Chigundu News.com: Our seats are safe: MDC Renewal …Mwonzora illegiti...

Chigundu News.com: Our seats are safe: MDC Renewal …Mwonzora illegiti...: MDC Renewal has described calls to expel members of parliament (MPs) aligned to it by MDC-T as a non-event, adding that those calling fo...

Our seats are safe: MDC Renewal …Mwonzora illegitimate

MDC Renewal has described calls to expel members of parliament (MPs) aligned to it by MDC-T as a non-event, adding that those calling for it are illegitimate.

Last week MDC-T secretary general Douglas Mwonzora wrote to the Speaker of Parliament seeking the expulsion of MPs aligned to MDC Renewal, basing his application on the recent of expulsion of Didymus Mutasa and Themba Mliswa by Zanu PF.

In a statement MDC Renewal said the speaker of parliament made his ruling on the matter a long time ago, and that only Tendai Biti is legible to write to the speaker on any MDC related issue.

“…We are therefore shocked that at a time when Zimbabweans across the country are trying to find each other and a common ground for building national convergence and national consensus, our erstwhile colleagues, who were suspended on the 26^th of April 2014 by the Party’s National Council at Mandel Training Centre and subsequently expelled by a legitimate tribunal on the 27^th of June 2014, are now engaged in a futile attempt to recall democratically elected Members of Parliament.

“While it is common cause that the Speaker of Parliament has already made a determination that the matter of who constitutes the legitimate leadership of the Party, we wish to make it unequivocally clear that there is only one Secretary General of the Party and that is Hon. Tendai Biti and until a legitimate congress is held, only he can write to the Speaker of Parliament or any other body on MDC matters.

“These actions by our erstwhile colleagues show that they are now in bed with Zanu PF because the net effect of them recalling MDC MPs is that they are knowingly donating these seats to Zanu PF on a silver platter, given the fact that they have declared that they will not participate in any election in the absence of electoral reforms, which reforms have not happened,” read the statement. 

The Renewal Team added that Douglas Mwonzora was elected by an illegitimate congress and therefore has no authority to write to the Speaker of Parliament as he was also suspended and subsequently expelled from the party.

“He cannot claim to be the Secretary General of the Party as he was elected by an illegitimate, illegal and sham congress. As a matter of fact, we know that some of our colleagues that are still trapped in that undemocratic faction are beginning to acknowledge that the October 2014 Congress was a farce.

“As a solution to this, we want to assure our supporters across the country that our seats are safe and that the MDC Renewal Team will continue to execute the people’s struggle in all platforms both within and outside the August House. Our solution is that we will radically confront the Zanu PF regime using democratic and constitutional processes,” added the statement.-

Renewable energy gaining ground

RENEWABLE energy has the potential to transform Zimbabwe’s fortunes in particular the agricultural sector.

Zimbabwe experiences abundance of throughout the year and could capitalize on this resource to provide marginalized societies in rural areas with long lasting energy solutions for their daily livelihoods as an escape route from poverty.

Unfortunately government has not done much to take advantage of the natural resources even in the face of untold power shortages which have literally crippled production in industries.

According to power generation statistics from the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), the country is producing something in the region of 1300 Megawatts (MW) against a demand of 2200 MW and this has resulted in massive load-shedding. 

This power deficit has also prevented government from connecting rural areas to the national power grid through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) thereby slowing down critical development.

While government has been playing a back-benchers role, ChiMuts Solar Zimbabwe and some other individuals and small companies around the country have taken it upon themselves to utilise these environmental friendly resources through bio-gas projects and solar.

The Norton based private enterprise (ChiMuts) has been taking a leading role in providing farmers with solar powered water pumps.

The company says it aims to empower farmers over a long-term, to enable them to use solar to grow top quality crops for at least three seasons annually, as opposed to relying on rain fed agriculture which is usually from November to March.

Addressing the media during a media tour of their demonstration site at Moncris Farm recently, ChiMuts Solar Zimbabwe co-founder Tendai Mutsvangwa said solar powered water pumps is the only way to go because they are low cost.

“…its maintenance free which means it reduces repair headaches. These solar pumps are not just economical solutions but also give peace of mind.

“They are efficient and you don’t need to worry about bills, yes they maybe expensive at the initial stage but in the long run you will discover that they become cheaper than other methods. So far we have installed these pumps since 2012 and all our clients have no complaints or maintenance issues.

“The other thing is that in Zimbabwe we have almost eight hours of sunshine which is great and ideal for these pumps.

“Other countries do not have such privileges but they still use these equipment so why not us when we have the resource readily available to both small and large scale farmers,” he said.

Since 2012 ChiMuts has installed water pumps in about nine sites across the country ranging from farms, schools and game parks.

ChiMuts is using the solar pumps with drip-irrigation which according to the farm’s irrigation engineer Matilda Borerwi, reduces weeds in the fields and also uses less power.    

ChiMuts’ efforts are in line with calls made by finance minister Patrick Chinamasa in his 2015 national budget where he urged local farmers to consider using sustainable energy systems on their farms in an effort to save the environment.

Zinwa ineffective: Murengwa

THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has been ineffective in terms of providing adequate water to residents, Mvurwi Town Commission has said.

Addressing the media during an appreciation tour of Mvurwi Town organized by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), council chairman Vincent Murengwa said the service from Zinwa has been very poor.

“The provision of water is being done by Zinwa in the whole town but is not very adequate since we experience a lot of breakdowns and power outages. The communities can spend two to three days without water hence council augmented by drilling two boreholes in the high density areas.

“Efforts are underway to take over water from Zinwa as a way of improving supply management in the town. We are ready to take over, other processes have been done and we are now waiting for the relevant authorities to accept our bids.

“As town council, we believe we have capacity to manage water if we are given the chance,” said the Town chairman.

If Mvurwi bids are accepted it will join a number of local authorities in the country that have repossessed water management from Zinwa as major cities and some towns are now managing their water.

Zinwa was given charge over all the water management in the country some years ago but failed dismally to ensure effective delivery of water to residents prompting local authorities to bid for takeover.

Experts believe Zinwa which lay claims over all the water bodies in the country does not have capacity to effectively undertake the responsibilities of water supply especially in urban areas where there is huge demand hence its celebrated failures.

Although most authorities are now running their own water management, the some situation has not improved as they are facing challenges in purchasing water purifying chemicals due to lack of funds as the cash strapped residents are not fully paying their rates on time, if at all.

Mvurwi Town Council chairman also revealed that they have not been spared by the non-payment of rates but added the situation was not worse as in other town thanks to various regular engagements they have with the residents.-

Mvurwi courts investors …eyes municipal status by 2025

MVURWI Town Commission says it has been holding investors’ meetings in an effort to lure as much business to the town so that they can qualify for the municipal status by 2025.

Addressing Journalists on the sidelines of an investment conference, Mvurwi Town Commission chairman Vincent Murengwa said they hope to attract as many investors as possible to the town in line with their 2025 vision.

“Our vision is to attain a municipality status by 2025. We are trying to hold as many investor promotions in the form of conferences coupled with other initiatives so that we can lure more investors since this is one of the bases for being given the status.

“We have more land here and water that we are guarding jealously but which we are willing to give to investors. The town boasts of five water bodies and an educated people, thanks to the schools around the area although we do not yet have a university,” he said.

Mvurwi was given a town status in February 2009 and was effectively separated from Mazowe Rural District council in 2011.

Mvurwi is mainly an agro-based town with more farmers growing tobacco which earned it the title “golden leaf town”.

Some of the country’s leading banks such as the Standard Chartered Bank of Zimbabwe and the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ), the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange listed blue-chip company Delta Corporations has a beverages collection Depot, Farm and City and even clothes concern Power Sales have already registered their presence in the town.

Meanwhile, Mvurwi Town Council has been applauded by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) as being one of the few local authorities in the country that have been able to manage their waste effectively despite the well-documented challenges.

Unlike other well resourced local authorities in the country, Mvurwi only has three tractor drawn dumpers that service the whole town which has an estimated population of 10 492 people.

To make it possible, the innovative town council constructed about 17 communal bins across the sections of the town’s high density areas which serve as garbage collection sites, together with about five make-shift skip-bins and 10 steel bins donated by CBZ which are dotted within the central business district and other strategic areas as market places.

Murengwa said most of their efforts have been made possible by the various initiatives they have taken which include engaging residents on a regular basis which has seen some elderly women-vendors volunteering to clean the market area on Fridays and also watching out for litter-bugs.

The town chairman also revealed that council now has landfill designs in place but lack of funding is hampering progress as they are currently unable to conduct the required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

MDC Renewal blasts demolitions

THE MDC Renewal Team says the current demolitions of homes in Chitungwiza and Epworth are clear acts of cruelty by government.

In a statement the team’s national secretary for social welfare Lucia Matibenga said her team was shocked by the act which resembles another evil Murambatsvina.

“The MDC Renewal Team expresses its dismay at the callous and heartless treatment of citizens by the current government, which has gone on yet another campaign of demolishing people’s homes leaving them without shelter. Hundreds of men, women and children have been left homeless by the government’s demolition of people’s homes in Chitungwiza and Epworth, which are reminiscent of the Murambatsvina   campaign of 2005 that saw the destruction of tens of thousands of homes by the same ZANU (PF) government, leaving over 700 000 people homeless and without access to livelihoods,” She said.

Matibenga said not only are the demolitions illegal but that the same government allocated those stands to people ahead of the July 2013 elections as a campaign tool but are now turning around accusing the occupants of being illegally settled.  

The trade unionist said it is now clear that the multiple housing cooperatives spearheaded by ZANU (PF) ahead of the elections were a vote-buying and rigging gimmick that had nothing to do with fulfilling the government’s social obligation of providing housing to the people. 

The renewal team says the demolitions are a blatant violation of Section 28 of the country’s Constitution, which guarantees the right to shelter for all Zimbabweans and are also ironic to the ZANU PF’s promise to 250 000 houses under the Zimbabwe’s Agenda for Sustainable Socio-economic Transformation (ZimAsset).

Matibenga says her team calls for the unconditional stoppage to the illegal demolitions, provision of alternative shelter to people who are settled illegally before demolition of their shelters, urgent mechanisms to regularize these settlements, stop to government interference with the operations of local authorities.

The team has also called for an independent inquiry and audit of illegal land deals in Zimbabwe’s local authorities and a review of the legal framework that governs the operation of housing cooperatives in Zimbabwe.

No plans for Zim sport: Fly Emirates

 

GIANT airline Fly Emirates says it has no plans to sponsor sport or football clubs in Zimbabwe.

FLY Emirates currently sponsor many topflight football teams largely in Europe and of note is their sponsorship of English Premier Soccer League’s Arsenal Football Club.

In an interview the company said although they have no plans for Zimbabwe, sponsorships help them to connect with their clients across the world interest.

“We continuously evaluate various sponsorship opportunities within the market but we have no plans to sponsor a football club in Zimbabwe at this time. Emirates has been committed to sponsorship in both the UAE and around the world for over twenty years, beginning with the first powerboat race held in Dubai, in 1987.

“His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline & Group, sees sponsorship as vital in the airline’s marketing strategy.

“We believe sponsorships are one of the best ways to connect with our passengers. They allow us to share and support their interests and to build a closer relationship with them,” he said.

The airline group said their marketing spend, which includes sponsorships, is a small percentage of group revenue.

The company said it looks for sponsorships that will help form positive associations of the Emirates brand with its customers, while drawing people and cultures together.

In particular, Emirates looks for sponsorship properties that connect people of different backgrounds with new experiences, based on a shared interest/ passion, provide a high-profile, dynamic platform for integrated communication and consumer engagement.

The airliner said properties should also help to differentiate the Fly Emirates brand from those of its competitors, have the ability to provide/create moments of inspiration and celebration and deliver incremental business opportunities

In 2004, Emirates and Arsenal Football Club signed a deal which included naming rights to the new stadium, which is known as the Emirates Stadium, as well as an eight-year shirt sponsorship deal from season 2006/07.

Fly Emirates currently plies the daily Harare/Zambia- Dubai route using its modern Airbus plane