BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

A routine full council meeting at Victoria Falls City Council descended into chaos on Thursday evening after three councillors allegedly recalled from office refused to vacate their seats, triggering a dramatic standoff that ended with one councillor being arrested.

The meeting, held at the Victoria Falls City Council chambers shortly before 5 p.m., had begun ordinarily, with councillors, residents, council management and members of the public in attendance. Following an opening prayer, Mayor Tuso Moyo officially opened proceedings.

Moments later, Town Clerk Ronnie Dube read out a letter purportedly from Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe informing council that three councillors — Mthunzi Mpofu (Ward 9), Nkanyiso Sibindi (Ward 10) and Daniel Moyo (Ward 11) — had allegedly ceased to be members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

The letter instructed council to notify the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) of the vacancies in terms of constitutional and electoral provisions governing recalls.

What followed brought council business to a standstill.

The affected councillors immediately challenged the legitimacy of the recall, refusing to accept or acknowledge letters that council officials attempted to serve on them, but instead, the councillors tore up the letters and remained seated in the council chamber despite being advised by the Town Clerk to vacate their positions and sit in the public gallery.

The move sparked heated exchanges between councillors, council officials and residents, with proceedings grinding to a halt as arguments intensified.

Council security officers were called in to restore order, but tensions continued to escalate. The standoff lasted for nearly two hours, forcing council officials to summon officers from the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

At the centre of the confrontation was Ward 10 councillor Nkayiso Sibindi, who strongly disputed the recall.

Addressing those gathered in the chamber, Sibindi argued that the recalled councillors had neither been expelled nor suspended by CCC Secretary-General Sengezo Tshabangu and claimed the process had been politically motivated.

He alleged that the recall had been orchestrated to derail an impending vote of no confidence against Mayor Moyo and Deputy Mayor Lungile Nyoni.

According to Daniel Moyo, 11 councillors had signed a petition seeking the removal of the mayor and his deputy over allegations of abuse of office, and the recalls came just as council was expected to deliberate on the matter.

As police entered the chamber, emotions boiled over.

Sibindi climbed onto a council table and damaged a laptop during the confrontation. He then moved toward the Town Clerk in an apparent attempt to confront him physically before self restraining.

Police officers quickly intervened, handcuffing Sibindi and escorting him from the chamber as stunned councillors and residents looked on.

Despite the disruption, Mayor Moyo later directed that the meeting continue. The remainder of the proceedings, however, were held behind closed doors.

Outside the council chambers, the recalled councillors maintained that the recalls were unlawful and politically motivated.

They expressed disappointment over the events that had unfolded, insisting they remained legitimate representatives of their wards and would challenge the process.

Residents who attended the meeting also voiced frustration, saying the prolonged confrontation had overshadowed issues affecting service delivery and local governance.

Several residents said they had attended the meeting expecting discussions on council operations and development issues but instead witnessed a political battle that consumed nearly two hours of proceedings.

As of Thursday evening, there was no immediate indication whether the recalled councillors would challenge the decision through the courts or whether ZEC had formally been notified of the vacancies.

Below are the links for footages

https://x.com/vic_falls_live/status/2062876332556448195?s=46

https://x.com/vic_falls_live/status/2062881688259027302?s=46

https://x.com/vic_falls_live/status/2062882372039668018?s=46

https://x.com/vic_falls_live/status/2062884691380772986?s=46

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A Victoria Falls City Council vehicle drove through residential suburbs on Tuesday urging parents and guardians to ensure children under five years of age receive oral polio vaccines during the second round of a vaccination campaign set to run from Tuesday to Friday.

The public address campaign announced that health workers would be conducting vaccinations door-to-door and at public places across the city as part of efforts to protect children from the highly infectious disease.

The vaccination exercise targets all children aged between zero and five years, regardless of their previous vaccination status.

Health authorities say the campaign is part of a wider national response aimed at preventing the spread of polio following outbreaks reported in neighbouring countries.

Vaccination teams are expected to visit homes, schools, crèches, churches, marketplaces, bus termini and other high-traffic public areas to ensure all eligible children are reached.

Polio has no cure but can be prevented through vaccination. Authorities are encouraging residents to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure children receive the life-saving vaccine.

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Government says Baobab Primary School in Chamabondo, Victoria Falls, has not received Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) funds since 2013 because the school had not been submitting the required allocation forms to the BEAM Management Unit.

The issue was raised in Parliament by Hwange West  legislator Vusumuzi Moyo, who asked the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare when the school would finally receive its BEAM allocation after more than a decade without funding.  

Responding in the National Assembly, Deputy Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Mercy Dinha said investigations had revealed that the school had not been forwarding the necessary paperwork required for processing BEAM payments.  

“The issue at Baobab Primary School in your constituency has been noted and investigated. We have discovered that the school was not submitting their BEAM allocation forms to the BEAM Management Unit, hence no payment was made,” Dinha told Parliament.  

She said the ministry had since reached out directly to the school and provided guidance on how to correct the problem.

“My Ministry has now reached out directly to them and provided guidance to ensure they rectify this anomaly,” she said.  

Dinha added that once the required application forms are submitted, Government would process payments and clear outstanding arrears together with allocations due to other schools.  

“Once we receive the application forms, payments shall be effected and arrears cleared along with other schools,” she said.  

The deputy minister also told Parliament that Government was developing a BEAM Management Information System aimed at improving administration of the programme and reducing delays associated with manual paperwork.

“Importantly, we are developing a BEAM Management Information System that will be made available to all schools. This system will streamline the BEAM allocation process and reduce the administrative burden of submitting physical forms directly to BEAM Management Units,” Dinha said.  

She said authorities hoped the new digital system would improve efficiency and ensure schools receive allocations more promptly.

Baobab Primary School serves the Chamabondo area in Victoria Falls, where many families rely on social assistance programmes such as BEAM to keep children in school amid economic hardships.

The BEAM programme was introduced to assist orphans and vulnerable children with school fees and other educational support. However, schools across Zimbabwe have repeatedly complained over delayed disbursements and administrative challenges affecting the scheme.