In the community

Myths on Covid-19 pandemic spread across Hwange

Published

3 years ago

December 2, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Innocent Tevedzai, chairperson of the Zimbabwe Chamber of informal Association for People With Disabilities says after getting inoculated vaccines to prevent Covid-19 pandemic, he was told that he will lose his fertility in the coming years.

Royal Ndlovu, a Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association member says he was also discouraged from taking the vaccines after he heard that he was not only going to lose his fertility, but vaccines also meant losing his libido.

Zimbabwe first rolled out Covid-19 vaccines early last year with the country relying mostly on Chinese made vaccines to bring the pandemic that paralysed the economy under control.

Hwange district, where Ndlovu and Tevedzai come from was one of the areas that were prioritised by the government in the vaccination blitz as it sought to have tourist resorts re-opened for tourists, but community listening sessions held by VicFallsLive in some parts of Hwange district in Matabeleland North showed that some people are still sceptical about the safety of the vaccines.

Community leaders said the government did little to counter the misinformation, which is largely blamed on social media and this fuelled vaccination hesitancy.

As such, ordinarily, Zimbabweans are caught up in a lot of myths and of course misinformation about the pandemic.

“We were told that we will not be able to conceive as this was intentionally done to reduce the population.” Tevedzai said.

“Lack of verified information made it worse for us because we had to be vaccinated to gain public access at the time when misinformation and social ills such as teen pregnancies rose.”

Hwange villagers, like other people in many parts of Zimbabwe were victims of misinformation about the vaccines, including allegations that those who got the Covid-19 vaccine will turn into baboons or that the vaccines were part of a scheme to reduce Africa’s population.

Even the World Health Organization says the Covid-19 outbreak and response was accompanied by an overabundance of information, some accurate and some not.

For Michael Ncube, a Victoria Falls City Council’ acting Public Health Officer, “this makes it tough for people to then find reliable sources and dependable guidance when they need it to fully curtail coronavirus,” he said.

The myths Ncube added, included claims on cures and prevention.

“For instance, people were told that when they vaccinate they will lose fertility or will die as this was deliberately done by the government to reduce Zimbabweans population, which is just mythical and therefore untrue,”

“We would like to assure out residents that the vaccines are safe and the country has highly specialised health personnels who also confirmed them and because of those vaccines, that’s why we have managed to set a barrier to prevent the transmission and that has paid off, as we have seen hospitalisations and deaths reduced and the economy fully opened.”

Zimbabwe has administered over 12 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines so far.

In the community

Avoid nightime movement and stoning elephants, communities told

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Following a recent spate of human-wildlife conflict incidents, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo has urged communities to exercise caution when encountering wild animals.

Farawo emphasized the importance of avoiding confrontations with elephants, particularly when they encroach into community areas. “We would like to urge members of the communities to avoid throwing stones at elephants,” he said. “This action agitates them, leading to attacks on people.”

In addition to avoiding confrontations, Farawo advised community members to minimize movement at night, as this is when wild animals are most active. “We would like to urge communities to avoid moving at night to minimize casualties,” he said.

Farawo’s comments come after a 79-year-old man from Hwange was killed by an elephant yesterday. The incident is still under investigation by rangers. This is the second fatal incident in the area, following the death of another man who was attacked by an elephant while on his way to work in Hwange town several weeks ago.

In the community

Elephant attack claims life of 79-year-old man in Mbizha

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A 79-year-old man from Mbizha village met a tragic end yesterday when he was killed by a stray elephant, according to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

Zimbabwe Parks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, confirmed the incident, saying, “We confirm the sad and unfortunate incident that happened today where a 79-year-old man lost his life.”

The attack occurred four kilometers away from the community, although the exact time of the incident was not disclosed.

This latest incident brings the total number of human deaths caused by wild animals to 40 this year, with over 55 people injured, according to statistics from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority as of last month.

Since 2019, over 370 people have been killed and 453 injured in similar incidents, highlighting the ongoing concern of human-wildlife conflict in the country.

In the community

ZPC employees appear in court over US$3.8 million theft charges

Published

3 days ago

September 16, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

Two senior employees of the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) in Hwange, have been charged with the theft of company property valued at US$3 896 000.

Tawanda Mhaka and Ruth Chiyani were arraigned in court following an extensive investigation into the alleged theft, which reportedly involved an accomplice, Hardlife Zimwenje, who remains at large.

The allegations stem from an incident that occurred on the 22 and 23 of August last month, during which a truck was captured on CCTV at the ZPC’s Turbine Hall loading stolen goods. The footage revealed that the loaded items included 15 electric motors, 48 tonnes of brass pipes, and a metal container. Notably, the loading occurred without proper documentation, raising immediate red flags for investigators.

Ruth Chiyani, who serves as a Loss Control Assistant, is accused of overseeing the illegal loading but failed to provide any invoices to justify the movement of the company’s assets.

Tawanda Mhaka, acting as the Stores Officer, allegedly instructed a boilermaker to cut an electric motor and a storage container into smaller pieces to facilitate their loading onto the haulage trucks.

The stolen goods were reportedly transported using trucks hired by Zimwenje, further complicating the network of theft. Both Mhaka and Chiyani were arrested last week , following a comprehensive investigation that revealed substantial evidence against them, including CCTV footage and removal authority documents signed by the defendants.

“According to investigators, the evidence against them is substantial, including CCTV footage and removal authority documents signed by the pair. The pair was remanded to the 26th of September.”the National Prosecuting Authority said in a statement.