The Zimbabwean

By Chris Ncube

1 May 2013

James Bayanai’s commitment to empowering thousands of local young people was recognised internationally when he was selected to be part of the upcoming 2013 Young Leaders Unite Forum.

During the event, which is one of the world’s prime youth forums, young people will explore problems affecting their peers worldwide and proffer solutions.

Voices United, the international non-profit organisation, is arranging the exclusive event scheduled for Miami, United States on June 23 and 30.

The 30-year-old’s participation in the programme will enable him to enhance his leadership skills as well as give him an opportunity to work with peers from around the globe to address the global challenges facing youth.

Bayanai was selected for his role in international youth advocacy and for spearheading social projects in Zimbabwe.

“My visit will enhance social interaction and integration between local youth and their counterparts internationally,” he told The Zimbabwean.

Katie Christie, Founder and Director of Voices United, said while there were many qualified applicants for the young leaders united forum, Bayanai was chosen for his outstanding leadership potential and impressive commitment to community action.

“We are thrilled to be working with such an outstanding group of young leaders and eager for them to begin working together. We are looking forward to helping them develop their skills as leaders and connecting them to other impressive young leaders,” she said.

Voices United will cover Bayanai’s accommodation, meals, activities and transportation while local company, Oceane Collection Perfumes, has sponsored his flight to Miami.

Bayanai is in the process of building the first community library in Chirumanzu after forming the Zimbabwe Youth Development Foundation Trust in 2011 to source books from various international organisations.

ZYDFT has distributed more than 30,000 books to local rural schools. It also runs a rural scholarship, which is benefiting 25 disadvantaged children.

Bayananai’s initiatives have earned him invitations to a number of international forums where he has shared the stage with His Royal Highness, the Prince of Norway, Prince Haakon, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, local Education, Sports and Culture Minister David Coltart and prominentfootballer, Clarence Seedorf.

News Day

By Silas Nkala

29 April 2013

EDUCATION minister David Coltart has called for urgent government intervention to address what he called the marginalisation of the San community found mostly in Matabeleland South.

Coltart on Friday met Davy Ndlovu, who is the director of the Creative Arts and Education Development Association (Caeda), and other San community leaders in Bulawayo to discuss a number of grievances.

Caeda is a non-governmental organisation that advocates for the rights of San people in Zimbabwe.

“I met Ndlovu on Friday and he told me of the San people’s concerns, especially on education, and I can say they are marginalised in many issues,” Coltart told NewsDay.

“I agreed to visit them in their community to hear and see their problems.”

The minister said he was happy that the new constitution recognised all languages in Zimbabwe and this would in future ensure that Koisan language would be taught at schools.

“After meeting them (community leaders), I understood their concerns and would be visiting the area soon,” he said.

“It is a marginalised community and we will have to assist them with policy implementation to address their problems on education.”

The community leaders told Coltart that they wanted their language — Tshwao — to be included in the school curriculum among other minority languages.

One of the community leaders, Miziyabo Tshuma, said they also wanted the government to assist them to send their children to school.

“We are not able to send our children to school because most of us are not working and did not attain any education,” he said.

“We ask the government to come to our rescue and help send our children to school.”

On Wednesday, the delegation met Water Resources Management and Development minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo to inform him about the water problems affecting their villages in Tsholotsho.

New Zimbabwe

By Brian Paradza

26 April 2013

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai should be ashamed of the 18 percent pass rate recorded in the November 2012 Ordinary Level schools exams, Mavambo Kusile leader Simba Makoni has said.

Makoni said the two leaders’ silence on the crisis in the country’s schools was illustrative of their contempt for the education sector and a lack of interest in the future of the country.

Results from last year’s O’Level exams showed that 81,6 percent of the 172,698 students who sat for the examinations failed to pass at least five subjects with grade C or better.

Only 31,767 of that number were successful, translating to a pass rate of 18,4 percent.

Said Makoni: “I went to school in Rhodesia, and from that time up to about 1992, the competition at O level was not on how many did well; it was based on how many passed with a first classgrades because all the classes passed.

“The competition among St Augustine, St Ignatius, Kutama, Goromonzi High and Fletcher High was not on how many students passed five subjects; it was how many passed twelve subjects with grades A and B.

“Today we discuss how many scrap through with five Ordinary levels. And we still claim we have the best education in Africa at 18 percent pass rate!

The former finance minister said the Zimbabwe’s education sector has continued to slide backwards over the years with South Africa and other African countries scoring better results over the years.

“I was in South Africa recently. You know matrix examinations have always been a disaster, but they are a disaster at 36 percent not at 18 percent and that does not touch the hearts of our so-called leaders.

“How many of you wrote anything from Robert Mugabe about the 18 percent pass rate? Zero, How many of you wrote anything from Prime Minister Tsvangirai about the 18 percent pass rate? Zero. They are not worried about that, yet this is our future”, said Makoni.

Education Minister David Coltart blamed the disappointing results on the “extreme crisis in education experienced between approximately 2005 and 2009”.

“I’m afraid that this was inevitable. There’s been so much chaos in Zimbabwe’s education system in the last decade that it was inevitable that children’s education would be affected in this way,” Coltart said in February.

“If you don’t have teachers, if you don’t have textbooks, ultimately literacy and numeracy proficiency drops, and that is eventually reflected in examination results.”

He however added that the only positive development was that more and more children were sitting examinations after a decade-long economic crisis devastated the education sector and led to massive drop-outs and teacher flight.

 

The Herald

By Herald Reporter

24 April 2013

Government is struggling to pay examiners who marked last year’s public examinations with the markers still to get 60 percent of their allowances. Financial constraints within the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council have resulted in its failure to pay Grade Seven, Ordinary and Advanced Level markers. These are ordinarily supposed to be paid seven days after the end of marking.

The examiners were only given between 40 and 45 percent of their allowances in January and are yet to be given the remainder four months after marking ended.

Zimsec director Mr Esau Nhandara yesterday said Government had not released the US$1,5 million Grade Seven grant to the examination body, resulting in its failure to pay thousands of examiners who participated in the marking.

Zimsec does not charge pupils fees for Grade Seven examinations. Government meets the costs.

However, Treasury has not released funds, creating cash-flow problems and forcing Zimsec to divert “reserved money” for the examinations to take place. Mr Nhandara said they received US$550 000 from Treasury last week but would pay the examiners after getting the full grant.

“All in all we need a figure of about US$2,1 million to pay all the markers from Grade Seven to A Level, but we are expecting a total of US$1,5 million from Treasury,” he said. The markers were supposed to be paid between 90 cents and US$1,20 per script marked.

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart yesterday said he would inquire from the Finance Ministry when the money would be paid.

“Who wants to work for nothing? We have been used and abused and now the June examinations are about to be written without us getting last year’s allowances,” a marker said.

“I do not think many people will dedicate themselves to that exercise because at the end of the day you get nothing.”

The marking of the examinations was delayed, as the examination body was waiting for Treasury to release the money to pay the markers. The marking only commenced after Cabinet ordered Zimsec to use its own resources. Over the years markers and the examination body have clashed over delays in paying them the allowances.

News Day

By Phillip Chidavaenzi

22 April 2013

EDUCATION Minister David Coltart yesterday hailed the restoration of the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe following the re-dedication of St John the Baptist Cathedral in Mutare two weeks ago after the deposition of the renegade bishop Elson Madhodha Jakazi.

The rededication service, which was held on April 6, was led by the Bishop of the Diocese of Manicaland and Dean of the Province of Central Africa, Reverend Julius Makoni and the Archbishop of the Province, the Most Reverend Albert Chama.

“For all the terrible things that still happen in Zimbabwe it is important for us to recall some of the ways the good Lord has answered our prayers. In my mind one of the most heartwarming answers to prayer this year has been the restoration of the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe,” Coltart wrote on his Facebook page.

He said the turn of events confirmed God’s faith after a hard trial that “has refined and strengthened” the Anglican Church in the country.

Over 3 000 Anglican faithfuls marched from the city centre to St John the Baptist Cathedral to witness its re-dedication.

The rededication was a consecration rite through which the parishioners sought to cleanse the cathedral after years of alleged defilement.

Jakazi withdrew from the Anglican Church’s province of Central Africa in 2007 and, with the assistance of the police, removed church members who had remained loyal to Bishop Chad Gandiya. Jakazi forcibly took over the church’s schools, hospitals, clinics and orphanages in the province.

The development set the stage for a bruising court battle that was eventually won by Reverend Julius Makoni.

The Independent

By Benjamin Chitate

19 April 2013

This opinion piece is prompted by Pedzisai Ruhanya’s article in the Zimbabwe Independent last week headlined “Tsvangirai-Ncube pact game-changer” in which he urges forces opposed to President Robert Mugabe to form a coalition in the next general elections.

The fact that politicians and analysts continue to wish for a united front against Zanu PF in the coming elections proves that unity of purpose is a noble idea.

However, the unity being called for remains wishful thinking for as long as MDC leader Welshman Ncube is not interested in such an arrangement.

The best way is to leave it to the people to decide, even though analysts and commentators should be allowed to continue wishing and hoping.

My humble opinion though, is that it is Ncube who is the stumbling block to any efforts to unite the two parties. Some years back, before Arthur Mutambara was dethroned, Ncube and the late Gibson Sibanda addressed a rally at which the two took turns to tell the people that the 2008 mistake of supporting Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn leader Simba Makoni’s presidential bid will never be repeated because the people of Matabeleland will have their own candidate standing in the elections.

That seems to have stuck into Ncube’s head, even though he knows any unification talks or negotiations around a united front will suggest MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai as the candidate.

All Ncube wants to prove therefore is that a Ndebele candidate can win enough votes to spoil the chances for Tsvangirai and retain Mugabe in power.

In Ncube’s heart and mind, he doesn’t mind Mugabe ruling for life, and hopes that by the time Mugabe dies, his party will have grown enough to take over.

The argument by the MDC led by Ncube today for refusing to engage in a coalition with anybody is that their 2011 congress resolved that the party will field its own candidate in elections which were then expected to take place in 2011 as if the so-called resolutions were cast in stone.

A closer analysis of the same resolutions will show that Ncube had been singing the same tune well before the congress.

I had a discussion with a few colleagues from the “MDC-Green” — a discussion which was balanced and they did not want to blame anyone, but the ego and selfishness displayed by leaders from both parties. To use one of the colleagues’ words: “Our problem (me and you) is that we are victims of our leaders’ selfishness and egos. Imagine how strong the MDC would be if we were still a single force. It’s so sad. But mark my words, one day we will get there and one day we will be a united force and this country will be better.”

One of them blamed it all on Ncube whom he accused of being rigid. I completely agreed with this opinion from within the rank and file of MDC-Green because Ncube himself had told me several times in e-mails or Facebook exchanges that his party will not move from its congress resolution to field its own presidential candidate.

The last time Ncube shared his position on a possible coalition with me was on  January 3 this year when he said in a Facebook message to me: “This year I have absolutely no intention of participating in any debate to do with coalitions.”

This is evidence of the difficulties in the practicalities of forming a pact which Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, David Coltart and Tendai Biti alluded to in the past — Ncube is just not interested, even though some in his own party are.

On his part, Tsvangirai has publicly said he is willing to engage with other pro-democracy forces which are willing to work together to defeat Mugabe, and the same position has been stated by the MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora and several other officials.

But the Ncube camp’s resistance is based on the fact that the MDC-T changed positions after an initial agreement between the negotiators on the allocation of seats to be contested in the 2008 elections, a position that I find childish.

Childish because that decision to review the allocation of seats was made by the MDC-T national executive and national council, whose mandate was to give the final approval of things that had been agreed in negotiations. So, did the then MDC-Mutambara (MDC-M) expect the MDC-T national executive and council to just rubber stamp the agreement without giving an opinion?

And the 2008 elections proved the MDC-T right because the results proved the fact that the negotiators had been more generous to the smaller of the two MDC parties.

Had the MDC-M accepted the MDC-T position, more of their officials, including Mutambara and Ncube themselves, would have been elected into parliament, and probably some of the 8% votes that Makoni got could have been in the united MDC’s favour.

True, Tsvangirai may have won an outright victory in 2008 if the parties were united, but that was not to be because of ill-informed decisions by the MDC-M, in which Ncube as the secretary-general was a major player.

Now it is up to those in MDC-Green who really believe in a united front against Zanu PF to do what their consciences tell them to. The problem seems to be that some of them fear Ncube for his education.

Ncube’s stance exposes him as an unreasonable and unforgiving man.

As said by one MDC-T official in a recent exchange, if Ncube had facts to prove that the MDC-T was insincere in the 2008 negotiations those are the facts he could have brought to the negotiating table, but he knows very well that the MDC-T’s review of allocation of seats was vindicated by the election results themselves.

So the easiest thing for him to do is to blame MDC-T and Tsvangirai for the 2008 failure to form a pact.

Ncube himself knows very well that Zimbabwe is better off without Mugabe, and that Tsvangirai is the only person at the moment with the greatest chance of beating Mugabe in an election, having done so in 2008, but he cannot stand the idea of helping him (Tsvangirai) to the throne.

The biggest mistake Ncube and those within his party encouraging him not to entertain hopes of a coalition is that they are failing to read the mood of the people calling for a coalition and think these calls are coming from people who think Ncube’s support base is growing.

One of Ncube’s aides wrote: “The panic around the whole country as well as in the diaspora around this quest for reunification tells us there is something that we are doing right and the MDC-T people are afraid that their horse will lose this election again.”

My conclusion is that because of his personal hate for Tsvangirai, Ncube has cleverly played around the ignorance among his fellow colleagues in the party to promote his personal agenda as evidenced by his mobilisation of people to support a congress resolution he wanted and then treating the same resolution as if it is cast in concrete.

Chitate writes from New Zealand.

News Day

By News Day Reporter

18 April 2013

WASHINGTON – Zimbabwean Sports minister David Coltart has condemned the bombing of a sports event in the United States of America and offered profound condolences to the people of Boston, following the twin bombing on Monday at the Boston Marathon.

Report by VOA

The bombing left three people dead and at least 140 injured, including children.An eight year-old boy who was at the event to watch his father race is among those killed in the explosions.

“We condemn unreservedly those responsible for this dastardly act. Every bombing is horrific but the bombing of a sporting event is particularly callous. People participate in and watch sporting events to go beyond and above politics and all the other issues which cause so much division of the world; and so the targeting of a sporting event in this manner is particularly grotesque,” Coltart said in a statement.

The explosions detonated in quick succession near the Boston Marathon finish line transforming “a scene of athletic celebration into bloody chaos,” the Boston Globe reported.

The blast took place after the elite marathoners had completed the race, but scores of others were still running.
23-year-old Ethiopia native Lelisa Desisa Benti was the men’s winner of the 117th Boston Marathon, with 32-year-old Kenyan Rita Jeptoo winning the women’s
division.

No suspects have yet been arrested although United States President Barack Obama, who stopped short of calling the incident a terrorist attack, vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We still do not know who did this or why. And people shouldn’t jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. But, make no mistake; we will get to the bottom of this. And we will find out who did this, we will find out why they did this,” said Obama. “Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice.”

Ironically the race had started with a minute of silence for the 26 Sandy Hook massacre victims who were gunned down last year at an elementary school by a teenager in Newtown, Connecticut. Some of the victims’ families had also taken part in the marathon.

The Zimbabwean

By Mkhululi Chimoio 

16 April 2013

Sports Minister David Coltart recently praised the astounding talent of United States-based teenage golfer, Sean Crocker. The 16-year-old sensation, son of former Zimbabwe Test cricketer Gary Crocker recently leaped to 34th on the American Junior Golf Associations Polo golf rankings.

“Crocker has a bright future ahead in golf,” said Coltart. “He is about to go to a US university on a sports scholarship and flies the Zimbabwean flag at all tournaments he plays in. I am very proud of his success; he is a golfer already making a huge impact and is indeed destined for greater heights. He is now 9th ranked in his division of Under-16 throughout USA.”

Two years ago, Crocker, then in the boys’ 15-17 age division, finished second at the San Diego Junior, after rounds of 71, 70 and 67, for a gross score of 208. He finished 13th at the Junior All-Star at Robinson Ranch after rounds of 73-75-78 for his 226 and 11th at the American Junior Golf Association Junior All-Star at River Ridge after of 76 and 78.

The Zimbabwean star migrated to the USA with his family in 2002. His father owns a consulting/distributorship company that consults on golf courses, but has continued representing Zimbabwe at international tournaments.

The young star, who has also impressed legendary Zimbabwean golfer and former World Number One, Nick Price, has dominated junior tournaments on the PGA Southern California Junior Tour and already has a hole-in-one up his sleeve, after firing one on hole 3, a par 3, 153-yard hole at Temecula, California.

He also fired a five iron straight from the tee into the hole. Zimbabwean golf fans will get an up-close and personal view of Crocker when he returns home to play at the Golden Pilsner Zimbabwe Open, which tees off at the Royal Harare Golf Club today.

Zim Eye

By Audrey Charowa

16 April 2013

Zimbabwe has condemned the horrific bombing in Boston during the international marathon yesterday.

Boston has a large community of Zimbabweans residing there.

In a statement Zimbabwe’s education and sport minister, Senator David Coltart described the bombings as bastardly.

Below was Senator Coltart’s statement:

“I am very sorry to hear of the Boston Marathon bombing. On behalf of the Zimbabwean Government and all Zimbabwean sportspeople we offer our profound condolences to the people of Boston and the United States of America and especially to all the sportspeople affected by this tragedy. We condemn unreservedly those responsible for this bastardly act. Every bombing is horrific but the bombing of a sporting event is particularly callous. People participate in and watch sporting events to go beyond and above politics and all the other issues which cause so much division of the world; and so the targeting of a sporting event in this manner is particularly grotesque.”

The death toll rose, overnight to three. A Rhode Island state trooper and a former Marine, Roupen Bastajian, 35, was quoted by the New York Times as saying “These runners just finished and they don’t have legs now,””So many of them. There are so many people without legs. It’s all blood. There’s blood everywhere. You got bones, fragments. It’s disgusting. We put tourniquets on. I tied at least five, six legs with tourniquets.” Athletes were also observed lying prone on the ground as the impact tore through the finish line, sending smoke and shrapnel soaring high into the air.

Former head of Boston police, Bill Bratton said “Unfortunately in my country there are no shortage of potential suspects, if you will.The guilty will feel the full weight of justice – Barrack Obama

Addressing the nation President Obama said “We don’t yet have some of the answers. We still don’t know who did this or why…but make no mistake we will get to the bottom of this and we will find who did this and we will find out why they did this… ” He went on to say the guilty “will feel the  full weight of justice”.

Al Qaeda representatives in Pakistan were quick to distance themselves from the bombings.

A Saudi man who was injured very close to one of the devices in the bombing had his Boston home searched by police.  Police investigating took bags of evidence from the Boston Property. Authorities are not stating whether they think he is involved. He could be a key witness or “a person of interest”.

A senior Pentagon official was quoted by CNN as saying that “…there is no immediate indication that the Boston terror attack has any foreign connection.” However, CNN reporter Barbara Starr said that information could change. She also said there is a possiblity that the bombing could have been done by “home-grown terrorists” or a “lone wolf” (domestic terrorist).

The Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI is taking the lead in the investigation.

Forensic Investigators have a lot of forensic evidence to go on. Three undetonated bombs were found in the area. Their job now is to study the devices and come up with a “unique signature” which narrows the identification of the bomber by looking at origins of the ingredients and.

Investigators described the explosive devices as “rudimentary” and lacking in sophistication. The bombs are reported to have no signature markers of those that are made by bomb makers trained in the middle East.

The Tuesday morning after Monday afternoon bombing saw Bostonians going about their normal everyday business. The Boston community has chosen to defy those who sought to cause alarm and despondency by their cowardly and dastardly acts. Aside from a road cordoned off for investigations, its “Business as usual” in Boston.