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Baboons wreak havoc in drought prone Binga, Hwange

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) says traditional methods to stop baboons from raiding people’s homes in Matabeleland North districts such as Hwange and Binga have become ineffective against the animals that are pushed from their habitat by climate change induced droughts.

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A number of residents in Victoria Falls, Binga and Hwange have had their property destroyed by baboons, which break into houses through windows and rooftops while searching for food.

The baboons also attack women and children.

A video shared by a Mpumalanga resident in Hwange that has gone viral on social media shows a troop of baboons ripping apart the rooftop of his house before they gained entry.

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Zimparks has since embarked on an exercise to capture the baboons, but its Matabeleland North regional manager Samson Chibaya said it was proving to be a herculean task.

“Baboons are a perennial nuisance in Hwange urban and other areas such as Binga and Victoria Falls,” Chibaya said in an interview.

“They cause damage in hotels, lodges and homes and their behavior includes destruction of property and taking food from kitchens, off the buffets and tables.”

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He said it was becoming increasingly difficult to capture the baboons because they now know how to avoid baits.

“Capture and translocation is no longer effective because the baboons no longer come to the baits,” Chibaya said.

“Shooting is also ineffective as the baboons are so elusive and flee once they see armed people in uniform.

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“They are (also) territorial, once a troop is wiped out another different one quickly moves in within a week or two.”

Zimparks rangers put the captured baboons in cages before moving them deep into the Hwange National Park around the Sinamatella area.

Mary Mulinde, a Hwange resident, said the situation had gone out of control and urged Zimparks to find better ways of controlling the population of baboons.

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“It is so bad because they target children walking to school and snatch their satchels,” Mary Mulinde said.

“They are also targeting houses without anyone inside and they gain entry through windows, doors and rooftops that they would’ve vandalised.

Chibaya attributed the increasing cases of human wildlife conflict in urban areas such as Hwange to droughts caused by climate change and poor solid waste management.

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“Poor solid waste management is another factor as baboons are attracted to leftovers food and addible waste,” he added.

“Most raids in residential areas happen where houses are not manned, and sometimes in the presence of children and women.

“Ecologically, most of the areas around towns have no food and fruits for baboons, hence (they) rely on waste from residential area.”

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“The problem worsens during the hot and dry season when food availability is less available.

“Baboons generally have a high recruitment rate and do not have a lot of predators to feed on them, hence the high survival rate and a high population density.”

He said Hwange town was surrounded by areas with a high population of wild animals such as the Hwange Colliery Concession, private farms, state land and protected areas under Zimparks and this meant that animals such as baboons would stray into residential areas.

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According to a 2019 game census for Hwange National Park and surrounding areas conducted by Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, there  was an increase in species such as the chacma baboon, impala and zebra population from 14 882 in 2011 to 22 544 in 2019.

Chibaya urged Hwange residents to assist Zimparks in controlling the baboon population by refraining from giving them food and disposing waste in undesignated areas.

He said alternative ways to control the baboon population was killing the problematic ones through poisoning and tightening security in homes.

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National

Zimbabwe on track for 6% growth as economy recovers from drought

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BY REUTERS

Zimbabwe is on track to achieve a forecasted 6% economic growth in 2025 helped by good agricultural output and strong commodity prices, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday.

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The Southern African country’s economy has shown signs of recovery in the first half of the year following a severe drought and currency turbulence in 2024 that pushed GDP growth down to 2%.

“Given the positive economic developments during the period January to June, we are confident that the projected economic growth of 6% alluded to in the 2025 National Budget is achievable,” Ncube told parliament in a mid-year budget review.

“All sectors of the economy are expected to record positive growth in 2025, mainly on account of a favourable agriculture season, improved electricity generation, stable exchange rate and inflation rate,” he said.

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He did not give an update on the budget deficit, which was seen at 0.4% of gross domestic product in 2025 during the budget forecast last November.

Zimbabwe’s fiscal position remains under strain from grain imports, drought relief spending and the public sector wage bill. While the government has collected more revenue than in the same period last year, analysts say containing the deficit may prove difficult without new fiscal measures.

The local currency, the ZiG, launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, has largely remained stable against the U.S. dollar but is still overshadowed by widespread use of the dollar in everyday transactions.

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Ncube reiterated the government’s commitment to the gold-backed unit and said the currency had benefited from tight monetary and fiscal policies.

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Malaria cases surge in Zimbabwe

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe is experiencing a dramatic surge in malaria cases, with 111 998 cases and 310 deaths reported as of epidemiological week 23 in 2025.

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This is a significant increase from the same period in 2024, which saw 29 031 cases and 49 deaths.

According to Dr Memory Mapfumo, an epidemiologist at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), “This surge is no coincidence. Prolonged rains have fueled mosquito breeding, while activities like gold panning, fishing, and artisanal mining are exposing more individuals to risk, especially during peak mosquito activity hours.”

The situation is worsened by the low use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), leaving communities exposed and placing further strain on already stretched health systems. Across Zimbabwe, 115 out of 1 705 health facilities have been affected, highlighting the widespread impact of the disease on healthcare infrastructure.

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Mashonaland Central Province has accounted for 32% of all malaria cases, while Manicaland reported 25% of the malaria-related deaths. The interconnectedness of the countries in the region has also contributed to the spread of the disease.

Zimbabwe’s malaria outbreak is part of a broader regional trend. Other countries in southern Africa, including Botswana, eSwatini, and Namibia, are also experiencing significant increases in malaria cases.

In Botswana, 2 223 cases and 11 deaths have been reported, with Okavango being the hardest hit. eSwatini has recorded 187 cases, with children under 15 and farmers being particularly affected. Namibia has seen over 89 959 cases and 146 deaths, with the majority of cases being local transmissions.

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The Africa CDC emphasizes the need for continued vigilance and investment in malaria control. Governments must enhance their efforts to improve the use of ITNs, strengthen community engagement, and address environmental and social factors driving the outbreaks.

Dr Merawi Aragaw, head of Africa CDC’s Surveillance and Disease Intelligence, notes that “as climate change accelerates, we are witnessing shifts in temperature and rainfall that are expanding the range of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, introducing vectors into previously unaffected regions.”

According to Dr Aragaw, “sustained vector control measures – including environmental management, strengthening surveillance, drug and diagnostic resistance monitoring, and fostering cross-border collaboration – will be critical in mitigating the growing threat of vector-borne diseases, especially malaria.”

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The regional surge underscores a broader global trend, with malaria cases worldwide climbing to 263 million in 2023, up from 252 million the previous year, and Africa accounting for 95% of all malaria-related deaths.

Despite these alarming figures, there have been significant successes: Cabo Verde was certified malaria-free in 2023, and Egypt is poised to achieve the same in 2024. Yet for many countries in southern Africa, the road to elimination remains steep, with outbreaks threatening to reverse years of progress.

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Government unveils plan to curb road accidents

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere, has outlined a series of measures to combat the rising tide of road traffic accidents in the country.

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Zimbabwe has been witnessing a worrying surge in road traffic accidents, with the latest incident claiming 17 lives last week, along Seke road.

Yesterday, Muswere addressed the cabinet, outlining measures to curb road traffic accidents. Below is his statement, word for word:

“So capacitation of the vehicle inspection is ongoing and the sourcing of the vehicle inspection department. Compliance to legislation is also one of the parameters that we are utilising.Standardisation in terms of driving schools, the training of drivers, speed limits as a governance to traffic monitoring, the utilisation of traffic management, the utilisation of cameras for number plate recognition and facial recognition in order to curb over speeding and traffic offences. The capacitation of the Zimbabwe Republic Police in order to apprehend and also deal with traffic offences. Legislation amendments that are taking place in order to ensure that our roads are safe. As the minister (Felix Mhona) has also highlighted that the Civil Protection Unit is being capacitated in order to deal with the challenges that we might not have been able to deal with as part of an architecture under the hall of government approach.”

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Background statistics from the Zimbabwe Republic Police reveal a concerning trend. During the first six months of 2025, the country recorded 28 159 road traffic accidents, up from 25 968 in the same period last year. Fatal crashes also increased by 11% from 784 to 870, while road deaths rose by 4.9% from 1 037 to 1 088. The majority of accidents occur in known danger zones, often due to commuter congestion and erratic driving by public transport operators.

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