National

HLB moves in to supply water to Empumalanga residents

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2023

BY BRENDA NCUBE

Hwange Local Board (HLB) has moved in to supply Empumalanga phase 4 residents with water from a bowser after the location had its pipes disconnected three weeks ago by Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) due to arrears.

HLB in a statement accused ZINWA of disconnecting the surburb’s water meters, owing to a discrepancy on the authority’s billing system, which is said to be on estimates..

Preliminary observations in a statement indicate that the ZINWA bills have been increasing from month to month, contrary to council figures.

“While ZINWA’s bill is ZWL 28 million, Council’s bill to the residents is ZWL 9.4 million, which is calculated from resident’s water meters,”HLB statement read.

“From Council’s billing of ZWL 9.4 million, Council has paid ZINWA ZWL 6.1 million, against receipts of ZWL 3.7 million from Empumalanga Phase 4 residents. In essence residents are owing Council ZWL 2.4 million.”

HLB said investigations are underway to establish the descrepancy.

“Council is making every effort to establish the source of discrepancy between the ZINWA bill and water calculated to have been consumed by Empumalanga Phase 4 residents. That discrepancy is ZWL 18.6 million

“Council therefore needs to establish whether the discrepancy in the bills reflects under billing by Council or overbilling by ZINWA or still the use of different unit cost of water by ZINWA and Council in their billing.”

The local board said it will ensure that bulk meter water readings by ZINWA are collaborated by Council’s own reading of the same to establish the unit cost of water supplied by ZINWA to Council.

Meanwhile, the local board is making efforts to reconcile customer accounts to determine those owing, with a view to supply water only to those that are paid up.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

5 days 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

1 month 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.