BY WANDILE TSHUMA

Harare – The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) gender desk has issued a statement demanding the immediate release of Nicole Chabata, a form four student who was arrested and convicted for participating in a celebration of the National Day of the African Child.

“As the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) gender desk, we stand in solidarity with Nicole Chabata who was wrongfully arrested and convicted on the 16th of June for participating and celebrating the National day of the African Child. Her commitment to the day reflects a noble cause that doesn’t deserve to be reciprocated by repression,” said Lillian Tinotenda Muhwandavaka, Gender Secretary of ZINASU.

According to the statement, Nicole’s conviction is part of a disturbing trend of the regime trying to silence young voices that seek to promote social justice and women’s rights. “The actions taken on Nicole reflect a disturbing trend of the regime trying to silence young voices that seek to promote social Justice and the rights of women,” said Muhwandavaka.

The ZINASU gender desk highlighted that Nicole’s unlawful arrest deprived her of the opportunity to finish her second term and attend school like other students. “This undermines her educational journey simply because she celebrated the hope, resilience and the fundamental rights every child deserves,” said Muhwandavaka.

The desk demanded the immediate review and reversal of Nicole’s conviction, as well as that of everyone else who was wrongfully convicted on June 16. “We demand that the responsible authorities and relevant institutions review these convictions and uphold justice. These women and activists are being subjected to unnecessary trauma, health conditions and institutionalized personality traits,” said Muhwandavaka.

The statement concluded with a message of solidarity with Nicole Chabata and the Avondale 78, demanding that their cases be handled seriously so that they can focus on their studies without the weight of wrongful convictions. “We stand in solidarity with Nicole Chabata and many other females that were arrested without committing any wrongful crime with the Avondale 78. We demand that these cases be handled seriously such that Nicole can focus on her studies and sit for upcoming exams comfortably, with no weight of a wrongful conviction,” said Muhwandavaka.

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A recent National Assembly meeting  revealed a staggering statistic: 4557 school girls dropped out of school due to pregnancy in 2023 alone. The majority of these girls (3942) were from rural schools, and most were in secondary school.

Mutsa Murombedzi, MP for Mashonaland West, questioned the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Torerai Moyo, on the issue.

“The Ministry collects and collates such data on an annual basis and is recorded in our Education Management Information System (EMIS) report shared with all stakeholders. Therefore, for the year ending December, 2023, 4557 girls dropped out of school due to pregnancy, the majority of these (3 942) being from rural schools,” Minister Moyo revealed.

When asked about measures being taken to address the issue, Minister Moyo said, “We have instituted several measures to curb this problem, one of which is the introduction of Guidance and Counselling in schools. Through the Education Act, we have also ensured that the legal provisions are there to enable girls who fall pregnant to continue with their education.”

Minister Moyo also emphasized that the government is committed to ensuring that girls who fall pregnant can continue their education, citing the Education Amendment Act of 2020, which allows girls to take a two-week maternity leave and return to school.

“On the issue of stigma, we have done a lot of conscientisation and also, we have done a lot of dissemination of information in encouraging all the girls who fall pregnant. It is now their right to education, so they are supposed to go back to school,” Minister Moyo said.

When asked about the perpetrators, Minister Moyo assured the House that the law will take its course if the perpetrators are adults and the girls are under 18.

“Assuming the perpetrators are known and they are adults, the law will take its course. If there are circumstances whereby an elder or an adult male has had some relations with a girl and she becomes pregnant, if that girl is under the age of 18, the law will be applied.”

BY STAFF REPORTER

Zimbabwe’s government is crafting a National Health Insurance scheme to cover the majority of its citizens who lack health insurance.

Currently, a staggering 90% of Zimbabweans are without health insurance, with medical societies only covering 10% of the population.

The country’s economic woes, including corruption, bad governance, high interest rates, and exorbitant health fees, have eroded trust in health insurance among ordinary citizens.

At the 15th annual Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe conference in Victoria Falls, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora expressed concern over the extortionist behavior of medical aids and health service providers.

He assured that the National Health Insurance scheme, whose principles have been sent to Cabinet, will address these anomalies and push out some small health funders.

Mombeshora emphasized the need for alignment towards measurable results, acknowledging the dynamic nature of healthcare.

“Financing of healthcare systems has become a global challenge, especially for low-income countries like ours,”he said.

“Zimbabwe is working hard to institute reforms that are designed to increase domestic funding for health.

“One key reform that has been on the agenda for long but being accelerated now is the establishment of a National Health Insurance Scheme.”

The Minister also highlighted ongoing legislative reforms, including the Medicines and Allied Substance Act, Health Professions Act, and the Medical Aid Societies Bill.

These reforms aim to strengthen regulation of health professions, create an enabling environment for health investment, and better respond to challenges and trends.

Mombeshora criticized some health funders for extorting money, stressing the need for regulation.

“We need to stop that and come up with policies on how health funders can be regulated. We have about 40 medical aids but how many are here? If they were genuine, they should be here; it’s not supposed to be a money-making business but a social service. We made a mistake of allowing health funders to be service providers,” he said.

The conference, themed “Zooming in on Health Outcomes – Making the Main Thing the Main Thing,” started on Wednesday and will end today.