Month: October 2020

Women Cant Rape Men According to Zimbabwean Law

Michael Gwarisa

DO you all still remember those days a few years back when newspapers would be flooded with stories of women who would target drunk unsuspecting men, have sex with them without their consent for the purposes of harvesting sperms? Almost every headline screamed “Women Rapists On The Loose.” But do you know what the Zimbabwean law says about rape and the procedures one should take reporting a rape case? By Michael Gwarisa According to Zimbabwe’s Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, it is impossible for a woman to rape a…

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More Zim Women Withdraw Rape and SGBV Cases from Police and Courts

Michael Gwarisa

IN a rather disturbing trend, numbers of women withdrawing rape and Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases they would have filed with the police or courts have been increasing over the past few years. By Michael Gwarisa Even though the reasons behind the huge withdrawals are yet to be ascertained, it is largely believed that societal and family pressures could be the reason behind the huge spike in case being withdrawn by survivors. Presenting at a Media Sensitisation Workshop on reporting on SGBV in Zimbabwe that was organised by UNICEF,…

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Universities Contribution to COVID-19 Cuts Zim Import Bill By US$4 Million- NatPharm

Michael Gwarisa

LOCAL manufacturing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), hand sanitisers, face masks and other essential equipment needed in the fight against COVID-19 by Zimbabwean Universities has manged to cut the import bill by  US$4 Million, HealthTimes has learnt. By Michael Gwarisa In an interview, NatPharm Acting Operations Manager, Mr Zealous Nyabadza said the contribution by tertiary institutions towards the COVID-19 fight had marked the beginning of a greater partnership between the organisation and tertiary institutions The partnership between NatPharm and Universities has drastically reduced the import bill by over USD4 Million…

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Fulfilling our promise to girls in East and Southern Africa will give voice to and secure their equal future

Healthtimes
Julitta Onabanjo

Joint reflections by United Nations Senior Officials in Africa*  THIRTEEN year-old Lydia Mwela from Zambia has observed too many girls in her community becoming pregnant, suffering gender-based violence and testing positive for HIV. She does not wish to end up in a similar situation herself. Through knowledge she is gaining at school, she has become empowered to make her own informed choices and create the future she dreams of for herself. She is learning about healthy relationships, good values, the human rights she is entitled to, and sexual and reproductive…

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Tanaka Adolescent Clinic, a huge milestone towards attaining SRHR equality

Patricia Mashiri

ACCESS to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) has been one of the topical issues raised on various platforms. Most Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Zimbabwe have been at forefront of advocating for equal access to SRHR as well as removing the age barriers to accessing services. By Patricia Mashiri recently in Rushinga Many young people from marginalised communities struggle to access SRHR services owing to a myriad of factors chief among them being the absence of youth friendly health facilities which offer young people centred services. As a result,…

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Zim Government Announces Phased Reopening Of Boarders

Michael Gwarisa

CABINET has announced a phased reopening of its land boarders to be effective December, 1 2020. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing a post cabinet media briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said the phased opening of the boarders will be done while further assessment is being undertaken with regard to preparations for handling public passenger transport. Cabinet resolved that the opening of border posts be phased, beginning with Beitbridge, Plumtree, Victoria Falls, Chirundu, Nyamapanda and Forbes. The borders will open first to private passenger vehicles and pedestrian…

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COVID-19 Fatigue Is Real, Lets Just Hold On A little Longer Says Dr Tedros

Michael Gwarisa

WORLD Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Dr  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has implored countries the world over to continue adhering to WHO set COVID-19 prevention guidelines until a vaccine and medication has been approved. By Michael Gwarisa In a media statement, Dr Tedros said cases of COVID-19 were souring in other nations and last week saw the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported so far. Many countries in the northern hemisphere are seeing a concerning rise in cases and hospitalisations. And intensive care units are filling up to capacity in some…

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Say It Louder’ Webinar Series addresses the Impact of COVID-19 on Early and Unintended Pregnancy in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region

Michael Gwarisa

THE COVID-19 pandemic has impacted issues such as access to health and education services, including contraception, gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy, highlighting the critical need for targeted messaging, information and resources for young people. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) released data showing that the pandemic could result in a projected seven million unintended pregnancies. Since July of 2019, UNESCO, SAfAIDS, UNFPA and Save the Children Sweden with support from PCI Media have been running the Let’s Talk campaign in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region. The program aims to reduce early…

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VP Chiwenga Receives Three Ambulances From Redan

Michael Gwarisa

VICE President and Minister for Health and Child Care General (Rtd) Dr Constatntino Chiwenga has recieved a donation of three ambulances from Redan Coupons. The three units will service Masvingo, Gwanda and Marondera and they come with world class hospital standard life support medical equipment. By Michael Gwarisa The ambulances come with a thousand litres worth of dfi fuel coupons and cards each. …Details to follow

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The World Health Organization and Wikimedia Foundation expand access to trusted information about COVID-19 on Wikipedia

Michael Gwarisa

The collaboration is part of a shared commitment from both organizations to ensure everyone has access to critical public health information surrounding the global coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that administers Wikipedia, announced today a collaboration to expand the public’s access to the latest and most reliable information about COVID-19.  The collaboration will make trusted, public health information available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license at a time when countries face continuing resurgences of COVID-19 and social stability increasingly depends on the…

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