 |
| Count Your Blessings- Zesa Blackouts |
It is amazing just how much we take for granted,just 24 hours in the dark makes one rethink their priorities.
Saturday, 5 December 2015
Count Your Blessings- Zesa Blackouts 2
An earlier article on Zesa blackouts painted quite a rosy picture of the situation,after experiencing 24 hours of total darkness,I am, singing a different tune now.Normally, I try as much as possible to stay positive no matter what the situation but hey , I am human after all.This is way too much. I have done most of the things that I normally do during a blackout but this is a totally different ball game.
Apart from the fact the molten margarine ,spoilt leftovers and the frozen chicken pieces which have since defrosted because of lack of electricity and the debilitating heat,I am at my wits end.Add to the above is the fact that my only means of communicating with the outside world is also blanked out ,my positiveness is at an all time low.My mobile phone's battery is exhausted.The little cheer I normally get from the entertaining articles on the various social media is beyond my reach.Perhaps this will teach me gratitude hey?
It is amazing just how much we take for granted,just 24 hours in the dark makes one rethink their priorities.
It is amazing just how much we take for granted,just 24 hours in the dark makes one rethink their priorities.
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
Hotels Of Chitungwiza
The Kenny Mubaiwa owned Chitungwiza Hotel and Conference center is a poor advertisement for the hotel facilities in Municipality.
Boasting of zero stars, residents of Chitungwiza will be hard pressed to find a place where they can entertain visitors to the town.Completely surrounded by the suburb of Zengeza2,the hotel's outside appearance does not appeal to passers-by to enter and sample its hospitality.The reception at the hotel is not the best either ,yours truly arrived at the establishment and had ton wait for about ten minutes with two other youngmen who had come for an appointment to see the manager..When the lady receptionist did arrive ,her appearance did not do anything tom improve the doom and gloom which emanates from the place.She did not have any uniform,nor was her manner professional as she talked to us whilst she was munching on a cucumber.If one does not take potential; clients seriously ,they in turn will vote with their feet ,away from the establishment.There was nothing in her manner or deportment to signify welcome.
Small wonder then that the only regular clients that the hotel has seems to be Dynamos football club,which is linked to Mr Mubaiwa.
Once one gets past the hostile receptionist,the charge of forty dollars a night for a room seems on the steep side bearing the shortage of excess cash in the community.It is just a questin of time before this establishment closes shop and moves elsewhere.
Boasting of zero stars, residents of Chitungwiza will be hard pressed to find a place where they can entertain visitors to the town.Completely surrounded by the suburb of Zengeza2,the hotel's outside appearance does not appeal to passers-by to enter and sample its hospitality.The reception at the hotel is not the best either ,yours truly arrived at the establishment and had ton wait for about ten minutes with two other youngmen who had come for an appointment to see the manager..When the lady receptionist did arrive ,her appearance did not do anything tom improve the doom and gloom which emanates from the place.She did not have any uniform,nor was her manner professional as she talked to us whilst she was munching on a cucumber.If one does not take potential; clients seriously ,they in turn will vote with their feet ,away from the establishment.There was nothing in her manner or deportment to signify welcome.
Small wonder then that the only regular clients that the hotel has seems to be Dynamos football club,which is linked to Mr Mubaiwa.
Once one gets past the hostile receptionist,the charge of forty dollars a night for a room seems on the steep side bearing the shortage of excess cash in the community.It is just a questin of time before this establishment closes shop and moves elsewhere.
Break Stones For A Dollar
Some enterprising young men in Chitungwiza are manually breaking stones to make quarry stones.
In an act akin to the Biblical saga of the Israelites ,who burnt bricks using straw.
The work is not for the faint hearted as it is physically and emotionally demanding.These young entrepreneurs break down granite rocks into manoeuvarable pieces which are further broken into what is commonly referred to as quarry stones to be used in the building industry.the only machinery used is their brute strength,12 pounds hammer as well as old tires to stop the stone chips from flying away.
It takes one and a half days to two days for the workers to fill a wheelbarrow.This costs a potential client thirty dollars.For a cubic ,one has to pay two hundred and fifty dollars.That is the equivalence of thirty wheel barrows,I am told.An extra amount of five dollars is levied for transportation within a five kilometres radius of the place where these gentlemen work.
What is heartening is the fact that the people do not sit on their laurels and grind their teeth in frustrating at the shortage of formal employment.They are doing things for themselves.Theirs is a symbol of the enterprising spirit embodied in a true entrepreneur.
In an act akin to the Biblical saga of the Israelites ,who burnt bricks using straw.
 |
| Men Break Stones For A Dollar |
The work is not for the faint hearted as it is physically and emotionally demanding.These young entrepreneurs break down granite rocks into manoeuvarable pieces which are further broken into what is commonly referred to as quarry stones to be used in the building industry.the only machinery used is their brute strength,12 pounds hammer as well as old tires to stop the stone chips from flying away.
It takes one and a half days to two days for the workers to fill a wheelbarrow.This costs a potential client thirty dollars.For a cubic ,one has to pay two hundred and fifty dollars.That is the equivalence of thirty wheel barrows,I am told.An extra amount of five dollars is levied for transportation within a five kilometres radius of the place where these gentlemen work.
What is heartening is the fact that the people do not sit on their laurels and grind their teeth in frustrating at the shortage of formal employment.They are doing things for themselves.Theirs is a symbol of the enterprising spirit embodied in a true entrepreneur.
Econet Wireless Creates Eyesore In Chitungwiza
Econet Wireless' desire to empower the common man is noble but the shacks from which some of these businesses operate from leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
First and foremost ,the siting of some of the Ecocash booths seems to have been done haphazardly with little regard paid to the outside environment.No effort effort seems to have been made in order to beautify these spots.One can see rubbish strewn right round some of the booths.The material used is o most extends corrugated iron sheets welded together to form structure which can house one person.You could be forgiven should you think that these are old fashioned outhouses used in the rural ares as long drop toilets.A little tiding would go a long way towards sprucing up the surroundings.
Secondly, the manner of the people manning these booths can put one off using them as most of the people may pear to think that one is inconviencing them by visiting the booths.Some change in attitudes,acknowledging the importance of anyone visiting the booth would go a long way towards ensuring the continued utilization of this essential service.
Thirdly,and I believe most contentious of all is the fact that maybe Econet needs to empower its agents more by providing them wit business training especially customer care.These agents are reflection of the Econet brand therefore they need to be at their best; physical surroundings as well as the way they attend to customers.
 |
| Econet Wireless Creates Eyesore In Chitungwiza |
Secondly, the manner of the people manning these booths can put one off using them as most of the people may pear to think that one is inconviencing them by visiting the booths.Some change in attitudes,acknowledging the importance of anyone visiting the booth would go a long way towards ensuring the continued utilization of this essential service.
Thirdly,and I believe most contentious of all is the fact that maybe Econet needs to empower its agents more by providing them wit business training especially customer care.These agents are reflection of the Econet brand therefore they need to be at their best; physical surroundings as well as the way they attend to customers.
Chitungwiza Residents Shortchanged By Munucipality
The frequent burst of sewage pipes in Chitungwiza has residents up in arms against the municipality.
Areas around the C.A.A and Rufaro road between St Mary's and Zengeza1 are notorious for bursting pipes and spilling obnoxious ordours on residents.The fact that this has been going on since the turn of the millennium does not make it right.
From Mondays through to Wednesdays ,when the town has its weekly supply of water,the pipes bursts become numerous.An antiquated sewage system coupled with overpopulation,creates an unbearable strain on the pipes.There are certain areas which have become no-go-areas due to the pools of sewage stagnant on City streets.Maybe we need to have a poo-protest of our own.Take a leaf out of the notorious Poo Protesters of Cape Town.
The situation is a ticking time bomb, soon the rains are coming ,one shudders to think as to what horrors we are going to experience then.
 |
| Raw Sewage On Streets |
From Mondays through to Wednesdays ,when the town has its weekly supply of water,the pipes bursts become numerous.An antiquated sewage system coupled with overpopulation,creates an unbearable strain on the pipes.There are certain areas which have become no-go-areas due to the pools of sewage stagnant on City streets.Maybe we need to have a poo-protest of our own.Take a leaf out of the notorious Poo Protesters of Cape Town.
The situation is a ticking time bomb, soon the rains are coming ,one shudders to think as to what horrors we are going to experience then.
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Econet Reaps Customers Off
A brother -in-law of mine has had a torrid time at the hands of Econet Wireless recently.
His ordeal started when he lost his mobile phone in a taxi whilst coming from seeing one of his customers.He raises and sells broiler chickens in his backyard,so his mobile phone is the best link between him and his customers.The next morning he went to his customers .The next morning he went to the Econet office in Bulawayo,where there was a long queue slowly making its way into the offices of the service provider.He finally got to the counter where he was asked to pay a dollar and provide proof of his identity so that he could get a replacement Sim,which he was assured would start working within 30 minutes.When the Sim started working he discovered that the number he had been allocated was different.After meeting with some of his customers most complained about him not picking up his calls,that as well as the fact that he would get calls from strangers.He had to go back to the service provider,wait in another queue before a Sim with the the right number was allocated to him.
Now,three weeks later ,the Sim is not working again.It has been four days now without mobile phone services at a time when he has to follow up on hid debtors to make sure that they pay.Yesterday,he went back again to the offices of the service provider to get answers and he was assured that his Sim would start working within an hour.We even tried to engage the company through their twitter account ,provided the serial number as requested but still,as I write his Sim is not working.Despite numerous ca,,s to the Econet customers 'scare' line .Imagine spending 17 minutes holding a call in order to be attended to by an operator,who assures you that from his end everything is working well and yet you don't have service.The fact that the Sim is loaded with airtime adds insult to injury.My brother-in-law's case seems to be just the tip of the ice-berg as I read several other complaints from the disconnected customers on the twitter feeds.It is time Econet upped their game and improve their service.
Should it continue ,I will urge him to choose a different service provider,enough is enough.
 |
| Econet Reaps Customers Off |
Now,three weeks later ,the Sim is not working again.It has been four days now without mobile phone services at a time when he has to follow up on hid debtors to make sure that they pay.Yesterday,he went back again to the offices of the service provider to get answers and he was assured that his Sim would start working within an hour.We even tried to engage the company through their twitter account ,provided the serial number as requested but still,as I write his Sim is not working.Despite numerous ca,,s to the Econet customers 'scare' line .Imagine spending 17 minutes holding a call in order to be attended to by an operator,who assures you that from his end everything is working well and yet you don't have service.The fact that the Sim is loaded with airtime adds insult to injury.My brother-in-law's case seems to be just the tip of the ice-berg as I read several other complaints from the disconnected customers on the twitter feeds.It is time Econet upped their game and improve their service.
Should it continue ,I will urge him to choose a different service provider,enough is enough.
Condoms For Teens Debate
The decision by the UNFPA and the government of Zimbabwe to distribute small sized condoms for teenagers 15 years and older has a lot of people hot under the collar.
According to Petros Muzondo, an author on H.I.V and A.I.D.S related issues,'children need God not condoms...even grown-up people are getting STIs and H.I.V.
The facts of the matter are that at this age teenagers have a vague idea about sex from their Biology classes,friends and peers.Bearing in mind the statics on H.I.V and A.I.D.S prevalence in the country , I believe the move to provide condoms is pragmatic .I think our teenagers require the right information ,lest they experiment or get the wrong or half-truths from their peers.In a society parents do not talk to their offspring about sex,the only information at their disposal is either from peers or what they can glean from their Biology texts.Not many teens have access to the Internet ,where they can research the taboo subjects.
Saying that distributing condoms will lead to promiscuity is like the proverbial Ostrich burying its head in the sand .At this stage teenagers are curios .They will want to know everything.And sex is a fascinating subject to them.Until parents face reality and realise their bundle of joy is grown and wants to know the WHYS and WHEREFORES of this world,they are headed for disappointment.The myths about sex needs to be debunked among youths .We also need to accept that they are sexually active .Is it not therefore prudent to then manage the situation by giving them the right information and manage the situation so that the sex they might be involved in is safe.
No matter how much hot air people might blow about how morally wrong it might be,the reality is teenagers are indulging in unsafe sex.Our media is awash with tales of school-girls aborting in school toilets or at home ,so we have to be proactive.No amount the of preaching or sweeping the problem under our collective carpets ,these are the facts.
 |
| Condoms For Teens Debate |
According to Petros Muzondo, an author on H.I.V and A.I.D.S related issues,'children need God not condoms...even grown-up people are getting STIs and H.I.V.
The facts of the matter are that at this age teenagers have a vague idea about sex from their Biology classes,friends and peers.Bearing in mind the statics on H.I.V and A.I.D.S prevalence in the country , I believe the move to provide condoms is pragmatic .I think our teenagers require the right information ,lest they experiment or get the wrong or half-truths from their peers.In a society parents do not talk to their offspring about sex,the only information at their disposal is either from peers or what they can glean from their Biology texts.Not many teens have access to the Internet ,where they can research the taboo subjects.
Saying that distributing condoms will lead to promiscuity is like the proverbial Ostrich burying its head in the sand .At this stage teenagers are curios .They will want to know everything.And sex is a fascinating subject to them.Until parents face reality and realise their bundle of joy is grown and wants to know the WHYS and WHEREFORES of this world,they are headed for disappointment.The myths about sex needs to be debunked among youths .We also need to accept that they are sexually active .Is it not therefore prudent to then manage the situation by giving them the right information and manage the situation so that the sex they might be involved in is safe.
No matter how much hot air people might blow about how morally wrong it might be,the reality is teenagers are indulging in unsafe sex.Our media is awash with tales of school-girls aborting in school toilets or at home ,so we have to be proactive.No amount the of preaching or sweeping the problem under our collective carpets ,these are the facts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)