David M Mhambare.

Here is my perspective on the recent dispute between Chief Murinye and Riverton Extension. A boarding school, by its very nature, serves a national purpose. Its target market extends far beyond the local community, drawing students from all corners of the country. Consequently, such an institution must be considered a national asset. It is also true that operating a boarding school requires significant investment and resources.The local community stands to gain substantial benefits from this presence, including infrastructure development, direct and indirect employment, and a reliable market for local goods and services. This establishes a symbiotic relationship where the school's success contributes directly to local prosperity.When disagreements arise between investors and traditional leadership, it is imperative that they are resolved through mature, structured dialogue. Public confrontations, especially within earshot or sight of students, are unacceptable. What moral example does it set for children when adults engage in shouting matches pamberi pevana? The educational environment must be protected from such discord. Disputes should be settled away from the students, through respectful mediation that acknowledges both the authority of traditional structures and the operational realities of running a national institution.Ultimately, the focus must remain on safeguarding the school's stability and the welfare of its students, who are there to learn, not to witness adult conflicts.

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After reading this lady’s letter, it further confirms the lesson we have been taught so many times by Dr Solomon Guramatunhu. The problem in Zimbabwe is not simply the politicians, it is the society and the mindset that produces them. Politicians are a reflection of that society. When politicians say they are awarding tenders to the same individual all the time, we call it corruption. Yet here we have schools doing exactly the same thing, awarding an exclusive uniform tender to one individual, often a friend or someone giving them a kickback. So when people like me come out and attack the government for repeatedly giving tenders to a single favoured person, on what basis do I continue attacking the government when you, the citizens — as seen through these schools — behave in exactly the same way? Can you now see that what Dr Solomon Guramatunu says is true? These politicians are not aliens, they are not imported from somewhere else. They come from the very same society whose mindset we see on display in this schools arraignment. The problem is not only ZANUPF or any political party. The deeper problem is the mindset of the citizens. Because when you are in charge of a school, you act exactly the same way. You hand an inflated tender to your friend, you demand that parents buy from one supplier, you shut out competition and justify corruption when it benefits you. Is that not the same corruption you accuse the government of? Do you now understand what the good doctor meant when he said the politicians are not the root of the problem, the mindset is? The brain of that society called Zimbabwe is the issue. I hope you can now reflect on what the doc always says about mindset. And I hope you now see it clearly, because this is not the government forcing people to buy from a particular individual. It is a school, run by ordinary citizens like you and me. But when these same citizens are elected into power, they take that small-scale corruption and turn it into national corruption at government level. And yet we blame the party, when in truth the sickness lies in the society itself, in the way it is wired.

One of the suspects on the murder case of Ruwa businessman Joseph Mutangadura arriving at the Harare magistrate's court yesterday. In a statement, national police spokesperson commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest of yet another suspect in the high-profile murder case: “The ZRP confirms the arrest of Webster Nhau, aged 51, in connection with the robbery and murder of businessman Joseph Mutangadura, aged 67, on August 17, 2025, at Mutangadura Hideout Farm, Ruwa. The suspect was arrested near his residence along Dustan Road, Ruwa, on November 2, 2025. The police have arrested seven suspects in connection with the case.”