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NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Letters: Thanks to Campfire for solar-powered water system

Opinion & Analysis
The water scheme, which was installed through proceeds from the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources, is seen as a panacea to perennial water challenges bedevilling the district.

VILLAGERS in Dromoland, Bubi ward 12 can now access clean piped water following the recent commissioning of a solar-powered piped water system.

The water scheme, which was installed through proceeds from the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources, is seen as a panacea to perennial water challenges bedevilling the district.

The piped water scheme will  reduce walking distances and time spent by women fetching water.

Over 35 households will benefit from this improved water system.

The piped water system was installed following Habakkuk Trust’s community advocacy action team lobby efforts on community benefit from natural resources.

Bubi District is endowed with an array of natural resources which have the potential to contribute to local economic development.

However, despite the availability of vast natural resources the District remains one of the poorest in the country with local communities bearing the brunt of harsh environmental impacts resulting from illicit extraction practices.

Communities are encouraged to value wildlife conservation as it contributes to sustainable development in communities.

“Let’s move from wildlife conflict to human-wildlife coexistence,” said a ZimParks official, a Mudimba.

Last month villagers in some parts of Bubi district lost crops following elephant invasions.

The piped water scheme was commissioned by Bubi district Member of Parliament Sonny Key Mguni, who commended the district and its partners for promoting access to water in the district.Habakkuk Trust

Discriminatory world order birthed child labour

A FEW days ago, I developed an interest after reading one of your letters that spoke to addressing child labour.

We must address child labour in a way that empowers the parents to take care of their own children.

We must address child labour in a way that promotes improvement of community leaders, so they can pronounce their communities to be child labour free zones.

The recent 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour organised by the International Labour Organisation in Durban, South Africa, brought together experts from around the world who were leading the way in tackling child labour to reinvigorate international co-operation and to call for commitments that will genuinely realise freedom for every child.

Speaking during the conference’s opening plenary, Child Rights Advocate and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi urged rich nations to play their role in fighting the increasing global dilemma.

You cannot blame Africa. It is happening because of the discriminatory world order.

It is still the age-old racial discriminatory issue. We cannot end child labour without ending discrimination.

Let’s refuse to accept that the world is so poor that it cannot eradicate the problem of child labour.

Child labour continues to be one of the worst end results of extreme poverty and inequality.

Children trapped in child labour deserve their right to education, health, clean water and sanitation.

All of us must work together so that the prediction of these harrowing numbers doesn’t come true.

We should be very ashamed that the numbers are so high in Africa, and we must work hard to bring them down.

All promises made to the children must come true.Tagoe

Citizens must enjoy rights, freedoms

HEAL Zimbabwe yesterday joined the rest of Africa in commemorating Africa Day.

This day is the annual commemoration of the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which later became the African Union (AU) in 2002.

Commemorations for this year are running under the theme, Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent: Strengthening Agro-Food Systems, Health and Social Protection Systems for the Acceleration of Human, Social and Economic Capital Development.

Africa Day presents an opportunity for member States to evaluate progress made towards achieving the AU’s vision.

The vision is that of “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in a global arena”.

Sadly for some member States, the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the prevalence of peace in most countries.

The strict lockdown measures instituted at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted populations relying on the informal sector for subsistence.

In some countries, the pandemic also saw an increase in gross human rights violations against citizens under the guise of enforcement of lockdown measures.

This is beside the fact that the AU subscribes to legal instruments such as the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and other relevant human rights instruments that promote and protect fundamental human rights.

For Zimbabwe, the occasion of Africa Day is taking place against a background of widespread gross human rights violations, specifically against political activists.

The March 2022 by-elections witnessed targeted human rights violations against Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activists.

A case in point is the Kwekwe violence that left 17 CCC activists injured and one dead.

Zimbabwe, as a member of the African Union, must stand guided by provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, a human rights instrument intended to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms on the African continent.

In addition, one of the aspirations of Agenda 2063, which is both a vision and an action plan launched by the African Union in 2015, aims to achieve a peaceful and secure Africa where mechanisms for peaceful prevention and resolution of conflicts will be functional at all levels.

As a first step, dialogue-centred conflict prevention and resolution must be actively promoted and a culture of peace and tolerance must be cultivated in Zimbabwe.

In light of this year’s commemorations, Heal Zimbabwe implores government to create a conducive environment for citizens to enjoy fundamental human rights and freedoms that are enshrined in the Constitution.

Added to this, government must fully capacitate and adhere to a principle of non-interference of the Chapter 12 Independent Commissions supporting Democracy such as the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, among others.

These commissions have a constitutional obligation to secure the observance of democratic values and principles by the State and all institutions and agencies of government controlled entities to ensure that justice is remedied.Heal Zimbabwe