Week 28
Een wekelijkse selectie artikelen uit Zimbabwaanse kranten
‘Most of us have no food in our homes’: Drought leaves Zimbabwe starving, desperate to survive
Zimbabwe faces a drought.
At least 7.6 million people are in need of aid, the UN said. The UN launched a $429-million drought appeal. A bed of sand and a patch of mud is all that remains of Kapotesa dam, which once provided the water vital for crops and livestock in this remote part of Zimbabwe.
Nearby, farmer Georgina Kwengwere walks among corn stalks desiccated by the drought that is ravaging her country and leaving millions of people in need of food aid.
“I did not harvest anything after all my effort and using all our savings to buy seeds,” the 54-year-old told AFP, shaking her head despondently. “Not even a single cob.” The Kapotesa dam dried up in May, Kwengwere said. ”Only God knows how we are going to survive until the next harvest next year,” she said.
Zimbabwe gets US$31.8 million drought insurance cover
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube says pay-out to benefit all seven million starving citizens
Zimbabwe has received US$31,8 million from the African Risk Capacity, an arm of the African Union, to help mitigate the effects of the devastating El Nino induced drought.
Receiving the insurance cover, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the funding is a boost to Zimbabwe’s resilience against climate-induced adversities.
Zimbabwe became a member of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Agency in 2012.
It offers innovative disaster risk financing solutions and assists member states develop contingent measures for natural disasters.
“Today, I am honoured, to, on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe, receive the ARC drought insurance pay-out amounting to US$16.8 million.
“The pay-out is complemented by pay-outs to our ARC replica partners amounting to US$6.1 million to the WFP and US$8.9 million to Start Network.
“Zimbabwe will therefore, receive a total pay-out of US$31.8 million.
“The insurance pay-out will be distributed to approximately 508,435 vulnerable households in 27 districts across the country,” he said.
Human waste found in 24 Harare boreholes | The Sunday Mail (state owned)
Traces of faecal matter have been found in 24 boreholes across several suburbs in Harare in tests done between January and June this year, The Sunday Mail has learnt.
Tests on water samples taken from 259 boreholes in suburbs such as Mbare, Highfield, Glen View and Budiriro were found to contain significant traces of the E. coli bacteria, indicating the presence of human waste.
E.coli, short for Escherichia coli, is a type of bacteria commonly found in human intestines.
While some strains are harmless, others can cause serious illness.
Its presence in water suggests faecal matter from humans may have entered the water source.
Byo author tackles the vanishing African pride
A Bulawayo-based author has penned a 94-page Afrocentric poetry anthology titled Into the Dark, delving into the less talked about issues that affect Africans’ daily lives.
Perfect Moyo’s writings were inspired after he observed that there were some things in Africa that were not being spoken about.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Moyo casts light on the societal ills whose discussions have melted into thin air.
“There are some issues that lie in the dark and are less spoken of, so I tried to venture into them, hence the title of the book. These issues include inferiority complex, war, poverty, climate change, political injustice, crime and marginalisation, among others,” he said.
Local company ventures into lithium battery production The Herald (state owned)
A local company, Verify Engineering, has ventured into lithium battery production, heeding President Mnangagwa’s call for value addition and beneficiation of minerals for maximum benefits.
Zimbabwe, with the largest reserves of lithium in Africa, took a bold step and banned all raw lithium exports after the Government argued smuggling of the sought-after mineral to South Africa and the United Arab Emirates was costing the country US$1.8 billion in earnings.
Recently, Government approved the Lithium Ore Policy to consolidate the country’s beneficiation strategy and reap more earnings from minerals, putting a lid to the export and smuggling of lithium bearing ores.
Government is in the process of constructing a Mines to Energy Industrial Park in Mapinga, which will be the hub for minerals beneficiation.
Zimbabwe govt takes 6 years to tar a 600m stretch
In Uzumba Maramba-Pfungwe (UMP) district, the Zimbabwean government’s road construction efforts along the Murewa-Madichecha Road have faced severe delays and allegations of mismanagement.
The project, aimed at tarring a 50km stretch under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 (ERRP2), has only seen 600 metres completed over six years.
The Central Mechanical and Equipment Department (CMED) is managing the project, which has been marked by accusations of fund misappropriation.
CMED spokesperson Tarisai Muzorori confirmed that the project, initially launched in 2018 with a target completion by October next year, has faced significant challenges.
Despite completing 60% of the required work, including earthworks and 30mm asphalt surfacing, the government has yet to pay for the completed 600-metre section.
Vehicle scandal rocks Harare Town House
Harare City Council (HCC) has been rocked by a vehicle scandal involving over half a million dollars, with beneficiaries reportedly avoiding driving the luxury vehicles to Town House in a bid to conceal the rot, NewsDay has learnt.
Impeccable sources yesterday said 10 officials in Grade Four benefited from the luxury Toyota Fortuner GD-6 sport utility vehicles at a cost of around US$70 000 for the lowest priced.
The vehicle scandal comes at a time when President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate HCC over an array of issues, including corporate governance, from 2017 to 2022.
The vehicles were reportedly purchased at a local car dealer.
The officials have been avoiding driving the vehicles to Town House as it raises eyebrows.
Sustainable farming transforms Shashe community
Inappropriate seed and seed varieties, the loss of agro-biodiversity, insufficient inputs, degrading soils, and recurrent droughts are just a few of the many factors that have contributed to low crop productivity among smallholder farmers in resource-poor communities in Zimbabwe and much of the global south.
Smallholder farmers in the Shashe area of Masvingo province were familiarised to innovative agroecology interventions, premised on harnessing nature’s goods and services while minimising adverse environmental impacts and improving farmer-consumer connectivity, knowledge co-creation, and inclusive relationships among food system actors.
$1.6 billion paid to mystery shareholders by Zimbabwe’s sovereign wealth fund
Zimbabwe’s new sovereign wealth fund reportedly paid $1.6 billion — 5 percent of GDP — for shares in a mining conglomerate with recent links to Kudakwashe Tagwirei, a presidential advisor and ruling party donor accused of corruption.
Sources confirm that the county’s debt has leapt by $3 billion—from $18 billion to $21 billion—in just a few months, as Treasury Bills worth almost 10 percent of GDP have been issued since November 2023.
Of that new debt, $1.9 billion is to “recapitalise” the Mutapa Investment Fund, Zimbabwe’s new sovereign wealth fund, while $900 million has been allocated to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Special dispensation on cards for Diasporans in need of land The Herald (state owned)
Vice President Kembo Mohadi has promised to ensure the creation of a special dispensation to enable Zimbabweans in the diaspora to speedily access land and other services they seek back home to deepen their participation in national development.
Speaking on Thursday night here during an interactive engagement with Zimbabweans living in the Republic of Congo, VP Mohadi started his address by an outline of the sanctions the country is grappling with and then the developments achieved by the Second Republic since 2017.
He said he was proud to be engaging the professionals, an indication that they benefited from Zimbabwe’s sound education.
“It is because of our education system that you are here and running a regional office,” he said.
Turning to the economy, VP Mohadi said Zimbabwe had suffered for a long time due to the sanctions imposed by the West in retaliation to the Land Reform Programme that started in the year 2000.
Zim battles increased school dropouts
There is concern over the plight of children of school-going age who are forced to quit education due to various reasons such as poverty, with many resorting to drugs or early marriages.
Speaking during a dialogue on the Day of the African Child in Harare yesterday, Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (Ecozi) executive director Elvis Chitsungo said this was contributing to cyclical poverty.
“In Zimbabwe, the Primary and Secondary Education ministry reported that in 2021, there were 6 694 618 children of school-going age in the country, but the actual school enrolment for that year was 3 986 891,” Chitsungo said.
“This means that over 2,7 million children were out of school and one can only wonder what the number is in 2024.”
CiZC Statement on Partisan Conduct by the Defence Forces
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition urges the country’s defence forces to adhere to their constitutional mandate and refrain from serving partisan interests.
We are disturbed by the reckless utterances made by Zimbabwe’s Army Commander, Lieutenant General Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe. His declaration that the army will use “command voting” to ensure ZANU PF’s continued stay in power is deeply concerning.
General Sanyatwe made these statements while addressing a ZANU PF rally in Nyanga North Constituency, where his wife is a Member of Parliament. He further declared that the ballot will not remove ZANU PF and will continue ruling until donkeys grow horns.
His utterances demonstrate a complete disregard for the Constitution, which directs the defence forces to serve national rather than partisan interests.
