• #Zimbabwe A doing well against SA A. Scored 242 for 6 off their 50 overs and have SA 120 for 5 off 27 overs. #Zim #cricket improving rapidly #
• I am sad that #Zim #Cricket A side let things slip against SA A to let them win at the end of the match. Notwithstanding this, well done! #
• Congratulations to Minister Dlamini Zuma on her election as AU chair. Makorokoto – we are delighted. #
• Via @nprnews: Kenya's Free Schools Bring A Torrent Of Students http://t.co/sEuQj1FG Lessons for us in Zimbabwe #
• Just seen @KirstyCoventry on DSTV advertising the Olympics to the tune of Coldplay's "Fix you" – made me very proud. #
• Anjin keen to invest in Zimbabwe’s aviation market???? http://t.co/j3lZphMK via @sharethis #
• Happy birthday Madiba. Thank you for giving us hope where there was fear, passion where there was cynicism, and confidence instead of gloom. #
• Well done #Zimbabwe #Cricket A vs SA A. Although they lost again to SA today it was a good match and nice that we bowled out SA in 47 overs #
• We must have the courage to bring Zimbabwe in from the cold via @Telegraph http://t.co/l72QQscm Excellent article by Peter Oborne #
• Another outstanding performance by #Zim #Cricket A side against Sir Lanka A. Bowled them out for 81 and then got score with ease in 18th ov #
• Congrats to Elton Chigumbura for getting career best 6 for 25 off 9 overs. Ripped through the Sri Lanka middle. #Zim #cricket improving!! #
• So proud to welcome home our victorious Africa Cup #Rugby winners, the Sables. Once again well done Brendan and his men http://t.co/qINalSNi #
• Unicef TV have just produced a s short video on the success of the Education Transition Fund. Please watch and share. http://t.co/kJ1A1sSx #
• -7 in Bulawayo this morning. Who says it doesn't get cold in Africa! #
• The performance of the #Zim #Cricket A side this week has been a revelation. They comprehensively beat Sri Lanka A and competed well v SA A. #
• I am very sorry to hear of the death of Professor Welshman Ncube's son Ntabiso. May God comfort Prof Ncube and his family at this sad time. #

The Chronicle

By Midlands Correspondent

22 July 2012

HUNDREDS of pupils enrolled in private colleges in Gweru are stranded after the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture cracked down on unregistered colleges, ordering them to close.

At least 10 colleges that have been illegally operating in Gweru have been closed following the crackdown, which started about three weeks ago.

Midlands provincial education director Mrs Agnes Gudo said the crackdown on unregistered colleges was an ongoing process, adding that some officials running these colleges had since appeared in court.

A survey conducted by Chronicle last week revealed that hundreds of pupils have been left stranded following the development.

Some pupils who have been attending such colleges as Golf Academy, New Era and A Plus could be seen milling around their respective premises.

“We have been reporting for school for this past week here without attending lessons. We have heard through rumours that our college was ordered to close by the ministry but there has not been any official communication from the college officials as to what is going on,” said one pupil doing O-Level at New Era College.

The pupils, some of whom are preparing to sit for Ordinary and Advanced Level public examinations later this year, said the development had greatly affected their preparations.

“This has greatly affected our preparations for our public exams. We are not even aware what these officials will do for us because it is unfair given that we have been paying monthly fees for these lessons,” said another A-Level pupil with New EraCollege.

Pupils at Pinnacle College, which has been using the now defunct Mkoba TM Supermarket premises, said management had organised transport to ferry them to Gweru city where they said they had also established another makeshift college in the CBD.

“The management has been hiring kombis to take us to the city from Mkoba. We are using some makeshift premises in the central business district but it seems it’s only a cat and mouse game because the premises are not conducive for proper learning,” said one pupil.

Meanwhile, registered private colleges have hailed the operation by the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Sen David Coltart, saying unregistered colleges were pushing them out of business.

In an interview, secretary of the recently launched Gweru Registered Colleges Association, Mr Philip Baulet said unregistered private colleges were charging as little as $10 per pupil as enrolment and school fees per month.

“What these unregistered colleges are doing is unprofessional because they do not pay anything to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and no formal registration procedures were done. What they have been doing was that they have been charging only $10 per child per month thereby pushing properly registered colleges out of business. Owing to this they were now enrolling hundreds of pupils who would be exposed to various diseases as they would be made to share one toilet despite their large numbers,” he said.

Mr Baulet said registered private colleges were charging between $35 and $40 per month.

Mrs Gudo said the move to close unregistered colleges was meant to protect parents from profiteering businesspeople.

She said the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture regulations also provide that people wishing to run private colleges should register with the ministry.

“According to the Education Act as amended in 2006, any person who wishes to establish, operate or maintain an independent college should make a written application to the Secretary for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture for the registration of such a college. There has, however, been concern with unregistered colleges that were sprouting all over Gweru with the management out to fleece parents by charging unapproved fees,” she said.

Mrs Gudo said the ministry had closed a number of unregistered colleges which were operating in Gweru.

“Some individuals who have been running these unregistered colleges have since appeared in court,” she said.

The Sunday News

21 July 2012

THE Sports and Recreation Commission  (SRC) has endorsed a directive by the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart, to have all national teams’ games spread countrywide.

The SRC said sports associations in the country have agreed to facilitate the rotation of the games so as to give every Zimbabwean a chance to watch national teams games.

SRC corporate communicationS officer Tirivashe Nheweyembwa disclosed that they met the associations on 30 June who embraced the ministry’s initiative.

“The SRC board met on 30 June and the issue was brought up and all the national sports associations agreed to take up the challenge and ensure that games are spread to all provinces,” said Nheweyembwa.

He was confident that with immediate effect all stadiums fit to host international games would be granted that oportunity.

“Barbourfields stadium among other stadiums should be in a possition to host the next international match as Zifa has not advised us about any abnormalities in the stadium. The only challenge that we might be facing is that not all provinces have enough resources to host other games hence as we try to capacitate them, some of the games will still be played in Harare,” he said.

Earlier the minister had issued an order urging the sports body to publicly announce changes in their policy regarding International matches.

“The SRC should exercise its discretion to authorise, subject to undertakings having been obtained that equity will obtained in future fixtures.

“The SRC must publicly announce this change in policy and annually produce a report detailing where all international matches have been held, the dates they have been held, the respective attendance figures and the report should give any justification applied to allow any deviation from a precisely equitable share of matches at all internationally accepted venues,” said Coltart.

The directive by Coltart is to be implemented from next month and will affect all national football teams, including youth sides and the women’s team.

Apart from the National Sports Stadium, and Rufaro, Barbourfields Stadium is the only other sporting facility approved to host international matches outside the capital.

The Sunday Times

21 July 2012

THE Zimbabwe senior national rugby team, the Sables will not be able to defend the Victoria Cup tri-nations tournament against Kenya and Uganda due to financial constraints.

Bongai Zamchiya, the Zimbabwe Sables committee chairman confirmed that this year’s edition of the Victoria Cup has been scrapped. Zamchiya pointed out that Zimbabwe and Uganda were still waiting on getting funding from sponsors, and had proposed that the tournament be played later on in the year but that recommendation was rejected by Kenya.

“This year’s edition of the Victoria Cup is definitely off. Zimbabwe and Uganda wanted the tournament postponed but Kenya were not interested in that. We are still committed to the Victoria Cup and hope to play when resources allow for that,” said Zamchiya.

However, Zamchiya said the Sables technical committee will come up with a fixtures plan which might see the Sables play against South African provincial teams in friendly matches. The Sables have also been invited to Portugal for an international match in November and if funds are secured, they will travel to Europe.

Zamchiya revealed that the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart has committed himself to holding a fundraising indaba for the Sables soon where strategies will be put in place on how the corporate sector can be convinced to support the Sables financially.

While the Sables are on top of the world having won the Confederation of African Rugby Africa Cup group 1A with a 22-18 victory over Uganda in Tunisia, that has not attracted sponsors to the team. Delta Beverages are the biggest sponsors of the Sables through their Lion Lager brand but the money they poured into the Sables was not enough for the team to successfully participate in the Victoria Cup. The Brendon Dawson coached Sables were scheduled to take on Kenya and Uganda on a home and away basis at the end of this month and early next month.

A partnership, which started in 2010 between the Zimbabwe Rugby Union and their East African counterparts, the Victoria Cup has been fruitful for Zimbabwe as it played a significant role in improving Zimbabwe’s ranking on the International Rugby Board world rankings.

Last year, Zimbabwe won all the matches, home and away to claim their first Victoria Cup.

CAR only pays the expenses for the teams when they play in the Africa Cup with the respective unions taking care of the team’s bills when they participate in the Victoria Cup.

Zimbabwe are now ranked 29 in the world rankings, making them the third best African team after South Africa and Namibia. Inactivity on the international scene might see them drop in the rankings.

The Sunday News

By Ngqwele Dube

21 July 2012

TENSION and high expectations always characterise the matches pitting the country’s traditional powerhouses Highlanders and Dynamos and when the two protagonists clash today in a high profile Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Barbourfields Stadium the same scenario will obtain.

Temperatures will rise as the rivalry goes deep come 3pm this afternoon. The city hosting the match always experiences the carnival atmosphere as supporters from both teams wake up in the morning, put on their team regalia and head to the stadium in a colourful procession of cars.

Houses, vehicles, trees and bus stops are decorated with various paraphernalia in club colours and symbols such as scarfs, flags, t-shirts, blankets and headgear.

Supporters of the two teams demand more from their teams during the match and sometimes the game ends in violence as one set of fans cry foul.

However, amidst the high expectations, the Dynamos Supporters Association (Bulawayo chapter) have joined the chorus of those calling for a violent-free outing saying that the fans should come out in their numbers today and make the occasion a memorable violent-free family outing.

“We are basically saying no to violence. It has no place in the game. We want to be able to enjoy the game and relish the sportsmanship on the field. We are urging all supporters to strive for a peaceful game because this will make it enjoyable for everyone who will bother to come for the game,” said Committee vice-chairperson Panas Madziya, pleading with their large following, that are expected to turn the Mpilo end stands at BF into the customary sea of blue and white, for a peaceful game that will ensure the safety of children, women and neutrals expected at today’s match venue.

Madziya said supporters should understand that violence did not pay, as it will not alter the result of the game.

Chairman, Dumisani Mutorera said while fans might be angered by referees’ decisions; it was no excuse for them to engage in violence.

“We should always let the game end and if we are unhappy at the referees’ conduct lets inform the executive to complain on our behalf in conformity with the rules that govern the beautiful game. Match officials are human and I am sure we will all agree that the atmosphere during the game involving the two teams is intimidating but it should end there,” he said.

“There is nothing so sweet and satisfying than losing gracefully. Remember nobody wins all the time. You win some you lose some, good losers earn more respect than bad winners,” added Mutorera.

To ensure safety Madziya said his committee would deploy their own security for the game.

“We are going to have our own security within our supporters and they will be encouraging fans to behave well,” he said.

“We also want to discourage vulgar songs and languages at the game”.

Disturbances at the game between Highlanders and Harare City at Barbourfields have seen renewed efforts being made to call for a peaceful end to football games.

Highlanders chairman, Peter Dube also spoke out against violence during the week, telling our sister paper, the Chronicle that fans must exercise calm and restraint during this weekend’s game. He said hooliganism could only add to the club’s financial woes.

“We keep on getting closer to the title. Let us not lose it for ourselves off the pitch through hooliganism. The soccer laws are clear about untoward behaviour off the field by fans.

“May our true Highlanders sons and daughters desist from throwing missiles when calls don’t go our way. We go all out to bring joy to the nation. When Highlanders do well it makes people happy throughout the country and even beyond borders, so let us play to win, win with grace and be good losers on the field too,” he was quoted as saying.

“Hooliganism could only add to the woes of the cash-strapped club as they would remain poorer when fined for such offences”.

“I trust people will come in big numbers and once again make soccer the winner and the family event that it has always been by behaving themselves. We would like to see an atmosphere welcoming even for children and women”.

Mutorera said supporters from Harare would be coming to watch the game with three buses scheduled to travel from the capital.

“We will be meeting as Dynamos supporters from Sunday morning before the game at Cape Cairo where we will kick off the road show to Barbourfields.

“We urge all our members and Dynamos supporters to come there as we are also going to have an after party also after the game. Dynamos players will be there as well,” he said.

Despite controversies that have dogged Mutorera’s executive, he said they were last week endorsed by National Supporters Executive, who are expected to meet them this (Sunday) morning at Cape to Cairo.

There has recently been a crusade calling for an end to hooliganism at soccer games.

Highlanders’ players, Knox Mutizwa and Arnold Ndiweni, went round the stadium, with a banner denouncing violence during the CAPS United/Highlanders game.

Education, Sports and Culture minister, David Coltart last week said they would soon be introducing a “No tolerance against derogatory chants” policy that seeks to reign in on clubs whose fans perpetrate hateful and discriminatory language aimed at their rivals.

Daily News

By Enock Muchinjo

20 July 2012

Sports minister David Coltart says he will assist the Zimbabwe rugby team in its fundraising drive to fulfil this year’s edition of the annual Victoria Cup with Uganda and Kenya.

The Sables, who were crowned new African champions after narrowly beating Uganda 22-18 in the Confederation of African Rugby (Car) Group 1A final in Tunisia last weekend, are battling to defend their Victoria Cup title due to lack of funds, leaving their participation in the tournament hanging in the balance.

Coltart, who heaped praise on the new African champions at a function upon arrival from Tunisia on Tuesday, has come out in full support of team.

“I have already been in touch with the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) and I said I’m prepared to negotiate with prospective sponsors to get the team to play,” Coltart told the Daily News yesterday.

“That’s the measure that has been taken. I will be having meetings as soon as possible with commercial companies and ZRU.”

“The proposal is not solely on the Victoria Cup, I have asked them ZRU to present a roadmap for (2015) World Cup qualification. The Victoria Cup is the immediate priority, but you can only get substantial funding if the plan is beyond the Victoria Cup.

“From a sponsors’ perspective, the World Cup gets a lot of coverage. Sponsors would want to see a viable strategy to get to the World Cup. If we just go to sponsors with the narrow framework of the Victoria Cup, I’m not sure if we will have takers.”

The Victoria Cup, however, gives Zimbabwe an opportunity to consistently play at test level ahead of the last round of World Cup qualifiers in 2014, a point noted by Coltart.

Before the Victoria Cup was launched in 2010, the Sables struggled to string together a decent amount of international games in a year, which left players terribly out of depth at that level of competition in the few games they played.

“We can’t just look at it in isolation,” Coltart said.

“It’s part of the process in our World Cup qualification strategy.”

Coltart also urged Zimbabwean rugby authorities to strength ties with South African provincial unions in order to secure regular competitive matches for the team as a way of professionalising the game in the country.

“The Victoria Cup and even the Africa Cup cost a lot of money,” he said.

“We have South Africa right at the border and we must utilise that. We have to get more game time for the team. We have to professionalise and ensure that players spend more time playing rugby, better diet and more time in the gym. I’m told the reason why Uganda were bigger than us is that they spend more time in the gym.”

Coltart re-emphasised the need to bring back more of Zimbabwe’s exiled rugby players back into the national fold.

“We have to bring back some more internationally-based players,” he said.

“Clearly, there are other Zimbabweans playing top level rugby elsewhere. It will give us a bigger pool to select from. We have a lot of top-class players outside the country playing at a decent level, not international rugby, but club and provincial rugby. We have to build a decent pool ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.” Zimbabwe’s success in the last two years has also been attributed to some extent, to the integration of former youth internationals into the senior national side in recent times.

“We also have to try and retain players,” Coltart said.

“What Brendan Dawson has done is to bring youngsters into the team. If you see our performances at the Under 20 level, you will see that it is world-class. At senior level, sides like Russia and Japan are ranked in the Top 20 in the world.

“We are ranked 29, but at Under 20 level we beat Russia (at the recent IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy) and really should have beaten Japan (in the first game of the tournament). That’s an indication that we have to try to maintain youngsters.

“The reason we can’t retain these youngsters is that they can’t play here as amateurs. It’s dangerous to play rugby at international level as an amateur if you don’t have proper diet and do not spend time in the gym. It underpins the need to make rugby more professional.”

In line with ZRU’s efforts to popularise the game, Coltart also advised the union to invest in a spacious venue for future international games.

“We have to get rugby back to a national stadium,” Coltart said.

“In the past, rugby was played at the Police Grounds. I’d like to see a ground like Police Grounds re-established. I’m told by the president of the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (John Falkenberg) that if we play at a bigger ground funding from IRB will increase. Hartsfield in Bulawayo also need refurbishment to bring it back to international standards.”

StarAfrica.com

19 July 2012

Zimbabwe’s Sables are among the world’s top 30 Rugby teams according to the most recent rankings released by the International Rugby Board (IRB).

In statement on Facebook, the country’s Minister of Education, Sport, Art and Culture, David Coltart, has congratulated the team on their performance in the just ended African Championship, which they won while encouraging them to go on to the World Cup.

“Congratulations Sables. Well done to Brendan Dawson and his merry men,” he said “Next stop . . . World Cup.”

Fans of the club are very happy with the team’s recent performance.

“Entering the top 30 in the world is a significant achievement for the teams as it is a move closer to reclaiming the position of the second highest ranked in Africa after South Africa” said a statement from Dominus Sport, the club’s marketing agent.

TheSouthAfrican.com

By Jennifer Munro

18 July 2012

Young Zimbabwean girls are set to receive a better education thanks to the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed) programme that was launched by MDC Senator David Coltart in Guruve last week. A British agency, the UK Department for International Development, has unveiled a US$19 million bursary fund to support the project for 24,000 disadvantaged secondary schoolgirls throughout Zimbabwe.

In her remarks at the launch ceremony, Angeline Murimirwa from Camfed, implementors of the programme, said the initiative is meant to break the vicious cycle of poverty commonly associated with the girl child, by ensuring the provision of basic education.

The principle on which Camfed was founded is that education can change everything.

Research shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, 24 million girls can’t afford to go to school. A girl may marry as young as 13, and has a one in 22 chance of dying in childbirth. One in six of her children will die before the age of five. The research also shows all that can be turned around by education: Girls with educations regularly earn up to 25% more, and reinvest 90% of their earnings in their families. They are three times less likely to become HIV-positive, and they have fewer, healthier children who are 40% more likely to live past the age of five.

Since 1993, Camfed has fought poverty and Aids by educating girls and empowering young women. Nearly 1.5 million children in impoverished areas of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana and Malawi have benefited from the innovative education programs.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said, “Investing in girls and women is likely to prevent intergenerational cycles of poverty and yield high economic and societal returns.”

Camfed believe every child has the right to an education, and they help girls throughout their development from primary school to adulthood, providing fees, books, equipment, counselling and encouragement.

Coltart has been a human rights lawyer in Zimbabwe since his return to the country in 1983. He was first elected to represent the Bulawayo South House of Assembly constituency in June 2000, and was re-elected in March 2005. In March 2008 he was elected as a Senator to represent the Khumalo Senatorial constituency in Bulawayo. Senator Coltart was sworn in as Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture in February 2009.

In his address at the ceremony, Coltart said the gesture by the UK Department for International Development is a positive move towards improving relations between the two countries, strained by the imposition of sanctions by Britain and her western allies.

Details: http://uk.camfed.org

The campaign for the education of the girl child in Zimbabwe received a major boost last week, after the UK’s Department for International Development gave $19 million to the education ministry to educate girls.

In his keynote address at the function to hand over the money, Education Minister David Coltart lamented the current budget allocation by treasury, saying the $2 per child per month for the education of the child was “a pathetic amount that is not enough to cover the needs of educating a child”. The $19 million is expected to provide bursaries for 24,000 girls for four years.

Oswald Madziva, the Education Coalition of Zimbabwe Board Chairperson and Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Programmes and Communication Officer, expressed concern over lack of budget tracking initiatives to rule out resource leakages and ensure accountability and transparency in the administration of the money. He criticised “the tendency to promote a closed and insulated bureaucratic approach in how these funds are disbursed and utilised” adding that “Stakeholder participation is limited and their involvement in contributing to the execution of these public funds is scarce.”

Madziva said that teachers’ organizations, despite being side-lined, have vast information on how these resources might be effectively utilized for the benefit of the intended beneficiaries – children. He welcomed DFID’s contribution but expressed concern that the money might not be used to best advantage. “Ministry officials have a tendency to hold a lot of ‘workshops’ – they sometimes become so frequent that you realise that these civil servants have devised a way to augment their meagre salaries through per diems and accommodation allowances attending endless workshops.”

He said communities must be assisted to find out how they can access such funds because lack of information is a major barrier to effective and equitable resource allocation to communities.

“It does not make any sense for the government to receive such a big donation and then it fails to popularise the availability of such funds to its citizens,” he said. “The presence of a clear information architecture packaged for all stakeholders in all the vernacular languages will ensure transparent administration of these donations.” Madziva lamented the existence of too many centres of power in the governance of schools as another key deterrent to effective utilisation of donor funding. “There are too many centres of power within schools. The Headman, School Development Committees (SDCs), councillors, village heads, politicians and the education ministry officials among others all have competing priorities over how schools should be run.”

He said this situation had been worsened by political polarisation in most parts of the country. A social commentator who is also a retired lecturer said donations were critical for the development of education. Rachael Masunda (75) said quality and excellence in the education sector should encompass all aspects including teacher training and remuneration. “Most qualified teachers shun rural schools because of poor accommodation facilities and failure by communities to pay incentives,” she said, adding that government should come up with strategies to “avert such unequal discrepancies” and ensure that urban and rural children have equal education opportunities.

NewsDay

17 July 2012

Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC) chief executive Anna Mguni has defended the composition of officials accompanying the Zimbabwe team at the Olympic Games in London.

Questions have been raised over the high number of officials in the delegation for the Games, who in this case double the number of athletes who will represent the country. The official delegation for the Games released by ZOC last week has seven athletes and 14 officials including the ZOC president Admire Masenda and Mguni.

The delegation will also include the Minister of Education Sports Arts and Culture David Coltart and three ZOC guests: Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda, Sports and Recreation Commission chairman Joseph James and the principal director in Coltart’s ministry Paul Damasane.

“I don’t believe that we have more officials than athletes in the delegation to the Olympics Games.
We have an entourage which includes coaches for all the disciplines where we are represented, the physiotherapists, the Press attaché and I believe it’s proportional to the athletes who have qualified.

“In addition we have the chef de mission Busi Chindove, and we have had to appoint an assistant chef de mission as we have a peculiar situation where rowing will take place away from where the other disciplines will be held. As for the ZOC chief executive and president, I think it is because of the high nature of the games. If it was the Warriors who have qualified for the World Cup I don’t think it would be an issue of if Cuthbert Dube and Jonathan Mashingaidze were part of the delegation.”

Mguni also highlighted that her association was entitled to have invited guests depending on the number of qualified athletes and in this case they had invited three guests.