National

Zimbabwe bars unvaccinated civil servants from work

Published

4 years ago

September 15, 2021

HARARE -Zimbabwe’s cabinet has barred unvaccinated civil servants from reporting to work with immediate effect.

Only workers who have taken the coronavirus vaccine will be allowed to report for duty, Minister of Information Monica Mutsvangwa told reporters at a post-cabinet briefing in the capital, Harare on Tuesday.

The country is slowly opening economic and social activity after a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Only vaccinated people are allowed to attend church gatherings and sit-in at restaurants.

The southern African nation has received 11.8 million vaccine doses from purchases and donations since the start of the government’s vaccination programme.

At least 1.9 million people were fully vaccinated as of September 13 out of the 10 million the state is targeting to reach herd immunity, according to the health ministry.

It remains unclear how many of the state’s workers estimated at over 300,000 are vaccinated.

The biggest workers’ union last month took the state and several firms to court for insisting that employees must be inoculated against Covid-19 before reporting for work.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) said there is no law under the country’s statutes providing for compulsory vaccination.

Meanwhile, Harare High Court judge Justice Emilia Muchawa ruled that the ZCTU had failed to justify why the case should be heard on an urgent basis since most of the companies that forced workers to get the Covid-19 vaccine issued their directives in July, but the union only went to court now.

“The certificate of urgency on record is silent on the delay in acting from around July 22 when all, but one of the respondents issued their staff notices,” Muchawa ruled.

“It does not mention any dates relating to when the cause of action was complete and the need to act therefore arose.

“The applicant alleged in the certificate of urgency that the respondents were conducting themselves as alleged with a view to terminating the unvaccinated employees’ contracts unlawfully.

“This irreparable prejudice is merely speculative as nothing is alleged about what happened to employees after the deadlines came and passed before the lodging of the application. – Bloomberg/VicFallsLive

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

7 hours ago

April 16, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive suffered significant damage after catching fire while transporting export coal to Zambi. The incident occurred between Kalala and Matetsi sidings, resulting in the explosion of the locomotive’s fuel tanks.

According to the NRZ press statement on Monday, “A National Railways of Zimbabwe locomotive suffered some damages after it caught fire this afternoon while transporting export coal to Zambia.” Fortunately, the crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.

The NRZ responded swiftly to the incident, dispatching a rescue train with crews to the site. The team successfully extinguished the fire, preventing further damage. However, the locomotive itself sustained considerable damage.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations currently underway. “Investigations are already underway to establish the cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the locomotive,” the NRZ statement read.

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

1 month ago

March 14, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

Mandishara, who worked for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), was on patrol in the Gatche-gatche area with fellow rangers and police officers.

At around 10 pm, Mandishara returned to the harbor where their boat was docked, and that’s when he encountered the elephant. The elephant charged at him, causing fatal injuries. His colleagues were nearby, resupplying at the Gatche-gatche Irrigation Scheme.

Mandishara’s body was taken to Kariba District Hospital for a post-mortem, and the incident was reported to the police.

ZimParks has sent a team to manage the problem elephant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Director General of ZimParks, Prof. Edson Gandiwa, and his team have sent condolences to Mandishara’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mandishara will be remembered for his dedication to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

Published

2 months ago

February 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs officer, Phillip Kuvenga, has been accused of criminal abuse of office for allegedly assisting in the importation of banned motor vehicles.

Kuvenga, 28, who is stationed at Victoria Falls, allegedly received documents from clients, completed valuation sheets, and carried out the valuation process. However, he is accused of endorsing different chassis numbers to deceive his supervisors during the validation and approval process.

After obtaining approval, Kuvenga would capture the correct chassis numbers in the ASYCUDA World System. He would then alter or replace the documents submitted earlier to his supervisors.

The offense came to light when a motor vehicle that had not yet arrived in Zimbabwe was found to have been already registered. A thorough check by ZIMRA led to Kuvenga’s arrest.

Kuvenga appeared in court on February 1, where he was denied bail by Magistrate Gift Manyka. He is expected to appear in court again today for another bail hearing.