Harare News December 2014 by Sara

Our city, our lives Issue 17 December 2014

Ending 2014 on a high Harare News wins an award for our environmental coverage.

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Meet your councillor Auxilla Mahachi oversees Ward 2, Harare Central.

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Monkeys killed Horror in Meyrick Park as resident monkeys are poisoned.

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Terrific at 10 Tanya Muzinda: EU Ambassador and motocross champ.

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Council flouts Environmental Act Stephen Tsoroti

ity Council and their partners in the property development business continue their attempts to destroy Harare’s last remaining wetlands unchecked and in violation and disregard for the Environment Act and the citizens they claim to serve. The recent endorsement by council of yet another massive development on gazetted wetlands in Marlborough and Ashbrittle is, in the eyes of residents and environmental experts, a breach of the laws that safeguard against the destruction of critical ecosystems. It would be another nail in the coffin of Harare’s already beleaguered water supply. According to the Marlborough Local Plan 45, Amendment 1, Final Plan, currently posted at

Marlborough District Office, Dawn Properties plans to build blocks of flats, cluster houses, medium density houses and an office park on both Ashbrittle and Marlborough vleis. The Plan has been on display since 1 November until 12 December, and will become effective immediately on 15 December if no objections are raised by residents. This is the second time the Plan has been put to residents. Residents objected in the first instance, citing a host of reasons including: loss of water, biodiversity and environmental damage as well as the absence of a sewer treatment plant after the decommissioning of one that used to serve Avonlea. The inability by Council to supply residents with Environmental Impact Assessments of the wetlands – a legal prerequisite for any development

anywhere – was also raised. The Marlborough development project is being funded through mortgages from CABS, a subsidiary of Old Mutual. CABS has, however, distanced themselves from the developments. According to Tendai Mutseyekwa, Old Mutual Group Senior Communications Consultant, CABS is an institution that grants mortgages to anyone who approaches it with a financial need. Council’s shortsightedness is nothing new however. In the last two years, they have approved controversial developments by Augur Investments subsidiaries West Property (under the wing of Ken Sharpe), on the National Stadium wetland, Borrowdale West wetland and Highlands vlei. After stiff protest by Highlands residents, the Continued on page 2

Matron Doto watches on as a colourful fish mobile is hung in the Burns Unit of Harare Children’s Hospital.

Artist brings colour and hope to Harare Hospital Staff Writer

elebrated Zimbabwean artist, Wayne Stutchbury, has collaborated with his students to brighten up the Burns Unit in the Children’s Ward of Harare Hospital.

November saw the installation of two brightly decorated fish mobiles in the otherwise drab rooms. The pieces are instantly recognisable as Stutchbury’s work and bring his creativity to those most in need of hope. Stutchbury carved the fish

and assembled the mobile, but it was his students, who range from eight to eighty years old, who painted them in bright colours. The atmosphere in the Burns Unit is grave. The victims have endured pain beyond telling. So serious are

their injuries, each patient needs an individual nurse, especially during mealtimes, when many of the children are fed via syringe through heavy bandaging that conceals excruciating, blistered flesh. Since most of the children are flat

on their backs, the mobile has been hung high. It is a huge injection of colour into what must be dreary days for the kids, most of whom cannot even fully comprehend what has happened to them. Continued on page 2

2 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

General news

Council flouts Environmental Act Continued from page 1 approval in Highlands was later overturned by the then Environment Minister Francis Nhema. Residents near Swanlake Park, an important bird sanctuary in Ashbrittle, Avonlea, also had to fend off council approval of developments in their area earlier this year. Speaking to Harare News about the latest plans that sit once again in Marlborough District Office, Prince Jonasi, director of community group Imagine Avonlea said, “The plan has failed to address the concerns of the residents. The reason why residents objected in the first place is because there were grey areas the council was not addressing. The authorities would need to convince us that it’s necessary to put such developments on a wetland and along a stream. We are

Unaware: An Ashbrittle farmer knew little of the planned developments. informed by the proposed plan that a road shall be constructed through the protected Ashbrittle wetland. This will be dangerous in that it will hinder the work of the natural function of the ecosystem and disturb its core purpose.” Another resident, Simbarashe Hanga, said that council has failed to uphold the law. “While council has a duty to provide essential services like housing and other amenities, it should see to it that they read well the laws that governs their functions,” said Hanga. Councillor for Ward 41, Charity Bango, admitted that council has failed to live up to residents’ expectations, saying, “Most councillors have little education on these issues of wetlands, while others vote because in their areas there are no wetlands.” Bango also revealed that most councillors sitting in the

Most of us [councillors] are not conversant with what is required or we only want to satisfy our egos. environmental committee never actually saw the Plan before approving it. “The law clearly shows what we are supposed to be doing, but it seems most of us [councillors] are not conversant with what is required or we only want to satisfy our egos,” Bango added. Chairman of the City of Harare Health and Environment Committee, Chris Mbanga suggested to

Harare News that the issue lies in the disharmony between the Urban Councils Act, which mandates land allocation and development and makes no mention of wetlands, and the Environmental Act, which forbids wetland development. He said in respect to the Marlborough Plan 45, Amendment 1, Final Plan, the council has done what it was supposed to do. “We deferred the plan when it came to council, but one thing everyone has to know is that we are saddled with officials who are flouting our efforts to conserve the wetlands,” said Mbanga. He added that while he supports the preservations of wetlands, council is hamstrung by a directive from central government to build 105,000 houses by 2018. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA), who seem fairly unfazed by events, has insisted that no development will take place on wetlands before an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is done. EMA spokesperson Steady Kangata said any developer who intends to develop on wetlands should seek approval of the agency. “We have not received an EIA from any developers concerning the Marlborough and Ashbrittle wetlands,” he said. Council seems to be contradicting its plans earlier in the year to protect wetlands by reviewing the lease holdings on wetlands and a roll out of education programs in 46 wards to prevent future disputes and abuses. All residents of Harare have until 14 December to lodge an objection at the Marlborough District Office, Mabelreign Shops, Sherwood Drive.

Hope to Harare Hospital

Wayne Stutchbury Continued from page 1 A third, and much bigger piece, is set to be put up in the playground adjacent to the Children’s Ward in the hope of exciting and inspiring the young people who have recovered enough to leave the sad atmosphere of the interior. Speaking to Harare News after installation was complete, Matron Charity Doto expressed pleasure at having the beautiful objects moving gently above. “They are colourful and it cheers up the kids and the mothers,” she said. Stutchbury’s work is usually to be found in the homes of Harare’s wealthy, in our National Gallery, or in the grounds of high end restaurants such as Amanzi. He is an ardent recycler, using all sorts of discards, scrap metal, wood offcuts, broken machinery and even bones to create an array of pieces that includes furniture and sculpture. Of the fish mobiles, Stutchbury says, “I hope they provide a bright and uplifting image for the patients.” The underlying principle of all his work is “to give objects a second life.” The children in the Burns Ward need just such optimism on their journey back to health.

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General news

Sunningdale community builds maternity unit Farai Dauramanzi

esidents of ward 10 in Sunningdale last month started to work on an initiative to build an extension block to Sunningdale Satellite Clinic that will cater for maternity services. Councillor Hammy Madzingira who is heading the extension project said that the project is valued at $19,000, and residents will provide all the manual labour throughout the construction with council providing specialists and material worth $15,000. The World Bank has also chipped in with a grant of $4,000 towards the clinic extension. “This concept of residents’ participation started last month when we launched a program of litter monitors who volunteered to clean our streets every Wednesday, and after its success I realised we could use the same concept for the clinic extension project,” said Madzingira. The councillor said that the maternity unit will go a long way in easing the challenges faced by expecting mothers in Sunningdale

Residents of Sunningdale have mobilised to extend their clinic. who are currently being forced to travel to maternity units in Mbare for baby deliverance services. “This clinic (Sunningdale Satellite clinic) only attends to general illnesses, and we realised the problems residents were facing in accessing maternity services. As you know pregnancy can be due at any time of the day even at midnight,

so this maternity unit will bring the service nearer to residents,” explained the councillor for ward 10. Sunningdale Clinic was opened in the late 90s and Madzingira said that he would lobby after the completion of the extension project in January 2015 to have a doctor at the clinic to enable it to operate for 24 hours a day.

Matsveru Musvevereki who chairs the health centre committee that was created by the Sunningdale community to spearhead the construction said that residents took the initiative to build the maternity unit after realising that the clinic was now overwhelmed by patients. “Our clinic was built to cater for a smaller population, so we realised that the clinic is now too small to cater for the Sunningdale community which has since grown significantly. The clinic caters for various services such as: Anti-Retroviral Therapy; scaling of pregnant mothers; and scaling of babies. This has led to these services being offered on different days. “But, we believe with adequate rooms all services can be offered every day,” explained Musvevereki. Pastor Stephen Mutikuwe of Faith in God Ministries International in Sunningdale said that residents should be involved in the development of their communities, and he had brought youths from his church to help out in the project because of the need to help the community.

Harare News scoops top honours Photo: Luckie Aaroni

Staff Writer

arare News was delighted to receive the Best Print Media House for 2014 at the 17th annual Environmental Reporter Awards held in November. Hosted by Environment Africa, Nyaradzo Funeral Services, Rainbow Tourism Group, and NetOne, the Awards recognise and promote excellence in environmental journalism in Zimbabwe. The media has a critical role to play in protecting the environment – not only by disseminating good information, but also by acting as watchdog to those whose activities might negatively impact the world we live in. During remarks filled with her trademark passion, Environment Africa CEO, Charlene Hewat, pointed the finger at every Zimbabwean. “It starts with each of us. We live in the most beautiful country in the world and we have to protect our own environment,” she said. This is

ingrained into the ethos of Harare News, and surely helped on the way to taking home the trophy. According to the citation read out at the black tie event, Harare News took top honours because “the paper has consistently reported on and articulated environmental issues in a manner that has compelled local authorities and people to take action. These have ranged from littering, recycling, wetlands destruction, deforestation and alternative energy among others.” General Manager Sara Davies expressed delight at the recognition saying, “Environmental and community concerns are inextricably linked. That our environmental coverage has been given this award is a great testimony of our aim to bring these issues to the fore. It also strengthens our resolve to bring environmental concerns to the attention of the whole of Harare.” Harare News was not the only winner, with prizes such as journalist of

“The church belongs to the community because the people we lead come from the community so we should always help out in community development initiatives. Our aim as a church is to help the less privileged, and we are here to help the community acquire maternity services,” said Pastor Mutikuwe. However, Madzingira said that they were facing various challenges on implementing the project, with the biggest being lack of timely support from council workers. “Council’s system has not been very helpful because I had a meeting with the Nenyere offices department to come and do the measurements and peg the foundation but they delayed for days until I went there again. After I got there I was told that they had no transport and tools, they did not have even a fish line and I had to go and buy some tools so that we could kick start the project,” explained Madzingira. Madzingira said that he suspected that some council workers are dragging their feet on some projects due to lack of motivation caused by the non-payment of salaries.

Environmental Reporter of the Year: Hector Murambedzi (ZBC) Best Print News Reporter: Kenneth Matimaire (Freelance) Best Features Reporter: Andrew Mambondiyani (Freelance) Best Documentary Reporter, Electronic Media: Hector Murambedzi (ZBC) Environmental Photo of the Year: Munyaradzi Chamalimba (The Herald) Best Print Media House, Environmental Coverage: Harare News Best Electronic Media House, Environmental: Spot FM

Harare News General Manager Sara Davies (second from left) receives the award. the year (winning $2,000, a weekend getaway, and a trip to a regional conference) and photo of the year ($1,500), best feature writer, best print news reporter ($1,000 each) and best digital media house. With the ongoing assault on our environment, there has never been a more important time for environmental journalism. Congratulations to all winners who are making an impact in this critical area.

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4 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Council talk

MP Majome wins Human Rights award

2015 budget: a sober plan Farai Dauramanzi

Photo: Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association

Hon. Jessie Majome receives her trophy from LRF Director Deborah Baron.

n 15 November, Jessie Majome, Member of Parliament for Harare West, was presented with the award for the Women Human Rights Defender Who is a Lawyer. Presented by the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers’ Association, the award recognised her being the only female lawyer in parliament, her work in advancing women’s rights, combating gender-based

violence, and fighting against child and forced marriages. MP Majome expressed delight on Facebook, saying, “I was shocked to be honoured with this year’s Award… It’s so special to be recognised by one’s own.” Her accolades were extended on social media with numerous residents taking to Facebook and Twitter to issue congratulatory messages.

espite a lack of participation in the budget consultation meetings (see Harare News 16), some residents in Harare have hailed the 2015 budget which they said addresses most of the City’s priority areas. Adopted on 30 October, the budget now awaits government approval. Harare is expected to raise a total of $272.7 million against projected expenditure of $272.4 million leaving council with a surplus of $0.3 million. The major earnings for council are expected to come from property taxes at $105.3 million, and Harare Water which is expected to rake in $102 million. Other revenue sources are expected to bring $65.4 million into council coffers during 2015. No tariff increases have been proposed for Harare, for the fifth year in a row. Rates for council services such as water, hospital fees and property taxes remain unchanged with the exception of hostel rentals, which have been reduced from $23 to $10. The City has also proposed to scrap fixed water charges in residential areas such as Borrowdale that have gone for years without receiving water. Councillor for Mufakose, Ward 35’s Enock Mupamawonde, said that most of the feelings and sentiments of residents that were gathered in Harare’s 46 wards during the consultative meetings were reflected in the budget. “Indeed it is a pro-resident budget because the most prominent features of this budget is that of

being a still budget, as well as the 10% ward retention. According to the income and expenditure statement for 2015, the broad observation is that it is a still budget where all categories of rates remain unchanged,” said Mupamawonde. Harare’s 2015 budget approved the 10% retention for wards, a move welcomed by residents. Edison Zvavamwe (29) from Newlands said the 10% retention will allow for decentralisation of services.

Harare’s 2015 budget approved the 10% retention for wards.

“If properly adopted, the 10% retention will go a long way in addressing service delivery at ward level. However, there is need for proper management of the funds to guard against abuse by those who will be responsible,” said Zvavamwe. Water supply is expected to increase by 200 mega litres to 650 mega litres per day from the current supply of 450 mega litres per day due to the on-going rehabilitation of Morton Jaffray and Prince Edward water works as well as on Firle and Crowborough sewage treatment plants. Sharon Magodyo, community coordinator for Harare Residents Trust (HRT), said that the City’s budget was pointing in the right

direction because it has managed to prioritise water provision and the repair of roads, but lamented that prioritisation and implementation are two different things. “The City claims that Morton Jaffray water works rehabilitation is on course and on schedule but does not match output on the ground. As residents we feel the pangs of inconsistent water supply and we start wondering whether the funds borrowed for the renovations of the water plant are being channelled towards the intended purpose other than the buying of luxurious Grand Cherokees for top executives and staff costs,” said Magodyo. The budget also plans to attend to: 53km of failed roads which will be reconstructed and rehabilitated; eight kilometres of roads in the CBD and trunk routes will receive asphalt overlay; 120km will be resealed with spray and chip; 227km will receive re-gravelling and compaction of road verges; 16km of underground storm water pipes will be unblocked; 4,000 broken road signs will be replaced and six footbridges will be constructed. However, Magodyo said that council should not make plans for road rehabilitation with resources from ZINARA without a standing agreement which guarantees council funds. ZINARA has in the past years struggled to release Harare’s share from road license fees. “Council is speculating and creating grounds to hide behind ZINARA without accounting for the funds coming from the property tax on residents’ bills,” alleged Magodyo.

6 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Council talk

Meet your councillor: Ward 2, Harare Central Farai Dauramanzi

he enormous challenges faced by Harare make the job of councillor a difficult one. With just seven out of 46 council posts being filled by women, ward two councillor Auxillia Mahachi has an even tougher task representing her constituents in chambers. Despite this, she seems to be enjoying the job, due to the support she is receiving from her community. Mahachi was born on 17 August 1955 at Harare Hospital and grew up in the high density suburb of Highfield in the section popularly known as Egypt. She attended Nyandoro Primary School and Kwenda Mission for her primary education. Mahachi then attended St Peter’s in Highfield for her

secondary education. Mahachi then found work as a clerk at a clothing company in the capital where she worked for 15 years, until she left to pursue crossborder trading which she did until 2004. “I was motivated to run for council by the 50%-50% proportional representation between man and women that was being advocated for in our various political parties,” says Mahachi. Turning to council work, Mahachi openly admits that she has not managed to carry out any tangible projects in her ward since assuming her post due to cash shortages, but explains how she is helping residents who need her representation. “I am helping those with land problems such as leases, and those who require church space and some have already been granted their

permits and leases. As for projects, there is no money but, people are coming and I am helping in any way I can,” she says. Mahachi adds that people in her ward faced various challenges, but hopes that the recently approved 10% retention on all revenue collections for wards will go a long way in addressing challenges faced by residents. “Right now nothing is happening in terms of service delivery. We are hoping that the 10% will enable us to address our challenges. We are facing challenges with council workers’ response to fault calls – they take long to respond even if you call them three or more times a day.” Mahachi also says that her ward is facing challenges of refuse collection, which she attributes to the breaking-down of some council

refuse trucks: “The sharing of the functional refuse trucks by wards is now affecting the refuse collection time-table as the truck now comes even in the afternoon. I believe this can be solved by the 10% which will enable wards to repair their trucks.” As a woman leading one of the biggest and most interesting wards in Harare, Mahachi explains that she is happy with the support she is getting from residents in her community participation initiatives. “I have done pot-hole filling and clean-up campaigns at various points in my ward, and residents have shown a lot of enthusiasm to participate and right now they are actually calling for more such projects. At the moment we are rehabilitating the swimming bath in Arcadia and it is almost complete,” says Mahachi.

Know your ward: Ward 2, Harare Central Farai Dauramanzi

ard two, namely Harare Central, is one of the most interesting wards in the capital since it holds within its wide borders a mix of high, medium, and low density suburbs, numerous shopping centres, and some industry too. The ward is demarcated by Boundary and Enterprise Roads to the north, a short run of the Mutare Road to the east before cutting down through Mukuvisi Woodlands area, where its south eastern border makes a long beeline for the Chiremba Road. It then follows Chiremba to the Seke Road, its western boundary, which it follows to a point in Arcadia, just shy of town. Suburbs in the ward include: Cranborne; St Martins; Queensdale; Eastlea North and South; Arcadia; and Braeside, to make it the fourth largest ward in the city by land area. The composition and geography of these suburbs is greatly influenced by Harare’s colonial past, when policies of racial segregation meant that areas such as Arcadia and Braeside were designated for coloured inhabitants. These areas

hold their reputation for being coloured areas to this day. Like other places in Harare, Ward 2 faces various challenges which include electricity shortages, water problems, and pot-holed roads, to name but a few. Harare Central has quite a number of recreational and sporting facilities, which include Chapman Golf Club, Cranborne swimming bath, Queensdale and Arcadia sports club amongst others. Despite its size Ward 2 has no council-owned school and children in the area rely mainly on private institutes. Schools in Harare Central include Admiral Tait, Roosevelt Girls High, Eastridge Primary, Moffat Primary, Churchil Boys High and Cranborne Boys High. The ward has one council owned pre-school in Arcadia which leaves residents mainly reliant on private crèches for kindergarten education. In terms of shopping centres, residents can visit Queensdale, Braeside, Spar V.I.D. , Arcadia, Haddon Motors, and Clyde shopping centre. Ward 2 also encompasses part of the Central Business District, making it an economic hub. The ward

also contains various industries, both formal and informal. Some suburbs in the ward such as Eastlea and Braeside also have many houses that have been converted into offices as more and more companies continue to move away from the CBD, reportedly due to higher rentals in town. There are only three councilowned health institutions in Harare Central, namely Eastlea Health Centre, Braeside Clinic, and Arcadia Clinic. This means that residents must regularly turn to private health practitioners for medical attention. This gaping hole in medical services has been filled by numerous private surgeries found at the shopping centres and residential areas in the ward. Several projects are underway in ward two such as clean up campaigns at various shopping centres, pot-hole filling, and the rehabilitation of non-functional swimming pools such as the one in Cranborne. The ward two communities are also reportedly lobbying for the improvement of sports clubs in the area into better recreational facilities.

Quick facts Ward 2, Harare Central Population: 37,024 Females: 20,217 Males: 16,807 Size: 22.87km2 People per km2: 1,619 Number of households: 9,215 Average household size: 4.0

Harare News 7

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Community

Man behind the microphone – Tonderai (TK) Katsande Lovemore Lubinda

he small, neat, air conditioned studio at ZiFM is carpeted from floor to ceiling. Most of the light comes from the several blinking monitors in the room. A bouquet of microphones rises out from the middle of the production desk. It’s a slick, modern work environment for ‘The Ignition’ team. ‘The Ignition’ – ZiFM’s breakfast and drive time show runs from 6am to 10am every week day, and is a full tilt, slick, and fun affair. As the name suggests, its hosts aim to rev up listeners for the day as they shake the early morning drowsiness, start their engines and head off to work. Any radio station worth its salt knows that listenership spikes sharply during rush hour, when thousands of commuters tune in. Strategically a station must put together a powerhouse rush hour team to win over the biggest number of listeners possible as traffic peaks, and ZiFM have done just that. ‘The Ignition’ is co-hosted by MisRed, with Martha Mamombe on the news, and Marc Pozzo popping in to bring listeners their sports updates. Though it is definitely a team effort, the front man of the show is Tonderai Katsande, aka TK. Harare News tracked TK down for a quickfire interview to learn more about the man behind the microphone. You are one of the hottest radio presenters in Zimbabwe, can you please briefly tell us about yourself, when and how it all started. It started way back in the early 90s when I was living in South Africa. My first radio gig was with a community radio station called C.A.N.I. FM for Sandton and surrounding communities. Can you please describe your working day? My day starts at 03h30 in the morning. I wake up and read my daily bible reading program, an old testament chapter, another from the new testament, a psalm and a proverbs chapter. I then do a bit of sit/push ups, shower and surf for overnight news on Sky, CNN, eNews then on to my internet. I am at work by 5am, 5.30 latest. I listen to the daily word with Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa of the United Family International Church (UFIC), while I sort out my production in-tray from the day before and start my show at 6am. What else do you do when not on radio? I am a proud husband and father of 5, I am also a farmer, businessman and a dog enthusiast. What makes TK tick? Family and progressive people. Can you tell us the memories of your first day on radio? Wow, it’s been a while. Can’t really say I remember.

Be yourself and learn to harvest content from your natural settings.

Any day on radio that you would want to forget quickly. What happened? That might be every day for me. I like to push boundaries. What is/are your main slot(s) on radio? The Breakfast slot weekdays 6–10am on ‘The Ignition’. Some of the challenges you faced in this profession? Short sighted people powered by non-progressive egos. How would you describe the state of the media in Zimbabwe? Too politicized. What do you think people in Harare can do to make the city better?

Network more and create interaction groups with set out objectives. Your advice to would be great radio presenters. Be yourself and learn to harvest content from your natural settings. At home, tell us about your favourite food, music, sport, hobbies. Love Oxtail, pork, goat, lamb, fish, chicken, ribs…. Meat. Love R&B, Hip-hop, Reggae and Worship Any parting words? Bye!!!! Drive time radio presenter Tonderai Katsande (TK) is a big name in local radio.

8 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Infographic

HIV & AIDS: how are we doing? 1,975,063 People living with HIV

December is World AIDS Day. It was first held in 1988, and a lot has happened since then in the fight against HIV and AIDS around the world. How are we doing in Zimbabwe? As you’ll see from our infographic, there has been a lot of progress thanks to huge efforts on many fronts, but we’re still a long way from declaring victory.

1,500,000 1,000,000 People receiving ART

500,000

New HIV Infections

1990

1992

1994

AIDS-related deaths

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

287,932 New HIV Infections

Key terms HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ART – AntiRetroviral Therapy PMTCT – Prevention of MotherTo-Child Transmission

200,000 100,000

Deaths averted due to ART

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

Infections averted due to PMTCT

Domestic HIV spending (US$)

Programme Mgt. & Admin. Strengthening

Added together, the numbers of deaths averted due to ART and infections averted due to PMTCT totalled 60,262 in 2013. Domestic spending on ART and PMTCT for the year was $84,112,570, which works out to $1,396 per death or infection averted through ART or PMTCT.

Perhaps better measures of the success of Zimbabwe’s battle against HIV and AIDS are the numbers of new HIV infections and AIDSrelated deaths, both of which have declined hugely since their peaks in 1993 and 2002 respectively.

AIDS-related deaths

1990

Prevention (PMTCT)

Prevention (Male Circumcision)

Prevention (Behavioural Change)

Orphans & Vulnerable Children Care & Treatment

Prevention

Domestic Public

The total number of people in Zimbabwe living with HIV stopped dropping in 2009 and has been gently rising since. This increase corresponds with the rise in the number of people receiving ART, showing that ART is helping more people with HIV live longer, which contributes to the overall prevalence. There is good evidence that the higher the coverage of HIV positive persons with ART, the lower the rate of transmission of HIV within communities. This is called ‘treatment for prevention’.

310,000,000

300,000,000

UN Agencies

200,000,000

Global Fund International

Other positive indicators are the numbers of deaths averted due to ART, and infections averted due to prevention of motherto-child transmission (PMTCT), which together nearly matched the number of AIDS-related deaths in 2012 and 2013.

100,000,000

Bilaterals Care & Treatment (ART)

By programme area

By funding source

2006

2008

2010

2012

HIV prevalence (%) 29.8 Females 25–49

Only 7% of the domestic HIV spending for 2013 came from domestic sources. The major contributor to this is the AIDS levy, which is 3% of PAYE and corporate tax, collected by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and remitted on a monthly basis to the National AIDS Council.

HIV prevalence has been steadily declining, but Zimbabwe still ranks 5th highest in the world (adults 15−49 estimate modelled).

Males 25–49

HIV prevalence is significantly higher in females than in males, especially in the 20–24 age bracket.

20 Females 20–24

Females 15–19 Males 20–24 Males 15–19

2006

2008

2010

Life expectancy at birth (years) 62

Females

Life expectancy reached a low of 42 for all sexes in 2008, but has been slowly rising since then. It has constantly been about 3 years higher for females.

Males

Both sexes

30 20 10 1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

Sources: Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey 2010-11 Preliminary Report), Organization for Public Health Interventions and Development (OPHID), worldaidsday.org, unaids.org, world-data-atlas.com/aidsinfo, aidsinfoonline.org, Zimbabwe AIDS Response Progress Report 2014

2012

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Swaziland Lesotho Botswana South Africa Zimbabwe Namibia Zambia Mozambique Malawi Uganda Kenya Tanzania Cameroon Gabon Central African Republic

27% 23% 22% 19% 15% 14% 13% 11% 10% 7% 6% 5% 4% 4% 4%

Graphic: Graham van de Ruit

Harare News 9

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Community This article is sponsored by…

Just Swift It!

Chipawo celebrates silver jubilee Stephen Tsoroti

he Children’s Performing Arts Workshop (Chipawo) kick-started the celebrations for their 25th anniversary by hosting a gala performance at the College of Music in November. The celebratory fête included speeches, music, dance and a video chronicling the progress of the organisation. Chipawo was founded by UZ lecturer Robert McLaren, well known cultural and educational consultant Stephen Chifunyise, Julie Frederikse and Farai Gezi. It has nurtured some of the country’s best known musicians, dancers and actors and actress and over the years it has grown into an organisation that is acclaimed both locally and internationally. Chipawo was established in 1989 as “an enduring organisation with a mission to benefit and empower children and society for prosperity, unity and peace through participatory arts education.” In Shona, the word “chipawo” literally means “give also”. The organisation has developed an arts education programme that involves children and youths in a participatory and creative learning process which is dynamic, gender sensitive and democratic. In the past 25 years Chipawo has reached out to children from pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, out-of-school centres, institutions for the mentally and physically challenged, and orphanages.

Chipawo’s major achievement is the mentoring of artists like the late Chiwoniso Maraire.

The Chairman of the organiation Stephen Chifunyise said that although the last 25 years have been challenging Chipawo did not deviate from its core founding principles – to teach the younger generation about Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage. “The main focus of the organization now is to support arts education in Zimbabwe and make sure that our model syllabus is taken to tertiary institutions,” said Chifunyise. “We also envisage opening other chapters of our organization beyond our borders so that Zimbabwean culture is better appreciated.” Farai Gezi, a founder member of Chipawo, said that they are grooming youngsters to take the organisation to a new level and ensure its continued existence. “Over the last two decades we have managed to bring in youngsters to ensure there is consistency and continuity in the organisation,” said Gezi. Perhaps Chipawo’s major achievement is the mentoring of artists like the late Chiwoniso Maraire who became a member briefly in the early 90s when she was already proficient in the art of playing marimba and mbira and had perfected her singing voice. Danai “Didi” Gurira, who is now pursuing a successful career in show business in the United States, is another success story of Chipawo. Danai is well known as a film actress. One reviewer described her as the red hot Zimbabwean actress who stars as a butt kicking, katana sword wielding zombie apocalypse survivor in The Walking Dead. She has scooped an Obie award as well as other awards for writing and acting. To date Chipawo has 46 schools’ programmes and its programme has been replicated in a numbers of Southern African Development Community countries, such as Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, the DRC and South Africa.

Chipawo’s 25-year celebrations were held at the College of Music in November.

10 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Aquaculture

Urban fish farming in city swimming pools Sharon Mazingaizo

“A

quaculture” is the term used for fish farming. A growing number of Harare residents have been acquiring the skill as a form of earning a livelihood. According to Aquaculture, Zimbabwe residents wonder whether it is feasible to farm fish in a swimming pool using the City Council treated water or their own borehole water. They suggest that if you are unsure, call in the experts to have your water tested under laboratory conditions. There are three main breeds of fish which are farmed in Zimbabwe – tilapia (bream), trout and Kapenta. Tilapia is the best for urban fish farming on a small scale level because of its simple reproduction

and breeding cycle and rapid growth rate. It has good tolerance to high stocking densities, intensive rearing conditions and good resistance to physical handling. To start urban fish farming you need to drain your swimming pool and clean it of contaminants by scrubbing the inside of the pool with vinegar and then rinsing it clean. This is important, or the fish you introduce to the pool could die. Before introducing fish, however, plants need to be established as well as oxygen generating algae. Algae will grow on its own when allowed and the best plants to introduce are those you’ll find in natural freshwater environments in your area as these are suited to the climate. You can even introduce a couple of

plants that are regarded as pests like salvinia, a fast spreading and floating fern. Rather than being a pest, the plant serves a purpose here as ‘chicken feed’ for the fish. Another good method to make your pool water more fertile is by using animal manure and mixed compost made both of plant and animal matter which is placed in a crib or basket in the pond. This turns the water green and creates suitable conditions for bream fish rearing. Add a bucket of manure every week to keep the water green. The water will be ready for you to introduce bream after about a week. A good size for a pond is 20 by 25 metres or

500 square metres. You’ll need 25 juvenile fish for every ten square metres. If the pool is 500 square metres stock it with 1,250 fish. Try to keep the water temperature the same from where the fish are to where they are going. Feed your fish with finely ground grain mill sweeping, rice bran, beer wastes, termites, mown lawn cuttings, animal waste, fruits, and vegetables. Feed your fish at the same time every day. Harare News spoke to Vurayai Zvarevashe, Senior Project Officer at Aquaculture Zimbabwe, who said “In Harare we are slowly seeing more activity happening as

many people are converting their swimming pools and backyards into small scale fish farming ponds. But most activity is seen in rural communities where people form groups and start fish farming on a community level.” Aquaculture Zimbabwe offers training courses aimed at building capacity to support the development of fish farming in Zimbabwe. The training course includes an introduction to fish farming, fish production, fish species selection and fish biology basics, fish farm management best practices, postharvest management and fish farming business management skills.

Fish farming is becoming popular in urban and rural areas alike.

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Environment

Green Ambassador publishes environmental book for kids Farai Dauramanzi

reen Ambassador Dereck Mpofu last month released an environmental book entitled Little Green Ambassadors to raise awareness and disseminate environmental information to children. Speaking to Harare News before the launch of the book on the 28th of November 2014, Mpofu said the book was meant to spread critical information on environmental issues in a child friendly manner.

“The age group that I targeted is from four to 13 years old. I wanted to address the discrepancy between the information that is available to adults and what is available for children on environmental issues such as water conservation, waste management and wildlife conservation,” said Mpofu. He said that the book will enable kids to be taught about the environment at a tender age, which will benefit the country in the future. “I have written the book in the

form of rhymes, and also made it interactive. Kids of four may not really be able to read but they are able to listen to rhymes. They can also participate within the book as we have put in drawings and it is a colouring book,” explained Mpofu. Mpofu, who started his environmental work in 2010, has also released two musical albums about the environment. The Green Ambassador said that his book touches on topics such as water conservation, urban farming

and wild life conservation among many other environmental issues making it appeal to both the rural and urban communities. “When you look at issues to do with water, it is something that obviously affects the urban population, but it also affects the rural population, in that kids have to go further to look for water. We also have issues to do with wildlife conservation. In urban areas we will be talking about tourism being affected, but in rural areas it is an issue of

livelihoods,” narrated Mpofu. Mpofu noted that most parents will likely not be able to purchase the book due to the current economic hardships, but he said that he hopes that the book will be adopted as part of the curriculum and distributed for free in both government and private schools. “We need a lot of support from the donor community to be able to print the book in large quantities so that we can hopefully distribute it for free all over the country,” said Mpofu.

Meyrick Park residents appalled by monkey poisoning Jan Raath

esidents of Meyrick Park were shocked recently to discover members of a troop of vervet monkeys that inhabit the suburb’s dense hilltop musasa forest had been deliberately poisoned. The steep, high Stanley and Colston hills that separate the suburb from the surrounding Mabelreign area are home to a troop of about 30 vervets, whose forebears are believed to have occupied the area since it began to be settled in the 1890s. “It was so sad,” said Chanelle Bronkhorst, a resident. “It was a big female, about the size of a baby. We found her in the road, she was dying. She held my hand, and I was squirting milk into her mouth [to dilute the effect of the poison]. “We took her to the vet, but by the time we got there, the vet said we were a half an hour late.” The veterinary surgeon identified the poison from the vervet’s symptoms as Timic, a highly toxic substance used on tobacco and against rats. The surgeon confirmed that Timic is widely used by criminals to poison dogs to enable them to break into properties without the alarm being raised. About a week later Mrs Bronkhorst found two more vervets, both males, dead in her garden, also

evidently poisoned. “We called the ZNSPCA (Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and they came very quickly, they were here in half an hour, with a National Parks officer,” she said. They searched the area for clues and spoke to other residents for a possible suspect, she said. A ZNSPCA official said no arrests had been made. Section 59(2) of the Parks and Wildlife Act prescribes maximum penalties of a fine of $300 or a year in jail for “unlawfully” killing a wild animal. The Trapping of Animals (Control) Act sets a maximum fine of $400 or two years in jail for using poison to kill a wild animal. Troops of monkeys frequent several other parts of Harare, the best known probably Highlands Golf Course and Doon Estate where they are reported to be an often serious pest. “It’s the people who are the problem,” said a National Parks officer. “They feed the monkeys and they don’t secure their rubbish bins properly, so the monkeys feed from them and get habituated to human food. The first thing is to manage leftovers and litter bins.” A big-game hunter in the Ruwa area who asked not to be named said he occasionally finds his kitchen “turned into a complete

TIRE

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disaster area, like a bomb hit it,” after being raided by vervets. “I take my rifle and go out and shoot one, and I don’t see them for a while.” Gardens with large dogs are much less likely to have a monkey problem, he said. Mrs Bronkhorst said she was alarmed initially after she saw no sign of the troop in the weeks after the poisonings. A neighbour, however, reported that the troop was still active on the hill. “They have just as much right of being here as anyone else,” Mrs Bronkhorst said.

Photo: Graham van de Ruit

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12 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Business & tech

Talking Twitter with Sir Nige ZBC finally makes changes @263Chat: ZBC suspends top managers @deogratias88: Took them long enough! Hopefully it will not be swept under the rag as usual Interesting African print question @kwirirayi: Wonder when we will get an African-inspired print from Africa Organ donor in Zimbabwe? @agcSpeaks: Do we have an #OrganDonor register in #Zimbabwe? I would like to sign up Kombi & bus lane in Harare @PastorEvan: So we have a bus lane in Harare now. Apparently it’s 4 Kombi’s... apparently they don’t like using it @goddiemang: kombis only use it during peak hours....LOL @hchifamba221: itsjus because civilian drivers mostly occupy the buses lane @Dali_Lamah: Must be close to a city council hotspot. What about aM’shikashika lane? On youth participation in society @tmn263: Media, anti-corruption commissions need new commissioners,can we not nominate youths to take up the positions? @tmn263: By nominating youths to these commissions, shows we care abt the future of our country and we want to be involved. Patriotism debate @tawie89: Why must one be Zanu PF or MDC?? Why can’t we just be Zimbabweans? Some of us just want jobs and a good future full stop @KudzaiSevenzo: Patriotism is LOVE for your COUNTRY. NOT loyalty to a political party Ebola in Zimbabwe? @israelmugoni: Whilst ebola is a threat,panic is never a good respond, i think local media shouldn’t cause panic but just educate @SMabisa: We need to equip the public with knowledge that enables them to make informed decisions on ebola Thoughts on Zim Budget 2015 announcement @tinohondo: The presentation of the national budget tomorrow has me depressed already. Wonder what new tax they r going to introduce this time @channelZim: What are your expectations with regards budget to be presented Thursday by Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa? Food for thought @tpmkumbuzi: I would like to see how much leave ministers have taken in the last month or is party business = government business @garweh2011: I don’t know where Zimbabweans get this mentality that you have to have extraordinary education to be respected in the society. @stanleykwenda: If #African businessman can organise $28,5 mil towards #ebola in one day then let our countries run like businesses @arniemutasa: If Zimbos believed half as much in working hard as they believe in miracles and prophets, #Zim wld be a better country @SureKamhunga: Who needs self-help shrinks on Google? Twitter depending on the quality of who you follow u can learn something new daily. I have & grateful @Tendaijoe: Assuming someone has it easier than you only builds a barrier between the two of you

$40k in prizes at Startup Weekend Harare Tawanda Mudzonga

rom 21–23 November, Startup Weekend Harare took place at tech venue, Hypercube Hub in Belgravia. This was the second time the platform for start-ups had taken place in the city, fresh off a successful run earlier in May. Startup Weekend Harare is one of several new platforms in Zimbabwe to encourage start-ups and budding entrepreneurs (see also ZOL Startup Challenge). In a country with over 80% unemployment, this is not only a good idea, but a more than welcome solution for underemployed graduates. That said, the event does not only target young university students or graduates, but is open to anyone with a business idea. Startup Weekend is a global brand out of the USA, sponsored in part by Google for Entrepreneurs. It takes place in cities all over the world. The three-day event is billed as 54-hour marathon that invites entrepreneurs, developers and designers to come and share ideas, build products and launch a startup in one weekend. Participants buy a ticket, which gives them the right to come through and pitch their idea in front of the crowd who have also bought tickets. The top 10 ideas are chosen, around which teams are formed and each team is assigned a mentor – someone experienced in business design, conception, failure, and success.

Winning team Food Match with mentors Michele Scanlon and Nigel Mugamu. The mentors included: Nigel Mugamu (263 Chat), Tommy Deuschle (Emerging Ideas), Bongai Zamchiya (Pariah State), Walter Wanyanya (Tech Tools Avondale), Shamiso Ruzvidzo (Fashion Weekend), Michele Scanlon (UMax Internet) and Takunda Chingonzoh (Sai Sai) among others. The teams then spend the whole weekend coming up with a business idea that in theory should launch by the end of the weekend. It was hard to know whether to take it seriously. Last May’s Startup Weekend Harare winner, K’Tamba Toys soon disbanded due to the school commitments of its young team members. The second place team, Money Game, have also not launched their product. Only May’s third place team, Combi Code,

now rebranded as QOR (Quick Online Reference) have pushed their start-up, rebranding it and in fact responsible for the registration and monitoring of the participants’ meals and drinks over the November Startup Weekend. When asked about it, organizers said they were aware that there was a need to provide continuing support to the teams after the event, including continually meeting with their mentors. The event brought through participants from all walks of life. However, it was clear that the organizers had planned for a larger crowd. This might have been partly because of what was a steep entry fee with tickets going for $60 and $30 for students. All in all, 17 people pitched their ideas onstage and five

ideas were chosen around which teams were formed with two mentors assigned to each. The five teams each had very interesting ideas. The first, Getsi.Co, developed an app that would send you an SMS when the power goes from your house and lets you know when it comes back, surely a valuable product in Zimbabwe. Ingage was a website that matched employers with University graduates who were looking for real-world experience. Rezident was another app that allowed residents to be able to communicate via email with the City Council failed service delivery, such as potholes that need fixing, refuse that needed collection, crime, in your neighbourhood and more. A fourth platform, MhuriYethu, was a website that allowed you to crowdsource funding for cancer treatment. Food Matters matched supermarkets and food producers who had food they were going to throw away with buyers who would use it right away at a discount price. The judges, who were a mix of business leaders and tech experts had a tough job. In the end the more than $40,000 worth of prizes went to Food Match. Only time will tell if they are able to build on this good start and actually sustain a viable business. Startup Weekend Harare plans to host its next event in Bulawayo in May next year.

Harnessing tech in the modern classroom T

he rapid rate of technological advance in the 21st century has changed many aspects of life. Surely then it is important for schools to embrace and adapt to new technologies to ensure that our youth are prepared for the real world? More and more schools around the world have incorporated electronic devices into their learning process, but how did they do it? One method is the ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) approach. Students are allowed to bring their own phones, tablets and laptops for use in the classroom.

How is the BYOD principle useful? For starters, schools do not need to spend a fortune on equipment – this will be the job of the parent just like buying school uniforms. Secondly, students will be more willing to learn as they will use devices that they choose for themselves and constantly have access to at home, school or on the road. On the downside, students are more likely to engage in unproductive online behaviour on their own devices as opposed to something provided, thus many educators reject the BYOD method. Instead, the

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school will shoulder the cost and have a standardised device that they provide to all students – in the fashion of a computer lab. On the surface, and money permitting, this solution seems obvious, but the freedom and continuous access of BYOD does speak more to the reality of the modern world – and if our objectives are to prepare learners for life in the 21st century then this needs to be considered. Using their own devices is likely to make learning more playful, enjoyable and interesting. The trick then is to educate around responsible use of their time, their devices, and especially of the internet. Another solution to give control back to the teacher regardless of the array of devices in the hands of students, lies in a clever software package called Lanschool. Lanschool gives the teacher power over what the student accesses and does during class. It enables a teacher to view each student’s screen be it from a tablet, smartphone, laptop or desktop, and see what they are

up to during class. The teacher is able to do this without the student noticing. Educators are able to blank the screen of any student who is not paying attention and communicate with the student directly through a chat option which means no more physical checking of what your students are doing. You can do all this remotely from your device with Lanschool. Lanschool can also be used by the teacher to collaborate with students and also allow students to collaborate with each other. The teacher can allow the screen of one student to appear on other student’s screens to demonstrate an example. Quizzes, tests, even assignments can be taken, and results published instantly. 21st century learning needs reliable, cutting-edge systems to manage and control what we do online. This is meant to guide us, protect us and maximize the benefits that technology must bring to education and development in our centres of learning.

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Consumer

Photos: Luckie Aaroni

“Give me that microphone!” Discussions were brisk at the third ever TEDx Harare event which got audiences thinking about how to do things differently.

TEDx Harare inspires change Tawanda Mudzonga & Harry Davies

he month of November saw audiences thrilled by the third ever TEDx Harare event. Hosted first at tech venue Hypercube Hub in Belgravia and finishing up at Alliance Française, TEDx Harare 2014 saw inspired crowds engage with inspiring speakers. Founded by Chris Anderson (USA), TED stands for ‘Think, Engage, Debate’ and the talks are now a huge international brand. Lasting about 20 minutes, they are aimed at bringing people together to listen to new, creative, or radical ways of thinking. The brand has seen massive growth in followership, especially via YouTube and the dedicated Ted Talks website. To democratise the idea, TED now gives out licenses to proxy partners all across the world. Zimbabwe’s TEDx event is run by Upenyu Matenga, who brought the event here for the first time in 2011. Matenga hopes that her efforts will shift focus off the

politically-oriented thinking that has gotten the country into a rut. “I worked as a journalist for about two years and there were lots of stories about people innovating, with good ideas on changing an individual’s sphere of influence but these were not being told. The big narrative was about politics and the economy, and that’s great, but we also need inspirational stories” said Matenga. Marketing of the event was carried out on Facebook, and attendees had to ‘apply’ for one of 100 invites by submitting a “big idea to transform Zimbabwe”. Ultimately this led to the somewhat small venues accommodating between 80 and 100 people on the days. Perhaps the exclusivity helped somewhat, as attendees were certainly very engaged, as demonstrated by question/comment time which saw nearly every audience member clamouring for a turn with the microphone. It might do Tedx Harare well though to upsize a little bit every year, since the quality of discussions is very high, and worthy of

bigger audiences. The first event on Saturday 15 November saw speakers ranging from filmmaker Rumbi Katedza who gave a talk on race and identity, neurosurgeon and author Dr Nozipo Maraire and Ignatius Mabasa who delivered his talk on the importance of modernising Shona folk tales entirely in Shona, and Takura Zhangazha, who spoke movingly about the history of government in Zimbabwe. Interspersed with the speakers were talks from other TED events, played on a big screen with speakers from America, China and the UK to lend the event some international flair. Tuesday’s event, titled TEDx HarareSalon, was staged in the intimate space of the Old Mutual Theatre at Alliance Française. As hoped by organisers, and in line with the TED philosophy, discussion was generally very positive,

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solutions-focussed, and built on expert opinion and concrete fact. Hedge fund manager Debbie Peters spoke of the potential impact that returning expats could have on the economy. She also hammered the point that local entrepreneurs have been failing after deploying old business models to serve a large formal economy – hardly workable in Zimbabwe where outlandish figures of up to 90% unemployment are reported. Co-panellist Ritesh Desai, founder and CEO of Invictus Securities also chipped in on this theme suggesting that our current estimates of GDP fall far short of actuality. “I would argue that if we included the informal sector into our calculations our GDP is somewhere between 15 and 20 billion dollars” he said. This alone should make Zimbabwe a more attractive investment destination. Juliet Le Breton talked about

women as economic drivers, raising eyebrows with one statistic generated by the UN: “women spend 70% of their earnings on their families and communities. With men it’s just 30%!” Dandemutande CEO Michelle Scanlon highlighted the need for Zimbabwe “to create an economy of digital inclusiveness” since “a 10% increase in connectivity has been shown in other countries to correlate to a 1.5% increase in GDP. Though one audience member quite rightly pointed out that “politics is the elephant in the room here”, the attendees at both events left feeling invigorated and inspired to start taking action toward positive progress, be it in the area of community, business, the environment or simply ones personal life. Hats off to Matenga and the TEDx team for a well run, engaging, positive event. Long may it continue.

14 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Food

Growing taste for cheap fast food threatens public health Patrick Musira

eal beef bones. Greasy potato chips. Chicken gizzards. Matemba. And all in huge portions generous enough to satisfy a giant! These aren’t dishes you’d find on the usual restaurant menus in the central business district, but these tasty meals are now regularly found on the menus of the city’s growing mobile and open-air food outlets. Street and open-air food vending in Harare is going through an exciting – or is it interesting? – phase. From behind service lane kiosks, hole-in-the-wall take-away cafes, to mobile kitchens and outside caterers, the food scene is stubbornly refusing to conform to the staid, silver service and starched, white linen type of before. These days, if you want to find the best (depending on your taste), or the most interesting food around, traditional restaurants are not the places to go looking for it. “It’s more or less like bringing the ghetto uptown – nothing wrong,” says Jabulani Ncube, who is a regular at one mobile food stall next to the inner city Copa Cabana commuter omnibus rank. Although fast food outlets are increasing at every street corner in response to the growing city population, competition between “kitchens” is tough.

A customer grabs lunch from a car-boot restaurant at Makombe Building. So hot is the competition – coming against a backdrop of dwindling disposable incomes – that some renowned restaurants outlets have literally run out of the kitchen! The food sold on the streets is relatively cheap, readily available , and generally meets the needs of busy customers who do not have time to prepare their own food or to go to other eating houses, where the food is more expensive, and it takes longer to be served. Although the variety of food is

just what the people want, some residents have expressed guarded enthusiasm as they also recognise that street food vendors often lack the understanding of safe food handling, sanitation and hygiene, food service, hand washing, reliable sources of raw produce, and the use of potable water. In short street foods are perceived to be a major public health risk. Harare Municipality’s Director of Health Services Dr Prosper Chonzi, says council is aware of the health

issues that arise from activities like “uncontrolled food sales and vending in the CBD”, explaining that most of the communicable water-borne diseases are also food-borne. These are diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and other types of diarrhoea. “Remember the 2008 cholera outbreak and the recurrent typhoid outbreaks,” he says, explaining, “It is unfortunate that police and vendors are playing a cat and mouse game because of these illegal activities but the community must be aware of the dangers of buying food from unlicensed, uninspected, unhygienic points, where even the source and quality of food is unknown or substandard.” The main consumers of street foods are other members of the informal sector, such as fellow hawkers, street hustlers, casual labourers, children, students, and office workers. Speaking to Harare News this week, Executive Director of the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) Rosemary Siyachitema, said that while they do not have the power to stop vendors selling from the streets, “people should not compromise their health by just buying food from anywhere. Due to the conditions under which street foods are sold there is concern that food may be contaminated with heavy metals and pesticide residues,” she said,

adding, “These contaminants may come from the utensils, raw materials or transport methods used and may also occur due to the lack of appropriate storage facilities. In most cases the vendors do not have adequate facilities for washing food and some vendors start their duties without washing their hands,” explained Siyachitema, emphasising that foods and ingredients are subjected to repeated contamination from handling and the materials used for wrapping, such as newspaper, kaylite and reusable polyethylene bags. But others beg to differ. Mai Chido, a food vendor operating a “table” take-away outlet in a service lane behind Harare Street, finds nothing amiss, saying, “It’s the food we all eat at home, the food we can all afford.” Consumers tend to look mostly at the price and might be already accustomed to the taste of unhealthy meals. Vendors, on the other hand, have a very small margin of profit and are inclined to keep expenses low by using poor quality ingredients and disregarding costly hygienic practices. Emmanuel Chikadaya, a flea market holder along Chinhoyi Street, concurs. “We see a lot of new types of illegal outlets springing up. It’s democratic consumption now.”

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Restaurants

Belcantos ‘malfoodos’ – a dire dinner indeed Mystery Eater

OL’s Restaurant week which ran from 29 October to 5 November provided an array of reasonably priced menus to chose from in a wide variety of establishments. I opted for the first one in the alphabetical list in which I had not previously eaten – and went to Belcantos in Vainona. I was entertaining an overseas visitor on my only free evening that week – and stupidly muddled my dates and went the evening BEFORE restaurant week began! My fault, my loss. It was a Tuesday evening and we were the only diners – always off-putting and in different circumstances, suspicious. But in this case I guessed that other potential diners were less daft than I and were saving their dining out experience for the next day. Or the next, or the next. However I had to feed my guest so we went ahead and ordered. The menu is encouragingly slight, fitting onto one side of the page. Not only, after last month’s tome of a Chinese menu, a quick glance affair, but also offering the possibility that the dishes are prepared freshly when ordered. It was therefore disappointing that out of the four starters on offer, one, the Mozambican Pumpkin Soup, was not available. We were also warned by the waiter that from the choice of eleven mains, of the two fish dishes, one was off the menu, as was one of the steak dishes. We were given a complimentary warm Portuguese loaf with dips, as well as a dish of giblets. I wish the waiter had told us that this was the case before we ordered, in the absence of pumpkin soup, chicken livers as a starter. The giblets was the better dish, but neither was particularly special as they lacked sufficient seasoning. The bread, while warm, tasted stale. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays – was it from last week? The mains menu is, for my taste, quite strange. The chef is fond of sticking a fried egg on top of his meat – Piquant Pork Chop

with Fried Egg, Portuguese Beef Steak topped with Fried Egg, Belcantos Burger with Fried Egg or – another of chef ’s favourites – Pineapple. There were two curries – one Chick-pea Marrakesh-style and a Zanzibar Inspired Lamb. We decided to avoid the Cholesterol Specials and take a look at the seafood. The White Fish Fillets (no-name) were absent that night, and the Catch of the Day – Whole Fish with Head

Stale bread.

and Tail – serves 2 at $32, was also lacking an identity. The waiter was unable to shed any light, so we decided on Mozambican Spiced Calamari and Grilled Queen Prawns (garlic and chilli or lemon garlic and white wine). The prawns were sadly tasteless and greasy and the calamari failed to live up to the flavours promised in the blurb of ginger, chilli, garlic, lemon, white wine and soy sauce. It was also far too oily. Both dishes were accompanied by nicely al dente vegetables – but again drowned in oil. There were no puds on the menu – we were invited to “refer to our waiter”. As he was as elusive as the white fish fillets, we gave it a miss, asked for the bill and left. $50 for two covers including a couple of inexpensive drinks and tip. I know I am constantly banging on about prices – and making comparisons with our neighbour South Africa. Yes, ingredients are cheaper in SA, but wages, rent, and power (when available) are ALL considerably cheaper in Zimbabwe. It appears that

Service Ambience (on the night we were there – maybe it livens up with a few more people) Food Value Overall Average: $12 19 Fernleigh Rd, Vainona 0783 837 916 Open Tuesday–Saturday: Lunch: 12:30pm–2:30pm Dinner: 6:30pm–9:30pm

apart from chasing a fast buck, there is no excuse. A disappointing dinner. I seem to be constantly seeking excuses for poor performance – had the chef been given the night off in anticipation of a busy week ahead? Were they only taking delivery of key ingredients the next day? Who knows? I will not be going back to find out!

The seafood dishes were oily and bland.

Belcantos on the eve before Restaurant Week.

16 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Lifestyle

The Donnybrook Challenge 2014 Rosie Mitchell

164

runners and walkers congregated at Donnybrook Race Track mid-November for the second Donnybrook Challenge organised by Mel Barnes of Run/Walk for Life. Offering distances of 7, 14, 21 and 28km categories for relays, schools and

corporate teams were introduced this year. It was a scorching hot day, with intermittent strong head wind, requiring entrants running longer distances to musterall their will power to keep going! First 28km man was Bernard Dandadzi, first lady, Anne Hulbert and first relay team, POSB Black Hawks. An enjoyable time was had by all.

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Arts & culture

Basket Case II – interweaving cultural threads Harry Davies

ight, bright, clean and airy. The refurbished roof and fresh paint recently administered to our beautiful National Gallery is truly uplifting, and provides a brilliant blank slate for the Basket Case II exhibition run through November and up to 15 December. Hosted by The British Council, Alliance Française and Zimbabwe German Society, the exhibition is curated by Raphael Chikukwa (Zimbabwe) and Christine Eyene (UK), and is world class. A follow on from Basket Case I, this second instalment is a display of both individual artistic prowess, and the fruits of a collaborative learning and sharing process between local and international artists, and local basket weavers. Zimbabwean basket making – according to the glossy 68-page catalogue given out freely at reception – began in the early Iron Age era, and was initially the pursuit of men and rooted in functionality. Since its inception, like all technologies, it has undergone seismic shifts in scope and scale as materials and techniques evolved and artistic vision grew. Basket Case II celebrates the practical, agrarian roots of the basket, but also brings to light its contemporary place as an objet d’art, and basket making as a process with the scope to manifest

A young visitor delights in an interactive piece at ‘Basket Case II’. purely conceptual visions. Although basket making moved from a male to a female activity soon after its inception, it is Tapfuma Gutsa who steals the show. He has two works on display in the main gallery, ‘Cocoon’, depicting a chrysalis big enough for any adult to imagine curling up inside, and ‘Man of War’ which hangs tall, enticing the eye from the floor to the sunlit roof high above. Speaking to Harare News, Gutsa told of how he finds inspiration from the natural world, and having spent much time working in Honde, inspiration has been abundant. A third piece by French artist Michel Paysant brings colour to the ground floor with life size photos of Masvingo-based women weavers

holding their winnowing baskets. The baskets, which are also on display, hold a graphic depiction of a near-alphabetic code that spells the first line of William Blake’s poem Auguries of Innocence, “To see the world in a grain of sand”. The programme explains how Paysant’s work is in the middle ground, “between typography and weaving” using simple forms “that are quasi abstract and on the edge of legibility.” The pieces on display upstairs are less enormous, but no less intricate or conceptually playful. ‘Kumvwa kukumunakwakwe’ (hear her roar) is a regal, tightly woven leopardess in a dress. The construction “addresses the history of and legacy of colonisation, the suppression of cultures, and how these turn full

circle”, reads creator Delaine Le Bas’ write up. She collaborated with Binga-based weavers. And so the exhibition continues, with old ideas and new, the simple, the functional, the abstract. There is possibly space for more local lead artists to drive concepts into their woven form, but all said, the cross pollination of ideas and techniques from across continents has yielded some sweet fruit indeed. Visitors to Basket Case II will find their expectations for the humble basket and the process of weaving stretched. So too have the communities from which the pieces on display came from – with the collaboration bringing new approaches and ideas to weaving groups from across the country. Not to mention of course the skills acquired by the visiting artists. We could well see our ancient methods deployed by world famous artists in far-flung galleries.

Although basket weaving has suffered a decline in recent years on the back of a flaky tourism industry, events like this can reinvigorate interest in basketry, and rebuild the socio-economic benefits attached to the process. Gutsa outlined this during an interview with Harare News: “The basic basket forms such as tswanda, matengu, and tsero have a history spanning millennia that has stayed static due to their specific uses. The challenge is to revisit these forms with the present in mind, thus creating new designs that will give the weavers a new source of income and encourage them to reinvent themselves. The second possibility is to create non utilitarian objects such as the cocoon, that give aesthetic pleasure as art.” Basket Case II will be on at the National Gallery until 15 December.

18 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Arts & culture

December

events Annual Carol Service 2 December, 5.30pm Chisipite Senior School Chapel Art 21 Film Screenings & Exhibition 2–3 December, 5.30pm First Floor Gallery Easy Stages 3–6 December Theatre Upstairs First Floor Gallery Harare 5th Birthday Party! 5.30 pm 4 December First Floor Gallery 24 George Silundika Ave In Celebration of 2014, the Chinese Year of the Horse 4 December, 5 for 5.30pm Sorellas, 1 Fisher Avenue Christmas in Africa 6–7 December St George’s College Antipathy Runs to 9 December Gallery Delta Basket Case II Exhibition Runs to 15 December National Gallery of Zimbabwe Sleeping Beauty Pantomime 4–21 December Reps Theatre St Nicholas Bazaar 6 December Martin Luther Church, 227 Fife Ave. Some information has been supplied by Twin Arts – www.twinarts.co.zw

The Book Café Tehn Diamond 3 December, 8pm ($5) Macy & The Red 4 December, 8pm ($5) Afrika Revenge + Selmor Mtukudzi 5 December, 9pm ($10) Transit Crew 6 December, 9pm ($5) Big Brother Africa Finale live screening 7 December, 7pm (FREE) Hope Masike + Prudence Katomeni 10 December, 8pm ($5) Sulu Chimbetu 12 December, 9pm ($10) Nox 17 December, 8pm ($5) Simuka Comedy X-mas special 18 December, 8pm ($5) Mokoomba 20 December, 9pm ($10) Tocky Vibes 24 December, 8pm ($5) Alexio & Shades of Black 27 December, 9pm ($5) Book Cafe NYE party 31 December, 8pm ($10)

New union formed by musicians Martin Stewart

November saw the launch of the Zimbabwe Musicians Union (ZIMU) at Book Café in Harare’s CBD. The banding together of musicians to form ZIMU is seen by many as long overdue, since the retreat of the Zimbabwe Union of Musicians (ZUM) into inactivity in recent years. The interim board addressed a number of music industry professionals including vocalists, instrumentalists, and promoters. The new union is inviting musicians and music industry professionals to join in the hope of increasing numbers, and thus leverage to meet the needs of artists in the community. Book Café director, Tomas Brickhill

– a musician himself and acting as ZIMU treasurer – said, “We need numbers to have real influence”, alluding to the power in numbers notion that makes unions effective. Edith “WeUtonga” Katiji, the acting chair of the board added that, “Without the buy-in of the musicians, then we have no union”. In addition to a call for members, the interim board really emphasised the need for the union to be member-driven, and not run by the executive. Among the guests present was promoter Robert Zhuwao, who offered his support. It was also attended by Friday Mbirimi of Mbare Trio, who shared some of his experience as a veteran member of ZUM. Zimbabwe has a rich culture of music, yet often the artists who

create it struggle to make formal livings out of this profession alone and have to resort to jobs as well. One musician in attendance described how “The music industry is an informal sector in Zimbabwe and we need to bring it up to international contractual standards with well-defined roles. Most people in the industry don’t know the difference between a booking agent and a manager.” This is generally the case because the size and informality of the industry mean that roles are sometimes combined to include things like manager and cook! A lack of written contracts contributes to losses and disagreements between parties in the industry, and there is a great need to raise the professional standards in this regard if music is to become a viable career.

The preliminary board will be replaced after elections set for January. A number of companies and have expressed interest and offered support to the new union including Nyaradzo, Old Mutual, First Mutual Life, and Doves. Some of these offered beneficial plans to union members in the form of in funeral assurance, medical aid, and pension plans. The National Business Council of Zimbabwe also expressed interest in a partnership. ZIMU is off to a good start. Hopefully it can maintain momentum on a journey to become a strong body for an underdeveloped sector of the economy and society. Information on how to join ZIMU can be obtained from Book Café, 139 Samora Machel Avenue.

Meet visual artist Tapfuma Gutsa Kundai Marunya Who is Tapfuma Gutsa? I’m a sculptor who has been working since the late 70s, though I believe I started my career as a young child. Over the years I have ventured into different art forms including design. How did you become involved in art and what drove you? I’ve always been artistic but when I left high school I felt a strong attraction to art, starting with photography. Then I met Cornelius Manyana who taught me about sculpture. Cornelius contributed to the building of the church at Serima Mission, a landmark in African art. Describe your artistic journey. The start was not easy but I had help from the older generation in the industry. I also had the opportunity to study in Britain through a scholarship from the British Council. So I had a European education enriching my African background. In the mid 90s I set up an arts centre in the Midlands while living in the Gweru Shurugwi area. This was my way of reaching out to the younger undiscovered artists. I discovered a lot of artists including Victor Manhando and Simon Mushau who later became celebrated names. How did you manage to break into a very competitive market and stay competitive when other artists are fading? Most artists rely on a recognisable style, whereas I was never loyal to one particular style. I allow different thoughts, situations, and

emotions to influence me. This has given me the advantage of the element of surprise. And I also love experimentation. Given your rich experience, why did you choose to settle for a lecturing job at Harare Polytechnic? I’m not really a lecturer but rather an artist in residence. I help students with their practical work and I applaud Harare Polytechnic for this opportunity because most lecturers concentrate on theory. They are not well equipped to give students hands on practical experience. I do not have scheduled lectures but students can walk in and interact with me while I work in my studio. There are also matters of cultural legacy. Lately I’ve been working with communities in Binga exploring the commercialisation of basketry there. This would not have had been possible if I had a fulltime commitment thus my work at Harare Polytechnic allows me to operate freely yet from a stable base. What would you say was the major highlight of your career and why? I celebrate every day of my life, every opportunity, and every one of my achievements. I appreciate having been selected to be part of the first team of local artists who participated at the Venice Biennale, where for the first time Zimbabwean artists were in the limelight on a world stage. There are also moments where strangers are touched by some of my artwork to the point of tears. It’s something I never take lightly. My recent participation in the Basket Case II project at the

Tapfuma Gutsa is a renowned visual artist. His latest woven works are on display in the National Gallery for ‘Basket Case II’.

Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe

National Gallery was also a unique experience in that we were reinventing traditional art. The people I worked with in Honde Valley continue coming up with new work despite limited resources. The project ensured that many community members who rely on basketry for income could continue to take care of their families. Your praises have been sung for decades both locally and internationally but who is the artist you most admire? The past generations of artists have very strong reputations. Each had a unique voice so I can’t single out one of them. I have grown to appreciate Bernard Mutenhura because of his 3D work, when others were heavily frontal artists. Artists like Authur Fata and Masaya have always been good, while Dominic Benhura is also full of surprises. Out of the new wave of artists Masimba Hwati, Gareth Nyandoro,

and Zuze are very good. Do you think local artists are being treated with the respect they deserve? Art has always been on the periphery. The average person is not taught to understand art in the same way other subjects are taught during primary and secondary education. Looking at the local media the Arts page is about music and theatre news while visual art usually goes unreported. With globalisation come new forms of art that foster different foreign styles. Do you think our traditional art forms have or will stand the test of time? Art, like language, is very dynamic. Globalisation has fostered a situation where visitors adopt something good from Zimbabwe, promoting our art in different countries. We also do the same when we visit other nations.

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Harare News 19

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Arts & culture

Reps box office swamped for Les Mis Rosie Mitchell

unning 16 to 25 October, Les Mis The Concert attracted packed auditoriums, standing ovations, and rave reviews. Tickets were on sale from $8 to $16, with a free drink. Word spread quickly that this was a ‘don’t miss’ show and the theatre grew fuller and fuller with every performance. By the end of its run, Les Mis was 2014’s best selling show with 2,200 tickets sold, a boon for the struggling theatre, which is an important a landmark on Harare’s dramatic scene. Founded in 1931, Reps Theatre constantly battles to cover its significant costs and sustain itself. An amateur theatre company whose actors and crews put on plays and shows year round for the sheer pleasure of it alone, Reps survives on members’ annual subscriptions, bar profits, theatre rental fees, and most importantly, ticket sales. Thus it is essential to select some shows annually to attract really big audiences. Last year’s Reps production of The Sound of Music proved the pulling power of perennial global musical favourites which run for years, even decades, in London’s West End or on New York’s Broadway. Seasoned Reps actor/director Sue Bolt undoubtedly picked another winner with this ambitious project – bringing world blockbuster musical ‘Les Miserables’ (Les Mis)

The Concert to Harare. Based on the classic Victor Hugo novel of the same name, its content is loaded with tragedy, suffering, and loss. Set during the several decades of instability, revolution, brutal repression, uprising, and ultimate triumphant birth of democracy in France, the audience-pulling power of Les Mis is undeniable. The plot is fast-paced, gripping and thoughtprovoking, the songs excellent and familiar to most people even if they have not seen the show. For those seeking not just to be entertained and moved, but to see shows with multiple layers of deeper meaning and social commentary, Les Mis hits the mark. Its appeal is very broad, and this Reps production – widely hailed as one of the theatre’s best ever – proved it. Every revolution has its downtrodden masses, cruel oppressors, cunning opportunists and self-sacrificial heroes. In Les Mis, we find them all, and well-characterised. There is long-suffering Valjean (Alex Fairlie) with his brave, good heart and search for redemption; Police Chief Javert, powerfully played by David Bvumbe, with his misguided adherence to laws protecting the interests of the ruling rich; the Thenadier couple (Martin Bolt and Caroline Yule were hilarious) driven only by self-interest; tragic Fantine (Jeanne Lister), the destitute unmarried mother who prostitutes

Photo: Sarah-Joan Nott

With 2,200 tickets sold, recently-ended Les Miserable was the best-selling show of 2014 for Reps Theatre. herself; her young daughter Cosette (Savannah Bester), abused by the Thenadiers in whose care she is put for a fee; the feisty students with their revolutionary spirit and willingness to die for their cause – it is all there. Many in this show’s audiences openly confessed to weeping either intermittently or almost continuously. It definitely hit its mark. There are, thankfully, also moments of comic relief! Meg Mackenzie did a sterling job with musical direction, with Natalie Carroll on piano joined by keyboard players and percussionist Tendai

and Nothando Mhlanga and Sergio Fernandes. Good orchestral backing is essential to a successful show, and this small, gifted group created the sound of a proficient full orchestra! With strong leading singers and performers, the huge and diverse cast that included relative newcomers (including myself!) was able to approach the show with gusto. The call to audition for a show of this stature and world-wide success was irresistible; it was ‘caution to the winds’ and full-on commitment to a demanding rehearsal schedule and run; bone-aching exhaustion

combined with an adrenaline high; a great experience on so many levels! Cast and crew, numbering over 60, were a delightful bunch of interesting, friendly people of all ages, from disparate places. There was a great sense of community, a wonderful learning curve, and above all, it was great fun. Signing up for a Reps show is an experience I heartily endorse – hard work and long hours notwithstanding. Next at Reps: 4–21 Dec: The Christmas Pantomime, Sleeping Beauty. Tickets $6–$14. A family show directed by Graham Crutchley.

20 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Readers’ page

Snapped anything cool around town? Send your pictures to editor@hararenews.co.zw

Editor’s letter

Letter from the general manager

In November we won the award for Print Media House of 2014 at the Environmental Reporter Awards – a very happy and motivating thing indeed! It is a 100% team game this, and I thank every person in our passionate, energetic and determined staff for taking us to where we are. We can finish 2015 on a high for sure! The lead story this month is a call to act on wetland developments. It will be very hard, no, impossible to undo the damage, that wetland development can do to our water supply. At this rate, Harare’s children will be living in a dry city and paying dearly for their water. We do need more housing, but at what cost? Proper research, planning, and better stakeholder engagement needs to be carried out before haphazardly launching huge schemes in sensitive areas. Please weigh up the information available, form an opinion, and act on it. If you decide that wetlands should NOT be developed on, then say so. Do it online, at social gatherings, at work... but most importantly at the Marlborough District Office who are receiving objections to the Ashbrittle/Marlborough developments until 15 December. Remember that 1 December is World AIDS Day. December’s infographic shows the number of people living with HIV, which dropped sharply at the turn of the century, is gently rising again. Sounds bad? In fact, research shows that new infections continue to decline, and thanks to the increased availability of antiretroviral therapy, patients are living longer, happier lives. The years of hard work by health practitioners and awareness groups in this field have been paying off. The only way backwards is through complacency and as recent research on youth awareness and behaviour has shown (see pg.22), parents and teachers need to keep this topic active in the minds of our young citizens. World AIDS Day is an opportunity to do so. Happy festive season!

Operating in this difficult economy has been no easier for our fledging newspaper than we’re sure it has been for you and your businesses. But the fact this paper comes to you chock-a-block with ads, speaks volumes about a growing confidence in the paper and a desire to use Harare News to get information out to customers. For the second time running, we’ve printed 24 pages to get as much news to you as possible while also letting you know about businesses out there. These ads keep us going and the paper free, so we’d like to thank all our advertisers for putting your business into our pages. We look forward to continued partnerships into 2015. Last month we ran our annual survey, both online and on printed sheets, to see if we are hitting the mark. We collected answers from all over the city. So many of you expressed satisfaction with Harare News. “We all get to know what is going on around our City,” said one reader from Glen View.

What can you recommend from your reading in 2014? Chirikure Chirikure, Poet My best read in 2014 is A memory of love, by Aminatta Forna. It has an intricate plot, but done in such a witty and easily accessible way. It’s a novel on the experiences of locals and expatriates in a post independent African country which has gone through a coup and civil strife.It gave me new insights into a number of issues. Sunanda Ray, Convenor, Harare Open Book Club One of my favourite books is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Her writing has a beautiful rhythm and imagery at the same time as drawing you into stories that are as relevant to us in Zimbabwe now as they were to the US in the 60s. The book is available to borrow at the Book Café Bookshop. Tendai Huchu, Author Put your purse/wallet back in your handbag/pocket. I ain’t after your cash; it’s your mind I wanna brainwash. If you want to find fresh exciting voices in literature, go to the online literary magazines: munyori.org, www.kalaharireview.com, aerodrome.co.za, www.sarabamag.com, just Google to go global; – stories on your computer/smartphone… Keep the change.

Email editor@hararenews.co.zw with comments, questions, or news items.

Who’s who Editor:

Harry Davies 0776 729 326/442866 editor@hararenews.co.zw

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Irene Staunton, Publisher, Weaver Press The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna explores the aftermath of the terrible civil war in Yugoslavia by pitting the perceptions of a blythe English family, who buy a holiday home in Croatia, secure in the knowledge that the war is over, against those of ‘the hired man’ who lived through the war, and knows in intimate detail, who lived in the house, who betrayed whom? Aminatta Forna understands civil war. Her father was executed during the Sierra Leonian conflict. Why and when do neighbours betray each other, and how do they try to build a peace? These are perennial questions that most divided societies have to confront at some point Bev Clarke, Director, Kubatana.net We should all be feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. A tiny, powerful 45 page book. Chimamanda uses her own personal, everyday life experiences to illustrate why we should all be feminists. I was enthralled from beginning to end. This should be required reading in all our schools!

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“I understand my city better after reading Harare News,” said another in Warren Park. This was a sentiment echoed online by the respondent who said that what they liked about Harare News was, “Community based stories that focus on the smaller issues that collectively make our city.” Our ratings in areas such as interest, accuracy, balance, fairness and relevance were all high, and we feel that we have steered a good course in the past 17 issues. While we cannot be everything to everybody, we noted several suggestions and will try to accommodate them. In particular there was a clamouring for more soccer stories! We generally try to promote the lesser known sports and their heroes and leave soccer to the dailies. But we will find ways of giving it more coverage. We hope, like us, you are looking forward to 2015, when we will continue to let you know about all sorts of ventures and stories in this city of ours.

Harare News is published monthly by: Harare News (Pvt) Ltd. www.hararenews.co.zw www.twitter.com/hararenews www.facebook.com/hararenews Editorial submissions: Harare News welcomes editorial submissions but reserves the right to publish. All editorial must be submitted via email. Opinions expressed in the editorial are not necessarily the opinions of Harare News. Disclaimer: All information and points of view are those of the people who submitted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor. While every effort has been made to establish the validity of the information submitted, Harare News can not be held responsible for any inaccuracies. E & O, E.

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Readers’ page

Councillor: new road a private project L

ast month we received photos and an open letter to the Mayor questioning the wisdom and procedural correctness of a new road being built between Cecil and Metcalfe Roads in the area behind Fruit and Veg City in Greendale. The resident pointed out that not only is the road unnecessary, but that once the rains started there would be flooding. As this picture shows, any rain that falls now accumulates and makes what was once a vlei with a small river running through it into an impassable muddy lake. Harare News was surprised to discover that this is road is being built privately without permission from council. Councillor for the area Stewart Mutizwa alleges that it is being built contrary to procedure by the owners of what he says is a water delivery business and wedding venue on the corner of Cecil Road and the new road under construction. We will continue to push for answers, to lobby council and EMA to step in, and will report on it fully in our February issue. In the mean time we ask residents in the area to keep us posted if anything changes.

Letter to the editor Kudos to Arundel village and TM Pick N Pay for the proposed traffic lights at Quorn and the Chase intersection. I am irked by one noisy church on Harare Drive, popularly known as pamabin, coz its close to these guys who sell bins. Firstly this place has become a noisy nuisance to the neighbourhood as a residential home is hired out to some Chiredzi based preacher. Secondly, there is no proper church there but some big tents that house the church goers. Thirdly, there is no parking, so the congregants block the roads for all other residents. Fourthly, and the most infuriating is the high volume loudspeakers and sound system that the church uses to the annoyance of everyone. There are a number of properly designated churches in Mt Pleasant (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, All Souls, Adventist etc) that conduct their services in a civil manner and with due respect to the neighbourhood. Why this particular pamabin church thinks its godly to inconvenience a whole neighbourhood beats all reasonable and godly thinking. To the City Council and Police, is this legal? I stay half a kilometre from this nauseating church noise and I wonder what nightmare it must be for the immediate neighbours. Freedom of religion also means we cannot be and must not be involuntarily bombarded by high pitched shrieking voices from this church without regard to our need for a quiet relaxing weekend. Moreso, tinenge tatobvawo kwedu kuchurch. THIS MUST STOP……………………please help You are definitely not alone. Harare has witnessed the springing up of numerous small churches and wedding venues in residential areas. You are absolutely correct in saying that freedom of religion does not give people the right to disturb their neighbours, and this church group is likely to be contravening the bylaw contained in Statutory Instrument 90/1985. Your Councillor is The Mayor, Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni. Please endeavour to raise this issue with him (ph: 0772 428 333) as well as your local police station who are responsible for enforcing our city bylaws. Take the name and number of all officers who assist you and build a relationship with them. Let us know if you succeed, or fail, to win back your peace.

Harare News 21 Find us on Facebook and Twitter @hararenews

22 Harare News

Issue 17 December 2014

Youth

HIV/AIDS: youth info and services decrease Freelance Contributor

ignificant numbers of adolescents in Zimbabwe lack access to the essential sexual and reproductive health information and services they need to protect themselves from HIV and prevent pregnancy. This is according to a report released last month by the Centre for Population Studies at the University of Zimbabwe and the New York-based Guttmacher Institute. The report finds that fewer than half of all 15 to 19-year-olds have comprehensive knowledge about HIV and AIDS, and one-third of all births to adolescents are unplanned. Data from three recent Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys was used to identify levels of and trends in the need for sexual and reproductive health education and services among adolescents. Single, sexually active adolescents have by far the greatest unmet need for contraception – 62% as of 2011, compared with 19% of their married counterparts. According to the findings, the previous favourable trend of contraceptives in urban areas has reversed, likely because of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis in 2008. Modern contraceptive use among married adolescents declined in urban areas (from 50% in 2006 to 29% in 2011), even as it increased in rural areas (from 30% to 37%). Trends in unmet need for contraception were similar. In urban

areas, the proportion of married adolescents who wanted to postpone childbearing but were not using a method doubled between 2006 and 2011 (from 14% to 28%), while among their rural counterparts, unmet need fell from 20% to 15% over this period. Despite a significant reduction in overall HIV prevalence, HIV infection remains higher among women (6.3%) than among men (3.9%) aged 15 to 24. Furthermore, just one-third of single 15 to 19-year-old women who reported having had sex in the past year used a condom with their most recent partner. The comparable proportion among adolescent males, regardless of marital status, was nearly twice as high. Unsurprisingly, a far lower proportion of female to that of male adolescents said they could get a condom on their own (28% vs. 62%). The report states that outreach to health care providers is critical to dispel the widely held misperception that parental or spousal consent is required before providing youth with family planning and HIV services. It also recommends that providers be trained on the importance of maintaining confidentiality and having nonjudgmental attitudes. Moreover, the authors note that greater efforts are needed to keep adolescent girls in school as long as possible, as education is linked to better health outcomes and improved future prospects. See www.guttmacher.org/pubs/IBZimbabwe.html

Rotary donates dozens of dictionaries Owen Chirinda

ver the past month the Rotary Club of Hunyani has been involved in the distribution of illustrated dictionaries in schools in the high density areas around Harare. Beneficiaries of the initiative so far include Budiriro 1,2,3,4 and 5 primary schools, Budiriro 1 High School and Budiriro2 High School, Glen View 1 to 6 primary schools, Glen View 1 High and Glen View 3 High School. According to Ray Mawerera, former president of the Rotary Club of Hunyani this initiative is courtesy of the donations that were received from fellow Rotarians from across the world. The Usborne Illustrated Dictionaries come courtesy of the Rotary Club of Denver Mile High in Canada and The Rotary Foundation. The distribution is being spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Hunyani through a Rotary Community Corps of Budiriro (RCC), one of the oldest and most influential empowerment groups in the high density suburb of Budiriro, under the Rotary Club pilot projects. Part of the consignment distributed so far includes special illustrated dictionaries with simplified definitions. According to Bester Moyo, chairperson of the Budiriro Community Corps that is working with the Rotary Hunyai Club in the distribution process, the initiative is an effort to complement efforts

A handover ceremony for the new dictionaries. by the government in the education of Zimbabwean children. “It is set to benefit schools in the high density suburbs, and children from the ages of 9 up to adults,” she said. She added that it is an ongoing process, and they are distributing 20 dictionaries per school. According to Mawerera, these will go a long way in helping language proficiency. “They will help in the improvement of language, sentence construction, and logical thinking,” he said. Speaking at the handover of the dictionaries at Glen View 2 High on the 21 November, past president of the Rotary Club of Hunyani Lawrence Gudza urged the beneficiaries of the program to take school seriously, and to work hard so that they could plough back into their society. Headmaster of Tariro Primary School in Hopely had words of gratitude for the gesture. “These books will help kids have a reference since they didn’t have them.” It will also

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boost our still growing library,” he added. The Rotary Club is a philanthropic organisation that was formed in 1985 with the aim of rendering service to community through programs like health education, water, and sanitation. Also designed to improve livelihoods, it comprises professionals, among them lawyers, doctors, academics, and educationists. It rolls out education and literacy programs to many communities with the aim of bettering livelihoods. This consignment of dictionaries comes as part of their obligation to community. The club has not been without challenges, as it has not been spared by the economic challenges currently being experienced in the country. According to Gudza these have impacted on the operations of the club. Those willing to make donations can get in touch with the Rotary Centre, corner of Fife Avenue and Colquhoun Avenue.

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Harare News 23

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Youth

Tanya Muzinda – not your average 10-year-old Tawanda Mudzonga

anya Muzinda is the European Union’s ambassador for Food Security in Rural Areas in Zimbabwe. At just 10 years of age she is the youngest ambassador in the world. But this is not only what is impressive about Miss Muzinda. Tanya is also the youngest female motocross champion in Zimbabwe and can be seen practicing at Donnybrook four times a week with her father, her most avid supporter, in tow. How did she get into motocross you might ask? This inspiring story begins with a father’s enthusiasm for motocross, absorbed and embodied by his eager daughter. While living in Mabvuku Mr. Muzinda used to frequent Donnybrook which is close by and watch the races there. A friend Biggie Chitima suggested he bring his child to come and train as he was training his son there. Chitima was surprised when Muzinda showed up with Tanya, who just happened to be a girl, but even then at just

Above: Tanya gets airborne at Donnybrook. Right: Tanya receives a new motorbike from the EU. five years old she showed incredible talent. But that is hardly the end of the story. Tanya has a great deal of talent which has seen her win races or place consistently in the top five over and over again, all the while competing with boys of her age or older. This past September she competed at the Flat Track racing event at Donnybrook coming in second in the 65cc class. Her biggest challenge

to date came in October when she raced in the Zimbabwean Motocross championship, finishing fifth overall in a highly competitive class against fifteen other racing boys. Unfortunately, Tanya’s motorbike broke down earlier this year in February, but assistance was soon on the way. In recognition of her ability and unique achievements at such a young age, the former EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell’Ariccia,

presented Tanya with a brand new KTM 65cc Kawasaki motorbike this past August. Now she is preparing for the last racing competition of the year, the Zimbabwe Summer Series happening this month at the Donnybrook track. This event consists of two super cross races and one motor cross race. When asked what Tanya’s goals are for the future, her father Tawanda Muzinda says, “Next year,

she will graduate to an upper class, 64a. The last class she won was 65b – and she won a championship. Going forward for next year we want to prepare for Europe because as a girl there is no competition for her here in Zimbabwe -even Africa. And next year, we are also hoping to get the technical support to go to SA and Europe. Our dream is to go to the USA!”

Where to get your Harare News Read-only copies are available in numerous waiting areas, coffee spots, restaurants, all the libraries, schools etc. But for a copy to keep, please visit one of our distribution partners: Avenues: Athienitis Spar Avondale: 40 Cork Road, Avondale Bookshop Ballantyne Park: Ballantyne Spar, Pemcol Bakery Belgravia: UpMarket, Reps Theatre Borrowdale: Village Spar, Folios Bookshop CBD: Book Café, Food World Group Outlets, National Gallery, Plan Printing Services (opp Eastgate) Chisipite: Tool Mart (Lewisham), Bon Marché (Chisi Shops) Dzivarasekwa: DZ Extention Chesa Centre, DZ 4 Shops, EcoCash Booths DZ3 Commuter Rank Greencroft: Civic Pharmacy Greendale: Pick n Pay Kamfinsa, Spar Kamfinsa Kensington: Kenlink Pharmacy, Eskbank Kuwadzana: OK Supermarket (Kuwadzana 5 Shops), Meat Market (Kuwadzana 1 Shops) Mabvuku/Tafara: Net Fuel Service Station (Acturus Rd), OK Supermarket, Spar Mabvuku Mbare: Vendor Mount Pleasant: Veldemeers, Billy’s Meats, Blackstone Book Shop Highlands: Ranchod’s Hardware Rolf Valley: Sorellas, Willowmead Westgate: Pick n Pay For distribution queries or bulk subscriptions, please contact newton@hararenews.co.zw.

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Harare Open Champion: Robson Saurombe Kudzayi Zvinavashe

ast month the Harare-based pro golfer Robson Saurombe won the Pilsner Harare Open walking away with $3,600. He emerged victorious after a sudden death playoff with Mohammad Mandhu when they both shot 2 under par. Saurombe’s exposure in the mainstream media has been minimal, and many may mistake him for an underdog after his recent victory but in reality he has been around for some years, having won over 22 local amateur tournaments before turning pro in 2007. Saurombe grew up in a middle class family in Mutare who could not afford to pay for his golfing passion. Having a house near the Hillside Golf Club where he could see golfers playing on the course played a fundamental role. It triggered his interest in the sport, and he made a metal golf club that had a rubber band for a grip, and started he practising at home. As fate had it, says Saurombe, “While I was at school Tony Donagher came to my school in search of 10

Saurombe won 22 amateur tournaments before turning pro in 2007. students who were willing to try out golf. Being financially-challenged

I didn’t go to the trial but I was nearby watching the other students

try out. After they had all tried out there was one ball left and he called me to come and try. As I had been practicing with my club at home I had an exceptional shot. Tony said he could not take me up as he had already chosen the student but promised to come back.” The weeks that followed saw Saurombe receiving new golf kit and fully paid up golf lessons at Hillside Golf Course. At that time no one would have guessed that he was destined to become a well-known sportsman. It has been quite a golfing journey for Saurombe, but he has held onto his dream. He said, “My wife has been very helpful in my golfing journey and there are a lot of people and societies who have contributed to my career. Christopher Vengeza, Polly Crewe; Steve Matondo; Raphael Coaster; Giorgio Spampino; Willard Zirewa; and Shumbaz Golf Society in Mutare (which was under the leadership of the current Minister of Environment, Saviour Kasukuwere) have helped me financially and psychologically. The corporate world has not

warmed up to the idea of being actively involved in sponsoring the sport which is one of the core reasons Zimbabwe does not have many players on the international scene – apart from the Sunshine Tour. Yet golf is one of the few sports a corporate can sponsor on a very tight budget as a pro golfer will need between $5,000 and $15,000 dollars annually to be able to continue touring and stay competitive. Robson has made it public that he keeps an open door policy regarding sponsorship, he said, “I am willing to partner with corporate entities and even individuals that want to see Zimbabwean golf going further. We could come up with mutually beneficial arrangements.” Being a member of Chapman Golf Club, the pro golfer runs a weekly junior clinic where budding golfers are taught how to play every Saturdays starting at 9am. Age groups range from 4-year-olds to 18-yearolds. This is one of the platforms Saurombe is passionate about and he intends to turn it into a golf academy in the future.

Zimbabwe to host 2015 Europe/Africa Zone Group II Sharon Mazingaizo

he greatest achievement for Zimbabwean tennis was reaching the World Group quarter finals in 1998, when it lost to Italy after defeating Australia 3-2 away in the first round. This year will see Zimbabwe host the 2015 Europe/Africa Zone Group II tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tie, which was confirmed after the draw was conducted at the International Tennis Federation headquarters in London last month, will take place in the capital between 6 and 8 March next year. Zimbabwe’s current team comprising of Takanyi Garanganga, Benjamin Lock, Mark Fynn,

Tinotenda Chanakira and Captain Martin Dzuwa, earned promotion to Europe/Africa Zone Group II after defeating Namibia 2-0 in the promotion play-offs in Egypt last month. The upcoming Davis Cup assignment will be Zimbabwe’s first home match in eight years since hosting Norway in a Euro/ Africa Zone Group II first round tie at Harare Sports Club in April 2006. Tennis Zimbabwe expressed their delight at hosting the 2015 Europe/ Africa Zone Group II but also highlighted the challenges of funding. Tennis Zimbabwe this year hosts tournaments around the country which include the Future Events Tournament, the Country Wide Opening Training Camp for

Under-10s, Under-12s and Under-14s at the end of November. This was in preparation for the Junior Tournaments for Under-10s and Under-18s which will be held in Mutare in the second week of December. In January 2015 they will host the Winners Open Tournament for all children from around Zimbabwe. Harare News spoke to Tennis Zimbabwe administrator Cliff Nhokwara and he expressed some of the challenges faced by the organisation. Nokwara said, “Tennis is an individual sport and considered an elitist sport in most developed countries, however in Zimbabwe we have tried to take it to all sectors. Most of our players are from the high density suburbs. The challenge comes

when players turn 18 and they want go into professional tennis as this is very expensive.” In the month of June three Under-16 tennis players represented Zimbabwe at the Junior Davis Cup qualifying round held in Tunisia. The tournament, which included Tunisia, Egypt, South Africa and Zimbabwe, was held at the beginning of June 9 with the winners proceeding to the finals in September. Two of the players, Tadiwa Chinamo and Julius Mtetwa, were chosen based on their points garnered at the 2014 Africa Junior Championship in Kenya in March. Cara Black, one of Zimbabwe’s professional tennis players, recently won the BNP Paribas WTA Finals

at the Singapore Sports Hub. In the past she has won 58 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) titles and 11 International Tennis Federation (ITF) titles. She has also won a total of 10 Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles and mixed doubles combined. By winning the mixed doubles title at the 2010 Australian Open, she became the third woman in the open era to complete a Career Grand Slam in mixed doubles after Martina Navratilova and Daniela Hantuchová. Black recently hosted a coaching programme at Harare Sports Club for Under-10s and Under-14s. The main objective of the tennis training programme was to help improve all round fitness and included workout advice.

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