Two chaps from two totally different backgrounds found themselves back in Zimbabwe in the past couple of weeks.

One was a guy who toiled at the once glorious and well paying NRZ but left the misery of unpaid labour and headed for South Africa a couple of years ago. The other, a wise guy who has seen the world as a journalist, public relations guru, university lecturer and everything else in between and went to Botswana looking for a piece of that Khama wealth.

When the NZR guy came through, he had on his mind returning to his former job seeing he was missing home rather too terribly. He has some job in SA and looking at him, I thought he must be better off than he was back in the day as a railwayman.

He looked fit, his skin was “ruddy” and was generally clean, leading me to conclude that the grass sure must be greener on the other side. But here he was saying he had in mind settling back home and living the rest of his life to the fullest.

He made rounds to meet up with erstwhile work colleagues to get the pulse of what has been happening, who died, who got promoted, who left the country, who ran off with somebody else’s wife, you know the usual stuff old friends talk about.

That’s when his dream of a blissful return to the motherland disappeared.

His NRZ buddies told they hadn’t been paid literally for years and were only continuing with the humiliating and tedious trudge to work because they had nowhere else to go. If you quit this job, where the fuck are you going to get another one seeing it is only the streets doing the hiring? Bulawayo industries have become ghost towns, everyone who is unemployed is selling something, what are YOU going to sell? Thus it was decided that it was better to continue going to work for no pay because one day a miracle would happen and the NZR would give them a year’s salaries in back pay!

If only that were not the apotheosis of naivety.

You see, the railwaymen did not have to tell him he was better off in a foreign land: he could tell this himself, and all the dreams of working for the prosperity of his country disappeared. And so it was that as I write, he is buried in his work somewhere in South Africa working for that country’s prosperity!

Now, to the other fella from Francistown, Botswana.

This chap says he wanted to contribute to the growth of the Botswana economy by registering his outfit as a legitimate potential contributor to the GDP, but Batswana red tape got him steaming through the ears.

He says he was told it was difficult to see how his proposed business would contribute to the Botswana economy, and in frustration, he shook the dust off his sandals and returned to Zimbabwe, rather reluctantly it would appear.

And now back to the motherland, he has to start afresh and chase the American greenback by meeting all sorts of characters he never imagined he would ever meet. Because American greed has landed on these shores and claimed permanent residence, this chap has a lot of navigating to do before his fiscally immoral compatriots fleece him of his hard earned cash and get him on the move again, this time: DESTINATION UNKOWN.

Granted, this chap would rather share his skills with our neighbours where the pickings reportedly come in bucketfuls, but as the Fates would have it, he finds himself right where he started. Yet the two chaps present two narrative strands that converge somewhere on the rainbow. These are patriots who, all things being in order, would earn a living here, watch their children grow, watch them bring forth grandkids and just enjoy being sons of the soil.

But yet here they are as grown men running around chasing the Devil’s coin all over the show like horny cockerels chasing after pullets. There is a lesson there. You figure it out.

Mugabe, Tsvangirai must reveal cash sources
There are mounting calls in Zimbabwe for both President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to say where they have received their money. Mugabe recently launched a $20 million agricultural input scheme for farmers, while Tsvangirai handed over up to $300,000 as a maintenance settlement to his ex-partner Locardia Tembo. It is not clear in either of the cases where the funds came from. What is certain is that the money did not come from Treasury or from the salaries of the two heads of state. The Zimbabwean Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture – David Coltart – on Sunday said all leaders had a duty to be transparent. Mugabe should reveal the source of the inputs he donated on Saturday, Coltart said through his Twitter account. Seeds, fertiliser and dipping chemicals worth around $20 million will be given to 800,000 farmers. The money apparently came from “well-wishers”. Coltart’s urge for transparency was echoed by former Independent MP Margaret Dongo, who said Tsvangirai should say whether donors handed him the money he allegedly gave his former wife. – Eyewitness News, Johannesburg

Public toilets a thing of the past in Chitungwiza
Residents in Chitungwiza have raised alarm on the state of public toilets around the town which is now life threatening. Most public toilets are located at shopping centres but the municipality appears to have given up on maintaining these essential facilities since most of them are no longer functional and have been completely neglected. A recent tour around the town exposed a health time bomb that is just waiting to explode at almost all shopping centres around the town. Retailers who operate flea markets and shops at most of these shopping centres feel that the municipality is short changing them since they pay rates every month yet they have no access to such vital services. In an interview with the reporter Mrs Matore (30) who operates a flea market at Huruyadzo expressed dissatisfaction with the council authorities. “I pay a monthly licence fee to council and their municipal police are very strict in making sure that you pay the money but we are not able to access such an important service. The toilet is no longer in use and we have to find alternatives and sometimes we are forced to go into bars so that we can relieve ourselves and these bars are filled with drunk men who mistake you for a prostitute.” said Mrs Matore. – Chitungwiza Bulletin

CCZ Concerned About Quality of Bulk Water
The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) has raised concern over the quality and price of bulk water being sold by many companies in and outside Harare. A recent survey carried out by the consumer watchdog said some of the companies were drawing their water from dams, rivers and boreholes. “Asking the water suppliers, they all indicated that they sourced their water from boreholes, sadly no one can vouch for that and that leaves consumers vulnerable to drinking unsafe, untreated water sourced from potentially unhygienic conditions,” CCZ said in a statement. The CCZ added there were suspicions that companies were taking water from the Harare City Council taps, which many residents no longer drink because of numerous safety concerns. “There are concerns as to the cleanliness of the water, the tanks used to move the water and the cleanliness of the processes the water undergoes before its final destination — the consumer,” CCZ said. The organisation said the shortages of clean, safe water have reached “seismic” levels and urged municipalities to honour their duty of ensuring that consumers have sufficient water. The fact that local authorities were failing to supply clean water to residents has given rise to an illegal water sector where some unscrupulous individuals are starting companies to trade in the precious liquid. “It appears to us, there is a free-for-all situation in the water market where certain individuals and or companies are profiting from the water situation to make a quick buck at the expense of desperate and unsuspecting consumers,” said CCZ. “It concerns us from whose permission the companies are selling water and why at such high prices! Whose companies are they?” CCZ found that the companies were charging between US$60 and US$120 for 5 000 cubic metres of water both within and outside Harare. “The charges by the water suppliers are not only ridiculously high, but morally reprehensible in an environment where the vulnerable have a right to protection through low cost tariffs.” – The Standard

Action: Please email the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe and ask them what actual pressure they are putting on the relevant authorities to investigate and make accountable the supply and sale of water in Zimbabwe. Email them on: ccz1 [at] mweb [dot] co [dot] zw or ccz2 [at] mweb [dot] co [dot] zw

Traffic woes mount in Harare
For the past months, Harare Central Business District (CBD) has been experiencing an increase in traffic jams to the extent that a motorist now needs to spend 30minutes to an hour just to cover a stretch of 2 kilometres. With authorities remaining mum on the way forward to end this driving nightmare in Harare, some economists have bemoaned how the country could be losing money as people now have to spend more of their time trapped in traffic webs. ‘If you look around the city now, you find many traffic lights are not working and this is contributing to the traffic chaos in the city and also the designing of our bus termini system adds to the crisis as commuter omnibuses have had to transverse through the city centre just to drop passengers and this causes problems,’ says the Harare Residents Trust. – Community Radio Harare

Chiredzi man in trouble for striking Mugabe portrait over employment woes as Magistrate refers case to Supreme Court
Zimbabwean police have charged a Chiredzi man for undermining the authority of or insulting President Robert Mugabe after he allegedly struck the octogenarian leader’s portrait in a bar in frustration over failing to secure employment. Regis Kandawasvika aged 35 years was arrested on Tuesday 30 October 2012 and charged with contravening Section 33 (2) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act after he allegedly held President Mugabe accountable for failing to secure employment despite having obtained six Ordinary Level subjects during his educational pursuits. Kandawasvika reportedly uttered the following words; “Ndiri kutambura nokuda kwehutongi hwezimudhara iri Robert Mugabe. Ndine masabhujekiti six pa’O’ Level kasi handina basa rekuita. Handidi kana kumboriona zimudhara irori. Ikozvino gwendo runo riri kuenda kamwe chete”, which the police translated to mean, “I am suffering because of the ruling of this old man Cde Robert Mugabe. I have six ‘O’ level subjects but I have no job. I don’t want to see this old man. This time he is going one way”. Kandawasvika, who was represented by Blessing Nyamaropa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) was granted $20 bail by a Chiredzi Magistrate on 31 October 2012 with conditions not to interfere with State witnesses and to continue residing at the given residential address until the matter is finalised. – Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights

Heads of Civil Society Coalitions will address a Press Conference at 12.00 noon today in Harare at the ZimRights offices.  The leaders will speak on the arrest and continued detention of Counselling Services Unit Senior Programmes Officers, the behaviour of the police in this and other cases and the disruption of CSU’s critical and lawful activities.

Contact details for further information are as follows:

Irene Petras: Chair: Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum / Executive Director:
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Tel: +263 4044 213

Abel Chikomo: Executive Director: Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
Tel: + 263 7722 60664

Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum: Landline:  +263 (4) 250 5111
Contact: Abel Chikomo or Programmes Co-ordinator Blessing Gorejena

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights: Landline +263 (4) 76085/
251468/705370/705641
Contact: Irene Petras or Kumbirai Mafunda

I like to hear the sound of form, and I like to hear the sound of it breaking.
- Paris Review – The Art of Poetry No. 95, Frederick Seidel

This statement from the Counselling Services Unit (CSU) draws attention to and requests solidarity to protest police abuse of power and harassment:

Fidelis Mudimu, Zachariah Godi and Tafadzwa Geza have just spent their third night in the police cells, two in Harare Central and last night in Bulawayo Central Police Station, after an unwarranted transfer to Bulawayo. They were transported on the back of an open pick up truck, registration ACD 6377, with no protection from the sun, despite the temperature reaching 33 degrees in Harare. They were then moved to Bulawayo from Kwekwe in a twin cab ABI 3608 and arrived at 18h00. They were not interviewed by the police, but immediately detained in the police cells on a detention order which had been prepared in Harare.

The following facts of the arbitrary raid and arrest and detention need highlighting.

Counselling Services Unit is a lawfully registered medical clinic providing non-partisan counselling and referral to all victims of trauma.

On Monday 5 November, the clinic was threatened with violence and normal services were disrupted by the invasion of the clinic by 12 uniformed and non-uniformed police officers, including members of the Bomb Disposal Squad and an Information Technology expert. The clinic was surrounded by armed riot police who threatened to fire tear gas into the building, which is also occupied by other tenants. Patients awaiting services were left unattended for 4 hours while the police demanded and forcibly accessed confidential medical records. They removed a computer which contains confidential client information and client records. No further booked patients were able to enter the building to receive treatment.

Counselling Services Unit adheres to the Environmental Compliance requirements for health facilities, following the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health. The guidelines require separation of cleaning materials for areas of ablution and areas of food storage and preparation. The cleaning utensils are clearly marked using spray paint, and the paint is stored on the premises in the work area of the janitor. It is not hidden or stored secretively and was purchased in July 2012. CSU have handed the receipts of purchase of three 250ml cans of spray paint from the local hardware store to the police. The police fixated on the finding of this paint and refused to listen to any explanation. With no further investigations, 5 staff members were arbitrarily arrested and transported to Harare Central Police station for further questioning. 2 staff members were released 2 hours later, and 3 have been detained since then with no warned and cautioned statement and no indication of charges. The removal of the 3 staff to Bulawayo after the required time for a court appearance and the further detention order with no defined charges or substantive evidence of illegal activities constitutes serious and illegal harassment.

Counselling Services Unit is deeply concerned about the protracted course of this situation and the non-adherence to the law by the arresting officers. CSU is concerned about the safety of Fidelis Mudimu, Zachariah Godi and Tafadzwa Geza.

We would request solidarity and protest on the following fundamental issues of this series of events:

1. Disruption of medical services to victims of trauma, and the unwarranted terrorisation of patients awaiting services
2. The illegal access to confidential patient medical records
3. The unwarranted deployment of armed riot police to the offices creating alarm and fear to the other tenants of the building and surrounds
4. The illegal removal of a computer, which is not covered in the search warrant which stated a “search for material likely to deface any house, building, wall, fence, lamp post, gate or elevator without the consent of the owner or occupier thereof”.
5. The removal of confidential medical and legal records without permission of the patients to whom they pertain.
6. The arbitrary selection of staff for arrest with no concrete evidence of any crime having been committed, particularly in Bulawayo where CSU has no clinic.
7. The illegal detention and transfer of senior staff to Bulawayo without formal charges, and exceeding the time limit for appearance before a magistrate with formal charges.

Work in and for Zimbabwe. Help grow our nation. Check out the vacancies below. If you’d like to receive this sort of information, as well as civic and human rights updates, by email each week drop us a note saying “subscribe” to info [at] kubatana [dot] net

Please note that the job vacancies we carry are related to the NGO and civil society sectors only.

Field Officer: Local NGO
Deadline: 16 November 2012

Location: Mashonaland West Province (Kariba)

A local Non Governmental Organisation is looking for a mature individual to fill in the following position that has arisen within the organisation. The position is for seven months starting in January 2013 and ending on 31 July 2013.

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities
-Mobilize communities and beneficiaries
-Offer extension for both livestock and crops to project beneficiaries
-Organize field days for both crops and livestock
-Manage and offer technical advice to demonstration plots for crops and livestock
-Monitor the distribution process at participating agro-dealers
-Collect vouchers from agro-dealers for payment by FAO
-Organize and run small livestock fairs
-Coordinate and liaise with Agritex, Department of Veterinary Services and Department of Livestock Development and Production
-Produce weekly reports
-Consolidate weekly reports into monthly reports to be submitted to head office

Qualifications and Experience
-Diploma in Agriculture or equivalent
-At least 2 years experience in a similar or related position
-Good communication skills and ability to mix with people from different backgrounds is a distinct advantage
-Clean class 3 driver’s license
-Experience in organizing small livestock fairs
-Good report writing skills

Email applications and CV’s to: matenda [at] fctz [dot] org [dot] zw

Child Protection Specialist: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Deadline: 30 November 2012

Vacancy Notice No. 2012:30
NO-C Level, Fixed Term position
Based in Harare
For Zimbabwe Nationals only

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 60 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.

Purpose of the post
A unique opportunity has arisen for a qualified and experienced individual who will have ample scope to directly impact women’s and children’s rights in Zimbabwe The successful candidate will be reporting to the Child Protection Specialist and accountable for effective engagement in child sensitive social protection policy and programme dialogue with the Government including the development of a social protection policy framework that is child and HIV/AIDS sensitive. This also includes implementing a national child-sensitive social protection programme of social cash transfers to the poorest and most vulnerable children and households.

Key activities/ result areas for this post include
-Effective implementation of the NAP II / Child Protection Fund (CPF) monitoring and evaluation framework in line with agreed targets and timeframes.
-Ongoing, established positive liaison with the Department of Social Services (DSS) on the implementation of the NAP II / CPF, including coordination structures.
-Monitoring state budget resources for child and social protection.
-Ensuring the NAP II / CPF communication strategy is regularly updated and implemented.
-Routine output monitoring conducted linked to the NAP II / CPF activities.
-Regularly collate, analyse and present data on the reach and impact of the NAP II/CPF on children and families for UNICEF and other stakeholders.
-Support Government to implement a national case management system linked to the delivery of social cash transfers to ensure children affected by violence; exploitation and abuse receive timely and quality support and care services.
-Other activities related to child and social protection programming and policy advise as needed.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience Required
-Advanced University Degree in Social Sciences, law, child development or a related field.
-At least five years of professional work experience in the UN or other international development organization/ private sector, national government.
-Demonstrated analytical ability, and the capacity to develop strategies while working under pressure.
-Specific programming expertise related to child and/or social protection an asset.
-Demonstrable project management and coordination skills.
-Well – developed communication skills (oral and written).

If you have experience of working in a similar capacity, meet the above profile and want to make an active and lasting contribution to build a better world for children, send your application letter together with resume quoting vacancy notice number to the following address.

Human Resources Manager
(Vacancy Notice No. 30: Zim-2012)
UNICEF, 6 Fairbridge Avenue,
P O Box 1250
Belgravia, Harare

Or email: hararevacancies [at] unicef [dot] org

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff. Well-qualified candidates, particularly women are especially encouraged to apply.