National

Temperatures rise in Victoria Falls as war vets wade into council fights

Published

2 years ago

October 13, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

War veterans from Matabeleland North are piling the pressure on the authorities to deal with alleged corruption and mismanagement at the MDC Alliance-run Victoria Falls City Council following the arrest of mayor Somvelo Dhlamini.

Dhlamini was arrested last week on allegations of defrauding the local authority of thousands of US dollars through an irregular purchase of a housing stand.

He was denied bail by Hwange regional magistrate Collet Ncube on Monday after prosecutors said he was the one behind a group of war veterans and members of the Hwange Residents Association, who last week forcibly removed town clerk Ronnie Dube from his office.

The group accused Dube of corruption and mismanagement, but Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) investigators pounced on Dhlamini a day later.

Following the dramatic events at the city council, the Matabeleland North provincial executive of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association said it will convene a public meeting at Chinotimba Hall on Friday to discuss the issue.

Bonface Sibanda, the provincial war veterans association chairperson, told VicFallsLive in an interview that the meeting was meant to discuss the corruption allegations amid charges that Zacc investigators were taking sides.

“We will be at Chinotimba Hall from 4PM on Friday and we want to discuss with the residents and all other affected stakeholders the rot that is happening in Victoria Falls,” Sibanda said.

“The mayor’s issue is clearly a scam because when our Hwange war veterans went to get Dube out of office to pave way for investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission the tables turned against the mayor, who had called them in and we have heard about the thousands of dollars that were given to (ZACC investigators) to turn the tables against Dhlamini.

“We have been reading about these issues in the media and other people coming to tell us about spending months without water.

“This is something that just doesn’t make sense in such a town and this is the reason we are stepping in and if Dhlamini is corrupt, he is at the right place and Dube also has to be investigated because when he was forced to leave office last week, he repeatedly refused saying he would want to step down with Dhlamini as they committed corruption together.”

Sibanda said contributions from the residents were going to be documented and will determine the way forward.

The position by the war veterans followed the move by Zanu Pf district coordinating committee chairperson Mathew Muleya to distance the ruling party from the group that raided Dube’s office.

Muleya issued a statement saying: the party would like to distance itself from the incident’ and claimed Zanu PF was a constitution-abiding party that does not use violence to solve disputes.

Sibanda said Muleya’s statement reflected an individual’s position.

“The meeting is not on political grounds, but on principles,” Sibanda said.

“That (statement) was written by Muleya in his individual capacity and without any consensus and as war veterans we cannot be stopped by these corrupt individuals, who hide behind the party’s name.

“We went to war based on principles of equality and freedom and what is happening in Victoria Falls is against those principles.”

Victoria Falls ratepayers have been boycotting the city council’s 2023 budget consultation meetings demanding answers over various allegations of corruption.

Residents boycotted 2023 budget meetings held last month and demanded to be first addressed by council over the alleged irregular sale of commercial stands and the US$89 000 loan that was given to Dube to buy a car, buying a luxury car for the mayor and leasing of breweries.

The Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association has since written a letter to relevant government ministries, police and parliament asking them to investigate the allegations.

Last month, 300 residents also signed a petition demanding that investigations be done against corrupt council officials.

They said they had proof of corrupt deals by the town clerk and councillors which has resulted in poor service delivery.

National

Water levels dropping at Kariba dam

Published

5 days ago

November 1, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

1 November 2024

The Zambezi River Authority has issued an update on the water levels at the Kariba lake, revealing a sharp decrease due to low inflow.

The current lake level stands at 476.14m, a significant drop from last year’s level of 478.07m.

The usable live storage volume has also decreased dramatically, from 17.90% in 2023 to just 4.46%.

This translates to a reduction from 11.59 billion cubic meters (BCM) to 2.89 BCM, a worrying trend for power generation and water supply between Zimbabwe and Zambia

National

ZIMTA calls for quarterly salary reviews to address inflation

Published

6 days ago

October 31, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY NOTHANDO DUBE & NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Educators in Zimbabwe have been crying out for decent salaries for over five years, with their salaries eroded by the high cost of living and harsh economic conditions.

We recently had a one-on-one interview with the ZIMTA president, Akuneni Maphosa, who shared his insights on the issue.

“Allow me to explain briefly about salaries for heads and teachers generally. Our issue is that, in October 2018, teachers were generally getting a US$540 salary. Such that, we put it across to the government that they stole from us, because, with the mix-up that came with the RTGS currency, whereby 1 US dollar was said to be equivalent to 1 RTGS, that is where we lost our value for money.”

Maphosa emphasized that ZIMTA has a research department that tracks the market and determines the minimum salary required for teachers to survive.

“We found out that a teacher must earn US$1 200, but what we wrote to the government, looking at the average figure, considering that we still have not reached US$540 of 2018, we submitted US$840 to National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC), where we negotiate with the government on salaries.”

He highlighted the shortfall in the recent US$40 increment offered by the government.

“When you look at the amount of the US$40, we were given recently, as we know that our salaries have a component of US dollars and Zim dollars, but when we look at it from the US dollar value, our entry grade is US$479, such that there is a shortfall of US$361 for us to get to the US$840, that is for grade D1.”

Maphosa stressed that ZIMTA is pushing for quarterly reviews to reach the desired salary.

“We are saying the government should have quarterly reviews of these salaries.”

He outlined ZIMTA’s three-pronged approach to address the issue: negotiating at NJNC level, pursuing job evaluation, and professionalizing the teaching service.

“We believe that this is the route that will enhance the earnings for the educators in the country.”

Additionally, Maphosa mentioned that ZIMTA is also pushing for the establishment of a Civil Service Bargaining Council, which would allow for collective bargaining and binding agreements with the government.

“We are currently working with the government and Public Service Commission to ensure that this is put in place.”

Maphosa concluded by emphasizing ZIMTA’s commitment to engaging with the government.

National

Enhancing heritage-based curriculum: A call to action for school heads

Published

7 days ago

October 30, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH) National Conference for 2024 rounded off with a resounding call to action for school heads to take leadership roles in implementing the Heritage-Based Curriculum.

(MINI DOCUMENTARY ON THE LINK BELOW| New heritage-based curriculum under discussion. 2 700 primary school heads meet in Victoria Falls to discuss implementation. Zimta president calls for decent salaries & policies to support teachers. Minister emphasizes leadership roles in schools)

https://x.com/vic_falls_live/status/1851544275416236323?s=46

Minister of State and Provincial Affairs, Richard Moyo, his speech read on his behalf by provincial coordinating director Tapera Mugoriya, emphasized the importance of this curriculum in promoting a holistic approach to learning, focusing on Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage, history, and values.

“The nation looks upon all heads of schools to take noticeably leadership roles in the implementation of the Heritage-Based Curriculum in schools,” Moyo stressed, addressing a gathering of over 2 700 primary school heads from across the country.

Moyo also highlighted the need for school heads to understand the socio-economic contexts of their communities and how local heritage can be leveraged to enhance learning outcomes.

“Your aptly coined theme, ‘The Role Of The School Head In Enhancing The Heritage Based Curriculum Under The Current Socio– Economic Situation,’ is befitting as it challenges us all not to offer education for its own sake, but to utilize the many years that pupils invest in school to prepare them well for their lives and for the sustenance of communities and the country.”

The Minister also expressed appreciation for NAPH’s efforts in championing curriculum reform and implementation, noting that the Heritage-Based Curriculum subsumes all Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets and indicators related to education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Furthermore, Moyo addressed the issue of the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), acknowledging concerns raised by school heads.

The delegates

“The Government is already seized with addressing the matter, and indeed those that are meant to benefit from the safety net will definitely do so,” he assured.

Additionally, Moyo highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to pupil welfare, citing the distribution of tonnes of mealie-mealie to all P3, P2, and satellite primary schools nationally to support the Emergency School Feeding Programme.