The Chronicle

12 October 2011

Government has pledged meaningful support to Zifa so that the national team is thoroughly prepared and qualifies for future tournaments.

Speaking at a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the mother body and the parent ministry for grassroots development, Minister of Education, Sports and Culture David Coltart admitted that it has not been a smooth partnership between the two.

“Our relationship has not been a consistent well-planned relationship, but that must change. Government has a role to play. We are cognisant of Fifa rules not to be involved in the intricate details. I believe in the future we will not only qualify for Africa Cup of Nations but World Cup as well.

“The Ministry is determined to help Zifa but we simply have to develop strategy to ensure this magnificent tem qualifies in the future,” said Coltart.

The Minister added that the up coming football indaba scheduled for next month which will involve the ministry and all the stakeholders should map the way forward.

“I have been wanting to have the workshop for some time and happy we have agreed to have it by end of November. Then we will have the roadmap which will govern the relationship. I need to underscore this cannot be Government only. We need to get sponsors for the  national team,” said Coltart.

Coltart believes the Warriors with better travel arrangements could have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations.

“Had we been able to plan better as a nation we may have been able to perform better in Cape Verde. Because of the delays in organising flight tickets the team only came together 48 hours before the match and no team can be expected to perform well under such circumstances.

“The problems didn’t start in Cape Verde this weekend but goes back to last year when there was chaos with coaches. It affected the momentum we had created,” said Coltart.

Turning to the Fifa grassroots development programme, which will see the world governing body channelling out training equipment to primary schools, Coltart said the ministry would be supportive.

“I think this agreement is important. We will not explore the potential if we don’t start at grassroots. There has been in the past, a disconnection between Sports and Culture. And the key component is to integrate sports and culture and the Principal Director is pursuing the project which will complement the curriculum,” said Coltart.

Zimbabwe together with seven other African countries have been selected by Fifa for the pilot project which is meant to develop grassroot football.

And the mother body have been waiting for endorsement of the project by Government before distributing the equipment and resources to schools for the project meant for 6-12 year olds.

Zifa board member, Elliot Kasu said the project will involve teachers as well as parents.

“The pilot project will start in Harare before spreading to all ten provinces. Fifa will come in with the support via equipment and training programmes to teacher training in coaching and refereeing.

“It is targeting primary schools and there would much involvement of Naph, Nash and local authorities.

“We got the project because of the confidence Fifa now have in us. This can be seen by the visits we have been getting from Fifa, said Kasu.

Daily News

By Dakarai Mashava

12 October 2011

Harare - Sports Minister David Coltart has attributed the Warriors’ failure to qualify for the 2012 Africa Nations Cup (Afcon) to the bungling Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa).

Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the finals to be held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year after finishing third in Group A behind Mali and Cape Verde respectively.

The Warriors fate was sealed with a 2-1 defeat away to Cape Verde last Saturday in a match the team was let down by some shambolic defending from captain Method Mwanjali.

Coltart was speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Zifa and the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture in Harare yesterday.

“The problem didn’t occur in Cape Verde. It dates back to the build-up to the first game,” Coltart said.

“The chaos that surrounded the appointment of the coaches undermined the team. But having said that we need to learn and move on.”

Zifa took time to appoint a substantive coach after the resignation of Sunday Chidzambwa who quit to join South African top flight side Free State Stars.

After a lot of debate within the Zifa board, Belgian Tom Seintfiet was finally appointed, but the decision left a fractured board.

Seintfiet was, however, deported after working with the Warriors for only one day when Zifa failed to secure a work permit for him shortly before the home match against Cape Verde.

In the end Zifa appointed Norman Mapeza and Madinda Ndlovu as joint coaches for that match, which ended in a disappointing 0-0 draw at the National Sports Stadium.

Coltart added that he was happy that Zifa has finally agreed to hold an indaba of all football stakeholders that will look at the financing and administration of soccer.

“We simply have to get the financing of football better organised. There has to be a collaborative exercise by all stakeholders to ensure that football financing is put on a sound footing,” he said.

“We have to bring together all the stakeholders that drain football finances like city councils.

“The last minute panicking where Zifa has continually sought assistance from Government at the last minute must stop. Had we gone in camp at least two weeks earlier before the Cape Verde game, the team would have performed better.”

Chaos that surrounded the appointment of the coaches undermined the team.

Daily News

12 October 2011

It was eerily coincidental that as many parts of the country were washed with early rain last week, memories of another gukurahundi saw the light of day.

New evidence of what President Mugabe called “a moment of madness” have emerged in Matabeleland in the past few days. It was “a moment of madness” which occurred nearly 30 years ago in which an estimated 20 000 thousand men, women and children were slaughtered by the Fifth Brigade in the early 1980’s.

Most Zimbabweans and human rights organisations call this mass murder the Gukarahundi, a Shona word meaning the early rain that comes after threshing; the rain that washes the chaff away from the grain.

Thousands of victims of the Gukurahundi were dumped in mine shafts, shallow pits and mass graves in Matabeleland and the Midlands and there they have stayed for the last three decades.

The discovery last week of one of these mass graves, found in a school playground, has come as extremely disturbing news. Playing football at St Paul Secondary School in Lupane, students found human bones sticking up out of the ground where the soil had subsided, in two places.

It is impossible to imagine the shock and horror of the students or what their parents and teachers then had to tell them by way of explanation at their discovery.

The MDC Minister of National Healing, Moses Mzila Ndlovu said that local villagers in the area explained that St Paul and many other schools nearby were used by the Fifth Brigade as detention points in the early 1980’s.

The Minister said:“Dozens of people were detained, interrogated and executed before their bodies were dumped in mass graves dug up by the detainees.”

Mzila Ndlovu went on to describe the grave under the St Paul School football field as measuring 5 x 5 metres and thought to contain between thirty and sixty bodies.

The National Healing Minister talked about the need for people to be able to tell the story of what happened to their friends and relatives and decisions made about shrines, memorials and locations for reburials.

Mzila Ndlovu said forensic exhumations were essential and that counsellors and psychologists needed to be involved in order to help people deal with this terrible trauma.

Commenting on the grim discovery, Education Minister David Coltart said that there were numerous mass graves to be found in Matabeleland. He said the recent exposure at St Paul School highlighted the need for “a meaningful process of truth-telling and reconciliation.”

Minister Coltart said that archaeologists and anthropologists should be involved in the process of recovery and reburial of bodies from mass graves. He said local communities must be involved as these are the remains of their loved ones and that local customs, traditions and rituals needed to be observed.

Contacted by the Daily News for comment, President Mugabe’s spokesman, George Charamba, had a very different viewpoint to those given by Ministers Mzila Ndlovu and Coltart.

Asked to give the government’s position on the newly discovered mass grave under a school football field, Charamba said: “You are a crazy young man. President Mugabe said it was a moment of madness, that is all I can tell you.”

Thanks to Tel One’s vision in providing accessible broadband Internet connections, the facts and reports on the Gukurahundi can now be found with just two simple clicks on a computer keypad. Quicker than it takes to type the words “a moment of madness,” anyone can now find and read of a mass murder that remains a festering wound in the heart of our nation 30 years after it happened.

Zimbabwean Rugby interviews David Coltart

12 October 2011

1. Do you think the instability of Zimbabwe as a nation has contributed to elite Zimbabwean-born rugby players turning out for other countries (E.G. David Pocock with Australia, Tendai Mtawarira for South Africa)? I think it is partly the instability but mainly because we have not professionalised the sport in Zimbabwe – of course that is directly linked to the economic collapse the country has suffered in the last 10 years.

2. One criticism of the Zimbabwean rugby system is that there’s no gateway for emerging players. In South Africa they have high-school, Craven Week, Vodacom Cup, Currie Cup, Sevens and Super Rugby before they reach Springbok level. Are there any moves to create a system similar to this in Zimbabwe? There are moves to resuscitate club rugby and to try to get Zimbabwe playing in one of the lower leagues in SA – with the idea being that we can then progress with the hope that one day we will play Currie Cup again.

3. All things considered, it’s a great achievement that the Zimbabwe Under-20 boys have qualified for the 2012 IRB Junior Rugby World Trophy. Did this surprise you – and if so why – or were you always quietly confident? I was not surprised because our schoolboy rugby is still very strong – I think the strongest in Africa outside of SA itself – the Cottco tournament held every may is one of the largest schoolboy tournaments in the world. Our problem is that we have not been able to retain this schoolboy talent which has gone on to benefit other Nations.

4. How do you anticipate the Under 20 boys will go at the 2012 IRB Junior Rugby World Trophy? Are you expecting them to compete for silverware? If you look at our performances this year against Canada, Russia, Georgia etc you will see that although we lost we were not far off their standard. I think we will become increasingly competitive – it may too early to expect silverware next year but it will come our way in the next few years.

5. In your opinion, what resources are needed to improve the state of Zimbabwean rugby as a whole? Is there a need for more professional coaches? Fundamentally we need the national economy to recover so that commercial sponsors will come back. Without that sponsorship we cannot retain players. Of course we also need professional coaches which is an areas of weakness at present. Jake White was in Zimbabwe recently and when I met him he was deeply concerned about the poor standard of coaching in Zimbabwe, certainly at schoolboy level. He comment was that we have immense talent which is not being exploited properly.

6. The Zimbabwe Sables senior rugby side is currently ranked #35 in the world. As we move towards the 2015 Rugby World Cup, do you think there’s a big possibility Zimbabwe could feature at this event? Zimbabwe should play regularly at the World Cup. I would argue that at schoolboy level we have much more depth than Namibia – if we can keep these youngsters and coach them more professionally we should easily be able to outperform Namibia in future and make the second African slot our own.

7. What are some issues currently halting the development of Rugby in Zimbabwe and what moves are being made to overcome these? Our major problem is finance which I have spoken about already. We need to get the correct government policies in place before the economy will fully recover – when that happens a lot of other things will fall into place.

8. Do you think people like Pocock and Mtawarira inspire younger Zimbabweans who play rugby to continue with the game? Would you say it proves they can make it and have a profound impact on the game professionally? There is no doubt that Pocock, Mtawarira and Ngwenya (who plays for the US) are inspirational  – along with the many other who play club and provincial rugby in other nations to a very high standard. If we were able to choose a select side of all those who learnt the game in Zimbabwe we would be able to compete at Currie Cup level even now. That reminds youngsters that we do have that potential.

9. Do you keep a keen eye on Zimbabweans who are professional rugby players abroad? I do but at present it hard to attract them back because we simply cannot compete with the contracts they have at present.

10. In ten years time, where would you like to see Zimbabwean rugby to be overall in terms of progress? If we can settle the country politically it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Zimbabwe could be back playing Currie Cup and regularly qualifying for the World Cup in 10 years time. Our ultimate goal must be to try to field a side that could play Super Rugby. We will never of course be as strong as the top Rugby nations but there is no reason why we should not aspire to play at the same level as say Italy. We used to be far better than Romania and the depth of our schoolboy rugby should enable us to get back up there.

Financial Gazette

By Ray Ndlovu

12 October 2011

BULAWAYO – As signs indicate Zimbabwe could be headed for fresh polls in March or the third quarter of 2012, the country’s second largest city has emerged as an important centre of an intense power struggle among the country’s four main political parties as they jostle for the political hearts and minds of the residents of Matabeleland.

There is a school of thought that the next polls could be decided in Matabeleland, particularly Bulawayo, the region’s commercial capital, presently reeling from perceived de-industrialisation and deliberate marginalisation.

ZANU-PF, which surrendered the entire Bulawayo constituency and large parts of Matabeleland in 2000 to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, is seen using the party’s annual December conference slatted for the city as its launch pad for the fresh polls.

The MDC-T, which has maintained an octopus-like grip on the city, has recently been all over Bulawayo and its hinterland to ensure it secures a clean sweep in the next polls.

MDC officials say they are geared to grab all the contested seats in Bulawayo and the entire Matabeleland region this time around. The party recently launched its provincial election campaign for next’s year’s presidential polls.

Not to be outdone has been Tsvangirai’s nemesis, Welshman Ncube, leader of the MDC who has initiated weekly rallies in Bulawayo and the rest of the Matabeleland region.

The revived ZAPU is also vigorously marketing itself: It has stated its intention of fielding candidates in all the constituencies in the region.

ZAPU, like the MDC-T, held its congress in Bulawayo last year in August as the party sought to establish a political base.

Political players in the region and analysts say there were strong signals that Bulawayo has become a vital match-maker and a source of votes ahead of the elections.

Methuseli Moyo, the ZAPU spokesperson, said there was definitely a scramble for Matabeleland, claiming the region has become strategic.

He said every political party now recognised that Bulaw-ayo could either make or break their ambitions.

“No political party can afford any longer to ignore Bulawayo and that is why we have also seen ZANU-PF speedily moving into the region,” said Moyo.

With a host of problems already besetting Matabel-eland that include; a crippling drought in Matabeleland South, the massive de-industrialisation of Bulawayo and the ongoing emotive debate on the 1980’s Gukurahundi atrocities, political observers see Bulawayo as “providing fodder” for intense electioneering.

Nearly 87 companies have shut down in Bulawayo since 2010 and an estimated 20 000 workers were affected by the closures.

Votes in the second city are likely to be swayed by the competing parties’ ability to address the scale of Bulawayo’s economic stagnation.

At its December conference, ZANU-PF is seen leaning on its indigenisation programme to garner votes in Bulawayo.

Isaac Dakamela, the ZANU-PF provincial chairperson, said the party was ready to reclaim the city in the next polls, adding that the conference in Bulawayo would be an eye-opener for the residents of the city.

“We look forward to the December conference as it will be an eye opener to people and will make the party more visible ahead of elections. The company closures in the city are a result of sanctions, but ZANU-PF through the indigenisation (programme) will revive industries,” said Dakamela.

Absalom Sikhosana, the ZANU-PF national secretary for youth affairs, a resident of the city, added his voice on the issue.

“As youths, our mission is to peacefully mobilise and vote for ZANU-PF during next year’s elections. Once ZANU-PF is out of power there is no indigenisation to talk about,” he said.

Bulawayo East MDC-T legislator, Tabitha Khumalo, said the premier’s party was not resting on its laurels and was working hard to consolidate its stranglehold of the city and its hinterland.

“Voters from Bulawayo are loyal and they are known to stand firmly on a political decision that is why politicians are scrambling into the region. It’s unfortunate that ZANU-PF is trying to use the empowerment issue to hoodwink voters from Bulawayo. It is because of ZANU-PF’s failure to address the long-standing concerns that Bulawayo has had for the past 31 years that has resulted in the stagnation of the city,” said the outspoken MDC-T legislator.

Listed as part of the region’s concerns are the 1980’s Gukurahundi killings, which the opposition parties are coalescing around to stoke tensions against ZANU-PF in the upcoming elections and cause an upset at the polls.

As noted by a recent WikiLeaks 2009 diplomatic cable by United States envoy, Charles Ray, the Matabeleland region has “distrust and hatred” for President Mugabe’s ZANU-PF as a result of Gukurahundi.

Ambassador Ray said: “We were surprised that 31 years after Gukurahundi, many of our interlocutors continue to refer to it with seemingly fresh anger and bitterness at wounds that were never healed.

“Apart from the pain of the loss of loved ones, they remember that security officials refused to allow many families to hold memorial ceremonies for their relatives who were killed in Gukur-ahundi.”

The MDC-T has now promised to compensate all the victims of political violence and also deal with the Gukurahundi issue as it seeks to gain political mileage out of it.

In the 2008 elections, the MDC-T won all of the city’s 12 House of Assembly seats, six of the seven Senate seats and 26 of the 29 councillors in the Bulawayo City Council.

The Ncube-led MDC has one senator; David Coltart and three councillors.

While ZANU-PF’s presence in Bulawayo has not been magnified, the party is said to be strategising behind closed doors at Davies Hall, the provincial headquarters of the party in the city.
The take-over of disused city buildings and other properties owned by whites and residents of Asian origin are seen as part of ZANU-PF’s strategy to lure the youths to its fold. Nhlanhla Dube, the spokesperson for the MDC, said the party’s visibility on the ground was well-documented in Matabeleland, saying the green colours of the party were everywhere in the region.

“We are not moved by perceptions that our rallies are a flop. How do you explain the defections from MDC-T to our party in recent months? To us, it is a sign of popularity of the MDC that we are doing the right things,” said Dube.

But despite what is perceived by observers as a vigorous attempt by the MDC to push into Bulawayo and the Matabeleland region through its weekly rallies, Khumalo of the MDC-T said: “Ncube is not a threat and we are not worried by all his attempts to win voters.”

ZAPU has also laid into the MDC strategy to canvass for votes in the city and the region, describing his party’s weekly rallies as “panic signs”.

Newsday

By Kevin Mapasure

12 October 2011

After successfully hosting the Cosafa Women’s tournament coupled with the senior national team’s success on the continent, Zifa has been offered a chance to host the African Women’s Championships next year.

Zifa board member (finance) Elliot Kasu announced at a Press conference on Tuesday that they had received an offer letter from Confederation of African Football (Caf) to stage the continental showcase in October next year.

According to him, Caf in that letter outlined the requirements which include a government guarantee and promised to give Zimbabwe the right to host bigger African tournaments such as the men’s version — if they do well on this one.

“To show their appreciation and confidence in the current administration, they have written to us offering us the opportunity to host the Caf women’s tournament,” said Kasu.

“This is also because of the way we staged the Cosafa tournament, which was a success.”

Minister of Education, Arts, Sports and Culture, David Coltart, who was at the same function made a promise that the government would take up the offer.

“We will wait for formal comunication on that, but it is government policy that we should host such events so that we improve the image of the country and improve tourism.”

The qualifiers of next year’s finals are set for January next year, but if Zifa can get a government guarantee and take up the offer, the Mighty Warriors, who are the reigning Cosafa champions, will be spared the qualifying phase as hosts.

The Press briefing witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Zifa and the ministry over a Fifa project to develop football at the grassroots.

Zimbabwe is one of eight African countries that will benefit from a project that will see Fifa invest in primary schools, targeting the 6-12-year age group.

Schools will benefit from financial resources, equipment and training that will be provided by Fifa.

Zimbabwe is one of eight countries that will start getting support as the programme gets underway.

Newsday

By Dumisani O Nkomo

12 October 2011

The height of the Zimbabwean crisis saw the Zimbabwean economy shrink by a third, unemployment ballooning to over 75%, health, education and other basic services to all intents and purposes collapsing.

I would like to suggest that while the inclusive government in spite of its inconclusive birth and inconclusive operations has brought a measure of socio economic stability.

We should not forget that at the height of the crisis schools were closed for almost a full year with teachers on strike and government departments were in perpetual go slow mode due to inadequate remuneration, poor work ethics, endemic corruption and chronic incapacity to deliver.

In order to move forward as a country we have to take stock of the incremental changes that have occurred over the past three years even though this has not translated into steady economic growth, infrastructural development, increased access to basic services, increased wages and salaries accompanied by betterment in standards of living.

We are still many years from achieving socio economic transformation as the country is still in socio economic and political transition and is likely to be in such a state for a while even beyond new elections and a new constitution.

Change is not an event but a process and a painful one too. While it may be easy to change the faces of those who are ruling, delivering real change which impacts lives and livelihoods is a difficult proposition.

The economy has stabilised but it may take five or so years before we experience real economic growth and another ten to fifteen years before such economic growth is necessarily accompanied by corresponding positive human development indicators such as access to health services, water, electricity, housing and a decent standard of living.

We have to understand that change of government may happen speedily but transformation takes a longer time. Politically, the constitution-making process may give birth to a new constitution but the process of grounding the new constitutional institutions, processes and values will take time as these are subject to the evolution of political culture and behavior.

Likewise it will take time to change the work ethic of government departments and service providers and to all intents and purposes a new government may not practically translate to a change in the bureaucrats that run government.

I would like to suggest that the inclusive government has brought in some new fresh brains, some positive policies and for the first time several ministers who are actually accountable to the people.

This off course has been blighted by the “Luxurygate scandal” which saw the government recklessly, callously and carelessly splashing millions of dollars on luxury vehicles for government ministers and expenditure on what Finance Minister Tendai Biti describes as “useless things’’ such as foreign travel.

There is however, a silver lining in the cloud and at times it is that which should give us hope. A new breed of ministers has injected new ideas, energy and policies in the past couple of years.

These have included the likes of Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, Gorden Moyo, Professor Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, David Coltart and Walter Mzembi. Even the controversial Professor Arthur Mutambara has come with some good ideas on private–public partnerships.

These ministers from across the political divide have achieved some incredible measurable deliverables under very prohibitive circumstances.

These deliverables include but are not limited to:

The possible, probable and potential resuscitation of the iron and steel industry through a strategic partnership deal with foreign investors. The recovery of the iron and steel industry will have a ripple effect industry and the economy at large.

The allocation of US$40 million to ailing industries in Bulawayo largely through the efforts of Industry and Commerce Minister Ncube with the able support of Moyo and Biti with the consent of the entire cabinet.

The formulation of a corporate governance framework for parastatals and state enterprises.

Marginally improved fiscal discipline under Tendai Biti who has irked some of his colleagues in the MDC-T and Zanu PF for his tight-fisted control over the country’s finances.

In very difficult political circumstances epitomised by the emergence of divergent centres of power, conflicting government policy, uncertainty, selective application of the law as well as lack of institutional reform the country has still managed to move forward albeit at snail pace.

However, if viewed in the context of both history and posterity, the country is making incremental strides forward which will only be measurable with hindsight in ten to fifteen years.

Admittedly, the inclusive government has been a spectacular failure in implementing over twenty provisions of the Global Political Agreement including:

The setting up of an all-inclusive economic advisory body.

Failure to institute an independent land audit.

Liberalisation of the airwaves.

An effective and ornamental national healing organ and dysfunctional institutional framework.

Institutional reform.

Selective application of the law and partisan policing by law enforcement agencies.

The socio economic agenda of the inclusive government has also operated in fits and starts with the Short Term Emergency Recovery Programme [S.T.E.R.P] the G.N.U’s economic blueprint being replaced by the Medium Term Policy before it had fully achieved its objectives.

At this period in time in the life of the shaky inclusive government it would be immature and subjective to claim that the GNU is a total failure or a total success.

It would be politically and factually naïve as well as irresponsible to describe the Inclusive Government in absolutes rather the inclusive government has presented the country with breathing space to recover from the pre 2008 madness then stabilize and once again move forward.

Obviously the Inclusive government is not permanent and is likely to come to an end by 2013 but in the absence of viable options it appears to be the only practical solution for the next 12 or so months.

A post G.N.U government should be able build on the successes of the I.G without the hindrances of conflicting and confusing centers of power. The Inclusive Government can best be described in the words of Charles Dickens:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was an age of wisdom, it was an age of foolishness, it was an epoch of belief, it was an epoch of incredulity, it was a spring of hope, it was a winter of despair, we had everything before us we had nothing before us.”

Dumisani O Nkomo is an activist and Chief Executive Officer of Habakkuk Trust

Newsday

By Sukoluhle Mthethwa

11 October 2011

Zifa has agreed to meet Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister David Coltart after he wrote a letter seeking audience with various stakeholders to discuss issues relating to the administration of revenue generated during football matches in the country.

Coltart said he received communication from the then acting Zifa president Ndumiso Gumede ten days ago.

“I wrote to Zifa last year congratulating them on their coming on board and requested a meeting with them. But I received communication from Gumede saying they want to have the meeting where the issue of tacking financing of football in the country will be discussed,” he said.

Coltart said dates had not been set for the meeting, but said they were hoping to have the meeting soon in Harare.

“We want to have a workshop that will involve different stakeholders who include Zifa, players, coaches, potential sponsors, city councils as well as the Zimbabwe Republic Police. They have a role in football so we want to have the meeting soon,” he said.

He said the meeting will also see the discussion of accountability on the funds raised from gate-takings.

“We need to look at how income generated from football is used. We also need to ensure gate-takings are properly receipted and discuss what percentage each stakeholder can get from the funds,” he said.

Coltart said it is high time the country finds a solution to ensure there are funds to cater for national assignments.

“What is happening in Zimbabwe football is unacceptable. The air fares for the national team have to come from the government and that is unacceptable. We need to ensure that our football is profitable as it is in other countries. We have to be professional if we are to achieve that,” he said.

Gumede confirmed they have communicated with Coltart with regards to the meeting.

“We sat down and discussed the matter and we agreed that it is important we have the meeting. The meeting will be aimed at improving capacity as Zifa must be in a position to stand on its own,” he said.

Coltart had earlier posted on his Facebook page about the Warriors 2-1 to Cape Verde Islands on Saturday.

“I am saddened by the loss of Zimbabwe against Cape Verde this weekend and our consequent failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. So very frustrating when one considers the depth of footballing talent in Zimbabwe.

“But the problem was actually made last year when there was the disgraceful disruption to the coaching team days before the home match against Cape Verde.

“The only positive news is that Zifa have finally agreed to my offer of holding an indaba to discuss the financing of football in Zimbabwe.

“It is time we got football sorted out as we can still qualify for the 2014 World Cup — if we get our act together,” reads his post.

The Scotsman

By Jane Fields

10 October 2011

Amnesty International’s latest report on the lack of education in Zimbabwe’s slum areas makes depressing reading but it shouldn’t detract from the determination of many teachers and parents to give children a chance to learn in the grimmest of circumstances.

Amnesty says thousands of children are being “forced to grow up without access to education” as a result of Robert Mugabe’s shanty clearances in May 2005. Believed to be a plot by Mugabe’s cronies to rid Zimbabwe’s cities of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters in the wake of humiliating gains by Morgan Tsvangirai in March elections, Operation Murambatsvina (Drive-Out-The-Filth) left 700,000 without homes or jobs. Six years on, many have simply reconstructed their shacks in new “settlements”, where they live without access to public transport, jobs or proper education.

The slum clearances had a terrible impact on Zimbabwe’s poorest children. Former teacher Trudy Stevenson, now Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Senegal, recalls that a school in Hatcliffe Extension, an impoverished area of her Harare constituency, was “not so much destroyed as vandalised and cleared out during Murambatsvina.” Some pupils transferred to a primary school in a nearby township. But their now-destitute parents “couldn’t afford even the basic requirements of that school. [There were] lots of dropouts,” she told The Scotsman.

But it wasn’t just shanty-dwelling schoolchildren who were affected by Zimbabwe’s ten years of crisis. Schooling was so disrupted during 2008 that by October some pupils had had only 23 days of lessons.

Last week, a domestic science teacher told me she’d finished school after dark two days running. School is traditionally a mornings-only affair in tropical Zimbabwe, although “hot-seating” to cater for excess pupils means lessons can drag on into the afternoons. The late finish was due to a power cut, meaning my contact’s township pupils couldn’t start their O-level practicals on time. So she, the teenagers and their invigilator sat and waited for hours until the power flicked on.

The Herald newspaper recently carried a profile of teacher Jena Mandivava, who works in the remote central Gwamasaka area. Mr Mandivava lives in poverty, with no hope of pocketing the extra “incentives” that parents pay to urban teachers. But he gives free holiday lessons to his pupils. “First and foremost, a teacher must have children at heart,” he said. No wonder education minister David Coltart last week praised rural-based teachers “for their commitment to educate pupils under deplorable conditions”.

The teachers I’ve met are almost all eloquent, dignified professionals, which may be why they get targeted by Zanu-PF. Last month, the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe complained that Mugabe supporters were interfering with history lessons, forcing teachers to parrot Zanu-PF propaganda.

The Zimbabwean

By Tavada Mafa

10 October, 2011

Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart has ordered Mash East Provincial Education Director to produce a detailed report of school children and teachers who were evicted by ex-communicated Anglican church leader Nolbert Kunonga in Mrewa.

“I have instructed the Mashonaland East Provincial Education Director to prepare a report detailing what happened to the teachers, headmasters and children. I got a very disturbing report that teachers were physically beaten up. This is very disturbing as it affects lives of school children,” said Coltart in an interview this week.

Kunonga evicted headmasters, teachers and priests for allegedly aligning themselves with the diocese of his arch-rival, Chad Gandiya.

“I have said time and again that politics should stay out of schools. What is happening in the Anglican Church is not religious – it is politics,” Coltart said.