1000 men circumcised

At least 1000 men were circumcised under the on-going clinical male circumcision facilitated by the National Aids Council (NAC) and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in Chiredzi district recently.

The programme is aiming at circumcising a total number of 3000 people in Masvingo.

According to NAC Masvingo provincial boss Evios Makoni, the on- going exercise is going to spread to other districts in Masvingo soon.

“This is the starting point in Masvingo province and we are targeting men between 16-29 years of age to be circumcised,” said Makoni.

Circumcision is a traditional and compulsory practice to Shangani boys. However, this year’s programme is not compulsory and any man regardless of tribal background is free to participate.

Traditionally, the practice was carried without anesthetics and other surgical tools until NAC came to the rescue.

“Our main objective is to meet their traditional practice in the prevention of HIV and we are saying lets do it hygienically and in a more humane manner,” Makoni said.

Currently there are 26 medical personnel in Chiredzi who are conducting the operations in three areas, Chidonga, Chambuta and Chimbwedziva camps.

Circumcision at a medical institution costs around $75, but the on going exercise in Chiredzi is done free of charge.

NAC is going to host a graduation ceremony on Tuesday this week..

Masvingo says Zimbabwe must have five provinces

People from all the seven districts of Masvingo who are contributing in the national constitution making process are unanimously demanding for the merging of the country’s current ten administrative provinces to become five.

The provinces must be simply named North, South, East, West and Central.

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) provincial director of elections and Masvingo Central legislator Jeffryson Chitando confirmed that in all of the meetings he has attended so far, the issue of having five provinces has remained on top of the agenda.

“In all meetings people are lobbying for merging of the current ten provinces. They are saying Zanu PF came up with many provinces especially in Mashonaland to build politics of patronage in such provinces.

“It seems the issue of merging provinces is topping the list of what the people want to be done in the new constitution,” Chitando said.

Villagers who spoke to The Mirror said the government is wasting a lot of money and resources through paying governors and workers in the current set up.

“We can reduce government expenditure by having five provinces. It would mean that we will only have five governors and that way, we can serve resources and money,” said a villager.

Besides having a guarantee that the provinces will be reduced to five, Masvingo is making it clear that the country’s president should be between 40 to 70 years old.

If Masvingo’s presidential age range proposal gets the nod from other provinces, Zanu PF will be forced to drop its traditional candidate President Robert Mugabe in the next elections since he will be 17 years older than the preferred maximum age by next year.

According to what the people want, a president should be allowed to be in office for only two terms.

The current constitution is silent on the president’s age and the number of terms that one can be in office.

-Masvingo Mirror

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