Week 50
Een wekelijkse selectie artikelen uit Zimbabwaanse kranten
Diaspora central to Zimbabwe’s economy: Goshomi
CHRIS GOSHOMI, the Zimbabwe Leeds Community (ZLC) chairperson — a group of Zimbabweans residing in the West Yorkshire area, north of England — believes the diaspora community is central to the country’s economy.
Leeds appears to have become the “capital of Zimbabwe” in the UK, as the UK 2021 census data showed the highest concentration of Zimbabweans in this northern part of the UK.
Goshomi told NewsDay Life & Style that established migrant communities in the UK are significantly contributing to their countries of origin.
“The International Organisation for Migration Zimbabwe national country strategy 2021 to 2024 report states that, in the period 2020 to 2021, the Zimbabwean diaspora community remitted over US$1,6 billion which is a significant percentage of the country’s GDP.”
Tears of Zimbabwean single mothers in the UK
The UK Home Office last week announced tough immigration measures that will make it difficult for Zimbabweans working there to bring along their families.
SOME Zimbabwean single mothers based in the United Kingdom (UK), struggling to secure visas for their children to join them abroad, were dealt a severe blow following the introduction of tough immigration laws by the UK government.
According to that country’s authorities, about 20 152 health and care worker visas were granted to Zimbabweans in the year ended June 2023.
Zimbabwe is ranked third after India with 33 669 and Nigeria at 22 278 in terms of countries granted health and care worker visas.
Malaba, opposition parties on collision course
CHIEF Justice Luke Malaba and opposition political parties could be headed for a bruising showdown after he reportedly ordered court registrars to furnish his office with information on all election-related cases prior to them being filed at the courts.
The new development comes after the main opposition Citizens Coalitions for Change (CCC) accused the Judiciary of being captured by the ruling Zanu PF party as all judgments were going against the Nelson Chamisa-led party.
However, JSC secretary Walter Chikwanha said he was not aware of the circular when contacted for comment yesterday.
According to the circular, the registrars should immediately, and not later 24 hours, notify Malaba and issue directions on the management of the matters.
Business gives economy thumbs down
CHIEF executive officers and senior executives have given a vote of no confidence regarding the economy, recent data from the CEO Africa Roundtable’s Business Confidence Index (BCI) shows.
This low score came a day after the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce released its 2023 annual State of the Industry and Commerce Survey in which 38% of those surveyed saw an economic improvement.
Releasing the 2023 BCI last Friday, CEO Africa Roundtable chief executive officer Kipson Gundani told NewsDay Business that the report was indictive of a pessimistic attitude of business.
In Zimbabwe, Disaster at the Intersection of Cholera and Climate Change
Periodically, Zimbabwe is hit by cyclones, droughts and floods, owing to climate change and its effects on temperature and rainfall patterns over time, according to research by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The frequency of these floods and droughts is rising, with their effects linked to repeated cholera outbreaks. In February, the country was hit by Cyclone Freddy, which caused flooding and yet another cholera outbreak.
Cholera outbreaks follow a fairly cyclical pattern that coincides with the rainy season. In recent decades, there have been two large outbreaks in Zimbabwe: one from 2008 to 2009, which resulted in over 100,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths, and another from 2018 to 2019, which resulted in 10,000 cases and 69 deaths across the country’s cholera hot spots. This year, the country experienced yet another outbreak.
In response, Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency. There have been more than 7,000 instances of cumulative suspected cases thus far, with over 143 suspected cholera deaths.
Zimbabwe Analysts Expresses Fear For Multi-Party Democracy
A Zimbabwe analyst says country is headed for a disaster when it comes to upholding multi-party democracy. This, after the country’s High Court barred 14 members of parliament from the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) from contesting again their seats in Saturday’s by-election. Sengezo Tshabangu, who claims to be the CCC’s interim secretary general, told the court that the parliamentarians no longer represented the party because they had been recalled. Tendai Ruben Mbofana, a Zimbabwe social justice advocate and writer, tells VOA’s James Butty, the CCC will need to adopt a new constitution and create proper party structures to prevent what he calls another imposter posing as leader of the party..
Ngarivhume acquitted after one year in jail
THE High Court yesterday acquitted Transform Zimbabwe party leader Jacob Ngarivhume, who was convicted for inciting public violence after he organised a march against fuel price increases in 2020.
Ngarivhume called for a march dubbed “July 31 movement” before his arrest and spending a year at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
The political leader, who was represented by Lovemore Madhuku, had his appeal application upheld and conviction and sentence quashed by High Court judges of appeal Justices Pisirayi Kwenda and Fatima Maxwell.
Recalls fueling voter apathy: Zesn
THE recent recalls of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators and Councillors is fuelling voter apathy, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) has said.
Other election observers have generally described the polls held on Saturday as a farce after approximately 20% of registered voters participated in the by-elections occasioned by self-proclaimed CCC interim secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu who recalled several CCC MPs, senators and Councillors who had won in the country’s August 23 and 24 harmonised elections.
In its preliminary report on the just ended elections, Zesn said voter turnout and morale were subdued.
Government emphasises education diversification, as brain drain bites
Minister of Skills Audit and Development Paul Mavima has raised concern over the increasing trend where young graduates are leaving the country to pursue careers as nurse aides in developed nations.
Zimbabwe has lost hundreds of thousands of skilled workers due to limited job opportunities in the country especially for young people holding degrees.
The country’s national unemployment rate is 21% while the rate is higher among youths.
Addressing young professionals and executives in Harare, Mavima said the youths were de-skilling themselves.
He lamented the brain drain phenomenon, highlighting the irony of graduates dedicating years to studying in Zimbabwe only to find employment in menial roles abroad.
Crisis looms as dozens of elephants die in Zimbabwe
Summer rains are five weeks late due to the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, as dozens of elephants have already died in Hwange National Park, the county’s largest protected area home to about 45,000 elephants. At least 100 elephants are already reported dead due to lack of water.
“Elephants and other wildlife species will face a crisis if the rains don’t come soon,” says Phillip Kuvawoga, Landscape Programme Director of IFAW.
“In 2019, over 200 elephants died in Zimbabwe due to severe drought; this phenomenon is recurring.”
Despite having 104 solar-powered boreholes, park authorities say it isn’t enough and no match for extreme temperatures drying up existing waterholes, forcing wildlife to walk long distances searching for food and water. Water-dependent mammals like elephants are among the most affected.
Unite against corruption: Watchdogs
THE fight against corruption in Zimbabwe will remain abstract without genuine inclusion of all stakeholders, watchdogs have noted on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day commemorations.
In a statement to mark the day, which was celebrated on Saturday and ran under the banner: Uniting Against Corruption for Development, Peace and Security, Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) implored stakeholders to unite in the fight against corruption in line with Article 13(i) of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
“Zimbabwe continues to fare poorly in various governance indices such as the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. It is ranked 157 out of 180 in the world with a score of 23 out of 100, against a regional average of 33 out of 100.
Group Of Bulawayo Councillors Reportedly Pushing For The Recall Of Mayor David Coltart
A group of Bulawayo Councillors in Zimbabwe are reportedly pushing for the recall of Mayor David Coltart, who is known for his strong stance against corruption. These Councillors are allegedly unhappy with Coltart’s zero tolerance towards corruption and are now collaborating with Sengezo Tshabangu to have him removed from office.
Tshabangu, who claims to be the interim secretary general of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has been recalling Members of Parliament (MPs) and Councillors from the party, much to the delight of the ruling ZANU PF party.
The Councillors who are seeking Coltart’s recall have allegedly been making various foolish accusations against him, including claims of heavy-handedness and dictatorship. It is believed that they are working in conjunction with ZANU PF to achieve their objective.
