Lazarus Sauti

Lazarus Sauti NAMIBIA and Zimbabwe are blessed with a variety of wild animals such as buffaloes, elephants, leopards, lions, Lichtenstein’s hartebeests, rhinoceros, antelopes, zebras, pangolins, roan antelopes, the painted dogs (also known as wild dogs) and giraffes. These and other wild animals are a gift of nature to the countries, as they provide a wide range of ecological, economic and cultural importance in relation to the human existence. Sadly, the future of wild animals in Namibia and Zimbabwe is under serious threat, thanks to increased poaching, corruption, illegal trans-border trade of live animals, poverty, poor funding, poisoning of waterholes with cyanide and human impact on their homes. In Namibia, increased incidents of poaching and smuggling of wildlife products has increased to calls for stiffer penalties for offenders. The elephant population in Zimbabwe, for instance, and as per the African Wildlife Foundation – which is on zero tolerance agains...

Lazarus Sauti Gwanda – More than a century after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, most villagers in Zimbabwe and other southern African countries are still living without electricity. This sad development even on a regional scale was recently noted by the SADC chairperson, King Mswati III of Swaziland during the SADC Energy Investment Forum in Swaziland when he said: “Access to electricity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is still below 20 percent and over 190 million people in the region live without power.” A newly released survey by Afrobarometer also buttresses the fact that more than 60 percent of Zimbabwe’s population live in zones served by an electric grid, but the households do not have electricity. To those who are lucky to be connected, power outages are the order of the day and the cost to businesses is huge. Gwanda, a province so famous for its mopani, isinanga (acacia), umgangu (marula), umkhomo (boabab) trees and other sh...

Lazarus Sauti A number of teachers in Zimbabwe and other African countries are unwilling to take teaching posts in rural areas because most schools do not have access to electricity, a fact supported by data from the United Nations (UN), which estimates that only 20 to 30 percent of schools in Africa have access to electricity. Afrobarometer, a pan-African, non partisan research network, recently released a report, which also notes that power shortages in Africa, especially the southern region are hindering socio-economic transformation and have strong repercussions for health and education – sacrosanct human rights. “Without reliable connections to electricity,” notes the report, “it is unlikely that socio-economic development projects and public investments, like schools, can attain their proposed targets. “Further, the extension of technology initiatives such as the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), as well as access to e-services in schools ...

Lazarus Sauti A policy is simply a declaration of an intention and for every nation to have a direction there is need for clarity on policy, as well as governance issues , says development analyst, Tinashe Muzamhindo. “ No investor is willing to part or partner with anyone without clarity on policy matters,” he declares, adding that one of the weakest points that the Zimbabwean government has is policy clarification. True to his assertion, there is no policy consistency for the country’s dilapidated roads which are significantly contributing to road carnage and claiming at least five lives per day, according to figures from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ). At least 80 percent of the country’s 97 000-kilometre road network requires a major overhaul, according to Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister, Dr. Jorum Gumbo, who adds that a total of US$5 billion is required to rehabilitate the decaying road network. “Due to this lack of policy cons...

Lazarus Sauti Life in Chikomba district in the Mashonaland East province is tough as gripping poverty is the order of the day and tormenting most, if not all, the villagers. Some families do not even afford to eat three meals per day; in fact, most families do not afford goats to pay school fees for their children. As such, children, especially orphans are mostly affected and compelled to abandon their education. Worse still, some children are abused in the form of child labour, as well as early marriages, a fact attested to by Makanaka Jera (60), a villager from Mangoro. “Poverty is part of our DNA in this area and besides farming and mining, there is nothing that can sustain us here,” she says. “Sadly, orphans and other vulnerable children (OVCs) bear the brunt of this poverty as they are forced into early marriages.” Pained with this plight of OVCs in the district, Reaction of Orphans Support Association (Rosa), a civic society organisation, initiated pro-de...

Lazarus Sauti Veld fires are proving to be one of the greatest biodiversity challenges in Zimbabwe and other southern African countries as they lead to the destruction of pastures, forestry resources, livestock, property and sadly human lives. In its 2010 report the SADC regional fire management document said veld fires have become a major environmental and human welfare concern in the region. In Namibia, for instance, the councillor of Kahenge constituency and chairperson of the Kavango West Regional Council, Joseph Sivaku, recently said veld fires were destroying pastures in areas such as Rupara, Nzinze and Rundu, thereby threatening food security in the country. According to the Zimbabwean Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate’s permanent secretary, Prince Mupazviriho, more than 700 veld fires incidents have been recorded in Zimbabwe since the beginning of the fire season on July 31 this year, destroying over 435 000 hectares of forest. “Veld fires are also...