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While working on a sitcom in he noticed that Michael Kudakwashe, one of the actors, spiced up his lines to make them funnier. Then, around , Mavedzenge relocated to the United Kingdom and Michael K continued with the show alone.
Michael K started his career as a comic at a time of worsening political, social and economic crises in Zimbabwe: Pieter Dirk Uys, the South African comedian who found fame poking fun at the absurdities of apartheid, once said the apartheid regime wrote his script for him; the same could be said of the situation in Zimbabawe for Michael K. A Critical Audience One can never be too careful in a country like Zimbabwe where even ordinary people take it upon themselves to police what others can say.
I even had a discussion with some gentlemen who were quite nice: The warnings kept coming, but Michael K did not stop. As a result, he and Mavedzenge were arrested. After a performance, seven people in plain clothes came on stage and flashed their IDs, told the two they were under arrest and took them to a police station. Some lawyer friends had voluntarily approached the police to demand our release, but the police denied them access to us.
Interestingly in this case, it was the police and not the Censorship Board that wanted to stifle the comics. Breaking New Ground Things are different now for the comedian, as he has to deal with the Censorship Board more frequently after joining Zambezi News, a satirical spoof of the news. He did concede that having to submit scripts for vetting does create an element of fear and self-censorship: But in a glaring example of how various authorities deal with issues in Zimbabwe, some state officials wanted to know if Zambezi News had permission to launch one of their DVD series.
Zambezi News has tickled the funny bone of many, but there are also those who look askance at it. But Comrade Fatso says creative freedom is one of the conditions for accepting donor money: But he and his comrades in humour shrug off the threats and continue to do what they do best: Is it about money that you are selling your soul and your country?
Now, thanks to social media, they are reaching a wider audience beyond the reach of their DVDs. Their fingers are crossed that they will make the final shortlist of 16 candidates when those are announced in early February One such comedian is Nqobizitha Dube, aka Q the Boss, who chooses to focus on blue comedy, which goes down well with audiences in the country.
People pretend that nobody is having sex, which is far from the truth. I also address issues to do with safe sex, which is my contribution to the fight against AIDS. If I can have one guy use a condom as a result of what he heard at one of my shows then I have achieved something. Q says there is a world of difference between insulting and joking about someone, but it does seem that the line is wafer-thin for some authorities and ordinary Zimbabweans. His first performance went well until he made fun of Bafana Bafana, the South African football team: But from then he never looked back.
He was recently in the United States where he was able to get gigs by cold-calling comedy clubs and asking if he could perform. Though Q has not been approached or reprimanded by any authority he blames the harassment of his colleagues on over-zealous officials. Doc has no sacred cows: His bottom line though is that what he is joking about has to be based on true events.
The two felt that comedy was not being taken seriously as an art form, so they decided to do something to raise it to another level. While standup started in Harare, it is spreading all over the country. It is far better for the MDC to return to the more realistic task of selling an alternative vision of the country to the public.
By the time the next elections come around, in , much of the electorate will have no memory of a functioning, stable country that was Zimbabwe before With the advance of the internet and social networking overcoming the blatant bias of state media, the battle for the minds of these voters can still be won. Giving Immediate Effect to the New Constitution — Part I Introduction There are changes that must be made to our statute law immediately to give effect to the new Constitution. Of course it will also be necessary to harmonise other laws with the new Constitution on a continuing basis and this will be covered in future Constitution Watches, but we will start with pointing our changes that are urgent.
As stated above, the Declaration of Rights is already in operation, and several statutes should have already been amended to reflect this: At present they do not do so: The Criminal Law Code goes further and allows people to be sentenced to death for attempts, conspiracies and incitements to commit murder. Grave injustice will be done if these amendments are not made immediately, because if they are not people may be sentenced to death unconstitutionally. Presumably the sentence will have to be set aside on appeal.
None of these rights is provided for in our statute law, which will have to be amended urgently to provide for them. In its present form the Act severely restricts freedom of association, and the following amendments must be made as soon as possible:. It also guarantees freedom of establishment of broadcasting and other electronic media, subject only to licensing procedures that are necessary to regulate the airwaves and are independent of State, political or commercial control.
State-owned media must be impartial and allow fair presentation of divergent views and opinions. The following changes will be needed to give effect to these provisions:. The Guardianship of Minors Act will need to be revised so that it confers equal rights on mothers and fathers — at present it assumes that fathers are the guardians of children [Section 3] and favours mothers in regard to the custody of children. The Marriages Act and the Customary Marriages Act need to be amended to ensure that marriage of girls under 18 is prohibited in both civil and customary law.
Speaking at a preparatory meeting in Harare today, Mr Tome said they were expecting a bumper crowd at the celebrations. In Harare, Mr Tome said, people would be picked from the usual pick points dotted around the capital. This is at a time when the country is prohibited from trade in tusks because of a nine year moratorium on ivory trade, which expires in The moratorium was imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITES , fearing that it would stimulate poaching of elephants, which are threatened with extinction.
But now the country no longer has enough space to store its rich harvest of ivory and hides from elephants that are dying either as a result of animal control, natural deaths, breakages and confiscation. After the auctions, which were conducted in and where Zimbabwe sold only five tonnes, the nine-year moratorium on ivory sales followed. With nearly elephants, Zimbabwe has the third largest elephant population in Africa. Others are Kenya, Namibia and South Africa. The authority is therefore saying elephant ivory in store represents animals that are already dead and why should we not use the dead to look after the living animals?
Although Zimbabwe is currently under a nine-year long CITES ivory trade moratorium, it can still make use of its elephant products by, for example, working on its tucks and hides before exporting the value added products. The country, which consumes less than a tonne of ivory annually, is also allowed to sell its tusks quarterly and has since done so only about three times. It also can sell its elephant hides locally, export live elephants to scientifically-approved destination as well as use elephant hair. GPS which the Authority is in dire need of.
Currently most of the existing field equipment is old and obsolete. The current scenario is that poachers are getting sophisticated. However, because of lack of capacity we have a limited consumption rate of the domestic ivory. We are not able to consume all the ivory we produce. ZNPWMA is not funded by government and is mandated to find own sources of revenue to sustain its operation. The payment was made through power utility ZESA, which is wholly-owned by government. The debt was for the shared cost of the Kariba Dam construction and the associated infrastructure.
It also included proceeds of the sale of assets belonging to Central African Power Corporation CAPCO , a power firm jointly owned by the two countries as members of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which was dissolved in ZESA spokesperson, Fullard Gwasira, confirmed the development last week saying the debt payment would help pave the way towards the construction of the Batoka Gorge hydro power station. He also indicated that the debt balance would be paid within the next seven months.
ZESA Holdings has rendered its cooperation to its Zambian counterparts, a move that will go a long way to ensure the smooth execution of the Batoka Hydro power project to achieve security of electricity supply. Fast facts about Kariba Debt: The expansion of Hwange will see the additional of two units with a combined generation capacity of MW while the expansion of Kariba Power station will add MW of electricity to the national grid. Zimbabwe has also embarked on the refurbishment of its power stations to boost generation capacity. In less than a week, the 20th session of the UNWTO General Assembly opens in the twin tourist resort towns of Victoria Falls and Livingstone, whose common denominator is the mighty falls on the Zambezi River shared by the two countries.
This is exactly two years after the two Southern African countries won the bid to co-host the General Assembly at the 19th session held in Guaengju, South Korea. The UNWTO General Assembly is a bi-annual mega tourism event that is held on equal rotational basis between the member states, meaning Zimbabwe will not be able to host this event in the next years, everything else being equal.
What makes it even more special is the fact that this is the first time such a mega tourism event has been held in Southern Africa and the second ever time on African soil, after Senegal hosted it in Everything is at stake, from image to business as Zimbabwe and Zambia seek endorsement of their tourism brand as safe and attractive tourist destinations from the tourism family that includes ministers and captains of the tourism and hospitality industries from the member states.
Also expected are international tourist wholesalers. Therefore, it is our time to make this event a success and we must leave no stone unturned to prove to the world that Zimbabwe is a safe and attractive tourist destination, especially after successfully holding elections that have been endorsed by all observer missions as free, fair and credible. For Zimbabwe, the indaba brings the eyes of the world to a country that for so long has demanded a change of perceptions from the world after being tainted and soiled by the Western governments over the land reform programme and indigenisation policy.
With preparations having been successfully hailed by Vice President Mujuru, who chairs the organising committee, the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe is certainly ready to prove to the world that it can compete with any tourist attraction in the world in terms of both attractiveness and safety. This is our time to make a point to the world.
Addressing conservationists, tour and adventure operators during the official release of wildlife from Save Conservancy in Chiredzi to Zambezi National Park on the outskirts of Victoria Falls yesterday, the outgoing Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Management, Cde Francis Nhema said the was exercise would help boost the wildlife under- populated areas.
He attributed the decline in wildlife population to rampant poaching coupled with the breakdown of artificial sources of water at the Zambezi National Park. This park used to have a high volume of wildlife and today we are restocking and I wonder where we went wrong. So far wildebeest, 20 eland, 17 zebra and 98 impala have been translocated to Zambezi National Park from Save Conservancy. Ten giraffes will also be translocated to the park. Cde Nhema said Zimbabweans should take pride in their wildlife and desist from poaching. Are we independent or grooming tyrants, free or imprisoned?
Madombwe said though booking of stands starts as early as February most exhibitors were opting for the last minute rash. Booking rates increase as Show days come closer. Madombwe said ZAS was offering cheapest rests compared to other national exhibitions. Kamwendo participated in the just ended Chinhoyi Agricultural Show in his province Mashonaland West which ran from August Madombwe said the main aim of Harare Agricultural Show was to accommodate exhibitors from all walks of life in Harare in particular and Zimbabwe at large and also engage foreign companies based locally.
Your email address will not be published. Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds. Here are some of your responses: Pamberi navo, long live Baba my hero. Cronynism, nepotism, is what Zanu PF is all about. Thats why our country is burning.
If yes, would u do the same for a nation? Personally, l wdnt recruit a CEO who dozes off in board meetings. Beside Mugabe and Zanu PF have no exclusive right to claim liberation of Zimbabwe because the people of Zimbabwe, the bulk of whom are now MDC suppoters liberated Zimbabwe from colonialism. Why should a mass murderer be lauded as a hero? Mugabe should have retired like in Whats your 90yr old doing nw?
Gukurahundi was declaired as genocide, so how can someone in his right mind regard such a monster as a hero? He has been fraudently clinging to power since He has never won an election since MDC was formed. He should accept d verdict of Zimbabweans, just quitting n resting.
Lets give him a chance. He cant rule 5min. Thats all the simple truth n hard facts. The so called hit song took many to hell, without controvesy the song supported and encouraged fornication. The only help to the life struggling artist: Satan supported him and used him while the guy was in his good health but now he wants him to hell which is the end of the all unGodly. It should even be a debate. Can you trust a 90 year old to make decisions for a nation? Recently I found myself hunched on a library cubicle, tucked beside a giant window on the 4th floor of the building, alone, writing, the gentle thrum of summer rain asserting on the massive panes of glass.
With my pen and a notebook, I was trying to take on Zimbabwe: Indeed, there was a feeling that day of writing to an aloof and self-satisfied lover, whose transgressions one has been cataloguing in silence, waiting for an opening to iron things out. Something else, after all the thinking, crystallized to me: But before I talk about disillusion, here is what happened in Zimbabwe that had me taking to pen and note in the first place: In , in , and now, in , Mugabe has coolly stolen the poll and left Tsvangirai sulking and ordinary Zimbabweans wallowing in a collective, funeral-like reverie of gloom and despair.
The wonder, then, when Tsvangirai walks into the trap. The maddening lack of vigilance by Tsvangirai is astounding. Taking on Mugabe in an election requires not less than three years of laying the groundwork with unblinking concentration: But if these things seem elementary, they do are entirely lost on the contradictory and indecisive Mr. Tsvangirai, who complains about glaring cheating mechanisms on display a few days before the poll, but goes right ahead anyway and contests, as if hoping from some magical turn of fortunes that somehow wins the poll for him against the reality of time-tested rigging machine.
To attend a Tsvangirai rally is to encounter a tempestuous and loud-ringing sea of red the party colors and to see, if you can imagine it, hope and belief written on beaming, brown faces that are usually ashy and smeared with the sweat of south-of-the-poverty-line daily toil. To lead on suffering people and then foolishly disappoint them, on the scale and frequency that Tsvangirai has, is simply, unacceptable.
To know, without any illusions, that yours is the land where evil triumphs over good complete with the evil grin and a fat cigar smugly clenched between gleaming teeth. As I tried to write down thoughts in the library, I noticed that all things considered, I no longer cared.
MLK has some sort of saying about becoming silent about the things that matter. In thinking of home, after my library blackout, I found myself caring, deeply, about something else.
She died of a pneumonic illness, and I imagined bereft medical resources as a possible, if not decisive factor, in her demise. Even though I had idolized her, I had never met Chiwoniso.
Tennyson Primary School This page was last edited on 7 December , at The suburb was named after the estate name. Bulawayo is the second-largest city in Zimbabwe with an estimated population of 1 , per city council estimates in By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yet I felt grief in its unalloyed, first person form: It seemed hers had foreshadowed the death, a few days later, of a much broader thing in Zimbabwe, and its African neighbors: The young and gifted abassador of a culture, a people, seemed sacrificed at the altar of some callous Fate, all as a prelude to the chest-thumping, uncontested victory of an ancient Tormentor, fork in hand, over ordinary people. So in the wake of it all, the Zimbabwe I actively think about is not the one of Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai and their skirmishes that only trample underfoot the same ordinary people they each purport to represent — my friends, relatives, old schoolmates, fellow citizens.
Asked if the presence of Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa by his side meant that he was his chosen successor, Mugabe paused awkwardly amid laughter and then delivered an unconvincing reply that Mnangagwa just dropped by to see him. It will also be crucial for the future of the southern African nation, which is rich in platinum, gold and diamonds but still emerging from a decade-long recession brought on by political violence and government-backed land seizures.
Mugabe faces few immediate threats.
Faced with a meek but broad endorsement of the result by African regional and continental bodies, Western governments must now decide whether to shun the man they have reviled as a ruthless dictator for years, or attempt a rapprochement in the interests of practical diplomacy. Mugabe comes across as feisty and sprightly for his age. He has denied reports that he has prostate cancer and told reporters he intends to serve his full new term.
The United States, a major critic of Mugabe, has made clear it does not believe his latest re-election was credible and that a loosening of U. The European Union, which had eased some sanctions, is considering its own response after expressing concern about alleged irregularities and lack of transparency in the election. ZANU-PF has a history of feuds and splits dating back to its bush war against white minority rule in what was then Rhodesia.
But under a new constitution adopted earlier this year, ZANU-PF would choose a new president if Mugabe stepped down or were to die before the end of his term. Many fear this could lead to a scramble for power among ambitious aspirants. This week, breaking with party tradition that individuals do not actively promote themselves for leadership, Mujuru attacked party rivals and presented herself as the moderate leader ZANU-PF needs after Mugabe, local media reported. In Malaysia like Ghana become independent. These were former British territories who had matured, so to speak, to assume self-government.
To the North of Africa were Arab states, south, west and east were more African states still suffering under the York of colonialism. We could run down colonialism from multiple angels including that of neglecting to educate the Africans on governance and the political processes of democracy, but we still have to acknowledge to our dictatorial tendencies which does not believe in multiparty democracy. We have again and again demonstrated that we hate foreign powers to control how we should deal with others, as though alluding mainly to the way we deal with each other as fellow Africans.
In the s there was a realization which caught the British Empire forcing the Empire to begin decolonization as a process of handing back Africa to the Africans. All colonial master nations begun handing back colonies to trusted educated African leaders who promised to follow democratic norms on, in part, using of elections as a process to changing a government.
Studies, which we will not carry here or verify are abound on African decolonization and the challenges of leadership choices then as it highlights itself even in today Africa. Primary above all else was the fact that the leadership pledged to protect and uphold human rights in accordance with universal human rights declarations. Possibly the African leaders then and still as is now, do not want to confess that they do not understand constitutional change and that they are now more vulnerable to world vultures who want to fight for world control while under developing their countries to be the worst economic success of their citizenry.
This can only be caused by avarice including the need to remain in power for ever.