National

Zimbabwe, South Africa lead rising global Covid-19 infections

Published

3 years ago

December 11, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic continued its advance around the world this week, led by southern Africa where the highly contagious Omicron strain was first reported.

Cases rocketed more than sevenfold in Zimbabwe, although they fell in parts of Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.

Here is the global state of play based on an AFP database:

The number of new daily coronavirus cases rose by three globally to 610,000, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.

It was the eighth successive weekly increase.

Africa saw infections more than double by 113 percent, driven mainly by South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The epidemic also surged in the United States/Canada zone, where the number of cases increased by almost a quarter.

They were also up slightly in Oceania, increasing three percent.

Elsewhere the number of cases mostly fell.

They declined by four percent in Europe, by five percent in the Middle East and by seven percent in the Latin America/Caribbean zone.

The situation remained unchanged in Asia.

The confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with varying counting practices and levels of testing in different countries.

In Zimbabwe, cases soared by 646 percent despite tough restrictions, while South Africa (up 195 percent) saw by far the biggest rises in the number of cases.

Behind them came South Korea (36 percent more cases), and France and Denmark, which both saw 29 percent increases.

The Netherlands saw the biggest drop of 57 percent in new cases, followed by Austria (46 percent less), Singapore (42 percent less), Hungary (24 percent less) and Serbia (23 percent less).

The US remained by far the country with the biggest number of new cases, with 120,800 per day, an increase of 24 percent.

It was followed by Germany, where cases decreased by five percent to 55,000 and France with 47,500 new cases, an increase of 29 percent.

On a per-capita basis the country with the most new cases this week was Slovakia, which recorded 1,099 per 100,000 inhabitants. Slovakia nevertheless eased its anti-COVID curbs on Friday, reopening shops in the run-up to Christmas.

It was followed by the neighbouring Czech Republic with 982 cases and Belgium 967 cases per 100,000 people. One percent of these three countries’ populations tested positive this week.

The United States also mourned the most deaths, with an average of 1,281 per day, followed by Russia (1,195) and India (627).

At a global level there was a one percent increase in the number of fatalities to 7,561 per day. – AFP

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

1 week 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.