Fake school head

Phyllis Kachere on 05 October, 2009 02:35:00
 
IN a case that has exposed loopholes in the management of schools by the
education authorities, a daring teacher imposed himself as acting headmaster of
St Joseph’s High School (Mqabuko High School) in Matabeleland South before
defrauding the learning institution out of more than US$1 600 and R3 000 in
tuition fees and levies.
Henessy Dube claimed that the parent Ministry of Education, Sports, Arts and
Culture had transferred him from St Columba’s High School in Bulawayo to
become the substantive deputy head of St Joseph’s High, which did not have a
head at the time.
He later took charge of the school on July 29 this year and immediately assumed
control of the safe and strong room. A senior official in the Matabeleland South
education directorate confirmed the case, saying Dube’s defective transfer
came to light after ministry staffers noticed that his papers were not
authentic.
It was also discovered that the relevant authorities had not sanctioned his
take-over of the administration of the school. The official said the fake
headmaster was arrested last month, but later escaped from police custody.
“Henessy Dube took advantage of the fact that when he arrived at St
Joseph’s, there were only eight out of an establishment of 31 teachers and
there was no substantive school head,” said the official in an interview last
Friday.
“He claimed that since he was coming in as substantive deputy head, he was the
only senior person to assume full administration of the school.
“No handover-takeover procedure was conducted when he took over the keys to
the safe and strong room.”
Meanwhile, two school development committee members and two clerks at Sanyati
Baptist High School in Mashonaland West were last week arrested for
misappropriating fees and levies at the school.
Allegations are that on April 23 this year, school development committee
treasurer Mr G. T. Rukainga bought a safe on behalf of the school at a cost of
R400.
He allegedly tampered with the receipt and made it read R1 400 before claiming
reimbursement four days later. Committee secretary Mr Mudzanire received US$5
000 to pay several service providers. He, however, allegedly settled one bill of
US$1 000 and embezzled the remainder.
Members of the committee also allegedly paid themselves hefty sums of money in
sitting allowances as well as travel and subsistence claims. Sources said the
two clerks who were also nabbed failed to account for the US$1 187 they
receipted between January and March. The sources said the net was closing in on
corrupt heads and development committee members.
They said arrest and disciplinary action await, among others, the head and
chairman of Zimre Primary School in Mashonaland East who both allegedly
misappropriated more than US$3 000.
The head allegedly failed to account for US$2 300 and has since repaid almost
US$200 to offset the embezzled amount. His chairman, on the other hand, failed
to account for US$1 289.
In the largest haul so far, a clerk at Matinunura High School in Gweru is unable
to account for US$50 000 while the head and school committee could not account
for US$6 162.
Police confirmed they were pursuing such cases with a view to bringing the
culprits to book. The Deputy Minister of Education, Sports, Art and Culture, Cde
Lazarus Dokora, also castigated school committees for seeking self-enrichment.
He said they should not award themselves sitting allowances as their services
are purely voluntary.
“Parents must report such members who pay themselves allowances or claim
travel costs as their services should be on a voluntary basis,” he said.

Promoting women economic empowerment

Promoting women empowerment

Deputy News Editor Phyllis Kachere

NOVEMBER 27 2007 is the day mother of four and communal farmer Mrs Tendai Marere (39) from the Nyamaropa area in Shamva says completely changed her life.

"This is the day I received farming implements from the Government. This is the day that I received a plough plus chain and sprayer for my cotton crop. This is the day my nightmares and worries about how I will till my fields come rains, evaporated. This is the day I stopped being dependent on my in-laws for use of their plough. I can’t describe how I feel now.

"I am a widow and all along I have been dependent on my in-laws for support each time the rains came. But this time, thanks to the Government, I have become capable of tilling my own fields using my own plough. Now look at how healthy my maize, cotton, soya beans, groundnuts crop is and compare that with the lower yields I used to receive before," she said.

This is the day that Government’s Phase Two farm mechanisation initiative became a reality to not only Mrs Marere’s family, but to four other families in Shamva’s Ward 10 Reza village, whose heads became the proud beneficiaries of the programme.

"We are overjoyed with the plough that my daughter-in-law received from Government. This shows we have a Government that listens and cares for its people. Where would she find the billions to buy the plough and the sprayer? She is just a widow. My son is now late. The President must be thanked. Please convey our gratitude to him," chipped in her father-in-law, Sekuru Misheck Marere.

Mrs Marere said the new farming implements she received have removed pressure on her in-laws’ implements, which she also relied on.

"Because of my new implements I have managed to increase my hectarage from my previous. This year I have put four hectares under maize, one hectare under cotton, two hectares for groundnuts, one for soya beans and an acre for roundnuts and sunflower. I have a healthy crop and I am expecting to make more money from my produce. My only worry is the poor price offered by GMB for my maize crop," she said.

She said after being vetted from a pool of 45 other communal farmers who had applied to receive the implements, she feels obliged to work hard and show Government that its effort was not in vain.

"When the programme started, we rushed to submit our names to our village heads and our village ended up with 45 applicants. The names were returned with the advice that they should be reduced to only five deserving farmers per ward.

"The village assembly, which comprises of all members in the village, met and voted. We all agreed the implements would only go to those who have proved their farming capabilities and not chancers. In other wards we heard there was commotion as only village heads and other village officers received the implements. But that was not the case here. We only selected our best farmers," said another villager, Mr Chirezi Mbulawa.

Mrs Marere said she was not surprised when she won as she together with her in-laws are known serious farmers in their area.

"It was good that they rewarded real farmers. Now we have the task of fulfilling Government’s objective of producing food for the whole nation. It’s just that our fields are getting too small for our capacity. I am sure now we qualify for an A2 farm," said Mrs Marere.

She said with her farm produce, she has managed to send her three children to school and no longer depended on her in-laws’ farming implements.

"As a widow, I have relied on my in-laws for financial support for the upkeep of my four boys. But now I tell you, that has completely changed. I can plough on time and look after my family without depending on handouts. Hurumende yadzinga nhamo mumba mangu. (The Government has chased poverty out of my household.) It is a dream come true for an ordinary villager to receive such a plough," said Mrs Marere.

She said she and the other woman who received a similar plough would soon engage in training other women in their ward to become more successful farmers and hopes to start a poultry project with proceeds from the sale of her crops.

Observers have noted that Government’s farm mechanisation programme would help it meet its targets on Millennium Development Goals one and three which commits it to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, and promote gender equality and empower women by 2015.

Wrong Plot:pupils study wrong texts

Pupils study wrong setbooks

By Phyllis Kachere
FOR the second consecutive year, literature students at Mabelreign Girls'
High School in Harare are waiting to sit for their public examinations after
studying the wrong set books.

In what must surely be an unprecedented administrative oversight, 19
Advanced Level candidates are at risk of failing next month's examinations
after they were made to read Caribbean literature instead of African
literature.

The Sunday Mail could not establish which textbooks they read for the
Caribbean literature.

The African literature setbooks they were supposed to have read are
Ancestors by Chenjerai Hove, A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o and A Man
of the People by Chinua Achebe.

Although some of the affected students and teachers at the school confirmed
to this reporter that they had indeed studied the wrong setbooks, the senior
mistress who was in charge at the school on Friday maintained all was well.

The school's headmistress was said to be away when The Sunday Mail visited
the school on Friday afternoon.

The regional director for Harare, Mr Thomax Dhobha, did not reply to
messages left at his office, while the Ministry of Education, Sport and
Culture's permanent secretary, Dr Stephen Mahere, did not answer calls to
his mobile phone.

Neither did he respond to messages left at his office.

The anomaly was discovered at the beginning of this term and it is believed
that a neighbouring school offered the school the correct textbooks and some
study material.

It is not clear how the students ended up studying the wrong books when a
syllabus is available and the school has a head of department who is
supposed to ensure that the right syllabus is followed.

This is not the first time Mabelreign Girls' High School has been in the
news for making students study the wrong books for literature examinations.

Last year, some 40 Ordinary Level students who were supposed to have read
Waiting for the Rain by Charles Mungoshi and I Will Marry When I Want by
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, ended up studying Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe,
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Twelfth Night by William
Shakespeare. Parents of the concerned students who talked to The Sunday Mail
were angry at the developments.

They complained that their children had been made to study the wrong books
for two years running but were now expected to study the correct books in
less than a month.

Back to the Top

New Constitution: Women lobby for dual citizenship

New Constitution: Women lobby for dual citizenship

By Phyllis Kachere
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

WHAT was expected to be an everlasting union has turned into a nightmare for young Alice Ndare (not her real name) who married her Yugoslav boyfriend and relocated to his country in 2004.

As per tradition, Alice immediately assumed her husband’s citizenship.
Dual citizenship is prohibited in her new domicile and this meant renouncing her Zimbabwean citizenship.

One child and four years later, the marriage hit rocky times, resulting in her husband filing for divorce.

Recently, Alice approached the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers’ Association (ZWLA) to seek assistance in the divorce case and in reclaiming her Zimbabwean citizenship.

Without an income and social support in Yugoslavia, life has become a challenge for her. “The husband for whom I renounced my Zimbabwean citizenship has ditched me,” she said.

“All the friends I made in Yugoslavia were through him. Sadly, most of them have now abandoned me because of the fallout I had with my husband.

“Now I am stuck with his citizenship but without him and without social support.”

ZWLA advocacy manager Ms Thoko Thabete said Zimbabwean women were lobbying for dual citizenship to be incorporated under the new constitution.

“Ms Ndare is not alone in this situation. Because of the economic challenges that forced most young Zimbabweans into the Diaspora, many of our young women have found love outside Zimbabwe and some have married foreigners,” said Ms Thabete.

“We all know situations change. When things go wrong, it is usually women and children who become victims.

“That is why there is this strong lobby by women for dual citizenship and the right for them to pass on their citizenship to their children and spouses.”

In reference to Ms Ndare’s case she said:

“In such a situation, Ms Ndare no longer has the previous strong ties with Yugoslavia because her marriage is on the rocks and divorce is likely to be granted,” she said.

“The tragedy of the matter is Ms Ndare is regarded as a citizen of Yugoslavia, a country to which her husband was the only one binding her to it.

“With the husband gone, Ms Ndare’s ties to Yugoslavia have weakened. But had she been allowed to keep her Zimbabwean citizenship, she simply would have come home.”

Ms Thabete said citizenship allowed one to enjoy consular protection when in a foreign country.

“Ms Ndare cannot seek consular protection from the Zimbabwean embassy in Yugoslavia because she is regarded a local, but at the same time she is failing to access social programmes because of a language barrier,” she said.

She added that while politicians disapprove of dual citizenship, the positives on the social side outweigh the political negatives.

In terms of the current Zimbabwean Constitution, a person who is married to a Zimbabwean and has been ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe for at least five years since the marriage is entitled on application to become a Zimbabwean citizen by registration.

This amendment was effected by Act number 1/2009.

Prior to this amendment, a woman married to a Zimbabwean citizen was entitled to apply for citizenship by registration.

However, a man married to a Zimbabwean woman did not have the same entitlements. This issue was brought to court in the Rattigan citizenship case.

According to the Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) the old position meant women did not have to wait for five years.

It seems as if when women challenged this position vis-a-vis their foreign husbands, the law in its “majestic neutrality” decided to create similar conditions.

There have been these allegations that some foreign men marry Zimbabwean women just to get citizenship and they go on to dump them after attaining it.

WLSA has also recommended that: “Women must have the same right to acquire and pass on Zimbabwean citizenship as men.

“Article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) recommends that women and men should have equal rights in terms of citizenship.”

Ms Thabete said spouses of Zimbabwean women should have the same rights of residence and/or citizenship as those of Zimbabwean men.

Article 8 (5) of the Sadc Protocol on Gender and Development states that parties shall put in place legislative provisions that ensure married women and men have the right to choose whether to retain their nationality or acquire that of their spouse.

Du Toit, the rhino messiah

Friday, 06 May 2011 20:28 Features

Rhino messiah . . . 2011 recipient of the Goldman Environment Prize for Africa, Raoul du Toit.

By Phyllis Kachere
“CONSERVING rhinos saves much more than the rhino themselves — they are flagships for biodiversity and for national development based upon sustainable wildlife management in Africa,”  says Raoul du Toit
Recently awarded the Goldman Environment Prize for Africa for 2011 in recognition of his rhino conservation activities in Zimbabwe, Du Toit strongly believes in community involvement and awareness for effective rhino conservation.
Du Toit, director of the Lowveld Rhino Trust, received US$150 000 as prize money that will be channelled towards supporting his vision and conservation activities. 
Five other such prizes were awarded, during two recent ceremonies in the United States, to environmentalists from other regions of the world.
One of the ceremonies was held at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington on April 13 and attended by Zimbabwe’s representative in Washington, Ambassador Machivenyika Mapuranga, who congratulated Du Toit on behalf of the Government.
US President Barack Obama also congratulated Du Toit and the five other award winners when they met him at the White House on the same day.
In an interview with Sunday In-Depth at his offices in Harare, Du Toit said the award would bring international attention to the rhino conservation movement in Zimbabwe.
“It is a mixed situation because on the one hand there are now more rhinos in the Lowveld region than there has been for over a century, but on the other hand the poaching onslaught is intensifying and there can be no room for complacency,” he said.
According to figures recently released by the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zimbabwe has a national total of nearly 430 black rhinos and about 290 white rhinos. 
There is still a long way to go before the black rhino population can recover to its previous total of about 1 500 in the late 1980s.
“In the Lowveld region of Zimbabwe, despite major poaching pressures, there are now more rhinos than at any other time over the past 100 years,” said Du Toit.
“This shows that it is worth fighting the battle to save rhinos because we really can win it, and we need some species success stories to encourage us in the broader campaign to conserve biodiversity.”
The award given to Du Toit was in recognition of the efforts of his team in the Lowveld Rhino Trust, which is supported by international conservation groups such as the International Rhino Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, Save Foundation and Save the Rhino International.
Private rhino custodians have also been bearing high costs of rhino protection.
Asked why he focused on rhino conservation, Du Toit explained:
“Rhinos are as modern in evolutionary terms as we are and are socially more complex than is generally believed,” he said.
“They are superbly adapted to a wide range of African habitats, from deserts to forests. They don’t carry diseases that can be transmitted to livestock, and they don’t eat farmers’ crops.
“They look after themselves and can double their population within 10 years if we just leave them alone.
“Rhinos are a true umbrella or flagship species, since the conservation of rhinos and their habitats ensures that a lot of other biodiversity is conserved at the same time.”

Survivor . . . The rhino that survived the crude hacksawing of its horn by poachers last month in the Lowveld.

Du Toit said rhinos were proud symbols of Africa’s natural heritage and a major attraction for tourism, which is one of Africa’s economic pillars.
During the early 1990s, the Lowveld Rhino Project was established with its funding coming initially from the Beit Trust. At that stage, the Lowveld held only 4 percent of Zimbabwe’s rhinos, whereas it now holds 80 percent of the national population of rhinos. 
This is equivalent to over 7 percent of the global population of the critically endangered black rhino species. 
Much of the conservation efforts in recent years have involved moving rhinos from less secure areas to more secure areas within the Lowveld, and taking aggressive action against poachers.
Du Toit said credit for the action against poachers is largely due to the efforts of the police and other law enforcement agencies.
“Poachers operate in syndicates like hard-core, well-armed bank robbers,” he said. 
“They mount hit-and-run attacks and fight back with their firearms if they are tackled by anti-poaching patrols.”
An upsurge in rhino poaching was seen from 2007, with at least 300 rhinos being poached in Zimbabwe since then.
Du Toit and other conservationists believe that this upsurge in poaching is directly linked to a greater Asian presence in Africa, since the main market for the horns is within Asian countries whose communities believe that the horns have medicinal properties.
Vietnam has been identified by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) as the Asian country importing most of the horn, even though that is illegal in that country.
A number of Vietnamese took advantage of weak controls on the safari hunting of white rhinos in South Africa and pretended to be hunting rhinos for sport, but instead of taking the horns as hunting trophies they were taking them to sell on the illegal market. This created new market demand, which in turn helped drive the poaching of rhinos.
South Africa has been losing approximately one rhino a day to poaching gangs. 
Since the national rhino population in South Africa is over 20 000, this rate of loss is sustainable at present, unlike in Zimbabwe where every poached rhino adds to the decline of the national population.
“We have good cops and bad cops,” said Du Toit. “Some of them are working tirelessly and professionally to hunt down poachers whereas some other policemen and soldiers, in the minority, have actually been poaching rhinos.”
Even when the poachers are arrested, conservationists like Du Toit complain that the courts have been dealing with them sternly at times and at other times have been letting them off on technicalities or for other questionable reasons.
“These discrepancies cause great international concern about Zimbabwe’s conservation effort and its obligations under treaties such as Cites,” he said.
As an example of effective action, Du Toit cited the arrest of two rhino poachers in the Chipinge Safari Area on April 17.
“Within a week, these poachers were each sentenced by a Masvingo magistrate to 10 years in jail plus three years on weapon charges for possession of an AK rifle,” said Du Toit.
“But in another case, poachers who have been caught with heavy calibre firearms fitted with illegal silencers have not been sentenced on the same weapons charges.”
Conservation NGOs were horrified by a poaching case in Save Valley Conservancy in early April, when a black rhino bull was shot four times and had its horns hacked off its face, while it was still alive, leaving a bloody wound.
The rhino has miraculously survived despite these injuries.
In co-operation with the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, the Lowveld Rhino Trust has ensured that it receives veterinary treatment.
At the time of this incident, four men were arrested in Chiredzi, with a silencer-fitted heavy-calibre rifle, far from their home area of Beitbridge.  
The two men were subsequently released and are yet to be charged.
“Cases such as this are now watched closely by the conservation NGOs,” said Du Toit.
“We cannot tolerate any lack of effort or suspicion of corruption when the war against poachers has to be fought on all fronts, by everyone.”
To bring local communities onto the side of those who are protecting rhinos, the Lowveld Rhino Trust intends to use its cash award from the Goldman Environmental Prize to expand a scheme through which local communities can become shareholders in rhino breeding projects, through public-private-community partnerships.
“Returns from rhino breeding for the communities would be provided in the form of direct support for local schools, in proportion to the growth of rhino populations in wildlife areas that they live next to,” said Du Toit.
“This will include a major environmental education effort. This scheme was launched in the Lowveld by Minister Nhema in 2006 but we have lacked resources to fully implement it. 
“Now, with the Goldman award funding, we can give full emphasis to this need to make rhinos relevant to rural people and to give the incentives for these people to help us fight poachers.”-The Sunday Mail

Chikombedzi's child brides

Sunday, 27 March 2011 00:15 Features

Catch them young . . . Primary schoolchildren in class at Alpha Mphapha Primary School in Chikombedzi.

By Phyllis Kachere in Malipati, Chiredzi
POVERTY and the Shangaan cultural practice of “kudzanira”, which initiates girls into womanhood, is driving parents in areas around Hlengwe, Gezani and Chikombedzi that border Mozambique and South Africa, to marry off girls as young as 13.
Chiredzi district, situated in the southeastern part of Zimbabwe, is home to the majority of the Shangaan people in Zimbabwe.
So severe are the school dropouts that also coincide with the Shangaan girls’ graduation from the “chikomba” (woman initiation) in July or August that some schools are left with a few or no girls in their Grade Seven classes when they open for the third term.
Although lobola is not fixed, the brides fetch as much as    20 000 rand and six head of cattle.
Mr Benedict Mawire, headmaster of Phahlela Primary School in Matibi, had astonishing figures of girls who drop out of school to get married.
“In 2007, the Grade Seven class had 13 girls but by the third term only one girl was attending school. In 2008 we had 26 girls doing Grade Seven but after the initiation ceremony only two came back to school.
The year 2009 was no different. We had 23 girls before kudzanira and only three girls came back to school after the graduation,” he said.
Headman Hanyani Zava Mphapha explained that according to the Shangaan tradition, the initiation process for the girls is done at the onset of puberty, which usually starts around 12 years old.
“Shangaan girls have to be initiated at the onset of puberty. This is usually done during June/July. I cannot go into details about the curriculum but I can confirm that it involves sex education and the duties and responsibilities that come with womanhood. This is where they are prepared for marriage,” said Headman Mphapha.
Although school heads at Muhlekwani and Makhanani primary schools in Matibi II could not provide statistics, they confirmed that they had also suffered similar haemorrhages with regard to Grade Seven girls soon after “they became women”.
“The pattern is the same every year. Soon after kudzanira, we expect to lose Grade Seven girls as most get married soon after the ceremony. Most of them get married to majonijoni, a term used to describe local Shangaan men who work in nearby South Africa and Mozambique.
“Because of the proximity of both Mozambique and South Africa to our school some men from these countries also come and marry these young girls. We have watched painfully as the girls leave school for marriage,” said Mr Felex Ndlovu, who heads Muhlekweni School.
Makhanani and other schools in the area have also not been spared as confirmed by school head Mr Wilson Dheimani.
“It is difficult to separate the girls’ flight from school from kudzanira. Soon after the initiation of girls, classes are emptied of girls,” said Mr Dheimani. 
The situation at Chiumburu Primary School near Triangle is dire, forcing the school head to appeal to both the police and education authorities to conduct joint awareness campaigns.
“I had to appeal to the police and senior education authorities to conduct joint awareness campaigns to force parents to allow their children to come to school. The girls have just stopped coming to school,” said the school head who declined to be named. 
According to the Shangaan tradition, the headman said, soon after graduation, the girls are required to tie red bandanas around their heads to make them recognisable as the “new women”.
The red bandanas distinguish and show they are ready for womanhood and marriage but it is this “advertisement” that has become the girls’ curse for they become easy targets for early marriage.
“After graduation the girls are eager to find suitors and the red bandanas provide easy identification. And once on the market, there is stiff competition, resulting in the youngsters marrying off at those early ages.
“Within a year after graduation, a traditional Shangaan girl should be able to find a suitor and get married. Because of competition, one cannot afford to stay for too long on the market. That’s our tradition,” said 76-year-old Mrs Ketsiya Randalani from Chief Chilonga’s area.
Masvingo Provincial Education Director Mrs Clara Dube confirmed that Chiredzi district, home to the majority of the Shangaan people, has suffered worrying school dropouts during the transition from primary to secondary school.
“There are worrying trends of school dropouts of both boys and girls during the transition from primary to secondary in Chiredzi district. For example, in 2009 there were                  2 660 girls who sat for Grade Seven examinations but only 1 440 proceeded to secondary school the following year.
“Of the 2 455 boys doing Grade Seven in 2009, only 1 252 proceeded to Form One. We are not sure where the dropouts have gone to,” said Mrs Dube in an interview with The Sunday Mail.
Some educationists have suggested engaging the traditional leadership in the hope of delaying the initiation of schoolgirls until at least they reach 18 years.-The Sunday Mail

Who is Chibhebhi?

Phyllis Kachere

Phyllis Kachere is deputy news editor at the The Sunday Mail in Zimbabwe, which she joined in 2001 as a junior reporter and later served as senior reporter before reaching her present position. She began her mainstream media career as an  HIV/AIDS junior reporter in the late 1990s. For Phyllis, after losing two sisters to AIDS, reporting on the subject has stopped being just a news story. Armed with a social science degree, she started out as an information officer in the Zimbabwean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and moved on to mainstream media where she briefly worked for the then Zimbabwe Inter Africa News Agency in 1999. Phyllis was the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists HIV/AIDS Reporter for the years 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. She has also been awarded the Union of Catholic Press International Award for HIV/AIDS Reporting for 2007

Lobola, curse or blessing?

By Phyllis Kachere

LOBOLA, arguably the most cantankerous subject among the old, read in-laws, sons about to pay it, and daughters who could get someone to pay it in a jiffy.Before it became this highly commercialised, lobola was a system of cementing relationships within families. The amounts paid were nominal, almost symbolic. Of course, ridiculous heads of cattle (danga) paid were unheard of. The Bantu people living in what is now known as Zimbabwe revered cattle, but their lobola cattle demands (I am informed) remained consistent, depending on how many children the woman would give the man. The more children, the more cattle!The results showed in our mothers and grandmothers "spewing" children, some as many as 13, translating to 13 heads of cattle. The women would not have any say on how many children they would have or at what interval, and sometimes to their health’s risk. This is notwithstanding the quality of the bride! Virgins, non-virgins, one-child mothers, the more children, the more cattle paid! Talk of paying for the reproductive rights of women, while they remain onlookers while trading in their body parts (literally) takes centre stage.Those who advocate for lobola have maintained that it was a token of showing appreciation to the in-laws for a wonderful bride. But I maintain it was and still is a form of subjugation of women as payment of lobola would ensure that the woman would never be consulted on any family matter, including her sexual and reproductive rights. The man would simply issue instructions for the weaning of a toddler and subsequent pregnancy. She had and still has no say on the number of children she will bear.The very nature of lobola has ensured the exclusion of women to vital debates concerning their very core. Lobola negotiations are carried out by the male members of the family, while the women, including the bride and her mother, are just commodities and onlookers. The bride is only there to be paraded as a prized trophy.With the advent of multiple currencies and the suggested commercialisation of lobola, young men and women about to transact in lobola are crying foul.Not even the liquidity crunch facing Zimbabwe has stopped lobola transactions, payments of which are being done in the adopted multi-currencies.But what and who determines lobola? Some have argued it is the quality of the goods that determine the price. But in this highly patriarchal system we live in, are damaged goods spared? I am saying this at the risk of getting a backlash from avowed feminists whose fury I smell now!How much a "maiden" (read a virgin who has aborted three or four times and has been on oral contraception since 16) is worth, is determined by her clan.In some clans, the more educated she is, the more she will fetch on the market. More like bidding done at a cattle sales auction! For some, the bride price is determined by how much the groom is worth. A deep-pocketed groom is likely to be charged a high lobola, commensurate with his pockets, even when the bride carries no added value. Not even degreed!A mini survey on how much should be adequate for a first time lobola transaction, showed that any figure between US$2 500 and US$5 000 was acceptable."At least US$4 000 shows a sign for preparation for the big day for a childless woman. If it’s damaged goods with a string of offspring, then US$1 000 or so would be in order. This is taking into consideration that the groom will have the extra responsibility of looking after the woman’s children. But the main issue is that the groom has to pay the full price for purity, a full virgin should attract a higher lobola compared to a used womb."A customary lobola ceremony is not a thing you just wake up and say you are doing. There has to be evidence of planning to illustrate how serious the groom is. It takes time and resources to prepare for the day," said 25-year-old Martin Chishava, who himself is preparing to pay lobola in June. But for 50-year-old Dr Rudolf Chinganga, lobola should not be determined by whether the woman has children or not but should be determined by the value added to her."You surely don’t expect me to charge the same lobola for my doctorate daughter as a failed Ordinary Level candidate. The failed Ordinary Level candidate, like the name suggests, should attract a few hundred US dollars. She has no value added to her and she is worth those few hundreds of dollars. You cannot compare an engineer woman with a marry-me-and-feed-me. No ways," argued Dr Chinganga.From buying the reproductive rights of a woman to value addition, the things women have to endure!"I will not get someone to pay lobola for me. Why must someone, including my parents, be paid for me to get married? Am I a commodity to be traded to the highest bidder? This lobola business is responsible for all the woes befalling women. They are victims of domestic violence because their husbands claim that they hold exclusive rights to the behaviour and discipline of their women," said a defiant 21-year-old university student, Tariro Mushaninga.Indeed, payment of lobola has led to women enslavement as the men claim they paid for her subservience. So much about women's rights!l Feel you have something to add to this debate, get in touch on phyllis.kachere@zimpapers.co.zw or The Sunday Mail, PO Box 396, Harare or 04-795771 ext 1371, Tuesday to Saturdays.

How Canadile syphoned Marange diamonds

By Phyllis Kachere and Itai Mazire
DIAMONDS worth over US$100 million are believed to have been smuggled out of the country by Canadile Miners and sold on the black market with part of the proceeds being pocketed by company officials under the guise of loans. The rest of the money was reportedly laundered back to Zimbabwe and used as working capital by Core Mining shareholders who went into partnership with the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation to form Canadile Miners.
Blacklisted gold and diamond smuggler Marco Chiotti, a South African of Italian descent based at Manica in Mozambique, has been fingered as the man behind the illegal sale of the diamonds and laundering of the proceeds.
The estimated US$100 million loss was a result of undeclared diamonds that were illegally sold on the black market plus another 29 000 carats of gem quality diamonds worth US$29 million which Core Mining shareholders failed to account for.
Related storyPart of a confidential report compiled by the ZMDC investigations committee seen by The Sunday Mail reads: "Core Mining has failed to discharge its obligations related to the foreign capital investment, which it undertook to make in the joint venture agreement. The committee reasonably believes that Core has funded the working capital requirements of Canadile through the illicit sale of diamonds, and has caused the proceeds of the illicit sale of diamonds to be recorded as shareholder loans and not as equity investment.”
Core Mining was being fronted by the incarcerated Lovemore Kurotwi, who is now facing trial for illegally selling diamonds.
It is understood that Chiotti would illegally sell diamonds mined at Chiadzwa on the black market and shuttle back to Harare to deposit various amounts into Canadile’s bank account.
Kurotwi would then withdraw those funds and distribute most of the funds amongst Core’s shareholders as loan repayments with the remainder being ploughed back into the mine as working capital.
“From September to December 2009 Chiotti endlessly shuttled between Harare and Mutare to raise capital injected into Canadile in figures of $4 000, $5 000 and $10 000 totalling $694 000 by December 31 2009 .
“The frequency of the shuttling and the values of the deposits suggest that the working capital of Canadile at this time was raised through the illicit sale of diamonds conducted by the shareholders of Core, a clear act of money laundering,” noted the report.    
The report also states that given the active role that Chiotti had in making cash deposits into Canadile’s bank account and petty cash account, he was involved in the smuggling of diamonds mined by Canadile.
After selling the diamonds, the proceeds would be injected into Canadile’s account and later withdrawn as shareholder loans.

ARVs nightmare

The Sunday Mail

Sunday, March 12, 2006

By Phyllis Kachere

FOR the past two weeks, relatives of 36-year-old Mrs Sekesai Mukahiwa
(not her real name) have been taking her to a polyclinic in the
high-density suburb of Glen View where she lives.

Having been bed-ridden for the past three months, relatives of the
widowed mother of three children finally decided to have her tested for
HIV and with the hope of enrolling her for the Government's free
anti-retroviral therapy.

"All has been well for us as we have managed to convince Mrs Mukahiwa to
be tested for HIV with the hope that if she is positive, she will
automatically qualify for the Government's free anti-retroviral
programme. She has been ill and bed-ridden for a long time and we have
tried everything we can without her getting well," said Mrs
Mukahiwa's sister, Ms Erina Muzondo.

But she said after paying the $100 000 consultation fees at the
polyclinic and explaining to the sister in attendance that Mrs Mukahiwa
wanted to be tested for HIV and eventually enrol in the anti-retroviral
treatment programme, she was referred to Harare Central Hospital.

And that's when all hell broke loose for the family.

"At Harare Hospital, we were referred to the opportunistic infections
clinic where we made known our intentions. But, it was not to be.

"After undergoing another HIV test, my sister was sent for post-test
counselling. Not only that, she was informed that before she could be
taken in on the programme she had to undergo tests to determine her CD4
cell count, liver function and full blood count. As these tests could
not be done at the hospital but at private laboratories, and she was
expected to pay the costs," said a dejected Ms Muzondo.

Private laboratories in Harare charge anything between $10 million and
$20 million for the tests.

At one of the laboratories visited in the Avenues area, relatives of the
sick sat patiently as they waited their turn to have their blood drawn
for the tests.

Another relative, Mr Ngoni Kuvagonera, said they had to pool their
resources in order to raise the required $17 million for tests to
establish the CD4 cells and the full blood count.

He said they were still to raise $8 million needed for the liver
function test which their bed-ridden sick relative whom he declined to
identify had to go through before being accepted on the Government's
subsidised anti-retroviral programme.

For the duration of the interview, the frail and sick woman lay
motionless on the back seat of Mr Kuvagonera's car.

He said he was worried that valuable time to save her might be slipping
away as she went through numerous tests while they also struggled to put
together enough money for the tests.

"When we took my sick brother to Harare Hospital seeking to have him on
the anti-retroviral programme, little did we know we would be asked to
pay for these expensive tests.

"If Government is serious about treating people with Aids, these tests
should be conducted at all public hospitals. They are too expensive at
private laboratories," said Mrs Nyasha Gondongwe from Norton.

But the chief co-ordinator of the Aids and TB programme in the Ministry
of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Owen Mugurungi, said paying patients at
Government hospitals are not exempted unless they were covered under the
Social Dimensions Fund.

"The moment one pays for consultation, they are expected to pay for the
tests. If they cannot afford to pay, the onus rests with them to prove
that they can't pay so they have to get a letter from the Social
Welfare Department. Without that they will have to foot the bill," said
Dr Mugurungi.

Where patients have to pay at public health institutions, said Dr
Mugurungi, the amounts were as low as $50 000 for a month's supply,
which would cost about $7 million from private pharmacies.

He also explained that while it would appear valuable time was being
wasted as tests were being conducted, the tests were crucial before ARVs
were administered.

"We also have to screen for other opportunistic infections before we
commence treatment otherwise we would be worsening an already bad
situation. ARVs are not just administered before we have a CD4 cell
count, full blood test, liver function test and a host of other tests.

"Besides there is a certain level of the CD4 cell count which signals we
should commence treatment. A CD4 cell count of above 500 does not
warrant commencement. But anything between 500-300 will also be okay
unless the person has tuberculosis or any other opportunistic
infection," he said.

Dr Mugurungi said the hospital had to treat the tuberculosis or
opportunistic infection first before ARVs were administered.

He said that while Government may not have enough funds for new patients
on the programme, it had enough drugs for those that are already
registered.

"For the success of the ARV treatment and lessening development of
resistance to the drug, we encourage an adherence percentage of at least
98. We cannot afford to let patients miss a day's in- take of the
drugs," he said.

Both Unicef and WHO have pledged funds for the programmes and Dr
Mugurungi said the drugs were available.

He said it was important that people living with Aids reduce stress in
their lives and underscored the need to join support groups for
psycho-social support.

"Anti-retroviral therapy will become more beneficial if patients quickly
go to the opportunistic infection clinic should they have other
illnesses. Before they are enrolled for the programme, administering of
cotrimoxazole is also helpful in managing other illnesses," said Dr
Mugurungi.


HIV/AIDS|ZMBABWE CHARITY, INC.
http://www.hivaidszimbabwe.com <http://www.hivaidszimbabwe.com>

25 refugees die in Zimbabwe

By Phyllis Kachere and Itai Mazire
TWENTY-FIVE refugees have died in Zimbabwe, it has been reported.
 The refugees mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo died at Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge, the only refugee sanctuary in the country.
 The 25 dead, died in the past nine months due to an outbreak of disease caused by the squalid living conditions under which the refugees live.
 However, the Secretary for Labour and Social Services, Mr Lancaster Museka, rejected claims that there was an outbreak of disease in the camp.
 “We can confirm that since the beginning of the year a total of 25 refugees have died. All nationalities are equally affected although the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered the most with five deaths. The number of deaths recorded among the Congolese is just a reflection of the camp population ratios,” said Mr Museka.
 As of end of September, the DRC had a camp population of 2 769 out of the 4 025 resident at the Chipinge camp.
 Mr Museka said there was no specific common disease claiming lives in the Tongogara Refugee Camp and there has never been any disease outbreak in the camp.
 According to research findings of various relief organisations on causes of deaths in refugee camps in Southern Africa, the major killers were measles, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, hepatitis B and cholera — diseases usually associated with overcrowded conditions.
 A visit to the camp by our correspondent revealed poor living conditions with some refugees claiming that the food rations they received were inadequate for their day-to-day sustenance.
 Teams of some camp residents building or repairing members’ mud houses could be seen going about their work.
 “Living conditions in this camp are poor. While we get food rations from the Zimbabwe Government and the UN, this is not adequate. We have to build our own houses and yet we are not allowed to work. How are we surely expected to survive?” remarked Congolese citizen Mr Jose Ndage-Dikanu, whose wife and three children are also in the camp.
 He said there was no resident medical doctor at the camp clinic to attend to the health needs of the 4 000-strong population.
 But Mr Museka said the absence of a resident doctor was not problematic as there was an effective referral system with the Chipinge District Hospital where deserving cases were referred.
 A mother with two young children also complained of the food shortages they experienced at the camp. A poster on the walls of the administration block summed up what some refugees at the camp spoke about.
 It read: “Gnawing hunger, snow-bound passes, icy rivers. Finally, food, protection and three long years in a refugee camp. Then back to a ruin that once was home and a life to build again. It takes courage to be a refugee.”
Currently, Tongogara Refugee Camp has a population of 4 025 with the DRC having the highest population of 2 769. Zimbabwe hosts a total of 4 651 refugees and 646 asylum seekers from Angola, Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Lebanon and Djibouti. There are 2 318 children under 18, 1 040 men, 641 women and 26 elderly people at the camp.
Mr Museka said in the event that a refugee died, the Government was not obliged to inform that person’s relatives or their country of origin.
“If a refugee dies there is no need for us to notify the home government since a refugee enjoys international protection in the country of asylum to protect him or her. The host government does not have an obligation to report to the country of origin’s government concerning the type of refugees it is hosting,” he said.
He said Government was working with the international community to facilitate the repatriation of Rwanda nationals in the camp.
“Zimbabwe and the international community are yet to sign the cession clause for the Rwandese caseload.
“Information campaign for possible voluntary repatriation of the Rwandese caseload is being done in view of the impending cession clause in December 2011.
 “For the other nationalities the situation back home (country of origin) has not improved for us to discuss possible repatriation with them,” said Mr Museka.
 Statistics from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare show that, as at August 12, there were 650 Rwandans at Tongogara Refugee Camp.

Poverty:African women's downfall

By Phyllis Kachere
HARARE, Apr 9 (IPS) While her peers get ready to go to school each
morning, 14-year-old Matipedza (not her real name) of Marange district in
Manicaland has to stay behind to prepare breakfast for her 67-year-old
husband.

Although her marriage is not legally registered, it is customarily
recognised, and the teenager is expected to live as a housewife and soon
bear children.
"I can’t go against [the will of] my elders and leave my
husband in order to attend school. Besides, where would I go if I leave?
My parents will not welcome me," said Matipedza.
Her case is not unique. In fact, the majority of school-going girls in
Marange, some as young as ten, have been married to older men from their
church, the Johanne Marange Apostolic sect, which is infamous for
believing in polygamy. Most marriages are arranged between adult men and
under-age girls.
Although it is criminal under the recently enacted Domestic Violence Act
to marry off an under-age girl – the age of sexual consent in Zimbabwe is
16 years – it is difficult to stop these marriages, as members of the sect
are complicit and secretive.
Recently released research by Harare-based non-governmental organisation
Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA) has shown that young girls in early
marriages are likely to suffer birth complications, some of them resulting
in death.
The WLSA study also revealed that those girls are prone to cervical
cancer, suffer psychological trauma and encounter a host of problems, such
as failing to deal with the social pressures that come with being a wife
in a polygamous union.
The findings have forced Zimbabwean authorities to step up efforts to stop
the practice that has forced thousands of girls in the Marange, Odzi and
Buhera districts of Manicaland to drop out of school.
Although current data is not available, statistics from the Ministry of
Education, Sport and Culture district office reveal that out of the 10,000
girls who enrolled in Form One in the Marange district in 2000, only about
a third completed Form Four in 2003.
&com;Those who dropped out became wives, with a small number dropping
out because they could not afford the fees,&com; said a senior
district education officer who did not want to be named.
School dropouts
Most girls stop schooling in July when the sect celebrates Passover, a
religious festivity during which marriage ceremonies take place.
Gideon Mombeshora, a sect member, told IPS that most men in the church
prefer to marry under-age girls because it is easier to control them.
&com;Most men want to get married to docile women. The younger the
bride the more chances for dominance for the man,&com; he said.
He further explained the sect strongly believes in the practice of
under-age brides: &com;Although it is not in our church’s
statutes that old men should marry under-age girls, the practice is deeply
entrenched in our belief system.&com;
Former senator Sheila Mahere said early marriages are a social ill that
threatens to derail government’s bid to fulfil its Millennium
Development Goal (MDG) on increasing access to primary education as girls
continue to drop out of the already constrained education system.
&com;Early marriages threaten national economic development, as bright
and intelligent girls are forced out of school to become cheap labour and
child bearers in their homesteads. Most of the girls become farm labourers
on their husbands’ farms,&com; she said.
The Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe-Africa
(UDA-CIZA), a coalition of 160 apostolic sects in Zimbabwe, said tries to
raise awareness among apostolic sect leaders of the dangers of early
marriages. But in most cases, it faces serious resistance.
&com;The police has been the biggest let down in early forced child
marriages as they have continued to turn a blind eye to these
crimes,&com; explain UDA-CIZA programme manager Edson Tsvakai.
&com;We sometimes report some of our members to the police for these
crimes but there have been very few successful prosecutions, largely
because police view these cases as not serious and because some of the
sect leaders are highly networked with the authorities.&com;
Serious resistance
In 2007, the Harare-based Girl Child Network, rescued an 11-year-old girl
who had been married off to a 44-year-old man in Buhera. The man was
successfully prosecuted and sentenced to six months in jail. However,
shortly thereafter, the sentence was suspended and the girl had to live in
a safe house because the unrepentant husband continued to claim her as his
wife.
Caroline Nyamayemombe, gender officer at the United Nations Population and
Development Agency (UNFPA) country office in Harare, says studies have
confirmed that teenage pregnancy is on the increase in Zimbabwe and a
leading cause of maternal mortality.
&com;Young girls are married off to men often older than their own
fathers. This scenario has significantly contributed to pregnancy
complications in teenage mothers. These harmful cultural practices are
rampant in some districts in the country,&com; she explained.
Nyamayemombe said apart from religious beliefs, poverty is one of the key
reasons for early marriages, as UNFPA data have shown that about 80
percent of pregnant teenagers come from poor families.
&com;Single adolescent girls who become pregnant are more likely to
drop out of school, thus compromising their future earning capacity and
becoming more likely to end in poverty. Maternal mortality and mortality
from HIV/AIDS related causes become a reality for these girls and often
lead or exacerbate poverty,&com; she added.
A pregnant teenager faces the risk of immature uterine muscles and mucous
membranes that pose serious danger and a high risk of a ruptured uterus in
cases of prolonged labour

Avenging spirit (ngozi) demands three virgins

By Phyllis Kachere recently in Honde Valley.

“IN the commotion, I heard several voices of the Mukonas yelling that they were not leaving our homestead without me.

“I could hear my mother pleading with them that I was not at home and that she would accompany me to their homestead in Honde Valley.
“Escaping through the granary window was a non-starter as I was going to land right into the hands of the Mukonas. My mother’s pleas fell on deaf ears and eventually she was forced to fish me out of my hiding place. We were bundled together into the vehicle that the Mukonas had brought and taken away.”
As 17-year-old Varaidzo (name changed) Nyabunze of Matunduwere Village in Nyanga’s Tombo II area narrated the ordeal she suffered at the hands of the Mukona family who abducted her in March in the long-running saga of appeasing the avenging spirit of their dead relative, a stream of tears silently cascaded down her cheeks.
Varaidzo is the fourth girl to be taken away from the Nyabunzes as compensation to the Mukona family for the murder of Cloud Sundai Mukona, believed to have been murdered by her great-grandfather Sebastian Nyabunze in the 1930s.
No murder record relating to the matter exists at the Nyamaropa Police Station.
After failing to report for school at Crossdale High in Nyanga where she was doing Form 4, Varaidzo said the headmaster, Mr Mandikutse, later advised her father, Mr Thomas Nyabunze, to make a police report.
Explaining from his home in Tombo II, Mr Nyabunze (52) said he was away when the Mukona family members, some of whom were identified as Junia (35), Cloud Jnr (52) and Violet (30) came to his homestead and abducted his daughter Varaidzo.
“I then made a police report at Nyanga Police Station, but they advised me that I should make a report at my home station, which is Nyamaropa Police Station,” said Mr Nyabunze.
“They eventually accepted my report, but they said they would hand over the docket to Nyamaropa police.
“After the report, I was given a letter to take to Ruda Police Station in Honde Valley where two police details were assigned to rescue my daughter Varaidzo from the Mukona homestead near Muparutsa School,” said Mr Nyabunze.
Mr Nyabunze said during the rescue, police told him the named Mukona family members would be charged with kidnapping a minor, but until today, no one has yet been charged.
Ruda police confirmed to The Sunday Mail In-depth that they had indeed rescued Varaidzo and that Junia Mukona had been arrested by their colleagues from Nyamaropa Police Station.
“A Constable Topera from Nyamaropa Police Station came here and arrested Junia Mukona. Another elderly woman from Mukona came here and caused a stir claiming to be possessed and demanding that Junia be released,” said a police officer at Ruda, who declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the Press.
“But I don’t know what later happened as we only assisted Nyamaropa police in locating the village.”
Both the officer-in-charge and his second in command at Nyamaropa Police Station professed ignorance over the matter and referred this reporter to police in Nyanga district where the officer commanding the district, Chief Superintendent N. Moyo, also professed ignorance over the matter but promised to investigate.
Violet Mukona, who was part of the group that abducted Varaidzo, said she and her sister Junia were being possessed by Sundai’s spirit in turns and it is that spirit that pushed them to go and take Varaidzo away.
“My sister Junia is the one who started to be possessed by uncle Sundai’s spirit,” she said.
“It demanded that we go and take a fresh bride from the Nyabunzes and we obliged. The Nyabunzes know their obligation and they gladly offered us Varaidzo.
“We were surprised to see Varaidzo’s father coming with policemen to take her away and arrest Junia.
“This is a long-running story and the Nyabunzes know their obligation. This spirit is the one that led us to take her.”
Violet also narrated how several Nyabunze girls had been offered to her family only for them to go back and find other men to marry them.
“This matter has been dragging on and on for too long,” said Violet Mukona during an interview at her home in Muparutsa Village.
“The Mukona family men who are supposed to be marrying these girls have not been forthcoming. Their wives have advised them against marrying the girls, but Uncle Sundai’s spirit is manifesting through my sister and I and is forcing us to go and get girls from the Nyabunzes.”
Violet Mukona said after Junia was arrested, police later released her and said she had no case to answer.
Mr Nyabunze said his family only became aware of the alleged murder by his grandfather in 1961 when his then 18-month-old Grace was handed to the Mukonas as appeasement for Sundai’s avenging spirit.
The handover, he said, was after the Nyabunzes were struck by a spate of mysterious deaths and events at their homestead, which a traditional healer attributed to Sundai’s avenging spirit.
“Grace grew up with the Mukonas until she was 18 or 19 when she joined the liberation struggle. At independence, she came back and went to the Mukonas who said they did not want to have anything to do with her because aive abata unga (she had been spoiled by gunpowder).
“They sent her back and demanded a fresh girl, leading to my other sister Norah (who was then 21) being handed over. Norah lived there for about five years and in the fifth year they called us and said she was sick,” said Mr Nyabunze.
Apparently, Norah had fallen victim to some strange sickness that resembled mental illness, said Mrs Emerentia Nyabunze, an aunt to Mr Nyabunze.
She said Norah was treated by a traditional healer and recovered, but the Mukonas sent her back in 1994, demanding a fresh bride “immune” to such illnesses.
“In 1995, I was forced to give up my daughter Monica who was doing Grade Four then. I pleaded but to no avail. They (Mukonas) took her and lived with her until she was around 19 or 20 years old,” said Mrs Marian Nyabunze, Varaidzo’s mother.
And Monica left the Mukonas to get married to another man, prompting yet another frenzy from the Mukona women who became possessed and forcibly took her away from her new husband’s family.
“Monica knew she was bequeathed to us. Why her parents allowed her to marry another man is beyond our comprehension. So we took her away from her husband and told the Nyabunzes that she could not go back until they gave us a fresh bride to replace her. And that is when we started to demand that Varaidzo be brought to us,” said Violet.
When the Mukonas took Monica from her new husband’s family, Mr Nyabunze said he had to secretly go and rescue her, but his wife, Varaidzo and two aunts remained hostage to the Mukonas.
“My wife, Varaidzo and our two aunts were only rescued by the police as the Mukonas would not let them leave, insisting they would only leave after Varaidzo had been taken to one of the Mukona men who lives in Mutare,” said Mr Nyabunze.
Sub-Chief Mary Muparutsa, under whose jurisdiction the Mukonas live, declined to comment, saying she was not aware of the matter.
“Besides, the issue of the avenging spirit is a contentious issue that has left chiefs and other traditional leaders divided. One group insists girls should form part of the payment to an avenging spirit while another group says it’s a violation of one’s human rights. So I don’t want to comment. These people never brought this matter to my attention,” said Sub-Chief Muparutsa.
There is a common belief in Zimbabwe that a murdered person should be compensated by a virgin girl, but it is a criminal offence under the Domestic Violence Act to use a girl or woman as compensation for avenging spirits or to bequeath a girl in marriage in exchange for material gain.

http://www.sundaymai...ctid=426&cat

Ban imported farm produce:farmers

Fruits and vegetables of South African origin being sold in a supermarket in Groombridge at the expense of local produce.

By Phyllis Kachere
FARMERS have castigated policymakers for failure to initiate and harmonise agricultural policies that protect them as Zimbabwe gears for the regional free customs union.
Responding to questions over the Zimbabwe agricultural sector’s preparedness to join the soon-to-come free customs union, the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union (ZFU) lambasted what it termed the unco-ordinated agricultural policies prevailing in the country with regards the importation of agricultural produce.
“We welcome agricultural produce imports for those products not readily available through local farmers, but what we have experienced is that agricultural produce is being imported willy-nilly.
“Go to local supermarkets, they are stuffed with imported vegetables and fruits. Surprisingly we have local farmers who have been forced to dump their produce for lack of markets. Importing lemons, do we really have a shortage of lemons in the country?” lamented ZFU’s first vice-president Mr Abdul Nyathi.
Mr Nyathi explained that policymakers do not consult them and this lack of consultation has led to disastrous policies that prejudice them being implemented.
“When there are shortages in the market, we have no problems with the imports. We have fought battles over the importation of foreign chicken on our market. The country was allowing cheap South African chickens into the country and these threatened local chicken production,” said Mr Nyathi.
A visit to Harare’s uptown supermarkets revealed a variety of mainly South African-imported fruits and vegetables, including locally abundant sweet potatoes.
A supermarket in Groombridge had almost all its shelves filled with South African fruits and vegetables.
Ironically on one of the South African-imported beetroot on sale in the supermarket was written, “Buying this products creates jobs”.
Queried Mr Nyathi: “Zimbabwe is now selling South African beetroot to create jobs for South Africans. Meanwhile, what is happening to Zimbabwean farmers? Farmers in Manicaland are throwing away their fruits and vegetables because no one is buying them.”
The situation was the same at other shops at Sam Levy’s Village in Borrowdale and Avondale.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, agricultural and environmental consultant Mr Rodger Mpande explained that the prevailing situation where business imports locally available agricultural produce does not augur well for the country’s agricultural development.
“These fruits and vegetables are imported at roughly 40 percent tariff structure, but business still imports and charges premium prices for them.
“Now, if they stock their shops from local produce, wouldn’t that be empowerment for our local farmers who have been forced to throw away their produce for lack of markets?” queried Mr Mpande.
He said policymakers should be alive to international trading patterns and ensure that Zimbabwe does not become a dumping ground for both regional and overseas producers.
He queried why ZimStats (formerly Central Statistical Office) was not guiding policymakers through their statistics.
“Shouldn’t ZimStats be guiding policymakers through their provision of statistics? They should be aware of where the gaps are in the agricultural sector.
“Say, if there is a shortage of lemons, ZimStats should provide that information to farmer organisations who will then communicate with their membership to take up the opportunity in growing the lemons,” said Mr Mpande.
He also castigated farmer organisations for failing to use available data to guide them produce for both the local and export market.
For example, the Horticultural Promotions Council has produced a fruit and vegetable calendar that clearly spells out likely horticultural produce shortages, which local farmers could take advantage of.
“Policymakers should be judicious and create policies that ensure Zimbabwe does not become a dumping ground for foreign agricultural policies,” said Mr Mpande.- The Sunday Mail

Women can do it, but did they this time?

Women’s fight for political space

By Phyllis Kachere

"WOMEN can do it," but did they this time?

While for some the campaign by the Women’s Trust aimed at increasing the participation of women in politics during the recent harmonised elections has paid off, for others the number of women who have made it to the august House has fallen far too short.

Far too short for the initial Sadc requirement of at least 30 percent women participation in Parliament, which percentage the African Union has increased to 50 percent.

A combined total of 50 women from all the political parties (14 percent) would be in the House of Assembly and Senate for this Parliament. The House of Assembly has 210 seats while the Senate has 60.

Figures show that countrywide 919 women contested in the election at different levels (740 council, 118 House of Assembly, 61 Senate).

But for the Women’s Trust executive director Ms Luta Shabba, while the percentage of women who eventually made it is low, it was the high number (compared to the previous elections) who offered themselves for political office that made the difference.

"We are absolutely excited about the impact of the ‘Women Can Do It’ campaign. One of its objectives was to mobilise women to engage in the political process. And we are happy to say we managed to get a whopping 919 women participating as candidates in the harmonised elections compared to only 58 who contested for the House of Assembly seats in 2005," said Ms Shabba.

She conceded that while the number of women in the House of Assembly appeared to have increased, the increase is due to the increased number of seats that were up for grabs (from 120 previously to 210 this time).

Ms Shabba said while the 14 percent fell far too short of the AU 50 percent target, the fact that a significant 919 women offered themselves up for election could be attributed to the campaign.

"Previously, political office used to be a preserve of the original small group that made it to Parliament at independence. But the campaign managed to break that barrier and drew more women into the race.

"Most women used the ‘Women Can Do It’ campaign to lobby their political parties to reserve seats for them and for that we are excited. We mobilised resources for the women, a challenge that has always ensured that women remained behind in the campaign for political office.

"We also trained the women on leadership, which will be followed through with those who made it as we train them for Parliamentary debates, etiquette, and all that is expected of them now that they hold political office " said Ms Shabba.

But critics of the campaign say while the campaign was moving in the right direction, it came too late and could have done better if its activities had been co-ordinated and linked to other existing programmes like the Women in Politics Support (WiPSU) 50-50 campaign since they have similar goals.

"The Women Can Do It campaign could have done better if it had started earlier. That would have given more time to consult and campaign in constituencies of their choice. And if the campaign had joined hands with WiPSU 50-50 campaign, who knows, more women could have entered Parliament," said the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers’ Association (Zwla) director, Mrs Emilia Muchawa.

Mrs Muchawa said not only was the visibility of women contesting political office heightened by the campaign, but that political parties were forced to field female candidates as they sought to be in sync with the hype created by the campaign.

Unfortunately, said Mrs Muchawa, the stakes were too high in this election, that even the best women candidates lost because the electorate was voting on party lines and not for the candidates of their choice.

National co-ordinator of Women and Law in Southern Africa (Wlsa) Ms Slyvia Chirawu said while the campaign raised the visibility of women, it came too late.

"Women usually take time to decide and the late coming of the campaign did not help matters. Unfortunately some of the women candidates went into the unwinnable constituencies where they lost. Political parties should shoulder the blame as they also used women to frustrate other male candidates who would have been campaigning in particular constituencies they declared for women," said Ms Chirawu.

She said campaigning for political office was expensive and proved so for most women as they could not dish out resources to the public like their male counterparts.

Even though most of the women who stood for political office owned substantial resources, they might not be in full control of how to use them.

She said women in political offices should be willing to groom and assist new women into political office to ensure maximum participation of women in politics.

Mrs Muchawa, like Ms Chirawu, hoped that the campaign would be sustained and not wait to resurface come 2013 elections.

In concurrence with in-coming House of Assembly representative for Mutasa North Mr David Chimhini, Mrs Muchawa said the campaign should not only be reserved for entrance into Parliament but should ensure that women are positioned in all decision-making seats.

"Although women have failed to reach the AU 50 percent target in Parliament, the ‘Women Can Do It’ campaign should be used to lobby for equitable distribution of all decision-making posts in both the public and private spheres.

"But I don’t believe that men should create opportunities for women. Instead, women should be on the forefront to claim what is theirs. The campaign came too late but it should be commended for reminding the electorate that women can do it," said Mr Chimhini.

He castigated women who always moaned about the lack of resources and said these had nothing to do with being articulate about policies.

"Almost 30 years after independence, and with the age of majority, women should play their part in national and economic development. They should not play second fiddle to men although it needs to be acknowledged that the playing field for women in terms of education needs attention.

"We still have not addressed the real issues why we still have a whole school of nursing whose majority are women while in the engineering or other such fields men are the majority. Let’s put things right for women to excel," said Mr Chimhini.

Beitbridge Senator Mrs Tambudzani Mohadi said the low number of women in Parliament could be attributed to some cultural practices that discourage women from taking political office.

"While the majority of people in Zimbabwe acknowledge that women can get into politics there are still some dangerous pockets who frown on women taking political office. It is the influence of this small number that has a bearing on the low numbers of women participating," said Mrs Mohadi.

Mufakose House of Assembly representative Ms Paurina Mpariwa welcomed the "Women Can Do It" campaign for training and mobilising resources for women candidates.

"Both the major political parties made an effort to increase the number of women candidates for these elections. And the campaign helped boost women’s confidence although I think they were too neutral.

"I had hoped for them to print campaign T-shirts for the women candidates in their own party colours instead of the neutral ‘vote for a woman’ standard message. The election was more of a battle of the parties and because of that some of the best women candidates lost," said Ms Mpariwa.

Responding to queries of the readiness of the Zimbabwean electorate to vote for women politicians, Minister of Science and Technology Dr Olivia Muchena said it was ready although a little more time and resources were needed for societal attitudes to change.

She said while women lobbied in their different political parties to campaign in "winnable" seats, the allocation for seats was not democratic leading to better women candidates losing out. Some critics have accused women of trying to create an "industry" for them to loot donor funds using women, most of the women interviewed defended the campaign saying it ensured space for women to participate in politics.

"Whenever there are challenges to be addressed it is normal for the affected group to mobilise resources and strategies to lobby for the challenges to be addressed. And that is exactly what women have done," said Mrs Muchawa.

"There is nothing new in that accusation. We have heard it before and that should not discourage women to keep the pressure and maintain momentum on asking for what is rightfully ours. We will fight for our political space," said Ms Chirawu.