• admin
• Chronicle
• December 30, 2011
• 48 views

CPU ready. . . as floods are expected countrywide

By Pamela Shumba
THE Department of Civil Protection (DCP) is on alert and ready to deal with the threat of anticipated floods, as heavy rains, strong winds and thunderstorms are expected in the country.
DCP has set aside resources, adequate equipment and a special fund that can be accessed at any time for flood victims.

The Department of Meteorological Services yesterday warned that those in flood prone areas and poorly drained soils must be on alert.
The weather forecast indicated that there would be a propensity of violent thunderstorms that would be accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorms starting yesterday.
DCP acting director, Ms Sibusisiwe Ndlovu, said the department was ready as there were district civil protection committees ready to respond to any eventualities.

She said the department had conducted awareness campaigns to make sure that people were ready for the floods.
“We have placed our workers in various parts of the country to deal with the situation. The team from our department is working tirelessly with communities to make sure that no lives are lost in case of disasters,” said Ms Ndlovu.

• admin
• Chronicle
• December 30, 2011
• 47 views

Injivas throng passport offices

By Prosper Ndlovu
THE Bulawayo Passport Office has in the past few days recorded an increase in the number of passport seekers, a majority of whom are Zimbabweans working in South Africa and Botswana.
The increased pressure at the provincial registrar’s office comes at a time when the Government and South Africa authorities are engaged in dialogue to extend the documentation period for Zimbabwean immigrants.

About 300 000 out of about two million Zimbabweans resident in the neighbouring country applied to the South African Home Affairs Department to legalise their stay in the last documentation exercise.
On Thursday the Registrar-General’s Harare office announced that it has stopped processing passports following an electrical fault that damaged the processing system at Makombe Building.
Registrar-General Mr Tobaiwa Mudede said only urgent passports would be processed while ordinary passports and Temporary Travel Documents remain suspended until further notice.

A snap survey by Chronicle yesterday established that most Zimbabweans working outside the country were taking advantage of the holidays to obtain proper travel documents.
When a news crew visited the Bulawayo registrar’s offices in the early hours of yesterday, hundreds of passport seekers had joined the long queue waiting to be served.
While some jostled to get passports others wanted to get birth certificates and identity cards in order to apply for passports.

• admin
• Chronicle
• December 30, 2011
• 61 views

Shabanie Mine employees get first pay since 2009

Midlands Correspondent
SHABANIE and Mashava Mines employees were yesterday paid a month’s salary after going for close to three years without a salary.
The workers, who were paid cash at the Shabanie Mine offices, had not been paid since the country adopted the multi-currency system in 2009.

They were paid amounts ranging from $160 to $3 000 depending on one’s grade.
Shabanie Mine Human Resources manager, Mr Ray Munangwa, confirmed the payment of salaries which he said were for this month.

“I can confirm that the employees were paid their December salaries. As we speak they are in queues getting their salaries at the mine offices. We decided to pay the workers cash after we realised that there were long queues at banks which could have resulted in some employees failing to access their salaries,” he said.

Mr Munangwa said the salaries were availed by the new investor, the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
He, however, declined to shed more light on the future of the giant asbestos mining company referring this reporter to ZMDC chairman, Mr Goodwills Masimirembwa.