BOMOABOMOA NCHINI ZIMBABWE (Settlement demolished ahead of Mugabe return)

Zimbabwe-

Harare City Council on Thursday demolished more than 15 houses and cottages along Airport Road ahead of President Robert Mugabe’s return on Friday from Asia, after the veteran ruler had long expressed his disquiet over the settlement.

Last year, Mugabe ordered that settlers along Airport Road should be removed, as they were an eyesore and painted a bad picture about the country and yesterday’s demolitions were conspicuous as they came a day before his return from his month-long holiday.

Though, Harare South MP and Harare Zanu PF commissar Shadreck Mashayamombe was not immediately available for comment on the matter, council spokesperson Michael Chideme said the demolitions were in line with Zimbabwe’s brand.

“It’s a national response to brand Zimbabwe,” he said.

“Those houses were wrongly sited. We can’t have houses close to the airport and along the major gateway to Zimbabwe.”

Mugabe last year quizzed Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere and his Transport counterpart Joram Gumbo over the existence of the illegal settlement during the official opening of the Airport Road.

He said the settlement tarnished the image of the country.

What remains of houses in Budiriro 4 after they were demolished by the Harare City Council on August 12.

“What is that being seen from here? You cannot do that because visitors pass through here. People settled here should leave,” Mugabe said about the houses then.

Victims openly wept during the demolitions and expressing anger at Zanu PF for misleading them.

It emerged that several senior party officials were involved in the settlement and had tried to assure the victims that their houses would not be demolished.

One of the affected houses belonged to a Nigerian national, who said he had engaged government on the matter only last week.

“We engaged government on the matter and we were told by a senior official that they were only reading about the demolitions in the newspapers. They came without giving us notices,” he said without naming the said government official.

A Zanu PF official who declined to be named said: “The President said the houses should be demolished and we are following an order from the highest office. In Zanu PF we take orders from our superiors.”

Several people were seen driving their posh cars into the settlement to cart their furniture away to unknown destinations.

More than 1 000 houses have so far been demolished in Harare as the city strives to get rid of illegal settlements.

Meanwhile, Mugabe flies back home on Friday and walks directly into a raging inferno as his administration teeters on the brink due to Zanu PF internal fights.

While the President’s spokesperson, George Charamba, could not be reached for comment, Transport minister Gumbo unwittingly disclosed that Mugabe would arrive today.

“We are aware that you do not have a board,” he said at a familiarisation tour of the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe offices at the airport, “but I can assure you that, with His Excellency the President (Mugabe) arriving tomorrow (today), soon we should be able to announce a new board for you.”

Mugabe’s government has virtually defaulted on its promise to pay civil servants bonuses, leaving the veteran leader with egg on his face after his declaration last April that government would have to pay because a bonus was “a right”.

Early this week, Public Service minister Prisca Mupfumira said that government remained committed to paying civil servants bonuses, but was unsure when they money would be made available.(Newsday)

DR. SHING'OMA: WOMEN SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SCREENING OPPORTUNITIES!

Dr. Pilly Shing’oma (Picha na Friday Simbaya)

TANZANIAN women have been urged to take advantage of screening opportunities, recognizing the signs of cervical cancer, and seeking health care without delay.

The Focal Person- Iringa Referral Hospital for Cervical Cancer Prevention Program, Dr. Pilly Shing’oma made an announcement on Friday during an exclusive interview with the Guardian on Sunday. 

She said that the country is reported to have the highest number of cervical cancer cases in East Africa, which is why women should take up advantage of screening opportunities.

"Screening" means looking for a disease in people who do not have any signs or symptoms of that disease. Cervical cancer screening can be done with a Papanicolaou (Pap) test and/or a test for human papillomavirus (HPV). The Pap test looks for conditions or tumors that may lead to cervical cancer,” Dr. Shing’oma said. 

Dr. Shing’oma said that Iringa Municipal Council health providers in collaboration with Jhpiego cervical cancer prevention program carried out a cervical cancer mass screening free of charge to Iringa women which started on 18th and ended on 21st January this year. 

She said that 385 women in Iringa Municipal Council who were diagnosed, and 23 out of them tested VIA positive and treated immediately.

She noted that during the mass screening reached also for 21 women prisoners from one of the Iringa Prisons where among the 385 women diagnosed. 

She said that mass screening centers were setup in three places to carry out the exercise as well as Iringa Referral Hospital, Neema Crafts and University of Iringa.

Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) is a recognized alternative to the cytology-based model of cervical cancer prevention services and involves visual inspection of the cervix after application of acetic acid, followed by immediate treatment. 

The team of health providers in Iringa Municipal Council has carried out a four day cervical cancer mass screening by using Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) methodology which is the “Single Visit Approach (SVA),” championed by Jhpiego.

The naked-eye visual inspection of the cervix with acetic-acid wash (VIA) is an alternative to cytology in screening for cervical cancer in poorly resourced locations. 

The cervical cancer is both preventable and treatable; but many women do not have access to health services due to limited resources in many screening, prevention and treatment into existing health system structures. 

During these tests, a sample is taken from the cervix, tested, and looked at under a cervicoscopy and it is usually not painful, and the targeted age group was 30-50 who are at high risk of getting HPV infections.

Although the program was carried out free of charge the turnout in Iringa town was recorded very low that was due to lack of knowledge and skills of women to protect themselves against cervical cancer. 

Tanzanian women must be empowered with knowledge and skills to protect themselves against cervical cancer. 

Suggestions for improving outcomes include changing high-risk behavior, taking advantage of screening opportunities, recognizing the signs of cervical cancer, and seeking health care without delay. 

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide, with 500,000 new cases and 250,000 deaths reported each year. 

Approximately 80% of cases occur in developing countries including Tanzania, where more than 95% of women have never had a Pap test. 

Many of these cases can be avoided through early screening and treatment, and now also through vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that can lead to cervical cancer.

How do people get HPV?

HPV is a sexually-transmitted infection. In most cases a person will become infected after having vaginal and/or anal sex.

Men and women can also become infected through oral and other sex play.

In many cases a person will not realize they are infected, and can still have HPV years after coming into contact with an infected person.

In very rare cases a pregnant woman can pass HPV to her baby during delivery.

In these cases a child can develop recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), a rare condition where warts grow in the throat.

Most cervical cancer is caused by a virus called human papillomavirus, or HPV. You can get HPV by having sexual contact with someone who has it. 

There are many types of the HPV virus. Not all types of HPV cause cervical cancer. Some of them cause genital warts, but other types may not cause any symptoms.

Most adults have been infected with HPV at some time. An infection may go away on its own. But sometimes it can cause genital warts or lead to cervical cancer.

That's why it's important for women to have regular Pap tests. A Pap test can find changes in cervical cells before they turn into cancer. If you treat these cell changes, you may prevent cervical cancer.

Abnormal cervical cell changes rarely cause symptoms. But you may have symptoms if those cell changes grow into cervical cancer.

Symptoms of cervical cancer may include: Bleeding from the vagina that is not normal, such as bleeding between menstrual periods, after sex, or after menopause, pain in the lower belly or pelvis, pain during sex and vaginal discharge that isn't normal.

Don’t underestimate the power of Africa’s informal sector in a global economy

This Kenyan fishmonger is a typical member of the local informal sector.(Reuters/Thomas Mukoya)

The informal economy in Africa is big business. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that its average size as a percentage of gross domestic product in sub-Saharan Africa is 41%. This ranges from under 30% in South Africa to 60% in Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

It is also a huge employer. It represents about three-quarters of non-agricultural employment, and about 72% of total employment in sub-Saharan Africa. About 93% of new jobs created in Africa during that 1990s were in the informal economy.

The International Labor Office defines the informal economy as:

All economic activities by workers or economic units that are—in law or practice—not covered or sufficiently covered by formal arrangements.

Today the informal economy appears to be as important as ever to Africa and its future development. But governments, and international organisations like the World Bank and ILO, do not like the informal economy. As a result international policy has veered from supportive to antagonistic.

At times opposition to the informal economy has been violent. One example is the notorious Operation Murambatsvina (”get rid of trash”) in Zimbabwe in 2005. At best it is directed at pulling the informal economy into the formal economy.

A World Bank report points to a trend of people with higher levels of education entering the informal sector as a career of choice. 

Antagonism is driven by a range of reasons. Informal firms do not pay tax. In addition, reports abound of child labour, low wages (especially for women) and low job security as well as high incidence of HIV. 

Yet, as theSwedish International Development Co-operation points out, many governments are unaware of the contribution of the informal economy, particularly the high involvement of women.

The report also suggests that it is expanding and is here to stay. And a World Bank report points to a trend of people with higher levels of education entering the informal sector as a career of choice.

A glimpse of the future

Political economist Fantu Cheru asserts that:

… a closer look at the informal sector in Africa provides a glimpse of what could be achieved if Africa’s economies and financial policies were more attuned to the continent’s everyday realities.

He sees the informal economy as being community-based, representing:

… socio-political entities, with their own rules, forms of organisation and internal hierarchies, constituting a node of resistance and defiance against state domination.

The point is that practices more closely allied with collectivist communities may be far more appropriate than “modern” management methods. These methods are based on Western principles and neoliberal economic policies. They have largely been discredited as inappropriate to African communities.

The informal economy is largely marginalized with a weak voice and is rarely listened to by policymakers. But the informal economy is largely marginalized. It has a weak voice and is rarely listened to by policymakers in government or in international organizations. When policies are made they affect a large percentage of firms, entrepreneurs, employees and communities. But it is unlikely any have been consulted.

Issues that could be given more prominence in policymaking are access to capital and the provision of relevant training. More important is what the formal economy can learn from the informal economy as a model for economic development.

Indigenous practices in a globalised world

If communities that rely on economic activity in the informal sector are indeed the repositories for indigenous management, entrepreneurial and employment practices it is little wonder they are not listened to.

Indigenous refers to practices, knowledge and values that are related to, and grow out of, local and community circumstances. These often stand in contrast to international or global practices, knowledge and values produced by universities and international corporations.

The dominant discourse is that indigenous practices are outmoded, archaic and out of tune with modernity. Yet seeing indigenous practices and those in the informal economy as frozen in time is a mistake. Even the glib packaging in management consultancy circles of concepts like“ubuntu” presents a glorified perception of indigenous knowledge being static and timeless.

As Cheru has pointed out, the informal sector may represent a resistance, an alternative to the prevailing globalised view.

Even so, it exists in the globalized world. While constantly adapting, sometimes resisting, it is never apart from globalization. Rather than eschewing modern technology, communications, the internet and social media, Africa has been embracing it. 

This is happening through:

better cellular telecommunications;

access to cheap smartphones; and

initiatives, not without controversy, such as Facebook’s internet.org, providing free and wider internet access.

Hence, Facebook told us in June 2014 that:

… there are 100 million people coming to Facebook every month across the African continent, with over 80% on mobile.

This includes a majority of people living in the informal economy.

Social media has the potential to change things by providing greater voice and potentially better representation. These developments are providing new tools to trade, to market products and to work. They may even be changing the nature of employment. With practices and organisations still rooted in local contexts and communities, identities are changing.

In addition, social media has the potential to change things by providing greater voice and potentially better representation.

Political leaders may have to start listening to entrepreneurs, managers and staff working in the informal economy to formulate more inclusive policies that may prove more relevant to Africa’s development.

Terence Jackson, Professor of Cross-cultural Management, Middlesex University

A solar-powered soccer pitch in Lagos also uses players’ footfall to keep the lights on

Africa is already waking up to the possibilities that renewable energy provides, the African Union has pledged a $20 billion investment over the next decade. In East Africa, pay-as-you-go solar energy services arealready proving a mainstream success. In West Africa, things are still at an early experimental stage. One such experiment is a solar-powered football pitch which also uses kinetic energy generated by footballers playing.

Located at a teacher’s college in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial center, the innovative soccer pitch was launched last year in a three-way collaboration between energy giant Shell; music star Akon, who has been championing solar energy on the continent; and Pavegen, a UK-based start-up which has a target of providing low-cost renewable energy solutions to Africa’s electricity problems.

Perhaps the most interesting technological feature of the solar-powered pitch—only the second ever launched across the world (the first was launched in Brazil in 2014)—is that it combines both kinetic and solar energy to produce electricity.

Kemball-Cook and Akon at the launch of the solar powered soccer pitch in Lagos, Nigeria.((Courtesy Edelman PR))

Pavegen technology makes use of pitch ‘tiles’ which generate electricity by capturing kinetic energy from footfall. The harnessed energy can power low voltage systems, like streetlights, or store electricity for later use.

One hundred of these tiles are laid underneath the playing surface of the soccer pitch, thus harnessing energy from the multiple movements of the players. The kinetic energy, combined with power generated from solar panels can power streetlights in the community for up to 24 hours.

Typically, as the amount of electricity generated is dependent on the volume of footfall, Pavegen’s technology is best suited for high foot traffic areas. As such, schools, sports centers, markets are practical targets. Laurence Kemball-Cook, founder of Pavegen, says the solar-powered pitch is a symbol of possibilities. “The project shows how the energy mix of the future will combine kinetic and solar power to improve communities.”

The focus for Kemball-Cook and Pavegen is deploying the tile technology across the continent in a bid to ease the electricity problems. To do this however, Pavegen must find a balance between large scale production and pricing as it seeks to continually bring down cost of its tile technology.

MAGAZETI YA LEO JUMAMOSI

 

TAGRODE CONSTRUCTS THREE BIOGAS PLANTS AT CHAMNDINDI VILLAGE

A girl is helping her mother Alfonsina Lwiva at Chamndindi Village in Nyang'oro Ward, Iringa Rural District to collect the bio-slurry which is by-product which comes out after producing biogas from the plant by using cattle dung yesterday. (Photo by Friday Simbaya)

TAGRODE Coordinator, Dickson Mwalubandu (centre) is inspecting one of the biogas plants that they have constructed at Chamndindi Model Renewable Energy Project which was later on given to Alfonsina Lwiva (extreme left hand side).

A resident of Chamndindi Village in Nyang'oro Ward of Iringa Rural District, Alfonsina Lwiva explain to the Guardian reporter in the picture how the biogas stove operates in the kitchen yesterday. 

Chamndindi Village Executive Officer (VEO), Haruna Mkakala sitting in his office.

TAGRODE Coordinator, Dickson Mwalubandu 

By Friday Simbaya, Iringa

Tanzania Grassroots Oriented Development (TAGRODE) has begun implementing the Renewable Energy (RE) project at Chamndindi Model Village in Iringa District by constructing three biogas plants with the capacity of three cubic meters each, together with installing solar panels at Chamndindi Clinic.

Speaking yesterday during an exclusive interview TAGRODE Coordinator, Dickson Mwalubandu said that his organization has so far constructed the three biogas plants as demonstrating plants so that people at village can acclimatize and start constructing their own plants.

Mwalubandu said that on beside of constructing biogas plants, TAGRODE has also installed solar panels and solar powered television at Chamndindi Clinic through the Solar Grid Company.

He explained that Solar Grid Company was able to loan their solar products under the sponsorship of the village government such as the village chairman and village executive officer (WEO). 

“Solar Grid Tanzania Company Limited is a company which was founded in 2014 that sells high quality solar home systems in Tanzania, which was started by young Germany entrepreneurs,” Mwalubandu said.

Mwalubandu said there is need to ensure that the general public is taught on the use of solar power as an option and an environmental friendly source of energy.

He also explained that the project’s focuses mainly on improving energy access, increasing the household income, boosting the availability of biomass energy, clean-safe water and gain environmental knowledge at large.

Alfonsina Lwiva is resident of Chamndindi Village in Nyang’oro, Iringa District whose TAGRODE has constructed her biogas plant at her home.

Lwiva said that she was happy that she has been constructed the biogas by TAGRODE which said help her and her family so much.

She said that the coming the project she used to walk at least five kilometers to look for heavy load of firewood for domestic cooking but now she was no longer doing that.

She biogas plant which uses cattle dung to produce biogas for cooking and bio-slurry as a by-product has lessen the use of firewood as fuel energy for cooking.

Bio-slurry is a by-product of biogas which use as natural fertilizer to grow maize, potatoes, beans and vegetables just to mention a few.

She said besides the using of biogas plant the project has also constructed an improved efficient stove for her which uses very few firewood compared to the traditional three-stoned stoves.

She explained the improved efficient stoves use very little firewood and it is able retain heat for a longtime than the open air three-stoned traditional stoves.

TAGRODE has already managed to construct more than 50 improved efficient stoves in the village but villagers have adapted the idea and they have constructed more 250 stoves, hence less use of firewood and conserve natural forests.

Suza Limbumba is a medical officer in charge at Chamndindi Dispensary, said he was happy that his dispensary has been installed solar power panels and a solar powered TV.

Solar powered TV is used to educate and entertain outpatients while waiting for medical services at the clinic, and during the evenings and weekends villagers flock to the dispensary watch football matches of different premier leagues.

Limbumba said that they were now able to work at night and attend to patients without different despite the other challenges the public clinic faces.

He said that expectant mothers were able to give birth even at night because of the light from solar power.

The medical officer in charge and nurses live nearby the premises of clinic and they can be called at anytime whenever there an emergency.

Chamndindi Village in Nyang’oro Ward has a total of 527 households and 2,317 residents according to the Village Executive Officer (VEO), Haruna Mkakala. 

World Wide Fund for Nature Tanzania (WWF-TCO) is implementing a Model Renewable Energy Project at Chamndindi Village in Iringa District of Iringa Region through TAGRODE a non-governmental organization based in Iringa Region.