InfocusNews 11 - 16 April 2022
the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to date is now exceeding 5 million, we are currently reserving this functionality to individuals traveling out of the country while plans are being made to open this up to the greater public.
Activation of QR codes for vaccination cards decentralised
The Ministry of Health and Child Care, for the convenience of the public, has begun the process of decentralizing the activation process for travelers and will be releasing updated lists of activation points country wide on a regular basis. Members of the public are advised to approach the following Ministry of Health and Child Care offices or points for the activation of their cards.”
ESIDENTS have welcomed the move by the Government to decentralize the activation of QR codes for vaccination cards to other areas besides Harare, saying it will help boost businesses as some had struggled to travel out of Zimbabwe due to inactivated vaccination cards.
ning, the Ministry said: “As part of its COVID-19 Vaccination roll out effort, created a secure COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate which provided for electronic authentication of the vaccination record. Due to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to urgently rollout the COVID-19 Vaccination program, the latest COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates were issued with pre-printed QR Codes that are blank and require to be activated by loading electronic data onto them,” read the statement.
Those from Bulawayo will activate their cards by the Provincial Medical Director’s office at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex, Mpilo Central Hospital, United Bulawayo Hospital, Bulawayo City Health Department, Ingutsheni Central Hospital, Joshua Nqabuko Nkomo, Ekusileni Hospital and Mater Dei Hospital.
“The Ministry has now commenced an exercise to activate these QR codes which are now a requirement for travel to some countries. However, given that the number of people who have received at least
Kazungula Border Post and in Lupane while those from Matabeleland South will go to Provincial Medical Director’s office, Gwanda Provincial Hospital, Beitbridge Hospital, Plumtree Hospital, Plum-
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The Government introduced vaccination cards with QR Codes in 2021 to prevent the duplication of vaccination cards by scammers. Since then, the activation of those cards was done in Harare at Kaguvi Building where the Ministry of Health and Child Care headquarters are housed. In a statement on Wednesday evefacebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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For Matabeleland North, the activation will be done at the Provincial Medical Director’s offices, Victoria Falls Airport.
InfocusNews tree Border Post and the Beitbridge Border Post. Ecstatic Esnath Dube, a cross border trader said the move will help other women who were stuck revive their businesses since the Government opened the border officially. “We went through tough times during COVID-19 induced lockdown without access to goods as we could not travel and when the border opened, our vaccination cards were not activated leaving us with no option but to stop trading. Now that we no longer have to travel to Harare, we will resume our businesses and fend for our families freely as we put our lives at risk by illegally crossing to South Africa and Botswana,” said Dube. Pretty Sibanda from Plumtree said the move is wise as it will discourage people from illegally crossing without vaccination cards. “The expenses that came with travelling to Harare just to activate the cards made us consider smuggling things into Zimbabwe or bribing our way out which put others at risk of COVID-19. Yes, Harare is the capital city but everything should be accessible from our Provinces at least. We live off trading and we could not easily cross the border so we thank the Government for taking that decision. It will also encourage others to get vaccinated now that the activated cards will be readily available in our provinces,” added Sibanda.
National Registry Blitz: Poor service provision has residents frustrated
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HE ongoing blitz by the National Registry office has left residents frustrated as they have bemoaned the slow pace at which officials are issuing birth certificates and identity documents. Government launched the blitz on April 1 which is expected to end on September 30 2022 with two million IDs and birth certificates set to be issued to citizens. In some areas, violence has been taking precedence as residents scrambled to be served first given the winding queues in centers all over the country. Khethiwe Tshuma from Entumbane said the first day of the blitz in the area was marred by violence which saw scores of women going back home in fear of their lives without receiving adequate services that should grant them an ability to acquire national documentation. “During the first day, the queue
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was very long given the fact that hundreds of residents here needed birth certificates and IDs and eventually women and girls were harassed. A majority of them gave up as there was a lot of pushing and harassment without getting any help from the registry,” said Tshuma. “We know that in a week or so the programme will be rolled out again in Entumbane but I feel two days will not be sufficient for all the residents in need of documentation. We still have lots of people without IDs in our community and we hope next time there will be an order so that even women with small babies are assisted.” Reports from various centres where the registry teams have passed show that chaos and violence affected smooth roll out as the teams could not effectively deal with turnout of residents in need of the documents. Innocentia Mlotshwa from North-
InfocusNews end said she lost her ID but failed to replace it as officials are issuing IDs at a very slow pace, which frustrates residents. “We thought the blitz was strategic but the officials are too slow as we are spending hours before we are served. They should not underestimate the need for these documents
but work around ensuring they employ more people so that we all benefit from this blitz as we may also fail to have documents by September,” said Mlotshwa. In Lupane, Sibokuhle Mpala said the programme was going on but only a few villagers had been served since the blitz started. “We celebrated when this blitz was
announced as we thought we will not be frustrated just like registry offices. To our surprise the attitude of workers is still the same and at this rate, many people will not have documents by September. We need the Government to make a follow up on this programme and ensure that people are getting proper treatment.” tions that blend Christian beliefs with local traditions and have 1.2 million members across the country.
Isencane Lengane Mural: A hope to amplifying voices against child marriages
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n Zimbabwe, child marriages frequently stops a girl’s education, exposes her to domestic violence and serious health risks associated with early childbirth and HIV, and keeps her in poverty. A small township like Habane, a peri-urban gold panning community in Esigodini, isn’t isolated from such societal anomalies. There have been several cases where children below the age of 16 years of age are married off, which is a pandemic ravaging a lot of children in Habane township.
Amagugu International Heritage Centre designed and painted a mural with a strong message against the prevalence of child marriages in Habane township. The mural highlighted the devastating effects of child marriages in Zimbabwe, where 40 percent of girls marry before they reach the age of 18 years. During the painting of the mural, young women who were available noted that child marriages are now deemed as a popular trait among indigenous apostolic churches, charismatic evangelical denomina-
It is against this background that Women’s Institute for Leadership Development in partnership with
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Lack of knowledge is also another factor leading to early child marriages. Adolescents’ limited access to reproductive health information and services can have life-threatening effects on their health. Early child marriage is a primary cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 in the world, contributing to maternal mortality. Young women lamented that gender inequality and the assumption that girls and women are inferior to boys and men are at the basis of child marriage. Poverty, a lack of knowledge, detrimental social norms and practices, and instability exacerbate the problem. The mural emphasized that ending child marriage and guaranteeing girls’ rights means a fairer, more secure and prosperous future for us all.
“Early child marriage is a primary cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 in the world...” www.womenforleadership.org
InfocusNews may continue if the Government does not accept that the economy has already dollarized itself.
Price hikes to dampen Easter Holiday celebrations in Zimbabwe
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IMBABWEAN families may be forced to brace for tough times following price hikes on basic commodities which will see families using at least $93 000 monthly for basics. Prices have been on the increase since February in what economists describe as effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis which has affected supply of wheat, sunflower and other grains which Zimbabwe and other countries rely on for food. In South Africa which is home to thousands of Zimbabweans, an increase of between 40% and 55% of consumable oils on the shelf means a bottle of 2L cooking oil may be pegged at R120 in the future. In Zimbabwe, however prices have been going up and a 2L bottle of facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
cooking oil now costs $1149 up from $797 in February.
“Besides the Russia-Ukraine war we should also accept that our market is USD driven as long as retailers use the parallel market rate, prices will always change. While we note with concern the ongoing business challenges and efforts to improve the environment, it’s quite disheartening that prices have increased at a much faster rate than incomes, causing further dent on consumer pockets,” he said. “It is unethical to punish consumers who are forced to absorb the economic pressures,” said Muchekeza. Bekezela Mthombeni said the price hikes in South Africa will affect Zimbabweans who rely on the neighboring country for some goods and businesses.
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) recently announced that the price of diesel had risen by 17 cents and petrol by 16 cents which was the second increase inside four days after ZERA on March 5 raised fuel prices to US$1,51 for both diesel and petrol.
“As we are approaching Easter, we may be forced to charge more for our goods which we mainly source from South Africa but as residents we are already feeling the heat because things go up weekly. Basics are now out of reach for many and we cannot access the USD used by many retailers,” said Mthombeni.
Prices for cooking oil, mealie meal, sugar, rice and milk have been on the increase. Although retail shops charge using the local currency, their prices are dependent on the Black-market exchange rate which keeps changing given the economic instability in the country, region and globe.
“Times are hard in Zimbabwe and slowly we are going to those days when we could not afford to buy basics for our families. Salaries are stagnant and at this rate prices will continue to go up until we accept that the local currency does not work.”
Consumer Council of Zimbabwe Regional Manager, Comfort Muchekeza said the price increases
Natasha Chauke was of the view that the Government must introduce price systems so that retailers
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InfocusNews stick to one price. She said the bank rate should be imposed on everyone as forex traders are the reason why prices continue to skyrocket.
“Hundreds of families rely on South Africa for food and upkeep and if prices shoot that side, many households will be affected. We
just hope our Government will take measures to ensure that we survive or rather scrap off the local currency so that we trade using USD.”
“As we are approaching Easter, we may be forced to charge more for our goods which we mainly source from South Africa...”
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Community Voices
Why do we have few females in leadership positions? Only 21% of ministers worldwide are women. (UN Women) Only 25% of all national Parliaments are women. (UN Women)
By Tatenda Kombora
Women hold 13.3% of local governance positions. (Zimbabwe Gender Commission)
From the time females are younger, we start being taught how to be great wives and great mothers, and how to please men. We’re taught this through words, beatings and usually a combination of both.
In a recent interview a journalist asked me why there were very few females in political positions. My response was ‘because we have not raised them’. This might seem like a simple answer to a very well thought out question but here’s my logic.
Society works overtime to raise and groom good mothers and wives but never good people or good leaders. How then do we all of a sudden expect that a woman who has been told all her life that the only aspirations that she can have been to be someone’s wife to want
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anything but that? How do we expect a woman whose only practice at making decisions is what to have for supper that night to stand up and lead a political party? So, if we want female leaders, we have to start raising them. We have to start teaching our daughters that they too can become political leaders. Let’s teach our daughters that politics is no longer a man’s game but that it is everyone’s game. That as a female, wanting to be president is no longer crazy! However, it shouldn’t stop there, we need to also teach our male children this. Because, the fight is in the home!
Electoral Information Blitz Residents snub mobile BVR Blitz
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ESIDENTS have once again snubbed the second and last phase of the voter registration blitz by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission ahead of the 2023 Harmonised Elections. The ongoing mobile Biometric Voter Registartion Blitz runs up to the 30th of April 2022 in all 210 Constituencies in Zimbabwe.
CSOs encourage citizens to Register to Vote Ahead of Mobile BVR Blitz
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n Saturday the 9th of April 2022, Bulawayo based Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) partnered with Election Resource Centre (ERC) for a road show to raise awareness about phase two of the mobile Biometric Voter Registration Blitz by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that runs from the 11th to the 30th of April. The road show was utilized as an avenue to spread awareness on the ongoing National Registry Blitz.
register to vote, and knowledge on the National Civil Registry Blitz.
Places visited comprised of the following: Emganwini, Nketa 6, Tshabalala and Emakhandeni residential suburb.
MC Nduza was emphasizing on the importance of registering to vote.
Questions that were being raised by residents included the knowledge of the upcoming BVR Blitz, the importance of being a registered voter, the requirements for one to facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
At one of the pit-stops, residents raised concerns over lack of Identity documents, which is one of the requirements needed when going out to register to vote. MC Nduza urged communities to utilize the ongoing national registry blitz, where they can access birth certificates and IDs. He also said that this was a great opportunity for everyone to get documentation.
“Your vote is your right, register to vote and save your constituency. The delimitation exercise is real, if we don’t reach the required number of registered voters, we risk losing Constituencies, hence the need for people to register to vote.” ENDS
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During the first phase of the mobile BVR Blitz, ZEC only managed to register 81 724 new voters. The Government released $8,2 billion for the programme to be carried out in two phases. Phase one ran from 1 February to 28 February, while phase two is ongoing and will end on April 30. During phase two of the mobile BVR Blitz, ZEC said centres open as from 7.30 am to 5pm including weekends. People have to be 18-years-old or above to register successfully. Documents required are a national identity card, which can be metal, plastic or a waiting pass with the holder’s picture, or a valid Zimbabwean passport. In addition, voters need proof of residence. People with national IDs inscribed “ALIEN” are eligible to register, but they must produce a long birth certificate indicating that they were born in or outside Zimbabwe. “At least one of their parents must be a citizen of Zimbabwe or were born in Zimbabwe and one or both of their parents must be citizens of
Electoral Information Blitz
a SADC country and should have been ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe on the day of the publication of the Constitution on 22 May 2013,” read the ZEC statement. ZEC Spokesperson, Mr Jasper Mangwana said they are hoping that more people will register to vote since those without identity documents were given a chance to access primary documents by the Civil Registry. “Unregistered voters should take advantage of the mobile voter registration blitz as it will determine constituency sizes per province in the 2023 Harmonised Elections and beyond. ZEC has established 2 713 voter registration centres and employed 1 885 people to conduct voter registration education and
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assist the public as they register to vote ahead of next year’s Harmonised Elections,” said Mangwana. Matabeleland Provinces have the least number of registered voters and if the situation does not change, Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South stand to lose Constituencies while Provinces in the Northern part of the country stand to increase their representation. In separate interviews residents said they could not register without proper documents as they are yet to access them. “Besides the fact that we have lost hope in the electoral system, some of us do not have documents yet hoping that we will have them
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before the blitz ends so that we register. I am sure something will be done for those who will not have their IDs by 30 April because it is clear that the registry will not clear the backlog given the fact that mobile registration ends in about two weeks from now,” said Meryl Tshuma from Nkulumane. Another concerned resident, Nyaradzo Mativenga from Cowdray Park said the low turnout should send a clear message to the Government and policy makers. “Residents are languishing in poverty with no service delivery improvement. We are busy looking for food and school fees funds. Most people have come to a conclusion that they cannot waste any minute on electoral systems,” she added.
Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
Your vote is your right! facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
Go out and vote! facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
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