Chamisa upbeat about polls despite crackdown

Published

3 years ago

January 27, 2022

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader is upbeat about victory in next year’s elections, despite a crackdown that he compares to being in “the jaws of a crocodile.”

Nelson Chamisa told AFP that President Hakainde Hichilema’s victory in neighbouring Zambia had brought hope for Zimbabwe, which has been ruled by one party for nearly 42 years.

A veteran opposition leader, Hichilema won elections in August on his sixth attempt.

The breakthrough proved that “nothing is impossible,” Chamisa said in an interview in Johannesburg late Wednesday.

“Zambia has given a huge momentum which is also going to spill over across the Zambezi,” the river that it shares with Zimbabwe, he predicted.

Chamisa narrowly lost the 2018 general elections to Emmerson Mnangagwa, in what he says was a stolen vote.

But he said he was confident of winning next year’s presidential ballot.

“Zambia did it. Malawi did it. Why can’t we do it?”

He said his party was under constant attack from the ruling Zanu-PF “because they know that we defeated them in 2018 and we are about to repeat that.”

“So they have tried to decimate us, to destroy us, to divide with violence,” he said.

“Literally and metaphorically, we are in the jaws of a crocodile.”

Zimbabwe’s president is nicknamed “The Crocodile” — an epithet that can be traced back to his ferocious “Crocodile Gang” guerrilla unit during the struggle for independence from Britain.

Chamisa this week announced a new name for his party, now called the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

Previously, the party had been known as the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), a storied name that was two decades old. But it had become embroiled in factional squabbles and legal disputes.

Chamisa insisted the change was not a rebranding but the creation of an entirely new party.

“We are closing the chapter of toxicity, negativity and fights over nothing. Our fight… is about a better life for Zimbabweans,” he said.

“Look at what is happening to Zimbabweans in the region, being embarrassed and harassed in South Africa, in Botswana, in Zambia. This should stop!” he said.

“We need to fix Zimbabwe in order to restore the dignity of the citizens, and that is what we are doing.”

The Zimbabwean embassy in South Africa this week issued a statement saying its citizens were being threatened to leave the country.

The embassy said it had received reports of “disturbing” incidents and threats of “forced eviction.”

South Africa last year said it would not renew temporary permits of around 250,000 Zimbabweans who fled political and economic crises at home. –AFP

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

1 day 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

1 month 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.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.