National

Zimbabwe’s teachers bemoan poor working conditions

Published

4 years ago

October 5, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe’s largest teachers’ union has bemoaned the poor working conditions its members have to endure and called for the authorities to do more to improve the country’s education system.

In a message to mark World Teachers Day, which is commemorated annually on October 5, the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) said poor remuneration had become the biggest threat to the teaching profession.

“Teachers being at the heart of education recovery, call for a review of the conditions of learning and teaching and place these on a pedestal of professional recognition,” said Zimta, which has 3 000 members.

“Zimbabwe’s education remains an envy of many developing nations, lets reflect on teachers and review their socio-economic status.”

Zimbabwe’s teachers say their salaries have been eroded by inflation and the collapse of the local currency.

Since 2018 they have been demanding that the government restores their salaries to the equivalent of US$520, which they were earning before the reintroduction of the local currency.

An average Zimbabwean teacher now earns less than US$200 a month.

Zimta said besides the low remuneration, teachers had borne the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The teaching fraternity lost erstwhile educators and unionists, who succumbed to Covid-19,” the association said.

“We pay special tribute to these departed colleagues and commiserate with all those, who suffered the experiences of the pandemic.

“They were indeed in the frontline of Zimbabwe’s education survival and recovery.”

Zimta said despite the challenges, teachers were still determined to be at the heart of the recovery programmes after the Covid-19 devastation.

” The theme for this year is “Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery” and is a befitting one in celebration of our teachers, who despite all the odds persevered with exemplary leadership amid the Covid-19 crisis and pedagogical shifts,” the association added.

“With passion, our educators applied their skills and sophistry to organize and support learners.

” Being at the centre of recovery means the nation has an obligation to provide for education, learners, teachers and all education support personnel, all hands-on deck, to resuscitate education and ensure that teaching and learning continues to occur despite the odds.

“Education cannot wait.”

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

4 weeks ago

March 14, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

Mandishara, who worked for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), was on patrol in the Gatche-gatche area with fellow rangers and police officers.

At around 10 pm, Mandishara returned to the harbor where their boat was docked, and that’s when he encountered the elephant. The elephant charged at him, causing fatal injuries. His colleagues were nearby, resupplying at the Gatche-gatche Irrigation Scheme.

Mandishara’s body was taken to Kariba District Hospital for a post-mortem, and the incident was reported to the police.

ZimParks has sent a team to manage the problem elephant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Director General of ZimParks, Prof. Edson Gandiwa, and his team have sent condolences to Mandishara’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mandishara will be remembered for his dedication to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

Published

2 months ago

February 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs officer, Phillip Kuvenga, has been accused of criminal abuse of office for allegedly assisting in the importation of banned motor vehicles.

Kuvenga, 28, who is stationed at Victoria Falls, allegedly received documents from clients, completed valuation sheets, and carried out the valuation process. However, he is accused of endorsing different chassis numbers to deceive his supervisors during the validation and approval process.

After obtaining approval, Kuvenga would capture the correct chassis numbers in the ASYCUDA World System. He would then alter or replace the documents submitted earlier to his supervisors.

The offense came to light when a motor vehicle that had not yet arrived in Zimbabwe was found to have been already registered. A thorough check by ZIMRA led to Kuvenga’s arrest.

Kuvenga appeared in court on February 1, where he was denied bail by Magistrate Gift Manyka. He is expected to appear in court again today for another bail hearing.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.