Zimbabwe’s sole power utility hopes to save electricity by influencing behavior change in electricity consumption through pre-paid meters. Pre-paid meters could be a solution to the billing shambles consumers had to face from ZESA but in the long run demand is already surpassing supply – something which is not going to be solved with energy saver bulbs and pre-paid meters. Giving energy saver bulbs to consumers will work only if there is electricity to save otherwise it’s a waste of resources. The nation needs to work on alternative sources of energy and allow the private sector to venture into power generation and stop relying on imports. The recent passing of a statutory instrument allowing high-end electricity consumers to purchase their own prepaid meters will ease the burden of procuring pre-paid meters by the nation’s struggling sole power utility, ZESA. The company has been enjoying a huge monopoly over electricity distribution in the country and it is failing to meet the increasing electricity demands, which has resulted in massive blackouts nationwide.

I attended university during a period where going to school seemed like wasting one’s precious time and adding more strain on family’s financial budgets. This was the period of 2006-2010 where Zimbabwe went through a major economic downfall, the 2008 elections and the dollarisation of the currency – a very difficult period. It did appear much better for one to quit school and cross the border to a neighbouring country as they would be guaranteed of access to their needs and wants. It is during this period that corruption within the various systems in the university grew like it was growing in any other sector in the country. You could see how people would manipulate the system because of a certain commodity they held, which was in demand. You would be shocked to hear what a lecturer would do when promised a bag of maize. As the economy got better with goods and commodities available, corruption, like cancer, still existed.

Students in Kenya and Uganda have established an anonymous website, Not In My Country which seeks to expose acts of corruption within universities in these two countries. By acting as whistle blowers, students rate their lecturers’ performances and have an optional field to explain their ratings. These are crowd sourced to provide ratings. In South Africa, university students at Wits are using the university newspaper, Vuvuzela, to expose lecturers who engage in misconduct in their work through sexual harassment. Students all over have been using various media to expose corruption within their universities but these are only effective if the university’s authorities take up their responsibility by investigating matters reported. Systems run by students often fall short as university staff protect each other as investigations or follow ups on reported cases are not made.

Hey! Need a job? Want to work in the NGO/development sector in Zimbabwe? Check out the job vacancies below and apply today. If you want to receive regular civic and human rights information, together with NGO job vacancies and other opportunities like scholarships by getting our regular email newsletter, please email join [at] kubatana [dot] net

Two (2) vacancies: Restless Development Zimbabwe
Deadline: 10 May 2013 (1630 hours)

1) Programme Manager (Based in Harare, Zimbabwe)

Restless Development Zimbabwe is seeking a talented and dynamic leader to take up the role of Programme Manager in our growing Country Programme. The successful candidate will have the skills and ability to ensure quality and impact across all our programme areas, coupled with the passion and commitment for developing others and empowering young people to be the best they can be. This is an ideal opportunity for an individual looking to enhance their leadership capabilities in a senior management role within the NGO sector and gain experience across a range of functions, including Donor Management, Finance, Operations, Human Resources and Programme Quality.

Apply
Full job descriptions and application forms (No CVs accepted) can be downloaded from: www.restlessdevelopment.org/work-with-us and sent to: jobs [at] restlessdevelopment [dot] org

2) Assistant Programme Coordinator (Based in Chimanimani)

This is an ideal opportunity for individuals looking to advance their careers within the NGO sector and gain experience across a range of functions. The APC should have a minimum of 2 years youth development experience coupled with a passion and commitment for developing others and empowering young people to be the best they can be.

Apply
Full job descriptions and application forms (No CVs accepted) can be downloaded from: www.restlessdevelopment.org/work-with-us and sent to: infozimbabwe [at] restlessdevelopment [dot] org

Hey! Need a job? Want to work in the NGO/development sector in Zimbabwe? Check out the job vacancies below and apply today. If you want to receive regular civic and human rights information, together with NGO job vacancies and other opportunities like scholarships by getting our regular email newsletter, please email join [at] kubatana [dot] net

Project Director – Zimbabwe: Freedom House

Freedom House promotes the spread of freedom and democracy around the world through research, effective advocacy, and programs that support frontline activists. We are a leader in identifying threats to freedom through our highly regarded analytic reports, including Freedom in the World, Freedom of the Press, Freedom on the Net, Nations in Transit, and Countries at the Crossroads. With 13 field offices and two U.S. offices, we support the right of every individual to be free.

Position Summary
The Project Director will lead Freedom House programs to advance democracy and human rights in countries in South Africa. She/he will be responsible for program management including strategic design and implementation, financial management, staff supervision, office management, communications, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. Furthermore, the Project Director will be responsible for building and maintaining partnerships with civil society and human rights organizations in the region. This position is based in Harare, Zimbabwe or Johannesburg, South Africa and reports to the Director for Africa programs based in Washington, DC.

Minimum Qualifications
-Bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations, law, or related field
-Master’s degree strongly preferred
-Minimum 8-10 years of experience with democracy and human rights programs
-Strong ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing
-Strong knowledge of human rights principles and mechanisms, and understanding of democracy promotion
-Experience with managing and implementing multi-component, donor-funded programs
-Experience providing technical assistance to local organizations in Africa
-Experience in challenging environments and flexibility to apply lessons learned from other contexts
-Knowledge of USAID rules and regulations, and other donor approaches to civil society development
-Demonstrated ability to mobilize communities and encourage the inclusion of marginalized groups
-Strong ability to apply interpersonal skills, and successfully work in a diverse and multicultural environment and with stakeholders in the region
-Strong track record in project and staff management Ability to build and strengthen civil society organizations
-Ability to consistently apply good judgment in problem solving and decision making
-Ability to maintain the highest degree of confidentiality regarding all aspects of work at all times

Some Duties and Responsibilities
-Develop and implement programs to support civil society and human rights in challenging environments
-Monitor and evaluate processes, and write program reports to ensure completion of program objectives
-Assume responsibility for the daily operations of the office, which includes but is not limited to: financial management, management of sub-grants, general office administration, monitoring of reports and program evaluation of all programs for which the office is responsible
-Network and liaise with consultants, members of governments, civil society organizations, international and regional bodies, and private funders
-Travel as needed in country and abroad to represent Freedom House before counterparts and the donor community
-Other related duties as assigned

Qualified and Interested applicants
We invite qualified candidates to send a resume, and cover letter with salary history and desired salary (only candidates who send salary requirements will be considered for the position) to: recruiting [at] freedomhouse [dot] org or fax at (202) 822-3893, Attention: HR Dept., referencing 2012-109 PD Zimbabwe.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted.

The Workers’ Day theme at Gwanzura stadium was “Workers under siege, organize unite and fight on” – indeed workers in Zimbabwe are under siege from politicians who have hijacked the event to further their interests. If workers have nothing to lose but their chains like what Karl Max said in his literature, maybe its high time Workers Day in Zimbabwe is left to workers and free from politics. Sloganeering and empty promises from civic society activists who are trying to transform into political parties were the only major highlights of the day for those who braved yesterday’s chilly morning weather. Instead of addressing bread and butter issues for the workers most labor organizations have aligned themselves to various political parties and workers have been left wondering if the occasion had been turned into a political gathering. To lead a labor organization is now a one-way ticket to political stardom and this has lead to massive splits in the labor movement in the country as noted by the contestations for donor funds yet the marginalized worker continues to rely on empty promises of decent wages and better working conditions. The government has also taken advantage of these disorganized labor movements by refusing to come to the negotiating table hiding under the disguise of demanding legitimate workers representatives from labor unions. The same politicians who were propelled into power through a labor backed party now seem to be enjoying the sweet benefits of power and have turned out to be the oppressors. One aspiring politician reminded workers who assembled at Raylton Sports Club yesterday to never trust politicians and later used the same platform to announce intentions of launching a political party!

We believe in God
We believe that sex is sacred
We believe in caring for each other
We believe in using condoms

Devoted Catholics may call this campaign message immoral and going against the Church and the teachings of the Bible, but to a group like Catholics for Choice they believe its time the Church endorses condom use. A very controversial subject to talk about and indeed an issue, which can make one, lose strength to lead such a huge following. The fact that sex is sacred has not done enough to spare the youth from indulging and this has resulted in high pregnancy rates and a surge in sexually transmitted infections. In trying to deal with all these sex challenges Catholics for Choice thinks good Catholics should condomize to show a sign of caring for one another. The campaign is aimed at the Vatican to change its policy on condom use and it is targeting countries at risk of high sexual infections like Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe.