National

Commission of inquiry findings fail to be tabled as Victoria Falls councillors fight

Published

3 years ago

January 18, 2023

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A special full council meeting meant to present the findings of a commission of inquiry set by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to investigate claims of corruption against Victoria Falls City town clerk Ronnie Dube failed to take off on Tuesday after the city’s mayor and councillors came to a standoff over who should preside over the discussions.

Minister July Moyo set up the probe team late last year after resident’s activists and the mayor Somvelo Dhlamini levelled corruption allegations against the local authority’s management head.

Earlier this month, the ministry brought the findings of the report for adoption which was meant to be tabled to a full council, but failed after Dhlamini was confronted by ward various councillors accusing him of breaching the law.

“You can’t chair the meeting when you are an interested party,” ward three councillor Lungile Nyoni charged first.

This was after Dhlamini had asked his deputy mayor Patricia Mwale to pray ahead of the meeting.

“You are misleading the council and you can not chair also because of your court case,” he added.

“You are supposed to sit there as the residents because you are an interested party because that’s what was said by the minister regarding this matter. ”

The two exchanged some harsh words as the mayor demanded to be provided with an act that prohibits him from chairing the meeting despite being the complainant into Dube’s allegations.

“Which law?”Dhlamini quizzed.

“I said come with the law and if it’s there, I will listen to your reasons…

“I am supposed to chair this and discuss it with the chamber secretary’s office because I have to know what we are talking about.”

Moments after, the argument was paused after Nyoni suggested that he should call the minister to give him a go ahead to chair.

Dhlamini and Dube then stepped out of the board room to call Moyo, but came back to report that he was not answering his mobile phones.

Dhlamini then insisted to go ahead with his decision to chair or temporarily adjourn, but again was interjected by ward one councillor Tonderai Mutasa who advised him that it was against the law as he was an interested party.

Mutasa’s sentiments were also echoed by ward 11 councillor Edmore Zhou.

“So if we are saying we are adjouning the meeting because the mayor said we have to and at the same time you are saying he is not supposed to chair the meeting, surely for me it doesn’t balance,”Zhou said.

“We are here with the residents, we need to do the correct things and if we are saying the mayor is not supposed to chair, he doesn’t have the power to adjourn the meeting so that’s why residents can not take us serious because we won’t be doing the right thing and in accordance with our the law, so he should do the right thing. “

“I will not step down,” Dhlamini charged.

“I will never. ” he added.

Zhou then went on to quiz why Dhlamini had stopped attending some committee meetings that have nothing to do with the report’s findings.

However, other councillors wanted the meeting to proceed with Dhlamini chairing, on condition that he signs down as they were worried about wasting the resident’s time and council expenditure to host such meetings.

Following the back and fourth which led to some resident’s activists to get agitated, Dhlamini announced that the meeting will be adjourned to allow the minister to respond together with a supporting act on why he should not chair.

Dube and Dhlamini have been in the eye of a storm since the arrest of Dhlamini in October on allegations of fraud emanating from the acquisition of a housing stand from the local authority.

Dhlamini was arrested shortly after a group of war veterans and members of the Hwange Residents Association raided the town clerk’s office and force marched him out

The group said they wanted Dube to step aside to allow for investigations into allegations of corruption levelled against him to be concluded first.

Few days after, war veterans from Matabeleland North convened a meeting that was attended by over 300 residents to discuss the corruption allegations against the local authority.

Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association (Vifacora) executive member Trymore Ndolo told the meeting that they had information allegedly showing how Dube and some councillors ‘corruptly’ sold commercial prime land known as Stand Number 8300 which was earmarked for a water, hygiene and sanitation project, was sold for US$4 million instead of US$14 million that was agreed to by a full council meeting.

The report was meant to address its findings on such allegations among others.

After the meeting, Vifacora chairperson Kelvin Moyo expressed disappointment in the capacity of some officers and councillors.

“We are very much disappointed in what ended up happening, I think all counsillors when they are getting to council they know what they are expected to do, the rules and procedures of the law, but it wasn’t so because there was unparalleled ignorance that was displayed by some of the officers and counsillors,”he said.

“As residents, we feel that we are shortchanged in terms of the rate of which the service delivery in concerned because we were hoping that the findings were going to be presented at the end of the day so as residents, we should look at the capacity in understanding issues and adjudication so much so that it can all come to the benefits of the residents.”

The town clerk also called on the minister’s intervention.

“This stems from the fact that the moyor has a pending case in court and the minister (Moyo) issued a circular in February 2022 directive which stated that all council officials with pending cases should remain barred from council and this is the same interpretation which we have,”he said.

Dube revealed that the authority has written three letters to the minister seeking clarity on the matter, but none has been responded to.

“Going forward, we are going to consult again this time indicating that this scenario will render council dysfunctional.”

National

Government launches nationwide dog vaccination drive amid surge in rabies cases

Published

2 weeks ago

February 18, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

The Government has launched an urgent nationwide dog vaccination campaign following a surge in rabies cases across Zimbabwe.

In a statement posted over the weekend, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development said the country is experiencing a significant rise in rabies infections, largely linked to domestic dogs and wild jackals.

Permanent Secretary Prof. Obert Jiri confirmed that 650,000 doses of rabies vaccine have been secured from Botswana — exceeding the country’s usual annual requirement — to contain the escalating threat.

The Ministry said the campaign will be rolled out in the coming weeks across all provinces, targeting hotspots near national parks and conservancies, as well as urban areas that have recorded increasing cases.

Prof. Jiri stressed the urgency of seeking immediate medical attention following dog bites, warning that rabies is fatal in humans once symptoms appear.

He appealed to dog owners to ensure their pets are vaccinated, saying collective action remains the primary defence against the deadly disease and is critical in preventing further fatalities.

National

Matabeleland North flags aid discrimination as provinces record widespread violations

Published

2 weeks ago

February 18, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Matabeleland North recorded cases of discrimination in government aid distribution and political interference in community leadership, as human rights violations were reported across all provinces in January, according to the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP).

In Matabeleland North, five violations were documented.

“On 9 January 2026, in Ward 29 (Emphafeni), farmers reported irregularities in agricultural input distribution, including selective allocation of groundnuts and maize seed to ruling party supporters, and sharing of 50kg fertiliser bags among three farmers, raising concerns over fairness and equal access to government assistance,” the report states.

In Binga South, a village secretary was removed from his position “for not aligning with ruling party positions, affecting his political rights and freedom of association.”

In Matabeleland South, four violations were recorded, mainly involving political intimidation. In Gwanda, individuals allegedly invaded Vubachikwe Mine claiming political backing, while in Bulilima West, villagers were reportedly threatened with losing land under the land reform programme if they did not support the “2030” agenda.

Bulawayo recorded two violations, including a case where “a visually impaired woman was denied bus transport from Bulawayo to South Africa despite having valid travel documents and fare, raising concerns of discrimination based on disability.” Residents in Old Magwegwe also reported prolonged sewage blockages exposing families to health risks.

Midlands province recorded 13 violations, including environmental concerns in Redcliff and Kwekwe over potential water contamination linked to gold processing chemicals. In Zhombe, political interference prevented enforcement of a court sentence in an assault case. In Silobela, police disrupted a Gukurahundi memorial service organised by a human rights group.

Masvingo recorded 19 violations, including the assault and arrest of a female vendor at SimRac Shopping Complex. The report says her goods were destroyed in what it describes as harassment of informal traders. Patients at Mashoko Hospital and Gawa Clinic also faced high user fees and limited medication.

Mashonaland West recorded 10 violations, including alleged irregularities in agricultural input distribution in Magunje and assault linked to ruling party supporters in Sanyati.

Mashonaland East documented six violations. In Murehwa North, “Provincial Chairperson and Minister Daniel Garwe threatened individuals in Ward 30, warning that those supporting the opposition CCC would be excluded from community programs and that anyone associating with CCC members could face violent reprisals.”

Mashonaland Central recorded four violations, including exclusion of community members, including persons with disabilities, from presidential agricultural inputs in Mt Darwin South, and learners being denied access to Grade 7 results over unpaid fees.

Harare recorded 16 violations, including assaults linked to political intolerance, disruption of civic gatherings, politicisation of borehole water access in Glenview, and the detention of a political activist over a planned protest.

Manicaland recorded the highest number of violations at 31. ZPP said incidents involved “state security agents, ruling party members, war veterans, and local authorities,” including intimidation of a human rights defender in Chimanimani and disruption of a community meeting in Nyanga South.

Overall, ZPP said the January data reflects “continued structural and institutional challenges in the protection, promotion, and fulfilment of human rights,” reinforcing the need for strengthened accountability and rights-based governance across the country.

National

Police arrest six in major drug busts across the country

Published

3 weeks ago

February 17, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY BANDILE TSHUMA

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has arrested six suspects in separate incidents involving the unlawful possession and cultivation of dangerous drugs across the country.

In a press statement written on Monday, police said the arrests were part of ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking and substance abuse.

On Sunday , police in Plumtree intercepted a Toyota Quantum vehicle and arrested Msawenkosi Ndlovu (49) and Vengai Chawa (41). The two were found in possession of 5 124 bottles of Broncleer cough syrup (100ml) and 4 170 bottles of Astra Pain cough syrup (100ml). The illicit substances are valued at approximately US$80 000.

In a separate case on the same day, police in Wedza arrested Emanuel Busemani (28) at Plot 7 Investment Farm in Melfort, Goromonzi in connection with the unlawful cultivation of dagga.

Meanwhile, in Bubi, Lacken Tshuma (55) and Owner Muleya (32) were arrested on Monday at Inunwa Ranch for unlawful cultivation of dagga.

In another incident on Friday, Tinashe Mero Shoko (22) and Eliot Badza (33) were arrested at a house in Garikai, Dulibadzimu, Beitbridge after police recovered 100 kilogrammes of dagga.

Police reiterated that the fight against drug and illicit substance peddling and trafficking will continue for the safety and security of Zimbabweans.

The ZRP urged members of the public to provide information on drug lords, dealers and criminal syndicates. Reports can be made through the National Complaints Desk on (0242) 703 631, via WhatsApp on 0712 800 197, or at any nearest police station.