Week 46
Een wekelijkse selectie artikelen uit Zimbabwaanse kranten
Interview: ‘Water crisis worsening ChiTown cholera outbreak’
FOR months, Zimbabwe has been battling to stem the spread of cholera in major towns and cities, amid unavailability of clean water. In Chitungwiza, more than five deaths and around 400 cases have been confirmed with the sprawling suburb of St Marys recording the majority of the cases followed by Zengeza and Nyatsime.
NewsDay reporter Sharon Buwerimwe (ND) spoke to Chitungwiza Residents Trust (Chitrest) director Alice Kuvheya (AK):
ND: How is the water supply situation in Chitungwiza?
AK: We don’t have our own source of water. As I am speaking now, we are buying 20 litres of water at ZWL$600 from private boreholes. If the water is restored at all, it’s often dirty; we don’t use it for drinking. We only use it to wash, bathe and other things. It’s now over three weeks since we last received tap water. The cholera figures are rising. And now that there is an electricity crisis, it’s even more difficult to get water from these people because their boreholes only pump water when there is electricity. As residents we are actually in a dire situation.
‘Open for business’ mantra charms Saudi Arabia investors The Herald (state owned)
Last week President Mnangagwa led a Zimbabwean delegation comprising the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Professor Mthuli Ncube, Lands and Agriculture Minister Dr Anxious Masuka, and Industry and Commerce Minister Sitembiso Nyoni to the Saudi-Africa Summit where he outlined vast investment opportunities Zimbabwe offers.
After the Friday Summit, on Saturday, President Mnangagwa met the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Investment Minister Mr Kalid who was accompanied by executives of 10 companies from the oil-rich country.
Binga communities bear brunt of climate change crisis
A flagship publication of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs titled World Social Report 2021 says a large population of more than three billion people in rural areas of developing countries depends on agriculture for livelihoods.
Successive crop failures and poor harvests driven by climate change in Binga have taken a toll on agriculture production leaving many families in abject poverty.
As such, Munkombwe of Siamuloba village under Chief Sialichaba is among thousands in Binga that face serious food shortages, which if not urgently addressed, could lead to starvation.
Binga — one of the marginalised communities in Zimbabwe — is already facing a food crisis, villagers said.
“This past season, our crops did not do well because of the little rainfall that we received,” Munkombwe said.
“We usually have porridge in the morning, skip lunch and have sadza for supper,” she said.
Zim students flock to the US
ZIMBABWEAN students are leaving the country in droves to enrol at United States (US) tertiary institutions, a report has revealed.
About 1 800 students enrolled for the 2022/23 academic year, an Institute of International Education Open Doors report said, noting that the number of Zimbabwean undergraduate students in the US increased by 24,4%, one of the largest increases among all sub-Saharan African countries.
“The number of Zimbabwean students enrolled at United States colleges and universities increased by 18,7% over the previous academic year, according to the 2023 Open Doors report issued by the Institute of International Education,” the US embassy said in a statement.
Kariba Dam wall rehab on target The Herald (state owned)
ONGOING work at the Kariba Dam wall that include reshaping the plunge pool and refurbishment of the spillway have been commended by the Government with the successful completion expected to support the attainment of Vision 2030.
The US$275 million rehabilitation works are expected to prolong the life of the dam wall while in return support the economic activities of whole nation.
Kariba which is co-managed by Zimbabwe and Zambia through Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) body, is well known for its robust fish industry and Zimbabwe’s main source of hydro-electricity power, generating at least 1 000 megawatt and also produces power for neighbouring Zambia.
Govt awards chiefs hefty bonuses
The government has awarded traditional leaders a 100% bonus this year as a “performance reward” after they played a key role in mobilising their subjects to vote for Zanu PF during the August elections.
Chiefs, headmen, village heads and their messengers will be awarded the bonuses both in United States dollars and in local currency.
In a circular dated November 7, 2023, addressed to Public Service Commission secretary Tsitsi Choruma, Finance secretary George Guvamatanga said the traditional leaders’ bonuses would be paid alongside those of civil servants.
Within the traditional leaders’ ranks, chiefs will be awarded the highest amount of bonus, earning US$300 and $337 000, which is equivalent to the earnings of teachers. Village heads and messengers have the least earning of US$100.
Chiefs, however, earn over US$200 and receive other perks such as top-of-the range cars, fuel, boreholes, farms and mines, among other incentives from government.
Flag raised as Zimbabwe military burdened with ‘unserviceable, outdated equipment’
Zimbabwe’s military is operating on “unserviceable and outdated equipment” in what puts the country at a constant security cliff through possible failure to respond sufficiently to unforeseen threats within its territory, parliament has heard.
At a 2024 pre-budget expectations indaba, Beitbridge East legislator Albert Nguluvhe, speaking in his capacity as Defence, Home Affairs, Security Services and War Veterans committee chair, said military equipment such as motor vehicles, helicopters, aircrafts and other ground equipment was now old and overused.
“The majority of military motor vehicles have been overused,” he said.
Seminar on Africa’s security and development of China-Africa relations held in Zimbabwe
HARARE (Xinhua) — A seminar on the security situation in Africa and the development of China-Africa relations was held here on Wednesday, attended by officials from the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe and scholars from the fields of peace, security, development, and history in the country.
An Yuejun, secretary-general of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament (CPAPD), which co-sponsored the seminar, delivered a keynote speech, saying that China’s security cooperation with Africa is one of the key cooperation directions clearly defined in the concept document of the Global Security Initiative.
Zim joins global energy giants | The Sunday Mail (state owned)
ZIMBABWE’S vast mineral resources, particularly iron and lithium, place the country in a critical position in the global transition from fossil fuels to green energy and, therefore, the country must be a player in the International Energy Forum (IEF)’s decision-making process.
Yesterday, Zimbabwe was invited to join IEF, the world’s largest gathering of energy-producing and consuming countries, accounting for more than 90 percent of global oil and gas supply and demand.
With its massive lithium deposits, Zimbabwe is forecast to meet 25 percent of global demand as early as next year.
Apart from lithium, the country also boasts huge deposits of iron ore and will soon start exporting iron and steel from the Manhize plant, where a giant US$1 billion project is set to position the country as the biggest steel producer on the continent.
One million Zimbos return home | The Sunday Mail (state owned)
MORE than one million Zimbabweans who had left the country returned to settle home permanently during the first half of 2023.
This marks a significant surge in returnees, driven mainly by Government’s efforts to attract skilled locals back home.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) show that 1,03 million Zimbabweans “who had declared themselves as emigrants when they left the country” had returned home between January and June.
In total, about 378 000 locals relocated back to Zimbabwe during the first three months of the year, while the number of returnees surged to 655 377 between April and June.
