Week 32
Wekelijkse selectie van nieuws uit Zimbabwe
Zanu PF flexes muscles, ground game impressive The Herald (state owned)
AN undeniable fact ahead of the August 23 harmonised elections is that the ruling Zanu PF has so far been the most visible and active party drumming up support ahead of the polls which analysts say will guarantee them an easy victory.
Since the proclamation of the election date by President Mnangagwa on May 30, Zanu PF launched its campaign trail in Manicaland which was followed by a series of campaigns with President Mnangagwa presiding over provincial star rallies.
Through the star rallies, Zanu PF has not only flexed its muscles in terms of its mobilisation prowess, but has given the greatest indication so far by any political party that they are gunning for a majority vote in the national polls.
Community programmes key to food security: WFP
GOVERNMENT says community development programmes remain a priority as the country strives to build resilience and food security in the face of recurrent droughts.
This comes as the World Food Programme (WFP) has flagged Zimbabwe as a hunger hotspot with over 4,1 million people in the urban areas prone to famine.
Speaking on Tuesday during the signing ceremony of the Letter of Understanding between the government of Zimbabwe and WFP, Public Service permanent secretary, Simon Masanga, said the agreement was key in the face of climate change shocks.
“The government of Zimbabwe has been receiving support from the World Food Programme in various programmes including social protection programming, resilience and food assistance to flood and drought hit areas,” he said.
“This Letter of Understating is a way to strengthen the already ongoing work and to ensure that both government and WFP are accountable to the people they serve.”
Foreign Affairs and International Trade acting permanent secretary, Paveline Musaka, hailed WFP and the UN as dependable partners.
AU-COMESA joint Election Observation Mission set to be deployed to the upcoming Zimbabwe Elections
On 23 August 2023, The Republic of Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold its 2023 Harmonized elections. As the Country makes final preparations to hold its Harmonized Elections, the Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat of the African Union (AU) Commission, will deploy a joint African Union (AU) and Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Zimbabwe.
The Joint AU-COMESA EOM, comprising seventy-three (73) short-term observers (STOs) and three (3) Core Team of electoral experts, are set to observe the Elections from 16 to 29 August 2023.
UNICEF Zimbabwe Humanitarian Situation Report No. 3, January 1– June 30, 2023
THE Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) says Centragale Private Limited has applied for an electricity generation licence to build a 100-megawatt wind farm at Mamina in Mhondoro Ngezi. Dinson Iron and Steel Company will offtake the generated electricity, according to the notice by Zera.
In 2018 Zera halted the wind energy feasibility study after companies tendered pricey bids which exceeded the estimated budget.
However, last year the Government indicated it received funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to explore the potential of wind energy resources.
Also referred to as wind power, wind energy is the use of wind turbines to generate electricity that is fed into main grids or to isolated, and off-grid locations with a much smaller impact on the environment compared to fossil fuels.
CCC manifesto: Great in theory, tricky in practice
THE Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party has just released its extensive election manifesto outlining its vision for transforming Zimbabwe if elected into power.
The 100-page manifesto covers a broad range of issues from economic reforms social services to governance.
It offers valuable insights into CCC’s priorities and policy positions.
The manifesto places heavy emphasis on reviving Zimbabwe’s economy and charting a pathway to a US$100 billion economy within a decade.
However, it is interesting to note that less than 10 African countries currently have US$100 billion economies.
WFP hails Zim on food security The Herald (state owned)
THE Second Republic’s investment in ensuring national food security through a range of Government programmes and overcoming economic and climate-change challenges has been commended by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The programmes are based on ensuring farm households grow enough food for their own consumption with growing surpluses for sale to improve rural incomes. Those surpluses in turn ensure that national food stocks exceed Zimbabwean demand.
Speaking in Harare yesterday during the signing of a letter of understanding between the UN agency and Government, represented by Permanent Secretary for Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Simon Masanga, WFP representative and country director, Ms Francesca Erdelmann said the understanding will anchor the WFP’s new strategic plan for Zimbabwe aimed at increasing self-sufficiency within communities they work in, and reduce dependency on humanitarian assistance.
Last year, Zimbabwe achieved a milestone in wheat production after attaining a record-breaking 375 000 tonnes and 1,5 million tonnes of maize. It also attained 2,7 million tonnes of maize from the 2020-2021 season.
Zimbabwe requires 360 000 tonnes of wheat annually and last year’s harvest was the highest since wheat farming began in 1966 and the first to achieve self-sufficiency. A new record is expected in wheat output this season, after farmers planted the crop on 86 000 hectares.
Zim, Russia enhance co-operation
ZIMBABWE and Russia plan to enhance bilateral collaboration in the media sector through exchange programmes, which have been identified as key in strengthening relationships between the two countries.
This came out during the Russia-Africa International Media Forum for young media practitioners hosted by RUDN University, in conjunction with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation in Moscow.
Running under the theme “Through the prism of education and communication”, the two-day event brought together 15 participants from 10 African countries — Zimbabwe, Cote d’Ivoire, Namibia, South Africa, Cameroon, Rwanda, Egypt, Algeria, Zambia and Tanzania.
A Zimbabwean entrepreneur’s journey into the waste management industry
During the Zimbabwean cholera outbreak of 2008, Odilo Linzi lost four people close to him.
“The cholera outbreak spread to Budiriro where l lived. People drank water from contaminated sources and there were no proper waste management services during that time and in the end water born diseases arose. Unfortunately l lost my uncle and three of my closest friends,” said Linzi.
“I lost my hearing when I was young, due to malaria. The injection that I was given to cure it affected my hearing. I used to wear hearing aids but realised they could not help me much. I mostly rely on reading and writing. Therefore, I had to hire an administrative assistant to help communicate with clients,” he explained. Currently, the company is involved in city-wide, door-to-door waste collection for households, corporations, and a diverse array of other clients.
Zimbos’ flight from home breaks African record
ZIMBABWE has recorded the highest number of citizens fleeing the country in Africa, with economic crisis and political instability being the key drivers, a latest research has revealed.
According to a latest study by Southern African Youth Solidarity Network on youth migration in southern Africa, repression of civic activism and poverty has led many Zimbabweans to leave the country.
In 2020, the International Organisation for Migration in a report said Zimbabwe was one of the countries with the highest number of emigrants on the African continent.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recently cited Zimbabwe as one of the top 10 countries of origin for refugees and asylum-seekers worldwide.
Catch up on Zimbabweland – top blogs so far this year
The blog is taking a break for a few weeks as holidays and book-writing deadlines beckon. But there’s plenty to catch up on if you haven’t already. Here’s a list of the ‘top 10’ most viewed posts of 2023 (so far) that have been published during the year.
Soaring foreign debt casts dark shadow
The country’s total debt soared to US$18.03 billion as of December 2022 from US$17.2 billion, with external debt constituting 70.9% (US$12.8 billion or ZW$8.78 trillion) while domestic debt constitutes 28.7% (US$5.2 billion or ZW$3.56 trillion).
With no budgetary support from traditional lenders such as international financial institutions due to non-payment of arrears, Zimbabwe has been mainly relying on grants, bilateral loans and domestic resources to finance its key capital projects.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been at pains to paint a rosy picture of how Zimbabwe has been trying to service the country’s ballooning debt overhang, leading to the country’s failure to receive lines of credit from international financiers.
EU rescues child brides
DOZENS of survivors of child marriages in Manicaland province have been rescued and taken back to school under a European Union (EU)-funded Spotlight Initiative programme.
Spotlight Initiative is aimed at ending all forms of violence against women and girls.
In Mutasa and Chipinge districts of Manicaland province, the programme was implemented by United Nations (UN) Women in partnership with the Women Action Group (WAG).
In the two provinces, UN Women and WAG established the Peace Hut concept, a committee which comprises community leaders who resolve local disputes amicably and also facilitate justice on crimes against women.
Zanu PF completes only 7% of 2018 promises: Study
THE Zanu PF-led government only managed to fulfil 16 of the 234 pledges in its 2018 election manifesto, which translates to just 7%, policy think-tank Sivio Institute has said.
The figure indicates that 93% of all the ruling party’s electoral promises made five years ago are yet to be fulfilled, with 187 promises still work in progress.
In the run-up to the 2018 elections, the ruling party released its campaign manifesto titled Unite, Fight Corruption, Develop, Re-engage, Create Jobs.
A Sivio Institute report titled Five Years of Progress or Stagnation released yesterday indicates that the ruling party made 234 promises, but has only made progress on 187 of them.
