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Ex-Victoria Falls security guard in drive to help underprivileged school children

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BY STAFF REPORTER

A former Victoria Falls security guard has made it his mission to ensure that every needy child in Hwange has a school uniform after being touched by the plight of a mother who stopped him in the streets to seek help.

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Tendai Moyo recently walked over 40 kilometres around Victoria Falls rural communities to seek donations for struggling school children in the district, especially in Hwange West.

Moyo, a former security guard at the government-run Victoria Falls Hospital says  he was inspired to start the “Walk for UniformS” when a certain woman approached him begging to be assisted with a school uniform for her son to go to Form 1.

Moyo told VicFallsLive that he was determined to ensure that every child in the district has a decent uniform regardless of their background.

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Below are excerpts from the interview.

Q) Please tell us briefly about yourself.

A) My name is Tendai Moyo and I am 40 years old.

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I was born in Bulawayo and I grew up in Old Lobhengula suburb before moving to Victoria Falls in 2000 to work as a shop attendant at Power Sales before joining the Ministry of Health as a security guard before being promoted into being the human resources assistant at the same hospital.

I am also an assistant pastor at Celebration Church Victoria Falls.

It is the church that exposed me to opportunities to reach out and touch people’s lives through acts of kindness as I was leading the compassion ministry, a charity wing of the church.

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Tendai Moyo and his backers during the walk

Q) What drove you to start the Walk for Uniforms initiative?

A) Before schools opened in January, I was approached by a lady who had a child who was supposed to go to Form One, but they did not have money for school uniforms and the fees and I put it out on Facebook seeking sponsors and a lady from the USA named Nomagugu reached out to assist.

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She was a student at Chamabondo Primary School, so we came up with an idea to do something at her former school and we donated 38 uniforms before going to Chinotimba Primary School to donate in March and 27 at Baobab Primary School in July.

On the other side, the Celebration Church was doing a school shoe drive for 45 children at Simakade Primary School in Vulindlela Village and Mrs Nozipho Sambo approached us to partner with them by doing uniforms, and we did not have funds for the uniforms and the tailor was being evicted from his place of work, so I decided  to jog to Masuwe Bridge three times a week as I thought about how we can help these children using the fitness and that’s how I then (last week) decided to walk 38 kilometres from Victoria Falls to Simakade Primary School.

Q) Which areas have you covered and what targets have you set for yourself?

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A) We started this walk in Victoria Falls and we walked past Monde, Sizinda,Dibutibu, Chisuma, Jembwe, Cannan all the way to Vulindlela, a total of approximately 40 kilometres.

Because of the interactions I have had with the community of Chisuma and the surrounding areas, we have established a good working relationship with the community leadership.

The target was to match the Celebration Church shoe drive numbers, so that when they give 45 kids school shoes we also give them uniforms.

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Normally that would have cost us US$450, but the tailors I work with Mr  and Mrs Maguta offered to do the uniforms for free.

So US$150 will be enough for the fabric and through the walk I raised US$100 and we are short of US$50.

Q) How were your interactions with the communities and what target have you set for yourself in this initiative?

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A) One observation that I made was that most of the kids in that school have never been to the Zambezi River.

I was saddened by that they stay right at the edge of the river, but they have never seen them even on television since there are no TV stations.

So one of my wishes is to find sponsors to take these kids to the falls and a cruise on the Zambezi River just to broaden their scope of life and that will allow them to dream even bigger than their limited worldview.

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Q) What challenges have you faced as someone trying to do charitable worker who is based outside big cities such as Harare and Bulawayo where there is access to bigger sponsors?

It is very easy to get the likes and the encouragement when trying to raise money for charity, but it is very difficult to get the actual sponsors.

Maybe that is because I am doing this as an individual and some people are generally sceptical.

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Q) Where can people find you?

A) I work at Victoria Falls Hospital HR department and I can be reached on 0774702106, tee4christ@gmail.comand for donations, one can drop them at Victory Pre-School (Celebration Church office) 561 Manyika RD Victoria Falls

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National

Zimbabwe moves to establish tough drug control agency amid rising substance abuse crisis

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

As Zimbabwe battles a surge in drug and substance abuse, the government has tabled a new Bill in Parliament seeking to establish a powerful agency to coordinate enforcement, rehabilitation, and prevention programmes across the country.

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The National Drug and Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency Bill (H.B. 12, 2025) proposes the creation of a dedicated agency mandated to combat the supply and demand of illicit drugs, provide rehabilitation services, and strengthen coordination between law enforcement and social service institutions.

According to the explanatory memorandum of the Bill, the agency will operate under two main divisions — a Social Services Intervention Division to focus on prevention, treatment and community rehabilitation, and an Enforcement Division to target supply chains, trafficking networks, and related financial crimes.

The legislation describes drug abuse as “a grave internal national security threat” and “a public health crisis” that fuels organised crime, corruption and violence. It notes that drug profits have enabled criminal cartels to “purchase the instrumentalities of crime, including weapons,” and to corrupt both civilian and non-civilian public officials.

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Under the new framework, the agency will have powers to:

  • Investigate and arrest individuals involved in drug trafficking and production;
  • Work jointly with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, and Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe;
  • Establish checkpoints at ports of entry and exit to intercept harmful substances; and
  • Expand the legal definition of “harmful drugs” to include emerging synthetic substances, in consultation with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.

The Social Services Division will lead prevention campaigns, develop demand-reduction programmes, and facilitate the creation of rehabilitation and detoxification centres nationwide. It will also introduce a monitoring system requiring schools, employers, and local authorities to adopt anti-drug awareness and intervention programmes within 90 days of the Act’s commencement.

Each province and district will host offices of the agency to decentralise services and ensure community-level engagement, while traditional leaders will help devise local prevention strategies.

The Bill further empowers the agency to employ prosecutors from the National Prosecuting Authority to handle drug-related cases, signalling a shift toward specialised prosecution of narcotics offences. It also introduces a new, stricter “standard scale of fines” and penalties for drug crimes — higher than those prescribed under existing criminal laws.

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In a major development, the proposed law integrates the agency into Zimbabwe’s Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act, allowing it to pursue unexplained wealth orders and seize assets linked to drug cartels.

The Bill stresses rehabilitation and social reintegration as key pillars. It obliges the agency to support affected individuals through psychosocial counselling, vocational training, and community wellness programmes aimed at helping addicts rebuild their lives.

If passed, the National Drug and Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency will replace fragmented anti-drug efforts currently scattered across ministries and law enforcement agencies, creating a central authority to drive national strategy and coordination.

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Parliament is expected to debate the Bill in the coming weeks amid growing concern over youth addiction to crystal meth, cough syrups, and other illicit substances that have taken root in both urban and rural communities.

 

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Hwange unit 8 breaks down, deepening Zimbabwe’s power supply challenges

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

ZESA Holdings has announced that Hwange Unit 8 has been taken off the national grid following a technical fault, a development expected to worsen Zimbabwe’s persistent electricity shortages.

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In a statement released on Monday, the power utility said the unit would be out of service for ten days while restoration work is carried out.

“Hwange Unit 8 has been taken off the grid due to a technical fault. The unit will be out of service for 10 days while restoration work is carried out,” ZESA said.

The company said Hwange Unit 7 remains operational, generating 335 megawatts (MW) to support system stability, while power generation at Kariba South Power Station has been ramped up with “careful management of water allocations” to compensate for the temporary shortfall.

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ZESA apologized for the inconvenience and appealed for public understanding as engineers work to restore the unit.

Zimbabwe has faced recurring electricity supply challenges over the past two decades, driven by ageing infrastructure, limited generation capacity, and low water levels at Kariba Dam. While the commissioning of Hwange Units 7 and 8 in 2023 brought some relief, frequent breakdowns have continued to disrupt supply, forcing industries and households to endure prolonged load-shedding.

The latest fault at Hwange comes at a time when power demand is surging across the country, particularly during the hot season when air conditioning and irrigation systems increase pressure on the grid.

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Energy experts say the outage highlights the need for greater investment in maintenance, renewable energy, and grid modernization to stabilize Zimbabwe’s power supply in the long term.

 

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Tsholotsho to host national commemoration of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe will on Thursday, this week,  join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR), with national events set to take place at Tshino Primary School in Ward 5, Tsholotsho District, along the Tsholotsho–Sipepa road.

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The global day, observed annually, aims to promote a culture of disaster risk awareness and highlight efforts to reduce vulnerability and build resilience in communities.

Speaking to VicFallsLive, Civil Protection Unit Director Nathan Nkomo said this year’s commemoration holds special significance for Tsholotsho, a district that has long struggled with recurrent flooding.

“The whole issue is to reduce, not to increase the occurrence of disasters. And by commemorating, that’s where we share ideas with other people,” Nkomo said.

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He noted that Tsholotsho’s selection as the national host was deliberate, following the successful relocation of families who were affected by flooding at the confluence of the Gwai and Shashani rivers.

“It’s not by accident that we are commemorating in Tsholotsho. We have built 305 houses for people who were affected in the Spepa area, and we will be celebrating in style because we have managed to relocate them,” he said.

“Now we no longer hear of people being flooded in Tsholotsho because of that relocation. So, we will be celebrating in style for Tshini and Sawudweni.”

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The relocations, carried out under government’s disaster recovery and housing programs, have been hailed as a success story in proactive disaster risk management.

Looking ahead to the cyclone season, Nkomo said funding remains the major challenge in preparedness and response.

“We cannot preempt to say there are challenges yet, but historically, since we’ve dealt with COVID-19 and Cyclone Idai, the issue of funds has always been critical,” he said.

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“This year, we are dealing with cyclones at a time when even our development partners have dwindling resources. So, funding will take centre stage in our deliberations, to see how best we can respond with the little we have. The whole idea, when you go to war, is not the question of numbers, but of strategy and how to win.”

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed globally every October 13, but Zimbabwe’s national commemorations are being held later this year to align with local preparedness programs and community-based activities.

 

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