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155 | Has Zimbabwe amended its Indigenisation law? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 20, 2018
President Emmerson Mnangagwa says his government has amended Zimbabwe’s “indigenisation” economic empowerment laws. Is this correct?
Researched by Njabulo Ncube
Claim: We amended the Indigenization & Economic Empowerment Act, which had constrained foreign ownership of local businesses and discouraged much needed investment. We have now removed this constraint in almost all sectors, sending a clear signal that Zimbabwe is open for business.
Conclusion: Correct
Mnangagwa made the claim in an opinion piece carried by the New York Times of 11 March 2018.
He later tweeted the same, acknowledging himself as the contributor on his verified official twitter account with the handle @edmnangagwa.
Indigenisation refers to the process which encourages the deliberate involvement of indigenous (black) Zimbabweans in the economy, to redress imbalances resulting from discriminatory policies implemented by successive colonial governments.
What are the ways in which a law can be amended in Zimbabwe?
There are several ways of effecting amendments to laws in Zimbabwe under the current constitution.
Firstly, an amendment can be done using the Presidential Powers(Temporary Measures)Act Chapter 10:20 which gives the president the power to amend laws:
“When it appears to the President that-(a) a situation has arisen or is likely to arise which needs to be dealt with urgently in the interests of defence, public safety, public order, public morality, public health, the economic interests of Zimbabwe or the general public interest; and (b) the situation cannot adequately be dealt with in terms of any other law; and(c) because of the urgency, it is inexpedient to await the passage throughParliament of an Act dealing with the situation; then, subject to the Constitution and this Act, the President may make such regulations as he considers will deal with the situation.”
Secondly, it can be done through Parliament in an amendment bill.
According to section 131 of the Constitution, Parliament’s authority is exercised through the enactment of Acts of Parliament.An Act of Parliament is a Bill which has been – (a) presented and passed by both Houses of Parliament; and (b) assented to and signed by the President; in accordance with the Constitution.
Section 132 of the Constitution provides that an Act of Parliament comes into operation at the beginning of the day on which it is published in the Government Gazette or at the beginning of any other day that may be specified in the Act or some other enactment.
Thirdly, an amendment can come via the budget statement, which brings the implementation of changes through the gazetting of Acts of Parliament, Statutory instruments or through administrative measures. As part of the Finance Billbrought to the house by the Minister of Finance, the budget statement is basically a law being passed by parliament.
Which route did the administration take?
The Mnangagwa government, in this instance, has used the third route.
In his 2018 budget announcement on 7 December, 2017, Zimbabwe’s Finance and Economic Planning, Minister Patrick Chinamasa, announced the repealing of among other economic measures, the repealing of Section 3 of the Indigenisation Act, which had a wholesale 51% ownership requirement for all businesses worth US$500 000 and above, “Government is, through the Finance Bill being submitted to this august House for the 2018 financial year, amending the Indigenisation and Empowerment Act, to bring the following into effect from April 2018.”
This was then included in the Finance Bill of 2018. After going through the required 3 readings in the House of Assembly and then passage through the Senate, the Finance Bill was passed into law and amendments effectively took effect when parliament passed the budget on 14 February 2018, with some of the measures having been set to come into effect even earlier, on 1 January 2018.
Some of the amendments
Conclusion: CORRECT
The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act has been amended through the administrative measures and the Finance Act arising from the 2018 budget announcement.
About the author: Njabulo Ncube is senior Zimbabwean journalist and national co-ordinator of the Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum (ZINEF).
amendmenteconomyfinance actindigenisation | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 20, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-has-zimbabwe-amended-its-indigenisation-law/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
156 | Has Zimbabwe introduced new rules for music industry? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 12, 2019
Former Arts minister Kazembe Kazembe
CLAIM: The Zimbabwe government has introduced new rules governing the music industry, among them licences for performers, permits for music videos and rules on how long a singer must perform.
VERDICT: False.
A post has circulated on Zimbabwean social media, claiming that Zimbabwe has introduced regulations on musicians.
The message, posted on the Zimbabwe United Citizens Undertaking – Zimucu Facebook page and shared widely on WhatsApp, makes various claims. Among these are suggestions that “every artist shall need a license to operate in Zimbabwe” and that “it’s Illegal to Practice Public Entertainment when you have no license from the Ministry.”
This is not true.
The article is, in fact, an edited version of posts that circulated on Ugandan social media in January 2019, some of which referred to proposed regulations under that country’s Stage Plays and Public Entertainment Act 2018.
The post now being circulated in Zimbabwe only replaces Ugandan references from those earlier posts to add Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Sports, Arts and Recreation.
In addition, the viral post attributes the regulations to the “Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation Kazembe Kazembe”. In fact, Kazembe was appointed to that Ministry in 2017, but has, since then, been moved to the Ministry of ICT Posts and Courier Services in September 2018 before his appointment as Minister of Home Affairs and National Heritage in November 2019.
CONCLUSION:
The claim that the Government of Zimbabwe is to regulate how musicians perform is false. It is a fake message derived from previous posts that circulated in Uganda in January 2019.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 12, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-has-zimbabwe-introduced-new-rules-for-music-industry/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
157 | Fact Check: Has Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) reduced its toll and licensing fees? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 3, 2023
Claim: Social media posts showed that there was lack of clarity on whether ZINARA had indeed reduced its toll and licensing fees effective from 1 August 2023.
Source: Social media
Is this true or false? Verdict: It is true that ZINARA has reduced its ZWL Fees
On 31 July 2023, ZINARA announced on their social media platforms that both ZWL toll and vehicle licensing fees have been reduced effective from 1 August 2023 on their social media platforms. The new tariffs are pegged as follows:
Zimbabwe National Roads Administration
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 3, 2023 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-has-zimbabwe-national-road-administration-zinara-reduced-its-toll-and-licensing-fees/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
158 | Fact Check: Has Zimbabwe’s new law banned Lobola payments? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 1, 2023
Claim: Zimbabwe social media platforms have been awash with claims that payment of bride-price (commonly known as Lobola) is no longer a legal necessity but rather a moral decision that one has to make when getting into traditional customary marriage.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: False.
Lobola payment is still a requirement under Customary Law Marriage, and the recent Gazetting of the Marriages Act of 2022 did not nullify that provision.
Section 16 of the Marriages Act which deals with the official registration of a marriage states that a marriage officer in a customary law marriage shall put to either of the parties to a proposed marriage or to the witnesses any questions relevant to the identity or marital status of the parties to the proposed marriage, to the agreement relating to marriage consideration (lobola or roora), if any, and to the existence of impediments to the marriage.
This means that marriage officers, will have to ascertain whether lobola has been paid before a customary marriage has been registered.
The Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs says the Act combines the two older Acts, which are the Civil Marriages Act and the Customary Marriages Act to allow monogamous couples with a registered customary union to change to a registered civil union.
The new law also implies that no person may be married under the general law and customary law at the same time.
A civil marriage is monogamous, that is to say, it is the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others and no person may contract any other marriage during the subsistence of a marriage under the general law. Whereas a customary law marriage may, subject to the customary law of the people concerned, be polygamous or potentially polygamous.
What is required to register a marriage contracted according to customary law?
Conclusion
Lobola remains a requirement for registration of a customary marriage under the new Marriages Act though not for the registration of a civil marriage.
Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs
New Marriages Act
Veritas
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 1, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-has-zimbabwes-new-law-banned-lobola-payments/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
159 | Fact Check: Have the 12 CCC National Assembly candidates been reinstated by the Supreme Court as claimed on social media? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 3, 2023
Claim: On 2 August 2023, unverified reports started circulating on social media regarding the candidate status of the 12 Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidates whose nomination had been nullified by the High Court on allegations of late submission of their papers. The party had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, the outcome of which had been clouded in falsehoods.
Source: Social media
Is this true or false? Verdict: True
On 3 August 2023, a panel of Supreme Court judges consisting of Tendai Uchena, Alfas Chitakunye, and Hlekani Mwayera overturned the High Court ruling that disqualified the 12 aspiring CCC National Assembly candidates from running in the 23 August 2023 elections.
The 12 had been barred from contesting by Bulawayo High Court Judge, Justice Bongani Ndlovu who ruled that they had filed their nomination papers after the 4 PM deadline on 21 June 2023.
Conclusion
The claims that the 12 CCC Bulawayo MPs have been reinstated are true after the Supreme Court’s ruling on 3 August 2023.
Veritas
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 3, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-have-the-12-ccc-national-assembly-candidates-been-reinstated-by-the-supreme-court-as-claimed-on-social-media/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
160 | Fact Check: Have ZIMSEC “O” Level results been nullified? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 16, 2023
Claim: Viral posts on local social media claim that the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) Board has announced that results for 2022 Ordinary Level examinations will not be released because there was widespread leakage of examination papers.
Source: Social media
Is this True of False?
Verdict: False
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) spokesperson Nicky Dhlamini told ZimFact this was not true, and there was no official statement to that effect.
Conclusion: 2022 ZIMSEC results have not been nullified.
Sources: Zimbabwe School Examinations Council
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 16, 2023 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-have-zimsec-o-level-results-been-nullified/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
161 | Fact Check: Henrietta Rushwaya still in court on gold smuggling case - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 25, 2023
Claim: The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has dropped a charge against Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya, who was arrested at Robert Gabriel Mugabe (RGM) International Airport in 2020 on suspicion of attempting to smuggle 6 kg of gold, according to a local media platform
This assertion was made on the X (former Twitter), along with a statement from the NPA to back it up.Has the State withdrawn the case?
Verdict: False
Conclusion: The claim is misleading.The state has “closed” its case against Henrietta Rushwaya rather than withdrawing it.
In legal language, closing a case means that the state has concluded its arguments and it’s left for the defence to outline its case.
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 25, 2023 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-henrietta-rushwaya-still-in-court-on-gold-smuggling-case/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
162 | Fact check: Herald's reporting on Nkosana Moyo's Chamisa comments is misleading - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 14, 2021
On Tuesday, Sept 14, The Herald published a story entitled: “Nkosana Moyo lays into Chamisa”.
In the article, the paper reported that Nkosana Moyo, president of the Alliance for the People’s Agenda (APA), “has described fellow opposition leader, Mr Nelson Chamisa, as a clueless politician who does not have the requisite skills to lead a nation”.
According to The Herald: “This comes as there is a growing realisation in the opposition that Mr Chamisa, who now leads a smaller faction of the MDC after losing out to Mr Douglas Mwonzora in the battle to control the opposition, has no plans beyond the rhetoric and infantile claims.”
The article is based on a video that the paper said is “circulating on media platforms”.
However, The Herald’s report, misleadingly, does not mention that the video is not new. The video has only recently resurfaced during social media debates around opposition coalitions.
A search reveals that the video was in fact taken from a Facebook Live video posted by Moyo on his official page on March 30, 2018. This was during campaigns towards the 2018 election, in which Moyo was a presidential candidate.
In that livestream, Moyo spoke about the qualities that he believed Zimbabwean voters should look for in a leader. A viewer then asked Moyo: “Would you vote for Chamisa and why not?”
Moyo responded: “Well, he (viewer) is implying that he knows I wouldn’t. You’re asking me a direct question and the answer is no, I would not vote for Chamisa because I don’t think he has got the skills that my country requires. I have just articulated what I think a leader at this point in time in our country should understand. Our leader has to understand how an economy works above all. I don’t believe that Chamisa has got that understanding, I am sorry. If he did, I would join MDC and support him. Democracy is beautiful because you are free to vote for him. I personally will not vote for him because I genuinely do not believe that somebody who does not understand the intricacies of finance, which lead directly into how you support investments, what creates confidence and credibility, can get us out of the mess we are in. So I wouldn’t.”
Conclusion
While Nkosana Moyo has indeed publicly criticised Chamisa, The Herald article on his comments can be misleading as it does not mention the fact that the video is from the 2018 election campaign period.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 14, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-heralds-reporting-on-nkosana-moyos-chamisa-comments-is-misleading/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
163 | Fact Check – How long is the ban on visits to boarding schools? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 21, 2023
The Zimbabwe government has banned visits to boarding schools over fears of a spike in Covid-19 cases, according to social and mainstream media platforms.
Claim: The ban on parents and guardians to see students at these schools applies to this term only, according to some of the reports.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: True. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education says the current suspension notice on visits applies to this term, and is subject to review during the coming school terms.
Taungana Ndoro, director of communications and advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, said the ban is meant to manage and minimise the spread of COVID-19.
“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is not allowing visiting by parents and guardians to schools this term because COVID 19 cases are escalating, and we need to manage and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our schools,” said Ndoro.
Schools that were meant to have visits on 25 February have communicated the government ban, and have cancelled the scheduled visits until further notice.
What is the current state of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe?
Covid-19 is still here.
The Zimbabwe health authorities have called on people to remain vigilant, saying it is concerned by a spike in new Covid-19 cases the country has been recording since December 2022.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has similarly warned that the Covid pandemic is alive globally, a message arising from worries that many people were dropping their guard and countries relaxing their Covid-19 management systems too quickly despite the emergence of new Covid variants.
Ndoro said Zimbabwean education authorities would continue to enforce the standard operating procedures that were put in place to manage the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
In January 2023, Zimbabwe recorded an increase in COVID -19 cases. As of February 19, official records showed 19 new cases, 49 recoveries and a total of 867 active cases countrywide, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care Situation Report.
According to an outbreak investigation published 2022, conducted at a boarding school in Mashonaland East in 2020, overcrowding in boarding schools was noted as a major factor in the rapid spread of the virus.
Sources:
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education,
Ministry of Health and Child Care Covid-19 Situation Report, February 1
World Health Organisation (WHO).
Related:
Factsheet: Where is Zimbabwe on COVID-19
Factsheet: Zimbabwe urges vigilance over COVID-19
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 21, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-how-long-is-the-ban-on-visits-to-boarding-schools/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
164 | FACT CHECK: How many seats in Matabeleland provinces does ZANU PF have? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 30, 2022
In the aftermath of the March 26 by-election, there has been debate on social media on voting trends for ZANU PF and the opposition in Matabeleland provinces.
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activist, Discent Bajila, tweeted: “The regional anger on why Tsholotsho voted ZPF (ZANU PF) is very unfortunate if it isn’t equal to the size of anger on the 8 other constituencies that did the same. 21/38 constituencies in Mat’land have ZANU-PF MPs. Why single out Tsholotsho for your ridicule? Elsewhere it’s even worse.”
A social media user asked ZimFact to check Bajila’s figures on the number of Members of Parliament. We checked, and it is accurate.
ZANU-PF does indeed have 21 out of 38 MPs in Matabeleland constituencies. It holds 20 of the 24 rural Matabeleland constituencies. Here is the list of ZANU PF MPs in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, and Matabeleland South:
The table below shows the number of MPs in the Matabeleland provinces:
Matabeleland voting trends
In 2000, the Movement for Democratic Change, in its first election after launch, won 21 out of the 23 Matabeleland constituencies.
Tracking votes in one province, Matabeleland North, the MDC in 2000 won 73.6% of the vote in 2000. In 2018, the party, which ran as MDC Alliance, won 37.8%. Combined with the splinter party MDC-T, the MDC vote was 47.3%, more than ZANU PF’s total share of the vote, 39.5%. However, ZANU PF won the most seats in the province in 2018.
CONCLUSION
ZANU PF does hold 21 out of the 38 constituencies in Mat North, Mat South, and Bulawayo.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 30, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-how-many-seats-in-matabeleland-provinces-does-zanu-pf-have/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
165 | Fact Check: How much power is ZESA generating? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 22, 2022
Zimbabwe is battling serious power shortages despite promises by the national electricity supply authority (ZESA) to ease load-shedding through increased imports during the festive season.
Claim: Zimbabwe Energy and Power Development Deputy Minister Magna Mudyiwa claimed in Parliament last week that the country would not have been facing the current problems if licensed Independent Power Producers (IPPs) had developed promised projects with a capacity of 2000MW.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: False, according to publicly available statistics from the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA).
The ZERA website https://www.zera.co.zw/ indicates there are 30 IPPs licence holders with a potential of producing 200MW — not 2000MW.
During a question and answer session on the Zimbabwe’s power problems, Deputy Minister Mudyiwa said in Senate: “They were IPPs with no money and they started looking for money when they got the licences. If all the IPPs had solar plants as they had claimed when they applied for licences, we could have 2000MW coming from IPPs”.
Delayed and inadequate investments in new power generation stations and in refurbishing old plants in southern Africa has led to a crisis in principally South Africa and Zimbabwe.
In the face of these power shortages, state and energy sector officials are throwing around statistics — mostly of what might have been.
How much power is ZESA currently producing for the national grid against an average 1,800MW — when all its generators are firing?
See ZimFact https://zimfact.org/factsheet-a-look-at-zimbabwes-power-supply-infrastructure/
According to the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) as of 20 December 2022, the national grid was carrying 847MW – less than half its normal electricity feed.
These are the Electricity Generation Statistics from ZPC.
Dylan Dzenga, an intern at ZimFact and a member of the University of Zimbabwe fact-checking club, contributed in compiling this fact check.
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 22, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-how-much-power-is-zesa-generating/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
166 | FACT CHECK: Hunan, Hubei or Wuhan? No, Zimbabwe did not receive traveler from 'worst hit Chinese province' - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 2, 2020
CLAIM: A traveler from the Chinese province most hit by the coronavirus was allowed into Zimbabwe
VERDICT: False. A traveler arrived from Hunan province, and not Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
Background
The Zimbabwe government posted on March 1, 2020, that a traveller had been tested for coronavirus after arriving at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport from China’s Hunan province.
The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting tweeted:
“Govt would like to inform the public that today, a traveller from Hunan Province in China was flagged up as needing assessment for Coroner Virus (sic). Full WHO Protocols were deployed. The traveller has now been taken to designated Isolation Facilities where tests are being conducted”
A further update on March 2 said the test was negative.
The initial tweet drew replies claiming that the traveller was in fact from Wuhan, and that the reference to “Hunan” was a mistake by the Government.
The website NewZimbabwe.com, under the headline “Zim quarantines traveller from China’s coronavirus ravaged Hunan Province”, reported on March 1: “A new traveller from Hunan, the Chinese province most battered by the raging coronavirus scourge that has claimed thousands of lives around the world, has been placed under quarantine for assessment upon arrival by Zimbabwean authorities.”
The website further claimed that the “first outbreak of coronavirus was first detected in Hunan province”. The website repeated this claim on March 2.
This is not true.
The epicentre of the coronavirus is in fact the city of Wuhan, which is in the province of Hubei. Hubei province has recorded the most infections and deaths as a result of COVID-19. World Health Organisation statistics show that, as at March 1, Hubei had recorded 66,907 cases – three-quarters of all cases – and 2,761 deaths. Hunan province, where the traveller came from, had recorded 1,018 cases and four deaths.
Harare City health director Prosper Chonzi told NewsDay: “That person is not coming from Hubei (where the virus originated), but a different place and they have no symptoms, but we are just following what has to be done.”
The confusion arose from inadequate information on the Chinese provinces mentioned.
The traveller to Zimbabwe had been to the province of Hunan, which is a neighbouring province of Hubei in China. The city of Wuhan is the capital of Hubei Province.
The Hubei province has been on lockdown since January 23. This means that, as at March 2, no person can leave or enter Hubei without special authorisation, according to a notice by the Chinese National Immigration Administration. All commercial flights, trains and road links are closed to travellers.
This means a person cannot, on their own, leave Wuhan in Hubei to travel to any other parts of China, or to Zimbabwe.
“Due to the lockdown of the exit channels of Wuhan ports, exits through any ports of Wuhan can only be permitted with approval,” the notice says.
While travel is still possible from other parts of China, Zimbabwe currently has no direct flights from any city in China.
In its travel recommendations on February 29, the WHO said it “continues to advise against the application of travel or trade restrictions to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks”.
Zimbabwe, like the bulk of other African countries, has not banned travel to and from China. However, Both China and Zimbabwe have urged their nationals to delay travel plans.
On Friday, February 7, Health Minister Obadiah Moyo, during a tour of health facilities in Bulawayo, said Zimbabweans should cancel travel to China.
“We are saying let’s not travel unnecessarily to those countries where the coronavirus is. Let’s not go to China right now. Let’s wait, postpone your trips to any other countries, which are affected. Let’s stay home and stay put,” Moyo was quoted as saying.
Below, a map by ThinkGlobal identifying 80 countries that had imposed some form of travel restrictions on China as at February 19:
CORONAVIRUSCOVID-19FEATUREDHUBEIHUNANWUHANZIMBABWE | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 2, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-hunan-hubei-or-wuhan-no-zimbabwe-did-not-receive-traveler-from-worst-hit-chinese-province/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
167 | Fact Check – Is Britain’s NHS no longer taking Zimbabwean health workers? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 24, 2023
CLAIM: A screenshot of an email is circulating on local social media platform claiming that Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) is no longer supporting applications from Zimbabweans due to government-to-government conversations over the amount of health workers relocating to the UK.
IS THIS TRUE, FALSE OR UNCLEAR?
Without directly addressing ZimFact’s question on whether the email screenshot represented the actual position or not, the United Kingdom Embassy in Harare said Zimbabwean applicants should get guidance from the government official website, and the embassy’s Twitter and Facebook pages. There is currently no such communication on these platforms.
Zimbabwe media reports that thousands of local nurses and ancillary health workers have left for the United Kingdom (UK) in the last 20 years, and many more are desperate to join them for better wages and working conditions which they are not getting at home.
The Zimbabwe government says it is working on improving salaries and conditions of service in the public health sector, and has complained of a skills drain by developed Western countries.
Below is a copy of the viral message extracted from social media.
The British Embassy spokesperson without directly addressing the question regarding the contents of the email said: “The UK recognizes the importance that skilled migrants make to the country. The UK Government monitors international recruitment activity and keeps all of its immigration routes under review.”
The British Embassy spokesperson encourages people seeking to get a health and care worker visa to consult the guidance of the UK government website and DHS guidelines shared by the British Embassy on their Twitter and Facebook pages.
The UK government website clearly sets out the requirements when one is applying for a skilled worker visa, the types of jobs on the shortage occupations list, specific skilled workers required in areas in the UK that have shortages, among others.
For health care, jobs outlined on the list include medical practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, radiographers, paramedics, occupational therapists, nurses, among others.
In December, another message purporting that UK was hiring Zimbabwean teachers in a 2023 recruitment drive went viral.
For further information, visit the United Kingdom government website.
Without directly addressing the question on Zimbabwean health workers, the spokesperson for the UK Embassy in Harare directed people to get guidance from the United Kingdom government website
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 24, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-is-britains-nhs-no-longer-taking-zimbabwean-health-workers/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
168 | Fact Check: Is Internet being throttled during Zimbabwe’s general elections? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 23, 2023
Claim: In a statement published on 22 August 2023, MISA Zimbabwe put out a statement announcing that the quality of Internet in Zimbabwe had been downgraded on the eve of elections. This throttling has affected the prominent Internet Service Providers in the country, Econet Wireless, Liquid telecoms, NetOne and TelOne.
Verdict: True
The Statement is based on findings from NetBlocks an organisation whose mandate is to monitor global internet connectivity speeds in real-time. The report showed that access to social media sites such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram had been throttled on the four Internet Service Providers.
Throttling is when your internet service provider, or ISP, slows down your internet speeds on purpose, limiting your bandwidth for certain websites.
What is the impact of Internet throttling?
Internet throttling denies Zimbabwean citizens access to the Internet as a platform for communication, restricts access to information and limits freedom of expression.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 23, 2023 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
169 | Fact Check: Is it legal to vend, beg with minor children in tow? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 20, 2023
The Zimbabwe government says it plans to introduce a “Child Justice Bill” to reinforce children protection laws, including provisions forbidding vendors and beggars from taking minor children to vending sites and begging ventures, according to a local weekly newspaper.
Claim: The Sunday Mail reported on March 19 that under current legislation it was already illegal for adults to be accompanied by children to their vending or begging work, or to use or exhibit them during public entertainment shows in a manner “detrimental” to their general welfare. The offence, it said, was punishable by a fine or a jail sentence.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: True.
According to the Children’s Act, Chapter 5:06: “Any parent or guardian of a child or young person who allows that child or young person, or any person who causes any child or young person to (a) beg; or (b) to accompany him or any other person while he begs; or (c) to induce or endeavour to induce the giving of alms; or (d) to perform or be exhibited in any for public entertainment in a manner likely to be detrimental to the child’s or young person’s health, morals, mind or body; shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or to imprisonment.”
What are the issues?
Social welfare workers and psychologists say children who grow up on the streets get mentally damaged and need legal and social protection from an environment that exposes them to witnessing or suffering psychological, verbal, physical and other forms of abuse.
In Zimbabwe’s case, Justice for Children — a children’s rights advocacy organisation — says there is need to take care of vulnerable minors as stipulated under various Sections of the Children’s Act.
The Sunday Mail quoted Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare’s provincial social welfare officer for Harare, Susan Ngani, as saying the government was working on a new Child Justice Bill to strengthen the existing Children’s Act.
As part of buttressing the protection of minors, she said, the ministry was working on establishing a day-care facility in Harare’s central business district (CBD) where vendors and working parents could leave their children under the care of skilled social welfare workers.
This initiative, Ngani said, was long overdue as many other countries had such day-care centres for children.
The Sunday Mail said children brought into the capital city by vendors were particularly vulnerable as the vendors often fought running battles with Harare municipal police, and some used their children as shields in resisting arrest for trading from illegal and undesignated sites.
Sources:
https://www.law.co.zw/download/childrens-act/
https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/illegal-vending-in-town-with-kids-an-offence-day-care-centre-set-to-be-established
http://www.justiceforchildren.org.zw/
Related:
Factsheet: Children’s Welfare Organisations in Zimbabwe
Factsheet: Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Zimbabwe
Factsheet: Zimbabwe battles rising drug abuse problem
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 20, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-is-it-legal-to-vend-beg-with-minor-children-in-tow/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
170 | Fact Check – Is the US Issuing Visas for care givers? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 12, 2023
Claim – A message circulating on social media purporting that the United States of America (USA) government made an announcement to allocate more than 45,000 jobs to work as care givers in the US.
Verdict – False
The Public Diplomacy Section at the US Embassy in Zimbabwe dismissed the message as fake and not emanating from the US government.
Beyond the dismissal by the US Embassy, there are context clues in the widely circulated message that show that it is false.
Public Diplomacy Section at the US Embassy in Zimbabwe
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 12, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-is-the-us-issuing-visas-for-care-givers/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
171 | Fact Check: Is this Energy Mutodi in the assault video? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 19, 2023
Claim: A video has gone viral on social media (Twitter and Facebook) of a man being identified as Energy Mutodi, the Bikita West Parliamentary candidate for Zimbabwe’s governing ZANU PF party in the August 23 general election, viciously assaulting a man with a whip and a hammer while the victim’s hands and legs are tied up. Many commentaries said Mutodi was assaulting a political opponent.
Verdict: False – this is not Mutodi
A ZimFact search online came across a video of the same man assaulting another man. These two videos, which feature the same man clad in the same outfit occurred at an obscure location in South Africa, and both the victim and the assailant speak in Zulu in the second video.
Video 1 –This video shows the first victim who is gagged and tied, this is the version in which the assailant is mistaken for Energy Mutodi as there are no visible context clues as only the whimpers of the victim are heard.
Video 2 – This is a longer video in which the same man assaults another man under a bridge whilst he is tied up, but is not gagged. The two exchange words in Zulu as the assault goes on.
The social media claim is false, as it is clear from the context clues that the assailant in the video is not Energy Mutodi.
Social Media (Facebook and Twitter)
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 19, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-is-this-energy-mutodi-in-the-assault-video/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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172 | Fact check: Is UK hiring Zimbabwe teachers in a 2023 recruitment drive? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 15, 2022
CLAIM: Zimbabwean teachers are among foreign teachers targeted by the United Kingdom to plug in staffing gaps in its public schools, according to a notice circulating widely on local social media where some have doubted its authenticity.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: True.
Part of the notice that has gone viral reads: “Not sure if you know… Teaching has been added on the shortage list and Zimbabwe is one of the countries chosen for teachers to come to UK. If you know any teacher interested, share with them the link below and so they can apply. From February 2023 teachers are needed, so they better hurry but it’s good news that Zimbabwe is one of the chosen countries.”
From 1 February 2023, Zimbabwe is among nine countries from which qualified teachers will be able to apply to Teaching Regulations Agency for QTS, according to the government website. Other countries include Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa and Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the UK Embassy in Harare confirmed that the website link that has been circulating is genuine.
According to the government website, there are specific qualification requirements needed for teachers coming from overseas.
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is required however, applicants from overseas have a 4-year exemption for their first years of living in the UK to teach in maintained schools (schools funded by local education authority) without the QTS.
To qualify for the exemption, one must have qualified as a teacher in a country outside UK, successfully completed a course of teacher training recognised by the organisation that regulates teachers in the country where they qualified.
However, according to the government website, it is not a legal requirement for a teacher in academies and free schools to have QTS. Teaching assistants and instructors for vocational subjects are exempted and not obliged to obtain QTS.
Sources:
Without directly addressing the question on Zimbabwean teachers, the spokesperson for the UK Embassy in Harare said: “We can confirm that the https://www.gov.uk/link is genuine. Additionally, you may refer to this tweet that we’ve just issued –
For further information, visit the United Kingdom government website
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 15, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-is-uk-hiring-zimbabwe-teachers-in-a-2023-recruitment-drive/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
173 | FACT CHECK: Is Zimbabwe set to get US$34 billion for infrastructure? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 12, 2019
CLAIM: Zimbabwe to get US$34 billion facilities for infrastructure
VERDICT: Misleading
By ZimFact Staff
In an article headlined “Zim to get US$34bn facilities”, published Friday, July 12, 2019, The Herald reported that Zimbabwe was to see investment worth US$34 billion over the next decade. The claim was premised on comments made by AfDB’s principal country economist, Walter Odero, at the launch of the bank’s 2019 Zimbabwe Infrastructure Flagship Report at an event in Harare on Thursday, July 11.
According to The Herald: “Zimbabwe is set to achieve US$34 billion worth of infrastructure development in the next decade, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has said. The country is set to close its gap, thanks to Government’s policies, and the 2019 Zimbabwe Infrastructure Flagship Report, which was prepared by the bank on behalf of the Government and launched in Harare yesterday outlines Zimbabwe’s leap in the next decade.”
This is an inaccurate interpretation of both Odero’s remarks, and of the report itself. The AfDB only said that Zimbabwe needs US$34 billion to close its infrastructure gap, and not, as suggested by The Herald, that the country will get facilities to fund the investment.
Background
The AfDB last released a report on the state of infrastructure in Zimbabwe in 2011. After the ouster of President Robert Mugabe in 2017, the new government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa requested a new report from the AfDB. The new report was released in Harare on July 11.
According to the foreword in the latest AfDB report: “Zimbabwe has faced headwinds over the last decade resulting in a collapse of the economy. However, following the political transition of November 2017, the new government requested the African Development Bank to update the 2011 Zimbabwe Infrastructure Flagship Report, so as to aid in investment planning as part of the vision 2030.”
What does the report say?
The 2019 Zimbabwe Infrastructure Flagship Report gives a breakdown of the infrastructure shortfalls in Zimbabwe, the total cost of which the AfDB estimates at US$34 billion.
The report states the following: “The total cost is put at about USD 34 billion at 2017 constant prices, including USD 8 billion of private investment in upgrade of existing infrastructure and new capacity. The water supply and sanitation and resource management, would require an outlay of USD 3.67 billion for capital works and related technical support.
“The power programme would require about USD 1.14 billion, the transport sector requires approximately USD 28.56 billion of which most is required in the road sub-sector. The communications sector would require about USD 412 million, primarily to the creation of a national fibre optic backbone network. Not included in these estimates is USD 43 million for routine road maintenance.”
A breakdown of Zimbabwe’s infrastructure needs, worth US$33.7 billion. Source: AfDB (2019)
In its report on the launch of the report, The Herald itself quotes Odero as saying: “The report we are launching today confirms that the country needs US$34 billion over the next decade to restore its road, rail, aviation, energy, ICT and water and sanitation infrastructure to proper working condition.”
The report was more accurately captured by other media. BusinessWeekly reported that “Zim needs $34bn for infrastructure upgrade”.
CONCLUSION
The Herald’s claim that Zimbabwe is to get US$34 billion worth of facilities for infrastructure is misleading. What the AfDB report, and its chief economist said, was that US$34 billion is what the country needs to raise for infrastructure rehabilitation.
AfDBFEATUREDHERALDINFRASTRUCTURE | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 12, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-is-zimbabwe-set-to-get-us34-billion-for-infrastructure/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
174 | Fact Check: Is Zimbabwe the number one blueberry exporter in the world? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 5, 2023
CLAIM: Local media reports claimed Zimbabwe is the leading blueberry exporter in the world. This was attributed to a 2023 study by EastFruit, an information and analytical platform for the fruit and vegetable business. A section of the report reads:
“In 2022, Zimbabwe saw an 85% growth in blueberry exports, surpassing 5,000 tonnes, elevating the country to the top 15 global exporters list. According to a recent report, Zimbabwe is presently the foremost global exporter of blueberries, outpacing all other nations in growth”.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: False
According to the Horticultural Development Council (HDC), Zimbabwe where climatic conditions allow high yields from open field planting and early delivery into export markets doubled its blueberry production to 7,000 metric tons this year. Andrij Yarmak, an economist at the investment department of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said, Zimbabwe’s blueberry exports are currently growing faster than any other country in the world.
According to the International Blueberry Organisation’s Global State of the Blueberry Industry Report for 2023, these are the top blueberry exporters in the world since 2019.
Where does Zimbabwe rank in Africa?
Where are blueberries grown in Zimbabwe?
Currently, berries from Zimbabwe are being exported to:
Zimbabwe is not the leading exporter as claimed. However, it is said that for the past five years, Zimbabwe has the fastest growing blueberry industry.
International Blueberry Organisation Global State Of The Blueberry Industry Report 2023
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/12/peru-mexico-top-berry-exporters/
https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#search/Blueberries
https://www.producereport.com/article/perus-fruit-exports-expected-overtake-chiles-within-5-years
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 5, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-is-zimbabwe-the-number-one-blueberry-exporter-in-the-world/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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175 | Fact-check it! - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 23, 2024
FEATUREDOUR PICKSTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 23, 2024 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-it/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
176 | Fact Check: It’s Fake - SADC Observer Mission head did not call Zimbabwe’s elections “null and void” - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 29, 2023
Claim: A social media account on X, formally Twitter @skyler_aurora19, purporting to be that of SADC Zimbabwe Election Observer Mission head Nevers Mumba, issued a statement alleging that SADC had reached a resolution that Zimbabwe’s general elections were null and void. The post also said former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete was drawing up conditions for new polls, with the support of Zimbabwe’s military.
Verdict: False
The X account @skyler_aurora19 is a parody account and not Dr. Nevers Mumba’s official account. The parody account @skyler_aurora19 was suspended on X for peddling falsehoods that are likely to cause unnecessary alarm and despondency.
Zimbabwe’s current disputed election has triggered what appears to be strategic cyberwarfare and disinformation across the country’s political divide.
X (Formerly Twitter)
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 29, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-its-fake-sadc-observer-mission-head-did-not-call-zimbabwes-elections-null-and-void/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
177 | FACT CHECK – Makandiwa, Bill Gates, vaccines and microchips - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 7, 2020
Viral social media posts claim that Microsoft founder Bill Gates, through his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, plans to test new coronavirus vaccines on Africans. And in a sermon on Sunday, April 5, Zimbabwean preacher Emmanuel Makandiwa also claimed that there is a plan to inject electronic implants into people under the guise of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Is this true?
No.
Rumours and conspiracy theories around vaccines have existed for years. The rumours have increased recently following the outbreak of COVID-19.
On March 27, 2020, a Facebook post said to have been written by the French microbiologist Didier Raoult urged Africans to resist vaccinations created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The claim was debunked by AFP; it turned out he never said so.
On April 2, French doctor Jean-Paul Mira appeared on the TV channel LCI, with Camille Locht, research head at France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM). The two were discussing the feasibility of using BCG, a vaccine widely used for decades around the world, in the fight against COVID-19.
Mira asked: “Shouldn’t we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatment, no intensive care, rather as was done with certain studies on AIDS, where things are tested on prostitutes because it’s known that they are highly exposed (to HIV)?”
Locht replied: “You’re right, we are thinking in parallel by the way about a study in Africa with the same kind of approach, (but) it doesn’t prevent us from being able to think about a study in Europe and Australia at the same time.”
The discussion drew widespread criticism, including from football stars Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o.
INSERM said Locht’s comments had been taken out of context: “A distorted video, taken from an interview on LCI with one of our researchers about a study on the potential use of the BCG vaccine against COVID-19, is now the subject of erroneous interpretation.”
According to INSERM, any trials would be conducted in Europe and Australia, and “Africa should not be forgotten or excluded from research, as the pandemic is global.”
Mira later apologised.
Speaking with the Huffington Post, Mira said: “It seemed interesting to me that in addition to France and Australia, an African country could participate in this study which I had never heard of before hearing about it on the show.”
In a Facebook Live sermon on Sunday, on April 5, Pastor Emmanuel Makandiwa of the United Family International Church claimed there were plans to insert a microchip into people.
Makandiwa said: “What makes this very strange, is the idea that now they want to put a chip alongside the vaccine. Having a chip in your hand that has access to every information. They will know who has refused the vaccine. Now you have a gadget in your body. What is that? Simply because of flu?”
How did this claim start?
On March 18, Bill Gates held a question and answer session on coronavirus with users of the online community Reddit.
Gates called for a “national tracking system similar to South Korea”, saying “in Seattle, the [University of Washington] is providing thousands of tests per day but no one is connected to a national tracking system”.
Biohackinfo, a conspiracy theory website, then reported on March 19 that “Bill Gates will use microchip implants to fight coronavirus”.
The article claimed: “Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will launch human-implantable capsules that have ‘digital certificates’ which can show who has been tested for the coronavirus and who has been vaccinated against it.”
On March 27, the website TruNews published a story headlined: “Mark of the beast: Gates wants coronavirus patients implanted with quantum-dot tattoos”. The report made similar claims that Bill Gates planned to implant microchips in people.
The website is a known conspiracy theory site. It is run by Rick Wiles, a pastor and far-right conspiracy theorist.
An example of Wiles’ theories; in a March 31 video, Wiles blames Jews for the coronavirus. He says: “God is spreading it in your synagogues! You’re under judgment because you oppose his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent and believe in the name of Jesus Christ, and the plague will stop.”
In the video, Wiles also claims that Gates is “building Lucifer’s anti-Christ system” and that he “wants to put a microchip in the vaccine, a nano-sized microchip. This guy is an enemy of the mighty God. Every Christian needs to be alert right now.”
Asked about the microchip claim, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation told Reuters: “The reference to ‘digital certificates’ relates to efforts to create an open source digital platform with the goal of expanding access to safe, home-based testing.” No implants are involved.
“The quantum dot dye technology is not a microchip…”
The microchip conspiracies claim that governments will use the “quantum dot dye” technology to plant the chips.
However, the people who actually developed the technology, used to electronically store vaccination records, point out that there is no microchip involved. Kevin McHugh, one of the lead researchers on the project’s development, said the tech does not involve implants. “The quantum dot dye technology is not a microchip or human-implantable capsule and to my knowledge there are no plans to use this for coronavirus.”
Claims by Makandiwa that there are plans to insert microchips into people as part of coronavirus tests are therefore FALSE. The claim is based on fake news peddled by conspiracy websites.
In an April 3 interview with Trevor Noah of The Daily Show, Gates said his foundation would pay for the construction of factories to manufacture seven potential coronavirus vaccines. Two successful vaccines would be chosen for further trial.
Gates said: “Even though we’ll end up picking at most two of them, we’re going to fund factories for all seven just so we don’t waste time in serially saying ‘ok which vaccine works’ and then building the factory.”
On April 4, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tweeted: The Gates Foundation has supported our health needs for many years. They have offered assistance with innovative mass-based testing kits and research.”
The @GatesFoundation has supported our health needs for many years. They have offered assistance with innovative mass-based testing kits and research. I spoke to @BillGates and he commended the swift and decisive action South Africa has taken on #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/CSfFLYqnzA
Neither the Trevor Noah interview nor Ramaphosa’s tweet mentioned any coronavirus tests focused on Africa. However, social media took both as confirmation that Gates intended to specifically target Africa for vaccine tests. This was false.
On April 4, South African website News24 published a story under the headline “Bill Gates confident a potential coronavirus vaccine will work in Africa, but Twitter does not think so”. The website later admitted the story was wrong.
“Nowhere in the interview does Gates mention testing a vaccine in Africa,” News24 admitted.
The site removed the story, issued an apology to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and instituted an investigation into how the false story got published.
Existing fears around vaccines, the controversy around the French doctors, plus the Bill Gates interview, all combined to feed into conspiracies that Africa would be targeted as a staging post for vaccine trials.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Africa will not be targeted as the stage for vaccine trials. Trials, instead, are being staged in participating countries from around the world.
“Africa can’t and won’t be a testing ground for any vaccine,” said WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on April 6.
"When we needed solidarity these kind of racist remarks will not help. It goes against the solidarity. Africa will not be a testing ground for any vaccine." – @DrTedros in response to two French doctors suggesting a potential vaccine be trialed in Africa. pic.twitter.com/ECS9F1baPq
As at April 4, 60 candidate vaccines had been registered with the WHO. Two, one in China and another in the US, are already being tested on humans. The rest are in the pre-clinical trial stage, which means they are not yet ready for human tests.
On March 18, the WHO launched the start of the global clinical trial for antivirals that could potentially be used to treat the new coronavirus, a programme called “Solidarity”. Under this trial, four therapies are being tested. Some of these are already being used in Africa for different diseases.
Here are the four therapies being tested by the WHO and its partners:
Remdesivir – this was previously tested as an Ebola treatment. According to the WHO, it has generated promising results in animal studies for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which are also caused by coronaviruses, suggesting it may have some effect in patients with COVID-19.
A combination of Lopinavir and Ritonavir – this is a licensed treatment for HIV. Evidence for COVID-19, MERS and SARS is yet to show it can improve clinical outcomes or prevent infection. This trial aims to identify and confirm any benefit for COVID-19 patients.
Interferon beta-1a – used to treat multiple sclerosis.
Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine – closely related, these used to treat malaria and rheumatology conditions respectively. In China and France, small studies provided some indications of possible benefit of chloroquine phosphate against pneumonia caused by COVID-19 but need confirmation through randomized trials.
Of the more than 300 clinical trials that have launched to find a treatment for COVID-19, most are in China and South Korea, according to research journal Nature.
Early trial entrants are from Europe, where countries have some of the highest COVID-19 cases. As at the start of April, the only country in Africa to have formally joined the trial is South Africa. Senegal and Burkina Faso — which have some of the most COVID-19 cases in the continent — were in the process of being enrolled. In total, some 25 countries from around the world had expressed an interest, according to Nature journal.
According to WHO guidelines, clinical trials involve consenting adults. Eligible patients are asked to sign to show they understand the possible risks and benefits and consent to joining the study. Health authorities in each participating country are required to clear drugs so that they can be imported, and the trial must be vetted by regulators for safety, and by ethics-review boards.
Claims that Africa will be used to stage COVID-19 vaccine trials have been debunked by the WHO. There is also no evidence that Bill Gates has said he intends to target Africa for trials. Claims that vaccines will involve the insertion of microchips into people, as claimed by Pastor Makandiwa, are false. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 7, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-makandiwa-bill-gates-vaccines-and-microchips/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
178 | Fact Check: Misleading detail in social media post on ZESA training - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 20, 2024
Claim: An advert circulating on various social media platforms posted in a private Facebook group ‘Mikoto Hustlers Zim’ on 10 March 2024 alleged ZESA was calling for applications for free technical and non-technical courses.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: Misleading
ZESA Training Centre officials refuted the claim that the technical and non-technical courses listed in the ZESA Holdings National Training calendar for 2024 were free.
However, ZESA Holdings’ general manager responsible for stakeholder relations, communications and welfare, George Manyaya, confirmed the power utility company had put out a separate call for applications for a free course on Solar Photovoltaic Systems Design, Installation and Maintenance in partnership with UNESCO.
While Manyaya acknowledged that the social media messages were true, he reiterated that the final day for receiving applications had lapsed on 1 March 2024.
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA)
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 20, 2024 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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179 | Fact Check: Mnangagwa bans public disclosure of medical drugs, equipment - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 10, 2023
CLAIM: Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has banned the disclosure of state and public sector construction material and equipment, biomedical and medical equipment, drugs, vehicles (including ambulances) and the repairs and maintenance of hospital equipment and machinery under a sweeping presidential decree, according to many local media reports.
VERDICT: TRUE
In a General Notice, Number 635 of 2023, published in the Government Gazette on May 5, 2023 and signed off by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, Mnangagwa set out the prohibition order under the Public Procurement and Disposal of of Public Assets Act (Chapter 22:23).
The ban was issued under the subhead “Special Procurements In the Public Interest: Health Sector”
Commentary across a number of media platforms denounced the move as an unprecedented attack on the public’s right to information, a reversal of the government’s commitment to good governance, transparency and public accountability in service delivery in the public sector, and the procurement and management of resources. Its effect, they said, would be to severely limit the media’s watchdog role around the critical health sector and public infrastructural development projects.
On the government side, officials say the ban is justified to stop what they see as an unrelenting foreign-sponsored propaganda campaign rolling for years on lies, half truths and exaggerations designed to help the opposition win votes in general elections due by August this year. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 10, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-mnangagwa-bans-public-disclosure-of-medical-drugs-equipment/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
180 | FACT CHECK - 'Monkeys and baboons': What did Shiri actually say? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 1, 2019
Agriculture Minister Perence Shiri
Remarks made by Agriculture Minister Perence Shiri, during a Parliamentary debate on July 31, have been widely shared and have raised controversy.
Under the headline “MDC MPs monkeys, baboons: Minister”, NewsDay reported: “Chaos reigned supreme in Parliament yesterday after Agriculture, Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri described MDC MPs as ‘baboons and monkeys’ for seeking answers on the missing $3 billion agricultural funds, forcing the sitting of the National Assembly to be adjourned prematurely”.
NewsDay quotes Shiri as saying: “I can’t be talking to monkeys and baboons.”
Open Parly, an online platform that monitors parliamentary debates, tweeted: “Parliament adjourned after Min. of Agric referred to MPs as Monkeys & Baboons”.
The Daily News also reported that Shiri “had labelled MDC legislators ‘baboons and monkeys’ after rejecting allegations US$3 billion allocated to the controversial Command Agriculture programme between 2017 and 2018 was stolen”.
While NewsDay quoted Shiri as saying “I can’t be talking to monkeys and baboons”, Daily News quoted him as saying: “I am not addressing baboons and monkeys”.
So, what did Shiri exactly say?
Below is an excerpt from the session, according to the Hansard, the official record of Parliament’s proceedings which transcribes from audio recordings of debates:
HON. MUTSEYAMI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. With all due respect, I am pleading with your office so that the Hon. Minister would come to this House and give a full ministerial statement explaining clearly with regard to how this issue of the $3 billion came to everything so that he will not just present as he has just done. With all facts and details to the House, we interrogate with questions freshly and openly with all the grace. I am very sure the Hon. Minister has no one to protect in all circumstances.
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SHIRI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I am not protecting anyone. I am stating facts as they are. I seem not to appreciate the need to come and issue a ministerial statement given that I am able to give the required facts here. I have highlighted that the money in question was used for the cotton input scheme, for the Presidential Input Scheme and for the importation of grain – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
Hon. Members having stood up.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: No more points of order. May you resume your seats Hon. Members. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – -[HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SHIRI: Ndakumbovatuka mbijana.]-
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SHIRI: Mr. Speaker Sir, I am not addressing baboons and monkeys. I am addressing people who are supposed to listen when I am responding. If they want me to respond and they want an answer, they have to give me a chance to respond. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: No more points of order. Hon. Members, may you resume your seats. – [HON. MEMBERS: No, no.] – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
HON. MAMOMBE: Mr. Speaker, I am the one who asked the question. The Hon. Minister cannot refer to us as baboons and monkeys. We need sufficient answers Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you need to protect us Sir. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – [HON. MEMBERS: Mr. Speaker, there are no monkeys] -. We are not going to allow that kind of language in this House. He has to withdraw.
Conclusion:
The official Hansard record shows that Shiri’s stated intention was to insult MPs who were heckling him.
While both the NewsDay and Daily News truncated direct quotations on what Shiri said are incomplete and therefore potentially misleading, the two newspapers’ interpretation of the minister’s statement is in line with his intention to insult his hecklers.
On Thursday, 1 August 2019, Shiri withdrew his statement.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 1, 2019 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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181 | Fact Check: No High Court ruling yet on MDC-T candidates - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 21, 2023
Claim: Zimbabwe opposition leader Douglas Mwonzora’s MDC-T party has lost a High Court case against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to accept the registration of 87 candidates, according to some local media reports on Friday, July 21.
In the court case, the MDC T is contesting the rejection of 87 of its members as candidates for Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary National Assembly in elections due on August 23 over disputes on their nomination papers.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: False.
The High Court has not delivered a ruling.
Reports that the case was dismissed are false, as the High Court simply ordered MDC-T’s aspiring candidates and ZEC to file written affidavits for the court’s consideration. Such an order does not amount to a dismissal of a case.
The case is still scheduled to continue next week, with judgment expected by next Wednesday, July 26, according to Lovemore Madhuku, MDC-T’s lawyer in this case.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 21, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-no-high-court-ruling-yet-on-mdc-t-candidates/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
182 | Fact Check: No, Mnangagwa has not stopped prosecution of Madzibaba Ishmael - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 24, 2024
Claim: Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly issued a directive to drop a court case against Ishmael Chokurongerwa (Madzibaba Ishmael), who is facing charges of running a Christian Apostolic faith sect that barred children from attending school and buried people without following legal processes.
A statement dated 19 March 2024 purportedly from the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet went viral on social media stating that, the presidency was of the belief that the allegations against Madzibaba Ishmael and company ‘lack substantial merit’.
Part of the statement reads: “it is worth noting that Madzibaba Ishmael has played a significant role within the Mupostori community during the recent electoral campaign”.
Is this true or false
Verdict: False
The above statement was dismissed as false by George Charamba the Deputy Chief secretary to the President and Cabinet. Charamba took to X to deny the statement saying, “They will try all sorts of propaganda but, what they can never do is match the house style of the OPC (Office of the President and Cabinet)!!!”.
X (formerly Twitter) post: X to deny the statement
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 24, 2024 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-no-mnangagwa-has-not-stopped-prosecution-of-madzibaba-ishmael/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
183 | Fact Check: No, this is not a genuine advert for Air Force Intake 2024 - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 2, 2024
Claim: An advert circulating on social media purporting the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) has made a call for applications for its 2024-2025 Intake. The social media advert details vacancies in various AFZ departments, calling on those who are interested to hand in their applications at selected government offices in the country.
Verdict: False
An Air Force of Zimbabwe representative confirmed the institution has not yet released a call for 2024 recruitment and advised that an advertisement will be published in the mainstream media once it is ready.
The Air Force of Zimbabwe has dismissed the above recruitment advert circulating on social media and encouraged the public to ignore it and await official communication.
Air Force of Zimbabwe
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 2, 2024 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-no-this-is-not-a-genuine-advert-for-air-force-intake-2024/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
184 | Fact Check: No, this is not a genuine call for 2024 Nursing applications - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 20, 2023
Claim: A message on Zimbabwe social media platforms claims that the Ministry of Health and Child Care is inviting applications for the 2024 nurse training programme. It says the requirements includes an application fee of US$10.
Verdict: – False
Ministry of Health and Child Care spokesperson Donald Mujiri dismissed the message as fake.
“When we recruit, applicants are not required to make any application fee, it’s free. We always use our social media platforms and our website to post such adverts,” he said. The authentic application process was done online through a computer-based portal, which did not include emails.
Mujiri said the message circulating on social media did not have the ministry’s official email and bank account details, and urged the public to always verify such posts to avoid being duped.
Sources: Ministry of Health and Child Care
TRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 20, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-no-this-is-not-a-genuine-call-for-2024-nursing-applications/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
185 | Fact Check: No, this is not a genuine job advert for CBZ Bank vacancies - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 9, 2024
Claim: A job advert widely circulated on Whatsapp claimed CBZ Bank was calling for applications for 1085 vacancies in various departments. Applicants were invited to send their details to a private email address by 10 May 2024.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: False
CBZ Bank officially dismissed the advert as fake and urged the public to be vigilant against scams. In a statement posted on their social media platforms, the bank advised that its job opportunities are exclusively flighted through the company LinkedIn page and job portal.
Furthermore, CBZ clarified that it does not accept job applications or CVs via email.
This is one of the many false job adverts that ZimFact has flagged recently. Like the other fake vacancies, there are some red flags that should alert the public that the advert is a scam, these include:
Unrealistic intake – this job advert has 1085 vacancies
Private email address – This advert requests applicants to send their emails to [email protected] most companies like in this case CBZ bank have company emails or a job portal.
CBZ Bank
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 9, 2024 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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186 | Fact Check: No, World Vision Zimbabwe has not advertised 1,000 jobs - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 10, 2024
Claim: A post circulating widely on local social media claims that World Vision Zimbabwe is advertising 1,000 (one thousand) job vacancies. The “advert” gives details of vacancies in various departments, and is calling applications for the posts
Is this true or false?
Verdict: False
World Vision in Zimbabwe dismissed the job advert as fake encouraging the public to be weary of fraudsters.
This is one of the many false job adverts that ZimFact has has to flag.
Like the others there are some red flags that should alert the public that the advert is a scam, these include:
Unrealistic intake – this call for applications has over 1000 vacancies
Display of salaries – It is unlikely for companies to publicly display their salary structure in a public call.
Private email address – This advert requests applicants to send their emails to [email protected] most companies like in this case World Vision have work emails
World Vision Zimbabwe
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 10, 2024 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-no-world-vision-zimbabwe-has-not-advertised-1000-jobs/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
187 | Fact Check: No, Zimbabwe does not have the cheapest data tariffs in SADC - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 8, 2023
Claim: A video circulating on Tik Tok in Zimbabwe social media platforms claims that Zimbabwe has the most expensive data in the world at US$75 per Gigabit.
This prompted the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) to publish a statement comparing data tariffs in the SADC region in which it claims the country has the lowest data tariffs in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Is this true?
VERDICT: Not true
In a statement, POTRAZ Director General Gift Machengete said Zimbabwe has the lowest data tariff in the SADC region, with an out of bundle tariff of ZWL14,930 which translates to USD3.21 per Gigabit at the September 2023 official exchange rate while the SADC average is at USD4.60 as outlined in the table below.
Regional Tariff comparison using new tariff thresholds (Inclusive of all taxes) of Mobile Network Operators (MNO) compiled by POTRAZ.
The Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa’s 2022 Consolidated Country Report outlined the ratings for fixed broadband services, which showed variances in Zimbabwe’s ranking. The country had relatively lower prices for medium speed broadband (10mbs) and was comparatively more expensive bundles for high speed internet (25mbs). Zimbabwe was however not ranked the cheapest in any category.
Benchmark on fixed Broadband Services in SADC, September 2022
The inaccuracies on data prices are largely based on misunderstanding over the currency regime in Zimbabwe. However, in real terms, the US dollar had already been trading at a premium to the local unit, especially since the introduction, in 2016, of bond notes.
Research by CRASA has shown that Tariffs offered by Mobile Network Operators in SADC countries are not cost based, rather they are priced to suit market situation as defined by prevailing forces of demand and supply and local competition landscape in general.
Affordability of Broadband Services is also affected by the Taxation Regimes in respective jurisdictions.
According to CRASA Zimbabwe has the highest connection fees for broadband services in Southern Africa whilst Namibia has the cheapest.
Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe
Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 8, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-no-zimbabwe-does-not-have-the-cheapest-data-tariffs-in-sadc/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
188 | Fact Check: Preliminary Delimitation Report numbers on Mashonaland East don’t add up - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 12, 2023
CLAIM – Zimbabwe’s social media is alive with a debate on a Preliminary Delimitation Report compiled by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) which is currently under review in parliament, with arguments focusing mainly on the calculation of voter numbers and accusations of suspected manipulation of data by ZEC in some provinces. One of the claims is that the number of registered voters in Mashonaland East Province from the figures provided does not add up.
In this case, is this true or false?
Verdict: True
The ZEC figures in the preliminary report shows that Mashonaland East Province had 641,668 registered voters as of 30 May 2022. The commission says this figure is 17,038 voters more than the 2007/8 total for the Province, which has 23 constituencies allocated to it during the last 2007/8 delimitation exercise.
However, using a breakdown of the figures provided by ZEC in the same report, the total number of registered voters in the province tallies at 644,256 and not the 641,668 that is carried in the Preliminary Delimitation Report.
There is a difference of 2,588 voters.
Commenting briefly on each constituency, the total figure of registered voters in Marondera East constituency given by the commission is 25,117, but a calculation of the voters from the individual wards tabulated as 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 19, 20, 21,22 and 23 of Marondera Rural District Council, leaves the number at 22,529 voters.
Conclusion:
There might be an error in the calculations made by ZEC in their preliminary delimitation report as the figures of registered voters in Mashonaland East Province are not adding up.
ZEC says the Preliminary Delimitation Report is subject to corrections and the commission will consider feedback before producing the final document.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 12, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-preliminary-delimitation-report-numbers-on-mashonaland-east-dont-add-up/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
189 | Fact Check : The following information circulating under a fake ZBC account is false. - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 26, 2023
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 26, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-the-following-information-circulating-under-a-fake-zbc-account-is-false/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
190 | Fact Check: The gangs who are scamming motorists are still out there - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 17, 2023
Claim: A picture circulating on Zimbabwe social media of three men is being used as proof of claims that a gang of bogus policemen which has been scamming unsuspecting motorists in Harare has been arrested.
The picture has been circulating alongside a WhatsApp voice note recorded by a person who claims to have been forced to pay USD$200 by men posing as police officers over allegations of driving through a red stop-sign traffic light at a road junction.
True or false?
Verdict: False. This is an old photo.
A reverse image search conducted by ZimFact shows that the above image is from 23 December 2020 when the three men pictured (1 police officer and 2 soldiers) were arrested by Rhodesville Police in the Zimbabwe capital following a string of robberies in Hillside.
The men in the above image are not the scammers who have been duping motorists in Harare lately. Zimbabwe police say they are still investigating the matter.
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 17, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-the-gangs-who-are-scamming-motorists-are-still-out-there/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
191 | Fact Check: Viral SABC News ‘cabinet reshuffle’ video is from 2017 - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 28, 2023
Claim: A video clip and Whatsapp message went viral on social media claiming that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had reshuffled parliament. The claim is based on a news clip purportedly flighted by SABC News and was quoted by news vlogs such as Panonzi Pano (12,800 views) and Mbire TV Zimbabwe (41,000 views).
Is this true or False: No, the quoted video clip is from 2017
ZimFact has established that the video that has gone viral is actually from November 2017. The South African broadcaster had got it wrong in 2017 falsely claiming that President Mnangagwa had reshuffled his cabinet then when he had not. The clip was debunked by The Zimbabwean.
The old clip has been embedded into bulletins by local vloggers Panonzi Pano TV and Mbire TV Zimbabwe and has widely circulated on Whatsapp.
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 28, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-viral-sabc-news-cabinet-reshuffle-video-is-from-2017/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
192 | Fact Check: What about demolitions of illegal settlements? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 16, 2024
CLAIM: Zimbabwe social media is abuzz with both true and some fake reports of demolitions of illegal settlements by government agencies and local authorities around the country, which has triggered a debate on the legal ownership of Communal land where some of the evictions are taking place.
Is it true that ownership of this land is vested in the State President?
TRUE OR FALSE? – True
Since the beginning of February, Zimbabwe’s social media and WhatsApp platforms have circulated reports of, and threats of demolition of illegally built houses and settlements in peri-urban communities, including Chipinge in Manicaland, Dema and Goromonzi in Mashonaland East, Mushandike and Gutu in Masvingo, where people had acquired stands from traditional leaders.
A widely shared video clip showed Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira warning residents illegally settled on communal land, local authority land, peri-urban land, rural service centres or growth point land to vacate immediately, urging people to acquire land through legal procedures.
Section 4 of the Communal Lands Act vests power over Communal land in the President who shall permit it to be occupied and used in accordance with the Act.
While traditional leaders are granted authority, jurisdiction, and control over communal land by section 282 of the Constitution, there are limitations to their power listed in Section 26 of the Traditional Leaders Act regarding the allocation of communal land. The law states that:
The Traditional Leaders Act list the following as duties of leaders with regards to communal land:
A Rural District Council may, with the approval of the Minister, issue a permit authorizing any person or class of persons to occupy and use land subject to the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act and any order issued in terms thereof. This applies to any portion of Communal land to be used for:
According to Section 8 of the Communal Land Act one can occupy communal land for residential and agricultural purposes subject to the terms of the Communal Land Act, the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act with the consent of the rural district council established for the area concerned.
The Rural District Council is required to:
Communal Land Act
National Constitution
Regional, Town and Country Planning Act
Traditional Leaders Act
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 16, 2024 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
193 | Fact Check: What about Paracetamol tablets with deadly Machupo virus?
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 17, 2023
Claim: This message is currently running on many WhatsApp groups in Zimbabwe: “Urgent Warning. Be careful not to take the paracetamol that comes written P/500. It is new, very white and shiny paracetamol, doctors advise that it contains ‘Machupo’ virus, considered one of the most dangerous viruses in the world, with a high mortality rate.”
Source: social media
Is this true or false?
Verdict: False
According to Davison Kaiyo, Public Relations Officer of the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ), the message is false and has circulated on social media for a number of years.
He also said the note was not originated in Zimbabwe.
Using reverse-image search, we found that the note was also circulated on different social media platforms 2018 and 2019 with different pictures in different contexts, as evidence for people who were infected by the virus.
What is Machupo virus?
The Machupo virus causes Bolivian hemorrhagic fever. The virus is carried by a rodent species indigenous to Bolivia. According to the literature on the virus, the virus started in Bolivia since the early 1950s, but these outbreaks have largely been limited to specific areas in that country.
Conclusion
The claims of P-500 of paracetamol tablets containing ‘Machupo’ virus is false.
Source: Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ)
FEATUREDHealth | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 17, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-what-about-paracetamol-tablets-with-deadly-machupo-virus/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
194 | Fact Check: What about ZANU-PF erroneously withdrawing candidates? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 17, 2023
Claim: On 10 August 2023 the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) published a notice announcing the withdrawal of three ZANU PF local government candidates from the election. News reports have surfaced alleging that the withdrawal of the three was erroneous.
Verdict: True or False? True
On 14 August ZEC published a notice of correction in daily newspapers announcing the reinstatement of three ZANU PF candidates Gasho Kudzai, Zhanda lameck and Rutter Luke who are local government representatives for ZANU PF in Karoi Town Council Ward 8, Zvimba RDC Wards 4 and 31 respectively.
ZEC announced, “It is hereby notified that the persons specified below, nominated for election with the elections to be held on 23 August 2023, who, in a notice published in the daily newspapers of 10 August 2023, had been erroneously indicated as having withdrawn. The persons remain candidates for their respective wards and their names will be included on the ballot paper for their respective wards,”
Conclusion
The reinstatement of the candidates by ZEC shows that their initial withdrawal was erroneous. As a result they will be contesting in the elections in their respective Wards.
Sources
ZEC
Related content
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 17, 2023 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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195 | Fact Check: What did Chamisa say about land reforms? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 18, 2023
Claim: A 25-second clip which went viral on Twitter and Zimbabwe social media platforms in the last couple of days quoted Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) opposition leader Nelson Chamisa saying “everyone who was removed from their farms should be reinstated.”
The clip has Chamisa bellowing in Zimbabwe’s Shona language “…wese akatorerwa….anofanira kudzorerwa” has largely been interpreted to mean that the CCC leader said he would reverse the state seizures of formerly white-owned farms — and therefore dispossess the black farmers settled there.
Is this what he said: true or false?
Verdict: False
The 25-second clip was edited to change the meaning of the full statement and the context of what was said in the original statement.
What Chamisa actually said at a rally in Gweru on July 16 when he launched his 2023 general election campaign was that if won power on August 23, his government would reallocate land to villagers in Chilonga, Binga and Mutoko, whom he alleged are being forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands for some projects.
The shortened version on social media has been manipulated to omit the context of Chamisa’s statement on July 16 2023, including his promise to award full ownership Title Deeds to the black farmers now occupying the previously white-held lands which the country’s long-ruling ZANU-PF party seized under a controversial resettlement programme.
The manipulated clip can easily mislead some people as Chamisa’s rebranded CCC party was for years opposed to the farm seizures, as in its garbs as the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) it was associated with a political drive of reversing a programme that ZANU-PF sees as a redress of colonial injustices.
ZANU-PF accuses CCC of being a Western-sponsored puppet organisation dedicated to pursuing foreign interests, and those of Zimbabwe’s former ruling white minority.
The opposition dismisses these as false labels by a party which has economically ruined the country, and abused Zimbabweans for over 40 years.
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 18, 2023 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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196 | Fact check: What did they say about planting summer crops? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 24, 2023
Claim: Zimbabwe social media platforms have been awash with claims that Zimbabwe’s agricultural ministry is advising farmers to plant their summer crops following some substantial rains over the last two weeks.
Is it true or false that officials have made this recommendation, and see the recent as the beginning of the summer crop planting season?
Verdict: No, its not true.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and the Meterological Services Department of Zimbabwe released an advisory statement dated October 17 discouraging farmers from planting now, except those with backup irrigation facilities.
However the Ministry encouraged anxious farmers to speed up land preparation.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) projects that planting of 2024 cereal crops is expected to start in November, with the harvest period beginning next April.
According to FAO the weather outlook indicates high probabilities of below‑average rainfall between October 2023 and February 2024, which may adversely affect the level of plantings and yields.
The confluence of above‑average temperatures, which are also forecast this season, raises the risk of heat stress on crops, a further factor weighing on production prospects.
Food and Agriculture Organisation https://www.fao.org/giews/countrybrief/country
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development
Meterological Services Department of Zimbabwe
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 24, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-what-did-they-say-about-planting-summer-crops/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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197 | Fact Check: What does WHO say about nurses, doctors leaving Zimbabwe? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 28, 2023
Claim: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has added Zimbabwe to a list of countries where health services are threatened by the migration of skilled personnel, and recommended that such movement be managed by government-to-government agreements, according to a report by Health Times.
Is this True or False?
Verdict: True.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that the migration of doctors, nurses and other healthcare personnel from vulnerable states needed careful management to stop bleeding and damaging the health delivery systems.
The WHO released an updated “health workforce support and safeguards list” on March 8 2023, identifying 55 countries, including Zimbabwe, as vulnerable to migration “for availability of health workers required to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal targets for universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030.”
Who is on the WHO safeguard list?
The WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023 is made up of countries that face the most pressing health workforce challenges related to universal health coverage: World Health Organisation health workforce support and safeguards list 2023.
Besides Zimbabwe, other African countries on the WHO Safeguard List include Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Cameroon, Ghana and Democratic Republic of Congo.
The WHO says it flags on its “health safeguard list” nations that have a low ratio of doctors, nurses and midwives below the global median (that is 49 per 10,000 people) and a universal health coverage service coverage index below 55.
Conclusion: Zimbabwe is now part of the 55 countries which are on the WHO Safeguards list as of 2023. The list will be reviewed after three years.
Zimbabwe media reports that thousands of local nurses and ancillary health workers have been leaving for the United Kingdom (UK) in the last 20 years, and many more are desperate to join them in search of better wages and working conditions.
The Zimbabwe government says it is working on improving salaries and conditions of service in the public health sector, and has complained of a skills drain by developed Western countries.
Sources:
World Health Organisation health workforce support and safeguards list 2023.
WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel
Related content:
FEATUREDWHO | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 28, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-what-does-who-say-about-nurses-doctors-leaving-zimbabwe/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
198 | Fact Check: What happened to women candidates? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 7, 2023
Claim: Did Zimbabwe suffer a fall in women candidates in 2023?
A report by local news website Newzwire published on June 30 2023 provided a statistical breakdown of women participation from the nomination lists published by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Statements have also been published by women’s rights groups registering their concern over this decline in women’s representation citing unequal access to resources as one of the factors deterring women’s participation in this election.
The numbers from the nomination process show a regression at all levels of candidature compared to statistics recorded in 2018.
Verdict: True or False – True
No women are contesting for the top office in the country, a significant decline from the four who contested in 2018
Overall, 70 women are contesting for National Assembly seats, this represents 11% of the 637 prospective candidates. In the 2018 general elections, women constituted 14.4% of the 1648 national assembly candidates.
In the local authority elections, 665 women will be contesting as candidates against 3940 men. Overall, 14% of the candidates in this election are women compared to 17% in the previous election.
The contesting political parties listed 1336 women who will be vying for the 30% local government quota seats. The quota system guarantees women 561 seats in Council which translates to at least 23% of the 1570 available seats.
The statistics from the ZEC nomination figures show that there has been a decline in women’s participation as candidates in the 2023 election. The prevailing trend violates section 17, 56 and 80 of the Constitution which call for gender equality in all sectors including politics.
Sources
https://www.zec.org.zw/download/nomination-court-results/
Related content
ELECTIONSFEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 7, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-what-happened-to-women-candidates/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
199 | Fact Check: Whose marriage certificate needs a cross-reference? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 24, 2024
Claim: Zimbabwe social media platforms have been awash with claims that marriage certificates issued after September 2022 wrongly cited the Marriage Act as Chapter 5:11 and need to be amended to read Chapter 5:17 to be legally valid.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: True
The Law Society of Zimbabwe confirmed this development, citing a clerical error in the official forms for the registration of civil marriages where changes had not been made following amendments to the national Marriages Act. The Law Society said pending an overall rectifying instrument, lawyers or individuals can take the affected marriage certificates to the Registrar’s Office for official correction of the mistake.
The Law Society of Zimbabwe
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 24, 2024 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-whose-marriage-certificate-needs-a-cross-reference/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
200 | Fact Check: Yes, Britain still recognises Zimbabwean driving licences - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 21, 2023
Claim: Social media has been awash with claim that the British government no longer recognises Zimbabwean drivers’ licenses.
True or false?
Verdict: False
In a statement, Zimbabwe’s transport ministry said questions over the recognition of the drivers’ licenses were rising from routine requests from the British authorities for confirmation of certain driving certificates, whenever they were doubts.
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 21, 2023 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-yes-britain-still-recognises-zimbabwean-driving-licences/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
201 | Fact Check: Yes, remove nail polish or artificial nail from your voting finger - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 21, 2023
Claim: Voter education material circulating on social media warning the electorate that nail polish or artificial nails on the voting finger (smallest finger on your left hand) is not allowed during voting in Zimbabwe’s elections.
Verdict: True
There is no specific law or regulation in Zimbabwe that bans the wearing of nail polish during voting but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) clarified the matter in a factsheet on the application of indelible ink which states that:
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
Women in Politics Support Unit (WiPSU)
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 21, 2023 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-yes-remove-nail-polish-or-artificial-nail-from-your-voting-finger/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
202 | Fact Check: Yes, some Harare boreholes are contaminated - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 29, 2024
Claim: A public notice circulating on Zimbabwe’s different social media platforms claiming to have emanated from the Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council (UMSCC) revealing the presence of E.coli bacteria in boreholes tested by the council.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: True
The Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council (UMSCC), a statutory water management body, claimed ownership of the notice circulating on social media warning residents of potential borehole contamination following water quality tests.
The notice warned that water quality testing which was conducted by UMSCC revealed the presence of E.coli bacteria in boreholes located in the following areas:
The World Health Organisation says Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most E.coli strains are harmless, but some can cause serious food poisoning.
Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council (UMSCC)
The World Health Organisation
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 29, 2024 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-yes-some-harare-boreholes-are-contaminated/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
203 | Fact Check: Yes, they warned - don’t use that baby powder! - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 6, 2023
Claim – A health alert being shared on social media purported to have been issued by the Zimbabwe government on the ban of Johnson and Johnson baby powder. Did the government warn as such?
Source – social media.
Verdict – True or False: True
Ministry of Health, and Child Care spokesperson Donald Mujiri confirmed that the statement was indeed issued by the government. The alert following an April publication on CNBC on Johnson and Johnson assuming the liability to compensate the medical industry over allegations that their baby powder product was causing cancer.
Other countries that have banned the importation and distribution on the product include Tanzania.
According to a 2022 journal article published by theBMJ, Johnson and Johnson has over 40 000 lawsuits in the US over allegations that their baby powder was contaminated with asbestos thereby causing ovarian cancer.
The article further sates that the company made a decision to end global sakes of their product in 2023 and switch to a formulation based on corn starch, abandoning the talc formulation.
The baby powder is alleged to contain talc. Talc is a mineral that contains magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. According to the American Cancer Society website, talc contains asbestos, a substance known to cause cancers in and around the lungs when inhaled.
“It has been suggested that talcum powder might cause cancer in the ovaries if the powder particles (applied to the genital area or on sanitary napkins, diaphragms, or condoms) were to travel through the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes to the ovaries.
Many studies in women have looked at the possible link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Findings have been mixed, with some studies reporting a slightly increased risk and some reporting no increase,” notes the website.
Conclusion – The claim that Johnson and Johnson baby powder has been banned in Zimbabwe is true.
Ministry of Health and Child Care
BMJ
American Cancer Society
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 6, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-yes-they-warned-dont-use-that-baby-powder/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
204 | Fact check: Yes, UN Secretary-General congratulated Mnangagwa - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 12, 2023
Claim: A copy of letter is circulating on Zimbabwe social media platforms attributed to United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, congratulating President Emmerson Mnangagwa on his re-election. There have been questions over the authenticity of the message.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: True
According to United Nations Zimbabwe, the statement is authentic. The UN SG congratulated Mnangagwa and also noted the southern African country’s efforts to advance political participation of women. He encouraged the president to promote gender parity in Cabinet and senior appointments. The UN agency, posted the same on X (formerly Twitter)
Sources:
United Nations Zimbabwe (UN Zimbabwe)
Related Content:
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 12, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-yes-un-secretary-general-congratulated-mnangagwa/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
205 | Fact Check: Yes, voting day is a public holiday - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 22, 2023
Claim: There has been chatter on social media on whether 23 August, 2023 is a public holiday or not.
Verdict: Yes, it is a public holiday
Section 38 of the Electoral Act says polling day or polling days shall be deemed to be a public holiday or public holidays, as the case may be, for the purposes of the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business [Chapter 10:21]
According to section 92 of the Electoral Act, every employer of a person who is entitled to vote in an election shall allow the employee leave of absence from his or her work for the whole of either the morning or the afternoon of the polling day…to afford the employee an opportunity to vote in the election.
Subsection 2 of 92 notes that an employee shall not be required to suffer any deduction from his wages or salary by reason of any leave of absence taken in order to vote.
Any employer who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level ten.
Electoral Act
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 22, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-yes-voting-day-is-a-public-holiday/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
206 | Fact Check: Yes, ZINARA has hiked USD vehicle licensing fees by 100 percent - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 16, 2024
CLAIM: A local online media platform shared a Facebook post claiming the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) had increased its US Dollar vehicle licensing fees by 100 percent.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: True
The local road authority, ZINARA posted a notice on its social media platforms announcing an adjustment to vehicle licensing fees in terms of Statutory Instrument 67 of 2024 advising that the fees would apply with effect from the 13 of April 2024.
It is evident from the rates updated on 11 March 2024 and those posted on the 13th of April 2024 that there has been a 100 percent increase in the vehicle licensing fees. The latest fees also incorporate the new currency changes.
Zimbabwe National Road Administration
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 16, 2024 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-yes-zinara-has-hiked-usd-vehicle-licensing-fees-by-100-percent/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
207 | Fact check: ZEC did not disqualify ZANU PF Mwenezi West National Assembly candidate - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 23, 2023
Claim: A statement purportedly from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) claimed that ZANU PF Mwenezi West National Assembly candidate Priscilla Moyo, wife of CIO Director-General Isaac Moyo, had been disqualified due to suspicions of wrongdoing.
“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is deeply concerned about the infringement of electoral legislation on code of conduct for candidates (Section 32 of the Act) and the egregious misconduct by Priscilla Moyo Zanu PF’s House of Assembly Candidate for Mwenezi West.” Following a thorough inquiry, we decided to use the authority granted to us on( Chapter 21, Section 238) of the electoral act of Zimbabwe to disqualify the aforementioned candidate; her name will remain on the ballot paper, but any votes cast in her name will never be counted, these votes will be noted as spoilt votes.
“The general population should be advised accordingly,” read the purported statement.
Verdict: False
ZEC released a statement on Tuesday evening denouncing the false news that Priscilla Moyo had been disqualified by the electoral body over allegations of misconduct.
“This statement did not emanate from ZEC.
“Please disregard it with the contempt it deserves,” wrote ZEC.
Source: ZEC statement
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 23, 2023 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-zec-did-not-disqualify-zanu-pf-mwenezi-west-national-assembly-candidate/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
208 | FACT CHECK: Zimbabwe govt officials claim a new steel plant being built will be Africa's biggest. We checked the facts - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 22, 2022
CLAIM: Zimbabwe’s planned Tsingshan steel plant will be the biggest in Africa
SOURCE: Various media reports
VERDICT: Misleading. While the project will be among the biggest in Africa, it will not be the largest as claimed.
Various media and Zimbabwe government officials have described a steel plant, whose construction has begun near Chivhu, as “Africa’s biggest steel plant”. The US$1 billion project is being led by a division of China’s Tsingshan, one of the world’s largest stainless steel manufacturers.
In March, the Chronicle reported that “Building of Africa’s biggest steel plant begins”. The Herald said the project is expected to result in Zimbabwe being home to the largest steel plant in Southern Africa, if not the whole continent. ZBC reported that “construction of Africa’s biggest steel plant progressing well”.
One of the earliest attributions of the claim is to ZANU PF spokesman Christopher Mutsvangwa, who was quoted in 2021 saying the “plant would perhaps be the biggest steel plant in Africa when complete”.
Mutsvangwa, in another article, was quoted as saying the new project would place Zimbabwe “amongst the top five steel producing nations in the world within the next five to seven years”.
But the data shows these claims are misleading.
ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, has an annual capacity of 1.3 million tonnes at its Blast Furnace C, and another 1.9 million tonnes at Blast Furnace D, according to the company’s financial reports.
Egypt’s Al Ezz Dekheila Steel, a subsidiary of Ezz Steel, is the largest steel manufacturing facility in Egypt, with a total capacity of 3.2 million tonnes per annum.
At 1.2 million tonnes per year, the Zimbabwe project would be at par with Uganda’s Tembo Steels Uganda.
In Nigeria, the Ajaokuta steel plant has installed capacity of 1.3 million tonnes per year, although the plant has been idle for years.
While Zimbabwe’s new steel plant will be among the largest in Africa, claims that it will be the biggest steel plant on the continent are misleading. Available figures show other projects in Africa with bigger capacity. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 22, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-zimbabwe-govt-officials-claim-a-new-steel-plant-being-built-will-be-africas-biggest-we-checked-the-facts/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
209 | Fact Check: Zimbabwe has large cervical cancer cases, but not the highest - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 2, 2024
CLAIM: One of Zimbabwe’s mainstream newspapers reported that the country was heavily affected by Cervical Cancer to a point where it now “has the highest burden of the disease in Africa and the world”.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: Misleading
Although Zimbabwe ranks high among countries with the highest incidence of cervical cancer, it is misleading to rank it as having the highest burden of the disease, according to the latest available data.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Zimbabwe is among the top five countries with high incidence of cervical cancer, with 61 of every 100 000 women being diagnosed annually.
In addition, statistics from the World Cancer Research Fund International show that in 2020, Zimbabwe was ranked fourth in terms of cervical cancer mortality globally.
World Cancer Research Fund International
World Health Organisation
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 2, 2024 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-check-zimbabwe-has-large-cervical-cancer-cases-but-not-the-highest/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
210 | Fact-checked: 3 claims by Mthuli Ncube in CNN interview - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 2, 2021
By Nelson Banya
In an interview aired on CNN’s One World on June 30, 2021, finance minister Mthuli Ncube made a number of claims about Zimbabwe’s economy and the government’s social protection programme. We looked at three that drew the most reaction on social media.
“We are all living under the impact of this pandemic, but I can assure you that #Zimbabwe is doing all it can to deal with it.” @MthuliNcube Zimbabwean Finance Minister @ZimTreasury tells @richardquest Zimbabwe is on the path to an economic recovery. pic.twitter.com/7F3p7btfMe
CLAIM: Ncube said: “First of all there is the productive social protection element in the agricultural sector where we give free inputs to citizens to farm and they have done very well. They have produced about 1 million metric tonnes of maize and maize alone.“
The second round crop assessment report, released in April, estimates that farmers under the Pfumvudza programme will produce 1 066 755. This would be about 40% of the total maize output expected in the 2020/21 season.
According to John Basera, who is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, the Pfumvudza programme is the “flagship” scheme of government’s support programmes.
VERDICT: True
CLAIM: Government is protecting the vulnerable rural areas through cash transfers
According to a June 2021 report by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC), government is the major source of support people in rural areas, making up 54% of the aid. UN agencies and other donor organisations make up 26%. Of the government aid, 3.2% was in the form of cash transfers. Cash transfers made up 7.5% of donor agency support, the report shows.
The ZimVac report is based on data collected in May 2021 from a sample of 14945 households across the country’s ten provinces.
ZimVac is a consortium of government, development partners, the UN, NGOs, technical agencies, and academics. It is chaired by the government through the Food and Nutrition Council, a department in the Office of the President and Cabinet.
In monetary terms, a Treasury report on the 2020 budget shows that government spent ZW$164 million on cash transfers to about 60,000 households.
Treasury allocated ZW$900 million for cash transfers in the 2021 budget.
Of the ZW$18 billion set aside for the COVID-19 relief programme in 2020, ZW$2.4bn was budgeted for cash transfers. Of this cash transfer budge, only ZW$217.8m was actually disbursed, according to the 2020 budget review report.
VERDICT: Partly true. Data from ZimVAC and the budget show that government did indeed make cash payouts. However, the cash payouts, according to ZimVAC and the budget review, were only a fraction of what government aid. This does not support Ncube’s claims of a “robust” social protection programme, which would suggest broad coverage of vulnerable groups. The ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012, defines what a successful social protection net should do; it should ensure that all in need – whether children, people of working age or older persons – have access to basic care and income security throughout the life cycle of a welfare programme.
CLAIM: According to Ncube, the government has a social protection programme that includes free schooling for vulnerable children.
Budget data shows that the government spent ZW$300 million on the Basic Education Assistance Model (BEAM), covering 415,000 students at both primary and secondary education for the first term of 2020.
In the 2021 budget, ZW$2 billion was allocated for the BEAM programme, with a target of 1,5 million beneficiaries.
VERDICT: True. While ZimVAC reports that 23% of the children of school-going age were not going to school at the time of the assessment, the government does have a school fees programme which it has extended in 2021.
In the interview, Ncube acknowledges the assistance given by various donors towards Zimbabwe’s social protection programmes.
However, a 2020 report by Unicef shows that government funding of social protection programmes has been growing since 2018.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 2, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-checked-3-claims-by-mthuli-ncube-in-cnn-interview/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
211 | Fact-checked: Zimbabwe's declining HIV infections - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 17, 2020
By ZimFact
CLAIM: The Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment director Munyaradzi Mapingure said Zimbabwe is “continuing to record a decline in HIV infections”.
CONCLUSION: TRUE
The claim, carried by The Newsday of 15 January 2020, was made at the official launch of the second HIV impact assessment programme which began in November 2019.
Available data
According to the National AIDS Council (NAC), the generation of HIV estimates has become an annual process since 2013. It has been supported by UNAIDS and its partners using a Spectrum model.
Looking at the trend from 2009, Zimbabwe recorded an average decline in both new HIV infections as well as AIDS-related deaths. However, there are years in which the rate of new infections went up.
ZimFact found data from three different sources, namely the government (through the Zimbabwe National AIDS Strategic Plan documents), the National Aids Council and UNAIDS.
A reading of the ZNASP 2011-2015 gives statistics for new infections as 63 144 in 2009, declining to 61 884 in 2014, before rising again to 65 215 in 2015, as shown in the table below:
UNAIDS also offers data on both new infections and AIDS-related deaths. The data supports the claim that Zimbabwe is recording a decline in HIV infections, with statistics for new infections showing a drop to 38 000 in 2018.
The publicly available data for new infections and AIDS-related deaths, from the three sources, is as follows:
New HIV infections
AIDS-related deaths
Conclusion
The verdict on the claim is: TRUE.
Publicly available data shows that infections have dropped from 63 144 in 2009 to 41 000 in 2017 and 38 000 in 2018. New data will be available in 2020 from the Zimbabwe Population-based HIV impact assessment currently underway.
AIDSFEATUREDHIV | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 17, 2020 | {
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-checked-zimbabwes-declining-hiv-infections/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
212 | Fact-checking Biti's corruption speech - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 23, 2021
Opposition MDC Alliance vice president and former finance minister Tendai Biti gave an online speech on corruption in Zimbabwe on July 18, 2021.
Here, we check key claims from Biti’s address:
CLAIM: Zimbabwe is ranked 160 out of 180 on the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index
VERDICT: TRUE
“We are now ranked, by Transparency International, number 160 out of 180. We are the 20th most corrupt country in the world. We have overtaken countries that have been traditionally associated with extraction, such as Nigeria,” Biti said.
While TI has ranked Zimbabwe 157 out of 180 on its index in the last two years – 2019 and 2020, it is true that Zimbabwe overtook Nigeria in 2007 and has consistently fared worse in the corruption perception stakes since then.
CLAIM: Zimbabwe has lost US$14 billion through the Ministry of Finance
VERDICT: INCORRECT
Biti said: “We know from the audited statements of the Auditor General that US$2,7 billion was stolen and lost directly through Treasury in 2017, US$3,5 billion was lost directly through Treasury in 2018 and the recently released audit report of 2019 shows a loss of US$7.6 billion lost through Treasury. So, in three years, over and above the budget deficit, around US$14 billion has been lost through the Ministry of Finance.”
The Auditor General, mandated to audit the financial accounts of all government ministries, departments, parastatals and local authorities, has, for several years running, voiced concern over how public finances are being managed in the country, especially by central government.
After recording fiscal surpluses between 2009 and 2011, under Biti’s stewardship of the national purse, Zimbabwe ran up budget deficits which widened from US$9,5 million in 2012 to US$2 billion in 2018. The funding gap was widest in 2017, when it was recorded at US$2,6 billion, or 8% of GDP.
The excess expenditure has seen the Ministry of Finance ballooning the unallocated reserves in the national budget. These are funds set aside to meet any unexpected expenses that might arise during the fiscal year.
In 2017, the Auditor General found that government had increased the unallocated reserves from US$31,52 million to US$3 billion.
“They (unallocated reserves) were increased to $3 019 137 531 through issuance of Treasury Bills and the URs were being disbursed to line Ministries,” the Auditor General reported.
Although the ministry provided the auditors with a schedule of how the unallocated reserve funds were distributed across ministries, government departments and commissions, the Auditor General noted differences in funds allocated and those accounted for by the various recipients.
“However, as at May 10, 2018 line Ministries had confirmed receipt of disbursements from Unallocated Reserves amounting to $637 010 651 giving a variance of $2 382 126 880.”
The Auditor General does not, however, make a finding that these funds were stolen.
Nor does the Biti-led Public Accounts Committee(PAC), which tackled the matter in 2019.
A report tabled by the PAC in parliament only goes so far as to rap the finance minister for failing “to present in the National Assembly, additional or supplementary estimates of expenditure and additional or supplementary bills.”
The PAC directed Treasury to seek Parliament’s pardon for unauthorised and excess expenditure.
For 2018, the Auditor General similarly found that the government, through the finance ministry, had overspent by US$3,2 billion. The Auditor General said the excess expenditure “was mainly related to Unallocated Reserves transferred to Ministries” by Treasury.
Unlike the 2017 accounts, the 2018 unallocated reserve distribution figures provided by Treasury and government departments largely matched.
Again, while her report flagged risks associated with excess expenditure, the Auditor General did not make a finding that the US$3.2 billion had been lost or stolen.
The latest Auditor General’s report, for 2019, also flagged excess expenditure, which also arose from unallocated reserves distributed to ministries.
Zimbabwe officially reintroduced its local currency in February 2019 and its budget for that year has been restated in Zimbabwean dollars.
The unallocated reserves for that year, ZW$7.4 billion, were stated in local currency, not United States dollars.
There is, therefore, no evidence in the Auditor General’s reports cited by Biti, of US$14 billion, equivalent to 67% of the country’s GDP, having been “stolen and lost” through the finance ministry between 2017 and 2019.
CLAIM: 79% our people are living in extreme poverty, surviving on less than US$1,25 a day.
VERDICT: EXAGGERATED
A World Bank report released in June 2021 put the number of extremely poor Zimbabweans at 7,9 million, or 49% of the population.
“In 2020, the pandemic and its impacts disrupted livelihoods, especially in urban areas, and added 1.3 million Zimbabweans to the extreme poor. Estimates suggest the number of extreme poor reached 7.9 million—almost 49 percent of the population,” the report reads.
This was an increase from 38% reported by the official Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) in its 2019 Poverty, Income Consumption and Expenditure Survey (PICES).
Zimstat conducts the PICES survey every five years and the next one was due in 2022. However, the exceptional circumstances of 2019 compelled the agency, which partners World Bank technical staff on the surveys, to conduct one that year following Zimbabwe’s devastating drought and an inflation spike triggered by the reintroduction of a local currency.
Zimstat simulations for the subsequent period showed extreme poverty levels to have risen to 52% by the end of 2019, in line with the World Bank estimates for 2020.
CLAIM: Our infant mortality rates are now 102 out of a thousand.
VERDICT: UNTRUE
UNICEF defines infant mortality as the probability of a child dying between birth and one year of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.
According to the latest available UNICEF data, Zimbabwe’s infant mortality rate was 38.4 deaths for every 1,000 live births, the lowest it has been since 1970.
Zimstat’s 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey puts the country’s infant mortality rate at 53 deaths per 1,000 live births.
CLAIM: There is no economy that has involuntarily dollarised, that has been able to de-dollarise.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
Although economists broadly acknowledge that the process of undoing dollarisation – the use of foreign currencies as a medium of exchange, store of value, or unit of account – is difficult, the IMF says there are a few economies that have achieved this feat.
An IMF staff team that produced a 2015 report on dollarisation in sub-Saharan Africa concedes this difficulty, but lists 11 countries which de-dollarised between 2001 and 2012.
“While many countries have attempted to de-dollarize, only a few have succeeded in these efforts. Among them, Israel, Poland, Bolivia, and Peru provide a good illustration of the comprehensive policy package needed to reduce financial dollarization,” the staff team reported.
“Out of 194 countries for which data are available, 42 were initially dollarized (of which nine in sub-Saharan Africa); out of these, 11 countries were successful and de-dollarized; and the remaining 31 countries were unsuccessful and remained dollarized.”
CLAIM: The average civil servant used to earn US$500 during the time of the GNU, he is now earning US$35-40.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
Information compiled by the International Labour Organisation from the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC), the platform for government workers’ wage negotiations, shows that, at end of the government of national unity mid-2013, the lowest paid civil servant was getting a monthly wage of US$296, made up of US$159 basic pay, US$63 transport allowance and US$74 housing allowance.
The lowest paid teacher was earning a basic salary of US$230, plus US$189 housing and transport allowances, amounting to a total package of US$419. Teachers make up the bulk of the civil service.
A January 2014 pay increase saw the least paid civil servant getting a total package of US$375, while entry-level teachers were now on US$500.
According to a March 12, 2021 circular by the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU), the main civil servants’ union, government wages were ranging from ZW$14,652 to ZW$28,168.
This was ahead of an April 1 wage increase, which would see the least paid earning ZW$16,752 (US$195 at the official exchange rate or US$124 on the black market), with the highest band getting ZW$33,647 (US$391 at the official rate or US$249 on the parallel market).
CLAIM: If Zimbabwe were to import ethanol from Brazil, the United States of America or Scandinavian countries, it would land FOB at US$0.50. But we are paying a premium to Billy Rautenbach of US$1.10 to US$1.20.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
A litre of ethanol was quoted at US$0.69 in Brazil and between US$0.60 and US$0.63 per litre, free on board, according to the US Grains Council’s data for July 21, 2021. Shipping ethanol to Zimbabwe from abroad would add freight and insurance costs to the final price.
In Zimbabwe, ethanol for blending with petrol is priced at US$1.10 per litre, according to energy regulator ZERA.
When the matter of ethanol pricing came up for discussion in Parliament in 2018, amid charges that local ethanol was overpriced, the then ZERA head, Gloria Magombo argued that it did not make economic sense to import the product.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 23, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-checking-bitis-corruption-speech/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
213 | FACT CHECKING: Verifying three key claims by Mnangagwa at ZANU PF rally - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 15, 2022
President Emmerson Mnangagwa on February 12 help a rally in Epworth, Harare, to canvass support for ZANU PF candidates in the by-elections to be held on March 26.
During this speech, Mnangagwa made several claims on the economy. Here, we check a few of these claims.
VERDICT: False
According to Mnangagwa, the city council, dominated by opposition councilors, must be voted out as half of them are in court for corruption.
He said: “Harare City Council, over half of them, are facing charges in court over corruption. So we when we vote, we have a chance to replace them.”
This is untrue.
Harare has 46 wards, each represented by a councilor.
There have been arrests of councilors in the current term of council. This includes the arrest of the former mayor, Herbert Gomba, and other officials in July 2020 on allegations of corruption and abuse of office. Gomba’s replacement, Jacob Mafume was also arrested in the same year, accused of corruption. In 2020, a total of six councilors and council officials were arrested for various alleged offenses.
However, the number of all reported arrests does not support Mnangagwa’s claim that half of Harare’s councilors face corruption charges.
VERDICT: True
In his speech, Mnangagwa boasted that wheat output has increased since he came to power, as a result of policies such as increasing irrigation.
He said: “When the Second Republic came to power, we were producing only 70-80,000MT tons per year. With our program to increase wheat production, we are now around 220,000MT.”
His claim is backed by official data.
Zimbabwe produced 337 212 tonnes of wheat in 2021, according to data from the Grain Marketing Board. By February 15, 2022, a total of 208 103 tonnes of wheat had been delivered to the GMB, while a further 3000 tonnes had been sold directly to millers, according to a Cabinet statement. Production was 186 243 tonnes in 2017 and 16 660 in 2018.
In the 2021 season, 66 435 hectares were put under wheat, the third-highest hectarage since independence, according to government data. The hectarage was only surpassed by 2004 and 2005 seasons in which hectarage was 70 585ha and 67 261ha respectively.
Of the 2021 crop, 44 295ha was funded through a government guarantee of Z$1.57 billion to CBZ Agroyield to lend to farmers.
According to the 2022 national budget presented in November 2021, Zimbabwe expected its wheat import bill to be US$72.5 million last year, which would be 29.1% less that in the previous year.
VERDICT: False
According to Mnangagwa: “Since we launched VFEX, every month, or every other month, two or three international companies are registered with VFEX. So foreign currency is now coming in from outside, because this stock exchange at international level.”
This is not true.
Since it was launched in December 2021, VFEX has attracted four listings; Seed Co International, Padenga Holdings, Caledonia Mining Corporation and Bindura Nickel Corporation.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 15, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-checking-verifying-three-key-claims-by-mnangagwa-at-zanu-pf-rally/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
214 | FACT CHECK: Did Mugabe propose to marry Barack Obama? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 9, 2019
Former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe died aged 95 in Singapore on September 6, 2019/AP Photo
CLAIM: Mugabe proposed to marry Barack Obama in a sarcastic response to a US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriages
VERDICT: False. The quote is one of many quotes falsely attributed to Mugabe
Background
Following the death of Robert Mugabe, who died on September 6 at age 95, various media have carried articles on some of his most famous quotes.
Among the quotes is a claim that he once proposed to marry Barack Obama, purportedly in response to a decision by the US Supreme Court to allow same-sex marriages in America.
The quote says:
“I’ve just concluded – since President Obama endorses same-sex marriage, advocates homosexual people, and enjoys an attractive countenance – thus if it becomes necessary, I shall travel to Washington, DC, get down on my knee, and ask his hand.”
The quote has been widely attributed to Mugabe by multiple media outlets, including Zimbabwe’s NewsDay and Daily News, and also carried by Al Jazeera, plus news agencies Associated Press and AFP.
Where did the quote originate?
The fake quote first appeared in 2015, in a report titled “Zimbabwe president to Obama – Marry me”, and published by AWD news. It was subsequently carried by other news sources, among them the BBC (“Mugabe wants to marry Obama”), Newsweek and Daily Mail UK. In December 2015, BBC Africa went on to name the “I want to marry Obama” quote as one of its “top 2015 quotes.”
Mugabe, however, never made such a remark.
AWD claimed Mugabe made the remarks “in his weekly radio address.” At no time were there weekly radio addresses under Mugabe.
AWD, the website that carried the original article, is listed among fake news sites by fact checking organisations. Fact-checker website Snopes describes AWD as a site that “doesn’t have more than a nodding acquaintance with facts, instead playing on nationalistic fantasy and conspiracy theory to create alarming (and thus clickable and shareable) stories”.
How many other fake Mugabe quotes are out there?
On Facebook, there are at least seven pages dedicated to false, satirical Mugabe quotes, while Twitter has at least 18 accounts posting similar content.
While such quotes are, apparently, made for humour, news organisations have frequently fallen for them and used them as fact.
In 2015, a Kenyan fake news website, spectator.co.ke, reported that Mugabe called Kenyans “thieves”. The claim was then repeated by the New York Times in an article on corruption in Kenya.
Jeffrey Gettleman, who wrote the Times story and is the New York Times East Bureau Chief, told Kenya’s iMediaEthics at the time: “I had contacted a Zimbabwean journalist in Harare before we published the story” so that the journalist could fact check Spectator’s claims. The journalist, who Gettleman did not want to name, told Gettleman that the Spectator story “appeared” accurate.
The quote was false and New York Times had to issue a correction.
FEATUREDMUGABEMUGABE QUOTESOBAMA | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 9, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-ckeck-did-mugabe-propose-to-marry-barack-obama/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
215 | FACTSHEET: Comparing teacher salaries in selected SADC countries - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 10, 2022
Rwanda has started recruitment of teachers from Zimbabwe after the two countries signed an agreement early in 2022.
According to Zimbabwe’s Public Service Ministry, the recruitment is being conducted under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Zimbabwe and Rwanda on the exchange of skilled personnel between the two countries.
How do salaries in Zimbabwe and Rwanda compare?
In August 2022, Rwanda increased the salaries of primary teachers by 88% and the salaries of secondary teachers by 40%.
After the increment, the highest-paid teacher in Rwanda gets the equivalent of about US$240 per month.
Zimbabwe
The average teacher salary was ZWL$48 000 at the time the Rwanda agreement was announced, according to a survey. Teachers also get separate monthly allowances totalling US$175.
South Africa
In South Africa, the salary range for primary school teachers ranges between R80 000 (US$4701) and R300 000 (US$17 700) with median sitting at R194 000 (US$11 400) annually or just over R16 100 (US$940) a month, according to data provided by salary database PayScale.
Botswana
In Botswana, the average salary for a high school teacher is P146 939 (US$11 474) Per annum and about P12 249 (US$956) per month.
Zambia
Zambian teachers earn the equivalent of US$326, according to an article by the Lusaka Times, citing the Ministry of Education.
Namibia
A Namibian teacher with a diploma earns the equivalent of US$1 010 per month, while degreed teachers are paid the equivalent of US$1 235.
Sources
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 10, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-comparing-teacher-salaries-in-selected-sadc-countries/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
216 | FACT SHEET: Cyclone Idai and Zimbabwe - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 5, 2019
Cyclone Idai, which devastated Zimbabwe’s eastern border districts of Chimanimani and Chipinge in mid March after drowning Mozambique’s second largest city of Beira, has been described by the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley as the biggest natural disaster to hit the region in living memory.
The cyclone is estimated to have affectednearly three million people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
What
do we know so far about Cyclone Idai’s impact on Zimbabwe?
Number
of people killed
The Zimbabwe government’s official deathtoll figure stood at 268 on April 2, 2019.
Estimates of people killed and missing suggeststhe number could rise to 500, based on figures that the government is currentlyworking with.
Number
of people missing
At least 200 people are reported missing, withsome believed to have been swept by flooded rivers to Mozambique, even into theIndian Ocean.
Zimbabwe Local Government, Public Works andNational Housing Minister July Moyo said 82 Zimbabweans had been buried byMozambicans in the neighbouring country, including 60 who were found in oneplace. (The Herald, April 3, 2019)
Identification
of victims
The government has said a team of pathologistswill help in the identification of some of deceased through DNA tests and will alsofacilitate visits to Mozambique by relatives of those buried there.
It said neighbourly Mozambicans marooned bythe floods were forced to bury Zimbabwean Cyclone victims swept into theirbackyards because the bodies were increasingly getting into a bad state.
The question of exhumations and reburialswould be considered later, according to the government.
Number
of affected people
An estimated 100,000 people, mainly from aroundthe epicentre of the cyclone’s devastation, Chimanimani and Chipinge, wereaffected.
Districts
hit
Mainly mountainous Chimanimani and Chipingeon Zimbabwe’s eastern border with Mozambique.
The Cyclone also hit and destroyed homesand other infrastructure in several other areas, including Bikita, Gutu andZaka in Masvingo province, Chikomba in Mashonaland East and Chirumhanzu in theMidlands.
Infrastructure
destroyed
Houses, businesses, schools, clinics, churches,roads, bridges, boreholes and water wells, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure.
Farm animals, including cattle, goats,sheep and donkeys were swept away, and so were fields of crops and woodplantations.
Disaster
management
The Zimbabwean government’s disaster response effort has been led by an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Civil Protection chaired by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo, and has included the army in rescue operations and delivering emergency food and medicines to affected areas.
Domestic
response to the disaster
Shell-shocked Zimbabweans across thecountry — as individuals, organisations and corporates — reacted almost instantaneouslyto the devastation of Cyclone Idai with assistance of food, clothing, water,transport and offers to help in rescue operations.
Dozens of appeals and initiatives werelaunched immediately after the cyclone.
Foreign
Assistance
The unprecedented scale of the disasterdrew in assistance from abroad, from foreign governments and internationalorganisations, including United Nations agencies specialising in humanitarianwork.
Formal
appeal for disaster relief assistance
On April 3, 2019, the Zimbabwean government announced that its Cabinet had approved the launch of a Formal Appeal for Domestic and International Disaster Relief Assistance which will contain details of the help it requires.
This would include assistance in the reconstructionof infrastructure and rehabilitation of a region that is home to about a tenthof the Zimbabwe’s population.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 5, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-cyclone-idai-and-zimbabwe/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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217 | FACT SHEET: Fuel pricing structure - ZimFact %
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
May 30, 2019
By ZimFact staff
The price of fuel has become a topical issue in Zimbabwe, following two major increases in January and May.
In January, President Emmerson Mnangagwa effected a 150% fuel price increase in a bid to dampen demand and reduce protracted shortages that have seen long queues at service stations for several months now.
As the fuel crisis persists, government, through the central bank, announced fuel importers would, from May 21, source forex for imports at the interbank market rate, and not the pegged 1:1 exchange rate to the United States dollar, as has been the case since May 2016.
As a result, fuel prices went up by just over 50%.
Further weakening of the local currency on the official interbank market, by 13%, since the new measures to date, has triggered speculation of further fuel price increases.
However, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), which governs fuel trade, has issued a statement ruling out another imminent price increase.
ZERA said current supplies had been secured at an exchange rate of ZWL$4.61 to the US dollar and would, therefore, not be affected by current exchange rate movements.
The regulator’s statement was silent on how long this position would hold.
At the current price, the forex component — the free on board (FOB) price, pipeline charges and finance cost — make up 68% and 71% of the total petrol and diesel price per litre, respectively.
Government taxes and levies make up 19.6% of the diesel price and 26.6% of the petrol price. Administration and distribution costs add 12,5 cents per litre to the total price.
Margins for oil companies and retailers are 15 cents and 18 cents, respectively.
ZimFact has prepared a graphic showing how the fuel price is built up, from importation right through to the pump:
FEATUREDFUEL | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | May 30, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-fuel-pricing-structure/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
218 | FACT SHEET: What do we know about the omicron COVID-19 vaccine so far? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 29, 2021
On 26 November 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated the variant B.1.1.529 a “variant of concern”. It has been named “omicron”, a letter in the Greek alphabet, in line with WHO’s naming system.
Here is what we know so far about the new variant.
Does it spread faster than other variants?
According to the WHO, it is not yet clear whether omicron is more transmissible compared to other variants. However, other scientists say its many mutations may allow it to spread faster. While the number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, studies are still being done to find out if it is because of the new variant or other factors.
Does it cause more severe illness?
According to the WHO, there is currently no evidence that symptoms omicron symptoms are more severe than those of other variants.
Dr. Angelique Coetzee of the South African Medical Association, one of the first doctors to raise alarm over the variant, was quoted as saying: “It presents mild disease with symptoms being sore muscles and tiredness for a day or two not feeling well.”
Do vaccines work against it?
Scientists are still studying this. Some expect vaccine efficacy to be reduced by the variant.
However, on Monday, November 29, South Africa government advisor, Prof Salim Abdool Karim, said “current vaccines’ effectiveness against hospitalisation and disease is likely to remain strong”.
On November 26, South Africa’s Ministry of Health said out of a small sample taken of people hospitalized by the variant, the majority of the patients were unvaccinated. “It indicates that the vaccines are providing protection”.
What about Zimbabwe?
The Ministry of Health is currently carrying out genomic sequencing from a sample of recent cases to find out if the variant is now present in the country. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 29, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-what-do-we-know-about-the-omicron-covid-19-vaccine-so-far/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
219 | FACT SHEET: What do we know about Zimbabwe's veld fire problem? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 17, 2022
Each year, Zimbabwe loses approximately a million hectares of forest and grassland to veld fires, and the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) is trying to combat this problem in various communities.
According to EMA, the fire season starts from July to October and fires are prevalent during this time because of the dry weather conditions. During this period, no one is allowed to start fires outside their houses.
To combat veld fires, EMA has been working with communities in fire prevention projects such as fireguard construction, hay bailing and training firefighting teams.
Here are some facts on veld fires in Zimbabwe.
What are the causes of veld fires?
According to the EMA, many veld fires are caused by human activities which include land clearing, hunting, among others. Documented veld fire causes, as recorded by EMA, include reckless disposal of cigarette stubs, lighting fires by roadsides while waiting for early morning buses, deliberate lighting of fires, children playing with matches and improper household ash disposal.
What does the law say on veld fires?
Statutory Instrument 7 of 2007 Environmental Management (Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecosystems Protection) Regulations states that no person must start a fire deliberately during the fire season. In case of a fire outbreak, any person within that vicinity of the fire must extinguish the fire even if they are not the owner of the land or property.
Source: Environmental Management Agency. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 17, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-what-do-we-know-about-zimbabwes-veld-fire-problem/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
220 | FACT SHEET: What does Zimbabwe's new NGO law say on political involvement? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 17, 2021
The Zimbabwe government has published proposals to change legislation governing the operations of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country, which will effectively bar the NGOs from funding, or involvement in partisan politics.
Critics say the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Amendment Bill violates Constitutional rights. On its part, the Zimbabwe government insists that the changes are meant to help reduce foreign interference in Zimbabwe’s domestic affairs.
What does the Bill published in the Government Notices Gazette of November 5, 2021, actually say about PVOs and politics?
The Bill proposes to amend the principal section 10 of the PVO Act by inserting paragraph after paragraph (e) as follows:
“(e1) when any private voluntary organisation that supports or opposes any political party of candidate in a presidential, parliamentary or local government election or is a party to any breach of section 7 under Part III of the Political Parties (Finance) Act [Chapter 2:12] as a contributor of funds to a political party or candidate or otherwise shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of a Level twelve or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, or both such fine or such imprisonment.”
This means that NGOs cannot support any political party or candidate or donate any money to them.
What does section 7 under Part III of the Political Parties (Finance) Act [Chapter 2:12] which is cited in the PVO Amendment Bill say?
Section 7, which PVOs are warned against breaching, makes it illegal for any foreigner to give money to any political party or candidate. It reads:
“Solicitation of donations by foreigners prohibited
(1) No person who is a citizen of a foreign country domiciled in a country other than Zimbabwe shall, within Zimbabwe, solicit donations from the public on behalf of any political party or candidate.
(2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine—
(a)equivalent to the market value of the donations collected by that person; or
(b)one hundred thousand dollars;
whichever is the greater amount or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, or both.
(3) Subsections (6), (7), (8) and (9) of section six shall apply in relation to an offence in terms of this section.”
What other law is the proposed PVO Amendment Bill addressing?
The Bill’s Memorandum says the changes are also designed to ensure that Zimbabwe complies with money laundering and anti-terrorism financing laws.
Sources: Zimbabwe Government Notices Gazette, 5 November 2021; Zimbabwe Political Parties (Finance) Act, Veritas | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 17, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-what-does-zimbabwes-new-ngo-law-say-on-political-involvement/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
221 | FACT SHEET - What is the state of cancer treatment in Zimbabwe - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 2, 2022
What is the state of cancer treatment in Zimbabwe and what is the scale of the cancer burden? Here are a few facts:
How many public health facilities offer Radiotherapy treatment?
There are only two public facilities with capacity to offer radio therapy treatment in the country. These are the Radiotherapy Centre at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, which caters for the population in the northern part of the country, and the Radiotherapy Centre at Mpilo Central Hospital, designated for the Southern part of Zimbabwe.
Parirenyatwa has three radiotherapy machines. However, since January 17, 2022, radio therapy services have not been available at Parirenyatwa due to equipment breakdown. According to information provided by the hospital, both the spares and the engineers to fix the machinery are not available locally.
Oncocare Zimbabwe is the only private facility currently offering radiotherapy treatment in the country.
Radiotherapy or radiation therapy is one type of treatment that is used to destroy cancer cells and reduce their growth using radiation. A patient can require both chemotherapy and radiotherapy during treatment.
What do statistics say on cancer cases in Zimbabwe?
According to the Zimbabwe Cancer Registry 2017 Annual Report, published in 2020, the latest data available, the country recorded 7659 new cancer cases in 2017. Of these cases, 42.7% were male and 57.3% were female. According to the report, the frequently occurring cancers among all races include cervix uteri which accounted for 20% of the recorded cases, followed by prostate cancer 10%, breast cancer 8%, karposi sarcoma 5%, non-Hodgkin lymphoma 5%, colo-rectal 4% and liver 3%.
Below are data tables of cancer cases that have been recorded from 2005 to 2017
Source: Zimbabwe Cancer Registry 2017 Annual Report
Is machinery imported for health services duty free?
According to Statutory Instrument 63 of 2018, rebate of duty is granted for plant, equipment or machinery which is used or will be exclusively for the health sector in the provision of health services as the minister may approve, in consultation with the minister responsible for health.
Conditions of the rebate
Procedure for Applying for the rebate
For an importer to benefit from this rebate, an application must be made to the proper customs officer with the following documents:
a) An application letter signed by the importer
b) A valid tax clearance,
c) Approval from the ministry of finance,
d) A letter from the responsible ministry for that industry ( e.g. from ministry of agriculture),
e) A declaration clearly stating the use to which equipment will be used for, and
f) A letter of undertaking that if the equipment is used for other purposes other than for which a rebate was granted duty due will be paid forthwith.
Who can benefit from this rebate? | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 2, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-what-is-the-state-of-cancer-treatment-in-zimbabwe/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
222 | FACTSHEET: What travelers to Zimbabwe should know about the country's COVID-19 regulations - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 9, 2020
Zimbabwe first imposed travel restrictions, in response to COVID-19, in March 2020. The regulations have, since then, been frequently changed depending on the Government of Zimbabwe’s response to the spread of the pandemic.
Ahead of the festive season, here is what you need to know about the current travel regulations.
Borders
All land borders were opened from December 1, 2020. International arrivals are also allowed through Robert Gabriel Mugabe Airport in Harare, the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport in Bulawayo, and the Victoria Falls Airport.
COVID-19 test certificates
A Zimbabwean citizen or returning resident arriving in the country must have a certificate showing that they had a negative COVID-19 PCR test in the previous 48 hours. If they have this certificate, they can be allowed to go home for self-quarantine.
A citizen or resident who arrives without the PCR test certificate, or showing any symptoms, will be kept at a holding facility until they take a COVID-19 test. They will have to pay US$60 for the test. If they test negative, they are released. If they test positive, they must be isolated at a government-approved facility for 14 days.
Regulations for foreign nationals
A foreign national is also required to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test done in the last 48 hours. A foreign person who arrives without the 48-hour test will not be allowed to enter Zimbabwe. There is no option for quarantine or testing at the port in this case. A foreigner who shows COVID-19 symptoms on arrival will also be denied entry.
Contact tracing
Travellers may be required to fill out track and trace information on arrival in Zimbabwe.
Boarding flights
For passengers leaving Zimbabwe, nobody is allowed on a flight unless they have a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate issued within 48 hours of departure.
Curfew
There is a curfew in effect, which starts at 10PM and ends at 6AM.
Masks
Masks are mandatory. According to regulations, everyone must wear a face mask, which can be a homemade cloth, as long as it covers the nose and mouth.
Gatherings
According to a Cabinet directive issued on December 1, all gatherings are limited to 100 people.
Holiday resorts, restaurants
Holiday resorts and restaurants remain open, subject to COVID-19 regulations such as social distancing and regular disinfection. Restaurants can open until 8PM. Inter-city travel is also allowed. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 9, 2020 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-what-travelers-to-zimbabwe-should-know-about-the-countrys-covid-19-regulations/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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223 | FACT SHEET: What's in the Electoral Amendment Bill? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 10, 2022
The Cabinet approved the Electoral Amendment Bill which seeks to amend the Electoral Act on the 4 of October 2022, and ZimFact compiled a fact sheet which shows the purpose of the Bill. Here is what we know about the Bill.
Purpose of the Bill
__
This factsheet was compiled by Bridget Mabanda an intern at ZIMFACT. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 10, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-whats-in-the-electoral-amendment-bill/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
224 | FACT SHEET – Who won? List of parliamentary by-election winners - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 28, 2022
Zimbabwe held 28 Parliamentary and 122 local government by-elections on March 26.
On Monday, NewsDay reported: “The recently-formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led by Nelson Chamisa shocked the MDC Alliance, grabbing 22 National Assembly seats out of the 28 which were up for grabs, while the Douglas Mwonzora-led party failed to win even a single local government seat in the by-elections held at the weekend.”
FACT CHECK: CCC, in fact, won 19 seats, which its candidates won under the MDC Alliance in 2018. ZANU PF won nine of the seats on offer.
The following is a complete list of the winning candidates (highlighted) who contested for 28 parliamentary seats in the by-elections.
Of note is that only five constituencies were won by women candidates in the polls.
National Assembly | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 28, 2022 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/fact-sheet-who-won-list-of-parliamentary-by-election-winners/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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225 | Zimbabwe Campign against GBV - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 12, 2022
Zimbabwean organisations rallied with strong messages against gender-based violence (GBV) during the annual international 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, which runs between November 25 and December 10.
The 2022 campaign was launched under the theme “unite, activism to end violence against women and girls.”
Women constitute 51 percent of Zimbabwe’s national population.
The following are some of the messages sent out by some women organisations in Zimbabwe this year, advocating for an end to GBV which they say is rising significantly year by year.
As the commission we are concerned that despite enhancement of the Domestic Violence Act, and despite having Sections 51, 52 and 53 of the Constitution explicitly providing for the right to dignity, personal security and freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, cases of Gender-Based Violence continue to escape.
GBV remains both prevalent and vastly under-reported, as many survivors decide to suffer in silence rather than risk stigmatisation or due to lack of punitive and deterrent sentences. What is particularly saddening is the increase in rape cases and child marriages.
#STOPTHEBLEEDING
Talk about it! Do not stay in silence! Stand up against Gender-Based Violence and choose to live a happy life by standing up against people who disturb your peace and run your happiness. Let us join hands and fight against Gender-Based Violence
As we commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, we want to remind the society to safeguard and inherent dignity of women and girls in Zimbabwe.
A national Hotline run by Musasa reportedly recorded more than 6 800 GBV-related calls for the period 30 March 2020 until the end of December 2020.
16 Days of Activism Against GBV is a time for us to reflect on the gains that we have made as a society towards eradicating GBV, to call upon each person to take responsibility and join hands with us as we work together to end GBV in Zimbabwe.
Can we stop sanitasing rape and child marriages. Can we create safe spaces for girls and women within home setup, within the communities that we are living in and acknowledging that we all have critical roles to play.
We are calling for stiffer penalties and mandatory sentences. We need to put an end to GBV.
Let’s unite and end violence against women and girls. Did you know? Gender-Based Violence refers to harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender. It is rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power and harmful norms. GBV is a serious violation of human rights and life threatening health and protection issue.
We encourage service providers especially those in the SRHR to provide GBV services that are disability inclusive so that women with disabilities can freely enjoy their right to services. According to the recent dialogues conducted by UNESCO Zimbabwe under the Spotlight initiative, women And Girls with Disabilities (WAGDs) are more vulnerable to GBV compared to those without disabilities.
Call for safe spaces of worship, we also call for doctrines that do not violate girls and women’s rights in the church. Religion as a social institution must also play a role in securing women’s rights.
Efforts to End Violence against Women should include diverse communication channels in our advocacy initiatives so as to leave no one behind.
Violence is not the solution, it’s the problem, let us find peaceful ways to solve our differences.
Act4Women is pushing for the end to all forms of violence against women and girls, during and after the #16DaysOfActivismAgainstGenderBasedViolence. Women and girls are continuing to reel under physical and sexual abuse.
Recent statistics reveal that at least 220 minors were raped between January and September this year, in addition to 959 sexual violence and 1 038 domestic violence cases reported. According to police reports, out of 435 rape cases reported between the period, 58% involved minors.
“We are working with traditional & religious leaders as they have the power to change our communities to be violence free”- @Edinah Masiyiwa, WAG Executive Director sharing on WAG’s #HeForShe campaign at the He Can Men’s Conference
#HerVoice
#16DaysOfActivismAgainstGBV
In a bid to end Gender Based Violence, it is also vital to educate men and boys on the importance of women empowerment as a way of raising awareness against GBV.
WiPSU unites with the rest of the world in eliminating violence against women and girls.
We unite against Child Marriages – Child rape! We unite against Violence against Women in Elections! We unite against Violence against Women & Girls. We unite against Gender Based Violence!
#16DaysOfActivism #16Days16Rights
SOURCES
Zimbabwe Gender Commission
Act For Women
Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe
This factsheet was compiled by Bridget Mabanda, an intern at ZimFact and the deputy news editor of a college fact checking club at Harare Polytechnic initiated by ZimFact. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 12, 2022 | {
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226 | FACT SHEET | Zimbabwe's many teachers' unions - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 26, 2022
Zimbabwe has about 135 000 public school teachers countrywide. Teachers’ unions and associations are engaging the government on salaries and work conditions. According to unions, inflation has eroded teachers’ earnings leaving them unable to afford basics.
According to Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT), a person needed a monthly income of Z$18,425 in June to afford only the basics.
The average salary of a teacher is Z$28 000, in addition to US dollar allowances. Teachers demand US$540 or the local currency equivalent as base salary, pegging their salaries to 2018, before government dropped the 1:1 currency peg.
Here is a snapshot of Unions and professional associations in the Zimbabwe education sector registered in terms of the Public Service ACT [16:04]
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)
President: Takavafira Zhou
Secretary General: Raymond Majongwe
Membership size: 14 175
Contacts: 0782 702 836
Address: 14 McLaren Road Milton Park
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA)
Chief Executive Officer: Richard Gundane
President: Ndlovu Sifiso
Secretary General: Goodwill Taderera
Membership Size: 41 601
Contacts: 0242 795931/762033/250565
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ)
President: Obert Masaraure
Secretary General: Robson Chere
Membership Size: 386
Contacts: 0775643192/0776129336
Zimbabwe National Teachers Union (ZINATU)
Chief Executive Officer: Manuel Nyawo
President: Davy Mudhebha
Secretary General: Maunganidze Livison
Membership Size: 50
Contacts: 0774013500/0774994112
Zimbabwe National Educators Union (ZINEU)
President: Morven Dube
Secretary General: Charles Chinosenga
Membership Size: 59
Contacts: 0772590113
Address: 101 Mimosa House Bulawayo
Zimbabwe Rural Teachers Union (ZRTU)
President: Martin Chaburumunda
Secretary General: Fambai Fambai
Membership Size: 1 359
Contacts: 0775 226380
Professional Educators Union of Zimbabwe (PEUZ)
President: Wilson Makanyaire
Secretary General: Nefure Chaderopa Chaderopa
Membership Size: 77
Contacts: 0773013406
Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers Union (ZDTU)
President: Currently there is none, he passed away
Secretary General: Farai Tasaranarwo
Membership Size: 1 098
Contacts: 0773816324
Address: 69 Buddie House 7 floor Samora Machel
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (TUZ)
President: Simon Chimanga
Secretary General: Rengani Phiri
Membership Size: 2 833
Contacts: 0774861521
Address: ZIMDEF House, office space number 9, ground floor Rotten Raw Harare
College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe (COLAZ)
President: Davis Dzasunga
Secretary General: Nickson Madovi
Membership size: 674
Contacts: 0772385342
Sources
ZIMSTAT
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 26, 2022 | {
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227 | FACT SHEET: Zimbabwe's roadworks targets - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
January 31, 2022
The government has promised an ambitious road development programme. To track progress, it is important to look at what government data says about the existing road network.
Zimbabwe has a 98,000km road network. It is made up of 89% (78,200km) unsurfaced gravel and earth roads. Sealed roads, mostly in urban areas and the main highways, constitute 18%, or 17,846 km.
The network is in three parts; roads in a reasonable condition, as well as the extremes of very good roads and those in a state of disrepair due to under-investment.
Targets
Under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), the Government is targeting to increase the percentage of roads that meet the Southern Africa Transport and Communications Commission (SATCC) standards from 5% to 10% and to increase the number of kilometres of road network in good condition from 14,702km to 24,500km by 2025.
By June 2021, government claimed to have, through the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP), started work on at least 7,000km of road network, according to a Cabinet statement. More than 10,000km of roads are expected to be rehabilitated under the program.
Funding
Road upgrades have been funded mostly by own funds through the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA), and previously through other financing arrangements from multilateral agencies.
In 2021, Z$139,8 billion was allocated to infrastructure investment programmes, which include roads, dams, housing and public buildings. On January 28, 2022, ZINARA said it would disburse Z$16 billion to the country’s four road authorities for road maintenance works.
Gravel and earth roads
As at December 2021, according to Government data, over 2,000km or roads had been re-gravelled, while 6,627,9km have been graded with 701 drainage structures constructed or repaired and 184 wash-ways reclaimed.
A total of 4,491.5km of drains had been opened, 6,141.2 km of verges were cleared, and work had begun on at least 4 794,8km
Urban roads and highways
A Government report in June 2021 said 7 515 km out of the targeted 13 313 km of roadnetwork had been pothole patched, while 4,115km had been graded, 874 km re-gravelled and 164km rehabilitated or constructed.
As at January 19, 2022, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development had completed 284.85km on the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge highway.
Sources: ZINARA, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Cabinet Briefing Statements.
SIFE | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | January 31, 2022 | {
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228 | FACTSHEET: ZRP, the law, and your right to gather – what the law says - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 15, 2022
On Saturday, March 12, police barred the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change from holding a rally and a procession in Marondera.
In a statement on Monday, March 14, police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi accused the party of not following regulations under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA), which governs public gatherings.
He said: “Firstly, it is the responsibility of a convener to notify the local regulating authority who is the Officer Commanding a Police District, of the intention to hold a rally in line with provisions of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA), Chapter 11:23. It is not just a case of notification, the convener has a responsibility to discuss and agree on the security and safety measures to be availed at the rally for the benefit of the public and the community in general.”
But what does this law really say?
Gathering notification
According to clauses 6 and 7 of MOPA, an organisation planning a demonstration or a march must appoint an official convenor and notify the police seven days before the event. A notice of five days is required before a public meeting. The convenor must give police details of the event, such as; the contact number of the designated convenor, the venue, times, purpose of the event, the number of marshals, and the anticipated number of participants.
If the convenor of the gatherings does not give this notice, they can be charged and fined or jailed for up to one year.
Do convenors have to ‘consult’ police?
According to police spokesman Nyati’s statement, a convenor must also hold discussions with police.
He said: “It is not just a case of notification, the convener has a responsibility to discuss and agree on the security and safety measures to be availed at the rally for the benefit of the public and the community in general.”
What does MOPA say about this?
According to clause 8, if the police “receives credible information on oath that there is a threat” that the gathering may result in problems – such as violence, traffic disruptions or damage to property – they shall call the convenor to a meeting “to explore options to prevent the threat”.
At such a meeting, the convenor and police will discuss amendments to the notice of the gathering. If there is no agreement, the police can impose conditions on how the event is to be held. The clause gives the police power to ban the event, via “a prohibition notice, giving the reasons and grounds therefore to the convener”.
This prohibition order can only be given when the police have reason to believe that even imposing conditions on the event would still not be enough to prevent problems such as violence or traffic disruptions.
How does this law compare with laws elsewhere?
The MOPA borrows heavily from South Africa’s Regulation of Gatherings Act, to the extent that sections of the two laws are similar, almost word-for-word.
The South African law also requires conveners of public gatherings to give the police advance notice; seven days in for marches or demonstrations, and five days for public meetings such as rallies.
However, a major difference is that, in 2018, South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to criminalise the failure to give notice of a gathering. The court found that this sort of penalty unfairly punishes both the convenors and the participants.
In the UK, under the Public Order Act, organisers of marches must give notice to police. Organisers can be arrested for marching without a notice or for changing the terms of the notice, such as gathering at a different time than they notified. Police can also ban gatherings if they have reason to think they may turn violent.
Are these laws constitutional?
While MOPO is similar in many respects to laws elsewhere, including South Africa and the UK, critics point out that police in Zimbabwe apply the law unevenly, frequently shutting down opposition rallies while allowing ruling ZANU PF gatherings to go ahead undisturbed.
While South African police have previously shut down some protests, opposition parties there are free to organise.
Legal experts also say ZRP’s reasons for banning opposition protests do not meet the thresholds demanded by the Constitution. According to legal experts Veritas, limits on public gatherings must only be necessary.
“While laws may limit the freedoms, the limitations must be ‘fair, reasonable, necessary and justifiable in a democratic society’ [section 86 of the Constitution]. Note that word ‘necessary’: it is not enough for a limitation to be reasonable or justifiable ‒ it must be necessary in a democratic society. If it is not, it is unconstitutional,” Veritas says in a note on MOPA. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 15, 2022 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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229 | Factcheck – Are Zimbabwe lawyers the largest professional body? -
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 24, 2022
Claim: Zimbabwe is the most politically quarrelsome country on earth because its professional ranks are dominated by legal practioners, according to a claim posted on some social media platforms which triggered a debate on the number of law students and lawyers in the country.
Source:
Verdict: False. While we are unable to verify the claim around the demand for law studies among potential students, it is a fact that lawyers do not constitute the largest number of professionals in Zimbabwe. Other professions have larger numbers, such as teaching which has over 130,000 teachers in public schools.
In Zimbabwe there are +/- 2000 registered Legal Practitioners, according to the Law Society of Zimbabwe.
However, according to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education there are about 135 000 public school teachers in Zimbabwe.
According to the Health Service Board, as of February 2020, there were 1,414 doctors and 15, 353 nurses working in the country’s public hospitals.
Zimbabwe has more than 20 universities, but only five are currently offering training in law. These are: University of Zimbabwe (UZ), Great Zimbabwe University (GZU), Midlands State University (MSU), Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University and Africa University.
Conclusion: Law profession is not the largest group of people
Sources: Law Society of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Law Students Association
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education
This fact check was produced by Bridget Mabanda, an intern at ZimFact and a member of a college fact checking club at Harare Polytechnic initiated by ZimFact.
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 24, 2022 | {
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230 | FACTCHECK: Did Chief Justice Malaba say “we believe in facts, not figures”? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 28, 2018
CLAIM: Senior opposition figures, including former minister Jonathan Moyo and MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa’s chief election agent Jameson Timba, have alleged that Chief Justice Luke Malaba, while ruling in Chamisa’s presidential election petition, said figures were not important.
CONCLUSION: The claim, which has been reduced by many critics of the Constitutional Court ruling to mean ‘figures do not matter’, is misleading.
Delivering an abridged version of the judgement last Friday, Chief Justice ruled that the declaration of a winner in an election, not the number of votes, is the result of the poll.
The court found that where there is a threshold of votes one needs to cross to be declared the winner of Zimbabwe’s presidential election. Once this threshold is demonstrated to have been reached, figures thereafter become inconsequential to the result.
Responding to Chamisa’s argument that Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) alteration of figures after it declared President Emmerson Mnangagwa winner of the July 30 invalidated the election result, Malaba said:
“It is important to understand what the result of an election is. The result of an election is the declaration of a winner having reached the 50 percent plus one vote. No other thing. Any votes after that point have no bearing on the result of the election,” the Chief Justice said.
Malaba emphasised that the declaration of a winner – not the number of votes – was the result of polling. This has been seized upon and misinterpreted by critics of the court’s judgement to mean the court had disregarded figures, which were central to Chamisa’s case.
“Now the declaration as set out in these provisions is the legal event. This is upon any candidate reaching the 50 percent plus one vote threshold,” Malaba said. “Whether or not a candidate has reached this threshold is a question of fact. It is not a question of figures.”
The fact of the declaration, which Chamisa sought to have invalidated partly due to the fact that ZEC had amended its numbers and because only the court could change it, remained unchanged despite the alteration of the figures, the Chief Justice ruled.
“The amendment by ZEC has no effect at all on the result of the election and the declaration as interpreted in this case. In fact, an error in counting and amendment of figures is envisaged in the Act itself which makes the provisions of section 110 subject to those of section 67 (a),” he said.
“The law therefore allows for the adjustment and, again, if the applicant was aggrieved by the counting and the figures availed he should have utilised remedies availed to him by the Act.”
The court sought to clarify what it considers to be the result of the election – the number of votes or the declaration of a winner upon crossing the threshold (a number) as provided by law. It chose the latter. It also ruled that, in this specific case, Chamisa as the applicant had not sufficiently demonstrated that the irregularities he alleged, even coupled with ZEC’s own admitted errors, took Mnangagwa below the stipulated 50% plus 1 threshold upon which the president was declared winner.
It is, therefore, misleading to say the court said it “believes in facts, not figures.”
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 28, 2018 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/factcheck-did-chief-justice-malaba-say-we-believe-in-facts-not-figures/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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231 | Factcheck: Is Africa Cancer Foundation offering free cancer surgery? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 6, 2024
CLAIM: In the run up to World Cancer Day (5 February) there was a message circulated widely on Zimbabwe social media and WhatsApp platforms announcing that Africa Cancer Foundation was offering free surgery to women who are battling breast cancer.
Cancer is one of the biggest killers in Zimbabwe, and there is pressure on the government to provide more treatment centres.
Is this true or false?
Verdict: False
Africa Cancer Foundation has dismissed the claim, saying there are no surgeries being offered in 2024 as it has no funding for such a programme in 2024. On their website, ACF said the information circulating on social media were messages designed for a programme carried out in 2022.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | February 6, 2024 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/factcheck-is-africa-cancer-foundation-offering-free-cancer-surgery/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
} |
232 | Factcheck: Voting extended in some areas over logistical problems - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 24, 2023
Claim: A social media post circulated on August 23 stated that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had extended voting in Zimbabwe’s general election to August 24 after some polling stations in Harare, Bulawayo and other parts of the country faced logistical problems.
Verdict: True
While official communication on this decision was quite confusing over the statutory provisions on which the extension wa based, the operative effect of the Presidential Proclamation is that voting will resume in dozens of wards and constituencies around the country where balloting was severely delayed by the lack delivery of materials.
Section 38 (4) of the Electoral Act does give president Emmerson Mnangagwa powers to alter any election day, time or place fixed.
Section 38 (4) of the Electoral Act does give president Emmerson Mnangagwa powers to alter any election day, time or place fixed.
The information ministry in a Wednesday evening statement confirmed that president Emmerson Mnangagwa had indeed extended election dates to August 24.
“24 August 2023 has been fixed as the last day of polling for polling stations affected by delays,” read the statement from the information ministry.
Section 53 of the Electoral Act does allow polling stations to open for continuously 12 hours from the time they open.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 24, 2023 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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233 | Facts and issues: How Zimbabwe journalists can improve on environmental reporting - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 27, 2022
By Dylan Munashe Dzenga
Environmental news reporting has become so significant that it is now considered one of the most sought-after specialist areas of journalism practice globally.
In some countries, environmental journalism has even grown to be one of the most dangerous professions in the world, seeing at least 40 journalists being killed between 2005 and September 2016, according to Eric Freedman of Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University.
The Knight Center trains students and professional journalists to report on environmental issues, which they consider the world’s most important beat. Freedman concluded after a study in 2018 that journalists are often caught in the crosshairs of power play and those who cover environmental reporting “are at heightened risk of murder, arrest, assault, threats, self-exile, lawsuits and harassment”.
Yet here in Zimbabwe, environmental reporting has a negligible number of takers, perhaps because of its specialist nature. In a polarised nation with a heightened sense of politics and socio-economic challenges, journalists find it less exciting than the day-to-day social issues affecting the people.
As much as journalists report on politics, economic issues and social issues, they also carry the responsibility to report on environmental issues to safeguard the planet and wildlife.
Facts and figures
The global problems around climate change and the attendant misinformation and disinformation on this subject should be an added motivation for Zimbabwe’s media to elevate reporting on environmental issues.
We need to know what is going on and what is not happening? We need to know who is playing a constructive role, and who is not? But much more importantly, there is need for a sustained discussion on what we should be doing — individually and collectively.
Instead of leaving it to street gossip and village speculation, Zimbabwean journalists should help communities and the country with the facts and figures about the pollution of our water, and our endangered wildlife.
Powerful tool
Media are a very powerful tool that can be used to inform and educate people on the importance of improving the quality of life through preservation of natural resources, wildlife, air, land and water. Where people have grown to believe that the natural resources that they need will always be there for their consumption and barely pay any attention to issues to do with the environment, it is up to journalists to educate them to think more responsibly for their own long-term good.
Journalists themselves need to be capacitated to carry out this work effectively. Evidence at hand shows that there is a lack of knowledge amongst local media practitioners which either stops them from writing on environmental issues or, where they do write, the results leave much to be desired. Environmental journalism covers topics like biodiversity, water resources, pollution, environmental policies, renewable energies, natural disasters and climate change which has recently become quite topical as the world experiences extensive veld fires, hurricanes and floods. Unpacking these issues in an accessible way that is easy to understand for the ordinary person requires well-trained professionals who understand the subject well, and they can only do this through training.
The tendency has been to report on environmental issues when there has been a catastrophic event related to the environment, such as a cyclone, devastating flood or extreme drought. This is not to say that topics such as terrorism, economic crisis, politics and international relations – which are considered important and of great interest to the public – must now be given less attention, but to amplify the environment’s benefits and challenges as far as they affect nations globally.
Heightened attention
The impact of heightened attention and awareness on environmental matters will help tackle challenges such as environmental degradation through illegal mining activities, deforestation, desertification, wildlife poaching, environmental cleanliness and increase social responsibility in communities.
It comes with its own challenges, as Freedman found in his study, which made the profession dangerous.
“Some of the…challenges that make the profession more dangerous is because of how the stories often involve economic and political power, corporate greed, government corruption and incompetence and in most cases, conflicts over indigenous rights to natural resources and land,” Freedman says.
Despite this negative reality, the potential benefits call for journalistic action to raises awareness of the activities that people can do to appreciate climate change, preservation of the environment and wildlife conservation, among other natural resource mindfulness.
The emergence of organisations such as the Earth Journalism Network, which seeks to improve knowledge of the environment of journalists by introducing a short term learning period where one gets to learn about all the topics of environmental journalism and the tools they can use when doing such work, gives journalists a sound platform to start from.
Dylan Dzenga is a media student at the University of Zimbabwe on internship at ZimFact where he is pursuing his interest in environmental journalism and climate change. | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 27, 2022 | {
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234 | FACTSHEET: A look at Zimbabwe's power supply infrastructure - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 25, 2022
Zimbabwe has faced perennial power shortages over the last two decades, which the government expects to ease with the completion of new plants and the refurbishment of old transmission and distribution systems.
The government targets to produce 2,000MW of renewable energy by 2030 to cover the energy shortfall.
According to power utility ZETDC, power demand will rise from the current 1,500MW to 5,177MW by 2030.
Here is a snapshot of Zimbabwe’s power infrastructure:
The following are some independent private power plants:
Licensed Independent Power Producers Under Construction.
Sources: ZERA website http://www.zera.co.zw ZPC website http://www.zpc.co.zw, ZPC Annual Report 2017 | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 25, 2022 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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235 | Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Zimbabwe - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 18, 2019
There is an ongoing debate about sexual and reproductive rights in Zimbabwe.
This debate is being led by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care, as well as civil society organisations working with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), which are calling for the removal of age restrictions on access to reproductive health services.
The debate has not been without controversy. Earlier this year, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care was forced to clarify its position on this issue after it was misinterpreted as a call to lower the age of sexual consent to 12 years.
On Wednesday 16 October 2019, nine CSOs – the COMPASS, YAZ, ZYT, SafAIDS, PITCH, SAT, Rutgers and ACT – took out a full-page advert in a national newspaper to lobby for the review of current legal and policy provisions limiting access to reproductive health services by adolescents.
What are sexual and reproductive health rights?
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), sexual and reproductive health rights
“encompass efforts to eliminate preventable maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, to ensure quality sexual and reproductive health services, including contraceptive services, and to address sexually transmitted infections (STI) and cervical cancer, violence against women and girls, and sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents. Universal access to sexual and reproductive health is essential not only to achieve sustainable development but also to ensure that this new framework speaks to the needs and aspirations of people around the world and leads to realisation of their health and human rights.”
Current legal and policy provisions on sexual and reproductive health services in Zimbabwe:
Although Section 76 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that: “Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to have access to basic health-care services, including reproductive health-care services”, existing legal and policy guidelines limit access.
The Public Health Act of 2018 is not particularly explicit, but its Section 35 has been read to provide that children – defined as persons under the age of 18 – require parental or adult consent to access medical health services.
According to Justice for Children, at least two laws qualify children’s access to medical services. The organisation added that these provisions have been used to give legal backing to the established practice, that a minor under 16 years old cannot access sexual and reproductive health services and treatment without parental consent.
Section 52(2) of the Medicines and Allied Substances Control (General) Regulations, 1991, Statutory Instrument 150 of 1991 (made in terms of the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act [Chapter 15:03]) provides as follows:
“No person shall sell any medicine to any person apparently under the age of 16 years —
(a) in the case of a household remedy or a medicine listed in Part I of the Twelfth Schedule, except upon production of a written order signed by the parent or guardian of the child known to such person;
(b) in the case of any other medicine not referred to in paragraph (a) except upon production and in terms of a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, dental practitioner or veterinary surgeon.”
Justice for Children adds that Section 76 of the Children’s Act [Chapter 5:06] presupposes that consent is a prerequisite.
This provision requires an order to be made by a magistrate, where the parent or guardian has unreasonably refused to consent to medical treatment or surgery of a minor child.
Added to this, the National HIV Testing Guidelines of 2014 state that a child under the age of 16 is unable to consent to HIV testing and counselling (HTC).
Consent confusion:
The limitation of access to sexual and reproductive health services to persons above 16 years of age is often linked to the age of sexual consent, which in Zimbabwe is set at 16 by the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform).
The notion is that a person under the age of 16 cannot legally have sexual intercourse and, therefore, can only access SRHS without a police report or adult company.
This, however, disregards the fact that Zimbabwe does not penalise consensual sex between children aged 12 and 16.
Section 70(2a) of the Criminal Code reads:
“Where extra-marital sexual intercourse or an indecent act occurs between young persons who are both over the age of twelve years but below the age of sixteen years at the time of the sexual intercourse or the indecent act, neither of them shall be charged with sexual intercourse or performing an indecent act with a young person except upon a report of a probation officer appointed in terms of the Children’s Act [Chapter 5:06] showing that it is appropriate to charge one of them with that crime.”
Given the above, Justice for Children argues:
“Because a child under the age of 16 years cannot legally consent to sexual intercourse at law, it is then presumed that a child under the age of 16 years does not need contraceptives or other SRHS, which is a belief that prejudices children.
This is because children between 12 and 16 years can among themselves have consensual sexual intercourse without offending any penal provision. That legal position aside – and most children are in fact not aware of that legal position – it is fact that children are engaging in sexual activity among themselves at early ages. Such children require access to sexual and reproductive health services as an intervention.”
In Zimbabwe, the push to remove age restrictions from access to sexual and reproductive health has been conflated with the lowering of the age of consent.
This confusion is compounded by the government’s stated intention to raise the age of sexual consent from 16 to 18, in line with the constitutional provision that only people aged 18 and above are allowed to marry.
The conflation of sexual consent and the age of marriage, informed by cultural and religious attitudes, is evident in the government’s position on the matter.
On 17 May 3018, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told senators:
“We are saying children at the age of 16 can consent to sexual activities, yet, contrary to that it (the Constitution) says, when they are under 18, they cannot marry, so there is a contradiction. As I said, this is what we are looking at since I said we are analysing the law and we want to align this with the pending situation because it is ironic to say a child may indulge in sexual activities but cannot be married.”
Key statistics:
Citing various sources of data, the consortium of CSOs working on AGYW rights estimates –
In a ministerial statement given in Parliament on 8 December 2016, the then Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Lazarus Dokora, said 4,500 boys and girls in Grade 7 would not proceed to Form 1 the following year due to pregnancy and marriage.
What are the CSOs advocating?
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 18, 2019 | {
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236 | Factsheet – African Elephant and CITES Ivory Trade Ban - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 20, 2019
Zimbabwe and five other Southern African countries are fighting for exemption from a global ban on ivory trade imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), saying they must cull their large elephant populations regularly for economic benefit and environmental sustainability.
Researched by Nevanji Madanhire
What is the issue?
CITES banned international trade in ivory in 1989. However, there are still some thriving but unregulated domestic ivory markets in a number of countries, which fuel an illegal international trade. Poaching to meet growing demand from affluent Asian countries is driving up the rate of poaching. In some countries, political unrest contributes to elephant poaching. (www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade)
The African elephant is still listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, according to conservation charity, Tusk. The IUCN moved African elephants from “endangered” to “vulnerable” status in 2004, in part because the animals are relatively numerous and populations are growing in some areas. (WWF)
The Zimbabwe case
The Zimbabwean government is calling for the lifting of the ban on trade in elephants and ivory to allow live sales, culling and trophy hunting and to enable it to sell a stockpile of ivory worth more than half a billion dollars. The proceeds, the country says, will be used to fund the conservation of the animals.
The African elephant is on Appendix 1 and downlisting it to Appendix 2 would allow culling to reduce the population.
In successive meetings held in Botswana and Zimbabwe in May and June, together with other countries in the region which form the (KAZA) bloc, Zimbabwe lobbied for the relaxation of the ban during the inaugural Wildlife Economy Summit aimed at establishing a common position on issues of sustainable wildlife management ahead of a CITES meeting in August 2019 in Geneva.
Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe form the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) commonly referred to the KAZA bloc. It is home to more than 250,000 elephants out of the estimated 400,000 elephants worldwide. Zimbabwe boasts 84 000 jumbos, which it says are more than 30,000 too many for the habitat.
The KAZA-bloc countries are making their case at the CITES conference currently being held in Geneva, Switzerland.
Kenya-led opposition
But other African countries, led by Kenya, are opposed to the reopening of international trade in ivory, arguing it will trigger a rise in elephant poaching and endanger further existing populations around the continent.
What is the African elephant?
African elephants are the world’s largest land animals. The African elephant (Loxodonta) is a genus comprising two living elephant species, the larger savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana africana), and the smaller forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis).
The biggest can be up to 7,5m long, 3,3m high at the shoulder, and 6 tonnes in weight.
The African bush or savannah elephant roams southern African countries including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The smaller African forest elephant lives in the equatorial forests of central and western Africa the biggest weighing only 2,7 tonnes. (WWF)
How many elephants are in Zimbabwe?
According to the last elephant census done in 2014 Zimbabwe has 82 091 elephants. This translates to 1.5 elephants per km² in the four elephant regions namely North West Matabeleland, Sebungwe, Mid-Zambezi Valley and South East Lowveld. The ideal population should be one jumbo per km².
Zimbabwe’s carrying capacity is 50,000 elephants.
How are they distributed?
Elephants are distributed in four main regional populations in Zimbabwe, namely, Northwest Matabeleland, the Sebungwe, the mid-Zambezi Valley, and the South-East Lowveld. Crude ecological densities vary between 2.16 elephant/km² in Northwest Matabeleland and 0.46 elephant/km² in the Sebungwe region. Elephant densities in the Communal Areas vary from 1.50 elephant/ km² in the south-east Lowveld to 0.06 elephant/km² in the Sebungwe region. Overall it is estimated that 5,000 elephants reside in Communal Areas and occupy approximately 16,000 km².
Are elephants a threat to their habitat?
An African elephant may eat up to 450kg of vegetation a day, including fruits, flowers from trees, pods, leaves, entire plants and roots. However, their digestive system is not very efficient, so only 40% of this food is properly digested. It drinks up to 400 litres of water a day.
What is its importance to the ecosystem?
The African elephant plays a vital role in maintaining ecological harmony. African elephants ingest plants and fruits, walk for miles, and excrete the seeds in fertile dung piles. In this way, new plants can grow in different areas. Without elephants, the forests would quickly overtake the grasslands. Additionally, they dig watering holes during the dry season, making them vital to many smaller animals. Many animals would die of thirst without them. So the entire ecosystem would suffer greatly by the extinction of elephants. (IUCN)
How has climate change affected the animals?
Periodic droughts reduce vegetation productivity thereby increasing nutritional deficiency which results in an unhealthy population. Calf mortality and mortality of old elephants increases as a result. Mortality is high in the dry season especially in Hwange due to the high temperatures and the lack of perennial rivers; water is supplemented by boreholes.
How sustainable is dependency on borehole water?
Borehole water is a short-term measure to supply much needed water to the large elephant population that is within the park. It is a sustainable option to contain the game water supply. Solar technology has been utilized to ensure efficiency in the pumping of water.
What is the population growth rate?
The annual growth rate of elephants is 5%.
How many people die as a result of human/elephant conflict?
According to Zimbabwe’s National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, elephants are responsible for 38% of all deaths caused by wildlife in Zimbabwe. Between 2010-2017 more than 200 people lost their lives and others were injured after encountering dangerous animals. Crocodiles and hippopotamus are responsible for most human deaths and injuries but there are many incidents where elephants have killed and maimed people who were tending their fields or traversing wildlife areas.
Are you allowed to cull?
Culling is an elephant management option which can be utilized to control the herds, however this has not been used since the 1980s. The last cull was in 1989 and it was a management plan which had commenced in 1960, during which 45,000 elephants were killed. Different management measures are employed for elephants throughout the region and continent. They range from creation of migration corridors and transfrontier parks and conservation areas (e.g. the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park and the Greater Mapungubwe and Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Areas), live sales, translocation of animals, creation of artificial waterholes, fencing and deterring animals from crops.
How extensive is the poaching of elephants?
According to CITES, Southern Africa is the only region whose proportion of illegally killed elephants has not risen above 0.5% since 2003. But in February this year (2019) Rangers in Hwange busted a poaching syndicate at Cross Dete leading to the recovery of 96 kg of raw ivory indicating that poaching is still rife. Law enforcement agents have arrested a lot of people for poaching and some have already been convicted. Over the last year (2018) at least 40 poaching syndicates have been busted. The poachers are of several nationalities. Investigations on who is behind the syndicates are ongoing.
Zimbabwe conservation measures?
Zimbabwe says it has various measures in place to deal with poaching problems under the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority’s Five-year Elephant Management Plan.
This plan is built on the premise that if elephants are to survive in the future, they must have a value, both to the governing authorities and to the local people.
Other management measures employed in the region and continent include the creation of migration corridors and transfrontier parks and conservation areas (e.g. the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park and the Greater Mapungubwe and Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Areas), live sales, translocation of animals, creation of artificial waterholes, fencing and deterring animals from crops with, for example chilli peppers or beehives, to shooting of problem animals.
Translocation and live sales mainly focus on sub adults because it is scientifically proven that at that age they can easily adapt to new environments.
What are southern Africa’s arguments against the CITES ban?
What does the pro-ban lobby say?
How many elephants has Zimbabwe sold?
Between 2012 and 2018, Zimbabwe sold 98 elephants, mainly to China,raising USD2.7m. Zimbabwe is sitting on a $600m (£470m) cache of ivory that includes rhino horns. (Guardian UK)
What is the value of the world illicit trade in ivory?
Illegal wildlife trafficking is valued at between $7 billion and $23 billion each year. It is the fourth most lucrative global crime after drugs, humans and arms. Only 3% of the fees paid for the hunts reach local communities. Trophy hunting is estimated to create around $200 million in annual revenue. (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/09/fighting-illegal-wildlife-and-forest-trade/)
CITESCONSERVATIONFEATUREDKAZA | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 20, 2019 | {
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237 | Are ministers in office legally after dissolution of parliament? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 2, 2018
There have been questions on whether ministers are continuing in their offices during the electoral period.
The public debate intensified after Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu held a press conference on July 31, warning the public and political parties against declaring election results before an official announcement by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
What does the law say about the role of ministers during elections?
According to section 108 of the Zimbabwe Constitution, the tenure of office of a minister or deputy minister becomes vacant upon the assumption of office by a new president. Sub-section( 4) further states that, in the event of the dissolution of parliament, ministers and deputy ministers continue to hold office until the president elect assumes office after a general election.
Factsheet prepared by ZimFact team
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 2, 2018 | {
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238 | Factsheet: Bilharzia Hotspots in Zimbabwe - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 14, 2023
The Ministry of Health and Child Care launched a Bilharzia Elimination Pilot Project in Shamva through the National Institute of Health Research under the Zimbabwe-China Co-operation in June, with the aim of assessing the possible use of various new diagnostic tools for testing bilharzia (schistosomiasis) in communities where the disease is common.
In its 2023 bilharzia information factsheet, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says Zimbabwe is endemic to 14 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), with the top four NTDs being bilharzia, intestinal worms, elephantiasis and blinding trachoma.
Bilhazia is the common name for a disease known scientifically as “Schistosomiasis”, which is an infection caused by a parasitic worm that lives in fresh water in subtropical and tropical regions.
The worms that cause schistosomiasis live in fresh water, such as:
You often don’t have any symptoms when you first become infected with schistosomiasis, but the parasite can remain in the body for many years and cause damage to organs such as the bladder, kidneys and liver.
According to research, a person cannot notice that they have been infected, although occasionally people get small, itchy red bumps on their skin for a few days where the worms burrowed in.
After a few weeks, some people develop:
Schistosomiasis can usually be treated successfully with a short course of a medication called praziquantel, which kills the worms.
Praziquantel is most effective once the worms have grown a bit, hence treatment may need to be repeated a few weeks after your first dose.
Steroid medication can also be used to help relieve the symptoms of acute bilharzia, or symptoms caused by damage to the brain or nervous system.
You can check whether the area you are visiting is known to have a problem with schistosomiasis.
If you’re visiting one of these areas:
Health experts say the mere practice of quickly drying yourself with a towel after getting out of the water is not a reliable way of preventing infection. But it’s still advisable to dry yourself as soon as possible if you’re accidentally exposed to potentially contaminated water.
Ministry of Health and Child Care
WHO
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/schistosomiasis/
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-Zimbabwe-showing-locations-of-case-studies-reviewed-produced-by-Mrs-A-Makati_fig2_225087370
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23311886.2023.2215632
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 14, 2023 | {
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239 | Factsheet: Can community radio stations broadcast political content? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 25, 2023
Zimbabwe has licensed 21 community radio stations (CRS) in the past three years after two decades of lobbying by media organisations and politicians. Of the 21 stations 14 serve geographical communities while seven are college campus radio stations. Whilst the CSRs have been licensed to broadcast content that is relevant to the respective communities which includes developmental issues, healthcare, basic information and general education, environmental affairs, and the promotion of local culture. It is however unclear, There have been concerns regarding the scope of the scope of coverage for governance and political matters.
Section 10 (1) of the Broadcasting Services Act expressly states that one of the conditions for community broadcasting licensees is that they shall not broadcast any political matter. The law does not however elaborate on the definition of political content.
The Zimbabwe Association of Community Radios (ZACRAS) Code of Ethics elaborates that, community radio stations shall not become, the mouthpiece or publicity vehicle of any particular political party and shall not broadcast material under the influence of any political party or be prejudiced against them.
Other governments allow the broadcast of political content, but others do not.
The intergovernmental agency UNESCO recommends such broadcast, saying in its UNESCO Community Radio Handbook that community radio can effectively monitor and ensure good conduct of elections, and play a vital role in promoting democracy.
However, it states that, some countries’ legislation specifically forbids community radios from getting sucked into partisan political campaigning. Others allow campaigning under strictly controlled conditions only during specified election periods.
UNESCO says if a community radio is involved in political campaigns, it is essential that no party or candidate derives undue advantage or suffers undue disadvantage. A transparent system of providing equal opportunity and equal time to duly registered political parties and candidates must be established.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has room to approve educational content for broadcast in the media. Zimbabwe watchdog organisations such as the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and Election Resource Centre (ERC) are some of the organisations that traditionally work with ZEC in this area.
Related Content
References
UNESCO Community Radio Handbook
Zimbabwe Community Radio (ZACRAS) Code of Ethics
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Services Act
ELECTIONSFEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 25, 2023 | {
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240 | FACTSHEET: Challenging the presidential election result - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
August 8, 2018
ON Wednesday, MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s lawyer Thabani Mpofu announced that his legal team had finalised the presidential candidate’s application challenging the July 30 election result, which saw President Emmerson Mnangagwa being declared winner.
Mpofu said the court challenge would be launched ahead of the Friday, August 10 deadline.
Legal watchdog Veritas has compiled a fact-sheet on court challenges over the presidential election result.
It is too late for the MDC to ask ZEC directly for a recount – this would have had to be done within 48 hours of the results being declared.
Time Frame for a Presidential Challenge
In the early hours of the morning on 3rd August, the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission [ZEC] declared Mr Mnangagwa to have been duly elected as President of Zimbabwe. The MDC Alliance has said the result will be challenged in court.
This Election Watch outlines the time limits for bringing a challenge, the form the challenge might take and what remedies could be granted if it succeeds.
Time Limits for Challenge
According to section 93 of the Constitution, “any aggrieved candidate” may challenge the election of a President by bringing a petition or application to the Constitutional Court within seven days after the declaration of the results of the election. So Mr Chamisa and any other aggrieved candidates have until close of business on Friday 10 August to lodge their petitions or applications.
Note that under section 93 of the Constitution:
Under rule 23 of the Constitutional Court Rules [SI 62/2016] the challenge must be served on the respondent [i.e. President Mnangagwa] within seven days after the declaration of the election result. So the time-limit for lodging the challenge and serving it on the respondent are the same in this case, Friday 10th August.
The respondent then has three days to file his notice of opposition with the Registrar and to serve it on the applicant. If he doesn’t he will be barred from taking any further part in the proceedings.
The applicant then has another three days to file an answering affidavit, if he wishes to do so, and file his heads of argument.
How Quickly must the Constitutional Court Hand Down its Decision?
After a challenge has been lodged and served, the Constitutional Court has just 14 days to hear and decide it [section 93(3) of the Constitution]. Its decision is final.
Constitutional Court’s Powers on Challenge
The Constitutional Court’s decision on a presidential election challenge can take any of the following forms [section 93(4) of the Constitution]:
o ordering a run-off election, if the court finds that none of the candidates in fact gained 50 per cent or more of the votes
o ordering a recount of the votes, if the applicant has asked for this.
Note: It is too late for the MDC to ask ZEC directly for a recount – this would have had to be done within 48 hours of the results being declared.
o making an order of costs
Note: security for the respondent’s costs in an amount of at least $500 must be provided by the applicant within seven days of lodging his petition [section 168(3) of the Act, as read with section 28 of the Electoral Regulations, 2005].
Election Act Provisos
Although the court’s powers seem very wide, the Electoral Act puts several hurdles in the way of an applicant who asks the court to exercise them:
Overriding Constitutional Provisions
The Constitution obliges the State – which includes the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary – to take all appropriate measures to ensure that effect is given to the principles of the electoral system set out in section 157(1) of the Constitution. Those principles include that elections must be peaceful, free and fair, and free from violence and other electoral malpractices. The Constitution takes precedence over any Act. Section 3 of the Electoral Act reiterates that elections are subject to the Constitution and section 3 (a) says “the authority to govern derives from the will of the people demonstrated through elections conducted efficiently, freely, fairly, transparently and properly”. The Constitutional Court will have to read section 177 of the Electoral Act in the light of the principles laid down in the Constitution. Hence if the Court finds that there were egregious and blatant departures from constitutional principles then it will have to set aside the election whether or not the departures can be shown to have affected the result.
When will a President-elect be sworn in?
If an electoral challenge is lodged:
If a petition or application challenging the validity of the presidential election is lodged, the President-elect’s swearing-in takes place forty-eight hours after the Constitutional Court has announced its decision on the challenge.
If no electoral challenge is lodged:
Under section 94 of the Constitution a President-elect must take the oath of office on the ninth day after he or she was declared elected. This means that the President-elect will take the oath of office as President on Sunday 12th August.
Research by Veritas
This article first appeared on http://www.veritaszim.net/
FEATUREDOUR PICKS | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | August 8, 2018 | {
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241 | FACTSHEET - Chamisa election promises - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 23, 2018
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has established himself as President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s main challenger in next week’s presidential election. Below are his key election promises.
Researched by Cris Chinaka
“Bullet trains, spaghetti roads, village airports”
On the election campaign trail, MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has promised to:
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | July 23, 2018 | {
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242 | Chamisa's petition to Africa's rights commission - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 20, 2018
FOLLOWING the 24 August 2018 Constitutional Court decision which validated the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s declaration that President Emmerson Mnangagwa won the 30 July 2018 harmonised general election, opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s legal team is reportedly in the process of lodging a petition with The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).
The lawyers are seeking to challenge the decision made by the Constitutional Court alleging that it violates the universal human rights of the people of Zimbabwe. Chamisa has refused to accept the decision by the Constitutional Court to dismiss his election petition with costs.
Title of the petition: “ACHPR PETITION CHALLENGING THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT ELECTION DECISION IN THE AFRICAN COMMISSION FOR HUMAN AND PEOPLE’S RIGHTS (ACHPR)
Grounds of the petition
Among other issues, the grounds of the petition are based on the flagrant and multiple violations of the universal human rights of the voters and people of Zimbabwe by the current Zimbabwean regime and the Constitutional Court, including:
(a) The right to free and fair elections;
(b) The right to a fair hearing before an impartial court;
(c) The right to legal representation by counsel of choice;
(d) The right against undue political interference; and (e) The right to be governed by a legitimate government.
About the ACHPR
The African Charter established the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on 21 October 1986. The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (the African Charter) came into force, giving both hope and guarantees for the protection of human rights on the African continent after the Commission was inaugurated on November 2 1987 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After this, the Commission’s Secretariat was subsequently relocated in Banjul, The Gambia. In addition to performing any other tasks which may be entrusted to it by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, the Commission is officially charged with three major functions:
-the protection of human and peoples’ rights
-the promotion of human and peoples’ rights
-the interpretation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Composition of the ACHPR
The Commission is composed of eleven members (Article 31 ACHPR):
Zimbabwe’s ACHPR Status
Zimbabwe first ratified some provisions (not all) of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in 1986. The southern African country is part of states that have not ratified all binding instruments.
Who can file a complaint?
On its website, the ACHPR says anyone may bring a complaint to the attention of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights alleging that a State party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights has violated one or more of the rights contained therein. Individuals and NGOs in Africa and beyond have over the years seized the Commission with complaints of this nature. Article 55 ACHPR does not place any restrictions on who can submit cases to the Commission. This provision simply notes: ‘Before each session, the Secretary of the Commission shall make a list of the communications other than those of States Parties to the present Charter’. The Commission has interpreted this provision as giving locus standi to the victims themselves and to the victims’ families as well as NGOs and others acting on their behalf.
Admissibility
Legal experts say aggrieved African parties and citizens may only approach the ACHPR after internal domestic legal steps have been exhausted. They suggest that this is clearly the case here since judgments of the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe are not appealable in Zimbabwe, as it is a court of last instance. Article 56(5) ACHPR. The Commission can only deal with communications if they ‘are sent after exhausting local remedies, if any, unless it is obvious that this procedure is unduly prolonged’.
Time period: Article 56(6) ACHPR. The Communications must be ‘submitted within a reasonable period from the time local remedies are exhausted or from the date the Commission is seized of the matter’.
Duplication of procedures at the international level: Article 56(7) ACHPR. The Commission does ‘not deal with cases which have been settled by these states involved in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, or the Charter of the Organization of African Unity or the provisions of the present Charter’.
Inadmissibility
Article 56 ACHPR. ‘Communications relating to human and peoples’ rights referred to in Article 55 received by the Commission shall be considered if they: (1) Indicate their authors even if the latter request anonymity, (2) Are compatible with the Charter of the African Union Charter, (3) Are not written in disparaging or insulting language directed against the state concerned and its institutions or to the African Union.
Measures
The Commission has developed a mechanism for adoption of provisional measures in its Rules of Procedure (Rule 111). ‘1. Before making its final views known to the Assembly on the communication, the Commission may inform the State Party concerned of its views on the appropriateness of taking provisional measures to avoid irreparable damage being caused to the victim of the alleged violation. 2. The Commission may indicate to the parties any interim measure, the adoption of which seems desirable in the interest of the parties or the proper conduct of the proceedings before it.’
Settlement
Article 52 ACHPR. ‘After having obtained all the information it deems necessary, and after having tried all appropriate means to reach an amicable settlement based on the respect of Human Rights and Peoples’ Rights, the Commission shall prepare a report stating the facts and its findings.’ Rule 98 Rules of Procedure. ‘The Commission shall place its good offices at the disposal of the interested States Parties to the Charter so as to reach an amicable solution on the issue based on the respect of human rights and fundamental liberties, as recognized by the Charter.’
Guidelines for the submission of communications
The ACHPR has an Information Sheet published by the Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Its purpose is to inform people or groups of people, and states parties to the African Charter on human and Peoples’ Rights on how they can denounce alleged violations of human and peoples’ rights within the African human rights protection system. It covers such matters as the rights and freedoms protected in the Charter, conditions for submitting communications, emergency communications, who can submit a communication, how many violations per communication, legal representation and a standard format for the submission of communications.
Written procedure, official and working languages are set out in Rule 34 Rules of Procedure of the Commission. ‘The working languages of the Commission and of all its institutions shall be those of the Organisation of African Unity.’ ‘The working languages of the Union and all its institutions shall be, if possible, African languages, Arabic, English, French and Portuguese.’ (Article 25 Constitutive Act of the AU). Website: www.achpr.org
Sessions
The Commission holds two ordinary sessions per year and may meet, if need be, in extraordinary sessions. The working languages are those of the African Union. The working sessions may be held in public or in camera. The Commission may invite States, national liberation movements, specialized institutions; NHRIs, NGOs or Individuals to take part in its session.
Items on the agenda shall deal with, inter alia, on the one hand, the consideration of complaints and periodic reports (which will be dealt with later on and on the other hand, with the examination of promotional activities and other matters as may be proposed by the various participants to the proceedings of the Commission, and especially by nongovernmental organizations.
Judgements
Article 27(1) Protocol: ‘If the Court finds that there has been violation of a human or peoples’ right, it shall make appropriate orders to remedy the violation, including the payment of fair compensation or reparation.’
Advisory Opinions
Article 4(1) Protocol: ‘At the request of a Member State of the AU, the AU, any of its organs, or any African organisation recognised by the AU, the Court may provide an opinion on any legal matter relating to the Charter or any other relevant human rights instruments, provided that the subject matter of the opinion is not related to a matter being examined by the Commission.’ The mandate of the Court in this regard is considerably broader than that of the Commission
Zimbabwe case and the outcome of the ACHPR
Legal experts say that if the African Commission makes findings that are different from the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe judgment, those findings will not reverse the judgment of the Concourt.
The overwhelming view is that the African Commission is a quasi-judicial body which makes recommendations not judgments which are not in themselves legally binding upon the State concerned.
CONCLUSION: So the move by the MDC Alliance will at best generate recommendations which can be useful in pushing ahead the debate for electoral reforms, the legal experts say.
Factsheet by ZimFact staff
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 20, 2018 | {
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243 | FACTSHEET: Children's welfare organisations in Zimbabwe - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 12, 2021
Zimbabwe police and rights organisations have been urging citizens to ensure children’s welfare and safety is not compromised in a world struggling with Covid-19 lockdowns, which have seen a rise in gender violence and child abuse.
The following are some of the organisations in Zimbabwe dealing with children care, rights and development issues:
Focus areas – to stop child abuse and provide a safe environment for all children
Contact details – 6 Roscommon Rd, Eastlea
Harare
Tel numbers – +263 242 746 785
WhatsApp – +263 716 116 116, +263 732 116 116
Freephone – 116
Focus areas – sexual health and justice for marginalized girls, care and support for girls with disabilities, use of ICTs to empower girls and ensure they get equal opportunities.
Contact – Tatenda Maphosa- Director
2 Huge
Court Street, Masvingo
Tel number – +263 779 526 103
Focus areas – healthcare – including HIV/AIDS – and education for orphans, capacity building and economic empowerment
Contact – Donald Gomwe
Tel numbers – +263 242 493 990, +263 242 493463
[email protected]
www.mavambotrust.org.zw
Focus areas – care of and education for children with intellectual challenges
Contact – Chipo Marufu – Administrator
4 Drummond Chaplin, Milton Park
Harare
Tel number – +263 774483 221
Focus areas – support and protection of the girl child, psycho-social support for victims of abuse, providing safe haven for girls who would have been abused
Contact – Ekeniah Chifamba – Director
47 Harare Drive
Marlborough
Harare
Tel number – +263 242 724 027
[email protected]
Focus areas – support for vulnerable and orphaned children in farming communities; community-based care, kinship care and foster care for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Contact – Blessing Mutama – National Director
1 Adylin Rd, Marlborough
Harare
Tel numbers – +263 242 309800, +263 772 819 615
Focus areas – support for girls to go to secondary school covering needs including school fees, uniforms, sanitary wear, stationery, bicycles, boarding fees and disability aids
Contact – 26 Campbell, Pomona
Harare
Tel numbers – +263 242 886676/ 677
[email protected]
Focus areas – providing access to basic health care and homes to children unable to stay with their parents
Contact – 27 Mon Repos Building
Newlands, Harare
Tel numbers – +263 242 746451-3
[email protected]
Focus areas – helping children in need of legal aid, psych-social support and rehabilitation
Contact – 1775 Clara Rd, New Marlborough
Harare
Tel numbers – +263 242 300531
+263 773 754 032
[email protected]
Focus areas – child poverty, child rights, governance, education, health and nutrition
Contact – 221 Fife Avenue, Harare
Tel numbers – +263 799 977, +263 772 241 35
Focus area – increasing survival rate of children with cancer
6 Natal Rd, Harare
Tel number – +263 255 739
Focus area – child rights advocacy
Contact – Siqinisiweyinkosi Mhlanga
Sihazela Line Ward One
Tsholotsho
Tel number – +263 772525774
[email protected]
Focus areas – access to justice for children, legal aid, legal education, research documentation and advocacy
Contact – 66 Blakeway Drive
Belvedere
Harare
Contacts – +263 242 778 474, +263 719 560 164
[email protected]
Focus areas – advocacy and capacity building for member organisations
Contacts – 83 Bishop Gaul Avenue, Milton Park
Harare
Tel numbers – +263 242 741 639, +263 771 585 142
[email protected]
Focus areas – protection and promotion of the well-being of vulnerable children
Contacts – Cnr Herbert Chitepo Ave/Snowdown Road
Belvedere
Harare
Tel – +263 242 710 024, +263 242 708 829
+263 86 7700 4815
Focus areas – improving the well-being of orphans and vulnerable children
Contact – Sharon Benza – Programme Officer
Rutendo Community Hall
Mufakose
Harare
Tel number – +263 773 653 551
Focus areas – ensuring quality and inclusive education for all children especially girls, skills training, protection of children from violence and abuse
Contact – 7 Lezard Avenue
Milton Park
Harare
Tel numbers – +263 867 700 0201
[email protected]
Focus areas – improvement, promotion and protection of children’s lives
Contacts – Charles Chaitezvi – Chairman
Tel number +263 776692 607
Themba Simela – Secretary +263 785 453 812
Focus areas – feeding underprivileged schoolchildren
Contact – 33 Josiah Tongogara
Bulawayo
Tel number – +263 9 880 196
Focus areas – survival skills and food handouts to destitute children
Contact – Gadzamoyo Dewah – Director
131 Kaguvi Street
Harare
Tel number – +263 775 569 253
Focus areas – promoting girls’ empowerment, providing safehouses for girls in crisis
Contact – 131 Duri Zengeza 4
Chitungwiza
Tel number +263 775 849 428
[email protected]
www.gcnzim.org | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 12, 2021 | {
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244 | FACTSHEET: Cholera in Zimbabwe - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 11, 2018
Zimbabwe’s new Health Minister Obadiah Moyo declared an emergency in the capital city Harare on September 11 over a cholera outbreak which has killed 20 people and infected more than 2,000 others in two weeks.
This is the most serious outbreak of cholera in Harare in 10 years after a 2008 outbreak in which 4,000 people died and nearly 90,000 infection cases were recorded.
The health ministry says the latest outbreak came after burst sewers in Budiriro and Glen View townships contaminated water in boreholes and open wells, used by residents as the Harare city council has been struggling to provide treated piped water to homes for over a decade.
Cases of cholera and typhoid have also been reported in other Zimbabwean cities and districts such as Gweru, Gokwe, Mutare, Chitungwiza, Buhera and Makoni in the past fortnight, according to local media.
Here is a factsheet on cholera:
Cholera is an acute enteric infection caused by the ingestion of bacterium Vibrio cholerae present in faecally contaminated water or food. It is characterized in its most severe form by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhoea that can lead to death by severe dehydration. www.afro.who.int/health-topics/cholera
Cholera infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe. Health experts say about one in ten (5-10%) infected persons will have severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these people, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water. The disease is not likely to spread directly from one person to another; therefore, casual contact with an infected person is not a risk for becoming ill.
Cholera outbreaks have become more frequent in Zimbabwe since the early 1990s. While the disease has been largely kept under control through intensified prevention and preparedness activities, large outbreaks occurred in 1999, 2002 and 2008. A localized outbreak happened in 2017 (in the Chegutu area). The 2008 outbreak spread throughout the country’s ten provinces affecting more than 90,000 and caused more than 4 000 deaths. https://www.cdc.gov/cholera/general/index.html.
However with a sewage system in a state of disrepair and erratic supply of potable water in most urban centres, the danger of cholera is always looming in Zimbabwe.
Prevention of cholera
Measures for the prevention of cholera include:
Treatment of cholera
Cholera is treated by rehydration which may consist of an oral rehydration solution (ORS) or an intravenously administered solution.
Antibiotic treatment, which reduces fluid requirements and duration of illness, is recommended for severe cases.
Factsheet compiled by Ish Mafundikwa, freelance journalist and media consultant.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 11, 2018 | {
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245 | Factsheet: Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) List Of National Assembly Candidates For The 2023 General Elections - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 22, 2023
Here is a full list of the Citizens’ Coalition for Change’s (CCC) prospective National Assembly candidates whose names were submitted for nomination ahead of the August 2023 general elections.
Citizens Candidates Independent Selection Panel
Related Content
ELECTIONSFEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 22, 2023 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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246 | Factsheet: Facts on managing heat waves - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 28, 2023
Zimbabwe is experiencing unusually hot weather conditions, which environmental experts are attributing to Climate Change. While the national Meteorological Services Department routinely warns people about the dangers of extreme heat on health — especially when temperatures rise above the mid-30-degree Celsius range — there are no readily available statistics on its impact.
But health authorities say there are cases of heat-induced fever in areas that suffer heatwaves in Zimbabwe amid rising temperatures being recorded globally as a result of Climate Change.
A heatwave is an extended period of excessively hot weather, it is usually defined locally in relation to local normal weather, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Heatwaves, or heat and hot weather, which lasts for several days, can have a significant impact on communities, including a rise in heat-related deaths.
The WHO includes heatwaves among the world’s most dangerous natural hazards, but notes that it gets little media attention because deaths and destruction from its impact are not always immediately obvious. From 1998-2017, it says over 166,000 people are recorded to have died globally due to heatwaves .
The body maintains an ideal core temperature of 37C, eliminating sweat through evaporation of sweat and increasing blood flow to the skin.
Stay in shaded areas or indoors to limit direct exposure to the sun.
Drink plenty of water regardless of your activity level, without waiting to feel thirsty. Do not drink alcohol, liquids with alcohol or large amounts of sugar as these lead to loss of more body fluid.
Avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps, it is advised to consume drinks that are just above room temperature.
If you can eat cold foods, and fruits with a high water content; bath with cold water and sprinkle water over skin or clothing, or keep a damp cloth on the back of your neck.
Keeping your living area cool is especially important for infants, the elderly or those with chronic health conditions or who can’t look after themselves.
Keep windows that are exposed to the sun closed during the day and open at night when the temperature has dropped. Close curtains that receive morning or afternoon sun.
Everyone is advised to consider ways to protect themselves from direct sunlight for example by staying in the shade, wearing shades, wearing a sunhat, and applying sunscreen when working or playing outdoors.
Try not to engage in intense physical activity, especially during the hottest hours of the day. Reschedule sporting and physical play to alternative times.
As dependents, children rely on others to keep them safe, and some may not have the resources or knowledge to protect themselves from extreme heat. Children spend a good portion of their time in schools or day care settings, some of which may lack air conditioning.
For older adults, health complications such as heart conditions can exacerbate the effects of extreme heat. Some older adults may also be using prescription drugs that affect their capability to regulate heat. Older adults are also more likely to be socially isolated than some groups, as they are less likely to have occupations and may lack other community involvement.
Many people with disabilities are at a higher risk of heat-related illness during periods of high daytime and night-time temperatures. During heat events, people with physical, sensory, mental, or cognitive disabilities are disproportionately affected.
Sources
World Health Organisation
https://www.heat.gov/pages/who-is-at-risk-to-extreme-heat
Related Content
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | October 28, 2023 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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247 | Factsheet: Climate Change – Drought, El Nino and impact on Zimbabwe agriculture - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
November 13, 2023
Zimbabwe and several other Southern African countries are expected to suffer drought conditions in the annual rain season from October 2023 to April 2024, which coincides with the regional summer cropping season, according weather scientists. The forecast drought conditions are traced to a weather pattern called El Niño, which has traditionally badly affected farming production in Zimbabwe.
El Niño refers to a cycle of warming and cooling events that happens along the equator in the Pacific Ocean leading to an increase in sea surface temperatures across the Pacific. The warming phase of the phenomenon called El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) stimulates drought conditions. ENSO creates both dry and hot conditions that negatively affect food crops. The cooling part of the cycle is called La Niña and has the opposite effect.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says that El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years, setting the stage for a likely surge in global temperatures and disruptive weather and climate patterns. The WMO statement came on the eve of Zimbabwe’s summer cropping season.
In February 2016, former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe declared “ A state of disaster” following a drought triggered by El Niño, which left 2.44 million people struggling for food. The following was the recorded impact:
World Meteorological Organisation
https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/world-meteorological-organization-declares-onset-of-el-ni%C3%B1o-conditions
International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Oxfam
Initiatives to boost resilience towards El Niño in Zimbabwe’s rural communities
https://reliefweb.int/organization/ifrc
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | November 13, 2023 | {
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248 | FACTSHEET: Climate change redraws Zimbabwe's agro-ecological map - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
September 22, 2020
On September 15, 2020, the Zimbabwe government announced changes to the country’s agro-ecological boundaries, which had been in place since the 1960s.
The redrawing of the agro-ecological regions has been made necessary by changes in weather patterns brought about by climate change, Cabinet said.
“In response to the urgent need of aligning agricultural practice with the changing climatic patterns, the government of Zimbabwe, through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, initiated a revision of the country’s agro-ecological zones,” it said in a statement.
“Based on the observed pattern of rainfall and temperature and their influence on agricultural practice, the revision of the Agro-Ecological Zones had two main objectives: 1) to redefine the Agro-Ecological Zones based on the current climate trend and recommend land-use practices for each zone, and 2) to develop an interactive software that would assist users of the updated Agro-Ecological Zones to get important spatially explicit information required to guide agricultural practice in Zimbabwe.”
What are agro-ecological regions?
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), agro-ecological regions define “zones on the basis of combinations of soil, landform and climatic characteristics. The particular parameters used in the definition focus attention on the climatic and edaphic requirements of crops and on the management systems under which the crops are grown. Each zone has a similar combination of constraints and potentials for land use, and serves as a focus for the targeting of recommendations designed to improve the existing land-use situation, either through increasing production or by limiting land degradation.”
The purpose of zoning, as carried out for rural land-use planning, is to separate areas with similar sets of characteristics for development. This is useful for planning appropriate land-use programmes for specific regions.
Source: FAO
Why redraw?
The government says the previous zoning, drawn up between 1945 and 1960, had become outdated and needed to be updated to reflect shifts in climatic conditions over the past six decades.
Researchers, scientists, farmers and development practitioners have noted that agricultural practices were still based on conditions and zones developed over half a century ago, while there has been significant climate change over time.
“Farmers have continued to follow the traditional way of practising agriculture as there has been no revision in the pattern of agricultural practice. As such, the continued utilisation of this seemingly outdated map to inform agro-economic national planning is severely affecting its full revenue generation potential,” Professor Desmond Manatsa, a climate science expert from Bindura University of Science Education who led the project to revise the zones, told The Herald newspaper.
Who did it?
The Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA), which was established in July 2018, was among the government agencies on the programme, along with the Meteorological Services Department and Agricultural Extension Services.
As many as 20 local scientists, drawn from Bindura University of Science Education, which was the lead institution, University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State University and Chinhoyi University of Technology.
How was it done?
According to Manatsa, the revision of the agro-ecological zones was done through the utilisation of geospatial technologies combined with rigorous statistical analysis of climatic data, field validation and stakeholder consultations.
The process, according to Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Amon Murwira, took two years, while the old map was developed over 15 years.
“During the 1950s and 1960s…there were no computers, used hence they manually overlaid isolines of climate parameters superimposed on soil resource maps and vegetation to delineate five agro-climatic zones (Region I to V), a process that was less accurate, overly generalised, time consuming and rather too costly,” Manatsa says.
“Advances in technology in areas such as Geo -technologies -Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing have provided unlimited opportunities to integrate various spatial datasets that are important in the delineation of homogeneous regions that constitute Agro-Ecological Zones. The provision of these datasets by modern technology therefore becomes a key motivating factor for this work. Geo-technologies have now and will continue to revolutionise the way data is collected, analysed and archived.”
The latest technologies and techniques are more efficient, accurate and cost-effective compared to the old 1960s methods.
The old map, 1960. Source: Government of Zimbabwe
The redrawn map, 2020. Source: Government of Zimbabwe.
What are the major changes?
The revision of the agro-ecological Zones has resulted in significant shifts in the boundaries, with some regions contracting due to changing rainfall patterns.
According to Manatsa, Regions III, IV and V expanded at the expense of Region I, IIa and IIb.
Further, Zimbabwe’s most arid zone, Region V, has been subdivided into Region Va and Vb, reflecting the decrease in rainfall received in the region.
The region classified Vb, the southernmost belt which borders Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique, is now deemed to be unable to sustain any form of rain-fed agriculture – including the drought-tolerant crops which previously did reasonably well there – without being complemented with irrigation.
CLIMATE CHANGEFEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | September 22, 2020 | {
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249 | FACTSHEET: Common questions about COVID-19 vaccination - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 1, 2021
Zimbabwe has been vaccinating people against COVID-19 since February 2021. By March 31, 2021, some 76,995 people had received their first doses of the vaccines.
Here are some important facts about COVID-19 vaccination and how people should conduct themselves after getting vaccinated:
Does one need to maintain COVID-19 safety measures after being vaccinated?
While clinical trials of vaccines that have received emergency use authorisation around the world have proved that these vaccines protect people against serious illness, the World Health Organisation (WHO) encourages people to continue taking precautions – wearing face masks, regularly cleaning hands, maintaining physical distancing and avoiding huge gatherings.
The United States Centres for Disease control and prevention also recommends fully vaccinated people to practice social distancing measures and wear masks when in public areas. This is particularly vital when visiting other unvaccinated people who are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus.
Is it necessary for the health personnel administering the injection to wear gloves?
The WHO Best Practices for Injections and Related Procedures Toolkit says the use of gloves is not recommended for intramuscular injections, unless there is a reasonable expectation of infection.
All COVID-19 vaccines currently in use around the world are administered through intramuscular injections.
“When undertaking injections, DO NOT use gloves for routine intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular injections if the health worker’s skin is intact (and/or) if the patient’s skin is intact,” reads the WHO toolkit.
In the US, the CDC’s advice on administering injections is based on the American government’s regulations.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “gloves are not necessary when giving routine injections as long as hand contact with blood or other potentially infectious material is not anticipated. If bleeding is anticipated and the employee is required to clean the site following injection, then gloves must be worn.”
“At a minimum, gloves must be used where there is reasonable anticipation of employee hand contact with blood, other potentially infectious material, mucous membranes, or non-intact skin; when performing vascular access procedures; or when handling or touching contaminated surfaces or items.”
Where they are worn, gloves must be changed in between injections.
Other health agencies caution that if used improperly, gloves might actually spread germs as they may discourage proper hand hygiene.
What happens if you miss the second Coronavirus jab?
All approved COVID-19 vaccines, with the exception of the one developed by Johnson & Johnson which is a single-dose vaccine, require that a person takes two doses for optimal effectiveness.
The vaccine doses have intervals ranging from 21 days to 28 days.
The Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines currently being administered in Zimbabwe have 28 day intervals between shots, while Sputnik V, which has also been approved for use in the country, has a recommended period of up to 8 weeks in between jabs.
India has also changed its recommendation of the interval between its domesticated AstraZeneca vaccine, Covishield, moved from 4-6 weeks to 6-8 weeks. Covaxin, India’s locally developed vaccine that has also been cleared for use in Zimbabwe, has a 28-day gap between inoculations.
The CDC recommends that if one misses their second dose for any reason, they should try to get it as soon as possible.
“Up to 42 days between doses is permissible when a delay is unavoidable,” the CDC says.
The United Kingdom government says if the course is interrupted or delayed, it should be resumed using the same vaccine, but the first dose should not be repeated.
Can you get two different vaccine doses?
Current advice from most health agencies and experts is to stick with one vaccine.
The latest guidance from the CDC is that vaccines are not interchangeable.
“The safety and efficacy of a mixed-product series have not been evaluated. Both doses of the series should be completed with the same product,” the CDC says in guidance updated on March 5, 2021.
Some governments, such as in the UK, make exceptions under certain specific circumstances.
“For individuals who started the schedule and who attend for vaccination at a site where the same vaccine is not available, or if the first product received is unknown, it is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule. This option is preferred if the individual is likely to be at immediate high risk or is considered unlikely to attend again,” the UK says in its COVID-19 Greenbook.
There are currently some studies to examine the effectiveness of a mixed and matched COVID-19 vaccine regimen.
For now, the advice is to keep to two doses of the same vaccine.
I have recovered from COVID-19, do I need the vaccine?
Yes, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19. That’s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible—although rare—that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again.
I have underlying conditions, can I be vaccinated?
People with some underlying/chronic conditions have been shown to have increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness and should, therefore, seriously consider getting vaccinated. However, people with underlying conditions are advised to consult their doctors before proceeding with vaccination.
Are vaccines safe for people living with HIV?
Yes, according to UNAIDS, COVID-19 vaccines under development or approved by regulators are believed to be safe for most people, including people living with HIV. There is therefore no reason why people living with HIV should not take the vaccine when offered it.
Can I get the vaccine while I have an active COVID-19 infection?
People with COVID-19, whether with symptoms or without them, should NOT be vaccinated. They should wait until they have fully recovered from the infection.
What is the WHO’s position on the vaccines in use in Zimbabwe?
On March 31, the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), which advises the WHO on vaccines, announced that data presented by Sinopharm and Sinovac showed a level of efficacy and safety that is compatible with WHO standards. Recommendations were expected by the end of April.
FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 1, 2021 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/factsheet-common-questions-about-covid-19-vaccination/",
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250 | Factsheet – Community Radio Stations in Zimbabwe. - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 9, 2022
How far has Zimbabwe gone in opening airwaves for community radios?
The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) licensed six community radios in 2020 and eight in 2021. To date, a total of 14 community radio stations have been licensed across the country. BAZ also issued broadcasting licenses to tertiary institutions.
Avuxeni FM in Chiredzi commenced broadcasts in February 2022.
What is the purpose of community radio stations?
According to UNESCO, radio can shape a society’s experience of diversity and serve diverse communities offering a wide variety of programs.
According to a 2017 journal article, community broadcasting is a broadcasting service not for profit, owned and controlled by a particular community under an association, trust or foundation. In some instances, it can be owned by non-governmental organisations working in communities.
Community radio stations enable people to enjoy their right to access information concerning socio-economic development and other issues of concern within their communities. The community radio stations broadcast in languages spoken within the communities they serve
According to BAZ, the law gives the licensed entities 18 months to go on air from the date of licensing to give them time to ship equipment, put together human capital to run the station and put in place all logistical arrangements necessary to start operating.
Below is a list of community radio stations currently licensed in Zimbabwe.
Source: Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe
List of Tertiary Institutions awarded broadcasting licenses | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | March 9, 2022 | {
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251 | FACTSHEET: Corporal punishment, pregnancy and the new Education Bill - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
June 20, 2019
The Education Amendment Bill reached the committee stage this week, edging closer to becoming law. Some of the proposed law’s provisions, such as clauses seeking to outlaw corporal punishment as well as the expulsion of pregnant girls from school, have generated a lot of debate.
By ZimFact Staff
Here, we take a close look at the Bill and its provisions.
Why is the law being amended?
The amendments primarily seek to align the Education Act of 2006 to the 2013 Constitution. The Education Amendment Bill was gazetted in February 2019 and went for a second reading in the House of Assembly starting on Tuesday, June 18, 2019.
The debates
A report by the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education, which conducted country-wide public hearings on the Bill in April this year, noted that while citizens were interested in issues ranging from languages to funding and the constitutional right to basic education, clauses on corporal punishment and student pregancy generated the most heated debate.
Similarly, these issues dominated debate on the Bill in Parliament this week.
Debating the Bill on Tuesday, Shurugwi North MP Ronald Nyathi (ZANU-PF), argued that the clause protecting girls from expulsion encouraged child marriages, and that it meant “we are saying let us let our children get pregnant at school”. He also argued against outlawing corporal punishment.
“If the Bible says, when a child misbehaves, he must be beaten, who are we to argue with the Bible?” Nyathi said.
On Wednesday, as the debate continued in Parliament, Mpopoma-Pelandaba MP Charles Moyo (MDC-A) weighed in:
“Our schools must not be turned into maternity homes. There is no need for those who would have failed on their choice to look for a boyfriend to proceed with schoolwork. A rotten apple spoils the barrel. I want to say, it will not be good for other pupils as well and the Bill is very clear to say, no pupil. So, when a person is impregnated, she ceases to be a pupil or a student, she becomes a mother.”
However, Warren Park MP, Shakespear Hamauswa (MDC-A), argued for a re-entry policy, not only for pupils whose studies are interrupted by pregnancy, but for other reasons as well.
“My suggestion is that there is a need for a comprehensive re-entry policy, in line with what is happening in other jurisdictions. Where the Ministry or the Government policy will not focus only on those who would have been affected by pregnancies, but those who would also be affected by other various factors,” Hamauswa said.
“We know some of the teenagers might be arrested, so there is a need for a re-entry policy or regulations that would allow those who would have been affected by pregnancies to come back and finish their education. I think this would be important to help a number of girl children within our society as well as boys who are also being affected. Currently, there is no clear re-entry policy in Zimbabwe.”
Government’s position
In response, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Paul Mavima defended the clauses, saying they would bring the Education Act in line with the Constitution.
“There is an issue that has generated a lot of interest among the Hon. Members and this is the issue of exclusion on account of pregnancy. The fundamental basis of the inclusion of this issue is premised on Section 75 of the Constitution which speaks against discrimination,” Mavima said.
“Current practice in our education system has it that if two form four learners have an affair and end up impregnating each other – the male student can continue with his education but the female student cannot.”
He added that corporal punishment was also in contravention of the Constitution.
“A lot of parliamentarians have insisted on the issue of corporal punishment but if we had not added that provision, our Bill would be ultra vires Section 53 of the Constitution,” he said.
What does the Bill actually say about girls that fall pregnant in school?
Clause 68D of the amendment Bill inserts a new provision stating that girls shall not be expelled from school for falling pregnant. It says: “No pupil shall be excluded from school for non-payment of school fees or on the basis of pregnancy.”
According to the Bill’s memorandum, the amendments seek to align the Education Act to the Constitution. Section 27 (2) of the Constitution, on the right to education, states: “The State must take measures to ensure that girls are afforded the same opportunities as boys to obtain education at all levels.”
According to the United Nations Population Fund, 24% of Zimbabweans adolescents aged between 15-19 years become mothers. Most of them are forced to drop out of school.
Pupil Discipline
Section 68A outlaws corporal punishment in schools, using the constitutional grounds prohibiting any physical or psychological torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Bill specifically bars teachers from beating school children in whatever circumstances. There has been criticism over the wording of this provisions, with some analysts saying it leaves room for school staff, other than teachers, to use corporal punishment on school children.
The Bill envisages alternative forms of pupil discipline and schools will have to design disciplinary policies in line with regulations to be set and gazetted by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education.
What are the other key aspects of the Bill?
The fundamental right to education
Apart from discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy, the Bill also has a new provision which ensures that no child is discriminated against for admission to any school on the grounds of nationality, race, colour, tribe, place of birth, ethnic or social origin, language, class religious belief, political affiliation, opinion, custom, culture, sex, gender, marital status, age, disability or economic or social status, or whether they were born in or out of wedlock.
This provision is in line with Section 56(3) of the Constitution on the right to equality and non-discrimination.
Compulsory Education
The Bill seeks to insert a new section providing for every child to be entitled to state-funded basic education, subject to availability of resources. Currently, while primary education is compulsory, it is the parent’s duty to ensure children attend school.
Languages to be taught in Schools
Currently, the Education Act only recognises Ndebele, Shona and English as official languages. The Bill proposes to amend Section 62 to recognise all the 16 languages officially designated by the Constitution.
The Bill provides that every school shall endeavor to teach every official recognized language while making sure that the language of instruction shall be the language of examination.
Health in Schools (Clause 13)
The Bill also seeks to amend the law by providing for the appointment of sexual and reproductive health personnel.
This provision seeks to improve the teaching and understanding of sexual and reproductive health in schools.
Pupils with disabilities
Section 68B mandates every registered school to provide infrastructure suitable for use by pupils with disabilities. The Bill further requires the Permanent Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education to monitor every school to make sure that the rights of pupils with disabilities are provided for and are being met during learning and teaching. All registered schools would be required to submit plans detailing how they intend to advance and meet the needs and rights of pupils with disabilities.
EducationFEATUREDOUR PICKSPARLIAMENT | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | June 20, 2019 | {
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"url": "https://zimfact.org/factsheet-corporal-punishment-pregnancy-and-the-new-education-bill/",
"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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252 | Factsheet: Councillors from December 9 local authority by-elections - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
December 14, 2023
The following candidates were elected councillors in local authority by-elections on December 9.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
FEATUREDTRENDING | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | December 14, 2023 | {
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"author": "Ngoni Mhuruyengwe"
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253 | FACTSHEET: COVID-19 and countries with large Zimbabwean populations - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
March 13, 2020
A global map of confirmed COVID-19 cases as of March 11, 2020. Credit: The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Coronavirus responses in five countries with significant Zimbabwean populations:
By Nevanji Madanhire
There were 17 confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Africa as of Thursday, March 12.
The country recorded its first local transmission case after a man tested positive without travelling abroad.
An urgent Cabinet meeting would be convened on Sunday, 15 March, to discuss a response on how to contain the pandemic, according to Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu.
The strategy so far is self-isolation of people infected with the virus and those they have been in contact with.
By March 12, more than 100 people were in quarantine.
A tracer team with epidemiologists and clinicians is on alert to trace those who have been in contact with affected people to encourage them to self-isolate.
Travel restrictions
So far the South African government has not announced any plans to restrict movement or stop public gatherings.
The Department of Health has urged citizens, companies and all authorities to take the necessary precautions to limit potential exposure.
However, workplaces or social gatherings are already implementing measures to reduce potential exposure to the virus. South African banks, where millions of customers make their way to branches to transact – often in close proximity, and interacting with bank employees have taken the lead in this regard. Many banks and universities have disabled biometric systems and issued alcohol swipes to all branches to clean surfaces after use by each customer. Bank employees across the board have been restricted from travelling outside the country.
The banks have vowed to follow World Health Organisation guidelines relating to cleanliness and hygiene practices. Bank workers can also work from anywhere including from home. — https://businesstech.co.za/
Public information dissemination and problems of fake news
There are daily briefings from the health department, which confirm all the facts and figures relating to coronavirus. Since the beginning of March, both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize have implored South Africans to avoid sharing fake news.
Yet false information abounds shared through social media. But fact-finding group AfricaCheck has been working to fact-check information and disseminate the fact to the public. Some of the fake news that had spread in South Africa was that a cure had been found in Ghana and that some detergents such as bleach and Dettol treated Covid-19. The truth as disseminated through official sources is that there is currently no vaccine available to treat the illness — https://www.thesouthafrican.com/
Number of cases and quarantine measures in place
Confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK reached 460 on Tuesday 11 March 2020.
A total of eight people have died so far but Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the peak of the UK outbreak was expected “in a matter of a couple of months”.
The UK remained in the “containment” stage of its response to the virus but Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to announce a switch to tactics aimed at delaying the spread of the virus rather than containing it.
The delay phase will see a mixture of the same advice given out, such as encouraging the washing of hands regularly, while also introducing social restriction measures to slow the spread of the virus. The end goal of the delay phase is to slow the rate of coronavirus being contracted and allow the National Health Service (NHS) to clear the annual winter pressure it faces. It would also provide a buffer to allow a possible vaccine to be found.
Travel restrictions
The Foreign Office has warned Britons to avoid large parts of northern Italy under a coronavirus quarantine, unless their journey is essential. Those travelling from locked-down areas have also been advised to self-isolate if they returned to the UK in the last 14 days – even if they have shown no symptoms.
Travellers from the rest of Italy are only told to self-isolate and to call emergency health services if they have a cough, fever or shortness of breath.
British nationals are still able to depart Italy without restriction, but some airlines – including easyJet and British Airways – have cancelled several flights to and from affected areas. Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, told BBC Radio 5 Live “enhanced measures” were in place to screen passengers from Italy – but the only one he identified was training airline staff to spot the symptoms of Covid-19. Public Health England said passengers on flights from northern Italy are also issued with information about symptoms and necessary actions to take.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging tech companies to take tougher action to battle fake news on the coronavirus. The push comes as a representative from the WHO travelled to Silicon Valley to speak directly to tech firms about the spread of false information.
The WHO has labelled the spread of fake news on the outbreak an “infodemic”. Andrew Pattison, digital business solutions manager, for the WHO said false information was “spreading faster than the virus”. Bogus claims that the virus was spread by eating bat soup or could be cured by garlic have already swept the web. Social media firms have already taken some steps to remove false claims and promote accurate information. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and TikTok are already directing users that search for coronavirus on their sites to the WHO or local health organisations. People searching on Google’s search engines, meanwhile, are shown news and safety tips. Facebook has said it will use its existing network of third-party fact-checkers to debunk false claims. — BBC
Number of cases and quarantine measures in place
There are 1,135 confirmed cases of the virus across the US, with 38 deaths so far (March 12).
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, has warned that the outbreak in the US is going to get worse.
Containment measures currently in place include quarantine which has been recommended for persons believed to have been exposed to the virus but are not symptomatic; isolation for persons known or believed to be infected with the disease; and social distancing defined as “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet/ 2 m) from others when possible”.
People under quarantine for possible COVID-19 might be asked to stay home and avoid going out in public for a period of 14 days.
President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation on March 11 with new rules that will go into effect midnight on Friday 13 March 2020.
Sweeping new travel restrictions on Europe were put in place but these do not apply to UK and Ireland and other European countries not in the EU; only to travelers from the 26 countries in the Schengen border-free travel area were barred.
The ban applied to anyone who had been in the EU’s Schengen border-free area in the 14 days before their arrival in the US and will apply for 30 days. Restrictions would not apply to legal permanent residents, or to most immediate family members of US citizens.
Vice President Mike Pence has been appointed to lead the effort to contain and fight the spread of the virus but often his statements have been contradicted by the president’s. For example, Pence said the country didn’t have enough testing kits but Trump said anyone who needed the test would get it. There has also been an epidemic of fake news dubbed an infodemic.
Fake news in the US abounds driven mostly by xenophobia against people from the East.
Misinformation is rampant on social media and the World Health Organization Director-General has urged caution, stating that “we’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic.”
China has seen 80,754 confirmed cases, 3,136 of whom have died. China recorded its lowest number of infections, just 19 on Tuesday 10 March 2020, all in Wuhan apart from two who had arrived from overseas. Wuhan and its province, Hubei, have been locked down in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Whole communities were put into self-quarantine through massive lockdowns and electronic surveillance measures. The lockdown of Wuhan and nearby cities in Hubei province put at least 50 million people under a mandatory quarantine since 23 January effectively preventing further exportation of infected individuals to the rest of the country. Chinese president Xi visited Hubei this week after which people in vital industries were told to go back to work. Shortly after his visit, state media confirmed that all 14 of the temporary hospitals in China had now been closed. The epidemic in China appears to have peaked in late January. Aggressive “social distancing” measures implemented in the entire country included canceling sporting events and shutting theatres. Schools extended breaks that began in mid-January for the Lunar New Year. Many businesses closed shop. Anyone who went outdoors had to wear a mask.
Two widely used mobile phone apps, AliPay and WeChat helped enforce travel restrictions, because they allow the government to keep track of people’s movements and even stop people with confirmed infections from traveling. “Every person has sort of a traffic light system,” says mission member Gabriel Leung, dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. Colour codes on mobile phones—in which green, yellow, or red designate a person’s health status—let guards at train stations and other checkpoints know who to let through.
As the number of infections rapidly decreases, there are signs that life in China is slowly returning to normal. In Qinghai province, the first batch of 144 senior schools and secondary vocational schools reopened on Monday. On Monday, state media said Tianhe Airport in Wuhan was preparing to reopen but no official date had been set. Disneyland Shanghai says it has partially reopened. The main theme park is still closed but the shops and restaurants have reopened.
China’s tightly controlled political system ensures public compliance with extreme measures through its use of social control and intrusive surveillance.
Internet censorship, surveillance and the Great Firewall of China blocking social websites like Gmail, Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and VPN service providers limits sources of information and disinformation.
China is the world’s biggest social media market, but with access to websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube blocked in the country, most people can only use domestic social media sites such as Weibo, Renren and YouKu. – BBC/www.sciencemag.org/
There are now 128 cases of coronavirus across Australia as at 12 March.
Three Australians have died so far.
Health authorities advise if a person develops a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath within 14 days of travel to an affected area, they should seek medical attention. The rapid global spread of the disease, which is now in 105 countries, means that people should contact their doctor if they become unwell after any overseas travel. People who are unwell and have recently been overseas are advised to contact their GP or, for more serious illness, attend hospital. In both cases people are advised to phone ahead and tell them they suspect they may have the coronavirus.
Some hospitals in major cities have set up fever clinics. Testing of people who have recently travelled overseas is expected to halt the progress of the infection. Many of the cases confirmed in recent days were discovered as a result of tracing the contacts of people who have recently been overseas. Persons returning to Australia from Iran, China or South Korea need to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival, even if they don’t feel unwell.
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said that if anyone has been exposed to Covid-19 or believes they have been exposed, they should self-isolate or “if in doubt, get yourself tested”.
The Federal Government has extended a travel ban for travellers from China, Iran, Italy and South Korea for another week. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has raised the travel advice for Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Mainland China and Mongolia. The extension means foreign nationals who have been in any of the four nations affected are not allowed into Australia for 14 days from the time they left those countries. Australian citizens and permanent residents travelling from those countries are still able to enter Australia, but must self-isolate for a fortnight after returning home.
Australian doctors and patients complain of confusing processes.
Conflicting advice, a lack of testing kits and delays on hotlines are testing the health system. Doctors and patients have criticised the “confusing” and haphazard process for accessing tests for the coronavirus, even as health authorities vowed to improve communication in the face of an ever-increasing number of confirmed cases in Australia.
Federal health minister Greg Hunt ramped up the government’s voice on Sunday 8 March, telling people they should get tested for the virus if they had flu-like symptoms. But doctors say that message has threatened to inundate a health system grappling with equipment shortages while it comes to grips with an escalating public health emergency, while some patients say the process for accessing tests remains confusing. The government is operating a 24-hour coronavirus hotline that can provide information. – Guardian-UK-news.com.au
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254 | FACTSHEET: COVID-19 and Zimbabwe's economy - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
April 1, 2020
The coronavirus crisis has hit Zimbabwe’s economy so hard that some industrialists foresee record economic contraction by the end of 2020 unless the pandemic is defeated in the next two months — which looks unlikely.
In his budget for 2020, Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube projected Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 3 percent, but the disruption of the global supply chain — of imports and exports — due to COVID-19 has cast a shadow over hopes that Zimbabwe’s resource-based economy could realise Ncube’s forecast.
What are the projections for the key economic sectors after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Mining
The Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (COMZ) estimates that mineral production could plunge by 60 percent in the second quarter of 2020, with up to US$400 million in revenue being lost as companies reduce output due to supply chain and logistical disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Zimbabwe gets at least a third of its foreign currency income from mineral exports, mainly gold, platinum and chrome.
Tobacco
China normally buys most of Zimbabwe’s other major export — tobacco. However, there are fears in the industry that prices might be low due to little competition or even possible reduced demand from the Chinese buyers. The IMF has warned that the coronavirus may impact both prices and shipment of tobacco for this coming season.
Tourism
The tourism sector is another major foreign currency earner, generating just over US$1 billion from 2,5 million tourist arrivals recorded in 2018, according to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
The freezing of both international and domestic travel will significantly impact tourism.
Tourism operators, including hotels in the prime resort of Victoria Falls, have recorded an 80 percent cancellation in bookings since the outbreak of Coronavirus and anticipate the cancellations will reach 90 percent for the year, according to the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ).
Manufacturing
A survey by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) released on March 24 showed that 46% of local firms had their supply chains disrupted by the COVID-19 crisis. Before the pandemic, the CZI had projected industrial capacity utilisation to plunge to 27% in 2020, from 36.4% last year.
The Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) says local businesses were struggling to import and export goods and facing problems to pay rentals, salaries and maintain operations.
Retail
Although there are no trade restrictions, the current travel bans over the coronavirus are affecting retail outlets which depend on individual traders to bring in some grocery items from South Africa.
Remittances
Funds sent home by Zimbabwe’s considerable non-resident population, based mostly in South Africa, the United Kingdom, USA and Australia, are a major source of foreign currency for the country. In 2019, remittances amounted to US$635.4 million, nearly 10% of the country’s total foreign currency receipts.
However, a combination of currency weakness in South Africa and the UK, as well as widespread job losses across the major economies of the world, is likely to force a decline in remittances.
Informal/Small-Scale Trade
With estimates that Zimbabwe has an 80 percent unemployment rate in the formal sector and that 60 percent of the economy is in the informal sector, the disruption in the supply of goods from China and neighbouring South Africa has put enormous pressure on the informal and small-scale traders.
The national lockdown ordered by the government on March 30 in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic forced vending markets to close, and has disrupted the lives of many people who survive on hand-to-mouth trade across the country.
The government says it has allocated Z$200 million to help over one million vulnerable households with their basic needs each month over the next three months, and these would include vendors and traders from the informal markets.
Food Assistance
The 21-day national lockdown has also disrupted a critical food assistance programme in mostly rural Zimbabwe, and left government and international aid agencies attending only to the very desperate.
More than half the country’s 16 million people require food aid after two years of drought.
Sources: Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (COMZ) position paper to government on impact of Coronavirus; Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ); Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI); Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC); Zimbabwe 2020 budget statement; Zimbabwe national statistics agency Zimstats.
COVID-19FEATURED | news-zimfact | 2024-05-27T18:41:47.087066 | April 1, 2020 | {
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