NEWboys TelOne coach Jairos Tapera is not reading much into Dynamos’ recent poor run of form, saying the Glamour Boys are capable of turning the tables as the two sides clash in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League tie at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.
Tapera said Dynamos would be revitalised following the appointment of Tonderai Ndiraya as coach, but added his team would be well-prepared for their match tomorrow.
The TelOne gaffer is pleased with the way his team has started, where they have picked up five points after a win against Bulawayo Chiefs, two draws (Herentals and Yadah) and a defeat to ZPC Kariba.
“In the first four games that we have played the integration has been superb and I think we have done well. We wait for our first big one on Sunday (tomorrow) against Dynamos. Dynamos can never be underestimated. They will come with vigour and new energy. Remember, when Manchester United fired (Jose) Mourinho and in came the new coach (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer), they went on to win five of six games on the trot, and that is what Dynamos are capable of doing. But we have also prepared well. We will not change what we have been doing,” he said.
He said the vociferous Dynamos faithful crowd will not affect his side.
“We have played all our games away from home and playing in front of a big crowd is part and parcel of the motivation for the boys. It is an opportunity for the young players to showcase themselves.”
Their only injury concern is that of captain James Jam, who is struggling with a knee injury, but there is hope that he would still take part in the match.
“He (Jam) has a knee problem and we managed the pain and he played against Yadah, but he has not been training and I am only hoping that by tomorrow, he will be okay,” he said.
DYNAMOS new coach Tonderai Ndiraya has expressed sympathy for Lloyd Chigowe who was sacked by the Harare giants on Tuesday.
Only appointed on a permanent basis at the start of this year, the affable Chigowe was axed a day after the team’s defeat to Herentals in a league match at Rufaro Stadium on Easter Monday, which was their third loss on the bounce.
DeMbare swiftly replaced him with Ndiraya.
It was a move that did not surprise many in football considering the team’s bad run and the disjointed displays since the start of the season.
But there is a section which still believes that Chigowe, who saved the team from relegation last season, should have been given a chance to see through his rebuilding process.
This group feels that the club’s management were hypocritical in sacking the coach as they did not support him financially in the transfer market, and he had to rely on players from lower divisions and academies to assemble a squad.
Trying to get the virtually new squad to gel proved to be Chigowe’s downfall in the wake of a 1-0 defeat at home to Herentals which was not received well by the team’s demanding supporters.
Ndiraya appears to be on the side of the group who are sympathising with Chigowe, but was quick to point out that this was the nature of the job. “I feel sorry for Lloyd,” Ndiraya said. “Of course, you feel sympathy for people who lose their job. The reason why we wake up every morning to come to work is because we want to do well. You want to make sure that you finish what you have started. But this is the nature of the job.”
Ndiraya revealed that he had since reached out to Chigowe to offer him words of comfort.
“Yes I spoke to him, and really gave him some comfort. I told him this is the nature of the job, and he should be experienced enough to know that. He remains my elder brother, and I’m sure he has the experience to take it and move on. It has been really difficult for him and most importantly, for the players. You can imagine, it’s perhaps his project, because he brought almost 70% of the players here and it’s really difficult for the youngsters to take it and move forward.”
Ndiraya himself was dealt with harshly when he was replaced at Dynamos four years ago, despite finishing second in the league.
His contract was not renewed, as the club chose Portuguese Paulo Jorge Silva, whose tenure with the team was disastrous.
“It’s a pity, but like I said, this is the nature of our job. Results were not coming, and when that happens, action will be taken, and action was taken,” Ndiraya said.
Ndiraya will be hoping the same misfortune that befell Chigowe will not follow him when he starts his second spell in charge, with a tricky match away to new boys TelOne at Barbourfields tomorrow.
“Quite frankly, with where we are coming from, you want to believe that (a game against TelOne) is a game you want to start with, but at the same time, it’s these small teams which we have struggled against. TelOne have been playing some good football, and we are playing the match in Bulawayo. That makes the situation quite difficult for us. But we will go there and try to get a result for the team.”
The spotlight falls back on Highlanders coach Madinda Ndlovu as he presides over the team’s fifth Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match of the season, where they will be looking to win their first set of three points in the campaign.
Alarm bells have started to ring for Bosso, who have picked up just two points so far.
Murmurs of dissent among the Bosso faithfuls have reached fever pitch, with the team failing to post good results despite last season’s rebuilding effort.
Some of the fans have already called on the club management to get rid of Madinda and replace him with either his assistant Bekithemba “Super” Ndlovu or to recall Rahman Gumbo, who previously won titles with the club.
But Madinda has remained defiant, saying the results that the team was producing were a product of botched pre-season preparations, adding that the team missed weeks of training due to player unrest over unpaid salaries and allowances.
Last year, Madinda got a year’s reprieve after he declared 2018 as a year for restructuring the team.
How much more time can he buy with the botched preparations mantra, one wonders.
Today, they take on Mushowani, who were only promoted to the topflight this season, and one can only imagine the consequences of a defeat or another draw.
Bosso are already eight points behind log leaders FC Platinum and are much closer to the bottom team Bulawayo City, who are yet to register a point.
Those statistics doesn’t make a good reading for the fervent Bosso supporters and they will be demanding an immediate turnaround.
Bosso’s two visists to Harare so far only yielded one point after a draw against Black Rhinos, while they were over run by Harare City at Rufaro Stadium.
They face a tricky Mushowani side, who despite collecting just one point so far, have shown they are capable of big things.
They held FC Platinum to a draw at Rufaro Stadium recently and will fancy their chances against the fading giants.
THE NewsDay recently reported that three parliamentary thematic committees visited Chiredzi to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges of child prostitution and sexual reproductive rights.
Chiredzi town gained notoriety for prostitution, dating back to the 1960s, such that there are even streets named in posthumous honour of some of the town’s most revered ladies of the night who plied their trade there at various times.
Parliament must be applauded for seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the issues, hopefully to introduce some necessary law reforms. The MPs came face-to-face with the prevalence of abortion in Chiredzi, as much as it is everywhere else in the country.
However, there is a general reluctance to talk openly about sexual-related issues and more, especially to accept the reality of the prevalence and permanence of backyard abortions. So year-after-year, the discussion is swept under the carpet, because people are just not comfortable or equipped to deal with it without emotion.
Abortion sharply divides opinion, because people are steeply entrenched in their positions.
This is due to their various ideologies, religious beliefs, cultural values and personal moralities.
However, backyard abortions will not end simply because the law decrees them illegal.
The issue is not about personal preferences or whether or not abortion is wrong or right.
The issue must be tackled objectively and the existing laws amended to match the reality on the ground.
The chief interest should be serving and protecting the rights and interests of women and girls.
Abortion is illegal in Zimbabwe, unless it complies with specific legally provided exemptions.
The Termination of Pregnancy Act defines the circumstances in which pregnancies can be terminated.
Contravening the Act is a criminal offence, and attracts imprisonment of up to five years.
Section 4 of the Act lays out only three circumstances in which pregnancies can be legally terminated.
First, if the pregnancy poses some danger to the woman’s life, such that continuing with it would be fatal or seriously impair her physical health. Second, if there is a serious risk that the child to be born will have a serious permanent physical or mental defect.
Third, if the foetus was conceived as a result of unlawful intercourse, that is, either rape or incest.
Despite these exceptions, getting authorisation for an abortion is an expensive, arduous and time consuming process.
There is a lack of urgency built into the processes, despite the fact that time is of the essence during a pregnancy.
There are different opinions, but the generally medically approved timeframe for effecting safe abortions is 20-24 weeks. After 24 weeks, the foetus is too well-developed and it is maybe riskier to proceed with it.
In Zimbabwe, abortion can only be done at State hospitals and authorised by the medical superintendent.
Even where it is legally permitted, the bureaucracy and red tape a pregnant woman must disentangle to get the authorisation takes much longer than the medically agreed time.
Consequently and unfortunately, fully developed foetuses in advanced stages of development are often aborted.
In circumstances which relate to medical grounds regarding potential danger and risk to the mother and foetus, the abortion can only be authorised after at least two different and independent medical practitioners have certified the risks and complications.
In the case of the alleged risk to the foetus, there have to be investigations and scientific research conducted to the satisfaction of the superintendent before they can grant the authority to abort.
In the case of rape or incest, lengthy and invasive investigative legal procedures, which involve the police and courts, must be undertaken.
A magistrate must carry out all the necessary investigative procedures in order to be personally satisfied that, indeed, the alleged rape or incest took place.
All this is done while precious time ticks away and the pregnancy growing, and the foetus developing quickly into a fully formed human being, eager and getting ready to be born.
Very few women, who genuinely need abortions, have the time and financial resources to go through with the lengthy and expensive legal and medical processes.
It is expensive for the average woman to go from doctor to doctor to get independent assessments when their pregnancy has been flagged for further investigations.
For victims of rape and incest, the invasive investigative and legal processes are daunting and many women would rather avoid them. By the time the court order comes, it may be too late and if they haven’t aborted the pregnancy using their own means, they would be forced to bear a child they never wanted or can love.
While all this is going on, women in Chiredzi and everywhere else are getting on with whatever they need to do when they find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy.
A Chiredzi sex worker summed the reality on the ground well when she said: “Although we don’t know the number of pregnancies terminated and the number of those who die in the process, we admit that we use unorthodox abortion methods like shoving fresh chillies up our private parts or using hooked wires, but nurses from Chiredzi General Hospital and doctors from private institutions have carried out most of the abortions in this town,”
The last part reveals an even more telling narrative and invisible hand in this. Since time immemorial, nurses and doctors have been rumoured to run underworld abortion rackets.
They get good pocket money from women and, in particular, female students desperate to just get rid of it with no questions asked. Here we love to pretend that things which happen are not happening.
A cursory internet search on abortion services in Zimbabwe shows organisations and individuals openly advertising abortion services and pills. One very well-known organisation with a strong interest in population control services lists branches throughout the country where abortion and sexual reproduction services can be obtained
We will continue exploring this wide-ranging topic from various perspectives, not to debate whether abortion is right or wrong, but to discuss the challenges and the law in line with the reality on the ground.
Lloyd Chigowe, popularly known as Mablanyo in football circles, became the second coaching casualty of the 2019 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season, which is just four weeks old.
While the sacking of Mablanyo on Tuesday morning hardly surprised some, to others it was a shock, considering that he had just presided over four matches, where he oversaw one win a and three defeats.
The most bizarre shake-up of the coaching department was that of Bulawayo Chiefs where Thulani Sibanda, who had left the club prior to the beginning of the season, was hastily roped back in after the team suffered a 5-0 defeat in the season curtain raiser against Chapungu.
Joseph Sibindi has remained in the technical team, but it is an open secret that it is Sibanda calling the shots following his return. Sibanda was brought back as a fitness trainer to mask his true role as he does not possess the required qualifications to be the head of the technical team.
Down in the Eastern Division One, ambitious side Green Fuels have parted ways with Taku Shariwa after an indifferent start to the campaign.
What these three stories have taught us is that there is no job security in local football, and clubs have become so desperate for success that they can even wield the axe on a coach just 90 minutes into the season.
In the Chigowe case, Dynamos, is a club that had to rebuild from scratch after they lost almost the entire squad from last season, only retaining four players.
It was not Chigowe’s fault that the team lost that many players; it was because there was no money at the team.
And when there is no money, blame lies squarely with the administration, who themselves should have left their positions after losing an entire squad.
Success in football is not an overnight thing, and that is why in Europe, clubs spend millions to develop players and then teams.
Dynamos players have only just started to play together, and such can only get better as they play more matches.
Expecting that Dynamos would just steam roll over other teams just because they are the once mighty De Mbare is plain unreasonable to say the least.
Considering where Dynamos were coming from, it was actually good that they even got that first win, and the way they played showed that with time, they could be a formidable unit.
Tonderai Ndiraya is a brave man to come back and take up a job so insecure one could lose it over three matches.
Ndiraya was also left in the cold after leading the team to a second place finish in the 2015 campaign that was eventually won by Chicken Inn.
He knows the perils of the De Mbare job, where the management believes that they have the right to win everything.
Football does not work like that any more. FC Platinum invested for years before they won their first title.
After that, success seems to be coming easier for them and clubs like De Mbare, Bulawayo Chiefs, Green Fuels and even Ngezi Platintum, who sacked Ndiraya last year after management assumed the team would not be able to win the league towards the end of the campaign, need to understand that patience is one of the main principles of success in sport.
Success doesn’t come overnight; it is a product of planning and perseverance. Some teams, it seems do not want to learn the lesson.
CHRISTIANITY subscribes incontestably to the incarnation of God in Jesus of Nazareth born of virgin Mary. He was crucified, died, buried and rose from the dead.
The risen Christ was physically seen by many. He ascended on high and sits on the right hand of the Father. The empty tomb of Joseph of Arimathæa, in which Jesus was buried, is a strong case that He rose.
However, the credence of His resurrection and ascension into glory is more than just the empty sepulchre. If you’re a born again believer, you answer affirmatively that Jesus Christ is alive. The empty tomb doesn’t make one a born again believer, but Christ in you is enough truth that He rose from the dead.
The life you now live is the life of the risen Christ. Jesus doesn’t die yearly during Easter holidays. He’s forever risen from death.
Many have fallen into error by dwelling on the incomplete gospel of Jesus of Nazareth. The Gospel of Christ is His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, commonly referred to as the preaching of the cross. The Christ you received as Lord and Saviour is not the incarnation Jesus, but the resurrected Christ.
You’re a product of resurrection and not incarnation. That’s why Christianity is a translation from death to life.
Many have confused themselves and gone to visit the empty tomb and thought holiness would be imparted to them. If you’re not born again, you can even stay all your life in Joseph Arimathæa’s tomb and go to hell.
Doesn’t it ever ring in your mind why Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet, with all his influence, never bought a grave ahead of time in preparation for his death?
This was to prevent us from worshipping the tomb. He, therefore, used someone’s tomb.
We respect the biblical plan of God to have the Messiah born in Bethlehem. We respect His choice of Mary as the womb to carry our Saviour. However, we don’t worship Mary, but God.
Apostle Paul sets it clear for us in 2 Corinthians 5:16, which reads: “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.” Let me stress by repeating: We have received the resurrected Christ, and not Jesus the incarnation of God.
This risen Christ consciousness will heavily impact on your enjoyment of the finished work of Jesus Christ freeing you from religiosity and legalism. The grace of God becomes more realisable.
Please, read carefully, lest you put wrong words into my mouth. I am not saying there’re two different Jesuses. The Bible records Him as the second and also the last Adam for the purpose of substitutionary sacrifice. Believing that Jesus came in the flesh is actually a prerequisite for salvation for the benefit of knowing that He took away our sins.
Christianity is of spiritual essence. The risen Christ becomes our focus. Resurrection reality manifests as you receive the resurrected Christ into your heart and life.
Things around you benefit as they’re imparted with life.
Jesus taught in John 4:21-24,:“[21] Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. [22] Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. [24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
With due respect to the nation of Israel and respect to God who chose it that way, we don’t become holy and righteous by visiting Jerusalem. We’re the righteousness and holiness of God in Christ.
We live in the physical and material world, where natural default is that tangible things are more real than those that cannot be physically grasped. Beloved, we worship God who cannot be touched by physical hands, but who does things that can be touched by physical hands.
From the upper room experience, we see the beginning of the proof of the risen Christ.
Acts 2:41 records: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptised: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Since then, the Gospel of Christ has been spreading and multitudes getting saved or born again.
This is the proof that, indeed, Jesus Christ is resurrected. If you’re not yet saved, please, join in. Jesus is, indeed, risen from the dead.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you through knowledge.
Today is the final day of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) for 2019. Trade fairs come with lessons.
We saw companies all around the globe come to showcase what they had.
This is a great stage, and companies need to plan and prepare for it. Bulawayo comes alight, alive and vibrant.
Below, I bring 10 ways by which to make your company stand out:
Clarity — Companies have to have great public relations personnel who know and are competent about what they offer. Everyone who represents a company must be trained and equipped enough in the areas of grooming and etiquette, communication and emotional intelligence.
Create content — Great companies create content. Local exhibitors must give us more than they show us during trade fairs. Some companies, including government institutions, only prepare for ZITF, but when you go to their offices, you will find a different story. Secondly, it’s surprising to find that some companies don’t update their websites. Companies must now use social media to project a great image.
Communication — Communication is a skill that every employee must learn. Corporate branding must communicate a clear and succinct message. Managers must use all available channels of communication to make people aware of the business that they are in. A company should be visible even after the trade fair event. A company might have a great product, but if they hide it, no one will see it. Attract attention. Grab attention!
Competence — During trade fairs, experts must be brought to represent the company in its entirety. I have noticed that some companies bring their CEO or a manager who just wants to enjoy the allowance for being out of station, although they lack requisite information for the public concerning their bubsiness. For trade fairs, companies must bring expertise, skill, and special abilities.
Consistency — Stick to something and let it be known. Be known for what you provide and be clear about it. Be compelling and convincing. You are not begging to be a market player. Other players are brutal and they are taking over, so if you play small, you will be forgotten. Big known companies such as Coca Cola are constantly pushing their messages through marketing and advertising. That has kept them competitive
Collaborate — Most companies have to engage an outside view. Success is when you are able to engage other people to help you build your brand. This starts with the training of staff and implementation of the brand strategy.
Competitive — Peter Drucker once said we live in an era of 3 Cs: Overwhelming complexity, accelerated change and tremendous completion. As I was walking around the ZITF stands, I noted that most companies are still talking about the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4G). Do you know that the world is now getting ready for the 5G? I realised that even our tertiary institutions are still talking about 4G. 4G is what we have now, 5G is what the future holds. This is a world of competition and you have to stay on top of the game. Not only that, strive to get out of the red ocean into the blue ocean.
Change — I realised that some companies have been showing us what they always bring to the trade fair for years. That is not bad, but companies must show that they are creative and innovative enough to bring new things to the table. Managers should improve their brands. The first step to change is by challenging what you created yesterday. Never seat on your laurels.
Confidence — One of the stands I visited made a mistake by having students on attachment to man their stand. I asked questions and they had to confess that they had been sent and didn’t have background information about the brand on display. This is how some companies are selling themselves short. The students didn’t have confidence in what they stood for or talked about.
Commitment — Be committed to building a stronger brand. Giants are made through commitment. A great respectable brand does not come on a silver platter, or by playing small.
It needs serious investment of energy, time and finances. A great brand does not come easily, but you have to learn to fail and then try again.
MATABELELAND South province could lose three constituencies in the impeding delimitation exercise by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec), including the popular constituency of Gwanda South which has not been won by an opposition member since 2008.
The constituency is currently held by Zanu PF politburo member, Abednego Ncube and is popularly known as the Holy Ground.
But Zec has said that it was likely to be “good bye” to the Holy Ground if the constituency did not meet the minimum threshold of 21 644 registered voters to be a stand-alone parliamentary seat.
Currently, it has 15 230 registered voters.
Constituencies of Bulilima West, represented by former ZBC DJ Dingimuzi Phuthi and Insiza South represented by Filabusi miner, Spares Sithole, also Zanu PF strongholds, could be collapsed.
“We are going to collapse all these constituencies which don’t meet the minimum threshold on 21 644. We seek to reach equilibrium in the constituencies. It’s not fair that some constituencies have a very big number of registered voters and others don’t meet the minimum threshold, but get the same resources. We have to find some sort of balance,” Zec commissioner Joyce Laetitia Kazembe told Southern Eye Weekender in an interview at the electoral body’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) stand on Thursday.
The Zec commissioner said the electoral body was registering people and also conducting awareness campaign, with the hope that more people would register in these affected constituencies.
“As you may know, voter registration is an ongoing process. We are busy registering people here at ZITF. We are also going to go to the people physically to continue with the process before the 2023 election because if some the people are travelling long distances to go and register. We want to make their task easier so that they don’t get into buses to come and register,” she said.
The national malaria programmes director in the Health ministry, Joseph Mberi, this week castigated some self-styled prophets who prevent patients with malaria from seeking treatment by falsely claiming that they are demon possessed.
Mberi said although the country had made some progress in containing the disease, which remains a leading cause of death in children, government was concerned about some “prophets” who discouraged patients from taking medication or seeking early treatment.
“Malaria is a preventable disease and no one should die from it. However, there are these “prophets” who are very prominent on some radio shows. They mislead the nation, and patients end up not going to the clinic,” he said.
“The disease is not caused by a demon or evil spirit, but a mosquito. Our message as the Health ministry is on how people can prevent themselves from being bitten and if they suspect malaria, to seek medical help immediately. The treatment is free.”
Mberi said they were “fighting” a subtle war with the popular “prophets”.
“We are not against prophets, but all we are saying is that they should not mislead people. We have to help keep each other alive,” he said.
For years, Zimbabwe has battled to contain the disease, with the ultimate goal of totally eliminating it. The disease, according to United Nations Children’s Fund, kills one child every second and about 3 000 children every day.
“It is slow progress, but we will not be happy until there are zero malaria deaths. Malaria is a preventable disease and so all efforts should be implemented to ensure no one dies from it,” Mberi said.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, there were 264 278 malaria cases and 192 deaths from malaria in 2018, representing a substantial decline from the previous year of 44% in cases and a 63% in deaths.
Zimbabwe also continues to strengthen cross border collaboration with the neighbouring countries and continues to play an active role in malaria elimination.
Meanwhile, on April 25, every year, the world commemorates World Malaria Day highlighting the global efforts to control malaria and celebrating the gains made since 2000.
ONE of two Chipinge self-proclaimed prophets who broke into a house belonging to their colleague and stole household property and groceries worth over $800 was on Thursday jailed for two years.
Obey Nyota (28) and Forward Chikosi (22) of Tama Village under Chief Mutema pleaded not guilty to unlawful entry and theft when they appeared before Chipinge magistrate Joshua Nembaware.
Nyota was, however, acquitted for lack of evidence.
Chikosi was sentenced to 36 months in prison, of which six months were suspended for good behaviour, while an additional six months were substituted for restitution.
Prosecutor Gift Bikita told the court that the two were “prophets” at Kupenya and Johane Masowe Apostolic sects, respectively and worked together with the complainant, Caroline Chimene, when conducting “healing” sessions.
They also lived in the same village and operated at her homestead.
Between March 10 and 13, Chimene went to Mhondoro where she had been invited for a cleansing and healing sermon.
Nyota allegedly connived with Chikosi and an unidentified accomplice to break into her bedroom where they stole two solar inverters, a radio, 12 volts battery, an amplifier, $333 bond cash and US$20, including some groceries.
They went away unnoticed and sold some of the property to one Musaengana Mlambo.
The complainant discovered the break in when she arrived back home and made a police report.
Investigations led to the recovery of some of the property from Mlambo, who then implicated Nyota and Chikosi, leading to their arrest, but their accomplice evaded arrest and is still at large.
