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Published by Tichaona Zindoga, 2021-04-17 07:07:23

Review and Mail 12 April 2021-2

Review and Mail 12 April 2021-2

CRITICAL. ALTERNATIVE. TIRELESS.

Leonard Zhakata winds Conservation Farm- Dreams of young
back hands of time ing Proves A Game footballers die in
P10 Changer In Zimbabwe Glen View
P12 P14

Monday 12 April 2021 Website: www.reviewand mail.com Twitter: @mail_review Facebook: Review & Mail Instagram: reviewandmailzw

Tichaona Zindoga SHADOW
Head of Content OF THE
The attitude of Mozambican Pres- JIHAD
ident Filipe Nyusi came into sharp
focus again last week, as the Sadc Nyusi, regional capacity under the spotlight
region convened a double troika
meeting on the insurgent crisis in cions that he has regarding other For other watchers, questions still see how he moves forward.
that country but left with an un- countries or leaders in the region, swirl around the personal role of “Already from Zimbabwe’s side
derwhelming commitment to send Sadc does not have the capacity to Mozambican leader. when he look at President Mnan-
a “technical team”. confront this new type of threat – “One cannot help but start asking gagwa response that he sees this
It has emerged that Nyusi contin- which demands new capabilities questions on what is happening in as a way forward of troop deploy-
ues to stonewall the region and and Sadc approaches to security Maputo,” posed Jasmine Opper- ment. The pressure is mounting
prevent it from military interven- threats for him could be outdated man a security expert and Africa and I cannot see how Nyusi can
tion. Sadc, it is understood eager or static,” the expert and univer- Specialist at the Armed Conflict lo- sustain his position with the insur-
to undertake an excursion in to sity lecturer who asked not to be cation & Event Data Project. gency and where it is right now.
Mozambique to protect life and named said. “Are we seeing a protection of po- “The insurgents still have the mo-
limb as well as guarantee region- He explained that the conflict was litical and financial interests? Are mentum and rest assured they will
al peace and security in the face of of a hybrid nature incorporating we seeing a sense of pride? Are adjust to what they forsee is to
unprecedented threat of Islamist insurgency and terrorism, mean- we seeing sovereignty being used come,” Opperman said.
insurgency. ing that it was a new type of threat, to protect certain individuals but Eager Zimbabwe
For Zimbabwe, there is an increas- which could limit the capabilities I think If we go back to the SADC She explained that Zimbabwe was
ing sense of foreboding as the Mo- of countries in the region. meeting for President Nyusi the eager to put boots on the ground
zambique insurgency not only has Ironically, Sadc has a largely un- technical committee will be buying and make hands dirty, if to forestall
historical echoes, but is also a per- tested counter-terrorism strategy. time and it will be interesting to insurgent potentially TO PAGE 3
fect template for a resource-linked
conflict, after the country recently
discovered oil and gas in the Mu-
zarabani area.
And, President Mnangagwa is re-
portedly quite eager to commit to
fighting, albeit under minimum
cover of Sadc according to infor-
mation gathered by Review & Mail.
On returning from Maputo last
week, Mnangagwa told the media
that Sadc had resolved to revive
and mobilise its standby force –
something that other leaders were
silent about.
Nyusi’s reaction to the crisis,
whereby he is actually undermin-
ing Sadc which he ironically chairs,
has been seen as cryptic.
A Zimbabwean security, defence
and constitutional expert suggest-
ed that Nyusi appeared to have lit-
tle trust in the “collective capacity”
of Sadc as a regional body and has
instead opted to approach individ-
ual countries.
“The other reason could be that
in his view, besides the suspi-

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 NEWS 2

Phone monitoring law stokes fears of snooping ‘Angel’

Review & Mail Writer existing discretely or on a con- What is more worrying is the fact becomes
A new Government regulation to vereged platforms whether local or that an employee or a contractor official
monitor phone calls in an effort to international and no further reg- hired by the Authority who gets
stem revenue leakages, has peeved ulatory measure under these reg- any information and during the in- Review & Mail Writer
observers who told Review & Mail ulations shall give or ensure such stallation of the devise and about Controversial clergyman and re-
at the weekend that this could be capacity.” the devise, shares it will commit cently appointed Presidential En-
used to spy on citizens. However, there are suspicions that any offence,” he said. voy and Ambassador-at-Large to
The Postal and Telecommunica- employees in Government regula- He maintained that the laws could the Americas and Europe, Eubert
tions (Telecommunications Traffic tors could compile information of violate people’s rights. Snr Angel – who was previously
Monitoring System) Regulations, private citizens for commercial or “What is the secret surrounding known as Eubert Madzanire – can
2021 were gazetted last Friday “in political ends. the functions of this (monitoring) now legally called by the former
order to ensure accurate revenue Harare lawyer, Marufu Mandevere device? name.
collection” through the installation said the new law has implications “The Constitution of Zimbabwe A notice in the Government gazette
of a “civil tool” that will monitor about intrusion into people’s pri- protects the right to privacy in sec- published on Friday confirmed the
and measure all forms of telecom- vacy. tion 57. Zimbabwe has also an obli- name change after legal processes.
munications interconnect traffic “It means the Authority can moni- gation under several international “Take note that, on 9th day of
handled by phone companies. tor and record who you talk to, for law to protect the right to privacy. March, 2021, Uebert Madzani-
It is expected the measure will gen- how long and the frequency of the The statutory instrument does not re (born on 6th September, 1978)
erate reliable statistics of local and communication,” argued Mande- detail how it should be implement- appeared before me, Tichavona
international calls; detect, track vere. ed. mutebere, a registered legal prac-
and block fraudulent connections, “Though the statutory instrument “Admittedly the rights protected titioner and notary public, and
provide details of callers’ SIM outlaws the recording and listen- by the Constitution are not abso- changed his name to Uebert Snr
cards and verify returns of phone ing into the conversations, that, is lute and subject to limitations per- Angel,” the notice read.
operators. not over ruled with the statutory mitted in a democratic society but It is not clear why Madzanire has
The regulations state that the instrument only allowing the lisen- I am of the strong view, that limita- changed his name, preferring an
monitoring tool must not have ca- cee to alert the Authority and the tions as provided by this statutory Anglicized identity.
pabilities, “to actively or passive- person affected. instrument are excessive, unjusti- However, it is one of the latest con-
ly record, monitor or tap into the “One can therefore safely conclude fiable and undemocratic,” Mande- troversy to follow the man of cloth
content of any incoming or outgo- that, the device to be used has the vere said. who has also previously been ac-
ing electronic communication traf- capacity to allow listening and re- cused of forging academic records
fic, including voice, video and data cording of the communication. – a claim he denies.
He has defended that he has three
New dawn for Zimbabwe, South Korea academic degrees attained in Brit-
ain and the United States of Amer-
Review & Mail Writer Zimbabwean Flag ica.
The Government of Zimbabwe on South Korean Flag As a gospreneur, a term used to
Friday said it was entering a “new describe rich charismatic church
dawn” with the Republic as the leaders of the new age, Snr Angel
two countries ratified a Bilateral has not been too far off controver-
Investment Promotion and Pro- sies.
tection Agreement signed last No- Snr Angel is linked to shady char-
vember. acters involved in big money deal-
The ratification of the BIPPA ce- ings and sources recently suggested
ments relations between Zimba- he could be Mnangagwa’s “runner”
bwe and Korea, ironically a bitter for possible links underground.
cousin of Zimbabwe’s pariah ally,
North Korea, also known as Dem-
ocratic Republic of Korea.
Acting secretary for Foreign Af-
fairs and International Trade, Am-
bassador Lovemore Mazemo said:
“The ratification of this agreement
will afford investors from the two
countries full protection and se-
curity of property rights through
non-discriminatory treatment and
compensation in case of expropri-
ation or nationalization.
“The agreement also paves way for
mutual flow of capital by intensi-
fying the cooperation between pri-
vate enterprises in both countries
with the view of stimulating the
productive use of resources.”
Zimbabwe has fallen off with
Western countries after taking
over farms and businesses protect-
ed under similar arrangements,
leading to a prolonged stand off
and imposition of sanctions on the
southern African nation.

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 TALKING POINT 3

‘Muzarabani could be another curse’
The disturbing development of predatory elites, companies which
conflict in Mozambique after the are taking advantage of the weak Farai Maguwu ability. So when foreign countries
discovery of gas and oil there poses states in Africa to enrich them- realize there is potential there, they
one big worry for Zimbabwe, which selves. there. If there is plenty of oil then will muddy the waters. They will
is on the threshold of exploiting its RM: We have just stumbled we are in for trouble. It starts when create organized chaos so that they
own resources found in the Mu- over another big natural re- government fail to invest in their loot. We will have chaos here such
zarabani area. As often, a ‘resource source find in the form of oil own people, when they are corrupt, as what is happening in northern
curse’ jinxes such a godsend, and and gas in Muzarabani. What when they use the country’s natu- Mozambique
Zimbabwe has not forgotten about are the lessons from the past, ral resources as an opportunity of RM: What should Govern-
what the chaos that followed dis- especially from Marange self enrichment of the ruling elite. ment and other stakeholders
covery of diamonds in the eastern and Chiadzwa, to prevent We have weak states in the region do to stop the descent into
part of the country – the Marange this from becoming another and very corrupt elites which are this kind of chaos?
and Chiadzwa areas. We spoke to curse? detached from the local people. It FM: The first thing is government
an expert Farai Maguwu who is FM: What we saw in Chiadzwa creates room for insurgency where must not go it alone, they must go
the director of Centre for Natural was the abuse of power. Diamonds foreign terrorists can collaborate with the people.This is the shame
resources Governance to hear his were discovered and it was a great with local youths who are unem- of Zimbabwe whereby they discov-
views on what could go wrong and opportunity for the nation but then ployed and not benefitting from er a resource, they start thinking
what must be done right. the government and security forc- their resources to engage in acts of of how they can enrich themselves
R&M: First of all as a long time es used their power not to devel- terrorism and destabilization. not the nation.
advocate and campaigner of op their country but to undermine That is the same crisis we are hav- So they need to have a broad plan
rights associated with natu- their own national interests. ing in Mozambique, where one of and this plan must be anchored
ral resource exploitation, do They went on to form non-exist- the poorest regions and govern- in the local people.There must be
you believe in the so-called ent companies that previously did ment has entered deals where mil- a development plan targeting the
resource curse? not exist and had no experience in lions of dollars have been pocketed area to be affected by local drilling.
FM: Of course I have used the word mining and they were brought in by the elites. All these wealth will Secondly, when we say the locals
resource curse from time to time. and the rest is history. mushroom in Maputo but the area must benefit we don’t mean that if
If you try to find out really who are So right from the beginning, gov- affected are only visited by death a resource is found in a local area
the main proponents of the term ernment must make sure that they and destruction. then only those people should ben-
resource case, you wind up at the engage a very transparent process In Marange we had billions looted efit. We are also saying it belongs
doorstep of western scholars and of identifying investors. Before everyday but the road that leads to the nation at large, we are using
researchers. we even talk of investors, we need to Marange is in terrible shape. Hwange electricity. Government
They want to portray Africa as thorough exploration and know There is no agenda whatsoever to must have a balanced approach,
continent cursed with natural re- what is underground. do something at a local level where the local people must be in the
sources but if you go deeper to I believe it is stupid to enter into people can point and say this is plan and at a national level we
crisis zones. You find western cor- deals without knowing the quanti- what our diamonds have done must think sustainably. We must
porations. If you look at what is ty and quality of the resources we for us. We have the major min- think of value addition of the oil
happening in Mozambique already are trying to explore. ing company committing acts of resource to ensure that we purify it
they are close to dozen western The same thing happened in Ma- tyranny in Marange, setting dogs at home, we add value, we create
corporates in that particular area range where they went in there on people, killing people just to employment and linkages to infra-
but the local people had lived with because diamonds where on the protect their interests. If a militia structure development, education,
this natural gas for centuries and surface, until now they don’t even group can arm young men in Ma- technology, agriculture and every-
they never fought over that. know what is remaining so we need range to start fighting for that ter- body must feel the benefit of the
The coming of these western cor- thorough exploration. ritory, it’s a very possible scenario resource. If such a thing happens,
porates has created a war zone. I Secondly, we need a transparent because the local people are not the people themselves will protect
hope that the conflict in Mozam- process of identifying the investor. disgruntled. They are not happy the resource If there is any act of
bique is not going to be another Thirdly, people like the tradition- and it’s the same thing that could banditry, the people will work with
Syria but I’m very concerned with al leadership, local youth groups happen in Muzarabani. Govern- their government to thwart what
the number of companies that have need to be factored in. They must ment has started engaging in noc- the enemy is trying to do.
descended in the northern part of be a master plan for the local com- turnal deals. Engagements which
Mozambique fighting for a piece of munity to benefit and the nation to are not
this natural resource. develop. We must also have an exit transparent and have no account-
Therefore my argument is that, the plan because oil is not an infinite
resource curse theory looks at bad resource. It will come to an end. So
governance in Africa. It blames It we need even to plan about the af-
blames Africans for failing to gov- termath of the oil drilling process.
ern their natural resources but What shall become of Muzaraba-
who is benefiting from the natural ni? How are we going to use the oil
resources? It’s not the Africans. benefits to diversify to something
So, it is not that if you have abun- away from oil that is more sustain-
dant natural resources you will be able and durable? These are the
cursed. Countries like China and things they need to start thinking
Russia also have natural resources about and government needs to
but their governments are strong put together a team of experts.
and powerful and therefore for- These must be mining engineers.
eign companies are not able to do We need a finance consultancy;
in those countries what they do in people who know how to make a
Africa. We have what I can call re- finance plan for a project. We also
source based conflicts but mainly need experts, not people who are
because of foreign interventions. just thugs and helping to under-
It’s about the phrasing, when you mine national interests for person-
say resource based, it appears like al gain.
God cursed with natural but it’s In the Muzarabani oil situation, it
more foreign interventions and all depends with how much oil is

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 TALKING POINT 4

‘Zimbabwe to learn from peer review’
Last year, Zimbabwe joined the adopt and use for our own devel-
African Peeer Review Mechanism James Manzou anism that opens up and allows opment. The APRM will foster a
(APRM) as the country sought to the current government to be peer shared standard within the African
win international goodwill over its while, the containment measures reviewed. Undergoing periodic re- Union, and Zimbabwe stands to
governance practices. However, of the Covid-19 pandemic, have views by a full session of Heads of gain through the promotion of the
there still remain concern about slowed down the processes of en- State and Government is a deliber- African state’s integration.
Government of Zimbabwe’s treat- suring Zimbabwe’s full member- ate effort to open up and allow the R&M: In line with this, to what
ment of its citizens, accountability ship. world to see Zimbabwe’s govern- extent, if any has Government
and transparency - all key anchors 2 ance structures in their reality. engaged the civil society sec-
of the peer review process. Review R&M: Can you explain to us Civil society is a major compo- tor to work on concerns such
& Mail spoke to the Permanent the benefits Zimbabwe will nent of the APRM and therefore as human rights?
Secretary of Foreign Affairs and derive from being a member the APRM becomes the bridge be- JM: Government is in the process
International Trade Ambassador of this mechanism? tween Civil Society Organisations of incorporating the civil society
James Manzou about what has JM: The most important benefit of (CSOs) and the government. This into the APRM process by setting
happened since last year. joining the APRM is to improve the mechanism shows the govern- up a National Governing Council/
R&M: A year has passed since country’s image. The perception ment’s openness to new ideas, and Commission (NGC).
Zimbabwe signed up to the has been that the Government of gives room to CSOs to better un- The NGC is the body that pro-
African Peer Review Mecha- Zimbabwe is closed, isolated and derstand the government, some- vides strategic policy direction to
nism (APRM). What has tak- lacks sound democratic creden- thing that was limited during the the implementation of the APRM.
en place since then to ensure tials. As you are aware, the APRM First Republic. According to the APRM Country
that Zimbabwe becomes a full is about improving governance APRM is also a platform where Guidelines, the NGC is established
member and is subjected to structures through transparently Zimbabwe is going to learn from to manage the process at national
some relevant processes? opening up for periodic reviews. other governments through peer level. It will be autonomous from
JM: Zimbabwe acceded to the Af- The Second Republic’s principle sharing of ideas, which we can Government and inclusive of all
rican Peer Review Mechanism that there was nothing to hide key stakeholders. In this context,
(APRM) during the 29th Session led to the accession to this mech- membership will be diverse and
of the African Peer Review (APR) inclusive to ensure broad-based
Forum of Heads of State and Gov- participation as required by the
ernment held on 8 February 2020 APRM.
in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, on the Currently, government is in the
margins of the 33rd African Union process of assimilating state and
Summit. non-state actors which include
Zimbabwe is in the process of set- line ministries, civil society, parlia-
ting up the requisite structures in ment, media, private sector, youth,
accordance with the set Guidelines women groups, disabled, margin-
for Countries to prepare for and alized groups, rural populations.
participate in the APRM. Zimba- Already, a series of workshops
bwe is in the process of designating were lined up to be held during the
the following: period from January 2021 to June
(i) Focal Point; 2021 with the aim of sensitizing
(ii) National Governing Council Zimbabwean Civil Society Organi-
(NGC); zations (CSOs) on what the APRM
(iii) Secretariat; and is, how it operates, its potential
(iv) Technical Research Institu- benefits for Zimbabwe, and how
tions. civil society can best mobilize. This
It is important to note that these should ensure that the national
processes require careful consider- APRM review process is inclusive
ation and lots of resources. Mean- of a cross-section of stakeholders.

Nyusi, regional capacity under the spotlight
FROM PAGE 1. destabilizing the President has said and it cannot be and Professor Adriano Nuvunga He argued that he “was not
country or threatening its econom- ignored.” who said regional pressure had convinced” Sadc had capacity to
ic experts. Opperman also believes that for softened Nyusi. deploy in Mozambique, nor mili-
“If we look at Mnangagwa’s state- now, Sadc could actually be ill-pre- “I think it’s an important out- tarization of the conflict the best
ment that it was reviving the pared to go into the conflict sus- come,” he said of last week’s meet- solution.
standby force, it is clear from the tainably, despite pressure and ing. ”It gave Sadc something to He said the technical committee
beginning that Zimbabwe is eager what she called “unrealistic expec- take home considering that Ma- could have important outcomes to
to get involved via soldiers,” said tations”. puto was reluctant to convene this determine the next course of ac-
Opperman. “Sadc doesn’t have the means, fi- summit and has been reluctant to tion.
“Zimbabwe has direct financial nancial capacity nor capability to have Sadc involved. “I think we have to look for what
interests via Beira (port) and one engage in such sustained opera- “Pushing this summit from the is going to come out of this impor-
can understand the urgency with tion. I have never been in support Sadc side and being given the tant committee…It’s an important
which Zimbabwe would like to of blind rushing. opportunity to deploy a techni- step in the right direction not only
engage. But in terms of reviving “That we have a technical commit- cal team – which I think can help in terms of putting in place a ta-
the standby force, one has to ask tee that is looking at the situation Mozambique undertake a needs ble for dialogue but also to ensure
where is the financial means going must be viewed as a small step for- assessment of what it requires to some degree of transparency from
to come from? ward and should be appreciated,” thoroughly fight violent extremism the Maputo Government in terms
“If indeed a standby force is sent, Opperman said. in the North,” said Nuvunga. of sharing information on what is
who is going to take lead of such a Something to take home He also stated that Mozambique really happening in Cabo Delgado
force? Is Mnangagwa positioning This is a view shared by another needed to assess its governance and what the views are to go about
Zimbabwe? Now, there is some expert, Eduardo Mondlane Uni- failure issues that underpin the it.”
serious consideration for what the versity political science lecturer conflict.

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 HEALTH REVIEW 5

Covid-19, poor admin undermine health sector
Review & Mail Writer to build strong health systems reported a decline in uptake of es- living with HIV in Zimbabwe need
The globe last week commemorat- that are able to withstand current sential health services, prompting to regularly obtain lifesaving HIV
ed World Health Day – celebrated and future shocks. The resources the Government of Zimbabwe to treatments to stay healthy. In addi-
annually on April 7 – but the cur- should be spent in areas of health take action to ensure people could tion to this, tuberculosis (TB) and
rent Covid-19 cast a dark shadow where they are needed the most to get the services they need, and to Malaria are also endemic—and of-
over the state of facilities world- ensure highest impact. Some of the step up action to maintain the safe- ten infect people already infected
wide. areas are in progressively building ty of all frontline health workers with HI,” she says.
With the most sophisticated sys- human capital for health, nutrition and patients.” Government response
tems in the West having been se- and education, Rusike said. Dr Gasasira explained that Cov- At its Cabinet sitting on March 31,
verely tested to breaking point over “With Covid-19 pushing commu- id-19 had the “greatest impact” on Zimbabwe Government outlined a
the past year, the issue of access to nities into poverty, the economic communities that are already vul- number of interventions that it is
health and the impact of the pan- shocks and disruptions to health, nerable and marginalized, espe- taking to ensure equitable access
demic became issues of highlight. nutrition and education have mul- cially those with high levels of dis- to health and rehabilitationg the
Lockdown measures and restric- tiplied the devastation caused by eases and which had less access to systems to meet global goals.
tions in movement and limitations the pandemic well beyond the di- essential health services, impact- According to the post-Cabinet
on the provision of goods and ser- rect impact of illness from the vi- ing on equity. briefing Government noted that
vices impacted negatively on some rus,” Rusike posited. Socio-economic challenges the Ministry of Health and Child
people’s access to healthcare such “There is need to bring down so- According to the World Health Or- Care sought to provide, administer,
as chronic ailment treatments and cial barriers to equitable access to ganisation, the bulk of Zimbabwe’s co-ordinate, promote and advocate
sexual and reproductive health health services. A powerful, eq- healthcare is provided by the pub- for the provision of equitable, ac-
services. uitable response to the pandem- lic sector but persistent socio-eco- cessible, affordable and acceptable
The day was this year observed un- ic should protect the poorest and nomic challenges have resulted in quality health services and care to
der the theme, “Building a fairer, most marginalised communities. an unprecedented deterioration Zimbabweans while maximising
healthier world for everyone”. “According to an article by the of health care infrastructure, loss the use of locally available resourc-
For Zimbabwe the twin evils of WHO country office in Zimbabwe of experienced health sector per- es in line with the Primary Health
Covid-19, maladministration and published at the end of March, sonnel, and a drastic decline in the Care approach.
the continued decline of health when the pandemic hit, there were quality of health services available “The Ministry’s focus will be on
infrastructure showed the limita- efforts to ensure that essential ser- for the population. increasing domestic funding for
tions of the local system. In fact, it vice delivery “did not grind to a The world body estimates that health; improving human resource
is a miracle that the Covid-19 pan- halt” as a result of the pandemic. there are 1.6 physicians and 7.2 performance in the health sector;
demic did not exactly overwhelm The pandemic posed a serious nurses for every 10,000 people increasing access to water, sani-
the healthcare system as Zimba- threat to the provision of non-COV- and that lack of staff for medical tation and healthy environment;
bwe, like many countries in Africa, ID-19 services such as immuniza- education training, and high drop- improving access to availability of
somehow escaped the worst ravag- tion, access to medicines, sexual out rates in public sector health essential medicines; and reduc-
es of the disease seen in the United and reproductive health including care posts have resulted in vacancy ing morbidity and mortality from
States, Europe and in Brazil. treatment of HIV, and diagnosis rates of over 50 percent for doc- communicable and non-communi-
But things are far from ideal. and treatment of non-communica- tors, midwives, laboratory, and en- cable diseases,” Cabinet said.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has ble diseases (NCDs) was vital. vironmental health staff. “Other areas to be prioritised in-
abruptly undercut health gains With the intervention of WHO and Further, there are a number of clude improving infrastructure fa-
made over the years, making it donors under the Universal Health problems that are currently pre- cilities and critical equipment for
less likely to achieve Sustainable Coverage Partnership, the worst vailing such as, poor and unequal heath service delivery; improving
Development Goal 3 on the health was avoided with technical assis- distribution of health workers reproductive, maternal, new born
and well-being of all,” executive di- tance to strengthen the delivery of within the sector; low outputs from child and adolescent and nutrition
rector of the Community Working essential health services at rural, training of health workers; and an as well as public health surveil-
Group on Health Itai Rusike told district and provincial health facil- absence of bilateral/international lance and disaster preparedness
Review & Mail last week. ities prior to and during the COV- agreements relating to health sec- and response.”
He explained: “This World Health ID-19 pandemic. tor personnel recruitment. Further, the ministry is charged
Day presents to us a moment to re- Dr Alex Gasasira, the WHO coun- Compounding problems with focusing on improving access
flect on health for all, by address- try representative noted that, the In all this, the issue of the state of to primary, secondary, tertiary and
ing existing health inequities and COVID-19 pandemic had left many people already suffering from HIV quaternary health care services.
putting in place strategies that people in Zimbabwe unable to vis- has been a constant point of worry. “Some key projects to be imple-
place greater attention to improv- it health clinics due to prevention According to Chido Dziva Chik- mented will entail establishment
ing health equity, especially for the and containment measures, the wari, writing recently in The Lan- of the Health Services Commission
most vulnerable and marginalised national lockdown and associated cet,Zimbabwe has had a prolonged and a National Health Insurance
groups. Covid-19 has hit hard and fears of contracting the virus. generalized HIV epidemic and one Scheme; and increasing the client
its impact has been felt the most in “This means they have missed out of the highest rates of HIV preva- satisfaction index and the general
communities which were already on services such as immuniza- lence in the world at 13 percent. service readiness index by 79 per-
vulnerable with fragile health care tion, reproductive and maternal “Lockdown measures and trav- cent and 90 percent by 2025, re-
systems.” health, prevention and treatment el bans make it difficult to access spectively,” the briefing said.
He urged Government to allocate of chronic diseases,” he explained. health services, and more than 1.3
additional resources for health “More than 80 percent of facilities million people who are currently

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 HEALTH REVIEW 6

Much-loved Doctor Sindi Van Zyl gone too soon

Health Review Writer 2019. Bought me food. Carried me The late Dr. Sindi Van Zyl
There was an outpuring of sorrow through the darkest time of my
at the passing on of Dr Sindi van life when I battled bipolar. Took
Zyl, a Zimbabwean-born medical my calls at midnight. I am bro-
doctor and talkshow host, uniting ken. I hope she knew how much I
Zimbabwe and South Africa, for loved and appreciated her #Sindi-
once. VanZyl”
The 45-year-old was daughter of Who was Sindi Van Zyl?
Muchadeyi Masunda, former Ha- The Zimbabwean-born Sindisiwe
rare Mayor and businessman. Van Zyl was a medical doctor, who
She died of Covid-19, having been was the popular host of Kaya FM
on a ventilator for some weeks be- show Sidebar with Sindi.
fore succumbing to the disease. She was married to Marinus van
A few weeks ago, well wishers Zyl with whom she had two chil-
raised 1 million rand to assist her dren.Professionally, she was emi-
with her treatment. nent for her work on HIV research.
Tears for Sindi Her scientific research has includ-
Famous personalities and ordinary ed guidelines to support HIV-af-
people expressed profound sorrow fected individuals and couples to
on the demise of van Zyl. achieve pregnancy safely and COV-
Social Media Law Specialist, ID-19 and HIV co-infection.
Speaker, Co and author of ‘Don’t She used Twitter, mainly, to in-
Film Yourself Having Sex’ and form and engage about HIV par-
‘Selfies, Sexts and Smartphones’, ticularly Prevention of mother to
Emma Sadleir said: “My favourite child transmission. She shared
memory of @sindivanzyl was tak- about her personal journey with
ing a traumatised little girl who depression and physician burnout.
had just found out she had HIV for She was also celebrated for how she
a consult. She explained to her how lost 41 kg while on a Banting diet.
the ARVs worked by drawing dia- She was a natural short sleeper re-
grams of soldiers going into battle. quiring about 4 hours of sleep per
Little girl left feeling like a super- night while functioning normally.
hero warrior.” She was also columnist for
Thando Ngoma said: “Doctor Sin- Health24, and Bona magazine and
di helped me with my rent for had a cameo on the soap opera 7de
6 months when I lost my job in Laan.

China refutes vaccine efficasy doubts
The Director of the Chinese Center Gao stressed that as it is the first
of Disease Control (China CDC) time human beings have encoun- Gao Fu, Director of the Chinese Center for Disease
on Sunday refuted claims by some tered COVID-19, there are many Control and Prevention
media outlets and overseas social scientific problems to be studied
media platform users that the di- when it comes to vaccinations. threshold for most vaccines in the as the benefits of vaccination far
rector “admitted” Chinese COV- “This is also the first time that hu- world to be marketed is about 70 outweigh the risks. “Vaccines have
ID-19 vaccines have a low pro- mans have been vaccinated with a percent or above. China has pub- to be used fairly and the world
tection rate, saying that “it was a novel coronavirus vaccine. All the lished the first edition of guidelines should share vaccines. If the world
complete misunderstanding.” vaccination procedures we have on COVID-19 vaccination and “this doesn’t share vaccines, the virus
In an exclusive interview with the adopted so far have been based on is the best approach at present,” will share the world,” he said.
Global Times, Gao Fu, head of previous extrapolations of other vi- Gao noted. Global times
the China CDC, said as scientists rus vaccines inoculation, and that Gao called for people to get a shot
around the world are discussing extrapolation has worked pretty
vaccine efficacy, he offered a sci- well,” Gao said. “But in the future,
entific vision: that to improve the if we need to make improvements,
efficacy, adjustment of vaccination we can make adjustments based
procedures and sequential inocu- on the characteristics of the novel
lation of different types of vaccines coronavirus and the vaccination
might be options. situation.”
“The protection rates of all vac- “If we go with the traditional way of
cines in the world are sometimes developing a vaccine, we wouldn’t
high, and sometimes low. How to have had a vaccine within a year.
improve their efficacy is a ques- But scientists all over the world de-
tion that needs to be considered veloped COVID-19 vaccines within
by scientists around the world,” a few months, which is the first
Gao said. “In this regard, I suggest time in the world’s history. There
that we can consider adjusting the are many scientific questions that
vaccination process, such as the need to be addressed,” Gao said.
number of doses and intervals and The WHO requirement for the ef-
adopting sequential vaccination ficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine is 50
with different types of vaccines.” percent or above, and the qualified

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 HEALTH REVIEW 7

Leaving no one behind – mental health matters

On Wednesday the 7th of April, these include the common mental family members do not help them, without discussing one of its main
the world quietly commemorated health illnesses such as depression, we find them in the streets. Again, building blocks – human resources
World Health Day, a day which anxiety disorders psychological there is a lot of stigma associated for health. These are all the people
many were unaware of. This year, distress, and stress. Although we with these diseases and instead who work in healthcare services
World health day found us in a still do not have enough informa- of family members seeking treat- and include nurse aids, account-
very difficult situation where the tion, we know that about three out ment, they may hide their relatives ants, doctors, nurses, dentists,
health of everyone on the planet is of every ten adults, in Zimbabwe, or abandon them to the streets. engineers in hospitals, physio-
threatened by the COVID-19 pan- suffer from one form of mental This is an acceptable situation and therapists and many others. Gov-
demic which is going into its sec- health illness or another. There is a we need to do better. ernments invest a lot of money in
ond year. In many countries, the lot of research evidence that shows All mental health illnesses are training these health professionals
numbers of people suffering with that mental health illnesses such treatable. For some people, the and it is a pity when we lose them
mental health problems either di- as depression do affect our physi- illness may not be reversible but to other nations because we fail to
rectly due to COVID-19 or because cal health and frequently co-occur there are treatments that can remunerate them fairly for their
of the hardships related to COV- with other diseases such as diabe- help people suffering from men- services. The cost of having a doc-
ID-19, has increased greatly. In tes and heart disease. Having men- tal illnesses live normal lives and tor does not start when they start
fact, in Japan, more people died tal health illnesses can worsen the continue with aspects of their lives working in a hospital but starts
because of suicide than COVID-19 outcome of diseases such as diabe- such as their work or education. with their entry into a medical
during the last year. Perhaps this tes, heart disease and HIV. Men- If people who have mental health school, another very expensive in-
is the appropriate time to discuss tal health illnesses affect everyone illnesses get help and regain their vestment by governments. In fact,
mental health and what it means from children to adults and both optimum mental health function, many small or poor countries do
and reimagine how we can rebuild men and women. It is critical that they, and we all, benefit. They can not have medical schools at all. It
our health systems better so that we learn to recognize the signs that realize their full potential in life, follows then that when a doctor
everyone benefits. we may have these mental health work productively and look after leaves for another country which
The world health organization illnesses and get treatment early – themselves and their families, and pays her better and provides bet-
(WHO) defines health as not just or to recognise the signs in those they can contribute meaningfully ter working conditions, we have to
the absence of disease but a situ- we love and help them early. to their societies. People with com- either start afresh – train another
ation where we are well physical- One of the reasons why people mon health illnesses can be treated doctor to replace her, or hire an-
ly, mentally and socially. Part of with mental health problems do in government and council clinics other doctor from elsewhere. But
the constitution of the WHO – yes, not seek help, sometimes until it and hospitals and there are sever- there is still no guarantee that the
the WHO has a constitution – is too late, is that they may not be al non-profit organizations such new doctor graduating will stay – if
stresses the fact that health is one aware of the signs that they have as the Friendship Bench which they cannot get fair remuneration
of the most important rights for a mental health problem. Some is available in many locations in and acceptable working conditions,
everyone, and that governments common signs of mental health Zimbabwe and offer online help they will also leave for greener pas-
have the responsibility to provide illnesses include feeling hopeless too. Even before we seek help from tures. The country suffers a loss as
health and other social measures and no longer being interested clinics and doctors, telling those we train doctors, nurses, radiol-
that ensure the health of their citi- in your life, experiencing severe who are close to us may help. It ogists for other nations to benefit
zens. This week, we want to discuss mood swings and thinking of sui- is equally important to be open to from, while we have the situation
mental health. cide. There are other signs of men- listen when individuals who have that we all heard of last week – no
Many people are aware that of the tal health illness and usually, they symptoms of mental health prob- physicist to help with the treat-
need to seek help from healthcare are related to changes in how you lems approach us. Sometimes ment of cancer patients at Mpilo.
services when they have physical feel, how you relate to others and showing that we are open to listen- This brain drain has been an issue
symptoms. However, the same severe changes in normal behav- ing, without being judgemental is for us for the last two decades, and
is not true when we have mental iours such as sleeping and eating. helpful. it is time that government consid-
health problems. For example, Another reason why people with I referred to the WHO constitu- ers that fair remunerations and im-
when one’s leg is injured, they will mental health illnesses do not seek tion earlier, and its assertion that provement of working conditions
go to seek help from their doctor help is because of the stigma at- healthcare is a right for every cit- for healthcare personnel makes for
or clinic. This is an easy decision tached to mental health illnesses. izen and that the state has the a healthy nation all round.
to make as the person can clear- Words such as “kupenga”, “ukuh- obligation to provide healthcare Tawanda Chivese is a clinical
ly see the injury and recognize it lanya” or “ukubedha” are used to to its citizens. I want to end with epidemiologist and lectur-
as a threat to their life. When the mock and usually assign the blame a short discussion about this. The er at the Faculty of Medicine
same person is fired from their job, on the sufferer than on the disease. healthcare system is a complex and and Health Sciences at Stel-
loses interest in the normal every- This is not right and we all need to very expensive system which, even lenbosch University and the
day things that they used to do, relearn how we relate to those who in the richest nations, barely pro- College of Medicine at Qatar
is depressed and sometimes feels have mental illnesses. People be- vides for all the citizens. It costs a University.
suicidal, in many cases they do come afraid to seek help as they do lot of money to have healthcare in-
not realize that they have a health not want to told ukuti bayahlanya frastructure such as hospitals, the
problem that requires help from or kunzi vanopenga. personnel, such as doctors, nurses,
the same doctor or clinic that they Other related physiological dis- physicists, radiographers, and the
went to, when they had a leg injury. ease such as dementia, psychosis, medicines and equipment that they
The reality is that being depressed and schizophrenia and Alzheimers use. It follows then that healthcare
causes as much injury to our bod- are strictly not classified as men- should primarily be provided by
ies as having a leg injury. tal health illnesses but do affect the government using taxpayers
Mental health is as important as our mental health too. People of- money. If healthcare is outsourced
our physical health and affects our ten confuse these severe physio- to the private sector, healthcare ac-
physical health as well. Many dis- logical disorders in the function cess becomes a matter of how fat
eases affect our mental health, and of our brains with the common one’s pocket is – which is anath-
mental health illnesses. Howev- ema to the principles I outlined
er, these are very important dis- above – that health is a basic right
eases which should be treated al- and that the state has the responsi-
ways. Very often, the people who bility to ensure that all citizens ac-
have these conditions may reach cess a minimum set of acceptable
a point where the disease reduces quality healthcare services.
their self-awareness, and sadly, if Lastly, we cannot discuss health

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 DIASPORA 8

Diaspora fight for identity: The Thandiwe Effect
Fitzgerald Munyoro is a very important powerful act.
Malcolm X , the black rights ac- African names are full of meaning.” Thandiwe Newton various ethnic groups in the Afri-
tivist leader once said “Never al- “Inside a name, there are blessings can diaspora.
low anyone to name you, if some- involved,events to remember, ex- Before this time, the argument In other words, people from vari-
one can name you,they can define periences involved.In that way we goes, blacks and whites had similar ous parts of Africa came together
you,they can label you and they differ from the Europeans.An Afri- naming patterns. to form black culture as we recog-
can have power over you. “ can name carries meaning.” Scholars of African American cul- nize it today. One way of passing
Current trends on social media A research on cultures of West Af- tural history, such as Lawrence that culture on is through given
seem to point to the fact that sec- rica also showed like minded qual- W. Levine, Herbert Gutman and names, since surnames were stolen
ond and third generation Africans ities. Ralph Ellison, have long held that during enslavement.
in the diaspora have awoken to this “Africans believe Until an identify- the development of African Amer-
realization. ing word is attached to an infant’s ican culture involves both family
In an interview and then later body and soul, it doesn’t truly ex- and social ties among people from
on Twitter, Hollywood actress ist, doesn’t truly have a place in the
Thandie Newton boldly claimed world.”
that she is reverting back to the “African first names typically hold
original spelling of her name which a deeper meaning and history.
is Thandiwe Newton.A move she They are often influenced by fac-
said would keep her in touch with tors like events surrounding the
her Zulu identity. baby’s birth, emotional warnings
The Emmy-winning actor who has or moods of the family during the
a Zimbawean mother and a British birth, celebrity culture, order of
father said “That’s my name. It’s birth, faith and religion, time of
always been my name. I’m taking day and day of birth, ancestry, and
back what’s mine,the W was care- more.”
lessly missed out from my first Surprisingly, this is not a practice
movie credit.” that is unique to native Africans
The declaration stirred a powerful only.African-American names also
movement online of other person- seem to attempt to mirror an Afri-
alities also moving motions to re- can identity within them.
claim their lost identities. Another study on American black
Tanya fear a social media influ- culture also revealed that Afri-
encer ,proceeded to make a video can-Americans have a unique
which was posted online where she naming sequence that borrows
went into great detail explaining from native African names.
why she was going back to her full “Structurally, names such as
name of Tanyaradzwa. Laquisha,Tareeq,Tyrese,LaToya
This sudden surge of support for share similar structural traits with
Thandiwe Newton reverting back African names such as Chiam-
to her original name and the ripple aka,Chineke,.”
effect it caused on social media is Many scholars of African Amer-
perhaps with good reason. ican history believe that distinc-
Chief Svosve of the Mhakwe Her- tively black names emerged from
itage Foundation said that in most the civil rights movement, perhaps
African cultures, the naming pro- attributable to the Black Power
cess is not an innocent act but car- movement and the later black cul-
ries great importance. tural movement of the 1990s as a
“There are variations of procedure way to affirm and embrace black
but in Africa, giving a child a name culture.

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 LEADER PAGE 9

Reason why stakes are

high in Mozambique

Well, it’s actually a banal curately pinpoint the origins NZ breaks ranks with allies over China
observation that anywhere and sponsors of terror, but
in the world where oil has the general outline of who As the Biden administration is seeking to justify its reck-
flowed, war has followed. the powers are behind the ramps up Washington’s dip- less military encirclement and
We have seen that in the insurrection and terror are, lomatic and military offensive, threats against China, which is
Middle East and West Afri- cannot be mistaken. every country is being forced viewed as the major obstacle
ca. The danger of Mozam- into line. The furore over the to American hegemony.
There is a nexus between bique’s insurgency is that it Jacinda Ardern-led govern- New Zealand was the only
oil and gas riches, the pet- has the potential to set the ment’s less than full-throated member of the US-led Five
ro-dollars they generate and whole region of Sadc ablaze, support for the confrontation Eyes intelligence alliance,
conflicts. starting with the triumvirate with Beijing highlights the ex- which includes Australia, Can-
It all has pointed back to of Tanzania, Mozambique traordinary tensions now de- ada and the UK, that did not
the world’s super powers, in and Zimbabwe. veloping. sign the communiqué criticis-
particular the United States A brief look at the map of Matters came to a new head ing the WHO report. “As this
of America that has been southern Africa shows that last month after several gov- is a scientific report, we want
known for sponsoring con- Mozambique spoons into ernments, led by the US and to make sure we understand
flict and wars so that in the both the countries in ques- Britain, denounced what they the science before making any
darkness of organized cha- tion as well as poor Malawi. claimed was Beijing’s “med- comment,” a spokeswoman for
os, the resource is siphoned Mozambique, in the worst dling” in the World Health NZ Foreign Minister Nanaia
off. case scenario, would act as Organisation’s (WHO) inves- Mahuta told the Australian .
It goes down to US’ insatia- both a crucible and convey- tigation into the origins of the NZ’s failure to immediately
ble greed for the so-called or belt of rebel activity. COVID-19 pandemic. join the attack on the WHO
black gold – oil – despite the This is scary. The WHO report conclusively prompted an angry response
fact that it has its own vast Experts believe that Mozam- debunked the lie that the virus in Australia. Sky News com-
reserves at home, that it has bique does not have effective originated in a Chinese labora- mentator Andrew Bolt con-
barely touched. control of the territory in its tory in Wuhan. It refuted US demned Ardern for “pander-
The strategy by the US ap- name, and that it lacks ca- efforts to promote the theory ing” to China’s “tyranny” and
pears to seek to deplete all pacity to contain rebels. that COVID-19 was developed “backstabbing” NZ’s allies. He
other existing sources while This is one big source of wor- as a biological weapon. The said Ardern was “ratting out
it preserves its resources for ry for everyone in the region WHO considered the possi- on Australia.” New Zealand
generations to come. and that is why all eyes have bility of a laboratory leak, but was acting as a “useful idiot” to
And the wars themselves are been on President Nyusi. dismissed it as “extremely un- “split opposition to the grow-
a great source of wealth in What could complicate mat- likely.” COVID-19 most likely ing menace that is China,”
and of themselves. ters is that Nyusi could be originated, it concluded, in a which Bolt accused of prepar-
Ruling elites and their oli- seeking from the enterprise population of bats or other an- ing for war.
garch friends preside over of war. imals before travelling through The Murdoch-owned Australi-
the country and have an al- Already, this has been whis- a series of intermediaries to in- an declared that while Austral-
most interminable hold on pered in the corridors and fect humans. ia’s relationship with China
successive administrations, may account for his reluc- The scientific evidence has not had imploded during the pan-
becoming a force, largely for tance to allow Sadc to come stopped the bogus campaign demic, New Zealand “has be-
bad in the world. in and deal with the rebels. led by Washington, seeking to come Beijing’s favourite mem-
So, when discoveries of oil If that is the case, the situ- shift blame for the pandemic ber of the Five Eyes group.”
and gas resources began ation is dangerous and we from their own catastrophic Wellington was “rewarded,”
to be found in Eastern and may see something monu- policies, which have caused the article claimed, with an
Southern Africa, which tra- mentally unpleasant. millions of deaths, onto Chi- upgrade to its free trade agree-
ditionally were not oil pro- It is time for regional heads na. At the same time, the US ment with China. WSWS.og
ducers, the prospects of to probe all the issues and
wars and instability was not dimensions of the Mozam-
far off. bican conflict and find a
In Mozambique, the begin- speedy solution before con-
ning of rebel conflicts run- flagration devours all of us.
ning under Islamist extrem- The current “Iraqisation” of
ism is hardly something that Mozambique is a dangerous
was not expected. moment of history.
Noone at this point can ac-

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW 10

Zhakata goes retro

It was nearly three decades ago – but there were lots of visible
that Leonard Zhakata burst influence from American pop
onto the big stage with a music star Michael Jackson, and some
beat that immediately won the central African rhumba fash-
hearts of many as his voice and ion.
performance wowed the nation. Now, close to 30 years since
He would dominate the scene Zhakata made all of us fall in
for much of the decade, since love with him, pictures have
his release of Maruva Enyika emerged of him in his old ward-
that had the hit, Mugove. robe.
Yet, one of the key features of Pictures recently leaked to En-
Zhakata’s early career was his tertainment Review showed
wardrobe: he and his band wore the barely aging star in his old
colourful outfits. shiny clothes in what appears
The shirts were eye-catching, to be a set of a music video.
with sleek designs that shim- Sources have indicated that
mered in the stage lights, while ZHakata is working with a
trousers were bedecked with up young gospel group.
to three belts. This could be something like a
And oh, the pleats on the baggy revival of the old flame!
pants that were the fad!
It has not been fully discussed
as to who was behind Zhaka-
ta’s fashion designs and sense

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW 11

Jack/Parson Russell Terrier
Takudzwa Gore joys life. In addition, this breed is
What they lack in size they pack it strong willed filled with abundant thirty minutes to about forty-five vo virus and legg-calve-perthes
up in bravery, alertness and excite- energy. They require a fenced area minutes to keep it healthy and also disease among others. It is recom-
ment. This breed was mainly bred as they can chase every object that tire it. They require firmness and mended by veterinarians to vacci-
for hunting around the nineteenth can run or walk, be it cats, rodents consistency, meaning that there nate your dogs regularly to prevent
century. Its name is derived from including people. Therefore it is is no room for the faint hearted. them from getting various diseas-
Parson John (jack) Russell who not suitable for first time dog own- These dogs can be found in various es. Due to their faithfulness, loving
desired an efficient, energetic and ers. Jack Russells require a lot of colours, such as white, black and and affectionate side, they are suit-
excellent hunting dog. Therefore socialisation with other dogs as white and white with brown spots. able for older children compared
he then decided to design the dog they tend to be very aggressive to- Just like any other breed, the Jack to younger ones due to their ener-
he had in mind. This resulted in wards them. Jack Russells are an Russell can fall sick to various dis- getic traits and also if they are not
a white short bold, athletic, cun- intelligent breed, but due to their eases. These include arthritis, Par- handled carefully they can bite.
ning dog that many desired. With wistful nature, they can be a bit
intelligence, determination and difficult to train. It is always good
hunting drive, this breed won the to keep them occupied as they are
hearts of many folks in and around bored easily. So training sessions
England. It also was able to chase should be short but precise and
foxes in and out of their dens. conducted continuously, to obtain
With this ability and courage, the a proper Jack that is friendly, af-
Parson Russell Terrier became a fectionate and always active. This
favourite for those who hunted breed is a people lover and they are
on horseback. Just like any other usually companion dogs. It is rec-
terrier, Jack Russells enjoy dig- ommended to walk your Jack Rus-
ging, chasing cats and other fury sell regularly and on a leash. This
animals. They are enegertic, lov- prevents them from chasing other
ing, devoted and amusing. With animals. It is a normal behaviour
all of that packed in one dog, you for this breed due to their hunt-
are bound to obtain a dog that en- ing instinct. Walk or jog with it for

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 AGRICULTURE REVIEW 12

Conservation Farming Proves A Game Changer
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe — An ag- the Pfumvudza inputs program
riculture conservation practice in- FARMER...Engelalbert Chinjere expects a bumper haverst here in urban areas,” he said. ‘’I
itiated for farmers in Zimbabwe is had to adhere to minimum soil
bearing fruit. seasons, this year the government African icon Nelson Mandela once disturbance techniques. I would
The program, known in the coun- partnered with the private sector, said. This year, intensive rains, only dig a hole where I would plant
try as Pfumvudza, trains farmers including Seedco and Mukushi, to coupled with COVID-19 restric- seeds and leave the rest of the land
in the use of small plots that retain roll out the Pfumudza concept na- tions, contributed to the challeng- undisturbed.
water easily and are easier to main- tionally. es small-scale urban farmers face. “The concept really paid dividends,
tain than larger plots. The goal is to “We are currently doing a crop Erasmus Moyo planted maize, sor- and the issue of food shortage is
bring food security to Zimbabwean and livestock assessment exercise ghum and beans this year. (Enos now a thing of the past to my fami-
families. to come up with yields (metric Denhere) ly,” said Moyo.
“The secret to the project’s suc- tonnes per hectare) and produc- Erasmus Moyo, a small-scale The Pfumvudza concept is meant
cess has been its scalability,” said tion (tonnes) countrywide,” said farmer in Bulawayo, said his area to benefit all farmers in Zimba-
Engelbert Chenjera, an urban Ministry of Agriculture principal is prone to drought, but as a result bwe. The aim is to grow yields at
small-scale farmer. “Conservation agronomist Davison Masendeke. of too much rainfall this year, he the household level, as this direct-
agriculture drastically reduces the Challenges in the past year had to plant maize, sorghum and ly impacts the national yield level,
workload for farmers and limits “Freedom is meaningless if people beans on his small plots. which presently sits at between 0.5
the size of plots, making it even cannot put food in their stomachs,” “The majority of us benefited from tonnes per hectare to 0.9 tonnes
more manageable. per hectare. With exceptional
“I am a beneficiary of the govern- genetics on the market, there is
ment’s Presidential Inputs Scheme the ability to reach well above 10
and also from private sector — tonnes per hectare.
Mukushi Seeds company. I planted Another farmer, Benson Ncube,
sunflower, beans, maize and sweet said: “Wherever you go, it is prom-
potatoes, and I am looking forward ising a bumper harvest and seems
to having a good yield. You can’t a game changer in the area of food
compare the current crop produc- security.” The Pfumvudza program
tion with previous years. This year, helps farmers like Ncube save time,
we were fully supported, and it’s a land and money by reducing input
bumper harvest,’’ said Chenjera. and labor.
Engelbert Chenjera expects a More than 8 million people in Zim-
bumper crop this year. (Enos Den- babwe were facing food shortages
here) for several years, due to drought
During 2010-2013, support for the and cyclones linked to climate
Presidential Inputs Scheme “was change and worsened by economic
mobilized to develop small-scale setbacks.
agro-dealers by recapitalizing their Many farmers who implemented
input and grain marketing in rural the Pfumvudza concept are enjoy-
areas, and voucher and e-vouch- ing productive harvests. The coun-
er mechanisms were piloted and try’s annual maize consumption
partially scaled up to target small was between 1.8 million tonnes
farmers,” states a report by the and 2 million tonnes; therefore,
World Bank. the country had to import at least
The government introduced Pfum- 1 million tonnes of maize in order
vudza for the 2020-2021 cropping to meet the local supply require-
season to address low levels of ments every year.
farm production. In 2020, it was reported that Zim-
The initiative helps farmers pro- babwe’s maize (corn) imports were
duce greater yields of grains, at an 11-year high due to drought
mainly maize, sorghum and millet, in the country.
while it reduces farmers’ workload. The Tennessee Tribune
After several years of poor rainfall

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 SPORTS REVIEW 13

Shumba roars before Marumani, Burl light up T20 tourney

Tuskers – 147-5 in 20 overs (Mil- well, forcing the batsmen to fight the line, and then Wessly Madhev- final three overs and only the in-
ton Shumba 37*, Simbarashe Hau- for runs, and at 40 they were re- ere was caught off a leg-side skyer, experienced Tinashe Nenhunzi re-
kozi 33, Luke Jongwe 23; Tapiwa warded with the valuable wicket of the first ball he faced, reducing Ea- mained of the specialist batsmen.
Mufudza 2/25, Faraz Akram 1/14, Ervine, who sliced a ball on the off gles to six for two wickets. Fifteen were needed off the last
Brad Evans 1/23) side to be caught by Elton Chigum- This did not faze Chakabva, how- two – then Jongwe took another
Eagles – 142-8 in 20 overs (Regis bura off Tapiwa Mufudza for 13. ever, as he fought back with a blaze catch off Shumba to remove Nen-
Chakabva 65, Chamu Chibhabha Mufudza followed up in his next of strokes, and after hitting the hunzi for 14 to make the score 134
36, Tinashe Nenhunzi 14; Milton over by bowling out Sean Williams new bowler Tanatswa Bechani for for seven.
Shumba 5/18, Charlton Tshuma for eight; 58 for three in the 10th a six and two fours off successive Faraz Akram joined Mufudza, and
2/16, Luke Jongwe 1/18) over. balls, he had raced to 36 off only 13 four singles off the rest of the over
Tuskers won by five runs Haukozi was still there, but at 70 deliveries. left Eagles needing 10 runs off the
Despite a brilliant fifty from Re- he was run out by Chigumbura for Chamu Chibhabha was by no final over, to be bowled by Jongwe,
gis Chakabva, a superb all-round 33, a very valuable début innings means a sleeping partner, and whose one previous overs had cost
performance from Milton Shum- that held together the Tuskers’ top he had 32 off 32 balls by the time 14 runs.
ba, top-scorer and match-winning order. Chakabva reached his fifty off only Akram twice took two, and then
bowler, gave Tuskers a thrilling This was a tricky situation for 24 balls. Jongwe bowled the next three balls
last-over victory over Eagles in a Tuskers now, but Luke Jongwe The score after 10 overs was 85 for cleverly moving away outside the
Domestic T20 Competition match and Shumba fought back with a two wickets and Williams was the off stump, and swung and missed
played at Harare Sports Club on brisk partnership of 41 for the fifth only bowler able to keep the bats- at them all.
Sunday morning. wicket. men in reasonable check. He needed to hit the final delivery
In a match that swung in turn from Just as they were really dominat- Shumba came on to bowl his left- for six to win the match for Eagles
one side to the other and back ing the bowling, however, Brad Ev- arm spin and had Chibhabha – this time he hit the ball, a low
again, Shumba began the last over ans bowled Jongwe for 23, the next caught for 36, scored off 37 balls, full toss, but only managed to sky
with Eagles needing 10 runs to win ball after being hit for six; 111 for and with the score now 96 for three it into the covers, where he was
– they got only four of them, and five in the 17th over. in the 12th over. caught.
Shumba took a wicket with the fi- The next man, Clive Madande, At 115 Chakabva’s great innings It was a very intelligent final over
nal ball to give his team victory by swung a powerful bat and scored came to an end, as Shumba in his by Jongwe, the final seal on a match
five runs. 17 not out off nine balls, while second over had him caught deep that Tuskers looked doomed to
Tuskers batted on winning the toss, Shumba finished as top scorer with on the leg side by Luke Jongwe for lose, but managed to turn around
but lost their captain, Brian Chari, an unbeaten 37 off 27 balls. 65, scored off 36 balls and includ- in thrilling fashion.
for a single when he was caught at The final Tuskers score was 147 for ing three fours and five sixes. Shumba’s remarkable four-over
midwicket off Faraz Akram. five after 20 overs. Two balls later Shumba caught and spell had brought him five wick-
Craig Ervine quickly asserted him- Mufudza had the best bowling fig- bowled Elton Chigumbura without ets for 18 runs; Akram was out for
self with a four and a six, while the ures of two for 25 for Eagles. scoring, and suddenly the match six, leaving Mufudza not out with
other opening batsman, the debu- Eagles made a poor start in re- was in the balance again with Ea- eight, with the final Eagles score
tant Simbarashe Haukozi, hit Dan- sponse, as in the second over, gles now 115 for five after 15 overs. 142 for eight wickets.
iel Jakiel’s first two deliveries for bowled by Charlton Tshuma, Shumba struck again at 127, as he Zimbabwe Cricket
four. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe was had Brad Evans stumped for four.
The bowlers tightened up very bowled for four, slogging across Twenty runs were needed off the

McGinn reveals Nakamba’s biggest strength

John McGinn has named Aston
Villa teammate Marvelous Na-
kamba as the fittest at the club.
McGinn is one of the regular
players in Villa squad and has of-
ten been praised for his immense
stamina and work rate.
But in one of his recent inter-
views, the Scottish has confessed
that Nakamba is even fitter than
him.
“[Stamina is] a big part of my
game, but Nakamba is the fittest
I would say [in the Villa squad].
He does get about the pitch well,”
McGinn told Soccer AM, as cited
by The Boot Room.
Meanwhile, Nakamba hasn’t
pinned a regular spot in the mid-
field this campaign, playing just
12 games across all competitions
due to the sheer amount of com-
petition in the squad.
Soccer24

R&M Monday 12 April 2021 SPORTS REVIEW 14

GROUNDED DREAMS

DREAMS GONE TO WASTE... The dilapidation of Chemhanza stadium in Glen View has become a cause for concern

Sports Review Writer Now, Chemhanza Stadium with here because the kids have no- Club in Mabelreign) but we have
We want to play in Europe. That land capable of having several where to play,” he said talented people here,” Nemukuyu
is the constant refrain of young sports grounds, is dilapidated and Youths who spoke to Sports Review said.
footballers from Harare’s Glen has been turned into anything from expressed frustration about how “We could also sponsor communi-
View suburb as they recount their places of worship, maize fields, den the grass had choked their dreams. ty cups and other competition un-
dreams and aspirations of playing of thieves and love nets. “Talent of youths is dying because der an areas zone, but we cannot
in Europe, the bastion of modern The main grounds are overgrown we have no facilities to train,” said do that because of the state of the
football where it has made fame with grass whilethe remaining in- 22 year old Chris Gwauya. facilities. This is an opportunity
and fortune for young people, in- frastructure – an odd goalpost “We have dreams of playing in Eu- that people are missing out on.”
cluding Africans. here, the changing rooms and what rope, but how can scouts see us? Nemukuyu said his company was
The globalization of the game and remains of the perimeter wall sum Some places like Mbare are better willing to partner Harare City
its major competitions in England, the lonesome and sorry state of af- because they have open grounds Council to rehabilitate and main-
Spain, France and Italy, has made fairs. and it results in talent being spot- tain the grounds.
the dreams only keener – and al- “This is the placewhere a number of ted,” he said. Council washes hands off
most palpable as the feel of the tel- stars started their careers and went But the story goes deeper than that. Harare city council and other local
evision set. on to have fame,” Mushangazhike, A top goalscorer at the Nash 2018 authorities in the country are fail-
The recent exploits of Zimbabwe- who is now involved with develop- competition, Tonderai Samaneka ing to properly maintain grounds,
an midfielder Marvellous Nakam- mental sides said. (21) is among the youths who are including the likes of Rufaro and
ba, who plays for Aston Villa in the He narrated that several yester- seeing their talent wasted. Gwanzura.
English Premier League have made year greats such as Tapfumaneyi Corporate sector Smaller stadia in the communities
lads in the dusty streets to believe Dodo, Gilbert Mushangazhike, Back in the day, corporate playesr have been totally neglected.
that they too can be at the top. Mashiri brothers Eddie and Mun- such as Lobels, Deven Industries, Contacted for comment, city
However, for residents of Glen yaradzi; Allan gadzikwa, Rowan Schweppes, Lonhro, Fire Batteires, spokesperson Michael Chideme
View, the dilapidation of facili- Nenzou, among others played here among others used to come and washed his hands from respon-
ties for sport have seriously dent- and went on to dominate the local scout talent as well as employ lo- sibility of managing the likes of
ed their hopes as they have little scene in the 1990s and 2000s. cals. Chemhanza.
options on where to practice and Now the grounds have not been Ben Nemukuyu, a local resident “These are community grounds
compete. maintained for over two decades. and a manager with a company and the local community has the
At the weekend, former football- Their revival has become a matter that used to sponsor matches and responsibility of maintaining those
er Kelvin Mushangazhike, who of political football, as powerful play here revealed that the state of facilities because it is them that use
played for the national team and in authorities and campaigners have facilities meant that they could not those facilities,” Chideme said.
South Africa guided Review & Mail politicized the matter. use them. He said the council policy was just
on a tour of Chemhanza Stadium Mushangazhike said the demise of “We could have opportunities to to reserve land and allow
– a vast area where the game used the facilities sounded a death knell support local residents and employ
to be played in his heyday and pro- for sport. them but right now we are based at
duced a number of stars. “Now we are not seeing any talent Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Sports

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