Jane Mlambo| FreeZim Congress President Joseph Makamba Busha has urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his opposition counterpart Nelson Chamisa to put aside their differences and work for the good of the nation.

Busha made the remarks while addressing a press conference in Harare today.

Shelve your political differences aside and focus on development pic.twitter.com/9TJMazjS0b

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) December 21, 2018

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DEPUTY Minister of Defence and War Veterans, Victor Matemadanda has told the media that the government does not have money to pay the war veterans who demonstrated earlier this week demanding $2,000 every month.

“War veterans have welfare issues, but this should not be at the expense of the people,” Matemadanda said.

“Where can government get the $2 000 per month when it is struggling to buy medicines, repair roads, among other issues?”

In a petition addressed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa during the demonstration, the war vets demanded monthly pensions of $2 000 each, clearance of arrears and implementation of all the other benefits provided for in Statutory Instrument 280 and 281 of 1997 such as the medical, funeral, and settlement benefits.

The war veterans who branded themselves War Veterans Welfare Committee threatened to take President Mnangagwa to court if he does not pay the $2 000 and also the outstanding $450 000 once-off gratuity they were supposed to get in 1997.

NewsDay

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THE court has issued a warrant of arrest for Zanu PF Makoni North legislator, James Munetsi, after he failed to appear in court for trial in a case where he is accused of duping several people in a land scam.

Munetsi (50) was expected to appear before magistrate Yeukai Chigodora on trial, but failed to turn up in court.

The complainant in this matter is Opper Williams, a pastor at Faith of God Ministries and 178 others.

Allegations are that sometime in 2012, Williams was introduced to Munetsi who was a Zanu PF councillor for Mayo ward 35 in Makoni. Williams was told Munetsi was able to assist her and other pastors of her church to secure land for farming in the Mayo area. It is alleged after some months, Munetsi hatched a plan to defraud the unsuspecting land seekers and invited Williams to Mayo area to have a look at the land waiting to be allocated. The complainant was allegedly shown the application forms of the land which had monetary requirements of $105.

The State alleges the complainant was convinced and she paid $105 for five hectares of land. Other pastors who had accompanied her allegedly also paid their money to Munetsi to be allocated five hectares each. Sometime in 2013, Williams phoned Munetsi requesting for lease papers of their purchased land but Munetsi allegedly told her that he had been given another bigger place at Wenslydale Farm. Munetsi allegedly told Williams to look for buyers interested in bigger plots measuring 15 hectares at $200. As a result, Williams invited a number of people. It is alleged Williams went and advised her church members, friends and relatives some as far as from Australia, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, South Africa and Botswana. It was allegedly agreed between Munetsi and Williams that the complainant would receive the payments on behalf of the Zanu PF MP.

The State alleges at one point, Munetsi came to Harare and went to Faith of God Ministries church where he addressed the congregants about the land. He made the complainants fill forms, including purported offer letters from Rusape Rural District Council.

He promised to bring them back after they have been stamped by council and their receipts as proof of payment.

It is alleged as time progressed, land seekers became impatient and approached Williams who in turn looked for Munetsi who now became evasive.

The State alleges Munetsi was then arrested in February 2015 and he allegedly admitted to defrauding the land seekers of $60 000 and nothing was recovered.

Devoted Nyagano-Gwashavanhu appeared for the State.

NewsDay

Jane Mlambo| Member of parliament for Kuwadzana East and MDC Deputy Treasurer, Charlton Hwende has admitted they lost the vote against scrapping of the two percent tax on electronic payments imposed by government in October this year.

Posting on Twitter, Hwende said the vote followed a heated debate that saw parliament closing late into the night.

https://twitter.com/hwende/status/1076028618424360960

Though MDC parliamentarians could not secure the support of their Zanu PF counterparts, they teamed up to push for government to raise their budget allocation to cater for top of the range vehicles they are expected to get in 2019.

WAR Veterans deputy minister Victor Matemadanda has berated some former fighters who challenged his liberation war credentials, saying he cannot be vetted in the streets.

Matemadanda was reacting to claims that he was a fake war veteran and mere taxi driver during the liberation struggle. The allegations were made by war veterans under the banner of War Veterans Welfare Committee led by Fredrick Ngombe.

Ngombe’s group stormed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s office on Tuesday where they were demanding he fulfils the pledge by his predecessor, Robert Mugabe to pay them gratuities and $2 000 monthly salaries that would chew in excess of $13,5 billion.

But Matemadanda yesterday accused the group of being sponsored to destabilise Mnangagwa by making absurd demands.

“I cannot be vetted in the street,” Matemadanda who is also the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, said.

“If I am not a war veteran, the association has a procedure of vetting its members, not a few rogue people demonstrating in the street. I was never imposed on the war veterans. I was voted for in Masvingo and before I became secretary general, I was in the war veterans’ commissariat under the leadership of Jabulani Sibanda (former ZNLWVA leader). So all the years, they were selecting someone who is not a war veteran?”

Last year, at the height of the factional wars between Mnangagwa’s Team Lacoste and the vanquished G40 faction, former Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo claimed that Matemadanda was a taxi driver during the liberation struggle and was not a war veteran.

But Matemadanda said he was surprised at being targeted by the group.

“I am a target from three fronts. These are rouge war veterans being paid by a retired Central Intelligence operative who was fronting Grace Mugabe (former First Lady,” he said.

“They are also financed by a war veteran who is bitter that I refused to protect him from his rape case when he wanted to be an MP. The rapist pours in a lot of money for anything against Matemadanda. I have text messages when he was asking for protection and the time will come for me to let the cat out of the bag.”

He added: “Others are also bitter that I refuse to protect their economic interests. Why they want me to protect things I don’t know about. Now they lie that I am not representing their interest, but no one ever came to my office telling me about those interests. Yes, war veterans have welfare issues, but this should not be at the expense of the people. Where can government get the $2 000 per month when it is struggling to buy medicines, repair roads, among other issues?”

Matemadanda said his other problem was his refusal to back calls against command agriculture as a form as State capture as what other war veterans have been pushing for. He said the ambitious agricultural programme was funded by private players and guaranteed by government because of its ability to ensure food security.

Matemadanda recently clashed with the ZNLWVA chairperson, Chris Mutsvangwa after the latter accused him of being bankrolled by fuel mogul Kudakwashe Tagwirei to lead an onslaught against the former Norton legislator after he sought to break the Sakunda boss’ monopoly in the fuel industry.

NewsDay

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda and police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga lied under oath when they testified before the commission of inquiry into the post-election protests that rocked Harare on August 1.

A report released by the commission, not only accused the police and army of killing six people and injuring 35 others, but also showed that the police and army bosses lied to escape blame for the killings, saying they had followed due process in deploying the army.

Letters published by the commission in its report and video evidence from the BBC and other international media organisations debunked testimonies by the army commanders that soldiers had fired shots into the air.

Matanga told the commission, which was chaired by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe that he had a letter from President Emmerson Mnangagwa authorising the deployment of army personnel to quell the protests, which had turned violent.

Under oath, he told the commission that he would supply as evidence the letter signed by the President ordering the deployment of the troops, but no such letter was tendered before the commission and is not part of the evidence summary provided to the commission, and published in the final report.

“I received a letter from President Mnangagwa approving the deployment of the soldiers. I have a copy of that letter, and I will be willing to provide it to the commission,” he said.

Instead, the report shows six letters, one signed by officer commanding Harare district, Chief Superintendent Albert Ncube, requesting for the assistance of the military to Matanga, who then wrote to the then Home Affairs minister Obert Mpofu, who, in turn, wrote to then Defence minister Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.

Chiwenga then wrote to Mnangagwa seeking authority to deploy the army before writing to Sibanda informing him that the President had given the greenlight to quell the demonstrations. But no letter signed by the President was ever availed to the commission.

Sibanda told the commission that his orders to deploy from Chiwenga had been received verbally and no letter had been written. However, the Motlanthe report has written orders to the army chief.

“I saw a letter from Commissioner-General of police to the Minister of Home Affairs (then Obert Mpofu), then a letter from the Minister of Home Affairs to the Minister of Defence (then Chiwenga), then a letter from Minister of Defence to the President, requesting assistance from the army. I do not know if the President responded to the letter from the Defence minister. I assume there was verbal communication, I received orders from the Minister of Defence verbally to deploy the military to help the police, there were no written orders to deploy,” he said.

The commission also found that there were no other persons who could have used guns except the army and police, exposing Sibanda and Major-General Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, who said those killed during the protests could have been shot at by other persons, who included an alleged armed wing of the MDC.

“The commission has not received any concrete evidence that any persons other that the army and the police used guns during the protests on the 1st of August 2018,” the commission said.

The commission received extensive evidence of the army and the police using live ammunition and firing at civilians, including the video evidence of soldiers firing at civilians, such as that of the kneeling soldier. A ballistics expert found that an AK47 assault rifle bullet had been fired from the street outside Gorlon House into the second floor, and that shots had also been fired into the third floor of the same building.

-Newsday

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda and police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga lied under oath when they testified before the commission of inquiry into the post-election protests that rocked Harare on August 1.

A report released by the commission, not only accused the police and army of killing six people and injuring 35 others, but also showed that the police and army bosses lied to escape blame for the killings, saying they had followed due process in deploying the army.

Letters published by the commission in its report and video evidence from the BBC and other international media organisations debunked testimonies by the army commanders that soldiers had fired shots into the air.

Matanga told the commission, which was chaired by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe that he had a letter from President Emmerson Mnangagwa authorising the deployment of army personnel to quell the protests, which had turned violent.

Under oath, he told the commission that he would supply as evidence the letter signed by the President ordering the deployment of the troops, but no such letter was tendered before the commission and is not part of the evidence summary provided to the commission, and published in the final report.

“I received a letter from President Mnangagwa approving the deployment of the soldiers. I have a copy of that letter, and I will be willing to provide it to the commission,” he said.

Instead, the report shows six letters, one signed by officer commanding Harare district, Chief Superintendent Albert Ncube, requesting for the assistance of the military to Matanga, who then wrote to the then Home Affairs minister Obert Mpofu, who, in turn, wrote to then Defence minister Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.

Chiwenga then wrote to Mnangagwa seeking authority to deploy the army before writing to Sibanda informing him that the President had given the greenlight to quell the demonstrations. But no letter signed by the President was ever availed to the commission.

Sibanda told the commission that his orders to deploy from Chiwenga had been received verbally and no letter had been written. However, the Motlanthe report has written orders to the army chief.

“I saw a letter from Commissioner-General of police to the Minister of Home Affairs (then Obert Mpofu), then a letter from the Minister of Home Affairs to the Minister of Defence (then Chiwenga), then a letter from Minister of Defence to the President, requesting assistance from the army. I do not know if the President responded to the letter from the Defence minister. I assume there was verbal communication, I received orders from the Minister of Defence verbally to deploy the military to help the police, there were no written orders to deploy,” he said.

The commission also found that there were no other persons who could have used guns except the army and police, exposing Sibanda and Major-General Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, who said those killed during the protests could have been shot at by other persons, who included an alleged armed wing of the MDC.

“The commission has not received any concrete evidence that any persons other that the army and the police used guns during the protests on the 1st of August 2018,” the commission said.

The commission received extensive evidence of the army and the police using live ammunition and firing at civilians, including the video evidence of soldiers firing at civilians, such as that of the kneeling soldier. A ballistics expert found that an AK47 assault rifle bullet had been fired from the street outside Gorlon House into the second floor, and that shots had also been fired into the third floor of the same building.

NewsDay

MEMBERS of Parliament yesterday arm-twisted Finance minister Mthuli Ncube into raising their budgetary allocation by 44% and demanded the latest 4×4 luxury Toyota Land Cruisers, among other perks, despite the government implementing austerity measures to contain its runaway spending.

Parliament bid for $163 million in the 2019 budget, but was allocated $101 million. Yesterday, MPs from across the political divide threatened that they would not pass Ncube’s 2019 National Budget unless they got things their way.

After haggling, the MPs eventually settled for $145 million after they demanded that their welfare be improved to equal that of members of the Executive and the Judiciary. They also want Parliament to be equipped with state-of-the-art gyms, vehicles, computers, and other such luxuries.

In his Austerity for Prosperity budget, Ncube sought to cap government borrowing, cut spending on flagship projects as command agriculture, end all quasi-fiscal expenditure and limit borrowing from the central bank to 5% of the prior year’s revenue.

He also cut salaries for the President and senior government officials by 5% and will fire the nearly 4 000 “youth officers” by year-end. Ncube also cut the amount of bonuses paid to civil servants, but the wage bill is still expected to go up by 5% to $4,050 billion in 2019, constituting 61% of total revenue from 73% this year.

The budget, however, piled the weight of austerity and more taxes on the ordinary citizen, who, in addition to the 2% tax on all electronic transactions, will also pay more in excise duty for fuel and cigarettes, while imports of vehicles and other goods is now levied in foreign currency.

After getting their demands met, the MPs ignored the debate on the vote of the Public Service Commission, which takes care of the country’s impoverished civil servants, including teachers and
doctors, despite doctors being on strike and teachers threatening one.

Norton MP Temba Mliswa (independent), who was instrumental in canvassing MPs to demand good perks, said: “MPs are handicapped and we are talking of only one car, a Land Cruiser, which is the only car good enough for MPs to do their work because the Mazdas and Toyotas we get are not good enough.”

Mliswa said MPs were looked down upon because they did not even have iPads, adding that the $75 per diem was a pittance, and needed to be reviewed. Mliswa said the diet of MPs, where they eat a one course meal with a banana or apple for desert, was not proper as other Parliaments had more savoury desserts like trifles and ice cream.

“MPs must have world-class gyms and recreational facilities to play golf. MPs must also be given diplomatic passports,” Mliswa said.

-Newsday

THE acting Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) Eddington Mazambani yesterday told Parliament’s Committee on Energy and Power Development that they were considering rationing fuel as a measure to curb fuel shortages following a 60% increase in demand over the past few months.

“We might have to consider as a country that we do not have the product (fuel) so maybe let us ration the product. It is not a desirable solution, but with the situation we have at the moment to try and have a demand side management we might actually have to do a paper to recommend rationing unless the situation improves,” he said

“At the beginning of the year, we were averaging on a daily basis about two million litres (diesel) per day which now has moved to above four million litres per day as of October. For petrol, we started in January at 1,6 million litres per day. It has since moved to about three million litres a day. So, there is definitely an increase in the consumption of fuel probably occasioned by the vehicular traffic on the roads”.

Mazambani said fuel operators had stocks being bonded but would need forex for them to be availed and distributed to the market.

Imports for diesel are projected to reach 1,1 billion litres by year end and 751,3 million litres for petrol, an estimated 53,67% and 68,81% increase respectively.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya, who also appeared before the same committee said there would be enough fuel for the holiday season and beyond.

“We have put in place a number of fuel financial facilities to ensure that Zimbabwe’s supply of fuel is sustainable and stable. We have put in place long term financial facilities which we have put in place for the major oil companies to use, the suppliers to use so that they can supply fuel in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Mangudya said there were six fuel financial facilities in place totalling $197,2 million. These include a $40 million facility for 14 million litres a week with Trafigura and a $32,2 million facility for Total from the United Kingdom-based investment firm Gemcorp to supply between seven and 10 million litres a week running until November 2020.

Others include a $25 million facility to supply seven million litres of fuel a week which is continuous for Engen, a $40 million facility to supply seven million litres a week for Zuva from United Kingdom-based Glencore, a $40 million running facility to also supply seven million litres a week from the Independent Petroleum Group headquartered in Kuwait, and a $15 million to $20 million facility that will supply 3,5 million to five million litres a week for the government parastatal, Petrotrade.

NewsDay

Three deaths suspected to be linked to cholera have been reported in Murehwa, Mashonaland East Province.

Mashonaland East Provincial Administrator Mr Tavabarira Kutamahufa confirmed the deaths.

“We have received reports of three suspected cholera deaths in Murehwa but we have not yet confirmed them as cholera deaths,” he said.

“We have since set up two treatment centres at Murehwa Hospital and our health officers are ready to assist patients.

“We held a meeting where we decided to dispatch health officials to establish the source of the reported cases,” he said.

Although Mr Kutamahufa did not have full details of the cases, sources said that the first victim was a 20-year-old woman from Mukwe Village, who started vomiting before developing diarrhoea on December 14. She allegedly did not seek medical assistance because she was a member of an apostolic sect.

She instead sought assistance from the church and later died on December 18 at her brother’s house.

The second victim, the sources said, was from Dandara Village, who had accompanied a sick relative who was seeking assistance from the church. She also lived in the same house as the first victim.

The sick relative also died later as she was also presenting cholera symptoms.

Mr Kutamahufa said they were trying to engage church leaders to stop the disease from spreading.

“We have engaged traditional and local leaders to assist us to talk to the religious leaders so that their followers can receive medical treatment and we implement precautionary measures urgently before the situation deteriorates,” he said.

Mr Kutamahufa urged the leaders of the apostolic set to allow the medical personnel they had deployed to carry out their investigations.

“We urge them to comply and to allow their members who require attention to get it,” he said.

Efforts to get a comment from the acting provincial medical director, Dr Paul Matsvimbo, were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable.

State Media

The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has been ordered to reinstate its head of News and Current Affairs Tazzen Mandizvidza with immediate effect pending the finalisation of the civil dispute between the two parties.

Mandizvidza had, through his lawyer Mr Lawman Chimuriwo, approached the Labour Court seeking an order compelling the State-owned broadcaster to reinstate him until their dispute is resolved.

Labour Court president Mrs Betty Chidziva ruled that ZBC should reinstate Mandizvidza in terms of clause (9)1 of its Code of Conduct.

“The respondent (ZBC) should reinstate the applicant (Mandizvidza) with immediate effect,” she said.

“The further suspension of the applicant pending the finalisation of this matter is the prerogative of the employer.”

According to Mr Chimuriwo, they approached the Labour Court on an urgent basis since ZBC was in breach of its own Code of Conduct on the issue of employee suspension.

“According to their Code of conduct, ZBC cannot suspend an employee for more than 10 days without charging them and an employee cannot be suspended on the basis of non-labour issue which is the case in this instance,” he said.

Mandizvidza was suspended in October this year without pay for failing to repay more than $1 million he reportedly owed the State-owned broadcaster.

In November 2014, Mandizvidza was suspended pending disciplinary hearing for misconduct.

Allegations against him were that he had committed numerous financial irregularities that resulted in the public broadcaster incurring massive losses.

The infractions were discovered through a forensic audit report.

The audit was done in 2014, resulting in the veteran journalist and several other senior executives being accused of defrauding the broadcaster of more than US$7 million.

They were all suspended, but Mandizvidza returned to work after striking a deal with the public broadcaster under which he reportedly agreed to pay back what he owed.

State Media

MDC Deputy Treasurer-General Chalton Hwende has revealed that government ministers are paid in hard US$1500 per day when they embark on foreign trips making a mockery of the 5% cut on top civil servants salaries that Ncube announced in his 2019 budget statement.

“Austerity for Prosperity my foot. Government Ministers pocket US$1500 per day in hard currency every time they travel out of the country,” Hwende said.

“They come back and change this money on the black market. How many trips has Mthuli Ncube conducted since his appointment?”

President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his cabinet have since the time of the military intervention been engaging in numerous foreign trips and signed mega deals that have not materialised up to now.

“Governement Ministers get in excess of USD$7000 for a 4 day overseas trip. The Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube has made numerous foreign trips earning hundreds of thousands in foreign currency. Yet he pays equivalent of $125 USD to majority of civil servants and make a fake 5% salary cut to the Ministers.” Hwende further said.

In a cocktail of austerity measures meant to preserve thinning foreign currency – Mnagwagwa’s administration announced early this year that they were opting for a Presidential smaller plane to save money – but in April when he travelled to China on a State visit, he used an A/C type B767 -200, registration number P4 CLA, a luxurious plane from Bahrain, owned by Switzerland-based Comlux Aviation.

Civic society and opposition members have been accusing Mnangagwa of failing to walk the talk by indicating left and turning right.

Yesterday, MDC Mutare Central MP Innocent Gonese also condemned Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s austerity measures targeting the executive as piecemeal and of little significance and a deception.

Gonese said that it was ironic that Ncube was preaching the gospel of austerity while cabinet ministers were driving state of the art vehicles.

Said Gonese: “The 5% salary cut of the Executive is a deception, because at their level, most of their remuneration is allowances and perks from gallivanting around the world for mega deals they always claim.

“My proposal is that the minister must announce the austerity measures because you cannot hire a $2 million private Swiss jet for President Emmerson Mnangagwa. At least former President Robert Mugabe used Air Zimbabwe.”

— ZOOMZimbabwe

“There are now traffic jams on our roads, wherever you drive. That shows us that the fuel situation is not as bad as it is shown by the queues because if the situation is so acute we would not have such traffic jams at the same time we have fuel queues,” said John Mangudya, RBZ Governor

GOVERNMENT yesterday said an increase in fees and levies made by schools without its approval is considered unlawful, hence null
and void.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima said Government will not approve requests to charge fees in a specific currency as all modes of payment are acceptable.
He said schools that wish to increase school fees and levies must submit their applications to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for approval.
“Statutory Instrument 159A of 2007 gives the official requirements for the approval of fees. It’s recognised that the level of fees and levies charged reflect the economic
environment and in the case of some schools, significant revenue is required following the withdrawal of the Government Teachers’ Grant to schools that previously received
them,” said Prof Mavima who was in
Bulawayo yesterday for the ministry’s
strategic planning workshop.Chronicle

GOVERNMENT yesterday said an increase in fees and levies made by schools without its approval is considered unlawful, hence null and void.

But is the move sustainable in the wake of incessant price increases in the market?

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima said Government will not approve requests to charge fees in a specific currency as all modes of payment are acceptable.

He said schools that wish to increase school fees and levies must submit their applications to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for approval.

“Statutory Instrument 159A of 2007 gives the official requirements for the approval of fees. It’s recognised that the level of fees and levies charged reflect the economic environment and in the case of some schools, significant revenue is required following the withdrawal of the Government Teachers’ Grant to schools that previously received them,” said Prof Mavima who was in Bulawayo yesterday for the ministry’s strategic planning workshop.

“In light of the above, schools that wish to increase fees and levies need to submit their applications to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary to appreciate the basis upon which the fees and levies are calculated.”

He said schools have to submit current audited accounts, minutes of a properly constituted meeting of not less than 20 percent of the school parents assembly and the proposed budget together with their application.

The Minister said Government will not accept requests by schools to charge fees in a specific currency.

“All modes of payment currently obtaining in Zimbabwe shall be accepted for fees and levies settlement. For the avoidance of doubt, requests by schools for payment in a specific currency are not acceptable,” said Prof Mavima.

He said in order to promote access to education for all, parents and guardians and learners shall be allowed to purchase school uniforms to their best advantage.

The Minister said parents must procure uniforms from the best quotation they can get and must not be restricted.

“All schools are expected to ensure good governance, transparent, a corrupt -free processes in the management of schools,” said Prof Mavima.

He said the Government, through the ministry’s institutions have an obligation to guarantee access to education for all children.

“The intention is to ensure that education prepares all children well for their future and for them to make their contribution to the development of the nation.

“Therefore, everything possible must be done in order to ensure that education is affordable,” said Prof Mavima.

State Media

LEGISLATORS have said Government must prioritise the recruitment of qualified teachers instead of constructing new schools as the country has a teacher shortage of 20
000.
Zimbabwe is facing a massive shortage of basic education facilities and requires an additional 2 056 primary and secondary schools to meet the growing demand spurred
by the emergence of communities in
resettlement farming areas since 2000.
Presenting its budget analysis, the portfolio committee on public service, labour and social welfare said the construction of more
schools will increase the demand for teachers at a time when there is a shortfall.

“While the Government is planning to increase the number of schools, the country is currently facing teacher shortages of around 20 000.The construction of more schools will further increase the demand for teachers. The Committee recommends that Government hires sufficient qualified teachers to fill all vacancies so that schools are manned by properly trained personnel to enhance effective education,” reads the report.Chronicle

CAN YOU IDENTIFY THESE KIDS’ AGES?

A Harare-based upcoming gospel artiste, Tinotenda Katsande, this week appeared before a Harare magistrate facing charges of ‘‘stealing’’ Mutare gospel diva Tsitsi Kavhukatema’s song.

The song titled Handitongwe Nedzinza first appeared on Kavhukatema’s album titled Jesu Arikuuya in 2012 before Katsande allegedly took it and renamed it Handina Mweya.

Kavhukatema is currently based in Botswana and is being been represented by Zimura.
Katsande was arrested under CR 08/11/2018 Copy Right Act and appeared in court on Monday where he successfully applied for bail. He denied the charges.

He is set to appear again in court on January 9. The song was played on several radio stations before the courts ordered Zimura to write urgent letters to radio stations against playing the song.

Katsande’s Facebook account was recently awash with posts that denounced him for allegedly stealing the song. Daily News

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Professor Paul Mavima says all modes of payment currently obtaining in the country must be accepted, adding that requests by schools for fees payment in specific currency are not acceptable.

The government has nullified the unilateral increase of school fees and levies by both government and trust schools saying such adjustments can only be done upon approval by the responsible ministry.

In an interview with ZBC News, Professor Mavima said the directive was captured through a Secretary’s Circular Minute Number 6 of 2018 which states that fees can be paid in all modes of payments currently obtaining in the country.

“All modes of payment currently obtaining in Zimbabwe shall be accepted. For the avoidance of doubt, requests by schools for payment in specific currency are not acceptable,” said Professor Mavima.

Professor Mavima said Statutory instrument 159 A of 2007 outlines the official requirements for the approval of fees.

“…schools that wish to increase fees and levies must submit their application to the Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education and an approval has to be received by the schools before any increase is effected. So no school should increase fees without having applied to the Secretary and approval is granted,” he said.

Minister Mavima said for the Secretary to appreciate the basis upon which the fees and levies are calculated, schools must together with the application submit the following: – current audited accounts, and minutes of a meeting attended by at least 20 percent of the parents.

On uniforms, the Minister said parents shall be allowed to purchase school uniforms to their best advantage.

“…They must be allowed to procure the uniforms from the best quotation they can get..,” he said.

He said the ministry’s institutions have an obligation to guarantee access to education for all children, adding that education must prepare all children for their future and for them to contribute to the development of the nation.

Professor Mavima said everything possible must be done to ensure that education is affordable.- state media

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https://www.facebook.com/ZimEye/videos/399530230821531/