Gokwe councillor in court for printing counterfeit council receipt book

A ZANU PF Gokwe councillor has been dragged to court on allegations of printing counterfeit council receipt books before collecting levies from unsuspecting villagers and converting the money to his own use.

The suspect Samson Ernest Chigaba (50), who is also a headmaster at Dzvuke Primary School, last week appeared before Gokwe magistrate Christopher Maturure who granted him $100 bail and remanded the matter to November 9.

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The complainant in the matter is Gokwe South Rural District Council represented by its chairperson Zhangazha Chibwana.

Allegations are that on dates unknown to the prosecutor but in December 2015, Chigaba hatched a plan to defraud Gokwe South Rural Council by collecting levies illegally from villagers under St Hughes area in Mateta, Gokwe South.

Chigaba allegedly approached one Shepstone Chiweshe to manufacture fake Gokwe South Rural District Council invoice books in a bid to deceive villagers that the receipt books were genuine.

It is alleged Chigaba further instructed Chiweshe to inscribe his contact details and a face value of $5 which was broken down as $2,50 clinic levy, $2,25 road levy and $0,25 village head’s allowance.

Chigaba in his capacity as councillor allegedly formed a committee known as St Hughes Neighbourhood Committee which he intended to use to accomplish his plan.

The State alleges that between December 6, 2015 and December 21 last year, Chigaba went on to collect levies per household with assistance from the neighbourhood committee. He collected $715 from 143 households. Between May 9 last year and August 13 this year, Chigaba collected $2 600 from 520 villagers in Dzvuke area.

From November 4 last year to March 31 this year Chigaba allegedly collected another $475 from villagers in Manoti area. The matter was discovered by Gokwe South Rural District Council revenue collectors, leading to the recovery of some of the counterfeit receipt books.

Tineyi Tirigo appeared for the State.

NEWSDAY

Nembudzia MP Mayor Wadyajena visits Nyamuroro Primary School

Pupils at destroyed Nyamuroro Primary Photo by MP Wadyajena

Gokwe Nembudzia Member of Parliament Justice Wadyajena today visited Nyamuroro Primary after storm destroyed the school.

Property worth over $90 000 was lost to a hailstorm that destroyed the roof of a classroom block at Nyamuroro Primary School in Gokwe, Midlands Province last Friday. The hailstorm left a trail of destruction as it ripped asbestos sheets off trusses, textbooks, exercise books, chalks, and furniture among other items, leaving about 300 pupils having lessons in the open.

In an interview, Nyamuroro headmistress Mrs Emah Kupfuwa said the incident occurred just after pupils had been dismissed.

 

 

“A strong wind came and blew off a classroom block. The whole roof was blown away, textbooks and exercise books were also destroyed by the showers that accompanied the strong wind. The books got wet and are no longer usable. We are now conducting our lessons under a tree, while other classes share with those that were not affected. Lessons are being conducted with no books or chalks because all that was destroyed. The estimated cost of the damage is about $90 000 and we are appealing to well-wishers to assist us because the situation is bad. Six classes have been affected and given the coming of the rain season, it is a cause for concern,” she said.

Mrs Kupfuwa said learning under a tree presented a challenge in that teachers were not using the chalkboard as a teaching aid, coupled by the fact that pupils had no books. School Development Committee chairperson Mr Knowledge Matare said the situation would have been worse if the hailstorm had struck while pupils were in the building.

“We thank God the children had just left for their respective homes. We could be talking of a more dire situation because the hailstorm was quite violent,” he said. Gokwe Nembudziya Member of Parliament Cde Justice Mayor Wadyajena pledged 5 000 exercise books to the school.

“We are making a passionate appeal to those who can assist the school. Nyamuroro is one of the most developed schools, registering high pass rates and what has happened is very unfortunate,” he said. Cde Wadyajena was speaking after touring the school. He noted that the classroom block had been condemned, hence there was need to construct a new one.

“It would be futile to repair the block since it has been condemned by the Civil Protection Unit,” said Cde Wadyajena. A parent, Mr Kudakwashe Chiherenge, said the school was built more than 50 years ago and had outlived its lifespan.

24 year old grandson impregnates 66 year old grandmother at Chief Njelele

A daring 24-year old man from Gokwe allegedly impregnated his 66-year-old grandmother. Normore Mudavanhu is the talk of the village for getting Sazini Dube, his maternal grandmother, pregnant. If the baby is born that means it will become his mother’s younger sister.

Therefore, other than being it father, the child will become his aunt or uncle. Chief Njelele in whose jurisdiction the village falls is aware of the matter. “I cannot comment much because the two have not appeared in my court. However, I have heard about the embarrassing incident,” the Chief said.

He’s not surprised because it’s not the first of such incidents from the village.

“A number of people in my area have a tendency of engaging in incestuous relationships. I have dealt with a lot of such cases and I think it’s high time I give tough penalties,” said Chief Njelele. A source who is related to the two told the press that sometime this year it was discovered that the two were having an illicit affair. “Mudavanhu would be seen in the wee hours coming from Dube’s bedroom hut. A family meeting was called and the two were told to drop their illegitimate relationship or they risked being permanently cut off from the family,” said the source.

An apology followed but Dube is now three months pregnant with her grandson’s seed.

Source-B Metro

Gokwe councillors fight over portrait

File photo: Portrait picture of President Robert Mugabe

A full council meeting at Gokwe Town Council ended prematurely last Friday as the predominantly Zanu-PF councillors traded insults over a portrait picture of President Robert Mugabe, which had gone missing from the boardroom.

Ward 5 councillor Emmanuel Mafa triggered the heated debate halfway into the meeting when he took town chairperson Ester Senga to task demanding to know who had pulled down the portrait from the boardroom walls.

Gokwe Town Council has five Zanu-PF councillors and one MDC-T councillor.

Kacheche kanonhongwa neshiri kwaMakore kuChinyenyetu

AYA ndiwo mashura ekupedzisira!
Tafadzwa Makore, kamwana kekuGokwe kane mwedzi mishanu yekuzvarwa, kanonzi kakatorwa neshiri apo kainge kakarariswa mumunda vabereki vako vachisakura, ndokubhururukwa nako mudenga kasati kadonhedzwa. Hembe yakainge kakapfeka yakaendwa nayo neshiri ikazonosiiwa yakakochekera paminzwa mumuti wemuunga.

Mashura akaitika kuChinyenyetu, kwaShe Makore, aya asiya vabereki vaTafadzwa nevemunharaunda vazere nekushamisika sezvo mwana uyu akatakurwa neshiri apo ainge arere pedyo naamai vake avo vaisakura mumunda wemapfunde ndokuzodonhedzwa ambobhururukwa naye kwechinhambwe chemamita angaita 100.

Mumiriri weGokwe Nembudziya mudare reNational Assembly, Cde Justice Mayor Wadyajena, vakatsinhira nyaya iyi, iyo yakaitika kwaSabhuku Makore vachiti yakavashamisa zvikuru.

“Kune zvakawanda zvinoitika kunharaunda yangu, mwana akatorwa nekashiri kadiki, kune zvimwe zvakawanda,” vakadaro Cde Wadyajena.
Mukubuda kwenyaya iyi, zvinonzi mwana uyu svondo rapera akatakurwa nekashiri kaduku kachishandisa makumbo ako ndokuendwa naye mudenga.

Chiri kushamisa veruzhinji uku ndechekuti mwana uyu, uyo anogona kurema makgs mashanu, akatakurwa sei nekashiri kadiki ako kanonzi ndekerudzi rwenjiyo kana kuti jirochiro.
Njiyo yakada kuita senhengure asi iri diki pane njiva.

Njiyo iyi inonzi yakabhururuka naTafadzwa chinhambwe chingaite mamita 50 kubva pasi kuenda mudenga ndokuzobhururuka zvakare naye kwemamita isati yamudonhedzera pasi.

Shiri iyi inonzi yakambosara nehembe yainge yakapfekwa naTafadzwa ndokuzoidonhedzera mumuti wemuunga uri chinhambwe chipfupi kubva pamunda.

Pakashanyirwa nzvimbo iyi neKwayedza nemusi weChishanu svondo rapera, vatori venhau vakawana kahembe kemwana uyu kachiri mumuti makakasiiwa umu.

Baba naamai vemwana uyu, Cosmas Makore Kuyana (26) naBarbra Nzou (22) havana nguva yakareba vawanana.
Barbra anoti mwana uyu akatorwa neshiri apo iye aisakura mumunda.
“Ndaisakura ndakamufukidza neamburera apo kwakaita yainge mhepo yaiva nesimba.

‘‘Pandakada kutarisa amburera yandainge ndakamufukidza nayo zuva ndichiti zvimwe ingapupurutswe, ndipo pandakaona shiri iyi yatova nemwana mudenga, akatarisa pasi iyo yakamubata nekumusana, yatova mudenga nepamusoro pemiti.

“Ndakatanga kuchema ndichitevera shiri iyi nepasi ndichishevedzera kune vamwe vaisakura mumunda uri padyo newedu. Shiri yaiva yerudzi rwenjiyo iyo yakangofanana nenhengure.

“Yakazorega mwana uyu apo yakasara yakabata jaketi rake, mwana ndokusvikorovera pasi ndikati mwana wangu afa,” akadaro Barbra.
Anoti paakasvika pamwana uyu, akasvikomuwana akatibikira nekumeso ndokumusimudza akaona akazara mavhu kumeso nekudumbu asi asina maronda.

“Ndakanhonga mwana ndokushamiswa zvikuru kuwana asina kana vanga, aitonyemwerera. Ndakamubvisa mavhu apo vavakidzani vepamunda wangu vakauyawo kuzozvionera.

‘‘Murume wangu naamwene vangu vakazouyawo mushure mechinguvana apo vakaudzwa ndokusvikoona mashura aya tese,” akadaro.
Mudzimai uyu anoti shiri iyi yakaenda nejaketi remwana wake ndokusvikotanga kuchema ichitenderera pamusoro pemiti yaiva mudhunduru pamunda uyu ndokuzoridonhedzera mumuunga.

“Inini naamai vepamunda wakavambirana newedu, Mai Emily Majiya (42), murume wangu, naamwene vangu Easther Kuyana (62) takavhundutswa zvikuru ndokutevera kwaiva kwaenda neshiri iyi ndokunoona jaketi remwana riri mumuti umo takasiya ririmo.
‘‘Takazoenda nemwana kumasowe uko akatanga kubatsirwa kusvika izvozvi,” akadaro Barbra.

 

Anoti jaketi iri rakaitirwa munamato kumasowe uku uye rakanzi rimbosiiwa riri mumuti umu.
Barbra, uyo akawanikwa ari kumasowe, anoti iye nemurume wake vave kutya kudzokera kumunda kwavo.

“Ndakamboita dambudziko apo ndaiva nenhumbu yemwana uyu, yaiomarara kuita sendaiva ndakaiswa matombo mudumbu asi ndakasununguka zvakanaka.”

Barbra anoti mwana uyu ndewechipiri kubva pane mumwe mukuru waakaita nemumwewo murume waaimbova naye kare asati aroorwa naCosmas.

Cosmas anotiwo ave kugara achitya.
“Chinonyanya kundityisa ndechekuti mwana uyu asati atorwa neshiri, kune imwewo shiri yakangofanana naiyoyi, iyo yakambopinda mumba maiva navadzimai vangu nemwana ndokuguma yava mubhegi rembatya dzemwana. Yakazotora vhesi remwana iro yakaenda naro ndokunorisiya pachisuvi chehozi, ichibva yaenda,” akadaro.

Anotizve mudzimai wake akamboonawo mupurwa uchiyamwa mombe yemudanga mavo, inova nyaya yavanoti yakanga yamboporofitwa kuchechi kwavo.

Asi kune dzimwe nzvimbo, mupurwa unozivikanwa nekuyamwa mombe izvo zvinoita kuti vamwe vaudaidze kuti “gama mombe”.
“Kunze kwemupurwa, vadzimai vangu vakamboona mbeva kumba kwedu iyo vakatandanisa asi yaireba muswe ichitiza,” akadaro.

Cosmas anoti chimwe chinovashamisa ndechekuti mwana uyu kana varere usiku ari pakati pavo anosandudzira amai vake nemakumbo kubva pamubhedha vachiwira pasi.

Mhuri iyi yave kugara kusowe reEsnai rinotungamirirwa naMadzibaba Masimba Machaka (25) uko vakanopotera.
Barbra anonzi akamboita bofu kwemazuva nguva pfupi yadarika akazonamatirwa ndokutanga kuona zvekare.

“Matambudziko edu awanda, mudzimai wangu akamboita bofu zvatisina kunzwisisa, zvino apa mwana ave kutakurwa nekashiri.”
Anoti nemusi weChina chadarika vakaona zvakare nyoka inotyisa mumba mavo, iyo yavanofungira kuti indara asi vakazoiuraya.

Mumwe wevakaona mwana uyu achitakurwa neshiri, Mai Majiya, vanoti kana kudzokerawo kumunda kwavo vave kutya.
“Ndaiva mumunda mangu apo ndakanzwa vachichema vachiti ‘mwana wangu kani aenda neshiri’. Ndakamhanya nemwana wangu ndokunoona mashura aya,” vakadaro.

Zvakadaro, Ishe Makore, VaSolomon Makore, vanoti vari kuronga kutsvaga maporofita ekuti abatsire panyaya iyi pamwe chete nekuchenura dunhu ravo.

Muporofita ari kubatsira mhuri iyi, Madzibaba Machaka (25), anoti mwana uyu haana kutakurwa neshiri chaiyo asi kuti aya mabasa ehuroyi.
“Izvi zvaingova mumaziso aamai vemwana uyu chete nevamwe, yaisava shiri asi mhando dzemishonga yekunze kana chidhoma.
‘‘Hazvina dambudziko, anorarama zvake mwana uyu nemuteuro wedu,” akadaro muporofita uyu.
Anoti mhuri iyi yakataurirwa kare pamweya kuti yainge yakatarisana nerufu pamusha payo.

“Zvose zvakazoitika kumwana uyu nezvekuita bofu kwaamai ava, kuona mupurwa waiyamwa mombe, zvembeva yaireba muswe nezvimwe zvakanga zvakataurwa kare nemweya,” akadaro.

Madzibaba Canaan Goodzi (53), avo vanova musadare pakereke iyi, vanoti vari kugara vachienda sechechi kunoita munamato kumba kwemhuri iyi.

Mumwe mudzimai wepasowe iri, Memory Nzou (28), anoti nyaya iyi inotyisa zvikuru.
Never Makore (47), mukoma wababa vemwana wekutorwa neshiri, anoti vakazoshevedzwa nyaya iyi yaitika.

“Ichi chiitiko chekutanga mumhuri medu. Tiri vakomana vasere nemusikana mumwe chete, baba vedu vakafa tasara naamai uye tiri kunzwa kutya kukuru,” akadaro. Vamwene vaBarbra, Mai Kuyana, vanoti vashaya zano nenyaya iyi. “Handichaziva kwekutarisa, ndakavhundutswa zvikuru.”

Tinashe Kuyana (31), mukoma waCosmas zvakare, anoti anofungira kuti aya mabasa ehuroyi ari kuitwa nevehukama.
“Tapera kufa pasina kurwara, pane imwe nhamo pakatomborwiwa tichinangana huroyi,” akadaro Tinashe.

KWAEDZA

Sanyati Growth point turned into magirosa

It used be one of the developed rural service centres in the country boasting a thriving estate, cotton ginnery and growing housing sector.

Sanyati Growth Point was a model for many areas in Mashonaland West in the late 1990s.

Back then Sanyati district produced the best cotton crop.

Supported by a thriving retail sector, Sanyati Growth Point became a shining example of rural development in Zimbabwe.

A growth point that did not only boast public service offices, Sanyati also had a thriving agro-based industry.

Sanyati was well connected to Kadoma by wide tarred road.

A decade later the growth point has fizzled out.

That tarred road is now a pothole-riddled strip – very difficult to navigate.

The road is now a sheer test of driving patience and has not been properly maintained, thereby heavily affecting the flow of traffic to the town and farther to Gokwe.

The present economics of cotton production have threatened to leave the once fast growing service centre a ghost town.

Most of the shops have been closed while a few still open are virtually empty.

Business is slowly grinding to a halt. Some buildings are now white elephants with broken windows and doors common. No one makes enough anymore to make their businesses viable.

There is no redevelopment plan in sight.

The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) Sanyati Estate and the Cottco ginnery that used to be biggest employers ground to halt leaving thousands jobless and scavenging for food.

Factories and processing yards are quiet. The current economic situation has taken a toll on the growth point and instead of pulling people it is actually pushing residents away.

Member of Parliament for Sanyati Cde Blessed Runesu Geza said the closure of ARDA Sanyati and recently the Cottco depot at Sanyati Growth Point is a serious drawback to development in the entire district.

The two companies were the constituency’s main employers.

“The closure of ARDA and lately of Cottco has made life difficult for many people in the district.

“Apart from full-time workers and their families thousands were employed as casual labour and would get some income from the two companies once a year.

“This has stalled development in the area. If you have been to Sanyati Growth Point before, you can tell that life has changed.

“The growth point used to be a hive of activity but now is a pale shadow of its former self,” he said.

Cde Geza said shops were closing and people relocating to their rural areas.

The hope that Sanyati Estates and Cottco would be revived has faded hence they can continue living in the township.

“Shops are closing and there is very little taking place at the growth to create employment.

“Most people are now employed in the small and medium enterprises sector and cannot afford to spend anymore,” he said.

But in Sanyati constituency not all hope is lost as Cde Geza has engaged ARDA management to revive Sanyati Estates.

 

“The discussions are promising and soon we will see something happening at Sanyati Estates.

“As you might have witnessed we have pooled resources to repair the Sanyati-Kadoma Road. We got some help from Zinara and in the next few days we will complete rehabilitating the stretch from Kadoma to Sanyati Growth Point,” Cde Geza said.

Sanyati Rural District Council chairman Cde Tawanda Tachiona said the main focus at the moment was the main road to Sanyati and Kadoma.

“Our greatest problem is that we wish that the road linking us with other centres is refurbished to ensure that we have enough transport. When it was fully functional the estates used to employ more than 3 000 people, both full-time and casual, during the harvesting period.

“ARDA operations must be revived soon to ensure that people benefit. We are hearing that there are many suitors who have visited the estate but nothing tangible has materialised.

“There are no jobs; we don’t know what to do with these children. The estate had a very large piece of land that has not been utilised,” he said.

 

The estate used to grow wheat, maize cotton and beans.

A former worker with Sanyati Estates, Mr Malvern Kamukosa, said they have watched the bushes grow into a thicket and hopes of a revival are now fading.

The trees are enjoying the fertiliser and manure left in the soil and growing so fast. It is unfortunate no one seems to care.

A number of partnerships that have been entered into by ARDA and private companies have suffered a stillbirth.

“It’s a tall order. The company will have to undergo a massive bush clearance and that costs money.

“Underground water pipes and that centre pivot will need repairs.

“That could have been avoided had ARDA maintained a skeleton staff to man the estate as they looked for an investor.

“We have not been paid and there is no possibility of getting that pay soon.

 

“The company is broke and it seems those tasked with its management have no idea on what to do. I wonder why they still draw these large salaries,” he said.

He added that like many others who have left the growth point, he would gladly leave the company compound for his rural home in Mt Darwin if he had money.

Unemployment has forced many people out of compounds and the township as they can no longer pay the rents. Only a few are soldier on.

Mrs Loice Ziyambi said she had relocated to her rural home after failing to eke out a living in the growth point.

“I now rent out my house at the ARDA compound for US$20 a month while I do subsistence farming.

“I use the money to pay school fees for my two children. I just wait for the revival of the estates,” she said.

Government avails funds for Gokwe sinkhole

 Sunday News

GOVERNMENT, through the Cabinet committee on civil protection, has provided funds for the reclamation of sink-holes that continue to threaten critical infrastructure in Gokwe North and South districts, an official has said. Gokwe North district administrator Mr Fortune Mupungu told Sunday News last week that reclamation work on the sink-holes was set to start “any time from now” following the provision of funds.

 

Mr Mupungu was, however, not in a position to reveal the amount made available, but said the money was enough to successfully carry out the reclamation exercise.

Last year Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Midlands Province Cde Jason Machaya said about $500 000 was needed to reclaim the sink-holes and prevent them from destroying infrastructure in Gokwe town.

“So far we have not done anything but work on reclaiming the gullies is set to start anytime soon now that funds have been made available. We recently received communication from Government that funds for the exercise were now available.

“I’m not yet sure how much the money is but it should be enough to carry out the exercise. We are also working with other stakeholders like EMA to see how best we can correct the situation permanently. We highlighted the urgency of the matter to Government last year and we are glad that they responded positively,” he said.

Gokwe magistrates’ court building, Government complex, Zesa offices, surrounding residential area, and other buildings are under threat from four sink-holes that have emerged in the town.

One of the sink-holes has already cut into the road from Gokwe South District Hospital to Gokwe town centre, forcing council to close the road.

A team of engineers from the Ministry of Local Government Public Works and National Housing was dispatched to the cotton farming town to assess the gravity of situation.

The team came up with recommendations of a raft of measures needed to be employed to avert danger.

Mr Mupungu said Government was looking forward to working with Gokwe Town Council on reclaiming the sink-holes.

 

He said work on the sink-holes would commence as soon as the funds were secured.

Previous efforts by Gokwe Town Council to reclaim the sink-holes in 2013 proved fruitless as they have continued to grow especially during the rain season.

The ever-growing sink-holes have caused panic among Gokwe residents who fear for their lives.

People, who use buildings at Gokwe Centre, are living in constant fear that their buildings might one day be swallowed by earth owing to the sinkholes.

Mr Isaac Munemo, who runs a restaurant in Gokwe town, said: “Things seem to be getting worse and worse with each day and the fear is growing just about at the same rate as the gullies.

“Everyday you wake up thinking that you will go to work to find your property swallowed by the earth. I feel there is a need to urgently attend to this challenge before it becomes a disaster.”

His sentiments were echoed by Mrs Susan Makore, who said the sink-holes not only posed a threat to infrastructure but to human life as well.

“Imagine if one of the buildings is to collapse while people are in there. It will be a disaster. There is a need to avert the situation before it really turns into something regrettable,” she said.

Meanwhile, infrastructure, which was destroyed by floods which hit Gokwe North District last year, is yet to be rehabilitated due to a lack of funds.

The district needs more than $800 000 to rehabilitate roads, bridges and schools that were damaged by torrential rains which pounded the area in January and February last year.

A total of 11 bridges and nine schools in the district were damaged by floods last year with reports that three more bridges were swept away by floods this year.

The 11 bridges, four on major roads in the district, were completely destroyed and require reconstruction, cutting communication between the district and other parts of the province.

Sink-holes are a recurrent problem in Gokwe North and Gokwe South districts owing to the Kalahari type of soils found in the two districts.

Sink-holes are classified as a geologic hazard that can cause extensive damage to structures and roads resulting in costly repairs.

They even threaten water supplies by draining unfiltered water from streams, lakes and wetlands directly into the underground water supply.

Sink-holes can appear to have opened overnight, but the majority of them evolve over time, developing long before any surface evidence is detected.

 

Chomumvuri man died after sleeping with a married locked woman

A Gokwe man from Chomvuri village under Chief Nemangwe died after he slept with a married woman in a suspected case of Runyoka.

 

A reliable source said that WellingtonNyamuziwa who worked at a grinding mill inGokwe was in a relationship with a married woman.“Welly was in love with someone’s wife. The two have been in a relationship for quite some time without the woman’s husband knowing. Sometime in August Welly got sick. He went to the hospital and doctors said they could not find anything wrong with him”, said the source.

“He also consulted healers but none could save him. His whole body was swollen and he was complaining of severe stomach cramps. Before he died he confessed that he had slept with the woman and he thought that could be the reason for his sickness”, added the source.

It is understood that the village headman Ernest Masanzi then summoned the woman’s husband for a meeting. He asked him if he was the one who had put the deadly Runyoka on Nyamuziwa. He however, denied knowing anything concerning the matter. b metro

Snake invades house,struck dead in Nyaradza township

In a bizarre situation that may force Chief Njelele to call for another traditional Indaba to look into a witchcraft quagmire that has rocked his homeland of Gokwe, a man in his late 60s demanded the life of a snake which was killed by Nyaradza township residents in the agro-town last week.

 

The snake which was causing unrest for the residents of the mentioned suburb, was entering houses of the residents and eating their foodstuffs at night. According to Ms Sibongile Gwabe, “the snake would open basins and feed itself from our left over meals. I saw the reptile with my own eyes eating from our dish at midnight while sitting on its tail, and I was at a loss of words,” she said shaking her head.

The neighbours organised and set a trap for the troublesome reptile and surrounded it, after they sprayed paraffin on all possible ways out. The residents then hit the snake with logs before taking it outside for view by the anxious crowd, who have estimated it to be close to two metres long.

Gwabe alerted her neighbours who thronged the place in droves as they also had seen the reptile in their houses before. The fellow citizen then teamed up and killed it before burning the reptile in paraffin and plastic papers fire.

“The snake started rising in the flame, (somewhat) threatening to free itself, but we were prepared to deal with it severely, because we wanted to have peace,” said another resident who identified herself as Mai Rudo.

As if it was not enough, in the early hours of the morrow day, an old man of about 68 years visited all the neighbours who gathered to kill the reptile and threatened with death if they don’t bring life to the snake they killed the previous night.

Nyaradza Township is a middle suburb in Gokwe town, with a population of a little over 3000 people. They reported the man to their residents’ chairperson, who alerted the police. The Gokwe Police referred the issue to Chief Njelele, as they said it was was more to do with cultural repercussions, carrying no criminal element in it.

Asked to comment, Chief Misheck Njelele blamed all witchcraft issues in his area on gluttony and egocentricity. “I will have to meet with my colleagues this time to clear off all evil doers from Gokwe. We have been tarnished enough and we have had enough of these issues,” he said angrily.

Last time an owl picked a male matured dog in broad day light during a traditional meeting that was called by chief Njelele to deal with witchcraft issues, and he had to call for an urgent meeting concerning the issue.

Gokwe has in recent years been awash with witchcraft scandals that left property investors with numerous questions on whether to build or not.

– See more at: http://www.zimeye.com/furor-as-mans-snake-invades-house-struck-dead/#sthash.JVumV81S.dpuf

Poor cotton prices left Gokwe farmers in poverty

The continued fall of cotton prices on the international market has left hundreds of families in Gokwe whose lives depend on the crop wallowing in poverty. For years the country’s cotton, which became known as the white gold, has been the major source of livelihood for many families in Gokwe. However, the fall in prices on the international market over the past few years has led to many farmers migrating to sweet potatoes and other crops. The few who have been left engaging in cotton farming are living in poverty with those in contract farming now wallowing in debts after mortgaging their properties and livestock. To them, their misfortune has not been caused by low prices on the international market, but rather unfair domestic trade policies. Experts, however, say despite the low prices prevailing on the international market, the way forward lies in value addition and beneficiation. Most of the cotton produced in Zimbabwe is exported in its raw state due to the near collapse of the local textile industry which has been affected by the influx of low quality imports