Econet launches branded handsets

THE country’s largest telecommunications company, Econet Wireless, has unveiled its range of branded mobile phone handsets. This move will enable the Econet Company to create for itself a good reputation and image that will lure the clients. So far Econet is the best in Zimbabwe as compared to the other telecommunication companies in Zimbabwe.

In a statement, the company’s chief operating officer, Mr Elvis Gwanzura, said the phones are being sold in a value starter-pack that includes a SIM card and airtime. This strategy is a good market research tact that will see Econet Company increasing the number of clients. Offering such good service is what all it takes to gain customer confidence to support the company. He said two models of the phones would initially be sold.

In The Chronicle, Mr Gwanzura added that plans were afoot by the mobile operator to also launch more models in the near future. "Considering that we paid well over 50 percent in duties and taxes to bring these phones into the country, the price at which we are selling these starter-packs is extraordinary," he said. The mobile network operator also appealed to regulatory authorities to reduce fees on telecommunications equipment.

This, Econet said, would result in even lower prices of handsets and other accessories to the public. The sale of subsidised handsets, Mr Gwanzura said, represented the mobile network operator's commitment to improving accessibility to mobile technology in the country.He said: “By providing affordable handsets, Econet was promoting subscriber uptake. The company does not make money off the sale of the handsets. Our business is in airtime. What we are doing here is lowering the barriers of entry for the public. Our aim has always been to take the lead in developing the mobile market.”

Meanwhile, the mobile operator said it had begun investing in increasing network capacity to add more than 1,5 million additional customers. This will make Econet to become one of the biggest companies of its kind in Zimbabwe in terms of customer size. Their services so far are good although at time their charges were way wide. Their 0913 lines can enable clients to link with friends and relative overseas.

Recently, the mobile operator said delays in rolling out new equipment owing to the problem of getting civil contractors to put up towers quickly constrained the company's efforts to release one million lines.However, Econet has since secured contractors from South Africa and China who are already working on putting the towers.

Econet Company has the best Public Relations and marketing department which is competent enough to sell their goods and services to their clients. The service offered by Econet is of high standards and is worth to be emulated.

An interview with Herbert Ndlovu a renowned drama actor

Herbert Ndlovu (Giant) was born 37 years ago in Gweru on 25 July 1960. He resides in Mkoba and is an actor in two very popular dramas which were once played by Zimbabwe television (ZTV). The two drama acts are namely Zvinengozi and Shamiso. Caven Masuku interviewed Mr Ndlovu who is currently working AMTEC Motors Garage along Gweru-Harare road.

Q. For every successful career there is a starting point, when and where did yours start?

A. It actual started at school when I acted in an English play at Nkululeko High School when I was doing my form one. It actually started and ended there, because I had no exposure then.

Q How many plays have you participated as an actor so far?

A. All in all they are four. The first two are “Zvinengozi” and “Shamiso”. The last two flopped along the way.

Q. What role have you played as an actor in the past two drama?

A. In Zvinengozi: I acted as the canning Uncle who dispossesses his brother’s children of their property. In Shamiso; I acted as the big man who appropriated my late brother’s wealth which was left for his children.

Q. From your understanding are there any cultural bonds that can be passed on through drama?

A. Yes there are, like stealing the property of the dead at the expense of the deceased’s children. This haunts the relatives of the dead as well as the people who live there.

Q. As an actor, do you think drama is an effective way of disseminating information to the society? How?

A. Yes, it is the best way, to expose the evil in our society. It also expresses the difficulties faced by people in modern society. Since it is different from comedy, it really shows and tells the real story in real life situations and it enables individuals to identify problems faced by some people in their mundane lifestyle.

Q. What entertainment and education is brought by drama to people?

A. Watching drama allows one to learn the short comings of issues that plague society. It also acts as a unifying force that brings community members together for them to share language and culture. Drama also educates and widens people’s general knowledge, particularly if one pays attention.

Q. From your perceptions can drama addresses the social and economic problems faced by society?

A. To a certain extent yes, it has some influence. It offers for instance scenarios in which the rich learn about their bad behavior. Society benefits a lot in that it can share the social norms and values and pass them over to the next generation.

Q. Where do you see yourself to be in the near future?

A. It is a pity that I am not a writer, but actually I am planning to become one in the near future. Currently so many things are unfolding and compiling them will take me a step closer to ploughing back to the community what I have learnt from them.

Q. Who inspired you?

A. I can’t tell exactly who my role model is, but what I know is that I use to watch Mukadota in 1980’s and Paraffin 1990’s and my instinct told me I could be better than those two. I probably became an actor by accident.

Q. What do you think should be done to promote Art’s and Drama in Gweru?

A. A lot of people out there are sitting on good drama scripts because they don’t know where to submit them. I am appealing to all those with interest in drama to look for the right people who can help them develop their talents.

Environmental Act that avoid littering

The Environment Management Act which has been put in place by the Zimbabwean government safeguards against littering and destroying of nature in anyway. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) which has since replaced the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) prohibits environmental degradation which is not observed by many urban residents and small scale miners at large.

Littering is anything thrown away as unwanted material and accumulate as garbage. In towns people create litter from food left overs, empty containers, plastic papers, broken bottles, waste papers, construction rubbles, and scrape metal. EMA board encourages individuals in urban area to be responsible by keeping the environment clean. The City of Gweru has an Act that discourages residents to dump waste all over. An official from the council told Caven Masuku, that Section 28 gives the mandate to fine offenders for littering in an underdeveloped land. The Gweru City Council has been currently charging a penalty fee for breaching Level (1:5) for littering in undesignated area.

In May 2006, the Zimbabwe Lion Insurance Company (ZIMNAT) donated refusal bins to the City of Gweru in a bid to keep the city clean. One of the officials of Gweru City Council who requested anonymity said that “The fine for littering is too little hence it is waste of time to chase after offenders and it is expensive to maintain the police force against revenue collected to guard against the perpetrators”.

The EMA board has it that it is every person’s right to have a clean environment. EMA (Cap 20:27) forbids littering and any one found on the wrong side of the law is liable to prosecution.

The Act also emphasizes that the polluter pays the principle which emphatically stresses the environmental cost to be metered by those responsible. Anyone causing littering should meet the cost for cleaning up and other related damages such as the effects of disease outbreak.

People are encouraged not to throw litter through windows and doors of private or public vehicles. It is everyone’s responsibility to discard litter at a place which has been specially set aside for that. Newspapers, empty bottles containers can be collected and sold to companies that recycle waste material. A clean environment is important for our health and everyone should seriously keep the city clean.

A clean environment means a clean mind therefore our health can be reinforced by tiding up our homes and towns

Educating peers about HIV/AIDS

Peers play an important role in the self esteem of HIV/AIDS- affected children. Often the separation between orphaned children and children with parents is obvious in the classroom. One way of integrating the children is through school clubs.

Talking to children about HIV/AIDS may seem like a desirable thing to do, but parents must overcome many barriers, both individually and within society, before disclosure becomes an option.

In Zimbabwe as well as many African countries, AIDS is such a taboo subject that people will refer to it as “the disease” or anything else besides “AIDS”. Most children whose parents have died of an AIDS-related illness attribute death to such illnesses as tuberculosis, poisoning or diarrhoea.

It is not clear whether children really believe their parents died of these illnesses, or whether they simply say so to protect the family from the possible embarrassment and stigma that HIV/AIDS carries

The views of parents differ on whether or not to disclose their HIV status to their children. Disclosure is primarily dependent on how secure the parent is about the HIV-positive status. If the parent is not yet comfortable with being HIV-positive, HIV/AIDS education will not be shared positively with the child and may make the child feel uncomfortable with the information.

Most parents believe that children around the age of seven are mature enough to understand the finality of death and they could have heard about HIV/AIDS in the community or at school. At that age children do not understand the stigma attached to the virus because they do not understand the implications of sexual transmission.

Disclosure is necessary because children with information can protect themselves from contracting the virus when caring for an infected parent. Because the carer has such intimate contact with the infected person, it is possible that opportunistic infections or even HIV itself can be passed to the carer if proper precautions are not taken.

Others argue that knowing about HIV in the family just makes the child’s life harder. Eventually, it remains the decision of the individual. From an African context both traditionally and emotionally, HIV-positive parents face great difficulties in disclosing their status to their children. Each individual must decide whether talking about HIV/AIDS will assist their children to deal with the future or contribute to their stigmatization and discrimination. Although there are few resources that help in disclosure, they are generally not easily accessible

HIV/AIDS and Children: Zimbabwe

A number of factors have contributed to the difficulties facing Zimbabwe today. These includes the effects of the present political impasse, dollarization, rapid inflation, lack of investment, rising unemployment, escalating cost of living, the effects of frequent droughts and the emergence of HIV/AIDS. However, all the mentioned issues impact negatively to the children in Zimbabwe and leads to moral decadency, immature marriages and increasing death rate.

The present political, economic, social and HIV/AIDS situation in Zimbabwe presents a number of challenges to individuals, families, communities and especially children living with HIV/AIDS.
On an individual level, the income of HIV/AIDS affected families dwindles, usually because the breadwinner is ill or the family’s saving are spent on medical treatment. The current environment for the working class is terrible as most of them are given an allowance which is US$100 and this is too little to suffice the needs of most families in Zimbabwe. Children in these situations are often forced to drop out of school and to work. The situation is exacerbated when the prices of food and household goods increase.

The countries economic crisis has severely impacted upon the country’s health care system, more specifically on the diagnosis of HIV infection and the care of HIV/AIDS patients. In addition, even diagnosing opportunistic infections is too costly for the majority of the population. In Harare Mashambanzou is one nongovernmental organization (NGO) that provides food for HIV/AIDS-affected families. The economic challenges inhibits volunteers for Mashambanzou and around the country from regularly reaching families with counseling, food, and blankets
At the community level HIV/AIDS has placed an additional burden on the extended family system. This structure has provided security for children and families foe generations.

Traditionally in Zimbabwe, family elders would meet and assign a family member, usually the father’s eldest brother, to care for an orphaned child and raise the child as part of his own family.
Recently the capacity of families to cope with additional children has become more and more strained and cumbersome. Relatives because of economic constraints look at their familial responsibility towards related children as more of a financial burden.

There are additional problems for orphaned children without relatives owing to the stigma attached to caring for non-related children. In this emergency, additional support from outside sources is required to help these children to cope

Early marriage is regarded as an option for households absorbing extra children. A man may marry to obtain assistance in taking care of his dependants. A woman may marry to reduce the number of dependants in her family’s household, as well as to obtain additional income through the bride price, that is goods and money given to the bride’s family by that of the bridegroom.

The recent farm invasions have also affected the lives of children living on farms, endangering their physical and psychological security. For instance, there has been an increase case of rape among young girls living on the farms, thus making young girls in these areas more vulnerable to HIV infection.