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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 Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) has rejected the council’s 2021 budget proposal, arguing that the budget formulation process was flawed.Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is proposing a $17 billion budget for 2021 up from the $2,8 billion for 2020. The local authority is concurrently pushing for a $2,85 billion supplementary budget citing an unfavourable inflationary environment. Council held the budget consultations via the WhatsApp platform citing COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings but the process was dismissed by various stakeholders as discriminatory. The BPRA in a letter dated November 4 rejecting the 2021 budget proposal also raised concern with the WhatsApp platform noting that it did not give enough room for engagement. “We are of the view that the consultations were one-way as residents never had meaningful contributions. The consultations did not afford residents meaningful room to engage,” BPRA co-ordinator Emmanuel Ndlovu wrote to the council. “Some BCC staff members including some councillors who were responsible for communicating with the residents in each respective ward group were failing to answer residents’ questions with some councillors becoming emotional and personalising the process to a point of exiting WhatsApp budget consultations groups.” He said the analysis of the proposed budget also showed that it did not meet the needs of residents, particularly with regards to issues of service delivery such as water, sanitation, sewerage reticulation and infrastructure. “Following the documents (abridged budget) we received from council, we have analysed the draft budget further and attached our analysis which further lends credence to the fact that both the process and content of the budget are flawed,” Ndlovu said. “Given the foregoing, BPRA is of the view that the budget should not be acceded and out rightly rejects the budget. “While we acknowledge BCC for availing part of the information that we requested, we are disappointed that to date we still have not received the full unabridged draft 2021 budget.”
BULAWAYO City Council said it is planning to introduce mandatory cremation for children under the age of 12 as the city says it is running out of burial space, but some councillors want the age limit increased to all persons under 25 years.
The latest council report shows that Bulawayo residents are still shunning cremation as there were only seven cremations in April.
“Councillor Felix Mhaka observed that the council was fast running out of burial space.
A council health, housing and education report shows that the committee is pushing for the restrictions to continue beyond COVID-19 with a number of city fathers in support of the decision.
She also noted that the current restrictions at the city’s cemeteries should continue after lockdown,” the council report read.
MADRID, Spain (AFP) - Animal charities in southern Spain were urgently seeking homes for 110 cats after they and their owner were evicted from a flat in the Valencia region on the weekend. SPAMA Safor, an animal shelter in the south-eastern seaside town of Gandia, had initially thought there were only 96 cats in the flat.
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.
BY PRAISEMORE SITHOLE BUSINESS operators and residents at Binga Business Centre have been without running water since last month after the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) cut off supplies over a $1 billion debt owed by the local authority. Residents said water supply was cut off on September 23 without prior warning. Civic organisation, Citizen Watch confirmed the development and appealed to the local authority and Zinwa to resolve their differences and restore water supply at the business centre. “On September 23, water was disconnected without notice from the supplier. Residents thought it was just a fault. On September 25, a committee visited council and was told that Zinwa had disconnected the water supplies because council had a debt of over $1 million and the question is: Are residents paying to council and on the other hand is council paying the money paid by residents to Zinwa?” Citizen Watch said. Contacted for comment, Binga Rural District Council chief executive officer Joshua Muzamba said: “I have been away from Binga for the past few days and I am at a funeral.” Zinwa spokesperson Marjorie Munyonga said she was unaware of the issue.
The Zimbabwe dollar fell 129% on Tuesday after officials switched to a currency auction trading system from the previous peg.
The Zimbabwe dollar exchange rate, which was officially pegged at 25 to the United States dollar, dropped to 57.35 after the first foreign currency auction in 16 years.
Zimbabwe has struggled to stabilise its currency since 2016.
As a result the price of petrol increased by approximately 157% to Z$71.62 per litre while diesel will now retail at Z$62.77 per litre, according to the energy regulator ZERA.
Motorists also have an option to pay United States dollars, where a 20 cents increase will see petrol blend retailing at US$1.28 and diesel at US$1.09 per litre.
THE MDC-T's extraordinary congress set for year-end faces a fresh hurdle with members who constituted the party’s Midlands provincial executive in 2014 demanding that MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa be among the candidates eligible for election.
NURSES have objected to the decision by the Health ministry to scrap the flexible working hours system so that they can work for 40 hours a week. BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA Health secretary Jasper Chimedza on October 19 directed provincial medical directors to resume normal working hours for all nurses, saying the flexi working hours were creating artificial nurse shortages. But Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enock Dongo, in a letter to Chimedza dated October 21, objected to the order, accusing the permanent secretary of making unilateral decisions. “The decision to implement the flexible working hour system is a product of agreement within the HSBNP [Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Panel]. It was not given unilaterally by the government nor did the employees adopt it on their own accord,” Dongo said. “With this in mind, your decision to unilaterally remove a system which you found in place and, in any event, was reached by agreement, is irregular and certainly not in good faith.” He added that the ministry’s circular ran contrary to the other communication they received on May 11, 2020, where it was put clearly that the flexible hour system would remain in place because it reduced exposure to COVID-19. He said the nurses, therefore, found it unfortunate that he proceeded to remove the flexible hour system when the risk of exposure was still quite high owing to poor supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). “Tied to the above, the flexi-hour system did not only address issues to do with PPE but also addressed issues of incapacity,” Dongo told Chimedza. “When you go to the origins of adopting this system, the reason was that regular working hours were becoming expensive to maintain on the salaries nurses were getting.” lFollow Harriet on Twitter @harrietchikand1
The Media Association Jamaica (MAJ) Limited is expressing disappointment over the passing of the Data Protection Bill two weeks ago without changes to grant complete exemption to the media on the basis of press freedom principles, something for which it and the Press Association of Jamaica had been lobbying.
In a release yesterday, the MAJ said, among other things, that this means that there could be subjective determination by the information commissioner for whether exemptions applied when journalists, as data controllers, are challenged for publishing personal data.
Additionally, media personnel will not be able to present their case to the information commissioner before a determination is made in respect of an application challenging the use of personal data.
MAJ Chairman Christopher Barnes said that the association’s disappointment is due to the fact that policymakers have seemingly squandered an opportunity to make a credible process of consultation by proceeding without the suggestions made not only for the benefit of the media, but for all Jamaicans.
It is because while there are certain exemptions in this bill afforded to the media, the average person, as a data controller, will be fully exposed to many of the above issues and more,” Barnes said.
MAYOR of Portmore Leon Thomas and Member of Parliament (MP) for St Catherine Southern Fitz Jackson say the idea of making Portmore a parish is premature at this time as the municipality has far too many issues that must be addressed before putting that proposal on the table.
Rescue teams out in force on Wednesday in the Mediterranean as they tried to save some 88 people, including children and babies, who have been shipwrecked on a flimsy boat that gave way.
The Open arms vessel said it recovered five bodies and that the rickety boat collapsed and tipped them into the sea.
The Spanish NGO managed to distribute waistcoats and masks in the moments before the ground sank.
It is the second migrant boat that the organisation's vessel has rescued in less than 24 hours.
Several miles away it was a similar situation but on a different boat. Some 13 people drowned off the Libyan coast while it managed to save 85 who were adrift and in danger of sinking in international waters.
Their boat was badly damaged, with water and gasoline spilled inside.
The NGO has criticised the fact that the countries of the Mediterranean have abandoned these people and have not moved government relief teams.
Since the start of the year, more than 575 migrants have died while trying to reach Europe, according to the UN's Migration body the IOM.
The rescue ship set sail from the port of Barcelona (northeast Spain) on November 4 bound for the central Mediterranean, where in recent days it was waiting to receive a request for help.
A Jamaican educator who is set to return to the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program is likening it to a pimp with prostitutes.
The program does not look for the benefit of the teachers.
In relation to his decision to go through with the program, the teacher said that he chose to be part of the program because he wanted to give his child something new and he wanted a
collaboration experience pertaining to special education, which is his focus in education.
The educator cautioned Jamaican teachers to only use the program if they are seeking a new experience.
If you are at that part of your career where you are just seeking money you cannot do the J-1 program because in Jamaica you’re looking at USD, but when you are in the US, you are spending US dollars and in order for you to have a semblance of a comfortable life you have to live in low-income communities.
By SIMBARASHE SITHOLE A SELF-PROCLAIMED Bindura prophetess Spiwe Gwashure (40) of Grace in Abundance Ministries was sentenced to two months in jail yesterday by Bindura provincial magistrate Tinashe Ndokera for fraud. Gwashure was ordered to pay the US$320 which she had taken from one of her congregants, Abina Maliwo (46), on the pretext that she would find him a wife to marry. Prosecutor Edward Katsvairo told the court that sometime in April 2018, the prophetess gave a prophecy to the complainant, saying she would find him a good wife to marry. In July last year, Gwashure called Maliwo to come to her house and told him that she had found a wife for him in Guruve and there was need for him to pay the bride price. The complainant raised US$320 in two months and was supposed to get his wife in October 2019.He was ordered to buy a cellphone for his intended wife and he complied for easy communication. The wife did not appear and in November, he figured out that he had been duped after he spoke to Gwashure on a mobile phone that he bought assuming that he was speaking to his intended wife. He filed a police report leading to her arrest.The magistrate ordered a full compensation of the money within two months.
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
[The Herald] NEARLY 300 diarrhoea cases involving mainly children under the age of five have been recorded in the City of Gweru in the last 30 days.
