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Econet Victoria Falls Marathon return excites ZTA

Published

3 years ago

June 12, 2022

BY OWN CORRESPONDENT

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) says the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon, which is set to be held in the scenic resort town on July 3, 2022 will help drive the revival of the country’s tourism sector.

The popular marathon is coming back to Vic Falls after a two-year hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic which had significantly impacted the industry in a negative way with subsequent travel restrictions hitting demand for travel, and leading to a massive fall in tourist visitors to the country.

Tourism industry players say this saw the loss of close to 10 000 jobs, while nearly 40 hospitality facilities were shut down.

However, global vaccination initiatives and the significant fall in new Covid cases and deaths recorded, along with the reopening of international borders, have resulted in tourists coming back to Zimbabwe.

“We are quite excited with the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon coming back with more than 5 000 participants from various countries in the region and around the world expected to take part in the event.

“This is great news for tourism,” said ZTA spokesperson Godfrey Koti.

“We are pushing this event under the banner of sports tourism and we are very happy that we have started seeing a return of normalcy in a way, hosting of events and people meeting physically.”

The Econet Victoria Falls Marathon has over the years become one of the most popular events on the world’s sporting calendars, attracting both veteran and new athletes from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, among other countries.

Koti said this year’s participants will have a chance to explore other exciting activities around the resort town such as white-water rafting, bungee jumping and game drives to boost the tourism industry, which contributes 6.3 percent of the national gross domestic product, with a value of US$1.23 billion.

The government recently introduced a number of incentives to ensure the sector moves towards sustainable recovery and growth from the impacts of the pandemic so that it becomes a US$5 billion industry by 2025.

In line with the government’s thrust to revive the tourism industry and protect jobs, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has rebranded this year’s marathon “Run the Big Three” to lure more tourists and athletes to the country.

“This year’s Econet Victoria Falls Marathon has three routes – the Elephant Route, the Leopard Route and the Lion Route,” said Econet spokesperson Fungai Mandiveyi while announcing the return of the marathon recently.

“Seasoned athletes will battle it for the top honours along the ‘Elephant Route’, the full 42 kilometres (km) marathon, while veteran and amateur athletes will test themselves in the ‘Leopard Route’, which is our traditional 21km half marathon.

“Families, young children, along with ‘social’ and first-time runners, will take part in the popular 7.5km fun-run, that we are calling the ‘Lion Route.’”

Econet said with over US$25 000 worth of prizes to be won, runners are encouraged to register on www.vicfallsmarathon.com and pay using EcoCash, MasterCard or Visa Card.

Details on the fees, which are much lower for local athletes, are available on the same site.

This year’s marathon is also a qualifying race for the 2022 Comrades Marathon to be held on August 28 in South Africa.

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Hwange

Hwange Local Board impounds cattle: Owners urged to claim animals

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

The Hwange Local Board is urging livestock farmers to come forward and claim their cattle that were impounded by Council Police last week.

According to a notice issued by Acting Town Secretary Paul Mabhureni, the 10 animals have been unclaimed for over a week and are currently being held at the impound yard.

Farmers with missing cattle are advised to visit the Hwange Local Board offices to identify and claim their animals.

A daily fee will be charged for each impounded animal, and if the animals remain unclaimed after a month, the Council will auction them off .

The Hwange Local Board is also warning livestock owners to take responsibility for managing and controlling the movement of their animals to prevent them from encroaching into residential areas.

Council Police have increased patrols to reduce the presence of stray animals in these areas.

Residents are encouraged to report any stray livestock to the Council immediately.

Hwange

Victoria Falls City Council meeting aborted due to lack of quorum

Published

5 days ago

December 17, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A full council meeting scheduled to take place at the Victoria Falls City Council today was aborted due to a lack of quorum.

The meeting, which was initially scheduled for Thursday, was fast forward to today in the wake of reports of confusion at Town House.

The meeting was called to discuss the suspension of Town Clerk Ronnie Dube who was suspended two weeks ago on corruption allegations.

It was further reported that it was also to rescind the Housing Director Brian Nyamande.

However, only five councillors attended, falling short of the required six to form a quorum.

According to Mayor Tuso Moyo, the meeting was urgent, but the lack of quorum prevented any progress.

However, residents’ associations disputed this agenda, stating that the meeting was against the will of the residents and that they were expecting it to take place on Thursday.

Hwange District Residents Association and Victoria Falls Combined Residents’ Association representatives and a few residents were gathered outside the boardroom, awaiting the outcome of the meeting.

The suspension of Dube has sparked controversy, with many calling for transparency and accountability.

The aborted meeting has only added to the uncertainty, leaving many questions unanswered, HWANDRA chair, Hebert Ncube said after the meeting.

“We also gather that the minister, Daniel Garwe, has summoned the two and the mayor, deputy mayor to Harare tomorrow where they just came from again last week. There is so much pressure to rescind the suspension of Dube, but we are saying, he should come here and talk to the people and let justice handle this, then he can be rescinded.”

Hwange

Hwange Local Board cracks down on overdue license fees

Published

6 days ago

December 16, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Hwange Local Board has issued a stern warning to business owners with overdue license fees, stating that trading licenses for the 2025 license year will not be renewed for commercial properties with outstanding accounts.

According to a notice issued by Acting Town Secretary Mr. Paul Mabhureni, “Hwange Local Board would like to advise the business community that we will not renew trading licenses for the license year 2025 to all commercial properties whose accounts are in arrears.”

The notice further states that “The Business License Renewal period for the license year 2025 commenced in November 2024 and ends on 31 December 2024.”

Additionally, the notice reminds business owners that, “In terms of the Shop Licences Act Chapter 14.17, no person shall in any shop, store or other fixed place of business, carry on the trade or business of selling or letting for hire any goods except in terms of a shop licence.”

Business owners who fail to renew their licenses within the stipulated timeframe will face penalties, including a fine of one-twelfth of the appropriate license fee for each month or part thereof that has elapsed since their liability arose.

The notice concludes by advising business owners to ensure that their premises are inspected prior to renewing their trading licenses, and urging cooperation in settling outstanding accounts to avoid disruptions to their operations.