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Showing posts from 2019

Road infrastructure key to Zim’s socio-economic transformation

Lazarus Sauti Transport and Infrastructural Development minister, Honourable Architect Joel Biggie Matiza said road infrastructure is the vein that pumps the economy. He added that extensive network of high-quality road infrastructure is, therefore, a key pillar in unlocking Zimbabwe’s socio-economic potential. “Road infrastructure is a lasting investment that has an immense socio-economic impact in the development matrix of any country,” he said. “It sustains economic development not only in Zimbabwe but the world over.” Honourable Architect Matiza also said that improving road infrastructure in Zimbabwe will considerably enhance the transportation of goods, boost tourism, facilitate transactions, as well as positively impact ordinary lives in various ways, for instance making sure that people get to clinics and hospital quickly during emergencies. Sharing the same sentiments, researchers Eva Ivanova and Jana Masarova noted in their journal article titled “ Impor

ELLT to fight corruption, reduce road accidents

Lazarus Sauti Corruption, the utmost single nuisance of our society today, is like a leech. It sucks the blood of innocent people. Similar to cancer, corruption is hal ting socio-economic growth, as well as causing high levels of road carnage in Zimbabwe. The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) said that about 2 000 accident-related deaths were recorded in 2018, a fact supported by Transport and Infrastructural Development minister, Hon. Joel Biggie Matiza, who added that most of these accidents were a result of faulty vehicles that were ‘passing’ fitness test through corruption. Furthermore, Hon. Matiza attributed some of the accidents to half-baked drivers who acquire licences through corrupt means. “The nastiest ailment in this country is corruption, which is stalling social and economic transformation, over and above causing high levels of traffic-related accidents,” he said, adding that the only panacea is transparency. To enhance transparency, brin

Crop insurance: the panacea

Lazarus Sauti Muchaneta Zarire, a small-scale farmer from Buhera, trusts agriculture is her solitary weapon to battle servile destitution, but natural hazards are pulling her into the mud. “ Agriculture is a risky business and just like many farmers in this country, I am facing production risks that make my incomes volatile from year to year. These risks include yield losses due to bad weather and crop infections,” she said. Zarire, therefore, pleads for government funding and relief to lift her from abject poverty. “For the past five years or so, this area has been assaulted by drought and unpredictable weather patterns forcing me to wander like a soul in pain scrounging for food for my family,” she said. “I am therefore begging the government to support me and other small-scale farmers in this area or else we are all going to perish.” Agriculture technician, Ronald Chimunda, says without adequate support, Zarire and other small-scale farmers will continue

Carelessness, not juju, devouring citizens

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                                            (Picture credit: The Manica Post) By Lazarus Sauti A solemn atmosphere engulfed Rusape when a horrendous traffic accident involving a Smart Express coach and a Bolt Cutter bus devoured 46 lives near Torish Farm just after the Rusape tollgate last year. The accident occurred at the 166km peg along the Harare-Mutare highway near Rusape around 1730hrs on a stretch of the road where overtaking is clearly prohibited.   Smart Express bus was overtaking two heavy trucks going to Harare and side-swiped the oncoming Bolt Cutter bus. After failing to negotiate over the continuous prohibition line, the driver hit a tree with a huge impact. This was not the first traffic disaster involving Smart Express buses since the beginning of 2018. In September 2018, for instance, one of the company’s buses was involved in a grisly accident which killed one person and left 11 others fatally injured along Mutare-Masvingo highway.

Selecting the right A-level combination key to academic success

Lazarus Sauti Picking a handful of subjects to take at A-level is not a decision you should trifle with. The A-level subjects you pick now can affect what you do later, to be specific the degree programme you can apply to at university and which universities will consider you. These are articulations of Andy Gardner, an independent careers and higher education adviser. All things considered, if you do not know what you want to do in the future, you can still make smart choices now that will leave you in the best position in two years’ time. Gardner, also a published author, experienced speaker, lecturer and commentator in his field, added that to settle on brilliant choices, it is important to take certain A-level subjects that will open up more university programme options. One sure way of doing this is picking up facilitating subjects – a bunch of A-level subjects normally requested in universities’ entry requirements, regardless of the course you are applyi

Zimtis to fight corruption, tame the traffic jungle

Lazarus Sauti Corruption is the adversary of development, and of good administration; it must be disposed of. Both the government and the general population everywhere should come together to accomplish this national target. These are the expressions of Pratibha Patil, an Indian government official who served as the 12 th President of India from 2007 to 2012. Corruption is a melanoma that is not only stalling socio-economic growth, but causing high levels of road carnage and loss of human capital in Zimbabwe. According to figures from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ), a total of 1 838 accident-related deaths were recorded in 2017, translating to 153 deaths monthly. The figures also revealed that road accidents are costing Zimbabwe up to 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP), meaning the country is losing about $406 million annually. Sikiru Adeyemi Balogun, in his paper Importance of research and statistics as road traffic accident reduction

Author experiments in new work

By Phillip Chidavaenzi YOUNG journalist-cum-author, Lazarus Sauti, is onto something huge. His debut offering, Nei? — a collection of short stories and poetry — speaks of an innovative author out to break several rules in the writing industry. Sauti told NewsDay Life & Style that the book’s title was centred on questions about issues that vexed humanity. “The questions include: why people are corrupt? Why do people cheat? Why do people lie? Why do people fake miracles? Why are people poor when the country is endowed with natural resources? These questions therefore influenced the title Nei?,” he said. Sauti said he opted for Shona short stories because very few authors pursued that trajectory and as a way of promoting local languages. “Innovation inspired me. I think mixing 27 poems and five short stories in one collection offers variety to the reader,” he said. Sauti said corruption was a predominant theme in the collection because his role as a write

The Big Interview

Chidavaenzi: On The Big Interview tonight we debut with our first guest, Lazarus Sauti, who published his debut short story and poetry collection last year. Lazarus Sauti (LS) speaks to the Writers Clinic (WC) about his work and creative process as a writer and poet. Enjoy... WC: Nei? How did you come up with that title? LS: The book is simply a collection of questions around issues that vex humanity, as appropriately said by reviewers like Phillip Chidavaenzi, Tanaka Chidora and Beaven Tapureta. The questions include: Why people are corrupt? Why do people cheat? Why do people lie? Why do people fake miracles? Why people are poor when the country is endowed with natural resources? These questions therefore influenced the title Nei? WC: We have few people writing short stories in Shona. Why did you choose this genre?  LS: Most writers prefer novels. By so doing, they are neglecting short stories. I chose to write short stories in Shona to promote the genre that is being re