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Chipo’s double burden: Battling cancer and blindness as a widow and mother of five

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Chipo, a widowed mother of five from Binga, Siabuwa, sat under a tree shed near the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority in Victoria Falls, her eyes cloudy with cataracts.

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Despite her struggles with skin cancer and blindness, she radiated a sense of determination and strength.

“I spent six years at Parirenyatwa hospital,” Chipo began, her voice laced with a hint of desperation. “I had wounds on my eyes which started in 2000, and I was told it was cancer.” She paused, her hands reaching out to them to illustrate. “The right one is giving me problems again. It’s always bleeding. The left one has completely lost sight, but currently, it’s better.”

Chipo’s skin required special care, but she lacked access to the necessary soap, leading to dryness and cracking. “I have to keep going for my children’s sake,”

“We survive on street begging. I make about US$5 on a good week, which I bank and when it gets to US$10, I send it home for the children to eat because there is too much drought back home.”

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Chipo’s story is a testament to the struggles many Zimbabweans face in accessing cancer treatment.

With limited resources and centralized services, many are forced to seek alternative means of support, like street begging.

Background:

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Cancer is a growing concern in Zimbabwe, with over 7 500 new cases and over 2 500 deaths recorded annually.

According to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry 2018 Annual Report, the most frequently occurring cancers among Zimbabweans are cervix uteri (21%), prostate (11%), breast (8%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) (5%), oesophagus (4%), Kaposi sarcoma (KS) (4%), colo-rectal (4%), stomach (3%), and liver (3%).

The report also highlights that cancer diagnosis and treatment are centralized in major towns, making it inaccessible to many.

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As Chipo’s story highlights, the need for accessible and affordable cancer services in Zimbabwe is more pressing than ever.

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Binga

Binga man kills wife, takes own life

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BY STAFF REPORTER

Police in Binga, Lusulu are investigating a case of murder and suicide where a man killed his wife and later hanged himself.

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Police on X said, “On 22/10/24, Masciline Dube (63) was found dead with a head injury near a general dealer shop at Chinonge Business Centre. A blood-stained stone was recovered at the scene.

“The victim’s husband, Abel Sibanda, was linked to the case and was later found dead, having hanged himself from a tree branch with a wire.”

Last month, another Binga man stoned his wife to death before handing himself at a nearby bush.

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The motive behind the tragic events is still unknown, and police are continuing their investigation.

 

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Binga

Man knifed to death for talking to a girl in Lubimbi

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

A 30-year-old Lubimbi man has appeared in court for murdering a neighbor after he became agitated by seeing the deceased talking to a girl.

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Qiniso Dube of Mafururo Village, was arraigned before the Hwange Magistrates Court on allegations of murder.

Allegations are that on the 20th of October at around 0200 hours, the accused person together with his friends were on their way home from Ntando shops, Lubimbi.

The now deceased joined them and started talking to a girl who was part of the group.

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This did not go down well with the accused who ordered the now deceased to go to his village.

The now deceased refused. The accused person left the group and proceeded to his homestead where he allegedly armed himself with a knife.

When he returned, he found the now deceased still talking to the girl.

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He punched the now deceased before he allegedly stabbed him with the knife three times on the chest, once on the back, and once on the left hand.

A Police report was made leading to his arrest.

The accused person was remanded in custody and will appear in court again on the 5th of November.

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Binga

Binga boys 16 & 20 arrested for armed robbery

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BY STAFF REPORTER 

Police in Hope Fountain, Bulawayo, have arrested two boys from Binga for robbery.

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The accused, Billiat Mumpande, a male adult aged 20 of Sinamagonde, Binga, and his co-accused, a male juvenile aged 16 from the same village, were arrested for their involvement in a robbery that occurred on October 17 and 18.

On October 17, at around 1800 hours, the complainant, a male adult aged 48 of Hope Fountain, was at his workplace when he was approached by the accused persons who pretended to make some genuine enquiries from him.

Billiat and the 16-year-old boy were armed with pellet guns, and Tedious Dube, who is still at large, was armed with an Okapi knife.

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The accused persons suddenly pointed their pellet guns at the complainant, threatening to shoot him.

Tedious also produced his Okapi knife, threatening to harm the complainant if he made any form of resistance.

The accused persons then force-marched the complainant into his room, where they ordered him to sit down. They searched his pockets and took his cash, US$413, which was in his pair of trousers’ pocket, and his Huawei cellphone, the police said.

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The accused persons went on to ransack the complainant’s room, looking for valuables, but managed to take the complainant’s solar panel.

After taking the complainant’s property, the accused persons locked him inside his room from outside and went away with the keys.

On October 18, at around 0630 hours, the complainant, a female adult aged 28 years of the same place, opened the shop for the day’s business at her workplace.

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While she was in the shop, the owner of the shop came to the shop, intending to do a stock take. After some minutes, a customer also got into the shop, intending to buy bread.

As the three complainants were all in the shop, the three accused persons got into the shop, pretending to be genuine customers.

One of the accused persons tendered US$3 and asked the shopkeeper to serve them with one loaf of bread and a 2-liter Coke.

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The shopkeeper then told them that their money was not enough.

During the conversation, Tedious , who was armed with an Okapi knife, went beyond the shop counter where the owner of the shop and her shopkeeper were standing and threatened to stab the shopkeeper while demanding money.

He went on to search the shop shelves, taking US$430, which was on the shelf, US$60, which was on the Biscuit plastic container, one 750ml Viceroy, four 100ml Mayfair beers, one 750ml Cape Real spirit beer, the shopkeeper’s Itel cellphone, and threatened the owner of the shop with an Okapi knife and forcibly took her Itel cellphone.

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The accused persons further slapped the customer on her forehead and forcibly took her Samsung Galaxy cellphone, and they then fled from the scene.

The report was made at the police station, and the police attended the scene and made some investigations at the scene, where they uncovered that the accused persons were staying in a local bush hideout where a local person saw them.

A swift reaction was made, which led to the arrest of Billiat and the 16-year-old boy at the hideout.

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The police recovered a black bag with a pellet gun case, a black and red satchel, a black and white Fabian jacket, which the 16-year-old boy was putting on during the commission of the offenses, and a solar panel stolen from the first complainant.

The total value stolen is US$1132, and the value recovered is US$10.

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