27 Jun 2019
The government of Zimbabwe and the European Union (EU) launched the Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Program Fund which is expected to boost the livestock sector, maximise smallholder farmers’ profits and improve competitiveness on domestic and international markets. The programme will be implemented by EU partners over a four-year period and is worth US$45 million.
The ZAGP program mainly targets small to large scale livestock producers, private sector integrators, processors, research organizations, farmers unions and financial service providers among others. ZAGP, which is covering all the country’s 10 provinces, will address the weaknesses and gaps in the livestock sector that have prevented the industry from growing.
Under ZAGP, there will be knowledge and innovation services delivered by agricultural education, extension and research in animal disease control and food safety, institutional reforms and policy alignment. The program is focusing on different value chains and projects within Zimbabwe namely; beef, poultry, dairy, pig and goats, focusing on productivity, production and incomes to their potential.
The EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Timo Olkkonen said that ZAGP is the main program in agricultural growth in Zimbabwe.
“There is need for political willingness to address structural bottlenecks such as security of tenure on land, which is crucial for domestic or foreign investment,” he said.
He expressed concern over the challenges in the livestock sector which he said were affecting production.
Ambassador Olkkonen said “The price of feedstock has increased to more than 50 percent in one year, which will have a terrible impact on the competitiveness of the feed intensive sectors like pig, poultry and dairy in comparison with other sub sectors; there are also regular outbreaks of animal diseases like new castle and foot and mouth diseases that are not contained by the surveillance and disease protection systems”.
The Ambassador also clarified that the ZAGP will reduce risk perception in the livestock sector and will encourage more investment which will improve productivity and competitiveness in the domestic and regional markets.
He called for more efficient ways to use resources and supply food for the population of Zimbabwe to ensure the country is self-sufficient in terms of food.
The Provincial Affairs Minister for Mashonaland West, Mliswa-Chikoka, who was standing in for the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Perrance Shiri, said the nation’s agricultural growth program in is line with the Government of Zimbabwe’s commitment to transform agricultural systems, increase agricultural production, create greater access to markets and increase investments in livestock value chains.
“Zimbabwe has taken a deliberate policy to promote investment in the agricultural sector due to its importance to the economy. The livestock sector has the potential to increase the country’s contribution to food security and nutrition, foreign currency earnings as well as the creation of employment throughout the livestock related value chains,” she said.
Minister Mliswa-Chikoka encouraged all stakeholders to work together to make the programme successful by strengthening collaboration between the government and ZAGP so that the programme can effectively transform the livestock sector in Zimbabwe through increased and sustained agricultural production, productivity and competitiveness.
“Although the livestock sector continues to record steady growth, there are a number of challenges limiting its contribution to the national economy. These include access to finance and market, diseases leading to low productivity,” said the Minister.
NANGO officials that graced the event had an opportunity to tour different exhibition stands that reflected different value chains and projects within the agriculture sector namely; beef, poultry, dairy, pig and goats. Among the stands visited was the Inclusive Poultry Value Chain, a program awarded EUR 6 million towards improving the poultry value chain in Zimbabwe. The project is set to run for three years from February 2019 to January 2022 and is supported by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, Livestock and Meat Advisory Council, Sustainable Agriculture Trust and Welthungerhilfe.
The Beef Enterprise Strengthening and Transformation project is being implemented in five provinces of Zimbabwe. World Vision and Zimbabwe Agriculture Development Trust are some of the partners. The project seeks to create a competitive beef value chain that promotes enhanced trade, employment creation, food security and inclusive green economic growth by 2023.
Zimbabwe Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Services’s goal is to establish an integrated, dynamic, market oriented and farmer centric agricultural knowledge and innovation service system that meets the needs of modern agriculture in Zimbabwe. It promotes interconnectivity of agricultural education, research and extension ensuring relevant and up to date knowledge at all levels.
The veterinary services department provides extension and advisory services on good animal health care, hygiene and husbandry. It carries out surveillance, prevention, control and eradication of specified animal diseases and pests. It generates and provides new knowledge and technologies on pest control and animal health, production practices and decisions and provides information on the components, developments and impacts of the national livestock resource. The veterinary services department also provides regulatory services for the promotion of fair marketing, sanitary safety, quality and animal welfare and develop and implement livestock policies and strategies.
NANGO is monitoring the implementation of the National Indicative Program (NIP) where Agriculture is one of the three pillars of agriculture, health and governance and institution buidling under the program. The launch was attended by over 400 people including government officials, EU officials, representatives of various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private sector and farming community.
Non-governmental organizations coordinated by NANGO, met to discuss the Monetary Policy Statement and its implications on civil society, formal and informal sector and citizens. With an appreciation of Reserve Bank Governor, Dr. John Mangudya’s intentions to stabilize the economy, create a conducive environment for both local and international investment, protect free funds and ensure that formal businesses can access foreign currency, NGOs noted that the statement comes short of addressing all the needs of the informal business sector, civil society and ordinary citizens. We, therefore, share the following concerns and recommendations;
14 Jun 2019
The ability to use a computer, creating a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, grasping computer language can be challenging for most people. Now add visual impairment to that list and you have something even more daunting.
On the first floor of a muted Bulawayo Public Library there are black polished stares, a distinctly bookish smell that welcomes you when approaching the Information Technology laboratory for visually impaired people.
At first glance, the mind shutters, your eyes wonder around as you enter the lab seeing differently coloured folded walking sticks on the shiny floor, there is a group of people listening intently.
Wearing a white shirt, grey slim fit trousers and pointed black-leathered shoes is Lee, standing in the middle of the room surrounded by an attentive audience who are quick to ask questions where they don’t understand.
Politely he answers back, dimples crinkling as he smiles showing happiness in what he doing with one of the disadvantaged groups in society. Leeman Dube an innovative entrepreneur is training 15 visually impaired individuals for an International Computer Driving License (ICDL) in order to improve their knowledge in Information Communication Technology (ICT).
Dube, popularly known as Lee is the Director of Simphiwe Development Trust, a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) that specialises in computer and ICT training for marginalized groups.
Dube is 37 years of age and an active listener who is eager to understand others when they speak.
During training sections with the visually impaired, Lee becomes the eyes of the whole group as he dedicates his time to direct them when they are confused. Pacing up and down, checking the trainees work every time he introduces something new has become routine.
Delighted, Robert Malunda who was born blind said out of the whole group he has been making a lot of mistakes but Dube has been coming to his rescue to assist him understand how ICT gadgets work.
“I remember staying behind after class with Lee who had to clear his schedule in order to help me familiarise with the computer and operating software we are using. It took me a while to figure out how to operate a computer, however thanks to Lee I have caught up with others and am able to do most things on my own now,” said Malunda logging into his Facebook account.
He said learning ICTs was a technological advancement which he did not think was going to be implemented early for the blind.
“The gospel of visually impaired community doing ICTs is not a new baby for some of us. It is something which has been previously proposed but lacked initiative. I am actually glad that Leeman came through for us without any charges needed to learn this course”, Malunda added in happiness.
Despite having community at heart, Dube confessed suffering from insomnia as he spends sleepless nights scratching his head, pondering on how he can change livelihoods of underprivileged in society.
When tossing and turning strikes in the middle of the night, Dube wakes up to make his favourite black coffee which he says calms him down and makes him think better on how best he can be more helpful in society.
“When you are working for the community thinking never stops because you are supposed to strategise 24/7 on possible solutions on how best you can actually improve the lives of the disadvantaged in our communities,” says Dube.
“I realised a gap in the country that the blind and partially blind people are failing to directly access information in society because of the disability they poses. Training them on ICTs was an idea which popped up at night whilst drinking coffee and I took initiative to help them,” he added.
As if the spotlight of being one of the first visually impaired people to train towards holding a certificate in ICDL in Bulawayo was not weighing too much on him, Killion Dube who is partially blind sat stress-free on his office chair gazing at the roof.
Killion said:” ICDL is a new course to our community which will enable us to manage to do things like programming, word documenting and implementing it in other areas. This course will empower me to pass the knowledge I will receive to other people.”
Working as a Braille Coordinator at the Bulawayo City Public Library, he further expressed his jubilance on participating on a course where he has a chance of securing an international recognised certificate which he can use to get scholarships to further his education on ICTs.
“All thanks to Simphiwe Trust, in affiliation with the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) we are able to acquire skills which are self-beneficiary as we will be able to access ICT gadgets and other reading material we may need online,” he uttered.
Raised in Nkayi rural disctrict, Lee knows what it means to make a difference in society after coming across various NGOs helping out his community with food aid during his childhood.
He says growing up in Gwelutshena he saw NGOs donate maize and cooking oil to the village.
“I can remember my mother’s happiness when NGOs intervened with food that could sustain us for months. I grew up with my 2 sisters and younger brother whilst our father was at work in the city,” he recalled.
Replicating the same fruits of assisting less fortunate groups in communities, Dube has made a name for himself in the City of Kings by also training prison inmates on how to use ICTs, a move which has been widely cherished.
Admiring his commitment to help the vulnerable, Dube’s colleagues described him as a role model and passionate individual who intends to uplift the Matabeleland Province.
A close buddy, Godfrey Moyo was nostalgic of the time he met the soft –spoken man saying: “I could tell the day I met him that he was a visionary, a man of few words who was compassionate about changing the well-being of others in the community.”
“In 2017, I met Leeman at a workshop where he had shared an idea about donating school shoes for the children in Tsholotsho. It was then that we started working together to mobilise people to donate shoes to make a difference in child’s life,” said Moyo.
He further commended Dube’s current work of trying to rehabilitate prison inmates by training them in computer literacy which has become a prerequisite skill in a global village where everything is gradually becoming computerised.
Nkosinathi Nkomo echoed Moyo’s words by expressing his amusement on the work of Dube, saying he was a hard worker who never ceases to amaze him because of his eagle’s eye to handpick vulnerable groups and offering to teach them a skill which is still difficult to grasp for some degreed individuals in society.
For Dube, the ideal dream was to experience University life, but it could not happen due to financial constraints after he passed his A’level at Northlea High School. As if that was not enough for the then youthful Dube, unemployment hindered his chances of getting a job.
As a charismatic Director, Dube feels there is still a lot he needs to learn in order to fulfill his desire of helping a lot of people in community.
He said: “In civil society you learn new things everyday as you form consortiums with different organisations especially if you are working towards the same goal. The only challenge that we are experiencing is funding of our programs we are conducting.”
Dube declared that his organisation’s priority was to acquire funding as it will be the breakthrough to cater for some challenges he was experiences.
Heavyheartedly he stammered: “you see, you see funding is the main challenge that we face as NGOs no matter the brilliant ideas we might have,” he paused before adding that “he needed more computers so that he can open an ICT center to teach more people.”
Simphiwe Development Trust is a member of the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisation (NANGO), a coordinating umbrella body of NGOs operating in the country aiming to represent and strengthen NGOs by providing space to dialogue and engage in order to fulfill member’s visions and missions.
NANGO Western Region Coordinator, Nhlanhla Mlilo was optimistic about Dube’s project of including the marginalised groups into the information society.
Mlilo said: “Leeman’s work is unique in Matabeleland, if there are other people doing the same project they would be very few. For the blind, it’s not about learning, reading and typing only, but we are hoping to create a visually impaired coder who will someday be able to have his own start up program.”
Dube revealed that in his line of work he is inspired by people who trust his abilities to change and improve the welfare of others. He said: “Am mostly inspired by individuals who know where they are going, strive joyfully to accomplish their goals and show determination to accomplish what they are set out to do.”
The determination which has been shown by the visually impaired and prison inmates has inspiredthe 37 year old innovative entrepreneur to gear up to hold more ICT training programs in the region stating that he intends to reach rural settlements in the near future.
The ever hopeful, Dube said: “Enhancing access to information for all is the target. For now we are still trying to works with prisons in the region so that we can improve the computer literacy of inmates. Also, after finishing the training of trainers program with the visually impaired we will be targeting the other visually impaired who feel they can manage to handle the ICDL course we have for them.”
“If we manage to get a donor the idea is to also teach people in rural areas so that we try to close the technological gap between people in urban areas and those in rural areas,” he said.
By Lovejoy Phiri.
14 Jun 2019
Twenty-eight year old Jenit Chinokoro says her life has changed for the better since joining Women’s Coalition Gweru Chapter in February this year.
Jenit explains that she used to wait on her husband to provide everything before her life changing encounter with WCoZ.
“I am a housewife and before joining WCoZ, I would wait on my husband to provide even basics like sanitary ware. My life changed when I saw an advertisement for soap making in the WCoZ group. I made a decision that I would attend that training and that is the best decision I have ever made.”
Jenit says after the training, she approached her husband for capital.
“My husband is very supportive. He gave me USD150 to buy resources and equipment needed for the soap making project. From that, I realised a profit of USD500.”
Jenit has established a market with wholesalers from as far as Kadoma and also supplies general dealers in the rural areas.
“I receive bulk orders of 30 boxes at once. My market includes wholesalers from as far as Kadoma and I also supply small shops in rural areas like Lower Gweru, Chiundura and Tongogara. Currently, my biggest challenge is that I am failing to meet demand because I am operating manually and from home.”
Jenit revealed that it is her dream to expand her small business and start employing other women as a way of helping them improve their livelihoods.
“My vision is to expand my business, get a larger operating space, buy digital equipment and start employing other women,” she said.
Besides the soap, Jenit also produces petroleum jelly, washing powder and dishwasher.
The soap making project has helped her change her lifestyle.
“With proceeds from this project, I have been able to buy sofas from TV Sales and I have also changed my bed. I am very grateful to the Chapter Secretary who introduced me to this excellent organisation,”
Jenit further explains that besides the entrepreneurial skills she gained from WCoZ, she has noticed that she is now more assertive, more independent and is also now better able to relate with other people through the various funded and non funded meetings she has attended.
“I believe knowledge is power. Fellow women should make every effort to participate in programmes that aim to empower them. It’s not always about money, knowledge is key.”
17 May 2019
The move by government to put about 95% of mining land in Matabeleland under exclusive prospective orders (EPOs) will cause conflict and corruption in the region, gold miners have said. An EPO gives mining companies exclusive rights to search for minerals and peg claims. The license also protects one from competition with other interested parties. The license means that small-scale players in Matabeleland are left with no room for expansion as big mining companies had acquired huge chunks of land which they continue to hold without working year- after-year. Small scale gold miners in Matabeleland South revealed that these regulations were forcing them to either bribe government officials to get gold claims or mine illegally within the EPOs.
“…we are forced to either mine gold illegally or bribe government officials to give us gold claims in the areas already under EPOs. This, in turn, has resulted in clashes over gold claims,” a miner, Mhlomuli Gwebu said.
In October last year, Ndodana Ncube died and five others were injured after artisanal miners clashed over gold claims at Vova Mine just outside Gwanda. Ncube was an alleged member of a gang involved in the violent clashes. Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF), the umbrella body representing small-scale miners, said EPOs were causing havoc in the communities.
“There are loopholes of conflict and corruption in that rights are vested on private individuals whom the Ministry of Mines cannot control. You also find that whilst we are trying to regularise the artisanal and small scale mining industry, there will be a lot also of those illegal mining activities within the EPOs,”
ZMF spokesperson DosmanMangisi, said. “So definitely, there will be also conflicts because in some areas you will find that villagers or communities will be forced to being relocate because of these discoveries’, he explained.
The Community Youth Development Trust (CYDT) recently convened an all stakeholders meeting in Gwanda to deliberate on the issues affecting the mining sector, and it discovered that CYDT, which seeks to develop the skills of young people so that they can effectively and actively engage and participate in the country’s political, economic and democratic processes, said the discovery that only 95% of the mining land in the region was under EPOs came as a surprise. The organisation also noted that the Mining Act was silent on the issue of mine claims, yet this has proven to be the major source of conflict and corruption. A number of families in Matabeleland South depend on mining as a source of living.
9 May 2019
Young women’s participation in the national processes is lagging behind hence the need for a safe space to deliberate on issues that affect young women with particular interest on their participation and inclusion in governance processes.
There are few engagement platforms for women, especially young women, on governance processes hence they entered into the election without a clear path, vision, expectations and possible mitigation measures to counter challenges. Zimbabwean laws do not recognise the need to reserve seats for people with disabilities and young women at all levels of the governance spectrum. Extortion through sex is one of the identified barriers to entry that young women face during election periods and this has resulted in low participation of young women in leadership positions.
Lack of knowledge of political and governance processes is a major reason why women occupy less posts in public offices. It was indicated that women are either not interested to know of the governance processes or they do not have access to the correct information. Despite the identified barriers, there has been progress due to the quota system. The biggest opportunity to young women penetrating national processes lies in civic education, capacity enhancement, advocacy, behaviour and attitude change, identifying young female mentors who are breaking the glass ceiling, influential organisations supporting and giving exposure to young women as well as ongoing dialogue.
Young women in Mutare reflected on the state of their rights in Zimbabwe and interrogated the barriers to entry for young women in politics. The young women also developed a framework on how they can strategically and effectively participate in national processes and consolidate the 2019 Young Women’s Forum Work Plan.
9 May 2019
Community Water Alliance is greatly disappointed by ineffectiveness of City of Harare’s cocktail chemicals to address water quality issues within Harare Metropolitan Province.
Despite the demand of US$3 million on a monthly basis, the ten chemicals required by City of Harare do not guarantee quality water out of the tap.
Community Water Alliance is reliably informed that the chemicals are failing to achieve the desired outcome of quality water for citizens, even if raw water from Lake Chivero is mixed with raw water from Darwindale dam.
It is alleged that algae in the water supplied by City of Harare causes colon cancer. In line with such health threats, Community Water Alliance will steer citizens in Harare Metropolitan Province to demand improved water quality, reduced water purification costs and replacement of the ten concoction chemicals with viable cost effective options that guarantee improved water quality.
Mobilisation of citizens will be run under the banner of #WaterQualityFootPrint, a campaign that will galvanize citizens to demand two urgent things from City of Harare, Ministry of Local Government and the Tender Procurement Board which falls under the Office of President and Cabinet:
Any institution and tier of government that constructs a wall between clean water and citizens will be an enemy of life, health and enjoyment of the right to water.
9 May 2019
“It’s taken me all this time, all this loss, to realize what really matters is now. Not our memories”, said Suzanne Young. With the reminiscence of childhood, most of us were inhumanly treated at school and in the societies we lived in. Is this the life we want for our kids? Always living in fear of who is going to care and at what point will they be beaten for the small mistakes that they make.
In light of the Education Amendment Bill of 2019 enacted by the Parliament and the President of Zimbabwe, more good than harm has been portrayed in the education system with its main focus on children
. The bill has brought up issues of free basic education, an end to corporal punishment, inclusion of children with disabilities as well as provision of user friendly resources, it has also highlighted the inclusion of both adult basic education and child education and admission of pregnant girls into formal schools among other things. However, the bill has failed to h
ighlight on how and what sort of punishment is going to be used to discipline the children and the bill has also failed to highlight the process of payment of fees for under privileged children. Thus raising questions as to who is entitled to assess whether Child A or Child B is fit to receive fees assistance.
According to the newly educational Bill, Section 68A Pupil discipline the responsible authority of every school shall draw up a disciplinary policy for the school in accordance with standards set out in regulations prescribed by the Minister. Moreover, the regulations and any disciplinary policy shallnot permit any treatment whichdoes not respect the human dignity of a pupil educ
ation amendment, amounts to physical or psychological torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, disciplinary measures must be moderate, reasonable and proportionate in the light of the conduct, age, sex, health and circumstances of the pupil concerned and the best interests of the child shall be paramount. No pupil may be suspended from school without first being granted a reasonable opportunity, with the support of his or her parents, to make representations with respect to the proposed suspension. In addition to, under no circumstance is a teacher allowed to beat a child. This has proved to be a good policy as children will learn being in their right mind. Thus this will help students to openly address their grievances or problems at home or environment without being afraid of what the teacher might do to the child. The overall view suggests that most child abuse cases are mostly noticed and exposed by children at school. Thus if the child can open up to a teacher more problems can be solved if they are being treated well at school.However the Bill has failed to address what and how the punishment of a child is going to be conducted. This then creates problems as to how teachers and school heads are going to monitor and enforce discipline as conflict is bound to happen.
Furthermore, the provision of basic state funded educationwill allow all children to go to school. Nelson Mandela stated that “education is the key to be better life” In this context attainment of education to all students will make their future bright. Introducing this idea the educational Bill will do more good than harm in that it will eliminate the significant number of Child headed families and Child marriages. Moreover, it will also mean the significant number of children will be independent as they progress with Schooling. It is also worthwhile to say that the introduction of state funded education will lessen the high poverty rates. This can be done in two ways: Firstly it allows bread winners to invest their salaries in other things such as infrastructure and entrepreneurial development and secondly it allows children to think through and solve economic problems in the long run and thus it lead to economic prosperity.
It is very important that the Society be inclusive. This allows development to take place as different ideas from different groups are in cooperated. The inclusion of children with disability will go a long way as disability does not mean in ability. They are a number of famous people around the world who being disabled achieved and excelled much than able bodied people. For example people like Stevland Hardaway Morris an American Musician, record producer, song writer and multi-instrumentalist who was visually impaired, but he has 25 Grammy awards and managed to sell 100 million records all over the world and Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. More importantly, In Zimbabwe, the late Director of the National Association for the Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH) and ZESN board member TsaraiMugoni was blind but had high esteemed positions. In light of these examples it is evident that people with disabilities have the same capacity to achieve what their counter-parts are achieving.
Having said this, l would recommend that the Minister and the responsible parties quickly avail to the school the way in which disciplinary action and hearings will be conducted.
By: Marvelous Kudakwashe Magune
ZNCWC Programs Assistant
9 May 2019
Women’s movements have been advocating for the extension and proper functioning of the Quota System in Zimbabwe to go beyond the year 2023. After realising the gap that was in the politics and governance system of Zimbabwe, Constitution Parliamentary Commitee (COPAC) which was mandated to draft the constitution of Zimbabwe took note of the low representation of women in politics. This led to the adoption of the Quota System, during the constitution making process. This adoption was in line with relevant international instruments relating to full political rights of women, among them the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Convention on the Political Rights of Women.
To fulfil these international obligations and commitments as well as to empower women, there was the inclusion of a clause in the Constitution which provides for the equal representation of women in Parliament through the appointment of 60 additional non-constituency female legislators. For the life of the first two Parliaments after the effective date, an additional 60 women members, 6 from each of the provinces into which Zimbabwe is divided, elected through a system of proportional representation based on the votes cast for candidates representing parties in a general election for constituency members in the provinces is part of the clause in the constitution of Zimbabwe which clearly covers the way in which the quota or proportional representation system works.
However, it is worth noting that from a female representation of 15 percent in the 2008 Parliament, the figures jumped to 32 percent in 2013 after 83 women made their way into Parliament from both the Lower and Upper House when the Government implemented the proportional women representation quota as stipulated in the Constitution.
However, the provision which was only valid for the first two terms of Parliament, comes to an end in 2023, a development that has been met with apprehension by majority of women. The Zimbabwean society can be described as highly unequal in terms of gender. This has a great impact on income distribution, political participation, power relations, access to control and ownership of economic and productive resources. The Quota System is a means to change the unequal power relations between men and women and to eliminate all negative practices that impede equality and equity of sexes. There is need to push for enactment of laws that protect women and girls like the Child Marriage Bill. It is notable that fewer women were voted into power, and in 2023 the Proportional Representation (PR) quota will be removed (Section 124 of the Constitution). Zimbabwe is known to be a signatory to many conventions that do not live to be realised for instance the SADC Protocol 2015.
It is known to be progressive but dictatorial. The golden question, therefore, is should we amend the law or change mind sets? We should hold accountable the political parties and level them against their own constitution.
In Senegal, women representation in the Parliament went from 11% to 44.6% and this was made possible through gender quotas. Recommendations that came up from the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe Mutare Chapter Dialogue on the Quota system touched more on the extension and rebranding of the quota system in Zimbabwe. Some of the participants mentioned that there is need for social accountability from the women who are already beneficiaries of the Proportional Representation (PR) and equal representation (gender parity) should be practised by all political parties so that we use a bottom-top approach in implementing this system. Failure to exercise this should result in the concerned political party being ineligible to participate in elections. The quota system should not be limited o a specific time frame as we are still far from reaching gender parity in Zimbabwe.
12 Apr 2019
More than 30 Harare-based journalists on 8 April 2019 petitioned the Zimbabwe Republic Police following the firing of teargas canisters by the police into the offices of online publication 263Chat in Harare on 4 April 2019.
The journalists marched to Harare Central Police Station where they were initially barred from entering the premises by heavily armed police officers. The officers confiscated and tore the placards they were holding.
However, after an initial standoff, they were then allowed to enter the police station where they presented their petition to Chief Superintendent Simba Chagu. Superintendent Chagu then addressed the journalists and told them they had contravened sections of the Public Order and Security Act by failing to notify the police about their intention to deliver the petition before dismissing them.
Earlier, the journalists had marched from the Media Centre to Town House where they were addressed by Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba upon presentation of the same petition. The mayor said the Council had instituted an investigation into the incident.
“A police report (following the incident) was lodged and visual evidence of the attackers is available to assist the police in their investigations of this matter. To our knowledge, no arrests had been effected at the time of the submission of this petition to your esteemed offices,” part of the petition reads.
“Media practitioners have a right to cover current affairs such as police operations against vendors in a public space. The only limitation being that such media coverage should not interfere with the ongoing police operation.”
The journalists condemned the firing of teargas canisters into the occupied offices of 263Chat as unwarranted and unjustified.
“We therefore urge you to conduct thorough investigations into this shocking incident as a matter of urgency and thus assure the safety and security of journalists undertaking their lawful professional duties as provided for by the Constitution,” reads the petition.
Background
The incident happened on the afternoon of Thursday, 4 April 2019 during a joint operation against vendors by police and Harare municipal police officers in the central business district. End
MISA Zimbabwe Communiqué
