The Joina City Building

Harare's Africa Unity Square

Zimbabwe's wounds are far from healed

Holding back Tears, Tonderai Ndira's brother

Heal Zimbabwe held a memorial service for the victims of the June 2008 pre and post elections violence at the Dutch reformed church located at corner Samora Mache and LeopoldTakawaira avenue in Harare on 6 April 2011.

The Memorial  service brought together Church Pastors, Government, civil society and family members of those who where killed during that period. The memorial service which was organised by Heal Zimbabwe  ran under the theme , “Blessed are the peace makers”, Matthew 5 vs 9. The church took a central role in spreading a message of peace, hope forgiveness and justice. Pastor Magaya who led the sermon, lamented at the propagandist murmurings of politicians on the contentious role of the church in politics, where the President is on record saying that the church has no place in politics, and that their political dealings would attract political reactions . He said that politicians always  say that the church has no place in politics in order escape any form of rebuke on their misdeeds from the clergy. He argued that the church and politics are inseparable, and used the story of Ezekiel in the bible to support his position.

Hon. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who was also present at the service decried Zimbabwe’s endemic culture of impunity where perpetrators of violence  have been and are going unpunished.  He said that there are victims of violence all over Zimbabwe Including bodies of Tonderai Ndira and others. “There  are graves  in Matebeleland and Midlands of innocent victims of meaningless genocide and we all wonder whether the current exhumations will spread to that part of the country as well” said Tsvangirai. We are angry because perpetrators are walking Scott - free, Joseph Mwale the alleged culprit in the gruesome murder in of Tichaona chiminya and Talent Mabika in the year 2000 is still an employ of the state. Mwale is a living example of a culture of impunity that has afflicted this country which is a testimony  of the failure of the justice delivery system, said the Prime Minister.

Close relatives of the deceased  struggled to hold back tears as they gave chilling accounts of how their loved ones disappeared, the state they were in  their death, what they died for and how the families they  left behind were eking out a living without any assistance from the people whom they worked with. Some of the children left behind by the deceased  have had to drop out of school.

The  service was held in memory of  Abigail chiroto, Cain Nyeve, Better Chukuruma ,Godfrey  Kauzani, and Tonderai Ndira who are among the estimated 200 people  killed during the violent prone June 2008 runoff election, another moment of madness in Zimbabwe’s history.

In an act of remembrance, the whole congregation led by the Prime Minister  Morgan Tsvangirai and his Deputy lit candles while Pastor Magaya led in prayer. Unveiling of tombstones was conducted  at warren hills cemetery where the deceased are laid to rest.

The memorial come against a backdrop where the organ on healing and national reconciliation has failed to do anything tangible with regards to fostering healing national and reconciliation that they are so wrongly named after.  Recent attacks on civil society organisation epitomised by the arrest of Crisis coalition Director Macdonald Lewanika and the  harassment of Mr Abel Chikomo, the Executive Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (the Forum resulted in the convening of  a press conference by civil society. In their  joint statement, civil society organisations called upon  the  police and all other state agents to stop attacking the messenger and  to start attending to the message.

By Charles Saki

Harare West Celebrates World Environment Day

Residents Marching during 5 June World Environment Day Celebrations in New Marlborough

Kelstone park residents celebrated the world environmental day on 5 June 2010, under the theme of this year‘s celebrations was ‘Many species, one planet, one future-care and share, special focus was placed on the need to conserve and desist from acts that causes global warming. The international host for this year’s celebrations was Rwanda where the country is pursuing a green economy.

In attendance were ward 41 councilor Charity Bango, Andrew Nyadzayo from the city of Harare’s Health Department, and Mrs. Mudzingwa an environmental consultant.
The celebrations which were organized by Kellstone park youths kicked off with a march from corner Makereke and Katsande to Luvuma which had 20 people holding placards with various messages and three cars, and refuse truck.

Kellstone park cleanup campaign is an initiative by the youths we wanted to create a platform for socio-economic development through a clean, healthy and conducive environment, said Admire Karasi Director Kelstone Park Cleanup Campaign.

In a speech read by Charity Bango Councilor for ward 41 on the behalf of Minister Environment and Natural Resources, the Minister said, ‘”as we celebrate this day let us consider carefully the actions each of us must take, and then address ourselves to our common task of preserving all life on earth for our common future. Zimbabwe’s Involvement in regional and multi-lateral environmental agreements such as the SADC Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES) and Convention on Biological diversity indicates our efforts as a nation in safeguarding our green planet.”

Speaking at the same occasion Mr. Nyadzayo said that, residents had an obligation to make sure that they live in a healthy environment, dumping waste causes a lot of diseases for example houseflies and rats cause a lot of deadly diseases and he advised residents against dumping waste because they risk facing arrest.

Waste comes from the environment and we are dumping waste in that same environment, what we do not know is that waste is money and we are throwing away many recyclable materials, paper, bottles, empty container are all recyclable, said Mrs Mudzingwa.
She added that there is need to conduct more research in waste management because there is a lot that we can get from it example organic manure is very conducive for vegetable farming.

Addressing Marlborough red roofs residents Councilor Bango said that it’s going to take time before council can provide trucks to clean up these dump sites in the meantime we should do something because we are the people who littered the area in the first place.

A resident who only identified himself as Mr. Bvute said that, there should be consistency in collecting of garbage, accumulation of waste will stop and there will no longer be any new dump sites. Residents should be assured of service if they pay the rates.