Mayor jailed for US$460 theft, reads today’s Herald headline. The Mayor of Bindura has been jailed for six months for stealing $460 from Bindura. That’s right. One more time. 6 months in jail. For stealing Four Hundred Sixty Dollars.

If you read on, it sounds like actually she’s returned $250 , and her sentence was shortened on the condition she returns the outstanding $210 – so, in exchange for no money at all in her own pocket in the long run, she’ll be serving six months in jail.

It’s worth noting that the Bindura mayor, Ivory Matanhire, got into office on an MDC-T ticket.

On the one hand, it’s great if Zimbabwe’s courts are finally taking corruption seriously. Certainly, jailing a mayor over a bit of misappropriated travel funds sends a message that your position doesn’t protect you from prosecution. Unfortunately, it’s really hard not to feel like it’s just a bit of political posturing.

Just last week, Khadija Sharife, writing for 100 Reporters, exposed worrying allegations on the theft of billions of dollars from Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields. A research paper released by Transparency International – Zimbabwe in January shared concerns about theft from Zimbabwe’s gold, diamond and platinum mines.  A 2012 report by the Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa reviews a list of outstanding corruption cases which have not been prosecuted or taken seriously.

Every day, members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police engage in roadblocks which Zimbabweans have taken to calling ATMs – They’re more about the ZRP getting money for their pockets then they are about policing our streets or ensuring road safety.

Unfortunately, in a context like this, the message from the Bindura Magistrate who sentenced Mayor Matanhire isn’t so much “don’t steal public funds or you’ll go to jail.” It’s more like “unless you know the right people, don’t steal public funds or you’ll go to jail.”

As the nation gears up for a constitutional referendum, approximately seven in every ten people claim to have heard about the COPA process and 59% claim to be aware of the draft Constitution of Zimbabwe published in July 2012. The figure drops to 30% of adult Zimbabweans reported to have heard about the Second National All-Stakeholders’ Conference.

The Mass Public Opinion Institute revealed these results yesterday at a dissemination meeting on the State of the Economy and People’s Survival Strategies survey. The survey covered the period from 2009 to 2012 and had a national sample size of 1200 randomly selected participants, above 18 years of age.

Politics still dominate the economic turn-around of the country. The survey revealed that 16% of people interviewed think the Inclusive Government should seek external aid and create a more conducive environment for investment. According to public opinion, state organs and institutions were performing badly regarding the Global Peace Agreement. A majority (57%) of the respondents were not in favour of increasing the term of office for the Inclusive Government. The survey data shows the general impression that Zimbabweans will vote YES in the referendum but a substantial proportion said they do not know how they will vote since some claim not to have ever heard about the draft Constitution and the COPAC process.

Perceptions on the death penalty in Zimbabwe show a contrasting view to that published in the COPAC report. The MPOI survey shows 53 % of people interviewed to be in support of the abolishment of the death penalty. The support mainly came from female respondents.

On the issue of national elections this year, Zimbabweans of voting age feel the nation is ready to hold the election. Only a small portion (25%) disagrees as compared to 68% who are in favor of elections this year. Much emphasis on the need to engage international observers from SADC, EU and UN was suggested to ensure free and fair elections. The survey projected a closely fought race between ZANU PF and MDC-T with the latter still commanding a large support base in urban areas, especially among the male electorate.

On the economic state of the nation, 58% of the people interviewed felt that availability of consumer goods had become better over a period of one year but 59% of the urban respondents lamented the worsening employment crisis. The multi-currency system adopted by the nation continues to receive nationwide support with 68% supporting the dollarization of the economy.

The survey also noted high incidences of poverty as 61% of Zimbabweans indicated that they have sometimes gone without clean water, 62% say that they have not had enough to eat, and 70% lacking adequate medicine.

The source of income for many Zimbabweans is still agriculture with a few depending on a regular salary. Others have engaged in income generating activities like cross border trading.

Tafadzwa Sharaunga writing for Kalabash shares his experience of queuing for water.

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Dead in the middle of the rainy season water shortages have ravaged the southwestern high-density suburbs of Harare, with neighborhoods such as Glen-View and Glen-Norah going for days without running tap water.

After an infamous five-day spell without running water I decided to go to the nearest watering hole. My brother and I arrived at the borehole at 11:22 pm. To our surprise it was heavily occupied (mostly by teenagers who were using ‘fetching water’ for mischievous activities).

Yielding to the challenge presented to us by the long, winding queue we decided to go home and return during the graveyard shift starting at 3:00 am. We trotted home like donkeys after a long day’s work, thirsty and tired as ever.  I woke up at 3:45 am and my brother was in a deep sleep. I tried to wake him up to no avail, off into the night alone it was. Eager to get some water as fast as possible my pace increased by the second, approaching the corner loud chatting became audible.

“Ndiani uyo urikuenda kupi manheru akadai?” Numb for a moment, they quickly noticed the bucket in my hand. The lady said ‘’Aah arikuenda ku borehole!’’

‘’You are lucky.’’ one of the guys shouted.

Arriving at the water point all I could think of was how all these women had gotten here, that scare was enough to deter anyone who is thirsty from going to fetch water at night. It was dark and there were about 30 women. I counted only five men, myself included. As the complexion of the night got lighter so did the mood amongst us, the queue grew longer and the talk louder. Jokes about poverty and how the people in the city council should get a feel of the system they run. The dominant fear of being out and unprotected at night was ever so present among the women as they kept referring to the darkness and its uncertainty.

Two men emerged from that darkness, one tall and the other medium height. They had placed their buckets in line and started trading political campaign stories. How they campaigned for a certain MP but forgot to vote for him when elections came. One of them sounded sad saying how it would have been good had they spent energy doing something for the benefit of the community rather than their selfish interests.

As the sun came out of its resting place the 100-metre queue came into full view. Almost time to go to work but I had no water to bath with so I waited in line for three more hours until it was my turn.

I was not the only person going to work that morning. I realized that after we have dressed to go to work it’s not visible who has slept at the borehole or in the luxury of a King or Queen size bed. We have become the ultimate masters of disguise: instead of telling our story we choose to stifle it and betray our own confidence.

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

Northern Regional Case Management Coordinator: World Education Inc
Deadline: 25 February 2013

Background to the Position
World Education Inc has been selected to work with the Ministry of Labour and Social Services (MoLSS) under the thematic area of National case management system development and practice .The overall purpose of this thematic area is to review and update the current national case management system together with MoLSS, Department of Social Services (DSS) and deliver innovative community based services nationally, that ensures that children and families who are identified as vulnerable are supported within a continuum of care. The program will be implemented within the ten cash transfer districts of Epworth, Goromonzi, Rushinga, Makoni, Kariba,  Zvishavane, Bulawayo Urban, Umguza, Chivi and Mangwe.The posts will be based in Harare with frequent travel to  the mentioned districts

Job Summary
Reporting to the Project Manager, the main role of the NR  Coordinator is to oversee the implementation of the Case management project in 6 districts. The NR coordinator will support the case management officers and DSS offices to implement the case management system in their respective district.

The NR Coordinator will assume the following responsibilities:

Key Functions of the post
-Oversee the Implementation of the National case management system project in their regions
-Design and develop case management tools for the project
-Coordinate and support activities of Case Management Officers
-Coordinate and spearhead the development of appropriate child protection tools, and share with CMOs
-Train, mentor and supervise Case management Officers and DSSOs
-Write monthly, Quarterly, annual progress reports using district feedback and reports
-Network and represent WEI at various child protection forums/stakeholders meetings
-Technical backstopping for consultants on delivery based contracts/grants.

Applicants are encouraged to meet the following criteria
-Primary university degree in Social Work
-Good Presentation skills
-Excellent communication skills
-At least 4 years experience working with vulnerable people and one year must be at middle management level supervising people
-Ability to work with little or no supervision
-Results oriented and able to work under pressure
-Knowledge of capacity building initiatives
-Experience working within a multi stakeholder project

Applicants with the relevant experience are encouraged to apply to recruitment@worlded.co.zw

Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Via blackcontemporaryart.com

Committee of the Peoples Charter (CPC) Press Statement on Proposed Government Exit Packages:

‘Say No to the Inclusive Government’s Politics of the Belly’

Issue Date: February 08 2013

The Committee of the Peoples Charter (CPC) is gravely disappointed with the departure lounge intentions of the inclusive government’s ministers and the current Parliament to award themselves ‘exit’ packages in the form of luxury vehicles and houses, as reported in the February 8-14 edition of the Zimbabwe Independent. Such an intention is grossly hypocritical as well as thoroughly unjustified and undeserved.

In a year where the country is facing a major drought as well as deplorable social services where there is lack of clean drinking water, affordable health care and a crisis in our education system, awarding these policy makers these ridiculous exit packages would be the height of political insensitivity.

These leaders would do well to be reminded that being in government is a service to the people of Zimbabwe and not a mechanism through which they must seek to enrich themselves.  Unfortunately this latest intention is only but the latest indication of the warped thinking that informs the inclusive government where and when it comes to matters of allowances and perks for its officials.

Against better advice, the inclusive government has over the last four years had a ridiculously high foreign travel bill, a penchant for purchasing luxury vehicles for ministers and their deputies while simultaneously claiming that the country has a mere US$217,00 in its bank account. That MPs and ministers now want ‘exit packages’  is akin to severance packages in a country where unemployment is reportedly as high as 80%, can only be viewed as a demonstration of utter contempt for the suffering of the ordinary people.

The CPC strongly advises the inclusive government and parliament to show contrition and sensitivity to the people that elected them into office by not seeking to loot the national purse for personal aggrandizement.

Zimbabwe is neither their personal tuck-shop nor theirs to treat as an ‘endgame takes all you can’ country.  Where the inclusive government decides to proceed with dishing out exit packages to itself, the CPC shall mobilize all Zimbabweans against such extravagance.