National

The San: Zimbabwe’s forgotten tribe living on the margins

Published

3 years ago

August 9, 2021

VicFallsLive

BY JEFFREY MOYO

Nyaliwe Mendisi has never known the door of a classroom.

None of her 12 children went to school, and now the 81-year-old’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren have had no basic education either.

Mendisi belongs to the San community, together with her unschooled grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Now stung with poverty, the only jobs her children and grandchildren have known are domestic employment in the villages of Tsholotsho, in Matabeleland North Province.

Most of her grandsons and granddaughters are employed as cattle herders or tend other villagers’ fields.

“My whole generation in my family has never been to school. We have nothing of value that we own to enable children to attend school. We have no goats nor cattle that we can sell to raise school fees,” Mendisi told Anadolu Agency.

Also known as the Bushmen or Basarwa, the San, which is Mendisi’s tribe, were the first Bantu people to dwell in present-day Zimbabwe.

Mired in poverty, many San people like Mendisi and her descendants, populate remote areas of this southern African nation, with others facing similar situations in other countries like Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia.

In Zimbabwe, some of the apparently forgotten tribe lives in Plumtree in Matabeleland South Province.

Now, as the World commemorates International Day of the World’s Indigenous People annually on Aug. 9 by the UN, Zimbabwe’s Khoisans, like Mendisi, have nothing to celebrate amid mounting penury.

“Food is even hard to get because this region always gets very low rainfall. We have no cattle nor donkeys that we can use for our farming,” she said.

But what worries many like Mendisi and her family is the lack of national identity cards, which means together with her descendants, they have contended with statelessness.

“Having no IDs or birth certificates has meant none of us gets the opportunity to go to school or even dream of having a bank account,” Mlungisi Mendisi (23), a grandson on the matriarch, told Anadolu Agency.

Even decent shelter for the San tribe is something that they can only fathom in their imaginations, according to the younger Mendisi, who also said he has never had a bus ride or boarded a car.

With incessant droughts pounding Zimbabweans more often, the San have not been spared but getting food donations from the government has remained a mountain task for many like Mlungisi without identity documents.

“No ID no food from the government and some of us just have to starve. It has never been easy for many of us to get identity documents like birth certificates and national identity cards,” he said.

Davy Ndlovu, programmes manager for Tsoro-O-Tso San, a development trust that fosters the rights of the San tribe, said the minority tribe has for centuries faced broad injustices, leading to poverty situations for generations.

“Since the San’s removal from their ancestral land to pave way for the establishment of the Hwange National Park in 1928, their lives as hunter-gatherers were disrupted.

“Today, they live lives of poverty in the outer edges of society and are struggling to adapt to a sedentary lifestyle,” Ndlovu told Anadolu Agency.

To Ndlovu, like many minority groups in Zimbabwe, the Khoisan people are not strangers to segregation.

“Many minorities in Zimbabwe suffer discrimination and the situation is even worse for the San,” he said.

According to Tsoro-O-Tso San, there are approximately 2,500 San people living in Zimbabwe.

Even as Ndlovu and his organization have tried to help many Khoisan to enroll in school, families like Mendisi’s have had no chance.

But organizations like Tsoro-O-Tso San headed by Ndlovu, have tried to extricate many of Khoisan descendants from poverty.

“When we started our project in 2010, few of the San children finished primary education. After numerous awareness campaigns on the importance of education, quite a number has gone up to form four, with others even finishing form six of their secondary education,” said Ndlovu.

To Ndlovu, even as the Khoisan tribe remains downtrodden and apparently forgotten by authorities, there is something to smile about.

“For the first time ever, we have three Khoisan descendants attending university.

There is however little support from the government and this has left many San children uneducated,” said Ndlovu.

Health-wise, Ndlovu said the Khoisan are faced with trouble as health facilities are still few and people are forced to travel long distances to seek medical attention.

Ndlovu said with many San people still stateless here, several, like Christopher Dube of Garia village in Tsholotsho, have recently battled to bury an undocumented relative who died in neighbouring South Africa, also without personal documents.

According to Ndlovu, the deceased is still unburied in South Africa due to a lack of proper documentation. – Anadolu Agency.

National

Zim hosts 7 000 children, regional delegates for World Children’s Day

Published

1 week ago

November 15, 2024

VicFallsLive

UNICEF

BY LEONARD NCUBE

Part of the over 7 000 children and delegates from across Southern Africa who are expected to attend the World Children’s Day celebrations in Victoria Falls tomorrow have started arriving in the resort city, which is already experiencing huge vehicular and human traffic.

The Chronicle, reports that, Zimbabwe, in partnership with Unicef, is hosting the children from seven SADC countries — Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, for the World Children’s Day.

The day is observed every November 20 but celebrations will be held tomorrow at Baobab Primary School so that the programme does not disturb learning and examination processes.

High ranking delegates from Namibia, and children from five of the countries had arrived yesterday, with the majority expected today and tomorrow.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister July Moyo, his Permanent Secretary Mr Simon Masanga, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary Ms Sithandiwe Ncube plus officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education are already in Victoria Falls coordinating preparations for a successful event.

Proceedings will start this morning with a golf and chess tournament for children at Elephant Hills Golf Course and Mosi-oa-Tunya High School.

This will culminate in a prize-giving ceremony for winners of the two tournaments at a dinner to be hosted by the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, this evening at Elephant Hills Resort.

According to update reports at the preparatory meeting chaired by Minister Moyo yesterday, the golf and chess tournaments will start this morning with junior golfers teeing off and those playing chess also taking part.
There will also be about 200 non-golfers who will also be taken to the golf course so they learn the sport.

The main event will take place tomorrow where President Mnangagwa is expected to be joined by his counterparts and their representatives from the six SADC countries that are part of the programme.

Proceedings will start with a road march by children between 7am and 9am ahead of the main programme.
After the proceedings and lunch, a total of 570 children will be taken for a tour of the Victoria Falls Rainforest, a Unesco designated World Heritage Site and one of the Natural Wonders of the World.

Transport, accommodation and feeding logistics for all the children have been arranged so that they enjoy their day.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Moyo said he was impressed by the Whole of Government approach exhibited by various ministries and departments, in partnership with Unicef, which is co-hosting the event with Zimbabwe.

“We will assembly at the Elephant Hills where the First Lady and other delegates will participate at the children’s dinner. Some have started arriving so we will end the dinner early so that the children go and rest,” he said.

“On Saturday they will march from 7am so that they arrive at the venue by 9am. After the programme, 570 children are what we are going to cater for at the Rainforest.

“In the evening there will be a monumental lighting of the Flame of Hope on the ‘No Man’s Land’ on the Victoria Falls Bridge officiated by Vice-President General (Retired) Dr Costantino Chiwenga. That is the broad outline of the programme,” said Minister Moyo.

Matabeleland North will provide the bulk of the 7 470 children expected at the event.
According to the organising committee, 450 will come from the country’s nine provinces other than Matabeleland North who will provide 7 020. About 1 200 of these will come from the six Matabeleland North districts while 5 820 will come from Hwange District.

Of these Hwange children, 4 520 will arrive early tomorrow morning while 1 300 are coming today.
The children will be staying at Rest Camp and several schools that have been designated as villages for them.

The Environmental Management Agency has identified 60 volunteer litter pickers and still wants 40 more, the mop out litter during the course of the two days.

The venue is almost ready will tents set, chairs set and final touches being done.
If anything, Baobab Primary School, looking more like a mini-city because of the set-up, are the biggest beneficiaries of the programme considering the amount of rehabilitation work being done at the school.

Classroom and administration blocks have been repainted, landscaping done on the school grounds while a perimeter fence is being erected and a new gate opened.

A borehole is to be drilled at the school and Minister Moyo yesterday said the facility should be allowed to run a tuck-shop during the event so they benefit from hosting the crowds. There will also be various exhibitors at the event while a roadshow will also be done to publicise the event.

Unicef country director, Ms Etona Ekole, appreciated work done by the organising committee so far.
“Thank you for the organisation and dedication you have shown. We are impressed by the commitment and I think we are going to have incredible celebrations,” she said.

The 2024 Regional World Children’s Day commemorations will build on the Calls-for-Action of children and the commitments by the Heads of State made at the previous celebrations, which focused on education, climate, children with disability and the need for society to be inclusive and uphold children’s rights.

The children from the participating countries will present an updated call for action and hold their governments accountable for the commitments made to promoting children’s rights.

Every 20 November, the world celebrates World Children’s Day, which highlights the right to participation, which is one of the underpinning principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Since 2021, four countries — Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe — have come together to celebrate the Regional World Children’s Day jointly, and this year Zimbabwe hosts the programme building on the momentum created by the commemorations in Botswana in 2021, Zambia in 2022 and Namibia last year.

Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa have been invited to join the commemorations making seven attending countries.
SOURCE: THE CHRONICLE

National

ZESA struggles to meet demand as Hwange fault and Kariba dam water levels bite

Published

2 weeks ago

November 13, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, ZESA has announced that the national power grid is experiencing reduced electricity generation capacity due to a technical fault at Hwange Power Station and low water levels at Kariba Dam.

“ZESA Holdings would like to advise its valued stakeholders that the national power grid is currently experiencing reduced electricity generation capacity due to a technical fault at Hwange Power Station,”

“This has been further compounded by low generation capacity at Kariba Power Station, resulting from low water levels.

Our technical teams are actively working to resolve the fault at Hwange to minimize the impact on our customers.”

ZESA STATEMENT

Meanwhile, the Zambezi River Authority has sounded the alarm on the dire water levels at Kariba Dam, which has dropped to a critically low 2.40%.

This has left Zimbabwe and Zambia facing a precarious electricity supply situation.

As the power cuts continue, communities are feeling the brunt of the outages.

Businesses are struggling to operate, and residents are forced to go without electricity for extended periods. The situation has also affected water supply, communication, and healthcare services.

Other news organizations and research have highlighted the severity of the power crisis in Zimbabwe.

According to a report by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, the country’s energy sector is facing a myriad of challenges, including aging infrastructure, lack of investment, and a heavy reliance on imported electricity.

The report notes that the power cuts have had a devastating impact on the economy, with businesses losing millions of dollars in productivity and revenue.

The situation has also affected the livelihoods of ordinary Zimbabweans, who are struggling to access basic services like healthcare and education.

National

Stepdad accused of killing three months old daughter

Published

2 weeks ago

November 12, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A Shurugwi stepfather has appeared in court facing allegations of poisoning to death his 3-month-old stepdaughter.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Tatenda Masunda (24) appeared before the Shurugwi Magistrates’ Court facing a murder charge.

The State alleges that on the 3rd of November, at around 5 AM, the accused stopped the infant’s mother from taking the baby with her to a nearby borehole where she intended to do the laundry.

He then retrieved a poisonous substance, commonly used in gold purification, which he had hidden in the yard, and fed it to the infant.

The accused later brought the visibly distressed and crying infant to the mother.

The mother rushed the infant to Zvamabande Hospital.

She was referred to Shurugwi District Hospital, where the baby was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The accused fled to Chegutu, where he was arrested on the following day.

He was remanded to the 21st of November
pending investigations.