Earlier today, we published a story noting that the the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) received an award for a website that was down for more than a month (including the the time they received the award). The award is part of the ICT Ministry’s annual ICT Achievers Awards.
Before we published the story we had contacted the ICT Ministry Permanent Secretary, Eng. Sam Kundishora and he promised to find out exactly what had happened. We just received an email response from. Here’s is the text of the response:
Sorry, I was out of the office the whole day. I tried to contact someone from the office without much success, ref your subject.
Like I hinted the nomination starts in June and this is the time when aspirants submit arguments and justification for consideration. The Ministry then validates the nomination, checks its authentisity and if nonconformity is observed then the nomination is not accepted. The adjudicators work on the content in the submission contained in the database. You are aware that the Ministry of Tourism and indeed ZTA are extremely busy with the co-hosting of UNWTO event next year and they will be constantly updating their preparations and systems including the website. I want to believe that something might have been happening in the context of the aforesaid and i would not want to believe that they entered the nomination process without a website. I have checked with my staff this afternoon and they confirmed that due process is undertaken to verify the entrants’ authenticity soon after receipt of a nomination and they did that at the time.
Thanks for the observation and I will check with ZTA what exactly is going on.
We thanked him for the response, then later another email from him said the website “has been up and running for some time.”:
My staff have given me feedback just now and they say the website is up and running and they spoke to someone from there who said it has been so for some time.
12 comments
What hog wash.So at your level Permanent Secretary you think people can put a website down because they want to update it.A useful website can not be allowed to be down even for 5 minutes.You shud have just got a statement from ZTA why must you speak for ZTA
brings me to question the truthfullness of the awards themselves
ZTA must explain exactly what happened…they are the door to the tourism industry in Zimbabwe and very critical in projecting the image of the country in all aspects…their website cannot be allowed to go offline for 20mins a months let alone for a full months. As a nation let us not tolerate mediocrity. That award should be revoked, simple and straight to the point.
sorry but in my opinion, the credibility of the ICT ministry and its permanent secretaries really comes into question after seeing this nonsense
Lets be honest these awards have a single section for public sector the other seems to be centered around glorifying econet and affiliates…
I don’t understand why the moderator of this site must edit my comment.So if l think something is stupid l can’t say so? I did not use vulgar words
Sincerely sorry bro. really.
Is the award for design or just the implementation of an already made theme. If it’s for design then joom-shaper should be getting the award…….for their Shaper travel theme
http://www.joomshaper.com/joomla/club-templates/travel
Maybe the “under maintenance” design is award winning
Unoudza ani anonzwa lets face it we have a problem of responsibility with lack of knowledge while those who are knowledgeable are being frustrated by the system that’s why they move to other countries togodii
unjustified !!!!
Thats the way….vanhu ava vanoitisana mari vega