National

Conservationists help tackle poaching in Hwange

Published

4 years ago

September 16, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Hwange National Park, once a favourite hunting ground for poachers, has not lost an elephant to the illegal hunters for the past two years largely because of partnerships between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) and non-governmental organisations.

In 2013, over 300 elephants were killed by poachers at the country’s largest game reserve as the menace reached its peak.

Poachers, who included villagers from rural outposts such as Tsholotsho and Hwange used cyanide to kill the elephants for their ivory.

One of the major organisations that have joined hands with Zimparks to protect the animals in Hwange is Bhejani Trust, which also operates at the Zambezi National Park and Kazuma Pan National Park in Matabeleland North.

Bhejane Trust director Trevor Lane said the last elephant poaching incident at the Hwange National Park was in 2020 and he attributed the of the anti-poaching activities to the partnerships between Zimparks and conservation groups.

“Efforts by (Zimparks) and what we do differently to promote conservation in the region has positively impacted on conservation of our wildlife, especially elephants which frequently strayed out of national parks into communal areas to search for food and water,” Lane said.

“As an organisation ours is to ensure that our wildlife has adequate water supply because generally where we operate natural water is drying up fast during the summer and the pressure of elephants all coming together.

“We are faced with a challenge of keeping up with the demand in order for us to keep them inside the parks.

“Every year we have managed to put in a few more water pumps. We are trying to put in more pumps into the back area of Robins Camp because while there’s natural water, there’s a good population of elephants.

“But once that dries up the elephants are all forced to go forward to the existing pumps, which adds to the pressure. Some end up straying outside, leading to human wildlife conflict situations, that’s why we want to add more from the existing 49 to drive them back into the park.”

The organisation pumps one million litres of water per day, which is consumed by approximately 16 000 elephants out of the 44 000 found in the Hwange National Park

Another fruitful partnership for Zimparks is with the international Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which recently set up a new ranger station in the Makona area of Hwange National Park to strengthen the fight against poachers.

IFAW said the ranger station will also help the communities living near the park, who have suffered from elephants and other large herbivores destroying their crops and predators killing their livestock.

“When complete, the camp will be home to 56 rangers and their families who will live and work there,” IFAW said in a statement.

“Comfortable housing, equipped with electricity and running water, is being built for junior rangers and senior staff, and a recreation centre is under construction.

The operations centre is already in use and set up with a landscape-wide VHF radio network—vital communications equipment that connects rangers and improves responses to incidents of poaching.”

IFAW said before the camp was constructed responses to poaching incidents and reaction to reports on problem animals were slow, with rangers being deployed from Hwange Main Camp, some 95 kilometres away and enduring a terrible road snaking through the sticky Kalahari sands.

Augustine Gomba, Zimparks’ wildlife cfficer based at Hwange Main Camp, said before the road was developed, driving to Makona was a nightmare.

“The sandy soils and the rugged nature of the road meant that on average the trip to Makona would take a grueling four hours at least,” Gomba said.

A key achievement of the IFAW-Zimparks agreement was the improvement of the road, cutting a journey that could take up to four hours down to less than two.

The park is nestled on the edge of the Kalahari Desert and is home to some of Africa’s most iconic species.

Being largely flat and dominated by scattered woodlands of teak trees, it was an easy target for poachers.

“The new ranger station will prevent poachers from entering Hwange National Park into the future, allowing the park’s elephants and other wildlife to continue to flourish,” IFAW said.

Zimparks struggles to fund conservation efforts due to poor funding. – The Standard

National

Zimbabwe approves US$92 million Victoria Falls infrastructure deal

Published

23 hours 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