BY PRECIOUS CHIDA/FARAI MATIASHE

Labour minister Sekai Nzenza says Zimbabweans must prioritise drought-resistant crops to counter the effects of climate change.

Speaking at the official opening of United Nations (UN) week panel discussion and exhibition in Harare on Monday, Nzenza said stakeholders, including government, non-governmental organisations and civic society groups should educate citizens on the benefits of growing drought-resistant crop varieties.

“There is need to develop a new strategy. We need to develop a coping strategy to mitigate climate change. Cyclone Idai was a wake-up call to my ministry to realise the devastating impact of climate change and also in addition to Cyclone Idai we have had drought,” Nzenza said.

“There is a lot of hunger and what the ministry is doing in the short term is to ensure that everybody gets food. In the long term, we have to develop resilient strategies. Let’s go back to what it used to be like before we became so dependent on things like maize which has become much commercialised, let us go back to our small grains like sorghum.”

Nzenza said there is need to educate people across all societies on the effects of climate change in their local languages.

“We are also looking at raising awareness especially in the rural areas where there is less access to information. We need to develop material in the language that people understand. Like what is climate change and what are its effects so that people understand its effects and that it is real and affecting our people,” she said.

Deputy director for climate change department, in the Lands ministry Kudzai Ndidzano said climate change mitigation requires collective action.

“Climate change is real; it’s a threat. It’s time for collective action, private sector, government, civil society groups should come in. We need to act; it’s going to get warmer (thus) developing of tropical storms,” he said.

International Organisation for Migration chief of mission, Mario Lito Malanca said to manage migration in the country, there was need to reduce climate change as its impact such as Cyclone Idai is responsible for the displacement of thousands of people.

UN resident co-ordinator Maria Ribeiro said the three-day exhibition is aimed at raising awareness on climate change action to achieve 2030 Agenda on sustainable development.

BY FARAI MATIASHE/VANESSA GONYE/PRECIOUS CHIDA

SAVE the Children Zimbabwe country director Yvonne Arunga has called on the government to commit resources towards protecting children from getting exposed to cyber-crimes.

This comes at a time Parliament is debating the Cyber Crime and Cyber Security Bill which is meant to ensure online offenders against children among others are brought to book.

“Let me hasten to say, these project milestones have been made with meagre resources, hence we implore the government and other key stakeholders to prioritise child online protection, and commit resources for the full implementation of child online protection at national level,” said Arunga while speaking during the handover of two servers to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Harare yesterday.

She said safeguarding children from accessing harmful content on the internet was not meant to deprive them of their right to access information but to protect them from sexual exploitation.

Arunga said the donation will link up the national child sexual exploitation database to the Interpol database, thus helping to automatically detect leads on child online sexual abuse materials originating from Zimbabwe.

“All these efforts are aiming to ensure the protection and safety of the growing numbers of Zimbabwean children who are accessing the internet either through their mobile phones, computers and other gadgets,” she said.

Arunga said police alone could not protect children but it was the responsibility of everyone in the country including parents and guardians at home, teachers and the community at large to unite in protecting children from online abuse.

ZRP acting chief of staff officer crime Assistant Commissioner Israel Makuwaza said their partnership with Save the Children was focused on fighting physical abuse of children but due to technological advancement they also had to pay attention to online crimes against children including sextortion and revenge pornography.

He said the HP DL20 servers donated by Save the Children will help link the ZRP’s Victim Friendly Unit with the Interpol server.

“This database will allow VFU to upload images and videos, obtain information on identified victims and offenders. This will enable the VFU to identify and safeguard more children, monitor and apprehend more offenders and thus prevent further distribution of child sexual exploitation material,” he said.

Meanwhile, Plan International has bemoaned challenges being faced by young girls among them difficulties in accessing sexual health services.

Speaking at a girls’ symposium held as part of celebrations to mark International Day of the Girl, Plan International sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) project manager, Varaidzo Nyadenga said most girls particularly in Epworth were living from their own pockets and were failing to raise fees for medication.

“Health workers are further worsening their predicament as they are portraying a negative attitude towards those on anti-retroviral therapy as well as their peers who seek medical attention on SRH issues. They are not forthcoming and usually they exert their beliefs when on duty which is therefore making girls hesitant to seek medical attention fearing stigma,” she said.

“The other issue is access to sanitary wear, we have been talking about this for a long time and we do appreciate the efforts that have been made to reduce the tax but still the prices are prohibitive.

by STAFF REPORTER

HUNDREDS of villagers in Gokwe North now have thriving community gardens, courtesy of an UKaid programme being implemented by Caritas Gokwe with the support of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod).

Beneficiaries and their livestock faced hunger due to recurrent drought in the area and used to walk several kilometres in search of water.

With the help of the non-government organisations and UKaid, villagers were now into irrigation utilising water from Vimbe Dam while focussing on production of maize, beans and bananas, among other crops.

“We have three community gardens, one with 130 members, another has 140 and the third has 203 members surrounding this dam and Caritas assisted with fences,” Innocent Muvaka, the project patron.

The nearby clinic and local schools as well as hundreds of other villagers in nearby three wards were also benefitting from the dam and irrigation schemes.

The dam was first constructed in 1992 but several challenges were encountered until the intervention of Caritas and Cafod in 2016.

“Since then, we never had a problem with water and our lives have changed completely,” Muvaka said.

The project is working on climate resilience by increasing nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Project monitoring and evaluation officer, Admire Dube said at least three wards were benefitting from the initiative.

“We also have solar panels to aid in so many ways here. A lot of people come to buy different crops like vegetables,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries Florence Musiiwa said: “We have been helped by these organisations to plant nutritional crops and we end up selling some to buy basics, pay school fees and buy underwear for the girls. There are some things you cannot ask their fathers to buy for them and now, thanks to the help, we get the money to buy.”

The programme is helping more than 130 000 people in Zimbabwe and stretches to remote areas including Uzumba, Maramba, Pfungwe, Gokwe North and South.

By Miriam Mangwaya

DARING villagers in Mapiye village under Chief Musarurwa have set up their own “tollgate,” cashing in on motorists who are evading the official Zinara plaza along Chivhu-Murambinda Highway, about 18km from the farming town.

The villagers set up a barbed wire gate which serves as a barricade for motorists using the makeshift road which is some 200 metres from the Zinara tollgate.

They manually open the gate for motorists after receiving a negotiable fee which is between $2 and $5 for light motor vehicles and commuter omnibuses who mostly use the illegal tollgate.

Light motor vehicle and commuter omnibuses pay a toll fee of $10 and $15 respectively at Zinara tollgates.

Mashonaland East police spokesperson Inspector Tendai Mwanza said they had not yet received a report on the case.

Zinara spokesperson Augustine Moyo requested questions on email but had not responded by the time of going to print.

Although the villagers refused to answer questions from NewsDay, they claimed that the motorists who were evading the official tollgate pass through their farming fields, therefore they could not use the land for productive agriculture.

“I have to earn something since I can no longer use my field for farming purposes because part of that arable land is now a road for traffic,” said one villager who refused to be identified.

NewsDay could not, however, establish how much the villagers collect from motorists per day.

According to a source in the neighbouring Hokonya village, said those in charge of the illegal tollgate, popularly known as the Mapiye tollgate, have come up with their own working shifts to collect fees from motorists.

“They are also putting barricades on other tracks that motorists might want to use to avoid their tollgate,” said the source who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.

In separate interviews with NewsDay, motorists said they prefer the Mapiye tollgate because the fees were affordable.

“The Mapiye tollgate is convenient because you can negotiate with the crew and pay less than they demand and sometimes if you don’t have the cash, they can allow you to pass,” said a pirate tax driver who only identified himself as Max.

The Chivhu-Murambinda tollgate was operationalised in September 2018.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

A ZIMBABWEAN woman, Susan Vivian Mutami, was last night honoured in Australia for her contribution to that country’s healthcare system.

Mutami was named among Australia’s 100 Women of Influence for coming up with innovative health initiatives that were adopted by the Australian government to help improve the lives of indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in urban, rural and remote parts of that country.

In an interview with NewsDay from her Sydney base, Mutami said she was happy to be making an impact after the Australian government adopted her initiative to establish state of the art and fully-equipped mobile hospitals with beds and manned by nurses, doctors and other health professionals.

Mutami started planning for the project last year and engineers helped her design the special moving hospitals and also digitalising everything on board.

“The moving hospitals are basically fully-fledged hospitals on wheels that have all medical personnel on board from doctors, nurses and physiotherapists,” she said.

“We work hand in hand with the Royal flying doctor service of Australia which is one of the largest aero medical organisations in the world that has a total of 71 aircraft that cover the length and breadth of the country’s rural, remote and regional parts of Australia.”

Mutami added. “The moving hospitals were specifically designed for the outback terrain. I came up with the idea after my research found out there was high infant mortality rate of indigenous Australians (child death 153,6 per 100 000) as compared to non-indigenous (73,2 deaths per 100 000).”

The Australian Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Steve Miles, commended Mutami’s healthcare initiative.

Mutami said to improve the healthcare system in Zimbabwe, there was need for the Health ministry to be properly restructured.

“There is need for sector reform in the pharmaceutical industry to allow local pharmaceutical industries to manufacture medicines locally. More emphasis on the ministry must be towards prevention because in Zimbabwe there is an increase in non-communicable diseases. There should be more awareness campaigns and education,” she said.

The Kwekwe-born Mutami is a holder a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree (Security and Counter Terrorism) and a Bachelor of Nursing degree.

Last year, Mutami was also recognised at the prestigious Australian CEO magazine Executive of the Year Awards for her contribution to the country’s healthcare system, becoming the first black African to receive the gong.

BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

The MDC Mashonaland East province has been plunged into mourning following the death of party stalwart Obed Pindu Muchabaiwa who died at Marondera Provincial Hospital on Sunday at the age of 81.

The late political activist, popularly known as Sekuru Muchabaiwa, survived a series of political attacks at his house as suspected Zanu PF militias were against his move of housing MDC youths in Marondera.

Muchabaiwa is also father to MDC Marondera senator Jane Chifamba, who described him as a brave figure who despite his age nurtured and housed MDC youth activists despite attempts on his life at the height of political violence in the country.

Speaking during the funeral wake in Marondera yesterday, Marondera mayor Chengetai Murowa, who is also the MDC provincial spokesperson, said the late Muchabaiwa will be remembered for his contributions in the country’s opposition politics.

“Sekuru Muchabaiwa was an MDC founding member in 1999 and was also present at the party’s first congress in 2000. He was there despite all the negative forces. At the time, it was taboo to talk or discuss anything MDC in Marondera and the province. His house was our meeting point where we would strategise on the way forward,” Murowa said.

“I vividly remember in 2002 during the presidential election campaigns when his house was raided before he and his family members were tortured by suspected militias. They were left nursing injuries. In the same year, his house was attacked and had his belongings looted as he was accused of housing MDC youths.”

Muchabaiwa was the party’s first treasurer for Marondera East, an area that covered central Marondera and part of rural Marondera.

He was buried yesterday at Paradise Cemetery in Marondera.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

Norton MP Temba Mliswa (independent) yesterday called for rotation of parliamentary portfolio committee chairpersons in a move targeted at removal of Gokwe Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena, who leads the Agriculture committee.

Mliswa raised this as a matter of privilege with the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda during the first sitting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament.

“For example, Wadyajena only chairs committees, but if you check he does not really attend parliamentary sittings.”

Mudenda said the issue of reshuffling of committees was the prerogative of the sponsoring party and the Standing Rules and Orders Committee.

Mliswa also complained of delays by Parliament to issue findings on investigations into allegations that he together with three other MPs, Prince Dubeko Sibanda (Binga North), Anele Ndebele (Magwegwe), and Gokwe Kabuyuni MP Leonard Chikomba, demanded a US$400 000 bribe from Bulawayo businessman James Goddard.

“I am an international business person and the fact that the report has been in your office for a long time is affecting my business. We were labelled corrupt and I do not know how long it will take for that report to be released to clear the matter,” he said.

Mudenda said Mliswa needs to disabuse the notion that he as the Speaker was holding onto the report on the investigations of the bribery allegations.

“The chairperson of the Privileges Committee has that report. I am advised that they have finished compiling it. The chairperson Senator Chief Fortune Charumbira is away and when he comes back, he must be able to table it,” Mudenda said.

Meanwhile, Mutare Central MP Innocent Gonese (MDC Alliance) demanded an explanation from the Speaker on the rationale he used to deny the five months’ sitting allowances for MDC legislators who walked out on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address last month.

Before Gonese could finish his sentence, Mudenda had already quashed him and ruled him out of order.

“I did not listen to you right up to the end because your party has written a letter to the chair (Speaker) seeking explanation and, therefore, you cannot have your cake and eat it,” Mudenda said.

BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA

FORMER Tourism minister Priscah Mupfumira who is facing charges of criminal abuse of office and money laundering, is set to stand trial on November 4.

Mupfumira together with former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Service and Social Welfare Ngoni Masoka appeared before Harare magistrate Hosea Mujaya who deferred the trial to November 4 following arguments between the State and their lawyer.

Mupfumira’s lawyer Charles Chinyama advised the court that the State was not ready to set a trial date for the two accused persons, but the State argued that Chinyama was afraid to have the trial commence on October 30.

The State argued that it would make an application to proceed with the trial on October 30, but both parties later agreed on the November 4 date.

It is alleged that Mupfumira directed the Ministry of Public Service to write a letter to CMED misrepresenting that there was a certain motor vehicle bought using NSSA funds, hence inferring that it will be taken back to the pension fund as it was appearing in the audit financial statement.

As a result of the misrepresentation, CMED issued Mupfumira with a Jaguar and Masoka accepted the vehicle into the ministry. Mupfumira effectively ended up having three personal vehicles instead of two according to her conditions of service.

The court heard that sometime in 2016, Mupfumira instructed one Mukondomi to pay tickets for her aides Kutyamadzo Shumbayaonda, Sphiwe Dhliwayo, and Alexandria Bwerinofa using ministry funds, to attend her daughter’s wedding in Cape Town, South Africa.

It is alleged that they booked hotel accommodation for seven officials at Cape Town Hotel, and Mupfumira’s relatives booked at Lord Charles and Southern Sun hotels using National Drought Accounts funds.

In another count, it is alleged that Mupfumira instructed NSSA to financially bail out MetBank to the tune of US$15 million as it was facing liquidity challenges.

The court heard that NSSA reportedly declined since the bank had previously defaulted over a US$25,3 million loan advanced to it.

Mupfumira allegedly gave NSSA officials instructions to seriously consider the bank’s loan request and process a loan of US$15 million to settle the bank’s US$5 million depositor’s credit and US$10 million for use in housing projects and bring feedback the following day.

NSSA resolved to decline the US$15 million loan request after considering the bank’s risk status, but Mupfumira and Masoka forced the authority to buy the bank’s properties worth US$4 908 050.

It is the State’s case that after buying the properties and after NSSA had transferred money into the bank’s account, Mupfumira received US$44 600 from the bank through her company, Beautyview Investments Pvt Ltd, where she is a director together with her children.

It is alleged that when Mupfumira received the US$44 600, she was aware that the deposits were proceeds of a crime and that they were meant to disguise the true nature, source and location and disposition or ownership with respect to the money.

All the US$39 777,14 was used to offset a negative balance on her company’s bank account.

by STAFF REPORTER

CASSAVA Smartech’s Maisha Health has unveiled a new partnership with Cancerserve Trust which seeks to assist Zimbabweans living with cancer.

Through the partnership, Maisha has committed a portion of its monthly revenue to supporting cancer treatment in Zimbabwe’s public hospitals through the Cancerserve Trust.

Announcing the ground-breaking partnership, Cassava Smartech CEO Eddie Chibi said his company would continue using innovation to address pressing societal issues and to support worthy causes.

“Cassava Smartech will, through its brands, continue to do well by doing good; to use innovation to offer sustainable, technology-driven solutions that impact people’s lives – including those fighting cancer or undergoing cancer treatment,” Chibi said.

The founder and chair of Cancerserve Trust, Anna Nyakabau, hailed Maisha for partnering with her trust. She implored other corporates to follow suit.

The partnership comes as Zimbabwe and the rest of the world this month commemorate World Breast Cancer awareness month.

Nyakabau said cancer prevalence was high in Zimbabwe, currently estimated to be affecting over 36 in every 100 000 people, compared to around six in every 100 000 in developed nations. She said she believed the partnership with Maisha would help bring that ratio down.

Maisha delivers daily heath education and advice for healthy living and wellness via the mobile phone.

BY CHARLES LAITON

ZANU PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the party’s youth league deputy secretary, Lewis Matutu as the internal dog fights over allegations of corruption continue to tear the ruling party apart.

Mpofu, who is former Home Affairs minister, recently approached the High Court seeking an order to compel Matutu to compensate him after his name appeared on an economic saboteurs list that was drafted and released in June this year by the ruling party’s youth league accusing him (Mpofu) of being one of the several corrupt former Cabinet ministers.

When the list was released mid-year, Mpofu described his party youths, who were pressurising him to clear his name on corruption allegations, as relevance seekers while scoffing at their threats to block him from Zanu PF headquarters.

In summons through his lawyers Chambati, Mataka and Makonese Attorneys, Mpofu said the contents of Matutu’s statement were defamatory, false and misleading in that it was understood to mean that he (Mpofu) had violated the very foundation of the fight for democracy in the country because of his corrupt proclivities.

Mpofu further said Matutu’s statement suggested “that his corrupt inclinations continue to undermine socio-economic transformation in Zimbabwe and, as a corollary, the defendant’s (Matutu) generation is suffering immensely”.

“The claims, allegations and assertions made by the defendant as set out above are false, malicious, scandalous, wrongful and defamatory of the plaintiff in the extreme, in that on their plain and ordinary meaning, they allege corruption by the plaintiff and were intended by the defendant and understood by his audience and all the readers of the statement to mean; that plaintiff is a corrupt politician; is dishonest and cruel; is undermining socio-economic transformation in Zimbabwe because of his corrupt proclivities,” Mpofu said in his founding affidavit.

“In addition to the plain and defamatory per se content of the statement as set out above, the defamatory allegations carry with them the secondary meaning, an innuendo and sting that the plaintiff is not a law-abiding citizen and, therefore, unfit to hold public office and/or political office. The plaintiff’s reputation and standing being a businessman, practicing politician and current secretary for administration of Zanu PF has been significantly impaired in the eyes of the public.”

Before the filing of the lawsuit, Mpofu had urged Matutu and his colleagues to find other ways of getting attention.

“Honestly there are so many ways of seeking relevance and this is not one of them,” Mpofu was quoted as having said while laughing off the allegations and the threat to block him from entering Zanu PF headquarters.

He added: “They could have looked for better ways of seeking relevance and not this kind of things that they are doing.”

The corruption list came about amid reports that the youths were being used by a faction within the party angling to control the ruling party and elbow out perceived enemies, setting a stage for possible brutal internal fights.

Matutu is yet to enter appearance to defend.