Croc attack bride sues tour operator
THE Government will commission 17 schools that are at various stages of completion in eight provinces by the end of January next year as it moves to ease the shortage of schools in the country.
Except for Harare and Bulawayo metropolitan provinces all the other eight provinces are set to have new schools.
In an interview with Sunday News, the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Cde Edgar Moyo, said some of the schools have been completed while the other ones would be complete in January after which the Government would commission them.
“So far we have managed to complete five schools, which are Nyuni Primary and Secondary in Mwenezi District, Makumimavi Primary in Chikomba District, Neta School in Mberengwa and Tavoy School in Hurungwe.
“The other five schools are expected to be complete during the first two weeks of January while the remaining seven will probably be completed at the end of January. We are hoping that by that time all the schools will be commissioned.
“However, even before the commissioning is done, other schools would be ready to enrol pupils so that we try to ease the shortage of schools,” said Cde Moyo who is the Member of Parliament for Matobo North.
He said the Government could not meet the target to complete the schools in November as scheduled due to economic difficulties characterised by spiralling prices and shortage of building materials.
“We have failed to reach our target that was to complete all the 17 schools by the end of last month. This was due to economic constraints in the country that started in October, so as the ministry we decided to extend the time for our contractors,” said Cde Moyo.
He urged local authorities, especially in the rural areas to come up with innovate ways that would assist in the maintenance of the schools.
“District councils should find innovative ways of assisting parents in maintaining schools especially in rural areas.
“Unlike in the urban areas local authorities get money to maintain schools through rates paid by every citizen living in cities and towns.
“We call upon the councils to take an interest in their schools and find ways of financing them through projects like timber harvesting and fish harvesting which would be part of the corporate social responsibility.
“These projects will enable the councils to get a percentage that will be channelled to school maintenance,” said Cde Moyo.
Presenting his National Budget statement in Parliament recently, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube allocated $1,5 billion to the education sector with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education receiving the lion’s share of $1,132 billion.
He said the Government was going to support the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in raising additional resources from third parties for infrastructure development.
A number of resettlement areas in the country do not have proper school infrastructure and pupils are either learning in dilapidated farm houses or they have to walk long distances to schools, in the process affecting their performances.
@TendaiBhebe THE Government has reaffirmed its commitment to engage civil servants and address welfare challenges that they have raised with a view to finding common ground.
In a statement, the Secretary for the Civil Service Commission (CSC), Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe, said the Government was aware of the challenges that workers were facing as a result of a number of price distortions arising and bordering on criminal activities. He said the Government had set in motion a process to convene a special meeting with the workers representatives. IT is precisely seven months since Mrs Zanele Ndlovu-Fox lost an arm to a crocodile, while on a holiday expedition with her husband in Victoria Falls but the case seems not yet over as she is now pursuing the legal route against the tour company.
Mrs Ndlovu-Fox, made headlines in May after surviving the crocodile attack, where the reptile dragged her under the surface of the mighty Zambezi River, ripped off her arm but she lived to see another day and is now living her fairy tale marriage in the United Kingdom.
The couple drew the attention of the media, globally, after they decided to unconventionally exchange wedding vows in hospital. Nonetheless she survived a not so pulsating but rather traumatic experience, enduring months of sleepless nights from recurring horrifying visions of the croc attack Zanele and Jamie have finally calmed and are seeking to move on from the horrible experience, which changed Zanele’s life forever. In their quest to move on ahead with their lives, the couple is seeking to get a special prosthetic arm for Zanele.
“. . . Well, we are now in the UK. But for now nothing too exciting is happening. We are working on getting a prosthetic arm,” said Mrs Ndlovu-Fox in an interview.
She, however, noted that they were starting a new life and wanted to shut the experience from their lives. But the couple is greatly considering suing the tour company for the morbid experience, which in all essence was to be a refreshing and relaxing experience.
“We are pursuing a legal case against the tour company we were using on the day. We have decided to take them to court because we were under their care and they led us to a place with
Ambassador Wutawunashe said following a meeting held between the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) and CSC in Harare, the Government had committed itself to consultations on an ongoing basis to address them.
“This forum has assisted in creating industrial harmony in the civil service and Government places great importance to this process. Workers presented a set of matters for discussion, and Government recognises these and commits itself to consultations on an ongoing basis to address them,” said Ambassador Wutawunashe.
“Government has set in motion a process to convene a special meeting with workers’ representatives. This platform will formalise crocodiles and I didn’t do anything wrong. And also the owners of the company didn’t even bother to call me a single time. All they did was just refund us the money we paid for the activities we had paid to do the following day and I think that’s so heartless,” said Mrs Ndlovu-Fox.
A director of the tour company in question — Adventure Zone, which is in Victoria Falls, Mr Brent Williamson, said he was not aware of the development, adding that when people undertook such activities, they were made aware of the dangers and had to sign indemnity forms before hand.
“People are given a full briefing and are asked to sign indemnity forms. I am not aware of any legal proceedings,” he said.
Mrs Ndlovu-Fox who is a former Zimbabwe tennis star lost her right arm, while canoeing in Victoria Falls. She tied the knot with the love of her life Jamie, at a beautifully organised, heartwarming ceremony at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo where she had been recuperating after losing her right arm to the crocodile.
The crocodile is said to have attacked their vessel, which was said to be an inflatable boat, before attacking her.
The lovers were joined in holy matrimony in a rather unusual phenomenon, through the benevolence of the hospital at the institution’s chapel.
@peterkmatika
Govt assures civil servants of welfare redress
ongoing arrangements to engage the workers in order to address the issues that they have raised in an integrated and comprehensive manner. Accordingly, the Government will, shortly, send letters of invitation to the workers’ representatives to this special meeting as a matter of urgency,” said Ambassador Wutawunashe.
Civil servants have been demanding a salary adjustment to cushion them from the wanton price increases in the country. The Government has, however, assured that it would look into their plight, while also weeding out criminal malcontents within the economic sector through a raft of measures.
@peterkmatika