National

Jambesi peadophile gets community service for sex with minor

Published

4 years ago

August 2, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A Jambesi man has been sentenced to 315 community service for having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl on several occasions.

Artwell Mathe (24) from Masikili Village in the Chief Shana area near Victoria Falls was caught in a compromising position with the minor by her mother in the Matetsi Forestry area sometime in 2019.

Mathe, who is married, was convicted on charges of having sexual intercourse with a minor by Victoria Falls resident magistrate Lindiwe Maphosa after pleading guilty to indecent acts with the victim.

Prosecutors said that on an unknown date in August 2019, Mathe met the girl at borehole and he proposed love to her.

The girl accepted the proposal. In September the two had sexual intercourse on two occasions at Mathe’s house.

The peadophile’s criminal acts were discovered by the minor’s mother the same month when he was found fondling her in the bush.

She reported the matter at the Matetsi police base, leading to Mathe’s arrest.

He admitted during the trial that the girl often came for sleepovers at his house, claiming she was running away from abuse at her home.

Mathe, however, said although they used to sleep in the same bedroom, they never had sexual intercourse.

The girl even pleaded with the court to drop the charges against him saying they were in love.

Maphosa convicted Mathe and said the courts needed to send a message that such acts were not acceptable.

“This offence is relatively serious as it involves a young person, most of whom are still school going and need to focus on school and not to have their lives complicated by older people, who lure them into prematurely engaging in sexual activities,” she said.

Mathe was sentenced to 15 months in prison and six months were suspended for five years on condition that the offender does not commit any sexual offence during that period.

The remaining nine months were converted into 315 hours of community service at the Matetsi police base.

Maphosa said in reaching at the sentence, she had considered that Mathe was married with one child and was a first-time offender.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

2 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

2 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.