"Majega" Given A New Lease On Life

The deteriorating economic situation in the country has given a new lease of life for the beleagued "Mageja".These are the men who drive hand carts to carry all sorts of goods for a fee.

"Majega" at work

These gentlemen have been maligned for the longest time for taking part in menial jobs which a "right"thinking person would not touch with a long pole.The high cost of transportation as a result of the exploding inflation rate has forced a lot of the people to review how they interact with the cart-drivers.They are ever present in most of the high density surburbs of Zimbabwe and help people move their goods from point A to point B.The fact that their fares are much more reasonably priced makes them more attractive to the general public.

A typical day for them starts as early as five in the morning and will end when it is too dark to see.By far the biggest need for these gentlemen nowadays is the carting of water from homes where the owners are fortunate to own borehole to those who donot have that privilege.After paying for the water ,this is normally charged per bucket,the cartdrivers then charge their transport costs per bucket as well.The more established ones have a client base which ensures that they have business on a daily basis.All told this makes for a very tidy sum of money and these gentlemen have been known to take care of their families quite well.Given the fact that ours is a country where job opportunities are scarce,these gentlemen have shown quite an entrepreunal spirit and with the right kind of backup they very likely can start a well oiled transport business since there is a dire need for water in most of our urban communities.

The economic downturn is certainly working for them.

The Power Of Gratitude P4

The tail-end of 2019 will be remembered for the devastating pandemic that came out of Wuhan , China.

The Coronavirus

The predictions that most Third World countries would have people dead or dying in the streets and no one to help them.The fact that this has not come to pass and my country has escaped relatively unscathed is the reason for the gratitude and optimism.My country has been in the news for the wrong reasons of late;a runaway inflation that is fast approaching the 1000% and as a result a food basket that has become unreachable for most of the vulnerable members of society,a health sector that is in the intensive care unit ,very low moral and remuneration in the public sector ,food insecurity ,political instability.All the above make very depressing reading.But the country has largely been spared from the Covid-19 pandemic and for that we are most grateful.

By and large the biggest chunk of people who are testing positive to the virus thus far have been returnees from the diaspora with very few local infections and transmission. Maybe we are benefiting from the early lock-down

that was introduced by the government.Whatever the case might be, the situation bodes well for a country which does not have enough resources to buy essential drugs and keep staff interested in their jobs.

We keep hoping and praying that the good fortune that we have experienced continues and it spreads to other sectors of the economy.

Rukweza Growth Point's Scary Reputation

Nestled on the foot of the magestic Denzva mountain,Rukweza was also in the news last year for the marauding snakes which would roam the village in search of food scrapes from peoples rubbish dumps, has taken an even scarrier turn.

Rukweza Growth Point's Scary Reputation

Two murders in the space ot two months has most residents of Rukweza growth point as well as surrounding areas running scared.

For the the family of Alex ,the 25th of December will firever be a day associated with sadness and longing.Rumuor has it that on the fateful day,he had been celebrating the so called "birth of Jesus Christ" with his younger bother and some friends when some unruly individuals accosted him and stole four dollars from his pocket.We understand a fight broke out and when some good samaritans came to Alex's rescue the the thugs who had accosted him weere not happy.They waited for him when was making his way home,assaulted him with what people believe were screwdrivers 

and other blunt objects,killing him in the process.They dumped his body on the tarmac so that it would appear as if it was a hit and run accident.After his corpse was taken for a postmortem it was established that he was not the victim of a road accident.

After the mourning period ,his remains were buried in the village graveyard,what surprised all and sundry was the fact that a week later his cofin was exhumed and a further post-mortem examination was carried out.His remains were to be retaurned later and interred, But as I write, nobody has been 

arrested for his murder.

The other incident which has struck fear into the residents here is the fact that last Wednesday another youngman who was on his way to go and visit his ailing mother was also 

murdered and his remains placed on the tarmac ,similar to what had been done to the body

of Alex.

As a result of these incidents people in the area are very nervous and most imbibers of alcohol now make it a habit of leaving their watering holes early so as to ensure that they do not get waylayed as well.

There Is A Need To Retrain Our Bus Drivers

The stories of the horror crash that claimed more than FIFTY LIVES just outside the town of Rusape haunts me.The fact that the images of the victims of the crashed were posted on social media before their next of kin had been notified shows just how destructive a smart phone can be in the hands of someone who does not have any qualms.

There Is A Need To Retrain Our Bus Drivers

But what really irks me is the fact that the accident could have been avoided if the diver of the  bus had practiced caution and observed the rules of the road.Reports point to the fact that he caused the accident by overtaking on a spot where there was a solid line in the road indicating that there the road aheads was not clear enough for him to make the decision to overtake.Just a few more minutes ,if this driver had been patient enough to hold his horses all the passengers who perished in the crash could have been been saved.

The fifty victims were parents,fathers,mothers,brothers,sister,aunts,uncles,daughters,sons of someone and the loss is going to be felt for years to come.Often we have seen drivers who behave as if the roads are their personal property and the other road users need to accede them way whenever they see bus or combi drivers approaching.Many a time slower road users are verbally abused for driving slowly or obstructing bus drivers from overtaking and speeding along to their destinations. Such impunity needs to be checked and the future loss of other passengers avoided.The once was a time when the traffic police would waylay vehicles which were speeding and the speedsters were stopped and fined on the spot.One wonders what happened to all the expensive equipment that was used by the police.The is hardly any traffic police officers on the roads nowadays.

The other thing that needs to be fixed is the way in which drivers are taught.Most of the time they are simply taught how to navigate the vehicles into the drums and very little regard is paid to road safety ,In believe this should be the emphasis when one goes for driver training because a vehicle is a wrecking ball in the hands of an incompetent driver.

Bus drivers as well as drivers of commuter omnibuses need to be retrained with the safety of other road users being stressed.Most of the times when there are traffic obstructions these are the drivers who will create extra traffic lanes and threaten the lives of other road users with their selfish behavior.It has now become an unwritten law that one has to give way to any commuter omnibus whenever you see it approaching failure to do so means one does at their own risk.

Prothet Magaya's AIDS Cure Claim

While preaching to his congregation at his church on Sunday ,it is reported that Prothet Magaya claimed to have found a cure for the dreaded AIDS and Cancer.

Prothet Magaya's AIDS Cure Claim

Social media inevitably blew up on Monday after these claims became public knowledge .Quite a few people were excited at the fact that a fellow Zimbabwean had made such a great medical break-through.Very few questioned how genuine the claims were or how  feasible this was.The most worrisome thing was the fact that no clinical trials had been conducted for this wonder herb known as Aguma.Even though the enigmatic prophet did not divulge where the drug had been registered or not most people defended him and praised him for saving the lives of many people who are HIV positive.I do not know whether it is because web are gullible as a nation or the fact over 1,2 million people are on ARV(antiretroviral viral) treatment. But surely such claims are not back3ede by some scientific data to buttress the claims that are being made the harm that these are going to have on the care and treatment of people who are positive and are already on ARVS is going to be profound. For starters some might switch to this “wonder “ drug and end up defaulting on treat with devastating consequences for their health.

Now ,there are indications that even though the Ministry of Health has not yet licensed the herb,it is already being sold for $1000.According to the Secretary for the Ministry Gerald Gwinji ,the government would find it difficult to license the alleged new cure.He claims that Magaya did not follow due process when he unveiled his Aguma herb.

“We do not want to quash any new discoveries or innovations ,but they have to go through the right processes so that issues of safety are assured,”Gwinji said.

“We WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT to license it ,and it will be difficult to authorize it to be sold at pharmacies until these issues are resolved ,and we are only doing our regulatory role in the pharmaceutical industry.”

It is therefore to say that people should not risk their health over this claim as the primary aim might have been to fleece cash from the long suffering people of Zimbabwe.

Charity Wrapped With Dignity

She asked him,”How much are you selling the eggs for?”

By Tilaz

Charity Wrapped With Dignity

The older seller replied,”$,25 an egg,Madam.”

She said to him,”I will take 6 eggs for $1,25 or I will leave.”

The old seller replied,Come take them at the price you want .Maybe, this is a good beginning because I have not been able to sell even a single egg today.”

She took the eggs and walked away feeling she has won. She got into her fancy car and went to the posh restaurant with her friend. There, she and her friend ordered whatever they liked.They ate a little and left a lot of what they ordered.Then she went to pay the bill. The bill was $45.00.She handed over $50.00 and asked the owner of the restaurant to keep the change.

This incident might have seemed quite normal to the owner but, very painful to the egg seller.

The point is ;

Why do we always show e have the power when we buy from the needy ones? And why do we get generous to those who do not even need our generosity?

Someone once wrote;

“My father used to buy simple goods from poor people at high prices, even used to pay extra for them.I got concerned by this act and asked him why he did this ?

My father replied, “It is a charity wrapped with dignity, my child.”

A form of paying it forward I guess.Which category are you?

The Quest For The Elusive Dollar

It is an open secret that things are tough in Zimbabwe at the moment ,people spend most of their time hustling to get the elusive greenback.

The Quest For The Elusive Dollar

So serious is the way in which some people hustle that there are reports that people have gone as far as Nigeria ,Ghana and Mozambique in order to look for charms which purportedly help them to acquire money at any cost. The dailies are full of reports of people who would have gone to these so called ‘Prophets’ and Witch Doctors who promise them heaven on earth. Often times they are given small twigs and told to go and do as the ‘Prophets’ will have advised. Most of them cry foul after discovering that the twigs end up turning into enormous snakes which completely take over their lives.

Recently ,a certain lady from Chinhoyi, who claimed that her mother had left here a huge snake when she passed away, had to resort to one of local radio stations in order to look for help as the gigantic snake had completely taken over her life and turned it into a living hell. Those in the know claim that the damsel in distress had a huge mansion and several top of the range vehicles but she could not attract nor keep a spouse as it was taboo for her to do so. She lived alone with only a maid to keep her company in the huge mansion. Loneliness and the need to be reed of the demanding reptile, forced her  into  turning to the radio station in order to ask for help. It is reported that several ‘Men of God ‘ tried and failed to kill the gigantic snake, with some reports saying it was as big as ten meters and weighted several tonnes.

Last week, there was a reported breakthrough in the case as some Prophets went to the home of this lady and succeeded in killing the snake.

Another reported case is one of a lady from one of the affluent suburbs of Harare, who reportedly went to Mozambique in her  quest to get instant riches, she was told to go and perform some rituals , when her money was enough for her needs ,she had to return to the Wizard who had given her the herbs ,un fortunately for her, she did not return and the room where she was supposed to keep the money that was created by the wizardry was so full of money that she no longer knew what to do with it. At the time of writing she was so overwhelmed that she was asking for advice.

In our quest to be better than the Johns next-door some of us are going out of our way and abandoning the nurturing of our parents to the extent that we end up biting more than we can chew.

It Takes A Village

A nephew of mine paid me a visit the other day so that he could check on me after he learnt that I had sprained my leg.After exchanging greetings and discussing the weather,the true nature of his visit soon became apparent when he started complaining of the difficulties he was getting in trying to raise his eldest son as an upstanding member of the community.

It Takes A Village

Like most of the young people of his generation my nephew has his sense of entitlement were he expects things to be done for him and things are handed over to him on a silver platter. His father has a small business which has managed to put him through school and the university education which is now enjoying is a result of the efforts of his father. The parent had in his wisdom asked the young man to have a holiday job so that he could earn a some pocket money .Towards the end of the vacation job stint, the young man was not happy about the fact that his payment was delayed which resulted in him pouring out his heart to the effect that he did not think much of his father and he would much prefer his mother ,who was more understanding and gave him all that he asked for as for the surname he might as well change it since his father was not fair to him.

Things got so bad that he has since dropped out of University and he wants to go back to form five so that he can resit his “A” level examination once more.He completely misses the fact that he has spent a lot of time ,effort and expenses on his studies todate. Nobody seems to be able to stop him from going on this self- destructive quest of his and the family is at their wits’ end.He is warming his back at moment whilst consuming the musical programs that are spewed by the various channels on the Television set.

I was roped in to try and talk some sense into him.His intention is to change the program of study.In most peoples view this is throwing his future away.Since I am a bit removed from the situation ,the belief was that I would be able to hear his side of the story and advise his parents so that a collective decision could be reached.After I had sat with the young man and he listened to my and his parents view presented by a neutral,the matter is still up in the air and his future hangs in the balanced.

I have had the privilege of tutoring some hard working youths who were down on their luck and many struggled to have anyone who could pay for their education and it pains me to find one who has parents and extended family egging him on and making sure he has all he needs in order to get a University degree which a lot of other deserving people crave for but fail to get because of circumstances beyond their control,but he is prepared to throw it all away on a whim.WHAT A SHAME

Children Say The Darnedest Things

I spent a innocent half hour with my granddaughters and it was fun because there was no pretense on their part,the eldest is five years old and has just started school ,grade 0 she says .In my time we did not have such,at seven years old one started grade one and that was that!

Children Say The Darnedest Things

What I enjoyed the most was the fact that there were screeches of loud voices and I was engulfed in hugs ,each of the two elder girls competing for my attention and the almost six month old baby gurgling away contentedly without any care in the world .Maybe the fact that I always bring some goodies in the form of bananas and those chicken flings that children love so much is the reason why I am so well received but I don’t care !When their eyes light up with recognition ,that is enough for me.

The eldest rushes to their room and comes back with her small hands leaden with a school bag ,school shoes in the other hand and a pair of rubber boots (for when it rains I suppose) in the other hand and loudly proclaims the fact that she is now going to school .Her heart is bursting with the good news and she just has to share them with her grandfather.

The second born declares contemptuously that she doesnot go to school nor does she sing in the church choir.She boldly declares that she hates both those activities and volunteers the fact that she loves to play.It is said with such a serious countenance that one cannot help laughing.

It is moments like these that I truly appreciate how fortunate I am to have a daughter and the granddaughters she bore,nothing beats the feeling of being loved unreservedly. I am going to enjoy this for as long as it lasts before the ugly world turns them cynical.

Chitungwiza Residents Caught In A Debt Trap

Some of the residents of the dormitory town of Chitungwiza ,which lies twenty odd kilometers  southwest of the the capital city Harare have been severely affected by the dire economic and social hardships prevailing in the country.

Chitungwiza Residents Caught In A Debt Trap

Most of the residents are owing the Town council for  rates for  amounts between one hundred and fifty dollars  whilst others  are owing as much as three thousand dollars.During the past month ,the cash strapped council has had to employ the services of debt collectors who went around giving the residents  in arrears letters of demand.As a result the town council headquarters has been a hive of activity as people went to plead for time to pay off the outstanding amounts .

Obviously, the closure of  most  of the businesses that were operating at the industrial complex has not made the situation any easier. Quite a fair number of residents of Chitungwiza used to employed there .The economic downturn experienced by the whole country since 2000 has affected people all over the country with resultant loss of jobs and levels of unemployment  hovering around 90% of the population. Therefore the average income for most households has been seriously hampered.

The result of the depressed economic activities in the industrial area and the country in general  has ensured a vicious circle that has resulted in the council failing to have enough resources to ensure that services are delivered to the residents satisfaction.

Follow Your Heart

I had a disturbing yet interesting chat with a friend of mine whom I normally use as a sound board for any ideas I might have .I had intimated to her that I was in the process of reinventing myself and was involved in the construction industry with a view to starting my own company and creating a legacy for my grandchildren. I was taken aback by what she said ,which summed up to the effect that I was too old and I was supposed to have had these ambitions when I was 25 years old .

Follow Your Heart

Here is a young college graduate who was telling me that my life at fifty odd years is over and I have to prepare for death. If there is anything I have discover of late ,it’s the fact that one cannot stop learning new skills and strive to be better than what they are .I used to be a voracious reader of novels but have since discovered the power of motivational books. One of my nephews, who is studying for his second degree at a university in South Africa, sent me a pdf of the book; THE SLIGHT EDGE by Jeff Olson.I have since learnt that the the tiny steps which one take if one sustains  them and is consistent in implementing them then one would be surprised by the giant steps that one can achieve, so it was in this vein that I was trying to make a few changes to my own situation by not sitting on my laurels and mourning and winging about the difficult economic situation that the country faces in particular the dearth of meaningful employment.

The chance meeting which thrust me into managing a building project for some gentlemen eight months ago, opened my eyes to the endless opportunities which are abound in the construction industry. I have always believed in making my own luck, if one makes an effort and put their profile out there then people are bound to see it ,chances are one or two will take a chance. The most important thing is the fact that one should never  limit themselves.The advance of the Internet has made it very  easy to acquire skills if one just has a few dollars to buy data bundles and the elbow grease to punch the keyboard of a computer .Most of the information that we require to improve ourselves is found on the world wide web.

There are a lot of people who have been inspirational in reaffirming my thinking ;one is the South African musical icon ;Sipho ‘Hotsticks’ Mabuse ,who sat for his matriculation certificate at sixty plus years of age.If my memory serves me well ,there was and old man in Kenya who went to grade one ,when he was 76 years old because he wanted to be able to read his bible.One Zimbabwean whose business exploits I have followed for quite sometime , the world beater Strive Masiyiwa.If his story does not tell one of the need to pursuit ones convictions to their logical conclusion then I don’t know what else can motivate a person.In one of his writings on his facebook page ,he talks about the fact that he started and failed in many business venture but that never deterred him.The fact that he went on to pioneer the mobile business in Zimbabwe is now common knowledge.

Legend has it that Colonel Sanders,the American founder of the multinatioinal  KFC,started the business when after retiring  and finding that his pension payout could not meet his requirements.The business he started from his kitchen is now known in all continents of the world.

So given the many people who have pursued their dreams and have achieved phenomenal success,then why should I not dream with my eyes open and follow my heart. 

Cry The Lost Generation

Monday, the 19 th of March  2018, was my first encounter with the effects of drug abuse.I had spent a leisurely three hours of the morning with a nephew of mine who had just completed his MSc,after he dropped me off at the main bus stop in Harare,I boarded a bus that was Chitungwiza bound

.

Cry The Lost Generation

The first part of the twenty kilometers of the journey was kind of eventless. Things turned at the first bus stop after the St Marys Police Station, the bus was supposed to let off passengers whilst others boarded. The conductor ,who was standing just inside the bus on the steps ,asked the Youngman (in his early twenties) to get further into the bus as he was afraid that he would fall off the bus .The young man flatly refused and started to berate the conductor at the top of his voice.Bus and mini-bus taxi conductors are well-known for being brash or outright rude to passengers once they are onboard but this one met his match in the irate young man who told him that he was not going to pay and there was nothing that the conductor could do about it.Try as he would ,the conductor was unable to force the young man off the bus.The young man ,who was wearing some really dark sun glasses proceeded to assault the conductor  whilst calling the conductor all sorts of names  and alluding to the fact that he was a person of loose morals. The conductor did not take kindly to the tirade and tried to punch the Youngman but he proved to be too powerful for him. Efforts by most of the elderly people on the bus to urge the conductor to ignore the irate young man fell on deaf ears.

At the first bus top in Zengeza, the argument nearly spilled over into the bus as the two antagonists continued to trade punches but the young man was winning the fight ,at this stage the conductor retrieved an iron bar used with the wheel spanner ,seeing this the young tyrant quickly jumped off the bus and sauntered away leaving the conductor fuming since the driver was restraining him.

I have heard stories of how the unemployed youths in the townships abuse substances like cough mixture and others in order to have a high and forget about their troubles for some hours but this was my closest  encounter with one who was intoxicated. One’s heart bleeds for this lost generation which cannot seem to shake off the despondence of unemployment and the need for personal fulfillment.

Mugabe's Repressive Regime Responsible For Making Zimbos Resilience

The throwing in of the towel by Uncle Bob on the 21 st of November is the culmination of over twenty years of struggle by the sane thinking Zimbabweans. The struggle has been long and harsh, resulting in the deaths and maiming of thousands of innocent Zimbabweans whose only crime was a cry to have a different opinion or ideas to the ones exposed by Bob’s regime.

Mugabe's Repressive Regime Responsible For Making Zimbos Resilience

However, as the saying  Pressure makes diamonds reveals; the need for self –actualization is what forced over three million Zimbos into exile. This is the thing that made them the modern day children of Israel,forced to labour at menial jobs even though some of them are well educated. The politics of the stomach will  force one to swallow their pride and do that which needs to be done in order to put food on the table.So the dancing and singing that was witnessed on the evening and the night of the 21 st of November was the outward expression of the joy and hope that the Zimbabweans had in the momentous occasion of the overthrow of the evil dictator who had misguidedly thought that the country was his to do with as he pleased.

Since Zimbos could not openly express their anger and frustration at the straight jacket which was the political situation that we experienced ,a lot of people ended up showing their assertiveness in other areas of endeavors be it educational,finance,judiciary and industry. The world is full of Zimbabweans who were inspired by Mugabe’s academic excellence, who went on to emulate or even surpass him.Names like Arthur Mutambara,Dr Strive Masiyiwa,Josey Mahachi,Ellen Chiwenga and Maud Chifamba to mention but a few ;are examples of Zimbos who excelled maybe as a means to thumb their noses at the repressive regime.They may have wanted to show that despite the hardship and lack of freedoms ,one cannot keep a good man (OR woman )down.

So love him or hate him,Bob has managed to push quite a number of Zimbos to excel so as to escape the dictatorial tendencies of his regime.

A Zimbos Perspective Of Life In The Diaspora

Whilst some will embrace you with open arms, there are subtle nuances that will throw you off balance if you are observant enough.

A Zimbos Perspective Of Life In The Diaspora

These are found in the terms that most indigenous people will use in referring to one such as the following used by the Sotho speaking inhabitants of South Africa and Lesotho;’makoere-koere,batsoakantle,bo my friend,bakhotsi,bo Rathuthu.If ones grasp of the local language is not that good then people will go to town ,gossiping about one in their faces.Some not so pleasant experiences will be when one meets someone who has a score to settle with a perceived enemy,who is accused of having stolen a girlfriend or a prospective job.That or the fact that you are found not to be light skinned enough to qualify as a Mosotho.Half the time the terms ‘Ke Lesotho moo' thrown about ,there is normally open hostility .Coupled with these would be questions like ;’why don’t you vote Mugabe out’ or ‘Ke Lesotho moo ,kutlang haeno’

Most people have developed a thick skin as they can hardly win all the arguments started by people who have very low self esteem or are simply not educated enough to realize the benefits that most countries gain from the economic refugees that settle in the various countries. Most of the people who are predominantly found in the countries neighboring  Zimbabwe are quite well educated and have skills that they can offer. Unfortunately, most of them end up not necessarily working in their areas of specialization but the fact that they have been through tertiary education makes them very malleable to adapt and operate quite efficiently in any given task they find themselves in so that they can put bread on their tables .

The Ugly Truth About Armchair Critics

In a statement ,Numsa, general secretary Irvin Jim,said;’The army in Zimbabwe has taken over power through a military coup and no amount of concealment of this most obvious of facts can change the ugly reality of the unconstitutional military takeover of power in Zimbabwe.

The Ugly Truth About Armchair Critics

The the first stolen elections from the year 2002 to date ,the Zimbabwean opposition politicians have been crying foul over the manner in which the ZanuPf party with aid of the army,especially where the 2008 election were concerned.Where were the likes of Mr Jim,the catch phrase then was ‘Zimbabweans should solve their own internal problems.’The army is surely part and parcel of the Zimbabwean populace so why then is it wrong now that they have initiated the resolving of the internal problem that the likes of Mr Jim alluded to earlier,dare hide behind the constitutionality of the act.Where were they when the constitution was being abused in the name of uncle Bob.I guess some animals are more equal than others huh ala the pigs in The Animal Farm.

We have had to endure harassment,false accusations,imprisonment,trumped up charges of undermining the dignity of the President,Treason ,just to mention a few and we had to do it without any support from the likes of Mr Jim and his ilk.Now that we have the courage to throw off the yoke that has been around our collective necks for the last 37 YEARS please leave us be so we can solve our Internal problem Uncle Bob.

Included in the group of worthless critics and organizations is surely the AU and Sadc,who can forget the ill-advised Quiet Deplomacy practiced by one Thabo Mbeki, when he was the President of South Africa.It never bore any fruit save to entrench the despotic rule of Uncle Bob.Their main concern is self aggrandizement and the stroking of their collective egos.We say to hell with you, we are living in the moment and enjoying it whilst we can .We will not listening to your doomsday prophecies,We will reclaim our lives come what may.

Be The Best You Can,With What You Have,Where You Are

The great Nelson Mandela became the President of South Africa at the ripe old age of SEVENTY-SIX years.

Be The Best You Can,With What You Have,Where You Are

Many able bodied people of various ages give up their dreams because they stop believing in themselves or think that it is not doable, having a never-die attitude as well not allowing one to wallow in self pity will definitely drive one to their dreams.As sure as the sun rises in the East and sinks in the West,things will never remain the same.No matter what state one finds themselves in, the truth is that it will change .So instead of winging and mourning about your circumstances ,get up ,dress up and pitch up.Do something about your circumstance, it might be as minute as going to visit a friend and chatting ,the walk and the chance to change your surroundings will definitely give you a different perspective to the problem,half the chance you will come back invigorated  and ready to meet your challenge head on.

Whilst I might not be the best example of a person who has achieved in life , I never stop moving nor improving myself.This year alone , I was able to go for a class two drivers’ license  after having failed at the last huddle Five times ,I DID NOT give up ,on the sixth attempt I got the license and began the odious task of looking for a job in an economy where it is reported that more than half the population is unemployed. I could have given up or waited for something to happen but instead through the luck I created I was able to get a job managing a construction project for some guys who where going into construction but where too busy to baby sit the project to fruition.

How I created my luck was making people aware that I was willing to work on a voluntary basis in order to gain some driving experience.Once I was given the opportunity to work, I ensued that I did my very best .Right now Iam indispensible to the operation, Iam not only  proactive, I make sure I resolve problems on site and make it possible for the principals to concentrate on their careers.

Whilst I might not be driving but Iam learning some very useful life skills which I would have needed to pay some big bucks for in order to learn .The things is I never pass the opportunity to learn something new.Our brains require constant stimulation otherwise they die from inactivity. The stuff we learnt last year is already obsolete so we cannot rest on our laurels and think that we know it all. 

The Case Of Mistaken Identity

Whilst standing outside one of the major banks in Harare, I was accosted by a young lady with a toddler in tow, at first I thought that she was one of the ladies who have perfected the art of begging,who regularly swindle gullible people out of their hard earned cash by telling them tall tales of hard luck so that they can part with a few coins.

Imagine my amusement when she asked me whether I was a Mr Chirume from Mutare.I shook my head with a chuckle to ease obvious embarrassment. She apologized and when on her way but it got me thinking of the time IN THE KINGDOM IN THE SKY(LESOTHO) ,When I had a similar case. I saw someone whose striking resemblance to my late cousin brother had me make a double take.

My brother, rest his departed soul had passed on a couple of years before the chance encounter with his “twin “ in Lesotho.He had been ill for quite some time before his demise. Two days before he passed on ,I went to the taxi rank where he normally picked up passengers. I informed by his colleagues that he had not been coming for work for quite some time. I proceeded to his place of residence and found his mother giving him a bath (this was a grown man of about forty years),his wife had deserted him because of the illness which finally took him to his grave.

On the day I saw the person who looked so similar to him, I took a double take, my mind told me that it could not be possible but my heart skipped a beat all the same. For a few seconds there I think I believed in reincarnation. I believe I had not fully processed his departure then. I finally was able to put the case to bed after thinking about it for a while and seeing the absurdity of my thoughts. 

One Of Zimbabwe’s Top Schools In Modern Day Slavery Allegations

The school which constantly produces some pupils who feature in the top ten best achievers in the primary school leavers examinations is accused of modern day slavery.

One Of Zimbabwe’s Top Schools In Modern Day Slavery Allegations

A friend’s wife, who used to be an employee at the renown school tells of harrowing tales of harassment,intimidation and down right slavery practised by the  wife of the owner of the school.Among the various grievences are;members of staff being denied permission to leave the school campus during the weekend as they are required to supervise pupils’ homework.Married women are denied a chance to go home during the weekends to be with their spouses and children which results in strained relationships.A lot of pressure is also exerted on the staff members for them to maintain the high educational standards in order to justify the three thousand dollars a term schools fees charged by the school institution.

The worst cases of labour malpractise was reported last year when the owner of the school decided to build a high school a short distance away from the present primary school campus,one of the builders who were responsible for the construction of the school talks about the fact that they would work in shifts ,twenty four hours a day,seven days a week .This was because the owner wanted the school to be ready for opening on the first day of the 2017 school year.Bricks were moulded on site and after being allowed a few hours to dry they were immediately moved to the building site were used for the construction.Workers went for months without being paid for their labours .One disgruntled worker ended up going to the Employment Council Of The Construction Industry ,not much came out of it however since the school was already ninety percent complete.As I write this article former employees are still being owned thousands of dollars in unpaid salaries.

Those in the know claim that the owner of the school was advanced twenty million dollars for the construction of the school by one  of the local commercial banks,the question on most peoples’ lips is where all the money went to if at this late date former employees are still wallowing in poverty after having worked for nothing.

                                                 

How I Got To Love Caps United Football Club

In the year 1977,I was fortunate to move  to the capital city ,Harare, in search of better educational facilities .The rural area where I had grown up to that stage did not have a secondary school combined with the fact that the liberation war was at its fiercest.

How I Got To Love Caps United FC

I was fortunate that I had a cousin brother who was much older than me who was already working and living in the city, naturally he took me under his wing but he was very reluctant to have me accompany me to go and watch him play at football games ,I had by chance learnt that he played for Caps Rovers ,the football team for the company he worked for at the time called Caps Pharmaceuticals. At the time the team campaigned in the first division ,which was one tier below than the premier league in the land .One can just imagine my excitement when he invited me to go watch football matches as his guest. What used to surprise me in the first weeks following the invitation was the fact that almost every time I when to his lodgings in-order to accompany him to his matches ,I would find the place vacant. In subsequent weeks  I would wake up very early and prepare before going to his place where I would wait patiently whilst he prepared. I was later to find out that the reason why he would leave me behind was because of the fact that he had several girlfriends he constantly took to these matches.

Like any boy my age I had developed a keen interest in football and had horned my skill in the village’s dusty football pitch, I was awe-struck when I had the opportunity to sit with these ‘Legends’ at the stadium whilst waiting for the B team to complete their fixtures,then they would come on to warm up to the roar of approval from the expectant crowd. My excitement was palpable since I had the fortune of seeing my elder brother parading in the team regalia, I believe I was the first one from my family to have witnessed him exhibiting his skills at such a level, very few people back home actually knew that he played football semi-professionally.

The following season the team was promoted to the premier division in the land, my brother and I were inseparable at the home games, the only games which I did not attend were those that were placed out of the Capital city because of my school commitments. This was also the year the team changed its name to Caps United Football Club so one would say I was there at the inception of the great club that has gone to became known as ‘Cup Kings’ the country’s cup specialists as they rarely lost in the many cup finals that they took part in.

Later the club was to acquire the services of the late Joel ‘Jubblie’ Shambo also known by his many followers as ‘The Headmaster’,the late Stanley ‘Sinyo’ Ndunduma ,Stanford ‘Stix’ Mtizwa and the indisputable ‘Mr Goals’ Shakeman Tauro.This was the core of the team which lead them to sweep all before them and propel the team to campaign in Africa against teams from Nigeria and elsewhere on the continent. One hapless team from Mauritius was hammered  seven nil, those were the heady years when the team was at its very best.

Water Woes Bedevil Chitungwiza

It is a fact that Water is life and its absence results in a lot of anguish and heartache especially among the women and children in our patriarchal society.

Water Woes Bedevil Chitungwiza

Our society dictates that women and girls are solely responsible for the upkeep of the family kitchens and the chores which go with the maintenance of the same.Recent events which have seen erratic and intermittent supply of the precious liquid which is responsible for the smooth running of our bodies,homes and gardens to mention just to mention a few important aspects.Nowadays, the few boreholes that were sunk by some well meaning donor organisations have become a hive of activities as most mothers and girls try to get a few buckects of the precious liquid for their families.So dire is the need that one such borehole close to my residence is always packed full of human beings; some standing others sitting on buckets ,patiently waiting for their turn at the heavy metal handle,  so that they can drew their buckets full.Gone are the days where people could sleep peacefully in their homes ,quite a few actually spend nights at the boreholes.

The act of sleeping at boreholes have in-turn spawned some unwelcome social ills such as rapes and sexual favours demanded in exchange for a chance to jump the queue and draw water.Tales are going around of gangs of young males who are terrorizing the women and girls at these boreholes as they unlawfully monopolise these for their own benefit which involve the demand for sexual favours in exchange for water. Other unscrupulous young thugs are known to propose love to innocent young girls and they indecently assault them by grabbing their breasts or butts. They are doing all this with impunity since most men are not involved in the fetching of water.

Apart from these social ills, there is also the ever present danger of water-borne diseases since some people cannot stomach the thought of spending endless hours in queues in order to get a few days worth of water supplies. A lot of shallow unprotected water bodies have been dug and a lot of people are resorting to these for their daily supplies of water. One shudders to think of the consequence of an outbreak of cholera of dysentery. Already health facilities are struggling to cope with the demand for services now, in the event of an epidemic, there could be a disaster of epic proportions.