HARARE - The new measures recently unveiled by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya have been credited with stabilising prices — with youthful Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena — becoming the latest businessman to back them to succeed.

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This comes as manufacturers have reported significant improvement in sourcing their raw materials following the restoration of an interbank market which now gives them access to buy foreign currency from banks.

“Kudos to… JP Mangudya whose monetary policy is starting to bear enormous and quite impressive results as we are all witnessing reduction & stability on pricing. “Companies with bonafide external payments are now accessing forex from the banks at 1:2, 5,” Wadyajena wrote on micro blogging site Twitter yesterday.

This week Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) president Sifelani Jabangwe attributed the price decreases and stability to the Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) announced by Mangudya last month and which was aimed at killing the once thriving  foreign currency black market.

“With access to foreign currency….prices are bound to go down and this will make positive contributions towards the economy,” Jabangwe said. Last month, Mangudya in his MPS introduced a slew of measures which he said were aimed at bringing down the high prices of goods in the country, as well as growing the economy — including opening up foreign currency trading by banks and bureaux de change.

Both consumers and business welcomed the new measures saying these should have been introduced much earlier to stem the country’s economic crisis and the foreign currency black market which was wreaking havoc on inflation prices.

“In this regard, prices should remain at their current levels and or to start to decline in sympathy with the stability in the exchange rate given that the current monetary balances have not been changed.
“In this respect, the RBZ will commit all its efforts to use the instruments at its disposal to maintain stability of the exchange rate,” Mangudya said.

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HARARE - Harare City Council is now under pressure to rehabilitate its boreholes as the city starts instituting a strict water rationing regime that should see residents receiving water at least twice a week.

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According to the new water rationing schedule for March, only Mbare, Highfield, Sunnigdale, Mufakose, Graniteside, Willowvale, Ardbennie, Southerton Industrial area and the Central Business District will receive water everyday.

Other areas will get water twice or thrice every week with suburbs such as Kambanji, Glen Lorne, Philadelphia, Mandara, Chisipite, Highlands and Ballantyne Park set to get water once a week
Town clerk Hosiah Chisango said the city was in the process of rehabilitating boreholes that were not decommissioned.

He said they would be installing solar-powered boreholes after councillors complained that the manual pumps were too strenuous on residents. “We have already started installing solar powered boreholes in areas such as Mabvuku. “We doing everything in our powers to ensure that we provide the ratepayers with water. 

“We are also looking into other technologies to ensure water is available and with an acceptable quality,” Chisango said.
He said some of the measures they were instituting include the use of chlorine dioxide which is still at trial level.

Chisango emphasised that if the trials prove to be positive, the city will save on other water treatment chemicals and use the new one which will provide the same quality but for a lesser cost.
During a full council meeting, acting distribution manager Tapiwa Kunyadini indicated that council was now pumping 300 megalitres (ML) of water daily against 620ML they were pumping last year.

“We are hoping that with the works that we are undertaking at Morton Jaffray and the commissioning of Avondale pump station, we will be able to have returned water production to over 500ML by end of April,” he said.

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HARARE -President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s under pressure government has hired a top American reputation management firm — to spruce up Zimbabwe’s international image and to lobby President Donald Trump’s government in a bid to improve frosty relations between Harare and Washington.

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This comes after a disappointed Trump renewed America’s targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe for another year earlier this week — accusing Mnangagwa and his government of not doing much to improve Harare’s democratic credentials since former president Robert Mugabe fell from power in November 2017.

The public relations company which has been contracted by Zimbabwe, Ballard Partners, is headed by prominent Washington lobbyist Brian Ballard — who is also said to be a top fundraiser for Trump’s political campaigns.

According to the details of the contract between Harare and Ballard Partners, which was signed last month by Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo, the government will pay the American firm a whopping US$500 000 a year for its services.

Well-placed sources told the Daily News yesterday that Ballard Partners is — among other things — expected to help Harare shed off its pariah status in Washington, while also working to assist Zimbabwe to access critically-needed funding from international financial institutions.

Repeated efforts to get an official comment from the government about its deal with Ballard Partners had not yielded results at the time of going to press last night. However, the details of the contract were widely available yesterday.

“This agreement shall become effective on February 13th, 2019 and shall remain effective until February 13th, 2021. “This agreement shall automatically renew for successive one-year periods on the anniversary of the effective date of the agreement unless either party terminates the agreement.

“Upon renewal, this agreement may be terminated within thirty (30) days written notice by either party,” part of the contract reads.
“In as much as the government of Zimbabwe has been denied access to international financial institutions and been under intense diplomatic pressure from Western countries, it shall be the main objective of the firm to encourage a re-examination of Zimbabwe by the State Department with a view to establishing the best possible bilateral relationship with the United States and facilitating the restoration of Zimbabwe’s membership in good standing in the community of nations, including permitting Zimbabwe the opportunity for unhindered participation in international financial institutions and other relevant international organisations.

“It shall further be the firm’s duty to inform the client of developments in legislation and policy relevant to the client’s operations,” the contract reads further. “The fee (due to Ballard Partners) shall be paid in quarterly instalments of $150 000, with the first quarterly instalment due immediately upon execution of this agreement, second instalment due on June 13th, 2019; third instalment due October 13th, 2019; fourth instalment due February 13th, 2020; and continuing to be due on a quarterly basis until the termination of the agreement.

“The firm will bill costs quarterly,” the contract adds.
Ballard Partners’ website says the firm was founded in 1998 and focusses on media and public relations, digital social media campaigns, reputation management, coalition building and grassroots, as well as crisis management among other things.

“Our lobbying success is grounded in our collective years of policy experience, a keen understanding of politics and effective representation in a myriad of policy areas, impacting a wide spectrum of local, state and federal government.

“We believe maintaining the highest degree of quality representation is central to our successful and continued relationship with our clients. “Our experience, resources and dedication effectively prepare us to undertake the most complex issues. We ensure that the utmost attention and energy are devoted to each client.

Availability and accessibility of all our professionals is our commitment to you,” the firm of spin doctors says. Relations between Zimbabwe and the US have been frosty for nearly two decades, and since the country embarked on chaotic and widely-criticised land reforms which saw many commercial farmers losing their land at the height of Mugabe’s ruinous rule.

The move was to prove disastrous for the country as this resulted in Zimbabwe’s isolation from the rest of the international community, at huge cost to long-suffering citizens.

It saw Zimbabwe’s critical credit lines and trade facilities being blocked, following the imposition of sanctions on the country, amid widespread criticism of the country’s human rights record.
This subsequently resulted in Zimbabwe hitting rock bottom a decade ago, which left most citizens dirt poor and living on less than a dollar a day — and with companies closing down and many investors pulling out.

Such was the economic horror of the time that the country was forced to abandon its currency because of hyper-inflation — which required balefuls of useless Zimbabwe dollars to buy a few basics when they were available.

Over the past few months, the country has unsuccessfully lobbied for the removal of Western sanctions, with the US renewing its sanctions this week following the post-election violence of recent months and the ensuing heavy clampdown on dissenting voices.

This has seen Trump dealing a huge blow to Mnangagwa’s re-engagement efforts with Washington and other Western powers — after he extended America’s sanctions against Zimbabwe by another year.

This came after Mnangagwa and his senior government colleagues were recently given a stay of execution by the European Union (EU), which last month decided against hitting the country’s under-pressure “new dispensation” with fresh sanctions.
It also came after Trump had last year raised hopes that his government could finally end nearly two decades of frosty relations between the USA and Zimbabwe — after he sent a powerful delegation to Harare to engage with Mnangagwa, ahead of the country’s historic elections.

“On March 6, 2003, by Executive Order 13288, the president declared a national emergency and blocked the property of certain persons, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706), to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine … democratic processes or institutions.

“These actions and policies had contributed to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, to politically motivated violence and intimidation in that country, and to political and economic instability in the southern African region. “The actions and policies of these persons continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States.

“For this reason, the national emergency declared on March 6, 2003, and the measures adopted on that date, on November 22, 2005, and on July 25, 2008, to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2019.

“Therefore … I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288,” Trump said on Monday.
Political analysts have told the Daily News that Mnangagwa and his government had themselves “to blame” for the extension of the USA’s sanctions — “because Trump had given them ample time” to demonstrate that they were different from Mugabe.

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ED sets up inter-ministerial political reform committee President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday set up an inter-ministerial committee to lead political, electoral and legislative reforms in line with recommendations of the Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry into the August 1, 2018 post-election violence.

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Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the 8-member inter-ministerial committee has been charged with carrying out the reforms that would provide legal backing to the country’s economic and social opening.

Ziyambi said government was addressing concerns raised by the commission, chaired by former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe, in presentations handed to Mnangagwa after wrapping up public hearings. At least six people were killed in the deadly shootings, while a seventh person died in a stampede, shortly after the landmark elections in Zimbabwe.

The Motlanthe Commission’s summary recommendations included compensation for all victims of violence, and dependants of the deceased; enforcement of Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates; a stop to hate speech, electoral reforms, better law enforcement and national healing and reconciliation that must include a multi-party reconciliation initiative, including youths and with national and international mediation, to be established to address the root causes of the post-election violence. 

Ziyambi told a news conference yesterday Mnangagwa had set up the “inter-ministerial special taskforce” to internalise the recommendations. “The special taskforce will be guided by the following terms of reference: to accelerate implementation of political, electoral and legislative reforms aimed at deepening the country’s democratic processes as well as the ease of doing business reforms; and to address the issues arising from the reports by the 2018 election observer missions as well as the findings of the Motlante Commission,” he told reporters.

He said the taskforce has him as chairperson, Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo is the deputy chair. It also includes Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, Home Affairs minister Cain Mathema, Industry and Commerce minister Mangaliso Ndlovu, minister of State for Security in the President’s Office Owen Ncube and Attorney-General Prince Machaya.  

“As we move to consolidate our democracy, we would want to thank all the local and foreign observers that gave their reports on the July 30, 2018 harmonised elections.  “Observers act as a form of quality assurance and their recommendations are taken seriously by government.

“We acknowledge and appreciate all positive feedback. Fair criticism and suggested areas of improvement are taken seriously because they can only make us a better democracy,” Ziyambi said. 

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BULAWAYO- The city council here is fast running out of water treatment chemicals as biting foreign currency shortages continue to weigh heavily on the local authority’s day-to-day operations.

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This is the second time in less than two months that crucial chemicals such as ammonia, aluminium sulphate, chlorine and polyelectrolyte have caused a headache to the city fathers.
The latest council report indicate that the city has less than a month’s supply of ammonia, used to assist chlorine in the disinfection process of water.   

“Ammonia is at critically low levels with stocks lasting less than a month but requisitions and orders have been done and stations are awaiting delivery. Aluminium Sulphate, HTH stocks are enough for over two months. Chlorine is at critical 1-week supply,” read the latest minutes of the future water supplies and water action committee report.

Councillor Rodney Jele noted that there was need for forward planning regarding water issues. — 

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A member of Parliament has bemoaned the late disbursement of Constituency Development Funds (CDF) saying further delays would totally cripple developmental projects in their constituencies.

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Masango Matambanadzo, an independent MP for Kwekwe Central, on Thursday demanded that the CDF be allocated immediately.
“I rise to seek clarity in terms of the CDF that we were supposed to have received at the time when Parliament went on recess in December last year. Maybe I missed something because we have not as yet received that money.  

When we came back for this particular sitting, we were told that the funds were in the bank and applications should be submitted timeously.  “We submitted our papers and every time we go to check in the bank to see if any deposit has been made, there is nothing.

The explanation we got is that the ministry of Finance took the CDFs allocated to Parliament back. So, it looks like I am now lying to my constituency.  I have never lied to my people in the constituency before and I should not start doing so now,” Matambanadzo said.
He said he was now avoiding people in his constituency who are enquiring about the funds. 

“As you see me standing here, I am not very educated, I only went up to Grade 2 and to add onto that, I am very dark such that they nicknamed me ‘black man’. “I have risen to explain my dismay on the CDF issue and now I am playing hide and seek with the people who come to make enquiries about the CDFs.

The quotations that we were given have since doubled in price as the money has devalued. May you please look into this issue Mr Speaker Sir?” he queried. National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda said: “I will follow up on this matter and ensure that the funds are deposited into the bank accounts of those whose projects were approved.”

“When the minister of Finance returns from his trip, I will engage him on this matter,” Mudenda said.  "Meanwhile, I will instruct the clerk to write to the permanent secretary of Finance to enable the money to be made available and be disbursed accordingly,” he said.

Government has over the years been providing $50 000 to MPs under the CDF programme, even though some parliamentarians have been accused of abusing these funds. In 2012, government identified 20 extreme cases where MPs abused CDF money. About four legislators were arrested on allegations of abusing the Fund, but their prosecution was stopped after the then prosecutor-general Johannes Tomana raised concern that there was no proper legal framework to successfully prosecute them.

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Government is selling an average of $7 million to banks for trading on the newly-launched forex interbank market, with Finance and Economic development minister Mthuli Ncube saying government will stay out of the foreign currency exchange market to avoid disrupting the market structure.

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He said around $7,5 million was traded last week amid reports about $20 million was traded on the first week the RTGS dollar was introduced. “Last week we traded around 7,5 million and this was just the beginning,” Ncube said in Washington on the sidelines of meetings with IMF bosses.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) announced in a February 20 monetary policy statement that "an inter-bank foreign exchange market in Zimbabwe to formalise the trading of real-time gross settlement (RTGS) balances and bond notes with US dollars and other currencies on a willing-buyer willing-seller basis through banks and bureaux de change." —

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MUTARE land development company Musha Mukadzi Housing Project “might not have paid for land to council” on which it developed and sold 187 stands in Hobhouse area, a forensic audit investigation report has revealed.

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The audit said there was “no proof of payment in the council records in respect of  Musha Mukadzi Land Developer towards the land sale” which is valued at US$176 000 despite claims that it had paid $53 000. Even the memorandum of agreement between council and the land developer “was not availed for verification” leaving auditors with unanswered questions over the nature of the land deal which was entered more than five years ago.

They noted that “there was no transparency in the allocation and sale” of the land. The audit slammed council officials in land management as they “failed to uphold or cause the upholding of contracts resulting in subjecting the loss of revenue in violation of section 44 (b) (1) of the Public Finance Management Act Chapter 22:19.”

It accused council of allocating land to land developers whose financial capacity they would not have assessed. “Council should assess the financial capacity of land developers before allocating them land for development.” The audit also recommended that “council should follow-up the outstanding debt from Musha Mukadzi.”

Meanwhile, Mutare City Council lost over 70 hectares “of its precious piece of land” as government continues to delay compensating the local authority for land on which military barracks and 3 Brigade headquarters were built decades ago.

The audit report notes that government took 70 9495 hectares which it should have paid back when it made a land swap with council for the Meikles Park land for 100 hectares with land near Fern Valley.‘

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MUTARE City Council has been slammed for violating the Urban Council’s Act after failing to timeously audit its finances having last done so five years ago.

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A hard-hitting forensic audit investigation report on land management from 2007 to March 2018 revealed that the last audit was for the financial year ending December 31, 2014.

“Financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 were still at draft stage and not audited,” the report noted.
It said while this was illegal it also compromised the quality of decisions the local authority’s management and policymakers were making.

Council is likely to continue to be flagged for financial and resource mismanagement, the land audit opined. “This is a violation of section 305 (b) of the Urban Council’s Act Chapter 29:15 which require financial statements to be ready for audit by not later than 120 days after the end of each financial year.

“The council might continue to receive qualified audit reports. Decision-making may become difficult in the absence of credible audited financial statements.” The audit recommended that the local authority recruit a substantive finance director and his/deputy among “other key posts in the department as to ensure that final accounts are consolidated and made ready for statutory audits timeously.”

Former Mutare mayor Brian James has been calling for independent finance audits by the council for years to no avail. Only in January United Mutare Residents and Ratepayers Trust (UMRRT) lost a High Court suit to demand that council present audited accounts.

The ruling suggested, against statutory law, that once residents pay anything to council the money becomes council’s and residents have no recourse as to what happens to it.

James reacted angrily to the ruling saying it would be “crazy” for residents to continue paying their rates if this is allowed to stand.
“…as I see it we are crazy to pay if this is fact,” James said in a WhatsApp thread in response to the High Court ruling.

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Hit by more Western sanctions, Zimbabwe is now relying on neighbours for emergency bailout packages to patch over a national cash crunch that has sparked political unrest against President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

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This comes after US President Donald Trump on Monday extended sanctions against Zimbabwe by a year, maintaining the national emergency declared in a previous Executive Order. This renewal comes in spite of increasing calls by African leaders to give the crisis-stricken nation some reprieve.

Earlier, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for sanctions against Zimbabwe to be lifted at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. South Africa hosts the largest number of Zimbabwean migrants at three million, according to the United

Nations’ International Organisation for Migration. Ramaphosa maintains that Zimbabwe’s situation presents a challenge for the entire African continent, saying the cash-strapped nation faces “serious, serious, economic challenges and they can be assisted by the world if those sanctions are lifted.”

Analysts said it is no secret that Zimbabwe is at the end of its tether, and one can certainly sense the desperation.
In search of aid closer to home, Mnangagwa received Botswana President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi in Harare last week for the inaugural Zimbabwe-Botswana Bi-National Commission (BNC) with Ramaphosa due in Harare for another BNC.

While the two leaders worked to re-establish mutually beneficial relations, Zimbabwe’s ministry of Foreign Affairs secretary made a huge gaffe by claiming that neighbouring Botswana was prepared to give Zimbabwe a $600m loan, of which $500m would go to the local diamond industry and $100m to private firms. It turned out to be false.

After the Botswana leader returned to Gaborone, Masisi said: “I want to clarify these reports that we are giving Zimbabwe hundreds of millions in loans. That is totally untrue. “We are not giving them a single loan. The only thing we gave them were medical supplies made in Botswana and supplementary feeding ...”

More recently, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya announced that the central bank has secured $985m in loans from various African banks to purchase fuel and other essential imports. Of the $985m, $641m is to come from the African Export and Import Bank, $152m from Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank, and $25m from Bank of Mozambique, among others.

That being said, this time it would not be backed by diamonds, “these loans are well structured facilities contracted last year. They will be paid from future (gold) export receivables,” Mangudya told a parliamentary committee.

This follows a request made by Zimbabwean authorities in December 2018 to South Africa for financial aid of $1,2bn to help settle some of its debt — the regional powerhouse declined. However, South Africa’s Finance minister, Tito Mboweni, has said that the country is planning to extend short-term credit to its northern neighbour while alluding to helping write off Zimbabwe’s enormous external debt bill.
NKC African Economics analyst Jee-A Van Der Linde said the move by Trump cements the notion that the West remains firmly reluctant to offer Zimbabwe support.

According to Mangudya, government borrowing from the RBZ stood at nearly $3bn in December 2018, almost three times the customary overdraft limit. “Drowning in debt, we believe that it is unlikely that Zimbabwe will receive the handouts that it yearns for,” Linde said.
“If it does do, they will come at a price. Zimbabwe’s vast mineral endowments offer considerable potential, but the countless economic challenges are keeping investors at bay — though not all of them. 

“Corrective interventions are likely to continue to be ad-hoc and ineffective without significant international assistance, that itself remains dependent on structural reforms that require some measure of outside help.”

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa is wasting money and time by hiring a United States (US) firm to help improve relations with Washington instead of implementing the necessary reforms that would enable the removal of sanctions, political analysts and politicians said yesterday.

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This comes after government engaged prominent public relations firm Ballard Partners in a $500 000 per year deal, as it seeks to spruce up its image and mend relations with the US, which this week renewed economic sanctions on Harare by a further one year.

Piers Pigou, a senior consultant at the International Crisis Group, told the Daily News yesterday that the government’s efforts to hire a US firm to lobby Washington was conditional on political will to play ball by Mnangagwa.

“The impact of the Washington lobbyist hired by the government of Zimbabwe will largely depend on his (Mnangagwa) mandate and whether he has a tangible story to tell.  “Ideally, this move should build relations and opportunities to navigate Zimbabwe’s reform commitments through sanctions and Zidera (Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment Act)  concerns.

The success of such will be contingent on the government of Zimbabwe’s capacity and related political will to drive its reform programme and defend its implementation targets,” Pigou said.
Political analyst Rashweat Mukundu said it’s a scenario of the proverbial throwing money down the drain because the issues that the Zimbabwean government wants this lobby firm to accomplish, which is to convince the Americans to remove the sanctions, are clearly spelt out in the Zidera sanctions document.

“They include the respect for human rights, they include realignment of our laws with the Constitution, respecting the democratic norms, security sector reforms that remove the overbearing role of the military in our politics, which often results in our military clashing with civilians,” Mukundu said.

“So, for me these are actions that can easily be done without the need of hiring any company for so much money which we need in Zimbabwe for critical public services like hospitals, servicing our debt and in agriculture. So, essentially this is a waste of resources over something that the Zimbabwean government can easily do on its own.

This is essentially kicking the can down the road.”
Senior opposition MDC official and former Finance minister Tendai Biti said on Twitter: “The regime cannot supply drugs in hospitals, it cannot deal with cholera, it cannot supply water to its citizens yet it has the indecency of contracting a US lobby firm #BrianBallard for millions of dollars to do its dirty laundry in the USA. An absolute embarrassment!!”

Human rights activist and analyst Dewa Mavhinga said it was a futile PR job.“Zimbabwe authorities’ logic — your security forces commit horrific abuses in broad daylight with impunity & you think a US PR firm paid US$500 000 per year will clean your image! Why not simply implement rights reforms & ensure justice & accountability?” Mavhinga queried on Twitter.

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BULAWAYO - Sifiso Mpofu — the former mayor for Victoria Falls — was arrested in an evening raid on Thursday for allegedly possessing 11 pieces of raw ivory.He was arrested along with two of his compatriots Milton Sibindi, 47, and Phathiso Sibindi aged 49.

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They were taken to Victoria Falls Police Station where a docket was opened under RRB number 3893506. The trio were detained overnight and were expected to appear in court yesterday. According to a police internal memo gleaned by the Daily News, Mpofu, 42, was also found in possession of a loaded pistol tucked in into the waistband of his pants.

The firearm which belongs to the former mayor has a registration certificate that expires in 2022, the memo noted. It is also reported that a further search was done in the house and two more pieces of raw marked ivory were discovered, bringing the total of ivory pieces to 11. 

The street value of the ivory could not be established immediately.
“On March 7 information was received from a reliable source to the effect that the accused persons were in possession of ivory in Victoria Falls,” reads part of the police’s internal memo.

“At 10pm of the same day, the team comprising CID MFFU, SU and Parks and Wildlife reacted to the tip off and pounced on the accused at his house number 5449 Mkhosana, Victoria Falls where they arrested the three accused persons and recovered nine pieces of raw ivory.”

The memo further noted that: “a pistol Astra Falcon, Calibre, 32, SN 1207144 loaded with three rounds was recovered from Mpofu’s waist.” Mpofu, a senior Zanu PF official, became the mayor for the MDC dominated resort town of Victoria Falls in 2013. His surprise election as mayor forced the MDC to suspend three of its councillors whom it accused of selling out by voting for a Zanu PF official.
The suspended MDC officials were suspected of taking bribes from Mpofu.

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More than 22 years after the Gukurahundi massacres ended, that sad episode in Zimbabwe’s history continues to rear its ugly head with the deputy minister of Defence, Victor Matemadanda this week rushing to defend President Emmerson Mnangagwa — seen as the chief architect of the atrocities.

Matemadanda, who is also the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) claimed last week that the buck should stop with Robert Mugabe who, as prime minister at the time, had the State machinery vested in his hands.

He was reacting to stinging attacks targeting his boss by Mugabe at a private 95th birthday party held at his plush palace in Borrowdale, Harare where the teetotaller denounced the use of lethal force by Mnangagwa to crush fuel protests that were organised by the main labour union, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) last month.

At least 20 people died, while 78 others were treated for serious gunshot wounds, according to rights groups and medical doctors.
“He who is obsessed with seeing corpses everyday will soon realise that people would clamour too to see his corpse one day. I say to soldiers stop killing people,” Mugabe fumed. 

“What you are doing (killing people) is going to catch-up with you very, very, soon. Just tomorrow, it would have caught up with you,” Mugabe warned ominously. But addressing a press conference early this week, Matemadanda blasted Mugabe saying it was strange that the former guerrilla leader was attempting to heap the blame on his subordinate.

“Even though you may want to forgive the old man, I do not think he deserves forgiveness because surely how can Mugabe have the audacity to tell Mnangagwa not to kill when he is the specialist in that area?

“We survived by fleeing this country, Mnangagwa himself escaped death by a whisker, Mugabe is the known and approved killer, I think he should have said you are taking my job. I once went to Matabeleland (and) told chiefs (there) to take cattle from Gushungo Dairies for him to appease the spirits of those he killed during the Gukurahundi; this is what is making Mugabe lose his senses,” said the ZNLWVA secretary-general.

Mugabe’s outburst were met with an immediate response from outspoken Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi who used micro-blogging site Twitter to call the former president to order.
“We have noted some words of repentance by former president Mugabe saying the army must protect not kill. True that a few have lost lives in running battles with the police but that cannot compare with Gukurahundi or the 2008 violence when he was at the helm,” Mutodi said.

An estimated 20 000 defenceless civilians died during the Gukurahundi era when Mugabe unleashed a North Korean-trained army unit to crack on alleged dissent to his rule in the Midlands and Matabeleland regions.

In 2011, Genocide Watch, along with the International Association of Genocide Scholars, classified Gukurahundi as genocide.
Mugabe is on record referring to the episode as “a moment of madness”. Mnangagwa has distanced himself from the disturbances, mandating the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) and traditional leaders to tackle the issue, adding that he would appear before it if the affected communities ask him to.

But while the NPRC was well received in many quarters, it was not the same in Matabeleland region where many human rights activists refused to recognise it on the basis of its composition. 
The activists felt that the commission would be biased in its operations since it only has one Ndebele speaking member in its ranks.

Matemadanda’s attempts to exonerate Mnangagwa drew brickbats from the likes of former Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo. A former politburo member who is now living in self-imposed exile, Moyo claimed on Twitter that he used his time in government to gather information about Gukurahundi.

“Only fools think we didn’t access critical information on Gukurahundi when we were in government. A lot of critical information (including dockets) was collected and secured from 13 to 30 Nov 2017. Gukurahundi is so well-documented that the truth is known,” said Moyo.

He said the director of the whole episode was Mnangagwa, who was back then the minister of State Security in charge of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). “The deadliest force in the #Gukurahundi atrocities was the CIO, the lead. Directed by Mnangagwa, who administered the State of Emergency Act and liaised with ex-Rhodie and apartheid killers, the CIO gathered ‘intelligence’ via barbaric torture & murder on an industrial scale,” said Moyo.

Mnangagwa succeeded Mugabe as Zimbabwe’s second executive president following the fall of the long ruling nonagenarian who was dethroned from power in stunning fashion when the military staged a soft coup on November 15, 2017.

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There was cheer in local showbiz circles this past week as two of Zimbabwe’s outstanding actresses did the country proud by presenting accolades at prestigious awards ceremonies.

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United States-based Danai Gurira and South Africa-based Mbo Mahocs were shining on the podium as guest presenters at some prestigious awards ceremonies, hence raising the country’s flag high.

One of Zimbabwe’s celebrated actresses and playwrights Gurira last month graced the big stage as she was one of the presenters at this year’s 91st Academy Awards ceremony commonly known as the Oscars. 

The big event by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and sciences honoured the best films of 2018. 

The ceremony took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on February 25.

The star of Oscar-winner Black Panther looked dazzling as she walked on the red carpet in a beautiful gold gown by Brock Collection. 

At the event, it was a star-studded line-up as Danai was joined by fellow Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan, Pharrell Williams, Tyler Perry, Samuel L. Jackson, Jenifer Lopez and a host of other notable personalities. 

While everyone looked amazing, Danai’s look was elegant and fashion forward. 

Her light pink dress was designed by Gabriela Heast with Sergio Rossi shoes. 

Her jewellery was by Messika and her clutch came from Roger Vivier.

Danai was born in Grinnel, Iowa in the US. 

She moved to Zimbabwe with her family when she was five years old. 

She attended and graduated from Dominican Convent High School, a private Catholic school in Harare, Zimbabwe. 

In 2001 she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota in the US. 

Danai proceeded to do her Masters and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre from Tisch School of Arts, New York University. 

She speaks Shona, Xhosa, English and French fluently. 

Gurira resides in Los Angeles, California and spends regular time in New York City. 

As Gurira was shining in the US, South Africa-based Zimbabwean actress, fashionista, fashion editor and vibrant television host Mahocs was dazzling at this year’s 13th South African Film and Television awards (SAFTAS) held at the Sun City on March 2. 

She had the honour of presenting the last and biggest award at the ceremony — Best Telenovela/ Soapie award alongside fellow actor Andikle Gumbi. 

The SAFTAS also known as the Golden Horns are an annual South African awards ceremony hosted by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) to honour creative excellence in the local film and television industry.  

Only South African citizens are eligible for the award.

Mboniso Mahonondo popularly known as Mbo Mahocs was persuaded by her parents to study Architectural studies at the Bulawayo Polytechnic. 

Now based in South Africa, she, however didn’t give up her pursuit to join the arts. 

The former presenter of ZBC’s Thatha Wena left Bulawayo for Johannesburg about three years ago. 

Her big break was starring as Chichi in 2018 on the South African prime time soapy Scandal which airs weekdays on South African television station eTV. 

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The  urban Idiot is a very complex idiot. Just a few months back the urban idiot was celebrating the fall of Robert Gabriel Mugabe as president of Zimbabwe, but today the urban idiot is all over social media expressing how they miss the man because he was much better than ED pfeeee. 

Only a few years back the urban idiot was celebrating the fall of Rhodesia and the rise of Zimbabwe, but today the same urban idiot speaks highly of Rhodesia.

This Village Idiot like the people’s listening president who does not speak much but listens and listens and when he speaks the prizes of goods and services shoot up and the streets go up in smoke and everyone stays away, this village idiot just listened to the urban idiot in conversations about Rhodesia and Zimbabwe.  

The very complex Urban Idiot speaks; 

“I did enjoy your article and hope it resolves the issues that many Zimbabweans seem to be battling with when they consider black on black oppression. For me, as a senior citizen, I am now having second thoughts as to the goals of liberation struggles in Zimbabwe and South Africa? 

“In Mozambique and Angola liberation victories turned out into brutal civil wars, with capital showing its long hands.

“What happened in Zimbabwe and South Africa and what is happening now in the two states is again showing the long hand of capital. The whole of Africa is under economic slavery that perpetually enriches capital. My engineer friends refuse to accept this line of thought and I think your article will make them reflect a little deeper.

“Your urban, Diaspora and village idiot models reminds me of my own human relationships and hierarchies;  

“Globally capital is found in Level 1 where there are very secretive, wealthy (in 2017 only 8 had the same wealth as 50 percent of the bottom poor), evil and ruthless people. They call the shots. The idea of the hierarchy is to assist in identifying the level in which the one you are talking to falls so as to make informed decisions as which way the conversation should go”

Are you a capitalist idiot or do you aspire to be one?

The urban idiot calls you “secretive, evil and ruthless”. This village idiot knows a couple of Zimbabwean capitalist idiots some of whom even think that it is stupid to live in Zimbabwe if you join the league of capitalist idiots of the world. You must go to some capital of some other country and show off your wealth from there.

Some steal from Zimbabwe and Africa and stuff the cash away from their own country, villages and people just to join the leagues of capitalist idiots of our world. Does this pass for evil and ruthless? What does the capitalist idiot have to say to this? This village idiot will just listen like the listening president. 

The urban idiot is a very complex idiot. Listen to this; 

“Having read your article I sincerely hope you are not blaming the current problems besetting the country on the Rhodesia government. 

What this government inherited was a country with very strong, well-managed institutions. Industry was strong, the farms were producing, service delivery existed; the Zimbabwe dollar was even strong.  Government schools were of a very high quality. If they had only managed everything with capable hands and without corruption, those institutions, industries and schools would have been what they were.  You cannot even compare what the country was to how it is today.  Please, do NOT blame the Rhodesians.”

Very clear point by the urban idiot that Rhodesians had “capable hands and without corruption”. What this village idiot knows for sure is that Rhodesian leaders were white and the current Zimbabwean leaders are black and most of them war veterans. So its black heads and hands that are not capable and are full of corruption. Is that a fact?

The village idiot just like the listening president will just listen. Even the urban idiot from the streets of Bulawayo came into the conversations in a strong way; 

“Usizi olukhulu labo abangene ezicathulweni zabelungu baseRhodesia sebekhohlwe nje to devolop or maintain whatever they took over. Instead they are watching infrastructure collapsing okwabo is ukuthatha imali the infrastructure is generating. Lusizi kuphela!! Greed!!”

This village idiot knows an old story in Sub A junior school books of years ago that illustrates greed very well. It is the story of the black dog (not white dog) that saw its own image in water with its big bone with red flesh. How would this dog have such a bone? It soon wanted the other dog’s bone of meat. It attacked its own image in the water and soon discovered it had lost its own bone.

That is greed for you.

Does this story mean anything to Zanu PF as it is the authority over those that govern Zimbabwe? Attacking its own image for the bones left over by Rhodesians!

This village idiot like the listening president will keep on listening but for now remains confused by the very complex urban idiot if indeed Rhodesia was super than Zimbabwe or black leaders have incapable hands and are corrupt than white leaders?

Chimurenga music maestro Thomas ‘Mukanya’ Mapfumo has urged local musicians to rise up and speak the truth to those in power so as to rescue the country from further collapse. 

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The ‘Corruption’ hit-maker told the Daily News on Sunday this week that the country has been reduced to ashes because people fear questioning decisions made by those in government.

Famed for his forthright songs like “Matsotsi” and “Mamvemve”, the United States-based singer who is set to return to his base soon said musicians are the voice of the voiceless in any democratic society. 

“Zimbabwean musicians should therefore live up to this important responsibility because there is no freedom that comes on a silver platter. Freedom comes with some sacrifices,” said the Chimurenga music guru.

He, however, conceded that musicians that criticise government run the risk of being ostracised.  

 “There is no freedom of expression in Zimbabwe which we can talk about. Musicians who criticise leaders and the government in general are deemed enemies of the State and they risk victimisation. 

“Our government has a tendency to victimise people with opposing views. But be that as it may, our musicians should not shy away from the truth for the good of this country,” said the 73-year-old music veteran.

Mukanya added that victimisation comes in different ways.

“I learnt that Winky D is being denied awards because of his music which ruffles government feathers. That is very bad. We need freedom of expression. Some musicians were blackmailed while others’ voices were suppressed in the media and on air waves for questioning the governance system. A few vocal Zimbabwean artistes have been mistreated this way.

“In developed countries, presidents such as Donald Trump of America and Theresa May of the United Kingdom are criticised publicly but they do not wage war against musicians and the general public. In Africa, telling the truth is an offence and once you do that you will pay the price,” he said.

Before independence, Mukanya was framed as an enemy of the State and was detained for three months for supporting the black movement through music. 

The dreadlocked superstar said he used to perform copyrights music, mainly from western countries, but he dumped copyrights after a white guy shouted at him “shut up kaffir” while he was on stage.

“That was the time I realised that I had to reinvent my music career on Zimbabwean culture. I switched from English songs to mbira music. 

“I also made a commitment there and then that I would always stand with the marginalised and down-trodden people,” he said.  

During the Rhodesian era, Mukanya composed songs that angered the white regime while at the same time giving hope and encouragement to the black majority. 

His music was laden with messages that focused on the hardships faced by the blacks in rural areas; their dedication, commitment and focus to the war of liberation.

After independence, he appeared to support the government of former President Robert Mugabe but fell-out with it after it started abusing its people.

This forced Mukanya to go into exile in the United States where he has been living for the past 14 years. He only returned to Zimbabwe to hold concerts after Mugabe had been booted out in a military intervention in 2017.

“It is a pity because even the new government does not seem to like people who speak truth. When I came back last year for my Peace Concert, I later discovered that there was an invisible hand working to sabotage my tour. 

“Those people were after putting my reputation and brand into disrepute following the success of my first concert held in April.

“Recently I bumped into one sitting Zanu PF legislator in the capital and the MP told me that ‘I am now selling out yet I used to support them.’ That was queer because my music is pro-poor and I will never hide away from the truth. That is what I am,” said Mapfumo.

Mukanya told this publication that the ideals of arduous liberation struggle have been thrown down the drain.

“We all fought the war together. Some of us were detained for months in prisons fighting for our freedom but what is happening right now is the opposite of what we fought for. Imagine the music industry was flourishing during the Smith regime but now the current government is failing to address piracy in the industry.

“Recording labels are dead. One of the leading recording companies failed to pay me just $250 because of piracy. 

“What makes the situation more distressing is the fact that our leaders, who we have elected into power, are the ones who are fanning piracy,” Mukanya said.

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Artist in Zimbabwe have been the hardest hit as the country’s economic meltdown continues unabated.

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With ordinary Zimbabweans struggling to meet day-to-day basics as prices skyrocket, most of them have been left with no disposable incomes which they can spare for showbiz and entertainment.

It never rains but pours for the musicians who are also finding it difficult to source fuel to embark on outside performances.

For instance, Chimurenga music guru Thomas Mapfumo’s promoters had a torrid time during the singer’s December Peace Tour as they failed to fulfil certain engagements because of fuel shortage; at times arriving late with the instruments while cancelling some of the shows completely. Attendance at shows has thus plummeted.

Nama award-winning promoter Biggie Chinoperekwei whose Devine Promotions used to hold the weekly Monday Jam Session at City Sports in Harare said they had for now shelved the popular programme because it wasn’t making business sense.

“We used to contract 20 to 30 bands on a single night but we were no longer able to pay them and coupled to that is the fact that we are having erratic supply of drinks. Revellers who come to watch bands perform live also want their drinks to be available; without their drinks they simply walk out.

“The gate takings had also dwindled to alarming proportions but we had to pay the musicians nevertheless,” said Chinoperekwei.

He said while they have shelved the Monday Jam Session, the club still holds one or two musical concerts every week apart from dance events.

 “We hope things improve and once the economy recovers we will start engaging musicians more regularly again. We feel for the musicians and dancers because we are in a way their employer, but unfortunately things are tight for us as well as we risk shutting down completely,” said Chinoperekwei.

Big events have also not been spared.

Just recently, the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa) announced the cancellation of this year’s instalment due to the prevailing situation in the country.

Guitarist and music producer Mono Mukundu said the economic challenges have hit the music industry very badly more than any other industry.

“We have recently witnessed an upsurge in the disbanding of bands as members migrate to the Diaspora. At times it is the whole band leaving the country to settle in other countries as economic migrants; for example Appointed, Jeduthun and CCAP Voice of Mbare among others,” said Mukundu.

He said due to piracy most record labels stopped operating or are operating as makeshift labels. 

“This has contributed to the downward trend of the quality of music being released since record labels scouted for talent and nurtured it to perfection. 

“They also recorded artists for free so they could recoup their money from sales which have been hit by piracy. Piracy itself is a result of economic hardships because naturally there are people who prefer to buy original music but because of the economic hardships it seems everybody is buying the cheap pirated copied thereby rendering record shops and record labels out of business,” said Mono.

The famed guitarist said attendances at gigs have gone down and even the money charged at the gates has also gone down affecting the artists’ revenue.

Songstress Cindy Munyavi said the present environment is very difficult for artists as most of their fans are experiencing economic hardships. 

Said Cindy: “Disposable income has dwindled significantly, hence only a few big brands with serious corporate investors will sail through.” 

Writer Virginia Phiri said while in the first world including some smart third world countries the arts industry contributes up to 9,78 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), in Zimbabwe it is underperforming because no one supports it.

“The only way that arts can survive in this country is through collaborations and partnerships with other practitioners here at home, regionally and globally. Networks are also very helpful. 

Poet Albert Nyathi believes the arts normally respond to situation. 

“For that reason as artists we must be innovative and learn to thrive and survive in such difficulty situations,” he said.

Singer Victor Kunonga said if the truth may be said; artists cannot survive in these trying times. 

Kunonga said: “We rely on people that are adversely affected by the economic situation and the effect trickles down to us.”

Curator and artist Mthabisi Phili for arts and craft there are clearly no tourists or people backpacking and passing through Zimbabwe. 

“The influx of tourists we had when Robert Mugabe was overthrown quickly dissipated after the August 1 shootings and also after the January 14 disturbances.”

He said weavers in Lupane and craft producers at Great Zimbabwe are suffering as sales dried up because tourists are not coming.  

“I understand Hifa 2019 has been cancelled because of the economic chaos in the country and this is another platform gone for artists.”

Sungura musician Romeo Gasa said there is no money in circulation, no beer in bars even the prices are too high. “We are failing to attract better numbers because there is no   money; fuel is another big issue if you have out of Harare shows. It is a nightmare.”

Sungura musician Peter Moyo said with the shrinking of the economy, they are not spared and he is grateful to his loyal following who attend his shows.

“Things are tough and we are not spared and 60 percent of our income is covering expenses and we have to share the remainder. 

“The numbers are telling us a story and I’m thankful to all the Utakataka Express family who through thick and thin attend our shows,” he said.

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Singer Goodchild said the arts sector has indeed been greatly affected in many different ways. 

“General citizenry do not have disposable income to buy music hence perpetuation of piracy. Also people do not have money to attend shows. 

“There just a few artists that are lucky to still have fans attending their shows otherwise the rest are finding the going very tough.” 

He believes as musicians they should have full houses even for the not so popular artists as long as the show is well marketed and the concepts are good. 

“To thrive one need enough money for good recording studios, most good producers are expensive, videos call for high budgets beyond the reach of many. And this what helps the artists grow. 

“Good graphic designers are expensive, good choreographers, good photographers, wardrobe; it is a whole chain and this has a negative impact on the quality of both the music being produced and the artist’s brand.”

Goodchild said since radio stations are not making much from advertisers they in turn are finding it hard to pay artists royalties. 

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Not many people are able to handle just the sight of a lifeless body around them, worse still if it is not that of a relative or friend.

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For funeral directors, dead bodies are their stock in trade.

Talk to any undertaker or staff who work for funeral parlours, they all have fascinating stories to tell about how they ended up in the profession.

For Chengetai Jones, a mortician at First Funeral, she was inspired into taking up the profession after witnessing a body being expertly embalmed at a mid-tier funeral parlour in Harare.

She realised her passion for “beautifying” the dead during the time that her late mother worked as an accountant for that same funeral company.

Whenever she visited, Jones would pester a mortician who was popularly known as Lenon to grant her access into the mortuary.

Her first encounter with a dead body was when Lenon allowed her to watch as he was cleaning and patching an accident victim, who had bruises and deep cuts all over the body.

“…it was an adventure and I could not believe the results: the wounds and cuts were no longer visible after the patching and embalming. At that point I felt that it was exactly what I wanted to do,” she recalled with nostalgia.

“Lenon admired my bravery and encouraged me to join the profession but when I later tried looking for him after my mother’s death, I was gutted to hear that he had passed on. His workmates then told me that First Funeral required a female mortician.”

She was invited for an interview at First Funeral on September 13, 2006 and got the job.

The rest is history.

She has been a mortician at the parlour for 14 years.

The zeal she enthuses in embalming dead corpses defies the morbid stereotypes associated with the once male-dominated career.

She has since learnt to live each day as if it were her last and to treat dead bodies as her friends.

Jones said she is no longer scared of death nor is she afraid to comfort someone who would have suffered a loss.

She says as she would be doing her job, she gives the deceased the same love and attention that their friends and family would if they were the ones caring for the body.

“I’m not scared of corpses. I can confidently visit an accident scene and rescue people when other men are covering their faces in fear.

“I had the privilege of dressing a number of my deceased close relatives and I was the first person to be called whenever death occurred in the family.

“Corpses have become my friends. I have seen it all and death does not scare me anymore. For me, it is simply a transition to the afterlife and I know my day will also come.”

To demonstrate how comfortable she is in the company of corpses, Jones can even take her food while in the mortuary.

She said: “I enjoy my food and would sometimes actually carry it to the mortuary and quickly eat before finishing dressing the body. There is nothing unusual. For me, a dead person is only different from the living because they cannot talk.”

The mother of two says she can actually communicate with the dead bodies that she calls her friends.

For 11 years, she worked single-handedly at the parlour until she was joined by another female mortician.

Before then, she would only ask for assistance from her male workmates to pull corpses placed in top drawers for embalming. 

“Most of them cannot stand the mortuary; it takes a lot of courage,” she told the Daily News on Sunday.

Jones says it is quite encouraging that more women are taking up the profession and excelling.

“This says a lot about gender responsibilities that women have for long been restricted from venturing into by society. It is just like any other job,” Jones said.

Like any other profession, being a mortician isn’t an easy job.

But contrary to perceptions that morticians take drugs to deal with dead bodies, Jones says this is far from being the case.

“It is a lie that morticians take drugs to maintain a sober sense. I have done this job for years but never took any drugs or alcohol,” she argued.

She also dismissed cultural beliefs that forbid pregnant women from going near a dead body to protect the unborn baby from diseases or being tormented by evil spirits.

Jones has carried pregnancies for her two children while on duty.

“I could even have the corpse’s head rub against my belly and nothing happened to me. In fact, I would work up to the ninth month and normally went for maternity leave a few days before delivery,” she said.

Once in a while, she has had unpleasant moments.

At one time, while preparing a body that had been brought to her in a decomposing state, fluids gushed out and smeared her whole face. 

She said she developed warts, as a result.

“I was later treated and thank God it was not one of these sexually transmitted infections. The warts looked like herpes and for a moment my heart skipped.

“The work is physically and emotionally demanding and you must be willing and able to work long hours. An ever-present sense of urgency is another reality of the job and one ought to have a strong stomach for the post-mortem sights and smells,” she admitted.

She is happy to have a supportive family which also utilises her expertise whenever a family member has passed on.

But does she have a moment she would rather forget quickly?

Jones narrated to the Daily News on Sunday how staff at a local hospital she could not name for professional reasons tested her resilience.

She had visited the hospital to pick up a body and prepare it for burial. 

She least expected the worst would happen.

Hospital personnel ushered her into the room where the body lay and with the help of a driver from her funeral parlour, they had hoped to quickly retrieve the corpse and have it cleaned up in time for burial.

Unbeknown to them, the deceased person had encountered a dreadful accident that detached his body into two.

She held the body part which had been wrapped in clothe by the legs while her driver got the upper body and on the count of three, they were going to lift the corpse but Jones fell to the ground because the corpse’s other body part followed her and everything became a mess.

“It was one of the worst of my experiences. I will not say the name of the hospital but I was a regular there and the nurses used to tease me for choosing this line of profession, so, that day, when I arrived, they had shouted ‘that girl is here and today and we have an ace up our sleeve for her’,” Jones said as she reflected on her 14 years as a mortician.

“My robe got soiled but we just took our body and returned to the parlour. I never did anything else but just washed myself and left for home.”

That experience taught her to be extra careful.

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Growing up full of zest to one day become a leader, counsellor and role model to some, Poniso Watema has persevered and conquered her space in society, becoming the only female principal in Zimbabwe’s eight polytechnic colleges.

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The principled and result-oriented Watema has dared the country’s education sector, taking the bull by its horns and leading Mutare Polytechnic College to greater heights.

As the world is celebrating International Women’s Day in this women’s month running under the theme “Balance for Better” some are itching to know who is Watema and what role has she played in enhancing gender balance and success in the Zimbabwe’s education sector. 

Born in the City of Kings and Queens (Bulawayo), Watema started her education at Maphisa Primary School, and then proceeded to Ihlati Secondary School before going for her tertiary level in the Midlands Province.

Watema’s educationist journey began in 1984 after training at one of the then prestigious teachers’ colleges, Batanai an annex of then Gwelo Teachers College situated where Midlands State University is today. 

After completing her studies, she dived into the teaching profession where she taught Food and Nutrition, Fashion and Fabrics under Home Economics and Geography at various secondary schools that include Nemakonde High in Chinhoyi, Victoria High in Masvingo, Ndarama High also in Masvingo.

Aiming for greater heights, Watema jumped ship from high school tutoring to lecturing at tertiary institutions. 

Her first point of entry was at Masvingo Polytechnic in 1993 where she was an ambassador in the establishment of the Division of Applied Arts and Science and pioneered the Clothing Department.

During her stay at Masvingo Polytechnic as head of division (Applied Arts and Sciences), in 2004 she established the Department of Tourism and Hospitality, before being voted vice chairperson of the Women in Tourism Business in 2011. 

She rose through the ranks to become Masvingo vice principal in 2012 and eventually promoted to Mutare Polytechnic principal in 2014, a position she still holds today and is making great strides at it. 

Today Mutare poly has grown to become one of the best polytechnics in Zimbabwe drawing more than 3 000 students across all levels yearly. 

The college, which has become popularly known as ‘The pacesetter’ — a motto that was suggested by Watema — has over the years become a force to reckon with, increasing its visibility at national and international level.

With her steering the wheel for the past four years, the college has participated in the Zanzibar Open Debate championship and Pan-African Debate Championships, as well as the Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health rights held in South Africa; and scooped several recognition awards in the process.

“The journey to my current destination was not rosy; to be frank many storms and floods were experienced throughout my journey. Being a woman working in a male-dominated field penetration was really hard, but l worked hard for me to reach my current position,” Watema told the Daily News on Sunday.

She added that growing up in a male-dominated family of seven, where there were five boys and two girls being identical twins challenged her to rise up to the occasion, be a hard worker, face challenges, have the ability of being tough, bold, goal getter and focused. 

Being at the helm of one of the best colleges in Zimbabwe, Watema has worked tirelessly to prioritise gender balance in the uptake of various courses by encouraging female students to be bold enough to take up male-dominated courses like engineering.

“We are highly involved in revenue generation strategic business units, canopy production, construction of an applied arts and science laboratory, maintenance of environment and infrastructure,” Watema said.

“To top it off we have strived to ensure that all gender is awarded equal opportunities for promotion and fair streaming. This has seen the launching of Female Students in Engineering Association in 2018.”

Last year, the institution launched its first Research Conference aimed at empowering, nurturing and tapping a research culture in ideation, creativity and innovation for industrialisation and modernisation. 

Watema has transformed the institution from a chalkboard instruction to modern interactive boards and overhead projectors through the installation of 56 interactive boards and projectors in all classrooms, for disruptive innovation with all technical courses being involved in Computer Aided Design learning where creativity is nurtured as per their course demands. 

 “To ensure that the courses we offer are relevant to industry, we engage the industry during our symposium and get feedback on their expectations from students as well as the current trends,” she said.

Watema is a recipient of several awards including the 2017 Women’s Top Leadership Excellence Award — Special Recognition in Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development; 2017 Outstanding Female in the Public Service Sector awarded by Megafest; 2017 Female Manager of the year 2nd Runner up; and she recently scooped the female manager of the year 2018 award.

Apart from the Megafest awards she has also received accolades through the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) awards.

In the next five years, she dreams of developing innovative and creative artisans, technician’s technologists who can contribute to industrialisation and modernisation of the country, thereby contributing to the Gross Domestic Product as the development of human capital is key to economic growth. 

Thus the assertion that “building a gender balanced society is not a one day event but a process, it is not a women’s issue, but a business issue,” as gender balance is essential for economies and communities to thrive.

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Public and private hospitals can collaborate and complement to deliver healthcare.

This article examines one example of public–private complementarity in practice. 

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Public hospitals are state owned while private hospitals are under private ownership.  

The relationship between Citimed Chitungwiza Hospital and Chitungwiza General Hospital is worth mentioning because of positive health outcomes it has given the Chitungwiza community of 1,2 million people.

The example illustrates the importance of shared goals, mutual understanding, and structured, ongoing communication to develop a strong working relationship between the public and private sectors when collaborating around health.

In-sector collaborations rather than competition to improve community healthcare confirms that players can make a bigger impact if they work collaboratively rather than independently and in competition by aligning efforts.

The dangers lie in perceptions of not just the general public but even the service providers themselves.

The public sector thinks that the private sector is only for profiteering. On the other hand the private sector thinks that the public sector is inefficient and unable to deliver a quality service. 

The two have been able to address barriers to access and use, tailor the service delivery mix to address the expectations and community health needs, including use of different types of service models that optimise the patient experience.

When all health facilities perform well and are effectively utilised, the overall performance of the health system improves.

While hospitals are social institutions in which people invest their trust they in fact are a dominant component of the health delivery system.

The services provided by Citimed hospitals have been growing since inception in 1999, particularly in the provision of day facilities.

The hospital is owned by a group of doctors and institutional investor.

The ability by Citimed to acknowledge the community in which it exists has improved accessibility by marginalised groups. 

Its services are both affordable and packages flexible.

In its maternity product it has created a midwifery scheme that offers subsidised rates that in some cases are even cheaper than public hospitals. 

The main objective is providing service at affordable user fees and offer integrated, innovative community centred healthcare solutions.

It offers solutions to Accident and emergency services and admission wards with 150 beds.  

Citimed Hospital has admission wards such as Surgical, Medical, Paediatric, ICU and a High Dependency Unit.

It also has 2 theatres and a Diagnostics Unit for Radiology and X-Rays. The hospital as from April 2019 shall be screening for breast cancer and shall be doing CT scans thus providing convenience to the community and beyond.

Even though the hospital is private the charges are within public user fees.

This has been done to provide healthcare access to the majority. 

This has resulted in a close working relationship with Chitungwiza General Hospital and has capacity to provide services to over 100 clients per day.    

It is one of the few private hospitals still accepting medical aid cover from almost all providers.

If one is on medical aid the hospital does not ask for a deposit or co-payment.

This is a major issue with other private hospitals. Innovation has been a key component of their service delivery and along with it comes a 24 hour service at affordable fees and 150 beds.

The institution also has its own pharmacy from which a wide range of drugs and medicines are dispensed. 

Other major various operations are conducted at the hospital for no charges as these are usually funded through cooperating partners both local and international. 

These include Cleft lip operations on children with 40 operations having been done in January this year, Cataract extraction for the senior citizens, there is a dental unit and a Family support clinic.

The hospital also offers free services and distribution of ARV drugs.

It launched on 22nd February 2019 free screening of cervical cancer and plans are underway to conduct Paediatric heinous operations in the immediate future.

The immediate plan is to target those on the waiting lists of public hospitals to ease the burden for patients and public hospitals. The target is to do 1 200 patients every year.

On the social responsibility and medical level the hospital has assisted persons living with Albinism and works with their representative organizations.

Apart from assisting with the provision of sun screen lotions the hospital has also conducted 90 successful skin cancer operations since the programme started in April 2018.

Patients have been drawn from places as far as Binga, Mberengwa and Chipinge and the target is to conduct about 1 200 skin operations a year.

Some of the directors who are qualified doctors who have a shareholding assist with various initiatives through their networks for the benefit of the community.

The progress by Citimed in Chitungwiza has resulted in opportunities to expand to Mbare. 

A facility is already under renovation and very soon Mbare residents will access their services.

With a resident doctor and almost 50 nurses and total staff complement of 140 the private hospital has delivered on their mandate at affordable fees. 

To demonstrate this it has won various accolades in recognition of these efforts among which are —

The most trusted brand, Hospital of the year and even leader of the year in recognition of the CEO and Board’s efforts.

It is commendable.

Challenges remain but the hospital has been able to refurbish. 

Other challenges of medicines and drugs supplies exist but these continue to be well managed to ensure patients are not compromised from both an availability and pricing perspective.  

Through complementing each other with Chitungwiza hospital there has been improvement in hospital performance and patient outcomes.

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This has played an important role in our progress towards Universal Health Coverage.

These are positive outcomes derived from efforts of improving hospital planning and management and continual monitoring and adjustment.

Chitungwiza General Hospital is ISO Certified and Citimed is undergoing processes towards certification.

However, achieving and maintaining high-performing hospitals and health systems is a complex task as it requires capacity to set policy and lead actions for improved planning and management.

For many hospitals the perception is that a gap still exists between the approved standards of care and the actual quality of services provided. 

The complementary relationship between the two has assisted with closing this gap.

In health systems like ours the government must build and sustain collaborations with all health-care providers, including private ones.

There needs to be a clear understanding of the place of public and private providers within the national strategy, this to expand health services and advance equity at facility level as well as at the level of the health system. 

While perceptions are that public hospitals are less efficient than private hospitals and that patients with higher income capacity hold better access to private hospital provision the Chitungwiza-Citimed case confirms that even private hospitals can still offer services to vulnerable societal groups at competitive user fees at the same time offering a quality service.

The user fees being charged by Citimed Hospitals have contributed to realisation of affordability of health services within the community.

Service coverage and access to and use of hospital services often depends on a person’s socioeconomic status. 

The two hospitals remain the central focus of health care in the community offering training for health professionals, as well as referral services, and are often used as the benchmark for the overall health system.

The starting point of how this relationship keeps working to the advantage of the community is its alignment towards the overall health system goal of affordability.

Even if public hospitals are dominant in the system as is our case where public hospitals constitute 70 percent of health delivery against 30 percent of the private sector issues of aligning resources with population needs are still important in the context of both equity and quality. 

This case demonstrates that private hospitals can actually fill a gap if they chose to work ‘hand in glove’ with public health hospitals especially on user fees.

Overall, this observation contributes to conversations on the role of the private sector in providing hospital services and how different systems, institutions, and incentive structures positively affect outcomes in the public and private hospital sectors for the benefit of the public.

Private hospitals are a valuable component of our health delivery system and can add value to public hospitals in various ways if user fees are friendly. The two can complement each other.

l Gwinyai and Majongwe are from Health Decisions Consulting (Private) Limited. ebsite:healthdecisionsconsulting.org

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