Login to BlackFacts.com using your favorite Social Media Login. Click the appropriate button below and you will be redirected to your Social Media Website for confirmation and then back to Blackfacts.com once successful.
Enter the email address and password you used to join BlackFacts.com. If you cannot remember your login information, click the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.
GWERU residents yesterday urged the council to give incentives to people who pay their bills in United States dollars, saying such a move would enable the local authority to collect revenue in foreign currency. BY Stephen Chadenga The residents made the call at a consultative meeting for the 2021 budget. Gweru United Progressive Residents and Ratepayers Development Association Trust executive director David Chikore said council should charge less in US dollars to encourage ratepayers to settle their bills in hard currency. “Since council has adopted dual pricing we propose that instead of billing the US dollar component using the interbank rate, they can lower it a bit compared to the RTGS$ charge,” he said. “By introducing incentives council will be able to directly get revenue in US dollar and pay its suppliers without hassles. Without incentives people will continue opting to pay in Zimdollars.” Mayor Josiah Makombe said his council would consider the proposal. He said council was also working on ways to implement the payment of tariffs in the 2021 budget in a manner that would ease the burden on ratepayers. “That is a welcome move by residents to propose for incentives to those residents who settle their rates in US dollars and we are going to seriously consider it,” Makombe said. “We will do everything as a local authority to make sure that we implement payment methods that ease the burden on our residents.”
South Africa is one of the hardest-hit countries in Africa with over 740,000 infections.
The country recorded 60 more virus-related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 20,011.
The rise in non-technology companies becoming technology companies has been made possible by the availability of data but close to it is trust, as Juan Jiménez Zaballos, Head of Financial Industry Transformation, Santander Digital Platforms stated in a 2020 Finastra publication.
The 2020 Deloitte Global Marketing Trends Report demonstrated to us that for businesses to gain trust from their customers in the digital age they need to think of and start “Building a structure that systematically builds trust by protecting customer data from both external cyber threats and unethical internal data misuse”.
Apart from building trust with your organisation, data governance will help it automatically comply with most aspects of the Data Protection Act 2019 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR.
With the Data Protection Act 2019 in place and the continued consumer awareness on their rights, businesses urgently require a form of data governance mechanism before it is too late and expensive.
A proper data governance mechanism will help an organisation easily convert to a technology one and will be able to help it utilise its data assets legally and morally.
[New Zimbabwe] Businessman and socialite, Genius Kadungure has been acquitted in a case in which he was being accused of failing to declare income returns to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) while prejudicing the Commissioner of Taxes of millions of United States dollars.
GWERU City Council has imposed an over 100% tariff hike for high-density suburbs, while those for business vary. BY BRENNA MATENDERE The local authority cited the runaway inflation for the increases in a development which is set to pile more misery on financially-constrained residents, the majority of whom are informal traders currently barred from working in town. Mayor Josiah Makombe said the upward review of the tariffs could not be avoided. “We must not blame anyone for the tariff hike, but the economy itself. There is nothing we can do to cope with the rising inflation that has made prices of everything go up, mostly water chemicals. If you go into the shop, everything has gone up since beginning of the year when our 2020 budget was introduced,” he said. However, residents said they should not be overburdened by further increases in tariffs and urged council to focus more on income-generating projects. Reward Mhuri, secretary-general of the Gweru United Residents’ Association (GURA), said council was increasing tariffs at a time there was evidence of misuse of public funds by the local authority. “I have evidence that some residential stands which were sold have not been accounted for. The money was misused. This is the money that should help council remain afloat, among other income-generating projects, and not hike tariffs for residents who are struggling,” he said. GURA chairperson Charles Rutsate urged council to revive its business enterprises to get money to fund its operations. “We have an example of Go Beer Breweries, which was a council company. They could revive it and use the money for operations than relying on rates alone,” he said. According to the new tariff schedule, fixed sewage charges in high-density suburbs will now be $70,99, up from $35,47, while reconnection for faulty sewer lines will rise from $982 to $20 013,46 for commercial companies. Refuse collection in high-density suburbs will now cost $85, up from the current $34,35. Burial fees for adults will be $1 891,88 from $1 261,25 while for still-born children, it will be $945,94, up from $630,63.
By Desmond Chingarande Harare court has just remanded MDC Alliance legislator for Harare West Joana Mamombe in custody for two weeks for her to be examined by two government doctors after the State said that it suspects her of faking mental illness to avoid trial. Magistrate Bianca Makwande said Mamombe has to be examined by doctors as the court cannot independently assess her mentality.
BY KENNETH NYANGANI A RUSAPE-BASED farmer Shepherd Nyika yesterday donated food hampers and wheelchairs to people with disabilities and the less privileged in Rusape to cushion them against social and economic hardships. Nyika donated 55 food hampers to Rusape community members and three wheelchairs. “We picked beneficiaries randomly across 11 wards of Rusape town. I come from a humble background, hence I donated these food hampers, I will continue to help those in need,” he said. Among the beneficiaries was Esihle Sithole (16) who uses his mouth to write. Sithole lost her parents in South Africa and is staying with her grandmother Nancy Sithole (66). “I want to thank Mr Nyika for the donation because her (Esihle)’s wheelchair was now old. I have three grandchildren under my care, Esihle can’t bath herself,” the grandmother said. Margret Dliwayo, a widow, who also received a wheelchair for her son Cleopas Zinhu (12) said: “I am happy with the donation of the wheelchair, I am a widow so I was struggling to buy a wheelchair for my son and I am also grateful for the pampers I received.” Rusape Concerned Residents Trust leader Godfrey Mufuranhewe applauded the gesture by Nyika.
A police investigation is currently underway after a banner reading “White Lives Matter Burnley” was flown by an airplane over a stadium at the start of a soccer match in Manchester, England on Monday (June 22).
The plane flew over the stadium at the start of the game between Burnley and Manchester City.
“I’m ashamed and embarrassed that a small number of our fans have decided to put that around the stadium,” Burnley’s captain Ben Mee told Sky Sports after the game.
“We recognize that this banner will have caused offence to many people in Lancashire and beyond and we continue to liaise closely with our partners at both the club and in the local authority,” he said.
In a statement, Burnley condemned the “offensive banner” and said anyone involved in it will receive lifetime bans from entry into the team’s stadium.
Joining some of its largest municipalities, Jefferson County on Tuesday declared a state of emergency and implemented a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew through June 9.
The County Commission’s emergency meeting was held after Birmingham, Hoover and Bessemer all placed their cities under curfews after widespread national and unrest following the death of George Floyd, the African American man killed last week in Minneapolis.
County Attorney Theo Lawson said even municipalities that have not passed their own curfew orders can enforce it.
“Jefferson County will enforce it in unincorporated Jefferson County, and municipalities within the political subdivision of Jefferson County can enforce it with their local authority should they choose to do so,” he said.
Here are some of the restrictions and exceptions in the resolution:
While the curfew is in effect no person shall:
– employees of utilities, cable and telecommunications companies and their contractors engaged in activities necessary to maintain or restore utilities
– official emergency management personnel, or any other class of persons deemed essential to the preservation of public order and immediately necessary to serve the safety, health and welfare needs to the citizens of Jefferson County including:
o Doctors and nurses and employees of hospitals or other medical facilities
o Persons providing legal services or are a part of the judicial system
o On duty military personnel whether state or federal
WARRIORS gaffer Zdravko Logarušić’s plan for the two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Nigeria could suffer a blow after Orlando Pirates forward Terrence Dzvukamanja (pictured) suffered a head injury. Dzvukamanja was forced off the match on Wednesday when his side played Bloemfontein Celtic after sustaining what looks to be serious head injury. South Africa’s Thembonkosi Lorch was also seriously injured. This could be a setback for Logarušić who drafted the former Ngezi Platinum star player in his 24-man provisional squad to face Algeria in back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Dzvukamanja had been a favourite to make the trip to Algiers looking at his scintillating form for his South African side and was expected to be a vital cog in the Warriors plan. The other forwards include Prince Dube, David Moyo and Tino Kadewere. “It does not look good for both players, Dzvukamanja looks like a head injury. Having come to the club with a concussion, we’ll get a report from the doctor. I have no feedback,” Pirates gaffer Fadlu Davids told KickOff. What worries most is if Pirates will release Dzvukamanja with the Warriors already set for camp ahead of the away tie against the Dessert Foxes, with the first players expected to arrive today. This also piles more misery to the Croatian gaffer with the United States-based player, Tatenda Mkuruva and Tendai Jirira also doubtful for the trip. Meanwhile, Dzvukamanje’s injury also came as a huge blow for Pirates who are set for another duel against Kaizer Chiefs in the MTN 8 Semi-finals on Sunday. This week, however, will be a reality check for Logarušić and his lieutenants as they face a venomous Algerian side who not only boast of high profile players but a sterling home record.
ONE of the MDC founding fathers Esaph Mdlongwa has died in his 70s. Mdlongwa, a trade unionist passed away on Wednesday. He was very instrumental during the formation of the MDC in 1999, together with the late Morgan Tsvangirai (president), the late Gibson Sibanda (vice president), Lucia Matibenga (former Public Service Minister), Welshman Ncube (MDC Alliance vice president) and several others. He is also father to popular musician ‘Oskido’ Oscar Mdlongwa who is currently based in South Africa
Schools will open again and children will benefit from in-class instruction. But only when it’s safe for all concerned. We have not reached that moment yet.
Good day, readers. The last time we looked at a question from a reader; this week we have a follow-up from a reader who wanted further clarification of the same question. Last week’s question: I bought this property with an existing structure on...
EMBATTLED Mutare town clerk Joshua Maligwa is alleged to have offered residential stands to the police to seek protection ahead of investigations into an alleged massive land scandal at the local authority.
In a leaked document, Maligwa and councillors, who are facing serious corruption allegations resolved to offer the land to a number of senior police officers, a move that has been viewed by observers as meant to buy his protection.
A source at Mutare Central Police Station told NewsDay this week that they were investigating a case where Maligwa is an accused.
“I just believe that the offer of land to police is a way of seeking protection against arrest.”
This comes after an outcry over the alleged allocation of a residential stand to Media, Information and Broadcasting Services secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana in Mutare.
ORGANISERS of the annual international literature festival, LitFest Harare said this year’s edition would celebrate the resilience of artistes during the COVID-19 pandemic. BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO The festival, which will run from November 25 to 28 under the theme, Art Longa, Vita Brevis — Art is Long, Life is Short will be partially streamed online. “The onset of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns saw many arts and culture practitioners losing revenue streams, sources of livelihood or even loved ones,” Festival director Chirikure Chirikure told NewsDay Life & Style. “Through all this, most artistes showed great resilience and continued to move forward, adapting and daring to keep creating works of artistic expression. We have to salute that resilience,” he said Chirikure said the COVID-19 pandemic had a lot of ripple effects in households and societies around the globe. “In particular, gender-based violence cases reportedly increased since the COVID-19-induced lockdown and as such, the festival will focus on issues related to violence and peace transformation,” he said. “Art, and literature in particular, have to contribute to the dialogue around social challenges and their effect. The ability to stay firm under difficult conditions and to interrogate such challenges, are the stamina that keep us going.” Chirikure said the passion and purpose to create works was noble because art would live forever, and help shape the future. “The LitFest Harare festival will feature discussions, readings, recitations and performances by various local and international participants. Details of sessions and participants will be announced in due course,” he said. The LitFest Harare festival celebrates literature, arts and culture by bringing together authors, artists, academics, students and the public to share knowledge, collaborate, as well as showcase and enjoy talent. Follow us on Twitter @NewsDayZimbabwe
AUTHOR and poet Munyaradzi Bopoto said his recently published debut anthology tilted Talking to Walls, a foreword from John Eppel aims to re-connect people with their inner being. BY DARLINGTON MWASHITA The 23-year-old Bopoto is one of this year’s contestants for the Lafarge Poetry Slam that roared to live on Monday with curtains coming down this Friday live-streamed online on the Heart and Soul Facebook page. Heart & Soul TV (HSTV), is part of Alpha Media Holdings, the publishers of NewsDay, The Standard, Zimbabwe Independent and Southern Eye. “The book Talking to Walls, printed under Pentaculat publishers, is a about self-introspection, solitude, self-identity and the anthology encourages the readers to look within themselves to find answers and solace,” he said. “I wrote the book because with the technology trends we follow, I have come to realise that most people nowadays are not self-conscious and this book will help them re-connect with their inner being,” Bopoto said the book has been well received as those who have read it expressed contentment having enjoyed everything from the title to the content. “Hard copies of the book can be found at the Books of Zimbabwe Bookshops and at Pioneer House, 5th floor in the city (Bulawayo) while soft copies will be available on Amazon soon,” he said. Bopoto said his love for reading drew him to art, and pick up a pen, adding that everything in his life became an inspiration. “I started writing when I was 16 years, my work has featured in the Best ‘New’ African Poets 2018 anthology, Nationalism Anthology and The Standard newspaper. My poetry was also translated into Spanish and published in the Libero Americano Journal,” he said.
BY SIZALOKUHLE NCUBE FORMER Cabinet minister and diplomat Florence Chitauro (79) has died. Chitauro (pictured) died on Monday night after she collapsed at her Borrowdale home with relatives suspecting she suffered a severe stroke. Family spokesperson Egypt Chitauro confirmed the death, but would not shed more light on the burial arrangements. “She died from stroke,” Egypt said yesterday. “She was staying at Chitauro Farm in Chegutu, a farm she bought a long time ago. So she came here (Harare) and was alone at her house in Borrowdale Brooke when she suffered the stroke.” Chitauro also served under the late former President Robert Mugabe as Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister in the late 1990s. Her stance and support of Mugabe earned her a nickname, “Mugabe’s loudest cheerleader” by the international media. Chitauro also served as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Australia, where she caused a storm after attacking then Australian Prime Minister, John Howard for demonising Mugabe. She is survived by two sons and several grandchildren.
Libya's warring sides agreed in UN-led talks on Wednesday a plan to hold elections within 18 months, as diplomatic efforts grow to end a decade of violence in the North African country.
Delegates from across Libya \"reached a preliminary roadmap for ending the transitional period and organizing free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections,\" interim UN envoy Stephanie Williams told journalists.
The talks in Tunisia aim to create a framework and a temporary government to prepare for elections as well as providing services in a country devastated by years of war, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Williams stressed the need to move quickly to \"national elections which must be transparent and based on full respect for freedom of expression and assembly.\"
The Tunisia dialogue comes alongside military negotiations inside Libya to fill in the details of a landmark October ceasefire deal.
Libya is dominated by an array of armed groups and two executives: the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, the product of a 2015 UN-led process, and a legislature elected in 2014 and allied with eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
The UN selected the 75 invitees to the political talks to represent existing institutions and the diversity of Libyan society, a move that has sparked criticism of the process and its credibility.
The talks took place as a joint military commission of senior pro-GNA and pro-Haftar commanders continued meetings in Sirte, the hometown of longtime dictator Muammar Gadhafi whose 2011 toppling sparked Libya's crumble into chaos.
Sirte is on the line dividing zones controlled by the two forces, after Haftar's year-long bid to seize the western city of Tripoli crumbled in June with a blistering GNA counter-attack.
The ceasefire deal and military talks since have triggered hopes of an accompanying political deal.
Wednesday's talks were overshadowed by the fatal shooting of a prominent lawyer and women's rights activist in the eastern city of Benghazi the previous day.
Hanan al-Barassi, a vocal critic of corruption, abuse of power, and violence against women, was killed in broad daylight by unidentified armed men.
\"Her tragic death illustrates the threats that are faced by Libyan women as they dare to speak out,\" Williams said.
Bemoaning a \"crisis of accountability\" across Libya, she called for justice for Barassi's killers but declined to comment on whether the lawyer's death was linked to the talks.
\"There will be obstructionists, there will be people who don’t want change,\" she said.
But, she added, most Libyans \"have an overwhelming desire to reclaim their sovereignty and restore the legitimacy of their institutions.\"
By NQOBANI NDLOVU BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) is undertaking a door-to-door survey to gather input from residents as it prepares a local development plan. BCC town clerk Christopher Dube said the local development plan was in line with the country’s Regional, Town and Country Planning Act. “The City of Bulawayo would like to advise members of the public that the council is preparing a local development plan in terms of Regional, Town and Country Planning Act Chapter 29:12 section 17(1),” Dube said in the notice. “This local development plan number 16 incorporates suburbs mentioned below. As per section 18(1) of the Regional, Town and Country Planning (Master and Local Plans) Regulations 1977, please note that our data collection team will be conducting door-to-door survey visits.” Suburbs targeted in the survey include Famona, Bradfield, Southwold, Barham Green, Montrose, Malindela, Ilanda, Greenhill and Hillcrest. The local authority has on several occasions announced “master” and “development” plans to position the city for economic growth. In 2017, the BCC revealed plans to produce an economic blueprint aimed at ensuring the city regains its industrial hub status, after suffering years of de-industrialisation. City fathers argue that there is a need for the local authority to prepare and implement an economic blueprint in line with the city’s vision Bulawayo, City of Kings, Leader in Local Governance with a Vibrant Economy. Under the proposal, Bulawayo will have an integrated master plan, strategic plan and waste water master plan anchored on funding from donor agencies such as the United Nations and USAid among others. The government’s $4 million Distressed and Marginalised Areas Fund, unveiled in October 2011 to rescue struggling Bulawayo industries, did little to stop the de-industrialisation, as many companies continued to close shop or relocate to other cities.
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) yesterday condemned the destruction of features installed for the protection and safety of pedestrians and cyclists on the Main Road on the East Coast of Demerara, particularly between the recently completed sections from Better Hope to Belfield.
The article Ministry condemns destruction of safety features on East Coast Rd appeared first on Stabroek News.
BY RONALD MAGWETA WOMEN’S Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (Walpe) in partnership with top Zimbabwean content producers, Bustop TV have launched a new drama series titled All-Female Parliament that seeks to promote women’s participation in politics. Walpe director Sitabile Dewa told NewsDay Life &Style that the drama series encourages women and girls to aspire for top leadership positions despite their backgrounds. “Women have been denied equal rights since time immemorial, gender balance and their participation in leadership positions have been an uphill task. Imagine, an all-female Parliament, a Parliament that will address the stereotypes that are associated with female leadership in Zimbabwe,” she said. “The drama series that features top Zimbabwean actresses and actors undoubtedly shows how female leadership is progressive through the discussion of existing issues such as accountability of public funds, women accessing land and prioritising sexual reproductive health and rights among others.” Dewa said through the drama series, access to social services, unpaid care and domestic work and gender-based violence can be a thing of the past. The All-Female Parliament is a drama series that unites women regardless of political affiliation into tackling issues that make a country lag behind. The organisers put their heads together, with the same positive energy and spirit to make sure that the country moves forward,” she said. Part of the drama’s cast include Eunice Tava, Gonyeti, Magi, Chipo Bizure, James Mukwindidza, Stewart Sakarombe and Caroline Mashingaidze.
BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA CHIVHU residents have given Chikomba Rural District Council (RDC) a five-day ultimatum to provide running water at the major market place and bus terminus following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the country. The residents have been demanding running water at the market for more than three weeks on various social media platforms including WhatsApp and Facebook. In a letter dated August 3, 2020, written by lawyer Tafara Nsingo of Nsingo and Associates, Chivhu Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (CHRRA) called on council to respect the residents’ constitutional right and provide running water within five working days and threatened legal action if the council fails to comply. According to the letter, seen by NewsDay, the local authority is mandated to ensure proper sanitation at the market place which has more than 200 vendors. “Instructions being that our client has, on numerous occasions, approached and engaged your highly esteemed office with requests that the council provides clean running water at the Buhera market place and bus terminus. Without clean running water, the district is certainly nursing a dangerous time bomb particularly with this serial COVID-19 and other contagious diseases such as typhoid and cholera,” the letter read. Chikomba RDC chief executive officer Bullen Chiwara, however, professed ignorance of the letter when NewsDay contacted him for comment. “I only heard that the matter was being discussed by residents on social media. I haven’t yet received any formal communication about the issue,” he said. Chikomba district COVID-19 taskforce chairperson Michael Mariga said he was not authorised to speak to the media. CHRRA chairperson Collen Zvarevashe said they wrote the letter to hasten council reaction on the issue because Chivhu, as a transit town, was at high risk of coronavirus transmission.
BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA A PRIVATE health facility in Harare, Parktown Hospital, will today offer free breast cancer screening services for both men and women as part of efforts to encourage citizens to undergo early checks for the world’s leading killer disease. This comes at a time breast cancer cases are on the increase, with one in eight women likely to be affected in their lifetime. Men are also at risk, but the chances are slim. The world over, breast cancer is commemorated during the month of October where stakeholders amplify and review their campaign strategies to counter the disease. However, many women still do not have access to correct information on the disease as well as screening and treatment. Senior general nurse at Parktown Hospital, Laurel Hamandishe, said women should take the awareness month as an opportunity for them to go for early and regular breast cancer screening. “Women should do regular breast cancer screening such as mammography. They should know the early signs of breast cancer. They must do daily breast cancer examinations to check for any lumps, nipple shapes and skin texture,” she said. Hamandishe demystified the myth that breast cancer is a death sentence, adding early diagnosis increases chances of survival. She urged women to live a healthy life style, exercise regularly and not to have too much radiation exposure. “To those battling with cancer I say do not lose hope because there are countless ongoing researches, medications and technologies that are being invented daily to tackle such cases. Who knows — maybe soon there will be a cure for cancer,” she said.
BY BRENNA MATENDERE THE striking nurses, who were struck off the July payroll, have vowed not to return to work until the new Health minister Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has addressed their demands. Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) president Enock Dongo confirmed the position yesterday. Dongo said being struck off the payroll had not rattled the majority of health workers who are demanding personal protective equipment (PPE) and salaries in United States dollars from their employer, before they could resume their duties. “We are still on strike and we are on day 52. The majority of public hospitals are literally closed and patients are being referred to private health centres. Some patients are actually dying because they do not afford to pay the forex charges at the private hospitals, but as nurses we cannot call off the strike at this stage,” he said. “Government has not done anything to meet our demands which are US dollar-pegged salaries or provision of adequate personal protective equipment. Actually the skeletal staff of nurses which is attending to emergency cases at the hospitals does not have adequate PPE. “So if we wake up tomorrow and call off the strike, it will be a disaster in public hospitals with the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases among nurses. Government must just meet our demands, then we can call off the strike.” He said all nurses on strike were removed from the government payroll last month. “It’s true that all of us on strike have been struck off the government payroll. However, we are not going to give in to such intimidatory tactics and go back to work. What we are supposed to do at hospitals in fulfilment of our duties does not tally with what we will get at the end of the month in form of salary, so we better stay home until government comes to the negotiating table to iron out our grievances,” Dongo said. At the beginning of the strike, government refused to pay the nurses in forex as per their demands, setting the stage for the impasse. Chiwenga is yet to give direction on the way forward regarding the strike since his shock appointment last week.
Black people are sure to remember the remarks that a triumphant President-elect Joe Biden made shortly after taking the stage to celebrate his victory over Republican Donald Trump.
THE Johanne Masowe Echishanu Apostolic sect has stepped up efforts to fight gender-based violence (GBV) and early child marriages within their religious community. BY KENNETH NYANGANI Last Sunday, the sect conducted a national day of prayer against GBV and early child marriages in Mutare, which was attended by hundreds of their members, government officials, civic society groups, and gospel musician Mathias Mhere. Sect leader Andby Makururu said the national day of prayer was part of the 16 days of activism against GBV which is observed every November to December. “As a church we, will continue to fight against the perpetrators of GBV, and we have lined up a number of programmes as we are keen to fight GBV and early child marriages,” he said. Makururu said in order to promote the girl child, he was also paying school fees for close to 500 disadvantaged children, including girls, across the country so that they avoid early child marriages. Manicaland provincial director in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Munyaradzi Rubaya, said there was need for continued engagement with the white garment sect in order to eradicate the scourge of early child marriages in the province. Manicaland is one of the provinces with a high prevalence of early child marriages due to the religious practices often associated with the vapostori sect. Rubaya said the white garment sect had been difficult to penetrate in terms of efforts to end early child marriages. “We are using prophet Makururu to reach out to fellow members of the white garment sect as a champion of gender-based violence. The church has been supportive of our programmes in the province,” Rubaya said. Makururu, through his Ruvheneko Rwenyenyedzi Trust, promised to transform indigenous churches to suit global trends and values chiefs in safeguarding the livelihoods of the girl child.
The People's National Party Minority Leader in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation Andrew Swaby has written to Mayor Delroy Williams threatening to move a resolution to investigate a councillor who, he says, has brought the local authority in disrepute.
Swaby did not name the councillor, but said many persons felt that the language, the tone, expletives and threats used by the individual were “unbecoming of any elected representative, regardless of party affiliation”.
Leaked voice notes have been circulating on social media platforms purporting to be that of a Jamaica Labour Party councillor in a tirade, which has implicated the mayor, among other persons.
“We as asking that as chairman of the municipal council, a body regarded by many as our city mothers and fathers, to immediately bring the matter to the disciplinary committee for investigation,” Swaby demanded in a June 19 letter obtained by The Gleaner.
He gave the mayor until July 3 to refer the councillor to the disciplinary committee.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has made a lockdown address to the nation on Wednesday night - and he came equipped with a major announcement on alcohol.
