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‘Historic moment’: Luthfansa’s Eurowings Discover becomes first intercontinental airline to fly to Victoria Falls

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Top German airline Lufthansa returned to Zimbabwe on Wednesday after more than two decades with its leisure service Eurowings Discover touching down in Victoria Falls to mark the start of flights to resort city.

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Eurowings became the first intercontinental airline ever to offer direct flights to Victoria Falls

The carrier departed from Frankfurt, Germany, on March 29 with an Airbus A330 and Flight 4Y138 arrived at the Victoria Falls International Airport at 11:15AM on time.

The Eurowings Discover maiden flight from Frankfurt, Germany, touching down in Victoria Falls on Wednesday

Captain Wolfgang Raebiger, who is also the chief executive officer (CEO) of the airline operated the first flight to Victoria Falls, which was welcomed by an airport event and special guests including the Germany ambassador to Zimbabwe Udo Volz.

“This flight marks a special milestone for our airline Eurowings Discover, “Raebiger said

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“We are proud to be the first intercontinental airline offering direct flights to Victoria Falls as of today.

“It has never been easier for travellers from all over Europe to get to know this beautiful country, its culture and kind-hearted people and of course, the stunning natural wonder Victoria Falls.”

Raebiger said their booking figures showed that travellers from all over Europe were increasingly drawn to the vastness and beauty of the African continent and they were convinced that they will value Victoria Falls as a great and unique addition to their portfolio.

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Eurowings Discover general manager Andre Schultz said with the launch of their Victoria Falls flights they were now able to offer their customers a direct connection between Europe and the diverse Kavango-Zambezi region.

“This area is of particular importance to our leisure airline Eurowings Discover as we continue expanding our portfolio into attractive tourist destinations in Africa,” Schultz said.

The Lufthansa Group said by introducing their new direct Eurowings Discover service to Victoria Falls, they were playing an active part in rebuilding Zimbabwe’s tourism industry those of neighbouring countries.

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“Travel has become an important factor in the lives of many Germans,” the group said.

“Travellers from Germany constitute an important factor in the international tourism business.

“Zimbabwe, on the other hand, is an extremely beautiful and attractive destination in Africa, therefore, we very much welcome the fact that tourists from Germany venturing into Africa are now being provided a much easier access not only to the majestic Victoria Falls but to Zimbabwe altogether.”

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Guests at a ceremony to welcome the maiden Eurowings Discover maiden flight pose for a picture at the Victoria Falls International Airport

Eurowings Discover starting March 29 will operate three weekly direct connections from Frankfurt to Victoria Falls, with return flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The flights will be operated as tag flights with a short stopover in Windhoek.

“Through the integration into the Lufthansa network, passengers benefit from the direct connection to all German and European Lufthansa departure points as well as a continuous booking process and seamless transfer traffic,” Lufthansa said.

“Eurowings Discover will offer a high-quality product with many services included such as refreshments

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“The aircraft offers up to 300 seats, up to 30 of which are in business class (full lie-flat seats), up to 31 in premium economy and up to 244 in economy.

“In all three classes, guests can look forward to a special, high-quality travel experience with all meals and non-alcoholic beverages included in the fare.

“Next to the culinary experience, Eurowings Discover also provides excellent entertainment onboard the flight to vacation – completely free of charge in all classes with their own screens in seat.

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“Another special feature on board Eurowings Discover: guests can quickly and easily connect to the Onboard Cloud via their own device to receive an extended entertainment offer.”

“For now, the aircraft will continue doing three weekly direct flights from Frankfurt to Victoria Falls International Airport from March to mid-November 2022.

Eurowings Discover is the Lufthansa Group’s new leisure airline that flies travellers from the Frankfurt and the Munich hub to the world’s most beautiful short-, medium- and long-haul destinations.

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Through integration into the Lufthansa network, travelers benefit from direct connections to all German and European Lufthansa departure points, as well as an end-to-end booking process and seamless transfers.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the airline draws on the expertise and experience of one of the world’s leading aviation companies

 

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National

Zimbabwe on track for 6% growth as economy recovers from drought

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BY REUTERS

Zimbabwe is on track to achieve a forecasted 6% economic growth in 2025 helped by good agricultural output and strong commodity prices, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday.

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The Southern African country’s economy has shown signs of recovery in the first half of the year following a severe drought and currency turbulence in 2024 that pushed GDP growth down to 2%.

“Given the positive economic developments during the period January to June, we are confident that the projected economic growth of 6% alluded to in the 2025 National Budget is achievable,” Ncube told parliament in a mid-year budget review.

“All sectors of the economy are expected to record positive growth in 2025, mainly on account of a favourable agriculture season, improved electricity generation, stable exchange rate and inflation rate,” he said.

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He did not give an update on the budget deficit, which was seen at 0.4% of gross domestic product in 2025 during the budget forecast last November.

Zimbabwe’s fiscal position remains under strain from grain imports, drought relief spending and the public sector wage bill. While the government has collected more revenue than in the same period last year, analysts say containing the deficit may prove difficult without new fiscal measures.

The local currency, the ZiG, launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, has largely remained stable against the U.S. dollar but is still overshadowed by widespread use of the dollar in everyday transactions.

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Ncube reiterated the government’s commitment to the gold-backed unit and said the currency had benefited from tight monetary and fiscal policies.

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Malaria cases surge in Zimbabwe

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe is experiencing a dramatic surge in malaria cases, with 111 998 cases and 310 deaths reported as of epidemiological week 23 in 2025.

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This is a significant increase from the same period in 2024, which saw 29 031 cases and 49 deaths.

According to Dr Memory Mapfumo, an epidemiologist at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), “This surge is no coincidence. Prolonged rains have fueled mosquito breeding, while activities like gold panning, fishing, and artisanal mining are exposing more individuals to risk, especially during peak mosquito activity hours.”

The situation is worsened by the low use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), leaving communities exposed and placing further strain on already stretched health systems. Across Zimbabwe, 115 out of 1 705 health facilities have been affected, highlighting the widespread impact of the disease on healthcare infrastructure.

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Mashonaland Central Province has accounted for 32% of all malaria cases, while Manicaland reported 25% of the malaria-related deaths. The interconnectedness of the countries in the region has also contributed to the spread of the disease.

Zimbabwe’s malaria outbreak is part of a broader regional trend. Other countries in southern Africa, including Botswana, eSwatini, and Namibia, are also experiencing significant increases in malaria cases.

In Botswana, 2 223 cases and 11 deaths have been reported, with Okavango being the hardest hit. eSwatini has recorded 187 cases, with children under 15 and farmers being particularly affected. Namibia has seen over 89 959 cases and 146 deaths, with the majority of cases being local transmissions.

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The Africa CDC emphasizes the need for continued vigilance and investment in malaria control. Governments must enhance their efforts to improve the use of ITNs, strengthen community engagement, and address environmental and social factors driving the outbreaks.

Dr Merawi Aragaw, head of Africa CDC’s Surveillance and Disease Intelligence, notes that “as climate change accelerates, we are witnessing shifts in temperature and rainfall that are expanding the range of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, introducing vectors into previously unaffected regions.”

According to Dr Aragaw, “sustained vector control measures – including environmental management, strengthening surveillance, drug and diagnostic resistance monitoring, and fostering cross-border collaboration – will be critical in mitigating the growing threat of vector-borne diseases, especially malaria.”

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The regional surge underscores a broader global trend, with malaria cases worldwide climbing to 263 million in 2023, up from 252 million the previous year, and Africa accounting for 95% of all malaria-related deaths.

Despite these alarming figures, there have been significant successes: Cabo Verde was certified malaria-free in 2023, and Egypt is poised to achieve the same in 2024. Yet for many countries in southern Africa, the road to elimination remains steep, with outbreaks threatening to reverse years of progress.

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Government unveils plan to curb road accidents

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere, has outlined a series of measures to combat the rising tide of road traffic accidents in the country.

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Zimbabwe has been witnessing a worrying surge in road traffic accidents, with the latest incident claiming 17 lives last week, along Seke road.

Yesterday, Muswere addressed the cabinet, outlining measures to curb road traffic accidents. Below is his statement, word for word:

“So capacitation of the vehicle inspection is ongoing and the sourcing of the vehicle inspection department. Compliance to legislation is also one of the parameters that we are utilising.Standardisation in terms of driving schools, the training of drivers, speed limits as a governance to traffic monitoring, the utilisation of traffic management, the utilisation of cameras for number plate recognition and facial recognition in order to curb over speeding and traffic offences. The capacitation of the Zimbabwe Republic Police in order to apprehend and also deal with traffic offences. Legislation amendments that are taking place in order to ensure that our roads are safe. As the minister (Felix Mhona) has also highlighted that the Civil Protection Unit is being capacitated in order to deal with the challenges that we might not have been able to deal with as part of an architecture under the hall of government approach.”

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Background statistics from the Zimbabwe Republic Police reveal a concerning trend. During the first six months of 2025, the country recorded 28 159 road traffic accidents, up from 25 968 in the same period last year. Fatal crashes also increased by 11% from 784 to 870, while road deaths rose by 4.9% from 1 037 to 1 088. The majority of accidents occur in known danger zones, often due to commuter congestion and erratic driving by public transport operators.

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