Zimbabwe Independent

12 February 2016

ZIMBABWE risks losing out on international relief assistance after government’s late declaration of a state of disaster in the wake of the El Nino induced drought, which has left nearly three million people requiring urgent food aid.

This comes amid indications that most international relief agencies have already committed their resources to countries that quickly moved to declare state of disasters.
At least 30 million people will need food aid in southern Africa alone, but the figure could rise to 40 million.

Zimbabwe needs about US$1, 5 billion to avert hunger and has appealed to the international community, local business people, civil society, churches and humanitarian organisations to assist with food.

The government last week belatedly declared the drought a national disaster, but by that time many other countries in the region had already done so, resulting in international relief agencies committing their resources elsewhere.

This means that the country will not get as much assistance as it would have got had it declared a national disaster earlier.

The government dithered despite being implored to do so from various quarters including the European Union’s ambassador Philippe Van Damme and former education minister David Coltart (as far back as just after Christmas) who spoke of the need to act speedily in light of the fierce competition for resources.

Malawi, for example, declared half the country a disaster zone early last year when floods destroyed crops, leading to a 28% fall in the staple maize crop output in 2015. South Africa in November last year declared five provinces as drought disaster areas.

Stakeholders who attended an Oxfam media briefing last Friday revealed the government’s procrastination may adversely affect the country. Oxfam is a globally renowned aid and development charity with partners in over 90 countries worldwide.

It was agreed that for instance early treatment of malnutrition in communities is eight times cheaper as compared to emergency treatments in clinics.

Christian Care director Edmore Makunura said although the declaration was welcome, its late arrival remained a challenge.

“Other countries declared earlier than us, the challenge with our situation as was in 2002, is that we normally declare a bit late for donors to mobilise and most communities would have already gone through a lot of hardship,” said Makunura.

Oxfam International executive director Winnie Byanyima said the government had made the right move by declaring a disaster given the scale of the drought.
She, however, said it would have been wiser to make the declaration earlier.

“My organisation welcomes the declaration of drought as national disaster by government. In some places, people have still not received any rains and some have not even planted yet and elsewhere they are a write-off,” Byanyima said.

“We underscore that early action to food insecurity is always more cost-effective than late response. We call on international donors to rapidly respond to this declaration and commit funding for an urgent and comprehensive response.

“Oxfam and our partners are ready to respond,” she added.

Last month Van Damme visited Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa offices where they discussed the food situation in the country among other issues. The Zimbabwean government, however, indicated that it was mobilising internal resources and was in control of the situation although aid was welcome.

“One of the issues that we discussed in that regard is that there is a lot of international competition for humanitarian aid, so it’s extremely important that the Government moves very swiftly and quantify as much as possible the extent of the challenges,” he said.

“And on that basis, they possibly consider making a declaration of humanitarian emergency because as you know some of the countries have already made the declaration. That draws the attention of the partners on the country and facilitates the mobilisation of resources.”

Byanyima said the price of white maize, a staple food in Sadc had increased by up to 40% because of poor harvests.

The most drought-affected countries in the region are Angola, Malawi, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Byanyima said Oxfam is particularly concerned about Malawi and Zimbabwe where impacts are worse. In Malawi 2,8 million people need food assistance but the number is expected to increase.

“In both countries, the governments have severe economic constraints which have impacted on their response. International organisations are responding, but much more could be done to mitigate impacts,” she said.

In other countries such as Ethiopia, the situation is extremely serious with an estimated figure of 10,2 million people requiring humanitarian help in 2016 at a cost of US$1,4 billion.

Zimbabwe requires about 1,8 million tonnes of grain for human and livestock consumption per year.

The nation produced about 800 000 tonnes of maize last season due to poor rains and flooding in some areas.

Nearly 16 000 herd of cattle in the country have died so far and villagers in some parts of Matabeleland South province can only afford one meal per day and some one meal every two days.

In 2011, a late response to food crisis in Somalia led to 258 000 deaths and massive suffering as well as loss of livelihoods in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Financial Gazette

By Andrew Kunambura

WHEN Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Lazarus Dokora, is in the news, you bet he has opened his mouth yet again to say something provocative.

It looks like the man really loves the limelight and will grab it at all cost, notwithstanding the damage it inflicts on his reputation.

He just loves being controversially topical and has used teachers as his pedestal, knowing for certain that anything that concerns these tormented professionals, is sure to attract attention.

All of Dokora’s controversial policies are so divisive that they leave many wondering what exactly he is hoping to achieve.

What’s his gripe with teachers?

In his latest proposal, Dokora plans to introduce a policy which would see teachers from schools that fail to attain an average of at least 50 percent pass rate at all examination levels having their monthly salaries cut by the same percentage for three months. Oh my goodness!

The question is: With the hope of achieving what?

The explanation proffered was very pedestrian: So that teachers can work harder in order for pupils to pass.

The announcement, as reported in a recent Sunday paper, came as the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) released 2015 Advanced Level results whose overall average pass rate was 87,6 percent.

This writer is not very much conversant with personnel management, but has some knowledge of one Abraham Maslow, who coined a theory on the hierarchy of needs.

The writer recollects that at the very base are physiological needs, which refer to the physical requirements for human survival.

If these requirements are not met, the human body cannot function properly and will ultimately fail.

As such, it follows that if physiological needs are thought to be the most important, then they should be met first.

One therefore wonders, in light of this, how Dokora’s policies, which are suitable for a military battalion than a school, would improve the education system when they de-motivate teachers.

One needs to learn that there is nothing more depressing and counter-productive at any workplace in the world than the punishment of an unwarranted salary cut.

Is it not very basic knowledge that a hungrier and angrier worker is less likely to perform to satisfaction?

Any educationist worth his/her salt will dismiss these militant policies with the utmost contempt they deserve.

The same minister is presiding over what he has termed a “revolutionary curriculum shift”, which places more emphasis on improving learning resources for a better education system and yet shooting from a very different direction altogether.

New education approaches seem to suggest that emphasis should be placed more on the learner than the facilitator and it follows that Dokora should invest more of his abundant energy on sourcing resources — textbooks, laboratory equipment for science (which he appears to have a disposition for) and information and communication technologies (ICTs) that are working wonders in other African countries and are now fast overtaking us, while we rest in the old comfort of being the most educated nation on the continent.

Before him, David Coltart had made significant developments in this respect. But Dokora’a behaviour has some underlying factors.

It should be remembered that Dokora was hauled from obscurity by President Robert Mugabe after he failed to retain his Rushinga National Assembly seat in the 2013 general elections.

He in fact, fell in the ZANU-PF primary polls, but the President picked him up from being an ordinary citizen he had relapsed into, to become a Cabinet minister in September 2013.

Hardly a year later, he would be caught up in the vicious ZANU-PF factional wars after he was accused of hobnobbing with former vice president, Joice Mujuru, who was sacked for alleged plots to dethrone President Mugabe.

Throughout this turbulent period, the Minister wittingly withdrew himself from the drama and concentrated on the curriculum review process with which he managed to fool everyone into believing that he deserved more time at the helm of the Ministry.

In between he threw ploys that kept him in the limelight and firmly in favour with President Mugabe.

The problem with this tactic is that it has to be constantly recharged and Dokora seems to have perfectly understood the game. However, he can only go so far.

Below are some of the controversial policies he has introduced since his appointment:

– Banned teachers from complementing their low wages by offering holiday lessons.

– Withdrew incentives for teachers that were introduced by his predecessor, Coltart, in order to retain teaching staff.

– Proposed scrapping of teachers’ salaries for the three months they are on school holidays — April, August and December.

– Wants cameras installed in classrooms in order to monitor teachers.

– Wants sporting activities banned during the week.

– Banned holiday lessons.

– Wants to increase the number of subjects at primary level from four to nine.

The Star (Jamaica)

3 February 2016

The West Indies Under-19 team ignited a Twitter storm in the wee hours of yesterday morning (Jamaica time) during their Under-19 Cricket World Cup group match against Zimbabwe in Chittagong, Bangladesh.

West Indies Under-19 won the match in controversial fashion by two runs after pacer Keemo Paul, during his run-up, broke the stumps and appealed for a run-out against non-striker, Richard Ngarava at the start of the final over of the innings. The on field umpires sent the decision to the fourth umpire and the Zimbabwe batsman Richard Ngarava was declared ‘run out’ with his bat on the line.

The decision, though legal, caused quite an uproar on Twitter. Many believed the move was ‘just not cricket’ and undermined the gentleman’s game. Others backed the umpires’ decision as it was a legal dismissal.

Below are some of the comments:

David Coltart a Zimbawean who is a former Minister of Sport in that country said: Today is the West Indies’ day of shame – our batsman clearly trying to stay in his crease – this is just sneaky.

Former CNN night show host Piers Morgan @piersmorgan has 4.8 million followers and he had several tweets on the incident, here’s one: Disgraceful piece of Mankad cheating by West Indies U19s – shame on them all.

Elton Phiri @elton_phiri: Zimjbabwe Under19s have been ROBBED. Poor sportsmanship #CWCU19 #Heartbroken

Silas Lekgoathi @pencilsncrayons: West Indies just robbed Zimbabwe in broad daylight.

English cricketer Eoin Morgan @eoin16: Disgraceful behaviour in the U19CWC. WI’s should be embarrassed.

Windies pacer Tino Best @tinobest: Smart play WIU19 keep pounding boys.

West Indies allrounder Carlos Brathwaite @TridentsportX: Congrats WI U19

Cricket commentator and former England player David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd @BumbleCricket: Mankad’s always controversial. If batsman blatantly gaining ground, bowler within rights … this latest seemed harsh on the batsman IMO (in my opinion).

Cricket commentator Mike Haysman @MikeHaysman: A Mankad should only be allowed if an official warning was issued first. What a poor end to an entertaining tussle.

Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie @YCCCDizzy: Debate the laws of the game sure, however, I don’t agree with criticising a player for playing within the laws of the game.

NOTE: Vinoo Mankad, a former Indian spinner, ran out non-striker Australia batsman Bill Brown during a Test in Sydney on the 1947 tour. Running out a non-striker while the bowler is in his run-up thus became known as a ‘Mankad’.

Reuters

2 February 2016

The joke in Harare these days is that more people per square metre are drinking bottled water here – in the drought-hit capital of Zimbabwe – than in wealthy Manhattan.

Harare has developed a huge appetite for bottled water. An estimated 300,000 litres change hands daily in this city of just over 1.6 million inhabitants, with Zimbabwe’s finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa, saying that imports have reached “crazy” proportions.

Buyers include poor families as well as rich, and such is the upswing of demand that bottled water now outsells alcohol and soft drinks in some desperately thirsty neighbourhoods.
The reason for the boom is simple: what’s coming out of the tap in many homes and businesses is increasingly undrinkable. “Municipal water is smelly. Often we see visible dirty particles floating,” Precious Shumba, chair of the Harare Residents’ Trust, the biggest civic pressure group in the city, said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

DISEASE THREAT

As water quality declines, in part the result of worsening drought, some families who drink or bathe in what comes out of the tap are becoming sick with problems from rashes to typhoid, health authorities say.
The capital has grappled with problems providing clean water for most of a decade, but an extended drought, crippling power cuts, a cash-short municipal government and an exodus of qualified water engineers mean the city now produces only about 40 percent of the water needed, Shumba said.

About half of the city’s water is lost through leaks in failing distribution pipes on its way to homes, and illegal connections are also a problem, water engineers say.
Residents nervous about what’s coming out of their taps have increasingly turned to alternatives for drinking water. Domestic refrigerators are packed with containers of imported or local purified water.
In many homes, the city’s municipal water is only used for bathing, gardening, laundry, or watering animals.

WATER TOUTS

The surge in demand for bottled water has led to new business opportunities. Sheila Dezha, 40, a widow, collects empty plastic bottles from bins and sidewalks, scrubs them clean and refills them with well water.
After refrigerating the bottles overnight, she sells them to passersby near malls and restaurants, or to motorists stopped at traffic lights.

“Dirty municipal drinking water means big profits for me,” Dezha from Epworth, one of Harare’s poorest districts, said in an interview.

Her home-bottled water sells for a steep $1.50, bringing in a healthy profit.”On a good day I can sell 100 bottles of water,” she said. “At first my neighbours jeered my business as shameful and deceitful,” she said. But “I can afford to put my two children through secondary school. Now neighbours borrow money from me. On weekends I go around the community teaching women how to clean dirty bottles and sell fresh water.”

‘THE NEW GOLD’

As Zimbabwe struggles with a hot, dry summer, a growing share of people have become part-time bottled water vendors. Ice cream sellers, security guards and school teachers all can be found hawking water as a side business.
“I stock and hide 30 tubes of bottled water in my office every day,” admitted Rarami, a secondary school teacher in the city who asked that his surname not be used. “I sell to thirsty students for $1.10 a tube. It’s a marvellous secret profit.” “Water is the new gold in Harare,” he said.

Supermarkets have opened new counters advertising “sweet drinking water by reverse osmosis science.”

“Business is delightful. Bottled water sales outstrip alcohol on a scale of 3-to-1, at least in our store,” said Naye Beta, a warehouse manager at a Pick n Pay supermarket, one of the country’s biggest retailers.
But not all of the water for sale on Harare’s streets is safe. Arnold Gokwe, a director for Still Waters Packaging, one of the water bottling companies in the capital, said touts refilling bottles with unclean water is hurting the image of companies like his.

“Fly-by-night sellers fill bottles with rain water and stick our brand across their bottles. This spoils our reputation,” he said in an interview.
Jimmy Sabelo, an infectious disease doctor who runs the private Everjoy Medical Centre, said the city has seen an upswing in health problems as a result of dirty water from taps and refilled bottles.
“Often I am treating over 10 patients with vomiting, abdominal pains and dysentery. Some of it is related to water issues, especially patients from the poorest suburbs like Mbare, east of the city,” he said.

‘SAFE BY FAITH’

Consumers face a number of problems in determining what constitutes safe drinking water. In Harare, shelves teem with bottles of drinking water that bear the face of popular Pentecostal Christian spiritual leaders who draw up to 10,000 worshippers at their meetings.

“The prophet’s drinking water is safe by faith. We don’t need stupid tests to prove it!” one devout shop owner said in an interview.

Charity Jerayi, 30, a “street water entrepreneur”, said many people who have lost factory jobs are selling unsafe water to make ends meet.

Gideon Shoko, the deputy secretary of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, said he understands what drives the deceit. “The unemployment rate is over 80 percent. Anything sells for desperate people,” he said.
David Coltart, a veteran lawmaker and former government minister, said reckless issuing of building permits has destroyed natural wetlands that once helped purify the city’s water.
“Most families in the capital cannot pay for bottled water. This often has dire consequences for their health. It’s tragic,” he said.

News 24

1 February 2016

Harare – Zimbabwean opposition parties have reportedly described as “absurd” President Robert Mugabe’s anti-UN and West speech at the just-ended African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mugabe told delegates at the AU’s 26th ordinary summit over the weekend that African countries would not hesitate to pull out of the United Nations if steps to reform the international body were not taken.

Mugabe said it was time for action, as Africa had been talking and begging for years, for the continent’s permanent seat at the UN security council, but had not been heard.

“We have asked and asked for Security Council reform,” Mugabe, 91, said.

Watch as Mugabe speaks below.

There are only five permanent UN Security Council permanent seats held by Russia, China, United State of America, France, and the United Kingdom.

Mugabe’s critics, however, urged African leaders not to heed Mugabe’s call.

According to NewsDay political analyst and opposition parties in the southern African country said Mugabe’s rant on Saturday was ill-advised and would likely attract a few African countries.

The Movement for Democratic Change spokesperson, Obert Gutu, said Mugabe’s call was unrealistic as he pulled Zimbabwe out of the Commonwealth in 2003, a “selfish and angry” decision which did not benefit the country.

Another Mugabe opponent, former education minister David Coltart, wrote on his Facebook page: “Mugabe’s call for the UN to open up is correct but it’s hypocritical in the extreme to call for that when #‎Zimbabwe itself remains a closed society.”

Mugabe is the only leader independent Zimbabwe has ever known, having been in power since 1980. He has been accused of human rights abuses over the years. His government has been blamed for the suffering of many, as the country’s economy continues to deteriorate.

News24

1 February 2016

Harare – “The gloves are off,” tweeted one prominent Zimbabwe opposition official. Said another: “I’m enjoying every bit.”

Zimbabweans, not just those in the ranks of the Movement for Democratic Change, have been watching with something approaching glee as President Robert Mugabe’s spokesman and his ex-information minister tear into each other in a public spat.

Played out on radio and social media on Thursday and Friday, the war-of-words between presidential spokesman George Charamba and the man who is now higher education minister, Jonathan Moyo, has shed some light on the bitter battle for power within the upper echelons of Zanu-PF as Mugabe approaches 92.

Moyo is known to be a member of the so-called G40 group which also includes Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwao and Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere. G40 members do not want Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe as president.

Charamba however appears to favour Mnangagwa for the hot seat or at the very least, he’s opposed to the G40’s plan, analysts say. The spokesman’s tetchy relationship with Moyo, his former boss, has exploded into open-name calling.

“They are big fools,” Charamba said in comments carried in full by the official Herald on Friday, making it clear he was referring to Moyo and his allies.

“Here are little men with absolutely no iota of history behind them thinking they can one day emerge as leaders of this country, with their little minds thinking baldness is age. It isn’t,” Charamba said.

Moyo called Charamba “a silly Shakespearean wordsmith” on Thursday. On Friday he warned: “I’m tweeting from up while he [Charamba] is down the ladder.”

Former education minister David Coltart of the Movement for Democratic Change said on Twitter: “Things are getting very interesting.”

Obert Gutu, the spokesman for the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC faction said: “Public spat btwn George Charamba and Jonathan Moyo. Let Zanu PF crush [sic] and burn.”

While not doubting the entertainment value of the fight, some Zimbabweans have wondered more soberly what the fallout will be.

“Brace up for another dramatic year guys,” tweeted @RebelMunyukwi. “The chickens are coming home to roost in ZANU-PF”.

New Zimbabwe.com

31 January 2016

OPPOSITION parties have dismissed President Robert Mugabe’s rant aimed at western nations particularly the United Nations Security Council composition, saying the veteran leader had better look at himself in the mirror first.

Addressing the 26th African Union summit in Ethiopia at the weekend, Mugabe lashed out at the west, saying African states were not going to hesitate walking out of the UN if efforts to democratise the global body continued to be frustrated.

Mugabe said Africans’ “hollow speeches” at the UN were yielding no results. “We have asked and asked and asked for Security Council reform,” he said. To applause he said: “If the UN is to survive, we [Africa] must be equal members of it.”

True to form, Mugabe addressed the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-moon personally.

“We are supposed to be free and independent Mr Ban-Ki Moon,” said Mugabe.

“You’re a good man, Mr Ban Ki Moon, but we can’t make you a fighter. That’s not what your mission was. But we shall fight for our own identity and personality as Africans.”

Mugabe told the UN boss to let it known to member states that Africans “are also human, not ghosts. Tell them, that we also belong to the world”.

But observers said Mugabe’s comments were both hypocritical and hollow because his record on the domestic front was not in keeping with his rhetoric.

Hollow speech? … President Mugabe adressing UN Assembly

“Mugabe’s call for the UN to open up is correct but it is hypocritical in the extreme to call for that when Zimbabwe itself remains a closed society,” wrote David Coltart on his Facebook page. The former education minister and human rights lawyer further reminded Mugabe that “charity begins at home”.

From South Africa, Makgobe Molomo tweeted: “I cannot listen to Bob or take anything he says seriously. Go to Zimbabwe and see why. Go to Matabeleland, talk to them and know why”.

MDC-T said it was “absurd” for Mugabe to threaten a UN pull-out. “Mugabe pulled Zimbabwe out the Commonwealth and what did we benefit from such an emotional, selfish and angry decision?

“History has proved that Mugabe’s combative, populist and megaphone diplomacy doesn’t bring tangible benefits to Zimbabwe in particular and Africa in general,” said Gutu.

He added: “Of course the UN must be reformed bust this cannot be achieved by pulling out of that important world body. Africans should simply ignore and laugh off Mugabe’s bizarre proposal of moving out of the UN.”

ZAPU spokesperson Mjobisa Nko said Mugabe’s suggestion should be dismissed as an “absurd” statement from a “deranged and selfish president who believes he is the Messiah of the world”.

People’s Democratic Party’s Jacob Mafume said it was “embarrassing” for Mugabe to willingly play the “village clown at important gatherings”.

According to observers, Mugabe is not fit to complain of prejudice and discrimination because of his record at home. Last year, Mugabe publicly said Kalanga people were “uneducated, petty criminals” committing crime in South Africa.

The veteran leader has, since the early 2000s, used international events to lash out at opponents and western leaders whom he has accused of having “bloody hands” and of being “gay gangsters”.

But at home many have no kind words for him as he has been at the helm for the past 36 years. He has been accused of masterminding the 1980s Matebeleland massacres which claimed 20 000 lives and of instigating violence against the MDC supporters and commercial farmers.

News24 Wire

26 January 2016

Police in Zimbabwe have arrested four men, including two soldiers, on charges of plotting to bomb President Robert Mugabe’s dairy outside Harare, according to reports on Tuesday.

The four appeared under heavy police guard at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of “possession of weaponry for sabotage and money laundering for terrorism purposes,” the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported.

The Herald reported the four were members of a “fringe political party” called the Zimbabwe People’s Front (ZPF).

The men allegedly planned to detonate four petrol bombs at the Gushungo Dairy processing plant in Mazowe, north of Harare, on Friday.

Mugabe and his wife Grace own the multi-million-dollar dairy and processing plant where they produce milk, ice cream, chocolate and other products. Detectives reportedly got wind of the men’s plans and arrested them on Friday morning.

They were allegedly found in possession of four 750ml brandy bottles containing petrol, ammonium nitrate, nails, and sand.

Party documents, including the ZPF manifesto and constitution were also seized.

Media analyst and blogger Zim Media Review said: “So these guys went to bomb Gushungo Dairy while also carrying their party manifesto and constitution?”

The four were named as ZPF president Owen Kuchata, Borman Ngwenya, Solomon Makumbe, and Silas Pfupa.

Ngwenya was reportedly a member of the Zimbabwe National Army’s 1 Field Regiment, and Makumbe a member of the Zimbabwe Intelligence Corps.

Harare Magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe postponed the case to February 8. Opposition politician and veteran rights lawyer, David Coltart said the story smacked of the “pseudo-activity” witnessed in Zimbabwe from time to time in the past 40 years.

“One questions whether there is any political motive behind this,” Coltart told News24 in a telephone interview.

Similar activities were used as a pretext to crack down on the MDC in the past. The latest alleged plot could be linked to power struggles within Zanu-PF, he said.

“It’s far too early, with any confidence, to point fingers at any political faction (being behind it),” he said

The Herald is overwhelmingly loyal to Mugabe, but not to every senior Zanu-PF official.

The Standard

24 January 2016

SIBUSISIWE Dube from Nyamandlovu in Matabeleland North becomes animated when she talks about the effects of the El Niño-induced drought ravaging the usually food sufficient area near Bulawayo.

Dube, from Ward 6, believes she is not only a victim of the devastating weather phenomenon, but the country’s crooked politics as well.
“I have five school-going children and I am struggling to feed them. They usually go to school on empty stomachs.,” Dube said.

“Yesterday [Wednesday last week] I ended up buying them maputi (popcorn) to keep them going. It’s painful and unbearable.

“What makes matters worse is that food distribution has been heavily politicised. If you don’t belong to Zanu PF then you are in danger of starving to death.”

Dube said her children were now frequently skipping lessons due to hunger and there was nothing she could do.

She urged government to stop politicising food distribution because the effects of the latest drought to hit Zimbabwe could be deadly.

“We are all human beings and equal before God,” she said.

“Why are they discriminating against others because they support another political party?

“This must stop forthwith and I want to inform donors that their food is being politicised by Zanu PF,” Dube said.
She is not alone in her predicament as reports indicate that schoolchildren in the province are now dropping out of school in numbers because of hunger.

Although figures of the exact number of drop-outs could not be independently verified, villagers said teachers in Nyamandlovu were now conducting lessons in near-empty classrooms as students stayed away, fearing they could faint in class due to hunger.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education late last year reportedly allowed schools in Matabeleland North to knock off early in view of the evident hunger among students.

According to the second crop assessment results carried out recently, Matabeleland North requires nearly 46 000 tonnes of grain to avoid widespread hunger-induced deaths.

A snap survey revealed that school-going children in Nyamandlovu were indeed skipping lessons due to hunger.

Some children have resorted to scavenging for food in garbage bins at shopping centres.

Nyamandlovu businessman, Stanes Wolfenden, who runs a restaurant, said children as young as seven years often came to his place to pick left-overs from garbage bins.

“They come here daily to pick left-overs. From what I gather, these children pretend as if they are picking those left-overs for dogs but in actual fact, they are taking them for themselves,” he said.

“The situation is bad here and the government and international community need to intervene.”

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing an El Niño-stimulated dry spell, characterised by extremely hot and dry weather conditions, which have left people and livestock in Matabeleland North Province in dire straits.

The national deficit of 700 000 tonnes of maize is being addressed through importation of grain from a number of countries by both the government and the private sector.

So critical has the situation become that communities are already calling for food aid, as their reserves have dried up.
Nyamandlovu Primary School development committee chairman, Edward Sibanda confirmed hunger was affecting pupils, but argued “it was not that bad”.

“For now it’s not that bad, but we are expecting that [children dropping out of school] because the situation is very bad,” Sibanda said.

However, Nganda Primary School development committee chairperson, Bernard Sibanda, said the situation needed urgent attention from government and the international community.

Sibanda appealed to the government to chip in with food hand-outs so that children could be fed at school.

Last week former Education minister David Coltart, who has been campaigning for the government to declare a national emergency to enable easier mobilisation of food aid, shared reports on Facebook from his followers that are concerned about the food situation in Nyamandlovu.

“I was out doing a rural school visit in Nyamandlovu last week, the situation is just dire. One child collapsed on the way to school, hunger. The poor headmaster is beside himself,” read one of the posts shared by Coltart.

He said a headmaster at one school revealed children were complaining of stomach pains.

“In a school that has no resources, where the fence posts to their nutrition garden were burnt in a bush fire allowing the goats to come in and eat everything, where teachers cannot afford to support their own families, what can the school do?” asked the concerned Coltart follower.

“These children are doomed to never reach their potential as their nutritional status is affecting their intellectual development. It is a cruel and tragic time in Zimbabwe.”

Coltart said it seemed to him that many in government were either ignorant of how serious the situation was, or simply did not care. “I have received many reports that people are starving now. It is time for government and the international community to wake up. It is no good saying that food has been ordered and is on the seas (which I doubt in any case) —there is an urgent need for food to be supplied to the rural communities of Matabeleland now,” the former minister said.

“Wake up government! Wake up the international community!”

According to the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT), a youth civic organisation, government must urgently roll out a schools based feeding programme in Matabeleland North to allow students to enjoy their constitutional right to food and education.

“By virtue of students dropping out of school due to hunger, their constitutional rights to food and education have been violated,” NYDT said.

“The government of Zimbabwe has a duty to respect, protect and fulfil all her citizen’s constitutional rights.

Chief Deli Usher Mabhena said people were now surviving on food hand-outs.

“Hunger is there and people are starving while livestock is succumbing to drought. It’s bad,” he said.

“The situation is compounded by the fact that there is no water. Dams have dried up.”

Mgoma Village head, Sabatha Bigboy Mvundla said crops hadwilted and farmers in outlying areas had lost hope of salvaging anything from the 2015/2016 farming season.

“We got 50kg of grain each from GMB on Wednesday but it’s not enough. It won’t last us even a month. I have a child who is supposed to be going to Early Childhood Development [Grade Zero] but I am failing to do that because I cannot raise $32,” he said.

“The little money I am getting, I use it for our upkeep. We are now living in fear because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” he added.

Last week the government said it had secured $200 million in lines of credit to import grain, but analysts fear it will not be enough to feed the whole country as prospects of a decent harvest this year continue to diminish.

Radio VOP

By Professor Matodzi

Harare, January 21, 2016 – Human rights campaigners have described as revolutionary and bold, Wednesday’s ban on early child marriages imposed by the country’s Constitutional Court.
The apex court outlawed the marriage of children below 18 and ruled that Section 22 (1) of the Marriage Act Chapter (5:11) was inconsistent with Section 78 (1) of the Constitution which sets 18 years as the minimum age of marriage in Zimbabwe.

The ConCourt, established in 2013, ordered that “no person in Zimbabwe may enter into any marriage, including an unregistered customary law union or any other union, including one arising out of religion or a religious rite, before attaining the age of 18”.

The ruling came after two former child brides Loveness Mudzuru aged 19 and Ruvimbo Tsopodzi (18), in 2014 challenged the constitutionality of rampant child marriages.
They cited as respondents, Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, then Women’s Affairs and Gender Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, and the Attorney General.
The two argued, through Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) practitioner Tendai Biti, that since the country’s supreme law which came into force May 2013, pegs childhood at below 18, no child therefore can lawfully marry.
The Irene Petras-led ZLHR described the landmark ruling as prudent.

“ZLHR welcomes this judicious judgment outlawing the practice of subjecting girl children to early marriages and having their fundamental rights infringed upon,” said the group, which has firmly stood for rights victims for two decades.

“The outlawing of this primitive practice is in line with international, regional and national efforts to end child marriages.”
The top legal defence group further lamented the potential risk child marriages posed on the affairs of young Zimbabweans, particularly girls, who elbowed off the country’s developmental prospects.
ZLHR challenged Zimbabwean authorities to develop strategies and action plans to raise awareness of and address the harmful impact of child marriages.
“Although the ruling is a victory and the fact that the practice of child marriages has been recognised and outlawed, a lot needs to be done in implementing it and educating Zimbabweans about the legal position so that everyone is aware of this position,” ZLHR said.

Real Open Opportunities for Transformation and Support (ROOTS), a non-profit making organisation which focuses on economic justice for young people, described the ConCourt ruling as groundbreaking.
“ROOTS welcomes this judgement which comes as a milestone in the campaign to end child marriages and the protection of the rights of children, specifically young girls who remain the main victims of this scourge in society,” ROOTS said in a statement.

Not to be missed were several other rights lawyers, among them David Coltart and Arnold Tsunga, both former MPs, commended Biti for the “excellent victory”.

Tsunga, who is Africa Regional Programme of the International Commission of Jurists director, said is the ruling was “another layer of progressive jurisprudence” emerging from Zimbabwean courts since the May 2013 adoption of a new governance charter.

Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust executive director, Gladys Hlatshwayo, said the ban on child brides was a “significant victory”.

Biti, on his part, said the ruling was revolutionary. “It’s an amazing judgment. The court has passed a revolutionary judgment for women, girls and children. The court should be congratulated for that,” said Biti, who is also opposition PDP leader.

“I am very pleased to be part of this great history. Parliament should have done this 36 years ago. It has taken a bold decision by a bold court. Marriages before 18 years are no longer possible. This is a revolutionary ruling since the birth of the Constitutional Court in 2013.”

The application was jointly sponsored by ZLHR and Veritas, a local NGO with interest on legal issues.