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Hwange to host regional summit on ivory trade ban

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe will this month hold a regional summit to discuss a common position on the global ban on ivory trade as the countries battle to fund conservation activities and rising poaching activities.

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The summit to be held in Hwange  between May 23 and 26 will be attended by environment and tourism ministers from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).

Ministers from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Angola will attend the summit.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said the region wanted to speak with one voice on the ivory trade ban by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which has been in place since 1998.

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“We want to build consensus around African countries to speak with one voice when it comes to conservation and safeguarding of our animals and the communities,” Farawo told VicFallsLive.

“We also want to find out on what is it that we can do in terms of dealing with our stockpile because as Zimbabwe, we are sitting on more than half a billion dollars of ivory.

“Issues around the lifting of the CITES ban will be extensively discussed so that at least our people can benefit as we try to also fight wildlife related crimes around the southern Africa region.”

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He said African countries have failed to lobby against the ivory trade ban because of lack of a platform where there can speak with one voice at CITES gatherings.

“If we build consensus as Africans, when we go on an international wildlife forum undivided and our voices can outweigh the decision,” Farawo said.

“We also want to take stock of our failures and successes over the years as neighbouring countries and to also come up with strategies and methods of how-to carry out conservation, to deal with climate change and poaching”

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In 2019, Zimparks reported that more than 200 elephants and other wildlife species at the country’s game parks died due to drought.

The authority says its failure to dispose of its huge ivory stockpiles has left it unable to fund conservation activities and also to mitigate against the effects of climate change.

“Almost every animal is being affected by this ban,” Farawo said.

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He said an increasing number of animals were straying from game reserves into nearby communities in search of food and water leading to cases of human-wildlife conflicts that resulted in the death of 71 people last year alone.

Stevenson Dhlamini, an economic analyst from the National University of Science and Technology, said the forthcoming summit could unlock opportunities for the country’s economy.

“Also, this move will go a long way in ensuring that the population growth of elephants is manageable,” Dhlamini said.

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“The communities will also benefit from the influx of tourists into their communities, which results in economic empowerment.

“Again, the lifting of the ban will ensure that the blanket approach to environmental protection does not result in an unfair effect on the communities who do not have the capacity to sustain larger elephant populations which then strains the ecosystem.”

Zimbabwe has an estimated elephant population of 85 000, which is the second largest in Africa after second only to neighbouring Botswana with more than 130 000.

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The southern African country has been exporting live elephants to countries such as China and authorities say this is one of the ways of controlling their population and also to raise money for conservation.

Between 2016 and this year Zimbabwe exported about 100 elephants, mainly to China and the United Arab Emirates and raised more than US$3 million.

There have also been suggestions that the country must start culling elephants.

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The country last culled elephants in 1988 and continues to have stockpiles of ivory which it cannot sell because of restrictions.

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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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