Zimbabwe Christian Alliance

Village heads lament limitation of Traditional leaders Act

Village heads lament limitations of Traditional Leaders Act

Village heads across Matabeleland North and South have lamented that the Traditional Leaders Act is silent on critical issues and limits their governance authority in their respective areas. They say this restricts their power and prevents them from making urgent decisions.

This was revealed during a synergy-building workshop between traditional leaders and local authorities, curated by the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance. The workshop aimed to strengthen the relationship and collaboration between the two institutions for community development.

One village head from Ntepe said their office is sometimes not given the respect it deserves, as villagers underestimate their leadership and authority.

“We often try to handle cases and reprimand trouble-causers in the community, but all we get is backlash. Our hands are tied when it comes to solving issues locally before escalating them to the Headman or Chief,” said Mr. Benjamin Ncube.

Village head Ncube also noted that they are still waiting for the amended Traditional Leaders Act, which has been in the pipeline for years.

“We are still using the old Act, even though an amendment was made some years back. Till now, we don’t know what happened or what the holdup is,” he said.

Recently, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr Nick Mangwana, announced that the Traditional Leadership Bill was under review. The Chiefs attended a writeshop in Harare, which aimed to define clear roles for traditional leaders, among other issues.

“Minister of Local Government, Hon. Daniel Garwe, today opened a pivotal writeshop on the Traditional Leadership Bill at the Harare International Conference Centre. Key aims of the writeshop include strengthening cultural heritage and governance, defining clear roles for traditional leaders, as well as incorporating rural development, climate resilience and accountability,” he posted on his X account.

Another issue raised during the synergy-building workshop was the communication and protocol gap between traditional leadership and local authorities. Both institutions called for more clarity and training on their distinct roles.

“Local authorities must know they cannot call meetings in our villages without consulting or informing us. We are the custodians of these villages and have every right to know about matters concerning our communities,” said a headman from Izimnyama in Mangwe, Plumtree.

New Bishop for Lutheran Church

By Rumbidzai Mbewe

WhatsApp Image 2026-04-14 at 11.58.58 (1)

Bishop Dr. Michael Dube

A historic and celebratory service at the Lutheran Church in Njube saw the installation of the fifth presiding Bishop in the Lutheran Church, Bishop Dr. Michael Dube. Held this month as we mark the birth of Christ, the event drew an overflow crowd of patrons who gathered to witness this momentous occasion for the church.

The office of the Bishop in the Lutheran Church is done in a rotational process from the three dioceses in the Lutheran Church. The Diocese of Western Zimbabwe of the Lutheran Church takes over from the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe.

In an interview, Rev Mbongeni Dube, said the event was successful and is one event that attracted a lot of attention. He said this event was remarkable as it was attended by representatives from different church denominations as well as politicians. Rev Dube said Bishop Dube has always been a visionary leader and the church was in good hands.

“ From his speech you can tell he has a vision for the church, the ecumenical work of the church and also the church being the prophetic voice in the public space. He will work to promote issues of justice in the church as well as women empowerment in the church,” he said.

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches congratulated Bishop Dube in their press statement and stated that he has served the church and the wider Christian community with distinction, including his role in the ZCC supervisory council.

“ Through his service he has demonstrated sound judgement , humility and a deep commitment to the mission of the church in Zimbabwe,” read the statement.

Chiredzi women writing new stories of success

By Rumbidzai Mbewe

Loice inside her humble kitchen in Chiredzi.

In the Mukwasine compound of Chiredzi, the story of Loice is being told as a testament to powerful change. Just a year ago, she was known for her rowdy behaviour and unkempt appearance, a woman whose word was law at home, spoken out of fear rather than respect.

Today, that woman is a memory. After joining the Tinokunda Self Help Group, Loice has transformed into a new person. Her hair is now neatly styled, her clothes are clean and pressed, and she carries herself with a new sense of purpose.

Sharing her experience with The Christian Voice, Loice stated that the Self Help Group made her realise the importance of self-care and love. She said spending time with other women who have shared tips on how to maintain a healthy relationship with her husband and children was important.

“Nobody understood what was going on with me, but all the shabbiness and rowdy behaviour was due to the frustrations that come with poor living conditions and not being able to provide for your family,” she said.

She said that through the SHG, she is not only learning how to be a better person socially but also financially. Through the mukandos (Clubs) that we do, i have managed to save money to start my small project.

“My business is still small, but I am making profits. I sell tomatoes, and my kids do not sleep on an empty stomach. When you come back next time, you will find a different Loice with a much more vibrant business,” she said.

Loice is not the only one making new strides in Chiredzi. Yanayi Ganganwa, who runs an eatery at one of the busiest growth points, said she has seen her business grow. She started by buying and selling just one chicken at a time, reinvesting her daily profits to buy the next.

“Now the demand is so high that I buy a whole cow by borrowing funds from my group, The Achievers. If we did not have these money clubs, I wouldn’t be able to afford a cow with my sales alone. This growth is directly due to our savings. With such sales, I can buy my own grinding meal and start another business,” she said.

The impact of these savings scales from individual success to collective investment. The 17 groups in the area have accumulated collective savings ranging US$500 to US$2,500 from $1 savings every week. Forget Sande, a member of The Achievers, whose savings now stand at nearly US$1,900, confirmed the group's ambitious vision of acquiring assets that will bring more profits to the group.

One of the groups during their club sessions

“Our group savings are now at US$1,900, and we are now looking at having bigger investments. We are planning on acquiring land where we can plant cash crops and continue to boost our money as a group, besides our weekly savings,” she said.

These Self-Help Groups are proving to be a powerful engine for change, turning tales of despair into stories of a brighter future. They are also a testimony of personal healing to community prosperity.

From Advocacy to Enterprise: ZCA Hubs Flourish with Mushroom Project

By Rumbidzai Mbewe

The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA), in partnership with Bread for the World, has launched a pilot economic empowerment program for its community hubs through income-generating projects. The initiative has already seen significant results, with some of the hubs producing and selling a total of more than 400 punnets of mushrooms.

The project was established from the realisation that, alongside advocacy and peace-building skills, communities needed sustainable ways to generate income. After a nationwide consultation with its seven hubs (Gweru, Hwange, Plumtree, Chinhoyi, Masvingo and Lupane), ZCA identified mushroom cultivation as a viable venture with high demand across the country.

In an interview, the Executive Director, Reverend Useni Sibanda, confirmed that the project is already underway and they have delivered 1,005 ready-to-fruit mushroom kits to the respective hubs.

"We have delivered 1,005 ready-to-fruit mushroom kits across our hubs. Gweru received 255 kits, Lupane 300, Chinhoyi 300, and Plumtree 150. Masvingo is finalising its nursery and will join the project shortly,” he said.

Rev. Sibanda emphasised that the project's core goal was to build long-term sustainability.

"We hope this initiative will help our hubs generate income for their day-to-day lives. The idea is that the mushroom project generates money for them to start their own personal projects, moving beyond dependence on external funding,” he said.

He stated that the project is a direct response to economic challenges, providing the hubs with the initial capital injection needed to grow and establish other viable local businesses.

"Times have changed. We are not only looking at having communities that can speak for themselves but we also want them to be entrepreneurs," said Rev. Sibanda.

The impact on the ground is already evident. Beneficiaries have already started praising the project for diversifying the hubs' work and creating tangible benefits. Pastor Taona Tavengahama of the Gweru hub shared his experience.

“We welcome this initiative. It has created employment opportunities for our youth. Currently, we have employed two people responsible for watering and nurturing the mushrooms. It might not be a lot of money, but they now have something to do rather than being idle on the streets,” he said.

The project's commercial success is also clear. Pastor Tavengahama mentioned that they are receiving a lot of orders and the demand is good for their newly birther business.

“Business is booming, and we are being overwhelmed by demand. We have sold 583 punnets and are already in the process of purchasing another batch of mushroom kits to increase production,” he said.

To manage the high demand, the Gweru hub has organised itself into efficient groups for supply and distribution. The revenue from initial sales is being directly reinvested to expand the enterprise, demonstrating a sustainable and growing business model.

New Post

Chiefs and Local Peace Committee pioneers sports for peace initiative

The Gweru Local Peace Committee hosted a spectacular event that saw youths in Chiwundura participating in an anti-drug and violence sports event.

The event which was carried out in June attracted youths from across four wards. It was hosted by the Local chiefs in partnership with the Gweru Local Peace committee (LPC).

The event pioneered a unique initiative that possibly marked the beginning of a new era in Chiwundura towards peace building and peace transformation. The community leaders expressed their concerns over the increase of youth violence under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“We requested the local Political party youth area chairpersons to mobilize young men from their political parties to participate in the sports day, with one stone we hit two birds,” said Chief Chiwundura.

The chief reiterated that the initiative will also help political tolerance since the main political party youths participated in the first game.

In 2023 the Presidential harmonized elections are set to take place sometime in winter. In the past the country braced itself for a wave of political violence that intensified as the elections get closer.

This year the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) peace committees have embarked on community political stakeholders’ inclusive initiatives set to reshape and address conflicts that have resulted in violence.

The Nkayi Local Peace committee also launched what they dubbed the Chiefs peace football trophy. Youth football teams from Gwitshi, Duhamzondo, Zinyangeni, Guwe and Nkayi Centre participated in dubby where the champion was the most peaceful team.

Chief Nkalakatha (Zwelani Ayanda Ndeweni) of Nkayi officiated the day- long tournament. The exhilarating tournament inspired youth women bystanders and supporters to carry out a proxy netball tournament.

“Nkayi has been facing challenges of artisanal mining violence in some of the areas and some clashes have been fatal and even claiming the lives of young Nkayi dwellers, I have used this platform to address this issue during the break before the final match we spoke to all the youths and advised them of the Local Peace Committee presence and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) reporting mechanisms,” said Chief Nkalakatha.

ZCA will continue to support Local Peace Committees in such efforts towards creating a conducive environment for peace and development in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has been inundated by spats of political violence and intolerance, human rights violations and enforced disappearances (or abductions).

Pastor Tavengwa Makore the Midlands ZCA Peace Ambassador stated that in the future they are looking forward to seeing youths from different provinces interacting in such initiatives towards promoting peace.

The Nkayi and Gweru Local Peace Committees peace plans have specifically targeted youths and have sports activities lined up for the summer. This will see them reaching out to more youths across local areas and peripheries.

Recently the Makokoba Local Peace Committee held an inter political party district peace march that hoisted the hope of Makokoba towards a future of a local community with Ubuntu, political tolerance and love of one another. It is such initiatives that will see the nation growing into a peaceful and prosperous people.

Protect women and girls….UDACIZA

Protect our women and girls...UDACIZA

Churches march against gender based violence

Churches have been in the long run blamed as some of the perpetrators of gender based violence where children are often married at a young age.

To curb this, Gender equality and Gender-based violence five-year policy was launched in 2016. The policy was established under a project called Preventing Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Young Women, which World Vision Zimbabwe implemented, UN Women and Danida.

According to an article that was done by Newsday, the policy is in line with section 56(3) of the Zimbabwean Constitution which calls for the fair treatment of any person including women and girls.

“The policy was formulated as part of a project called Preventing Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Young Women,” read the article.

Some of the church leaders within UDACIZA received training on possible methods and ways of handling gender-based issues as well as child marriages that are happening within their constituency.

“ The church leaders were also equipped with tools to enable them to transmit the knowledge to other females at the grassroots level,” read the article.

In an interview with The Christian Voice, Bishop Edson Shamu, said they stand guided by the policy in making sure that women and girls are protected hence they have partnered with Zimbabwe Christian Alliance to raise awareness and educate congregants on the importance of eliminating gender-based violence.

“ We have seen quite a number of reports in the media where members of our sect are abusing young girls and this initiative is part of our many strategies that we are implementing to make sure that we bring an end to this culture. It will take time but we have hope that we will be able to eliminate this culture for good,” he said.

Bishop Shamu mentioned through their partnership with ZCA, they will use different platforms to educate not only members of their church on the policy that was formulated in 2016. He said this will enable them to reach out to a lot of people who are also not part of their constituency.

“We will use platforms such as radio, television and social media to share and educate people on our policy which advocates for the protection of the girl child and women from gender-based violence. We hope this will also help in shedding light to the community that as a church we also do not allow for these cultures to flourish but we are working towards ending it,” he said.

Protect women and girls….UDACIZA

Churches march against gender based violence

Churches have been in the long run blamed as some of the perpetrators of gender-based violence where children are often married at a young age. To curb this, Gender equality and Gender-based violence five-year policy was launched in 2016. The policy was established under a project called Preventing Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Young Women, which World Vision Zimbabwe implemented, UN Women and Danida. According to an article that was done by Newsday, the policy is in line with section 56(3) of the Zimbabwean Constitution which calls for the fair treatment of any person including women and girls. “The policy was formulated as part of a project called Preventing Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Young Women,” read the article. Some of the church leaders within UDACIZA received training on possible methods and ways of handling gender-based issues as well as child marriages that are happening within their constituency. “ The church leaders were also equipped with tools to enable them to transmit the knowledge to other females at the grassroots level,” read the article. In an interview with The Christian Voice, Bishop Edson Shamu, said they stand guided by the policy in making sure that women and girls are protected hence they have partnered with Zimbabwe Christian Alliance to raise awareness and educate congregants on the importance of eliminating gender-based violence. “ We have seen quite a number of reports in the media where members of our sect are abusing young girls and this initiative is part of our many strategies that we are implementing to make sure that we bring an end to this culture. It will take time but we have hope that we will be able to eliminate this culture for good,” he said. Bishop Shamu mentioned through their partnership with ZCA, they will use different platforms to educate not only members of their church on the policy that was formulated in 2016. He said this will enable them to reach out to a lot of people who are also not part of their constituency. “We will use platforms such as radio, television and social media to share and educate people on our policy which advocates for the protection of the girl child and women from gender-based violence. We hope this will also help in shedding light to the community that as a church we also do not allow for these cultures to flourish but we are working towards ending it,” he said.

Gweru vendors urged to use designated places

Vendors in the streets of Gweru- Picture by Kudakwashe Hunda

The Midlands Vendors Association has called for unity among vendors in Gweru and encouraged them to stop selling their goods in undesignated areas such as the Central Business District (CBD). The Gweru CBD is swamped with people selling anything ranging from vegetables to clothes, making the city an eyesore.

In an interview with Midlands Vendors Association Angelina Zivanai who works at Mutapa Market urged other street vendors to join them at the legally designated place which is located in Mutapa .

“What is needed for others (street vendors) is to co-operate and migrate to a place which was legally established by the Council so that they can do their business freely,”she said.

She said street vendors are sabotaging the work of other illegal vendors as they trap all the customers in the CBD.

“They also intensify the conduct of corruption as they daily give handouts to the municipal police and government police. Also this will intensify the spread of Covid-19 pandemic as these random vendors are at places where Covid-19 regulations are not monitored,” said the Chairperson.

Zivanai said if all vendors were to unite and be at the legally designated place, customers will subsequently go to Mutapa market.

Street vendors have been swarming the Gweru CBD and other areas which is an illegal act, however they have remained in the game as they bribe the police.

Speaking to one of the street vendors he said the CBD is where all the money is and they are not willing to move to the designated places.

Disruptive thinking

Jonah Nyoni- Author and Motivational Speaker

NORMAL leaders find it hard to survive in a disruptive environment and atmosphere that we live in. The obvious disruption is coming from technology and information growth. The latest disruption is from COVID-19 and that looks for disruptive thinkers and leaders.

This is a fast age. An era of “big data”! In leadership, it gives us lessons. The emerging things are very disruptive, but important at the same time. They may destroy jobs, but create others for those people that are prepared for our times.

Some people get rewarded and others are helplessly thrown out of the ship. There is no one to blame, it is just the times we are in and I somehow consider myself very fortunate to have lived in this era.

The world is changing and it never waits for any one, but there are the lucky ones who are found at the centre of that change.

These include Jeff Bizos and Eric Yuan (founder of ZOOM). It is either you are watching others work and you are a mere recipient and helplessly following the change. The late Peter Drucker pointed it correctly when he said this is an era of the three Cs — accelerated change, overwhelming complexity and tremendous competition. It is either you are part of the game, out of the game, or bittern by the game.

Idea generation

This is a time we need transformational and trans-generational thinkers. A leader should lead in new ideas. Going to university has never been enough because we now see dropouts being leaders of inventions. They carry no certificate, but their followers are innumerable and their bank account bulging. A great example is the Facebook leader. What do you have to offer? Thinking is not the mental activity that happens with everyone, but inventiveness.

Meaningful creativity

The word creative is derived from the word “create”. It relates to the use of imagination to create something. Traditional leadership has been seen as being the top guy in an institute and getting the highest salary. But the true leader is someone who is able to be creative or able to motivate team players to think above the set standards.

Let us take stock as leaders; what new things have you brought to your company, church, country, and community? This involves Ideas, methods or meaningful progress.

Disruptive innovation

Being disruptive in the general sense may look very negative, but we have seen positive disruption happening. Being disruptive is being hungry to see and making change happen. It is a state being unsatisfied with the status quo.

Some would think its fighting with the status quo or being fought against. Hence the reason for seeing a threat when the “led” seems to be better than the “leader”.

Competition

Competition is fierce. Average performance is just as dangerous today. Being in a competition without the full knowledge about the rules of the game is even more dangerous.

For example, if you look into how banks are performing in Zimbabwe you can see major differences within the player. Some banks still perform as they used to 10 years back and new players are very attractive to the younger generation who want to do everything just at the click of a button.

For some banks, you have to go to where they are located and do a paper transaction. Worse still, the queues are never-ending. The next winner in the banking sector is the one who will employ the “new technologies”. For example, I don’t need to go to a specific location just to check how much I have in my account; telephone technology has made that possible.

Change

When change is taking place, no one can stop it. Yes, people might speak evil against it as a way of not wanting to embrace it. At times, change brings pain. Remember, when we go through problems or plights, it is not how painful it was, but who you become at the end. It might be hard to bring change. People are going to talk you down. Your family is going to deny you, but keep rocking.

As you try to improve what you found, you face so much opposition. At times life hits you hard. It hurts! Life was never meant to be given on a silver platter. Your life is yours; you are in charge, just change. You might be down now, but that does not mean your end. You are bigger than your hardships. Hardships give in to people that have the grit to grind those hardships.

Spot or make changemakers

As you are leading people, it is very important to spot people that are ready to embrace and bring change. At times you might be the top person, but you have to be willing to work with ideas that other people have brought. In the end, people will think it is your idea.

At times leaders don’t have to invent anything, but should be able to appreciate the power that other people have and use it to the benefit of their institute.

Gweru City Council advances on development

Kudzanai Bus Terminus

Bus terminuses have been given a reputation for being the dirtiest places around the country. However the Gweru City Council in partnership with Bentach Company has brought a facelift to the Kudzanai Bus Terminus.

Strides have been taken by reconstructing Kudzanai Terminus Rank, which was famed for its stench.

In the past Gweru was acclaimed for cleanliness, and was dubbed the city of progress.

An interview with the Gweru City Deputy Mayor Cleopas Shiri showed that the project of renovating the bus terminus has been running for a year now.

“The bus terminus is partly complete with only a section for local Kombis that needs to be done”.

Since last year the Gweru City Council has been trying to make strides in developing the city. This includes the establishment of professional city parking.

Early in July, a mobile application called the G-City was launched in Gweru. It was launched by the Gweru Residents Forum (GRF) in partnership with the City of Gweru. This is a user-friendly online platform which will help residents access information on the local council.

The G-City application was officially launched by Clr Josiah Makombe, the Mayor of Gweru. During this launch the mayor emphasized the importance of this application as a relevant tech tool to bring solutions to the city's current problems. The Application is ideal in view of COVID-19 which limits human-to-human contact.

“Digital technology is rapidly developing in diverse fields, including office work. We are now in the digital revolution phase where we are experiencing the profound change that new technologies bring to the way we live; work; interact and do business. To ensure digital technologies in our operations, Gweru Residents Forum came to our aid by donating the G-City mobile application to us,” said Clr Makombe during the launch.

In order to lighten the burden of COVID -19 restrictions the app will promote a paperless billing system where residents will be able to pay bills using ECOCASH , TELECASH amongst others bank payment systems.