National

Hunger stalks food insecure Matabeleland North

Published

5 years ago

July 30, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Poor rural households in drought-ravaged Matabeleland North have already exhausted their food stocks and are resorting to eating wild roots to survive.

Although most parts of Zimbabwe received above average rainfall, in some parts of Matabeleland the 2020/21 season was poor.

Mollen Mpofu, 49-year-old widow said she was foraging for wild roots to feed her chidren.

Mpofu said they identify edible roots with help from members of the San community, who still survive on hunting and gathering.

“I cook porridge in the morning and for the day, we dig isadenda (a tuber),” she said. “This has become our way of life.”

“We did not reap anything last season because of heavy rains, which are not suitable for our type of soils.

“We were also affected by wild animals like elephants and buffalos that encroach into our fields.”

Maize meal is readily available at the local shops, but Mpofu said she cannot afford the US$7 for a 10 kg bag.

“Even though it is available, some of us still struggle to get the money to buy the mealie mealie,” Mpofu said

The department of Social Welfare says 87 000 people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance in Tshololotsho.

It is currently offering assistance to about 57 000 villagers that are already in the beneficiaries database in the form of money transfers and non-governmental organisations have also chipped in.

Priority is being given to those with special needs and orphans.

A local aid worker told VicFallsLive they had established that over 60 percent of Matabeleland North’s population of around 750 000 were food insecure.

“We have done some research in readiness for food (aid) distribution and some people are literally going for days without food and there is a high risk of malnutrition,” he said.

“Some are now surviving on wild fruits and eating wild roots. The situation could be dire.”

Daisy Chuma (34) from Mabale village in Hwange said her family’s family grain reserves were now depleted.

“We had only managed to stock two drums of sorghum and millet and l have no idea how we are going to see ourselves throughout the year,” Chuma said.

Sifiso Ngulube from Manomano village in Nkayi said he was not able to grow any crops last season because of poor health.

“The rains were abundant, but how can one manage to do farming when they are handicapped and without capital requirements needed?

“So we are not yet sure how the year is going to look like because already we are struggling with these four children, eating wild fruits like umwawa and umkhemeswane,” Ngulube said.

According to the United States-based Famine Early Warning Network (FewsNet), Matabeleland North province recorded food deficits during the 2020/21 agriculture season despite good rains.

FewsNet warned that from October through to January 2022, food security outcomes in some worse-off typical deficit-producing areas in parts of Masvingo, Matabeleland North and South, Manicaland, and Midlands provinces would deteriorate.

Joseph Phiri, a Hwange strategist focusing on hunger and poverty alleviation in the district said there was need for establishment of irrigation and goats rearing projects to assist impoverished communities especially in Hwange East and Central constituencies.

Phiri said this could be done through state or Diaspora funding.

National

Zimbabwe approves US$92 million Victoria Falls infrastructure deal

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

The government has greenlit a major public-private partnership (PPP) to develop critical bulk infrastructure within the Masuwe Special Economic Zone (MSEZ), a move aimed at transforming Victoria Falls into a premier international hub for finance and tourism.

The project, approved during the Tuesday cabinet meeting, establishes a commercial joint venture (CJV) between the state-owned Mosi Oa Tunya Development Company (MTDC) and the JR Goddard (JRG) Consortium.

According to the government briefing, the MSEZ is a “flagship national development project” established to “transform Victoria Falls into a diversified, high-value hub integrating tourism, financial services and sustainable real estate”.

Under the terms of the agreement, the JRG Consortium—which includes JR Goddard Pvt Ltd, Sesani Pvt Ltd, Stewart Scott Zimbabwe Pvt Ltd, and GGF Africa Pvt Ltd—will provide funding of US25.6 million.

This arrangement results in a shareholding structure of 39% for MTDC and 61% for the JR Goddard Consortium.

The infrastructure roadmap for the 1 200-hectare site is extensive. Planned works include the surfacing of 8 km of internal roads, the upgrading of 9 km of existing gravel roads, and the construction of a 13 km water pipeline designed to serve both the economic zone and neighbouring communities.

Additional developments will feature a package water treatment plant, a sewerage reticulation system, a power sub-station, and effluent re-use storage ponds.

Cabinet said the project was subjected to a “rigorous evaluation” in compliance with the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) Act.

Officials believe the partnership will “catalyse high-value investment” and provide a “sustainable fiscal contribution to gross domestic product (GDP)” while creating downstream jobs.

The government said the project is expected to “catapult the transformation of Victoria Falls into a modern and vibrant economic development city, fulfilling the attainment of Vision 2030”.

The joint venture includes a 25-year structured profit recoup period and will be overseen by a board chaired by the MTDC to ensure alignment with the country’s National Development Strategy 2.

Located within the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TfCA), the Masuwedevelopment is seen as a strategic pivot for Zimbabwe to diversify its tourism-dependent economy into a more robust financial services and real estate centre.

National

Zambia, Zimbabwe to ban heavy trucks from Victoria Falls Bridge

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY DUMANI MOYO

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has announced that Zambia and Zimbabwe will restrict heavy trucks and trains from using the century-old Victoria Falls Bridge.

Speaking at an engineering conference in Livingstone, he said the two countries will instead build a new bridge and railway crossing to handle modern freight demands.

Hichilema made it clear that the 121-year-old structure can no longer safely or efficiently carry today’s heavy-duty traffic.

Engineers designed the bridge in the early 1900s for much lighter loads, not for fully laden 60-tonne mining trucks or long freight trains that now dominate regional trade routes.

Engineers completed the Victoria Falls Bridge in 1905 as a narrow arch crossing linking road, rail and pedestrian traffic.

While it remains an iconic piece of infrastructure, its design limits its ability to support modern logistics.

Authorities have already imposed restrictions over the years.

Trains often move at very low speeds, while trucks have faced weight limits that forced heavier vehicles to reroute through other crossings.

Although rehabilitation work in 2006 extended the bridge’s lifespan, it did not solve the fundamental structural limitations.

Experts now agree that upgrading the bridge to meet current freight standards would cost nearly as much as building a new one.

WHY A NEW CROSSING MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE

Officials from both countries now favour constructing a new dual-purpose rail and road bridge instead of attempting further upgrades.

A purpose-built crossing would accommodate higher traffic volumes and modern freight loads without compromising safety.

A new structure would also eliminate a major bottleneck along the North-South Corridor, which links the copper belts of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to southern markets such as South Africa.

By separating heavy commercial traffic from tourism and local travel, the new bridge would allow the Victoria Falls Bridge to serve lighter vehicles, pedestrians and tourists, preserving its heritage value.

REGIONAL TRADE AND RAIL INTEGRATION BOOST

The proposed crossing would complement major regional projects, including the Mosetse-Kazungula-Livingstone Railway.

A dual-track rail bridge would strengthen links between Zambia and Zimbabwe while supporting long-term plans to expand rail connectivity across Southern Africa.

It would also mirror the successful model of the Kazungula Bridge, which has significantly increased traffic flow since opening in 2021.

FINANCING AND NEXT STEPS

Despite strong political backing, key questions remain around funding, construction timelines and project ownership.

Zimbabwe’s debt constraints could complicate financing, although improved economic reforms may unlock support from international lenders.

If both governments secure funding and move quickly, the new bridge could become one of the most important infrastructure developments in the Southern African Development Community in recent years.

This could transform trade flows and ease congestion along a critical regional corridor.

SOURCE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN

National

Health ministry rolls out polio vaccination campaign

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY OWN CORRESPONDENT

Ministry of Health and Child Care has launched a targeted polio vaccination campaign in selected districts, with health workers going door-to-door and setting up outreach points to reach young children.

The campaign aims to vaccinate all children under the age of five against polio, a highly infectious disease that can cause paralysis. Authorities say the initiative forms part of a wider regional effort to interrupt transmission, being conducted alongside neighbouring countries including Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.

In a message posted on X on Monday and circulated in official memos, the ministry said it was “embarking on a targeted polio vaccination campaign to interrupt the transmission of polioviruses”. It urged families in affected areas to ensure that all eligible children are vaccinated, regardless of their previous vaccination status.

The programme will be carried out in two rounds, from 20 to 23 April and from 2 to 5 June, covering both urban and rural communities.

In Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, vaccination teams are operating in Emakhandeni, the Northern Suburbs and Nkulumane. In Harare Metropolitan Province, the campaign covers Harare, Chitungwiza, Epworth and Ruwa.

In Manicaland Province, teams are working in Mutare, Mutasa, Chimanimani and Chipinge. In Mashonaland Central, the campaign targets Mbire, Mt Darwin, Centenary and Rushinga, while in Mashonaland East it focuses on Mudzi. In Mashonaland West, Kariba and Hurungwe are included.

Further south, the drive extends to Chiredzi in Masvingo Province, as well as Binga, Hwange and Tsholotsho in Matabeleland North. In Matabeleland South, teams are operating in Bulilima, Mangwe, Matobo and Gwanda.

Health workers are using a combination of fixed vaccination sites, mobile units and door-to-door visits in neighbourhoods, markets, shops and clinics to reach eligible children, including those in remote and hard-to-access areas.

The ministry has called on parents and guardians to cooperate with vaccination teams, saying the campaign is critical to protecting children and preventing the spread of the disease.

SOURCE: CITE