National

Botswana’s Mack Air partners Zimbabwe’s CATS for Victoria Falls, Hwange flights

Published

3 years ago

November 24, 2021

Botswana’s Mack Air and Zimbabwean charter carrier Central Air Transport (CATS) have announced a new codeshare partnership for the launch of a new daily safari service between Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park, both in Zimbabwe, in April 2022.

“As tourism growth continues to improve across Southern Africa in a post Covid environment, it is important for aviation charter and commuter companies to play an integral and catalytic role in assisting with the recovery of the regional tourism sector.

“The union between CATS and Mack Air is one of the ways we intend to try and be a part of the solution and further assist in uniting African countries by further bolstering tourism and conservation efforts across Southern Africa,” Mack Air said in a statement.

“CATS and Mack Air share a common vision and we aim to assist in bringing confidence back to regional safari travel and likewise open new destinations and continue to play a critical role within the southern region of Zimbabwe and Botswana and more specifically the Hwange area,” addedMack Air MD, Michael Weyl.

He said safari tourists would be able to connect on Mack Air’s international scheduled flight between Kasane in Botswana and Victoria Falls to the new daily flights to airstrips within the Hwange National Park.

The new Hwange service will also offer connections to Eurowings’ new connection from Franfurt in (Germany) via Windhoek in Namibia to Victoria Falls starting on March 30, 2022.

“We’re thrilled to be able to get in on the action by offering our new services to the Hwange area – meaning international visitors arriving on the Eurowings flight can smoothly link between Victoria Falls, Hwange, and Kasane,” the carrier said.

The Belgium-sized Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe’s northwest is one of Africa’s top safari destinations.

One of its biggest drawcard is its easy accessibility by air or road from Victoria Falls.

Mack Air operates a fleet comprising Cessna (turboprop Grand Caravan EX, Cessna 210 Centurion, and GAB all based in Maun; and one Cessan 500/501/525 Citation M2 based in Lanseria, South Africa, its website shows.

Meanwhile, CATS announced it would deploy a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan to Victoria Falls from December 1, 2021.

From April 1 until November 30, it will also reposition a Cessna 206 and a Beech (twin piston) Baron from Harare to Victoria Falls to cater for private charters to be operated from Victoria Falls and Harare to Kariba and Mana Pools, as well as other charters within and outside Zimbabwe, spokeswoman Smilo Mabhena confirmed to ch-aviation.

CATS is part of the KSM Holdings group of companies operating out of Harare Charles Prince and Victoria Falls International Airport with a fleet of Cessna 206 and 208, plus Beech (twin piston) Baron 58 fixed-wing aircraft and a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter. – ch-aviation

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

1 month 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

2 months 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.