Newsday 7 June 2014

2
NEWSDAY SATURDAY JUNE 7, 2014
NEWS
1 dead, 17 injured
in kombi crash
STAFF REPORTER
A KOMBI, whose driver was suspected
to be drunk, was yesterday
involved in an accident which
killed one person and left 17 others
injured at Snake Park along the
Harare-Bulawayo Highway.
The kombi belonging to CC
Tours had 21 passengers and was
travelling from Norton to Harare.
According to witnesses, the
driver of the kombi, who allegedly
had a bottle of brandy on
the dashboard, lost control of the
vehicle when it started swerving.
The kombi then overturned before
sliding for over 100 metres and
then landed in a ditch.
The 17 injured passengers were
ferried to hospital in ambulances
and private vehicles. A NewsDay
crew saw police officers who attended
to the scene, retrieving a
half-full bottle of Viceroy Brandy
from the kombi’s dashboard.
The police officers were also
busy trying to establish the identity
of the deceased woman, while
the 17 injured passengers, including
the driver and the conductor
had been rushed to hospital.
Agnes Segweni (50), from Katanga
suburb in Norton said the
driver was speeding. “The driver
was speeding and lost control. The
kombi started swerving before
landing by the side and it glided for
over 100 metres,” Segweni said.
Two other passengers concurred
with Segweni that the
kombi was speeding.
“Most passengers were seriously
injured, especially on the
side the kombi glided on,” said
one of the passengers who refused
to identify himself.
Another passenger said initially
the Kombi had 22 passengers, but
one had disembarked earlier protesting
against the speed at which
the vehicle was being driven.
Zimbabwe Republic Police
national traffic spokesperson Inspector
Tigere Chigome was not
answering his phone yesterday.
The accident comes a few
weeks after 10 people perished
along the Chitungwiza road when
an inexperienced Kombi driver
rammed into a tree close to Chinhamo
service station.
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National hero Shamuyarira to be buried today
EVERSON MUSHAVA
CHIEF REPORTER
VETERAN nationalist, Zanu PF politburo
member and former Cabinet
minister Nathan Shamuyarira,
who died at Westend Clinic in Harare
on Wednesday after a long illness,
has been declared a national
hero.
According to national broadcaster
ZBC, Shamuyarira, who was
85, will be buried today at the National
Heroes’ Acre.
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare
Gumbo was not picking calls yesterday,
while party secretary for
administration Didymus Mutasa’s
mobile phone was not reachable.
A veteran journalist, Shamuyarira
had a strong liberation history.
He previously worked as a
primary school teacher in Zimbabwe
and lecturer at the University
of Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania.
In 1956, he became the first
black African editor of the whiteowned
Daily News. He was also
the editor-in-chief of African
Newspapers Limited from 1959 to
1962.
He joined active politics 8in
the 1960s where he was initially
a member of Zapu. He joined
Zanu before joining a breakaway
party, Frolizi, that was led
by the late James Chikerema. He
High-density homeowners
denied title deeds — Mangwana
Nathan Shamuyarira
rejoined Zanu where he played
a pivotal role in the information
department.
After independence, Shamuyarira
held several government
positions, including being Information
and Tourism, and Foreign
Affairs minister.
He voluntarily retired from
government in 2000.
Residents up in arms
with municipality
• FROM PAGE 1
the 51:49% shareholding structure
on all minerals, while other sectors
would be negotiated. Nhema
said he was aware investors were
worried about policy inconsistencies
in the empowerment law
itself.
“We have already said we have
an asset in those resources. In
our negotiations, those resources
form the 51%,” Nhema said.
He said the shareholding
structure in non-resource sectors
would be flexible. But he said all
VENERANDA LANGA
SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY
REPORTER
MOST houses in the high-density
areas do not have title deeds since
independence, former Zanu PF
Minister Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana
revealed.
He said this on Thursday while
addressing delegates at a conference
on constitutionalism that
was organised by Crisis Coalition
of Zimbabwe in Harare.
Mangwana, who is former Copac
co-chairperson, now runs a
non-governmental
organisation
called Zimbabwe Property Own-
ers Trust.
He said the new Constitution
adequately dealt with the area of
human rights, but there was no
enforcement to the extent that
in independent Zimbabwe
owners of houses in high
density areas still did not
have title deeds.
Mangwana said it was
embarrassing that after independence
the country still
discriminated its own citi-
zens by denying them title deeds.
According to Mangwana, the
former Ministry of Constitutional
Affairs should have been allowed
to continue to exist to ensure that
the rights of people as enshrined
in the constitution — including
the rights to shelter — were
implemented.
“On human rights, it is surprising
that since 1980
houses
in
the high
density
areas
have no
title
deeds
and live
in
rented houses– and how do we
talk of empowerment when there
is discrimination of our people,”
he said.
“This is discrimination in terms
of social status because people in
the low density areas are the ones
that have title deeds, and that
kind of discrimination is not acceptable
in a country which has
been independent for 30 years.”
Mangwana said some high
density dwellers had stayed in
their houses for more than 60
years without title deeds.
“That is why I ended up joining
civic society to ensure people
know their rights to property.
Today I am speaking to you as a
common citizen and
member
of
civic
society,”
he said.
Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana
Indigenisation levy looms for struggling Zimbos
the other sectors would be expected
to comply with the 51-
49% threshold in the long run.
Participants urged the minister
to come up with an all-encompassing
and integrated indigenisation
legal framework.
“We are doing away with a
one-size-fits-all indigenisation,”
he said. “We have to be consistent
so that the investor will come
knowing what to expect and not
get surprises. We are not here to
shut down companies or victimise
anyone; it is not in our interest.
We want to engage, but in the
process of achieving our goals,
there are people who might not
understand them and we have
misunderstandings.”
On Wednesday, a Zanu PF politburo
meeting is said to have
ordered Nhema to align the indigenisation
regulations to make
them investor-friendly.
The introduction of the empowerment
levy is set to erode the
already burdened workers’ disposable
income.
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PHYLLIS MBANJE
STAFF REPORTER
HARARE residents are up in arms
with the municipality over inflated
water bills despite previous
assurances that the billing system
was being put in order.
Scores of people have been receiving
shocking bills as high as
$400 per month due to a shambolic
billing system fraught with
errors.
A few weeks ago council employees
went about switching off
water for defaulters. But residents
are maintaining that the incorrect
billing and erratic water supplies
was discouraging them from
meeting their obligations.
“How am I supposed to pay for
water that I have not used? My
current bill is $435. I have no arrears,
but the charges started going
up in February,” said Malvin
Chigaira from Dzivarasekwa who
claims that his small family is incapable
of using that much water.
Council has over the years
failed to rectify its billing system
along with the provision of clean
water on a regular basis.
“We are being charged exorbitant
amounts for this filthy water
that I cannot even use for washing
plates,” said Sekai Gutuza from
Westgate area D.
Although Harare City spokesperson
Leslie Gwindi could not
be reached for comment, another
official said residents should
clarify their bills with the Rowan
Martin staff.
A recent Environmental Management
Agency survey revealed
that municipalities countrywide
were leading in compromising the
quality of drinking water.
Harare City Council was topping
the list and was said to discharge
3 885 megalitres of raw
sewage into water sources per day.
Meanwhile in a question and
answer session recently, Harare
Water director Christopher Zvobgo
said efforts were being taken to
address water pollution and improve
water supply.
“Council has always been
aware of the water pollution challenges
in the catchment. Council
has a trade waste inspectorate
which monitors industrial discharges
into sewers and the environment,”
he said.
“The legal framework needs to
be tightened to allow for prosecution
of offenders and should be
uniformly applied across all local
authorities in Zimbabwe.”
Zvobgo said council had engaged
the business community
with regards to construction of
pre-treatment facilities at their
premises before the effluent is
discharged into sewers or the
environment.
Speaking on water supply,
Zvobgo said the main treatment
plant, Morton Jaffray, was operating
on average at 70 % capacity
due to some treatment and
pumping units that have been
decommissioned. This will allow
for installation of new equipment
under the two facilities currently
running.
“Water supply improvements
are expected in August 2014 when
the first consignment of pumps is
expected under the Zimfund facility,”
he said.
Council has over the
years failed to rectify its
billing system along with
the provision of clean
water on a regular basis.