Green Fuel denied its workforce the opportunity to vote

As most Zimbabweans bask in the glory of having casted their votes yesterday, it is a different story to the more than 350 workers from Green Fuel in Chisumbanje who were apparently denied their right to vote. 

Green Fuel flagrantly violated both the Zimbabwean Constitution and the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) and its relevant gazetted laws when it did not heed the government decision to make 30 July a public holiday to allow people to vote but instead remained operational while denying its workers an opportunity to go and participate in the polls.

  

This report is based on reliable sources within the network of PYD’s local election observers, citizen journalist and gender activists that are dotted around the Chipinge district. 

The company took away their right to vote and subsequently deprived them of power, rights and privileges after it ordered that the workers were not to leave their workstations but continue working despite the fact that the day was declared a national holiday.

When certain segments of our community are deprived of their right to vote, PYD notes it as both regrettable and retrogressive. PYD is of the strong opinion that every citizen counts as partial authors of the law through voting for representative to the corridors of power.

Green Fuel’s justification in denying its workforce the opportunity to participate in processes of national importance hinges explicitly on defining the workforce as only productive labour and not as citizens with inalienable rights. 

The move by the Green Fuel management is a huge blow to community building and social cohesion, as the workforce are the key stakeholders of community development. Allowing the workforce to cast their vote, gives them a broader spectrum of civic responsibilities to shape the reality within their community. 

PYD is very much concerned that a company that has enjoyed a protective legal framework from the government has failed to respect such an important national process that only comes once after every five years. 

Government has even gone to the extent of coming up with legislation that promoted mandatory blending, a move that was designed to benefit Green Fuel and it is in the same spirit they were supposed to respect events of national importance like elections.

PYD wishes to remind Green Fuel that voting is one of the most fundamental civic duties any citizen can perform and to deny them is tantamount to slavery. Workers have rights too.

PYD also believes that it is vital for every citizen to vote regardless of their social status and/or work position. This clearly indicates that Green Fuel still underestimate the value of a worker in any setting.

#MugangaWedu2018

Meet your potential leaders’ dialogue series

The meet your potential leaders’ dialogue series play an important role in political engagement and communication in local communities. It is a tool that assists in getting a clear understanding of the patterns of daily political discussion, uncovering the main electoral issue and interest of the community stakeholders. It proves that active citizenship and civic engagement have become a political priority for local people in various communities. Platform for Youth development Trust in collaboration with NANGO held a dialogue meeting dubbed "Meet your potential leaders" with the electorate at New Checheche Conference centre in Chipinge South Constituency on 23 July 2018. 

The event lived up to the expectations with three candidates turning up for the meeting where more than 100 people braved the chilly weather to interface with their potential leaders. This public dialogue meeting accorded citizens and voters an opportunity to discuss with the candidates, issues affecting sustainable development and service delivery. The candidates who accorded their time to the electorate were Mr Kudakwashe F Chiororo (independent), Mr Takawira Mupakati (NCA) and Mr Clifford Hlatswayo (MDC Alliance) whereas Zanu PF candidate and the incumbent Member of Parliament Mr Enock Porusingazi who was invited to the same event failed to attend citing a tight campaign schedule. The present candidates spent their time discussing the policy gap which they pledged to address when elected into office. The dialogue series highlighted the main motifs of political conversation of the contesting parties and independents, discovering that Chipinge South Constituency suffered from confrontational-style partisan politics from previous elections. PYD believes that what came out of this discussion represents a pretty good synthesis of the views of the dialogue stakeholders.

The NCA party candidate, Takwaira Mupakati stated that the socio – economic formations in the community are not well defined hence the impunity of large scale investments of the form and nature of Greenfuel. He said that the problems bedevilling Chipinge South as a rural constituency is largely based on the way most political representatives have been operating. Mupakati claimed that the previous and current representatives have been operating at the level of political consciousness that only serve to arouse the anxiety of the people but offer little reprieve. He, however, said that NCA is coming in from the level intended to operate more concretely through a system of tangible results like addressing the long standing dispute with Greenfuel. Due to the nature of the country’s laws, large scale investments like Greenfuel thrive on dividing public opinion on what really entails social justice and investment in total disregard to the Communal Lands Act (Chapter 20:04). He also articulated a legal and policy framework that he believes can promote social cohesion and harmony within the community through creating sustainable development initiatives. In his parting note, Mupakati alluded to the fact that the bedrock of our crisis is the current constitution, which he strongly believes that it needs to be rewritten. The current constitution gives so much power to a president. This scenario creates room for political coercion against people and does not guarantee public influence over political decision makers.

Next to take to the podium was Clifford Hlatswayo of the MDC Alliance, and he outlined his action plan within the context of the party’s SMART manifesto. SMART is an acronym for ‘Sustainable and Modern Agenda for Real Transformation”. He acknowledged the fact that due to years of dereliction of duty by the authorities, the constituency was deprived of easy access to basic services. Hlatswayo is of the opinion that basic services enhance the quality of life of the people and increase their social and economic opportunities. He promised the electorate that he is geared up to implement the SMART manifesto in the most effective manner and to ensure maximum benefit to the constituency.

As an independent candidate, Kudakwashe Chiororo bemoaned the level of corruption that has greatly affected service delivery to the constituency. He promised to working with all residents and progressive groups in the constituency to fight corruption and poor service delivery. The point of departure for him is to prioritise the delivery of services at basic levels. Chiororo outlined his policy framework within which to leverage and marshal resources towards meeting the constituency’s development needs. This framework actively promotes an ethos of participation by all stakeholders through the process of determining and implementing service delivery options. 

The message from the floor was very clear that they want politics to be about service delivery as opposed to personal enrichment. The people put to the task the candidates and stated that they have suffered for years due to the lack of democratic accountability that has allowed arrogance and impunity to take root. It was again, resented to the candidates that the electorate want an MP who is truly answerable to them and who represents their views and interests. 

#MugangaWedu2018

Chipinge District Candidate Profile Series #8

Name: Canfred Pambuka Sithole

Party: National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)

Beliefs shape a person's socio – economic and political view and that affects their character, their treatment of issues and relationships. It is just one part of understanding a political candidate. Canfred Pambuka has been with the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) since its inception rising to be a key member of the organisation’s National Taskforce.

He was a representative of the residents in the National Taskforce and was responsible for educating them about their legal rights and obligations, and incorporating various residents’ views into one common vision. He has an understanding of the needs of the residents that involve social and economic upliftment, social justice and equal opportunities. During his tenure as the representatives of the residents, he worked with groups of residents from varied backgrounds and experiences. Canfred Pambuka derives his entire concept of service from his upbringing in an environment of staunchly held United Church of Christ faith views especially the cost and joy to be a trustworthy and honest servant in the service of people. With his experience in the national taskforce and his belief system, Pambuka is now of the strong opinion that this is the time to put what he has gained to the political test. 

Political office is a specific form of advocacy on socio – economic and political issues in order to bring about the much needed transformation of a community. Canfred Pambuka Sithole’s campaign is premised on solidarity and accountability to those on whose behalf he hopes to be given a representative mandate. He promises to identify and confront the structures that are causing injustice and suffering to the people of Musikavanhu Constituency. 

In Musikavanhu Constituency, the poor and the marginalised have grown to daunting levels. There is rampant unequal sharing of resources and a serious lack of political will among the previous and current representatives, a situation that has continued to stymie efforts to address hunger, poverty and underdevelopment. Years of successive drought have brought its toll on the local people. In the 2015/2016 season, Chipinge district saw 2000 cattle starving to death and the majority of them were in Musikavanhu Constituency. Livestock are an important asset in the community, helping improve the nutritional status of their owners and contributing to economic growth. 

In response to the numerous challenges bedeviling the constituency, Canfred Pambuka intends to organise a sustainable community development initiatives, cultivate social cohesion and promote participatory democracy. This he believe can be achieved through creating an environment where people are free of political intimidation, the erosion of economic inadequacies and the eradication of gender barriers. Pambuka believes that an ethical perspective is now needed in order to have a clear understanding of the magnitude of the challenges facing people in Musikavanhu constituency, and this ethical perspective is embodied in him being visible in the constituency.

His best impulse is to care about the disenfranchised members of the community and his values are on the adage that a society is responsible for its people. He hopes to create a caring society. This is in sharp contrast to what the traditional politicians in the area have been adopting as an approach where concern is more on control than caring, with devastating results of people becoming more dependent than empowered. The people in the constituency require political leadership that can institute genuine self-determination of the disempowered community. The current political narrative has produced an increasingly stratified community controlled by politicians who wield more power on the vulnerable community. The consequence of such a set-up is felt in the quality of their lives. 

In the context of sustainable community development, this issue is practically unexplored with respect to the political environment of community development. Therefore, this particular candidate profile series introduces and posits that the political environment is a necessary enabler for implementing sustainable community development. It becomes so important for political parties and their candidates to understand how residents' positive and negative perceptions of community development impacts in determining their satisfaction with life in the community.  The root causes of poverty in the constituency is associated to a number of factors, including inter alia the uncertainties related to the political narrative that creates high vulnerability and distress among the people. 

Canfred Pambuka (NCA) will battle it out against Pishai Muchauraya (Independent), Joshua Murire (Zanu PF), Simon Simango (PRC), Sifiso Sithole (MDC Alliance). 

PYD is urging all candidates to campaign in peace and subsequently vote in peace, for without peace there cannot be sustainable development. 

VP Chiwenga Politicking on Musikavanhu Constituency Challenges

On 18 July 2018, Chibuwe community was virtually brought to a standstill by the arrival of Vice President Rt General Constantino Chiwenga for a Zanu PF rally in Musikavanhu Constituency.  He was accompanied by Monica Mutsvangwa, the Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister, Enock Porusingazi the Zanu PF candidate for Chipinge South Constituency and Joshua Murire who is the Zanu PF candidate for Musikavanhu Constituency. The rally was organised with the sole purpose of drumming up support for Joshua Murire in the forthcoming harmonised elections slated for 30 July 2018. Schools in and around Chibuwe village had to be closed in order to allow the community attend the rally. It was glaringly evident that buses from as far as Mt Selinda and Matione were used to ferry party supporters to the rally.

As the keynote speaker at the rally, VP Chiwenga promised to immediately reconstruct the road between Tanganda and Checheche including the tributary roads as a response to the community outcry. The issue of the poor road network in the constituency has been a thorny issue for many years as the road is the only link between the constituency and the other areas like Chiredzi, Birchenough Bridge, Mutare and other big cities. The community is unfazed by promises made in the heat of an election campaign but that can be easily forgotten in the comfort of power, and it is urging Zanu PF to move beyond podium rhetoric and get into practical action. The road has been in this deplorable state from a combination of factors that include neglect, abuse from Greenfuel trucks and the use of gravel of decreasing quality for both road construction and maintenance. An issue of Greenfule was not even mentioned by the Vice President, as the establishment has caused innumerable damage to the road and also is a source of communal conflict. The Vice President need to be reminded that efficient rural road network is crucial in addressing issues of poverty and community isolation from other areas and in promoting economic growth. In Musikavanhu Constituency, the community has been suffering immensely from an inefficient and unsafe road network that had adverse effects on their livelihoods and the development of agriculture. As a community based organisation, PYD is reminding VP Chiwenga that his government launched the National Transport Policy on 15 April 2013, and since that time we are yet to witness a specific policy approach to rural road network. The pronouncements by VP Chiwenga lack seriousness and genuineness. 

At the same rally, VP Chiwenga alluded to the idea that the government will erect a security fence so that wildlife from surrounding conservation areas will not be destroying crops belonging to local villagers as well as cause death and injury to the general populace in the area.  True, wildlife has been wreaking havoc and causing destruction to crops, livestock, infrastructure and human lives but it is important for the Vice President to get a clear picture of the kind of farmers being affected in this ensuing human-wildlife conflict. The farmers in the Sabi Valley of the Chipinge District that are susceptible to constant attack from marauding wildlife are the poorest of the poor. Vice President Chiwenga needs to go beyond using poor communal people’s anxiety for political votes and mileage. The problem goes beyond a security fence as there is need to compensate the victims of human wildlife conflict. As PYD, we have witnessed a fragmented approach to the whole issue by governmental departments, an attitude that does not adequately provide the much needed assistance to the victims. In March of 2018, Minister Muchinguri – Kashiri again promised that they will be compensation for injuries sustained during attacks, loss of property and loss of agricultural produce. The community that VP Chiwenga addressed is yet to witness a disbursement of the compensation from what the minister said will derive from a special fund. Again, PYD is urging the Vice President to adequately address the issue of under reporting that is currently unfolding in the Sabi Valley. Information gathering, record keeping and reporting needs to be greatly improved. 

PYD is urging politicians to go beyond the podium rhetoric and offer real and practical solutions to the challenges that local communities are currently facing.

#MugangaWedu2018

Chipinge District Candidate Profile Series #7

Musikavanhu Constituency

Name: Pishai Muchauraya

Party: Independent

Pishai Mucharaya is not a novice in Zimababwean politics as he was once a Member of the House of the National Assembly for Makoni South and MDC T Secretary for Information and Publicity for Manicaland Province. In 2008, he polled 14072 votes in Makoni South, a feat he failed to repeat in the 2013 harmonised elections where he garnered a paltry 5092 against 10268 votes for Mandiitawepi  Chimene. Internal strife in the MDC T party intensified after the 2013 harmonised elections and reached boiling point when Pishai together with his provincial chairperson were suspended from the party. He and the other suspended members formed People’s Democratic Party (PDP).  He spent three (3) years in political dissipation. He found a new lease of political life when his principal Tendai Biti joined the MDC Alliance, and he did not waste time but declared his interests in Musikavanhu Constituency. The constituency was initially earmarked to hold primary elections pitting him with the young and energetic Macmillan Rimbi. The primary elections were to be a useful tool to prove whether he still has the political shrewdness needed to navigate the political terrain of campaigning. The primary elections were ultimately shelved as they appeared to be on the verge of being messy and nasty. The MDC Alliance then made a decision to allocate the seat to another alliance party, Zanu Ndonga.

Pishai Muchauraya then filed his papers with ZEC as an independent candidate. As an independent candidate, he has an enviable task of getting the electorate mind saturated with his own views and ideas against a trend where party views normally flood the political terrain. Nevertheless, he is of the view that party politics can undermine public sentiments and he will prove beyond reasonable doubt that he has an independent mind and can take decisions on merit that are not swayed by party positions. 

Musikavanhu is a predominantly rural constituency and its residents survive on subsistence farming. There are 7 health centres, 22 primary schools and 7 secondary schools in the constituency. 3 schools offer up to A Level education. The voter population of the constituency appear to be fluctuating every election period as in 2008 there 25982 and in 2013 it had a total of 27697 whereas there are only 19377 voters who managed to register during the biometric voter registration exercise. The constituency had 28 polling stations in 2013 but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has set up an additional 3 polling stations to make them a total of 31 polling stations.

The constituency is a rather typical horticultural centre. Unless steps are taken to render the enormous undeveloped resources of the Save River, the constituency is doomed to remain a centre of food insecurity, high levels of poverty and underdevelopment. The constituency has seen the emergence of a political class that is perceived to be somehow distinct and separate from the rest of society. Pishai has to project himself as an individual not bent on a political career but rather as a person being driven by the interests of the constituency if he is to salvage any substantial votes in this election. Small scale farmers at Musikavanhu Irrigation Scheme have been constantly bemoaning a subdued market for their produce. These small scale farmers produce a huge tonnage of sweet beans, bananas and tomatoes but the market is failing to enable them recoup investments and in turn ensure profitability of the venture. The constituency has had representation that was more focused on what was happening in the corridors of power and not the struggling peasant communities that actually hold the sway of the vote and are battling to make ends meet. As an independent, Pishai Muchauraya has an opportunity to look a these issues and more and provide solutions that can genuinely transform people’s lives.

Pishai Michauraya will battle it out against Joshua Murire (Zanu PF), Simon Simango (PRC), Canfred Pambuka (NCA) and Sifiso Sithole (MDC Alliance). 

PYD Director on CORAHFm

https/www.facebook.com/corahfm/videos/2194470533913703/?notif_id=1531738886956868&notif_t=live_video_explicit

Serious Violations of Occupational, Safety and Health Regulations at Green fuel

The occupational safety and health management system of an organization is the responsibility of the employer and in this case, we refer to Green fuel. The system has to be in compliance with the national regulatory framework. The occupational safety and health system is to ensure that all workplace facilities, installations, equipment and machinery comply with laid down statutory provisions. Safety and health awareness is critical at an establishment like Green fuel, but the situation unfolding on the ground is a tendency to be more worried about producing and selling with utter disregard to the inherent risks associated with their operations. Green fuel need to know and understand that occupational health and safety is an act that protects all people within the workplace and need to be taken serious as it involves the life of the person and it can affect the business negatively. Platform for Youth Development learns with great shock the demise of Lovemore Mthombeni under circumstances that are preventable. 

On 14 July 2018, at around 0300 hours Lovemore Mthombeni (38)  could not be located at his workstation where he was responsible for recording the number of loaded trucks and in the process issuing receipts to the truck drivers. It is not clear on what happened to Lovemore Mthombeni, as the only evidence of what could have transpired is derived from some blood stains on the harvester conveyor belt.  The impact of this fatal occupational injury is, however, compounded by the fact that it happened to an individual who still had a long working career ahead of him. This particular incident was caused by preventable factors which could be eliminated by implementing known measures. Harvesters are driven into the cane field and they cut, thresh and clean the chaff all by themselves using rotating blades. Operating a harvester machine requires knowledge and competence, and the competencies consist of an ability of operating at night and performing multiple tasks. PYD is saddened by lack of company’s remorse on the whole issue. Greenfuel Company failed to follow simple safety and health procedures that require it to report both to the police and the National Social Security Authority. The National Social Security Authority sends an inspector to the scene of the accident and conduct an industrial investigation upon receipt of a report. The company failed to adhere to this important aspect of the safety and health regulations. It is again sad to note that the police received a report from an employee by the name Warren Musiwaro and not the company.

This is not the first time Greenfuel is embroiled in actions that led to fatalities. In June of 2016, Itai Chikwasha Matevera reportedly died of a gunshot on his chest while two others, Jairos Simango Mapopo and Mavis Nyamunda sustained severe wounds from the gunshots on the upper nose and palm, respectively. This is after a security guard with Greenfuel opened fire on these villagers. The company always bank on such incidents on the pretext of them being dispersed and socially invisible. The cycle of neglect continue to grow from low priority by Greenfuel through to under-reporting and a consequent lack of commitment to safety and health regulations. 

Circumstances leading to the death of Mthombeni are still fresh and traumatising therefore PYD  urges the community to be calm as thorough investigation on what happened are being unearthed.

Chipinge District Candidate Profile Series #6

Name: Robert Mhlanga 

Party: National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)

Robert Mhlanga is a native of Chipinge West and has worked with NCA since 1999 when it was still a civic organisation. Coincidentally, he was a student leader at the University of Zimbabwe when the MDC was formed in 1999 and that is when his political career was launched. Robert Mhlanga is an educationist by profession, evangelist by God’s grace and a motivational speaker by passion. He is very passion about genuine socio – economic development and he feel strongly that Chipinge West lagged behind in development due to dereliction of duty by past political representatives of the area. A narrow view of community development has been constructed by these politicians in order to facilitate a false sense of being the solution. There are 25 primary schools and 10 secondary schools in the constituency with a teacher pupil ratio of 40:1 at primary level. There are only 3 schools that offer up to A Level. At the same time, there are 8 health centres in the constituency with at least 2 nurses at a clinic. Nevertheless, the constituency faces a challenge of classroom blocks, and also the numerous number of school drop outs due to failure to pay school fees and teenage pregnancy.

In Chipinge West Constituency, neither of the two main lines of political ideology brought significant solutions to the challenges of rampant poverty, school dropouts and lack of adequate health provision. The NCA party comes from a different background and is moving toward a different political narrative to the long-time existing political formations. Zanu PF ideology dominated the early years of independence and it came to the prime in the late 1990’s. In its extreme form, it was transformed into an agnostic anger towards what it perceived as enemies. Most people in the constituency have lost any justification in attaching this ideology to the communal socio – economic and political trends and aspirations. They are tired and are very much apprehensive as they contemplate moving toward a third ideological framework. The two dominant political ideologies in the recent past reflect apparently contradictory ways of looking at socio –economic development in the constituency. 

Robert Mhlanga’s political narrative is the breaking away from the old political adage of ideological turf wars at the expense of meaningful development.  The two political paradigms are no longer adequate to confront a plethora of challenges unfolding in the constituency. Zanu Pf is seized with the retention of power by any means necessary whereas the MDC formations at the very moment when this new ideology was announced, it was also breaking apart as can be witnessed by various nasty factional fights. This reflects their inadequacy and the subsequent reaching out for a political alternative. The comparative value of these ideologies is apparent in their failures, faults and ludicrous shortcomings. The NCA is positioning itself as a possible alternative. It derives from the experience of a people who were advocating for constitutionalism and democracy, and deals with the derivation in a very concrete people centred terms. It is evident that most perceptive people in Chipinge West are suffering from an anxious sense of something lost, a sense too of being displaced persons in the matrix of the political ideologies.

As far as political activism is concerned, Robert Mhlanga has with equal acuteness and clearness pointed out the process by which development will be effected. He strongly believes in people centred approaches to community development. In this election, Robert Mhlanga hopes to swing the voter pendulum to his side as conditions in the constituency are sufficiently inflammatory to create a new political paradigm. The conditions under which children, women and youths toil in the constituency are unimaginably brutal and need a new political narrative that can profer solutions. Zanu PF and the MDC formations appear to regard themselves as innocent of blame for such conditions for they are imbedded in the political rhetoric of sanctions and bad governance. However, one remarkable feature in this present condition of affairs in Chipinge West is that no politician pretends to be able to point out any remedy. Robert Mhlanga believes that he has the remedy. 

Chipinge District Candidates pledging allegiance to campaign and vote in peace.

Chipinge District Candidates Pledging Allegiance to Peace

PYD Director Claris Madhuku addressing the crowd at the Get Out and Vote Campaign Launch

Get Out and Vote campaign Launched in Chipinge

Chipinge District is a homogeneous community that believes in the promotion of sustainable social and economic development within the theoretical framework of social cohesion and peaceful co-existence. However, the convergence of pressing community development and political power provides opportunities for Platform for Youth Development to integrate peace and elections. On 7 July 2018, PYD launched the Get Out and Vote Campaign at Checheche growth point. The launch was configured around the message of peace and in the same vein committing local politicians to a peaceful campaign. The launch was graced by Zimdance Hall artists of note that included Lady Squanda, Tocky Vibes and Shinsoman. The main target of the Get Out and Vote Campaign were the registered young people in the District, hence the use of Zimdance Hall artists at the launch. This target group was in harmony with PYD’s earlier advocacy work where the organisation mobilised at least 295 000 young people between the age of 18 and 35 to register as voters in Manicaland Province.

Platform for Youth Development Trust functions in accord with the expectations and aspirations of the community. The success and subsequent endorsement of the launch bears testimony to the acceptability of the organisation in the district as a genuine community platform for engagement and advocacy. The political chaos that the community had experienced in the past resulted in dysfunctional relationships. This chaos was centred on the approach by politicians to reduce human conditions and social crises into mere power politics expressions. Peace and social cohesion within the community is so important that politicians ought to commit themselves to peaceful campaign. A peaceful environment enhances the sovereignty will of the people and is a pad for community development. Within this argument, the traditional leadership in the area graced the occasion as a sign of approval to the community’s need for peace. PYD provided protocol to the traditional leadership and they in turn duly acknowledged the importance work of the organisation in promoting peaceful co-existence and social cohesion.

The local security apparatus in the form of ZRP together with traditional leaders witnessed the signing of the peace pledge by contesting candidates in the district. The dynamics of the peace commitment by politicians opened up a new vista of possibilities in the district. It was a moment where a contemplative community bears witness to a realistic social cohesion not being disrupted by political differences. MDC Alliance, MDC T, NCA, CODE, PRC and Zanu PF were some of the political parties who appended their signatures to the peace pledge. Nowhere is the capacity for transformation more evident than the coming together of political adversary and pledge their commitment to a peaceful campaign.

PYD has managed to be an enabling platform for the community to be integrative. It has been recognised and acknowledged as inclusive of people of different viewpoints and political affiliations, as it integrates the community into a functioning mystical body.

#MugangaWedu2018

Chipinge District Candidate Profile Series #5

Chipinge West Constituency

Name: Sibonile Nyamudeza

Party: MDC Alliance

Sibonile Nyamudeza is not new to parliamentary contestation as he was once the MDC – T winning candidate for Chipinge West in the March 2008 elections. He was born at Tanganda in Chipinge on 10 March 1967, and completed his schooling in the same area and went on to obtain a qualification in machine shop engineering, which he obtained in 1987. Nyamudeza joined the MDC in 2002 and assumed the position of ward vice chairperson the same year. In 2008, he competed against Gideon Goko (Zanu PF) and Daniel Tuso (MDC – M) and he won the elections with 12 334 votes. However, in 2013 he polled a total of 5756 votes against 6717 votes for Adam Chimwamurombe of Zanu PF. During the 2008 – 2013 Parliamentary Session, Sibonile Nyamudeza was hardly able to carry out his mandate effectively as his room to work was severely limited, as in March 2012, he was sentenced to 30 days in prison or alternatively pay a fine of US$300. 

Chipinge West has 39 polling stations in 6 wards. Sibonile Nyamudeza’s stronghold is ward 3 and ward 16. This year, Nyamudeza overcame stiff competition from a youthful aspirant Oliver Chikumba who had set his sights on the Constituency. After, winning the sole ticket to represent the MDC Alliance, he is now geared for a bruising dogfight against Robert Mhlanga (NCA) and Adam Chimwamurombe (Zanu PF) just to mention a few. Nyamudeza has an incalculable weight of thought and approach in his politics possibly a good deal of this is regarded as the result of a disappointing run in 2013. Sibonile Nyamudeza whose career had seemed finished after he lost in 2013, and now he is positioning himself to lead the MDC Alliance to victory in 2018. He is likely to bank on the rising dissatisfaction of the constituents with Zanu PF as this could provide a chance for him at victory. Some observers in the district point out that Nyamudeza remains popular among the core and conservative party members. He is an acknowledged effective campaigner who can work a crowd with relative ease. However, there has been a change in the demographics of the constituency. The majority of the households rely on farming for their main source of livelihood with a substantial number of households depend on piece jobs for survival and a small number relying on remittances from family and friends. The people in the constituency use an ox-drawn plough whilst the rest use hand hoes for digging. This ultimately affects the crop yield and level of food security in the constituency. 

There are deep socio – economic problems and the bruises of a health scare are still vivid. The constituency is prone to cholera outbreak as can be gleaned from the 2008/2009 cholera incident. Between 15 November 2008 and 15 March 2009, the constituency was heavily affected by the outbreak of cholera. The underlying factors that contributed to the outbreak included lack of working boreholes in the area, no adequate latrines and limited access to health care within the constituency. This happened during Nyamudeza’s tenure as the constituency represented in the National House of Assembly. The situation has not yet changed and the area is still prone to a health crisis as most of the underlying factors are still to be addressed. 

The sentiments of voters at the July 30 2018 election, especially the small scale banana farmers are of paramount importance. Though Sibonile Nyamudeza triumphed at the party’s primary elections, winning the seat he will need to harness the support of feuding party structures within his constituency. His battle with the oppponents from Zanu PF and NCA and his determination to win may require him to garner both support among the wider Chipinge West community. 

Chipinge District Candidate Profile Series #4

Chipinge West Constituency

Chipinge West is found in Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe and is located along the Save Valley. It covers mainly Chipangayi, Tanganda and Ngaone areas. The constituency has mainly a peasantry background with most of the people making a living through agricultural production.  It has a voter population of 21 218 with 43 polling stations in 6 wards.  Chipinge West constituency is one of the areas that are deemed to have a high level of food insecurity and high rates of malnutrition. The relationship between identity, culture and community development is immeasurable and yet Chipinge West Constituency has been lagging behind as most politicians ignore this connection in most of the constituency development initiatives. It is therefore, important that aspiring political representatives not just passively acknowledge culture, but be mindful of the political imperative of incorporating cultural systems, cultural values and traditions into their development interventions.  Chipinge west is one of the most vulnerable communities in the district that have been adversely affected by large-scale investments and more often than not, much of the tension is related to an unequal economic arrangement. 

Name:  Adam Chimwamurombe (Current MP)

Party:  ZANU PF

Adam Chimwamurombe is an engineer cum politician who was born on 10 September 1963 in Kwekwe and his area of interest includes water reticulation and refurbishment. He became involved in politics at an early age when he was an active war collaborator during the last stages of the liberation war. Adam Chimwamurombe was duly elected in 2013 harmonised elections to represent Chipinge West in the National Assembly. He garnered 6717 votes against a strong challenge from Sibonile Nyamudeza of the MDC T who managed to secure 5756 votes. Chimwamurombe strong showing was mostly in wards 1, 3 and 4 where he had 1431, 1276 and 1332 votes respectively. For the 2018 elections, Adam Chimwamurombe won the ZANU PF primary elections.

It baffles most members in the constituency to understand why the area has lagged behind in water provision, food security and various forms of development. With the calibre of Adam Chimwamurombe as the representative of the area, it is a puzzle on how the community very often has failed to adopt strategies that would allow it to be on a path toward the alleviation of poverty. In 2013, the Mutema community celebrated an occasion where more than 200 small scale irrigation banana farmers were set to financially benefit from an arrangement they had with Matanuska. The arrangement were to the effect that the small scale farmers will be provided with inputs, training and even loans to enhance their banana farming. The loans were to be repaid once the farmer had sold his or her produce. This arrangement came at a time when the tomato and bean projects had suffered a huge set back due to the breakdown of the water pump. However, the arrangement was later seen to be skewed in favour of Matanuska and left villagers hapless. For the past five years, the community failed on numerous occasions to get the required representation in an effort to address their concern with Matanuska. In September 2014, Adam Chimwamurombe acknowledged to have received US$24000 through Christian Care meant for the purchasing of the sewing machines in the Constituency and another US$13000 for the grinding mill project in the same constituency but to be set up in Musabayana village. The funding was disbursed under the US Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Programme to enhance community projects. These initiatives are important for community development but have been confined to outside the prying eyes of the community. 

The 8th Parliamentary Session is Adam Chimwamurombe’s first dance with constituency representation politics and his performance has not been as satisfactory as has been expected by the community. He is seeking a second mandate from the electorate and is riding on the wave of the new dispensation mantra being churned out by ZANU PF. Adam Chimwamurombe was never visible in the factional fights that were unfolding in ZANU PF especially in 2014 and 2017. In 2014, he was labelled as one of the Dirty Dozens when he attended and received funding from the US Embassy in a way that was viewed to be in violation of the Political Parties Finance Act by his colleagues in ZANU PF. The Political Parties Finance Act prohibits foreign funding and/or even soliciting for foreign funding.

Adam Chimwamurombe will battle it out against Sibonile Nyamudeza (MDC Alliance), Daisy Chateya (People’s Rainbow Coalition), Robert Peter Mhlanga (National Constitutional Assembly) and Lovemore Saungweme (National Patriotic Front). 

#MugangaWedu2018

Chipinge District Candidate Profile Series #3

Name: Takawira Mupakati

Party: National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)

Takawira Mupakati is of the opinion that through a parliamentary platform, he can lead sustainable development in Chipinge South Constituency. He started his political career in 2000 when he was still a teenager through a strong opposition to the Zanu PF regime. His opposition to Zanu PF brought to him the ire from the Zanu PF outfit led by Enock Porusingazi, and this resulted in his family’s homestead being burnt down. Takawira joined the local structures of MDC T Youth Assembly as the Chairperson in 2007. He was part of the campaign team that ensured Meki Makuyana’s unprecedented victory in 2008. After the 2008 harmonised elections, he willingly relinquished his post as the MDC T Youth Assembly in favor of Clifford Hlatywayo, who wanted to use the local structures as a launch pad for national politics within the MDC T structures. In 2011, Takawira Mupakati was elected MDC T Harare Province Youth Assembly Secretary for Policy and Research. He left the political outfit due to its approval to the COPAC process, a process that he strongly believed was against the true tenets and principles of constitutionalism. COPAC was a process that he viewed as both disturbing and contradictory. The current constitution was formulated from the two dominant politician’s perspectives. NCA has a vibrant history of advocating for constitutionalism and good governance in Zimbabwe.

Takawira Mupakati began to see his own activism experience in a wider social and political context in 2012 and has clearly committed himself to the transformation of the constituency. The political diversity in the Chipinge District have reasserted well the people’s abilities to communicate with and hear each other. He nostalgically recalled the days when his critique of the system of governance in Zimbabwe was anchored on constitutionalism. It was not only in content of his commitments but also in the approach to social justice issues and community development framework that has defined his activism.

Politics in Zimbabwe is typically regarded as a space for resourceful and experienced men and young people are systematically marginalized because of the young age, limited opportunities and projected lack of experience. However, the presence of young people in political processes is transformational. While young people often play central and catalyzing roles in political parties, Takawira Mupakati believes that he is a strong political leader who can bring the necessary development and cohesion within the constituency. He has been active in the fight for land rights and social justice in Chisumbanje and Chinyamukwakwa communal areas. The villagers became victims of a large-scale investment that was established in 2009 by Greenfuel Pvt (Ltd) which led to encroachment into communal lands and displacement of the villagers. Mupakati was very articulate in addressing the social injustice being faced by the villagers. Again, he has been involved in magnifying the youth voice in the community that subsequently led in the reinforcements of social ties that enhances young people’s contribution to community development.

However, the candidate would have to battle with equally outstanding contenders for the sole ticket to represent Chipinge Soutrh Constituency. In fact, the aspirant will have to battle it out against Kudakwashe Chiororo (Independent), Hlatywayo Clifford (MDC Alliance), Kumbula Kudakwashe (ZIPP), Moyana Jerry (Independent) and Enock Porusingazi (Zanu PF). Invariably, the role of National Assembly representation require a confident and courageous individual with a clear understanding of the challenges and as well, who has capacity and passion to develop commensurate strategies and actions in line with the core aspirations of the constituency.

Takawira Mupakati together with Clifford Hlatywayo,Vhurande Mahlupeko and Claris Madhuku became key in the registration and formalization of the Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD). Platform for Youth Development has become a genuine community voice that has provided a platform for young people to grow and positively contribute to the socio-political and economic development of their local communities. Takawira started as the Programmes Officer and later became elevated to the Finance and Administration Officer.

Chipinge South Candidate Profile Series #2

Name: Clifford Hlatywayo

Party: MDC Alliance

Chipinge South Constituency has the highest rate of child abuse, gender-based violence and extreme levels of poverty in the district. The constituency has had this social crisis for a long time in view of the politician’s complete abdication of their responsibility. It is with this view that politicians should demonstrate how this unacknowledged social crisis can be addressed at the local and national level. The Chipinge District Candidate Series wants to get people talking about ideas like these during the election campaign.

Clifford Hlatywayo is a product of student activism and has been consistent in the fight for democratic change in Zimbabwe. After his graduation from the University of Zimbabwe, he was roped into the MDC T Election Directorate based at Harvest House in Harare. In 2008, whilst working in the Election Directorate, he was instrumental in the disbursement of party regalia and materials to the Constituency and Chipinge District in general. In 2011 at the MDC T Annual Congress in Bulawayo he was elected as the Youth Assembly Secretary for Information and Publicity, a position that propelled him into the echelons of power within MDC T. Since then he has enjoyed the challenges and rewards of serving in the MDC T Youth Assembly. Clifford Hlatywayo is highly rated within the MDC T Youth assembly as one of the strong youthful leaders. In 2008, he was a key member of Meki Makuyana’s campaign team together with Claris Madhuku, Takawira Mupakati and Vrante Mahlupeko Jambaya with Bothwell Zito and Jerry Moyana providing the necessary political cover within the team. Together they managed and shaped the politics of Chipinge South Constituency culminating in Meki Makuyana garnering a staggering 16 139 votes. Clifford Hlatywayo is among the first team of Board members who facilitated the formal registration of the Platform for Youth Development as a Trust in October 2008,a community based organization that has become a voice and conscience of the community.

Despite this highly effective team of 2008, Clifford Hlatywayo appear to be running a lone campaign as his trusted lieutenants have abandoned him and is yet to come up with a team of the same calibre and focus. This is attributed to the events leading to the 2013 harmonised elections. In the run up to the 2013 harmonised elections, Clifford Hlatywayo contested in the primaries seeking the party’s mandate to represent MDC T in Chipinge South, an episode that turned out badly for him and his political career. However, the contest and subsequent failure made him to conclude that Makuyana had the ingenuity to be supported as the means to deny him the sole ticket to the National Assembly. Through his political astuteness and shrewdness, he has now outmanoeuvred his critics and opponents by maximising on the MDC T’s resolution to grant the seat under the youth quota system. A move that culminated in a serious outcry from some sections of the party’s structures in Chipinge South. Disgruntled MDC Alliance members launched a formal complaint to the party election directorate to challenge what they deem as an imposition under the guise of a youth quota system. The major setback is that Hlatywayo must overcome the challenge from Jerry Moyana and Kuda Chiororo who initially were supposed to contest him in the MDC Alliance primary election. The duo of Chiororo and Moyana have already been nominated as candidates for Chipinge South seeking to garner votes from the same support base with Hlatywayo.

With a SMART agenda anchoring his campaign strategies, Chipinge South constituency is grappled with a social crisis in the form of loss of opportunities, crippling levels of poverty and harmful cultural practices targeting girls and women. It is important that electoral agenda be based on justice, equality and solidarity as an empowerment tool for the community.

Clifford Hlatywayo will be facing his close friend Takawira Mupakati and five others in this mouth-watering election. It is interesting to note that Clifford Hlatywayo and Takawira Mupakati share the same birthday and political history in the constituency.

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