City of Progress Trust – Supporting Our Hometown, Gweru.

We are a group of enthusiasts who were born, grew up, have resided or worked in Gweru and as such, have a heart for our Progressive city. Currently, our city, like elsewhere in the world, is at risk of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. While no cases have been detected to date, and our desire is for this trend to continue, this cannot be guaranteed. Looking at the trajectory of the pandemic and its impact elsewhere, we cannot wait and watch; we need to be prepared for any eventualities.

We have conducted a needs assessment of the city’s preparedness to deal with any presenting cases of COVID-19 at all the medical institutions (clinics and hospitals) and established that our front-line staff are currently working very hard, albeit with very limited resources. Therefore, our most urgent priority is the resourcing of our clinics across the city with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as well as other resources to limit disease spread.

We are mindful of several other initiatives on the ground coordinated by the Government, the City Council, MPs and Church Leaders. Our efforts are not meant to compete, but rather, to plug any gaps and complement on-going efforts. We are, therefore, calling on all people who have a connection and/ or passion for Gweru to join our efforts through donating in cash, kind or expertise as we fight this pandemic. If we don’t act now, the situation might get out of hand. No amount is small. A little can go a long way….

God Bless you.

Composition of the Board.

The Board is made up of four inaugural trustees who are appointed for a period of two years. Trustees act in fiduciary capacity and can be reappointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened and constituted meeting of the Trustees.

Board Members

Dennis Mambure (Chairperson)

Dennis Mambure is a Marketing and Communications practitioner. He has 20 years of in-depth corporate experience gained in retail banking, telecommunications, agricultural as well as manufacturing sectors. Dennis is a holder of a Master in Public Policy and Governance, MSc in Marketing, Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Marketing, well as certificates in Digital Marketing and Social Media. Dennis has successfully completed an I Lead Leadership Development Programme with Duke Corporate Education.

Charity Kanotangudza (Public Relations)

Charity is a Specialist Public Health Practitioner as well as a Registered General Nurse with over 19 years’ experience of working in different health arenas; particularly within child & adolescent health services. As such, she is passionate about empowering young people, particularly the girl child on issues relating to their sexual and reproductive health. Her experience encompasses managing and developing reproductive and sexual health services, coordinating vaccination programmes as well as managing responses to disease outbreak. She possesses sound knowledge of child protection and has proven clinical, leadership and management skills gained from working in the health public sector. Charity is a holder of a Master in Health Policy, Bachelor of Science Specialist Pubic Health Nursing and a Diploma in Nursing.

Lindiwe Lorraine Nyakudanga (Treasurer)

Lindiwe Nyakudanga is an Education Practitioner who has worked in various government high schools and private colleges in the Midlands area. She has vast experience of twenty years as a classroom practitioner, life skills programmes and has held senior administration posts in the schools that she has taught at. Her interaction with learners led to a passion in working with the vulnerable groups in schools such as the girl child, the orphaned, child headed families and other underprivileged learners. Lindiwe has also worked hand in hand with various Non- governmental organisations who look after the welfare of these vulnerable groups and the underprivileged in the schools that she has worked at. Her other passions lie in Personnel Management and Occupational Health and Safety which she has relative experience on. Lindiwe holds a Diploma in Education, Diploma in Personnel Management and a Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. She is currently studying towards a law degree (LLB) with the University of South Africa.

Petronillah Rudo Manhondo (Secretary)

Petronillah is a Specialist Medical Microbiologist who has worked as a university lecturer for over 10 years. She has been involved in community engagement programs both in rural and urban settings to impart knowledge on One Health issues. Petronillah holds an MSc in Medical Microbiology from the University of Zimbabwe and a PhD in Veterinary Tropical Diseases from the University of Pretoria.

Annah Vimbai Bengesai (Trustee)

Dr Annah Bengesai is a population dynamics scholar based in South Africa. She currently serves as the Director of Teaching and Learning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal(CLMS) and has a passion for community development, especially among vulnerable and disadvantaged people. Her research interests include data analytics, demographic analysis as well as public health, especially reproductive health and violence against girls and women and how this affects developmental outcomes. In 2016 she served as a global champion for women economic empowerment, under the Empower Women division of UN Women.

Governance

The City of Progress Trust was established under the Private Voluntary Organizations Act (1996, revised). Provisions relating to the functions and duties of the Trustees are provided in the Deed of Trust which was filed in the office of the Deeds Registry under protocol 08/2020.

Committees

The City of Progress Board of Trustees Board is committed to the highest ethical standards; transparency, efficiency and accountability. Therefore, several committees have been set up to increase its effectiveness in meeting these standards.

• Public Relations
• Finance and Auditing
• Fundraising

These committees operate under the delegated authority of the Board of Trustees.

Finance and Auditing

The aim of the Finance and Auditing Committee is to assist the Board of Trustees with independent oversight of the fundraising and financial reporting process. To fulfil this purpose the committee will work directly with Fairview Chartered Accountants (Zimbabwe), an independent auditing firm, which will ensure compliance with applicable legislation as well as financial regulations and management.