NO song can be longer than a sungura song and no performance can be similarly longer, energetic and involved as a sungura gig.

Maybe rhumba? Perhaps! Hurungwe-born musician Mitchell Jambo, for example, holds the dubious distinction of releasing arguably the longest-ever sungura song, “Ndini Uyo”, which is 25 minutes and 35 seconds.

Phew!

This is close to half an hour.

Ben Manyenyeni

The song was a medley of sungura compositions and renditions from various local musicians.

Another sungura magician, Leonard Dembo, also had one of the longest songs produced, as his smash hit “Chitekete” could serenade the ear for a staggering 14 minutes and 33 seconds.

The late Tongai Moyo’s “Zvinoita Murudo” is also a contender, as it breaches the 14-minute mark. And all these productions were not by default, but by design.

They were meant to give the composers enough time to practise their wizardry and witchcraft with the guitar.

It gave them the latitude to create sonorously delectable rhythms.

However long a song was, the repertoire of enchanting guitar-strumming skills ensured that it remained engaging.

It was deliberate and intentional.

Pure sorcery, if you ask the Bishop.

And if one goes for a sungura music show, they should have sufficient reservoirs of energy to dance, writhe, gyrate, jive, boogie or shake the night away.

This is what we call real entertainment, not those anticlimactic Western shows that do not last for more than two hours (Yawn!).

Back in the day, the invariably unfathomable high-energy levels of performing artistes made some folks believe they were always high on some illegal herbs.

It was the only sensible explanation.

This is precisely the reason some parents, while being unapologetic consumers and followers of the artistes, always discouraged their kids from joining the music industry, which they believed was a sanctuary for no-gooders.

So, musicians were essentially considered a cursed species that was condemned to a life of entertaining the human race.

But the genius of these artistes lay in the ability to make their compositions suitably long enough to sustain interest, which is not an easy thing to do.

They had the art to creatively fuse different rhythms that segued (smoothly transitioned) into one masterful song.

It’s curtains!

They say a good artiste knows when to leave the stage. Even a good clown knows the time the curtain should come down.

But not the clowns at Town House, whose circus has continued for more than long enough that it is no longer worthwhile — but fatal — for the clowns themselves.

Last year, Bishop Lazi sounded a warning to city fathers and mothers that time was fast running out for them to put their house in order.

Perhaps they thought the Bishop was bluffing. The situation in the capital had become so untenable that something was going to give sooner or later.

The council seemed unfazed by the proliferation of vendors roasting maize cobs in the central business district.

But this is hardly surprising considering that the same council — which owns the horribly decrepit Cleveland House that looks more like a haunted house than administrative offices — is comfortable sharing space with the unorganised army of vendors at their doorstep.

People can settle themselves anywhere and occupy open spaces and road servitudes with the comfort that the council will not do anything about it.

Community halls and recreational parks in various communities have rotten away under their watch.

Garbage continues to pile up, while water supplies have become seriously intermittent.

Potholes now look like part of the road design.

We cannot even begin talking about street lighting and the beautification of the city.

It is a mess.

But one needed to be either an imbecile or idiot, or both, to believe that President ED, who is obsessed with his vision to deliver a modern and prosperous Zimbabwe, would just stand aside and watch while the city was being run and overrun by clowns.

Before last year’s consequential elections, an unimpressed former City of Harare mayor, Ben Manyenyeni, critically declared that “the danger of having rural people running cities must be contained”. Ouch! Kikikiki.

He added: “It dilutes expectations, outcomes and deliverables. Many urban residents are not fit-for-town themselves, which is also contributing to the decline.” Kikikiki.

But, as Greek philosopher Aristotle once observed, “nature abhors a vacuum”.

1 Corinthians 14:33 tells us: “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace — as
in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.”

ED has tried all he can to give a helping hand to the city by opening up the national purse to ensure that the City of Harare rehabilitates its water treatment plants and buys water treatment chemicals to provide residents with potable water.

He also launched Operation Chenesa to set the tone for a sustainable waste management system.

The rehabilitation of roads that ordinarily fall under the purview of the local authority is a damning indictment of the hopelessly incompetent lot that sits at Town House.

However, all these efforts are being tempered by a thoroughly inept and ineffective local authority that thrives in a choreographed chaotic system engineered to bilk ratepayers.

Of course, there is method to the madness.

But the launch of the manual “A Call to Action: No Compromise to Service Delivery” by the President last year was supposed to be ominous for the city council, as the Government tried to coax it to do the needful.

They are still not playing ball.

The inevitable rejection of their resubmitted 2024 budget, for obvious reasons, is going to be catastrophic, especially in the wake of the latest developments.

The appointment of the Justice Maphios Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry is an epochal seismic shift that marks the beginning of a new era for Harare.

And the inclusion of Lucia Matibenga — a former stalwart in the opposition who once served as the Minister of Public Service in the Inclusive Government — shows the President’s commitment to a transparent process that is in the best interests of the capital.

The post-inquiry intervention will surely be good for the city, for nothing could be worse than what we are currently witnessing.

It is way past time for an administration that will begin reviving Harare.

In its various forms, the opposition tried everything it could to frustrate development.

Econet, for example, tried to embark on a mega project to modernise the First Street Mall, a process that will have resulted in a complete makeover, but they were frustrated and walked away from the deal.

Even Savanna Tobacco tried to rehabilitate the Market Square Bus Terminus, which is now in a laughable state, but they met the same fate.

Recently, Sakunda tried to refresh Rufaro Stadium by building a modern facility, but the company, too, walked away.

As the Bishop has said before, a well-functioning city is not good for the opposition, which needs urbanites, who have traditionally been their base, to be always frustrated by service delivery so that they deliver the protest vote in every election.

Poor service delivery has and continues to be the go-to manifesto for the opposition, which routinely shifts the blame to the Government. But this nonsense is coming to an end.

The curtain is now surely coming down on the circus.

You see, the ancient Greeks believed that on the Gates of Heracles were inscribed the words “Non Plus Ultra”, which mean “no further beyond”.

This is the year it all ends.

Bishop out!

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station photographed this agricultural region just outside of Lyon in east-central France in April 2022. The fertile land of the Rhône River floodplain includes several smaller cities and towns.

The Rhône River skirts the perimeter of the image and is joined by the Ain River near the bottom of the scene. The Rhône River appears dark blue, while the Ain River has a brown hue due to its higher concentration of suspended sediment. The river floodplains include meander scars and oxbow cutoffs, several of which are filled with dark green vegetation.

Angular agricultural fields range from tan to green and vary in color due to primary crops, such as wheat, barley, rapeseed, corn, and sunflowers. Reddish agricultural plots indicate recent planting or tilling. The region’s mild climate, fertile soils, and abundant water sources make it an ideal place for farming.

The large, dark feature on the left of the image is Camp de La Valbonne, a military site established over 150 years ago. Just north of this site, blue-toned tailings ponds support industries such as mining companies and concrete suppliers. A highway stretches across the image and connects Lyon to industrial areas, like the commune of Saint-Vulbas. An oval-shaped horse-racing track is visible northwest of the commune.

Astronaut photograph ISS067-E-19015 was acquired on April 17, 2022, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 1,150 millimeters. It is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 67 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by Sara Schmidt, GeoControl Systems, JETS Contract at NASA-JSC.

Renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) medications have long been established as the standard of care for reducing cardiovascular events and mortality in various patient groups, including those with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, heart failure, and hypertension. However, the primary challenge associated with these medications has always been the risk of hyperkalemia, a condition characterized by elevated blood potassium levels, which can lead to severe arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest. This potential side effect has significantly limited the optimization of RAASi therapy due to safety concerns.

In an interview with HCPLive, Wei Ling Lau, MD, interim chief in the Division of Nephrology, Hypertension & Kidney Transplantation at the University of California, Irvine, discusses her session on enabling optimal RAASi therapy, presented at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) 2024 Spring Clinical Meeting.

RAASi medications encompass several subgroups, including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs). Both ACE inhibitors and ARBs are considered excellent choices, with no compelling evidence favoring one over the other. However, Lau noted patients may switch between these agents if they experience side effects such as a dry cough. MRAs, such as spironolactone and the newer agent finerenone, are particularly beneficial for patients with diabetes who have persistent proteinuria.

Mitigating hyperkalemia while maintaining optimal RAASi therapy poses a significant clinical challenge. Traditionally, dietary restrictions targeting high-potassium foods like bananas, avocados, and potatoes have been recommended. However, implementing such restrictions can be challenging, as many of these foods are essential components of a heart-healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Additionally, restricting potassium-rich foods may inadvertently lead to decreased fiber intake, exacerbating issues like constipation, particularly in the kidney disease population.

Alternative strategies for managing hyperkalemia include the use of diuretics to increase urinary potassium excretion and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which have shown potential in lowering blood potassium levels.

Historically, dialysis patients have been managed with lower potassium concentrations during dialysis sessions, but this approach has fallen out of favor due to associated mortality risks. The introduction of newer oral potassium binders, such as patiromer and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, has revolutionized hyperkalemia management, allowing for long-term potassium control while enabling patients to maintain optimal RAASi therapy and dietary flexibility.

Disclosures: Lau has no relevant disclosures to report.