National

Currency crisis: RBZ threatens clampdown against pharmacies, schools

Published

3 years ago

January 12, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has threatened to target schools and pharmacies in a new clampdown against alleged currency manipulators as it struggles to keep the Zimbabwe dollar afloat.

RBZ government John Mangudya on Wednesday singled out schools and pharmacies, accusing them of breaching the Bank Use Promotion Act.

Mangudya threatened to unleash the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) against the alleged currency manipulators.

“The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe would like to advise the public that the Financial Intelligence Unit ( is currently investigating cases of breaches of the Bank Use Promotion Act and currency manipulations by some business entities,” the central bank boss said in a statement.

“The breaches have become particularly pronounced and prevalent at some schools and pharmacies.”

Mangudya said the FIU will use all its technological tools to bring to book the culprits who risked being blacklisted.

” The FIU will deploy all tools at its disposal to deal with such malpractices including the imposition of fines, freezing of bank accounts and blacklisting from the enjoyment of financial services,” he said.

“Members of the public are urged to report offending businesses and service providers to the FIU on hotline numbers 0780434475 and 0714039897.”

A number of businesses are now demanding payment for their goods and services in foreign currency.

Some use the parallel foreign currency exchange rates as they try to hedge againts inflation.

The Zimbabwe dollar is currency pegged at $105 to the United States dollar on the RBZ’s foreign currency exchange auction market while parallel market rates range from $200 to the US dollar.

In the past, the RBZ has frozen accounts of companies and individuals it accused of trading in the parallel foreign currency market as it tried to stop the collapse of the Zimbabwe dollar.

Zimbabwe ended dollarisation in June 2019 after a nearly a decade.

This paved the way for the new Zimbabwean dollar, which has struggled to stay afloat.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

2 months 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

3 months 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

4 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.