Over the weekend I was in town going around hardware shops looking for price quotations for building materials. I was looking for plumbing material, which Chitungwiza Town Council failed to provide me. After visiting the Chitungwiza Town Council offices on several occasions asking them come and connect water and waste disposal pipes at my place, I was finally told to buy my own pipes and pay the connection fee.

So I went around several hardware shops asking for price quotations in town. The most surprising thing was that, of the three shops I visited they had already adjusted prices for all the products on shelves in anticipation of the pay increase which civil servants had been promised. The previous day I had checked prices for the material I wanted to buy so there I was arguing with the shop assistant over the prices. So I moved to the next shop and it was the same story. Since it a was a Saturday I had paid little attention to the news headlines in daily papers only to be reminded by the shop assistant that the story of civil servants pay increase was the headline of the day. This got me interested so I rushed to grab one of the daily papers and it was on the front page “Civil servants get salary increment”. The interest I had about the article quickly faded just a few lines into the story when I read that government’s pay increase will give a $31 rise in the basic salary of the lowest-earning employee.

The culture of adjusting prices and overcharging, which was heavily experienced during the Zimbabwe dollar era, is still part of some unscrupulous business people in this country. But this time I guess the timing to make a killing was wrong because its only $31.

The First Lady of the United States of America is currently on a six-day tour of southern Africa. She is accompanied by her family. On her trip to South Africa, she talked about women’s development and youth development. On June 22, 2011 Mrs Obama made a keynote speech at a conference of the Young African Women Leaders’ Forum, which brought together 75 women aged 16 to 30 who have leadership roles across the continent.

As part of her speech at Young African Women Leaders Forum, Mrs Obama also paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives during apartheid era. In her remarks she said:

“You can be the generation that holds your leaders accountable for open, honest government at every level, government that stamps out corruption and protects the rights of every citizen to speak freely, to worship openly, to love whomever they choose.

You can be the generation to ensure that women are no longer second-class citizens, that girls take their rightful places in our schools.

You can be the generation that stands up and says that violence against women in any form, in any place – including the home – especially the home – that isn’t just a women’s rights violation. It’s a human rights violation. And it has no place in any society”.

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In an article published in Newsday, June 20, 2011, the National Aids Council’s proposal to introduce condoms in schools to fight HIV/AIDS has triggered nationwide outrage and condemnation. Some people argue that school children should be taught to abstain from sex rather than having access to condoms as a way of combating the spread of HIV AIDS. Some people feel that this action by the National AIDS Council (NAC) will encourage children to indulge in sex at a tender age.

On June 5, 2011, The Sunday Mail published an article entitled “Boys in sex-for-favours with teachers” based on a survey which was conducted by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. In the report SAfAIDS also launched its program “Scaling up access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescents and young people” in partnership the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, and Zimbabwean civic organisations like Women’s Action Group (Wag), Padare/Enkundleni, SayWhat and Patsime Trust.

This report by the Ministry clearly shows that our school children are now sexually active at a tender age especially in high schools. By denying school children access to condoms, isn’t it a fact that these children will be more exposed to HIV/AIDS? Should we support the NAC to go ahead and distribute condoms to our children at schools?

In 1976 thousands of black school children in (Soweto) South Africa took to the streets to protest against inferior education and they demanded their right to be taught in their own language. This was a protest against an oppressive regime. Since its initiation by the Organization of African Unity, June 16 of every year is a day a day set aside to honour those who were killed and for the courage shown by the students who took part in the protests. This years commemorations are being held under the theme, “All Together for Urgent Action in Favour of – Street Children”

It’s almost thirty-five years down memory lane after the tragic events in South Africa and the African child still struggles to access basic education. The economic down turn being experienced in most African countries has resulted in more parents failing to send their children to school. Access to education is no longer a necessity but a luxury to those who can afford it. With unemployment rates at above 90% the Government of Zimbabwe introduced BEAM – the Basic Education Assistance Module to cater for children (especially orphans) from disadvantaged backgrounds at primary and secondary level but more funding is still needed to ensure that all the children at primary school can have access to free education.

The withdrawal of education grants has left students at higher institutes of learning in   a dire position. Students now live a pathetic life on campus and very few can afford two meals per day. When students try to have their voices heard most of them end up being threatened with expulsion or incarceration. Student bodies in African countries continue to be persecuted each and every time they try to show signs of discontent with government policies.

So for how long will the African child continue to cry before s/he can be heard?

A couple of weeks ago Lungile Mathe was dethroned as Miss Tourism Zimbabwe (Miss Personality). This happened before she could receive her prize money, a car as well as other extras for scooping the top position in the beauty contest. The dethronement came after reports in the press that our beauty queen was offering sex in exchange for money. Whether this was true as reported in the press, or not, I believe the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) boss should have at least made some time to investigate the issue and consult his boss, the Minister of Tourism, before sending a text message firing Lungile.  Mr Kaseke went on to label the queen “a woman of loose morals” something, which I think, was harsh and unprofessional.

When all this hearsay drama was happening the Minister of Tourism was overseas trying to sell the Zimbabwe brand. When he came back the whole issue took a new twist with the Minister telling Mr Kaseke to reinstate the beauty queen and apologise to her and the nation. In the Sunday Mail of June 13 2011, Mr Kaseke said they are now thinking of giving back Lungile her title. But is it going to do any good to the model, the country and even the Miss Tourism as a brand?

One thing the Minister should do is whip his subordinate into line because since the event was a national event one should not wake up and grab a phone texting dismissal messages. Since the tables have turned the ZTA boss is now eating his words.

Yes its coming!

To all you men out there who have been forcing their women to pop those pills before having it, now its your turn to be blamed for being irresponsible when your wife tells you that she is now expecting.  Every time when you hear a couple talking about family planning its always the women’s responsibility to make sure that she doesn’t fall pregnant unexpectedly.

According to MyBirthControlStore.com “a study has showed that male contraceptive will be based on a non-steroidal hormonal medical therapy that will be known as selective androgen receptor modulator. Dr. James Dalton at AAPS, the lead researches has expressed his views on the new male contraceptive development as “the most successful lab research on male birth control pills so far with complete safety and reversibly inhibited fertility with no side effects”.

Clinical trials have already begun in some US and UK labs.

Two UK based doctors, Nnaemeka Amobi and Christopher Smith of King’s College, have spent more than 12 years researching the developing of male birth control pills and they have designed the concept of “dry orgasm pill”. As the name suggests, this kind of pill will be required to take 2 hours prior to sex. It would “dry-up” the male semen without making any changes in orgasm.

While this drug is still on trial it has successfully worked on monkeys. After reading the last part of that research where it talks about “drying up of semen” I almost panicked because of the fear that maybe it wont be reversible. This will be very interesting seeing men in a clinic or pharmacy queuing for their family planning pills and being reminded by your wife at home to take your pills.

Seems like there isn’t a way out anymore guys, it’s now a shared responsibility.