Source: EASTERN NEWS | Chimene feared Mugabe’s axe – DailyNews Live
Bernard Chiketo 26 October 2017
MUTARE – Outspoken Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister – Mandiitawepi
Chimene – has revealed that she feared losing her job during President
Robert Mugabe’s recent Cabinet reshuffle due to the rampant smuggling of
second hand clothes coming through her province.
The forthright Chimene also said government needed to do more for the
Small to Medium Enterprises sector, including vendors, as they had become
part of the economy despite being in the informal sector.
Speaking at an event organised by the National Social Security Authority
(Nssa) to provide social security for the informal sector, Chimene said
the second hand clothes that had flooded almost every province in the
country, were finding their way through Manicaland.
“All bales are coming into the country through Manicaland. I even feared
that in the reshuffle, I would be kicked out for failing to stop them.
“I’ve never seen any bale but there are so many . . . Vendors are selling
illegal imports. We should rather first arrest them before we even do
anything.
“We should first deal with the legality of their wares before we should
even look at their selling points,” Chimene said.
She challenged Nssa to build infrastructure for informal traders across
the country to avoid them engaging into running battles with police over
selling their wares in undesignated areas.
“We are government to give service to the people . . . We need to learn
from China which built a huge 5-kilometre stretch market that houses
various business enterprises. I want Nssa to build that market.
“We are now subjecting our people to being street vendors. We have removed
the dignity from our people yet we have authorities that have the money.
You can build us such a market – we have these people to take care of,”
said Chimene.
“Where is their security if they are exposed . . . and their wares
confiscated? These are the people who are now anchoring the country’s
economy.
“Internationally, SMEs are now recognised because they are now in charge
of the economy. How can you have vendors in charge of the economy? ” she
asked.
Chimene said the informal sector should also be encouraged to bank but
that depended on the banks assuring them they would get their money
whenever they needed it.
“We also need to convince them to bank and then also allow them to also
access their money when they want it.”
Zimbabwe has over six million people trading in the SMEs sector
controlling over $5 billion mostly cash transactions, according to
statistics.
…as she orders demolition of dilapidated buildings
Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene has ordered Mutare
City Council to raze down dilapidated buildings to spruce up the eastern
border city’s image.
Addressing informal traders at a Nssa workshop recently, Chimene said she
would engage council with the proposal to have some of the old buildings
such as those with corrugated iron sheets which were on their last legs.
Chimene said the owners had the option of doing the demolition job
themselves failure of which she would order council to unleash bulldozers.
“There are old buildings that are messing up our town, they should be
razed. We are going to take a position, I’ll talk to council.
“We should tell people with old and dilapidated buildings that no longer
fit town status to either pull them down or we pull them down,” Chimene
said.
She said beyond replacing old buildings council should also look at
improving the Sakubva bus terminus and vegetable markets which she
described as an eye-sore after they have remained unchanged for decades.
“Msika weHuku is an eye-sore. I was born when it’s in that state, went to
war, came back and now I’m minister and should not leave it like that when
Nssa is there.
“I’m talking to physical planning department so that we establish our own
roadport. Let’s establish a good route for our people to be comfortable,”
Chimene said.
Chimene, who is also the leader of the Zimbabwe-China Friendship
Association said council should also consider privatising refuse
collection and cleaning services and bill businesses for the work, just
like what China has done in its model for cleaning cities.
“China privatised cleaning of towns, with tricycles. Those people with
business they are levied. Everyone with a business is levied daily, which
is money that is paid to those who maintain the streets. That is another
business for SMEs,’ said Chimene.
Day-old chicks shortages set to ease
SHORTAGES of day-old chicks are expected to ease within the next three
weeks after government removed duty on egg imports to allow producers to
increase following the ravaging avian flu which seriously affected the
poultry industry.
As a result of the avian flu, Zimbabwe has experienced serious shortages
of day-old chicks and limited supply of eggs and chicken meat.
Manicaland Poultry Producers Association chairperson Enock Mbendani said
the exemption of duty on fertilised egg imports and the licensing of six
poultry companies with import permits was expected to ease the crisis.
“There are still shortages in the supply of chicks resulting in their
prices going up but in the next three weeks, supplies will start to
improve.
“Government issued Statutory Instrument 124 which has made possible the
exemption of duty on imported fertile eggs and six local companies were
issued with import permits,” Mbendani told the Eastern News.
Before the avian flu, government had maintained a 40 percent duty on
imports of fertilised eggs from Europe.
Most poultry producers are importing fertilised eggs from Spain.
Mbendani had previously said without the removal of duty to allow
importation of more eggs, poultry producers would struggle to meet the
market demands.
Zimbabwe’s largest poultry and table eggs producer – Irvine’s – was
hardest hit by the avian flu outbreak, which cost the company $7,3 million
in May.
Avian flu severely affected the supply of chicken, breeding stocks and
table and hatching eggs.
Following the crisis, the department of Livestock and Veterinary Services
ordered Irvine’s to depopulate all poultry and quarantine its Lanark Farm,
which houses half of its breeder and laying chickens.
The company was forced to reduce production hours and in addition, it did
not renew contracts of fixed-term workers, retirees and those who are past
retirement.
Mutare museum remembers Plowes
MUTARE Museum is running a memorial exhibition in remembrance of the works
of one of the founding members – Darrel Herbert Plowes – who died last
year.
Plowes died on October 19 last year and had a rich history with Mutare
Museum dating back to 1957.
National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe eastern regional director Paul
Mupira said the exhibition was meant to publicly appreciate ad acknowledge
Plowes’ contribution to the institution.
“He was a member of the Museum Society that contributed to the founding of
this museum. He made substantial contributions to the establishment and
development of the museum especially in the Botany/Zoology and Antiquities
Department,” Mupira said.
Mupira said in preparation for the official opening of the museum in 1964,
Plowes contributed a series of colour enlargements of local wild flowers.
He also sold the museum his Darrell Plowes Egg Collection in 1976 and also
built extensive bird and butterfly collections which are all on display at
the exhibition.
Mupira said the museum has more than 1 500 objects in its collections
contributed by Plowes.
Plowes had 24 journal publications and two books from his researches in
natural sciences which also saw him discover many new plants that are
named after him including a butterfly species – Aloeides plowesi.
The opening of the exhibition was also attended by National Art Gallery of
Zimbabwe board members Job Torindoh and Dave Scott.
“We felt he (Plowes) did a lot for the community which is not a light feat
and we felt we needed to honour him by also participating,” Torindoh said
on the sidelines of the launch of the exhibition last Friday.
Des Becker said in a homily to Plowes people of Manicaland should embrace
him as a true Samanyika as he was passionate about the region having made
contributions in both agriculture and natural sciences.
“Darrel loved Mutare and spent many years here, so I think it is only fair
to acknowledge this, and adopt him, by declaring him a true Samanyika!”
Becker said.
He said beyond his contribution to the museum’s antiquities, botany
zoology, Plowes was an agriculturist who made a great contribution since
his work as a pasture research officer at Matopos between 1949 and 1952
before he was later appointed provincial agricultural officer for
Manicaland.
“Darrel, along with his colleagues, laid an amazing foundation for the
country as a whole in the conservation ad extension services section, in
the then ministry of agriculture.
“In particular the upgrade of rural agriculture, via the setting up of
training centres which offered courses to the local farmers to encourage
them to adopt modern farming practices,” Becker said.
Plowes helped set up Rowa Training Centre and encouraged the late local
philanthropist Sir Stephen Courtauld to contribute towards the setting up
of Kukwanisa Training Centre in Mutasa and many others.
Footballer attacker a fugitive
THE MAN who brutally attacked a service officer and footballer was a
fugitive from justice, the court has revealed.
Hardwork Mushati, who has been charged with attempted murder after he
attacked footballer and soldier – Kudzai Mwaramba last week during a brawl
for the control of a car wash area – had been running away from the law
for more than a year.
Mushati attacked Mwaramba with a machete resulting the Buffaloes defender
losing part of his arm in the horrific attack.
Prosecutor Matthew Chimutunga told the court that Mushati was a wanted man
who had been evading the police for more than a year after he skipped
trial in a case of assaulting his daughter.
The court was also told that Mushati had assaulted police officers and
unlawfully left their custody in 2016.
According to court records, Mushati resisted arrest by constables Magwenzi
and Masendeke on May 19, 2016 when they wanted to arrest him over the
assault of his daughter.
He claimed they had no right to interfere with his family, the court was
told.
The two cops accompanied by constables Chirindo, Makwanda, Haruperi and
Wedzerai returned the next day and arrested him at Tisu Tisu Bottle Store.
They took him to Hob House Police Post from where he again escaped custody
and ran away despite being handcuffed.
When he was eventually brought to court following his re-arrest, he
absconded his routine remand appearance until he was arrested for the
machete attack on Mwaramba.
Mushati has been slapped with attempted murder for his machete attack on
Mwaramba whose Buffaloes team in currently chasing the Eastern Region
title which could guarantee the army side promotion to the Castle Lager
premiership next year.
He has been remanded to October 31.
Mwaramba’s career appears to be as good as over after part of his hand was
amputated following the machete attack. He is recovering at Mutare
Provincial Hospital.
Concerns over road fuel transportation
PRESSURE is mounting on government to ban the transportation of imported
fuel by road to allow maximum and consistent usage of the Feruka Oil
Pipeline which links Mutare and Harare.
The Feruka pipeline, which has the capacity to pump 180 million litres of
fuel per month, receives its fuel from Beria in Mozambique and transports
it to Harare in Msasa where fuel tankers can pick up deliveries.
Over 35 percent of fuel is transported by road into the country from
Mozambique despite the existence of a pipeline from Beira through Mutare
to Harare.
Delegates at the One-Stop-Border-Post (OSBP) awareness campaign workshop
held in Mutare this week said the ban on road transportation would reduce
the fuel costs and road damages.
Director of Industry and Commerce Constance Zhanje admitted that pipeline
use was more ideal and beneficial to the country.
“Indeed the ministry of Transport has been discouraging this, promoting
the use of the pipeline. There has been some challenges with the pipeline
that’s why we had these freight trucks being used.
“It’s an issue of concern to everyone. It will cost us more in taxes and
more money to be channelled to road infrastructure.
“Pipeline is cheaper and that cost of using haulage trucks is translating
to a higher final consumer fuel price,” Zhanje said.
The ministry of Energy and Power Development has since 2014 been pushing
for the use of pipeline for all fuel, including transit fuel to avoid its
leakage amidst rampant smuggling.
The pipeline would pump fuel from the Mozambican port of Beira to the
Feruka oil refinery in Mutare before further transportation to Msasa in
Harare.
An estimated 30 to 50 million litres of fuel is being hauled by trucks
through the Beitbridge and Forbes border posts destined for other
countries laying to waste government investments in the Beira Corridor
pipeline and Beitbridge-Bulawayo Rail.
In 2011, Government introduced $0,04 cents per litre road fuel levy to try
and force importers to use the cheaper mode of transport.
It costs $0,08 cents a litre to transport fuel by the pipeline from Beira
to Msasa in Harare.
However, the haulage companies charged 0,09 a litre over the same
distance.
The country has made efforts in raising the pumping capacity of Feruka oil
pipeline linking Beira and Harare fuel depot after introducing drag
reducers in a bid to increase fuel supplies.
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