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Tanzanian Wins SADC Essay Competition as Zimbabwe decorates Mbita
Neema Stephen, a Form Three student at
Nabote Secondary School in Njombe, has won the first prize in this year's
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secondary Schools Essay
Competition, beating Zimbabwe and Swaziland to second and third positions,
respectively.
Neema was awarded a certificate and
US$1,500. The second winner received $750 and the third prize was $500.
Secondary schools in the region were asked to write an essay on the effects of
climate change and discuss the remedy.
The prizes were presented to the
winners by H.E. Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika, President of the Republic of
Malawi, in his capacity as the outgoing SADC Chairman, at the sideline of the
SADC summit.
President Mutharika also presented
prizes to winners of mass media competition, which eluded Tanzanians. The SADC
Council of ministers has directed the secretariat of the organization to
promote the competition among member states.
The competitions are coordinated by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration with
the relevant sectoral ministries.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Zimbabwe has
bestowed its highest National Honour, the Royal Order of
Munumutapa, on retired Brigadier General Hashim Mbita in recognition
of his contribution to the liberation of the Southern African country.
H.E. Robert Mugabe, President of
Zimbabwe, announced the decision during the opening of the 34th SADC Summit at
Victoria Falls, after launching a nine-volume publication on the Southern
Africa liberation struggles, coordinated by General Mbita.
President Mugabe said beside the medal,
his government had awarded General Mbita, who was the Executive Secretary
of the OAU Liberation Committee for 22 years, US$100,000.
General Mbita could not attend the
ceremony due to ill health, and the medal and cheque were received on his
behalf by his daughter, Shella.
The OAU Liberation Committee, which was
based in Dar es Salaam, was key in mobilizing arms and military supplies
for liberation movements of the Southern Africa region. It was dissolved in
1994 after the defeat of apartheid in South Africa.
The only other non-Zimbabwean
recipients of the honour are the Father of the Tanzanian Nation, Mwalimu Julius
Nyerere, the first President of Mozambique, H.E. Samora Machel, the First
President of Botswana, H.E. Sir Seretse Khama and H.E. Kenneth Kaunda, the
first President of Zambia.
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