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• August 29, 2012
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US$8m cash for enumerators released

Felex Share Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT has released US$8 million to the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency to pay enumerators who participated in the 2012 census.

Population Census manager Mr Washington Mapeta yesterday confirmed the development, saying enumerators would be paid once Zimstat finishes working on distribution modalities.
“The money is with us and we are processing it. No one has received any money, but very soon the allowances will be in their accounts,” he said.

United Nations Population Fund has released US$12 million towards the process.
At least 30 000 enumerators, drawn mostly from the education sector, were part of the programme.
Mr Mapeta said the enumerators were carrying out a mop-up exercise to cover areas that could have been left out during the official counting days.

The census ran from August 17 to 27.
The mop-up exercise is expected to end today.

“Some are revisiting the areas where they might have made errors while others, who were not there, have made appointments,” he said.
“It has to end tomorrow (today) because the more we delay, the more we create problems for ourselves.”

Other enumerators, Mr Mapeta said, were in the process of bringing questionnaires to their provincial centres.
“We do not have a timeframe when the data should reach us, but we want that to be done as soon as possible. It is a matter of logistics here

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• August 29, 2012
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Council defies Govt on water treatment chemicals

Michael Chideme Municipal Reporter
HARARE City Council has defied Government’s directive to buy water treatment chemicals from Zimphos, a subsidiary of Chemplex Corporation, Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda has said.
This comes at a time when council has approved trials of a new chemical coagulant, poly aluminum chlorohydrate.

If the trials are successful, the chemical would replace up to four water treatment chemicals.
Council uses eight chemicals for water treatment.
At least 80 tonnes of the chemical have been procured at a cost of US$212 000.

The city’s water treatment bill has increased to US$3 million per month.
City officials recently met Government ministers and officials from a number of ministries where the order to procure aluminum sulphate from Zimphos was made.

Mr Masunda confirmed that council met Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo and other ministers to discuss the promotion of local industries.
“We are expected to abide by Government policy. The policy requires us to support local industry.

Chemplex is one of the local industries,” he said.
But Mr Masunda said council needed to consider the interests of residents whose money is used to procure the chemicals.
“What we are not about to do is to procure from them (Chemplex) if the price is out of the market. We cannot be asked to promote local industry when their price is three times higher. It does not make economic sense.”

He said Chemplex Corporation faced viability problems resulting from a huge Government debt of US$25 million over unpaid for fertilisers.
Mr Masunda said Chemplex had to improve the quality of its water treatment chemicals and had to charge competitive prices.

The city owes the company US$1,5 million.
Recently Chemplex Corporation chief executive officer Mr Misheck Kachere accused the city of failing to exploit “readily available capacity at Zimphos”.

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• August 29, 2012
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‘Deadlock a call for elections’

Zvamaida Murwira and Lloyd Gumbo
ANY declaration of a deadlock over the draft Constitution is a call for immediate general elections under the current Constitution, Zanu-PF has said.

This came as President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team had earlier during the day shot down a decision by the two MDC formations to declare a deadlock in the Constitution-making process.
The team, which jetted into Harare on Tuesday, said parties in the inclusive Government should first exhaust all channels.

This followed a decision by the two MDC formations to reject Zanu-PF amendments to the draft Constitution, which have since been handed over to the GPA principals.

Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo last night said his party was not going to compromise on what Zimbabweans said during the outreach programme.
Addressing journalists in Harare last night, Cde Gumbo said Zanu-PF was against taking both the Copac draft and the Zanu-PF amended version to the referendum.

“Once a deadlock is declared, then elections will be inevitable,” he said.
“But if they are inclined to have a deadlock, so be it, we resort to the Lancaster House Constitution.”
He said Zanu-PF’s preference was to have a new Constitution because Zimbabweans spent many years and resources dealing with it.

“We want the hard work that was expressed in the Constitution-making process to be fulfilled.”
Cde Gumbo said the facilitator and his team could only recommend to the parties, but cannot impose what they perceive to be the solution.

“There is no way we are going to have two drafts at the referendum,” he said.
Cde Gumbo said there was no more room for negotiations over the draft because the matter was now before the principals.
Cde Gumbo dismissed MDC formations’ claims that Zanu-PF amendments were tantamount to producing a new draft Constitution.

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• August 29, 2012
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The Mukamba magic show

Grace Chingoma Sports Reporter
Dynamos…………………………………………(1)2
FC Platinum…………………………………………0
DENVER Mukamba was the conductor of the orchestra as the Band DeMbare produced a soundbite, in a championship battle cry, which was so