InfocusNews 25 Sept - 01 Oct 2021
the urge to continue fighting and being positive. Cancer may lead to depression and the treatment process can weaken the system especially if one is discouraged,” she said.
Call to increase investment in cancer screening and treatment
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urvivors of breast cancer have called on the Government to investing more resources to the fight against cancer whose prevalence continues to rise in different communities who have less or no access to screening, treatment facilities. Most cancer screening facilities are located in urban areas, leaving a majority of women in rural areas without access. This was echoed by Angela Makore, a breast cancer survivor who said the situation would be better if cancer services were prioritised like other killer diseases in Zimbabwe. Makore said she finally braved screening when she started feeling some pain and is grateful that doctors managed to save her life.
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“I was one of those who did not bother going for medical checkups even when I suspected that something was wrong, until my breast had to be cut after it developed cancer. I had heard about the importance of examining our breasts as women but I was in denial as I thought cancer was the result of witchcraft,” she said. Makore added that her life has never been the same again after diagnosis. She highlighted that this has motivated her to encourage members of the public to access early screening so as to avoid cancer related complications. “Cancer medication is quite expensive and for ordinary citizens like us, it can be out of reach as the economy has not been performing well. I sometimes struggle to buy medication but my family has been supportive which gives me
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Makore said although the media is awash with awareness messages during the month of October, the awareness will yield nothing if policy makers do not make deliberate efforts to ensure cancer screening and treatment is accessible in all public institutions. “As they say prevention is better than cure, women and even men must take medical screening seriously, we have passed that era where it was taboo to just walk into a clinic and ask to be examined. I also call on our leaders to invest more in screening facilities so that most women in rural areas who are likely to be affected are screened and treated in case they have cancer, “ she added. Dr Tatenda Simango said most women with breast cancer are diagnosed in late stages due to lack of awareness on early detection and barriers to health services. “Early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control. When breast cancer is detected early, and if adequate diagnosis and treatment are available, there is a good chance that breast cancer can be cured,”
InfocusNews she said. Dr Simango emphasized that if detected late, curative treatment is often no longer an option. In such cases, palliative care to relieve
the suffering of patients and their families is needed.
travel to Bulawayo for medical attention.
These sentiments come at a time when the world is commemorating Breast Cancer awareness month.
“This place is still very remote. We cannot even access mobile networks or use phones when in emergencies but now that we have a clinic, I am sure lives will be saved. We used to struggle walking to Homestead Clinic and the distance forced some of us to snub ante-natal care which is crucial for all expecting mothers,” she said.
Relief for villagers in Umzingwane Ward 4 as area commissions Ndabankulu clinic
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anet Sibanda (58) from Msetshane Village in Matobo, Matabeleland South recalls walking a total of 50km to and from Homestead Clinic, which was the nearest health facility then, a journey she described as traumatic but necessary. Villagers from her area and surrounding Silawa, Ndabankulu and Zwehamba had just one clinic forcing them to travel long distances in search of healthcare services. For more than three decades they longed for a nearer facility which would ease the burden they had in accessing medical attention. Thanks to Word Vision, the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the local authority, Sibanda facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
will now walk just five kilometres to the newly commissioned Ndabankulu Clinic, a development which has brought relief to hundreds of Matobo villagers. “We are happy that finally we have a clinic nearer to our homes because walking all those kilometres was stressful and sometimes we would prefer to stay at home and risk medical complications. We are grateful because even our elderly who suffer from a number of ailments will be able to access healthcare without any challenges like in the past,” said Sibanda. Another villager Soneni Mlotshwa said the clinic was a dream come true for villagers who often struggle with poor road infrastructure whenever they are expected to
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Mlotshwa added that the clinic will bring closer essential services like immunisation programs and help the community access Covid-19 information. “We often missed out on important programs as the distance to the nearest health facility was a deterrent but now we will also benefit like other villagers,” she said. For Jecobed Ncube, the clinic was just one of the major developmental projects the community needed as they still cannot access mobile networks. “We are happy the quality of our lives will change and we now appeal for responsible authorities to ensure we have access to mobile coverage so that we can use phones and be in touch with our world. Members of staff in this clinic will need to contact other health facilities in cases of emergency and network challenges will slow down our progress in ensuring that we have access to quality health care services,” said Ncube.
InfocusNews
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InfocusNews percent increase in debtors. “There has been a 150 percent increase in debtors, from 451.2 million in June 2020 to 1.77 billion as at June 2021. This has been caused by a number of factors including complacency of rate payers, under and over estimation of rates, rate payers waiting to get physical bills before making payments, high rates of revenue, inefficient management of accounting systems of the local authority to name but a few”, highlighted Tshuma.
Stakeholders and women in Bulawayo capacitated on budget analysis skills
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omen’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD), in collaboration with Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), conducted a meeting with councillors and community ward co-ordinators from Bulawayo, in order to capacitate them with skills in budget analysis. Speaking during the budget analysis, Ntokozo Tshuma highlighted the need for allocating the budget according to key priority areas in the city. “Local authorities run their budget under the zero-based budgeting system, which entails that what they plan to use is what they should use, and economically, a facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
dollar’s value today may not be the same dollar tomorrow. “Referring to the previous budget, the income generated was ZWL 2.67 billion and the expenditure was ZWL 1.8 billion, marking a variance of ZWL 870 million. How can we have such a disparity in unused budgets when there were so many important issues that needed to be addressed, such as sewer bursts, water problems, and fire ambulance shortages, to name a few? The budget should really do more in addressing key areas of concern”, said Tshuma. Tshuma went on to highlight some of the challenges that local government has faced which have affected the budget, one of which was a 150
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Looking at the budget from a gender lens, America Ndlovu highlighted that there is a need to have a budget that is sensitive to the different needs of diverse genders. “A gender responsive budget is a budgeting approach that is designed to mainstream gender dimensions in all stages of the budgeting cycle. It is with this that I emphasise that there is a need for the budget to be sensitive to the needs of all genders so as to achieve an inclusive budget. “Members of the public should also be trained on what gender budgeting is so as to analyse the extent to which the budget is sensitive and address some of the gaps, hence contributing meaningfully to the budget process”, said Ndlovu. Commenting on the presentation by Ndlovu, the Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, Mlandu Ncube, said that the City Council has been taking great strides to ensure that everyone is consulted on the proposed
InfocusNews budget. “As you have noticed during the Bulawayo City Council Budget consultations, the council strategically ensures that different groups are consulted. There is a consultation for women, youths, and informal traders, just to mention a few. This is so because we understand that these diverse groups have different needs; hence, we
give them a platform to contribute to the budget,” submitted Ncube. WILD has over the years made efforts to mobilise community women and female leaders to attend the virtual and physical Bulawayo City Council budget consultation meetings so that they can submit their views and ensure their grievances and issues are addressed in the
wayo. The National Budget Consultations were conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development and members of the Expanded Sustainable Development Goals Committee. Phakamani Moyo a Social and Economic Justice Ambassador who was in attendance at the National Budget Consultations echoed the same sentiments. “The Zimbabwe health sector has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; we therefore call upon government of Zimbabwe to consider serious investments in the health system. We call upon government of Zimbabwe to fulfil its commitment to allocate 15% of the national budget to the health sector as set out in the Abuja Declaration. This will go a long way in reviving our health system,” submitted Moyo.
Women call for prioritisation of health sector in 2022 National Budget
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overnment of Zimbabwe needs to prioritise allocation of funds towards the health sector in the 2022 National Budget so as to ease the burden presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account the shocks which the health sector experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is
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need for allocation of a significant amount of funds so as to equip the sector to be in a better position when faced with crisis such as this. This was said by Jacqueline Ndlovu, a woman from Bulawayo during the 2022 National Budget Consultations which were held on the 13th of October 2021 in Bula-
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“The 15% allocation towards the health sector is a commitment that should be fulfilled in addressing issues of access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR). Lack of access to SRHR has highly contributed to a sharp rise in teenage pregnancies. We have seen a surge in school dropouts due to teenage pregnancies which can also be attributed to lack of access to SRHR. The budget allocation should also address issues of provision of sanitary wear especially for school going girls,” submitted Sindisiwe Nkomo who was also a participant at the National Budget Consultation.
InfocusNews Also making a submission at the Budget Consultations, Abigail Ncube highlighted that there is need for a 16 – 20 % allocation towards the Education sector in the National Budget. She highlighted that this will cover employment costs, learning materials, COVID-19 response, provision of
sanitary wear and basic state funded education. Parliament is bound by the Constitution to consult the public on its Budget processes. The public hearings are intended to provide an opportunity for members of the public to engage with MPs con-
stituting the teams and to explain what they think the 2022 National Budget should – or should not – contain and why. Members of the Public were able to make inputs with regards to allocation of funds to Ministries and priority areas for funding for the 2022 financial year.
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Community Voices
Key issues on the National Budget Consultation
It is pleasing to note that more youths participated during the National Budget Consultation which was held in Bulawayo. Young people are future leaders and as citizens we hope that their needs and aspirations will be taken into consideration.
should align to the Poverty Datum Line meaning the budget should address civil servants’ salary grievances
Government should not burden informal sectors especially vendors and cross
people suffering from gastro-intestinal illnesses. This is so because drinking water sources are subject to contamination and require appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing agents. This article shares some of the ways in which one can treat water at the household level to make it safe for drinking.
By Juliet Samson Some of the submissions that were made during the budget consultations include the need to increase devolution funds such that local authorities are able to improve service delivery. The budget should include the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project so as to increase water supply in Bulawayo. More funds should be allocated to the informal sector since they contribute a large percentage to the economy. I recommend that there is need for transparency in terms of the budget cycle. The information on budget spending should be available to the public so that there is continuous feedback. Salaries of civil servants facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
boarder traders through high rates of presumptive tax and duty at the boarders. However, it should formalise the informal sector so that they enjoy the use of medical aid and pension schemes.
Two common ways you can use to treat contaminated water at household level In our different localities, there are times when we are not sure of the running water from our taps as to whether it is safe for drinking or not. It is common knowledge that one cannot determine the quality of water by merely looking at it, but it is always wise to take caution when suspecting the water is not safe for drinking or there are cases within your locality of
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Boiling This stands as the most common and safest way of purifying water at home to kill disease-causing organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. How does it happen? Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, whereas most microorganisms cannot survive in water above 71 degrees Celsius for more than 30 minutes. This method is a good starting point for getting rid of disease-causing organisms in water. After boiling your water, let it cool then drink it, though there are some that prefer drinking it warm, which is even better and has some benefits. Boiled water should be
Community Voices stored in a clean container with a tight cover!
Disinfectants In cases where you cannot boil your drinking water, you
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can use chemical disinfectants such as unscented household chlorine bleach. The most common one in Zimbabwe is the water guard. This one is a dilute sodium hypochlorite solu-
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tion used as a point of use treatment for household drinking water. It also works to kill parasites, bacteria, and viruses in drinking water. As a result, the water is safe to drink.
Electoral Information Blitz struggling to access identity cards needed before they can register. From our end we are aware of the predicament people are facing in travelling to their nearest offices hence the plan to establish over 900 voter registration units so that we go to the people,” she said.
ZEC to set up 900 BVR units in preparation for 2023 elections
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HE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is looking at establishing about 900 biometric voter registration units across the country to enable members of the public to register in preparation for the 2023 elections. Speaking during a virtual dialogue which was conducted by Zimbabwe Elections Support Network (ZESN) on effective representation of women in politics, ZEC Commissioner Joyce Kazembe said lack of access to national identity cards is affecting voter registration of women who are a majority of voters. “We have more than 90 districts in the country and people have been
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Voter registration is ongoing in Zimbabwe but the process has been slowed down by lack of identification cards and the handful registration centers situated far away from a majority of residents. There have been fears that the low uptake of voter registration may affect the delimitation exercise which has been set for next year. Commissioner Kazembe emphasized the need for women to be given a chance to actively participate in politics as nothing tangible has been done so far. She said women had always dominated the voters’ roll which shows that they have a keen interest in politics although their right to this is only guaranteed on paper. “We need control measures within political parties and to lobby for measures even in parliament that will support women. We are just talking and talking and nothing tangible has happened because women are only considered as useful in singing and ululating during rallies,” said Comm Kazembe. Zimbabwe Gender Commission
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Chief Executive Officer Virginia Muwanigwa said for women to fully participate, communities should change their attitude and use the same standard to measure competency. “Our challenge is that as a society we are quick to dismiss women as leaders as if the current ones we have in politics are all perfect. We need to understand that when women choose to venture into politics they are not there to fail or to prove a point but to lead like the men who have shortcomings like women,” she said. Muwanigwa highlighted that women and girls are equally important and competent and should be treated the same way even in political participation as spelt by our constitution which clearly states that 50/50 equal representation is possible.
“Our challenge is that as a society we are quick to dismiss women as leaders as if the current ones we have in politics are all perfect.
My Vote Speaks Sticker Designs During the course of this month, WILD conducted a “my vote speaks” sticker design contest online where young women were invited to design and submit their
stickers. Ten sticker designs were shortlisted and uploaded on our Twitter handles for voting. The top three sticker designs with the most likes won the contest. Winning
designs and the designers will be featured in next week’s edition of InFocusNews. Below are the ten stickers that were shortlisted:
#registertovote | #myvotespeaks #hervotespeaks facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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Click on the picture to watch
ZEC District Elections Officer for Bulawayo Sithembiso Khupe speaks on voter registration
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In the following video, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) District Elections Officer for Bulawayo Sithembiso Khupe speaks about the benefits of voter registration and highlights that in 2017 ZEC set a target to register at least 400000 citizens as voters and continues to target the same number. She also explains the interrelation
between delimitation and voter registration. “We need registered voters for us to get the standard constituencies and currently we have 12 constituencies and about six of them are below our minimum standard for a constituency.” #registertovote #myvotespeaks #hervotespeaks
“...let us work together and register to vote...”
“Youths are encouraged to register to vote because there are many benefits in that...” facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
VOTERS’ ROLL LINK facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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