War vets to spearhead Zanu-PF poll campaign

WAR veterans, ex-detainees and war collaborators have said they will be spearheading Zanu-PF’s election campaign as they aim for a resounding victory for the ruling party in this year’s elections.

Speaking during a meeting in Gwanda last week, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association secretary general, Cde Victor Matemadanda, said war veterans should safeguard the gains of the liberation struggle.

“As the veterans of the liberation struggle we have a mandate to spearhead the election campaign of the ruling party. Everyone in office today was elected through a campaign by the veterans.

“We have to defend the legacy of Zimbabwe which we fought for leading to the 1980 independence.” he said.

Cde Matemadanda urged war veterans to ensure that opposition parties do not win any election.

He said they should campaign in a peaceful manner for the party and Zanu-PF’s presidential candidate Cde THREE children from a Filabusi family which has so far lost four of its members due to mushroom poisoning are still admitted at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, with one aged four said to be in critical condition.

Seven children and their grandmother, who is still admitted at Filabusi District Hospital, ate poisonous mushrooms last Saturday at home and only sought medical attention on Monday.

One child died at Filabusi District hospital on Tuesday and three others died at Mpilo, one on Wednesday and the other two on Thursday.

Three other children remain in hospital and one of them is critical.Mpilo clinical director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said the two boys aged seven and 10 were stable, but a four-year-old girl was critical.

“We thank God because today we did not witness any Emmerson Mnangagwa. “When you campaigned in 1980 for our independence, this is the same as we have to campaign peacefully for the party and the presidential candidate. Don’t victimise the people, engage with them and lead the party in a right direction. Vehicles are there to be used district by district,” said Cde Matemadanda.

He reiterated that Zanu-PF was not tribally driven like the MDC-T where Mr Nelson Chamisa and Dr Thokozani Khupe are engaged in a power struggle.

“Everyone can see that constitutionally Khupe is the rightful candidate. A brave woman Khupe who went to bury Tsvangirai (late Morgan) in Buhera and what do they say, they call her a dissident. If we don’t defend this kind of person then we are not principled. They will sing about democracy. How democratic is Chamisa who was hand-picked?” Cde Matemadanda said.

“Some are saying there should be a Shonaland, a Ndebeleland, what is that. It can’t.”

Zanu-PF Matabeleland South province chairman Cde Rabelani Choeni said the party’s members should work together and lead the party to a resounding victory. — @ mthabisi_mthire

Three Filabusi mushroom poisoning victims still hospitalised

deaths due to mushroom poisoning. We are still monitoring the two boys though the little girl is still critical in the intensive care unit,” said Dr Ngwenya.

He said members of the public should not eat wild mushrooms. The death toll of people who have lost their lives after consuming the deadly fungus stands at 15. Eight Filabusi family members ate the poisonous mushrooms on Saturday, leading to the deaths of four of them.

Eleven members of a Mberengwa family who consumed the toxic mushrooms last week, also died.

On Thursday, Insiza District Medical Officer Dr Mandlenkosi Nkala said the Filabusi family was rushed to Filabusi District Hospital on Monday evening after consuming the poisonous mushrooms on Saturday.

“The children’s ages range between three and 10 years and they stay with their grandmother. They say the incident took place on Saturday evening. One child, a girl who is in Grade Seven, is the one who picked the mushrooms and brought them home for granny to cook,” said Dr Nkala. —@thamamoe MATABELELAND North province recorded a 100 percent pass rate in its inaugural Tonga Advanced Level examinations, with the overall pass rate dropping from 88 percent to 84 percent.

The province also recorded an increase in the uptake of science subjects.Matabeleland North acting Provincial Education Director, Mr Jabulani Mpofu, said all the 69 pupils who sat for the Tonga examination excelled.

He said the province recorded an overall 84,18 percent pass rate.

“As Mat North we dropped a bit in the pass rate of the province. In 2016 it was 88,46 percent and in 2017 it went down to 84,18 percent. For the first time we had Tonga at A-level. We had 39 boys and 24 girls and we scored 100 percent,” said Mr Mpofu.

Tonga and Kalanga were introduced as examinable subjects at O-Level and Grade Seven by the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) in 2015.

Mr Mpofu said last year there was an increase in the uptake of sciences in the province compared to 2016.

“One thing that I’ve noticed is the increased candidature especially in sciences. I will give a comparison of 2016 and 2017. In 2016 Biology candidates were at 89; we had 135 in 2017, Physical Science 61 in 2016 and 92 in 2017. Chemistry had 84 learners in 2016 and shot up to 163 last year. Enrolment for Mathematics learners was at 172 in 2016 and 346 in 2017. It shows that like other provinces we are going STEM-wise through increased candidature,” he said.

Mr Mpofu said the province recorded a total candidature of 1 397 learners. “We are looking forward to increasing this number in 2018. The reasons for increased candidature in our schools is that we have increased high schools in our province. We have also increased advocacy which contributed to the rise in candidature. We were specifically dealing with sciences. We increased the number of candidates who sit for sciences,” he said.

Mr Mpofu said the percentage pass rate for Biology was 70,37 percent; Business Studies recorded 83,77 percent; Mathematics had 78,90 percent and Physics registered 97,48 percent. Further Mathematics recorded 100 percent, Computer Studies 91,67 percent and IsiNdebele recorded 97,78 percent. — @AuxiliaK