During my recent visit to Tafara suburb distributing the vendor wrapper with Zanele, we came across a private primary school. Some people may ask what’s so special about this school since in most suburbs there has been an upsurge in the number of private schools operating. What really attracted me to this school is the fact that nowadays it’s impossible to find someone who can volunteer to offer a service for no charge.

Chiedza/Khanyiso is a private school situated in Tafara suburb with another branch in Sunningdale. Founded in the year 2005 under the name Chiedza/Khanyiso which means light, the school is a symbol for hope to so many little children attending lessons.  The school enrols children from grade one up to six and the fascinating part is the way lessons are conducted at this school. There are two building structures, one is a church building without a roof and the other structure that looked like it was about to fall down, has benches made from wooden poles and it has no floor. Grade ones and twos share the makeshift building and lessons are conducted concurrently with grades three up six doing their lessons in one room in the roofless church building.

During my interview with Mr Chikwanha who is the overseer of the school, he said, “the main motivation behind running a school like Chiedza/Khanyiso is to assist children without birth certificates and those who can’t pay fees at government schools.” Mr Chikwanha a former teacher with over 40 years experience runs the school with assistance from two female volunteer teachers who showed pride in their work when we interviewed them. When we got the invitation to see the grade one and two classroom we saw faces filled with joy and hope. On the issue of birth certificates Mr Chikwanha said he approached the Registrar General’s Office and he managed to get assistance and some the children at school now have birth certificates. The school also gets assistance from the Salvation Army Church, which owns the church building being used as a classroom, and recently they received a donation of school uniforms from Childline. Since we are now in summer there is a possibility that these children will skip lessons during rainy days.

Children pay a fee of $5 per term and this only covers admin expenses for the school with little to spare to buy textbooks and proper furniture said Mr Chikwanha. Under Millennium Development Goal Number 2, which aims to ensure that all children of school going age have access to primary education by the year 2015, one wonders if Zimbabwe can meet the deadline as most parents are still finding it difficult to pay school fees for their children. With the introduction of BEAM (Basic Education Assistance Module) in all government schools not all children have managed to access this fund and this has forced many parents to send their children to private schools like Chiedza/Khanyiso where they can afford to pay the low fees.

By now, I expect that many of us are well acquainted with the expansive list of assets that Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local Government and his wife are fighting over in their divorce trial.  For the most part, people have been outraged by the flagrant excess and insatiable gluttony of it all and the suspicion is that it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

On my part, I have been surprisingly inspired by the whole episode. It is evident that over the decades there have been tireless efforts towards this vast accumulation of assets.  So encouraged am I that I have decided to share the pearls (or diamonds, if you prefer) of wisdom I’ve extracted.

- Have ambition and don’t settle for less. Why should you own only one stand in Borrowdale when you can have twenty, or be the proprietor of one company when ten companies are even better?

- Don’t get disappointed if you never get promoted and you’ve been stuck in the same post since 2000. With the right attitude you can still do well and get rich through the opportunities that your current job presents.

- Every part of Zimbabwe is important and deserves to enjoy development through decentralised investment initiatives. Next time you have some spare cash, consider purchasing a stand or two in Chirundu, Katanga Township or maybe even Binga.

- Just because you are a civil servant, doesn’t mean that you must remain as poor as a church mouse. You will find that there are substantial perks that come with your job.

- Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She will make public your private affairs, expose to all-and-sundry what hard earned assets you have, demand half of these and still expect you to pay her maintenance ’til death do you part’.

·    Next time you see a car with the popular bumper stick “My other car is a Mercedes Benz and I also have Land Cruisers, Nissan Wolfs and Hard-bodies”, don’t laugh; believe.

- If for three years your husband does not live in the matrimonial home because he is sorting out some personal issues, know that he is not coming back.

- Don’t be limited by your schooling. You may have doctorates in adult and higher education, but that doesn’t stop you from pursuing interests in mining, hospitality, farming, retail, real estate etc.

- With a large percentage of Zimbabweans with no access to clean drinking water, it is clear that work performance has no correlation in achieving success. You definitely don’t have to work hard at your job to amass great wealth.

From Marklives!com:

Zimbabwean born illustrator and activist Sindiso Nyoni created this Free Zim activist graffiti tag, with accompanying posters addressing the suppressed state Zimbabwe is in under the continued dictatorial rule of Robert Mugabe. He currently works at Amicollective – an outfit known for grabbing the hottest talent off the market and living up to its reputation yet again (as is obvious).

I was shocked that The Herald, that non-partisan, balanced missive, would report in such detail the extent of Minister Chombo’s wealth. Interesting that the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Rural Development would own (according to The Herald):

2 Glen View houses
2 flats in Queensdale, A property in Katanga Township, Stand Number 1037 Mount Pleasant Heights
4 Norton business stands
3 Chinhoyi business stands,
4 Banket business stands,
1 commercial stand in Epworth,
2 residential stands in Chirundu
4 commercial stands in Kariba
1 stand in Ruwa
1 stand in Chinhoyi,
2 stands in Mutare
2 stands in Binga.
4 stands in Victoria Falls
1 stand in Zvimba Rural Chitungwiza (two residential and two commercial stands) Beitbridge (four stands),
20 stands in Crow Hill, Borrowdale
10 stands in Glen Lorne,
2 flats at Eastview Gardens (B319 and B320)
1 flat at San Sebastian Flats in the Avenues, Harare Number 79 West Road, Avondale. Greendale house Number 36 Cleveland Road, Milton Park Number 135 Port Road, Norton,
2 Bulawayo houses. Number 18 Cuba Rd, Mount Pleasant Number 45 Basset Crescent, Alexandra Park,
2 Chegutu houses
1 Glen Lorne house (Harare)
2 houses (Victoria Falls). Stand along Simon Mazorodze Road, Norton (one stand) Avondale (two stands)
365 Beverly House (one stand) Bulawayo (three stands), Mica Point Kariba (one stand)

Clearly this is a man who has taken the President’s third Chimurenga seriously. You have to admire such industriousness: Chombo has been a full time Minister for fifteen years and a civil servant his entire career. This surely is an example to all those civil servants who have been protesting their paltry salaries for decades that ‘yes they too can’.

To add to his assets the minister has a Facebook page. It’s a shame Facebook doesn’t have a dislike button.

The rainy season is upon us.  Zimbabwe is a country whose prosperity is dependent on this time, so everyone is focused on the rains.

For instance, our esteemed Minister of Agriculture advised farmers recently that in their preparation for planting, they must pay attention to, and use weather information from the Met-Department.  While on the face of it the Minister’s advice could be considered as stating the obvious, looking at the questionable productivity of our new-farmers, perhaps counsel is warranted.

In churches too, services and prayers for a good rainy season are being held.  Being quite religious myself, I’ve also decided to seek divine intervention for a good season of rain.

Once again, like we have done for many years,
We come before you kneeling, eyes filled with tears,
That in your merciful kindness you please help us out,
Without your intervention we’ll surely suffer more drought.

We implore you to send us seasonable rain,
Rainfall that will mark the passing of this dry period of pain,
A cloudburst which will sweep across our beloved land,
Washing away our withered past into the sand.

As it is now, the fields lie fallow, robbed of their life.
And amongst the people is despair; poverty is rife.
But a chance to start anew will your welcome showers bring,
A change much needed, giving greenness and hope to everything.

So with the rainy season upon us, we repeat our request,
And pray that you cleanse Zimbabwe of elements that cause hardship and unrest.
Quench this dry place; bring this era to an end.
Your precipitation is needed; abundant rains please send.