National

Zimbabwe’s lobby to lift ivory trade ban stutters

Published

2 years ago

May 28, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe is struggling to convince African countries to support its lobby for the lifting of a global ban on ivory trade with only a few endorsing the campaign.

The Hwange National Park, the country’s largest game reserve hosted the African Elephants Conference between May 23 to 26, where Zimbabwe hoped to influence a common position for the continent on ivory trade ahead of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference of the parties (Cop19) to be held in Panama later this year.

Only five of the 19 countries invited to the Hwange conference endorsed the declaration calling for the resumption of ivory trade while South Africa, a potentially influential ally for Zimbabwe, abstained.

Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia endorsed the declaration where the countries agreed to push CITES to give them the greenlight to sell their ivory stockpiles.

“We commit to working collectively to…make a clarion call for CITES not to interfere with domestic trade, the sovereignty of states and their rights to sustainable use of wildlife,” reads part of the conference’s resolutions.

“(To) advocate for decisions to be made based on elephants’ numbers in each country or region to curb the prevailing practice where decisions are made by non-affected nations; lobby through diplomatic channels to ensure that the current gaps in communication on topic wildlife issues are closed”

The five countries said they would convince the world to “rreflect and introspect on the founding ideas of CITES to shared commitment to dialogue, equity, inclusiveness and transparency.”

“We urge all African states to join to forge a “new and better deal for elephant conservation, tourism and rural communities in key African Range States “by endorsing and committing to the declaration,” the resolutions read.

First lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, who was the guest of honour at the conference, expressed frustration over lack of support from African countries.

“I strongly encourage Africa to speak with one voice for the good of its people,” Mnangagwa said.

“We are masters of our own destiny.

“As Africans, we must fully manage and benefit from our God given natural resources without undue interference.”

Zimbabwe says it wants to dispose of its ivory stockpiles worth US$600 million to fund conservation efforts and fight human-wildlife conflict, which is being worsened by the overpopulation of elephants.

The country’s population of 100 000 elephants is the second highest in Africa after Botswana.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director-general Fulton Mangwanya told VicFallsLive that there were Asian countries that were ready to buy the ivory stockpiles if CITES lifts the ban, but countries such as Japan say they have excess stocks.

Japan alongside the European Union and Sweden attended the Hwange conference, but made it clear that their only interest was in conservation efforts and not the lifting of the CITES ban.

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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.