Great Zimbabwe Times

Oliver Dairai Mtukudzi became Dr Mtukudzi on 31 October 2014 upon conferment of The Doctor of Ethnomusicology and Choreography (Honoris Causa) by the Great Zimbabwe University. As a tribute to the legendary musician, we publish the full citation. Your Excellency and Chancellor, I have the pleasure of presenting to you, a special artist, entrepreneur and family man. He is a man whose music is not only a talent or business but an opium of existence and commitment to his cultural, moral and intellectual beliefs and indeed to the values and goals of the nation as a whole. He is indeed an icon of Africanness, African resurgence and African consciousness. I refer, Your Excellency and Chancellor, to the renowned and legendary Oliver Mtukudzi affectionately known as 'Tuku Samanyanga Nzou Hombe '.  Oliver Mtukudzi's music has evolved from the exclusive use of modern electrical instruments to the use of African traditional instruments like the mbira and marimba, although

Challenges of menstruation period By Perpetual Dzimbanhete As boys and girls grow up boys become smarter than girls. At least That's what research tells us . The first time l saw this article l asked my brother why . His answer was that girls would now start focusing on boys instead of their books . Since l believed him to be Google l accepted his answer contently. But what if there was more to it than the girl having a boyfriend. After all the boy also had a girlfriend, isn't he also giving his attention to the girlfriend? Ladies and gentlemenl believe there is more. The more is that girls mensturate !!! Imagine waking up before the sun is up and going a couple of times to fetch water. If you are on your periods you will definitely need more water to bath yourself thus you have to add an extra trip to the well. However You are late for school therefore you decide to use less water for bathing so that you leave for school early. You don't have pads because you can&

Investment activities at Tokwe Mukosi Dam continue to be limited to fish poaching and school bus tourism by pupils from schools around the country. There is a deafening silence from the government and the investment community on bigger avenues of economic activity despite the pomp and fanfare that accompanied the commissioning of the dam by then President Robert Mugabe. Investment analysts who spoke on condition of anonymity submitted it's important to factor in how previous economic policies negatively affected investor atti tudes to Zimbabwe. 'The current political administration system is doing much to clean up the country's image but it may take some time before the efforts begin to register results. The 51-49 principle did a lot of damage. The stay away are adding salt to injury. So we have a lot of work to. A good starting point maybe to engage internal existing investors to offer them incentives so that they invest at the water facility.’ Transport logistics mogu

Inductoserve C.E.O and transport mogul Mr Solomon Matsa has business operations spanning Zimbabwe and South Africa. From humble beginnings of operating one bakkie ferrying in transit lodgers' properties within the high density locations of Johannesburg, Mr. Matsa's business empire has grown to include hotels along Bulawayo- Harare road, supermarket chains, real estate, a haulage fleet of over 20 trucks and mining interests in Zimbabwe. He is a mechanical engineer by profession. Great Zimbabwe Times Correspondent Lilian Muungani chats with B.E.E.F President   Solomon Matsa on the investment terrain in Zimbabwe, among other issues . Q:What interventions can the private sector make to ignite the revival of our local economy? A :There are so many opportunities in our country which the private sector can take up. If we want our country to progress, we need to intervene with creation of small businesses, not too small but when I say small businesses I mean businesses

Minister of State for Masvingo Province, Hon Ezra Chadzamira , presenting certificates to entrepreneur Zimbabwe's Chapter of the Women Entrepreneurship Day Organization has partnered with local financial institution Homelink and Great Zimbabwe University to offer training for 120 women entrepreneurs. The partnership was unveiled at the latest WED commemorations held in Masvingo. WED Ambassador Angeline Mikiri said the training programme is not just an opportunity for fresh entrepreneurial ideas. 'These women will also gain exposure to trending topics in business on how to create proposal that catch the attention of financiers nationally and globally. There is also the networking aspect which, in today's business climate, often leads to the next million dollar deal.’ A unique dimension to the one week training programme is that participants will be expected to use the skills gained to compete in project proposal design. The winning teams will have their project approve

Gracious Rumbidzai Shonhai will never forget the day she graduated. She was among the close to 4000 graduates being capped by President Mnangagwa. The unemployment rate in Zimbabwe had reached record figures and chances of getti ng a job were close to nothing. While others began typing and printing numerous flowery CVs to market themselves with potential employers, Gracious put on her tackies, packed a water bottle into a back pack and began trudging the Lowveld countryside investing the little startup capital she had raised from selling French fries into buying goats from rural farmers. Great Zimbabwe Times caught up with her soon after she vaccinated her herd at Wayne Farm in Masvingo and this is what she had to say: 'My experience with this project has taught me a lot about business – primarily the reality that we come into this world with one major capital asset – it's called life. This resource comes free from God but everything else is about putti ng your mind and e

GZU Registrar, Sinikiwe Tirivanhu on the importance of having more women in corporate boards "...firstly it is just good for society, no business sense no whatever but it is just good....you have your own six boys and six girls in the house, why would you only promote the six boys and leave out the six girls? You have invested in them through school, they have achieved equally but when it comes to rewarding them, you discriminate....it just makes good sense to give them equal opportunities. When we have more women in the boards they tend to helps us to make decisions which are more represantative of the different stakeholders we have in the economy. Maybe because we are mothers and we know how it is to have all your children treated the same ,and we also deal with the different sectors of the economy such that whenever we make decisions we want them to represent as many people as we can. ...they also bring diversity in experience and outlook. Kana nzvimbo dzatinoshandira d

Homelink Managing Director Mr. Desmond Ali says he has fewer loan repayment headaches when handling women led enterprises and as such the local finance institution has niched its operations on supporting women entrepreneurs. Speaking at the Women Entrepreneurship Day commemorations held in Masvingo recently, Mr. Ali revealed that investing in women positively impacts their communities. 'Business ownership by women at small, medium and large enterprise levels allows them to earn an independent income and contribute financially to their households and their communities.' Mr. Ali further noted that incomes earned by women create a positive impact in their families in terms of health, education, food and clothing hence contributing to poverty eradication, allowing families to have access to a decent standard of living. 'If women participate in economic activity and control productive assets, it leads to development by helping to overcome poverty, reduce inequality, and impr

The First Lady Mrs. Auxillia Mnangagwa has congratulated the Zimbabwean Chapter of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organisation (WEDO) for sterling efforts in putti ng the country on the global map through the networking forum. The First Lady delivered her congratulatory message in a speech read on her behalf by the Masvingo Provincial Minister of State, Honorable Ezra Chadzamira, at the United Nations recognized Women's Entrepreneurship Day commemorations in Masvingo recently. Mrs. Mnangagwa noted that commemorations of have an important dimension of marketing the country as an investment destination on global forums. 'Women's Entrepreneurship Day works globally. The commemorations aim to create an awareness of how corporate policies can positively impact business operations run by women at Micro and Macro levels of the economy and further create vital international networks that attract the attention of international investors and eventually increase investment

I would like to pay tribute to Dr Strive Masyiwa and Tsitsi Masiyiwa for coming up with fund for rural women women. The Econet boss said the fund which is his own personal money will be disbursed as loans through Steward Bank (a member of the Econet group). The money will support projects by rural entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs willing to focus on rural areas. By Angeline Mikiri, GZ Times Editor  According to report by UN Women Rural women are key agents for achieving the transformational economic, environmental and social changes required for sustainable development. But limited access to credit, health care and education are among the many challenges they face, which are further aggravated by the global food and economic crises and climate change. Empowering them is key not only to the well-being of individuals, families and rural communities, but also to overall economic productivity, given women's large presence in the agricultural workforce worldwide. I would like to

By Reginald Chapfunga, Guest Editor This brief tribute does not mourn the passing of the legendary Oliver Mtukudzi. It does not dwell on the many music accolades in his cabinet. No. It celebrates the life of the larger than life character. It honours and applaud his commitment, passion and never-say-die spirit. I grew up listening to Oliver Mtukudzi, he was my father's favourite artist back in the early 80s. His album (LP) Shanje was always on repeat in our home. The likes of Thomas Mapfumo, Zexie Manatsa, and Deverangwena Jazz band also dominated the music scene. As we moved into the late 80s and early 90s a new crop of artists in the mould of Leonard Dembo, John Chibadura and Simon Chimbetu became household names. Whilst Thomas Mapfumo managed to maintain his fort against these emerging stars Oliver Mtukudzi and others were obscured. Yes he was a superstar, the radio and press acknowledged it but the audience had shifted. This period marked one of the trying times in Mtuk

By Edward Kuyipa Prolific footballer Khama Billiat was supposed to shine at the Afcon games, but he ended up being a shooting star. Not his fault some pundits said. The common argument is, “Elementary my dear, who wants to risk a career terminating injury in the absence of any significant support or insurance from the government and the soccer governing body.” And others said that he was wrongly positioned. Nonetheless the warriors were literally Afcon's tourists. They came, they saw how others play the game and they went back home. As for Billiat, expectations were still high for him after the inglorious stint at Afcon. The history of Khama Billiat begins with Cheche Billiat, for it was he that mentored him. Cheche, the late Caps United former star, was the late brother to Khama's father Mustafa. Perhaps and in all probability it is the fact that Cheche had two daughters instead of a son that he decided to leave his legacy to his nephew. Undoubtedly, he is not turnin

BY Nyaradzo Shato Leadership is a word which conjures up a variety of images in our minds, most of which are unpleasant, such as an over-bearing, corrupt, arrogant, cruel, full of self-importance man or woman, who is hell-bend on making his/her subordinates as miserable as humanly possible. These individuals are also perceived as being interested only in enriching themselves as quickly as they can by bankrupting government departments, organisations, companies and institutions. In fact, the general behaviour of a leader today is akin to that of mercenaries – whose main occupation is raping, stealing and destroying a country of its resources. Most people view leadership in a negative way. While others dream of the day, they themselves will become leaders and “change things for the better”. I bet that as you are reading this article, a dozen or so names and faces have flashed in the mind of people who fit the label perfectly. Of course, you don't consider yourself to be one o

Many people are failing to maximize their potential because of negative influence from their social circles. However the truth of life is, what ultimately determines your destiny is neither your environment nor other people, but you. The world has so many negatives and the positives are also several. The world is also teeming with impossibilities and possibilities. What is important is that you're your own perception. It is not about the way you were raised, or the environment you were raised in, but in my opinion it's about taking charge of your life. When one is in charge it means he or she is in full control of his or her life. It means one is in control of external and internal forces. It means no amount of intimidation can stop one to take charge of his or her own life. Taking charge means you have the audacity to move against the wind, despite the discomfort. It means leaving the comfort zone and facing the dominating factors of the society. It also means that you a