana in the opening match of the campaign at the National Sports Stadium on November 15, before travelling to Zambia four days later seeking a fast start to their
campaign.

Botswana recently played a friendly match against heavyweights Egypt, whom they restricted to just a single goal in Cairo, a clear demonstration they will pose real threat in the qualifiers.

Botswana’s game has been evolving in recent years after they made their first appearance at the 2012 African Cup of Nations finals.Antipas is not taking them lightly and wants thorough preparations.

“Botswana are tough opponents. We have played them on a number of occasions, although we won most of the encounters, they remain a real threat and we have to prepare thoroughly for the match,” he said.

The Warriors gaffer is also worried by the lack of an international friendly ahead of the start of the qualifiers.Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) failed to secure an international friendly match for the Warriors during the Fifa calendar for international matches last month.

Antipas said they would have wanted to, at least, play one international friendly match before they kick-start the campaign.“Ideally, we would have wanted a situation where we play at least a friendly match before the start of the campaign. That was, however, not possible as Zifa failed to arrange the friendly during the Fifa break, so we have to make do with what is there. We just have to be focused and remain confident of producing good results,” he said.

The Warriors coach is expecting Europe-based players, Macauley Bonne of Charlton Athletic and Adam Chicksen of Bolton Wanderers, to have secured passports by the time they face Botswana.

The duo, born in England to Zimbabwean parents, did not have Zimbabwean passports and were not eligible to play for the Warriors.They have since secured birth certificates, paving the way for them to secure passports.

Zimbabwe are desperate to make it to the Cameroon finals to try and make up for their disappointing show in the last finals played in Egypt earlier this year.

NewsDay

IN a country battling an unprecedented economic turmoil and social upheaval, it is nothing short of bizarrely tragic that a group of young people would vow to defend a government that has been the biggest contributor to their own suffering through “austerity measures” that seem designed to richly punish the poor.

While such sentiments are expected from Zanu PF youth, it is sad that our politics are centred more on blindly following political leaders without interrogating their policies and challenging them to deliver on promises made during elections. There are many promises that President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF party made in the run up to the last elections, including key reforms that would have seen his government embraced by the international economy.

These young people should instead be following up on those promises, but many of them, unfortunately, were recently used to march against sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West.
Yes sanctions are detrimental where they are not due, but not when our rulers abuse their power for self-serving purposes. In fact, the United States should find means to punish only the corrupt political elites and not use blanket sanctions that hurt the innocent.

Be that as it may the recent anti-sanctions march simply demonstrates the dangers that come when young people lack proper political grounding and continue to be used as a vanguard to prop up a corrupt regime that has robbed them of their future and opportunities. While the majority of these youth are jobless, they continue to be used to defend the very political elites who have destroyed the economy and facilitated the shrinking of the job market and opportunities for economic development.

It is our hope that the view of the youth in Mashonaland East is not a reflection of the disposition of the other youths elsewhere in the country. In the next 20 years, many of these political leaders will no longer be around, or perhaps some would be in their twilight years, and it is these young people who will pay the price of the decisions they are making today.

What this means is that these young people are rubber-stamping the destruction and plunder of their own future. If these young people understood their power, they would have used it to hold their leaders accountable for the corruption and mismanagement that continue to afflict this nation as many politicians selfishly help themselves to national resources.

It is tragic when young people vow to “deal” with those who criticise Mnangagwa. This appears to confirm that they believe in an autocratic system under which their leader is beyond fault and should not to be challenged, regardless of whether he succeeds or fails. No country can succeed and progress when it does not allow constructive criticism of its leadership. It makes one fear to imagine that these young people will be the future leaders of this country. Quite clearly, their allegiance is to mortals rather than to Zimbabwe.

by ALFONCE KUGWA

THE head of the Catholic Archdiocese of Harare, Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu, has called on Zimbabwe’s main political leaders to urgently tame their egos, swallow their pride and dialogue to address daily bread and butter issues affecting the generality of the population.

Ndlovu, a member of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, said the church was not impressed by the recent anti-sanctions march led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF party, saying only dialogue could cause stability in the country.

The unwillingness by Mnangagwa and MDC leader Nelson Chamisa to dialogue has plunged the country into untold suffering,challenging the two leaders to put the interest of the people first, he said.

“If they are all for the people as they claim to be, they must show that through humility and willingness to engage in meaningful discussions for the benefit of the people and the country,” Ndlovu said in an interview with the Catholic Church News.

Mnangagwa and Chamisa, who lead the country’s biggest political parties, have been spurning calls for dialogue, with the former demanding recognition as leader of the country before any talks can take place.

Chamisa, on the other hand has demanded that talks should first be predicated on Mnangagwa’s legitimacy, accusing the Zanu PF leader of stealing last year’s elections.

Mnangagwa has initiated dialogue with other presidential candidates that took part in the poll, but the MDC leader snubbed the process which he said should be led by an independent mediator, a precondition flatly rejected by Mnangagwa.

But as the country continues to hit economic turbulences characterised by hyperinflation and shortages of commodities such as fuel, the call to have the two to the negotiating table has been amplifying.

Some Zanu PF chefs of late have publicly admitted talks with the youthful MDC leader were indispensable to pull the country out of the economic and political doldrums.

Archbishop Ndlovu admitted “things are not right in Zimbabwe” and challenged political leaders to pursue serious dialogue and find solutions to the social-economic and political problems bedevilling the country.

The archbishop said politicians should show, with their actions, that they represent the people who elected them by committing to sincere dialogue to put their suffering to an end.
Mnangagwa has repeatedly claimed the country’s economic challenges were a result of the Western-imposed sanctions, an allegation denied by both the United States of America that slapped the country with sanctions under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) and the European Union over human rights abuses by the late former President Robert Mugabe’s government.

On October 25, Mnangagwa led a countrywide anti-sanctions march, but US ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols dismissed the march, saying corruption, not sanctions were hurting the country’s recovery plans.

The Catholic priest taunted Mnangagwa’s approach, saying dialogue and not marches will resolve the country’s international crisis. He challenged Mnangagwa to address the reasons why the sanctions were imposed on the country.

“Sanctions aside, we need to address our situation. Let us share the cake equally and not blame our malpractices on sanctions. Each political side has to play its role in addressing economic problems by acknowledging weaknesses in administering the country’s resources,” he said.

Archbishop Ndlovu said it was better to engage in dialogue than marches because they would not bring about tangible outcomes and urged government to “tackle corruption sincerely, stop murky business deals, recover stolen property and cash looted from the State and ensure proper use of national resources.”

“Issues of corruption not sanctions are daunting the country’s economy and you do not need to be an expert to address corruption. It is not healthy that few companies are ruining the economy while government folds its arms and watch.”

He said if sanctions were measures to compel Harare to reform some of its irregularities in politics and so-called new dispensation, “then the sooner we address them the better.”
“Zimbabwe does not need an ambassador to tell her to deal with corruption rather the government should use the powers vested in it to deal with the situation,” he said, referring to some controversial comments made by Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo against Nichols.

Sadc and the African Union, the clergyman said, could help in restoring the legacy of Zimbabwe, but local leaders have greater responsibility to attend to the country’s welfare.

The archbishop said he supported a call by Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) for a sabbatical from elections, saying such a move would build trust and confidence among Zimbabweans.

He said the political environment in the country was toxic, and had made political relations and the international re-engagement process hard and futile. — Additional reporting by Everson Mushava

BY SHARON SIBINDI/SIBONGINKOSI MAPHOSA

THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe has re-branded its premier awards event — the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) — following the change in management, NewsDay Life & Style has learnt.

This year’s edition will run under the theme Taking it Back to the People.The re-branding came in the wake of the appointment of a new management led by radio and television personality Napoleon Nyanhi

This was revealed at a consultative meeting held for artistes at Makokoba’s Stanley Square in Bulawayo last Friday.Nyanhi said the new team was building on the foundation already established.

He said they were currently preoccupied with improving the perception of the awards among artists and the public.

“We have been having artists engagement forums … to give them a voice and also let them know that Nama belongs to them,” Nyanhi said.

“So they cannot be on the side-lines complaining; they are stakeholders, they have to be part of it, they have to make their voice heard and whatever improvements that needs to be made, their contributions should be taken into consideration.”

They were also seized with fixing the public perception of the awards, starting with the re-branding of the Nama logo.Nyanhi said the silver sphere, which is in the middle of the Nama trophy, will be replaced by a globe as the awards sought to launch successful creatives into the world.

“That is a goal for us. That’s a vision. Now, we need to deliver on it and make sure that whenever artists win the Nama, it is actually an opportunity for them to reach the world,” he said.

“We also want the actual event to be opened up to the public and in the recent past, it has been by invitation only, but we want to make it a people’s event,” he added.

Francis Mupazviriho

Zimbabwe has undergone profound socio-economic changes, which have inadvertently impacted on the previously thriving traditional care facilities for older persons.The traditional household care was, of course, primary, with medical facilities being “referral” institutions especially for routine medical checks or serious conditions warranting the doctor’s attention.

This system, which provided care and support to older persons, was a by-product of embedded cultural and religious values.All religions attach a sentimental value to the care of older persons, which presumably brings blessings and rewards in the fullness of time.Psalms 71 verse 9 reads: “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.”But I digress.

It is trite that the changing socio-economic conditions, which have a bearing on the household care of older persons, has not only impacted on the Zimbabwean society alone, but generally the African circumstances in general.

Before the advent of colonialism, our people lived communally and were organised as polities, led by chiefs, whose subjects were essentially closely knit families, which were often large, extended and quite often organised on tribal lines.

Then came colonialism which disrupted this family organisation, with African working males being forced to toil in industries in towns.

Wives remained behind in rural areas with the children, in what constituted an egregious racial system which had a bearing on the family’s traditional organisation.

Despite these threats, the African family unit remained intact. It was bound to the values of love, peace and co-existence despite the magnanimity of the disruptions it was going through under colonialism.

Then the advent of independence brought glorious opportunities for the previously marginalised. So our people left rural areas, chasing one opportunity after another in the thriving industries servicing the local and foreign markets. In turn, high-density suburbs were quickly populated, as the labour force engaged in various economic activities. Some went on to start new lives in low-density suburbs which had been the preserve of the whites, or simply the “few Africans” who had made the “cut”.

It is trite that the overwhelming social and economic changes, which have had a bearing on the care of the older persons, can be traced back to post-independence era.

The rural-urban migration marked a genesis of this social mobility which has continued to reinvent itself with passage of time. And older persons have borne the brunt of these changes.

Further to the characteristic internal movements, it has, however, been the outbound migration of young people which has severely affected the social organisation of the family unit, despite the mass connectivity brought by the internet and social media.

Zimbabwe’s “born free generation” is largely cosmopolitan. Today our young people are searching for jobs and educational opportunities regionally and internationally. Without doubt, this diaspora-based contingent has played an incisive role sending remittances back home, and assuming critical social functions in the process.

But that is part of the story: The family unit and its ties have been severely weakened.

But how did we get there?

In the past, polygamy was a thriving system, whose unions led to the “strong family” unit which primarily served economic purposes for subsistence farming. Even monogamous entities also bore several children who would assist in farming and other such economic activities.

While both practices of monogamy and polygamy sought a “strong family unit”, the patriarchal society, however, largely framed women’s roles as child bearers.
Notwithstanding these realities, there is no doubt that this system provided essential care to senior citizens, especially during the times of advanced years, requiring undivided social and medical attention.

Nowadays, we are witnessing some unfortunate individualism, neglect and rampant selfishness as our society neglects its primary care responsibility which defined our societal organisation. Notwithstanding the numerous causes of older people’s neglect, there is no doubt that our society has become a pure shadow of its past.

In the past, our society was loving, value-based and the attached sentimentality to older persons, who were revered as bastions of wisdom, churning out one lifelong nugget after another, while grandchildren carefully listened. An inter-generational link was built. In times of sickness, with the family and society each having a responsibility to take care of older persons, or at least render some form of support.In the past, the family unit was quite strong unlike nowadays.

This writer’s late paternal grandmother, Mbuya Majecha spent most her last days in the custody of her sons and daughters-in-law. This writer’s mother, who was unemployed then (however, engaging in economic activities), assumed the full time responsibility of taking care of grandma, who had been diagnosed with tuberculosis.

So did her sisters-in-law, with grandma having the privilege of choosing whose house she wanted to go to next. Our society has now changed, women are no longer domiciled to the housewife status, as was the case before and after independence, especially in the 1980s and 1990s.

While independence came with unprecedented opportunities, these were largely the preserve of males working in light and heavy industries. Formally, the civil service was no doubt the biggest absorber of women especially, as part of a scheme to equalise opportunities regardless of gender.

While the enjoyment of employment opportunities has positively brought empowerment and relief to men, who were the primary “breadwinners”, it has, however, disrupted the primary care functions which women ordinarily assumed especially regarding the care for order persons, who were largely resident in rural areas.

In the olden times, the daughter-in-law needed strong attributes to take care of her mother-in-law, domiciled in the rural area. Of course, this has largely changed due to the changing socio-economic changes which have affected the family’s organisation.

Then there is the growing informal sector, as well. The reorganisation of the economy over the years has greatly led to the “dominance” of the formal sector which employs young people, women and men of various ages.

The unpredictable working hours have cast a spell on the social ties needed in rendering moral and physical support to seniors.When this writer’s mother assumed a teaching job, she would often assume a care role, when she returned from work. Today’s typical family now needs to cope up with the demands of surviving in an urban setting.

There is no doubt that this has put severe pressure on young families, some who have sadly abdicated their responsibilities.This pressure has even been quite stronger especially for young people in the diaspora. While some have lived up to their role as “benefactors”, literally carrying the responsibilities of the entire family on their shoulders at young ages, some have, however, left their parents (who are older citizens), assuming parental responsibilities for the second if not the third time, with very little support, if any.
There is no doubt that Zimbabwean families can generally relate with such.

In some situations, some older persons have had to assume the burden of taking care of children, especially those orphaned by HIV and Aids or other such causes accounting for mortality.

While migration has brought a positive contribution especially in terms of sending remittances back at home, which are used for household recurrent expenditure in health, education and other such needs, it has however rattled the organised family unit of the past.

That the fortunes of our young people have been mixed is however no excuse for the neglect of older persons. For the greater part of the year, this writer has been staying with his grandfather. Sometime in June, this writer’s mother simply decided to go to Mutoko to pick her father, whose health was severely deteriorating.

Officially his year of birth is 1918 and obviously has dozens of children with his first wife, now late after having developed schizophrenia in the early 2000s, leading to her death in her seventies.

Her mental breakdown of course emerged after grandpa had taken another wife whom he relocated with within Mutoko.There is no doubt that old age is generally a time of increased vulnerability with little recourse, even medically. Yet in this time of need, older persons need much support from their families.

Yours truly has gotten to understand old age much, out of the daily interaction with grandpa.While my grandfather exhibits some fitness in his age and is able to talk, it is however his bony structure which evidenced his advanced state. Despite having ability to cobble conversations here and there, he is however confounded by some dementia. His skin is extremely tender while his feet are often swollen. A myriad of health problems evidently.

Due to old age, he can’t walk and remains bedridden for the greater part of the day. While age comes with wisdom, it however comes with so many health challenges especially in advanced years.

Grandpa had a dozen of children with his first wife, most who have now departed leaving behind just two “remaining girls”. Most of his grandchildren are resident in South Africa with few remaining locally.

Only a few grandchildren have bothered to extend their moral and financial support. This has been sad. There is no doubt that most families can relate with such circumstances, which have inherently depicted the fissures within the traditional family unit.

Evidently, social and economic conditions have brought a bearing on the traditional family structure which now undergoes inadvertent changes brought by the search for opportunities both at home and abroad.

While this search for opportunities has positively contributed towards raising families, it has however led to the weakening of family ties and social care systems which were primarily responsible for the upkeep of older persons, both in times of happiness and need.

Emmanuel Zvada

Did you know that today’s business environment is actually becoming ever more Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (Vuca). A Vuca business environment poses many challenges to organisations and only the prepared and agile will survive such an environment. Truth be told, HR practitioners need to attend to how your organisations respond to issues of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, because the world is getting more and more Vuca every single day.

What does Vuca means?

The acronym Vuca was first introduced by the US Army, as a military and geopolitical term, to define the world after the collapse of the communist bloc at the beginning of the 1990s.

Such collapse affected performance of organisations, employees and employers to such an extent that organisations with no proper strategies could not survive. Nowadays, it is used in the field of business strategy and management, since the environment has become less predictable and full of changes, doubts and conflicts. The Vuca economy best describes the Zimbabwean economy.

Is Zimbabwe becoming a Vuca economy?

This term Vuca, concisely describes our situation in Zimbabwe today which is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. The country moves through all four of the letters on a daily basis. Most businesses are getting frustrated and there is uncertainty, there is volatility, complexity and ambiguity. Business is finding it difficult to pay staff and the staff is finding it difficult to come to work as the cost of living is overtaken by cost of labour. Below are some instances in Zimbabwe that just prove the turbulence that the country is experiencing on a daily basis.

During the beginning of the year, there was an outcry and a complete fear that prices of goods would go up and surely, they did go up.

The price of fuel which is also the enabler to many activities in the country has also gone up and is continuously being reviewed every week or two. It is difficult to imagine the chaos it causes to a business that is trying to budget or plan anything. The price constantly changes and yet there is no guaranteed availability. Business and citizens are uncertain of the next steps that the government will take and that only serves to create volatility and a very ambiguous business environment. It’s good to plan, but nowadays you plan and the next thing you adjust your plan.

Planning has become a foreign concept simply because change is moving more frequently and faster than one can imagine.

Electronic money and mobile wallets now dominate daily transactions because of the shortage of cash. On the same note, exchange rates are changing daily, weekly and sometimes hourly, creating an uncertain environment. The question is how then will the employers match these changes to capacitate their employees to continue coming to work.

The gaps between the employees being paid in forex is widening more than those being paid in local currency even if they have the same qualifications and experience.

Antidotes against Vuca world

Make no mistake, Vuca times are real, painful, challenging and tough. What needs to be done is to be willing to face the brutal facts and challenges of the present and see possibilities beyond your current challenges. Business leaders and CEOs are indeed struggling to lead in a Vuca environment. No wonder many people see change as the only constant, and HR professionals find themselves constantly re-organising so as to fit in the volatile environment.

Agility mentality

In a Vuca world, learning agile HR leaders are better equipped to be successful. They are open to learning from experience. They can quickly recognise better ways to get things accomplished. If we hold on to the way we always do things — stay in our comfort zones — we cease to grow intellectually and behaviourally. These are the kind of managers who are flexible and open to change and thrive on new experiences. This means those individuals who are quick to learning from experience and move forward with new ideas will be better prepared to succeed in tomorrow’s world and survive the volatility.

Multi-tasking abilities

In the Vuca world, managing change will be a continuous process and one will have to invest in it to build the capabilities in him/herself to adapt to this changing environment.

Continuous learning, upgrading of skill sets will be the key to overcome the challenges.

+HR leaders need to develop training programmes at every level which will help in building the desired skill sets in its people. HR must also be able to identify the right talent and promote such talent for critical projects and assignments. Ability to manage multifarious roles will also be the key to survive in extreme conditions.

Adaptability and flexibility skills

Being adaptive to change in the workplace is the first and foremost trait that HR people need to have. Flexibility is the idea that your plans can change very quickly, sometimes with or without notice. We can not always predict when changes like these are going to happen. That is why flexibility is so important. When you are flexible, you are versatile, resilient and responsive to change. You can adapt to unexpected demands in sudden workplace surges. The HR team should be able to understand when it’s time to modify old policies, create new ones and how to help employees embrace change.

Substitue “volatility” with clear vision

A vision statement is a statement of an organisation’s over-arching aspirations of what it hopes to achieve or to become. Here are some examples of vision statements: In volatile situations, the knowledge of facts and opinions is important, separating facts and opinion, precise and objective communication is the key in this situation. Volatility can only be combated with clear vision. When changes are rapid, employees need to know what’s happening and where they are heading to.

A clear-cut vision and fact-based knowledge of the situation helps creating a pathway. A clear sense of vision helps to keep people focused and distinguish between what is essential to do and what are the priorities amongst the myriad of activities. This will also help them understand the demands and opportunities emerging.

Substitute “uncertainty” with understanding

Employees should know what is happening, what the organisation is planning. In fact, there should be constant communication between the employees and the employers. It should be known that rapid changes in the environment requires faster communication, ensuring everyone has the same level of understanding. The pretext of performance in such a period is the ability of leaders to build trust; this has to be done during a calmer period.

When uncertainty hits the organisation, all have faith in the leadership that they will do their best in the interest of the people they lead.

Coping with the complexity of today’s business environment is not about predicting the future or reducing risk. It’s about building capability of people and the organisation; to adapt continuously and learn speedily, in order to maximise the chances of seizing fleeting opportunities. Surviving in a hostile world seems to be a very big challenge.

Vuca forces will present businesses with the need to move from opportunities that are necessary for survival and sustainability. To survive in a Vuca world, your business needs to be agile, so replace Vuca (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguity) with Vuca (Vision, understanding, clarity and agility.

 Emmanuel Zvada is a human capital consultant and an international recruitment expert. He writes in his personal capacity.