In the community

Covid-19 vaccines give battered Victoria Falls new hope

Published

4 years ago

August 9, 2021

BY FARAI MUTSAKA

Victoria Falls usually teems with tourists who come to marvel at the roaring Zambezi River as it tumbles down more than 108 meters to the gorge below, sending up a mist that is visible from miles away.

“The Smoke That Thunders” – the English translation of what the waterfall is called in the Sotho language – is still mighty, but the Covid-19 pandemic has reduced visitors to a trickle.

Ordinarily, Victoria Falls attracts 350,000 tourists a year, but their numbers have dropped to almost none as a result of travel restrictions.

Hotel occupancy rates fell into the single digits during 2020 and the first half of 2021, and some hotels were forced to close, according to the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe.

To promote Victoria Falls as a safe destination, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has made vaccines available to all 35,000 residents of the town that shares a name with the waterfall.

An estimated 60% of the people there have been vaccinated with either the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines, both from China.

Although tourists have not returned in large numbers, Victoria Falls mostly has been spared the current wave of Covid-19 that has swept across the rest of Zimbabwe and southern Africa, which health officials attribute to the town’s relatively high level of vaccinations.

Nationwide, over 1.8 million people, slightly more than 12% of Zimbabwe’s population, have received a first dose, while more than 900,000 people are fully vaccinated with two doses.

On the strength of the vaccination rate in Victoria Falls, the government recently reopened two land borders that link the town to the neighboring countries of Zambia, Namibia and Botswana.

Travelers with proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test will be permitted entry.

Victoria Falls was where Zimbabwe recorded its first Covid-19 case in March 2020, likely because of its high number of international visitors.

A year later, at a time where only medical workers and other essential workers were eligible for vaccines, shots were made available for all of the town’s residents age 18 and older.

All adult Zimbabweans are now eligible, but because of widespread supply shortages, the lines for jabs are long and many people are disappointed.

Restaurants in Victoria Falls are allowed to serve sit-in customers – something that is forbidden in the rest of Zimbabwe, which still has tight restrictions as a result of the current surge driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus.

Close to 90 percent of Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths in the current surge are of unvaccinated people, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Health.

Although planeloads of tourists have not yet returned, the reopening of Victoria Falls was a relief for a town that survives on tourism, Anald Musonza, the regional chairman of the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe, told The Associated Press.

“We had been waiting for this for a long time,” Musonza said. “This will help us retain some jobs that were lost due to the pandemic.”

Tourism, together with mining and agriculture, is a key anchor of Zimbabwe’s fragile economy.

Mass vaccinations could help open up tourist destinations countrywide, said Tinashe Farawo, a spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

The loss of tourism revenue has hurt the authority’s ability to operate.

“Victoria Falls is testimony of what vaccines can do,” he said. “It’s good for us.

“It’s good for wildlife because now we can raise money to deploy our rangers and fund other critical operations.” – AP

In the community

Painted Dog Conservation and Uncommon bring free coding school to Gwai Valley Primary

Published

5 days ago

October 2, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Painted Dog Conservation (PDC), in partnership with technology-driven organisation Uncommon, is set to establish a free coding school at Gwai Valley Primary in Lupane District, marking a new chapter in community empowerment and education.

Speaking during an interview with VicFallsLive, PDC operations director, David Kuvawoga said the initiative stems from the organisation’s long-term work with local schools through its children’s bush camps.

“In our quest to find solutions to the poaching crisis, and building on the work we’ve done with schools over the years, we identified Gwai Primary as a good location to start a coding school,” he explained. “We partnered with Uncommon, which already runs facilities in Harare and Victoria Falls, to bring this opportunity closer to rural communities.”

The school will be housed in container units equipped with computers and other necessary technology. According to PDC, the project will be led by youths from the Gwai community who underwent year-long training in Victoria Falls and are now prepared to teach children — and adults — the fundamentals of coding.

“This is not just for schoolchildren,” the operations director said. “Anyone in the community with the passion to learn can join. What matters is the interest and commitment, not formal qualifications.”

Importantly, the programme will be free of charge. Both organisations confirmed that tuition, equipment, and running costs are fully covered through fundraising efforts.

“No one is going to pay a cent,” he said. “Just like our bush camps, which host over a thousand children every year without charge, this coding school is fully funded. All the community needs to do is embrace it.”

PDC has previously supported communities through projects such as boreholes and gardens, but this marks its first major investment in technology. The director said the initiative has the potential to address unemployment, improve education, and give local youth world-class digital skills.

“Coding is a highly sought-after skill across the world,” he noted. “If young people here can learn it, they can secure jobs or even create employment for others. This is a brick in the foundation of uplifting Lupane, Hwange, and beyond.”

The coding school is expected to open in December at Gwai Valley Primary.

In the community

Lupane police officer sentenced for tampering with mbanje evidence

Published

2 weeks ago

September 26, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A 21-year-old constabulary officer in Lupane has been convicted after admitting he tampered with evidence in a drug possession case, effectively helping a suspect conceal part of the stash.

The officer, Nqobile Mutale, was on duty at Lupane Terminus Base on the 18th of September when he arrested Thulani Sibanda, who had been implicated in unlawful possession of dagga/imbanje. Instead of handing over the full exhibit, Mutale struck a deal with Sibanda and hid part of the recovered drugs behind the police base.

Detectives later uncovered the hidden dagga, with Mutale leading them to the site during investigations.

Standing before the Lupane Magistrates’ Court, Mutale pleaded guilty to obstructing the course of justice. He was handed a 24-month sentence, with nine months suspended. The balance of 15 months was also suspended, provided he completes 525 hours of community service.

In the community

Avoid nightime movement and stoning elephants, communities told

Published

3 weeks ago

September 17, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Following a recent spate of human-wildlife conflict incidents, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo has urged communities to exercise caution when encountering wild animals.

Farawo emphasized the importance of avoiding confrontations with elephants, particularly when they encroach into community areas. “We would like to urge members of the communities to avoid throwing stones at elephants,” he said. “This action agitates them, leading to attacks on people.”

In addition to avoiding confrontations, Farawo advised community members to minimize movement at night, as this is when wild animals are most active. “We would like to urge communities to avoid moving at night to minimize casualties,” he said.

Farawo’s comments come after a 79-year-old man from Hwange was killed by an elephant yesterday. The incident is still under investigation by rangers. This is the second fatal incident in the area, following the death of another man who was attacked by an elephant while on his way to work in Hwange town several weeks ago.