I saw a group of police officers fill a kombi at the Copacabana rank and I found it rather curious that these cops made more numbers than civilian passengers; surely they would bankrupt the kombi owner.

I wondered why the tout would allow all of them into the vehicle, remembering of course that where I am from, police officers don’t pay for a kombi ride!

But turned out they were all paying customers.

Another eye opener about how things are done differently here perhaps, yet I chuckled recalling that for kombi drivers in Bulawayo, the whole idea of giving a cop a free ride right in the front seat is so that the driver is waved through by traffic cops checking for everything from vehicle fitness certificate to driver’s license.

The travelling cop becomes the driver’s Moses, parting the road for safe passage.

What then here where the cops are paying full fares, by the ways of logic, there is obviously no protection to speak of and I am trying to picture a scene where traffic cops stop a kombi full of fellow cops who are paying passengers. Perhaps the same would apply? Wave the kombi through, I mean?

Yet the whole idea of cops and free rides has been met with some daring by certain Bulawayo touts, and I recall a tout looking a young cop in the eye and asking him if he if he had money for the ride.

The dumbfounded cop stared blankly and hesitated before the kombi sped off without him!

In any case, if you think of it, the parallels extend to all sectors of the country’s troubled present: many politicians have been fingered in demanding protection fees from sectors as diverse as farming and mining where extortion has been the order of the day: pay up and I will make sure your farm is not expropriated!

And the small fry, the poorly paid cop, can only have a free ride ostensibly to protect the driver from having his vehicle impounded, at least only as long as the cop is in the kombi!

Yet seeing the cops in Harare pay their fares like everyone else did brings a sense that perhaps this relationship between kombi drivers and cops is based on reports of cops smashing kombi window screens so why reward them with free rides!

We have all heard the bad effects of drinking Coca Cola, how it will rot our teeth and poison us, but then again, so will most soft-drinks, and in fact, most processed food. However, it is not just the drink itself that is getting flack at the moment, but also the actual company. Recently the Coca-Cola company has had a lot of problems in a multitude of countries over their environmental and social implications on the respective countries it is based in. They are accused of doing terrible damage to the environment and having a dodgy work policy. I even have a friend who refuses to drink any Coca-Cola product, not because it is bad for her, but because she wants to boycott the company altogether.

However, it is difficult to point fingers so quickly, because although there are a lot of issues with Coca-Cola deals, such as the current law suits in India, their policies are not all bad. Coca-Cola does support some significant causes, such as “Fighting for an AIDS free generation”; a project in collaboration with other companies like Nike, Girl and Converse. Their aim is to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child by 2015. They also are one of the biggest sports sponsors, sponsoring major events such as the FIFA world cup. It was also the first commercial sponsor of the Olympics in 1928.

As with most big commercial companies, Coca-Cola does have problems with corruption and dodgy policies but overall one of its biggest problems seems to be its connection with the United States, in modern colonisation. The idea of “Coca-Colanisation” had been brought up in many parts of the world, accusing the United States of colonising countries with big corporate companies such as Coca-Cola.

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) Community Based Officers: Action Contre la Faim
Deadline: close of business 17 May 2013

Contract: Up to 31 October 2013

ACF is a registered charity, founded in 1979. Action Contre la Faim operates in 41 countries. The international network of Action Contre la Faim is represented in Paris, London, Madrid, New York and Montreal. Teams in the field combat hunger on four fronts: nutrition, food security, health, water and sanitation.

In Zimbabwe, ACF is seeking for two Community Based Officers for projects being implemented in the district of Mberengwa.

Main objectives
-Implement the Community Based Management Approach of WASH Facilities
-Participates in the Implementation of KAP 2 and 3 surveys
-Monitor the activities of the Village Health Workers (VHW) and Community Health Clubs (CHC) following the training & establishment of these community based stakeholders by the selected technical partner
-Organizes the distribution of tool kits and spare part donations

Level of studies and experience
-Diploma in Public/Environmental Health or related field plus minimum of two years professional experience in Community Based Management (CBM) and Participatory Health and Hygiene – Promotion (PHHP) in Government/NGO Sector

Required skills
-Competence in training,
-Organising and implementation of participative approaches in collaboration with the technical partner
-Scheduling of activities
-Good organizational ability
-Excellent Facilitation Skills
-Good knowledge of the intervention areas
-Dynamism & Flexibility
-Strong Computer skills (knowledge of some data analysis packages will be an added advantage)
-Motorbike driving license and riding experience;
-High Communication skills and a team player.
-Ability to interact and work with Government Departments at District Level.

Applicants should clearly indicate the post applied for on the envelope or subject line (for email). Cover letters with up-to-date detailed CVs should be forwarded to the undersigned not later than the Friday 17 May 2013 at close of business.

Please note that the successful candidates will be required to start immediately.

Email applications to: hrdpm@zw.missions-acf.org

Or

The Deputy Human Resources HOD
Action Contre La Faim (ACF)
29 Golden Stairs, Mount Pleasant, Harare
Zimbabwe

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

Community Based Supervisor: Action Contre la Faim
Deadline: close of business 17 May 2013

Contract: Currently up to Dec 2013 for further possible renewal

ACF is a registered charity, founded in 1979. Action Contre la Faim operates in 41 countries. The international network of Action Contre la Faim is represented in Paris, London, Madrid, New York and Montreal. Teams in the field combat hunger on four fronts: nutrition, food security, health, water and sanitation.

ACF is seeking to fill vacancies of Community Based Supervisor. The Community Based Supervisor will be based in Masvingo.

Main duties
-Organises and implements capacity building of stakeholders
-Organisation &  the Implementation of Knowledge Attitudes & Practices Surveys
-Implementation of the Community Health Club Concept – in collaboration with the technical partner
-Implementation of the Community Based Management Activities
-Organizes the distribution of tool kits and spare part donations
-Responsible for all the CBM activities and reports
-Report to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program Manager (his supervisor) – of program progress.

Level of studies and experience
-Degree/Diploma in Public/Environmental Health or related field
-Minimum of two years professional experience in Community Based Management (CBM) and -Participatory Health and Hygiene Promotion (PHHP) in Government/NGO Sector.

Required skills
-Competence in training
-Organising and implementation of participative approaches in collaboration with the technical partner
-Excellent Facilitation Skills
-Good knowledge of the intervention areas
-Dynamism & Flexibility
-Strong Computer skills (knowledge of some data analysis packages will be an added advantage)
-High Communication skills and a team player
-Ability to interact and work with Government Departments at District Level

Applicants should clearly indicate the post applied for on the envelope or subject line (for email). Cover letters with up-to-date detailed CVs should be forwarded to the undersigned not later than the Friday 17 May 2013 at close of business.

Please note that the successful candidates will be required to start immediately.

Email applications to: hrdpm@zw.missions-acf.org

Or

The Deputy Human Resources HOD
Action Contre La Faim (ACF)
29 Golden Stairs, Mount Pleasant, Harare
Zimbabwe