Girls outperformed boys in the November 2015 Advanced Level examinations in all the country’s 10 provinces, results released by Zimsec last week have shown. The results also show Harare leading the pack in the national examination with Matabeleland North coming last.According to the statistics, Harare recorded a 96.8 percent pass rate for female candidates, against 79.7 percent for their male counterparts.In second place is Mashonaland East Province with a 94.2 percent pass rate for female candidates against 90,4 percent for males. Masvingo Province came third with a 93.1 percent for females while male candidates scored 90.4 percent.In fourth position is Mashonaland Central Province where 92.7 percent of girls passed against 87.1 for boys. Manicaland Province is in fifth position with a 91 percent pass rate for girls, against 87.6 percent for boys, while in Mashonaland West Province girls scored 89.4 percent against 83.4 percent for boys.In seventh position is Midlands Province where 88.7 percent girls passed, against an 83.1 percent pass rate for boys. On position eight is Matabeleland South Province with 88.4 and 83.1 percent pass rates for female and male students, respectively.
Bulawayo Province is on position nine with 86.5 percent of girls passing against 80.7 percent for boys. Matabeleland North occupies the last position at 83.6 for girls, against 76.5 percent for boys.In an interview, educationists and gender activists said the trend showed the government efforts at empowering the girl child were bearing fruit.“Firstly, as the government we’ve just done tremendously well in terms of promoting the girl child.“All our programmes emphasise that the girl child should have the same opportunities as the boy child. In a way, the outcome of the results also says that girls tend to be more focused than boys,” said Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Professor Paul Mavhima.“We are busting the myth which used to say that we should promote men into positions of authority as we are realising that girls can be able to focus as confirmed by their good results.“The results are also a reflection of government policy of promoting the girl child,” he said.Prof Mavhima said the government would like to see girls improving in Mathematics and Science subjects in future.Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe Chairperson Virginia Muwanigwa echoed the same sentiments.“This goes to show that there is something happening in our system as regards the awarding of equal opportunities in the learning environment, which then makes it possible for the girls to excel in their studies.“What I know is that if equal opportunities are given to both girls and boys there should be no reason why girls can’t do just as well as the boys because it’s not a biological issue, but an issue of opportunities being availed,” she said. herald
TWO teenagers from Binga have been arrested for allegedly taking turns to rape a 16-year-old girl at night after a church service. Ndubeko Mwembe, 18, Kampandu Village and a 15-year-old boy from Sialozi Village both under Chief Dobola, in Kariangwe, Binga, appeared before Hwange regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga yesterday.Mwembe faces two counts of rape while his partner in crime faces one. The two denied the charges and were remanded in the custody of their parents to today for continuation of trial.Mwembe and the 15-year-old boy are friends and allegedly pounced on the girl when they spotted her walking home along a path with her cousin who later fled and informed the girl’s mother.Prosecuting, Tawanda Sigauke said the rape allegedly occurred on December 7 last year.“On December 7 last year at around 8PM and at Kampandu bush, the complainant and her cousin were walking home from a church service. They were approached by the two accused persons who grabbed the girl by the hands. The complainant’s cousin fled and went home to inform the complainant’s mother about what had happened.”The court heard that Mwembe and his accomplice tripped the girl and pulled her into the bush.They allegedly took turns to rape her while pinning her down.
Parliament is struggling to secure more than $1,2 million to buy all-terrain vehicles for about 35 recently sworn in Members of Parliament, five months after the legislators assumed office through by-elections and proportional representation.The lawmakers assumed office last year following the recall of 21 MDC-T legislators while others took office because of expulsion of some Zanu-PF legislators who were said to be supporters of deposed Vice President Joice Mujuru.Mujuru was fired from both Zanu-PF and the government after she was implicated in a plot to assassinate President Mugabe among an array of other vices.Others replaced those that had died while others went into office to replace Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and former Vice President Mujuru who ceased to be Members of Parliament after they were elevated to be Vice President respectively at various intervals.
Since their swearing in, most of them were using their own vehicles despite the fact that the bulk of legislators took delivery of parliamentary vehicles during the commencement of First Session of the Eighth Parliament that came into effect after the July 2013 harmonised elections.Clerk of Parliament, Kennedy Chokuda confirmed the failure by Parliament to secure vehicles for the new legislators.“We’ve not yet provided some MPs with vehicles. We give each of them a maximum of $35,000 for a vehicle. We’ve an obligation to provide them with the vehicles but we are still hamstrung by financial resources because Treasury has not made disbursements to that effect,” said Chokuda.Most Members of Parliament in the current session took delivery of Ford Ranger off road vehicles as part of a fulfillment of parliament’s vehicle loan scheme.The legislators are not allowed to sell the vehicles before the expiry of their term as it is meant for easy mobility in their respective constituencies and attending parliament sittings.Meanwhile, Parliament has instituted proceedings against expelled legislators to repay vehicle loans extended to them before their ejection.Parliament administration has since written to the MPs informing them about their indebtedness arising from the vehicles that they took delivery of and were yet to pay.
A Harare magistrate has ordered the eviction of three men aged between 27 and 33 from their parents’ Mbare house to free the elderly couple from abuse.Mr Simon Nhenda and his wife were finally set free by the eviction order granted by magistrate Ms Nomsa Sabarauta after enduring decades of abuse at the hands of their three children – Christopher (33), Wadzanai (30) and Finish (27).Christopher was resisting eviction arguing that he had assisted his parents to extend the Mbare property. He also filed a counter-claim for $5 000 compensation from the parents for the developments he made at the parents’ house.However, the court granted the eviction order against the three men and threw out the counter-claim. Harare lawyer Mr Maxwell Mavhunga of Mavhunga and Associates represented Mr Nhenda while two of the defendants — Finish and Wadzanai — decided not to oppose the application.In his affidavit of evidence, Mr Nhenda said his sons were in the habit of abusing him and his wife to an extent of wishing him dead. “If we had lived peacefully and harmoniously, I would have not taken this course of action but the defendants are a nuisance.“They drink illicit brews and beer and once they are drunk, they verbally abuse me and their mother to the extent of calling me a witch.
“The first defendant (Christopher) even queried why I was not dying when most of the neighbours of my age were now deceased,” said Mr Nhenda. Mr Nhenda said he arrived at the decision to evict the trio after consultations with his wife, who is also their biological mother.He added that the three were now adults and they should now start fending for themselves.“I must hasten to state in my claim that I have the blessings of the defendants’ biological mother whom I live with and has had to endure a torrid time at their hands.“I requested that the defendants as adults should vacate the house and fend for themselves and leave me and their mother but they flatly refused to do so,” said Mr Nhenda.Mr Nhenda opposed Christopher’s counter-claim arguing that he never asked him to contribute towards the extension of the house.“I did not ask him to do the extension as it was part of his social responsibility to us as his parents. In the same vein, would it also make sense for me to demand rentals for the whole period that they have stayed at my house?” queried Mr Nhenda.Christopher, in his plea, vowed not to leave the Mbare house until he gets compensation for the contribution he made towards the extension of the property.He argued that his father was approaching the court with dirty hands since he needed to first compensate him. herald
A Harare man reportedly gave his wife a thorough hiding after she denied him sex. William Madanire allegedly demanded the money he paid as lobola from his wife Diana saying the money was meant to buy sex.Diana told Harare Civil Court magistrate Ms Gamuchirai Siwardi on Monday that William sexually abused her and would force her to bed him or risk being assaulted. She was seeking a protection order against William.“He assaults me and is forcefully having sexual intercourse with me even when I am not in the mood,” Diana said. If I refuse he assaults me and demands the money he paid as lobola saying he paid the money so that he would have sex whenever he wanted. He also assaults me in front of our children. He once followed me to church and assaulted me in front of the congregation.“He even assaults me for refusing to give him money to buy cigarettes and he insults me using obscene words. I want the court to stop him from assaulting me especially for refusing to have sex with him because he sexually abuses me,” she said.William did not oppose his wife’s application for a protection order but told the court that he no longer abused her. “I am not opposed to her application but some of the things she is saying happened a long time ago,” he said. “I have never abused her this time.” Ms Siwardi ordered William to stop sexually abusing his wife and respect her as his wife.
Government is investigating the authenticity of letters that reportedly emanated from its offices and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) authorising Nyikavanhu Housing Co-operative to build houses on land earmarked for the expansion of Harare International Airport. This comes after several Government officials were sucked into the Arlington Estate saga where Harare City Council is demolishing houses built on land reserved for the expansion of Harare International Airport.Responding to questions on the legality of the settlement and authenticity of documents in The Herald’s possession at a Press conference yesterday, Secretary for Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Engineer George Mlilo said he was still to get a briefing from the officials implicated.“We are looking into the matter with a view to establishing the authenticity of those letters. I will be getting in touch with the officials who are said to have issued the documents. With the advancement in technology, you cannot tell whether the documents are fake or original,” he said.Quizzed further on Government’s position on the settlement, Eng Mlilo accused reporters of creating a scene.“You are now creating a scene,” he said.According to a letter reportedly written by Harare provincial administrator Mr Alfred Tome dated April 4, 2013 to Nyikavanhu Housing Co-operative, that clearly indicates that it originated from his office, complete with a date stamp, the land was legally offered to the cooperative for housing development.
Mr Tome has however, since distanced himself from the letter.CAAZ, in a letter written by acting director of airports Ms Priscilla Mawire, cleared the subdivision of the farm for residential stands.Ms Mawire has now also distanced herself from the letter.The ministry’s Deputy Minister Cde Christopher Chingosho said Government was concerned with the sprouting of illegal settlements and the resultant demolitions.“As a ministry, we are striving to facilitate the provision of decent and affordable housing to the populace. In this regard, we have created a conducive environment through flexible policies for every actor to participate in human settlement development. We want to bring back sanity in the housing delivery sector as we work towards reducing the huge national housing backlog,” he said.“Government has instituted a moratorium on all land allocations to so-called land developers as policy. We shall be utilising the Urban Development Corporation for all developments on State land,” he said.He said local authorities had been directed to ensure their development control units played an active role in enforcing the law in terms of their by-laws.He urged actors involved in the production of residential layout plans and subsequent approvals to quicken the process to avoid the emergence of illegal structures on yet-to-be-planned residential land.“In the same vein, let me warn the planning fraternity to desist from producing layout plans for individuals who do not provide proof of ownership of the land they wish to build on.“We will not hesitate to advocate the de-registration and prosecution of all those found to be doing so as they create an avenue for the fleecing of unsuspecting members of public,” he said.Meanwhile demolitions continued yesterday at Arlington Estate after Monday’s weather conditions halted progress.An estimated 60 houses were demolished in a bid to bring order to the Arlington area.Most of the residents of Arlington have since moved to Stoneridge where a re-allocation exercise has been put in place by Government.A section of residents have however opted to stay in Arlington claiming they have been purposefully overlooked while some residents say they cannot move to Stoneridge because of financial challenges.Other residents claim the re-allocation process has been marred by corruption through double allocations. herald
Former Education, Sport and Culture minister and Mashonaland East governor Cde Aeneas Chigwedere has appeared at the Harare Civil Court over witchcraft claims by his son, Magwiza Chigwedere.
However, resident magistrate Mr Brighton Pabwe referred the matter to Marondera Civil Court saying the Harare court has no jurisdiction over issues that happen in Marondera where both parties reside.He dismissed the matter and ordered Magwiza to approach the Marondera court if he wishes to pursue the matter.
