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Tour operators, residents take up the initiative to keep Victoria Falls the cleanest city in Africa

Published

2 years ago

February 6, 2023

BY BRENDA NCUBE

Being driven by the ambition to make Victoria Falls the cleanest resort city in Africa, residents and tourism operators have continued to take up the initiative in large numbers in line with modern trends of greening tourism.

The initiative called the Pristine Victoria Falls Society (PVFS) was founded a few years ago and according to the members of the community the initiative aims to maintain the cleanliness, naturalness and greenness of the City.

The companies and individuals pledge to be responsible for the cleaning and picking of litter in any areas of their choice even in residential areas.

So far, over 40 tourism based companies and a total of above130 combined companies and individuals have joined the initiative.

Speaking to VicfallsLive, Clement Mukwasi, president of Employers Association for Tours and Safari Operators, said the initiative has taken a deliberate decision to be a green destination.

“We are putting an eye on pollution and seriously discouraging motor vehicle operators and passengers from throwing out litter from moving vehicles,” Mukwasi said.

“We are actually ensuring that the Environmental Management Agency laws are enforced while also ensuring citizen arrest in circumstances where we find them littering is effected,” he said.

Following the declaration of the first Friday of every month as a national clean up day by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2018, the campaign has since became a culture for all institutions and individuals locally and nationally.

Mukwasi’ sentiments were also seconded by Shearwater Adventure director Mike Davis, who recently implored the Victoria Falls City Council to strengthen bylaws on waste management and to ensure that offenders are arrested and fined.

Davis also proposed the use of environmentally friendly, biodegradable packaging to preserve the natural environment.

“About 80% of litter we send to the dump site is plastic, which destroys the naturalness of our environment and pose as a threat to wildlife,” he said.

“In the near future, plastic packaging must be banned because we are a unique community that has to learn to live in harmony with nature.

To strengthen the efforts, the Victoria Falls Waste Management Task Force which is composed of EMA, Victoria Falls City Council, Zimbabwe Republic Police and Pristine PVFS reported that in 2022, issued 35 spot fines littering tickets to individuals and business outlets within the residential and Central Business areas.

Moreso, four businesses with pits in their backyards were also asked to fill them up and clean the surrounding environment and one shop ordered to close and resume operations only when they have met minimum waste management requirements.

PVFS’s Plan for tomorrow

“Part of our team is out with major tourism players cleaning up the airport road from as early as 6am,” the organisation said.

“Team two is out on Kazungula road assessing the situation and illegal dumping areas there.”

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Zimparks launches elephant culling program

Published

3 days ago

June 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

In a bid to address the growing elephant population in Save Valley Conservancy, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has issued permits for a controlled elephant management exercise.

The exercise, slated to commence shortly, aims to cull an initial 50 elephants from the conservancy, which is currently home to 2,550 elephants – more than three times the ecological carrying capacity of 800 elephants.

According to ZimParks, the conservancy has been struggling to cope with the swelling elephant population, which has put a strain on the wildlife habitat and resources. Over the past five years, the conservancy has translocated 200 elephants to other areas, including Hurungwe and Sapi, in an effort to manage the population.

Zimparks says the controlled culling exercise is expected to provide relief to the conservancy’s ecosystem, while also benefiting local communities.

Elephant meat from the exercise will be distributed to local communities while the ivory will be kept by the State.

In a statement, ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo emphasized the authority’s commitment to responsible and sustainable wildlife management.

“We remain committed to ensuring that our wildlife resources are managed in a responsible and sustainable manner, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

In the community

Hwange police seek public’s help in locating missing teen

Published

3 weeks ago

May 15, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Hwange police are urgently seeking the public’s assistance in locating 16-year-old Latoya Lisa Munkuli, who went missing on May 7, this month.

Latoya, a dark-complexioned female juvenile, was last seen leaving her residence in Hwange around 4 pm.

She was wearing a distinctive outfit consisting of green trousers and a white T-shirt, and carried a black satchel. She stands approximately 1.6 meters tall.

Inspector Glory Banda of the Hwange police is leading the investigation and urges anyone with information about Latoya’s whereabouts to come forward.

If you have any information about Latoya’s disappearance, please contact Inspector Banda on 0785961747 or 0771256607.

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.