WITH a few days to go before the by-elections, Heal Zimbabwe has witnessed an increase in cases of human rights violations.
The traditional leadership institution continues to be at the centre of abuse by the ruling party elite ahead of the by-elections.
In Chivi South, for example, several village heads have been directed to join the Zanu PF campaign team led by ward 24 councillor, Christopher Muzvidziwa.
Following this development, village heads are convening regular meetings, where community members are being threatened against voting for the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change party.
This comes after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission conducted a meeting at Ngundu Secondary School, where it implored political parties to stop abusing village heads during their campaigns since they are mandated by the Constitution to be apolitical.
A similar incident was recorded in Binga North, where the newly-appointed district development co-ordinator Leander Kapone directed all village heads during a meeting at Siyabuza business centre to campaign for the Zanu PF candidate.
Similar threats to village heads were also made by the Zanu PF secretary for administration, Obert Mpofu, on March 10, 2022 at Siyabuzuba business centre.
In other areas, Heal Zimbabwe has also observed that village heads are being forced to convene meetings to mobilise supporters for Zanu PF candidates.
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This practice, however, violates section 281 of the Constitution that stipulates that traditional leaders must not be members of any political party or further the interests of any political party.Heal Zimbabwe
Vaccination critical to riding out of lockdown
WE highlight our on-going concern at the slow pace of vaccination.
We highlight the hospitalisations rates being driven largely by unvaccinated persons contracting COVID-19.
We raise attention to the high rate of cases still being driven primarily by cases at education facilities.
We call for attention to the need to expand the vaccination blitz once more to the adult population broadly and to undertake a targeted vaccination programme in high traffic areas.
There should be increased socio-economic activities aimed at a return to normalcy in day-to-day lives.
We call for fresh messaging and public health communication to promote vaccination.
We continue to call for an expanded vaccination drive that is responsive to the socio-economic context.
We urge mobile vaccination for the adult population and the vulnerable.Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe
Local languages risk extinction
MAY I through your edition bring to the fore the advent of vernacular language extinction.
In my view, I would like to point out the problem of poor governance as evidenced in the education sector, particularly the curriculum. We have come to a situation where you can hardly hear people talking in their mother languages. The worst part of it being that Early Childhood Development children are taught to be more eloquent in English than either Shona, Ndebele or any other local languages.
These are tomorrow’s fathers and mothers, who then shall teach their children our languages? I have nothing against English but can we not strike a balance and ensure survival of our local languages instead of creating black Americans in Zimbabwe.
Parents are even proud to converse with their children in English while the time we grew up it was straight from herding cattle to school, but we are equally good in all languages. What’s wrong with this generation that it can spit in the face of its origin to allow foreign languages to rule.
If by the grace of God, Citizens Coalition for Change takes over power, we will appoint a proper Primary and Secondary Education minister because Zanu PF appointees are a disaster.
They say they fought colonialism but lead this country into a mess by employing double standards.
Give Zimbabwe a few more years from now and we will be like black Americans.
Black Americans did not choose to be what they are. Were it not for slavery probably most of them would be here, speaking local languages.James Marufu
