BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA

The Mugodhi Apostolic Church leadership wrangle has been put to rest following the coronation of the late Tadeu Mugodhi’s son, Washington, as the new sect leader on Sunday despite disapprovals from rival factions.

The enthronement of Washington was at the church’s headquarters popularly known as PaChitope in Wedza, with the event attracting Zanu PF party youths, top sect leaders and other churches.

There was also heavy police presence during the event to maintain peace and order following threats of violence from a group that was against the appointment of Washington as the new
bishop.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Zimbabwe Amalgamated Churches Council (ACC) patron Jimayi Muduvuri, who presided over the coronation, said Washington’s elevation had extinguished a leadership wrangle within one of the biggest apostolic sects in the country.

“The elevation of Washington is a dream come true for his late father. All the bishops who attended the event, including those from top religious associations, endorsed the new leader. This is the time for the Mugodhi apostolic sect to move on and support their new Bishop,” he said.

ACC donated a tombstone for the late Tadeu as well as food for guests.

The glamorous event was also attended by members of the newly-formed Zimbabwe Indigenous Interdenominational Council of Churches led by Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi.

Washington’s ascension follows a leadership wrangle that has since spilled in the courts, with a rival faction accusing the late Tadeu of “monopolising” the sect.

During the funeral of the late Tadeu last year, tempers flared as the other faction tried to block his burial at the church’s headquarters.

BY KENNETH NYANGANI

THE Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG) has trained 80 members of the Marange community on ways to curb transnational organised crime that has seen diamonds being smuggled out of Chiadzwa.

CNRG, led by Farai Maguwu, last week held a training workshop for the villagers in the affected communities, who were taught on how to investigate and report on diamond smuggling.

In an interview with NewsDay on the sidelines of the workshop, CNRG projects co-ordinator O’bren Nhachi said the aim was to curb diamond smuggling, which hss seen the country losing millions of dollars in potential revenue.

Nhachi said villagers realised that they were losing not only revenue, which can benefit them, but the scourge of diamond smuggling had negative cultural and social implications.

“As you witnessed today, we are embarking on training the Marange community to tackle transnational organised crime in the diamond industry,” he said.

“We are targeting Marange community members who reside in the diamond-rich areas so that they can curb smuggling. The community members have confessed that they are not passive watchers in the process of diamond smuggling. This is a critical issue because curbing smuggling will also ensure curbing illicit loss of potential revenue that could be channelled to the development agenda. So far, we have done three meetings.

“We are working with 80 people and our wish is that they cascade down the message and teach others.”

Nhachi encouraged the community to work in harmony with law enforcement agents in the fight against smuggling.

Bocha Diamond Development community board chair Lovemore Mukwada said the smugglers were well connected and the communities had no power of stopping them.

“We have witnessed some people who we believe are here just to smuggle diamonds, but we don’t have power to stop them. We have well-known diamond buyers and they are well connected and we don’t know how to stop them. This is organised crime at its best,” he said.

William Nyamasoka, who attended the training, said: “We are going to use this information and knowledge to help in curbing the rampant diamond leakages.”

BY NHAU MANGIRAZI

THE Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) has come under attack for licensing tobacco firms that are fuelling deforestation in Hurungwe as they subcontract farmers who cannot afford buying coal and end up chopping down trees to cure the golden leaf.

Many tobacco firms are flooding Hurungwe district, which normally receives good rainfall for tobacco and other crops.

Traditional leaders and councillors from Hurungwe rural and Karoi town, who were part of the people who provided information to the Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Parliamentary Portfolio Committee at the Forestry Amendment Bill hearings last week, said they were not happy that TIMB and Hurungwe Rural District Council were benefitting financially while forests were diminishing fast, affecting rainfall patterns.

Headman Hands Chundu, under Chief Chundu, said: “Traditional leaders are left counting loses of forests when the tobacco firms are licensed in Harare and through the local council.

However, the forests left bare are under headmen and chiefs’ jurisdiction. We want tobacco firms to be accountable for their actions as our forests are being wasted and trees cut, leaving the areas semi-deserts. As traditional leaders, we want tough laws that bind the tobacco firms to revive these forests.”

Karoi councillor Kenston Kumuponda said the tobacco firms should give back to communities they operate in.

“Part of these tobacco companies’ mandate is corporate social responsibility, but nothing has been done to plough back into the communities. We want the bill to have teeth so that they act on our behalf and develop the district,” he said.

Another Hurungwe councillor, Agnes Nxele, suggested that the contract farmers should use solar-powered systems to cure the golden leaf.

“We must be proactive on climate change and we must go green through use of solar powered system to cure tobacco so that we preserve our forests. Use of coal is better to protect the forests,” she said.

Chief Adam Katsvere Chanetsa called for stiffer mandatory sentences for those who cause veld fires.

“We have mandatory sentence for livestock theft and so for veld fires, we must also have a mandatory sentence so that we curb it once and for all,’ Chief Chanetsa said.

Headman Florence Mocho, from Chundu, called for advocacy and awareness campaigns to be held by traditional leaders so that subjects are well informed on the dangers of veld fires and forest destruction.

“We must all be part of the solution to avert deforestation through awareness and advocacy as traditional leaders,” she said.

The Parliament Portfolio Committee chairperson Consilia Chinanzvavana said the Forestry Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Forest Act [Chapter 19:05] of 1947.

“The minister seeks to align it with current reality. As the Parliament Portfolio Committee, we are here to get your inputs as part of the law-making process to enhance the protection of forests from veld fires through the introduction of mandatory and deterrent sentences as well as recognise aggravating consequences of veld fires, such as death and damage to property and make provision for their prosecution in terms of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act,” she said.

She also highlighted that the Bill seeks to introduce a multi-sectorial, decentralised and gendered approach to fire management that includes local authorities, Arex officials, the transport sector and traditional leaders, among others.

The committees will travel to Muzarabani, Uzumba, Maramba, Pfungwe, Chipinge, Chimanimani and other areas.

Residents and other stakeholders last Friday left Chitsanga Hall dissatisfied after Chiredzi Town Council chairperson Gibson Hwende failed to clarify several issues concerning council operations, including the tender processes which are allegedly being flouted.

By Garikai Mafirakureva

Council called for the meeting for feedback on how $6,5 million received from government as devolution funds is going to be used as well as to address service delivery and the water situation in the town.

However, Hwende did not give the actual figures of the money received as he continued to say $6,5 million to $6,6 million and also admitted that a transformer has already been bought, but failed to explain how that happened without going to tender.

A resident, Monica Taunga, asked if it was true that council had already bought a transformer using devolution funds, to which Hwende admitted: “Yes, I can confirm that the transformer was already bought. That issue of transformer and everything to do with tenders will, however, be explained to businesspeople since they are the most
affected.”

The transformer is supposed to be installed at the waterworks and connected to the Hippo Valley power line to ensure continuous water pumping and supply to Chiredzi town, after erratic power supply from Zesa has caused water shortages in the sugar growing town.

Hippo Valley is generating its own power and is contributing over 15 megawatts to the national grid.

Another resident, Lot Magwizi, said council was shortchanging businesspeople through restrictive tender conditions which include a short timeframe of two to three days and prohibitive charges, resulting in Harare companies winning all tenders.

Mark Shoko asked how the local authority was going to deal with inflated water bills which had caused untold suffering to residents after council raised water consumption for every household from 20 to 40 cubic metres per month.

“On water, we decided that those with working water meters will continue being charged for 20 cubic metres, while those with non-working meters shall be punished and charged on 30 cubics metres,” Hwende said.

Soon after the meeting, residents were shocked to receive messages on their phones of water bills pegged at the old rates.

AGRO firm, CFI Holdings has announced that its subsidiary, the Crest Poultry Group exited judicial management shortly after the reporting period, last month.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

CFI Holdings also announced its food processing entity, Victoria Foods, is expected to exit judicial management before the close of the FY2020 financial year.

The two companies were placed under judicial management in September 2016, to allow for debt restructuring, re-organisation and recapitalisation of the firms.

“Notwithstanding the constrained business environment, your board is pleased to advise that Crest Poultry Group exited judicial management shortly after the reporting period, in January 2020,” said CFI’S acting chairperson Itai Pasi, in a statement accompanying the group’s results for the year ended September 30, 2019.

“The Board equally looks forward to the imminent exit of Victoria Foods from judicial management before the close of the FY2020 financial year.”

The group raised a $42,5 million loan to fund the payment of Crest Poultry Group’s scheme creditors and moderate working capital funding required to re-launch the businesses now under its control.

“The Crest Poultry Group scheme of arrangement was approved by creditors in May 2019. The payments of amounts owed to scheme creditors were fully resolved shortly after year-end. Resolution of scheme’s foreign creditors is, however, still underway,” he said.

“The board anticipates resolution of the same before end of 1st quarter for FY2020. In the meantime, Agrifoods has made commendable progress in reclaiming market share.”

Regarding Victoria Foods, the group commenced settling all local legacy debts for the entity, pending resolution of the payment of the foreign debts.

“During the year, Victoria Foods continued with flour toll milling arrangements under the Judicial Manager’s control, with other strategic business units all remaining under care and maintenance,” Pasi said.

The group incurred costs of $38,9 million arising from the loan raised to finance the exit of entities from judicial management. Pasi added that disregarding financing costs associated with the cost of taking entities out of judicial management, “the businesses under the Board’s control in FY2019 were profitable in historical and restated terms”.

Entities under judicial management posted a profit before tax of $144 million against losses of $4,1 million incurred in the prior year with the improvement mainly attributable to monetary gains of $171.9 million during the year.

CFI Holdings, for the period under review, recorded an increase for its inflation-adjusted turnover of 25,2% to $347,8 million from a 2018 comparative of $277,9 million.

COMEDIAN Tinashe Mapoka, who lost his front teeth while still a child decided to use his “disability” to his advantage by venturing into comedy and has since produced a number of social media skits that are fast gaining traction.

BY GUMISAI NYONI

Mapoka told NewsDay Life & Style that he used sarcasm and irony to explore the difficulties encountered by many people who migrate from rural to urban areas in search of employment in a struggling economy.

“I discovered that what I thought didn’t matter in life cost me a lot of opportunities. Having no front teeth was an eye-opener for me; hence my acting probes issues surrounding ‘disability’ and how people living with disabilities are treated and perceived in their communities,” he said.

“For instance, when I applied for jobs, it would look like I would be acting comedy in interviews, with some interviewers focusing entirely on my looks than my responses to their questions.”

Mapoka said even establishing relationships with the opposite sex was a problem.

“I am still finding it difficult to establish a steady relationship, with most ladies I approach poking fun at me, telling me to first get my lost teeth replaced,” he said.

In one of his projects titled Special Interview, Mapoka, reflects on how sitting for examinations more than once to acquire the required qualifications was not a sign of weakness or lack of intelligence, but a depiction of dedication and hard work.

In the skit, the comedian, who is requested to produce his ordinary level qualifications, does so by providing the interviewee with six different certificates, each with one subject passed per sitting.

“It is a motivation to those who may feel are less important in society after failing to attain brilliant results in one examination sitting. Their resilience and determination matters most. It is an attribute that employers must consider as virtuous, since it is a reflection of hard work,” he said.

Mapoka, who is the scriptwriter and main character in his skits, said he was shooting several projects that include Window Shopping and Vision, which he hoped would turn him into a household name.