A filmmaker from Costa Rica and Catalonia named Kokopelli is running this platform called ATAEC that links up artists fighting climate change across different continents. She's been working with Bulawayo artist Fisani Nkomo and indigenous business owner Makhosi Mahlangu from Lupane, and they're putting together exhibitions about food systems and decolonization. The network started as a digital space back when everyone was freaking out about ecological disasters, and it turned into this whole collaborative thing based on anti-capitalist values.
Nkomo curated an exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, and Mahlangu runs Lupane Veggie Guys while making baobab juice. ATAEC helps artists get paid gigs and visibility...
Zimbabwe's Grade 7 pass rate dropped to 48.49 percent from last year's 49.01 percent, and Zimsec chairman Paul Mapfumo said nearly 395,000 kids wrote exams this cycle. The country hasn't cracked 50 percent since way back when the 2018 group managed 52.08 percent, and things bottomed out during the pandemic at 37.11 percent.
Female students crushed it with a 53.64 percent pass rate while boys only hit 43.06 percent. Shona and Ndebele scored above 83 percent, and every subject cleared the 50 percent bar. Special needs candidates jumped 15.85 percent in numbers, with their pass rate climbing to 43.91 percent from the previous 37.19 percent.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Trading wants to pump more investment into Zimbabwe by bringing fuel and gas at competitive rates. The UAE firm's CEO, Ahmad Bin Thalith, met with President Mnangagwa and said they're already supplying diesel and gasoline under a contract that kicked off months ago. The company is the world's 12th-biggest oil producer and cranks out over 4 million barrels daily.
Thalith mentioned they're not just about petroleum products, and other UAE companies are eyeing investment opportunities across Zimbabwe. The move backs up Harare's push to attract foreign business and strengthen ties with the Emirates. Zimbabwe wants to beef up its energy infrastructure and expand the Beira-Feruka pipeline to cut down on road...
Zimbabwe's diamond industry is getting wrecked by lab-grown stones and weak global pricing, according to Minerals Marketing Corporation head Nomusa Moyo. The country's lithium sector is also taking hits from depressed international markets. Mimosa Mining Company paused platinum exports for months over a tax dispute, and Bikita Minerals stopped shipping lithium petalite concentrate because prices tanked hard.
Some good news came late in the third quarter when platinum group metals jumped 54.5 percent, ferrochrome rose 24 percent, and lithium climbed about 7.5 percent. The mining sector is still struggling with massive electricity costs and logistics problems that are messing with production timelines. Spodumene sales hit 1 million...
Parliamentary auditors busted village chiefs across the country charging illegal fees between two grand and five thousand dalasis for land transfers that should be free. The alkalolu also skims up to five percent off property sales, even though local government rules ban them from collecting any payment for these services.
Investigators found that two villages out of 25 sampled keep zero official records for land deals, which leaves residents vulnerable to scams and duplicate claims. Other communities use inconsistent paperwork that gets filled out by random, literate people helping the chiefs, and this setup creates openings for exploitation and mistakes.
The committee gave the lands ministry three months to crack down on these...
Lawmakers just dropped a report showing Gambian hospitals stuff up to four newborns into a single incubator when things get busy. The neonatal unit runs with just 15 machines total, plus one radiant warmer, which forces moms to literally hold sick babies in their laps while waiting for equipment to free up.
The gender committee toured facilities across the country and found that Tanka Tanka psychiatric center treats patients from three countries, but only employs one social worker for 85 people. A fire-damaged building sits unrepaired after a suicide attempt, and the place lacks basic supplies like mattresses and ambulances.
Parliament wants the health ministry to buy more incubators immediately and partner with donors to fix...
Health officials dropped warnings about antibiotic resistance turning into a legit crisis that kills more people than HIV and malaria combined across Africa. The Ministry of Health teamed up with UN groups at a warehouse in Kotu to explain how overusing meds creates super bacteria that spreads through livestock and wrecks entire food chains.
Momodou Barrow from WHO said resistant infections already kill over a million people globally per year, and projections show that number hitting 10 million by mid-century without major changes. Officials told farmers to chill with the antibiotics and focus more on vaccinations since resistant germs from animals eventually jump into human populations through contaminated food.
Some guy got busted inside a mosque after allegedly trying to jack an electronic device during morning prayers. A witness spotted the broken ceiling and missing door glass that pointed to forced entry, and a crowd already had the suspect cornered by the time authorities showed up at the Brikama Nyambai location.
Defense asked whether investigators found any break-in tools, but the witness said nothing turned up since the accused had already got caught red-handed. Prosecutors requested an adjournment to bring their next witness, and the court pushed the hearing back for continued testimony.
Court officials slapped an elderly businessman with fraud charges after he allegedly pulled over three million dalasis from accounts that were not his. The dude pleaded innocent when magistrates read out accusations claiming he yanked cash from an Eco Bank account tied to JBM Financial Services and pocketed money meant for someone else.
Defense lawyers pushed for release while the prosecution asked for more time to round up witnesses, but did not fight against bail despite the massive amounts involved. Magistrates set bond at five million dalasis or property worth that much, and the case got pushed back for continuation after the holidays.
