BY FORTUNE MBELE

FOOTBALL fans in Bulawayo and its environs have once against been robbed of a high-profile Warriors match as the Zimbabwe senior men’s national team’s Group H 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Botswana on November 15 has been moved from Barbourfields to the National Sports Stadium in Harare amid concerns of poor lighting.

The match had been scheduled to be played under floodlights at BF before Joey Antipas’ men take on Zambia four days later at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka.

Zifa spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela yesterday said the Confederation of African Football (Caf) had moved the match from Bulawayo due to uncertainty over lighting at the venue.

The Bulawayo City Council could not give guarantees over the functionality of the stadium lighting, and Caf could not take chances.

“The Zimbabwe Football Association wishes to advise the public and all stakeholders that the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Zimbabwe and Botswana, initially scheduled for Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo on November 15, has been moved to the National Sports Stadium in Harare,” Gwesela said.

“The decision to move the match follows communication from the Bulawayo City Council on the issue of floodlights at Barbourfields Stadium where they could not guarantee their good working order as they were last put to use in 2017 during the Cosafa Women’s Championship.

“In the absence of such a guarantee and in pursuit of conformance with their minimum requirements, Caf has switched the match to the National Sports Stadium to avoid the potential of floodlight failure during the match — a situation that could trigger security risk to the fans, players and officials.”

Gwesela claimed that they had made a request to have the match played at BF at 3pm, and the idea was shot down by the continental body.

“Zifa had pleaded with the continental mother body to move the match to 1500hrs on the same day, but Caf could not grant the request as all qualifiers, across Africa, will be played at 1800hrs,” the Zifa spokesperson said.

“The Zifa executive committee commits to host the next international match, which is to be played during daylight, at Barbourfields Stadium and that we remain committed to a rotational system that will allow all fans an opportunity to support their team in flesh and blood.”

The cheapest ticket for the match at the National Sports Stadium will be $20 for the rest of the ground, $50 for Bays 15-18 and $120 for the VIP.

In September, the preliminary round second leg 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Somalia, which had also been slated for BF, was moved to Harare as the Under-23 Young Warriors were hosting South Africa in an Afcon qualifier on September 10 at the same venue.

A change of dates for the Warriors-Somalia match caused a clash and the senior team had to switch to the National Sports Stadium.

The Warriors last played at BF in December 2013 in a friendly match against Mozambique as the team prepared for the 2014 African Nations Championship finals that were hosted by South Africa.

In 2000, Barbourfields Stadium hosted the Sunday Chidzambga-coached Warriors when they beat Lesotho 3-0 in the Cosafa Cup final second leg match.

BY CHELSEA MUSAFARE

YOUTH, Sport, Arts and Recreation minister Kirsty Coventry will be the guest of honour at this year’s edition of the Federation for Choral Music in Zimbabwe festival (FMCZ) set for November 30 at the Zimbabwe College of Music in Harare.

Event organiser Pedzisai Chiramba told NewsDay Life & Style yesterday that the choral music fete — running under the theme Choral Music Uniting Communities — will be held at national level for the first time this year.

The festival, designed to celebrate choral music and promote the fast-growing genre, will also be graced by National Arts Council director Nicholas Moyo, as well as the clergy from various denominations and representatives of the corporate world.

“The year’s edition is different from the previous ones in the sense that FCMZ has been rebranded. It has new stakeholders and is shaping up to world standards, matching the likes of the Old Mutual National Choir Festival of South Africa,” Chiramba said.

“The introduction of categories and provincial events is also a first from previous events. This year also marks the first time FCMZ has launched the festival at national level. It will start with regional eliminations feeding into the national event.”

Due to logistical and budgetary constraints, only three provinces — Masvingo, Harare and Bulawayo — will be represented.

“The event in Harare is a national call and is open to all choirs around the country who can travel to Harare,” Chiramba said.

He said prizes would include a floating trophy, money as well as miniature trophies and shields. Losing choirs would receive token rewards for participating.

FCMZ previously hosted two annual festivals in 2007 and 2014. It hosted its first competition featuring a set song composed by a renowned local composer George Tamisayi.

BY CHARLES LAITON

More than 250 families at six housing co-operatives in Crowborough Farm, Harare, are set to lose their properties after their executive members colluded with the City of Harare and obtained a High Court order authorising their eviction and demolition of houses.

Two hundred and twenty-nine members of some of the co-operatives have since approached the High Court seeking a stay of execution after getting wind of the impending eviction and demolition through ward 38 councillor, who apparently had been advised of the predicament about to befall them.

The affected housing co-operatives are cited in court papers as Igarwe, Tatakura, Nyabira, Pastors, Vanhuvatema and Ideal Homes.A member of Igarwe Housing Co-operative, Brian Muzembe, who deposed to an affidavit which has been filed alongside the urgent chamber application, said he was shocked when he received the news from ward 38 councillor since the executive members of all the co-operatives had not alerted their members of what they had agreed with the City of Harare.

He said he, together with 228 others, bought the stands in 2014 and were encouraged to put up structures while waiting for the regularisation of their properties.

“I am still an occupant of the stand. In fact, the stand has been my home for the past six years and I have been religiously paying the required subscriptions for the stand hoping that, as promised by the co-operative executive, one day, the stands will be regularised,” Muzembe said.

“I am still in shock to learn that the co-operative executives went on to consent to the ejection and demolition order of our homes without making consultations with the applicants (229 members), since the applicants are the most affected parties.

It should be put on record that the co-operative executives are not affected by the order because they do not stay in the area in question, hence their decision to consent to the order. It is surprising how they took this matter for granted considering the effects of the consent order on the innocent families whom they duped on the pretext that the stands will be regularised.”

He said it had been suggested that the basis for the City of Harare’s actions was that the stands were pegged illegally on council land and that the occupants had erected structures on top of water pipes.

“This is denied. Out of the more than 250 houses, only 10 were built on top of the council’s water pipes. It is important to highlight that all the houses which were built on top of the council’s water pipes have been removed by the owners of the stands and, as we speak, there are no houses which are on top of council’s water pipes,” Muzembe said.
The matter is pending.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

ZIMBABWE’S egg production increased by 35% to 12,6 million dozen of eggs in the third quarter of the year compared to the same period last year, with small-scale producers contributing more than half of the total output, an official has said.

Zimbabwe Poultry Association (ZPA) chairperson Solomon Zawe revealed that large-scale table egg production increased by 50% to 1,9 million dozen per month in the third quarter (July to September) compared to the same period last year.

He said small-scale table egg production increased by 8% to 2,3 million dozens per month, an increase of 25% over the third quarter of 2018.

“As a result, total egg production is estimated to have increased by 2% to 4,2 million dozen per month, an increase of 35% over the third quarter of 2018,” Zawe said.

As with broiler meat, Zawe said the wholesale price of table eggs has increased dramatically since March this year and in September it was $29,70 per tray of 30 eggs.

He said hatching egg production from local broiler breeders averaged 7,9 million per month in the period under review, being 3% lower than the second quarter of 2019, but 32% up on the third quarter of 2018.

“Dependence on imported hatching eggs declined dramatically by 63% to 355 000 dozens per month in the third quarter compared with the second quarter. Total broiler hatching eggs average 8,3 million per month in the third quarter, which was 9% lower than the second quarter and 23% down on third quarter of 2018,” he said.

The poultry boss said large-scale layer production stocks (growing and in-lay) continued to increase and in the period under review, averaged 1,2 million birds per month.

Total layer breeder stocks (growing and in-production) averaged 73 577 birds per month in the third quarter of 2019, a decrease of 2% compared to second quarter of this year, but an increase of 43% compared to prior figures, the highest since 2013.

Production of layer hatching eggs in the period under review averaged 1,1 million eggs per month, being 70% up on third quarter of 2018 and the highest since mid-2015.

Zawe boss said sexed pullet production (layer day-old chicks) averaged 253 641 per month in third quarter, an increase of 29% on prior figures.The average price of sexed pullets rose by 130% in the period under review and peaked at $9,96 per pullet in September.

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.