InfocusNews 20 - 24 June 2022
residents and customers that due to prevailing economic conditions such as changes in the exchange rates, there have been substantial increases in the prices of key service delivery inputs namely fuel, water and waste water treatment chemicals, medicines, stationery and spare parts among others,” said Dube.
Consult residents on tariffs – BCC told
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ulawayo residents have called on the local authority to first consult them before implementing the payment of rates in USD using official bank rate. The outcry follows an announcement by Bulawayo City Council that services will now be charged in USD and payable in official bank rate effective this month. As of this week the Zimbabwe dollar is currently trading at ZWL$325 to the USD in the official market while in the parallel market exchange rate is around ZWL$450 to $550. Similosenkosi Gwebu from Mzilikazi (72) said the announcement was a huge blow to her peers who could not no longer afford BCC
services. “Some of us are all by ourselves and taking care of grandchildren with no source of income. We were already struggling to keep up with monthly payment of bills and this announcement means soon we will have water disconnected because we will not afford. Our children who are employed earn in Bond so I don’t know where council thinks we will get the kind of money as residents, it’s disheartening, ” said Gwebu. In a statement on Tuesday, the Town Clerk Christopher Dube said the local currency which continues to lose value is crippling service delivery in Bulawayo. “The City of Bulawayo wishes to advise its valued stakeholders,
Dube said all council charges had been translated to the USD value on the date of approval of the 2022 budget. “The tariffs shall be translated at the ruling rate on the date of billing with effect from 1 June 2022. Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to contact Council Revenue offices for the updated charges on their properties,” said Dube. In response, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association said council was arm twisting residents to pay in US dollars. “This is a wrong move because when we approved those rates, the issue of the bank rate was not considered. Council must go back to the drawing board and consult the residents. It cannot unilaterally index tariffs based on the US dollars without input from residents” read the statement.
“The tariffs shall be translated at the ruling rate on the date of billing with effect from 1 June 2022.” facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
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InfocusNews COVID-19 cases continued to decrease over the past week while the recovery rate stood at 97 percent.
Mixed feelings over lifting of COVID-19 curfew
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HE rolling out of Covid-19 vaccines in Zimbabwe has enabled the Southern African country to contain the disease and relax some of its measures which includes the scrapping of curfew effective this week, a move which some residents feel will have an impact on prevention of the spread of COVID-19. From 2020 when Covid-19 first hit Zimbabwe, curfew measures were undertaken and these have been in place since then. A resident from Pumula who identified himself as Mhlophe said although the scrapping of curfew is good news to residents, the decision could have been taken after winter as cases tend to surge in colder temperatures. “We are happy that we will be able to trade freely without breaking the law, indeed we are slowly reverting back to normalcy. However, we are still in winter and if we relax too much we may find ourselves in serious trouble as Covid is still there. I wish the government could do something to enforce the wearing of masks and sanitizing of hands so
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that we are protected,” said Mhlophe. For Netsai Chulu from Cowdray park, the decision needs police to beef up patrol teams and this may encourage criminals to start moving around homes after 10PM. “The curfew in a way protected us from people who would just move during the night and now that the measure has been relaxed, may police beef up patrols so that we are protected. We have had a lot of instances where people are robbed and killed at night and now that moving around has been legalized, some may take advantage of that. I am also relieved that we will be able to go to our favorite places for braai and spend so much time without worrying about the police.” In his post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said implementation of all Covid-19 public health and social measures must continue to be strengthened although curfew has been scrapped officially. He said the number of new
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“No patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (over the past week). This indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic remains under control, as it has been for some months now,” he said. “Cabinet stresses that the implementation of all COVID-19 public health and social measures must continue to be strengthened. Muswere said as of Monday, 55.7 percent of the population had received vaccinations. The Cabinet last week approved the introduction of COVID-19 self-test kits mainly at ports of entry in order to ramp up the country’s testing capacity. In an interview National Covid-19 coordinator, Dr Agnes Mahomva said vaccines have proven to be effective. Dr Mahomva said vaccination is the major contributor to the low number of cases being recorded. “The vaccination is important in the prevention of Covid-d 19. It helps in protecting people from getting severely ill and from dying. Our cases have gone down and we have since relaxed measures including curfew and extending trading times all thanks to the vaccines, “she said. “The impact of the vaccine is very strong leading to the pandemic coming under control,” she said.
InfocusNews
Book Club helps women to understand healthy money decisions
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omen’s Institute For Leadership Development in partnership with Makhosazana Ndiweni-Mackina conducted a Book Club which was comprised of women in leadership. The Book club was aimed at capacitating women in leadership on how to develop good money saving and spending habits as this may assist them in their various careers. The book “Know Yourself, Know Your Money” by Rachel Cruze explored how one’s behaviour is the biggest obstacle to making good decisions on money. The book explained how socialisation shapes one’s money personality and breaks down the money fears that drive most money decisions. The book also teaches people how to make healthy money decisions. facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
Participants managed to point out lessons they learnt from reading the proposed book.
and stops them from taking risks like investing or spending money in a healthy way.
“What I learnt is that leadership doesn’t necessarily mean having people subject to you but rather being a leader and a pioneer of your own destiny and your finances”, said one of the participants. Women who attended the book club were encouraged to understand themselves as it is essential in understanding the way you handle money.
The book helped women to unlock the psychology, strengths, and challenges that come with each of the brand-new Seven Money Tendencies which were highlighted in the book.
“Expenditure is adjusted to suit the income considering that budgeting and generally documenting my plans will keep me focused on my goals” she added. During the discussion, participants also focused on the fear of money as it cripples their decision-making
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“What I learnt is that leadership doesn’t necessarily mean having people subject to you but rather being a leader and a pioneer of your own destiny and your finances”
InfocusNews In a recently published Government notice, Ndebele was appointed to be a legislator together with Florence Nyika.
Appointment into Parliament a dream come true for WILD mentee
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OMEN should never allow anything or anyone to force them into self-hate or low esteem as this always hinders their chances to becoming powerful politicians needed in Zimbabwe today. These were sentiments by a mentee of the Women Institute of Leadership Development (WILD), Visitor Ndebele who was recently appointed as a Member of Parliament. Ndebele is one of the more than 45 women who have benefitted from the WILD Mentorship School. Ndebele said the appointment was a dream come true for her and other women who for long had aspired to take up leadership positions. She said the mentorship programme helped hone her confidence and communication skills which will be key in her activities as a legislator. The programme is also reaching out to young women who in the past did not show much interest in
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leadership development projects as they submit that society is not very accommodating to young women who show interest in leadership. Beneficiaries of the WILD mentorship school are not only drawn from urban areas but from rural areas as well where women are usually marginalized. “I am happy and grateful for this opportunity I have been given to lead as a woman and its evidence that women can lead, we are capable and worthy. This has also taught me that we can reach any height as long as we do not allow anyone or anything to look down upon us,” said Ndebele. “Self-hate emanating from the background, where we come from and our relationships often deters us from these leadership positions but we have to rise above it and conquer it. I believe Zimbabwe needs more female leaders who will bring the much needed change. I encourage every woman and girl to rise and be counted, we can do this,” said Ndebele.
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“It is hereby notified in terms of section 39 of Electoral Act that Ndebele Visitor and Nyika Florence registered voters of Bulawayo Metropolitan province, who were nominated by the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance party to fill the vacancies in the National Assembly that occurred following the recall of Honourable Nomvula Mguni and Honourable Thokozani Khupe have been appointed as members of the National Assembly for Bulawayo Province by virtue of section 124 of the Constitution with the effect from the 27th May 2022. The appointment of these members of the National Assembly was published in the Government Gazette General Notice 1174 of 2022 dated 27 May 2022,” read the notice.
“I am happy and grateful for this opportunity I have been given to lead as a woman and its evidence that women can lead, we are capable and worthy.
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Electoral Information Blitz
ZEC trains youths on electoral processes
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THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in partnership with the African Union, last week trained youths from different parts of the country in bid to help them understand and actively participate in electoral processes. These trainings were part of the ongoing pre-delimitation process by ZEC and two training sessions were held, one in Bulawayo for the southern region and one in Harare for the northern region. ZEC spokesperson Commissioner Jasper Mangwana said it was crucial for youths to have an appreciation of electoral processes and laws governing the system in Zimbabwe. He said the training was sponsored by the African Union- an organisation passionate about equipping youths with necessary skills and information as they are the future of Africa.
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“We completed our training on Thursday in Bulawayo and we had youths drawn from several districts to interact with the Commission and understand what governs our operations in Zimbabwe. Lot has been said about ZEC, how we rig elections and make uninformed decisions so we took this chance to also clear the air and make them understand how we operate,” said Comm Mangwana. “They should be in a position to measure our electoral processes according to the standards set by our Zimbabwean Laws, SADC guidelines and principles, the African Union Frameworks as youths and understand how everything works. We also made them understand that these laws and guidelines define our stakeholder’s interests and are a true representation of our social, economic and political status.” ZEC also embarked on the youth engagement to demystify wrong
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perceptions about electoral processes. “Youths should correct wrong narratives when engaging their peers hence we expect them to pass on the information and all the skills gained during the training. We are happy with the engagements we have been partaking in in preparation of the delimitation process and we have covered a lot of ground. What is left is to engage minority groups and soon we will be talking to people living with disabilities and engaging them in this process so that we have input and by-in from every Zimbabwe.” According to Comm Mangwana, ZEC will soon be sharing the voters roll for inspection and so far measures are being put in place to ensure that no one will abuse the document as it carries personal information about voters.
Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
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