National

Three cousins gang to kill a Lupane police officer

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2023

VicFallsLive

BY LWANDLE MTHUNZI

Three cousins from Lupane have appeared in court for murdering a policeman during a Christmas Day booze.

Lizwe Tshuma (18), Nowell Tshuma (20) and Forget Tshuma (20) of Sikhali 1 village under Chief Mabhikwa in Jotsholo were not asked to plead to the charge when they appeared before Lupane magistrate Ndumo Masuku.

They were remanded in custody until 12 January and the magistrate advised the trio to apply for bail at the High Court.

According to state prosecutors, the now deceased, Mandleni Ncube (31) of the same village, was in police uniform at Jabhiwa Business Centre in Jotsholo at night when the three took turns to assault him.

He died on admission to St Luke’s Hospital the following day.

“On the 25th of December at around 11:30pm the deceased was standing at the veranda of Saphiwa Kuhle store wearing a police uniform,”

“He was greeted by the informant Sicelo Moyo before proceeding to drink beer. “said Zandile Ndebele for the state.

It is alleged that the informant later heard noise and established that it was the deceased who was having an argument with Makhosi Mpala.

This prompted the informant to go outside the bar and observe what was happening.

It is at that moment when Lizwe approached from the western direction holding a knobkerrie and he struck the now deceased once on the head and ran away.

Ncube collapsed face down and Nowell came with a log and assaulted him once on the back before Forget struck him with an empty bottle of beer on the head and also fled.

The informant poured water on Ncube in an effort to resuscitate him, and when he saw that he was not responding, he sought help from other patrons and rushed him to Tshongogwe Hospital from where he was transferred to St Luke’s Hospital.

Ncube died on admission to St Luke’s Hospital on December 26.

A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of the trio.

A postmortem report showed that he died from subdural hematoma, cranial trauma and assault.

Meanwhile in Victoria Falls, another a Jambezi villager was remanded in custody on Friday after he allegedly hit with a stone a police officer, before strangling him after he was asked why the shop he was seated in was still operating at midnight.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

3 weeks 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

2 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

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.