National

SA group to patrol Zimbabwe border hunting for smugglers

Published

3 years ago

June 18, 2022

JOHANNESBURG – Civil rights organisation AfriForum has announced it has launched a new initiative to patrol with sniffer dogs at the porous South Africa-Zimbabwe border in Limpopo’s Musina area.

The initiative comes at a time when the government is battling to contain illegal immigration along the Musina-Pafuri borderline where parts of a controversial multi-million rand fence have been damaged.

AfriForum campaigns manager Jacques Broodryk said the initiative was launched following the support the organisation received following the premiere of the Open Borders documentary depicting the poor border control between South Africa and Zimbabwe and how the organisation’s neighbourhood watches in the area assist to safeguard the community.

Broodryk said two sniffer dogs, Duke and Hailey, have since been donated and were also trained trackers.

He said the neighbourhood watch members and the dogs would work closely with law enforcement agencies.

“The smugglers use the areas with dense bushes to cross the border and these sniffer dogs will assist to quickly get on the trail of the smugglers.

“Duke (the dog) will also help law enforcement during roadblocks because of his specific skills to sniff out firearms and drugs.

“Between June and September of last year alone, AfriForum’s neighbourhood watch in Musina helped to seize smuggled goods with a total value of more than R12 million.

“This has a substantial impact on the illegal activities and according to information we have received, some of these smugglers have thrown in the towel because of the resilience of our volunteers,” Broodryk said.

When contacted, Home Affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza could not respond to News24‘s enquiry.

He was contacted again on Saturday and still did not respond.

However, in his budget vote speech, Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi said immigration was “an elephant in the room” and conceded the problem of porous borders in the country.

“I don’t have to outline what is taking place in our country about this problem. It is a crisis we are all aware of,” Motsoaledi said.

He noted the recruitment of border guards through the Border Management Authority. – News24

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.