InfocusNews 16 - 20 May 2022
“The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) wishes to advise its valued clients that Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) has approved a tariff adjustment in order to restore the value to the level of US10,64 kWh which was approved in 2019,” said ZETDC in a statement.
Electricity hikes a blow to struggling citizens
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HE recent tariff review by the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZEDTC) is yet another blow to Zimbabweans who are struggling to make ends meet due to the worsening economy. Two weeks ago, citizens woke up to shocking price hikes which saw basics like cooking oil increasing to US$7.20 from US$4.50 and brown sugar to US$4 from US$2.20. The price hikes have left thousands without access to basic food and services due to deteriorating value of the local currency. Consumer Council of Zimbabwe Regional Manager Comfort Muchekeza said the continued price hikes on everything was a disservice to struggling citizens.
past four months we have recorded increase in almost every commodity. It’s not news that people are struggling and we will need a sustainable solution to all this before the economy crushes. Now that Zesa is pegging tariffs using USD exchange rate, soon everything will dollarise and millions will fail to do anything as their earnings are in the local currency whose value continues to deplete,” said Muchekeza. This adjustment according to ZEDTC will go a long way in enabling the power utility to carry out its mandate of delivering services to the public. Pre-paid consumers will now pay $401,21 per kWh for the first 50 units, $804,01 for 51-200 and $2 817 each for 201-300 units.
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Cynthia Magagula from Nketa suburb in Bulawayo said it was unfair for the power utility to increase tarrifs when power cuts are the order of the day. “Price hikes are now a daily occurrence and sadly women are bound to suffer more. It’s us who have to plan meals and with these continued hikes, soon we will be unable to buy cooking oil and sugar. Personally, I cannot afford to use USD6 on one commodity, it’s too expensive for a vendor like me who lives from hand to mouth, ” said Magagula. For Siphiwe Nkomo a farmer from Esigodini, the ZETDC charges are going to affect production which relies on electricity. “We have been greatly affected by powercuts and currently we are not able to produce much. Living in this country is surely a curse sometimes, we are not even sure if this suffering will ever come to an end, it keeps worsening daily, ” said Nkomo.
InfocusNews police reach the furthest communities as people used to commit crimes knowing police would not easily access the place. Now this place is over populated by illegal miners who pounce on women all the time with impunity.
Esigodini community plan clean-up campaign, in fight against GBV
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OMEN from Esigodini will this Saturday embark on a clean-up campaign to clear pathways leading to Havana Shopping Centre where a number of women have been subjected to mugging, rape and other forms of violence. Illegal mining activities in the area have led to an increase in gender-based violence cases and child pregnancies which is worrying members of the public. The pathways and area surrounding the shops often give perpetrators advantage over unsuspecting residents even during the day due to tall grass and uncleared ground. In an interview Margaret from Esigodini Residents Association said the clean-up will protect vulnerable women and girls who are now scared to use some routes in the area. “These pathways leading to Habane Shopping Centre have lots of trees facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
and it has become the most dangerous place to pass by any time of the day especially for women. Barely a week passes by without someone being raped or mugged and this has prompted us to rise as residents before we all become victims of GBV,” she said. “On Saturday as residents we will do a clean-up and cut grass, shrubs and clear these pathways so that these criminals have nowhere to way-lay their victims. We are hoping that residents will come in their numbers as this activity will help us address the rising cases of GBV in this area. We also encourage women not to walk alone but always be in the company of others even during the day as they risk being attacked if they are alone.” The Crime Consultative Committee’s Chairperson for Umzingwane Sipho Tshili highlighted that the community struggles to fight crime because police are not mobile. “The police base has also helped
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“We hope that this situation will improve with time so that this area is safe for women and children since police now have at least one vehicle to make rounds and monitor the whole area,” said Tshili. A report by the Advancing Learning and Innovation Gender Norms (ALIGN) shows that 77% of women living near or around artisanal small-scale mining areas have experienced violence from men. The three most common forms of GBV against women and girls in the sector are reported to be physical violence, sexual assault and emotional abuse according to the report.
“We also encourage women not to walk alone but always be in the company of others even during the day...” This violence is underpinned by negative gender norms, including rigid and culturally ascribed norms of masculinity and patriarchy that do not tolerate women as actors in public spaces, as well as norms that normalise GBV as a way for men to wield power over women. These norms deepen the plight of women in the absence of strong laws and policies to protect them.
InfocusNews
Inception meeting outlines community challenges ahead of project implementation
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n Monday 16 May, the Women’s Institute for Leadership Development conducted an inception meeting with at least seven organisations that are part of the Citizen Engagement Accountability Activity Consortium. The inception meeting was conducted with representatives from Policy and Research Institute of Zimbabwe, Development Studies Association of Zimbabwe, Community Podium, Youth Invest, Gweru United Progressive Residents and the Rate Payers Development Association, and Esigodini Residents Association. The inception meeting allowed organisations to discuss issues affecting their communities. As part of the discussions, Youth Invest Executive Director Nomqhele Siziba highlighted that residents in Victoria Falls are beginning to take a leading role in demanding accountability from their duty bearers as they are actively engaged in demanding improved service delivery.
The increase in human wildlife conflict is also a key matter which residents are keen on resolving as some of the residents have been killed by animals that roam around the town,” she said Guprarda representative David Chikore cited that there is poor service delivery in Gweru, characterized by aging infrastructure. “Residents are also subjected to paying exorbitant prices for water at local borehole water kiosks, water that should otherwise be fetched at no cost. This commercialization of boreholes is affecting so many women, particularly the elderly,” he said. Esigodini Residents Association representative, Margaret Moyo
“Garbage collection by the municipality is often delayed and there is a rise in sewer bursts. This is why women and men are beginning to question the council’s effectiveness.
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noted that Emlanjeni residents are sitting on a health time bomb as they do not have access to water. “The area has septic tanks and these are located next to a borehole. This may result in water-borne diseases. Residents are also worsening the situation by practicing open defecation and this may cause cholera,” noted Moyo. The inception meeting also provided an opportunity to plan and orient all collaborating partners. Participants who attended the inception meeting participated in discussions on communication protocols, reporting structures, monitoring and evaluation tools as well as accounting procedures.
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Women’s Microfinance Bank not visible -Byo women
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omen in Bulawayo have said the Women’s Microfinance bank in the city is not visible and is borrowing fewer women than is expected. This is despite that a representative from the bank, Khumbulani Dube said the bank has received a total of 9555 applications and at least 3180 women have received financial support worth $68 849 579. Speaking during the public hearings conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development on the women empowerment impact of the Women Micro-finance bank since its inception, this morning, women were concerned about the visibility and accessibility of the Zimbabwe Women’s Micro-Finance Bank. “Most women entrepreneurs are facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
unaware of the financial services that are available, how to obtain them, or how to use them to sustain their companies. The collateral that is required by this bank should also be wealth based because a woman selling tomatoes will not be able to bring a vehicle as collateral,” said Juliet Samson an informal trader within the city. Participants suggested customer engagement as one of the solutions for attracting more women. “People associate engagement and visibility with credibility. They won’t get these loans if they don’t know who you are and where you are located, which is why investing in your bank’s engagement and visibility is ideal,” said Thembelihle Sibanda. Women entrepreneurs and women in business are growing in numbers, but they are still facing many challenges and barriers which
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include lack of collateral to enable them to borrow. Among all these constraints, access to finance due to lack of collateral appears to be the dominant challenge. Many women are into small and medium sized businesses but when applying for loans they often do not meet the eligibility criteria. This has created a gap in the overall experience for women in terms of borrowing muscle. The Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIMASSET) authorized the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender & Community Development to strengthen and build mechanisms for women to effectively participate in and benefit from various empowerment programs. This prompted the inception of Zimbabwe Women’s Micro-Finance Bank which aims to empower all women economically and socially.
Electoral Information Blitz conclusion of a population census. This meeting is therefore designed to raise awareness on the pending delimitation and the series of activities that will be undertaken of course in the preparation and during the actual activity,” said Comm Kiwa.
ZEC begins stakeholder engagements in preparation for delimitation exercise
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HE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) this week held a media engagement meeting to mark the beginning of public discussions around the delimitation process which should be conducted at least six months before general elections set for next year.
According to Section 161 of the Constitution, Delimitation is a periodic exercise done once every 10 years. It should be done soon after a population census, six months before elections for it to be applicable to that same election. The much-anticipated process may see Matabeleland and Bulawayo provinces losing some constituencies given the low number of people who registered to vote. Kiwa said the stakeholder engagement is one of the pre-delimitation exercises, to raise awareness and brief stakeholders on the provisions of the law on delimitation. “This engagement is meant to enable media houses to report delimitation processes from an informed
This is part of the Commission’s stakeholder engagement in educating the stakeholders on the laws, processes and procedures on delimitation. ZEC’s Deputy Chairperson Commissioner Rodney Kiwa highlighted that the process will entail the consultation of voters, political parties and other stakeholders. “Please take note that this does not signal the beginning of the delimitation exercise as the law binds the commission to conduct delimitation exercise soon after the facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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position. The Commission will continue to raise awareness and educate stakeholders on electoral processes as we approach 2023. The delimitation should be completed six months before a harmonised election,” said Kiwa. “The objectives of this meeting are therefore to appraise stakeholders on the pending delimitation, brief you on the provisions of the law in respect to the delimitation and the link between census and delimitation and to brief you on the mobile voter registration conducted by the commission, for stakeholders to inform the public to continue to register to vote at the commission in the 10 provincial and 63 district offices in preparation for the delimitation.” Comm Kiwa said Electoral Act under section 213 requires that delimitation be taken openly, transparently and consultatively to enable those who will be affected by the decisions the commission will make, to have a say during its processes.
Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
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