Shock as Victoria Falls sect members find corpse hanging from tree

Published

3 years ago

November 3, 2021

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Members of an Apostolic sect based in Victoria Falls got the shock of their lives when they stumbled on a lifeless man’s body that was hanging from a tree while going to a church service.

The deceased man suspected to be in his 30s is believed to have hanged himself the previous night.

Victoria Falls’ Ward 11 councillor Goshen Zhou said the body of the yet to be identified man was found near Dadani High School in Chinotimba high density suburb.

“We suspect that he hanged himself on Saturday night because there was no sign of the body having decomposed considering the high temperatures that we are experiencing,” Zhou said.

“Police delayed in coming to collect the body as they said they did not have a ready vehicle.

“They pulled the body down three hours later before it was taken to the Victoria Falls Hospital mortuary.”

The councillor said the deceased man had no form of identification or mobile phone to enable police to identify him.

“We are appealing to the public to visit the police if they are missing any of their male relatives in his mid-30s,” Zhou said.

“He was wearing a black T-shirt, green to black jeans and Nike tackies that are black and white in colour.”

He said there were signs that the man tried several ways to take his life, including trying to use his shoelaces.

“He tried to hang himself with his shoelaces that were also found at the scene,” Zhou said.

“When the attempt failed, he took trucks belts often used by haulage truck drives to tie their cargo and he hanged himself that way.”

Matabeleland North Province police spokesperson Glory Banda could not be reached for comment.

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

3 days 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

3 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.