Two minutes with…Aubrey Stanley

Aubrey Stanley has performed at HIFA since 2006. This year he was performed in the Opening Show as a backing vocalist.

How did you get involved with HIFA?
I’ve been a part of HIFA since about 2006, performing every year. I started when I was 16, and I was part of the Prince Edward School Jazz Band. My last year to perform with them was in 2009 I was captain of the band. This year Vimbai Mukarati was directing, we had worked together before, so he called me and asked me to perform.

What has been the best part of the festival so far for you?
I enjoyed everyone on stage for the Opening; we’re all friends. We just have a good time. At the end of it we were a bit depressed because we knew that it was the end.  The bonding is the best part for me, we get closer as friends. After rehearsals we didn’t want to go home!

What keeps you coming back every year?
It’s the atmosphere. I think it’s the greatest event that we have in this country especially since they bring in artists from all over the world. There’s so much going on, and it’s so well coordinated over so many venues. I haven’t seen anything run so well that’s this big in Zimbabwe.

Request for Expression of Interest – Communication Consultant to support CHRA with ICT pilot project to improve service delivery in Harare

Deadline: 6 May 2012 (3pm)

The World Bank is soliciting Expressions of Interest and CVs for a short-term Communication Consultant to support the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) in preparing for an ICT pilot project to enable citizens to use ICT to report on service delivery failures in Harare.

It will be a short-term consultancy (30 days) with an expected start date mid-May and a completion date around June 30, 2012.

Download the Terms of Reference here

Some metal artwork has been placed at different points around Newlands Shopping Centre in Harare.

An Easter Saturday 42k (marathon) walk around Harare. On Kent Road, approaching home with 2ks to go.

Sharing more feedback from Kubatana’s fix this.please campaign…

I placed the stickers on open electricity pipes in Mutengeni lane. These wires were left open by Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) people in 2011 until now they did not repair. They dug holes and put wires out and left. People might fall and get electrified. I put some on a sewage pipe which was broken six months ago in Mazai area and sewage keeps coming out on roads. I put the other at a dumped NRZ wagon near Unilever. These wagons are used by prostitutes and street kids to do dirty works. People are raped, handbags stolen and they run to these wagons. (Mufakose, Harare)

I put stickers in Glen View 3 shopping centre public where toilets are blocked. Tichagarika shopping centre in Glen View 8 public toilets closed need to opened and cleaned. Traffic lights at the junction of Willovale road and Glen View Way not working.
Glen View 3 shopping centre public toilets closed 5 years ago. Need to be cleaned and opened. (Glen View, Harare)

Stickers are at Nyamhuka turn off junction distance posters broken. Nyanga Rural District Council bin has been dropped off for more than two months. (Nyamuka, Nyanga)

Stickers at Glen Norah A Chitubu under structured market. The flushing system of the toilet is not working and the asbestos of the structure market is broken. Apart from that there is no electricity, no water. (Glen Norah, Harare)

I placed the stickers at corner Bank Street and Cameroon street robots and corner Mbuya Nehanda Street and Bank street robots, which are not working. During peak hours it is difficult for motorists to cross there, as they do not give way to each other. I also placed a sticker at robots near OK Julius Nyerere. At these robots I have seen a pedestrian being run over by car as they were crossing because some motorists don’t give way to pedestrians when robots are not functioning. (CBD, Harare)

I placed the stickers at Chikanga Shopping Centre where everyone got the information. (Chikanga, Mutare)

I placed stickers at the traffic light along Aerodrome Road, which has not been working for seven years. Many accidents have been occurring at the point. So there is need to get this fixed. (CBD, Mutare)

It’s always refreshing to discover that there are Members of Parliament who take their obligations to their constituencies seriously. The Parliamentary Monitoring Trust’s publication, the Parliamentary Monitor, took this from their Facebook group page

Honourable Engineer Elias Mudzuri, the Member of Parliament for Warren Park says he used his CDF towards the following; Building of 22 people’s market stalls (broken down as labour and building materials- US$15 456; six Bore-holes and bush pump drilling and installation- US$25 750; all public toilets repairs in Ward 15- US$4 721; Warren Park Polyclinic- Pur-chase Of Generator & Capri Top Freezer US 2 100, and total toilet repairs US$1 304 bringing his total expenditure on the project US$51 229, 59 including bank charges)

And in the comments:

If all MPs were to, @ least show us this, then we will know some-thing was done. This is the first step towards transparency. If one doubts, then it will be possible to check. Unlike buying trucks!

And to imagine that some of the MPs in Harare used hate language when confronted on the usage of the CDF.

Very impressive achievements. I hope the constituents participated in these projects right from the planning stage. Trans-parency begins from planning and choosing of projects right through to the reporting stage! That is what is known as participatory ap-proach in community development parlance. If the participatory approach was used I would give Honourable Mudzuri’s performance a triple A rating!