National

Free outreach program targets children with hearing loss

Published

9 months ago

August 2, 2024

BY BAYANDA NKATHA

Hear to Aid, an organization run by a dedicated couple, Nick and Jenny Pedersen, extended free medical services to children with hearing impairments and other ear conditions this week.

The outreach program, which began in Harare, expanded to Bulawayo, Hwange, and Victoria Falls over 10 days, targeting children aged 0-18.

The audiologist couple, working with partners Love for Africa and Great Nordic Danish, provided free consultations, testing, and treatment.

Those found to require hearing aids will receive them in the next round of the program.

The aim is to give hope to children affected by ear infections or deafness, ensuring their growth and education are not impacted.

“The programme has been running for many years in Zimbabwe as we are hoping to help these children who have no access to services. We are attending to those with ear infections and permanent hearing loss,” said Pedersen. “We were doing this in partnership with Nordic Danish from Demark and Love for Africa. We have seen hundreds of kids during this outreach.”

Pedersen expressed gratitude to Love for Africa for their instrumental support in helping Hear to Ear register and scale up operations. “We are grateful to Love for Africa who have been instrumental in helping us to register and scale up our operations as a fully-fledged organisation,” he said.

Fagness Phiri brought her son Denzel, who suffers from hearing problems and delayed speech, saying, “Our biggest challenge is the lack of teachers who are trained to teach someone with such a condition.”

Shyleen Mbewe sought help for her two-year-old son Aldrin, who has been experiencing ear discharge since birth. “It started when he was young, and now he will be turning three years in September. So today I brought him here, and they said the kind of medicine he needs is not available, hence they wrote me a prescription. I really appreciate this service and hope my child will be healed,” Mbewe said.

Dozens of Victoria Falls residents took advantage of the outreach program, seeking help for their children’s hearing and ear-related issues.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

3 days 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

1 month 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.