The Sunday Mail advertises itself as Zimbabwe’s leading family newspaper. Their last edition featured an incredibly gruesome photograph of two burnt corpses. Fatalities from a vehicle accident that involved a fuel tanker on Boschoff Drive in Harare. Yes, one might think that the Sunday Mail photographer, Believe Nyakudjara, would have snapped the wreckage of the vehicles, but instead this is what gets dished up. The Sunday Mail’s appalling lack of professionalism and sensitivity must be roundly criticised.

Beit Trust Scholarships for Postgraduate Studies Zimbabwe 2012
Deadline: 31 August 2011

The Beit Trustees offer annually to graduates under the age of 30 (or 35 in the case of experienced medical doctors), who are domiciled in Zimbabwe, four Scholarships for postgraduate studies in your subject of choice to be taken up in the United Kingdom, Ireland or South Africa. In addition, two awards for a one-year taught masters degree will be offered at the University of Leeds, known as the Beit-Leeds Scholarships, one similar award at the University of Reading, known as the Beit-Reading Scholarship and one award for a one-year taught masters degree at Rhodes University, known as the Beit-Rhodes Scholarship.

The extent of a Scholarship is:

* University fees and cost of tuition in UK, Ireland or South Africa
* Personal allowance covering full support
* An economy class air passage for the initial journey to the place of study and return passage when employment is taken up in Zimbabwe

No allowances are paid for spouses or other family members.

Prospective applicants, who must hold a degree class of 2.1 or better, should obtain application requirements from: The Beit Trustees’ Representative, P. O. Box CH 76, Chisipite, Harare. Tel No: +263 4 496132, Fax No.: +263 4 494046 or email: beitrust [at] africaonline [dot] co [dot] zw

Only those applicants who state that they will return to work in Zimbabwe upon completion of the Scholarships, and who can, if short listed present themselves for an interview in Harare towards the middle of December 2011 will be considered.

A Kubatana subscriber shared with us her experience of going to get her monthly supply of ARVs:

Yesterday morning I was at Parirenyatwa Family Care Clinic (the Opportunistic Infections [OI] Clinic) to pick up my monthly supply of ARVs. As is the norm there were many of us there by 8am – the staff always insist that all patients be there at 7.30am. At 8am one of the counsellors came to the front of the group and asked anyone with a chorus or song. The request for a song means a Christian song as it is the start of a Christian devotion. I am not sure if this is a hospital regulation – and I always wonder about people of other faiths and what they make of this. However, I think whether they like it or not, they have to go through with it as they need the free life-saving and life-long antiretroviral medicines which are unaffordable for many citizens. There were two more songs after the first one, then the counsellor asked if any one patient would volunteer to pray. After the prayer, the counsellor asked if any volunteer wanted to share their story on how being on antiretroviral medicines had assisted them. One woman among the patients stood up and shared how she started antiretroviral therapy in 2005 when she was very ill, and that now she was fit and able to do all her work and chores at home. After the woman finished speaking the counsellor asked the patients to state one thing they had learnt from the story. A few people made some contributions.  The counsellor asked for another volunteer to give a testimony. When no one volunteered she asked for one adolescent to speak. When none of the adolescents volunteered, she just picked on one girl and asked her to speak about her experience with ARVs. The girl seemed very reluctant, but ended up speaking very briefly and in a very low voice. This particular picking on adolescents left a very bad taste in my mouth. The adolescents were highly outnumbered by adults in the reception hall. I felt it was not appropriate to put them on the spot like that, but rather have them share among themselves in their own space. The counsellor is supposed to be a professional and should not coerce people into sharing when they are not ready. It does not matter that we are all in the same clinic for the same condition – our levels of emotional preparedness to tackle personal issues in the public arena are all different, and there is need to acknowledge some people will never get to that level.

MT, Harare

Please share this opportunity with your friends.

Finance Assistant (Database Maintenance): ActionAid
Deadline: 1300 hours on 24 May 2011

Location: Harare
Contract Duration: up to December 2011
Expected Start Date: 1st June 2011

ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency working in over 40 countries, taking sides with poor people to end poverty and injustice together.

Purpose of The Job
The Finance Assistant plays a significant role in capturing financial data and processing of payments to clients in line with AAIZ financial management and accountability guidelines.

Key Strategic Objectives
Capture data within agreed deadlines
Timely reconciliations
Preparation for audits

Principal Accountabilities
Posts transactions & Journals in SUN as and when they occur, and follow up & processing of accountabilities.
Reconcile and monitor staff debtors’ balances.
Maintenance of a sound filing system of all financial documents: Payment vouchers, copies of contracts, correspondence etc
Stamps processed transactions.
Custodian of fuel coupons.
Assist in internal and external audits.
Comes up with quarterly key result areas based on this job description as well as departmental and organizational objectives.

Education
Diploma in accounting

Experience
At least one year experience in the accounting field.

Other requirements and competences
Knowledge of computerized accounting packages, SUN added advantage
Sharp analytical skills
Ability to work under pressure
Ability to work with minimum supervision, but as part of a team

A detailed Job Profile will be made available to short listed candidates.

Applications: To apply submit your curriculum vitae with an application letter to Human Resources, ActionAid International, 16 York Avenue, Newlands, Harare or jobs [dot] Zimbabwe [at] actionaid [dot] org

Although we value all applications, we can only respond to short listed candidates.

NB: Please note that this is a NATIONAL position. Whilst all applicants will be assessed strictly on their individual merits, qualified women are especially encouraged to apply.

Solidarity Peace Trust’s film, Part of the Solution, is a retrospective look at the political events in Zimbabwe in 2001 culminating in the SADC Troika memorandum of April 2011. The short film takes a look at the issue of the manipulation of the COPAC Constitutional Outreach programme and intimidation of villagers in the rural areas. It goes further to suggest that the outcome of the process may not have the people at its heart. The DVD moves on to examine incidents of politically motivated violence, particularly those in Mbare and Downtown Harare involving the youth. In view of the objectives of the Inclusive Government and the Global Political Agreement, these events are disheartening, leaving many Zimbabweans wondering if it is possible that the impending elections will be marred by violence and voter intimidation.

If you would like a copy of this DVD please email your postal address to: products [at] kubatana [dot] net

After the end of the Zimbabwe dollar era most youths were found jobless since the money changing phase was long way gone. With hopes of finding jobs absolutely bleak most youths resorted to becoming commuter omnibus conductors. As much as I appreciate the fact that some energy was put to good use by these youths now it has turned out that there is another breed of youths who are now working as rank marshals, especially in Harare at the designated pick up and drop off points for commuters.

Nobody knows were that title came from but I guess the job entitles one to maintain order and direct buses at the pick and drop zones in town.  Instead of helping commuters and bus drivers, these rank marshals popularly known as “MaHwindi” are now fleecing passengers. If you go to the Chitungwiza rank station close to Harare Central Police station during peak hours, around 4:30pm, you find commuters stranded and there will be much jostling for the  few buses coming. After talking to one of the bus drivers asking, what is causing this mayhem?  He said “it’s all being caused by the rank marshals, they are chasing away buses by charging exorbitant ranking fees”. The driver went on to say he makes around 10 trips from Harare to Chitungwiza every day and he has to part ways with $3 each trip. This money goes to the rank marshals. If you don’t pay, your bus is not allowed to use the bus station. This money is not accounted for since its going straight into someone’s pocket.

Police should intensify their operations by helping get rid of these touts because nobody needs assistance to get onto a bus and mind you, commuter omnibuses have placards with routes stuck on them.

As if this is not enough, during the same peak hour, commuters are now being charged a minimum of $0.50 to $1 to have a seat reserved for you by the rank marshals. That is if you are in hurry to go home. That’s just like killing two birds with one stone, charging both the commuter and the bus driver. If perhaps the City of Harare were collecting this kind of money everyday one would hope that we would have better shelter at the stations.