1. A few weeks ago I received a DM from an obscure account. It made reference to challenges that Zimbabwean students in India were facing. I checked the account & saw that it had written similar pleas to Secretary Ndaba Mangwana at Information & Publicity.
2. I wasn’t sure but my instinct pushed me to believe there was something to it. I wrote back and eventually some of the students wrote to confirm after I tweeted a request for further information. It was true. Things were not well & the situation was desperate.
3. When their plight was raised here, government took notice & activated measures to address it. But that wasn’t before others within tried to pretend all was well. I would like to acknowledge in particular the Treasury Secretary @GGuvamatanga for stepping up on this occasion
4. He took a hands on approach to the challenge. The students are happy and have peace of mind. But after I raised the plight of students in India, other students in Algeria also raised similar challenges. I hope the government will likewise attend to these kids.

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More from @Wamagaisa

26 Apr
The AVM bus - a local icon

1. I was always intrigued by the acronym “AVM” since I was a boy. My search led me to a beautiful history of this bus model & why it deserves a high place amongst the greats of Zimbabwe. I wrote it in a recent BSR but here’s one for the Twitter market. Image
2. Before the 1960s, bus supplies were largely imported from Britain with Leyland being the dominant company. When Ian Smith declared independence in 1965 (UDI), Rhodesia faced UN sanctions & British supplies dried up. There had to be a new plan, as was the case in other areas.
3. Dahmer Pvt Ltd had been formed in 1961. It took on the challenge of developing the AVM as a “home-produced vehicle” which was mass produced from 1974 (White, 2016). Dahmer was now a Lonrho subsidiary. It started as a short model carrying 64 passengers before rising to 76. Image
Read 11 tweets
22 Apr
1. You would think it’s safer at the bank. But ask Stone Beattie Studio. It deposited US$142K at CABS. Few years later government decreed it was now ZWL142K, a tiny fraction of its value. CABS refused to pay the USD citing the law. The Supreme Court agreed. Isn’t that a heist?
2. The question editor & homeboy, is not why people carry large sums BUT why some people still deposit money at the bank. Because the difference between the street robber and the banker is that one has the authority of the state by law to rob. But truth is, both rob other people
3. It is a sign of a dysfunctional financial and economic system when individuals prefer to keep such money in person rather than at the bank. It’s not just currency laws & lack of trust. It’s the extortionate bank charges, the cumbersome, inefficient & rude service provision.
Read 4 tweets
21 Apr
1. The story of the Dinde Community whose way of life is facing disruption from a Chinese mining exploration company Beifa Investments has led me to the heart of the local Nambya community & I’m learning new things including the beautiful language, culture & history of the people
2. We are all familiar with Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo & also Khami Ruins just a few miles west of Bulawayo. But I bet few have ever heard of Bumbusi Ruins located in Hwange. It’s built in similar style to Great Zimbabwe but is one of the least researched archeological sites.
3. The people of Dinde have a long & illustrious history. They have survived much disruption to their way of life over the centuries. Because they are a minority, their place in history has been cast to the margins. If you draw the link between the ruined cities you’ll understand
Read 6 tweets
21 Apr
Plight of the Dinde Community

1. The Dinde Community in Hwange is facing a serious predicament at the hands of the government. They face expulsion from their ancestral homes to make way for a Chinese mining company, Beifa Investments (Pvt) Ltd, all in the name of “development”.
2. Beifa was granted a mining exploration permit by the Government to conduct exploration activities in the Dinde area. A large cross-party section of the Dinde Community is opposed to this unwelcome intrusion into their way of life. They have protested but so far to no avail
3. One Never Tshuma was arrested & detained after leading a community protest. Although Tshuma is a ZANU PF member and has been condemned by leaders of his own party, he has received solidarity & support from the local MDC Alliance MP, @molokele & the rest of the community
Read 12 tweets
18 Apr
1. “An errant child would get a bit of a sjambok to whip them into line, either physically or through other measures, maybe counselling. What are we doing with this child of ours, Nelson Chamisa?” says the editor of state paper @SundayMailZim Victoria Ruzvidzo
2. There’s so much that’s wrong with this. For a start, the irony is that the Black man was regarded as a “boy” during colonial times & in an interview to commemorate independence the editor of a state paper describes the opposition leader as a “child”, literally a boy!
3. Mnangagwa instinctively raises his head and looks up, and probably grins underneath that mask but he realises the gaffe & by referring to “Mr Chamisa”, he tries to distance himself from the derogatory image. But he missed an opportunity to show leadership.
Read 5 tweets
15 Apr
1. On 28 September 2020, Zimbabwe’s @JSCZim conducted interviews to fill vacancies at the Constitutional Court. These vacancies had arisen on 22 May 2020 & should have been filled by then. 6 months after interviews, @edmnangagwa has not made the appointments. He can’t be bothered
2. He’s waiting for Constitutional Amendment No. 2 which will give him power to appoint the judges of his own choice, without any public interviews. Kenya and South Africa have most recently conducted judicial interviews. They will appoint judges before our man does!
3. The @JSCZim is mute while the institution it’s supposed to defend is being dragged by a President who has no regard for the Constitution that he is sworn to uphold. If it stands in the way he just pretends it doesn’t exist. Then again, he came to power through its violation.
Read 4 tweets

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