Editorial Comment

RECENTLY, after President Emmerson Mnangagwa took a peek at the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God pastors’ guiding principles he, like Biblical Saul on his way to Damascus, had an interesting revelation that saw him proclaim thus: “Archbishop (Ezekiel) Guti, what you have read for your pastors has motivated me; I will read this to my ministers. They have been acting out of line lately and this has taken a toll on development. They should be honest and hardworking, for the scripture says we should eat of our own sweat. They should also seek further knowledge as well as live humble lives.”

But one just hopes that, for once, the President does what he threatens to do because past experience has crudely taught us that the man never really means what he says. In fact, this is not the first time that he has moaned about his lousy Cabinet. This is, in fact, the umpteenth time and nothing has come out of his idle threats.

The President’s remarks on the calibre of ministers come as no surprise really given the extraordinary decisions his Cabinet ministers make after spending precious long hours deliberately on much ado about nothing. One such decision is their collective wisdom to set up a roller meal committee to monitor the distribution of the now scarce staple commodity.

Honestly, it is quite flabbergasting that whole grown-ups – who we thought were the cream in terms of leadership, collectively decide to form a roller meal committee in a country that is hardly productive. So the committee wants to just sit there and monitor the distribution of mealie-meal whose origins it does not even know when the government is currently clueless on where to source the maize to make the roller meal.

These guys’ thinking is quite incredible! Should these ministers not be making better use of their time and minds crafting strategies that spur this country into being productive?
Should the ministers not have instead set up an irrigation committee that would make sure much of the idle water in our dams is fully utilised? Should the ministers not have instead set up a committee to make sure that everything is in place for the coming winter season so that the country grows enough wheat to help reduce the importation of the grain?

Why is Mnangagwa even telling us about how useless his ministers are? Why can’t he just fire the whole lot and find others? We are pretty sure there are many capable leaders out there who are simply not being given the chance to excel.

The President should set an example with this lot so that we may start to take him seriously about his promises to make this country a middle-income economy by 2030. Otherwise, at this rate, Zimbabwe will be a Stone Age economy by 2030.

BY CHELSEA MUSAFARE

ONE of the pioneers of the urban grooves music, Leonard Mapfumo yesterday dismissed claims that the genre had died a natural death with Zimdancehall having become more dominant in recent years, saying the music brand was still alive.

Mapfumo, alongside David Chifunyise, Roy and Royce Gomo, Plaxedes Wenyika, Roki, Mafriq, Stunner, Sanii Makhalima, Nox Guni, Tererai Mugwadi and Maskiri were among the pioneers of the genre under the stewardship of prolific producer Delani Makhalima.

Although many of the pioneers have ventured into other pursuits or branched out into other genres, Mapfumo told NewsDay Life & Style that he, and a few others, were still pushing the genre.

“I think working with different producers, new artistes and just being around creative people has helped me to keep me strong and creative. I think the exchange of ideas and the willingness to learn also helped me,” he said.

The Dreamstar Zimbabwe Talent Show artistic director said producing music that resonated with fans had also given him staying power.

“I have written music that touches every single aspect of life but the songs that have made it big are the love songs. I think it’s because they are easy to relate to,” he said.

Mapfumo said his music has always been centred on relationships with the words crafted by the talented artiste conveying messages between lovebirds.

He said he was set to release a track titled No Lie next month, featuring DRC’s talented young artiste, Novy Kays.

Mapfumo’s discography includes R & L (2005), NaMapfumo (2007), The Journey (2010) and The Road to Israel (2014).

SOUNDTRACK: Winstone Antonio

IF a movie chronicles the journeys by some sons and daughters of departed Zimbabwean music legends, its script would not make the dead smile — at least not all of them.

The movie would obviously feature Selmor Mtukudzi (pictured), the daughter of the late music super star Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi and Peter “Young Igwe” Moyo, son of the late legendary sungura musician, Tongai.

It should also feature Tendai and Morgan, sons of sungura kingpin Leonard Dembo; Tendai Chimombe, the eldest daughter of James; Biggie Tembo Jr, the son of Bhundu Boys frontman Biggie and Afro-pop singers Ammara and Chengeto, daughters of the legendary Andy Brown.

Some of these sons and daughters of the late music legends have disappointed after failing dismally to uphold their fathers’ music legacies despite widespread sympathy from fans.

On November 11, 2011, the clock had just ticked 11pm, a fully packed Sports Diner, (now defunct), was a house of emotions as a very young looking and unpolished Peter “Young Igwe” Moyo, went on stage at a show dubbed Quad 11 organised in honour of his father.

Some wept as the Young Igwe, despite glaring inability to fill in his father’s shoes, was feted as a true heir to the Utakataka Express throne.

About nine years down the line, the jury is out. The Young Igwe has not lived up to public expectations.

Observers have openly said the Young Igwe “survived” musically because of sympathy from both fans and arts promoters during his formative days when he took over the reins at Utakataka Express, before he was weaned off by the promoters.

The son to the Samanyemba hitmaker had four of his albums failing to take the industry by storm, while off the stage he has made headlines, not for his musical exploits, but for bed-hopping errands and he doesn’t give a hoot about his critics, choosing to argue “I am not my father and don’t compare me to him”.

Selmor, the daughter of the music icon, Tuku, who breathed his last at a local hospital on January 23 last year, faces a similar litmus test.

The undisputed heiress to the Tuku music throne, Selmor, has a tough task ahead as she launches her latest album, the 11-track Dehwe ReNzou, at RM Garden Hall, Harare Agricultural Showgrounds exactly a year after Tuku’s death.

Although she has been in the industry for long, with five other albums under her sleeve, it is this latest offering which has generated a lot of interest and is set to answer many questions, chief among them whether, just like the Young Igwe, she was banking on sympathy of her father’s legacy.

The album will be her first offering after her father’s death, and being endorsed by Mtukudzi’s multitude of fans as the bona fide heiress to the Tuku music throne.

Music fans can only hope that the talented artiste has done her homework well so that she will not join the list of those offspring who think their fathers’ fans are obliged to support and sympathise with them.

The album was recorded at Steve Dyer’s studios in Johannesburg, South Africa after the death of her father.

While Selmor might appear at ease, without doubt, the hard-to-please Tuku fans will be eager to listen to the album which, according to her camp, is a fusion of afro-jazz and traditional local beats like katekwe and jiti. Has she brewed a pot good enough to keep her father’s music alive?

So far, Selmor has proved to be comfortable in her new role and undermining her capacity is unjustified while also failing to remind her of how big the Tuku brand is would not be advisable.

We can only hope that Selmor put this into consideration when she was in the studio.

Privileged to be joined by the original Black Spirits band members including Piki Kasamba, Never Mpofu and Sam Mataure, this, no doubt, attracts the attention of not only music fans, but also stakeholders in the world of showbiz.

With the involvement of these talented original Black Spirits members, with Piki doing the backing vocals and percussion while Mpofu and Mataure play bass and drums, respectively, no doubt a lot is really expected by the fans.

Even Selmor herself has also promised the best quality album production than ever on the project that features songs like Zvine Basa Rei, Uchafinhwa, Tanda Mbizi and Unconditional Love.

If the album, which also features legendary South African musician Vusi “The Voice” Mahlasela on one of the tracks, fails to compete in the cutthroat world of music, then pressure will definitely mount for Selmor in her attempt to keep her father’s music legacy alive.

But Selmor must be allowed to run her own race as she has already said that her father’s shoes are too big to fit. But showbiz can be a cruel industry.

Selmor is on record saying she has worked hard over the years to develop herself into a brand without ever riding on her father’s coattails, urging people not to unfairly compare her with Tuku, but to judge her talents against her fellow female colleagues.

All the best to Selmor and her team that comprise her husband Tendai Manatsa, sister Sandra, publicist Reginald Chapfunga and veteran promoter Josh Hozheri as they launch the album at a ceremony that will also be graced by the king of sungura Alick Macheso and other artistes and stakeholders in the creative sector.

Zima chairman Joseph Nyadzayo (left) gets recognition from Wezhaz Executive Cars CEO Exevia Maoneke and brand ambassador Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa (centre)

BY LIFE & STYLE REPORTER

STAKEHOLDERS in the local arts industry have hailed the Zimbabwe Music Awards (Zima) for its efforts to acknowledge and appreciate local talent following a successful return of the awards after a four-year hiatus.

Speaking at the awards ceremony on Saturday night, Wezhaz Executive Cars chief executive officer Exevia Maoneke said criticism against the awards should be welcome.

“An event of this magnitude always attracts the necessary criticism which is healthy for growth and progress, but we just want to acknowledge Zima for its efforts in arts development,” Maoneke said.

“Recognising the efforts by artistes is essential for growth and we want to thank the men and women behind Zima for their efforts in putting this together.”

Maoneke, whose company sponsored the Best Video award, presented various awards at the event alongside his company’s brand ambassador, radio and TV personality Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa.

Maoneke invited Zima founder and chairman Joseph Nyadzayo to the stage where they presented him with a bottle of wine as a token of appreciation.

“We believe in the potential of the local arts industry and we just want to present this token as a sign of our appreciation and continued commitment to support future editions,” he said.

“We are a wholly indigenous-owned company and we feel obliged to play our part in arts development, hence our acknowledgement of your ongoing efforts.”

Wezhaz Executive Cars brought some pomp to the awards ceremony after they availed their cars to chauffeur-drive some celebrities and dignitaries.

Zimbabwe Music Awards CEO Reason Sibanda, however, called for criticism and public input towards an improved event.

“We have opened our doors to all who want to play their part towards a better Zima. We obviously don’t know everything and we invite you to criticise us. We are not creating cliques but we want to bring about development in the arts through unit of purpose and arts promotion,” he said.

BY PRECIOUS CHIDA

THE 2020 edition of the popular talent search show StarBrite will see contestants conducting research on one of Zimbabwe’s finest ever musicians, the late James Chimombe, and then reproduce his act on stage.

The event — to be held from February 12 to 13 at One Plus One, Longcheng Plaza in Harare — has been dedicated to honour Chimombe on the first day of the finals.

Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style yesterday, StartBrite executive director, Barney Mpariwa said final contestants will be judged according to their ability to reproduce a vintage Chimombe performance.

“The first day is in dedication to the legend of choice and this time we have chosen to dedicate it to the late James Chimombe. So the contestants have been tasked to do a research on Chimombe and they will then rehearse with a band and will perform live on stage and be judged according to their performances,” he said.

Mpariwa said this year they divided the nation into two regions, with final contestants taken from the northern region (Masvingo, Harare, Mashonaland East and Central) and southern region (Midlands and Matabeleland North and South) to make the 130 that are now in bootcamp ahead of the finals.

Mpariwa said they are now left with 10 singers and three dance groups, who will compete on the first final stage, with contestants having been tasked to compose songs to encourage creativity.

“On the second day, they are also going to have various tasks. The contestants will have to sing for 10 minutes. They have five songs to perform and they have been given a task to compose these songs. Some are doing love songs and others are composing in our native language. This is just to motivate and challenge them to be creative and think outside the box,” he said.

Five finalists will then be chosen to compete on the last day.

BY MTHANDAZO NYONI

DELTA Corporation has injected more than $11 million into its Beverages Sorghum Contract Farming Scheme (BSCFS) during the 2019/2020 farming season, as it moves to support local farmers.

Delta requires about 11 400 tonnes of red sorghum and 2 400 tonnes of white sorghum annually but requirements vary every season, depending on projected domestic beer consumption levels.

Delta corporate affairs executive Patricia Murambinda told NewsDay Business that 6 949 farmers across the country had been contracted to produce sorghum this season.

“Our current season input finance on the sorghum contract scheme is $11 481 416. Total contracted hectarage for the season is 10 673. 6 949 farmers have been contracted,” she said.

During the 2018/19 agriculture season, the company invested at least $2,8 million to facilitate the production of 10 500 tonnes of sorghum.

Sorghum beer has grown in importance within Delta’s product mix, as demand for clear beers and sparkling beverages continues to weaken due to a slothful economy.

In its latest trading update, Delta said sorghum beer volume declined 15% as the prices of the major inputs such as maize and imported packaging materials rose ahead of disposable incomes.

This, it said, had put pressure on the sorghum beer prices which has resulted in consumers switching to more affordable brands and packs within the category.

Lager beer volumes declined 48% compared to the same period last year while the sparkling beverages volumes declined 56% compared to last year mainly due to the prolonged stock outs at the beginning of the financial year.

Delta’s BSCFS is a farmer development programme meant to train and provide extension support, ensure accessibility of farming inputs in order to guarantee future supply of malting sorghum for the business while also guaranteeing a market for sorghum producers.

Under the scheme, the benefits for the farmers are a guaranteed market for their produce and free agronomic services that have resulted in improved grain yield and quality.

Delta offers a free and extensive quality assurance programme that ensures access to technical information by growers, improved yields and grain quality. The farmers are provided with agricultural inputs.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

SOUTH AFRICA-BASED Zimbabwean top model Mercy Kamanura has challenged young local women to be innovative if they are to survive under the current harsh economic climate in the country.

Kamanura, the founder of Mimi’s Empowerment Centre, yesterday told NewsDay Life &Style that she was pursuing several projects to train girls and young women from different backgrounds in Zimbabwe and South Africa in essential skills to improve their income-generating capacity.

“The training projects under Mimi’s Empowerment Centre are to capacitate them with life entrepreneurial skills which will help them make great exploits for personal growth and individual empowerment. The way the economic environment is in Zimbabwe is such that it requires innovation, life skills and an inclusive economy,” she said.

“The projects are meant to continuously empower communities with essential development skills through vocational training along with various measures such as strategies to improve household incomes.”

The model, who was recently hired by SOS Children’s Village, an organisation that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in need and protects their interests and rights around the world, to train people from different backgrounds, said she was pleased with the results so far.

“About 750 people have so far been trained and are running their own enterprises in Zimbabwe and South Africa. This initiative is a life changer, that will make a huge impact on the lives of many individuals through provision of start-up capital and identification of lucrative markets and marketing of the products,” she said.

“Among the products being made under Mimi’s Empowerment Centre are rugs, mats, handbags and shoe-coating.”

She said they were currently working on a project to train women to make their own sanitary pads.

“We are still in the process of acquiring the machine from India, but that is also going to be another project which will capacitate women and the girl child,” she said.

Kamanura, who is also the brains behind Nothing But Pad Campaign that saw her distributing sanitary pads to vulnerable girls across the country, has spread her wings into perfume production.

BY BUSINESS REPORTER

ADVOCACY group, the Sadc Tribunal Rights Watch (STRW) has called the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing for the settling of US debts incurred before February 22, 2019 in the local currency, theft.

The Supreme Court judgment, handed down on 20 January 2020, gives anyone who owes US dollars prior to February 22, 2019, the authority to settle the debt at a 1:1 parity in Zimbabwe dollars.

“Supreme Court debt judgment is theft by conversion… This judgment, handed down on 20 January 2020, gives anyone who owes US dollars prior to February 2019, the authority to effectively pay 5 US cents for every dollar they owe. This, unequivocally, is theft by conversion,” STRW, in a statement said.

“The Zimbabwe dollar has on average been trading at US$1:ZW$16 on the Interbank market and over 1:20 on the parallel market. Consequently, creditors will be getting ZW dollars that are far weaker than they were in February 2019.”

STRW’s spokesperson, Ben Freeth said with this ruling farmers and others, who had prior payment agreements which government had failed to settle, would now receive those payments at a 95% discounted amount.

“The amount that they receive will diminish even further as the controversial ZW dollar continues to lose value,” he explained.

Freeth said that the organisation was also extremely worried about the continuing failure of the Zimbabwe government to resolve the land issue by re-establishing the rule of law and individual property rights.

“To date, less than one percent of the compensation bill has been settled,” he said.

Freeth was referring to the compensation meant for white farmers who lost their land during the land reform programme in 2000 that saw government forcibly take land to redistribute to blacks.

However, the redistribution of the land has largely been done to senior government officials and members of the ruling party, Zanu PF.

For example, in an interview published by our sister paper, Zimbabwe Independent, dated May 20, 2019 according to the Commercial Farmers’ Union, full compensation to white farmers would cost the government US$10 billion.

But, through this Supreme Court ruling, this US$10 billion can now be settled with US$562,74 million eroding the value by nearly 18 times.

STRW said government needed to respect the rule of law as per the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) and compensate farmers fairly according to the Sadc Tribunal judgments, the rule of law and international precedents, guidelines and norms.

“In the event that the Zimbabwe government cannot find the tens of billions of dollars of compensation required, Sadc Tribunal Rights Watch calls on the government to restore private property rights and the land market.,” STRW said.

“This will resurrect billions of dollars of dead capital and give commercial farmers the wherewithal to invest — with full individual property rights — so that food production, employment and forex generation can once again take place in Zimbabwe.”

BY STEPHEN CHADENGA

WATER levels at City of Gweru’s main reservoir, Amapongokwe, have dropped from over 70% last year to around 50%, prompting council to intensify water rationing.

Council spokesperson Vimbai Chingwaramusee yesterday said the erratic rains received so far in the Midlands capital were not enough to fill Amapongokwe.

She said Gwenoro Dam, which used to be the main supplier, has reached the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) recommended decommissioning level and was currently not contributing much to the city’s water needs.

“As such, we still encourage residents to use water sparingly and report any pipe bursts since the dam levels can take us up to eight months,” Chingwaramusee said.

Last year, council introduced water rationing, which has seen residents in some parts of the city going for more than three days without the precious liquid.

Most parts of the country have received erratic rainfall, except for much of the Mashonaland regions and north of Manicaland.

Chingwaramusee said parts of the city last week experienced flooding largely because of blocked storm drains, with residents in Mkoba 4, 7, 12, 13, 16 and 19 as well as Ascot Infill mostly affected.

“The flooding was caused by blocked drainages and some residents’ properties were damaged,” she said.

“The city’s engineering team is on the ground clearing the drainages. Ninety percent of the drainages were clogged with litter. As such, we appeal to residents not to dump litter in drainage pipes.”