TWO artisanal miners, who were recently arrested for allegedly killing two members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) in a scuffle over girlfriends, heaved a sigh of relief after the charges were on Thursday withdrawn before plea at the Bindura Magistrates’ Courts.
Alexio Gumbato (36) and Job Chitsvimbo (age not given) were released by magistrate Maria Musika after the State failed to link the two with the charges.
Charges against the duo were that on April 19, the pair had a misunderstanding with three soldiers at a bar in Chiwaridzo high–density suburb, Bindura, over girlfriends.
The soldiers, Shaw Tizora (33), Tawanda Garega (35) and Pumulani Khuumani (30), were part of a team that was taking part in rehearsals for Independence Day celebrations in Bindura; they were camped at Chipadze Secondary School.
Khuumani was headed for the bar in the company of female friends, Lesley Chitabura (25) and Nyasha Ngozo (19), both from Chipadze suburb, when a scuffle allegedly broke out.
Khuumani allegedly assaulted Chitabura, who screamed for help, attracting the attention of Gumbato and Chitsvimbo, who rushed to the scene armed with knives and attacked the soldiers.
Tizora and Garega are said to have died from the injuries, while Khuumani was rushed to a nearby police station, where he filed a report, before being taken to Bindura Provincial Hospital. He was treated and discharged.
Greatness is not what you stumble upon, neither is it for the select few. Greatness is in all of us. You might have been born poor, and could still die poor due to the nature of your decisions.
Greatness is within you and you must activate it. When you see a parked BMW, does it mean it doesn’t move? No! The car has the power, but it’s just stationary. The moment you start the ignition, it will move.
This is similar for many people. They parked their lives somewhere at some corner, but that does not negate the fact that they have the power. They just need to ignite that power within them.
Organised thinking
All your activities must be centred around organised thinking. Thinking starts with a why. Why are you here? What is your purpose? If there is one thing you can major on the rest of your life, what will it be? Think about the “why” and end with “what”. The reverse could be dangerous. Most people are trying to find happiness through wrong activities, and they never question why they do what they are doing.
True happiness is in your purpose, something which will lead you to undertake particular activities. The moment you know your “why” of life, you start living (and not just existing). The moment you know what you want, you will start a life based on your own terms. Your purpose is your “why”, and it gives you the clarity that will lift you to your“what”. Your purpose is what gives you the strength to rise up to your true potential so that you become the person you envisioned yourself to be.
Opportunities in “self”
At a seminar held last Thursday by the British Council in Bulawayo, Busisa Moyo, who is the current chief executive of the United Refineries Limited and a member of the Presidential Advisory Council, gave some incisive and insightful thoughts. He said: “The longest journey is not to the outer space, but to the inner space.”
Socrates said: “Know thyself.” That statement sounds simple yet it is so profound. A human being is the only species with special abilities and capabilities to make a choice to live the kind of life they want.
But what stops people from living a purpose-driven life? The fear of failure, and living an average life. Vusi Thembekwayo said: “We discover nothing about ourselves in comfort zones.”
Taking charge
When you don’t have a vision, the danger is you will work the rest of your life helping others fulfil their own visions.
When you know what you want, you know where to place a demand. When you know what you want in life, you dominate your space. Most people think they are out of control. They feel that something from the outside should happen if their situation is to change.
There are two basic classifications of people. First, there are those with an external locus. Such people think their life is controlled by external factors or situations.
They feel they are controlled by other people, such as their boss or parents. These experiance greater stress since they think they are helpless. These are the people who blame their bosses for their current earnings. They think someone or something out there is sabotaging their success or is responsible for their success.
Secondly, there are those with an internal locus. These feel they are the architects of their own destinies; that they have control over their life, destiny, and results.
They feel they are behind the wheels of their own life. These have less stress since they reach to their internal self for solutions. For the best in life, number two (internal focus) offers a better alternative. Anyone can change from the outer to inner locus.
You can shift from blaming external forces into focusing on your personal potential.
To get started on changing, I want you to take out your diary and answer the following questions: What are you going to do differently? (This will change your results).
What is your standard for life? (This will change your focus and challenge your limitations). What is your daily growth programme? (This will affect your daily emotional growth).
What is your one-year plan? (This will determine your short term plans).
What is your five-year plan? (This will determine your mid-term plan) and: What is your ten-year plan? (This will shape your long-term plan).
Take care of self
The power within us must be improved. You may not be able to change the world, it has been said, but you can change your mindset. Competence breeds confidence. Sharpen your skills.
AS a result of feedback received by Wild Zambezi from visitors who have enjoyed camping in Mana Pools National Park, here are some important pointers to remember if you are planning a stay there.
Prior booking is a must
It is essential to pre-book accommodation and camping with ZimParks prior to your trip.
Check in at Marongora as well as Mana HQ
All visitors to Mana Pools National Park must check in and obtain an entry permit (no charge) at the Parks Zambezi Valley HQ at Marongora at the top of the Zambezi escarpment, before you descend the hills and turn in at the first entry gate. If you do not have this permit, the gate officers will make you go back, up the hill to Marongora to collect one.
Once you arrive at the Zambezi River in Mana, you must also check in at the Parks HQ at Nyamepi to show your accommodation booking form and pay your conservation/vehicle entry fees. You will not be allowed out of the park exit gate if you cannot show proof that you have paid these.
Toilet facilities
There are four ablution blocks in the Nyamepi Campsite with flush toilets, basins and shower facilities. They are basic, but have received a welcome upgrade recently, with new tiling and better plumbing. Hot water is provided via wood-burning boilers. Be sure to bring all your own toiletries, including toilet paper.
Note that the public exclusive campsites elsewhere in the park do not have ablution blocks or running water. The only facility provided at each site is a very basic “long-drop” toilet with a thatched surround for privacy.
Campers at these sites need to be completely self-contained and able to provide their own water and ablution facilities. A spadeful or two of cold campfire ash sprinkled regularly into the “long-drop” toilet serves to reduce odours and help sanitise it.
There are no fences!
In Mana Pools, there are no fences around any of the camping areas. Potentially dangerous wild animals can wander through at any time of the day or night. They may look tame, but they are not. Be vigilant at all times, especially after dark, and carry a torch with a strong beam to shine all around before moving.
Children
Unless you are rigorously cautious about safety, it is inadvisable to camp in Mana Pools with very young children. There are five park lodges available for hire. These are a safer option. If you are camping with children under the age of 12, keep them well within the confines of your campsite and never let them move away alone (day or night).
Unguided walking is permitted, but only with a permit from the office and only if you are wilderness-savvy. Mana Pools is one of Africa’s great wilderness Parks. Visitors are permitted to walk unguided on the “floodplain” area near the Zambezi River, as long as you pay for a permit to do so from the office at Nyamepi.
However, if you are not experienced in the African wilderness, do not attempt to do this. Rather hire the services of an armed ranger from the National Parks office at Nyamepi, who will take your group out to enjoy this privilege.
Firewood is a scarce resource
In Mana Pools, you are not permitted to collect your own firewood. This must be purchased by the bundle at the Nyamepi Parks HQ. Keep your campfire to a minimum size in order to preserve a fast-dwindling resource.
SELF-HELP Development Foundation (SHDF), a local non-governmental organisation, has become an oasis of hope for small-scale farmers in Buhera, who have been struggling to access markets for their produce.
While most smallholder farmers have managed to produce more from their land, getting markets for their commodities has been a challenge in recent years.
Many have lost potential revenue to middlemen who take advantage of their desperation to pay very low prices, making agriculture an unprofitable venture for many farmers.
It is against this background that the SHDF recently held a value chain development forum at Murambinda Growth Point, which was aimed at enhancing and strengthening enterprises, business relationships, improving market structures and the entire business environment.
The meeting was attended by local business community, farmers, government ministries, the financial sector and environmentalists.
Various value chain players were also invited from both the local business community and those coming from outside Buhera district.
SHDF director Wadzanayi Vere said the value chain development forum stemmed from challenges of markets that were cited by farmers in various value chains.
“The platform was aimed at enhancing and strengthening enterprises, business relationships, improving market structures and the business environment,” she said.
Vere said the objective of the activity was to create a platform for producers and service providers, private sector and government ministries in Buhera to establish synergies in the whole value chain process.
“The meeting also sought to improve women and youths’ access to affordable finance and formal institution as well as to strengthen business relations,” she added.
Women Affairs ministry business development officer in the department of small and medium enterprise development, Lovemore Mubayiwa, said the SHDF project had assisted in promoting honey, grain, livestock and the crafting of value chains.
“This is done by funding interface platforms where players in value chains meet for discussions and facilitate linkages within value chains,” he said.
Mubayiwa said the project would go a long way in bridging the market gap which is responsible for disadvantaging rural communities.
“SHDF is also facilitating the mobility of government officials as they seek to offer services to communities like in the formation of associations, farming as a businesses and contract farming, which are critical to value chain development,” he said.
In addition to that, Vere said synergies between the private and public sector players along key value chains would be convened at district level to interrogate opportunities to enhance the efficiencies along the value chain and secure commitment from the various actors.
TWO crocodiles which killed a Hwange man recently and left another victim nursing serious injuries have eluded a ZimParks team sent to hunt them down.
A Hwange man died, while a 14-year-old survived by pulling the crocodile’s tail, while his friends pelted it with stones in the coal-mining town on Friday last week, in two separate incidents involving the reptiles.
The deceased was been identified as Enock Mhlanga (24) of Ingagula, while his colleague Delight Mathe (22) escaped with serious injuries.
Mhlanga and his friend had been fishing at a weir popularly known as Carries Dam on Friday, when the incident occurred. ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the authority had dispatched a team to hunt down the reptiles.
However, Southern Eye Weekender yesterday was reliably informed that the crocodiles had not yet been spotted.
FOUR men, including a Zimbabwe National Army deserter, have been arrested after they were allegedly found in possession of 76,7kgs of Ivory.
The former ZNA member, Faunel Luphahla (34), Alos Savanhu (38), Ndaba Ncube (27) of Dete and a Gwabalanda resident Innocencia Siwela (42) are being represented by Thulani Nkala.
All the four denied the charge of possessing raw ivory without a permit, when they appeared before Hwange magistrate Livard Philemon yesterday and were remanded in custody to May 16.
The court was told that on February 12 in the evening, a team of Zimbabwe Parks and Wild Life Management Authority officials and members of the Criminal Investigations Department, Mineral Fauna and Flora Unit were on patrol along the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road when they came across suspicious vehicles parked on the side of the road.
They stopped to investigate, but one of the cars sped off. The team searched the remaining vehicle and the driver disappeared into the bush. Savanhu also tried to escape, but was arrested.
Police reportedly recovered a plastic bag containing raw ivory.
Savanhu is then said to have made calls to the other three accomplices, leading to their arrest and recovery of 76,7kg of ivory valued $19 176.
AS we congratulate Air Zimbabwe for purchasing a new plane to remain in the skies, we would like also to commend the national carrier’s “never die” spirit, which all Zimbabweans need to emulate, especially in these very trying times.
Although the plane that landed raised eyebrows, because it was curiously branded in the colours of a controversial airline, Zim Airways — whose origins and disappearance without having even carried a single passenger is a story for another day — we would like to commend those at the Transport ministry for tirelessly working to keep our national pride in the sky.
We, however, wish to draw the authorities’ attention, especially those at the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (Caaz), to the critical issue of safety. Before Air Zimbabwe took delivery of the new bird, an Embraer ERJ-145, the national carrier’s only workhorse — a Boeing 737-200 — had been involved in two mishaps that could have ended in Zimbabwe’s first major aviation disaster since independence in 1980.
First, it was involved in a mid-air bird strike after flying out of Bulawayo’s Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport, enroute to Harare last Friday. Although the plane safely landed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe (RGM) International Airport in one piece, the sparks that flew out of the plane’s engines when it hit a flock of birds scared the wits out of the passengers.
Then, three days later on Sunday evening, the same plane had a brief malfunction in one of its engines which caused yet another scare when fire popped out of the engine as it flew out of Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, again enroute to RGM International Airport.
Herein lies the crux of our concern. When that plane experienced the first fire, it should have been grounded for days while engineers dissected it to ascertain whether or not there was serious damage to the plane’s engines or even the fuselage itself, because a bird hitting a plane in flight can act like a bullet.
But, desperate to honour their schedules, the airline was forced back into the sky. We, therefore, wish to say to those at Caaz and the Transport ministry, in future it would be prudent for them to ground and institute A or B-Checks on the plane. And an A Check, needing 50-70 man-hours or a minimum of 10 hours, is normally carried out after approximately every 400-600 flight-hours or 200–300 flight cycles (take-off and landing is considered an aircraft “cycle”), depending on aircraft type. A B-Check, needing about 160-180 man-hours or one to three days, is usually done after every six to eight months.
While we are not privy to whether or not the A-Check, at the least, was done, allow us to doubt that this was ever done. Just being lay people in terms of aviation issues, we have reasonable suspicion that some dead bird could have been still lodged in the cavity of the plane’s engine and were dislodged when the plane took off from OR.
With Air Zimbabwe said to be on a rebound, we hope authorities will, from henceforth, become more strict with these issues that pose a threat to passengers and the crew. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before a major disaster befalls us and our airline if the current casual modus operandi at Caaz and Air Zimbabwe is maintained. It appears as if Caaz is presently sleeping on the wheel.
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has extended the term of office of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya by another five years.
In a statement last night, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, said Mnangagwa extended Mangudya’s term of office in terms of section 14 of the Reserve Bank Act (Chapter 22:15).
He said the extension was with effect from May 1.
Mangudya was appointed in 2014 to replace Gideon Gono and speculation has been rife that his term might not be renewed following the appointment of Mthuli Ncube as Finance minister after last year’s elections.
Last week, we looked at abortion from the Zimbabwean legal and legislative context. We outlined the provisions of the Termination of Pregnancy Act and the only three circumstances in which abortion is legally permissible.
We examined the challenges and difficulties faced by women even when the law allows them to terminate their pregnancies. We highlighted that the issue of abortion is fraught with many opinions and emotions, with different sides vying to make their view the standard by which the abortion laws must devolve. There are opinions from across the social divide encompassing divergent religious, cultural, legal, medical, moral and personal opinions.
Everyone has an opinion about the rights and wrongs of abortion and interestingly, the most vocal and influential opinions come from people who do not have uteruses. Men are invariably the most influential members of society because they occupy the most powerful positions and are the principle decision makers.
They pass the religious, cultural and national laws by which societies live and abide. By virtue of their political power, men influence public opinion on almost all societal, religious and cultural issues more than women. In the regions of the world where abortion has been legalised, it had to be fought as a gender and women’s reproductive rights issue for it to gain traction. The argument by women was that they are the ones who get pregnant and, therefore, must be the only ones who have a say over their bodies.
Women argue that their bodies are not public property and, therefore, they should be the only ones to decide whether or not to get pregnant, and whether or not to remain pregnant . All the major religions/philosophies are generally opposed to abortion. Buddhist philosophies view life as starting from conception.
They believe in reincarnation and rebirth, therefore, life is present and valid at every stage of its cycle. A conceived being is considered as having the same rights as a deceased person. Rebirth and reincarnation mean there is never an end to life. Unlike in Christianity and Islam, there is no top-down approach and a super deity that tells people what to do with their lives and their genitalia. There is no dictated wrong and right because Buddhist philosophy gives individuals personal responsibility over moral issues.
Adherents are encouraged to self-introspect through meditation and reflection, the effects of their thoughts and deeds to other people and the world at large. In Islam, abortion is wrong and forbidden, except in some circumstances. In this way, Islam is more liberal because Christianity does not give an allowance for special exceptions.
Christianity takes the most rigid, impractical, and denialist view on abortion.
Judeo Christianity views, championed by the Roman Catholic Church are very influential in this part of the world.
The traditional Catholic view is that abortion is wrong, sinful and, therefore, non-negotiable, no matter the circumstance.
If the pregnancy poses danger to the mother or the foetus, it is considered as God’s will. The mother must die or the baby be dangerously deformed if need be.
Abortion is regarded as gravely contrary to the moral and natural laws. The Anglican Church mirrors the Roman Catholic Church, although it has increasingly softened its stance over the years to allow for some exceptions.
In 1980, its board that deals with issues of social responsibilities issued a statement that closely mirrors the Catholic Church: “We see abortion….. as a great moral evil.’’ The softening of this stance, as with other issues like gay marriages the Anglican Church conceded that it was futile to try to control human beings. The Catholic Church still maintains its rigid position.
The church would rather turn a blind eye like it does to most things it frowns upon, but which it cannot control such as contraception, homosexuality and co-habitation. The Catholic Church’s view is based on its interpretation of the word of God. For Catholics, life begins at conception. Pope Benedict XV talked about the necessity of making everyone aware of the “intrinsic evil of abortion’’ because it is akin to “attacking human life in its very first stages’’.
The Pope said politicians and legislators are duty-bound to defend the fundamental right to life because a human foetus has rights, including the right to life. This is contrary to some human and women rights views, which argue that a foetus has no rights of its own because it is not yet a human being. Abortion activists argue that the perceived rights of foetuses cannot supersede the rights of the women who host it in their bodies. The rights of foetuses and of women will be discussed in other instalments and, for now, we discuss the religious standpoint.
Generally, all Christian churches follow the same thinking that abortion is wrong and is a sin, because it is killing and killing is against Biblical and godly principles. Christians preach that sexual relations outside marriage are sinful and, therefore, abortion cannot even be a factor because all sexually active Christians should be married. There is no room for unwanted pregnancies because in the Christian world, life is neatly arranged and anything that interferes with that order is from the devil.
Christians justify their views by quoting Bible verses and teachings from influential Christian leaders that speak to the evils of murder. However, some Bible verses contradict this because what God says about abortion is different from these preachings. In some verses, God is portrayed as not caring about unborn children.
God’s attitude is that unborn babies have no rights and can be killed to punish and spite their mothers for doing him wrong. At different times, God expresses disparaging feelings about foetuses and suggests that they are mere property. God accords no special concessions or protection to unborn babies as is preached by anti-abortionists.
Those interested in further Biblical readings of abortion can look up Exodus 21:22-25, Numbers 5: 11-31, among many other verses in which pregnant women are threatened with losing their unborn children at God’s whim. In Hoseah 9: 10-16, God promises to punish Israel by destroying it. He seems to have a penchant for punishing women by killing their unborn children.
God talks liberally about ripping their stomachs with a sword and wantonly killing their unborn children. Even in the New Testament, Jesus shows no special concern or protection for unborn children.
Like in the Old Testament, he promises trials and tribulations for pregnant women and their unborn children in the promised end times (Matthew 24:19). In these and other verses, the biblical God goes against the standard Christian stance that God is unequivocal about the protection of unborn children. When the various biblical verses about abortion are considered, there is no consensus in the Bible about abortion. There is thus no justification for the anti-abortion views based on biblical principles, unless one cherry picks verses that support their personal views.
The MDC district congress re-run for Gokwe-Kabuyuni failed to take off in the political hotbed district on Thursday.
A re-run was ordered after complaints were raised that Costin Muguti, who won in the initial round of polls to lead the district, was not eligible as he had not yet reached the mandatory five years in the MDC after he re-joined the party from Elton Mangoma’s Coalition of Democrats (Code).
Muguti, a former MP for the constituency, first defected from the MDC alongside Tendai Biti and Mangoma under the Renewal for Democrats Party. He remained with Mangoma’s party when Biti broke away to form the People’s Democratic Party.
MDC Midlands provincial spokesperson, Takavafira Zhou, explained the circumstances surrounding the aborted event.
“The first issue that was dealt with before the elections could be held was the issue of Muguti, who had won in the initial district election. He re-joined the party in 2018 after defecting and so that issue was supposed to be resolved first. After some frank discussion, Muguti then agreed to step down. But when we were about to go for the re-run of the district elections, it was discovered that the gathering did not constitute a quorum as there were fewer members. So, we had to postpone the polls,” he said.
MDC Midlands provincial chairperson, Josiah Makombe, who travelled to the remote district to superintend over the re-run, said a new date would be announced after the memorial of the late party leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
“A new date will be set for the congress re-run, but it has to be before the national event slated to begin on May 24. I was humbled by the unity shown by the party supporters in Gokwe and particularly the political maturity of our cadre Muguti, who agreed to step down,” Makombe said.
Zhuo highlighted that the technicality of the disqualification of Muguti could have been avoided if Mangoma had joined the MDC Alliance or if the former Gokwe-Kabuyuni MP had been a member of Biti’s PDP, which joined the alliance. Members of the parties that joined the MDC Alliance were allowed to contest in the congress, regardless of the five-year membership condition.
